In My Mailbox (9)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren where bloggers can talk about which books they have received over the week.

Actually I received this last weekend and just didn't add it to last weeks post:

I can't wait to get this read, and really, I don't know why I'm waiting to start it. This will hopefully be read within the next week or two.

Destiny Tour: Heather M. White; Review: When Destiny Strikes

When Destiny Knocks (Books 1):

16 year old Karlie has had a pretty normal life... But when her Mom dies she is forced to move over 1,000 miles away to live with her Dad. That's when things start getting weird. 

She can't explain the earthquakes that nobody else feels, or why she no longer sleeps. But most of all she doesn't know why she trusts Shane so much, even though his Dad wants her dead. 

Suddenly, Karlie's normal life is turned upside down and she enters a world she never dreamed could really exist.

Links for When Destiny Knocks:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

When Destiny Strikes (Book 2):

Now that Karlie has received her full powers, things are going to be great... right?

Karlie's number one priority is to kill Serenity - after all she deserves it for trying to kill Alex. Though it isn't as easy as it sounds. Serenity teams up with demons to create an army to destroy Karlie. 

On top of that, there are a ton of zombies, everywhere... And a new angel in town, who seems more like a demon... And of course, a shape shifter dragon! It's all weird, even for Karlie. 

With friends turning against friends, it seems as though her life got a whole lot more complicated.

About the Author:

I am a returning resident to Arkansas. I just migrated south from Saint Louis, MO with my husband. We have been married a year. :)

I love to write. I have been writing since I was a kid - literally. I decided in the 2nd grade I would write a book. I wrote lots of short stories and poems... And did I mention I wrote over 200 songs? (Yeah, I'm a musician too - guitar, bass, drums and vocals). So I wrote my very first novel at the ripe age of 14... My Mom still has it :-/. OK, so maybe it wasn't my best work, but I had a LOT of fun writing it!

When I'm not writing, I am normally reading. I am also a caffeine addict... Dr. Pepper and NOS (the energy drink) are my drugs of choice :)

Review for When Destiny Strikes (Book 2): 

First Sentence: “What would you be willing to sacrifice in order to save those who you love? Would     you be willing to forgo your own happiness? Could you give your own life to protect them?”

Originality: You know, as usual with books, there were familiar concepts in this story. Fortunately, that did not at all effect how in love with this book I am. It’s original in its very own, unique way. And, honestly, I don’t think Heather White is one to even be a copy of others’ work.

Characters: I’m liking Karlie more and more as this series progresses. You can definitely tell that she is maturing, and she’s actually dealt with this, um, odd turn of circumstances, very well for someone her age. Which is no surprise when she has friends as great as she does. First off, there’s her totally amazing boyfriend Shane. I admit, I didn’t like Shane in the first book. He seemed kind of shady because of the fact that his father is a demon and wants Karlie dead. But now I’m seeing how perfect he is for Karlie and I think I’m even falling for him alongside her. Ugh, and then Alex. Okay. Alex is great and all but wayyyy too childlike. It’s like he just doesn’t get that the world can end at any moment. He just wants to go off and have a party, which, with his track record, is never a good idea. Karlie also has these other friends; Leah, Savannah, Jessica, Jarrod, and Mark. I really wish that these more minor characters would get more time in the story because, well, I just don’t know much about them yet and I want to. In this second addition the Destiny series, new characters are also introduced, such as; Hugh (need more of him too!), and Hannah (ew.).

Content: Zombies. Are. So. Gross. This was actually the first book I’ve read that had zombies. Whoa, wait, what? Yeah, yeah I know. I’m just not into zombies like others are. But…I actually liked this. The only thing I want to is where all the zombies were coming from and how humans never noticed a thing??? Yeah, I get it. This isn’t supposed to be realistic, but there’s always this part of me thinking, “This could never happen…and yet it’s so freaking awesome.”

Setting: Well, like in When Destiny Knocks, the setting was Jonesboro, Arkansas. The characters did travel other places, such as Vegas! Hehe. They also spent a lot of time in a graveyard. You’ll see why when you read it ;) I just kind of wish Heather would elaborate more on the scenery. I want to be able to feel like I’m in that graveyard killing zombies right there with Karlie.. But I totally get if that’s not her strong point- I can’t describe anything to save my life.

Overall Enjoyment: Despite the gross zombies, I was completely hooked on this book. I know it’s super nerdy, but I have a reading schedule to keep track of what I read. I gave myself three days to read this, mostly because it took me two days to read the first books and this one had a slightly longer page count. Nope- it took me a day. And if you knew how slow I read, you’d know that a day is like, a record time for me to finish a book. THAT is how much I loved this book. I just could not stop reading. I hope that you take the time to pick up this series and be as enamored as I am.

Love love love this series! Check out my review of When Destiny Knocks (Book 1) here.


And here is the link to the blog tour kick-off where you can find a list of the rest of the stops: Destiny Tour Kick-Off; When Destiny Strikes by Heather White

Musing Mondays (4)

Musing Mondays is a weekly event where MizB from Should Be Reading asks a reading related question, and you answer thoughtfully.

     What are you currently reading? And, is it better, as good as, or worse than your last read?
Right now I'm reading Hourglass by Claudia Gray. Can I even describe how much I'm in love with this series? So incredible. I just finished Stargazer last night and am only a chapter into Hourglass, but it is just so amazing already.

In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren where bloggers can talk about which books they have received over the week.

This week I received:

Guys! I got the entire Hunger Games trilogy. PLUS the Tribute guide. Don't judge me here- you know those book orders things from Scholastic we all got in elementary school? Well, my little brother came home with one of those and this was on the front cover. I was actually supposed to get the mocking jay pin with it, but they said they were out of stock at the moment and would send it as soon as they got more. That's okay though! 'Cause as a kind of consolation, they gave me the Tribute Guide for free :D

When my brother came home with the books I was like "This is the best Christmas ever!" In April..yes, I know. And to really show how much I wanted this, I'm admitting that, yes, I did choose to pay for this set instead of paying my phone bill. Oh well. It was well worth it.

Also this week...I got in a super awesome swag pack that I won over at Book Absorption. I tried to take a picture, but my phone's camera is awful quality so I thought I'd spare you all having to look at that. Basically, I got a bunch of bookmarks, some signed, two scented pencils (peppermint, if you were wondering. And apparently they are supposed to help with tests. I've yet to try that out.), and drumroll please..... 

A poster of Gale! *Squee* Okay, I'm so "Team Peeta" but come on! How can you resist Liam Hemsworth?? 

Overall, this was seriously an excellent mail week for me :)

What was in your mailbox this week? I'd love to know!

Reading Goal For This Week (1)

So some of you may be participating in Angela's April Page Count Contest over at Reading Angel and I just thought I'd make a post showcasing the books I'm going to try to read for this weeks entry. I've yet to make it into the Top 20. So far the lowest page total is around1600-1700. I can do that right? Hopefully!

To make this happen I'm planning on reading:

Ruby by V.C. Andrews
443 pages

I actually just finished this and have added it to the entry form already.

Stargazer by Claudia Gray
329 pages

I fell in love with Evernight, the first in the series, and could not stop reading it. I hope the same goes for this one.

Hourglass by Claudia Gray
339 pages

Can you see the theme here? If all goes well with Stargazer, I will most likely continue with the series.







So... if all goes as planned, I'll be getting in a total of 1111 pages. How freaky is that? I know it's less than the target goal, but if I aim too high, I might have a panic attack and totally just give up. This way, I might be able to finish all of these and finish another one. Maybe a smaller book?

Do you have any goals for this week? Even unrelated to reading? I'd love to know :)

Booking Through Thursday (4)

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted HERE. Check it out and join in!

This week...

What book took you the longest to read, and do you feel it was the content or just the length that made it so?

Oh my goodness. The first time I read Dark Visions by LJ Smith. It took me a month! I don't know why. I mean, I was an avid reader back then (9th grade) but not as crazy about it as I am now. Plus I was in the hospital for a couple of days during that time, and then I had other things to worry about. I didn't exactly have much time for reading. Also it's just a slow book. I recently re-read it and, well, let's just say I probably wouldn't recommend it.

Review: The Vampire Underground by Brian Rowe

Goodreads description:

16-year-old Brin Skar hates everything to do with the supernatural, so the obsessive film geek isn't happy when she discovers that her junior year Film class at Grisly High is devoted to the horror genre. She's even more disconcerted when she learns that six groups in the class will be writing and directing their very own horror movies.

Brin and five classmates travel to Bodie Ghost Town in California to shoot their creepy film, but they soon find themselves fighting a real terrifying threat when a clan of mean, bloodthirsty vampires emerge from beneath the surface and start attacking the group. The teens, headed by Brin and the egotistical director Anaya Frost, have no help from the outside and become outnumbered by the vampires a hundred to one.

But when Brin meets Paul, a helpful and smoldering vampire outcast who's had enough of his shameful life, she realizes he might be the only key to her survival.

Purchase on Amazon: The Vampire Underground

Positive:

• Evil vampires- YES THANK YOU! There are so many books with vampires that are trying to be good and normal and fall in love with the human girl so it is extremely nice to find one with a whole town of evil vampires.

• Film class- I wish my school had one of these! Wouldn’t it be nice to sit in class and watch movies all year?? The only bad thing is most kids would end up falling asleep. But not me! J Seriously, though. It would have still been a great story if it was just about a girl’s journey through a film class.

• Horror- So ironic. The main character, Brin, absolutely detests the horror genre. And then she’s takes this film class- the highlight of her high school career- and it turns out the teacher is obsessed with the genre. Subsequently he makes the class make horror movies, which, erm, doesn’t end up so well for a certain group of students. Funny, after I read this, all I wanted to do was watch a bunch of horror movies. How sucky is it that we have, like, NO scary movies at all?? Bleh L

• Open homosexuality- I’m trying to phrase this the right way…. There was homosexuality present in the book. No, you don’t get full-on details about it. It’s just some references and jokes that, honestly, I didn’t find would be offensive. Too many authors shy away from this topic, or maybe just don’t convey it right. It was good to see that Brian Rowe could depict homosexuality perfectly. Like it or not, there ARE gay kids in high school, and it needs to be written about more.

Negative:

•  Some word choice- The wording wasn’t bad, really. I just feel the need to point out that there were some words I came across that don’t really fit the target audience. Mostly there were a few at the very beginning. I’d say five words at the most could have been changed. Like I said, it wasn’t bad and didn’t ruin the story at all.

• Fat jokes- I personally was not offended, but an antagonist in the story was, well, overweight, and the other characters took advantage of that. I could see how some people could be easily offended by the jokes and words of some characters.

• The length- Okay, this is a bit of a contradiction. About halfway through the book, when all the action started, I thought “All right, how is this going to last another 100 pages?” and I kept wanting to get to the end. And then I got to the end and I wanted more! So I’m not sure if I’d have preferred it to be shorter or longer.

All I can say now is, this is a story I would definitely recommend. I was so caught up in it from page one. I cannot wait for #2!

W.W.W. Wednesdays (21)

To play along just answer the following three (3) questions and leave your link at Should Be Reading:

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What did you recently finish reading?

3. What do you think you'll read next?

Omg, I am loving the Evernight series by Claudia Gray. Sooo good!
What are you reading this week?

Review: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Goodreads description:

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Positive:

      The plot twists- There were so many moments when I went *gasp* “What?! No way!! Ohmygoodness!!” And that ending… wow. When I first read this book I thought it would be the last in the series. And then I got to the end and there was no way the series could end that way. Such a cliffhanger. I loved it!

      Dimitri- Yeah, yeah. I know he’s a bad guy in this book, but this is my favorite of him. I think it was the way he acted, not passive as usual. He isn’t normally a pushover, really, but this time he let it be known what he wanted.

      Adrian- Hehe, do I have to say more? Adrian is just Adrian. Cute, flirty, and actually a really nice guy. I love him, but I know he’s not for Rose. He’s for someone else later on *cough cough*

      Sydney- We don’t really see her that much in Blood Promise, but she becomes a more important character later in the series, and actually is a main character in the spinoff Bloodlines series. She’s serious and hardworking yet has a side that you could easily be friends with.

      And then there’s Abe- Such a shady guy! He’s like..from the Sopranos or something. Jeesh. Can a guy be more mobster? I like him though. And really? This series would be nothing without him, in a weird technical way. Let’s just say, I don’t know how I didn’t make the connection earlier.

Negative:

The flashbacks- Well, they aren’t flashbacks. It’s Rose going into Lissa’s mind through their psychic spirit bond. I get that what’s happening to Lissa while Rose is in Russia is important, but I just didn’t like it. Plus, the time span of Lissa’s event didn’t coincide with the time span of when Rose goes to her mind. For example: Rose goes to Lissa’s mind. Lissa is at a party. Rose goes back to herself. Days pass. Rose goes back to Lissa’s mind. All of a sudden it’s just the next day for Lissa. What the heck? I don’t even know…

      The length- I was just so used to breezing through the first three books and then this one just seemed to drag on. I ended up skimming through the last half this time(This review is from me re-reading this book). A lot could have been left out, I think.

All in all, it was still an extremely good book. Really, the scenery of Russia has persuaded me to start learning the language and one day I’d like to visit there.

Review: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Goodreads description:

Rose Hathaway knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa—the last Dragomir princess—must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken...

But since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn’t been feeling right. Something dark has begun to grow in her mind, and ghostly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy’s iron gates. And now that Lissa and Rose’s sworn enemy, Victor Dashkov, is on trial for his freedom, tensions in the Moroi world are higher than ever.

Lying to Lissa about Dimitri is one thing but suddenly there’s way more than friendship at stake. The immortal undead are on the prowl, and they want vengeance for the lives that Rose has stolen. In a heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmare, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most... but will her choice mean that only one can survive?

I’m going to keep this review short so I don’t repeat everything I’ve said for the first two books.

I really think Rose was maturing a lot throughout this book. After the traumatic experience in Frostbite, and the death of a close friend, she seemed to take everything much more seriously. I liked this Rose the most out of all the books in the series. She wasn’t completely conceited like usual. And then she thinks she’s going crazy, which, I guess, she kind of is. Then there’s Dimitri who doesn’t want to stay away from Rose anymore and it’s just like “awwwww!”

Well anyways, I did my book discussion for my library aide class over this book and the librarian asked me to summarize it. My exact quote for the end of the book was “the Strigoi attacked them, and people died, and it was very sad, and I cried L”. Because I did cry. So sad. And trust me when I say that a book that can make you cry is a good one.