The Bursting Bookshelf

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature done by The Story Siren.

For Review:

Playground by 50 Cent (THANKS TO PENGUIN GROUP CANADA)

Bought:

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

What did you get this week?

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.

If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

I would eat with Ash from The Iron Fey series because of how awesome he is (and hot!) and I would serve macaroni and cheese. Why mac and cheese? Because it combines pasta and cheese.

Want a chance to win a copy of Thin Air by Lynn Seresin? Enter below for your chance!

To enter for the grand prize, people have to collect all the letters from the blog tour. The grand prize for this blog tour is a signed paperback copy, and an earring much like the kind Alice would wear. Enter here for the grand prize.

Check out the author on:
Goodreads | Lulu | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Facebook

Thanks for letting me hang today, Anna!


3) What are three things you cannot live without as an author?
Coffee--it's like my drug. My critique partners--they're made of pure gold and full of sparkly happies. And my computer--for obvious reasons...and also, I think we've got some weird, love/hate bond thing going on.

I can't imagine that ever happening--at least not with any of my current characters. I get attached to them. I have characters in early works that I cannot wait to get back to. They're kinda like old friends!

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature done by The Story Siren. I only got two, but they both look great!

Bought:


Variant by Robison Wells
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

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. This week I got featured on Alison Can Read! Thanks to both Alison and Rachel of Parajunkee for having me!


This week's question is:


What superhero is your alter-ego?


Truthfully, I am a superhero addict. My favourite existing superhero is either Rogue from X-Men or Juliette from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. If I could make up a superhero alter-ego for myself I would be Book-a-nista. The power? Super speed reading of course! :) What about you guys?

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature done by The Story Siren. I got a ton of books this last little while and they all look so great! And I know I'm late, but I just got such a steady flow of books!

For Review:


Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (THANKS TO SIMON & SCHUSTER CANADA)
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (THANKS TO HACHETTE BOOK GROUP CANADA)
A Marked Past by Leslie Deaton (THANKS TO THE AUTHOR)

Won:


Evernight by Claudia Gray (THANKS TO BRENNA)
The Book Lover's Journal (THANKS TO BRENNA)
Gift:


Gone by Michael Grant
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Bought:


Wither by Lauren DeStefano
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard
What did you get this week?

This book is one of those books that makes you happy not to have too much drama in your life, but you enjoy the drama you get to read about in the book. I found myself loving this book with only a few complaints, and for that reason I give this book a 4/5.

Today I've put together a list of my favourite multi-talented authors. What is a multi-talented author? In this case they are an author who can write for multiple age groups. Here is my list of my top 5 multi-talented authors:
1) Sara Shepard
If you have read any of Sara's Pretty Little Liars books or The Lying Games books, you know just how well this author can write. Well, as of October, she is entering the adult literature world for the second time with her book Everything We Ever Wanted, which successfully continues her great writing streak from the Pretty Little Liars series.




2) Suzanne Collins
As you may know, Suzanne Collins is the author of The Hunger Games, one of my all time favourite books. What I didn't know, until recently, was that she had also written a middle grade series called The Underland Chronicles. Through writing in both age groups, she has proven that she truly is a multi-talented author.




3) Rick Riordan
Hands up for who has never read anything by Rick Riordan. Not many hands went up because of his huge success with his series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He also wrote The Heroes of Olympus and the Kane Chronicles. But what has he done outside of that age group? Well, he has also written several adult books including the Tres Navarre series. If you're like me and you loved the wit used in his writing, you can't wait to read his adult books as well.




4) Melissa Marr
You may recognize the name Melissa Marr as the author of the Wicked Lovely series, her young adult series. Well, she has just recently released her first adult book Graveminder. Personally, after reading her Wicked Lovely series (and loving it!) I cannot wait to read her first leap into adult fiction.




5) Kelley Armstrong
After falling in love with both the Darkest Powers Series and the Darkness Rising series, I learned that this author actually began in adult literature. So of course I'll be checking out her Women of the Otherworld series when I get a chance.


A noticeable trend above is that it really boils down to is being able to weave a story that appeals to the reader and their specific age group. The authors above have successfully done so with multiple age groups and they have proven themselves as multi-talented authors.

What would your top five be?

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

Review:

I will not lie, I have a large crush on Ethan. There, I said it. Now that that is off my chest, I really did enjoy the main characters for various reasons. The only characters I did not care for were most of the secondary characters because I felt they did not get enough attention throughout the book. My only other large problem with this book lies in the fact that the main characters fell in love too instantaneously for my tastes. I know I say this about a lot of books, but I find it really takes away from the strength of the characters and plot. My favourite character of this book was definitely Ethan, because I often agreed with his opinions, though Nara did find a place in my heart with how she was not afraid to save others.

The storyline of this book took the reader on a mysterious journey; one of unknown forces at work and gorgeous guys with dark secrets. I loved the fact that you were rooting for the 'good guys' even when you didn't know who/ what the 'bad guy' was. I loved all of the twists that came at all of the best times, throwing off any predictions the reader might have. The writing was also enjoyable, though it was simple. Saying that, it was not simple in a negative way, just not too complex. The end was good too, and I cannot wait for the second book to be released.

I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys mysterious paranormal books with some romance involved. Overall, I would give this book a 4/5 for having great aspects that overpowered the minor flaws.

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.

If you could pick one character in a book, movie or television show to swap places with, who would it be?

I would probably choose Elena from The Vampire Diaries on TV because she gets to hang out with both Salvatore brothers. On top of that though, she does stick to what she believes in and is never one to give up easily.

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?
 
Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

In my opinion, good characters make you feel emotions for them and with them. The main character Eve made you feel for her, think about her and wonder what her life was like in comparison to your own. Eve also featured strong characteristics, she was able to adapt to different situations. Eve's love interest was intriguing because of just how different the world he came from was from Eve's. One of the most interesting aspects of this story was how the relationships formed so much differently from how they do for most books. I quite enjoyed how the relationships played out between all of the characters, whether romantically or just as friends. Altogether, reading about these characters was very entertaining and interesting to do.

The world built in Eve was believable and totally different at the same time. The writing described the setting in a way that made it understandable to the reader as well as keeping a bit of a foreign feel to it that is crucial to dystopian books. It was this balance that really made the setting really pop for me. The writing was very descriptive and informative, making sure that the reader knew all about the characters and their motives behind their actions. When it came to the plot of Eve, it kept moving at a swift pace, taking you from one event to another without delay.

How could I sum up my feelings about Eve? The first word that comes to mind is awesome. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian or someone who has yet to try out the genre. Without a doubt I would give Eve a 5/5.

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature done by The Story Siren. This week I was lucky enough to be able to attend an awesome author event. What event? Smart Chicks Kick It 2.0. On the stop I attended there were six awesome (and funny!) authors; Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Sara Zarr, Beth Revis, Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Margaret Stohl. Needless to say, I was starstruck the moment they entered the room. Though I may have bought a few more books than originally planned, I had an amazing time. If you get a chance, definitly go to one of the tour stops.

For Review:


Crossed by Ally Condie (Thanks to Penguin Group Canada)
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Thanks to HarperCollins Canada)
Touch by Jus Accardo (Thanks to Entangled Publishing)

Bought:


Across the Universe by Beth Revis (SIGNED!)
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (SIGNED!)
Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (SIGNED!)
Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr (SIGNED!)
Enthralled edited by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr (SIGNED!)
Fateful by Claudia Gray
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (SIGNED!)

So what did you guys get this week?