Current Events:

I have been doing some thinking and I've come to the conclusion that I need to take a temporary break from book blogging. NOTE: Any tour stops that I've committed to will be honored. I have decided that I want to combine my love of books, blogging, knitting, movies digital photography and life in general into 1 blog so that I don't feel so overwhelmed. Right now I feel like my book blogging is a job, I already have one of those. My plan is to come back in the near future with a new blog and a new plan.

My Weight Loss Progress

Saturday, October 30, 2010

You Are What You Read

I recieved this email in my inbox this evening and I just wanted to pass it along to all of you out there.  I've signed up and I hope to see you there!

Scholastic launched You Are What You Read (http://www.youarewhatyouread.com/), a new social networking site for readers around the world. Users log on to http://www.youarewhatyouread.com/, list the five books that had the biggest impact on their lives, and connect with other readers through these shared “Bookprints.” The site also contains the Bookprints of more than 130 “Names You Know” – notable people from entertainment, academia, business, media, publishing, and more – including Taylor Swift, Bill Gates, Scarlett Johansson, Tony Hawk, Venus Williams, Tommy Hilfiger, Jodi Picoult, Philippa Gregory, Rick Riordan, James Patterson, Jim Parsons, Ann M. Martin, Eva Mendes, Judy Blume, Sanjay Gupta, and two former Presidents.

After logging into You Are What You Read via Facebook or Scholastic.com accounts, users can:

  • Discover new books through an interactive web that shows how users’ Bookprints are connected
  • Find and connect with users across generations and from around the world to see the books in their Bookprints
  • Compare their Bookprints to those of the participating “Names You Know,” and find out if they share a book in their Bookprint with famous athletes, award-winning entertainers, world-renowned scientists, or iconic business leaders
  • “Favorite” other books they like and check out what similar users enjoy reading
  • See which books have been chosen as Favorites from around the world
  • Share a book in the real word through Pass It On, which encourages users to give a favorite book to a family member, a friend, or even a complete stranger.
You Are What You Read also features a separate community for young readers that provides kid friendly information about books and other activities. I encourage you to check out the site, add your Bookprint, and see what connections you make. You can also find downloadables – including screenshots and blog widgets – on our media room.

PS: The site is part of our 90th anniversary global literacy campaign,
Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life, which celebrates the importance of literacy in the 21st Century.

Minder By Kate Kaynak

Title: Minder
Author: Kate Kaynak
Series: Ganzfield #1
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: 2010, June 18
Format: Paperback, 264 pages
Source: Sent by author in exchange for an honest review 
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place. Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey--especially once she meets the man of her dreams...
Review:
Holy Heck!  That was one of this first things that I was thinking after I finished reading Minder.  You know that feeling you get when you bite into some treat sample that is absolutely scrumptious and leaves you wanting MORE?  That's what I was feeling when I finished Minder.  Where had this book been in the whole time that I've been book blogging and why am I just NOW hearing about it?!
When I was first approached about reading and reviewing Minder I didn't really now what to expect.  I had never heard of this book or this author to be honest.  I'm very glad that I took that leap of faith!  Once I got started reading I was completely SUCKED into the story.  It pained me to put this book down to do everyday things.  I just wanted/had to know more!
From the very beginning of Minder there are TONS of emotions taking place throughout this book.  The beginning of the book was to say the least (and without giving away anything) VERY intense and "welcome to the dark-side" dark.  Honestly, the beginning kind of walked a fine line for me.  I knew it was an important piece of the Minder "puzzle" but it felt a little bit to real for me.
Once I got past my slight misgivings about the beginning of the book I found that I really enjoyed the characters.  They all seemed to be very well rounded and people you might know (if they were real that is).  The one character that I want to know more about is Seth.  He "talks" to Maddie telepathically and I really want to find out if there is more to him than what we've seen so far.
I guess my one quirk with the book was Maddie's relationship with Trevor.  I just thought that at times it felt a little bit "to good to be true."  I felt that the relationship was a little bit to "blah" for me.  There wasn't any conflict that I could see and in life that just doesn't happen.  But surprisingly that was my only real quirk about the book.
Seriously though, if you are going to pick up a copy of Minder don't make plans. You'll be busy visiting Maddie's world.  And it's totally worth it!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Friday Blog Hops #1

Book Blogger Hop


The question for this week is: "What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"


Honestly, I would love to have one of those new NookColor e-reader's but I'm really happy with the one that I have.  I just need to get a new battery for it.  It get's a LOT of use.












The question for this week is:

If you have, or would have a daughter, what book would you want your daughter to read?

This one is easy peasy for me.  I would want my daughter to books like Little Women, The Little House on the Prairie books, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys, Where The Red Fern Grows (one of my favorites and I cry everytime!).  There are so many that it's hard to narrow it down to just one or two!



Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This review was originally posted on The Book Junkie's Bookshelf on July 28, 2010.


WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN "ALL MY LIFE?!" Since I've started book blogging I've come across many reviews of this book and the vast majority of them have been really shining reviews. But it wasn't until last week that I actually took the book off my shelf and read it. I'd like to thank my co-workers for that....They were talking about the book at work and started giving me crap cause I hadn't read it yet. As my co-workers say....."It's Awesome Sauce!"

I really don't know what to say beyond the above words that are in all capital letters. I don't want to say to much because I don't want to give anything away....I'm occasionally bad about putting in unintentional spoilers. I LOVED this book. I LOVED the story line, I totally felt like I was there. The main character is very real and relatable, you totally feel her pain. The secondary characters are also written in a very real and relatable fashion. The games themselves are written in a way that it paints a vivid and brutal picture of what it must be like for these kids. I guess the only problem I had with the book was the end....I didn't want it to end....cause when the book came to an end I'd have to wait to start reading Catching Fire because I lent it to a friend to read.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Waiting On Wednesday #1

"Waiting On"  Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking  the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WOW is:

Synopsis:

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different.

That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a different kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control.

A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power, and refuses to be defeated by the world.




Why I want it:

I'm currently in the process of reading the first book in this series, Hunger, and so far I am throughly enjoying it.  Not only is it witty but it's VERY real....sometimes uncomfortably real.  I can hardly wait to see what's in store with the second book in this series.  I read an author interview on another YA book blog and the author said that book two was the hardest for her to write up to this point.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Great Book Ban

I am up to my eyeballs in books!  I have more books that I know what to do with.  So it's official...I've put myself on a book buying ban, with the exception of the Nora Roberts book that comes out next Tuesday.  My plan is to go through my book collection and weed out the books that I feel I won't get to in a timely manner and try to swap them via bookmooch, paperbackswap.com, goodreads swap or just flat out donate them to goodwill of St. Vincent De Paul.  If your on any of the mentioned swap sights find me or e-mail me and I'll get you the information you need to be able to see what I've got available.

For the time being I'm going to be relying heavily on my current collection and my local library to take care of my reading habit.  I just recently got a new library card so I can FINALLY use my library again!  Yeah me!  So far in the 3 days that I've had my new card I've placed 72 hold requests and 35 of them are "IN TRANSIT."  I can hardly wait to see what all shows up. 

So there you have it.  The beginnings of The Great Book Ban.  Anyone want to join in?

Teaser Tuesday #1 ~ Hunger edition

Synopsis:

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Teaser:

"Blinking, Lisa looked up and saw Death smiling at her.  The part of her ruled by hormones couldn't help but notice how damn cute he was.  The rest of her screamed that her hormones had a, ha-ha, death wish."

Monday, October 25, 2010

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White **tiny spoilers**

Title: Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Series: 
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 2010, August
Format: Hardcover, 335 pages
Source: E-Book bought via Barnes and Noble 
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble):
Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.


Review:
OMG!  This book was "bleeping"(read the book and you'll understand) AWESOME!  I had heard so much about this book in the weeks leading up to it's release that I decided that I needed to check it out. Evie, the main character, is able to see through other paranormals' "glamour" to what's really underneath...Like for example: Vampires....On the outside sex but underneath the glamour 'oh so NOT sexy'.  Evie thinks she's just a "normal" teenager that is able to do something "interesting" when it comes to paranormals.  But then bad things start to happen, paranormals start dying and Evie learns a couple secrets about herself.
Reth, her ex-boyfriend, who happens to be a faerie is crazy!  Through most of the book you think he's on one side but by the end you realize you were oh so wrong.  That all his craziness was supposed to be "helpful."  Then there's Lend, a shape shifting hottie!  He gets captured by the IPCA and is held prisoner for awhile.  When the center comes under attack Evie helps Lend escape.  Then we learn a little bit about Lend's life prior to being captured.
I loved the way that the story was written.  All of the dialogue for Evie and Lend were written in a way that was very believable.  Things that teens would actually say.  The dialogue for the other characters in the book were written in a very "grown up" manner....things that adults would say. The way things were described were very vivid as well.
Overall, I can hardly wait to read more of this series!  I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh take on paranormal YA fiction.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa **may contain spoilers**

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey #1
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 2010, February 1
Format: Paperback, 363 pages
Source: Bought via Barnes and Noble web page
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…


Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.


But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
Review:
OMG! I absolutely LOVED this book! Fan-freaking-tastic! I'm usually NOT a real big fan of faery books..Vampires, werewolves and those sorts of paranormal are more up my alley. But once I started reading it I had a VERY hard time putting it down.
Julie Kagwa is VERY vivid and thorough of her descriptions of not only the characters, but of Nevernever land and the overall landscapes of the various Fey Courts. I felt like I was right there with Meghan and crew while they were on their journey.
There is action and "weird" things happening almost from the very start of the book. So your
on a fast track to Nevernever land real quick. See Meghan's life is turned upside down when her little brother (technically he's her 1/2 brother but who's being technical?) is kidnapped and a super nasty changeling (who attacks both Meghan and her mom) is left in his place.
But this is where Meghan's best friend Robbie comes into play. See in actuality Robby is the prankster Puck from a Midsummer's Night Dream. And off they go through the "trod," which is the portal into Nevernever land (conviently found in the closet of Meghan's brother.) As beautiful as Nevernever is a VERY dangerous place and you never really know who your friend or your foe is.
Pretty much everything keeps going wrong, more so when Grimalkin, who is a cat sith gets involved. Meghan keeps finding herself in one pickle after another, which makes her goal of finding her little brother seem almost unattainable. She's fighting trolls, gremlins, other faeries, each other, and other mythical creatures. It seems that Meghan and crew just couldn't catch a break if their lives depended upon it.
There were a couple parts of this book that were predictable. Like...Meghan is the daughter of the Summer king, so naturally she's gonna go and fall for the son of the Winter Queen. In all honesty I think that that piece of predictability was key to the story. I would have been severly dissapointed if it wasn't written the way it was. But for the most part the story kept me on my toes and guessing what was going to happen next.
Unlike Meghan (who is there looking for her brother and wants to get back to her life ASAP), it seems that pretty much all the rest of the characters in the story have a hidden agenda or have something that is brewing right there under the surface.
I think that Robbie/Puck takes the cake in this one, with his wicked sense of humor. Meghan is a very likeable character and seems to grow as the story goes along. Sometimes you think she's not real bright....Like bargaining with a faery. But just when you think she's going to go and do something dumb yet again, she throws you for a loop.
Which brings us to Ash, who is the prince of the Winter Court. He's written as a total hottie who is seriously cold in so many ways. He's attracted to Meghan but at the same time he wants to kill her. He even thinks about it several times but manages to stop himself. Ash is a superior swordsman with his sword of iciness and if his sword isn't cutting it....he likes to drop his predators by shooting icicles at them. Which I think is pretty cool.
I have to agree with Alyssa from Teens Read and Write. I just don't think that there was enough Ash in the story. We see him a little bit in the beginning but after that we don't really see him again until your well over a 100 pages into the book. Really that is my only complaint with the book....I wanted MORE Ash.
I can hardly wait until the second book comes out in the series. The Iron Daughter is being released in August. August seems so VERY far away!

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa **Small Spoilers**

Title: The Iron Daughter
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey #2
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 2010, August 1
Format: Paperback, 359 pages
Source: Bought via Barnes and Noble web page
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis:
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.
Review:
I LOVED The Iron King and I could hardly wait for the second book in the series to come out. This book came out and because I ordered it with a pre-ordered book I had to wait for it!  It was the LONGEST 26 days EVER!
The story starts out with Meghan saying good bye to her family, yet again as she's about to fulfill her contract with Ash and head for enemy territory. When Meghan gets to the Winter Court she is basically a prisoner to Queen Mab and Prince Ash abandons her.  Needless to say that the Winter Court is NOT happy to have Meghan around at all.  SPOILER AHEAD>>>When the Scepter of the Seasons is stolen and Prince Sage is murdered by the Iron Fey, Mab becomes enraged, because she doesn't not believe that these Iron Fey exist and think that Oberon took the Scepter, and a war between the Courts is in the works.  The Iron Fey are looking forward to the long trail of death and destruction that will come from the war. END SPOILER.  Now Meghan and her crew are on a journey to find the Scepter of the Seasons, return it to the Winter Court and stop the bloody war that is taking place.  All of this while being hopelessly in love with Ash.
Book number 2 in this series is just as captivating as The Iron King was.  The writing is very intense and extremely passionate.  In book 2 Julie Kagawa continues to build the world of Nevernever even bigger and badder than in the first book.  Nevernever only gets even more dangerous (as if that were even possible) in this book.  There are new characters that will have you completely mesmerized.  The plot, I think is better in this book, there are all sorts of twists and turns and it keeps you guessing.
This book is very fast-paced and I totally felt like I was there in Nevernever and as another member of Meghan's team trying to get back the Scepter.  I had a hard time putting this book down.  Ms. Kagawa does an excellent job of describing Faerie politics in this book, just to show how very dangerous the Fey can be.  The book is also a little bit of an emotional roller coaster.....Meghan learns some things along the way...some good and some not so good.
I was really happy with Meghan's personal growth along the way.  She's powerful and yet vulnerable as well....You mash those two things together and you get a pretty bad ass combination if you ask me.  There are times when she's struggling pretty badly with all the things that are going on around her.  She also makes some pretty bad decisions too....But in the end she rises to the occasion.  Meghan really is a force to be reckoned with!
OMG!  The romance triangle! As much as I love Puck I'm Team Ash (I have a "thing" for the "bad boy" types).  Puck has a lot of amazing qualities and when things started to heat up with Meghan I got a little bit worried.  But then along comes Ash, who has long since given in to his feelings for Meghan, and things get a "little bit" explosive.
My new favorite character is most defiantly Ironhorse!  He's a bad guy turned good.  And that's HOT!
Overall, I'm hopelessly hooked on this series and I'm finding it VERY difficult to wait until February for the Iron Queen to come out!

Radiance by Alyson Noel

Title: Radiance
Author: Alyson Noel
Series:
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: 2010, August
Format: Paperback, 192 pages
Source: Bought

Rating: 3.75/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she's summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can't quite figure out.
Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he's never met Riley...
 
Review:
 
I had read some pretty great things about this book on my travels through the book blog world.  When I started reading it I was really impressed with how well the author was able to write form the point of view of a pre-teen.  In my opinion she did an excellent job of connecting with the teen reader.
 
The different descriptions were well written also.  The description of life in "here" was really good.  There is no sense of time in "here" hence why Riley says she lives in the "here and now."  The description of what being dead feels like was even better in my opinion.
 
Riley in the beginning of the book was more of a follower/tag along who also happened to be pretty mouthy.  But as the story went along she grew stronger and wasn't so much of a follower anymore.  I think that she was headed more towards being a leader....even though she was still pretty mouthy.
 
Bodhi is Riley's guide.  When Riley first meets Bodhi he's dressed as a bit of a geek.  But the more time that Riley spends with him the more she realizes that there's more than what meets the eye.  In this case it also hands Riley a pretty sizeable piece of humble pie.
 
Buttercup....poor Buttercup.  See Buttercup is a LARGE MALE Labrador Retriever that accompanies Riley and Bodhi on their journey. I feel for Buttercup...His name alone is, in my opinion, meant for a k-9 that is much smaller and FEMALE.
 
I guess what disappointed me about the book was that it was one "mission" for both Riley and Bodhi and then the book is basically over.  I guess I was just hoping for a little more out of the book.
 
Favorite Quote: "You do know you can manifest a whole new wardrobe right?  We're really not bound to the mistakes of our past.  So go ahead, knock yourself out.  Just close your eyes and ask - What would Joe Jonas wear?"

Arson by Estevan Vega

Title: Arson
Author: Estevan Vega
Series:
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Release Date: 2010, May 4
Format: Paperback, 318 pages
Source: Received from the author
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
ARSON GABLE FEELS LIKE A FREAK. HE CAN CREATE FIRE. HE NEVER ASKED FOR IT. HE NEVER WANTED IT. BUT HE CAN'T SHUT IT OFF.

Before now, three things were true: he both loved and despised his grandmother; his life was going nowhere; and he was alone. But when a strange girl-who feels more normal behind a mask than inside her own skin-moves in next door, Arson hopes to find something he's never had: purpose. Using what he fears the most about himself, Arson must face his consuming past and confront the nightmare that is present as he walks the fine line between boy and monster. Dark, moody, and breathtakingly relevant, Arson, the chilling chronicle of an isolated boy with unimaginable ability, is sure to ignite the hearts and minds of a new generation.
Review:
Oh my goodness!  I've seen reviews for this book all over the book blogging community and it really caught my attention.  The cover has just enough "creep factor" that I had to get my hands on it.  I mean just look at the cover!  A Freddy Krugerish "mask" and flames!  Anyway....moving on.
What really turned me on about this book was the writing.  From the very first sentence until the very last sentence the way that it was written kept me engaged and reading and pretty much putting my life on hold because Arson's life was oh so very interesting.  Oh well, Arson is oh so much more fun than doing laundry anyway.
The characters in the story for the most part I really enjoyed.  I did at times have trouble relating to/understanding a couple of the characters.  That is the main reason that I wasn't able to give Arson 5/5.  After learning all sorts of secrets as the book progressed I am looking forward to learning even more about all of these very interesting characters in the sequel that's coming up.
Overall, Arson is most definitely the most "different" (in a good way) book that I've read in the past couple of months.  Once you get past the "creep factor" I think this book is pretty dang good.  I think that Estevan Vega hit a home run with this one!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices Series #1
Genre: Fiction, YA, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: 2010, August
Format: Hardcover, 479 pages
Source: Purchased - Ebook

Rating: 4.75/5

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble):

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Review:

This is the first book by this author that I have ever read.  I definitely will be reading more of her books in the future!  Awesome Sauce is what it is and I LOVE me some Awesome Sauce!

Even though I think this book was Awesome Sauce I did think that it got off to a slow start.  I also was confused as to how exactly Will found Tessa at the Dark Sisters house.  Did he senses her while she was in someone else's body, a random tip?  That bothered me a little bit.

There were times when I thought Will was more than a little bit of an ass.  Now I like "bad boys" but there's a difference between being a "bad boy" and being verbally and emotionally abusive.  I think at times Will walked a little bit too close to that fine line for my taste.  I guess that makes me a member of Team Jem then.

I found the writing style to be of my liking also.  Once I got past the slow beginning I thought the story was a definite page turner.  The action throughout the book was very well described also.  You felt like you were there.  I also liked how the bad guy wasn't completely obvious (at least to me) until you got closer to the end of the book.  Just when you think you have it all figured out it turns out our completely WRONG!

Overall, I really enjoyed Clockwork Angel.  The cliff hanger ending has me thinking that next September will NEVER get here!

Welcome

Welcome to For The Love of YA!  This is a spinoff blog of my other book blog's  The Book Junkie's Bookshelf and Nitty Gritty Romance and Erotica reviews.  On this blog I will be reviewing books that are exclusively in the YA/MG genre's.  So please keep checking back as I work to get this blog up and running. I'm in the process of transfering my YA posts from The Book Junkie's Bookshelf over to this blog. I'm looking forward to meeting all sorts of new and exciting bloggers!

Jamie