The Bursting Bookshelf

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.

Q. LET'S STEP AWAY FROM BOOKS FOR A SECOND AND GET PERSONAL. WHAT T-SHIRT SLOGAN BEST DESCRIBES YOU?

Well to be honest, it would probably be something to do with books like 'sit down and read'.

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy For Books made to help showcase your blog to other bloggers out there with the same interests!

Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!

This week I got My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent. Though I am really excited for this book, I accidentaly got this one instead of the first one. The first one is on it's way, but I cannot wait to read this series! At least I'll have the second one to read after the first!

Summary (from Goodreads):

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.
 
So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.
 
The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.

Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

Hey everyone, in case you didn't see, Hush, Hush is going to be a graphic novel! I don't know about you, but I am stoked for this.

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

Review:
After reading the synopsis of Misfit, I wanted to read it right away. It had a very intriguing concept, a half demon lead character trying to fit in. Demons are not as covered in YA fiction, so I knew I could not pass up the chance to read this unique book. And when I did, I had some mixed feelings about the book.

The cover of Misfit is fairly simple. It simple features the title and some smoke as a background. Unlike many other book covers, it does not feature a model or symbolic object. I found the cover to be a little too plain for my taste, but it certainly was not the worst cover I have ever seen. Overall, the cover could have used a bit more detail in my opinion.

The main character of Misfit was an okay protagonist. At times I could find her a little frustrating because she seemingly forgot about her best friend when her uncle showed up and she found out she was special. Aside from that detail, I didn't mind Jael. The other characters however, I found to be not as developed as I would have hoped for. I didn't mind the supporting characters, I just didn't find them to be that in depth. My favorite of all the supporting characters was probably Jael's father. I liked him because he was the most developed of the supporting characters and I got to learn some of his motives behind his actions through flashbacks throughout the story.

The pacing of this book was a weak point for me. I found that there would be very slow points in the book and then it would speed up into an action scene. I would have been more satisfied if the action scenes had been more evenly spread throughout the book. The writing of Misfit was quite detailed and interesting. I did enjoy the writing, and it never lost me along the way with facts or names.

When all was said and done, Misfit made for a good, simple read, and outside of the plot being fairly slow, the book came together fairly well. In my opinion it deserves a 3.5/5 overall.

The storyline of Pariah jumped into the action fairly quickly. It did not take long for trouble to strike and for the reader to find out all of the information needed to enjoy the book. In the beginning, the book was a little odd, but soon it got back on track as it gave you the information needed. The characters were built well in a very short amount of time with little text. Altogether, I found the novel to be very well together.

Overall, I believe Pariah Issue #1 deserves a 5/5 for being able to catch my attention in such a short amount of time and for having simply beautiful artwork. I hope I will be able to get my hands on the next issue, because I am for sure hooked.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

Review:
I know, I know. I read this book long ago, but I did not review it right away. So here it goes. In this third installment of The Mortal Instruments series, I found myself to be just as taken by the plot as with the last two books, if not more so. As the book reached it's climax, I was yet again astounded by the quality of Cassandra Clare's writing and just how descriptive it was. As for the characters we all know and love, they continued to grow stronger in character and find who they really were. If I have not mentioned it before, I am completely Team Jace. And in the end, fans will be pleased with the outcome of this amazing book. This book deserves a 5/5 in my opinion for being so well written and for being able to keep the reader's attention all the way through.

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.

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy For Books made to help showcase your blog to other bloggers out there with the same interests!

What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?

As of right now, I just can't get into historical fiction. I don't know why, but they just don't work for me.

Review:
I saw Ultraviolet on Netgalley, not knowing what it was about, but wanting to find out after seeing the gorgeous cover. When I got accepted to review it, was I ever reading it quickly. Well, you know that feeling you get when you finish a really good book and you wish it wasn't over? This book will definitely give you that feeling!

The first time I saw the cover of this novel, I lost myself in questions. Who is this girl? Why is everything I believe wrong? What does Ultraviolet have to do with the plot? Why is the character on the cover so sad? Apart from these questions, I also began to admire the colour of the cover and how the text is partially the purple of the cover and partly white. And it comes together so nicely that it is sure to catch the eye of anyone who walks by.

The characters in Ultraviolet could truly make you feel anything. They slowly earned your emotions as the book goes on. I loved Alison as a character because she was so real. Her insecurities were realistic and acknowledged throughout the book. I also liked how the love and feelings between her and love interest (which I won't name to avoid spoilers) were not instant. They developed throughout their time together, not just when they first met. As the book went on and the characters developed, I began to feel attachments to most of the secondary characters, making the cast of Ultraviolet a very well built group of characters.

The writing of this story is great at describing what Alison goes through on a daily basis, it's almost unbelievable. And the story is so effectively told, informing the reader with all the information they need through seamless flashbacks and conversations with the other characters in the story. You really feel as though you are a part of this mysterious novel from page one, as it drags you in and won't let you go until the last page.

Overall, Ultraviolet was an astounding read with a huge surprise twist that will have you gripping the book long after you have finished it. I give it a 5/5 for being just that spectacular.

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature done by The Story Siren. This week I got some really awesome books that I'm very excited to read!



For Review:
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts (Thanks to Simon &Schuster Canada)
Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez (Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada)

Gifted:
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for some great books this week!

1) Wow, your debut novel Wildefire was just amazing! I loved it! Where did you get the idea to use all of that mythology?

Thanks! Part of my heritage is Norwegian, so I grew up fascinated with Norse myth. The study of that eventually directed me to all the other mythologies of the world, and I had a thought: What if, instead of focusing on just a single mythology, the gods and goddesses of all the pantheons were reborn every hundred years, to coexist on earth among mortals?

2) What was your initial reaction to finding out that you would be published?

Shock that lasted for about a month. It was a Monday morning, and it happened really fast. I woke up at 9am, took a shower at 9:05,got a call from my future editor at 9:15, and had an offer memo in my inbox by9:30. I was completely blindsided. 

3) Did you use any parts of your life as inspiration for your novel?
You mean aside from my turbulent youth as a Polynesian volcano goddess growing up in the suburbs? There really wasn’t much real-life inspiration for Wildefire. Neither of my sister are sociopathic storm goddesses. I never had a steamy affair with a local park ranger.

4) Who was your favorite character to write?

Hey everyone, just wanted to quickly tell you that I recently did an interview with Such a Teenage Bookworm! Click here to go see it! Hope you guys enjoy!

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.

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy For Books made to help showcase your blog to other bloggers out there with the same interests!

How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?

Most of my books come from the library or my local bookstore. The only online place I get books from is Chapters.

Hey everyone! I just got one book yesterday and man does it look awesome!



For Review:
Eve by Anna Carey (Thanks to HarperCollins Canada)

Thanks HarperCollins Canada!

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.
 
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Review:
After reading tons of raving reviews about this book, I finally decided to buy it, as my first ever eBook for my Kobo. Now I am left to wonder why I took so long to buy it. I have really liked mythology based books for a while now and this one did not end that streak. The story of this novel is incredibly unique- it takes the story of Persephone and retells it in a way that is fresh and relate-able for teens. Plus, there are some awesome twists and turns around every corner in this book. One of the most refreshing aspects of this novel was that there was no instant, head over heals love involved. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy that sort of book, but I come across that theme quite frequently in all the books I read. The book was very well written and I really enjoyed reading about the characters and seeing the Greek gods with personalities that made them feel much closer to being human. This book gets a 5/5 for living up to all the hype that surrounds it.

Hey everyone! I only got one book this week, but I am super excited for it anyway.



Bought:
Twisted by Sara Shepard

What did you guys get this week?

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

Review:
Before receiving this book for review, I had never heard of it before. When I saw the cover however, I fell hard for it. I dove in, expecting an amazing read, but unfortunately, that is not what I found.

The cover for this book is gorgeous online, but on the ARC in person, it is something else. The letters are embossed and the cover will be soft touch. On the final copy, apparently it will have foil. Awesome right? The coolest part of the entire cover is how the cover model's hair turns to smoke and then if you turn the book over, there is some of the hair/ smoke below the summary. That has to be one of the coolest covers.

My troubles over this book begin with the characters. I did not care for Emily that much. She did not respect her friend enough to leave her boyfriend, Zach, alone and she did not respect herself enough to stop being with Zach even when he was quite clearly just playing her. I found it odd how she did not realize that she was being used for the longest time, which also was partially why I did not care for her. Chase on the other hand was in a tough place in his life, putting on a facade everyday to keep other people from getting too close to him. What I found I disliked about him though is how easily fooled he was during most of the book and how he trusted people too easily as well. I found that I enjoyed Chase more than Emily, though they were not my favorite main characters ever.

Fury is set in two different perspectives; that of Chase and Emily. I liked how that gave you insight into what they were thinking when they did some of the things they did. What I did not enjoy was how the characters were so easily tricked into doing these things throughout the story. Though I did not care for the story, the book was well written besides the fact that the characters had a tendency to swear a little too often in my opinion. The ending of Fury was very open ended. I did not find it to be a cliffhanger, but more of an end that you could stop reading the series at or continue on with the books.

Overall, I did not care for a lot of the aspects of Fury all that much. I give it a 3/5, but I will be giving the second book a try when it comes out.

 
 
 
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Review:
I received this book in the mail a while back (before the Canada Post strike/ lock out) and I could not wait to dive in to it. I had seen the cover and a countdown on another blog and had thought about how gorgeous the cover was. When I stumbled across the official synopsis later, I was beyond curious. Needless to say that when it showed up, I was reading it ASAP! Did I enjoy it? Yes multiplied by a million.

When I first saw the cover of this book, I wanted to know more about it immediately. Who are the two characters on the cover? Is the male a antagonist? Is he a love interest? What are his intentions? How about the girl? Is she in trouble? Why are they underwater? These were some of the first questions I thought upon looking at this cover. After my initial thoughts, I fell in love with this cover and felt drawn to read the book.

The lead character in this novel was Mara Dyer. She had recently gone through a tragedy involving her closest friends, which lead her family to move to sunny Florida to help Mara put her memories behind her and obtain a fresh start. Enter Noah, the care free bad boy with a even worse reputation to boot. The process that brought romance between these two characters was NOT instant, which I found very refreshing. I very much enjoyed these characters because of how they were very realistic. They were like real teenagers to me. Amongst the secondary characters I also had some favorites. One of them being Jamie. I loved Jamie for how genuine he seemed.

My one problem with this book lies in the language that was often used. At times it seemed a little excessive. Apart from that one point, I loved the writing for this novel. It was amazingly submersing for the reader and it was uber-intriguing. Plus, there were unexpected points of humour throughout the book, often through the banter that passed between Noah and Mara. The storyline itself was very mysterious and full of twists and turns you would never see coming. Especially the ending. I never in a million years saw that coming.

I cannot wait for the next book in this series, and until then I give The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer a 5/5 despite my dislike of some of the language used. This book was a never-let-you-go thrill ride that I would recommend to anyone, especially someone who likes very mysterious books with a hint of paranormal added in.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Review:
After hearing all the hype that was being built up around Starcrossed and seeing all the great reviews it was getting, I knew that I would be picking it up the day it came out. Lucky enough for me, my local bookstore (best bookstore EVER!) got it in a few days early and I dove into it and devoured it. Wow, was it ever good. I loved how Helen and Lucas had such amazing chemistry all the time, even when they wanted to kill each other, literally. The writing was fairly descriptive and smooth, making the reader feel immersed and a part of Helen's world. I really enjoyed that other points of view were involved, but not too frequently that it became all about those other characters. The story itself was my favorite part of this book. Just the fact that I have never read anything like this was a huge part of it for me. When all was said and done, Starcrossed was a hugely lovable story that puts a twist on mythology, earning it a 5/5.

For Review:
Misfit by Jon Skovron
The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson
Ward Against Death by Melanie Card
Dragon's Pupils - The Sword Guest by Martin Chu


Bought:
Lilac Kobo Touch
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
The Strang Case of Finley Jane by Kady Cross