Stacking the Shelves #14: It Was A Boring Week

Stacking the Shelves is a book meme created and is being hosted every Saturday by Tynga’s Reviews. This is the chance to showcase all the books you have bought and added to your shelves!

FOR REVIEW FROM NETGALLEY:

FOR REVIEW FROM EDELWEISS:

Read: 

The Treatment by Suzanne Young (4 Stars) 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (4 Stars) 

The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen (3.5 Stars) 

Dancing With Molly by Lena Horowitz (2.5 Stars) 

Alienated by Melissa Landers (4 Stars) 

Reviews: 

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury 

Vicious by Sara Shepard

Because of Low by Abbi Glines

Blog Posts: 

Waiting on Wednesday #20: Rook by Sharon Cameron

Release Day Blitz: A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd {Excerpt + Giveaway}

Let's Talk...: Q&A with Amber & Jess!

News: 

Me and Jess have been discussing our birthday and blogversery giveaways and realized: They are both with in 6 weeks of each other! So we decided we are going to be doing one MASSIVE giveaway. I am super excited for it! (And there will be a giveaway for our INT. followers as well, look out for it soon!) 

This week we will be interviewing Victoria Aveyard (author of Red Queen) and be giving away a copy of Red Queen (Which is an international giveaway!) 

So, what did you get this week? 

*Drop your links below so I can stop by*

ARC Review: The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Title: The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater's Daughter #1)
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Scholastic 
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: February 24th 2015
Add it to Goodreads / Pre-order it on Amazon

Summary: 

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court. She’s the executioner. As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company. But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen. However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

The Sin Eater's Daughter is my first debut novel of 2015 and it did not fail to disappoint at all!  Melinda Salisbury's writing easily sucked me in, as well as her dozens of plot twists, heart aching moments and genuine feeling of denial that is was all over. Take my advice now, this is a book you will want to read this year! 

I connected with these characters for sure, Twylla especially. At first Twylla seems very naive to what is going on around her, which you can later see was to make her new life easier on herself. But Twylla from the beginning of the novel to Twylla at the end of the novel are completely two different people. She built herself up so much in with in the story and gave herself the courage she needed to get what she needed done. I feel like most princess you read about aren't that smart, but Twylla is quite intelligent. She put the pieces of the things going on around her together, that I would have never had guessed and she wasn't afraid to go after something far fetched. Twylla is the kind of main character that you will be routing for! 

I don't consider it a love triangle, I guess it could be considered one though. Twylla is expected to marry the prince, but her heart just isn't there. That relationship is forced upon her though, it isn't chosen. I don't doubt it that Twylla cares about the prince, it is easily shown through her actions. The other love interest is someone that Twylla has picked for herself. In my honest opinion I like Twylla and Leif better then Twylla and the prince. There is something real in their relationship, considering that this one wasn't being forced upon her. At the end of the novel, Melinda manages to shove a knife into your heart and twist it. With that in mind, I can see Twylla going for either boy. I still ship her and Leif, I probably always will. 

A good portion of the beginning of the book was a huge amount of info about the world. After pushing through it though it wasn't that big of a deal, because that info is absolutely needed to understand what is going on. But I think the The Sin Eater's Daughter had some of the craziest royal customs that I am still trying to work some of them out in head. The world building in this book was amazing! I expected Sin Eating to be something magical, when it was actually something very mundane. Which was good because it didn't make the book overly complicated. I can't wait to read more about this world in the upcoming books. 

Overall The Sin Eater's Daughter didn't disappoint at all. It didn't leave you bored for a minute, with an even pace and heart pounding moments. This book is going to leave you begging for the next book in the series. I can promise that! 

RATING: 

Review: Vicious (Pretty Little Liars, #16) by Sara Shepard (Jessica's Review)

Title: Vicious (Pretty Little Liars, #16)
Author: Sara Shepard
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 338 Pages
Published December 2014
Add it to Goodreads!

Summary: In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, reporters are lined up outside the historic courthouse, typing furiously at their iPhones with freshly manicured nails. Because the trial of the century is happening right here in Rosewood: the four pretty little liars have been accused of killing Alison DiLaurentis. Only Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily know that they've been framed. Ali is still out there, laughing as she watches the girls go down for her murder. But when your nickname includes the word "liar," no one believes you're telling the truth...Aria tries to run away from it all but finds that life on the lam is even harder than life as a liar. Spencer gets in touch with someone who can help her disappear--but when a guy from her past reemerges, Spencer no longer knows what she wants. Hanna decides that she'll hear wedding bells chime before she serves time. And in the face of prison, Emily does something truly drastic--something that will change her friends' lives forever. As the trial goes on and the outcome looks grim, the girls are in their darkest hour yet. But maybe they can finally figure out how to beat Ali at her own game. Because once upon a time, she was just a pretty little liar too. 

Well, everyone...the day has finally come. I've loved this series from the start, but towards the end I was beginning to get a bit antsy and impatient and couldn't wait for it to be over. It was getting so frustrating knowing that every book leading up to this one would leave you stuck in a cliffhanger. (A little bit of that can be said about this book, too.)

Well, it's happened. The four girls are finally trying to get a hold on Ali and nail her for good. Because if they don't...prison time. Life sentences for murder and also for lying about it. It probably doesn't help that Ali dug up all of the evidence she could to ensure that the girls looked as guilty as possible.

Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria are all getting to the very end of their frayed nerves, unable to take any more of the physical and mental abuse from Ali that they've been dealing with for years. Ali caused them to lose friendships, watch people they love die, ruin relationships and become the unloved outcasts of their families. It's sick and they're honestly so done with it.

This book wasn't as great as I was expecting it to be. I was honestly expecting a five star worthy book with fireworks and plot twists and a way to go out of this series once and for all with the biggest bang, Rosewood-style. And when I closed this book, instead of thinking Oh God, this is it, I've finally finished the series, what am I going to do now? I was just more of a shrug and a Meh. Could've ended better, in my opinion. 

But that doesn't mean it wasn't good!

I feel like my only problem with this series was that it was just so darn long. There were sooo many opportunities for Sara Shepard to cut the series off and leave it on a satisfied note, but it never happened. Time and time again, another book was announced. It got to the point where it was becoming a running joke. I loved the series, I was hooked on the story, but I just wanted it to end. I mean, seriously. A could only avoid the law for so long before she would get caught. It was becoming so unbelievable that it wasn't holding my interest anymore. Dare I say, it was boring me.

However, as far as conclusion books go, this one was still pretty good. Filled with lots of suspense and mystery, tons of thrills, and quite a few "uh oh" moments that made me widen my eyes and take a few seconds to gather my thoughts. As for predictability, I feel like a part of me knew this was going to be the ending all along, even if I didn't want to expect it.

All in all, Vicious was a satisfying conclusion to the sixteen-book Pretty Little Liars series. (I still feel like the books are ten thousand times better than the show for sure!) The ending wrapped everything up for me, at least for the most part, and I was pretty satisfied with what happened to each of the girls after all was said and done. Very, very interesting. I'm equal parts glad and upset to see this series finally be wrapped up, but Sara Shepard has tons of other awesome books for me to get started on, so I won't be waiting long! :-) (Plot Twist: If a Book #17 is announced for this series, I don't even think I'll be excited this time. Just annoyed.)

Rating: 

Question for you: If you read Vicious, what did you think of the ending? (No spoilers!) If you didn't yet, what do you predict the ending is going to be? (And if you see that someone guessed right, don't tell them!)

Waiting on Wednesday #20: Rook by Sharon Cameron

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine.

Title: Rook
Author: Sharon Cameron
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Add it to Goodreads / Pre-order it on Amazon

Summary: 

History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal? Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she. As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

First off, that cover is so beautiful. I love the red phone and the blue/gray background. It is haunting. The opening line in the summary is enough to catch my interest, what repeated itself? I am excited beyond words!! 

What are you waiting on? 

*Leave your links so I can stop back!*  

Release Date Blitz: A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd {Excerpt + Giveaway}

I am so excited that A COLD LEGACY by Megan Shepherd releases today and that I get to share the news, along with an excerpt from the book! I reviewed A COLD LEGACY back in December and I think it is an awesome end to an amazing series. (My review can be found here)

Title: A Cold Legacy

Author: Megan Shepherd
Genre: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction
Publisher: Balzer+Bray / HarperCollins

Publication Date: January 27th, 2015

 Find it: Amazon / B&N / Goodreads

Summary:

After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls.Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own. With inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this breathless conclusion to the Madman’s Daughter trilogy is about the things we’ll sacrifice to save those we love—even our own humanity.    

A COLD LEGACY excerpt

Montgomery stopped the horses outside a tavern. He came to the carriage door, opening it just a crack to keep the rain from drenching us. “I’m going to ask directions. We can’t be far now.”
We watched him saunter over the muddy street as though he didn’t even feel the bite of freezing rain. A face appeared in the tavern window. The door opened and he spoke to a woman in a wool dress for a few moments, then stomped back through the mud. “This village is called Quick,” he told us. “The manor’s only five miles from here.”
“Did you hear that?” Lucy murmured to Edward, still stroking his hair. “We’re almost there. Just hold on. Everything will be all right once we arrive.”
Montgomery’s eyes shifted to me. Neither of us wanted to remind Lucy that the prospect of Edward’s fever breaking—and the Beast’s reappearance—was almost more frightening than the fever itself. Delirious, he was less of a threat.
“Let’s go then,” I whispered to Montgomery. “And quickly.”
He closed the door and in another moment we were moving again, passing through the rest of Quick. Then all too soon the village was nothing but fading lights. The storm grew and the road became rougher, and all the while Edward’s eyes rolled back and forth beneath shuttered lids.
Thunder struck close by, and Lucy shrieked. Montgomery whipped the horses harder, pulling us along the uneven road impossibly fast, trying to outrun the storm. I twisted in the seat to look out the back window at the pelting rain. A stone fence ran alongside us.
“We must be getting close,” I said.
“Not soon enough,” Lucy breathed. “We’re going to crash if he keeps driving like this!”
The road widened, straightening, letting us travel even faster. Lightning struck close by, blinding me. The horses bolted. Lucy screamed and covered her eyes, but I couldn’t tear mine away. The lightning had struck an enormous oak tree, twisted from centuries of wind. The oak took flame, blazing despite the rain. A smoking gash ran down the trunk—the lightning’s death mark. I watched until the rain put out most of the flames, but it still smoldered, billowing hot ash into the night.
The horses pawed the earth, and I grabbed the window to steady myself. At this wild speed, just hitting a single rock at the wrong angle would send the carriage shattering to the ground. It was madness to go so fast. Couldn’t Montgomery calm the horses?
Just when I feared the carriage would careen out of control, it stopped short, throwing me against the opposite wall. I tangled in Lucy’s limbs as the chains around Edward’s body clinked. Balthazar grunted, jerking awake at last. We scrambled in the bottom of the carriage until the door flew open.Montgomery stood in the pelting rain. I feared he’d say we’d broken another strut or the horses had gone lame or we’d have to spend the night in the harsh storm.
But then I saw the lights behind him, and the night took shape into a turreted stone manor with bright lamps blazing and gargoyles on the roof vomiting rain into a stone courtyard.
Montgomery’s eyes met mine beneath the low brim of his hat.
“We’ve arrived,” he said.

About Megan:

Hello! 

I’ve been many things, like a professional exchange student, park ranger in Montana, and LOST enthusiast, but what I am now is a writer.

I think it’s fair to say I was born into it. I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, raised behind the counter of my parents’ independent bookstore, Highland Books in Brevard. Ah, so many free books. But I never thought being a writer could be a real career. After college I thought I’d end up as a foreign service officer somewhere dashing and exotic, like Canada. I studied French, Spanish, German, and Russian and still speak a few of those. Then I joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Senegal, where I learned a few more languages I’ll never speak again and lived in a mud hut with no electricity or running water. You can probably imagine how that experience went, but if you’re curious, here are the dirty details. 

It wasn't until a chance aquaintance read something I wrote and said, "have you ever considered being a writer?" that something clicked and I realized it was possible. My husband encouraged me, and I quickly fell head-over-heels in love with writing and children's literature in particular. I started out writing articles, which have appeared in Faces, Appleseeds, and Calliope magazines, and stories for younger children. I soon realized I wasn’t sweet enough to write fiction for that age and found myself writing young adult literature instead, which doesn’t require nearly as many tender moments and includes a lot more cursing.

When I'm not writing, I can usually be found horseback riding, day dreaming at coffee shops, or hiking in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. I love to hear from readers, so please drop me a line!

Website / Twitter  /Facebook / Tumblr / Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a signed copy of A COLD LEGACY and swag! 

US Only

Ends on February 6^th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let's Talk...: Q&A with Amber & Jess!

Q&A with Amber & Jess!

We've come to realize that though we post every day, we never really talk about ourselves and our lives outside of blogging. So we decided to do a little Q&A with each other! (And if you're interested in learning more about us, you can check out our sections on our About Us tab.) Since this blog is practically a part of who we are, we decided we are going to talk more about ourselves today!

So we each asked each other 7 questions about our co-blogger and had each other answer them. Let's see what we had to say! (This should be especially interesting since we know everything about each other, anyway!

Amber's Q&A with Jessica!

Amber: You know this is incredibly hard right? I already know a lot about you, how about we start off with your age?

Jessica: I'm sixteen years old, turning seventeen in a few months. :D (And so are you, since we're only ten days apart.)

Amber: How do you handle high school and blogging full time? 

Jessica: I'm honestly surprised that I even do. I don't have much reading time during the week with my five million extracurricular activities, but I try to read for at least a half hour every night if I can. And I binge-read and write reviews and take care of blog stuff (like setting up interviews and scheduling and the like) on the weekends so it's all set and ready to go during the week and I don't have to spend so much time taking care of it.

Amber: Are your parents supportive of our blog? I know mine think it is just a phase..

Jessica: My parents are actually really supportive of the blog. They think it's a great pastime for me, and since I want a Creative Writing degree and to work in the publishing industry, something like this is a golden ticket to get in. It's a great experience and they love it too.

Amber: You're in the middle of revising your second novel, tell us a bit about that? Do you plan on self publishing again?

Jessica: I think for my second book, yeah, I want to self-publish. I don't have time to send this around to a publisher, being that I need two published books on my transcript for when I apply to college in November. After that, though, I'm going to see where my luck takes me with some publishing houses.

Amber: Share a funny memory between us, what is the funniest thing that I do? 

Jessica: You are ALWAYS BROKEN, Amber. Always a foot injury or a leg injury or an ankle injury or you're sick. It's pretty funny now. That's why for Christmas I got you a bookmark of Mr. Bump. Because you're pretty accident-prone. xD

Amber: How is blogging with me? Don't lie, I know I am a handful and a half to deal with. 

Jessica: I love it! You're a speed-reader, which makes up for the slow reading I have to do during the school year. I wouldn't be able to blog without you. Plus, you're an HTML coding wizard and I know next to NOTHING about that. You keep this blog up and running. Couldn't do it without you, girl! You're the best co-blogger a girl could have. <3 (It makes up for you being broken all of the time.)

Amber: Is there anything really exciting coming up in your life in the next few months? 

Jessica: Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, BEA 2015. And my 17th birthday. And getting a car. And going to Hawaii!!! Now that you mention it, I do have some busy upcoming months. 0.0

Jessica's Q&A with Amber!

Jessica: To start off, is there anything exciting coming up in your life in the next few months?

Amber: BEA! Well most likely BEA, it is hard convincing my parents to let me miss three days of school. (I have horrible attendence to begin with) Blue & Gold is coming up in a few months, I am very excited about that. (Blue & Gold is a HUGE dance competion that our school puts on) 

Jessica: What do you want to do when you get older? What are your aspirations?

Amber: You mean besides sleeping my college years away? Umm, I think I want to go into the publishing bussiness. Originally I wanted to be a doctor, but my failing grades in math easily proved that to be a bad idea. 

Jessica: In your opinion, what's our funniest moment together?

Amber: One Word: AUTOCORRECT. Damn, I laugh until I can't breathe sometimes. 

Jessica: What are some of your favorite pastimes besides reading and working on the blog? (I know, this is a tough one! xD)

Amber: Sleeping. I come home from school almost everyday and take a nap. I also fall alseep in school. It is a very bad habit actually. 

Jessica: Favorite food and why?

Amber: I don't know. I'm on a diet, anything that isn't green is my favorite right now. I would have to say lobster tails (the pastry) though. They are so flakey and yummy. Now I want one...

Jessica: What's your favorite class in school? What class do you do the best in (it may not necessarily be your favorite class), and what class do you do the worst in?

Amber: Enlgish is my favorite class, it is also the class I am doing best in. Chemistry is a very sad story though. It is probably best if I don't get into it. 

Jessica: Excited to graduate high school or sad to leave? Why?

Amber: I haven't even looked at college yet. I think I am a bit of both. It is a bitter sweet feeling at this point in time. 

Well, hopefully you guys enjoyed us sharing a little bit of insight on what our personal lives are like! Do you have any questions for us, or anything to comment on with what we answered? Tell us in the comments below! :-)

Review: Because of Low by Abbi Glines

Title: Because of Low (Sea Breeze #2) 
Author: Abbi Glines
Genre: Young Adult (?), Romance
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: October 6th 2012
Add it to Goodreads / Buy it on Amazon

Summary: 

Playboy Cage owns the apartment, and he hosts a revolving door of people, in and out, at all times. Most of them are long-legged hot girls who are never there more than a night or two. When Cage’s new roommate, Marcus, enters the picture, he’s just looking to nurse a broken heart. But there’s one particular semi-frequent regular who catches his eye. Willow—“Low”—is the one Cage wants to marry. But the two of them are night and day, and Marcus can’t see how Low puts up with all of Cage’s womanizing. What she really needs is a real man....like good-looking and sensible Marcus. But that’s going to get real complicated and real messy—real fast.

I liked Because of Low much better then Breathe. I just wanted to put that out there for the fact that my review of Breathe wasn't very positive. I read both books back to back, both in a few hours. There is something about romances that make me devour them in a few hours. Abbi Glines novels are easily becoming a bit of an addiction of mine. I have other things I need to read and all I keep doing is debating on reading the next book in the Sea Breeze series. 

I was excited to read about Marcus, we saw how Sadie messed with his head a bit in Breathe and I wanted him to be happy. He is such a sweet and caring character, but at the same time he can be sexy. (Plus he is really good with kids!!) I typically don't like reading in the male point of view, but I didn't mind it much with Marcus. I think he may be one of my new book boyfriends (not that I have enough already...) The story is also told in the point of view of Low, who I did like very much. My heart really breaks for what she had to go through in her life, especially with her sister who could care less about her well being. But Marcus and Low are incredibly adorable. I am a bit bummed their story is over now. *sigh* 

The romance is were I had a problem. It wasn't as big as big of an issue as it was in Breathe, but this book also suffers from a case of instalove, which was frustrating because I knocked a star of its rating for that. I do like that Low and Marcus admit that they developed feelings fast, so it wasn't that bad. I loved the romance though. They were really sweet together. The sex scene felt a little rushed, but under the circumstances I can see why. But Abbi does have a knack for writing some heart melting scenes.

Overall this one was much better then Breathe. I felt the characters to be more real as well as the romance. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to continue on in this series, because 1) the covers are really awesome *wink* and 2) I liked Abbi's writing style. 

RATING: 

Stacking the Shelves #13: I Think My Book Buying Ban Is Going Well

Stacking the Shelves is a book meme created and is being hosted every Saturday by Tynga’s Reviews. This is the chance to showcase all the books you have bought and added to your shelves!

FOR REVIEW FROM NETGALLEY: 

  

FOR REVIEW FROM EDELWEISS: 

IN THE MAIL: 

  

Thanks Swoon Reads! 

Books Read: 

The Secrets of Attraction by Robin Constantine (5 Stars)

The Leveller by Julia Durango (3 Stars)

Velvet by Temple West (5 Stars) 

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi (4 Stars)

Reviews: 

Breathe by Abbi Glines

Dawn of Hope by Peter Prichard

The Way He Looks at Me by Juliana Mae

Blog Posts: 

Waiting on Wednesday #19: Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Blitz: Island Escape by Viv Daniels

Where Dead Bodies Lie by Kat Cazanav {Excerpt + Giveaway}

So, what did you get this week?

DNF Review: Dawn of Hope by Peter Prichard

Title: Dawn of Hope
Author: Peter Prichard
Rating: 1/5 Stars (DNF Review)
Paperback, 203 Pages
Published 2015
Add it on Goodreads!

Summary: Dawn Mortenson moved to Fair Shore, Connecticut and within 24 hours of her arrival at Fair Shore High realized that the town condoned the sexual assault of young girls. She alienated most of the population of the town after her confrontation with the All-American football hero found him in the hospital. The ensuing battle landed many friends and foes in jail, the hospital or an early grave. Dawn uses music, the media, a team of young and old allies and a combination of personal courage and mental toughness to change the town's attitude toward the sexual abuse of young people forever, although at a huge personal cost.

I received a copy of Dawn of Hope's author, Peter Prichard, and as you can tell by the summary, it's pretty heavy stuff. A town that condones the sexual assault of teenage girls is pretty much unfathomable to me - and I'm sure to many others - but it definitely happens out there. That's probably the scariest part of all.

I don't know if it was the way the book was written (AKA: Dawn sounding far too prim and proper to be a teenage girl living in Connecticut) or the characters themselves or just the story in general, but I couldn't get myself into this book. And I tried. I really did. The topic is so heavy and so hard to understand and grasp that in a way, it made the book seem unreal to me. 

I waded through this book for a good few chapters before I realized that it was so heavy that my mind was starting to wander. And that's when I knew I had to put it down.

However, from what I've read, I like Dawn's character. She's a strong-willed girl who won't tolerate anything from anybody, especially from boys with the intent of raping her. Even if she did technically shove one of them into a fountain and put him in a coma, it was for self-defense...right? 

Dawn and her mother are both strong-willed women who know what they stand for and will defend it to the death, and I liked that. The book just wasn't for me.

Overall, Dawn of Hope was a book that I couldn't finish and found very hard to get into. However, Peter Prichard is a kind, respectful man that I've spoken to personally many times and I'll definitely dive back into this book when I'm in the state of mind to do so, because this is a topic that should definitely be explored more and hopefully I'll find the time to explore again.

Rating:  

ARC Review: The Way He Looks at Me by Juliana Mae

Title: The Way He Looks at Me
Author: Juliana Mae
Rating: 3/5 Stars
eBook, 232 Pages
Expected Publication: February 14th, 2015
Add it on Goodreads!

Summary: Annie and her family left everything behind and moved over 3,000 miles away to California for her mother to become a musician. When Annie is reunited with an old family friend who is also an up-and-coming musician, she's far from complaining. Especially when he takes her to her first movie premiere where she meets two of her favorite bands. Hayden from Vas Happenin' shows an immediate interest in Annie, and wastes no time in getting Annie's number. A coincidental run-in at Starbucks leaves Annie with a kiss from Colt from Sons of Jannone. How will Annie be able to choose between the two? Or will someone else stand in her way?

I received an ARC copy of The Way He Looks at Me by author Juliana Mae. She's a super sweet girl that I've spoken to before, and we've even featured her book of short stories and poems on the blog before, In The Heart of an Unsocial Butterfly, here. So needless to say, I was touched that she asked me to review her newest book, and I was very excited!

The Way He Looks at Me is an interesting book for sure. Annie just moved from California after breaking up with her boyfriend Jesse (after on their last night together he makes it clear that he's more than ready to move on). Now, she lives one floor above a cute family friend, and that same friend introduces her to her two favorite boy bands in the whole world (in one night!). To make it even better, the lead singers of both bands express interest in Annie. What's a girl to do?

Well, Annie thinks it's a bright idea to date both of them at the same time. (Yes, you heard me - she dates both lead singers simultaneously. And they're both semi-okay with it. And so are her parents. And the friends/relatives of both of these boys. Strikes me as capital-C Craaaaaaazy.) Right off the bat, that bothered me. Annie makes it clear to everyone, even the paparazzi, that she's dating both boys until she can find out which one she loves more. What the heck?

At first, I thought that it was the author's intention to make her poly-amorous. Until I figured out that it wasn't. Annie's just an indecisive, naive teenage girl. She's juggling two boys, all while ignoring the fact that there's a third that has more feelings for her and cares for her more than either of the others.

Annie just needs a good slap upside the head, and also for her mother to encourage her that what she's doing is wrong, instead of sitting up every night waiting for her to spill all of the girlish details. Not a single adult in Annie's life told her what she was doing was wrong, not even the paparazzi, and I found that so, so frustrating.

The ending was such a cliff-hanger, though! I'm not big on spoilers, so I won't ruin it for anyone, but...I flipped past the pages frantically after that, hardly able to believe it was over. If there had been a thought bubble over my head, all it would contain would be "!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!" 

All in all, The Way He Looks at Me was a cute, refreshing read that was full of lots of twists and turns and the indecision of teenage-dom, with parts that you could hardly believe. Author Juliana Mae is a sweet, awesome girl and I'm so glad to help her out and review her newest book. :-)

   
Rating: 

Waiting on Wednesday #19: Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine.

Title: Sweet 
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: June 2015
Add it to Goodreads!

Summary:

*People would kill to be thin.* Solu’s luxurious celebrity-filled “Cruise to Lose” is billed as “the biggest cruise since the Titanic,” and if the new diet sweetener works as promised—dropping five percent of a person’s body weight in just days—it really could be the answer to the world’s obesity problem. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She’s already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host, Tom Forelli (otherwise known as the hottest guy ever!) and she’s too seasick to even try the sweetener. And that’s before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange. *But will they die for it, too?* Tom Forelli knows that he should be grateful for this job and the opportunity to shed his childhood “Baby Tom-Tom” image. His publicists have even set up a ‘romance’ with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get a bit wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when his celebrity hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it’s Laurel that he’s determined to save.

I loved Emmy's Monument 14 series and I may have squealed a little when I saw that she was publishing another book. Excited enough that I swallowed my anxiety and requested it. *fingers crossed extra hard* Sweet sounds really good, and appears to take on a twist to a real world problem. 

What are you waiting on this week?