Monthly Endings [ Sept. 2015 ]: Hair Flipping & First Endings

 g o o d b y e    s e p t e m b e r      

You were a pain in our asses, we are happy you are finally gone and done with. It's October and we are very excited about Halloween (aka one of the best holidays ever). Since this is our first half-month posting together on this blog, we are also hoping for the magic to come falling in through the roof. Why the roof? Because then, we would't have to walk outside to collect them ;). We hope for success and we wish we were flawless, then we could openly flip our hair and struct down the grocery isle...

#hairflippinglikeaboss

(Picture is Borrowed from the Web)

t h i s    m o n t h    w e:

Reviewed:
all links are attached to the posts

• The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver [ Rin's Review]
• Red Queen (#1) by Victoria Aveyard [ Al's Review ]
• The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer [Rin's Review ]
• The Winner's Curse (#1) by Marie Rutkoski [ Al's Review ]

Top Ten Tuesdays:

all links are attached to the posts

• Freebie - Top Ten Covers [ Rin & Al ] 
• Top Ten Books On Our Fall TBR (2015) [ Rin  & Al ]

Waiting On Wednesday:

all links are attached to the posts

• Glass Sword (#2) by Victoria Aveyard [ Al's Pick ]
• Dreamology by Lucy Keating [ Rin's Pick ]

Others:

all links are attached to the posts

• First Post - Q&A [ Get to Know Us Better ]

h o w ' s    l i f e    ?

[ Rin Here! ] 

Eh... It could be better. This whole month has been busy and very stress worthy. We're just happy it's finally over! Now, we have to suffer through this purgatory (we call school). There was this one time when I was so tired that I just passed out on the couch. I mean, I wasn't supposed to fall asleep at all, I was supposed to read fan fiction on my phone (hehe, the story of my life).

w h a t    a r e    w e    d o i n g    n e x t    ?

Reviews to be Posted:

• All the Rage by Courtney Summers [ Rin ]
• Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly [ Rin ]
• The 100 by Kass Morgan [ Rin ]
• Neverland by Shari Arnold [ Rin ]
• The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski [ Al ]
• American Sniper by Chris Kyle [ Al ]

 Thoughts? Share and Comment below! 

Waiting on Wednesday [ 10 ]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Title: The Winner's Kiss (#3)

Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Expected Publication: March 1, 2015
More: Goodreads

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He’s finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can’t quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she cared for him. At least, that’s what he thinks.

But far north lies a work camp where Kestrel is a prisoner. Can she manage to escape before she loses herself? As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover unexpected roles in battle, terrible secrets, and a fragile hope. The world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and Kestrel and Arin are caught between. In a game like this, can anybody really win?

I am waiting on this book because I absolutely loved the the Winner's Crime! It was such a good book and I loved how I was thrilled (lol I always am thrilled at reading books). I loved the first book, I'm sure the second book will be just as great, and now I am eager to read the third book! I can't wait to read the third book, because I want to see what happened to the characters and what challenges they will face on now. Then the third book sounds like something even bigger has happened and it just makes me so excited and impatient to read what it's all about! 

Anyone else doing the cha-cha in their head right now? Please make it not only me!

Stacking the Shelves [ 1 ]

[ It's Rin Here! ]

I kind of decided that it was "that" time of this year. The time where I was finally able to buy more books after a horrible way to start 2015 (no time, bad grades, etc). Any words or advice Demi?

(Pic is borrowed from Web)

Okay... that didn't make sense. Is there a hidden logic that I can't understand? Logic? Eh who cares!

I made sure that I wasn't denting my TBR more than I already have, so you could say I took enough. Enough is a synonym for "she is so going to regret this choice once new books have been published".
Enjoy!

Review: The Winner's Curse (#1) By Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Curse (#1)
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus and Giroux
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
More: Goodreads

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart

   
 
                                                

                  

Things I liked about The Winner’s Curse (#1):

1. Kestrel. She is a bright, adventurous, and she stands up for what she believes in. At first I thought she was a brat that just didn’t listen to rules, but then I realized that she doesn’t obey because she is against it or that she believes that she can make her own decisions. Later on in the story was when I started to like her and see her true characteristics.
2. The plot. It was confusing to me in the beginning because I was still learning names (I literally thought that Kestrel was a place). To be honest I was bored in the beginning, I had so many questions that needed to be answered. Then towards chapter 3 I started to understand the story and who was who. I liked how the plot was interesting that it made you wanting to read more, things were unexpected, people betrayed, and some fell in love when they weren’t supposed to.
3. The Bite and Sting game. The game was confusing at first but it actually was an interesting game. I liked how the author was so creative that she could make a game. This could actually be dangerous because your opponent could bid something extremely high, such as Death.
4. Jess. I liked her because she was such a nice, bright, and happy person and helped Kestrel be happy all the time. She was a really good friend who was creative and made Kestrel smile everyday.
5. The cover. I really liked the cover for the Winner’s curse because the girl looked so pretty and her dress was beautiful too. I thought that the picture described Kestrel really well and that she was mad about her decision because the cover showed Kestrel but she didn’t look very happy.

Things I didn’t like about The Winner’s Curse (#1):

1. Cheat. I hated him from the beginning. When I first started reading I saw that he was already those clever and tricky people who will just outsmart you and make you regret your decision.
2. Arin. I didn’t like how he thought of himself had so many opinions on things. He was always doing his own thing and he didn’t care about what he did. I didn’t like how he was a slave but didn’t act as one.
3. The emperor. I didn’t like him because he wasn’t an open minded person and all he does is just thinks at what he thinks is right. He is just not those people who consider people’s ideas.

*Spoiler* When I think about what Arin did to Kestrel I wanted to just to scream at him because how could he do that to her?!? But then again I was expecting him to betray her because what he planned already to do so I still don’t like him. Then Cheat was so annoying like a psychopath who wants to kill anything when he can’t get what he wants. The emperor was annoying because he made Kestrel a deal which she did not want to do but decided to do because she wanted to protect someone.

< 5 Stickies >

Review: The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer

The Cemetery Boys 
by Heather Brewer
Publisher: Harper Collins 
Genres: YA, Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery

find this book on:
goodreads | amazon 

When Stephen is forced to move back to the nowhere town where his father grew up, he’s already sure he’s not going to like it. Spencer, Michigan, is like a town straight out of a Hitchcock movie, with old-fashioned people who see things only in black-and-white. But things start looking up when Stephen meets the mysterious twins Cara and Devon. They’re total punks–hardly the kind of people Stephen’s dad wants him hanging out with–but they’re a breath of fresh air in this backward town. The only problem is, Cara and Devon don’t always get along, and as Stephen forms a friendship with the charismatic Devon and something more with the troubled Cara, he starts to feel like he’s getting caught in the middle of a conflict he doesn’t fully understand. And as Devon’s group of friends, who hang out in a cemetery they call The Playground, get up to increasingly reckless activities to pass the summer days, Stephen worries he may be in over his head.

Stephen’s fears prove well-founded when he learns of Spencer’s dark past. It seems the poor factory town has a history of “bad times,” and many of the town’s oldest residents attribute the bad times to creatures right out of an urban legend. The legend goes that the only way the town will prosper again is if someone makes a sacrifice to these nightmarish creatures. And while Stephen isn’t one to believe in old stories, it seems Devon and his gang might put a lot of faith in them. Maybe even enough to kill for them.

Now, Stephen has to decide what he believes, where his allegiances lie, and who will really be his friend in the end.

---

First and foremost,

(Picture is Borrowed from the Web)

I read suspense drizzled with a little bit of horror, a major plot twist, and friends who shouldn't even be classified on the same level as friends, but as scared cowards who don't know what the hell they are thinking about half of the time. Yet, this book was deliriously twisted and disturbing in a great kind of way! 

I thought the writing style was pulling and attracting. Most of the book wasn't boring (at least, some parts were mildly so), but instead filled with information and thoughts that invaded my mind and left me wary about who to trust and who in this story would be part of the good people, throughout the book. I just happen to be more of an action type of girl and it was a shame that around one half of the time, I was waiting on the edge of my seat for something to happen and attack-but it just never came. Not until the very very end anyways.

The end. I read through books and books and will always seem to have this engraved into my mind at all times. That moment when you start screaming silently from the inside of your chest until it reaches your mouth and you continue to silently scream in shock and disbelief. No, not in the "I'm screaming, because they finally kissed" sort of way. More like the "Holy Fuck! Holy Fuck! That just happened!" kind of way.

(Picture is Borrowed from the Web)

Characters. I could state two characters that really connected with me. It would be Stephen and Cara. [Move to #2 within the minor spoiler section to read the rest of my opinions on these two]

I was amazed and glorified by the unique and creative plot line that roughly grabbed my heart from my chest and started stabbing it violently until it broke into a billion pieces. I just wish that there could have been more events that could have engaged me and didn't make me feel and think that the time I spent reading this book, was about 1,000 years. I was very disappointed and shocked. No, yes, no, yes, no, sorry. 

Friends till the Bitter End.

How fitting.

Minor Spoiler Section

[ 1 ] I liked how the ending of this book was not a readers typical Happily Ever After that has been chased for, or cried for, when it does not present itself as the conclusion of a book. It may have been a cold and callous way to end such a well written and skin clenching book, but it definitely made me turn my mind around and wonder "What the hell just happened"?

[ 2 ] Yes, I had high hopes that got crushed violently and strategically (cause' this pair-Stephen and Cara-just about killed me). They were supposed to be together. They were supposed to figure out the world together. They should leave Spencer together.

But this never happened.

#annoyed

(Picture is Borrowed from the Web)

Rating:

tell me: do you want to read this book? did you already read this book? 

Month9Books Spotlight | Vanessa Barger + Giveaway

Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we are spotlighting

Vanessa Barger author of Super Freak

a Middle Grade title from Tantrum Books, coming October 2015!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Twitter or Facebook?

Can I say both? I like Twitter for instant gratification, but I like Facebook for posting fun things too!

Favorite Superhero?

This is hard. I'm not a huge superhero person. But if I had to pick? Wonder Woman. I dressed up as Wonder Woman one year when I was little. Somewhere, I still have my golden lasso of truth!

 

Favorite TV show?

Okay, most TV shows I actually like get cancelled, but I have three. I love the first 3-4 seasons of Supernatural, I LOVE the Vicar of Dibley, and the Two Fat Ladies. If I'm having a stressful day, I pop the Two Fat Ladies in to relax. I'm weird, I know.

 

Sweet or Salty?

Sweet. But not too sweet. :)

 

Coke or Pepsi?

Root Beer (But def coke, Pepsi is ICK)

 

Any Phobias?

I don't care for spiders, and anything to do with Jack the Ripper seriously freaks me out. Like, I won't watch a TV show about it, read about it, or even read fiction about it!

 

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

There isn't just one, but let’s go with Fight Song by Rachel Platten. The others on my playlist are a lot more....weird? Lots of instrumental music, and oddball things.

 

Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend?

Oh, man, just one?! That's not even fair.

 

What are you reading right now or what's on your TBR?

I have several books in the TBR pile, but the top three are Namesless by Lili St. Crow, The City of Ember, and Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff. Oh, and I'm dying to read The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

 

Fall Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Goosebumps! I can't wait to see that one. Jack Black as RL Stine? YES, please!

 

Vanessa Barger was born in West Virginia, and through several moves ended up spending the majority of her life in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is a graduate of George Mason University and Old Dominion University, and has degrees in Graphic Design, a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, and a Masters in Technology Education. She has had articles published in Altered Arts Magazine, has had some artwork displayed in galleries in Ohio and online, and currently teaches engineering, practical physics, drafting and other technological things to high school students in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. She is a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), the Virginia Writer’s Club, and the Hampton Roads Writers. When not writing or teaching, she’s a bookaholic, movie fanatic, and loves to travel. She is married to a fabulous man, and has one cat, who believes Vanessa lives only to open cat food cans, and can often be found baking when she should be editing.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest |YouTube

 

Thirteen-year-old Caroline is a freak. Her parents have uprooted her to a town full of Supernaturals. You’d think she’d be thrilled. But, with someone without a magical bone in her body, this daughter of tree sprites feels like even more of an outcast than she has ever before.

To make matters worse, her new home is cursed. But when Caroline takes to investigating the mysterious and strange happenings of Harridan House, her BFF goes missing. Seems someone doesn’t want Caroline sticking her non-magical nose where it most certainly does not belong. Determined to prove herself, Caroline uncovers a plot to destroy her new hometown.

Undeterred, Caroline can’t give up. But what’s a human without magical powers to do? Caroline better figure it out fast, before she loses everything she has ever loved and the whispers she’s heard all her life prove true: Caroline is a useless superfreak.

BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

 

Complete the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

Title(s) will be sent upon release.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Waiting On Wednesday [ 9 ]

[ It's Rin Here! ]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Title: Dreamology

Author: Lucy Keating

Publisher: Harper Teen

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance

More: Goodreads

For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist.

But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. It turns out, though, that Real Max is nothing like Dream Max, and getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.

When their dreams start to bleed dangerously into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

Whimsical, romantic and utterly original, Lucy Keating’s debut novel will win readers’ hearts. 

This book is about dreams. Including the possibility of finding love within these dreams that might not exist. Then, one day, meeting that person in real life, only to realize that "real life" will never be as perfect as a world covered in dreams. I'm waiting for the notable plot, the romance, the concept of dreaming and life, and most importantly, I am waiting to finally meet the main character. 

Why? Because, let's be honest, her name is Alice. Now, let me frolic in the land where I get the chance to pick my own name.

(Borrowed from the Web)