Vlog: What's your status? (15/10/2011)

<a href="http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">img src="http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k506/madsteampunkery/books_stacked-1-1.jpg" border="Steampunkery & Book Reviews" /></a><br /> <br />

This post was inspired by, well, my previous Reading Status posts. I wanted to make it something that everyone could particpate in. Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), I will post what I've finished in the past week, what I'm currently reading and where I am in the book/s, what I plan to read next, and possibly what I want to buy/get. I will be trying to do this every week, so be sure to check back every weekend! Be sure to leave your links to your WYS posts in the comments.

This next portion of the post is an idea that I saw on the wonderful blog Small Review. She posts what reviews and memes she has posted and participated in that last week. Remember, however, that it is not mandatory for you to do this part of the post.

Things You Don't Wanna Miss:
~BuddyRead: Always a Witch
~October Readathon results

Reviews this week:
~The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
~Everlost, by Neal Shusterman
~Internet Girls Series, by Lauren Myracle (guest review by Leanne)
~Tower of Parlen Min, by Matt Xell

Memes this week:
~In My Mailbox
~Teaser Tuesday

Finished This Week:
1. Always a Witch (Witch, #2) by Carolyn MacCullough. Finished on 10/10/2011.

Currently Reading:
1. The Nine Lives of Chloe King (series omnibus) by Liz Braswell. On page 523.

2. The Darkness by Crystal Connor. On page 138.

Next On My TBR (To Be Read) Pile:
1. Space by Emily Sue Harvey. Purpose: book tour.

What I Would Like To Buy Next:
~NOTHING. I want to try to save up a lot of money the next few months so that maybe I can start my own bank acct soon! :p

Don't forget to leave the link to your WYS post in the comments!

Tower of Parlen Min by Matt Xell

Tower of Parlen Min (Narrow Escapes of Ves Asirin, #1)

By Matt Xell

Publisher: self publ'd, 2011

345 pages, Kindle Edition (ARC)

Date Finished: 30/9/2011

Genres: Young Adult, Action, Coming of Age, Romance, Fantasy

Ves Asirin, an orphaned and introverted boy with a complicated memory loss disorder, wins a trip to the Tower of Parlen Min, the home of the wealthiest inventor of the time, Jacobius Trent. There, with 19 other children, he must compete in the Sword Challenge; a series of intricate puzzles and daring tasks, for a prize of $12 million. As dazzling, glorious and liberating as the Tower seems to be for him, Ves finds that it keeps a dark and secret history that he has been unknowingly connected to for over 150 years, a secret that will define his future and destiny ... if he can escape The Shadow: a powerful and seemingly unstoppable, supernatural serial killer.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "There are many seemingly unending roads i the world of Everlon, and it is said that if you do not know where you are going, what you are looking for or why you are looking for it, you will wander these roads forever."
~Last Line: " 'That is a good thing . . . for the Lord knows we'll need him now more than ever.' "

Review: I'm really glad that I agreed to participate in this book tour! Tower of Parlen Min is truly an excellent book.

The main character, Ves Asirin, has a memory disorder. Every 10-15 hours, he forgets all of what's happened in that time period. The only way for him to remind himself of things is by drawwing pictures in his valued scrapbook. Or to cut himself on his arm or hand. Then, because of another child's misbehavior, Ves is chosen to as the one person from his orphange to visit the Tower of Parlen Min, the home of a very waealthy  and well-known man. Adventures await behind practically every corner for Ves.

The plot. Oh, the plot. It's definitely original. The book aautomatically pulled me in, and every time I'd start reading it, I wouldn't be able to put it down. There were lots of things, like Canids, that were new and interesting. No werewolves, no vampires; there were witches, but they weren't the main focus of the book, which I really liked.

It's hard to give parts of the plot that I liked because I don't want to give away any of the book. . . . Let's just say that there was a LOT of action near the end. It kind of gets a little, for lack of a better word, depressing. Everyone ..... *starts mumbling* ..... and it was just so frustrating! :) However, I can say that I was nowhere near guessing that what actually happened would happen.

The characters were really awesome, too. I've never read about anyone in Ves's situation. That was completely new for me, but I enjoyed it. It brought something different to the table. Ves in general was just an awesome charrie. He was always keeping to himself unless it just wasn't possible. His quick reaction to help people when they were in trouble was just so amazing. I loved it. Definitely my favorite character of them all.

I also enjoyed Vikey as a character. She practically fell head over heels for Ves if you ask me. But it was adorable all the same. Her jealousy of Tammi was something that I could unquestionably relate to. The last time we see Vikey before shes goes away was just too romantic. I cried so hard. Gawsh. I think that was the best part of the whole book.

Last, but not least, my favorite characters include the Wiccan Miss Tammi. She's Ves's love interest, and the one that Vikey is oh-so jealous of. Tammi has deep blue eyes (which I would LOVE to have), and can't touch glass, or it breaks. She helps Ves learn about his powers a little. She was such a nice person, and you couldn't help but at least like her. I'm pretty sure she was in everyone's good graces at the Tower.

All in all, gosh... I'm so anxious for the second book that I can't even talk about it. LOL! Honestly, this is a fabulous book, and I recommend it to all. If anyone's looking for a new series, check it out :p

Plot Rating: 5
Character Rating: 4
Cover Reading: 4.5
GoodReads Rating: 5

Overall rating:
and five-eighths :)

Guest Review #7 - Leanne

This is a book series that has also been challenged to be banned. I started reading this, and got 12 pages in, but never got to finish... Hoping to get ahold of them soon! Here's Leanne's review:

First off, I acually understand why some schools would ban this series. It contains VERY descriptive sexual encounter scenes and some drug use and language. It also contains questionable morals, and other things that some 'young adults' should NOT be aware of. I acually enjoyed the series as a whole and the deep meaning of friendship. It was sort of hard to get into it, since there is not really a backstory and since the series is featured in only instant message conversations. The books can be confusing since it skips a whole year between them. I read them a couple of months ago so I am a tad forgetful about all the details, but some moments in the novels really made you 'LOL'; most things in them teenagers in today's society could agree and relate too. I think the novels are good for an adult trying to show teenagers lives, but she tried to put WAY too much in each book. She easily could have made a longer, more enjoyable series instead of 3 books only. I would rate this 3 pins.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it to other teenagers of the same maturity level. It surprises me none that people would challenge this series.

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Everlost (Skinjackers, #1)

By Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon  & Schuster, 2006

313 pages, Library Book (hardcover)

Date Finished: 21/8/2011

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Coming of Age

Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he's found a home. But Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "On a hairpin turn, above the dead forest, on no day in particular, a white Toyota crashed into a black Mercedes, for a moment blending into a blur of gray."
~Last Line: "Together they climbed into the silver airship, and rose into the Everlost sky."

Review: I'd only seen this book a few times before I checked it out from my school's library. It was my first Shusterman novel, but I really loved it. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, or another of Neal's books.

The main characters, Nick and Allie, die in a car crash, but on their way towards the light, they bump into each other and get thrown off course. They end up in the between world of Everlost, where if you stand still in the living world long enough, you'll sink to the center of the earth (or so they say).

I loved Nick's character after he was taken out of the jar of pickle brine (don't ask, lol). He was so fearless of everything, and he was determined in everything he did. I loved that about him, and I wish I could be more like that.

The plot of Everlost was pretty cool as well. I love how they have legends, like the McGill, and the "sink to the bottom of the Earth" thing. Those are my favorites, anyways, lol :). There's another about a man whose name starts with an H (but I can't remember). Oh well.

Anyway, I really recommend this book! I recently bought Everwild so hopefully I'll get around to it soon.

Plot Rating: 5
Character Rating: 4.5
Cover Rating: 4
GoodReads Rating: 5

Overall Rating:
and five-eighths :)

Teaser Tuesday #37

This meme is hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading.

*Grab your current read.
*Open to a random page.
*Share two teaser sentences from that page.
*Be careful not to include spoilers!
*Share the title and author.
*Leave a link to your teaser in the comment section at MizB's Blog.

From: Always A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough (eARC)
Kindle Location: 1001-11
Links: GoodReads, Amazon

"Suddenly, she reaches out, snatches the pen, and with one move rakes the sharp quill across her bare arm. Blood boils to the surface of her skin, spills over from the edges of the cut."

Comments: I'm loving this book so far! Hoping to be done with it soon, but at the same time I don't want it to end :)

Happy Reading!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Second Review!)

The top part of this review, the rating, and the quotes haven't been changed at all. I didn't reread it at all. Wrote this review for Banned Book Week from my memory of what happened in the novel. The review is completely different.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, #1)

By Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2008

374 pages, hardcover

Date Finished: 25/6/2010

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Futuristic, Action, Coming of Age

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "When I wake, the other side of the bed is cold."
~Last Line: "I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go."

Review: First - Why in the world is this book being challenged to be banned? Yes, the gore, etc. sometimes might not be suitable for younger kids, but it really isn't that bad!

I had heard a lot of things about this book before I started reading it. It was the latest series, and I was tired of being left behind. I'm really glad I bought it!

The main character, Katniss, lives in a post-apocalyptic America, hunts illegally, and takes her sister's place in the infamous Hunger Games. No way is she risking Prim's life when it could be saved. Katniss's world gets both better and worse from there.

The Hunger Games is definitely a gory, battle-filled event. Nobody wants to die. The plot in this book was pretty awesome. It was something I'd never heard of before. I like how Suzanne Collins had each district specializing in something different. Each was significant, which showed in the people they sent to the Games.

The characters were unquestionably fabulous! I liked all of them. I really can't just pick one. Peeta and Katniss are definitely the first two, though. It was so easy for Peeta to speak to people; everyone was always charmed by him. I'm sure he saved Katniss more than we can all realize. But that's probably more in Catching Fire. . .

Katniss was a really good character as well. She knew what she wanted; she was gonna get it as soon as she could, any way she could. Her constant objectiveness to the Capitol always makes me want to laugh at the way she chooses to show it. Like the shooting of the arrow into the apple in the pig's mouth. Although that was in Catching Fire, too, lol :).

This book . . . WOW. I can't say anything other than that. You really are missing out if you haven't read this yet. Not to mention the movie coming out in 5 months! WHY on bloody EARTH is this book being challenged to be banned!?

I have Catching Fire, obviously, and have Mockingjay, but still haven't read the latter. Let's all hope that I do very soon! As in before the movie comes out!

Zakiya LadyWings recommends this novel to everyone. Read it, love it, and go see the movie next year. Still can't believe The Hunger Games was challenged.

Plot Rating: 5
Character Rating: 5
Cover Rating: 4
GoodReads Rating: 5

Overall rating:
and three-fourths :)

Quotes from the Book:

"Just then, Haymitch staggers into the compartment. 'I miss supper?' he says in a slurred voice. Then he vomits all over the expensive carpet and falls in the mess."

"One time my mother told me that I always eat like I'll never see food again. And I said, 'I won't unless I bring it home.' That shut her up."

The Week Ahead (October 10-16)

Every Sunday, I will let you all know what to look forward to in the upcoming week: reviews, guest posts, memes, whatever I think/know I will be putting up for your viewing. The things I post will not always be followed out, but I'll try. Vice versa, I might end up posting something that isn't mentioned in this post.

For the week of October 10th - 16th...

Monday:
~ Music Monday?
~ Review of The Hunger Games

Tuesday:
~ Teaser Tuesday
~ Review of Everlost

Wednesday:
~ Guest Review from Leanne

Thursday:
~ Thursday Interpretation & Library Unveiled?
~ Review of Paradise 21

Friday:
~ Friday Spolite?

Saturday:
~ What's your status?
~ Read-a-thon updates? (I'll try to remember this time!)

Sunday:
~ In My Mailbox
~ Review of The Help

Have a great week everybody!!! :D

Vlog: In My Mailbox #34

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted every week by The Story Siren. To find out how to participate and the "official" details, check out the IMM page.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

-----------------------------------------------------



Bought on Kindle:
~~The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

Bought from the store:
~~Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Borrowed from school library:
~~The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan


Happy Reading! Leave a link to your IMM in the comments, and I'll be sure to stop by!

Vlog: What's your status? (8/10/2011)

<a href="http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">img src="http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k506/madsteampunkery/books_stacked-1-1.jpg" border="Steampunkery & Book Reviews" /></a><br /> <br />

This post was inspired by, well, my previous Reading Status posts. I wanted to make it something that everyone could particpate in. Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), I will post what I've finished in the past week, what I'm currently reading and where I am in the book/s, what I plan to read next, and possibly what I want to buy/get. I will be trying to do this every week, so be sure to check back every weekend! Be sure to leave your links to your WYS posts in the comments.

This next portion of the post is an idea that I saw on the wonderful blog Small Review. She posts what reviews and memes she has posted and participated in that last week. Remember, however, that it is not mandatory for you to do this part of the post.

Things You Don't Wanna Miss:
~nothing. sadly.

Reviews this week:
~again: nothing. sadly. I'm going to try to get some stuff sched'd for next week before Sunday's over. Wish me luck! :D

Memes this week:
~In My Mailbox

Finished This Week:
1. Tower of Parlen Min (The Narrow Escapes of Ves Asirin, #1) by Matt Xell. Finished on 30/9/2011.

2. A Living Nightmare (Cirque Du Freak, #1) by Darren Shan. Finished on 3/10/2011. This was an okay book. Not anything fancy schmancy, but enjoyable.

Currently Reading:
1. The Nine Lives of Chloe King (series omnibus) by Liz Braswell. On page 255.

2. Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough. Have read 34%. This book is sooo awesome so far! It's definitely living up to the expectations I'd set after reading Once a Witch. :)

Next On My TBR (To Be Read) Pile:
1. The Darkness by Crystal Connor. Purpose: book tour.

What I Would Like To Buy Next:
~NOTHING. I want to try to save up a lot of money the next few months so that maybe I can start my own bank acct soon! :p

Don't forget to leave the link to your WYS post in the comments!

The Week Ahead (September 26-October 2)

Every Sunday, I will let you all know what to look forward to in the upcoming week: reviews, guest posts, memes, whatever I think/know I will be putting up for your viewing. The things I post will not always be followed out, but I'll try. Vice versa, I might end up posting something that isn't mentioned in this post.

For the week of September 26th - October 2nd...

Time to celebrate BANNED BOOK WEEK! :D

Monday:
~ Music Monday?
~ Review of The Hunger Games

Tuesday:
~ Teaser Tuesday (look on UnRead Brains for this!)

Wednesday:
~ Guest Review from Leanne (another challenged-to-be-banned series!)

Thursday:
~ Thursday Interpretation & Library Unveiled?
~ Review of Speak

Friday:
~ Friday Spolite?
~ Review of Lord of the Flies

Saturday:
~ What's your status?
~ Last day of Banned Book Week

Sunday:
~ In My Mailbox
~ Review of Everlost

Have a great week everybody!!! :D