Fun Friday #8

This is a meme that one of my really good blogging friends, Destiny @ Green Lillipads, started, and I thought it was a really awesome idea! You just post a book, CD, song, movie, etc. that you think is really cool for that week :). This week's cool-spotlight is on:

The 19 Dragons
By SM Reine
Publishing year: 2011
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Some Action, Steampunk

Synopsis (from goodreads.com): There are nineteen provinces in the Land held aloft by nineteen pillars. Above the earth there is sky, and nobody knows what goes below except the Nineteen Dragons.

That is all you need to know, but that is not all there is to be known.

The Device has been stolen and the godlike Dragons have been rendered mortal. Someone is murdering them one by one, and each death brings the world closer to its end. Unless the Device is somehow restored to its deceased owner, the Dragons are doomed to destruction-- and the human world will go with them.
 
 
Happy Reading!

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Once a Witch

By Carolyn MacCullough

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2009

292 pages, Library Book (hardcover)

Date Finished: 22/6/2011

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

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper then and when magic, old magi, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it."
~Last Line: "Just then a log bursts and hundreds of sparks fly upward, then blaze like shooting stars across the night sky."

Review: This book was absolutely ahmazing! I am super-anxious to get my hands on the sequel, Always a Witch. Carolyn MacCullough is a marvelous author for sure.

The main character, Tamsin Greene, was, at birth, told that she would be a brilliant witch. But nothing happened. She never got her powers and she's seventeen. The outcast of the family. Her sister Rowena, on the otherhand? The family favorite.

Anyway, I loved the plot for Once a Witch. I had never read about witches like Tamsin's family. And the enemy family. Well, that wasn't necessarily new, but I like the magical twist that MacCullough brought to it. Tamsin have to save her oh-so-talented sister in the end was pretty great, too :).

The characters; wow, the characters. I loved the charries in this novel. I'm not really sure which charrie was my favorite, though. I'm thinking it was Tamsin. She was just a "lost" witch trying to fit in with, of all people, her family. As a teen, I could totally relate to that part (the fitting in, not the family); it made me feel kind of bad for her in a way.

All in all, this book was awesome! I can't ait to get my hands on Always a Witch. Sadly, our libraries don't have it. Looks like I need a trip to the Kindle Store! :D

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


Overall Rating: 4.5
and a half :)

Thursday Interpretation #17 & Library Unveiled #7

Thursday Interpretations is a "meme," which means that you may participate in this on your blog, but I won't be advertising it nor adding a Linky for links to your post/s.

Anyway, Thursday Interpretation will be a weekly post where I post a motivational quote (and/or a book quote) and tell you my feelings about it. You are more than welcome to post a comment telling how you feel about the quote.

*Remember that these are only my opinions. They are not influenced by anyone else.*

This week's motivational quote:

"The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything." ~Unknown

My Thoughts: When you pray to God about it, you can do anything.
_______________________________________________________________________

This meme was started by my good 'ole blogging friend, The Mad Scientist @ Steampunkery & Book Reviews; every Thursday, you are supposed to post 5 books from your shelf and maybe give a snippet of your thoughts about the book. You can use physical books, ebooks, audios, whatever you have that makes up your library :). This week I'm unveiling:

Fallen (Fallen, #1) by Lauren Kate:

I'd started reading this one online, but I finally bought it Friday (along with the rest of these books), and I'm reading it a little faster :)

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1) by Jenny Han:

Leanne read this series and loved it. Now I'm going to start on it!

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen:

Just finished this one Monday. We watched the movie this year in school and I loved it. The book didn't disappoint! :D

L.A. Candy (L.A. Candy, #1) by Lauren Conrad:

Have been wanting to read this one for a while. Looks to be a good Chick-Lit novel!

Hereafter (Hereafter, #1) by Tara hudson:

This cover is absolutely gorgeous!! :D The book looks promising, and I've heard tons of good things about it.

What's in your library?

Waiting on Wednesday #10: Inheritance

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over @ Breaking the Spine; we are to give a book that we are anxiously anticipating the release of. I probably won't be participating every week, but I will try to post every so often.

This week's spotlight novel:

Inheritance
By Christopher Paolini
Publication Date: November 8th, 2011

From GoodReads.com:

Not so very long ago, Eragon Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider, was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

What book are you looking forward to?

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Cryer's Cross

By Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2011

233 pages, Library Book (hardcover)

Date Finished: 20/6/2011

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

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "Everything changes when Tiffany Quinn disappears."
~Last Line: "Touch me."

Review: This was the first McMann work I'd read, and she has definitely left her mark on me! I am hoping to get my hands on the Dream Catcher trilogy soon.

The main charrie, Kendall Fletcher, lives in a small town named Cryer's Cross. She loves to dance, sing, and play soccer. At the end of the last school year, a girl names Tiffany went missing and no one ever found her. The whole town searched everywhere, but still couldn't find her.

It's the beginning of a new school year and the new kid, Jacian, is the first one on Kendall's list of suspicious people. Then her best friend since as long as she can remember goes missing as well. Just like Tiffany.

The book was phenomonal. The charries were well defined. I loved how Lisa gave us another thing to deal with as well -- Kendall's OCD. IT was definitely something that I'd never read about before, but I unquestionably liked it.

The plot was even better. I had never read anything of the sort before. It pulled me in automatically, and I read all but 20 pages in about 3 hours straight. Then I read the last of it when I got home. (I started it while at the library w/Leanne.)

Overall, this novel was amazing. I actually wouldn't mind a sequel, but it's not really need! :)

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


Overall Rating:
and one-fourth

Teaser Tuesday #31

This meme is hosted weekly by MizB @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate, even if you don't have a blog (you can post back in MizB's comments).
*Grab your current read.

*Open to a random page.

*Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page. You can share more if you want!

*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!!! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give away too much information. You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

*Share the title and autor as well, so that Teaser participants may add to their TBR list/s if they enjoy your teasers!

*Leave a link in the comment section of MizB's blog so that others can check out your teasers! You may leave your teasers here with the book title and author if you do not have a blog. (MizB's Blog)

This week's teasers come from page 266 of Fallen by Lauren Kate (GoodReads, Amazon):


Luce wanted to protect them from all the atrocities of Sword & Cross, because she was figuring out how to manage -- and sometimes even beat -- the system here.

I started out reading this one online, but Friday I finally bought it in actual book form. I should be finished with it much faster now! :D

Happy Reading!

THREE winners!!!!! :D

You remember the giveaway I'm having right now?! Well now there will be THREE winners!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who helped me reach 500 Twitter followers this past weekend! I have already done #FF thanks to you all :)

Now, since there are three winners now, I'll have to change the winner outlines:

FIRST PLACE: choice of two books, eCopy of Wild Child, and swag!
SECOND PLACE: choice of two remaining books, eCopy of Wild Child, and swag!
THIRD PLACE: remaining book, eCopy of Wild Child, and swag!

Click HERE to go to the post to sign up!!! :D

The 19 Dragons by SM Reine

You'll see in this review, and in tomorrow's, that I'm starting a new rating system. The book's final rating will depend on the Plot, Character, Cover, and whatever rating I put on GoodReads :).

____________________________________________________________

The 19 Dragons

By SM Reine

Publisher: ?, 2011

148 pages, Kindle Edition

Date Finished: 3/7/2011

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Some Action, Romance

There are nineteen provinces in the Land held aloft by nineteen pillars. Above the earth there is sky, and nobody knows what goes below except the Nineteen Dragons.

That is all you need to know, but that is not all there is to be known.

The Device has been stolen and the godlike Dragons have been rendered mortal. Someone is murdering them one by one, and each death brings the world closer to its end. Unless the Device is somehow restored to its deceased owner, the Dragons are doomed to destruction-- and the human world will go with them.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "There are nineteen provinces in the Land held aloft by nineteen pillars."
~Last Line: "What a world."

Review: I was super-excited when SM Reine asked me to read this. It was the first steampunk book I've ever read, and I absolutely loved it! I still have to read her novel, Six Moon Summer, but expect a review of it before July is over :).

The plot of The 19 Dragons was amazing! It was a concept that I'd never heard of before. I liked how each dragon was the symbol for one of nineteen provinces. When a dragon died, a province disappeared into some crazy air space. Even though it's only a novella, I wish it woud've been longer, or had a sequel on the way!

The characters in The 19 Dragons had good detail. They told us about each dragon I believe. I think there may have been one they didn't "visit," but I think SM got all of them. They all have different personalities for sure! But the different personalities make the 148-paged novella what it is.

And, of course, there's romance. Some of the romances we only got to hear about, but the romance between the Second Dragon and the Nineteenth/Fifth Dragon was the one that you actually got to "live" in a way. But it was all cool-cools. That didn't slow the story down not one bit!

Really, this novella was marvelous! I will have to put Six Moon Summer on my Kindle soon so that I can start it! :D

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


Overall Rating:
 and two-thirds :)

Music Monday #19

Music Monday is a "meme"* that I will try to post every week or biweekly. In these posts, I will provide you with what song, artist, CD, etc. I am currently into the most.

* Meme is quoted because I will not be providing a Linky for you to add you links to, nor will I be advertising these posts. However, if you would like to participate and leave a link or your music info in a comment, I have no problem with that.

[As you all may have noticed, I never had a movie up in the last few posts. For this reason, I have deleted the movie portion from these posts; however, you may still have movies in your posts or leave movie info in the comments.]

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

Music

1) Better With the Lights Off by New Boyz. I love this song! I can't listen to it without wanting to get up and dance! :D

Song Rating: 4.5 Wings
Music Video:




Happy Listening!

The Week Ahead... (July 11-17)

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 July 11th - 17th...

Monday:
~ Music Monday
~ Review of The 19 Dragons

Tuesday:
~ Teaser Tuesday
~ Review of Cryer's Cross

Wednesday:
~ Waiting on Wednesday

Thursday:
~ Thursday Interpretation & Library Unveiled
~ Review of Once a Witch

Friday:
~ Book Blogger Hop & Fun Friday

Saturday:
~ What's your status?

Sunday:
~ In My Mailbox & Sunday Confessions

Have a great week everybody!!! :D