The Bursting Bookshelf

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release: November 30, 2011
Pages: 366
Series: Matched #1
Synopsis:
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Review:
Matched was a fast paced, fun read, with a lot of hype to boot. Not to mention the cover! I finished Matched a little while back and had a pretty good time with it.

Wow, the cover is just wow. I mean the minute I saw it I knew I had to read it. It's just that eye catching, though it's even more beautiful in person. It has gloss highlights over the girl and off set highlights over the letters of the title giving it a very futuristic feel. I also love the colors, they stand out against other books as the green that they use if so vibrant and it also gave you a feel for what Cassia actually wore to her Matching ceremony. I really like though how the girl is in the bubble, symbolising the society she lives in keeps all its people in a bubble away from the real world. I always love a cover that's gorgeous and has meaning.

The characters in Matched were interesting to read about for many reasons like they were so new with love and unlike today's teens they weren't looking for a boyfriend or a girlfriend, the Society did that for them. Then when Cassia started to realise she had feelings for Ky that might go against everything that the society taught her, she had no idea of what to do. It was a very different trait than we are used to in our everyday lives because we know what love is where she was taught that anything that couldn't be proved or wasn't approved of be the society didn't exist. On Xander's side of things, he faced rejection which doesn't often occur among members of the society because of the rigorous Matching system. And Ky (I'm Team Ky!) had to fight for Cassia's heart because he realised his feelings for her though he wasn't her chosen partner. When you pool this all together, you get one great set of characters that are all unique in their own ways.

The story in Matched is the part that I didn't always care for. I found that sometimes there wouldn't be much of anything going on during some chapters. Most of the time though the story kept chugging along at a fairly good pace, and then the end happened. The last part of the book was definitely my favorite part. The events of the book finally all caught up to the characters and the result was a suspenseful ending with some realization as well.
After reading Matched, I really can't wait to read and find out what happens to all of the characters and to see if Cassia will get her happy ending after all. Until then, Matched gets a 3.5/5.

The book that I am looking forward to the most would have to be either The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong or Delirium by Lauren Oliver. They really appeal to me as I have read a few of Kelley's books and I've read great reviews of Delirium.

So Follow my Blog Friday is a meme held by Parajunkee and it's where you answer the weekly question and then link yourself and you go and check out other blogs of your interest.

What is/was your favorite subject in school?

One of my favorites was science. I also really liked language courses.

Hey guys, I would just like to thank each and every one of you for following my blog! I just recently (yesterday, January 24, 2011) hit 100 followers after blogging for just over 4 months! I cannot believe it's been that long, or that I've come this far. Thank you to everyone who follows my blog and here's to many more successful months after this!

*Pats myself on the back*

Thanks,

So Follow my Blog Friday is a meme held by Parajunkee and it's where you answer the weekly question and then link yourself and you go and check out other blogs of your interest.

Who do you cheer for?

No one. I'm not a sports kind of person. Though occasionally I'll cheer for a hockey team during playoffs.

Hey guys, I would just like to show you a brand new cover for a book that I'm pretty excited for!

Hey guys! I'm just finishing up the transformation from my old theme to my new one and I just wanted to show you guys the resized button I just scaled!

Hey guys! So as you probably already know, I recently held a poll with choices for a new theme here at The Bursting Bookshelf. There were 5 choices, all which got votes. But by a landslide, one theme won.

DRUMROLL PLEASE!

Thanks to everyone who voted and chose Logo #2.


Please leave a comment below with your thoughts on this new theme.

So Follow my Blog Friday is a meme held by Parajunkee and it's where you answer the weekly question and then link yourself and you go and check out other blogs of your interest.

What makes up your non-human family??

Only a dog!

Hey guys! I just got another book today! Today it was...


What did you guys get?

Title: Heartless
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release: January 19, 2010
Rating: 5/5
Pages: 277
Series: Pretty Little Liars #7
Synopsis:

Review:
To start off, I would just like to say that this review might actually contain spoilers as this book is fairly far into the series, so those of you who haven't read the first five books might not want to continue on reading this review.


The writing in this book is great. It flows very well, despite the fact it's written in four different perspectives. The story never felt chopped together either which was great. And the fact that shocks me the most is that this is the sixth book in the series and it's still just as entertaining and great as the first couple books. Not many series can completely hold my attention as Pretty Little Liars has. Not to mention the twists that were in this book! I couldn't believe how many misfortunes these poor girls go through. The mystery is fascinating as well because of it's complexity. Though, the best part of the book was the end. The cliff hanger is incredible and it makes you want to have the next book ready to read right after you finish Killer.



I'm just going to come out and say it. A is my favorite character in this book. Now you may question my sanity when I say that. Let me explain why; you don't know who A is, but they are such an integral part of the book. I mean, if A wasn't there it would just be a story about a murder that happened just over 3 years ago. Not nearly as exciting right? The other characters are great because even though they lead 'perfect' lives, they are realistic with the problems that everyone has gone through at one point or another. 


I just adore  the covers of these books! They're just so bright and colorful and eye pleasing! Though, I think the cover of Killer is my favorite cover of all the books. Why? It's purple. And I really like the necklace that the doll on the front is wearing. That brings me to my next point, I really like the idea of comparing the four main characters to dolls. The comparison is accurate, they live the dream life: they have money, beauty and they live in a seemingly idealistic town. The perfect life like a doll's world. What's not to love? And on all the books one of the characters is always featured and this time round it's Hanna.

I think that this book would be definitely be an amazing read as a summer read or for just any time. Killer was a killer (bad pun, I'm sorry) read and I'm very excited to get started on the next book, Heartless. Overall, Killer gets a 5/5 for being a great book with a great storyline, good writing and twists that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time that will make you beg for the next book.

Hey Guys! Guess what? That's right! I just won my first contest (well actually I won in late December but I just received the prize in the mail!)!

What did I get? Well...

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead!

BUT...

IT'S ALSO SIGNED!!!!!!

I also got a Vampire Academy Tattoo and Bracelet!

This is all courtesy of an amazing contest that was hosted over at A Little of This & That. Please be sure to go check out her blog.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at Breaking The Spine! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out. This week I have chosen The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa:

Hey guys i just wanted to do a quick announcement as the cover of Passion (Fallen #3) was just announced! What do you guys think? It's slightly different from the other two covers as this one features colour and you can see more of the models face.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at Breaking The Spine! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out. This week I chose Dreamless by Josephine Angelini:

Hey guys! I thought I should let you guys know about this cool contest being held over at A Little of This & That. This time it's for a copy of Awakened by PC & Kristen Cast. Click the link above to enter and good luck to everyone!

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release: March 27, 2007
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 485
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1
Synopsis:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Review:
So it took me forever to read this book. I'm really not sure why I took that long to read this book. But it took me over a month between reading other books and occasionally picking up this one. Though when I did pick it up the last time I finished it and was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists and turns that the plot took that I could never have seen coming.

The cover for City of Bones, in fact the whole series, is just attention grabbing. It's also intriguing at the same time. The fact that you can't see the model's face and he's just covered in glowing tattoos really add to the intrigue. And the cover is even cooler when you can touch it, as it has a certain shine to it that just adds to the effects.

The writing for this book is great and chock full of description, but what's really great about the description is the way it's so different and it really makes you think about what that room would have been like or how the glamour appeared to Clary. It makes for a very interesting read. Now for the part I wasn't as keen on; the story. The story is where I stumble a little bit as it just didn't hold my attention well. I would find myself wishing I was reading another book while reading this one. That being said, towards the end (the last just over one hundred pages) the plot really started to grip me and keep me reading. And the twist at the end definitely, in my opinion, brought this book up from a 3/5 to a 4/5.

The characters in this book are completely relate-able. That being said, there were some characters in the book that were over the top, and they were purposely designed that way but characters like Clary and Simon were just regular people like me and you. But then enter Jace- he was cocky, arrogant and funny. Overall, he did hold appeal for me as a love interest, and he never failed to make me laugh.

When it comes to The Mortal Instruments Series, I will continue based on the fact that there were major twists and turns and the ending was surprising and good. I have the second book and it is in my To Be Read pile. But for now, City of Bones gets a 4/5 overall.

Hey guys! Did you hear the news? I sure did! You may be wonderingat this point what 'The News' is. Well I'll tell you guys through this weeks New In The World Of...

The News:
*DRUMROLL*

Cassandra Clare announced recently a tentative name for the next Shadowhunters series she might write. She posted that if/ when she were to write another Shadowhunters book trilogy, it would be titled The Dark Artifices. She wenton to say that other than possible guest appearances from current characters, The Dark Artifices would showcase a whole new batch of characters.

What do you guys think?