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Saturday, July 27, 2013

Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

This book has very big spoilers!!!! If you are really looking forward to reading this book, I suggest you don't read the review because I would hate to ruin the book for you.
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Unraveling (Unraveling, #1) by Elizabeth Norris
464 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 16/7/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I saw this on my Goodreads feed one day, and the cover and title made me hit the "Want to Read" button.

Review: This book had me ensnared after a very short period of reading. I remember when Janelle died I was just like, "OMG.
Yes. Ghost story!" Of course, all that was ruined when Ben brought her back to life, but oh well.

Janelle and Ben were really great characters to me. Janelle was another determined heroine. She had a lot to deal with mentally, especially with her dad dying in the middle of all the craziness. Ben was mysterious but didn't start as one of those "You're not on my level" types of people. He cared so much for humanity, unlike his buddies, and was very far from not blaming himself.

The book's occurrences were great, too. Unraveling will definitely be one novel that keeps you guessing the answers to the questions until the very end. It was action-packed in a mental sense, by which I mean that there weren't a billion fights or battles, but as I stated previously Janelle had a lot to deal with -- what happened to her dad, how does she feel about Ben, the radioactivity. So much and so little time, and counting.

This novel was a marvelous series opener and author debut! I will most assuredly be getting Unbreakable as soon as possible to continue the mystery (and the romance!).

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosSatisfying eBook/Shelf-WorthyColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos

Friday, July 26, 2013

Review: Elixir by Hilary Duff

Elixir (Elixir, #1) by Hilary Duff
327 pages, hardcover
Finished on 14/7/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: The main reason I've always wanted to read this (and maybe the only reason) is because Hilary Duff has been one of my favourite people (if not my favourite) since Lizzie McGuire. #childhood :")

Review: I must say that Hilary did a wonderful job on the novel. I'm quite excited to read Devoted.

Clea and Sage were a good couple to me. Sage's troubled past added a lot to his character and his mysterious-ness. Clea was such a determined daughter. Even if her dad was never coming back, she simply wanted to at least visit where he was last seen and try to find him herself. (Kind of reminds me of Defiance.) I was also drawn into the fact that Clea had a passion for photography.

The plot was really good! It wasn't too fast but didn't take forever to develop the characters either. The mystery of Sage's past and the strange dreams Clea had about him and other women made it easy to flip through the pages. I desperately wanted to solve the mystery along with the characters!

Overall, this was a really great book, and I'm definitely going to be continuing the series!

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosSatisfying eBookColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos
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A little something extra; my favorite Hilary Duff songs:

Come Clean


Hey Now


Beat of My Heart

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Blog Tour: The Year of the Great Seventh by Teresa Orts



Hello lovelies!! Today I'll be helping to continue the Summer World Tour, as well as to help Sophie and Nate find each other! If you haven't seen it already, my review of The Year of the Great Seventh is here!

Here are the rules for the tour!
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Welcome to the Year of the Great Seventh summer world tour!

We will be hopping from side to side of the globe helping Nate and Sophie find each other, but for that, we need you through the entire tour. Sophie and Nate need to meet at a secret location at the end of the blog tour, but since they don’t want anyone else to know where, they left the address in hidden code.

We will be giving you clues at each tour stop that will help you find the location. Also, at each blog tour stop, we will unveil a part of a picture that discloses the secret location.


These are the rules of the game:

- You’ll need to have read The Year of the Great Seventh to be able to follow the game, or at least, have some knowledge of what happens in the novel.

- You’ll need access to Google maps (Street View).

- At each blog tour stop we will reveal a sentence like this:

Sophie spent an afternoon at the (2676 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA—second word written on top of the main entrance door) Park with her friends.

- You’ll need to put that address into Google maps, and using Street View, you need to work out which word is missing. In this case, the answer would the following:

Sophie spent an afternoon at the SKATE Park with her friends.

- We are only interested in the first letter of the word: “S”.

- The next day, we will plot that letter into the four words that will hint the secret location, and we will give you the new sentence.

For example:

- - - - - - - - S - - - - - -

- Additionally, there will be a photo of the secret location at each blog tour stop. At the first stop, it will be totally blacked out, but as we go along the tour, we will start unveiling different parts.

- When we get to the last stop, with the photo and the four words that we will have deciphered, you’ll be on your own to find the secret location.

- The first 5 people who send an email to greatseventhtour@outlook.com with the correct solution will win a free hardcopy of The Year of the Great Seventh.

- We will only disclose the winners after the last stop of the blog tour, and will strictly follow the email entries by date/time received to award the books to the first 5 people who discover the secret location. Please remember to include your first name, last name, and address in the email. We will not use this information for any other purpose.

- You can write comments on the blog post. We are okay with people helping each other; however, the first 5 people to send the correct answer win the books.

- If you change your mind about the secret location, you can send more than one email.

- There can only be one winner per address, and you can only win a maximum of 1 book per person.

Let’s hope we can help Nate and Sophie find each other!

Good luck to everyone!

Teresa Orts
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Solutions and Clues:

Yesterday's Solution---

The NYU dorms that Sophie visited were in (University Place).

  _  _  _      _  A R  _      _  _  _  N  U  E   
   _  R  A  C  _      _  _
 

Today's Sentence---

(1010 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10065 – first word above the door) is Nate’s nemesis for what he did to Sophie.

The picture of the secret location:



Be sure to check out the rest of the World Tour to continue helping Sophie and Nate!!!

July 16, 2013 YA Book Addict
July 17, 2013 Pretty in Fiction
July 18, 2013 Reading Away the Days
July 19, 2013 Book Mark Belles
July 20, 2013 Le Vanity Victorienne
July 21, 2013 The Maniacal Bookworm
July 22, 2013 Book - Marks the Spot
July 23, 2013 Digesting the Words
July 25, 2013 Book Divas
July 26, 2013 Nawanda Files
July 27, 2013 Coffee, Books and Me
July 28, 2013 The Dust Jacket
July 29, 2013 The Bookish Outsider
July 30, 2013 Just a Book Lover
August 2, 2013 Framed In Words

Monday, July 22, 2013

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1) by Josephine Angelini
487 pages, hardcover
Finished on 13/7/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Action
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I've been wanting to read this novel for quite a while. Ever since it came out, really. I finally broke down at the library and checked it out.

Review: It's been a while since I've read a PNR with gods and goddesses. This novel made me remember why I loved them so much.

Helen and Lucas were so wonderful to read, Their relationship is now one of my favorites. They cared so much and just sounded absolutely perfect together (as controversial as that is).

The plot in Starcrossed was great as well! I wanted to read this book every moment it was possible. Everything kept happening one after another. It's like everywhere Helen turned there was some disaster occurring or another part of her demigod heritage being revealed to her. She had quite a lot to toss around in that head of hers.

I really enjoyed reading the first book in this series, and I made sure I put Dreamless on hold at the library as son as I finished!

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosShelf-WorthyColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Review: The Year of the Great Seventh by Teresa Orts

The Year of the Great Seventh (Tropic of Cancer, #1) by Teresa Orts
308 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 14/7/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Some Adventure
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I was asked to read and review this novel by the author, as well as to participate in the book tour she's having. (Stay tuned for that post.)

Review: This was a really great book! I liked the mystery aspect and especially was intrigued by the inclusion of Ancient Egypt. Once I got about 10 or 15 percent into the book, I found it very easy to get lost in the text.

Sophie and Nate were wonderful characters. They both lived lives where they didn't necessarily belong among the riches and fabulous-ness of the L.A. community. They were so protective of each other. Once Nate revealed his secret to Sophie, she was very much dead-set on helping him in any way she could, no matter what the cost of the consequences. From a similar perspective, Nate didn't want Sophie putting herself in danger to help him. Even though he had some serious feelings for her, he couldn't live with even a prophecy of danger directed towards her, No pun intended, of course.

The plot was really appealing, too. It wasn't overly fascinating or anything, but it captured the audience at a certain point (which was near the beginning). The constant suspense of who was after Sophie and Nate or what was happening to the latter of these individuals was enough to keep me reading. Although the romance had a part in that, too. ;)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I'm looking forward to the second in the series.

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosSatisfying eBookColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos

Monday, July 15, 2013

Book Reviews: Mash Up #4

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin
Kindle Edition
Did Not Finish
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: The title of the novel was very intriguing, so I decided to give it a try. Whether or not I read the synopsis, I don't remember.

Review: I was really looking forward to this novel, hoping and thinking that it would be another Hate List or Before I Fall. And it might be, but it didn't grab me enough for me to feel like this was the right time to find out.

The main character, Autumn, was quite mislead in her love for Jamie and reading about it did nothing but sicken me and raise my blood pressure. To the point where I had to put the book my Kindle down because it was starting to depress me.

Maybe at some point in the future, maybe next year, I will remember this book and come back to it, but right now I feel as if it isn't doing anything for me.
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My Own Worst Frenemy (Langdon Prep, #1) by Kimberly Reid
Kindle Edition
Did Not Finish
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Chick Literature, Romance, Mystery
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: It just looked like a good Chick-Lit novel. Again, however, I can't remember if I read a synopsis or not. (Honestly, I'm not sure if this would even be considered Chick-Lit, but  it seemed like it to me.)

Review: The first book in the Langdon Prep series seemed much too slow for me. I felt like not enough was happening, and that made it harder for me to get into the story line and actually read it.

Also contributing to my dislike: the genre. I don't think it was the right time for me to be reading a Chick-Lit novel because it just seemed like an overloaded, very annoying amount of drama. Usually, with any other book in this genre, I would be intrigued and just had to know everything about everything. That didn't happen for me with Reid's novel, sadly. Hopefully it was just the timing that was off for me.

I hope that this novel, too, will run across my path again for another try.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Book Tour Review: Chameleon by Kelly Oram

YEAR THREE. This is the third Kelly Oram book tour I've participated in. Like last year at the start of my third blogging year, I'm very proud to have made it this far.
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Chameleon (Supernaturals, #1) by Kelly Oram
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 10/7/2013
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: It's Kelly Oram. Come on now. But she asked me to be on the tour, if that clears things up for you :).

Review: Wow. I didn't think Oram's books could get any better. But ... wow. Oh, and did you catch that this is another PNR novel? Well, let me tell you -- this is one of the best ideas I've ever seen in a PNR plot.

The plot was so amazingly magnificent that I'm honestly at a loss for what I feel are the proper words to explain my love for it. On a less poetic note, though, this story line was very intriguing! It wasn't necessarily action-packed, but there was enough heart-wrenching, raging romance that it didn't even matter. I found myself yelling at Danielle for keeping Ryan around more than anything.

Speaking of romance, the characters in general were really great. Danielle really handled everything well if you ask me. Most people probably would've given up and said whatever a long time before the end of the book; but as Dani said, she "wasn't anyone else."

Gabriel was without a doubt my favorite character throughout the book. He is so sweet and innocent and actually truly cares for Dani, which is nice to know with all the back-stabbers and people wanting to use her that she had in her life. On the exact opposite page, you'll find that Russ was my absolute least favorite character. In the very beginning he was cool, and I felt bad for him and Dani, but when Gabriel was brought into the mix, Russ made me want to beat the crap out of him. All the time. Literally.

But when you think about it, those are the kinds of characters you want books to have -- ones that you either can't it through the book without or ones that make a few violent tendencies come out. As long as they're wonderful enough to spark serious emotion, the charries are doing their purpose in helping to give you the story.

Overall, I, of course, loved Chameleon. I'm so excited for the second book in the series! While I'm sure Oram won't disappoint, second-in-the-series books always bring a little hesitation, no matter how good the first was. Either way, I shall have quite the amount of time to wait on the sequel since this one just came out.

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosShelf-WorthyColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle

YEAR TWO. The Wind Whisperer is Krista Holle's second paranormal romance. As far as the blog goes, I wanted my second year in the blogging world to be as wonderful as the first!
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I have the exciting pleasure to reveal to you the cover of The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle!!! But before I do, let's learn a little more about the book, shall we?

At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.

As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.

Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light. While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.



The novel will be hitting shelves in October, so get ready to raid the stores! And now.... the cover!




Congrats to Janice Duke for doing an amazing job with the cover art!!!!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Review: Defiance by CJ Redwine

Yesterday I realized that, going along with the fact that each blogging year will be represented by a post, each day's post has something to do with the number 1 2 3 or 4. So that shall be interesting :).

So today is YEAR ONE. In representation of the day I started this blog as a new hobby/obsession, Defiance is the first novel in a series, and we all know that series can become obsessions. :D
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Defiance (Courier's Daughter, #1) by CJ Redwine
416 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 6/7/2013
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult, Some Action, Adventure, Romance
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I'm honestly not sure how I found out about this one.

Review: As I noted above, I have no idea how I came across this book (probably Goodreads), but I'm glad I did! This was a wonderful read, but I hate that it was a library book because I had a big gap in the middle of my reading.

The plot was definitely intriguing for me. I loved the idea of a Cursed One terrorizing the continent's remaining population, although I did feel for Baalboden's ending tragedy. The little choose-your-husband thing (for lack of memory) was interesting as well. After that point in the story, everything was fast-[aced and happening at once. It made it very easy for me to hold my phone or Kindle all day while I read.

The characters were a great part of the book! I couldn't help but fall in love with them immediately. Rachel was so stubbornly set in her ways, but it was a great asset for her to have with this plot because it assured you that something would be done about the situation at hand. Logan ... oh, Logan. He was unquestionably my favorite character in the story and has earned a spot on my mental Book Boyfriend list. He cared for Rachel so much that he risked his life for her, more than one time might I add. Logan was very caring and loving and did what he could to keep those he loved safe. Redwine's characters in general were simply amazing, and I'm excited to read them again in the next book.

Just read it already. You know you want to. It's a great read, and I'm happy that I ran into it!

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosSatisfying eBook/Shelf-WorthyColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Happy Birthday, Butterfly Feet!!!!!


Today starts the fourth year that this blog has been running!!!!

I'm so excited that I get to spend the very beginning of this fourth year with everyone that's willing to be here today! Thank you so much to all of my lovely followers for sticking with me these past three years, the last two of which have been very sketchy when it comes to posting reviews.

My goal for this next year is to keep you guys reading stuff on the blog. Unless absolutely inevitable, I don't want you only reading one post a week. I mean, how boring is that. So from here on out, I'm trying my darned-est to keep at least three posts on here every week. In addition to WYS and the new meme I want to start (Follow Up Friday), this means at least two other posts each week.

To help celebrate this new beginning in my blogging life, I will be posting four celebratory posts in the next four days -- one for each year I've gotten through, and one to start this next year off right!

Thanks again to all of my amazing followers,
Happy Reading,

Zakiya LadyWings

What's Your Status? #88 & In My Mailbox #71

What's Your Status?

Bookish Happenings:

Other Things:

Reviews:

Memes:

Did Not Finish: (expect a Mash Up)

Finished This Week:
~Between by Cyndi Tefft (reread), 4/7

Currently Reading:

Stuck in the Middle of:

Top of the TBR Pile:
~Books in the previous category.

In My Mailbox
Hosted by Gabrielle @ The Mod Podge Bookshelf

Received from author

Library (via Kindle)

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings (Wings, #1) by Aprilynne Pike
290 pages, hardcover
Finished on 28/6/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Some Action
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I've been wanting to read this book for quite a while. One of my friends at schoool is letting me borrow the series over the summer (woohoo!).

Review: This book wasn't that great to me. It just didn't reach my standards like I'd hoped it would. The main character Laurel made me want to hit her over the head more times than one in the beginning. She seemed to be such a scaredy-cat. Yes, I probably would've been the same way if I was in her shoes, but her character was most of the reason why I was struggling to get into the novel.

Tamani, on the other hand, had my love the first time he was introduced into the story. David, although he didn't make me swoon, was an awesome character. He was so motivational for Laurel, and he was quite the intelligent cookie, if you ask me. (This "hate the girl, love the guy" thing seems to happen to me a lot lately.)

Overall, though, it was okay novel. Not the best but not the worst. I loved the faerie part, especially the blooming and wilting flowers. I'm glad I borrowed Wings instead of buying. Hopefully the other books will be better.

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosLibrary GrabColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos

Friday, July 5, 2013

Book Reviews: Mash-Up #3

Sweet Peril (Sweet Trilogy, #2) by Wendy Higgins
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 13/6/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Action, Adventure
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I loved Sweet Evil and bought this sequel before I was even finished reading the first.

Review: The second installation in the Sweet trilogy wasn't as great as its prequel. I'm not sure exactly what it was missing, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was action. A good cause for the lack of action was the constant mention of the romance between Anna, Kaiden, and Kope. Of course, this is probably just to me.

I did love the army-building, though. It was nice to meet other Nephs as well as catching up with oldies. I'm so excited to read the next book in the series! Oh, and did I mention that Kaiden is my fictional husband now?

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosSatisfying eBookColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos
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Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
436 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 23/6/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Adventure (in reference to her quest)
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I'm determined to read all of Dessen's work, and since I've only read This Lullaby before this, I've still got quite a few books to read!

Review: The unique life of the main character (Auden) kind of reminded me of Kelly Oram's novels and their rare charries. I think that might have been what made Along for the Ride even better for me.

Auden hasn't had the best life, but through  it all I'd say she's been pretty productive with her schooling. Not that it could have possibly been any other way with the parents she had . . . actually.... Nevermind. I forgot about Hollis. Guess it was a possibility lol.

Anyway, the summer Auden spent with Heidi and her dad seemed like so much fun. Heidi especially tried to make her feel at home and welcomed Auden with open arms. My favorite part about the summer, though, was Auden's nightly escapades with Eli. It honestly made me want my own quest to go on!

Sarah Dessen continues to live up to the reputation I've heard given to her, and I'm hoping another of her books will come across my path soon!

Colorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and PhotosShelf-WorthyColorful Animated Butterfly Pictures, Images and Photos

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

June Wrap-Up

Can anyone else actually believe that half the year is over? Because I can't, and that was three days ago lol. Anyway, I hope everyone's been reading some awesome books!

Memes

Reviews

Other Things

May's Reading Status
4 books, 1393 pages

Reading Challenge Status
Let Me Count the Ways
Book Version - 11819/10001 pages FINISHED!
Audio Version - 1028/9000 minutes
13x7 in 2013 - 42/91 books
A to Z Series - 12/26 books 

Announcements
I realized as I was preparing this the other day that the blog's birthday is Sunday! (July 7th) I had completely forgotten with everything else going on. Like last year, I won't be doing a giveaway or anything extravagant. My hopes for this blogoversary is to turn everything around. Start taking chores and life in general more seriously and being on top of things, which includes this blog! I feel so terrible about zoning in and out on you all. I started this blog to give you all reviews and share my love of reading no matter what, and in the last two years, this mission seems to have diminished to simply making sure I never miss a WYS post -- as if that makes up for the tens of reviews I owe you guys. Anyway, if you've stuck with me this long, I thank you so much for being there throughout all the slow moments. I'm hoping that with my lifestyle-change-dream, I will be able to keep up in school and dance, but still read in every waking moment possible and get wonderful reviews to you guys. Again, thank you to all my followers, whether you are still reading or not now that I'm rambling :). If it weren't for y'all, I never would've gotten this far in the blogging game.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Atlas Shrugged In a Nutshell

A few weeks ago I got an email about the following video. What's so special about this video, you ask? It explains the basics of the story plot in Ayn Rand's well-known Atlas Shrugged in less than three minutes. Along with a magnificent summary of the novel, there's even supplementary artwork!

I've been wanting to read Atlas Shrugged for a few years now, and this video only heightened the need for me to get my hands on a copy!!! I hope that you will also enjoy the video and that it makes you want to read the actual book. Enough diddle-daddle. Go to the link below to see the video! Leave comments and let me know what you think!!!

Vid - http://academicearth.org/electives/tldr-atlas-shrugged/