Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Box Set
by Suzanne Collins

release date: August 24, 2010

Ok, so I didn't get to finish Hunger Games because of a slew of ARC tour books coming in. But then I saw this and decided to wait anyhow!! So excited!! And this will allow me to read the entire trilogy back to back with no torturous waiting for the next installment!! Love it!

Review: Claire de Lune

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

publisher: Simon Pulse

release date: May 18th 2010

hardcover, 336 pages

intended audience: Young Adult

source: YA Addict ARC Tours

rating:


Description from goodreads:
Torn between two destinies?

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?

Review: This one really had some interesting twists on a common theme, and it made for an extraordinary, fun story. Claire is a regular teenage girl who just wants the normal things: a mother who is around more, the guy she likes to like her, to talk to her best friend about boy problems. But normal is a little difficult to come by in a town where every person in it is afraid of becoming the next werewolf attack victim. A girl can't even enjoy her sixteenth birthday party without it being evacuated because of a sighting! That normal life gets even more out of reach for Claire when she discovers she herself is turning into a werewolf.

Although for me, the plot did drag in a few parts, for most of the story, it was propelled at a nice pace by some really great plotlines. The relationship between Claire and her mother was really fascinating---I thought it was very realistic the her powerful, strong minded mother, Marie, who had so much pride in being a werewolf would expect her daughter to take to it so easily. In fact, Claire hates it, she hates lying to the people she loves and she hates the animal instincts that come with turning. I loved the twist that all werewolves were women, and they were more like covens than packs. It gave them more of a magical feel.

The love story is really sweet. I love the risks that Matthew and Claire took to be to together and to make it work. Their whole relationship is a huge risk since Matthews father is a scientist whose whole life's work is about finding werewolves and "curing" them. He is leading the town in the effort to get rid of werewolves and so Marie forbids Claire to see Matthew. Ahhh, forbidden love. I love it!

I love how this story constantly kept you guessing who the "bad guy" was. Several different characters were suspicious and had motive, and in the end it was not who I thought it would be!
All in all, a really great story! I'm not if there will be a sequel or not, but I will definitely pick it up if there is!
Favorite quote: She meant it as a joke, Claire could tell, but the secret shriveled and dried in Claire's mouth like an autumn leaf.

In My Mailbox (21)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we all share what we got during the week!

Gorgeous, gorgeous books this week. Every single one, even the library checkouts, has such delectable covers (I do wish my library would stop putting their barcodes on the front. Wish I had that much say at my job! haha). I was going to buy Sisters Red this week, but surprise! It came in on hold at the library for me. I didn't even remember putting it on hold. I had to grab Sea because of all the amazing things I've been hearing about it. Prophecy of the Sisters and Sea Change were both out in paperback this week so I snatched them up. Honestly, when I first saw the new cover style for the Prophecy of the Sisters series, I wasn't so sure about it, but I have to tell you---it is beeeautiful in person! Now I really can't wait for Guardian at the Gate. I've already read this one but I'd checked it out from the library before, so I needed my own copy. Plus, anything to support author Michelle Zink. She proved once more why she is one of my favorite authors around with this post on her blog! I've been wanting to read Dreaming Anastasia for a long time and it just happen to come through circulation the other day, so I grabbed it. I have too many library books at home, no doubt, but what can I say..I just can't help myself. :)

Sister Red by Jackson Pierce
Sea by Heidi R. Kling
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

I've started Sisters Red---amazing so far!! Show me what you got...so I can add it to my wishlist!! :)

My DREAM Giveaway at Undercover Book Lover!!

OK, I have to share this with my blog readers, but I admit it for the purely selfish reason of getting extra entries into this fabulous contest!! Is that bad to say?? Haha... ah, well. This is quite literally my DREAM contest!! Most of these are books that I am just dying to get my hands on! Halo? Oh yeah. Pegasus? Yes, please!! Paranormalcy??? Aaaaaaghh, I want it!! Nightshade I already have, but would be super excited to win it so I could pass it on to someone else! Want to enter, too? Click on The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really) banner to get there!

Waiting on Wednesday : Falling Under

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Falling Under
by Gwen Hayes

releasing date: March 2011 by NAL (Penguin)


Description from Goodreads:
In her dreams he’s irresistible—seductive, charming, and undoubtedly dangerous. But when he appears to her when she’s awake—and captivates her just the same—she’s not sure which way is up and which is down.

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life, not allowed the same freedoms as the rest of the teenagers in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, she feels every urge she’s ever denied burning through her at the slightest glance from Haden Black. Theia knows she’s seen Haden before—not around town, but in her dreams.

Theia doesn’t understand how she dreamed of Haden before they ever met, but every night has them joined in a haunting world of eerie fantasy. And as the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her forward one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear. And as she slowly discovers what Haden truly is, Theia’s not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

My thought: This sounds amazing. Sort of a cross between Alice in Wonderland and the movie The Good Night. I know I'm torturing myself by pining for a book that is so far off in its release date, but I can't help it!! And that gorgeous cover?? *sign* Yup, I want it.

Check out the authors website here. Lots of cool stuff, and its just gorgeous to look it! :)
And check out the trailer:

Elevensie Tessa Gratton's Cool Linger Contest!!

Tessa Gratton is running a cool contest at her blog! For those who haven't heard, Tessa is one of the amazing Elevensies, the 2011 Debut authors. Her book, Blood Magic sounds absolutely amazing and I can't wait to see a cover reveal for this one---it's sure to be awesome with a plot like that! She is also one of the three authors who writes short fiction on Merry Sisters of Fate, along with Brenna Yovanoff and Maggie Stiefvater.

So, while she doesn't have a copy of her debut book to share just yet, she does have one seriously awesome prize to give away: an ARC of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater!! And while this is awesome in it's own right, this completely one-of-a-kind copy is signed by Maggie in the back with the first line of Forever, the final book in the series!!! How cool is that??
Head on over to her livejournal to find out all the details on how to enter! One of the ways to enter is to posting one of the Epic Tessa cartoons, but you can also get an extra entry by drawing your own! So here is mine!! And the link to her site: http://tessagratton.com/

In My Mailbox (20)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we all share what we got during the week!


Got some cool stuff this week! Pretty exciting! I had a bit of a lucky streak a few weeks ago. I was completely floored to win three contests in one week!! Wha?? Me??? I could hardly believe it! I also bought one, got a few tour books, and one for review! Not a bad week. :) On a disappointing note..I was hoping to pick up a copy of Sisters Red and Sea this week, but my local Barnes doesn't have them in stock! So, plan B, will have to order them. Cheaper that way anyhow and it's not like I don't have enough to read, right? Oh, and I got three ARC tour books this week. Yikes. So this blog may be a little on the quiet side---I'll be reading like a madwoman!

Bought:
The Necromancer by Michael Scott
(this one was actually for hubby, although I will read this series someday!!)

Contest Prizes:
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, along with some fantastic swag!
(won from Red House Books--thank you, thank you, Emily!!)

Numbers by Rachel Ward
(won from The Bookshelf Sophisticate--thank you, thank you, Katelyn!!)

For Review:
Manifest by Artist Arthur (thank you, Lisa!)
Girl, Stolen by April Henry (Around the World Tours)
Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade (Traveling ARC Tours)
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson (YA Addict ARC Tours)

There's all my fun stuff! What did you get in your mailbox?? :)