Review: Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .
Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

5 Stars 

“Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've ever heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win.”

Halfway through reading Tiger Lily, I was sure that this would end up being a 4-star-read. After finishing that last note, that last P.S., I realized how wrong I was.

Top 2014 Book Releases I'm Crazy About

In no particular order:

1. Ruin and Rising, by Leigh Bardugo

 

2. Cress, by Marissa Meyer

End of Year Bookish Survey

Thanks to Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner for hosting this survey!

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Fantasy- Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Shadow & Bone series by Leigh Bardugo, The Unearthly series

Contemporary/Realistic- Anna and the French Kiss, I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Dystopian/Sci-fi- Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa  

Historical Fiction- Out of the Easy and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Movie Review: The Book Thief

A few weeks ago, I finally had the chance to watch a book-movie adaptation of one of my favorite novels, The Book Thief. Rarely has a movie impacted me to this extent, and I'm quite satisfied with how true the movie stayed to this beloved book of mine.

Review: The Sky Is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable. -Goodreads

4.5 Stars

"You can tell your story any way you damn well please.

It’s your solo."

Stacking the Shelves (9)

Library haul!

1- Dark Triumph, by Robin LaFevers

2- No and Me, by Delphine de Vigan

3- Cinder, by Marissa Meyer 

Bought:

The Harry Potter Special Edition Book Set! *dies*

1- Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

2- World After, by Susan Ee (read the review here)

3- Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson (review to come)

From Netgalley:

Granada Gold, by S A Carney

On a side note, I'm looking for a co-blogger, so if anyone is interested, fill out the form here.

Review: World After, by Susan Ee

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose? -Goodreads

3 Stars

Initially, I truly liked World After. Now, after further contemplation, I found that this book did not exactly live up to my expectations. So, I lowered my rating to 3 stars.

Buddy Read Discussion: The Piper's Son, by Melina Marchetta

I had the pleasure of buddy-reading a book written by one of my favorite authors, with the awesome Rashika from Tangled in Pages. We had a great time discussing this wonderful book, and we ended up agreeing on almost everything. Although we thought it was fractionally less... powerful, I guess, as Jellicoe and Looking for Alibrandi, we still loved it immensely.

Actual Rating: 4.75 stars

Review: Defy, by Sara B. Larson

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

1 Star

*Thank you Scholastic for sending me this copy via Netgalley.*

Blergh. DNF at 85%.

Book Blogger TMI Tag

This is my first blogger tag I'm participating in. Thanks to Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf for creating this tag (check out her video on it) and Jack from The Book Stop for tagging me!

How old are you?

I am 15. AND A HALF.

What book are you reading?

Currently I'm participating in a massive Harry Potter re-read, and we're on The Chamber of Secrets. Also, I'm reading Defy, which I'm kind of hating. 

What are you wearing?

Um. Pajamas? C'mon, it's Thanksgiving break here, cut me some slack.

OTP?

Taylor and Jonah from Jellicoe Road. AND SYDRIAN from Bloodlines.

Mini-Reviews: A Northern Light, Perfect Ruin, and A Darkness Strange and Lovely

Title: A Northern Light
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: Historical fiction
Pub. Date: September 1, 2004

Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has a word for everything, and big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. She collects words, stores them up as a way of fending off the hard truths of her life, the truths that she can't write down in stories. The fresh pain of her mother's death. The burden of raising her sisters while her father struggles over his brokeback farm. And the secret dreams that keep her going--visions of finishing high school, going to college in New York City, becoming a writer. Set in 1906 in the Adirondack Mountains, against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, this Printz Honor-winning coming-of-age novel effortlessly weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery into something moving, and real, and wholly original.

5 stars! I don't know when the last time was that I've given a book the ultimate glory of being

Stacking the Shelves (8)

From the Library:

    

1- The Piper's Son, by Melina Marchetta

2- Saving Francesca, by Melina Marchetta (review to come)

3- The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson

4- The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness

5- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Bought:

  

1- Thin Space, by Jody Casella

2- All the Truth That's In Me, by Julie Berry

3- I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai

Netgalley: 

 

Defy, by Sara B. Larson

What's on your Stacking the Shelves? Link up!

Review: Mythology: The Wicked, by Helen Boswell

Title: The Wicked (Mythology #2)
Author: Helen Boswell
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Pub. Date: October 11, 2013

A demon with a pure heart, Micah Condie lives his life by a code of ethics, but breaking that code may be the only way for him to survive. A supernatural entity in her own right, Hope Gentry would do anything in her power to protect her loved ones, but she may be the one who puts them in peril.

When the Demon Impiorum challenges the laws that keep guardians and demons in balance, ancient enforcers of justice intervene. Micah, Hope, and their mentor Jonathan become entangled in a conspiracy that will test even the deepest love and trust.

Someone will commit an act of betrayal. Someone will forever abandon a loved one.

Someone will enter THE WICKED.

4 Stars

It puzzles me how unknown Helen Boswell’s series is. I went into it, expectations low, and was

Review: Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Out of the Easy
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Genre: Historical fiction/mystery
Pub. Date: February 12, 2013

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

4 Stars

It's official. Ruta Sepetys is now one of my favorite authors. First, she crushed my heart with Between Shades of Gray, and now, I find myself enamored with Out of the Easy. Her writing is superb, and her characterization skills are envy-worthy.

Book Talk: How I Review/Blog

A feature hosted here I started to talk about bookish things. Written sporadically, of course.

This topic has been springing up among blogs recently, and I thought I'd give it a shot. 

One thing I learned: I'm probably the most unorganized blogger out there. I mean, reading about how my fellow bloggers review, and how they have a set schedule for all their posts, I realize how much of a foreign concept this is to me. If I had an organized, well-thought out blog schedule, blogging would become ridiculously tedious after a while, and what's the fun in that?

Review: The Iron Traitor, by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Genre: YA fantasy

Pub. Date: October 29, 2013

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all. -Goodreads

4 Stars

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Prior to reading this, there was this teeny tiny part of me that was hoping, hoping that Kagawa would give more attention to her old characters, the characters many of us hold dearly. Alas, I was disappointed. They were barely given any attention.

The logical part of my brain is agreeing with her, and I definitely see why she would not pay such close attention to the old characters, but still. I am proud of her that she has enough maturity as an author to let go of the original characters, but at the same time, allowing roughly only three chapters to Puck and Grim is saddening if not a bit of a letdown.

Anyhow, on to the book. There was all the action, betrayal, magic, suspense, and all that good stuff we expect from the Fey world. Really, could we expect anything less? It’s Julie Freaking Kagawa.

I've read somewhere that to be a successful author/writer, you have to pay attention to details. This is exactly what Kagawa does; her writing is descriptive, giving us a clear depiction of how the world of the Fey looks. As in the other books, her writing and world-building are simply impeccable.

The characters have grown tremendously between this novel and the previous installment. Ethan doesn't spend 99% of his day brooding, he shows a bit more maturity, and I don’t abhor dislike him as much as I did in The Iron Prince. The other characters matured and were more deeply developed as well. While a lot of people do hate Keirran, I am intrigued by his character. He’s probably the most interesting individual out of this whole series.

Admittedly, at first the novel was a bit difficult to get into. But once the action started, I could not take my eyes off the page. However, for those of you that have been following Kagawa’s books, as I have, I can’t help but feel that the series is becoming somewhat predictable. It’s not very obvious, but I could kind of guess what would happen during some occurrences, and during others, I felt that they found a solution to their problems unrealistically quickly. Nevertheless, The Iron Traitor is a very solid second installment.

The cliffhanger was, and still is, tortuous. [How did I not see that coming? The title makes it SO OBVIOUS. (hide spoiler)]

For those that haven’t read anything by Julie Kagawa, you probably should pick up one of her books pronto. Although it is susceptible to hackneyed characteristics in some of her books, the grandeur of Julie Kagawa’s storytelling is unbeatable, and it will be hard not to be immersed in the world of the Nevernever.

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Elixir, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Follow the Blog Tour!

Title: Elixir (Covenant #3.5)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: YA paranormal
Pub. Date: November 27, 2012

Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex.
Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for.
Even if it means making war against the gods.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

3 Stars 

I'm not usually one to read novellas, because in my opinion they don't really satisfy me, but Elixir is an exception to that. It was intriguing to see things from Aiden's POV, and although I never really liked him, I actually began to respect him while reading this. An interesting read, and I highly recommend reading it before Apollyon, as it makes things much
clearer.

About the Author

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway!

Spencer Hill Press is giving away a $200 gift card to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository or any indie bookstore of the winner's choice to not only stock up on amazing books, but to perhaps buy a Nook HD or Kindle Fire.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking the Shelves (7)

The best feature of the arrival of the weekend: I get all the time to read. No school, no distractions. Yay.

Lately, I've been in the mood for historical fiction, which is why five of these books are all in that genre. One thing I noticed, though, was that I shouldn't read a historical fiction book on a topic I'm familiar with. Usually, the author gets all the facts wrong, and I just end up going on an angry rampage that I'm not too proud of. 

Anyways, here is my loot:

From Library:

1- Perfect Ruin, by Lauren Destefano

2- A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly

3- A Darkness Strange and Lovely, by Susan Dennard

4- Angel Burn, by L.A. Weatherly 

5- Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys (review to come!) 

From Netgalley:

Lady Thief, by A.C. Gaughen

Bought: 

1- Pivot Point, by Kasie West

2- The Bronte Sisters: Three Novels (It basically has one novel from each sister- all in one collection. How cool is that?)
3- Elixir, by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

So there you have it. I'm pretty sure my librarian hates me, because I'm always hoarding all the new books. Sigh. Book blogger problems.

What did you get this week?