September Book Wrap Up!

October 2, 2013October 1, 20136 Comments

Okay, viagra approved I totally copied this from my fangirl best friend, Sylvia, from FanGirlFeeels, so I want to show her much credit. Check out her own September Book Wrap Up here!

I think I want to start doing this every month because I read a LOT of books in a month and I want to be able to share at the end of the month, all the books I’ve read and reviewed in one spot. Click on each book title to read my review of it!

So here we go!

Books Pledged to Read in 2013: 200 Books

Read so Far: 150

On Track?: For once, yes!

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

The Transfer by Veronica Roth

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Saving Raphael Santiago by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Elixir by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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What books did you read in September? What were some of your favorites, and which ones fell flat? As always, share in the comments!

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

October 2, 2013October 8, 2013Leave a comment

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, more about neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, cure and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

My Review:

Please keep in mind: this review will not spoil this particular book, but it most likely will have spoilers for previous books.

Literally everything is starting to come together in this book. Alex has finally become the Apollyon, and her deepest fear has come true: she loses herself and she wants nothing more than to be reunited with Seth, because she wants what he wants, and she is devoted to him. I had been hoping so HARD that it wouldn’t happen and when it happened, I almost died. I wanted to throw the book across the room, especially when I read the short novella between Deity and Apollyon: Elixir and we see inside Aidan’s head, as he struggles with Alex.

But I think that’s a huge reason why this book got to me so much. We see Aidan’s point of view briefly in Elixir, and we know how he feels about her and both his fears, and his worries for Alex. Coming back into the book with Alex as the wacked out Apollyon was something that was frightening, especially knowing what to expect, and wondering how on earth they were going to manage to get the real Alex back. I think the entire book, we see the devotion and love and friendship that Alex is able to get from Aidan and Marcus and Olivia, and Caleb, and even the god, Apollo. I think there is a lot to be shown in that, and in their faith that she can break the bond with Seth.

Which leads to me Seth. I had such mixed feelings about Seth since the beginning. I’m a big shipper of Aidan and Alex (what’s their ship name? does anyone know?) but Seth was kind of sexy in a dark way. I’m not going to lie, my cheeks got all flushed when Seth and Alex had those steamy scenes. But then Seth just…he went so bad in Deity with his attack on the Covenant, and his allegiance with Lucian, and I wanted to kill him. I especially wanted to kill him when you hear him in Alex’s mind, while she’s not herself, connected at him through the bond. He’s so slippery and sneaky. But Alex and Caleb are so determined that there is some kind of hope for him, and so its interesting to see where it goes, especially when its obviously that Alex cares for him, and that Seth does for her, bond or not.

But I also love that we’re building up more and more for what is going to take place in Sentinel, which releases in exactly one month. There are so many aspects to be concerned with. You have Ares, who is the God who is determined to use Seth for his own means, you have the bond between Seth and Alex, and Alex’s task to strip him of his power, or kill him. There’s the issue of the completely torn apart Covenant world, and the laws that need to be changed in regards to half bloods and their relations with pure bloods. There is so much at stake, and it makes for a great cliffhanger, a great desire to read the next book and a completely impatient Sara.

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Tickets on Sale Now!

October 1, 20131 Comment

Its official! Today is the day! Today you can head on over to Fandango to purchase your advanced tickets for Catching Fire.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire releases on November 22nd, approved but most theaters are having showings the previous day, as early as 8 pm! This is VERY exciting news for someone who has to go to school the next day haha.

If you purchase your tickets on Fandango, you will receive a special download, a song from the official soundtrack!

So head on over to Fandango to purchase your tickets today! :) The countdown starts now! Tick Tock!

* * * * *

To add to the awesome Catching Fire news of the day, I got an email this morning from Desde Hollywood.com, announcing ME as their winner for a pair of tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of the movie! I am SO very excited about this.

75 different websites were having giveaways of some sort for a pair of tickets to the premiere and I enter almost every single one. The only ones I didn’t enter were the ones that I couldn’t, due to the fact that there was an age restriction, and stuff like that.

But yay! VERY excited! That means I can bring you guys the AWESOMENESS of the premiere!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Buy those Catching Fire tickets, and May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor!

October 2013 Book Events

September 30, 2013September 30, 201314 Comments

Check out these October events! If there are events missing that you’d like to share, illness please do so I can add them to this list!

October 1st:

Ann Arbor, viagra 100mg MI: Shannon Messenger at Ann Arbor District Library, about it Downtown Branch at 7 pm

El Cerrito, CA: DJ MacHale at Barnes and Noble at 6 pm

Exton, PA: Simon Elkeles at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

Los Angeles, CA: Kami Garcia at Barnes and Noble The Grove at 7 pm

Menlo Park, CA: Fierce Reads feat. S.A. Bodeen, Alexandra Coutts, Leila Sales, and special guest Marissa Meyer at Kepler’s Books at 7 pm

Naperville, IL: Brandon Sanderson at Anderson’s at 7 pm

Salt Lake City, UT: Cinda Williams Chima at The King’s English Bookshop

Santa Monica, CA: Anthony Horowitz at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

October 2nd:

Cincinnati, OH: Brandon Sanderson at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at 7 pm

Hurst, TX: Simon Elkeles at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

Naperville, IL: Joelle Charbonneau at Anderson’s Bookshop at 7 pm

Provo, UT: Cinda Williams Chima at Provo Public Library at 7 pm

October 3rd:

Arlington, VA: Diana Peterfreund at Arlington Central Library at 7 pm

Beavercreek, OH: Brandon Sanderson at Books and Co. at 7 pm

Houston, TX: Simon Elkeles at Blue Willow Bookshop at 7 pm

Redondo Beach, CA: Cinda Williams Chima at Mysterious Galaxy at 7 pm

Santa Rosa, CA: Kami Garcia, Marie Lu, Ransom Riggs, Tahereh Mafi and Josephine Angelini at Copperfield’s Books

October 4th:

Alpharetta, GA: Simone Elkeles at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

Menlo Park, CA: Kami Garcia, Ransom Riggs, Tahereh Mafi and Marie Lu at Kepler’s Books at 7 pm

Milwaukee, WI: Brandon Sanderson at Boswell Book Company at 7 pm

Wichita, KS: Shannon Messenger at Watermark Books and Cafe at 7 pm

October 5th:

Coral Gables, FL: Simone Elkeles at Books and Books at 7 pm

Naperville, IL: Lauren Myracle at Anderson’s Bookshop at 2 pm

Portland, OR: Cinda Williams Chima, Stephanie Perkins, Gayle Forman and more at Wordstock at Oregon Convention Center. See website for more info.

Ventura, CA: Kate DiCamillo at Barnes and Noble at 1 pm

Lake Forest, IL: Brandon Sanderson at Lake Forest Book Store at 2 pm

October 6th:

Naperville, IL: Simone Elkeles at Anderson’s Bookshop at 1 pm

October 7th:

Happy Valley, OR: Brandon Sanderson at Fred Meyer: Johnson Creek at 6 pm

Laurelwood, Memphis, TN: Kami Garcia, Kimberly Derting and Victoria Schwab at Booksellers at 6 pm

Seattle, WA: Cinda Williams Chima at Third Place Books at 7 pm

October 8th:

Beaverton, OR: Brandon Sanderson at Powell’s Cedar Hills Crossing at 7 pm

Bellingham, WA: Cinda Williams Chima at Village Books at 7 pm

Berkeley, CA: Tamara Ireland Stone and Gayle Forman at Books, Inc at 7 pm

Edina, MN: Simone Elkeles at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

Oxford, MS: Kami Garcia and Holly Black at Square Books Jr at 4 pm

Salt Lake City, UT: James Dashner at The King’s English at 6 pm

October 9th:

Forest Park, WA: Lish McBride, Brent Hartinger, Malinda Lo and Gennifer Albin at Third Place Books at 7 pm

Highlands Ranch, CO: James Dashner at Tattered Cover Bookstore at 7 pm

Los Angeles, CA: Brandon Sanderson at Barnes and Noble The Grove at 7 pm

Minneapolis, MN: Cinda Williams Chima at The Red Balloon Bookstore at 6:30 pm

St. Paul, MN: Shannon Messenger at Addendum Books at 7 pm

October 10th:

Boulder, CO: James Dashner at Boulder Bookstore at 6:30 pm

Oak Creek, WI: Shannon Messenger at Oak Creek Public Library at 6:30 pm

October 11th:

Menlo Park, CA: Simone Elkeles at Kepler’s Books at 7 pm

Mountain View, CA: Brandon Sanderson at Books, Inc: Mountain View at 7 pm

Roseville, MN: James Dashner at Roseville Public Library at 7 pm

October 12th:

Cincinnati, OH: Cinda Williams Chima at Books by the Banks at 10 am

El Cerrito, CA: Brandon Sanderson at Barnes and Noble at 5 pm

Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Teen Book Fest at Los Angeles Downtown Central Library at 11 am

Menlo Park, CA: Suzanne Lazear at Kepler’s Books at 6:30 pm

Minneapolis, MN: James Dashner at Wild Rumpus at 1 pm

New York, NY: New York Comic Con: check website for more details

St. Cloud, MN: James Dashner at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

October 13th:

New York, NY: Kami Garcia, Lauren Oliver and Tonya Hurley at Books of Wonder at 6pm

October 14th:

Beaverton, OR: Simone Elkeles at Powell’s Books at 7 pm

Brookfield, WI: Kami Garcia, Cinda Williams Chima, Rachel Caine, and Margaret Stohl at Barnes and Noble at 6:30 pm

Houston, TX: Rick Riordan at Blue Willow Bookshop at 5 pm

Seattle, WA: Brandon Sanderson at University Bookstore at 7 pm

October 15th:

Fort Lewis, WA: Brandon Sanderson at Fort Lewis AAFES at 4 pm

Hudson, OH: Cinda Williams Chima at The Learned Owl Bookshop at 6 pm

Naperville, IL: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl and Rachel Caine at Anderson’s Bookshop at 7 pm

New York, NY: Kate Brian, Alexandra Bracken, Cristin Terrill, Tamara Ireland Stone, and Neal Shusterman at Books of Wonder at 6 pm

Omaha, NE: Lisa McMann at Omaha Public Library: Benson Branch at 6:30 pm

Salt Lake City, UT: Shannon Hale at The King’s English Bookshop at 7 pm

October 16th:

San Diego, CA: Brandon Sanderson at Mysterious Galaxy at 7 pm

October 17th:

No Events

October 18th:

St. Peters, MO: Simone Elkeles at St. Charles City-County Library: Spencer Road Branch at 7 pm

October 19th:

Carlisle, PA: Celebrate the Book Event: check website for authors and panel times

St. Louis, MO: Less than Three Anti-Bullying Conference (check website for authors and panel times)

West Jordan, UT: Brandon Sanderson at Barnes and Noble at 6 pm

October 20th:

San Francisco, CA: Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan at Books, Inc at 7 pm

Staten Island, NY: Kate DiCamillo at Barnes and Noble at 11 am

October 21st:

Denver, CO: Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cora Carmack, Sophie Jordan, and Lisa Desrochers at Tattered Cover Bookstore

Highlands Ranch, CO: Cora Cormack and J. Lynn at Tattered Cover Bookstore at 7:30 pm

Naperville, IL: James Dashner at Anderson’s at 7 pm

October 22nd:

Pembroke Pines, FL: Lauren Kate at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

Skokie, IL: James Dashner at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

St. Louis, MO: Shannon Messenger at St. Louis Public Library-Central Branch at 7 pm

October 23rd:

Dallas, TX: Veronica Roth at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

Lansing, MI: James Dashner at Schuler Books Inc at 6 pm

Omaha, NE: Stephanie Perkins, Gayle Forman, and Rainbow Rowell at Omaha Public Library at 7 pm

Tucson, AZ: Lisa McMann at Mostly Books at 4:30 pm

October 24th:

Ann Arbor, MI: James Dashner at Nicola’s Books at 6:30 pm

Highlands Ranch, CO: Gayle Forman at Tattered Cover Bookstore at 7 pm

Metairie, LA: Lauren Kate at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

San Diego, CA: Shannon Messenger at Mysterious Galaxy at 7 pm

October 25th:

Brentwood, TN: James Dashner at Barnes and Noble at 6:30 pm

October 26th:

Jackson, MS: Lauren Kate at Lemuria Books at 4 pm

Nashville, TN: James Dashner at Parnassus Books at 2 pm

Tempe, AZ: Lisa McMann at Changing Hands Book Signing

October 27th:

Fairless Hills, PA: Lauren Kate at Barnes and Noble at 4 pm

Knoxville, TN: James Dashner at Books-A-Million at 2 pm

October 28th:

No Events-Please Leave a Comment if You know of One!

October 29th:

New York, NY: Emmy Laybourne at Books of Wonder

San Diego, CA: Fierce Reads Tour feat. Ann Aguirre and Gennifer Albin with special guests Jessica Brody and Leigh Bardugo at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore at 7 pm

Skokie, IL: Lauren Kate at Barnes and Noble at 7 pm

October 30th:

Albuquerque, NM: Fierce Reads Tour feat. Ann Aguirre and Gennifer Albin with special guests Jessica Brody and Leigh Bardugo at Alamosa Books at 4 pm

October 31st:

No Known Events

* * * * *

YALL Fest Interview: Kami Garcia

September 30, 2013Leave a comment

Don’t forget to check out the official YALL Fest Website and Twitter pages. This event takes place Saturday, drugs November 9th, cure and includes so many awesome young adult authors, viagra approved its mind blowing. If you have a chance to go to this FREE event, definitely do so!

Today’s YALL Fest Interview is with Kami Garcia.

Kami Garcia is well known as the co-author of the best selling series Beautiful Creatures, which has been adapted for a Hollywood film, written with author, Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures follows the characters of Ethan, a normal Southern boy, and Lena, a Caster, afraid of her own destiny. Kami’s new book, Unbreakable, has been described as close to the show, Supernatural.

Check out this short interview:

Q: What one thing do you need to have when you write?

A: I need three things: my laptop, my headphones and a Diet Coke.

Q: Describe Your Book in Five Words.

A: Paranormal. Ghost-hunting. Intense. Romance. Secret Societies.

Q: Tell us 5 Random Facts About Yourself

A: 1. I don’t know how to ride a bike. 2. I used to be an artist (a painter). 3. I won’t fly without my huge charm necklace that I believe will keep the plane from crashing. 4. I believe in ghosts. 5. Every time I write a book, I worry that everyone will hate it.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I am working on the second book in the Legion Series, the sequel to Unbreakable. Like Unbreakable, the sequel is very intense and has plenty of paranormal elements. But I think it’s even more romantic and surprising than the first book.

Q: What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?

A: My favorite genre to write is definitely urban fantasy/paranormal romance. I love to read paranormal but I am also a huge fan of horror, crime fiction, high fantasy and science fiction.

* * * * *

I hope you enjoyed today’s YALL Fest Interview with author, Kami Garcia!

Kami Garcia is heading out on tour for the release of Unbreakable starting tomorrow, so check out the dates to see if she’s coming near you!

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

September 30, 2013September 29, 2013Leave a comment

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

“History is on repeat, discount and things didn’t go so well the last time. “

Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, sick fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.

If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

My Review:

Please note that while this review will NOT have spoilers for this novel, it most likely will have spoilers for the first novel, Half Blood. You can read the review for that here. It may also include spoilers for the second book, Pure, the review of which can be read here.

Is it possible to give this book 6 stars out of 5? Seriously. I keep thinking that this series canNOT possibly get better, and it totally gets better.

This one is SO steamy, and what I have waited for has finally happened, but not easily, of course. Sigh. I need to move on to the next book.

This book feels like the climax, which makes me wonder what happens in Apollyon to need Sentinel as the final book. There is so much build up, so much tension, so much electricity, and Alex is smack in the middle of it. She has so much to deal with. Her mother and best friend are dead. People hate her. She has to go Council, where half bloods aren’t exactly welcome. She is madly in love with Aidan but her bond with Seth makes her attracted to him as well. She has to train as a Sentinel and an Apollyon, and oh yeah, there’s that whole daimon plan that her mother told her about before she died. No big deal.

So all of that put together really makes for a tense filled novel. One minute, you’re sighing as Aidan and Alex share an intimate scene (I am so rooting for Aidan St. Delphi in this series), and you’re reluctantly also sighing when Seth and Alex share a scene. You’re on the edge of your seat as Alex is treated terribly at the Council and you know there is so much more to it than you know. Her life is threatened, she almost dies. SO much is going on in this novel that it was a wonder that I didn’t finish it in a couple hours.

I really loved that the problems of the books are continuing. New problems are coming up, but its an extension of the previous problems. Jennifer Armentrout is creating a great series by creating this building issue that eventually is going to explode. I keep thinking that maybe things will be figured out and then the world gets even more mysterious and slipperier. She really knows how to build the story for you, so you can’t help but want to continue. I finished this at 3:30 am, and it took a lot of resolve to tell myself to go to bed, and that I could read the next book in the morning. She is that addicting.

Plus, can I just add how seriously sexy both Aidan and Seth are? I mean, I’m all about Aidan St. Delphi, but Seth has his moments where you’re like, “I seriously hate to love this guy.” Props to Jennifer L. Armentrout for creating these characters that make me want to fan myself.

Read these books, seriously. I’m moving on to book four now. Ciao!

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars