My BLOG, BOOK and TWITTER week :)

In case you missed it, this week I:

...blogged about WHAT I WANT MY BLOG TO BE AND HOW I PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH MY GOALS

...reviewed THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE by APRIL HENRY and gave it 3 / 5 Stars -- a quick read that while I didn't love, I do think others will really enjoy

...reviewed ORIGINS: THE FIRE  by DEBRA DRIZA and gave it 4 / 5 Stars -- a really short prequel novella that got me excited for MILA 2.0

...shared MY LOVE FOR JORDAN DANE and her upcoming sequel (and might have fangirled a little)

...had nothing book related to talk about for the 4th so I SHARED MY 4th OF JULY INSPIRED MANICURE

Also this week in Twitterland I:

...started ESTELLAGRAMing -- head over to The Estella Society to check it out!
July 2: Chapter 1 (Taken by Erin Bowman)
July 3: Last Line (Storm Watcher by Maria V. Snyder)
July 5: Burn (Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian)

...was reminded that I need to UPLOAD MY REVIEW of The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner to Amazon -- along with tons of other reviews!

...learned about  Barnes and Noble's SUMMER READING PROGRAM for kids -- thank you @TheBookVixen!

...found NetGalley's new NEW ADULT CATAGORY!

...found SHAUNTA GRIMES debut in my local indie

...was reminded to DOWNLOAD MY FREE AUDIO BOOK this week -- thank you @booksandwine

....found THE MOST HILARIOUS book description on Amazon (for Twilight fan-fic -- go figure ;)


And finally, right now I'm:

...reading Taken by Erin Bowman -- about halfway through and I have no idea what is going to happen!

How was your week?!

Happy 4th of July - now with nail pics!

For all my US readers -- Happy Independence Day!

For all my non US readers -- Happy 4th day of July ;)

I just couldn't help it - I had to share my 4th of July inspired nails.

Nothing book related in this post - just some shiny things to look at :)

For anyone who is curious, these are the polishes I used:

*China Glaze Strong Adhesion

*China Glaze, Ruby Pumps

*Sally Hansen, Cha-Ching!

*Orly, Silver Pixel

*Essie, Aruba Blue

*Sinful Colors, Hottie

*Finger Paints Top Coat

Hope everyone has a fabulous day!

Cover Love: Crystal Fire by Jordan Dane

So, I'm not head over heals for this cover but I do love how it goes so well with he first book.

Indigo Awakening was a great read for me and I can't wait for this one!

If you haven't read any of Jordan Dane's books I suggest you fix that right now!

Crystal Fire (Hunted #2)

Jordan Dane

November 26, 2013 from Harlequin Teen

Because of what you are, the Believers will hunt you down.

A storm is brewing on the streets of LA, one that has intensified since a tragic and deadly confrontation claimed an innocent life.

While Gabriel Stewart trains his army of teen psychics to stop Alexander Reese—the obsessed leader of the Believers—the fanatical church becomes more bent on the annihilation of all Indigo and Crystal children. They're silencing the voices of the telepathic hive, one soul at a time, with frightening experiments cruelly executed on vulnerable minds.

When the Believers torture a mysterious homeless boy, Oliver Blue, they brainwash him into betraying his own. The boy becomes a deadly pawn to take Gabriel down. As the fires of chaos burn around him, Gabe is running out of time. He'll need to confront his past—and the man who made him—before the hope of peace for the future is silenced forever.

(from Goodreads)

Here are the 2 covers side by side -- love the colors!

Jordan Dane's YA Books:

In The Arms of Stone Angels (my review)
On A Dark Wing (my review)
Indigo Awakening (my review)

I've read Jordan's 3 YA books and I've been thinking of picking up one of her adult titles as well as I love her writing.

What about you?

Origins: The Fire by Debra Driza

E-novella / Short Story

MILA 2.0 #0.5

January 2013 from Katherine Tegen Books

free download

Kindle / Nook

Synopsis:

Mila can't remember anything before the fire that took her father's life. It's normal to have some memory loss after traumatic events, but Mila doesn't remember if she's ever learned to ride a bike, or if she's ever been in love. Nothing.

What she doesn't know is that she isn't supposed to remember—that she was built in a computer science lab and programmed to forget. Because if she remembers, she might discover her true identity.

The question is: If she relived the fire, what would she see?

(from Goodreads)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A very quick, very fast and very frightening read. I'm not a fan of fire - or reading about being trapped in a fire - or escaping a fire - or surviving a fire and...that's pretty much all this short story is!

Although it is short and not much (besides fire!) happens, I did fell like I got a sense of who Mila is. I liked what I saw and I would very much like to read more of her.

Felt sort of like a first chapter - where we get a little tease as to what's to come without a whole lot of background or details. Very much made me want to run out and buy MILA 2.0 as soon as I was done! (UPDATE: I did! It's sitting on my shelf now begging to be read!)

Without having yet read MILA 2.0 I can't say how 'crucial' this short story is to the plot but it's an enjoyable read none the less. If you're on the fence about starting this series, this short might help you make up your mind.

Rating:

4 / 5 Stars

The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die by April Henry

The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die

April Henry

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication: June 2013 from Henry Holt
Pages: 224
Format: ARC
Acquisition: I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for my review

Synopsis:

“Take her out back and finish her off.”

She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

(from Goodreads)

There was so much about this book that I really loved but unfortunately, the implausibility of it all was just too much.

The premise is great - what would you do if you woke up with no memory with the voice of your potential killer ringing in you ears? I for one, would hope I would be as brave and insightful as Cady was. She might have lost her memory but she never loses herself. She's a strong character and despite what she is going through she doesn't waiver.

Cody's strengths however, for me, turned into her faults. She finds a way through everything - too easily. The good guy who shows up at the perfect moment and who instantly wants to risk his life for her - the bad guy who gives her all the details of everything before messing up and allowing her to escape (this actually happens several times) -- it's all just too much. Cady is strong because its easy to be. Her situations are so over the top, she almost could have done nothing and it felt like everything would still work out for her in the end.

While I initially felt very connected to Cady, as the book wore on, this connection grew weaker and weaker. By the time her story came to a close, I wasn't much interested.

And that ending? Not enjoyable. Will she make it? Oh no, the bad guy found her! Poof! The End with a cherry on top. It made very little sense.

Now, do I think others will enjoy The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die more then I did? Absolutely. I'm a pretty tough critic when it comes to thrillers and I know a lot of what I didn't like about this book are totally my personal 'issues'. So, yes, I do think others would very much connect with Cady more then I did.

A quick YA read with only a slight romantic twinge, this one could be a light thriller I think a lot of different readers would enjoy. I encourage you to not take only my word on this one - go seek it out for yourselves!

Rating

3 / 5 Stars