In My Mailbox: #5

Hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren, I thought this would be a great way to share the reads I got this week by purchasing, trading/swapping, or for review. All links lead to Goodreads. This is several weeks' worth of books since I haven't posted one in a while.

Won:
Anathema by Megg Jensen (thanks, Megg!)

Bought/Traded:
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini - Read my review HERE!
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
Virals by Kathy Reichs
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

What did you guys get this week? Post a link and I'll be sure to check it out!

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Publication Date: 5.31.2011

Pages: 496

Genre: Mythological Romance

Series: Yes, Book #1 (Starcrossed)

Rating: A+

Summary (from Goodreads):

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Review:

Let me start off by saying I have been staring at this computer screen for nearly 10 minutes trying to formulate a review. But sometimes there just aren’t the words to convey that deep, gut-moving love you have for a book, and that is how I feel about Starcrossed.  Some writers will fumble through decades (or at least several years) before writing a book this good, and the fact that Josephine Angelini did it in her first publication is to commended and awed.

I spent five glorious hours completely enraptured with this book, and if the sequel were available, I would gladly give up another five hours of my life to climb back into the world Angelini has created. Not only does she put a creative spin on the Trojan War (something that will forever endear her to me because I have spent countless days immersing myself in the histories of Helen, Paris, Hector, Achilles, Briseis, and King Priam), but she blended it artfully with Greek mythology (another passion of mine).

The characters are well developed and have an amazing dynamic when thrown together. Some of my favorite scenes were those in Noel’s kitchen when the whole family milled about. Angelini masterfully juggled having multiple characters in the same scene, giving each of them an independent and different voice that carried the chapter. Watching Helen blossom from a gawky, awkward girl into a young woman beginning to own her powers was an absolute joy to watch.

If I had to pick my least favorite part? Probably that sneaky little curve ball that was thrown at Helen and Lucas, but I have my suspicions that that particular issue will be resolved by the end of the series (it better be, anyway). I’m a girl who loves her fairytale ending sooner rather than later, but I can be patient … for now.

Starcrossed is a smashing debut that will have readers and bloggers in the YA community buzzing for a while, probably until the sequel comes out. It really is that good. I cannot recommend this book enough, and if I wasn’t intending on rereading my copy in the near future (i.e. this week), I would be thrusting it into the hands of my family and friends to read.

Maybe I should just get another copy to loan out.

Wanna see my R.A.K.?



RAK is hosted by Book Soulmates. Its a way to pass on the book love.

Here is my WISHLIST for this month. 

If you want to participate this month sign up is HERE.

 

 

Rules:

• Sign up each month you'd like to participate in.
• Show off your participation! Grab one of the buttons available :)
• Create a wishlist and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
{Post on your blog, Amazon, where ever as long as there's a link to it.}
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wishlist and contact that blogger for their address.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!

{Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes}

Review: Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley



Title: Where I Belong

Author: Gwendolyn Heasley

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: 2.8.2011

Pages: 289

Genre: Contemporary

Series: No

Rating: C

Summary (from Goodreads):

Meet Corrinne. She's living every girl's dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . .

When Corrinne's father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she's stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she's supposed to be living. She doesn't care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed.

Review:

I picked up this book while trying to kill time in my local library. I remember thinking it looked good and I wanted to read it, so why not? I sat down and proceeded to read through the first 100 pages without really wanting to stop.

Here’s the thing: You’ve seen the plot before. Gwendolyn Heasley plays it on the safe side, keeping the plot completely predicable. Rich girl suddenly a poor girl and exiled into a (to her) hellish, sub-par way of living that she ultimately finds has transformed her into a better human being. Yes, it is cliché and yes, it has been done, but there’s a reason stories like this one work: People love to think that other people can be redeemed the way Corrinne is going to be. I can appreciate the lesson in it, and the comfortable familiarity with the plot. It’s a sweet tale, but there are flaws.

I found the wording to be incorrect. I don’t know any teenager who always says “I am.” Nearly everyone uses the contraction “I’m.” I could probably count the contractions used in this book with both hands. And while I get that that may seem nit-picky, I’m a word whore and notice these things. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending of the book. It leaves too much open and unanswered. Kind of felt like the end of a rollercoaster (the one with only a lap bar and some hills, not a harness and upside-down loops) where the rider is jerked to a stop with a squeal of the brakes. I turned the last page and muttered, “That was it?”

The biggest redeeming quality in this book is not the main character, but the girl who ultimately becomes her best friend, Kitsy. Kitsy was a fun, energetic character who get dealt a lot of crappy cards growing up. She has an alcoholic mother that is the source of much whispering in a small town, but Kitsy never let it bring her down. She totally infused life into the story, so much so that I wanted to be reading a novel about Kitsy and not Corrinne. Kitsy was the girl who needed her own book, not Corrinne.

This book is a decent book. It’s not spectacular, but it’s also not a painful read. I breezed through it in an afternoon. It’s the kind of book you read in between stellar novels to give you a moment to rest and not have to think. It’s a book I definitely recommend you check out from your library, but I’d read it first before purchasing.

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

"Waiting On"  Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking  the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on....

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. If you haven't heard of this book yet, clearly you're not reading blogs as often as you should! This book has been on everyone's must-have list for the last few months and the attention around it just keeps getting better and better. I seriously cannot wait. Here's a quick description from Goodreads:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure-bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.
Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

It will be released September 15, 2011 by Spencer Hill Press.

Splash Into Summer Giveaway!

Welcome to The Irish Banana! Thanks for popping by on this stop along the hop. Let's get right to the giveaway, shall we?

The Prize:

I do so hate starting an awesome series only to be left bereft, hanging, and clammoring for the next book. So, for this summer, I am giving away the entire Wake Trilogy by Lisa McMann (yes, that's a total of 3 books!). It is a seriously awesome triology that I cannot recommend enough.

The Rules:

1. Must be a GFC follower of the Irish Banana
2. Must be over 13
3. Must live in the US or Canada that I can mail these books to
4. The winner will be selected at random on June 1, and will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner is chosen.

Ways to Enter:

- Comment to the thread with your GFC name and email address. That's it. No forms, no mess, no hassle.
- Bonus entries for:
     1. Following me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/irish_banana
     2. Friending me on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4806374-hannah
     3. Tweeting about this giveaway (must provide a direct link!)
     4. Post about this giveaway (must provide a direct link!)
     5. Reply to one of my reviews (make sure you tell me which one or provide a link!)

***Each bonus entry must be its own comment - Do not lump all your entries into one comment because they will only be counted as one!***

Review: Bite Club by Rachel Caine

Title: Bite Club

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: NAL

Publication Date: 5.3.2011

Pages: 340

Genre: Paranormal Romance; Series

Series: Yes; Book #10 (Morganville Vampires)

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

After discovering that vampires populate her town, college student Claire Danvers knows that the undead just want to live their lives. But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble.

There's a new extreme sport getting picked up on the Internet: bare- knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against each other-or humans. Tracking the remote signal leads Claire- accompanied by her friends and frenemies-to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville...

Review:

After 10 books, you either know and adore Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series or you’re one of the crazy few who hasn’t delved into this addictive series. If you’re part of the latter group? What the heck are you waiting for?

Each book is full of fun, engaging plots and bright, colorful characters. This book, though, has a small twist: Instead of seeing the book through Claire’s (our heroine’s) eyes, we get alternating views of life in Morganville from Shane’s eyes. For those who don’t know, Shane is Claire’s boyfriend, fellow housemate, and an all around kick-ass kinda guy. I must say it was nice to have that shift, especially when Shane went down a dark road that had him doing many questionable things. This insight into his inner turmoil is what kept me from climbing into the pages and beating him over the head.

I can’t wait for the next installment of this series due out in November (I already pre-ordered it). The end of this book leaves the reader clamoring for more, but not in a frustrated way. There are a few things I can’t wait for (namely the possibility of a certain wedding) in the next book. Caine is a great storyteller, and she gives a unique spin to her vampires in a world chock full of vampire fiction. I can’t recommend enough that people give this series a shot.

In My Mailbox (4)

Hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren, I thought this would be a great way to share the reads I got this week by purchasing, trading/swapping, or for review. All links lead to Goodreads. This is several weeks' worth of books since I haven't posted one in a while.

Won:
Slow Burn by E.B. Walters (from PageFlipperz)
Skulls by Tim Marquitz (from Book Goggles)

Traded:
Forever Summer by Alyson Noel (includes Laguna Cove & Cruel Summer)

Bought:
Die For Me by Amy Plum
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Bite Club by Rachel Caine
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
Abandon by Meg Cabot
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
The D.U.F.F. by Kody Keplinger
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Enwtined by Heather Dixon
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

For Review:
Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: 5.3.2011

Pages: 495

Genre: Dystopian

Series: Yes; Book #1 (Divergent Series)

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Review:

If you have visited a YA book blog in the last six months, chances are you’ve come across a glowing review (or ten) for Veronica Roth’s debut novel, Divergent. I won’t waste your time: all those rave reviews? Totally spot on.

The dystopian genre is quite hit or miss for me. I have found myself totally put off by worlds I can never assimilate myself into (either with crazy jargon or unrealistic plots, even by dystopian standards), and I have alternately found myself completely immersed in a foreign world that leaves me breathless. Thankfully this book falls in the latter category.

The world Roth creates is an intoxicating. The best way I can describe this book is a blend of The Host by Stephenie Meyers, Matched by Ally Condie, and Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Roll all the best points of those novels into one and you start to tap into the awesomeness that is Divergent.

I could go on and on about the masterful way she creates the perfect setting in Chicago, blending historical locations with her own imagination. Or I could write an essay on the brilliant characters that fill the pages from start to finish. I could also rave about the ingenious, mind-blowing plot for a few hours. But the bottom line is you would be spending time reading this review when you could be buying and reading the book yourself.

This is one of those rare books I cannot urge people to buy for themselves enough. This isn’t a book you want to check out of the library and then give back in 3 weeks. This is one to let take up space on your bookshelf. I also recommend leaving a nice, big spot open next to Divergent for its sequels. Yeah, it’s that good.

Random Acts of Kindness

{Please click on the RAK button above to be re-directed to our Book Soulmates Store on Amazon. You can find all your favorite titles there and add them to your shopping cart.}

RULES:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.

• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button :)

• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!

Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peasy!

This is hosted by booksoulmates.blogspot.com

This is my first time signing up, and I'm not exactly sure how to work those google spreadsheets, so here's link to my wishlist: http://amzn.com/w/Y7PMBC1BLWG5  But I recommend you guys check out all the wishlists. A little kindness goes a long way nowadays.