Letterbox Love (29/9/2012)





Letterbox Love is a UK based alternative to the popular US In My Mailbox meme and a fun way for British (and non-British) bloggers to share the fab books we may have got this week.

I would like to make a massive apology for the lack of posts this week, I'm in a reading slump, working lots and trying to get organised for university (I move in in a week!) I am compiling posts I should be posting more next week since I have some AMAZING books this week, check them out!

REVIEW:


(Manuscript) Dead Jealous by Sharon Jones - Orchard - July 2013

BOUGHT/SWAPPED/GIFTED:


Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout
Adaptation by Malinda Lo
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott
My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater




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Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before... and her secret is almost exposed. 

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.
The Pledge was one of my most highly anticipated reads from 2011 and yet it's taken me this long to actually read it, I have no idea why. I'm glad that i did finally read this but for me it didn't quite meet the standards of Derting's earlier YA work (The Body Finder series). I did highly enjoy this book though and can't wait to read more in this series.

 I've heard some reviewers refer to this book as a pseudo-fairytale and I can so see where that comes from, but I really liked the blend of the fantasy with the dystopian and I really think that this book works. The world building could have been a little stronger but I did like the set-up, where languages define the class of a person and Charlaina could understand all languages, I look forward to seeing this world being developed more.

 I did feel that the romance was a little too fast, I liked Max, he was a bit of an enigma and I loved where Derting took his character, it was a big twist but he and Charlaina start their romance a little too much and I expected a little more from Derting. I liked most of the characters but I really didn't like Brooke, she seemed like a total cow and was not a good friend at all. 

 Overall, a good start to the series. I look forward to reading more since I liked the set-up and the characters were mostly likable. I didn't like the romance as it moved too quick though I look forward to seeing more of the two.

Overall Rating: C+

Book released August 28th 2012 by HarperTeen
Book bough by myself
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Review: Starling by Lesley Livingston

Starling (Starling, #1)

Mason Starling is a champion fencer on the Gosforth Academy team, but she's never had to fight for her life. Not until the night a ferocious, otherworldly storm rips through Manhattan, trapping Mason and her teammates inside the school. Mason is besieged by nightmarish creatures more terrifying than the thunder and lightning as the raging tempest also brings a dangerous stranger into her life: a young man who remembers nothing but his name--the Fennrys Wolf. His arrival tears Mason's world apart, even as she feels an undeniable connection to him. Together, they seek to unravel the secrets of Fenn's identity as strange and supernatural forces gather around them. When they discover Mason's family--with its dark allegiance to ancient Norse gods--is at the heart of the mystery, Fennrys and Mason are suddenly faced with a terrifying future.
I have never read anything by Lesley Livingston before, even though I've had Wondrous Strange on my TBR shelf forever, I honestly can't say that I was blown away by this author though I will try her other books. My expectations for this book were pretty high because of the awesome synopsis an it didn't really meet it. My main problem was that not much really seemed to happen in this book. The very beginning was really strong, with action from very close to the beginning but then from there to about three quarters in this book was very slow. There was an amazing ending, and there is such a shock at the end that I will probably read on in this series but by then I was fed up.c

 Alongside the slwo pace I was so annoyed by the romance. The attraction between Fennrys and Mason in obvious, but there is no romantic development and I am so sick of insta-love now that I just wanted to hurl my Kindle across the room, but I persevered and whilst the two had cute scenes at times most of it was just lust. There is also a bit of a love triangle but Callum was the most annoying and whiny character I have ever read, he is supposed to be this sweet guy but comes across as a bit of a tool, and extremely moany. I think the only character I did actually like was Heather, and I liked Roth when he turned up

 Where there was action it was pretty well written, I was on my edge of my seat at a few points and if there was more of the action I would have liked this book much more, there was just too much walking around doing nothing and insta-love to keep me invested in this story, but for some reason I didn't hate this book, which I should have, so I put that down to Livingston's writing.

 Overall, I had such high expectations for Starling but the book fell short due to a slow pace and boring romance and characters.

Overall Rating: C-

Book released August 28th 2012 by HarperTeen
Book bough by myself
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Letterbox Love (21/9/12)





Letterbox Love is a UK based alternative to the popular US In My Mailbox meme and a fun way for British (and non-British) bloggers to share the fab books we may have got this week.


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Review: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Hanging by a Thread
The quaint little beach town of Winston, California, may be full of wholesome townsfolk, picturesque beaches, and laid back charm, but Clare Knight is about to uncover something underneath its thriving demeanor. Someone is hiding something, and it’s as gruesome as the townsfolk, and their stately homes, are stunning. Amanda Stavros, fellow classmate and resident of Winston, is gone and there’s no sign of her ever coming back. Everyone says she was taken and murdered, but where’s the evidence? Why isn’t there a single ounce of proof? And why is everyone okay with this, except for Clare?

Luckily—or as it’s been turning out, unluckily—Clare possesses a gift, an ability to see visions from the clothes she works with. And since her clothes come solely from the townsfolk, Clare has become privy to some startling and disturbing memories of these townspeople. Will she uncover who killed Amanda Stavros? Or is she just moving herself up in line to be the next victim of Winston?
When I first saw the synopsis of Hanging by the Thread I knew that I had to read it. I'm a massive fan of mystery books about some kind of psychometry. I knew that I was going to end up comparing this book to Slide and The Body Finder and it didn't quite reach the level of these books. I did enjoy it and I was absorbed into it, but it didn't quite reach the level I had hoped.

 My first problem with this book was the romance. Clare and Jack suddenly start making out and that's it, no development, no flirting or even hate to love, it was true insta-love so I really struggled to care about it. I also felt like Clare's other relationships seemed forced and false, even her talks with her mother. Clare just didn't seem real to me at all and so I struggled to connect with her.

 I did really like the mystery. I was gripped and thrown by all of the twists and turns in this book, it meant that I never knew what was going to happen and who the real bad guy was. I never suspected who it actually was. The mystery was great.

 Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read that I would recommend to fans of quick books with insta-love, but compared to similar books such as The Body Finder and Slide it may fall short a little.

 Overall Rating: B-

Book released September 11th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley
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Waiting on Wednesday #10




Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
Also don't forget to check out my giveaways:

Crash (Visions, #1)

Crash by Lisa McMann
January 8th 2013 - Simon Pulse

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped foodtruck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the vision. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode... and nine body bags in the snow.

She has no idea why this is happening to her or if she’s going crazy. It hardly matters, because the visions are everywhere--on billboards,television screens, windows--and she’s the only one who can see them.

But it’s not until the vision starts coming more frequently, and revealing more clues, that Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it's someone she knows. Someone she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

This one sounds awesome. I loved the Wake trilogy and this sounds exciting and psych-ey!
What are you waiting on this week? Drop me a comment and I'll call by your link...


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Audiobook Review: Wicked Jealous by Robin Palmer

Wicked Jealous: A Love Story


Simone never saw herself as the “cute girl”—she was always the chunky, band tee wearing, France-obsessed smart girl. But now that Simone’s a few pounds lighter and sporting a new retro style, things have gotten, well, weird. Her crush Jason seems to actually know she exists. And when Simone’s soon-to-be stepmonster Hillary stops ignoring her, Simone knows something is up. When Simone’s brother offers to let her move in with him and his six roommates on the beach for the summer, Simone jumps at the chance. But living with seven very different college boys isn’t exactly helping her land her very own happily ever after.
This was such a fun book to listen to because of the amazing narrator, who totally managed to make Simone just as sarcastic and awesome as I would have imagined and brought life to every single other character in the book. I loved the voices she did for Wheezy, Doc and Nicola, she was fantastic and I loved listening to this book whilst I did other things, like tidy my bedroom and meme hop.

 The book itself is nothing particularly inspiring. I do enjoy modern fairytale retellings and I liked the spin that Palmer put on the Snow White fairytale. All of the good fairytale cliches are there - the wicked stepmother, the handsome prince and the sweet romance - except in this book the handsome prince isn't all he makes out to be and the boy who sweeps our princess off her feel may actually be one of the dwarves. I loved this twist on the fairytale and it was so well done.

 This book is great if you want a fluffy and simple read. None of the characters are amazingly well written but it was fun to listen to and I really enjoyed following the story as it wasn't too deep. If I'd been reading this book I doubt I would have enjoyed it AS much as I did, but the narration really brought something to this book and I do think I may check out some of Robin Palmer's other books if I can find them cheap anywhere.


 Overall Rating: C+

Book released July 19th 2012 by Speak
I am reviewing an Audiobook
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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