Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White

Pages: 320

Publisher: Harperteen

Source: ARC recieved from publisher

Summary: Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

Review: Paranormalcy was amazing! I loved reading this book. Everything about it pulled me in; the cover, the summary, and the fact that it is a paranormal romance! I really liked the main character, Evie, because she has a great attitude and she cares a lot about other people. In this book, there were a lot of paranormals (ex. werewolfs, vampires, etc.). Each of these paranormals wore a mask, called glamours. Evie had the ability to see beyond their glamours and see what they really look like. I though that was really interesting. Evie works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, where she tracks down paranormals and brings them back to the agency so they can control them. This book was filled with suspense, romance, and action. I really liked that this book had NO swearing or mature content. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romance. Even if you don't particularly like paranormal romance, this isn't your typical, girl meets boy, falls in love story. There is so much more going on in this book besides the romance. I gave this book 5 coffee cups. I'm glad I read this book. It was great!

Book Blogger Hop (6) and Follow Friday (3)

It's Friday again! Crazy-For-Books is hosting this book blogger hop.

This week's question: Do you use a rating system for your reviews? And if so, what is it and why?

My Answer: Yes, I do use a rating system. I rate books from 5 coffee cups to 1 coffee cups. 5 being "Loved this book!" to 1 being "Hated this book!".
Friday Follow is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://bookge3k.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Book Review: Perfect by Sara Shepard

Title: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #3)
Author: Sara Shepard
Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Summary: In a town where gossip thrives like the ivy that clings to its mansions, where mysteries lie behind manicured hedges and skeletons hide in every walk-in closet, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.

Three years ago, Spencer, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and their best friend Alison were the girls at Rosewood Day School. They clicked through the halls in their Miu Miu flats, tanned in their matching Pucci bikinis, and laughed behind their freshly manicured fingernails. They were the girls everyone loved but secretly hated—especially Alison.

So when Alison mysteriously vanished one night, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna's grief was tinged with . . . relief. And when Alison's body was later discovered in her own backyard, the girls were forced to unearth some ugly memories of their old friend, too. Could there be more to Alison's death than anyone realizes?

Now someone named A, someone who seems to know everything, is pointing the finger at one of them for Ali's murder. As their secrets get darker and their scandals turn deadly, A is poised to ruin their perfect little lives forever.

Review: This book didn't disappoint me. It was filled with suspense and shocking twists. It's hard to write a long review for this book without writing spoilers so I'll keep it short. There was some language and a bit of mature content. I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind the language and mature content. Pretty Little Liars is a great series so far. I really want to find out who is behind Alison's murder and who "A" is. I am looking forward to reading the next book, Unbelievable. If you haven't started this series, you are missing out!

100+ Followers Giveaway!

I reached 100 followers! Thanks so much! I am giving away the book Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen (Soon to be a Major Motion Picture).

Summary (from Goodreads): Juli Baker devoutly believes in three things: the sanctity of trees (especially her beloved sycamore), the wholesomeness of the eggs she collects from her backyard flock of chickens, and that someday she will kiss Bryce Loski. Ever since she saw Bryce's baby blues back in second grade, Juli has been smitten. Unfortunately, Bryce has never felt the same. Frankly, he thinks Juli Baker is a little weird--after all, what kind of freak raises chickens and sits in trees for fun? Then, in eighth grade, everything changes. Bryce begins to see that Juli's unusual interests and pride in her family are, well, kind of cool. And Juli starts to think that maybe Bryce's brilliant blue eyes are as empty as the rest of Bryce seems to be. After all, what kind of jerk doesn't care about other people's feelings about chickens and trees? With Flipped, mystery author Wendelin Van Draanen has taken a break from her Sammy Keyes series, and the result is flipping fantastic. Bryce and Juli's rants and raves about each other ring so true that teen readers will quickly identify with at least one of these hilarious feuding egos, if not both. A perfect introduction to the adolescent war between the sexes.
*Note that it has been used, so don't expect it to be in perfect shape

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. You must be a follower to enter this contest.
2. You may enter up to 10 times for old followers, 9 times for new followers. Do not fill out the form more than once!
4. "Extra Entries" means promoting this contest. You can tweet, put this contest in in your sidebar, or write a blog post about it.
5. Fill out the form below.

This contest ends on September 8th!

Thank you all for participating!

One Lovely Blog Award!

I just recieved the One Lovely Blog Award from The Bookish Snob! I feel so honored!

There are a few rules with the giving and passing of the award and here they are ...

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are the 15 blogs I am giving it to:

1. After The Fall
2. An Abundance of Books
3. Eating Y.A. Books
4. Epic Book Nerd
5. I Swim For Oceans
6. I'd So Rather Be Reading
7. IB Book Blogging
8. Lost In Y.A. Wonderland
9. Only Sexy Books Allowed
10. Pure Imagination
11. Sophistikated Reviews
12. That Chick That Reads
13. The Book Girl
14. Tricia's Book Blog
15. The Teen Bibliophile

Thanks again The Bookish Snob!

Book Review: The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

Title: The Julian Game
Author: Adele Griffin
Pages: 208
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Source: ARC given to me by the author
Summary: All new girl Raye Archer wants is a way into the in crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker picks her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity so she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. It's a fun and dangerous thrill at first, but Raye hadn't counted on falling for Julian herself and igniting Ella's rage. As Raye works to reconcile the temptress Elizabeth with her real-life self, Ella serves up her own revenge, creating an online smear campaign of nasty rumors and trashy photographs. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way out of the web of deceit that she's helped to build, and back to the relationships that matter.

Review: When I saw this book, I was interested in reading it. The cover looked interesting, and when I read the summary, I was pulled in. It sounded like an entertaining book. I was disappointed. I had to force myself to finish it. I don't think that the characters weren't built up very well and there was not a big climax at all. There were some unrealistic situations, but I did like how the book ended. I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work out. I really like the cover. It is really intriguing and made me want to read the book. It fits in the story very well. There was a little bit of language and mature content. This wouldn't be the first book I recommend. I gave this book two and half coffee cups.

Possible giveaway??? Need your opinion.

Would anyone be interested in a giveaway of Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen? It will soon be a Major Motion Picture. I wasn't sure whether to do a contest for it because I didn't know how many people would enter. Let me know either by commenting or taking my poll (to the left.) This giveaway would only be for USA, sorry.

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

The idea behind IMM was not only to put new books on your radar but to also encourage blogger interaction. IMM explores the weekly contents of my mailbox & books bought. And sometimes other fun goodies.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.


I got 2 ARC's! I was so excited when I saw these books in the mail.

• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (Sooooo excited to get this one. Wasn't expecting it!)
  
• The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

And from the library, I got:

• Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
• Stolen by Lucy Christopher
• Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #3) by Sara Shepard
• Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Thanks for reading my blog!

My Dream Cast for The Luxe Series

I really like The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen so I decided to make my dream cast. I wish they would make these books into a movie.


Elizabeth: Dianna Agron
What she's in: Glee, Guest actress on Heroes

Diana: Rachel McAdams
What she's in: The Notebook, The Time Traveler's Wife, Mean Girls













Henry: Channing Tatum
What he's in: Dear John, Step Up, GI Joe: Rise Of The Cobra













Penelope: Michelle Trachtenburg
What she's in: Ice Princess, Mercy, 17 Again














Teddy: Garrett Hedlund
What he's in: Eragon
















Lina/Carolina Broud: Talulah Riley
What she's in: Pride and Prejudice














Will: Orlando Bloom
What he's in: Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings












Isabella Schoonmaker: Elizabeth Banks
What she's in: The Uninvited, Scrubs












William Schoonmaker: Michael Nouri
What he's in: The Proposal, All My Children













Claire Broud: Gemma Arterton
What she's in: Tess of the D'urbervilles, Prince of Persia









Grayson Hayes: Ryan Reynolds
What he's in: The Proposal













Tristan: Ed Speelers
What he's in: Eragon












Buck: Sean Astin
What he's in: Lord of the Rings, 50 first dates













Mr. Carey Lewis Longhorn: David Lawrence
What he's in: Heroes












Leland Bouchard: Simon Woods
What he's in: The Proposal, Penelope










That's it! Comment and let me know what you think.

Book Blogger Hop (5) and Follow Friday! (2)

Crazy-For-Books is hosting this book blogger hop.

This week's question: How many blogs do you follow?

My Answer: I follow 160 blogs (but I bet that will change by the end of the day!).

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://edgyinspirational.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Friday!

Book Review: And Cafe Con Leche by Evie Alexis

Title: And Cafe Con Leche
Author: Evie Alexis
Pages: 238
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing
Source: eBook recieved from author Evie Alexis

Summary: As a teenager growing up in New York City, Isabela Castillo's protective parents try to keep her sheltered from her environment while allowing her twin brother to get away with things she only dreams of doing.

While her Mama stresses the importance of maintaining their Puerto Rican heritage, Isabela has other, more rebellious plans. As graduation looms on the horizon, she enters a controversial alliance with the strangest senior male in Preston High. Will her newfound friendship cause her to lose sight of her heritage? Will the family survive Isabela's transition to independence?

Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. In the beginning of this book, the main character, Isabela, doesn't have a good relationship with her brother, JR. They fight and get into arguements all the time. I can't exactly relate to that, because I don't have any brothers. Throughout the book, their relationship gets better and they appreciate each other more. There was some romance in this book, too. She meets a boy, Marcus, and they start dating. I think their relationship is very cute and realistic. He mostly keeps to himself and doesn't have many friends. When he and Isabela are dating, he tells her that he has had a crush on her for a couple years. I thought that was really cute. There was a little bit of language and a little bit of mature content. Besides that, I thought the book was really entertaining. Being a multicultural novel, Isabela's parents spoke to her in spanish sometimes. Since I don't know much Spanish, some of the time I didn't understand what she was saying. As for the rest of the book it was about 99% English. I gave this book 4 coffee cups. I would recommend this book to anyone. I enjoyed this read. Look for it soon on eTreasures Publishing.
*this book isn't on Goodreads, so if you are looking for it, check out Evie Alexis's blog, http://eviealexisofficialsite.blogspot.com/

Author Interview with Evie Alexis!

Recently, I had the pleasure of having an interview with author Evie Alexis. She wrote the book And Cafe Con Leche and The Obsessive, Compulsive Romance Novelist.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a married gal, been so for the past decade +, and have two strong boys nearing those "tween" years. I was born and raised in New York. City gal by birth, suburban marm by choice. I speak English, Spanish and some French. Am working on getting that third language down pact. Love studying. That's how I ended up with two master's degrees, both in the field of education. I am a strong Christian, and my faith int the Lord is what keeps me focused especially in this day and age.

What inspired you to write your book, And Cafe Con Leche?
Believe it or not, it was the editor of Stonehedge Publishing who gave me the idea. She believed I could market this work for the mainstream public. I sent it to an agent, who really loved the work, but suggested I work towards marketing it for young adults, which was my vision in the first place. The agent loved the revisions and offered me a contract for representation, but I decided to go an alternate route.

Which character in your books can you relate to the most?
I think you'll find a little bit of me in all my characters. Isabela and I share a similar upbringing (minus being Catholic, having a twin brother, and having a mother like that. But I wasn't allowed to date during high school, couldn't go anywhere at night and spent many years memorizing chapter and verses from the Bible, which I am extremely grateful for. It's a positive. Like Isabela, I was very education focused. School came first; relationships (boys, I mean) were a distant second.

Describe yourself in 5 words.
Positive, cheerful, sweet, patient, and spiritual.

Are you currently working on a book?
Yes. I am working on two short stories for Victory Tales Press. They create anthologies. I am also working on the "three-quel" to my Obsessive-Compulsive Series, where the heroine of that novel ties in the knot in the cleanest wedding imagined.

When you're not writing, what kind of books do you like to read?
The Bible and other religious books. Philip Yancey is a great Christian author. I really enjoy British Lit. However, as a reviewer of books, I've read a lot of different works.

How long did it take you to write your book, And Cafe Con Leche?
Oh gosh, two years at least. Like I said, it was written, then re-written, then re-written some more...you get the idea.

Do you know if it will it ever be available in stores?
I'd love to walk into a Barnes and Noble or Borders and find it there, but that all depends on the publisher at this time. I know my next novel, The Broken Road to Nowhere will be available at these stores. But you know, so many people are going the ebook route nowadays. It seems that is the way to go.

Favorite Movie: I have a few. Pride and Prejudice (1995), The Ten Commandments, The Sound of Music, The Slipper and the Rose


Favorite TV show: Judge Judy, hands down. That woman rocks. She just makes so much sense in a nonsensical world.

Favorite Book: More than one. The Bible, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice

Favorite Food: Eggplant Parmesan, but it has to be the way my husband makes, and let me tell you, he can cook.

Thanks Evie for your time!

Watch for my review of And Cafe Con Leche soon.

Book Review: A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn

Title: A Kiss In Time

Author: Alex Flinn

Pages: 371

Publisher: Harperteen

Source: Library

Summary: Talia fell under a spell . . . . Jack broke the curse.

I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic. . . .

I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.

I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.

I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.

Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!

Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels. . . . The good news: My parents will freak!

Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time?

Review: Since I loved Alex Flinn's book, Beastly, I decided to read another one of her books. A Kiss In Time is a modern re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. I really liked reading this book. A princess, who has been sleeping for 300 years, wakes up when a teenage boy, Jack kisses her. The princess, Talia, believes that the boy Jack is her true love since true love's kiss would awaken her. Jack doesn't love her, though. They run away from her castle (which is in the middle of modern day Belgium) back to Jack's home, in Florida. While they are together, Jack falls in love with Talia. This book was really funny. Since Talia had been asleep for 300 years, everything was different. She didn't know what a car, cell phone, or anything like that was. When she used a cell phone for the first time, she threw the phone away from her ear when she heard someone talking on the other end. When Jack asks her what's wrong, she says, "Your telephone! Your friend Travis is inside of it." I thought it was very cute when Jack fell in love with Talia. The whole book Talia was trying to get Jack to fall in love with her, since she loved him. This book kept me turning the pages. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a cute, modern day retelling of a fairytale. Compared to Beastly, I still love Beastly more. Alex Flinn is a great author and one of my new favorites! I gave this book 5 stars. Loved this book.

Summer Beach Reads Reading Challenge!

I'm going to join the Summer Beach Reads Challenge. It looks really fun. Head over to A Fanatic's Book Blog to join me! If you join this challenge you have more opportunities to join contests and win prizes. I'm going to try to reach the Minnow reading level (I only have to finish 2 more books!).

Book Blogger Hop! (4) and Follow Friday (1)

Crazy-For-Books is hosting a book blogger hop!

This week's question: How many books do you have on your 'to be read shelf'?

My Answer: I have 63 books on my 'to be read shelf '. There are so many books that I want to read. The list grows everyday!

Join the hop with me!

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

• To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
• Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
• Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://nymfaux.blogspot.com/
• Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
• Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
• Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
• If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
• If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
• If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Friday!

Book Review: Flawless by Sara Shepard

Title: Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2)

Author: Sara Shepard

Pages: 352

Publisher: Harperteen

Source: Library

Summary: Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is making her sick. And their most horrible secret yet is so scandalous that the truth would ruin them forever.

And why shouldn't I tell? They deserve to lose it all. With every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message I send, I'll be taking these pretty little liars down. Trust me, I've got enough dirt to bury them alive.

Review: As I said in my review of the first book, Pretty Little Liars, I started reading these books because I really like the TV show. This second book didn't disappoint me. There was a lot of drama which kept me turning the page with eager anticipation. When Emily goes out with Toby, the other girls are shocked. They thought that "A" was Toby and that he was going to harm Emily. Towards the end of the book, they were so close to finding out who "A" was. But then there was a shocking twist and nobody knew who "A" was. I really want to keep reading the books to see what happens to all the characters and to find out who "A" really is. The part in this book that really bugged me was Emily's attraction to her friend, Maya. This book would have been so much better if the author would have left that part out of the book. There was also quite a bit of language, which I didn't like. If you don't mind reading books with mature content and language, then I would recommend reading this book. I gave this book four coffee cups. I really like the plot. It isn't exactly like the TV show, but most of the main plots from the show are in these books. I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Perfect.

ARC's!! and In My Mailbox (2)

Let me start off by saying I got two ARC's!! Unfortunately I didn't get them in a hard copy, but as e-books through netGalley. I got Tyger Tyger by Kirsten Hamilton and It Started With A Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech. I'm so happy! In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren. The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.

**Click on the links to read a summary at Goodreads**

I picked up some books at the library a few days ago. I got:

A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

I went back to the used book store and found some more great books. I got:

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Wicked (Pretty Little Liars #5) by Sara Shepard

The books I ordered last week came in:

Beastly by Alex Flinn (loved the book so much I HAD to buy it!)

Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle
Vampire Diaries: The Fury and The Dark Reunion

Look for my review of Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2) soon.