The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Hardcover, First Edition, 313 pages
Published Janurary 10th 2012 by Dutton Juvenille


Rating: 5 Stars. Truly. 






Summary:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

My Thoughts.

This review is going to be rather short because I think it's sort of an injustice to review a book like this. It was beautifully written and utterly heartbreaking in all the best ways possible. Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters were complex and completely real people that you grew to care about. I can't say very much without giving something away but I can state without a reasonable doubt that it was one of the best books I've ever read.

I loved it.

Hazel and Augustus's relationship was beautiful and really pulls at your heartstrings. 

Please just read it.

What I Loved:

• The bittersweet humor. You can't talk about cancer without getting sad, but when John Green throws in a little humor in there it turns it all around.
• Augustus Water's Soul. He just is.
• "An Imperial Affliction" and Peter Van Houten. His douche bagginess at the worst of times makes me want to hurl and cry and laugh at the same time.
• Everything. 'nuff said.

What I Hated.

• I hated the ending. In a very good way.

Should You Read it?

I know this wasn't a very good review but every time I think about it I still get teary eyed. Read it and understand. Please. :)

Cover:

4.5 Stars

The cover of the novel doesn't reveal very much at all, but it's simple and sweet, just like the story it tells.

Few of the Most Anticipated Books of 2012

It's been two weeks into January and there are only going to be more books to come out. 
It's only going to get better!

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare
In Book 5: City of Lost Souls, the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world after a betrayal by one of their own leaves them reeling.

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver
I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, 
pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, 
push, 
push, 
push, 
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand
For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Incarnate (New Soul #1) by Jodi Meadows
NEWSOUL 
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why. 

NOSOUL 
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame? 

HEART 
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

The days tick by and I can't wait to get my hands on 'em. Definitely looking forward to all thinks Cassandra Clare. 

In My Mailbox! (2)

I bought some new books this week! I'm still on my little online shopping high from Christmas. I mean, gift cards were meant to be used and I mean, why waste them on stuff when you can get books?! Pssh... come on. ;p

*Precursor Rant on Romance Novel Covers Below*

However, I didn't actually order stuff, well not really. The last two are ebooks (the second book has a weird cover and I had to find an alternate cover for the last book). I don't want to have to walk out in public with books that have half naked people on them. God only knows how crazy people think I already am. I mean, I could have borrowed them from the library, but these are people I'm going to see again *shudders*. I have to save some of my dignity. 

I  abhor romance novel covers. They're stupid and kind of disturbing. I mean, I have to make little makeshift covers these books in order to take them out of my room. I mean, I might be a partial prude, but you have to admit that some of those romance novel covers in the back aisle of drug stores make you want to wince. Granted, they are not crappy romance novels (however I have a feeling my friends think so and believe I'min denial x3). But I'll stand next to my opinion: They are legitimate novels with amazing plots! 

Plus it doesn't hurt that I imagine every single guy (over 30!) as Micheal Fassbender. My imagination sucks sometimes so he's me default. heheh...  

So now that we've got that out of the way, let me show you what ebooks I bought this week. :)

Changeless by Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

Probably my favorite steam punk series ever right now.

Covet by J.R. Ward (Fallen Angels #1) ebook*

Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charge with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he's good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul. 

I really loved her Black Dagger Brotherhood Series and I can't wait to start reading this one. They're always very original. :)

 Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning (Highlanders #1) ebook*


He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart - until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne di Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue.

I recently finished Moning's Fever Series which I loved! For obvious reasons I kinda chose another cover because I can't stand looking at some half naked guy on the cover. One's enough for the day. If you click on the link however you can see the paperback cover of the novel. :)

Anywho, that's what I bought! Once I read 'em I'll be sure to start churning out the reviews!

by Jennifer E. Smith


Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A. 

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. 

I can't wait to get my hands on this book! The trailer looks absolutely adorable, and they even have another for Oliver. It came out a couple days ago and went straight to my wish list. I mean, doesn't the quirky title say it all?

Review: Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson

Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson

Paperback, 320 pages

Published April 25th 2006 by Ballantine Books

Three Stars









Summary:

Click your heels three times and say, “There’s no place like Bloomies!” 

Katie Chandler’s life is pure magic–literally. As an executive assistant at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., she’s seen more than her share of fantastical occurrences. A mere Manhattan mortal, Katie is no wizard, but she’s a wiz at exposing “hokum” pocus, cloaked lies, and deceptive enchantments. And she’s fallen under the all-too-human spell of attraction to Owen, a hunky wizard and coworker. Owen, however, is preoccupied. Someone has broken into his office and disrupted top-secret files, and it reeks of an inside job. CEO Merlin (yes, the Merlin) and taps Katie and her special ability to uncover the magical mole. 

Keeping her feelings in check while sleuthing alongside Owen, Katie is shocked to discover that her immunity to magic is waning, putting her in grave danger. Soon she’s surrendering to the charms and enchantments of everyone and everything around her, including a killer pair of red stilettos. Katie must now conjure up her natural instincts to get to the bottom of the break-in, regain her power, and win the wizard of her dreams.

My Thoughts.


I read the first book in the series, Enchanted, Inc. early last year and I really liked. It sort of Harry Potter / Chick Lit all rolled into one. The story was fluffy and light, and the characters were new and funny. Once Upon Stilettos continues where the last book left off and does a good job at keeping that happy feeling in the air.


Katie Chandler, a human who isn't affected by magic and works at a big company that makes magical products in New York, is a really amusing character. Not only does she have to deal with her love life, but she has to juggle her tasks at finding the company mole, her parents, her friends, and the evil company competitors.


Although I don't think it was as good as the last book, it wasn't a huge disappointment. Her relationship develops with Ethan as well as Rod and the ever dreamy Owen. It does get a bit redundant at times and its really easy to get frustrated with some of the characters. However, I did really like very real work atmosphere in the novels. If only I could work at a place like that...


What I Liked.

• Merlin. I love that her boss is the great magician Merlin. Not only is he a big sweet heart, he understands her mistakes and isn't afraid to take control. He would've made an awesome grandpa.
• The fairy coworkers. You'd think they'd be deceptive and conniving creatures, but they're really relatable characters, people you'd love to have at your own job. They're quirky, unpredictable, and nice - with the obvious few exceptions. Katie's work space dynamic is great.
• The relationships. Not only does she have Ethan as her boyfriend, there's Owen who walks her to work every day and seems to act in as her best friend in her work space. There's also Rod who's looks drastically improve as her sight seems to go away. The way she handles it is quirky, entertaining, and amusing to read about. It's never to angsty and has just the right amount of cute.
• The mystery spy during the holidays. Not only does Katie to arrange all the holiday events at her work, she has to track down a spy that's cluing the in evil guys on their work. Secret Santa exchanges have never been more exciting.
• Her amazingly fabulous stilettos. They're bold, daring, and if I wasn't so tall I would totally wear them. You can tell there's something off about the shoes and I think it play rather well with the rest of the plot.

What I Didn't Like.

• Her parents visiting her in New York. I don't have anything against her parents nor do I adhere to parents visiting their children over Thanksgiving. I just found that their visit seemed almost like Swendson had nothing else to write about. They didn't contribute anything really important to the story and it didn't seem like they were sent there to foreshadow or set up something important for the future. I was definitely more than a little put off.
• Katie's roommates. You know that they're there, you just never see them. Sure there are the occasion conversations with them, but it hardly seems like they're that big apart of her life. You think that sharing an apartment with them would make them more relevant characters.
• Idris. I know he's supposed to be the antagonist in this story, but he doesn't seem like a very good one. I keep thinking he looks like some frat boy turned nerd who wears over sized glasses and torments people in strange and entertaining ways. Evil? I think not.
• The ending. It ended too abruptly for me, leaving very little closure for the two characters between books. *spoiler* It's one of those cliche endings where they kiss. Meh.

Should You Read It?

Have you read the first book? No? Read it, come back, and then decide. Read it? If you're in the mood, pick it up, but try not to hold really high expectations.

Looking for a bit of light reading? I would stay clear. However, if you're in the neighborhood for a non-serious story with an adorable plot, cute guys, and quirky fairy coworkers give it a try. It's a quick read and goes along quite well with the first book in the series.

Cover Rating

2.5 Stars

It's very '90s and, well, it looks odd. Plus the frog looks really awkward on the cover and kind of misleading. This is not a frog filled book (there are a few, but it's not like, "LOOK! Frog number 44!").

I FINALLY GOT IT!

It finally came in the mail today and it's signed in green sharpie! I can't wait to read it, I heard that it was amazing.


*Happy dance*


I absolutely adore all of his books! I heard him read the first chapter and can't imagine how much sadder it can get.


*note: I actually got it yesterday but I wasn't able to post this in time. x3

Series Overview: The Fever Series

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever


Overall Series Rating

Four and a Half, but I'll round. ;P




Winter break ended on a high note, fo'sho. My reading list for 2011 is offically over! But looking past all that gangster speak, reading Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series was one of the best decisions I made during my break from classes.


Five days, five books, and a whole lot of awesomeness.
Because I read them so fast, it's going to take me a while to review all of them so I thought I'd just like do one quick series overview so I can move on with my to-read list. 


Summary for Darkfever (Fever #1)

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….
As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….

And that's how the story begins. Interesting, isn't it? I can't reveal that summaries for the next four books without spoiling anything, but if your in for a very different kind of romance novel then this is the story for you.


My Thoughts.

If your looking for a good romance novel with an amazing plot then definitely pick this up. I mean, Jericho Barrons is the most interesting man on the planet - well in Dublin at least.
The entire series as a whole was interesting, capitaving, and drew me in with its mysteries and hopes for the two main characters, Mac and Barrons. At first this isn't a romance at all, but it soon becomes one as their lives are intertwined.


The series in general had a really good pace, however the amount of foreshadowing that occurred in the first three books really gave away a lot of things. However, the last book completely and utterly redeems itself in some ways, and leaves us still with questions unanswered. 
But would I read it again? Psh, yeah.


*SPOILER-Y REVIEW BELOW*

Review: Will Gray, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leviathan

Hardcover, 310 pages

Published April 6th 2010 by Dutton Juvenile

Five Stars

Summary:

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them both legions of faithful fans.

My Thoughts.


I'm not going to lie and say this book made me laugh out loud during math class. My teacher assumed it was because of the odd problem we were doing, but cosine graphs are only so funny (in fact, they're not all hilarious). 
The summary doesn't really give much away, but it's a story about two boys who share the same name. One's gay, the other's straight. This is a novel that tells their story.
Will Grayson and Will Grayson are two complete different characters with their own completely different set of problems. Straight Will Grayson and Gay Will Grayson do share one similarity: Tiny. 


Tiny is what made this book for me. Tiny is the reason why I want to be in a musical (yes, there are musicals involved in this book).

“Tiny Cooper is not the world's gayest person, and he is not the world's largest person, but I believe he may be the world's largest person who is really, really gay, and also the world's gayest person who is really, really large.” 

With an introduction like that you can't really go wrong. But there's more to the book than just Tiny (who scarily resembles some football player I sit next to in history class).The problems that these two boys have to make are real and believable. One's having trouble figuring out who he really is, and the other is discovering that's next after you've come out of the closet. I cried, I laughed, and I loved it. 


What I Loved.

• The Wittiness. I love wit and snappiness in my characters and these definitely delivered. I mean, when a character says, “dating you would be like a series of unnecessary root canals interspersed with occasional makeout sessions.” you know you've hit the jack pot.
• The Sheer Fabulous-ness of Tiny Cooper and his Musical. Is he not fabulous? When he decides to make a musical about his life with lyrics like "I was born this way / Big boned and happily gay / I was born this way / Right here in the U.S.A." there are no words to describe how awesome it gets. This proves it, Lady Gaga stole from Tiny Cooper!
• Straight Will Grayson. He's confused that he doesn't know his place in the lives of others. He's upset that his friend named a character in his musical practically after him. And he has to deal with the drama that school comes with. You grow and understand what he's going though because it's totally relatable.
• Gay Will Grayson. There are so many books out there that deal with coming out with your sexuality, but there aren't very many books about what happens after. This is one of the few. Will knows who he is, and he's accepted this fact. This story is about him living with it and dealing with his depression that seems to be ever present in his life.
• The IMs. Normally I don't like them very much, but it helped tell the story and was very amusing.

What I Didn't Really Like.

• The lowercasing of Gay Will Grayson's chapters. I'm going to sound like a complete arse but I like my capitalization the way it is. I got used to it and I totally got what they were trying to convey, but it kind of bugged me. 
• Maura. She's a bee with an itch.

Should You Read It?

Yes! Go! Be enlightened by Tiny Cooper!

Cover: 3 stars

As pretty as it is, I thought it was going to be some distopian alternate universe sort of story. I only wish it could reveal a little more of what kind of book it is.

DFTBA!