Bridger by Megan Curd (Review)

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy

Number of Pages: Unknown

For ages 13+

"Ashlyn McVean doesn’t believe in fairy tales. That is, until Ashlyn is thrown into the crosshairs of grudges her grandmother created long ago. After finding out she is one of two people able to cross between faerie realms, Ashlyn is faced with trying to understand her abilities, along with navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend, Liam. As if being on a centuries old hit list and dealing with crazed pixies isn’t enough, her new abilities mean trouble for Liam. Knowing her new life puts everyone she loves in danger, Ashlyn must decide what’s most important in her life between friends, family, love, and ultimately, realms." -Goodreads

My apologies for not posting yesterday! I got a Kindle Fire. Something I have been wanting for a WHILE and have been begging to get. I was pretty much hypnotized with that the whole day. So I pretty much resorted to reading all day. Oh how I love winter break. <3

I had read this book when I was in about sixth grade. This was before I was a reviewer and before this book was even published. My mom knew Megan,the author, and told Megan I loved to read. So I beta read it for her. I loved it then and I still love it now. It's absolutely phenomenal.

By the first couple of pages, you know that Ashlynn is going to be a pretty strong main character. And by the end you are attached to this girl. And you know, there's no going back now. I liked how Ashlynn wasn't over confident. She had an innocent side to her that didn't make her seem cocky. I also LOVED the relationship between her and Memaw once they finally progressed. What can I say? I loved this book.

The romance in this book was FANTABULOUUUSSSSSS. Liam is to. die. for. He and Ashlynn make the perfect couple. And while I did hate him for a little while, (can't tell you why until you read it!) by the end, I was lovin' him again. He's not your average male character. He has black hair and bright blue eyes, and he's irish! I don't know what it is but it seems to me male characters with accents get to us girls. Liam was the perfect gentleman and treated Ashlynn right. It also helps that he is her sworn protector. *SWOOONNNN*

Megan was also great about tension. She kept you at the edge of your seat. And instead of the fight scenes being plain boring because, what can I say, those aren't my favorite scenes, she made them actually really interesting to read. Ashlynn is one bootie kickin' machine.

Another character I REALLY liked was Ashlynn's memaw, or Emily. She was a great mentor to Ashlynn who really helped her understand who she really was. She taught her what she needed to know and made things easier on her. I also LOVED Reese, Ashlynn's guy best friend. He's the only one of her human friends who can actually tell him about her situation. He's one of those characters that helps the main character deal with all of their crud.

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns! It was fantastic. I recommend this book to all paranormal or fantasy romance lovers.

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Also, even though this has NOTHING to do with this post whatsoever, I just wanted to post this song on here since I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD. It's called Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift for the sound track for the new movie The Hunger Games. I'm so stinkin' excited for that movie, by the way.

I may do this from time to time. Just to show you guys what songs have been going through my mind non-stop that week. Thanks for reading! :)

Mixin' it up a little bit!

So, it's Sunday, and that's when I usually review a book. I've had QUITE a busy week this week with Musical practice, homework, then going back to school for dance practice for the musical and to top it all off I had a forensics tournament on Friday and Saturday. I can't review my book because I haven't finished it. I'm so super duper close, but I need to get some other stuff done so I decided to do something a tad different. (*Caution: this may be a little rant-y.*)

I was on Goodreads just browsing through different reviews of different books and I kept reading these nasty reviews with just flat out rude statements. I couldn't believe that people could just say these rude things without even backing them up with examples. Now maybe I've just been doing too many seminar questions in English Lit and Comp. where I have to pretty much back every single thing I say up with some literary example, but I think that's a tad ridiculous. It's also shown me though, that it's mostly my generation. Teenagers.

I know first hand teenagers, they (or should I say WE) can be nasty. Trust me, I'm around them every day. And we are the target audience for all YA books. So yes, authors should expect some reviews that are not-so-nice. But this is kind of a touchy subject for me. My own mother is an author. So I know first hand that authors read the reviews they get. I've seen people say they flat out hated a book IN THEIR REVIEW. I think this is highly inappropriate. Other people may not think so but someone has put their blood, sweat, and tears into this piece of work and someone has ripped it to shreds. Of course authors are going to have to expect it, especially if it's YA because teenagers are extremely opinionated.

I have a policy where if it's lower than 3 stars (or should I say Diva Crowns (;)for me, then I'm not going to review it. There's no reason. If I do have some criticism for a book, I do the Oreo cookie method. I learned this method in Forensics when we would critique someone's performance after they performed it for the class. We would first say what we really liked about the piece, something they could work on, and then another fantastic thing. Now, I know that authors can't really change what they've already written after it's published, but I still think it's a good idea. If I'm going to criticize something I'm going to always add something afterwards to keep the author in good spirits, in case they're reading.

So I'm gonna be the person to be spreading the cheer and throwing sparkles on everyone, because that's what I love to do. Make people happy with my reviews. Especially authors who read my reviews and know that their hard work is worth it. Because, honestly, without authors, I wouldn't have things to enjoy in my free time, I wouldn't have such a large vocabulary, and I wouldn't be able to connect with so many awesome people on twitter and my blog who all share the same love for books as I do. So thank you, authors! :)

Anyways, sorry for that rant-y post. I needed to get that off my chest. I also want to know how other people feel about this. Do you find it a problem, or do you think it's fine? Feel free to tell me how you feel about this "situation." Ta Ta for now!

Tattered Blog Tour!

Katie: This is sooooo cool! I'm so happy we got to stop on your blog on the tour. I may have done some begging... just sayin'. I guess I should do all the formal stuff, huh? I'd like to thank Jewelz for hosting the Tattered tour.

For today's prize of a paperback copy of Misfit McCabe along with an autographed copy of Here by Denise Grover Swank, who just happens to be Jewelz' mamma, simply comment and specify you are entering on this post and leave your email.

To get a free ebook copy of Misfit McCabe:

Put together the puzzle and write down the code. Each day will give another part of the coupon code. Please note at the top whether it is for eBook or Print.

Once you have collected the entire code, go to Smashwords and purchase Misfit McCabe input the code and download whichever ebook version you need for free.

To get 50% off the print version of Misfit McCabe:

Put together the puzzle and write down the code. Each day will give another part of the coupon code. Please note at the top whether it is for eBook or Print.

Once you have collected the entire code, go to Griffie World Store and purchase Misfit McCabe input the code and receive 50% off the purchase price.

To win the KINDLE FIRE

Support this tour by commenting on each of the daily stops -- It's only 11 days, not even as long as the 12 days of Christmas.

And since Jewelz was nice enough to help me promote my new book, please follow her on this blog!

And just so you know, Denise Grover Swank is a writing machine. In addition to Here, she has Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, Chosen, and Hunted out. You should check them out.

Tattered is the third novel in the heartwarming young adult series, Misfit McCabe. A little about the book:

What do Sunday afternoon court proceedings, cheerleader tryouts, and a book burning have in common? Katie McCabe is back in action.

After her nemesis Harvey is found guilty and sentenced to community service, Katie wants to believe her troubles are over, but Harvey wonít rest until he gets revenge. When blackmail rears its ugly head, sheís caught between friends and enemies putting her growing relationship with Tom at stake. Books go up in flames and Katieís world rains down in tatters.

What next? Oh yeah... this is where LK usually goes on about how she met the host (Twitter)... blah, blah, blah.. and then she tells everyone I'm fourteen. I guess you could say that Jewelz and I met because of Twitter. I mean, if LK and her mamma hadn't met, then we probably wouldn't have met, but whatever. The main thing is that we're friends. She's into drama and sings and competes in forensics... all of which I think is totally cool. One of the reasons we got to be good friends is that we both lost our dads. So we can talk about how things feel sometimes. Anyway, on to today's topic... my cousin, Sarah.

Sarah is absolutely gorgeous and makes me feel like I'm not put together quite right on most days. Not intentionally. But she just seems to have it all together most of the time, and I SOOO don't. It's kinda a weird thing, because she's a cousin... and I only got to know her recently, but she's also telling me what to do most of the time, 'cause Uncle Charley put her in charge. But... I don't know... sometimes I feel like she kinda takes the place of my mamma. I never really knew my mamma 'cause she died when I was so young. And Daddy would never talk to me about things like boys, but Sarah does. And I wonder sometimes, like when Sarah gives me a hug, if that is what it would have felt like if Mamma were still alive. So it was weird when Sarah said she was engaged to Jim, I felt like I was losing her before I even had her. They're not married yet. In fact, they haven't even picked a date yet. It was strange to feel happy and excited for her, but at the same time feel like I was losing another person in my life. Haven't I lost enough already?

Whoa! Sorry Jewelz. I didn't mean to get so serious on you. I didn't think I would. I thought we'd take turns talking about how strict Sarah is and how unreasonable she can be. Cracking jokes, stuff like that. Oh and for those of you who don't know Sarah, deep down, I know she's not unreasonable... she just wants to keep me safe.

Put the puzzle below together for part of the code to receive a free Misfit McCabe ebook. And make sure you visit Rhonda Cowsert on tomorrow's stop on the tour. And for all details on the tour, the prizes, and the stops, please visit Griffie World.

If the puzzle does not load correctly, please refresh your browser and it should display correctly.

Shine by Lauren Myracle (Review)

Genre: Contemporary

Number of Pages: 350

For ages 15+ for strong language, drug references, and sexual content

"When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author."-Goodreads

This book had a strong story line that pulled you in on the first page. I have to say that this book is kind of dark in a way. The situations are grueling and extremely painful to read. But I couldn't put the darn book down.

Sixteen year old Cat used to be extremely outgoing, but when her brother's friend, Tommy, takes advantage of her, she crawls into her own little shell and shuts everyone out. Now, Patrick, her old bestfriend has been attacked for a hate crime over his sexuality, she has to come out of her shell to find out who almost killed him. I loved Cat's personality. She was the shy girl who when she put her mind to it, could have one strong personality. She had been put through a whole lot and she was clueless on what she should do. I really had a tough time reading some of her situations, just because she was put through SO much.

It was really refreshing for me to read a contemporary after reading all of these other complex books. And what is even more surprising is how much I liked this book when there was close to NO romance and it was contemporary. But there were some touchy situations in this book that drew me in. Another thing that drew me in was the way this book was written. You could definitely hear Cat's voice and personality throughout the narration of this book.

This is a really hard book to read. Believe me, it is. There are scenarios in this book that are so tough that sometimes I felt like I needed to just put the book down and think. It has an extreme impact on you. If you don't like reading serious story lines, then I don't recommend reading this book.

Another thing, this book is supposed to be toward teen readers, when in actuality, I think it should be for older range of teenagers. There's extremely strong language, some sexual interaction, and drug dealing. Some of these aren't as bad as others. But this is the reason I thought it should be for 15+. I just think it has a lot of issues that some younger teens may not want to read about. I AM fourteen, but I didn't have much difficulty with dealing with the situations.

As I said, there was close to no romance in this book. *SIGH* But it was still a great read. There was little bit of romance at the end that I could see progressing, but it wasn't until probably the second to last page that you actually saw a relationship bloom from that. But oh wells! What can ya do?

The mystery in this book was fantastic! I may have had a hunch on who the attacker was but when it all folded out I was a little surprised. I did see that some people on Goodreads thought it was easily predicted, but I didn't think so. I guess I'm just clueless. ;)

The only problem I had with this book is sometimes the writing got a little weird. It didn't always seem to flow like it should. But, I live with an author and from her I've learned how to find stuff like that in books, so if you can't then it shouldn't be a problem!

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns! This was an emotional book that really brings up some of the problems in our society. It really opens your eyes. I recommend it to anyone who loves a contemporary mystery.

Here by Denise Grover Swank (Review)

Genre: Sci-fi romance

Number of Pages: 350

For ages 12+

"Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from." -Goodreads

This is a pretty unique review all in itself. Why, you ask? Because this isn't just some book. This is my mother's book. Yes. That's correct. My mother wrote this book. My mother is Denise Grover Swank, and she is an author. Cool, right?! I thought it would be absolutely terrible to review this book and then not tell you guys the author IS in fact my mother. Because that would mean I was totally jipping you. And I DON'T DO THAT. But, just to let you know right here, right now *intense*, I WILL be reviewing this book truthfully. Just because it's my momma doesn't mean I'm going to review this book any differently from my other reviews. ..Even if I do live with the author, and anything I say or do could affect my living whereabouts.

One cool thing about this book is the main character is named after me. I begged and BEGGED my mom to use Julia as her main character's name because I hadn't read about any main characters with the name Julia in YA. She agreed but told me she would change it if it got too weird. Thank goodness it didn't! But let's just get one thing straight here. Julia Phillips and me are nothing alike. Aside from the sarcasm, we both like to use that often. Julia is a strong character who is dealing with the grief of killing her friend Monica. At least she THINKS she killed Monica. Then, Evan comes along *swoooooonnnn* and gets Julia to come out of her shell. I loved Julia. She had a really strong personality and all of her decisions affected how you felt.

So the romance in this book, was AWESOME. Of course there had to be. If my mom didn't put awesome romance in this book she wouldn't have heard the end of it. In this book there's a love triangle. Two guys fighting over the love and affection of Julia. Reece and Evan. Of course, at some points I did pretend they were talking about this Julia and not that Julia, but a girl can dream! You're probably wondering which guy I liked better. See, that's the problem. HOW CAN I CHOOSE BETWEEN SUCH AWESOME GUYS?! Some of my friends beta read this and we all had some strong debates on team Reece or team Evan. Most said Reece, but I was a little iffy. BUT if I had to choose I would choose Reece for Julia Phillips and Evan for me. But, Evan will have to wait a few more years until I turn sixteen for it to be acceptable. Don't worry,though. Evan will still be seventeen when I turn sixteen. Also, Evan and Reece, both going on the Swoon Worthy List, just sayin'.

Some of you may be cringing at the thought of a sci-fi book. But trust me. You can't even tell it's sci-fi. I HATE science. It's my worst subject (next to math) and it bores the heck out of me, but this book doesn't even seem like it's sci-fi. Don't you worry your pretty little book lovin' heads. Now, if you DO like sci-fi, then you will adore this book even more.

There were extremely intense scenes in this book, and all of them had me biting my fingernails to nubs. Even if I have read a version of this book at least three or four times. I sometimes have no idea how my mother comes up with stuff like this, but she does. Also, when the "science-y" aspects of the book come out. She explains it to you so you can easily understand. And if I can understand it, I'm sure you'll easily understand it.

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns. Now, before you start saying I'm doing this because the author is my mother, (Even though I'm sure none of you were actually going to say that.) I'm rating this 5 out of 5 diva crowns BECAUSE if there were any mistakes or something I didn't like while I was reading it any of the three or four times I read it, I would have told my mom. So therefore, I have nothing to critique!

I absolutely recommend you buy this book. ....And not just because if you buy it I may have a better chance of getting a Kindle fire or Nook tablet for Christmas... but because it's AWESOME!

The Secret of Spruce Knoll by Heather McCorkle (Review)

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Number of Pages: 252

For ages 13+

"It’s hard enough being a teenager under normal circumstances; imagine being orphaned, sent to live with an unfamiliar aunt—and learning that there really is magic in the world. Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with her aunt. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with “channelers”—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands.

Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Now, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad.

As Eren and Aiden’s relationship blooms, so too does a mystery in Spruce Knoll. The town holds many secrets—and many enemies. It soon becomes apparent that the untimely death of Eren’s parents-and Aidens-was no accident and that her life might be in danger, too. Only time will tell if Eren has the power to protect the people she has come to love." -Goodreads

Hello everyone! My apologies for being a total slacker and not reviewing for the past three weeks. I'm ashamed. I am. Now, WHO WANTS TO READ A REVIEW?!?! ...I feel like I'm on a talk show. ;)

This book was absolutely positively divine! Oh my goodness. My mom introduced me to this book because I was needing a book to read. So, obviously I was going to read it. My mother's recommendations are never wrong. After all she knows my book tastes. I've lived with her for 14 years.

Eren just wants to be a normal teenage girl. But when her parents get attacked by a wild animal and she has to come live with her aunt, everything changes. I connected with Eren right on the spot. Heather did a fantastic job with having the reader connect with the characters. She gave them qualities that people could easily like, but she didn't make the characters too perfect. Nothing irks me more (Yes, irks) than a perfect character with no flaws. That's just not realistic. Now, I know that MANY things in paranormal or fantasy aren't going to be realistic, but it would be nice if the character's personality was at least somewhat normal...ish.

Some people may not agree with me on this, but I liked the fact that Eren and Aiden's relationship progressed quickly. I'm the type of person who says, "JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY!" Because it's true. I like the idea of "no dilly dallying." I loved the romance in this book it was refreshing and in some cases.. cheesy. And I love me some cheesy romance! The good thing is, is that if you don't like cheesy romance, it wasn't extremely cheesy that you were thinking, "Oh goodness, when did this turn into a Hallmark movie?" Trust me. Hallmark movies aren't for me. This was nothing like one. Also, Aiden? Swoon worthy. EXTREMELY Swoon Worthy. He's goin' on the list.

The suspense in this book was also fantastic. Heather always had something that you were on the edge of your seat about. I can't tell you how many times I was almost verbally screaming, "OH MY GOSH!!!!" It's a good thing I can control myself, because I usually read this during the twenty minute homework time we get in the morning, and everything is silent. (I'm always reading during this time, because I think it's ridiculous how some kids don't do their homework the NIGHT they are supposed to do it.)

There was nothing in this book I didn't like. I absolutely loved it. Which means my mother's recommendation was correct, once again. She'll be quite pleased to hear this. I highly recommend you buy this book. Especially if you love romance/suspense/fantasy. It was FANTABULOUS. Five diva crowns.

Vanish by Sophie Jordan (Review)

Genre: Paranormal

Number of Pages: 323

For ages 13+

***CAUTION: This review may have spoilers for the first book. so if you plan on reading Firelight, then don't read this review!***

"To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever." -Goodreads

I thought Firelight was fantastic, so I was super excited to get VANISH. And I was lucky enough to get it the day after I finished Firelight! Also, not only was I sick LAST week, this week I had an eye infection, so I couldn't go to school. More reading time!

As if Jacinda hadn't gone through enough in the first book, she has to leave Will and take the risk of him completely forgetting why she left. She also has to deal with the grief with having to take her mom and sister away from their finally normal life. All on top of that, her twin sister has FINALLY manifested into a shader, an extremely rare draki. She's been through QUITE a lot, if I say so myself.

Was there romance in this book? Uhhh YOU BET THERE WAS. I hope Sophie wanted some of the readers to swoon over Cassian, because I totally did. At first, I was set on Will. I really was, but the moment Cassian turned on the romance between him and Jacinda, I was team Cassian. And... then I was team Will... and then team Cassian again. I was seriously going insannneeee. So, by the end I was team Will/Cassian. IT'S ALLOWED, OKAY?!

There wasn't one boring part in this book. I was always waiting to see what was next. Sophie did an amazing job with the relationships between all of the characters. And even though I wasn't too fond of Jacinda's mother in the first book, I really grew to like her in this book. You could see she really did care for her daughters. She didn't fight coming back into the pride that she tried to get AWAY from. I also felt bad for her mom. She was so depressed with staying in the pride, and her daughters being unhappy, that she became numb. She'd go to work, come home, and go straight to her room. I really came to appreciate her.

This book was fantastic, and didn't have a case of the sequel-in-a-trilogy-blues. Thank goodness! It was a refreshing read that had the same characters you came to know and love in Firelight! Definitely recommend it! 5 out of 5 diva crowns! :)