Brad About Books: One Plus One Equals Blue by MJ Auch

Read from April 11 to 12, 2013

ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS BLUE
Expected Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt (Macmillan)
Format: ARC
Page Count: 272 pages
Source: Publisher

Twelve year-old Basil knows he’s special—he’s been associating numbers with colors since he was a kid. His gift (or curse) has turned him into somewhat of a loner, but his world begins to change when he meets Tenzie, the new girl in school who has similar freakisms. She, too, has synesthesia (a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another). At first, Basil is somewhat annoyed with Tenzie’s pushiness, but after Basil’s estranged mother returns, his life is turned upside down . . . and Tenzie may be the only person to help him put it back together again.

Once again, MJ Auch has written a thoughtful coming-of-age novel that explores friendship, family, and fitting in.

Wow. One Plus One Equals Blue is a beautiful and heart-wrenching read that made me happy, made me sad, and most of all, kept me engaged the entire time.

This book is filled with so many emotions. Our main character, Basil, made me really connect with him. I felt bad for him whenever he would be bullied or picked on by kids in his class, and I really appreciated that bullying and the affects it has on kids was thrown into the book. And since we got to see through the eyes of someone who has a disability and is being bullied really made me connect to Basil. And Tenzie was great as well! She's going through the same problem, but she has a better outlook on it - Tenzie is probably my most favorite thing about One Plus One Equals Blue.

The writing style is also very connectable. Auch's poetic words flowed seamlessly off the page, and I couldn't get enough of this book. Right from page one, I was sucked into the mysterious and vibrant world of Basil and Tenzie, and MJ Auch did a phenomenal job at crafting together this world. 

Another thing I thought that was so cool is that what are main character's have (synesthesia), the author has it too, which means that Auch knew exactly how to describe this condition to the reader and let us explore it. I loved that part, as well as One Plus One Equals Blue entirely.

Overall, One Plus One Equals Blue is a stellar novel that should not be missed. I can't recommend this book enough!

M Y   R A T I N G

Brad About Books: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Read from March 28 to 29, 2013

THE CROWN OF EMBERS
Published: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Greenwillow (Harper)
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 410 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: Fire and Thorns, #2

This review is entirely spoiler free, even if you haven't read the first book.

Read my review from the first book in this series:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Let me start off by saying that I adore high fantasy - it's fantastic. I love being on journeys, exploring new, vibrant and brilliant worlds and getting to read about the most magnificent creatures and characters. And Rae Carson is an absolute genius. I can officially declare that she is one of my favorite fantasy authors. The Crown of Embers is a sequel that soars, and every part of this book is amazing. I can't express my love for this series enough!

Elisa is a brilliant protagonist, and she becomes even fiercer in this book. This is how a fantasy character should be. Strong and powerful, Elisa shines out in the characters found in YA, and I always look forward to going on these fantastic journeys with her. And this series is insane! So much action happens, and I flew through these pages!

The world-building is so vivid and lush. Carson's world is lethal and deadly, yet beautifully-described and a world I would love to visit. I mean, come on. Assassins, rebels, and a kingdom in peril? That sounds right up my alley. If you are a high fantasy lover, like myself, this series is a must read!

You know how some sequels are never quite as good as book one? Absolutely and totally not the case here. I loved The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but man, I adored The Crown of Embers! So much more action and suspense, I literally could not put this book down. And when I would put it down, it was the only thing on my mind.

That ending was evil. I am definitely reading The Bitter Kingdom soon! Rae Carson, you are a genius! That ending was phenomenal!

Overall, The Crown of Embers is easily one of my favorite books of the year. This fantasy is flawless, and Rae Carson has become one of my favorite authors. Mind-bending and addictive, The Crown of Embers is truly brilliant!

MY RATING

Waiting on Wednesday (18): 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

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

This week, I'm waiting on...

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

September 17, 2013

Balzer & Bray (Harper)

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

Read my reviews for other books by Gretchen McNeil:

Possess • Ten

YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I WANT THIS BOOK. I absolutely adored Gretchen's two previous novels, and 3:59 sounds absolutely original, brilliant, wonderful, amazing, and fantastic. Alternate worlds and being afraid of the dark?! YES PLEASE. September 17 needs to hurry up and come, because I am dying for this book!

What are you waiting on this week? Leave links to your WoW in the comments!

Be afraid of the dark.

Top Ten OCD Bookish Habits

It feels good to be doing a Top Ten Tuesday again! I haven't done one in a few weeks, and I've honestly missed it! If you don't know, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week is a Rewind week, so the topic I chose to do is Top Ten OCD Bookish Habits, and gosh, I have a lot!

1) I prefer hardcovers. I'm actually not a perfectionist in real life, but when it comes to books, I'm the biggest perfectionist you will ever find. Hardcovers don't get destroyed as easy, and I've just always preferred reading them. And broken spines are nasty.

2) I have to count the pages from the start of a chapter to the next. I have actually gotten better at this and don't do it as much, but I like to know how many pages I have to read until the next chapter. Sometimes it's 5 pages, sometimes it's 50. I don't know why, but I like to know, BUT I have gotten better!

3) I rarely lend out books. I have lent out books to four people in my lifetime. One being my best friend, another a family member, and the last two are people from my school. The only person whom I've lent out a book to more than once is my best friend. I am so nervous about dog-earring, creased spines, or receiving the book ruined when it comes back to me. This is where my OCD kicks into. 

4) Me and cover changes don't go together. Like I said before, I am a hardcover lover and a book perfectionist. So when covers are changed, the new covers are rarely made into a hardcover dust jacket, and that makes me sad.

5) I have to use a bookmark. If I absolutely have to, I will use something else, but to be honest, I only like bookmarks to mark my spot in a book. I'm more likely to type down the page number I'm on in my Notes app then I am to use a piece of paper. Why? I have no idea.

Example for #6; source

6) I hate it when people bend back a book all the way. And when I say all the way, I mean to where you could lay the entire book flat down. It gives me chills. If somebody did this to one of my books, I honestly think I would freak out. Honestly.

7) Dog-earring. Need I say more? Again, if somebody did this to one of my books, I would tackle them like a spider monkey (do they tackle?). I seriously can't do it. That book would be forever ruined in my mind. And let's make this any type of ruining a book - creasing the spine, dog-earring, throwing it across the room, ANYTHING like that makes me so mad.

8) I can't write in books. I can't, and I won't. I would regret it if I ever did, and just... nope. Not for me.

9) I have to be near a book I just recently got. This one sounds super odd, but when I get a new book, I'm usually always near it for a couple of days. I'll just pick it up, look at it, set it back down, and then go back to whatever I was doing. Super strange.

10) I always have to be reading! I can't stand it if I'm not reading something - I love having something to read at all times!

Did you do a TTT post today? Leave links in the comments so I can go check it out!

Brad About Books: The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

Read on March 25, 2013

THE LAST ECHO
Published: April 17, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 358 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: The Body Finder, #3

This review is entirely spoiler free, even if you haven't started this series.

The Last Echo is another fantastic installment in this brilliant series. Kimberly Derting has done it again!

I read this novel within five hours. It was absolutely stunning. The Body Finder series is one of my favorites; murder mystery mixed with supernatural elements? Yes please. It may sound a bit crazy by the synopsis, but these novels are always pulled off masterfully, and I adore these books so much!

Violet is an amazing protagonist. She's always fierce and strong and never afraid to speak her mind. And let's be honest, when you can hear the dead calling out to you, you'd have to be pretty strong not to go insane. But Violet is one of a kind. Her character growth, especially in The Last Echo, is brilliant. Derting has a way of crafting her characters together and weaving them with pieces of heroism and amazing qualities.

Murder mysteries are always fast-paced and fun, and the Body Finder series is no exception. I always get sucked into the story right away, and I can never manage to put them down! My mind has to know what's going to happen next! And Kimberly Derting is a master of surprise - loads of things I didn't see coming popped up in The Last Echo, which makes it clear in my mind that this is definitely the best book out of the series so far. (Can't wait to pick up Dead Silence tomorrow!)

If you don't know, each Body Finder novel has chapters, usually around two to six pages, told in an alternative point-of-view, usually of the antagonist, and you don't discover who's mind you're in until towards the end of the book. It is without a doubt in my mind that The Last Echo has the most terrifying and frightening alternate-POV yet. It's scary because of the state of madness that this person has been driven to -- and I loved it. Seriously, pick up these books if you haven't yet!

Overall, The Last Echo is phenomenal. Kimberly Derting and her novels have left a mark on the YA mystery genre! I devoured this book in one sitting, and I never wanted it to end!

MY RATING

Weekly Recap (4)

Welcome to my fourth weekly recap! If you're new to the blog, every Sunday I post a recap of all the books I read from the previous week! The books I read from April 7 to April 13! All these reviews are spoiler free (always), and I will do full reviews on all of them!

Read from April 7 to 8, 2013

1. Sweet Evil (Sweet, #1) - Wendy Higgins

WOW. Why didn't I read this one sooner? I absolutely adored it! I loved Anna and getting to explore this hidden world was awesome. If you like the show Supernatural, I think you'd really enjoy Sweet Evil. I am so excited for Sweet Peril!

5 stars

Read from April 7 to 9, 2013

2. Stung - Bethany Wiggins

Fast-paced and enthralling, Stung brings a vivid world and a unique concept to the table! I loved the main character, and the concept of being Stung was terrifying and shocking.

Read my full review • Read the guest post from the author

4 stars

Read from April 8 to 9, 2013

3. Until I Die (Revenants, #2) - Amy Plum

What an amazing sequel! I loved Until I Die even more than Die for Me - and wow, this series is incredible! I am so pumped for the third and final book! (And according to Savy @ Books With Bite, If I Should Die is epic, which makes me even more excited!)

5 stars

Read from April 9 to 10, 2013

4. Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, #3) - Richelle Mead

I can officially say that I'm hooked onto this series! Shadow Kiss was by far the best book out of the series so far - it had so much action and drama and I loved it! I will definitely be picking up Blood Promise soon.

5 stars

Read from April 10 to 11, 2013

5. Indelible (The Twixt, #1) - Dawn Metcalf

Indelible is so original and fresh. It's unique and fantastic, and I simply couldn't get enough of this book! I loved every single bit of this book - I highly recommend it!

5 stars

Read from April 11 to 12, 2013

6. One Plus One Equals Blue - MJ Auch

Heartbreaking and beautiful, One Plus One Equals Blue is one of a kind. Filled with so much emotion and loads of love, I connected instantly to this book, and I didn't want it to end. I loved this book.

5 stars

Read from April 12 to 13, 2013

7. The Lost Code (Atlanteans, #1) - Kevin Emerson

I love anything to do with swimming or the ocean, so The Lost Code and I were a perfect match. The characters were great, the world-building was fantastic, and the concept of a lost race from Atlantis was epic! I can't wait for the sequel!

5 stars

Read from April 9 to 13, 2013

8. Fields of Elysium (Elysium, #1) - A.B. Whelan

I had been reading this one off and on throughout the week. I had trouble getting into it - I couldn't connect with the characters - but after I passed the halfway mark, the story got flowing and became really good. I enjoyed it!

3.5 stars

Read on April 13, 2013

9. Eve (Eve, #1) - Anna Carey

This book was powerful and action-packed! I had problems with Eve at first, but finally, everything clicked into place, and I adored this book!

4 stars

That's what I read this week! What did you read?

Brad About Books: The Slither Sisters by Charles Gilman

Read on March 26, 2013

THE SLITHER SISTERS
Published: January 15, 2013
Publisher: Quirk
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 174 pages
Source: RAK
Series: Lovecraft Middle School, #2

My review from other books in this series:

Professor Gargoyle

This review is spoiler free, even if you haven't read the first book.

Loads of fun and peculiarly mysterious, The Slither Sisters is a whirlwind of craziness! I can't get enough of this school! 

Robert, Glenn, and our gang of characters become significantly better with their character development. And now that we get to explore the lives of the creepy and strange twins Sarah and Sylvia Price, it's clear in my mind that The Slither Sisters was even better than its predecessor. Gilman knows how to create a wonderful ensemble! 

The action was super awesome in this sequel! More monsters, mischief, and madness ensues in The Slither Sisters, and I was honestly taken aback by the events that happened! I loved seeing what crazy and whacky things popped out of Gilman's imagination, and wow, was it vivid and epic! I could picture everything moving along in my head so smoothly, plus the illustrations helped out (and they were great as well).

And like any Lovecraft Middle School book, the ending was crazy! I flew through those pages - it  was that fast-paced. I was on the edge of my seat for the last 40 pages, and I absolutely loved it.

Overall, The Slither Sisters was an awesome sequel. This series promises to become a hit!

M Y   R A T I N G