Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Synopsis:
Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.

How long can Lani keep running from the boy who might be her destiny?

Review:
Lani and Erin are best friends, but they are completely different. Lani is an introvert and Erin is an extrovert. Erin starts dating Jason, and when Lani meets him, she instantly feels a connection. Of course because she is a good friend, she does not act on her feelings. But how can she run from fate?

I had a few problems with this book. One was that Lani seemed to be a bit hypocritical to me when she talked about how much she wanted to save the environment. She complained that Erin's car only got 24 miles a gallon, but she has no problem riding in Jason's Jeep. I did not like how cruel Erin became towards the end of the novel. It was sad to see her stoop so low to ruin her best friend's school life. 

Overall, this book was a quick read. It had some aspects of it that I did not like, but I am still glad I read it.

Rating: 3/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas

Synopsis:
When a sinister old woman leaves Griffin Penshine a box of twelve shiny pennies, she sets in motion a desperate quest; because the old woman was a wish stealer, and each penny represents a wish she stole from a wishing fountain decades earlier. Somehow, Griffin has to make things right, or the opposite of her own wishes will come true; and it could literally be a matter of life and death. The Wish Stealers introduces a new voice in middle-grade fantasy, as bright and sparkling as Griffin's pennies.

Review:
Griffin is a young girl that is given 12 shiny pennies by an old woman. Little does she know that these pennies will cause a great deal of trouble for here because these pennies are stolen wishes. 

Sadly, this book fell short for me, but I think that is because it is aimed at a much younger audience. It lacked interesting characters and the plot was too predictable. 

Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas is a great book for middle schoolers. It is a quick read and a has a fun plot. It reminds you that dreams are achievable. All you need is some hope and hard work to make dreams a success. This book has some great morals and themes that are perfect for young readers.

Rating: 2.5/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Synopsis:
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Review:
WOW! I cannot believe it took me so long to read this book. It has been sitting on my bookshelf for way too long! 

Unearthly is a page turner about Clara who is part angel. She finds out what her purpose on earth is through visions she has: to save a boy from a forest fire. Naturally, her mom makes her and her brother move closer to the place where this purpose will take place. 

After Clara and her family moves, she must conquer learning to fly. She also makes some new friends, learns more about angels, and discovers that there is a war going on between the good and bad angels. As the day that she is supposed to fulfill her purpose comes closer and closer, Clara must decide is she should follow her destiny or follow her heart.

This book is a wonderful read. It is exciting, entertaining, eventful, action filled. There was never a dull moment. The characters are a breath of fresh air. I loved them all! Of course I had a favorite, but I cannot explain why without spoiling the story. I definitely recommend that everyone reads this book. I MUST get my hands on the next book!

Rating: 5/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Shadow by Jenny Moss

Synopsis:

In a time of kings, queens, and conspiracy, it's impossible to know whom one can trust. . . . In a kingdom far away and long ago, it was prophesied at her birth that the queen would die before her sixteenth birthday. So Shadow, an orphan girl the same age as the young queen, was given the duty to watch her every move. And as prophesies do tend to come true, the queen is poisoned days before her birthday. When the castle is thrown into chaos, Shadow escapes with a young knight, whom she believes was betrothed to the queen.

Unsure of why she is following Sir Kenway, but determined to escape as far as possible from the castle, her long-time prison, Shadow sets off on an adventure with the handsome knight who has been charged with protecting her. As mystery builds, and romantic tension does, too, Shadow begins to wonder what her role in the kingdom truly is. Soon, she learns, it is up to her to save her land.

Jenny Moss's novel is a lyrical, fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, magic, honor, and romance that will lead readers on an incredible journey.

Review:

Shadow by Jenny Moss was such a sweet fairy tale. It had so many unexpected twists and turns. Shadow was a wonderful main character. I loved how she did not let anyone put her down even though her social status was not very high. She valued herself and did not let what other people think get to her. She endures being treated horribly by the queen for so long, but all she wants is to be free.

Kenway, the young knight who saves Shadow after the queen is poisoned was an interesting character. At times I disliked him because he was acting snobby because he was brought up to look down on those that were not in his class. Other times I absolutely loved how noble he was. 

This book has everything that a good fairytale has: good versus evil, a princess, handsome knight, rich versus poor, magic, enchantment, love, fights, death and a happy ending.

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Synopsis:
Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.

The first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

Review:
Gayle Forman is one of my favorite authors. So far I have read If I Stay and Where She Went, and both are absolutely stunning! Just One Day is no different. The main character, Allyson is a straight A student who always follows the rules. Her parents surprise her with a trip to Europe with her best friend, Melanie. During most of the trip, Allyson plays it safe by following all the rules and not even going out at night. It is not until she meets Willem that she decides to be spontaneous and go to Paris with him on a whim. 

I loved seeing the world through Allyson's eyes. She starts off as a timid girl but learns to be courageous and take some risks. I loved her character development.

This book is amazing. I enjoyed the love story between Allyson and Willem. Even though they only spent one day together, that one day affected Allyson's life more than she could have imagined. I read this book in one sitting, and I was sad to see it end. I am looking forward to reading Willem's side of the story in Just One Year!

Rating: 5/5

Swords are for fighting,

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
Anyone can play along, do the following:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's Teaser Tuesday comes from page 118 of Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin:

"She felt lighter even though her bag seemed to weigh as much as she did. It was her birthday, so she was going to celebrate and try not to think about life or death, and she'd get to laugh with her friends, and maybe that was the best thing you could do with your life anyway."

Do you have a Teaser Tuesday this week? Let me know in the comments.

Swords are for fighting,

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page! It is hosted by Tynga of Team Tynga's Reviews

Here is what I got this week:

• an ARC of Elixir by Ted Galdi provided by the author for an honest review
• Just One Day by Gayle Forman (received from Paperbackswap.com)

• Eve by Anna Carey (borrowed from my sister)
•  Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau (from Paperbackswap)
• Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (borrowed from my sister)
• Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs (borrowed from my sister)

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (from Paperbackswap)

Passion by Lauren Kate (Paperbackswap)

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (Paperbackswap)

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (Paperbackswap)

• Siren by Tricia Rayburn (Paperbackswap)
• Supernaturally by Kiersten White (Paperbackswap)
• Virals by Kathy Reichs (borrowed from my sister)

• A Millions Suns by Beth Revis (Paperbackswap)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (Paperbackswap)

WOW! I received soooo many books from Paperbackswap this week. I am loving this site! If you want to check it out: Join the Club and Swap Books for Free! - PaperBackSwap.com

Swords are for fighting, 

2014 Beat the Heat Readathon Progress Post

My progress

Here’s where I’ll update my progress for the duration of the readathon.

Week 1

Monday 8/11
Currently reading: Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin
Pages read today: 369+36
Books completed today: Just One Day by Gayle Forman (369 pages)

Tuesday 8/12
Currently reading: Passion by Lauren Kate
Pages read today: 145+23
Books completed today: Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin (181 pages)

Wednesday 8/13
Currently reading: The Tree House by Shay Lynam
Pages read today:
Books completed today: Passion by Lauren Kate (420 pages)

Thursday 8/14
Currently reading: The Tree House by Shay Lynam
Pages read today:
Books completed today:

Friday 8/15
Currently reading: Beauty by Robin McKinley
Pages read today:
Books completed today: The Tree House by Shay Lynam (261 pages)

Saturday 8/16
Currently reading: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Pages read today:
Books completed today: Beauty by Robin McKinley (247 pages)

Sunday 8/17
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Week 1 summary

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Week 2

Monday 8/18
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Tuesday 8/19
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Wednesday 8/20
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Thursday 8/21
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Friday 8/22
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Saturday 8/23
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Sunday 8/24
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Week 3

Monday 8/25
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Tuesday 8/26
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Wednesday 8/27
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Thursday 8/28
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Friday 8/29
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Saturday 8/30
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Sunday 8/31
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Review: Elixir by Ted Galdi

Synopsis:
Meet 14-year-old Sean Malone. He has an IQ above 200, a full-ride scholarship to one of the country’s top universities, and more than one million dollars from his winning streak on Jeopardy. However, Sean wishes he could just be normal.

But his life is anything but normal. The US government manipulates him, using him as a codebreaker in pursuit of a drug lord and killing innocent people along the way. 

For reasons related to his personal security, Sean finds himself in Rome, building a new life under a new name, abandoning academics, and hiding his genius from everyone. When he’s 18 he falls in love. The thrills begin again when he learns that his girlfriend is critically ill and it’s up to him to use his intellect to find a cure, a battle pitting him against a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical company and the demons of his past. 

Elixir is a story about identity, secrets, and above all, love.

Review:
**A COPY OF THIS BOOK WAS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR, TED GALDI, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

Elixir is Ted Galdi's first novel, and he did an excellent job! I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, exciting, well written, action packed, and had a little bit of everything. 

Sean is a genius, but being the smartest person is not all it's cracked up to be. His brain ends up getting him in trouble, so, with the help of the FBI, him and his aunt, Mary, fake their own death and start new lives in Italy. Sean enjoys not being known for his intelligence, so he keeps it hidden from his new friends in Italy. He has fun being a normal teenager. It is not until his girlfriend, Natasha, whom he loves very much becomes ill that he must bring back the old Sean to find a cure for her illness.

If you like thrillers and the young adult genre, you will definitely like this book! I look forward to reading more of Ted Galdi's work in the future.

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau

Synopsis:

First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?

If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?

Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…

Review:

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau is a charming and entertaining book about a young girl named Jade that discovers she is a mermaid. The story is adorable. Jade had to cope with many changes by herself since her mother drowned the year before. The major one being sprouting a tale after falling asleep in the bath tub.

This book has many great lessons for tween to early teenage girls. Jade learns to cope and make decisions on her own. I love how positive Jade was with her weight and how she learned to accept herself. She was a refreshing main character. There is not much depth to the story, but that is what makes it fun and cute! Perfect read for a young girl.

Rating: 3.5/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires #5) by Rachel Caine

Synopsis:
In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn't the only threat.

Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.

Review:
It has been a while since I picked up a book in the Morganville Vampires series, and I cannot believe it took me so long! First off, I LOVE the miniature recap in the beginning. It helped to refresh my memory of what happened in the previous book.

Myrnin is still one of my favorite characters even though he seems more crazy than ever. He is as weird and quirky as ever. I really hope a cure is found for this vampire illness because many more vampires are already showing signs of it.

Claire had to make some tough decisions in this book. I love how Claire continues to develop in each book. As always, this book ended on a cliffhanger.

Rachel Caine has successfully kept me hooked so far! I look forward to reading the next book in the series. These books continue to be thrilling, entertaining and a quick read. I recommend this series to everyone!

Rating: 4/5 

Books in the Morganville Vampires series:

1. Glass Houses
2. The Dead Girls' Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools
5. Lord of Misrule
6. Carpe Corpus
7. Fade Out
8. Kiss of Death
9. Ghost Town

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis

Synopsis:
Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately (how was she supposed to know Wes had "borrowed" that Porsche?). But her stepmother totally overreacts when she catches Shelby in a post-curfew kiss with a hot senior: Suddenly Shelby's summer plans are on the shelf, and she's being packed off to brat camp. It's good-bye, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.

Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star) Austin Bridges III. But soon she realizes there's more to Austin than crush material—his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby's help guarding it. Shelby knows that she really shouldn't be getting tangled up with another bad boy . . . but who is she to turn her back on a guy in need, especially such a good-looking one? One thing's for sure: That pesky full moon is about to get her into trouble all over again.

Review: 

The main character, Shelby, is a teenage girl that cares about her looks, popularity, and boys, but she is also smart and caring. This book starts off with Shelby being caught outside her house with a boy. Her evil stepmother blows it out of proportion and convinces her father to send her to a brat camp. There she meets Austin who is sweet and has an English accent.

This book is a quick read. I read it in one sitting. It was enjoyable, but had a few problems for me:

1) It was very predictable
2) Austin told Shelby his big secret wayyyyy too easily
3) The characters are not fully developed
4) The story seemed rushed
AND (SPOILER WARNING):
3)It completely ignored the fact that Shelby got scratched/bit by Austin. Did anyone else think it was weird to completely ignore that fact?!

Nevertheless, I still want to know what happens next, but I do not want to pay $2.99 for a short ebook.

Rating: 2.5/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Synopsis:
The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.

But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Review:
Mistwood is the story about a Shifter named Isabel who in under a spell to protect the Samorna Kings. Leah Cypess does a wonderful job with this story. It is original, unpredictable, unexpected and I absolutely loved it. I cannot believe it took me so long to pick it up off of my shelf!

The characters are wonderfully written. Isabel is fierce. She will protect "her king" at any cost. Unfortunately, after being in the Mistwoods for so long, she is having trouble shifting when she is back in the castle. She has no idea what is causing it since she has little to no memory of her past. Throughout the book, Isabel discovers secrets about her past that certain people have kept from her. She is weary of Roken, the current king, but she will protect him because that is her job.

 Roken is one of my favorite characters even though he kept some things from Isabel. As he gets to know Isabel, he starts to confide in her and trust her. 

Kaer claims to be the rightful king, but I did not like him at all. He is arrogant, pushy, and mistrusts Isabel.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre. It was a quick read that had me on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down because I HAD to know what happened next. Leah Cypess has made me a fan of her writing. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Rating: 4.5/5

Swords are for fighting,