Sunday 30 December 2012

Emmalee by Jenni James (Review)


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Number of Pages: 230
For ages 13+

"Sometimes love is blind.

Emmalee Bradford thinks she’s an expert at matchmaking, and she won’t rest until all her friends are as happy as she is. Especially Hannah, the girl she’s decided to make popular. Everyone loves Emmalee's advice--everyone, that is, except her annoying neighbor Chase Anderson, who has taken it upon himself to "fix" her.

This modern version of Jane Austen’s Emma is the hilarious journey of a girl who believes she knows all about love. But when it comes to recognizing the perfect guy for her, Emmalee is absolutely clueless." -Goodreads

I had read some of the other books in the Jane Austen Diaries series and really liked them and I thought I would try this one out! And I think this one is probably my favorite!

What I really love about this book the most was that it was super sweet and cute and adorable and everything you could ever dream of being a contemporary romance, but it was also light and didn't weigh you down with a whole bunch of crud. Like an angel food cake! Yum! I think that's the perfect analogy for this book. An angel food cake. We'll just go with that. And if you don't like angel food cake... Try to picture something else because I've got nothin' else. One creative analogy is my limit.

In the beginning, Emmalee was one of those girls that you pretty much couldn't stand. She thought she was all that and a bag of chips. But throughout the story you can really see how she progresses. All with the help of *sigh* Chase... Goodness gracious that boy is fantabulous. And super intelligent. I loved how he cared about everyone's feelings. He was just an all around awesome guy. But don't you worry, there'll be a whole paragraph about him comin' up. I won't leave you guys hangin'. I mean, do I ever?

Even though Emmalee annoyed me to no end, I absolutely loved her. She had everything right at her fingertips, but once you got to know her and read about her, she really was down to earth. Like when she hangs out with Hannah, and they talk about books for hours. I could totally relate to that one. ;) I do that pretty much everyday... With myself? ... I have Twitter! ...There we go.

I feel like we never do get the point of view of the popular girl. It's always about the average girl who turns out to be not so average and about how she takes down the popular girl and gets the guy! But with this story, we got a look at the life of the popular girl. And we learn that sometimes the attitude they give off isn't intentional. ...Sometimes it is... More like most times, but there are times where it isn't! This happens to be one of those times!

So you know that guy Chase I mentioned above? Chase Anderson? Yeah, that one....

OH MY GRAVY. OH MY GRAVY. OH MY GRAVY. Guys... For cereal. How can I explain this to you without sounding like the stereotypical teenage girl that I am? Should I look on thesaurus.com? Because I honestly can't figure out how to describe the amount of swoony-ness this boy is. ...My computer literally just crashed and I'm pretty sure it was getting stressed out by all of the craziness I am. Thank goodness for auto-save, am I right? I'm sure you guys are probably thinking, "WE GET IT. BUT WHY IS HE SO SWOON WORTHY, JEWELZ?!" And I'm sure you were yelling like that. Don't you worry! I can answer this question for you! Well, he has sparkly blue eyes... What? .... Wait, you need more?! ;) He also tries to help Emmalee. Sometimes this didn't work out too well, but he always had what was best for her in mind. He just wanted her to be the best that she could be. Also, when they were younger, he made her promise him she would call him her knight after he pretty much saved her from drowning. ....HOW ADORABLE IS THAT?! Are you guys swooning yet? Need I say more? ...This paragraph just doubled in size.

This book makes me want to go back and re-read Pride and Popularity because I did not even realize that the two characters from that book were in this one! Say what?! That book was super good too!

Also: I found it absolutely adorable that every paragraph started with a pick up line. ;D

Hopefully, by now you're all like, "I MUST BUY THIS BOOK AT ONCE!" ...Why is is that everything I have you guys say is in all caps? It's because I'm a capsaholic. But anyways, this book was absolutely fantabulous and I loved it so very much. This review escalated quickly. So sorry to any new readers who now think I'm absolutely insane! But in reality, I am. I recommend this lovely read to lovers of light, sweet romances! This will not disappoint! 5 out of 5 diva crowns!


I hope that everyone has a FANTASTIC New Year and a great week! :) Thanks for reading!

Sunday 16 December 2012

Shot Through the Heart by Nicki Burnham (Review)


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Number of Pages: 154
For ages 13+

"At Eastwood High, love is a battlefield.

Two guys, two girls, two thousand dollars, and one epic water gun battle.

Senior year? It's all about Senior Assassin, a yearly water gun tournament where the last team standing receives a cool two grand. Connor wants nothing more than to split that prize with his best friend, Josh. When their mission is put in jeopardy by Molly--thanks to her crush on Connor--Josh comes up with a plan to thwart her, one that involves his sister, Peyton...

Peyton's deepest desire is to score entry to MIT. She's working her tail off to achieve her goal, but when she's dragged into Connor and Josh's water gun tournament, their antics threaten to leave her high and dry. As Peyton's forced to choose between chemistry class and chemistry with Connor, will the super student and the super athlete discover they have more in common than they imagined?

One thing's for certain: When Connor, Peyton, Josh, and Molly load their weapons, someone's bound to get shot through the heart." -Goodreads

Finals are coming up and a WHOLE BUNCH of craziness is happenin' right now, so I haven't been able to read as much as I would like to. :( BUT I did have time to read this quick read and I NEED to review somethin'! I can't leave you guys hanging!

I ARORED this book! It was super adorable and sweet and made me get the teenage girl giggles... Connor is super swoon worthy and Peyton is hilarious and Josh is just... well, Josh. ;)

I don't know what it is about story lines where the brother's best friend falls for his sister that I love so much but I usually absolutely love them. And this was definitely one of them. This book got straight to the point, and that's something I loved about it.

Peyton is one of those girls who is very serious about her grades. And I kind of feel like Peyton in a way. I'm super serious when it comes to school, and I'm pretty much miserable if I get a bad grade. I really connected with her and saw the struggles she was going through. Something else that I loved about her was that even though school was a huge part of her life, that didn't stop her from having fun or joking around. Her personality was spectacular. I felt like I really was in the head of a teenage girl, even though I don't have to read a book to do that. But the things she was feeling definitely felt genuine!

Can we just have a moment of silence to swooooon over Connor?
.....
....
....

HE IS SO SWOONY.  That's about all I can say... Just joking! I mean, come on, there's more to a guy than his swoony-ness... Right? Anyways, I loved that he was a nerd under all of that cuteness. That he was really interested in good grades and such. That's my kind of guy. And he cared about girls' feelings. Instead of totally blowing Molly off when she was showing signs of "flirtation" he tried to let her down gently. Of course, that didn't really work out... but all ended well! ;) Poor Connor was a little clueless when it came to fixing things with girls. Girls are pretty difficult to begin with... Am I right? ;)

Something that I really liked was that Connor and Peyton had known each other almost their whole lives. It gave a lot more stories between the characters and gave the characters a lot more confusion. Plus, HISTORY! That's pretty major. They were starting to see each other differently. The romance between them was absolutely adorable and I couldn't get enough.

I was almost pulling my hair out in part of this book with Peyton. GOODNESS GRACIOUS, GIRL. Why must you question someone like Connor? I, of course, could see where she was coming from, but I was getting frustrated with some of the decisions she was making.

Then there's Josh, Peyton's brother, who is quite the handful. And little did he know that trying to create a rumor about his sister and his best friend would actually cause them to like each other. When he came down to business, Josh was a sweet brother. He cared about Peyton's feelings.

This book was light read that uplifted you from all that heavy reading. It was fantabulous and sweet and reviewing it makes me want to re-read it again... If you're looking for a quick contemporary romance this book is the one for you! 5 out of 5 diva crowns! :) You must read it!



Hope everyone has a FANTABULOUS week, and if you're like me and have finals or super hard tests or just something difficult in general coming up, GOOD LUCK and happy studying! Hope your day is filled with *SPARKLES!*

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Cover Reveal/Author interview: There by Denise Grover Swank!

I'm super excited to reveal this cover to you! Not only because it's my Mother's book but because I absolutely love it! I've read the early version of THERE and LOVED IT! I can't wait until it comes out so all of you can read it to!

If anyone wants to see a reference to the book cover of the first book, HERE, here it is:


So without further ado, the cover reveal of THERE!

***drum roll, please...****

 *DA DA DA DUMMMMM!*

The front:


And the back: 


Isn't it FANTABULOUUUUUS? I love it... I got super excited when my Momma sent me a picture of it  when I was at school. ;) It pays to have a mother who's an author.

I also interviewed my Momma and asked her a couple of questions about the cover!

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*Who is the cover designer and how did you find her?*

Nathalia Suellen created the cover for both HERE and THERE. I knew I wanted a more artistic cover than I had used for my two previous books. So I searched around the internet and found  Nathalia on Deviant Art. I emailed her about purchasing a picture she had in her gallery to use for the cover of HERE. She told me it would be less expensive to create one from scratch, so we did. I LOVE Nathalia’s work. I highly recommend you visit her website http://intro.ladysymphonia.com/  or on Deviant Art http://lady-symphonia.deviantart.com/

*How much say did you have in the cover design of THERE?*

While I gave Nathalia a general direction and idea about what I wanted for HERE’s cover, I had a lot of input on the design concept for THERE.

*What did you incorporate from the cover of HERE to the cover of THERE?*

I’d been thinking about the cover for THERE for several months before I approached Nathalia about starting the designing process. I knew I wanted Julia on the cover and I wanted her in a puddle of water, like she is in HERE. I liked the barren forest on HERE because it reflected Julia’s world (It was fall and the leaves were falling) and Evan’s world (The trees were dead) and I wanted another barren background. I wanted the two boys on the cover again, but I wanted them on separate sides.

*Are there any elements of symbolism in the cover of THERE?*

There’s quite a bit of symbolism on the cover of THERE. On the cover of HERE, Julia is looking down and in a white dress, but on THERE, she’s in a black dress and looking the opposite direction, in a more active stance. She was depressed and trying to find her way in HERE, but in THERE she’s more proactive and tries to take more control of her situation. She’s moving toward the danger and toward Reece and Evan.
The puddle of water on both covers symbolizes the joining of both worlds, the reflection symbolizes both Julias being present at the same time. Julia’s reflection on HERE is her white dress, but on THERE, her dress is black and the reflection is her white dress. In THERE, the other Julia’s memories begin bleed in hers. The reflection of the opposite shows 1) Julia is not the same girl she was in her world—she’s stronger and 2) she’s slowly losing herself to the Julia of Evan’s world.
The ruins in the background represent Evan’s world, but it also represents Julia’s life. It’s falling apart around her.
The storm brewing beyond the ruins represents the chaos in Julia’s life as well as the chaos of the world she’s now living in.

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THERE will be released December 24th so make sure to watch out for that! If you haven't read HERE, the ebook is on sale for 99 cents until Friday, November 30th! So if you're lookin' for a bargain there's your chance!


OR you can enter to win one of five autographed print copies of HERE in a Goodreads giveaway!


Places you can find HERE:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Here-On-the-Otherside-ebook/dp/B0064S8D9W
B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-denise-grover-swank/1107091759?ean=2940013553217
TBD:  http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Here-Denise-Grover-Swank/9781466394575
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Here/book-Vnv8yg9YK0uN4hV598RtvA/page1.html?s=za8DVZqrWUCKp3LFSdUrNg&r=1
Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103327

Hope your days is filled with *SPARKLES!*


Sunday 11 November 2012

The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore (Review)


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Number of Pages: 328
For ages 13+

"Jason just wants a date with Harley. 
Harley just wants a date with Trent.
Trent's still getting over Stephanie.

When Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of deceptions. Trent's got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets from her dreams with Trent.

Worst of all, Harley's mom is getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley's Reverend Dad can't fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks finally come off, can everyone handle the real truth?" -Goodreads

When I read the description for this book I thought it sounded absolutely adorable. And there's just something about the fact that a plan can change a person's feelings that makes me get all happy and excited. And yes, indeed, this plan sure did. I had so much fun reading this book!

Harley lives in one of those small town places where EVERYONE knows everyone's business. And may I just say, I would not enjoy living in one of those towns. But then Mr. Jason comes in and turns everything upside down. He is so swoony. Seriously. And I'm sure everyone's like, "Big surprise. This is Julia, for crying out loud." BUT COME ON. Who doesn't enjoy a book about a swoon worthy guy? Will someone please tell me?

Harley is the reverend's daughter which causes for a lot of stereotypes. I mean, the first thing you think about when you think of a reverend's daughter is crazy and rebelling. So she's got a lot of stuff to live up to. But all Harley wants is to date Trent, which I think is totally not as good as Jason, but of course she doesn't see that until later. I'm not gonna lie I thought Harley was a complete and utter idiot for a little bit because she was totally missing out on Jason for Trent, but things got better!

Jason was fantabulous. You could pretty much categorize him into one word and that would be it. He was quirky and different but he was also STINKING GORGEOUS. And those are my favorite guys to read about. The kind that aren't all suave and smooth but beyond adorable and know just the right thing to say at the most random times. I also loved how confident he was. He wasn't arrogant or cocky, he was confident. And there's a difference, people. He also liked Harley for her. And he was always there when she needed someone to talk to.

And then Harley has no idea what to do because she's been crushing on Trent for forever and she's starting to really like Jason. And we all know the better decision is Jason, DUH. But poor Harley doesn't. I wanted to step into that book shake the girl, and say, "CHOOSE JASON. CHOOSE HIM OR I WILL." But that didn't happen. Because you can't step into books. If you could I wouldn't be here right now. Harley also has to deal with the fact that everyone's gossiping about her mother and her mom's new massage student. This girl has got some confusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! And if you follow me on Twitter you saw that I was a little bit frustrated with all of the New Adult coming out. I know it's a VERY popular genre, but I'm not in my late teens yet and I'm not aloud to read New Adult. And it's super hard to find a good YA contemporary romance that's for teens my age. This one was PERFECTION! I was super happy to read it. If you're looking for a sweet romance that's filled with swoon worthy moments, this one's your book! 5 of 5 diva crowns.

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend and that they have an even better week to come! Hope it's filled with sparkles and fantabulousness!



Sunday 4 November 2012

Rise of a Rector by Heather McCorkle (Review)


Genre: Urban Fantasy
Number of Pages: 344
For ages 14+

"With graduation~and the hell of the last two years~behind her, Eren is hoping to finally explore her relationship with Aiden and deepen the bonds with her Society. But it seems there's no rest for a soon-to-be legendary Mayan warrior of the apocalypse.

From the green hills of Ireland to the jungles of Mexico, and deep into lands unexpected, Eren and Aiden will stop at nothing to discover all they can about their rare power in an attempt to alter destiny. Learning about ancient secrets that no one can remember proves to be more than challenging with Eren seeing old ghosts at every turn though. Worse yet, behind the ghosts lies something darker and far more deadly than any of the trials she has endured so far.

In the jungles of Costa Rica entire villages are dying inexplicably. Near the carnage live a group of channelers who are hiding a thousand year old secret, one that could change the very fate of the planet. But the ghosts of Eren's past have other plans, plans to seize the thread of destiny~and Eren~and manipulate both."

I was so happy to find out the next and final (*sob*) book of this awesome series was out! I have absolutely loved the past books and I knew to expect that this one would be just as good! Once again Heather has left me on the flippin' edge of my seat for the majority of this book. For cereal.

The book starts off with the whole gang together. Caitlin, Fane, Aiden (*swooooon*), and Eren. I was super excited to jump right back into the world of this book. Because it's so much fun! :) I mean, of course there are times when it's not so fun because we need conflict... DUH. But still, it's fun. ;)

The romance between Aiden and Eren is still beyond adorable and makes me get the warm fuzzies every time they have a *moment* so don't worry, no disappointment there! And in case any one is wondering if Aiden is still his swoon worthy self, because I know every one is, uhhh... YES. Most definitely. He's so stinkin' sweet. Like, seriously.

 This book was more action packed than the last two, and surprisingly, I didn't really mind. I'm not much of an action loving girl, but I think that since there were little things in between I was okay with it! But the suspense? Killed me. So. Much. Suspense. So much. You don't know if so and so is dead or if so and so is coming back to get them or if everything is just gonna crumple into a million little pieces and the whole book will be over. Yeah. That feeling. But that's probably one of the reasons I love books like this so much. Keeps ya on your toes!

The little tidbits with Fane and Caitlin's relationship made me super happy. It was nice to know they were working out just as well as Eren and Aiden! There were also moments between them that made me laugh. Just because Caitlin has such a bold personality compared to Fane. It causes some fantabulous moments.

This book was pretty different compared to the other books. Setting wise, at least! Instead of staying in one set setting the characters when to an array of places. It was pretty cool to be able to travel all over the place with the characters and experience everything through their eyes. Well, Eren and Aiden's at least.

The ending was SO AWESOME. I was melting into a puddle of happiness. I can't tell you anything because of COURSE I'm gonna make you read it, but Aiden does this thing that was super adorable and made me really happy and... YEAH! Read it! I feel like there's lots of exclamation points in this review, but what're you gonna do?


I'm sure you predicted already the number of diva crowns this book was gonna get but unless you didn't.. I give this book 5 diva crowns for being so fantabulously amazing. Perfect book to end this amazing series. I recommend this book to urban fantasy lovers who also like some romance mixed in. You will be happy with what you read! :)



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I may possibly post an essay I'm having to do in English about the psychology of a main character in the book How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr in the near future. So if I do, watch out for that! If you don't want to read stuff like that then.. I guess.. don't read it? Ha ha! Do what ya want! Don't mind me. ;)

Anyways, thanks for reading, everyone! Hope your weeks are filled with *sparkles!*



Sunday 21 October 2012

Blog Tour for Rise of a Rector by Heather McCorkle!


The final novel in Heather McCorkle’s channeler series, Rise of a Rector, has released! To celebrate, and in the spirit of October, Heather is here to tell us about a scary moment in her life. Take it away Heather!

Heather: I heard a loud ‘thunk’ as my horse kicked me in the face, just above my temple. Oddly, it didn’t hurt. Blood started to drip. My husband came running, tearing his shirt off, putting it in my hands. I held it against my eye, which moved unnaturally at the touch. Still no pain. It felt as though my eye would fall out though if I moved the shirt, so I didn’t. My husband helped me to our vehicle and then he started to panic, I could hear it in his voice. With calming words and a steady tone I instructed him to get a towel, my insurance card, and the keys. As we drove toward the hospital I could feel the vehicle accelerating dangerously. Ice crystals still clung to the windshield and the road was covered in snow.

For the rest of the story I hope you’ll visit the Reader Girls book blog.

Check out Heather’s blog for a new tour stop each day until November 2nd. To thank her fans, and future fans, Heather’s historical fantasy novel (a standalone novel that ties into the channeler series) will be free Friday November 2nd and Saturday November 3rd on Amazon. And if Heather gets over 1000 downloads of To Ride A Puca in those two days she’ll give away a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card! So spread the word, get ready to download To Ride A Puca, tell all your friends to download it, and drop by Heather’s blog now to enter to win the gift certificate.

You can find all three novels in the channeler series (The Secret of Spruce Knoll, Channeler’s Choice, and Rise of a Rector) on Amazon and B&N, as well as other retail sites. The channeler novella~and prequel to The Secret of Spruce Knoll~Born of Fire is currently free on Amazon and B&N and you can find a short story about Fane from the series in the FREE anthology, In His eyes. You can add Rise of a Rector to your Goodreads lists at this link.

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I can't WAIT to read this book! I know it's going to be fantastic. Make sure to watch out for my review of it soon! :)

Hope your week is filled with *SPARKLES!* 


Sunday 14 October 2012

Unlikely Allies by Tiffany King (Review)


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Number of Pages: 227
For ages 15+

"Eighteen-year-old Kimberly gets the shock of her life when she learns the father she thought was dead is not only very much alive, but never even knew she existed. Angry with her mother for lying all these years, Kimberly flies to Colorado to meet the father she knows nothing about before heading off to college in the fall.

Her father’s world turns out to be nothing like she expected. Rather than the typical nine to five lifestyle, Kimberly’s father runs a summer foster camp that teaches young children skills to build their confidence and self-esteem. The Colorado Rocky Mountains are a different world than the sunny shores of California, taking Kimberly completely out of her element, and causing her to second-guess her spur of the moment decision.

Never being one to quit anything, Kimberly is determined to show her father that a surfer girl can fit into this rugged mountain wilderness. That is if she can deal with Mason, an arrogant nineteen-year-old guy who has made it his mission to point out every mistake she has made since her arrival. While she would love nothing more than to rub it in his know-it-all face, Kimberly can’t deny the feelings he stirs up inside her, or the chemistry between them, even during their verbal assaults.

When a tragic accident leaves them stranded in the mountains, Kimberly must use her shaky skills to save Mason and survive the elements. Suddenly, fighting is the last thing on their minds as they must rely on each other if they want to live. In their struggle for survival, they realize what they thought they knew about each other isn't true after all." -Goodreads

I was looking for a somewhat fast read this week so I could review for you guys because I've been a total slacker. My apologies! But I am back and ready to review!

I didn't even realize until after reading this book that Tiffany King is also the author of Wishing for Someday Soon which was super good, too! How was I not aware of this?

Kimberly was a character that you couldn't help liking! At the beginning of the book she's put in a situation where she learns she has a father she's never known about. So what does she do? She goes to see him! If I were in her position I KNOW I would be crazy nervous. And she was too. But once her and her father meet each other the relationship they have is seriously the sweetest thing ever.

One thing I thought was super cool was that Kimberly got to help out at her Dad's summer foster camp. And I was pretty  jealous because, to me, that sounds like one of the funnest things ever. To Kimberly, not so much. But that will change! While at the camp, Kimberly meets Mason. And don't let that name seem insignificant because TRUST ME. That guy is definitely important.

At first, you will find Mason to be one of the most infuriating, arrogant guys you've ever read about. But don't you worry your pretty little book reading heads because there will be a change of heart. I can't tell you when, but it will happen. And when it does happen it's probably the greatest thing ever. You'll also find yourself really liking him while you hate him. Difficult emotions goin' on there. And Kimberly is in the same boat the reader is in. And while she hates to admit it, there's definitely some chemistry.

WHEN Mason and Kimberly finally do get on the same terms when it comes to how they feel about each other, it's super sweet. The bantering back and forth was beyond adorable and there were many-a-smiles comin' from me when they were together. But there were also some pretty deep moments. Especially when they are stranded in the mountains with some pretty terrible injuries. They both have to rely on each other to get back. But don't think it was all heavy sad stuff! There were also times in that situation where you had no idea how they could be so upbeat. But I'm glad there was. :)

There will also be times in this book where you want to yell at the characters and tell them what to do. But alas, without the stupid decisions, the ending wouldn't be as perfect. I can't tell you what made it so perfect because you must read it!

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns! It had it's adorable moments but then some super heart felt moments. I loved every page of it. I recommend to contemporary romance lovers! Because if you're like me, you will LOVE it!



Hope you have a fantabulous Sunday and rest of the week! :)


Sunday 23 September 2012

Alone (My Sci Fi Creative Writing Assignment)

Hello everybody! So, no review today because I have had NO TIME (I know, another excuse.) :( Play practice has been hectic since the show is next week. And I've been alpha reading this week so I have nothing to review. So instead, I decided I would post a short story I had to write for World Literature and Composition. If you guys are totally not into this and really don't care about some school assignment I did, I have no problem with it! Ha ha! Just thought it would be better to post something on here than nothing!

My story had to be 2-3 pages long and had to be sci-fi! That was literally all the criteria we had for our story. And me being the type of person who LIVES off of direction this was quite the challenge. But when I finally thought of something I liked, I went with it and I really like the finished product. Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave me a comment letting me know if you liked it or not! Discussion is awesome! :) Also, I'm not the greatest writer so.. caution. ;)


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Alone

The pain is overwhelming. I watch the blood flow from my arm through the needle into a glass tube. After getting your blood drawn every week of your life, you would think the pain would lessen. Not a chance. For the fifteen years that I’ve lived, this is the normalcy I have succumbed to. I’ve never once questioned why my care takers make me do this, I just do it. 

My best friend, Xena, assures me that it’s for my own good, but I’m not so sure. You see, Xena doesn’t have to get her blood drawn. And I think it’s because we look different. We have the same facial structures but that’s where the similarities end. While I have light tan skin, Xena’s is silver and metallic. My movements are fluid; hers are short and choppy. Out of everyone around me, I’m the only one like this. The only person in the house hold who must get her blood drawn week after week. 

And I wonder why. Of course, I would never let Xena know of my questioning. She discourages all curiosity, especially when it comes to the topic of my boundary. I don’t understand what’s so wrong with asking questions, and I don’t understand why I never get answers. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong, right?

Onyx places a cotton ball and Band-Aid on my arm where I had gotten my blood drawn. Onyx always comes over on Thursdays to take my blood. He never speaks and shows little to know emotion. I’ve tried talking to him multiple times but after a while, I gave up. He also never breaks procedure. He enters the house, draws my blood, and leaves with the tube, repeating the process every week. I hate Thursdays. 

Xena is waiting out in the hall for me. 

“What good is my blood?” I ask, wincing.

 “Curiosity killed the cat, Melody. Be happy with what you know.” 

She’s always doing that, quoting sayings. How does she even remember all of them? I’ve always wondered how she has the perfect saying for every issue. Like she has file folders in her head that are organized to pull something out at just the right time.

“I don’t see why you always get worked up about getting your blood drawn. It’s just a little prick, is all,” she says annoyingly.

She’s clearly frustrated with me. I really don’t have the patience to argue. I’m not in the mood to be shot down again.

“I think I’m going to go on the trail and run,” I usually run on the treadmill in the gym, but today I need some fresh air to clear my head.

“Good, good. You know the saying; Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

I squint in confusion, “Yeah, I guess?”

How does that saying fit in with exercise? That’s the fourth time this week Xena’s slipped up on what she’s been saying. The first few times she did I didn’t really pay attention, but now I’m wondering what’s going on with her.

I start with a slow pace on the track. We’re required to get in at least thirty minutes of exercise every day. Actually, there’s no “we,” it’s just me. Xena doesn’t need exercise. Neither do any of my care takers. There must be a reason I need exercise and they don’t. Xena tells me I’m supposed to have a healthy body so I’ll have healthy blood to give.

I quicken my pace when I hear someone shouting.

“Hey! You! Come quick!”

I turn around and see a boy. An actual boy! He seems to look my age. I’m scared, excited, and nervous all at the same time. How is it that in my whole life I’ve never seen someone like me and suddenly, there they are! Should I run? Should I come to him? What if Xena finds out? Would she be just as excited to see someone like me as I am? Maybe the boy can answer some of my questions. 

I tentatively walked to him, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

 The boy looks around worriedly, tugging at his collar. “I’m Dareon. I escaped my boundary because I knew there had to be people like me out there. And I was right.” 

“So you’re telling me you left your boundary? How is that even possible? Xena told me to never ever leave the boundary because of the danger behind it.” 

“They lied. And it seems like they’ve lied about a whole lot more than just the boundaries.”

I stumble backwards, and gasp, “But Xena wouldn’t lie to me! She must not have known about it or she would have told me.” 

“I’m sure she knew. I did some digging and realized there are more people out there like us. All of our caretakers have kept us in the dark. I used to think I was the only one, but there are thousands, maybe millions more like us.”

“Melody! Come back in! It’s been over thirty minutes!” Xena yells from the door.

Dareon looks around frantically, “Meet me here again tomorrow. I’ll tell you everything. Please trust me.”

He quickly turns around and bolts into the trees.

No matter what, I know I’ll go back to that spot. Dareon has the answers I’ve been searching for.

**********************

I hope you liked it! :)

Also: I may not have a review next week either. Which is a BUMMER. Our show is next weekend and once again practice will be hectic. But after that I'll be done with theater for about two months which means regular reviewing. Sorry everyone! 


Sunday 16 September 2012

The Secret Trinity: Unearth by Jenna Bernel (Review)


Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Number of Pages: 218
For ages 15+


"Aria Darwin has always considered herself cursed. She is obsessed with finding a cure for the bad boyfriend plague. Worse yet, she’s in denial about her weird abilities and terrified of her mysterious stalker who causes the earth to quake violently with the snap of his finger.

With her two best friends, Aria enters her first semester of college armed with a “no more men” pact in an effort to demagnetize the sleaze balls. Unfortunately, the agreement proves difficult when she meets Liam, a charming foreign exchange student, on the first day of school.

Aria quickly discovers that Liam is not only Mr. Perfect, but he also somehow ignites her supernatural side. Upon the invitation of her dream guy, Aria travels to Ireland through the study abroad program, dragging her friends along with her. But her world of euphoric bliss quickly comes crashing down as she uncovers the truth about her past, revealing who she really is and what she was born to do."   -Goodreads


***I'm going to try VERY hard not to give away any of the spoilers in this book because there are some super duper huge ones that I really want to write about but I can't because I want you all to read this book because it was really good... Wow, run on sentence much?***

I was trying to get away from the usual stuff I read. You know, the contemporary romance that I seem to read in a snap? I wanted to read a book that would take me all day to read. That I could get lost in in more than 2 hours. Because that's the kind of books I've been reading A LOT  Some of you may not have the time. Frankly, I don't know how I have that kind of time, but I some how managed it! I came across this book on Amazon and I believe it was free at the time, which is a BIG plus!

 I read this book in a day. I probably would have read it faster if I didn't have school and play practice and all that fun stuff, but what can ya do? ;) 

It took me a little while to get into the book but once I did, I was definitely hooked. Aria and her friends have decided to make a pact against all boys since Aria always seems to find herself choosing the wrong kind of guys. But of course, that pact's not gonna last for long! I mean, this is a romance book. What do you expect? Aria meets Liam. A guy who I absolutely SWOONED over. But then something kind of... happens... I can't go into any more detail! I CAN'T! 

Liam was adorable, charming, and seemed to know just the right things to say. And while Aria was falling for him, so was I. He treated her sweetly and never seemed to push her to do anything she didn't want to do. And it makes me so darn angry that everything changes. I LIKED HOW IT WAS GOING. Problems spring up and a whole bunch of crud is unrolled. Important stuff happens. Stuff I wanna share so badly but I can't because I HATE SPOILERS. 

Aria also has this somewhat "creepy stalker guy" that she always sees but can never find out who he is.   He will be big in the end of this book. Just you wait. And he will be a VERY big character in the second book. (I've already read it.) And let's just say, he's super swoon worthy too. He just doesn't really show it in this book. He kind of just gives off the creeper vibe. But not to worry! 

One problem I had with this book was the dialogue. There weren't a lot of contractions. So sometimes the conversation wouldn't flow as much as I would have liked it to. Instead of "haven't or can't" it was have not or can not. I just didn't think that a regular teenager would speak like that. I mean, I could understand Liam speaking like that because he was Ireland and maybe they speak like that? Who knows? It just felt a little choppy when Aria or her friends would speak. But after the first few chapters you don't really notice any more. You kind of just accept the fact, and move on. 

All in all this book was pretty fantastic! I would have written a WHOLE bunch more but I can't with all the spoilers and what not. So, I leave you with this. And hopefully you'll want to go buy it so you too can revel in it's spoilery goodness. And if anyone does buy this book and wants to discuss about it with me, please do! Book talk is FANTABULOUS! 

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns! It was really good! Just some very frustrating moments. But  I definitely recommend it to paranormal/ fantasy romance lovers. It absolutely has that aspect, and it's not to pricey! Another plus! 




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I'm gonna be completely random here.. So, if any of you follow me on Twitter you know I'm somewhat obsessed with this song:

                                       


I seriously love Sara Bareilles. I DO. And I've pretty much learned how to play this song on the piano! YAY! But anyways, I know this has NOTHING to do with my review. But I just wanted all of you to know what I've had on repeat for the past week.

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Hope your day is filled with sparkles!




Sunday 2 September 2012

So Over You by Gwen Hayes (Review)




Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Number of Pages: 226
For ages 14+

"Layney Logan, girl reporter. 

That's all she's ever wanted to be. This year, her senior year, not only does she have to share the coveted Senior Editor position with her arch nemesis, Jimmy Foster, she also has to figure out how to keep the school paper alive. With the local paper closing and the school cutting Journalism from the budget, it's a long shot. Working side-by-side with Foster, the guy she likes to call Lucifer, makes it even worse.

The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is Jimmy Foster thinking he got the best of her, so she takes
his ridiculous newspaper assignment--to go on twelve blind dates--to prove his powers of darkness won't work on her. The trouble is, the more she learns about herself on her journey of bad blind dates, the more she wonders if maybe Foster has known her better than she knows herself all this time.

And maybe she should have trusted him with the secret she’s kept for four years—the secret that broke them up to begin with." -Goodreads

Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow. This book was SO GOOD. I couldn't help talking about it to everyone and stinking texting Allie like crazy. I was looking for a quick book that I could read fast and be content with  the ending. This was SO MUCH MORE. (I'm a capsaholic, I apologize.)

Layney Logan is that girl who thinks she can take on everything. She's strong, she's independent, and she is awesooommeeee. I loved her. She was hilarious and the banter between her and Jimmy was absolutely priceless. Layney has a secret that you would never ever ever ever ever guess. Throughout the whole entire book I'm thinking, oh she's just mad at Jimmy for the things he did. Blah, blah, blah. Wrong. So wrong. Your jaw will drop to the floor. I promise you you will be just as clueless as I was throughout the whole entire book. And this secret is serious. SERIOUSLY SERIOUS.

I adored the idea of the 12 blind dates. It was hilarious and I always got excited when I turned to the next chapter to figure out who she was going on a date this time. Some were a lot better than others.. One thing that was amazing was that out of these Layney got a best friend! Yay for someone to share stuff with! She also found someone that she was actually interested in! Of course, with the rules she can't really have any contact with him until after all of the dates, but of course, he found a way! I was in the middle of how much I liked this guy. He was sweet and treated her nicely but I mean, I was rooting for Jimmy the whole time because that guy is just swoon worthy as I'll get out. And I will show you just how swoon worthy he is later. Because I have a quote for you all. And if that quote doesn't make you want to go buy this book nothing will.

Now that we're on to the subject of Jimmy Foster... He is magnificent! At the beginning you think he's totally arrogant and thinks he's all that, but getting into the book and reading about how fantabulous he is will change your mind quite quickly. And here's the quote that is my absolute favorite of what Jimmy says to Layney:


“'I went home that day, and I wrote your name over and over on a piece of paper. I must have written it a hundred times. My mom found the paper a few days later in my sock drawer. She wanted to know why I'd done that...'

I wanted to know why more than anything I'd ever remembered wanting, but a part of me hoped he'd chicken out.

'I told her I liked the way your name made my heart jump.'”

SERIOUSLY?! ARE YOU SWOONING YET?! That is the kind of stuff this guy says. How adorable is that? And by that time I was head over heels. ...For a fictional character... Yeaaahh, I have issues. He also gave Layney advice and always believed in her, even if she didn't realize it. See? This is why I was rooting for the guy.

With every blind date, Layney learned more about herself and what she was keeping bottled up. And every blind date seemed to bring more feelings for Jimmy. And could you blame the girl? Jimmy and Layney had a love-hate relationship, even if it seemed they hated more than loved. But looking into it, you could definitely tell something was between them. And there were some moments that made you stop and wonder if they were both completely over each other. Because you know they're TOTALLY not.

The ending had me in pieces. It was adorable and so amazing. I read the ending probably five times. And then continued to talk non stop about it to Allie afterwards.

I. Loved. This. Book. It was heartwarming, hilarious, and everything in between. I recommend it to contemporary romance lovers. Especially if you're looking for the love hate relationships because it is just plain hilarious. 5 out of 5 diva crowns, and not a crown less!

I'm going to leave you with one more quote, because there are just so many good ones to choose from!

“My best advice is to be yourself. Unless you’re psychotic, then you might want to try a different tactic.” -Jimmy Foster, So Over You by Gwen Hayes.



Sunday 19 August 2012

No review today. :(

Hey everyone! So super sorry that I don't have a review today! The past three weekdays have been CRAZY. School started back up again.. BLECH. And then I had auditions for the play and then call backs and such! Luckily, I made it! :) The play is Les Mis and I got the part of Madame Thenardier!

But do not fret! That will not keep me from reading and writing reviews! I have scadsss of homework. Including writing a poem.. which I detest. Anyways, again, sorry!! I really wish I could have reviewed something but I just didn't have any time. If I have any time before next Sunday I may write a review just to make up for one not being posted today! So keep a watchful eye on that.

Thanks, everyone!


Sunday 12 August 2012

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Review)



Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 358
For ages 13+


"Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future." -Goodreads

This book had been sitting on my desk for who knows how long after Trisha lent it to me. Sometimes I would forget about it sitting there and then some days I would be in the middle of reading something while realizing I STILL needed to read it. When I read the excerpt I was a little wary of reading it. Trisha kept telling me over and over how good it was and pretty much every single book Trisha has told me to read has been a winner so OF COURSE I'm gonna listen to her.  DUH.

I'm not gonna lie, I really did not think I was going to like this book. But once I got into it, I was SUCKED IN. I had to force myself to put the darn thing down so I could go to bed at 1:00 am. I absolutely positively LOVE Alina. She's hilarious, witty, and has pretty much a comeback for everything. But she's also a character that you can connect to. She, like everyone else, has flaws. She views herself as a girl who doesn't really belong anywhere, and that she's really not someone special. But then she has to face the Fold. Which is a pretty stinkin' scary place, if you ask me. And everything just explodes.. Well not really explodes.. but.. like.. this blinding light goes everywhere.. and she passes out... OH JUST READ THE BOOK. Going on... Alina turns out to have all of this power that she had no idea she had. It was hard to read the struggles Alina had to go through, and the thoughts she had that she wasn't good enough. I just wanted to run in and give the poor girl a hug. And then on top of all that, she had to leave her best friend, Mal. And trust me, we're talkin' about him later... Do not worry your pretty little heads.

Something that Leigh made SUPER STINKIN' difficult was the feelings you had for the Darkling. FOR CEREAL. Sometimes I was all, "Maybe he's really nice! Maybe you just have to get to know him!" to, "DARKLING, YOU SUCK!" Even after finishing the book I still have no idea what feelings I have for him. On one hand I reaaalllyy do not like him, but on the other I do because he definitely had some sweet moments. And I'm sure Alina was having these same issues. But, again, you'll have to read the book to figure out why there are so many mixed emotions. Because seriously there are SO MANY.

Now we're on to Mal. Remember how I said we were gonna talk about him? Yeah. Let me just say something: *SWOOOOON* Kay, I'm done. Anyways, Mal is the guy best friend that all girls wish they had. He's like the Gordo to the Lizzie McGuire. Except, you know, there isn't any magical powers and they aren't separated and there's not really any life or death situations... So maybe they aren't ALL that similar. BUT, like Gordo and Lizzie, there was some chemistry goin' on between Alina and Mal. You see, Mal was the guy all the girls swooned over while Alina had to sit and watch. And if I were Alina I'd be pretty darn jealous. Mal isn't really in the book much until the end, and once again, I cannot tell you why. Do you all see the reason you need to go get this book yourself? The romance between these two was FANTABULOUUUSS. And Mal said some of the sweetest things ever. I loved the relationship between them. And sometimes I loved the bantering between them. It was kind of the comic relief when things got really deep.

 But don't be thinkin' this was some light hearted book. NUH UH. This book will have you thinking for hours after you've finished it. I literally closed the the book, and sat there. I had no idea what to do. I kind of just sat there and stared into space. Seriously. I needed to take in ALL that I had just read. The funny moments, the finger nail biting moments, and the heartbreaking moments. I can't even begin to explain the amazing things I read in that book. I. Loved. It.


I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns, go figure! ;) It was phenomenal. And yes, Trisha, you were right. I'm so glad I finally remembered that book was on my desk. Because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have read this amazing story. I highly recommend it.



I absolutely love this bookfession because it completely explains this book right here:


I really couldn't have said it better. This book took me somewhere new. And that my friends, is why I love reading so much.


Hope your day is filled with *sparkles*!




Sunday 5 August 2012

Twisted by Amity Hope (Review)


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Number of Pages: 231
For ages 14+
 (I got a tad freaked out at the end, that also may be because I'm just a scaredy cat.) ;)

"Maya Anderson has had more than her share of tragedy and heartbreak. For the past six years she's constantly been on the move with her mom. When another disaster strikes, she finds herself back in her childhood hometown of Beaumont, living with her older sister for her senior year.

A chance meeting reacquaints her with Ben McCaffey, a long-forgotten classmate from her past. After the death of his girlfriend, Ben has become a social outcast. Despised by some and feared by most. Determined to become Ben's friend, Maya begins to break through his layers of emotional protection. But the closer she gets to Ben, the more dangerous her situation becomes." -Goodreads

So, when I started out with this book I was thinking it was going to be a super sweet romance that would leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy. I was most definitely wrong. Don't get me wrong, I ended the book feeling satisfied and happy, just not the feeling I thought I would end it with.

At the beginning of this book you think you're going to be getting this love story between these two people, but once you get into it you realize there are A WHOLE BUNCH of problems with these two people. Holy cow. And some of them are so stinkin' drastic.

I loved Maya. I loved how she was flawed but could still hold her head high. She had been through so much but didn't let it hold her down. Instead she focused on other people. She was a very selfless person. She lives with her sister, Remy, and I can't tell you how much I LOVED Remy! She was awesome! She was an amazing big sister and an even more amazing guardian. It made me really happy that Maya could have someone so caring in her life after all that she had been through.

Then there's Ben. Ben is absolutely swoon worthy. Not in the way that most YA guy characters are, but still definitely swoon worthy. Sometimes he would say the utmost adorable things to Maya and I couldn't help but get all giggly. I went full on squealing teenage girl when he complimented Maya. Ben also had gone through a bootie load of crud. Seriously. Do you know how tortured these characters are?! For cereal. Everyone had blamed Ben for murdering his girlfriend even AFTER his brother was proven guilty. He would be bullied by people who used to be his friends. He would be beaten up daily and no one would stop and help him. And when he came home after being thoroughly beaten, his parents would be angry with him for drawing attention to himself. You have no idea how outraged I was while reading this book. I can't imagine ever being treated like that. I also couldn't imagine how Ben could be feeling. It was probably really lonely. Especially considering that if anyone decided to be his friend their reputation would have gone down the drain. Which is what happened to Maya. She started getting threats. Some that would totally have had me running away crying.

This book is super emotional. I bawled. I did, and I regret nothing. My little brother was freaking out when he saw me crying. He's not used to just how emotional girls can get, yet. ;) He will learn.. The ending.. I could seriously NOT BELIEVE. I can't really go into details without giving a whole bunch  away but let's just say if something like that happened to me I would need LOTS of counseling. And probably need to sleep with all the lights on, and get an alarm system, and sleep in my mom's room, oh, and hire a bodyguard. And then I'd still be scared out of my mind. ;) I'm pretty paranoid.. So as you can see, what happens is pretty darn scary. Maya actually handled it WAY better, though. I have no idea how, but she did!

The romance wasn't that huge of an aspect, but you definitely did get some sense of romance. The book mainly focused on the hardships the two main characters had and how they helped each other get through them. Something that I thought was a nice change was how Maya was more of the savior than Ben. I feel like she was the person who comforted more, whereas usually the guy who's the shoulder to cry on. I mean, he was definitely there for Maya when she needed somebody. But in this case Ben needed more of the comforting then Maya did. And at the end Ben is the hero. *sigh* Even though I love reading about strong, self-assured girl characters, I still definitely enjoy having those guys who sweep the girl off her feet and become the knight in shining armor. :)

Coming into it, I definitely did not expect to read what I read in Twisted. But I was not disappointed. I hadn't really read something like this in a while. It really did keep me at the edge of my seat. Loved. 5 out of 5 diva crowns! I recommend this beautiful story to people who love some romance but also a story that you can't help thinking about when you're finished. It gets you thinkin'!


(If you noticed, I almost always rate the books I review on here 5 diva crowns. The reason is is that I seem to easily review books that I absolutely love. It's a lot harder when there is a book I've read that I find is just okay. It's harder to put into words how I feel about the book. So, if you were wondering why I mostly rate 5 diva crowns, that's the reason!)


Hope your day is filled with sparkles! 

Sunday 29 July 2012

Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh (Review)


Genre: Dystopian
Number of Pages: 388
For ages 12+

"In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots. 

Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone. 

The autumn she meets Lucas, everything changes. 

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race. 

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good." -Goodreads 

Just letting you all know right now that I DO know the author. Quite well. She's my mother's critique partner and Trisha and I enjoy irritating one another, but we both still seem to love the other! ;) But just because I know her does not mean I will be biased in this review. That being said, everything I say in this review is truthful!

I got to beta read this book a few years ago when Trisha first wrote it! Then she changed some things and I read it again, and then I read it again before it came out. So, you can say I've read this book a lot! Luckily enough, I never got tired reading it! 

Althea is one of those characters that you can't help but feel sorry for. She's a girl who lives in a world full of unknowing, always happy people. I would find it a tad creepy if everyone around me were stripped of all emotion except happiness and I'm over here like, "I'm sad!" I'm sure that's how Althea felt. ;) She also has no idea whatsoever WHY she's different. And she's given super difficult instructions. She's not to trust anyone but then again, there are people out there like her. CONFLICT! I imagine it also gets pretty darn lonely when everyone sees you as the social outcast. 

Lucas, Lucas, Lucas. *sigh* That boy. <3 He is swoooony! And every single time I read about him I never get bored! What I absolutely adore about him is the fact that he's willing to protect Althea no matter what. He wants to find answers for the both of them. It made me all happy inside to see that Althea was no longer alone. And it helps just a tad that the person who is the same as her just so happens to be a super cute guy. But I mean, who really notices stuff like that? Come on now.. ;) Lucas also helps Althea learn that outside the boundary isn't as bad as the Others make it seem. Both Althea and Lucas together create an awesome team! The Others better not mess with them! ;) 


Goodness gracious were there some heartfelt moments in this book. I'm pretty sure I cried like three times. Something I loved about this book was that it wasn't like other dystopian books. Dystopian has gotten really popular and I've been getting a tad tired of it. But Whispers in Autumn is far from normal dystopian. And don't let the word "alien" scare you off. ;) There are no green creatures with big heads and huge bug eyes. 

There were also times where I wanted to scream for Althea and Lucas to JUST KISS ALREADY. For cereal! In this book it seems that in the future things take a step back and become less modern. It is unacceptable to show any affection towards someone until they're partnered. So, sadly there isn't really a good time to do something like that. 


Over all, this book is FANTABULOUS! Seriously. I think everyone should go out and buy this book. I mean, why not? There's no question how many diva crowns I'm gonna give it. FIVE! And I know the next book is gonna be super good because I was lucky enough to alpha read it! (This took LOTS of begging. Trust me) ;D I recommend this to readers who love dystopian and romance! It is divine! :)


Hope your day is filled with SPARKLES!



Tuesday 26 June 2012

Hourglass by Myra McEntire (Review)


Genre: Paranormal Romance 
Number of Pages: 387
For ages 13+


"One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?" -Goodreads

You are probably all wondering, Is it Sunday? Did one week really go by so fast? Kay, so I'm sure you're not thinking this, BUT it is indeed Tuesday-very early in the morning, Tuesday, but still Tuesday none the less-and I am indeed writing a review two days after I wrote a scheduled review. But hopefully no one's complaining that I'm writing more than one review this week. And if someone is, I'm sorry!

I seriously NEEDED to write a review about this book. Stat. And it seems to me that all of my good reviews come either when I'm sick or late at night. I really don't know why, but it happens. So here's a  late night review for all of you. I will be posting this in the morning, though! Hopefully it lives up to all of its glory! I've got my headphones in listening to my Ingrid Michaelson Pandora station and not paying attention to any of the outside world. ...I mean business.

Going on... This book was super fantabulous and made me cry, scream, (yes I actually did scream out loud.. I regret nothing.) and laugh. And I can't stop thinking about it or the characters.

Emerson had an amazing personality. I loved that she wasn't some girl who when all of this crappy stuff came into her life she ran away from it. She dealt with it. Luckily, she had gorgeous Michael to stand behind her, but still! Everyone needs someone to back them up. Even though the person backing her up just so happened to be a gorgeous guy who was beyond swoon worthy, but who's really thinking about that? I held a lot of sympathy for her just because she had been through so much. I mean, I would think that I had gone crazy if I could see people from the past. But maybe that's just me? ;) She was beyond hilarious and pretty much had a snarky response to anything. She definitely stood out from other normal YA characters, AND may I just say, she could flip a guy over her shoulder. Are you all impressed yet? If you aren't, then WHY THE HECK NOT?!  There weren't many times when I wanted to scream, "YOU'RE SO STUPID! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!" But when there were those times I usually, deep down inside, was agreeing with her reasons for these decisions. There was also many-a-times when I wanted to go, "You go girl!" And then fist pump into the air. But, alas, I refrained.

And now we're onto Michael. Amazing, beyond swoon worthy, Michael. There was so much anticipation for him and Emerson to just stinkin' get together already. He was one of those guys that you wish you had in real life. And yes, he's goin' on the list! If anyone who doesn't know what the list is, go check it out in my tabs up there! If you're lookin' for books with swoon worthy boys in them check that list out. I assure you there's a book in that list that you will love. Michael never ever stopped to think about himself. He always tried to do the right thing. Which sometimes was super hard to do and sometimes made me want to pull my hair out, but it was still endearing. Once the romance did kick in between Emerson and Michael, it was magical. And I know that sounds totally cheesy but it's the truth. I adored every second of them together.

Now, there were some times when I couldn't help falling for Michael's best friend, Kaleb. Because he was also amazingly sweet and caring toward Emerson and I couldn't help having a tiny part of me rooting for him and Emerson to be together. I said a TINY part.

I was worried that the time travel aspect of this book would just lose me entirely. Because, let's face it, science is not my strongest subject. Far from it, actually. Fortunately, I followed along quite well. There was a very limited amount of information that I didn't fully understand. So, if I can understand this stuff, I'm sure pretty much anyone else can. And I actually found it *gasp* interesting!

The ending was amazing. It left you wanting to read the next book, but it didn't leave you with one of those darn cliff hangers. I love cliff hangers, don't get me wrong. But, it's refreshing to be able to read a book where it ends with something satisfying yet leaves you wanting more. By the time I finished I was wishing there was more to read. 387 pages weren't enough. Nuh uh. Luckily, I have Timepiece sitting on my bedside table ready to read! I'm hoping I will love it just as much even though it isn't in the point of view of Emerson but of Kaleb. We shall see!

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns. But you probably knew that would be my rating by now. ;) I love this book and I can't stop thinking about it! I can't believe it took me so long to read it! Sheesh!

Thanks for reading! Have a fantabulous day!