Thursday, December 29, 2011

Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway Hop



Who wants New Books to celebrate the New Year? Come on, I know you do. That's why I've decided to participate in this awesome giveaway hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Bab's Book Bistro.

For this hop I am giving away a Signed copy of Crossed by Ally Condie.



That's it, right there. Isn't it pretty? Okay, so if you want it, you know what to do--fill out the rafflecopter. And when you're done, check out the other blogs participating by clicking the links below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Now hop along...



















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Recent Reads - Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1)

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1), Marissa Meyer

 5 of 5 Stars

Genre: Young Adult, SciFi/Fantasy

Pages: 387

Publication: 1/3/2012, Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)

Buy It:


Why I Chose It: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) from the publisher in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads:  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.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.


My Review:  One word: AMAZING. It's billed as a fairy tale retelling and while I caught the references to Cinderella, Cinder is so much more than that. This one has it all--an engaging and relatable heroine, a unique plot, a prince, an evil queen, magic-like powers, cyborgs (YES, cyborgs), a futuristic setting, and a deadly plague threatening to decimate the population of Earth. Yeah, it doesn't get much better than Cinder.

Add to all this the smooth, easy writing style of Marissa Meyer and you have one of the best debuts of 2012. I'm already counting down the days until the release of part 2 in 2013. Feiwel & Friends seems to be just hitting it out of the park with their releases for the coming year.

Cinder is totally likeable. Her guardian (evil-stepmother) Adri treats her as a servant and as a burden. She has no friends save for her stepsister Peony--who contracts the plague--and a "defective" android. But she's feisty, smart, and confident even though she is trapped in a hopeless situation. I couldn't help but love her.

Kai wasn't ultra swoon-worthy, but he had his moments and I certainly found myself sympathizing with his plight--losing his parents to the plague, the burden of becoming emperor at such a young age, dealing with the demands and the threat of war from the evil Queen Levana.

Speaking of Queen Levana, I have to tell you that she is one of the creepiest villains. She's unfeeling, calculating, manipulative--all while projecting an image of perfect beauty and wearing a painted-on smile. I LOVE her.

The setting is a futuristic society in China, still reeling from the effects of World War 4 and currently suffering from a plague that kills everyone it touches. I liked the fact that while there was a mixed populace, hovercrafts, and androids, there was still a sense of Old World tradition and prejudices that made it familiar and real.

In the end, I was left wanting more. I will warn you that there is a cliffhanger ending. This story won't be resolved in one book, so don't be surprised when it happens. That being said, this is an incredible book that is not yo be missed. Covet, borrow, acquire. Do what you have to do, just get your hands on this book. You won't be disappointed.

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Cinder is also available as an audiobook from Macmillan Audio and they've been kind enough to offer a free preview:

From Publisher - Cinder webclip - eSnips

Like what you hear? Buy It From Amazon or Macmillan Audio

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To Be Read Thursday {17}


TBR Thursday is a weekly post where I draw attention to books by sharing with you the books I've either purchased, received, borrowed, or received for review, plus 10 books currently on my TBR list.
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Books Received for Review:

Rae of Hope (The Chronicles of Kerrigan)
Rae of Hope, W.J. May

Synopsis from Goodreads: How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth of the past?

Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan has never questioned her family’s history. That is until she accepted a scholarship to Guilder Boarding School in England. Guilder is a very unique, gifted school. Rae has no idea what she is getting herself into or that her family’s past is going to come back and taunt her. She learns she is part of an unparalleled group of individuals who become marked with a unique tattoo (tatù) on their sixteenth birthday. The tatù enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the shape of their marking.

Both her parents were marked though Rae never knew, as they passed away when she was young and never told her. Learning about her family’s past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to decide if there is a ray of hope for her own life.

Thank you to the author!

Buy It:




Under the Never Sky
Under the Never Sky, Veronica Rossi

Synopsis from Goodreads: Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY

The first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi’s enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure.


Thank you HarperTeen!

Buy It:



Books I Purchased:

I couldn't resist. The ebook versions were on sale for $0.99!!

Hereafter (Hereafter, #1)
Hereafter, Tara Hudson

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)
Ten Things We Did, Sarah Mlynowksi

Entwined
Entwined, Heather Dixon

The Unidentified
The Unidentified, Rae Mariz

Bumped (Bumped, #1)
Bumped, Megan McCafferty

Unearthly (Unearthly, #1)
Unearthly, Cynthia Hand

A Blue So Dark
A Blue So Darkm, Holly Schindler

The Poison Diaries (Poison Diaries, #1)
The Poison Diaries, Maryrose Wood

Graceling (The Seven Kingdoms, #1)
Graceling, Kristin Cashore

This one was on sale for $2.99 and includes the first few chapters of Pandemonium.

Delirium
Delirium: The Special Edition, Lauren Oliver

This one was FREE.

Forbidden (The Guardian Chronicles, #1)
Forbidden (The Guardian Chronicles), Megan Curd


Gifts I Received

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

Across the Universe
Across the Universe, Beth Revis

A Beautiful Dark (A Beautiful Dark, #1)
A Beautiful Dark, Jocelyn Davies

The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies, #2)
The Power of Six, Pittacus Lore

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, #1)
My Soul to Take, Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers, #2)
My Soul to Save, Rachel Vincet


Books To Be Read

Click on book cover to see synopsis or to add to your Goodreads shelves.

 
Cast in Shadow (Chronicles of Elantra, #1) 1. Cast in Shadow, Michelle Sagara

Blindsided 2. Blindsided, Priscilla Cummings

Human.4 3. Human.4, Mike A. Lancaster

Sometimes It Happens 4. Sometimes it Happens, Lauren Barnholdt

Forget You 5. Forget You, Jennifer Echols

Numb 6. Numb, Sean Ferrell

Between Shades of Gray 7. Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys

Strange Angels (Strange Angels, #1) 8. Strange Angels, Lili St. Crow

Luminous 9. Luminous, Dawn Metcalf

Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1) 10. Hex Hall, Rachel Hawkins


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