Stacking the Shelves!

For Review: 

• The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson
• Where Silence Gathers by Kelsey Sutton
• India Black and the Gentleman Thief by Carol K Carr  

 Purchased: 

• The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
   
  
   
  
  
  Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!  It's hosted by Tynga's Reviews!

Waiting on Wednesday - Catch A Falling Star by Kim Culbertson

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

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

 

 

Title: Catch A Falling Star

Author: Kim Culbertson

Publication Date: April 29th 2014 by Scholastic Press 

 

Nothing ever happens in Little, CA. Which is just the way Carter Moon likes it. But when Hollywood arrives to film a movie starring former child star turned PR mess Adam Jakes, everything changes. Carter's town becomes a giant glittery set and, much to her annoyance, everyone is starry-eyed for Adam. Carter seems to be the only girl not falling all over herself to get a glimpse of him. Which apparently makes her perfect for the secret offer of a lifetime: playing the role of Adam's girlfriend while he's in town, to improve his public image, in exchange for a hefty paycheck. Her family really needs the money and so Carters agrees. But it turns out Adam isn't at all who she thought he was. As they grow closer, their relationship walks a blurry line between what's real and what's fake, and Carter must open her eyes to the scariest of unexplored worlds - her future. Can Carter figure out what she wants out of life AND get the guy? Or are there no Hollywood endings in real life? 

 

I've read a couple of this author's books and enjoyed them a lot.  They just have that feel good contemporary feel to them.  I'm looking forward to this one!

 

 

  

Review - Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi

Title: Into The Still Blue

Author: Veronica Rossi

Series: 3rd (Under The Never Sky, Through The Ever Night)

Pages: 400
Published: January 28th 2014 by HarperCollins 

ISBN: 9780062072092

Source: Netgalley via Edelweiss

Description: Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world. The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.  Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.  Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most. 

 First Line: Aria lurched upright, the echo of gunshots ringing in her ears.

I Give This ...

 There's be a number of book series that have ended recently, and it seem quite a number of them have leaned to the disappointing side.  I haven't read all of them, but it seriously lead to some trepidations on my part.  

Perry and Aria have been through so much at this point that I kind felt like they didn't have much of a plan to save all the people depending on them.  But, at least the recognize this fact.  It really was a game of chance and a lot was riding on Soren.  Who, we can all honestly say, we have no idea might decide to switch sides in the middle of the battle.   But, I loved the fact that Aria especially never gives up.  Even when it seems like all hope is lost, Aria will keep fighting.  I admired that she never took the easy way out and gave in to whatever twisted thing Sable might want.

There are some pretty gruesome scenes that are carried out in this edition.  We get to see how evil Sable really is.  He has everything planned out to the littlest detail and knows what to do to keep everyone under his thumb.  He's not above physical threats and killing those who might get in his way.  It's very evident that human life is only another means to be the ultimate ruler.  The only one he can't seem to control is Aria and I never could figure out how much that bothered him.

There are some loss of characters that don't carry the impact that you would expect.   One of them was not surprising, but it really seemed one minute this character was there and then they weren't. But, it was because of this I wasn't ever really sure they were truly gone.  

There are some great relationship development throughout this novel.  Rossi really fleshes these charcters out to the fullest point.  Perri and Aria become a real couple, and one that has way more substance based on mutual respect and love and not infatuation.  I also really enjoyed Soren by the end.  He's come full circle for the character we meet in book one.  

I was completely satisfied with how this trilogy ended.  I hope Veronica Rossi has great things in store for us next. 

 

  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. Click on the picture to be taken to Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books!

 

Read Last Week: 

 

• Defy by Sara B Larson 
• Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore

Currently Reading:

 

• Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir  
•  A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway

 

Up This Week:

 

• All That Glows by Ryan Graudin 

 

Stacking the Shelves!

For Review: 

• Sunrise by Mike Mullin
• Torn by K.A. Robinson
   

Purchased: 

• Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

 

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!  It's hosted by Tynga's Reviews!

Review - The Offering (The Pledge #3) by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Offering

Author: Kimberly Derting

Series: 3rd (The Pledge, The Essence)

Pages: 336

Published: December 31st 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry Books 

ISBN: 9781442445628 

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Description: True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.  Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks. When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom. But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

First Line: Unflinching, the executioner stood on the bloodstained floor facing the prison cells as he wielded an axe with a razor-sharp blade.

I Give This ...
 

 

I realized part way through this book that my issue with the second book (and part of this one) was the story ended up being about something different than I had hoped.  The aspects of the story that I really enjoyed in the first book are not longer important.  Once I tabled that, I was able to enjoy this book a whole lot more.

Charlie makes an interesting Queen.  She tends to think with her heart more than with her head.  Not entirely a bad characteristic, but it makes her make decisions in the heat of the moment.  I'm not sure what she hoped to accomplish by sneaking off in the middle of the night and walking into enemy territory.  She should know that enemies rarely hold up their end of the bargain.  But, I admired her for trying.  She never gives up.

I liked that she's turned into more the Queen I had hoped she would be.  She has more training under her belt and can old her own in situations that test her limits.  But, she's also recognizing who she is and what she needs to do. Even in the end, when she thought Sabara was going to win, she was willing to give up herself if it might change the tides.

I liked how the cast of characters rounded this book out.  All of them were willing to go the distance for Queen Charlie.  I know it's their duty, but there were a number of times that it was evident that they believed in what she was trying to do.  They would all die in attempt to save their kingdom.

It was a satisfying ending to a trilogy that ended up being about something entirely different that I expected.  But, that was ok.  I'm looking forward to Kimberly Derting's next work!  And I still need to read the last book in her previous series!

Review - Neverwas (The Amber House Trilogy #2) by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, & Larkin Reed

Title: Neverwas

Author: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, Larkin Reed

Series: 2nd (Amber House)

Pages: 320

Published: January 7th 2014 by Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic Press 

ISBN: 9780545434188

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Things are very different--better--for Sarah and her family: her Aunt Maggie grew up; her parents are happily married; her grandmother died after a long, productive and respected life. But other things are different too, and not for the better.  After growing up in the free country of the Pacific Northwest, Sarah Parsons has settled in at Amber House, the stately Maryland home that's been in her family for generations. But the world surrounding the House feels deeply wrong to Sarah. It's a place where the colonists lost the 1776 Insurrection, where the American Confederation of States still struggles with segregation, and where Sarah is haunted by echoes of a better world that she knows never existed.  Her friend Jackson shares these visions of a different world--and together, they manage both to remember the way things ought to be, and to plan a daring mission that will reset the universe once again. Sarah must figure out what has changed, and why, and how she can fix it--how she can find her way to another otherwhen.

First Line: A spider the color of amber spun a web before me.

I Give This ...

 DNF (DID NOT FINISH)

I was actually really excited for this one.  I enjoyed Amber House quite a bit and was pleased to learn there was a sequel.  Sadly, I have no idea what happened here.

I really gave it my best go, even attempting past my usual 25%.  I kept thinking to myself that there had to be some part of the story that I wasn't getting.  If I kept reading, something would click for me, and I would want to continue.  That honestly never happened.  I vaguely understood that somehow time had been altered.  But, none of it made sense.  

I think a different approach would have worked better here.  Or perhaps, it's just me.  I have thoughts of trying to return to this book at a later date.  But, right now I have no desire too.  It's hard to commit to that when I have so many other books to enjoy.