I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!

I NEED TO WATCH THIS NOW!

HODGE AND SIMON ARE PERFECT!

I watched this the moment it came out, but seeing as how I had to get back to studying because of the monumental amount of tests I had the next day, I couldn't post my response. But alas, here it is in the form of gifs and valley girl words!

At first I was all OMG THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING.

Then it started playing and Jace appeared and I was all like

But then Jace SPOKE and Clary put out her hand.

 

And I was all like WHAT? MUDAAAANNNNEEE? 

I knew they were going to have British accents, but SERIOUSLY?! Jace just sounds weird.

 I know once I see that he's still the Jace I love, cocky jerk and all, then I'll be happy.

But for now all I have left is watching and rewatching the trailer as my friends console me.

So yeah. WATCH THE TRAILER AND BE AMAZED.

Sneak Peak Sunday (26)

Last Kiss Goodnight 

by Gena Showalter

Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication: December 26th 2012 by Pocket Books

The breathtaking first novel in New York Times best selling author Gena Showalter’s new paranormal romance series, Otherworld Assassins, featuring a black ops agent who is captured and enslaved…and the beautiful deaf girl who holds the key to his salvation…
THE SWEETEST TEMPTATION…
Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.
THE ULTIMATE PRICE…
Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different—he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him…and he’ll be put to a killer test.

Here's me against fulfilling that terrible need for romance novels. What would me life be like without them? Well, for one, I wouldn't be so angsty about romance, and two, I'd probably go to more school dances rather than brood at home and read.
 *insert awkward laughter here*
Plus, I mean, it's Gena Showalter so it has to be good, doesn't it?

Sneak Peak Sunday (25)

Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries #1)
by Michele Vail
Paperback, 272 pages
Expected publication: November 20th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper-and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.
Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly-against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

It sounds interesting, reminds me a little of Fallen, but we'll see how that goes! :)

Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

Austenland
by Shannon Hale
Hardcover, 197 pages
Published May 29th 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Glasses: A Solid 4.0

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.
Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

My Thoughts
I heard about this book initially on a period blog that I follow. I've been going through a Jane Austen phase again recently, and after rereading Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and watching some BBC dramas, I had resorted to fervently following blogs about all period things.

(This is my favorite: Ask Mr. Darcy )

And so, when I found out about a book for people who love Austen's world as much as I do, and they were making a movie based on it, what else could I do? The next day I went to the library, borrowed it, and started reading immediately.

It started off pretty well. Jane's just a normal woman stuck in a rut, going from one relationship to the next, hoping to find her own Mr. Darcy - but to no avail. But wait! When her great aunt dies (one she barely knows) she leaves her great niece as vacation to  Pembrook Park, Kent, England (a.k.a. Austenland) in her will - a place where people pretend to live in regency era England. Filled with British actors, balls, and everything an Austen fan could ever dream of, Jane takes advantage of this vacation in the hopes that this will be her last hurrah in her day dreams before she has to move on into the real world. But, little does she know, a romance is brewing in Pembrook Park, and it involves a gardener and a man who's almost a little bit too similar to Darcy.

I loved almost everything about this book. Jane was funny, the insights on her past boyfriends at the beginning of each chapter were a hoot, the guys were so awesome, and the fact that it was all supposed to be in "Austenland" made it a gazillion times better. But, I suppose, that's also what I didn't like about it. When she's living in the fantasy land with these actors, a little blinking light kept going off in my head. She was living this one huge fat lie. There is no Mr. Nobley. There is no actual Ball. It's all a show that put on for people like her. And it's these times that I had trouble with - but luckly, they were few and far between.

Hale does a good job of keeping Jane set firmly in reality. Jane is self aware, assured, and doubts herself just enough to know she's not fully accepting this crazy illusion either. Mr. Nobley, however, I wasn't a huge fan of (and neither did I like Martin either). As adorable as the book was, the moments  where it turned into an "mock Austen" book, or where the guys had to do something that would have been really awkward to see an actor do in real life - even if it was for money - had me feeling a little awkward.

But, in the end, I loved Austenland, lies and all. And if J.J. Fields is going to play Mr. Nobley, then how could I resist!

Sneak Peak Sunday (24)

The Ingredients of Love
by Nicolas Barreau
Paperback, 272 pages
Expected publication: December 24th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

A charming restaurant
A book and its mysterious author
A little secret
A romantic meeting
Paris and all its magic . . .


Cyrano de Bergerac meets Chocolat and Amélie in this intelligent, charming, and entertaining publishing sensation from Europe.
While in the midst of a breakup-induced depression, Aurélie Bredin, a beautiful Parisian restaurateur, discovers an astonishing novel in a quaint bookshop on the Ile Saint-Louis. Inexplicably, her restaurant and Aurélie herself are featured in its pages. After reading the whole book in one night, she realizes it has saved her life—and she wishes more than anything to meet its author. Aurélie’s attempts to contact the attractive but shy English author through his French publishers are blocked by the company’s gruff chief editor, André, who only with great reluctance forwards Aurélie’s enthusiastic letter. But Aurélie refuses to give up. One day, a response from the reclusive author actually lands in her mailbox, but the encounter that eventually takes place is completely different from what she had ever imagined. . . . Filled with books, recipes, and characters that leap off the page, The Ingredients of Love by Nicolas Barreau is a tribute to the City of Light.

Paris? Romance? Comparing it to Amelie? Have an awe inducing synopsis? It basically the epitome of awe-inducing. I really want this for Christmas now!

Sneak Peak Sunday (23)

Time Between Us
by Tamara Ireland Stone
 Hardcover, 384 pages
Published October 9th 2012 by Hyperion

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.

"A beautifully written, unique love story." -- Melissa Marr, New York Times best-selling author of The Wicked Lovely series

“A warm, time-bending romance… [that] will have readers rooting for the couple that keeps daring fate.” -- Publishers Weekly

"Time Between Us is the very best kind of love story -- heart-pounding, intense, and unputdownable!" -- Elizabeth Scott, author of Bloom and Perfect You

"The story will hold readers with its twists and turns, present and future; its love, sadness, and anger; and especially, its surprising secrets." -- Booklist

Thoughts:
A romance with awesome reviews, timey-wimey romance, and set in San Fran and Chicago? What more can a girl ask for? I know I'm going to feel like Stephen Colbert - but in the best possible way. I can't wait to get my hands on it. :)

Plus the author has playlists for each character!? How awesome it that?

http://timebetweenus.com/playlists/

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)

Paperback, 379 pages
Expected publication: October 23rd 2012 by Harlequin Teen

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.
Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

THERE'S MORE PUCK!!! 

(because, let's be honest, he's spectacularly awesome.)

After finishing The Iron Knight I didn't know what to do with myself. But now that this is finally, FINALLY, coming out I finally know who's going to be replacing Ash as my fictional crush (although Puck will always be #1). Anyways, I'm tired and I have a butt load of homework to do, so let my gifs speak for themselves while I try and finish my english essay.

JUNIOR YEAR BABY!

I'M BACK!!!
And it's finally junior year (the one that counts).

I know it's been a while, but I've acclimated to the busy schedule that I'm on (I think), and I'm going to be updating a lot more often now! Yay!!!

What sucks is the outrageous amounts of homework I get with all the extra work I have on the side. Internships, fundraising for a trip abroad next summer, running school clubs, it's busy busy busy from now until the end of high school.

BUT FEAR NOT FELLOW BOOKWORM!

I'm going to keep reading - no matter what. So I hope you'll accept me back into your bookshelves as I read my way out of hell (aka junior year).

I knew four AP classes were a mistake.

Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend
by Marie Lu
Hardcover, 305 pages
Published November 29th 2011 by Putnam Juvenile
Glasses: 4.4 

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

My Thoughts

One of my friends had been bugging me to read this, so when I picked it up I had very high expectations. My first impression of the book was how pretty it was. There were different fonts and interesting colors plus a whole bunch of stuff that make it completely different from your normal run of the mill printed novel. Next was the story.

And can I just say, how adorable was the whole June/Day thing?! Awwww!!!! >.<

The plot was complex, interesting, exciting, and definitely kept you guessing. I loved this book a lot, but I wasn't completely enthralled. As June, a child prodigy for the Republic, tracks down Day, one of the nation's biggest criminals, she finds out just how twisted of an era they live in. One of the particular things I loved about the book was how it kept my guessing. I never knew what was going to happen next and when it did, I was really involved with the story. I got made when June got mad and got really upset with Day.

Overall, it was a really interesting and well worth read. However, there was a few things that I wasn't a big fan of. First and foremost was that their society was almost like every other tyrannical corrupt society in any other distopian novel out there. It was a weird mix of The Hunger Games with Across the Universe (minus the space stuff). Also, the ending was sort of off for me. I could live with that ending, despite it not being entirely conclusive, it was enough to make me feel closure. So to know that there's a second book kind of puts irks me. There are so many series coming out that I think it would be nice just to have a couple books be by themselves. Just simple non-series. As much as I love series in general, I think this would have been really good on its own.

But despite all that, I loved reading it. Check it out before the summer ends! :D

Sneak Peak Sunday (21)

Meant to Be
by Lauren Morrill 

Hardcover, 256 pages
Expected publication: November 13th 2012 by Delacorte

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.
It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

One Word: Superawesomecute.
As corny as it may sounds this book just speaks to me. Julia seems as relatable to me as my pillow case feels about my pillow. It's another opportunity to swoon and live vicariously through another person who, although shares my love for work ethics, gets to live a life in a far better way.

London + Nerds + Ominous Bad Boy Nemesis + Romantically Adorable Characters = Slightly Cliche Plot with a Twist of Originality that's going to get me hooked.

I'm going to buy this immediately when it comes out. I have a feeling it's going to be like a Fictionpress story, but a bazillion times better.

Plus, I mean, isn't that cover adorkable!?

And you know, while we're on cute stuff, let's watch Agnes ask for stuff:

Mothership (Ever-Expanding Universe #1)
by Martin Leicht, Isla Neal

Hardcover, 320 pages
Published July 10th 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Glasses: 4.89  

Teen pregnancy is never easy—especially not when extraterrestrials are involved. The first in a new trilogy.
Elvie Nara was doing just fine in the year 2074. She had a great best friend, a dad she adored, and bright future working on the Ares Project on Mars. But then she had to get involved with sweet, gorgeous, dumb-as-a-brick Cole—and now she’s pregnant.
Getting shipped off to the Hanover School for Expecting Teen Mothers was not how Elvie imagined spending her junior year, but she can go with the flow. That is, until a team of hot commandos hijacks the ship—and one of them turns out to be Cole. She hasn’t seen him since she told him she’s pregnant, and now he’s bursting into her new home to tell her that her teachers are aliens and want to use her unborn baby to repopulate their species? Nice try, buddy. You could have just called.
So fine, finding a way off this ship is priority number one, but first Elvie has to figure out how Cole ended up as a commando, work together with her arch-nemesis, and figure out if she even wants to be a mother—assuming they get back to Earth in one piece.

My Thoughts

There are no words to describe how much I loved this book. 

No words. No words.

I borrowed the book on the pretense that purple was my favorite color. It looked pretty, and yeah... pretty. However, that night when I was lying in bed I picked up the book and low and behold, it was about teenage pregnancy.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of books written about teenage pregnancy, but this was the exception. Elvie is witty, clever, smart, and everything what was not the stereotypical girl you'd find on 16 and Pregnant. Cole however, is the stereotypical guy; the player who can and can't deal with relationships. 

Now let's talk about their awesome space ship and the multitude of scenes filled with epic action sequences and jaw dropping twists. Seriously, with all the cool levels of the ship and crazy alien invaders, it's just... ugh.... SO AWESOME.

Now obviously, is this a rather terrible review. It's late and I'm taking the SAT tomorrow, so I'll sum up all of my conceivable feelings in a GIF.

Sneak Peak Sunday (20)

Crewel (Crewel World #1)
by Gennifer Albin 

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: October 16th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.
That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.
Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.
Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.
Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.
Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

It sounds really interesting, and definitely a mix of an odd distopian society with a tablespoon of fantasy. :)

Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel (Fever World #1)
by Karen Marie Moning

Hardcover, 352 pages
Expected publication: October 30th 2012 by Delacorte Press

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.
The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.
Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.
Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.
When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.
Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

There are no words. I LOVED the Fever Series. In my opinion, they were one of the best things I'd read in a really, really, really long time. I really want to read more about Dani, Mac, and, of course, Barrons. *Swoon* Isn't he amazing?

I can't wait!!!!!! :D

Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)
by Wendy Higgins

Paperback, 447 pages
Published May 1st 2012 by HarperTeen

Glasses:   1.6

Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

My Thoughts.

There are no words to describe how hard it was for me to finish this book. The only thing that pulled me though was the fact that I had wasted ten bucks on it. I didn't want to waste money so I had to read it. 

There were three main reasons why I hated this book so much. 

1.) Anna Whitt and Kaidan were bipolar, unrealistic, and indecisive characters that kept making choices and saying things that were completely stupid. Anna was prude, annoying, and so extremely wishy-washy.

2.)All the other characters seemed really annoying. All the other Nephilim, her step mom, her dad, Jay, that ridiculously old nun; they all could have been really interesting, but instead their turned into placid still characters with terrible dialogue.

3.) The story was ridiculous. Granted the plot picked up at a few places, even to the point where I was honestly engaged. But why was the road trip necessary? Did she really have to spend a huge chunk of the book trying to meet a dead nun that would give them a sword that would do practically nothing for the rest of the book? Give me a break.

Throughout the entire book I felt like strangling one of the characters. They all just seem so stupid and it turned me off. I really hoped at least someone had common sense, but they didn't.

That being said, I did think that the plot was very original. I might want to pick it up again in a couple of months to see if I still feel the same way, but I doubt I will. I know it's a pretty popular book among my friends, but if your in a critical mood with high expectations, stay away.

Read at your own risk.

Sneak Peak Sunday (18)

What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles #1)
by Kat Zhang

Hardcover, USA Edition, 356 pages
Expected publication: September 18th 2012 by HarperTeen

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…
For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

This reminds me a lot of The Host, what with the whole two souls in one body sort of thing.  And how could you say now to that cover? It's so pretty, and let's face it, pretty awesome.

Pushing the Limits
by Katie McGarry

Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: July 31st 2012 by Harlequin Teen (first published July 25th 2012)

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.   
"An edgy romance that pulls you in and never lets go. I was hooked!"-Gena Showalter,  New York Times bestselling author of the Intertwined series  
So wrong for each other...and yet so right.
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty muchimpossible.  Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I keep seeing the book cover, and although, I'm not a big fan of it, I think I'm going to give this . For some reason, the edgy creep stuff doesn't really appeal to me (I wonder why?). But this one sounds really interesting. Can't wait to get my hands on it. :)

Stacks Upon Stacks of Books (But not really)

I've finally created part of my summer reading stack for the summer. Isn't it pretty? I seriously doubt I'll be able to read all of it what with SAT Boot camp and all that, but I'm definitely going to try.

Plus I went to the dollar book store last week with some friends and bought some books on amazon with my birthday money I saved up. I think I'm an impulsive book buyer but I'm just going to ignore that fact and keep on buying stuff. It makes me happy.
Pshhh... I don't need help.

New books!!!! Gahhhh, they're so prettttyyy...

Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1)
by Darynda Jones
Hardcover, 310 pages
Published February 1st 2011 by St. Martin's Press 

Glasses: 4.0 

A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper
Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

My Thoughts:
I've been waiting for this book to be returned to the library for forever. Like literally, I don't know what was up with this lady, but I'm willing to bet her late fines are going to be huge. Anyway, I finally read it and I'm glad to say that the long wait was well worth it.

Charley Davidson can see ghosts. Charley Davidson is a private detective. Charley Davidson is awesome. She has by far been one of the most confident and likable characters I've read about in a really long time. She's tough, fights for what she wants, and doesn't seem afraid of anything. Throughout the book she tries to unravel the mystery of three lawyer's deaths all the while trying to figure out who the strange man in her dreams is.

Overall, I really liked the book. The mystery was intriguing and clever, the romance was there, and the action was abundant. However, I wouldn't go as far and say that this was either a mystery of a detective novel. If anything, it was both. The one critique I do have, is that although it wasn't a very full on mystery, I don't think there was enough romance to fully make up for it. It wasn't "steamy" as one of the reviews had said, nor do I think that there was enough of anything to make it romantic. If anything when it was romantic, it was slightly on the psychopathic end of the spectrum (not that it was terribly bad mind you, it was that good kind of psychopathic thing going on). Oh, and everything that happens to her? Very unrealistic, but I'm not upset about that, because this is about a women who uses ghosts to solve crimes. I don't judge.

And another thing, what was up with the cover? I mean, where did the rest of her leg go?!?
Other than that, it was a fun read and I'm really hoping that the second one is at the library tomorrow.

Sneak Peak Sunday (16)

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)by Deborah Harkness
Hardcover, 592 pages
Expected publication: July 10th 2012 by Viking Adult

"Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches
Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.
Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

Whenever I hear the names Diana and Matthew now I get a giggly. The first book was smart, complex, and fed my history nerd craving. Abet, the vampires and witches part weren't historically correct, but the technicalities don't matter. There's even a tour of Oxford. *sigh* Some day I'll go there and study. Some day! Stanford and Oxford here I come!