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!

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*!

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! 

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!

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!

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Number of Pages: 260

For ages 12+

"'I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.'

 Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own." -Goodreads

So this is my last book that I  read in my full on contemporary romance spree! I decided you guys probably want to read reviews on things other than contemporary romance. ;) Of course, I'm not completely stopping contemporary romance, that would never happen. Ever. But, I'm gonna read different genres again! ;)

Once again, Allie recommended this book to me and I actually started reading it at my own birthday party. ;)  I'm pretty much a library so my friends like to look through my book shelf and pick out books. So we had an hour long reading party. Yay for sharing the book love!

This book had the two different points of view. Dash and Lily's! They seriously have some of the most awesome personalities. Sarcastic and intelligent. My favorite! Lily is kind of the nerdy quirky girl who takes the safe road and Dash is a guy who needs and adventure. I really loved this story because the two characters barely even meet in person. It's mostly through a red notebook and clues. It's like a big huge scavenger hunt. It was a romance without the two people meeting each other! Cool, right?? It wasn't super huge on the romance. Bigger on the aspect of two people becoming close through a notebook than a romance, but there was a romance aspect to it. 

Now, Dash wasn't a whole lot of swoon. He was no Etienne St. Clair or Cricket Bell or Jax Stone, but he was still one of those super hilarious sarcastic guys who has pretty much anything to back up his statements.  People kept describing him as "snarly" so I had to look up what "snarly" meant. If I looked up the correct word then apparently he is "easily irritated." Which I guess, is a good way to describe him.Also, he's super deep! There is this super cool thing on my Kindle that shows you popular quotes from the book that a whole bunch of people have highlighted. Almost half of the quotes were his. 

Here's a really good one:
"I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character." 

Seriously? Awesome. And I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud. This really is a laugh out loud book. Some of the things Lily and Dash would make the other do we're outrageous but absolutely hilarious. I am not even close to being as brave as those two were. You also get to to travel around New York in this book. That's something I love about books, you get to travel around places maybe you've never been to. You get to explore the less popular places.  

Once Lily and Dash finally meet they get themselves in quite the predicaments which shows you Lily and Dash together equals craziness, but they are super sweet together. I wish we could have read more about what they're like together, but you know how it goes, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit." At least I hear it all the time with my siblings. It's my little sister's new favorite phrase. 

This was an awesome quick light romance read! If you're looking for a super funny book with some quirky characters, this is the book for you! I give it 5 out of 5 diva crowns!

Thanks for reading! :)

Chasing McCree by J.C. Isabella (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Once again.) ;)

Number of Pages: Unknown (ebook)

For ages 12+

"Briar Thompson had it all. The right clothes, the right friends, the right car. Being popular was all that mattered. Her parents were rich and treated like royalty throughout the community. She thought her senior year of high school was going perfectly, until the night her drink was spiked at a party by one of her so called friends. 

That was the night she met Chase McCree. 

Chase wanted to go back to Montana. To the ranch and the wild, wide blue sky that went on forever. He wanted nothing to do with flashy cars or spoiled rich kids. But he found himself head over boots for the quirky cheerleader who turned her back on her social status. She befriended him when no one else would. 

Shunned and hurt by the people who were once her friends, Briar flees with Chase to his family ranch in Montana. There she discovers another world, and apart of herself she never knew. 

The cowboy wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met. The cheerleader wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Apart their lives didn’t seem to make sense, but together, they were chasing forever" -Goodreads 

I bought almost 4 books to take with me onto my trip with Allie! Yes, all were contemporary romance, go figure. ;) And this happens to be one of those books! 

Something that's really great about this book is that there are two points of view in this book. One is in the guy, Chase's view, and the other is in the girl, Briar's, point of view. You get to be inside the head of both of the character's. Which means no confusion on who's feeling what! 

You would think since Briar is one of those girls that has it all, she would be a total snob. Luckily, she's quite the opposite. You get to see her progress into someone who really doesn't care what other people think about her. I loved her personality and I loved her will power. I loved, apparently. ;) 

Oh my gravy. Chase McCree. That boy is definitely made of swoon. I don't usually go for the country boys who would choose riding a horse instead of driving a car, but Chase changed my mind. He's sweet, and caring, and oh, just read the book to find out how fantabulous the boy is. Also, he is quite the charmer. He stole my heart when he "rescued" Briar when he found her drunk in the park. He's also one of those boys who has good values and knows how to treat a lady. ;) Always a plus in my book. He and Briar are far from the image of a "perfect" couple. Considering one is a popular cheerleader who is quite wealthy and the other is a country boy who doesn't quite fit in and which later we find out he is quite wealthy himself. But to the reader (or just me) they were perfect for each other in their own quirky ways.

The ending was absolutely, positively, adorable. You can't help but smile once you turn that last page. Though, I wish we could have had a little more added to the ending just because I didn't want it to end. But, all good stories must come to an end, unfortunately.

This book is another one of those sweet reads that sweeps you off your feet. The romance is cute, and not too heavy, the characters are a breath of fresh air, and the ending had me sighing in content. 5 out of 5 diva crowns for this lovely summer read!

Have a fantabulous week!