YA Novels Coming Out This Week: January 31

Wanna know what's coming out this week? Here's a list!: 

 Incarnate - Jodi Meadows

Book One in the Newsoul Trilogy

Goodreads | Amazon

 Article 5 - Kristen Simmons 

Book One in the Article 5 series

Goodreads | Amazon

 Lenobia's Vow - P.C. + Kristin Cast

Book Two in the House of Night novellas 

Goodreads | Amazon

 Wings of the Wicked - Courtney Allison Moulton

Book Two in the Angelfire Trilogy 

Goodreads | Amazon

 Destiny and Deception - Shannon Delany 

Book Four in the 13 to Life series

Goodreads | Amazon

 New Girl - Paige Harbison 

Goodreads | Amazon

Harbinger - Sara Wilson Etienne 

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Review: Everybody Sees the Ants - A.S. King

EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS:

Published: October 3, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 282 pages

Source: Library

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their family is fine. And he certainly didn't ask to be the recipient of Nader McMillian's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

Lucky has a secret -- one that helps him wade through the daily dysfunction of his life. Granddad Harry, trapped in the jungles of Laos, has been visiting Lucky in his dreams -- and the dreams just might be real: an alternate reality where he can be whoever he wants to be and his life might still be worth living. But how long can Lucky remain in hiding there before reality forces its way inside? 

"Everybody Sees the Ants was a dark and somewhat humorous story, although some parts did let me down."

All Lucky Linderman did was ask a stupid question. It was for a question survey for a class in school. The question? If you were going to commit suicide, which method would you choose? Now everybody thinks Lucky is suicidal, even though he's not. On top of that is the constant bullying that is being led by Nader McMillian towards him. Lucky describes his mom as a squid: she only stays in the water to stay away from her problems. His dad? He's a turtle: when he's scared, he hides away in his shell from the real world. And ever since he was eight, he travels into his dreams where he meets his Grandpa in the jungles of Laos and tries to bust him out of the jungle, only to fail each time. And now, he's seeing ants that can talk to him about whatever situations he's into. It's about time that Lucky makes his place in the world, before everything around him starts crashing down.

Starting out with Everybody Sees the Ants, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I found this book deal with a very dark, realistic topic of bullying along with a character who doesn't fit in to anywhere, whether it's with being bullied or people he loves turning away from him.

The first thing about this book were the characters. Lucky Linderman was a great character. I felt very sorry for him with all of his troubles, mainly because bullying is up there on my pet-peeve list. When Nader McMillian would bully him, I wanted to jump into the pages of the story, smack Lucky in the face, and tell him to start defending for himself. Our antagonist, Nader McMillian, was a horrible person.  He's so cruel and awful and he's just a horrible villain in the making. There's also another character in named Aunt Jodi who is crazy. Read about her and you'll see. :D

Next, the writing style. I think that this is where the book fell flat for me. I know that it's written from a teenage boy's perspective, but I know sometimes, she could have worked around some words and added some more details into some scenes. It's hard to describe in a blog post. And some language was used in this book that seriously wasn't necessary. You'll know what they are if you read it. I really don't want to put what some sentences were here.

Finally, the novel itself. Sometimes, it pulled at my heartstrings with the sadness and tragedy of bullying, and other times, it just honestly fell flat for me. Overall, A.S. King's junior novel was an good book that I would recommend.

My Rating:

Book Review: Bumped - Megan McCafferty

BUMPED:

Published: April 26, 2011 

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 323 pages

Source: Books-A-Million

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused foods.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody's doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her entire life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from. 

When Melody is matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, the girls' lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

"Bumped disappointed me on extreme levels. I expected so much more, but I didn't get satisfied with it."

Going into Bumped, I expected a new dystopian novel that would give me a breath of fresh air from all the high-paced dystopian novels I've read in the past. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Enter the world of Bumped. Harmony and Melody are twins, and Harmony has just showed up on Melody's doorstep. In this world, everybody over the age of eighteen is infertile and cannot have children, so they pay teenagers to have their children. Melody is getting ready to have a baby with somebody for money, but it is against Harmony's religion to get pregnant for money. But when a fatal mistake occurs, the girls lives are changed forever.

That's basically the entire storyline. I enjoyed maybe the first thirty pages or so, but after that, it all spiraled downward.

First, the writing style. No. Just, no. I think that McCafferty tried too hard to write in a teen's perspective. Some of the dialogue was too hyper and perky, and I don't think a teen would ever be that perky or hyper. I would know because I am a teen. I wasn't fond of the writing style at all. This book definitely wasn't for me. 

Secondly, the characters. I found almost all the characters annoying or just almost impossible to read about because I couldn't stand the characters. Melody was pretty annoying on major levels, whether it was her dialogue or just her actions, I honestly didn't look forward to reading the chapters that followed her.

And then Harmony was like way off the charts of insane-o. She was always trying to convert her sister to the Goodside, which is good to get some religion up in your system, but when that's the only thing you think about, I think you need to step away because apparently, it's not your place to do so.

Finally, the novel itself. I think it was my fault with this novel because I expected too much. I usually think of dystopian novels to be the best novels, and usually, they are. But sadly, this one isn't good. I was really hoping to like it, but in the end, I was totally let down. I will not be picking up the sequel.

My Rating:

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

FRACTURE:

Published: January 17, 2012

Publisher: Walker

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 264 pages

Source: Amazon.com

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then, her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet, she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine

--despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain predicting death, or causing it? 

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first, she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature -- or something much more frightening? 

"A gripping tale that grabbed my attention and shook me to death with its incredible elements. So far, it's the best book I've read this year." 

In Fracture, I honestly expected to like it, but not love it. But now, I'm utterly in love with this book. This book is a masterpiece beyond belief. 

Delaney fell through ice at a Maine lake. She was trapped in the lake for eleven minutes after her best friend, Decker, left her behind. Her heart had stopped pumping blood. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. But then, Decker came back for her. He pulled her out and gave her CPR, ultimately shattering a few of her ribs. Then after being in a coma, she came back to life. She seemed perfectly normal, even though brain scans show tons of brain damage.

But while in the hospital, strange things start to happen in her brain. Her brain began to throb and pulled her into a room with a man dying. When this keeps repeating, she fears that something supernatural is occurring inside her head. When she then meets a nineteen-year-old named Troy Varga who has the same abilities, she starts to feel some calm about this odd situation. But when she finds out what exactly are Troy's intentions with this unnatural mind, she fears for her life -- and everybody in her small town.

This book was phenomenal. Megan Miranda's voice was powerful and outstanding. This is the type of book I would shove in a random stranger's face and force them to read it. Yeah. It's that good -- incredible.

First, the characters. They're unbelievable. They're so good and so real. And none of them are whiny! I can believe the actions they commit and do whatever they may do -- even with Delaney's freaky abilities! The way that Miranda gave them their voices made me take a double take -- because it's just amazing! Megan Miranda is one of the only authors in the YA genre who can actually make a believable and great character.

Next, the writing style. Ahh!!! It was mind-blowing! I'm not sure how, but Megan Miranda made me actually believe that Delaney had these freak of nature abilities. The words flowed easily off the page, with a good language of words that kept me and flipping pages all night long!

And finally, the novel itself. Incredible. Outstanding. Unique. Brilliant. Awesome. That's how I feel about Fracture. Do yourself a favor! Read. This. Book. This is one of those books that changed my YA Literature life. I will recommend this to anybody from now on. Please, read this. You won't regret it. :D

My Rating:

FRACTURE HAS WON THE BOOKYAREVIEW JANUARY 2012 PICK

The Surgery

*Note: This post has absolutely nothing book related in it. Well, it has just a tiny bit* :-)

If you've seen some of my posts or watched some of my videos, you've seen/heard that I'm having major surgery done on my feet. This post is to inform everybody if they'd like to know. :)

I have really horrible feet. I've had it since I was born. I have no arch in my foot and my feet lay inward, and when I walk/run/stand for a long time, they begin to hurt and swell and I can't walk on them for the next two days or so. 

So, we've found somebody who can help. I have no idea what this surgery is called (mainly because it's a super long name), but this is what the surgery will do to my left foot:

Fuses two bones to make them one

Add a bone to get an arch in my foot

Stretch my heel cord

And, because of everything that will be going inside my foot after the surgery, I can't put any weight on my left foot, or it could basically ruin my foot. 

So this is my process:

Surgery

8 weeks with no weight on foot

8 weeks with specially made boot/cast on my foot

And then...

we do the right foot and the same process happens. I don't know when we'll do the right foot. All I know is this, I'm probably going to be missing 18 months of school. Of course, the teachers will come to my house and give me homework (blegh...), but I won't see any of my friends for 18 months.

But the good thing about having the surgery is that it will fix my foot and I get to read all the time! So hopefully, there will be even more reviews on here!

So as you read this right now, I'm having surgery done on my foot. This post was scheduled on January 15. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this, even though it doesn't deal with books. 

:-)

YA Novels Coming Out This Week: January 24

Everneath - Brodi Ashton

Book One in the Everneath Trilogy 

Goodreads | Amazon

 Fallen in Love - Lauren Kate

Short stories that take place between Passion (3rd book) and Rapture (4th book).

Goodreads | Amazon

 Angel Fire - L.A. Weatherly

Book Two in the Angel Trilogy

Goodreads | Amazon

 Havoc - Jeff Sampson

Book Two in the Vesper series

Goodreads | Amazon

 The Way We Fall - Megan Crewe

Book One in The Way We Fall series

Goodreads | Amazon

 Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat - Francesca Lia Block

The Prequel to the Weetzie Bat series

Goodreads | Amazon

 Forbidden - Syrie James & Ryan M. James

Goodreads | Amazon

There Is No Dog - Meg Rosoff 

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Review: XVI - Julia Karr

XVI:

Published: January 6, 2011

Publisher: Speak

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 325 pages

Source: Amazon.com

Every girl gets one. An XVI tattoo on the wrist -- sixteen. 


Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay. 


Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help -- and he just may hold the key to her past.


But with line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure.


For Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet.


When I first started out reading XVI, I was a little disappointed. I won't lie. It seemed a bit slow at first, and with all these crazy things going on in a new dystopian world like PAVs and the FeLS program, I was entirely lost. But soon after that, everything changed for the better.

For Nina, she lives in a dystopian world with her mother Ginnie and younger sister Dee. Nina's father died the night she was born, and few years later, Ginnie began to date a man named Ed who would beat her at night. He was a monster to her.

In this new world, getting and XVI tattoo on your wrist signals out to the world that you're legal -- and people can now take advantage of you. Nina doesn't want to be prey for the predators in her world, but her best friend Sandy does. While walking home, Nina discovers a boy who seems to be homeless, but isn't, named Sal.

Then, Ginnie is killed. The doctors at the hospital put Ginnie on a machine called Infinity -- a machine that allows a dead person to come back to life for ten minutes to talk to her family. Ginnie tells Nina to keep Ed away from Dee, and to guard Dee's baby book with her life. It might just change everything she's ever known. Soon, Nina and Dee live with their grandparents, and when stalker Ed comes back into the picture, everything is sure to spiral downward.

Like I said before, XVI was slow in the beginning. But then, the plot picked up and everything started to happen so fast, I couldn't set the book down!

First, the characters. I thought Nina was an outstanding character. She didn't want to blend in with the crowd and anticipate becoming sixteen. And, she's very protective of her younger sister and will do anything from keeping Ed away from Dee. A thing I felt about the character's name was that they seemed a little "old-fashioned". Not that there's anything wrong with that, look at the names: Nina, Dee, Ed, Ginnie, Sal, Sandy, Mike, Derek.

Secondly, the writing style. I'm in love with Julia Karr's writing style! She somehow gives it a spin on a major event when it's happening on a page, and it always keeps my interest. Believe me, towards the end, something happens that made me look around the room I was in just to make sure that nobody else was in it. Yeah. It affected me that much.

Finally, the novel itself. While XVI was fantastic, it was a great novel. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a highly paced dystopian novel! I can't wait to read the sequel!

My Rating:

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren!

Leave the link to your IMM so I can check it out!

Book Review: Wanted by Sara Shepard

WANTED:

Published: December 8, 2010 (first published June 8, 2010)

Publisher: HarperTeen

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 259 pages

Source: Amazon.com

In Rosewood, majestic estates sprawl for acres, and Tiffany toggle bracelets dangle from every girl's wrist. But not all that glitters is gold, and the town harbors secrets darker than anyone could imagine -- like the truth about what really happened the night Alison DiLaurentis went missing...

Back in middle school, Ali plucked off Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer from obscurity and turned them into the beautiful, popular girls everyone wanted to be. Ali was the best friend they ever had. But she also made them do terrible things and taunted them with their worst secrets. Now, three years later, all their questions about Ali have finally been answered and they can put this awful chapter of their lives behind them. Or so they think.

Not every story has a happy ending, especially when four Pretty Little Liars have done so many wicked things. In the eighth novel in Sara Shepard's bestselling Pretty Little Liars series, Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer could get everything they ever wanted -- unless A has one more horrifying twist in store.

"While this wasn't the best Pretty Little Liars novel, the last 40 pages or so was one of the most craziest things I've ever read in my lifetime."

In Sara Shepard's Wanted, the use-to-be conclusion of the PLL series (four more books have been added to the series), I felt anxious about reading it. The first 100 pages wasn't the best, but it began to pick up from there.

Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna are piecing together bit by bit their dear-long lost friend's murder and who exactly murdered her. But when a man is arrested for supposedly killing Alison, they assume that their troubles are over. But it's only the beginning to a new horrifying experience. 

The DiLaurentis family has been hiding a secret. A huge secret from the media, but most importantly, Ali's best friends. And when they find out just exactly what that huge secret, they can't believe it. 

That's all I can say without spoiling the novel.

This book was very fast-paced, and like I said before, the last 40 pages were one of the most exciting, yet terrifying things I've ever read. My heart was pounding out of my chest because I couldn't believe it exactly what was happening. I'll tell you this, the entire story is pieced together in the last 40 pages. I'm wanting to see just how exactly Sara Shepard will put the storyline back into books nine through twelve.

As usual, Sara Shepard's writing style was excellently executed. I think she does a great job writing from a teen perspective, and the way that she blends modern technology along with other high school issues, I can't be more pleased with it.

And also, her pacing is great. I will admit, the first one hundred pages weren't that exciting. But now that I look back on it, I think it needed to be just a bit slow so she could lead us up to the ENORMOUS secret it the final fifty pages. 

Shepard's characters are pretty snarky in their own way. And whenever you find out the secret that the DiLaurentis family has been hiding for many, many years, I was shocked about what it was. If you've read this book, I'm pretty sure you understand what I mean.

And finally, the novel itself. I read this while people in my household were sleeping, so it was a very big challenge not to say anything while I was reading the book, but believe me, if I had the chance to do so, I would take advantage of it. Wanted wasn't the best Pretty Little Liars novel, but Sara Shepard did the novel really well and I was glad to have read it.

My Rating:

Book Review: Tiger's Curse - Colleen Houck

TIGER'S CURSE:

Published: January 11, 2011

Publisher: Splinter 

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 402 pages

Source: Amazon.com

Passion. Fate. Loyalty. Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. But that's exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic,  and mystical worlds where nothing is as it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever. 

Tiger's Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more. 

"This novel had parts of epic proportions, but it didn't live up to expectation I had for it." 

Going into Tiger's Curse, I was expecting a magical and epic journey that would sweep me off my feet and carry me to the heart of India, where I would be jumping up and down with glee about the novel. Sadly, that didn't happen.

Kelsey Hayes is just your average girl. To get some extra money, she takes a job at a circus to work with some dogs and a white tiger named Ren. Instantly, she's drawn to the tiger. When a man named Mr. Kadam offers to buy Ren, he also offers a position to Kelsey to help train Ren alongside him. Ultimately, she agrees. When they reach India, Kelsey is given a truck only to have it stolen.

Then, Ren takes off into the jungle of India. He doesn't stop and takes Kelsey on a wild goose chase. When they come across a small village and Kelsey ties Ren up to a tree, she hears a voice behind her. It's Ren -- as a human. He then explains to her this long-old curse on him and how she is the only one to break it.

With this novel, I expect it to have twists and turns on every page, but unfortunately, I didn't get my way. 

First, the characters. Kelsey isn't all that great of a character. Sure, she wasn't a Bella Swan from Twilight, but then again, she wasn't a Juliette from Shatter Me either. And then, she was like drawn to Ren. I can understand how a tiger might be really cool to hang around, but when you start to obsess over it, I think we've reached our boundary point. 

And the biggest flaw I had with this book is the name that Kelsey asked Ren to call her: Kells. Ugh. I don't want to feel like I'm reading a Gossip Girl novel when seeing the word 'Kells' at least two times when dialogue is on that specific page. Please, let's have somewhat dignity here, Kelsey. 

Next, the writing style. Again, not the greatest. Whenever something big might happen at the end of the chapter, Houck just left it there. Sure, some of it would be there in the first paragraph of the story, but there is definite room for some more description of big -- or at least exciting -- things that happen in a chapter. And then, there was some stuff that was there that didn't have to pertain to the story. Like the part where Kelsey was on the airplane going to India and she saw the bathroom. Two pages -- and they're very long pages -- was filled with just describing how elegant the bathroom was. Yes, we the reader need to know what she's doing in the bathroom, but we don't need to know everything from large shower to granite of the bathroom sink.

Finally, there is the plot. Don't get me wrong, this book was epic -- at some points. I know that this is only the first novel, and I'm sure the second book will be more epic because the plot and the characters are already established, but I can't help feel that this book just wasn't enough to satisfy my needs. 

Overall, Tiger's Curse did disappoint, but I am hopeful for the second novel that it will be more a more page-turner along with twists and turns along the way.

My Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine!

This week, I chose...

The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

Harlequin Teen

April 24, 2012

You will kill. The only question is when. 

In the dark days since the Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans; their "pets". In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive. 

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of the Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero... and turned into a vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human... for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship -- not even for love. 

This sounds like an AWESOME novel. Finally! Vampires that don't sparkle in the sun!

Leave me your link to your WoW so I can check it out!

Happy Reading!

~Brad

YA Novels Coming Out This Week: January 17

Here's a list of the YA books coming out this week!: 

 Hallowed - Cynthia Hand

Book Two in the Unearthly series

Goodreads | Amazon

 Tempest - Julie Cross

Book One in the Tempest trilogy

Goodreads | Amazon

 Fracture - Megan Miranda 

Goodreads | Amazon

 Truth - Julia Karr

Book Two in the XVI series

Goodreads | Amazon

 The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Vol. 5: The Asylum - based on the novels by LJ Smith

Book Five in the Stefan's Diaries series

Goodreads | Amazon

In Darkness - Nick Lake 

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Review: A Million Suns - Beth Revis

A MILLION SUNS:

Published: January 10, 2012

Publisher: Razorbill

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 386 pages

Source: Amazon.com

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. 

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. 

In book two in the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it builds to one-mind conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

"Filled with action and suspense, Beth Revis has outdone herself again with her sophomore novel. I'm hooked on this trilogy."

I was one of those people last year who fell in love with Across the Universe instantly. In fact, I read it in one sitting. Literally. So when I finally got the sequel into my hands, I knew I would love. And, believe me, I did. 

On the spaceship of Godspeed, Elder is now the ruler of the ship. But people are starting to question his authority, and chaos is sure to brew all alone in the dark, deep vast of outer space. Amy was awoken three months earlier -- 50 years too early -- and she has to deal with the fact that her parents are still frozen.

Elder has officially declared Phydus -- a drug that makes everybody calm -- illegal on Godspeed. But with no calmness on the ship, the stakes begin to climb as people are attempting to throw Elder over his position and began a revolution on Godspeed. Along with Orion, a wicked man hidden in the ship, has saved clues for Amy to find out what the "truth" is on Godspeed. And she'll never believe exactly what it is. 

A Million Suns was an awesome book. I knew that Beth Revis' writing style was great, and she definitely proved herself as a great author in only her second novel. 

First, the characters. Amy, one of our main protagonists, can be just a bit whiny at times, but for the majority of the book, she's trying to save herself and the ship in general to find out just exactly what the "truth" is. I honestly felt bad for Elder at parts during the book. He technically is the ruler of Godspeed now, but because he's younger than everybody, nobody really looks up to him as a leader.

Next, the writing. Beth Revis can weave out words like it's nothing. The description of the mighty spaceship always blows my mind, and with all the situations that Revis forces her characters to be in, it makes for a great story.

Then, we have our climax. When I found out what the "truth" is in the book, I couldn't believe it. I had to put the book down just to take in what was happening in the book. My entire body was shaking because I couldn't believe what the "truth" was! Beth Revis swept me off my feet with this novel.

And finally, our ending. Why would you be so cruel Beth? Why? I don't want to spoil anything for you if you haven't read this novel, but let me say this: I now need the third and final book. It's not a want for the third book, it's a necessity for me to know.

Overall, this novel was great and even better than the first book. I'm still in shock of how great it was.

My Rating:

In My Mailbox #2

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren!

Here's what I got in my mailbox!:

VIDEO LINK

List:

A Million Suns - Beth Revis

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green *Signed copy* 

Leave the link to your IMM so I can check it out!

Happy Reading!

~Brad

Blog Award!

BookYAReview has just received an award!

I was nominated by RJ over at RJ Does Books! Thanks RJ!

Links to his:

Blog

Twitter

Youtube

Here are the rules:

1) Thank and link to the person who nominated you

2) Share 7 random facts about yourself

3) Pass the Award onto 10 deserving blog buddies (Sadly, I only chose 3)

4) Contact those buddies and let them know

Here's my seven random facts!:

1) I have really horrible feet and I'm having surgery on them (one at a time). Blog post about the surgery coming up at the end of the month.

2) My favorite book of 2011 was Across the Universe by Beth Revis

3) There's snow outside my window :-D

4) Movie I can watch over and over and never get bored with it:

The Lion King (who doesn't love that movie?!) 

5) Current favorite songs:

What the Water Gave Me - Florence + the Machine.

Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift (song from The Hunger Games movie!!!)

6) I have two dogs:

Max - a cockapoo (mixture of a cocker spaniel and a poodle)

Ollie - a miniature dachshund (or weiner dog; whatever you want to call him) :-D

*pictures to come soon*

7) I love to do plays and musicals. I'm also dying to go to New York City and see a show on Broadway.

THE BLOGS I NOMINATE!:

*I chose people who I have not seen been nominated yet*

H.D. @ Reading Writing Breathing

Amanda @ Pearl the Book Girl

Misty @ The Book Rat

Brad's Favorite Covers of 2011

So today, I'm here to present my favorite covers of 2011!

Let's go!

Sweetly - Jackson Pearce

This cover is so unique and awesome. This book is a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairytale, so of course, the cover should correspond with the story. We have the branches of the forest shielding the house, but then again, look at the branches...

IT'S THE WITCH'S FACE.

When I first saw this cover, I was like:

"Ohmygodfhgueghuhqawuhuhququh... wow." 

It's just awesome. Am I right or am I right? 

Hourglass - Myra McEntire

I'm fairly positive that you have seen this cover. But let's point it out once more.

When I first saw this cover, I thought that the brown part was sand flowing down, and she was being sucked in. But when I saw it in person, I realized exactly what it was.

Turn the cover sideways.

SHE'S WALKING DOWN A WALL.

It's so incredible. And if you hold the book in real-life, you know that cover is SO SOFT. I'm hoping that Timepiece's cover will be soft like it's predecessor. Example, Falling Under by Gwen Hayes had a very soft cover, but it's sequel, Dreaming Awake, did not. 

Fury - Elizabeth Miles

Two words: HER. HAIR.

It's like wind flowing off of her head! And again, it has a soft cover!

I'm very excited to see what it's sequel's cover (called Envy) will look like. I was discussing this with another blogger, H.D. at Reading Writing Breathing, and he thinks that it will be another girl on the cover with green hair. I can't wait for the cover reveal.

Wither - Lauren DeStefano

All I can say is that this is just a great book cover.

Enough said.

Those are just a few of my favorite covers!

I want to see what your favorite covers of 2011 are! Share your link in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Never Have I Ever - Sara Shepard

NEVER HAVE I EVER:

Published: August 2, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 309 pages

Source: Amazon.com

Sara Shepard, the author of Pretty Little Liars novels, has followed up those top-selling fictions with an even more artfully knotted series. As its center is a murdered narrator whose long-lost identical twin sister Emma is serving as a stand-in detective to find the killer. In the second episode of their hunt, the pair discovers new clues, but they know as they search for the killer, he or she is watching their every move, waiting for the right moment to end it all.

Never say never.

"Even better than the first book. I devoured it and I enjoyed every second of it."

Never Have I Ever was such a great sequel. Sara Shepard is known for her murder mystery novels, and every book of hers is amazing in some shape or way.

We're back with Emma, trying to piece together her long-lost twin sister's murder with the only person who truly knows who she is, Ethan, by her side.

First, the suspense in this novel is crazy good. When I got to around page 240, my stomach was churning with anticipation and fear. It was epic. She writes in a way that makes me turn page after page until there are purple lines underneath my eyes that force me to get some sleep. 

Next, we have our characters. I love Emma so much. She's the type of person that every guy would want to date. She doesn't complain about her life and how she got the short end of the stick -- she only worries about her sister and bringing justice to her. I hate Garrett. He's a jerk. And then we have, Charlotte, Madeline, and the ever infamous yet hilarious Twitter Twins, Gabby and Lili. All of the characters are either twisted or incredible in their own unique way. 

Then, there is just the actual storyline and Sara Shepard's writing style. I enjoyed every page of this book, mainly because it's suspenseful. It keeps me wondering and thinking what will happen next. And Sara Shepard's writing style is just... wow. That's the only word I can think of to describe it. It's current, fresh, and awesome enough to keep me up past midnight to read more of the novel.

Finally, the novel itself. I highly recommend this entire series to you. If you enjoy suspense, modern-day stories, and a writing style & storyline that will keep your eyes stuck to the pages, this series is right for you. I can't wait for Two Truths and a Lie!

My Rating:

YA Novels Coming Out This Week: January 10

Every Tuesday, I'll be showing you the novels coming out this week!

 The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

Goodreads | Amazon

 Jessica Rules the Dark Side - Beth Fantaskey
Book Two in the Jessica series

Goodreads | Amazon

 Ditched - Robin Mellom 

Goodreads | Amazon

A Million Suns - Beth Revis

Book Two in the Across the Universe trilogy

Goodreads | Amazon

Books To Pine For (1)

Books To Pine For is a post where you show off the books that you're most anticipating!

Dead to You
February 7, 2012
Simon Pulse

Dreamless

May 29, 2012

HarperTeen

Incarnate

January 31, 2012

HarperTeen

Social Suicide

April 24, 2012

HarperTeen

The Immortal Rules

April 24, 2012

Harlequin Teen

Glimmer

April 17, 2012

Balzer + Bray