In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox

From The Story Siren. Check out her blog here!

Soul Screamers: Volume One

by Rachel Vincent

Under the Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi

Clockwork Prince

by Cassandra Clare

Grave Mercy

by Robin LaFevers

An Explanation For Reviews

I tend to keep my reviews short and sweet. I am a late night blogger with little time to spare during the day between sleeping, reading, watching House and buying new books. Some reviews might be longer than others. It depends on the mood I'm in, the day I've had, the book and then my opinion of the book. I don't have much of a set formula for writing reviews. I have a tendency to read a book or two or three then write reviews later. I don't sit down and start writing ASAP after finishing a book.

Just a little info for you, there. Continue your judging...NOW.

Danielle

Blue Bloods: Reviewed

Blue Bloods

by Melissa de la Cruz

What to say...What to say...? Gosh. I liked it. It was light and semi-fluffy. Then the things that weren't light and fluffy were shallow. My favorite characters: Ollie and Mimi. I always like the rich high society characters who also double as the queen bee.

I loved the way the "vampire rules" were set up. (You know... Can they walk in the sun? Human or animal blood? Are there leaders? What kills them?) The main conflict did bug me, though. Once vampires are declared to be invincible, they should stay that way, I think. They shouldn't be randomly killed by strong, big, bad, rogue vampires.

A ridiculous problem I had: Schuyler... How is it pronounced? People in the book called her Sky, so I would assume like Skyler. My mind (of course) had to pronounce it like "SHOE-ler." I don't know. I don't know. Overall, I thought it was a fun, easy read. I will definitely finish out the series.

Hate List: Reviewed

Hate List

by Jennifer Brown

Wow. Simply, wow. This book was amazing. I can't even tell you how many tears I shed over this book. It reminded me of my pure fear of ever being in a school shooting and how much hate and anger (and even fear) can hurt someone and everyone and everything around them. Throughout the book, I sided with Valerie, even though I didn't like her. After all, she didn't shoot anyone. Honestly, the only character I actually liked was Dr. Hieler. This book should be much more widespread, I think. It has powerful information inside.

Definitely looking forward to more books from Jennifer Brown.

Five stars.



Hush, Hush: Reviewed

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick



Oh dear... This book... This book... I wasn't much of a fan until I got to the last 100 pages...

I like Nora. I liked her character. I found Patch to be very witty and intriguing. He was suave, but not too suave. Val was all over the place. Jules was creepy. There were a few minor (and rather obvious) happenings in the first 300 pages. That being said, it ended up being a great read. I felt kind of thrown back to Twilight in a few ways. Biology, her waking up and in a bed, the whole showdown at the end. Patch...

This series is definitely on the to-read list!

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox

From The Story Siren

So. There has been a major change of plans, but here are the books I have for the rest of this week and next.

Blue Bloods

by Melissa de la Cruz

Everneath

by Brodi Ashton

The Girl in the Steel Corset

by Kady Cross

Revolution

by Jennifer Donnelly

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick

Anna Dressed in Blood: Reviewed

Anna Dressed in Blood

by Kendare Blake

I enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood. It was good. An easy read that doesn't make anyone think too hard. I did have a few problems with things not making sense and a couple of inconsistencies here and there. (Why is his mom so lax and Carmel so accepting of all of this? Why did he and Anna suddenly fall in love before they even spoke?) I would recommend it for a quick read to someone who isn't looking for anything very serious. On the spooky scale, I give it a five. I'm not very easily creeped out by reading about blood and cuts, so it wasn't particularly frightening for me. This review is short and sweet, just like the book.

The sequel (which I will be reading) comes out in early August.

Check In

 I'm almost done with Anna Dressed in Blood. As soon as I finish it, I'll post a review. As for A Time to Kill, I can't even deal with that right now. The physical descriptions of the town kill me. It's too much. That one is put on indefinite hold. And Just Listen... I'm not almost done with that one, but I'm going to finish it tomorrow or the next day, considering I'm swapping books again on Friday.
I'm getting Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare from the library tomorrow, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green later from a friend and Stunning by Sara Shepard and The Maze Runner by James Dashner on Kindle later in the week too.

XOXO
Gossip Girl
Danielle

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5): Reviewed

City of Lost Souls

by Cassandra Clare

SPOILERS!

I probably finished this book about a week ago. Honestly, I was wary of reading this. I feel like this series has gone on for a very long time. City of Lost Souls is definitely the best out of the five so far. I was annoyed with Jace and Sebastian. Jace always seems to be the "damsel in distress" without literally being the "damsel." I really hope that real Jace is actually present throughout the final book, even with the whole "heavenly fire" thing.

But, let's get to the good, shall we?

•  Simon
• Isabelle
• Maureen
• Jordan
• Magnus

I love Simon. He's always been one of my favorites. Initially, I was angry when he was turned, but now I think it's a good thing. He's able to help in ways that he couldn't before. Now Simon's not in the way. He stepped up to the plate to save Clary, like he always has and always will, but this time it was different. The Angel would have blasted Simon off the planet had it not been for the Mark of Cain. He was the one who basically made saving Jace (sort of) possible.

Isabelle really developed this time around. She was able to actually admit her feelings for Simon, even though he didn't feel exactly the same way. Drinking "with" Jordan was hilarious. She really stepped up her game as well.

Maureen, Maureen. (At least it's not the tango.) I have to confess. I took me a bit to remember exactly who Maureen was. But once I did, I knew it would come back to bite Simon and everyone else. Maureen killing Camille is exactly what needed to happen to set up the epic battle for the next book. They'll try to destroy Maureen and her army.

Where to begin with Jordan...? I didn't like him when he was first introduced. I thought he was going to cause everything to go to Hell in a hand basket. I was relieved when he finally got together with Maia. I was happy for them. They had both been stuck in the past.

Magnus and Alec. Magnus and Alec. MAGNUS AND ALEC. Wow. Along with their typical witty banter, there was a lot of tension stemming from Camille and her remarks about her love life with Magnus and Magnus's past loves in general. I was angry when Alec went to speak to Camille. He should have kept his nose out of it and they would have been fine. I think that Magnus would have been willing to give up his immortality for Alec, eventually. Alec seeking to take his immortality away himself, though, was crossing a serious line. I think it was completely necessary for Magnus to break up with Alec, because he could no longer trust him. There was no reason for Alec not to trust Magnus. Still, I'm upset that they're not together. I love them separate and together.

All in all, the ending set everything up for an epic battle to conclude the series. City of Heavenly Fire is expected to hit stores in March 2014. 



In My Mailbox

I found a great thing called "In My Mailbox" from The Story Siren. I'm going to start participating in it.

It's a thing where every so often (every week or month or so) bloggers post what is on their reading list for the days to come. If you want more information on it, click here.

Stunning (Pretty Little Liars #11)

by Sara Shepard

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by J. K. Rowling

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

The Maze Runner

by James Dashner

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

by Cassandra Clare

Currently Reading

Anna Dressed in Blood

by Kendare Blake

From Goodreads:

"Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life."



• 316 pages in hardcover
• Published August 30, 2011
• Publisher: Tor Teen

Just Listen

by Sarah Dessen

From Goodreads:

"Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends."

• 383 pages in hardcover.
• Published April 6, 2006
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile

A Time to Kill

by John Grisham

From Goodreads:

"Before The Firm and The Pelican Brief made him a superstar, John Grisham wrote this riveting story of retribution and justice -- at last it's available in a Doubleday hardcover edition. In this searing courtroom drama, best-selling author John Grisham probes the savage depths of racial violence...as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in a small southern town...Clanton, Mississippi.

The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young man. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her black father acquires an assault rifle -- and takes justice into his own outraged hands.

For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life...and then his own..."

• 528 pages in paperback.
• Originally published: June 1988
• Publisher: Wynwood Press

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

I'm just an average high school student who mainly reads YA books. I think I do happen to read more than the average student though, but it's all the same really. I've decided to blog about what I'm reading, why and what I think of it. I'll give a few updates per book if I can manage it.

XOXO
Gossip Girl
Danielle