May 18, 2015

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey.
Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Click on the image to look description in Goodreads.

Finished reading


What I´m going to read next?



What are you reading today? 
Leave me your links!

May 16, 2015

Review: Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella


Title: Remember Me?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: The Dial Press
Release date: February 26th 2008
Reading level: Ages 18 and up

Rating: 4/5

Buy onAmazon | B&N | BookDepository
Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking it's 2004 and she's a twenty-five-year old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually 2007 - she's twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married! To a good-looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life??!

She can't believe her luck - especially when she sees her stunning new home. She's sure she'll have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He's drawn up a 'manual of our marriage,' which should help.

But as she learns more about her new self, chinks start to appear in the perfect life. All her old colleagues hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up...and lands a new bombshell. What happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?

Remember Me? Is everything you can expect from a romantic comedy ..... it´s a very fun, light and fast read, with several cliches and with a unoriginal story, but this is not something bad for it in this occasion, because this is a book you can read just for fun.

The story begins with a 25 years-old Lexi, which is having a very bad day, everything went wrong, she didn´t received her bonus like her coworkers, her boyfriend did not arrive as promised and on top of everything the next day is the her father's funeral, so Lexi isn't with high spirits and is lamenting for her life, when she has an accident and the next she remembers is waking up in a hospital disoriented and where apparently three years have passed.

Lexi wakes up to a new life, apparently she had a car accident and lost her memory of the past three years and now Lexi is a married woman with a dream job, the dream home and with a new look; and now she must rediscover this new Lexi and live with a husband she doesn´t know and try to remember her lost memory.

Actually there are parts that where really funny that I laugh out loud and some parts that were quite absurd and there are parts where Lexi is doing silly things, but all is funny in the end, Eric, her new husband is also funny, in the things he does (though he´s a very serious person), but the marriage manual he makes to guide Lexi is something else.

Remember Me? is a hilarious romantic novel, light, without much drama, it´s a relaxing and entertaining read. I recommend it to those who like the chick-lit novels or romantic comedy.

May 15, 2015

Review: Undertow by Michael Buckley


Title: Undertow (Undertow #1)
Author: Michael Buckley
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Reader
Release date: May 5th 2015
Source: Netgalley
Format: eARC

Rating:  4/5

Buy onAmazon | B&N | BookDepository
Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric’s small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity’s only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it’s more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of District 9 and The Outsiders. 

What draw me to read Undertow were the Alphas, I was intrigued by them, I wanted to know what they were actually, what were their intentions and why did they rise to the surface. And while the story is not original (sea creatures that rise to the surface), the plot kept my attention and I enjoyed reading it.

Undertow is told from the point of view of Lyric Walker a 17-year-old girl that lives in the "zone" at Coney Island with her father, a police officer and her mother, a housewife. The "zone", is militarized, surrounded by a fence of barbed wire and armed guards. And this is because three years before the Alphas came from the sea and the government decided to contain them within the area along with humans who for various reasons were trapped there. What has caused unrest among the humans that live in the area and several humans have died because they have been linked in some way (been friendly) with Alphas.

And now Lyric´high school will be part of a pilot program where teens Alphas will try to integrate in a  human school, which is not well accepted by humans and they don´t  accept peacefully this new infliction. So now high school will be even worse for Lyric.

Within this chaos Lyric is forced to start an acquaintance with Fathom, the Alpha Prince, which gradually turns into a romance (which in my opinion it lack more development or it would be good to leave it at just friendship).

Overall, I enjoyed reading Undertow, it´s an entertaining science fiction novel with action (toward the end) and is different from other books I've read about sea creatures. And I liked that is about the fear of the unknown, discrimination, family and friendship. I´m looking forward to read its sequel.

Book trailer

May 13, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday(172): The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

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

The book I´m waiting this week is

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
Release date: June 9th 2015
The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

This debut novel is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in oneself. 

Why I'm Waiting?
I´ve read some reviews from goodreads and so far they say that its a really good mistery thriller and I´m intrigued by it.

What book are you waiting this week?
Leave your WOW links

May 12, 2015

THE WRATH & THE DAWN Release Day Blitz + Giveaway



I am so excited that THE WRATH AND THE DAWN by Renée Ahdieh releases today and that I get to share the news, along with a special introduction from Renée herself!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Renée Ahdieh, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed copies of the book and some beautiful book inspired scarves, courtesy of Renée, Penguin Teen, and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.


A letter from Renée Ahdieh.


There are not enough words to express how thrilled I am to share THE WRATH AND THE DAWN with you! From the moment I typed the first word, I felt connected to Shahrzad and her world in a way that carried me through the long process of publication to where we are today. 

Everything about this process has been a dream come true, and hope you love my book half as much as I enjoyed writing it. In celebration of release day, I'll be giving away a signed, first edition hardcover of the book, as well as a gorgeous scarf . . . or two!

Always remember to make it a story worthy of you!

Renée


About The Book:

Title: THE WRATH & THE DAWN
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Pub. Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 388
A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all. 




About Renée:

Renée lives in North Carolina (Go Heels!) with her husband Victor and their dog Mushu. Her YA fantasy novel, THE WRATH AND THE DAWN, will be published on May 12th, 2015. In her spare time, she likes to cook, dance salsa, and wreak havoc on the lives of her characters.
She’s also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as well as an active member of theScience Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.













Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a hardcover of THE WRATH AND THE DAWN and a beautiful book inspired scarf (IMAGES BELOW)! US Only.

Ends on May 22nd at Midnight EST!



a Rafflecopter giveaway


May 11, 2015

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey.
Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Click on the image to look description in Goodreads.

Finished reading
Undertow by Michael Buckley : An interesting story about sea creatures.
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella : A funny chick-lit book.
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia : An addictive read with an unreliable narrator,


What I´m going to read next?




What are you reading today? 
Leave me your links!

May 9, 2015

Review: Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews


Title: Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace
Release date: April 1st 2008
Reading level: Ages 18 and up

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy onAmazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of Magic Bites - here
Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare…

As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…

This is the second book in the Kate Daniels series, its an urban fantasy for adults, and in my opinion is better than Magic Bites, perhaps because the world where it develops has already been established and now it focuses more on the character development and relationships between them.

This series takes place in a world affected by magic, and while the magic "is working" all the technology goes down and vice versa. And from the recent changes in the magic fluctuation that have occurred recently it appears that a "flare" of energy or magic is going to hit the city which makes all kinds of technology stop working and makes everything magical or paranormal more powerful and / or unstable, so strange things start to happen.

Kate is a great heroine, strong, smart, independent, and is good kicking-butt to defend herself and with regard to Curran, the Beast Lord, she doesn´t know when to shut up, because she´s constantly irritating him and sort of bickering with him, even though she knows that he´s a powerful shape shifter and yet she can not resist antagonize him.

This time Kate is a representative of the Order of Merciful Aid - a group whose mission is to help others of any type of threat (within the law), for the right cost - so when the shifters request her help in recovering something that was stolen, she ends up involved in something bigger than she thought.

I'm glad that it had a little hint of a possible romance between Kate and Curran, I really like both characters. Of the secondary characters my favorite is Derek, the young werewolf, he´s a friend of Kate and Curran´s protegee, I can not wait to see more of him in the other books. And one the more interesting new characters was Bran, I really liked him.

Magic Burns is an excellent urban fantasy book, it's funny, action-packed and a very fast read (I read it in approx. 1 day), and in this installment it was mixed with Celtic mythology.

I also read the short story of this book from Curran´s POV. You can find it here - Curran POV Collection.

May 7, 2015

Review: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge


Title: Crimson Bound
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: May 5th 2015
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy onAmazon | B&N | BookDepository
When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

(This is a standalone novel, not part of the Cruel Beauty Universe.)

This is the second book I´ve read from this author and I really really enjoyed it, I love how Rachelle´s story is interwoven, Crimson Bound is inspired by the classic Red Riding Hood, but it also has elements of Hansel and Gretel and The Girl Without Hands.

Rachelle at the beginning of the story is 15 years old and she meets in the forest a forestborn, a woodland creature serving the Devourer and although she knows that she shouldn´t talk to him, she ignores the warnings of her aunt and ends up marked by him. And once marked she has only two options: to kill a human before three days have passed and become a creature of the forest or die.

Three years later Rachelle is the King´s bloodhound, fighting the forest creatures and intends to save as many humans as she can. She still feels guilty for not having died three years ago and tries to atone for her sins fighting forest creatures. And She hopes someday face the Devourer that threatens to bring darkness to the world.

The male characters are: Armand, the bastard son of the King, which has no hands because they were cut by a forestborn when he did not do what was asked of him, and now he´s considered a saint by the people of the Kingdom and Rachelle initially doesn´t like him, but as time passes she begins to tolerate him and ends up needing his help in the search for a mythical sword. Then is Erec, the captain of the King's guard and like Rachelle is a creature of the forest that protects humans and her sort of friend.

In this book the characters are not black and white, they´re not completely heroes nor villains (at least the main characters), which is something that I enjoyed a lot.

 Crimson Bound is a dark and beautifully written story about a girl trying to redeem her sins and hoping to confront her archenemy, the plot has many twists and turns and is a unique fantasy book (despite being based on classic stories).

May 6, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday(171): The Lies About Truth

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

The book I´m waiting this week is

The Lies About Truth by Courtney C. Stevens
Release date: November 3rd 2015
Sadie Kingston, is a girl living in the aftermath. A year after surviving a car accident that killed her friend Trent and left her body and face scarred, she can’t move forward. The only person who seems to understand her is Trent’s brother, Max.

As Sadie begins to fall for Max, she's unsure if she is truly healed enough to be with him — even if Max is able to look at her scars and not shy away. But when the truth about the accident and subsequent events comes to light, Sadie has to decide if she can embrace the future or if she'll always be trapped in the past. 

Why I'm Waiting?
Last year I read Faking Normal and The Blue-Haired Boy written by this author and I liked them both, so I can´t wait to read more of Courtney´s books.

What book are you waiting this week?
Leave your WOW links

May 5, 2015

Review: The Replaced by Kimberly Derting


Title: The Replaced (The Taking #2)
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: April 28th 2015
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC

Rating: 3.5/5

Buy onAmazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Taking - here
Romantic and action-packed, The Replaced is the gripping second installment in the Taking trilogy.

Kyra hasn't been the same since she returned from her mysterious five-year disappearance. Now, on the run from the NSA, Kyra is forced to hide out with others who, like her, have been Returned. Yet she is determined to find Tyler, the boy she loves who was also abducted—all because of her. When her group intercepts a message that Tyler might still be alive but is in the hands of a shadowy government organization that experiments on the Returned, Kyra knows it's a risk to go after him. What if it's a trap? And worse, what if the returned Tyler isn't the same boy she lost?

Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the Body Finder series, The Replaced is both chilling and explosive, with creepy, otherworldly elements and twisty, psychological thrills that will have you questioning what exactly it means to be human. 

The Replaced is a book that I was eager to read because of the ending on previous book and I was very happy to find out that this book starts exactly where The Taking left off. Kyra hiding from the NSA (a governmental organization that captures the Returned), but at the same time trying to find news about her father and Tyler; so when she learns of a possible sighting of a boy that might be Tyler, she doesn´t think twice and decide to go in search of him which triggers a series of events that threaten them as returnees and in the company of Simon, Willow and Jett, she should seek shelter in a camp for returnees like no other that she has known so far and where she doesn´t know whom to trust.

I really enjoyed this second book of the trilogy The Taking, as we learn a bit more about the beginnings of the first meetings between the government and the aliens(?), about their deal with them and has some interesting twists that really surprised me,

The plot begins with a good pace, but soon it slow down in the middle, to then to pick up speed in the end, where secrets come to light, identities are known, we get to know a little more experiments on the Returned and there is a small confrontation. I liked the ending, it was good and solid. The Replaced is a good second book in a trilogy and I recommended it for those that like YA sci-fi books.