Stacking the Shelves (78)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what they got throughout the week!

I already own two copies of this book, but I just couldn't resist buying this gorgeous edition of Emma. I'm kind of a cover snob, so when I see an absolutely gorgeous cover, I really want to own it. This one was only $4 online. Only four dollars! I was so excited when it finally came in the mail and looked even more gorgeous in person. This one is going to look absolutely perfect on my book shelf. 

That's it for me! What did you all add to your shelves this week? 

Book Review: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

How I Live Now

By Meg Rosoff

Release Date: November 30, 2004

Source: Publisher

Summary: “Every war has turning points and every person too.”

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

A riveting and astonishing story.

Review: I had never heard of this book before I was asked to review it, so I was surprised to see that it's been out since 2004 and has won a Pulitzer Prize. Where have I been? So I decided I definitely had to give this one a shot. 

At home, Daisy is having a hard time dealing with her dad's remarriage and new baby that's on it's way, so her dad decides to send her to England to live with her Aunt and cousins she's never met. Daisy starts to really like it in England and living with her cousins. Soon, though, her Aunt leaves to go on a business trip, and the next day London is bombed and taken over by an enemy, turning their whole lives upside down. With war raging, Daisy and her cousins find themselves depending on each other to survive and reunite with their family. 

I had absolutely no idea what was going on when I started this book. For some reason, the idea that this is a dystopian book completely escaped me, so the whole war/occupation just came out of nowhere. Was this WWII? But how did they have cell phones and internet? Once I realized that this was a make believe situation, everything made A LOT more sense. 

While I think being inside of Daisy's head was really cool and the way the story was portrayed was so real, it seemed a bit too juvenile for a 15-year-old. When it started, I thought Daisy was 11 or 12, but apparently she was 15. I think a 15-year-old would have been a bit more mature in her thoughts, but I guess the naivety of her mind was necessary to create the kind of idea that she was an innocent girl caught in a dangerous war. 

The emotions of this book definitely saved it for me. Daisy is such a complex character in what she feels, and going through a war where she experiences death and danger is really hard for such a young girl to deal with. I really liked her relationship with all of her cousins, and how broken her relationship with anyone at home was. Being inside of her mind, you were able to become just as attached to all of the other characters of the book as Daisy did. 

In the end, I had really mixed feelings over this one. It was definitely unlike everything I've ever read, but it had some aspects that I wasn't a big fan of. Just keep in mind, this is dystopian and the war that's going on didn't really happen. Once you know that, this book makes a lot more sense and you can focus on the emotional roller coaster the characters are forced to embark on.

Follow My Book Blog Friday (113)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

This Week's Question: Tell us at least one unusual or new thing you've done in 2013

Answer: I went to London! That was the first time I had ever left the country and the longest I've ever been away from my family. I spent six weeks living in Clerkenwell and taking two classes at the University of London (but still taught by professors from my school). It was amazing! I absolutely love London and it's insane how much I saw in regards to the "literary" side of London. I saw 5 Shakespeare plays, 3 of which were at the Globe. And we went to Stratford, which is Shakespeare's birthplace. Needless to say, it was an amazing experience. Now whenever I watch a movie that takes place in London, I miss that city even more! I hope that someday I can go back! 

Waiting On Wednesday (120)

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of!

Maybe Someday

By Colleen Hoover

Release Date: March 18, 2014

Summary: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.

At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…

From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to become another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite.

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Words can't even begin to describe how much I love Colleen Hoover. Hopeless and Slammed are absolutely amazing books. And I had no idea she had a completely new book coming out that wasn't affiliated at all with her other series! Looking at the summary, I was beyond excited when I saw that this one is about musicians. Not to mention the "mysterious neighbor" sounds absolutely irresistible. I can't wait until March to get my hands on a copy of this one!

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Releases I'm Dying to Read

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week bloggers share a list of books for the prompt given. So hopefully I'll have a new list to share with you all each week!

This Week's Topic: Top Ten 2014 Releases I'm Dying to Read

Oh boy, what am I not excited for to be released in 2014? There are so many amazing books that are on my to-read list that come out next year that I can hardly stand the anticipation. Every time I see a new book coming out by one of my favorite authors or a new book that looks like something I would absolutely love to read, I can't help but do a little jig…

And with all of the amazing books coming out in 2014, I'm pretty much doing that jig 24/7. But if I had to narrow it down to my top ten, then these are the ones I am dying to read in 2014!

1. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

2. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

3. Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young

4. What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

6. Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

7. Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

8. Landline by Rainbow Rowell

9. Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

10. The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Weekly Roundup [11/26-12/2]

IT'S DECEMBER!!!! I had a fantastic week at home and ate way too much food and still have way too many leftovers. It was great! I ate all day Thursday and spent time with my wonderful family. Then, I got up early to go shopping on Friday, finally saw Catching Fire, and came home to put up all of the Christmas decorations while watching Die Hard. Saturday was spent catching up on homework and watching OSU beat Michigan in a football game that was way too close. But OSU still won! Then it was back to school on Sunday for me. Now, only one week of classes and one week of exams stand between me and six glorious weeks off for Christmas break. I can do it! All I know is that thank goodness I have some wonderful books to read ahead of me to keep me sane!

Book Reviews

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Splendor by Elana K Arnold

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Shadow's Curse by Alexa Egan

Memes

Top Ten Tuesday: Things I am Thankful For

Waiting On Wednesday (119)

Follow My Book Blog Friday (112)

Stacking the Shelves (77)

Book Review: Shadow's Curse (Imnada Brotherhood #2) by Alexa Egan

Shadow's Curse

By Alexa Egan

Release Date: September 24, 2013

Source: Publisher

Summary: The second novel in the dark and sexy Imnada Brotherhood trilogy featuring shape-shifters in Regency-era England.

Suffering under a horrible curse and renounced by his clan, the Imnada shape-shifter, David St. Leger, stalks the London nights in the form of a large black wolf, channeling his desperate rage on thieves and murderers. But when he’s captured by the very woman he sought to rescue, he’s thrown into the magical and dangerous world of the Other—half human, half-Fey, and one of the Imnada’s ancient enemies.

Forced by her half-brother to use her gift of necromancy as a money-making scheme, Callista Hawthorne wants only to flee to her aunt in Scotland where she’ll be safe. Considering David her last hope, she offers him a deal—freedom in exchange for his protection on the long journey north.

Now in a race for their lives, Other and Imnada must put aside centuries of animosity and work together if they are to overcome the dark forces intent on stopping them before they reach safety. For Callista is far more powerful than she knows, and with her help and her love, David may finally be able to break the curse of the Imnada…

Review: Historical paranormal romance is definitely not a genre I delve into very often, but Alexa Egan sure knows how to write great novels in that genre! I really enjoyed her first book Demon's Curse and her newest release was even better!

Living with a horrible curse as an outcast from the Imnada, David St.Leger spends his time stalking the night in wolf form, helping innocent people who fall pray to the thieves and murderers of London. When he stumbles across Callista, a necromancer trying to run away from the evil man her brother has betrothed her to, he doesn't receive the usual thanks. Instead, David finds himself captured by the men controlling Callista. Callista will do anything to escape, though, and promises to help David escape if he brings her to her Aunt in Scotland where she can finally be free. Can Callista and David make it to Scotland without being captured by the men so desperate to catch them? And will Scotland really hold all of the answers they both seek?

The best thing about this genre is that it has a little bit of everything. There's romance with Callista and David, paranormal with the whole necromancer and shapeshifter aspect, and it's historical because it takes place in Regency-Era England. With all of these fantastic elements, Shadow's Curse was a very intriguing read with a thrilling story full of action and romance. 

While Callista was a likable enough character, her whole damsel in distress, naive personality was a bit annoying in the beginning, Once she becomes more independent as the novel goes on, though, she becomes more likable, especially as she warms up to David. David's character was great and I loved how he was really a good guy on the inside, despite how dangerous and deceiving he appears on the outside. And we get a visit from the main characters of the first book in the series, so we got to see how their lives were going after the first novel ended. 

Though this is a romance, a lot of the story was focused on Callista and David running away from bad guys. And there were A LOT of bad guys. The chase kept you on your toes and you had no idea what obstacle would be thrown into Callista's path next. Then, the whole mystery behind Callista's powers was very interesting because she was very powerful, but only knew how to do the basic necromancy since her mother died before she learned the rest. 

Overall, Shadow's Curse was a really enjoyable book. While the characters weren't my favorite right away, I ended up enjoying the story as it went along and we discovered more about the secrets behind the magic lives of the characters. If you haven't tried a historical paranormal romance yet, I'd definitely recommend starting out with Alexa Egan's Imnada Brotherhood series!