Sadly, Ally C. is not doing an exclusive with my blog but I'm continuing reviewing her books. They're like a reader high (or that may just be me). Anyways today's review: Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy (sequel to LYKY)
Cross My Heart is a light fun read that you love to get into because it immerses you in the world f a teenage spy girl and also doesn't fall flat as a sequel. CMH doesn't fail to deliver sass, pizzazz, covert assignments and one of the best ballroom scenes penned down. Enjoy and bless you Ally Carter for being you with the clean content (save for some kissing) and hilarious put downs.
Today's blog-post(s): in which I blog about a trilogy. Hopefully, I get everything down and correct.
The Mortal Instruments series is by Cassandra Clare (AKA A GODDESS) and I haven't blogged about these books. Guys, WHAT THE FUDGE?! WHY HASN'T ANYONE POINTED THIS OUT.
*stares at the archives* oohhh, this is my blog. my responsibility. =)
KK, I shall start with the beginning: City of Bones
Clary Fray has been normal most her life. Then one night while she's at the Pandemonium club with her BFF Simon (the geek), she sees three teens covered in markings. Yep, these guys are the Shadowhunters (which can also be referred to as the Slayers in this story) and Clary has the "Sight". Then her life isn't the same because of the Sight meanwhile, the Shadowhunters are trying to prevent a war with Valentine (AKA the BIG BAD). See Valentine here has been attempting to get the Mortal Instruments when during one try he manages to get one of the instruments (the Mortal Cup, Sword and something else) and then the man is HELL-BENT on ridding the world of those who aren't Shadowhunters and the rest of the cast (Alec,Simon,Clary,Jace,Isabelle,Magnus, Maryse,Max and a butt-load of other characters) have to stop Valentine. Now the Mortal Instruments series is super great. It has lots of action, plenty of romance, a love triangle, and one hell of a roller coaster ride through the entire series. That said I didn't love Clary so much. She was whiny and a bit of a Mary-Sue, however there were times where she redeemed herself but overall Clary was one character Cassandra Clare could've worked on for a little longer.
I. am. SO. sorry for the erratic posting. One week I am, another I'm not and ahh!!! But don't worry because I read books! which are part of a series so this next four days, they shall be filled with reviews and such! YAY!!!! Also, I've been finding books to giveaway as prizes for the YA Sisterhood's Summer Crush Tournament advocates and such. I also WATCHED HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2. I cried. And laughed. And rejoiced. And then I stared at my computer for several days with glassy eyes as I realized there will be no more Harry Potter movies and then I lost it. But then I got out of it. :)
Cammie Morgan is your ordinary girl. She goes to school and takes classes but the similarities end there. Cammie "The Chameleon" goes to the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Instead of all those regular classes a boarding school has, they have Covert Operations (Cove-Ops), Ancient Languages, Countries of the World (CoW), Culture and Assimilation, and Protection and Enforcement (P&E). Of course, what makes things even better is that the new Cove Ops teacher is real eye candy which is great to the all female student body. And then things start to get hectic, as the daughter of a Senator and cosmetic heiress, Macey McHenry, is sent to the Gallagher Academy. Madness ensues as well as one cute clueless boy sets his sights on the Chameleon, Cammie. Yep, everything was so much easier before boys were involved.
I adored LYKY because of Ally Carter's fresh take on the teenage boarding school and put in spies, clandestine covert missions and shoes and clothes. They were so smashing when I first read them (which was like in 4th grade) and they've been a part of me too. Kinda like Harry Potter. The next books in the series don't disappoint either!
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And here is this week's question:
"What is your favourite book-to-movie adaptation?"
Well If we can do *comic-books* in place of the book (because hey it's a book with pictures!) I'd say it would be the Batman comics turned into Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. They're super duper good (IMO) and Christian Bale does an absolutely bang-up job as haunted-by-the-murder-of-his-parents playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne/vigilante Batman. And, I do love me some awesome comic books. Also, tied for that it'd be the Harry Potter series, which will end tonight/tomorrow and it makes me very happy/sad/ and just plain freaked out. Anyways, sorry for the late post!
Today I'll be reviewing Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Dear god, how much I love this book cannot be fathomed. Anyways, let's get on with the review segment.
Goodreads!!: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?
So I thought AtFK was pretty amazing. And hysterical. Granted, I hadn't slept in two days so my brain was all loopy but it's pretty funny on its own too! AtFK is a YA Contemporary Romance novel and I luuuurved it, so so much!!! I usually don't read Contemporary OR Romance so the fact that I read this was a mystery to me! Anyways, the book starts off with Anna, our sweet and sassy *shocker, I know* protagonist, unpacking in the SOAP (School of America in Paris) and her parents leaving. Let's just say that Anna's dad is a Nicholas Sparks-y type of person (a douchenozzle, if you will) and through Anna, you feel the dislike she holds against her dad. Hell, If I had a dad like hers, I would've have such a cry of rebellion a long time ago. But as Anna gets used to SOAP, she makes fast friends with Mer, Josh, Rashmi and Etienne St.Clair. These characters are all lively, rich and totally teenagers with relationship problems. You could consider them to be "outcasts' but not really because they're all awesome. So back to the review, I think that AtFK is such a good book because the characters are all flawed and human!!!! They FIGHT like FRIENDS!!! They GROW throughout the book with EACH OTHER'S HELP!!!!
I think I have far too many scenes that I love in AtFK because Stephanie Perkins is. just. damn. cool. A few of the scenes:
WHYAREYOUGIVINGAWAYTHECOOKIES? The November Holiday at School, the table dancing (don't ask, just read), the long distance calling, the escalator scene, the "you're alone in Paris with no adults and you haven't drunk yet?" moment (ahh peer pressure *grins*), the KISS moment (whoops...), Anna's first tour in Paris (with St.Clair, no less!) and more. Trust me, you'll LOVE this book!
also because I feel this is sort of what Anna's and St.Clair's relationship is: (I know it's Taylor Swift but you can't deny the music *shrug*)
Alrighty guys have a FABULOUS weekend and I'll come back Monday (or sooner!)
P.S doesn't Benjamin Stone look like St.Clair? NO, just a little bit? Meh, who do you think would be a good St.Clair
So I finally got around to reading Hourglass by Myra McEntire and I am SO glad I read it! Like this is one book that I was glad to have read and will be a carry-on to wherever I go!
Goodreads Review: One hour to rewrite the past . . .
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?
Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.
Hourglass in five words: entrancing, witty, stunning, heart-racing, and red-HOT hot.
Words cannot capture what Hourglass is. It's a paranormal, time-slip (time travel) novel. It has southern hospitality, hot boys and time travel. Emerson is a head strong character who has her own agenda and doesn't like being told what to do. That being said, she still loves her brother Thomas and his wife Dru dearly because they've helped her with her condition and don't judge (as much as the entire town of Ivy Springs has). I loved Em's best friend Lily because she was sweet and also didn't judge Em. Wish I had a friend like her when I was in 8th grade. Em has been seeing people to help with the condition but they don't help because a.) they're all shams and b.) only in it because her brother has paid top dollar to help lil sis. This time, Em gets a surprise visit (at the opening of Dru's restaurant) and wow, he's stunner. He's barely older than Em, but he gets her because he also has what Em has. The fun thing about Emerson is that while she thinks she's crazy, she can see rips and Michael, well, he has the exact same thing. I loved the chemistry between those two and they had a very saucy scene the second time he meets her again. Boy oh boy, did that scene make summer hotter!
So while readers were like "Oh dear god, just kiss already!" they can't because Michael promised Thomas that nothing personal would go on between him and Em *snorts* Ya right, let's see how that goes. I also loved how Michael kept trying to gain Em's trust but was all like "don't prod further and just TRUST me" *second snort* Yeah, okay. The other thing that absolutely sold me was Kaleb *le sigh*. Kaleb was like delicious meat dangling in front of us and totally liked Em too. That's what I liked, that Em had TWO choices and either one would be awesome and totally get her.
However, I did not like was when the time travel happened, one of them didn't survive. Totally pissed me off because while I saw it coming, it was so bothersome because it sent Em into hysterics for a day but then she fixed it (and I was okay with that). Second thing I did not like, that Lily had a gift too but couldn't use it. WTF Moment happened because why would Myra do such a thing and NOT push it forward. That had me going *WTF* over and over but I was okay with it because I am for certain that she'll push that ability more in the book two of the Hourglass. All in all, Hourglass deserves a 9 out 10 stars. Note: one last thing I did not like: The references that Hourglass was like Twilight *le gasp*. No, people, just NO. For one, on Myra McEntire's blog, she has a couple posts that she likes Twilight. BUT HOURGLASS IS NO TWILIGHT. For one, Em has a back-bone and sass, whilst Bella was very whiny and spent SEVERAL months grieving (you know what I'm saying NEW MOON) who possibly couldn't hold her own (brown belt Bells?).
2: Kaleb and Michael are both hot and have a shot at Em's heart, while Twilight, both boys were two busy thinking "what Bella wants" to what she needs. Again, NO. One sparkled and one was wolf boy. Why would you pick either?!
AND 3: PEOPLE, there were LOVE TRIANGLES WAY BEFORE TWILIGHT. There was Vampires BEFORE Twilight, there were Helpless heroines BEFORE.. oh wait... no there wasn't. Let's stop comparing EVERY SINGLE THING that has at least one tiny Twilight thing alone. Just let it be. It's my opinion but I feel that Hourglass shouldn't be compared to Twilight because everyone knows that Twilight wouldn't stand a chance against any of the things we compare it to.
Lastly: one song that I found that I think is totes Hourglass:
It's addictive and adorable just like Hourglass. Come on, you know so.
So this is the first ever Weekly Book Blog Bonanza hosted by Teen Fiction Centre!
This weeks Weekly Book Blog question: Who is your favourite book character of all time and why?
I think that my favorite book character of all time would be a tie between Emerson Cole (Hourglass) and Cammie Morgan (Gallagher Girls). I think that they're my favorite characters because they have moxie, sass, and always put their family first. Cammie puts her family (which would be the Gallagher Girl as well as her mom) first when bad situations arise in Roseville. She had to give up her first boyfriend to protect the Gallagher Girl secret and then has to leave at the end of Gallagher Girls 4: Only the Good Spy Young to protect her family because of the threat the Circle of Cavan. Emerson, well, she always puts her brother Thomas and his wife Dru, first and always goes to them when she needs help. Especially near the last part of the middle, she talks to Thomas to tell him that she'll stand by to help Michael save his mentor. She put Michael's mentor above saving her own family and had me bawling. That's why they are both my favorite characters of all time.
Hey guys, so I'm gonna make this post quick. Over here, there will be a virtual tour from Asheville to Nashville and they'll be giving away 8 books SIGNED!!!! so check it out!
Hiya, Jazmin here and I have news for you. You all know Rachel Hawkin's best selling Hex Hall series, no? Well today RIGHT NOW at 7:30 she left a tweet saying "Spell Bound" was available for pre-order. That's right folks, Triple HeXXX as it's been known for a while has a title. YAY!!!
