Waiting on Wednesday (#1)

Waiting on Wednesday! (#1) 

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

Fated by Alyson Noel!

Release Date:

May 22, 2012!

Publisher:

St. Martin's Griffin

Summary/Synopsis:

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met. 
There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

Why The Anticipation?

I am a huge fan of Alyson's work. She is mostly recognized for her "the immortals" series and I fell in love with that series the minute I turned the page and so when I heard she's having a NEW series I new I was going to get my hands on it! After reading the synopsis myself, I have to say Daire seems pretty cool. She's destined to be a SOUL SEEKER! How cool is that? Daire sees these bizarre dreams that only her grandmother knows what it means and *raises eyebrows* she meets someone along the way and Alyson has made it pretty clear Dace is Daire's love interest! 

Regardless of the great synopsis and my love for Alyson's writing I would buy this book to make my bookshelf even prettier! Look at the cover! Don't keep reading . . . take a look at the cover! *gives you a minute* It's gorgeous, right?

So, what are you waiting for? Leave a link to your WoW post or just comment! 

I'll check it out either way. :)

And the winners are . . .

And the winners are . . .

        So, who are the winners of the signed "Wander Dust" bookmarks? Is it you? Or maybe her? Him? Maybe even me? Haha, sadly, no, not me. Enough of my nonsense. This time it's for real!

Teaser Tuesday (#1)

Teaser Tuesday! (#1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page 

*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)*

-Share the title and author, too, so that other TT (Teaser Tuesday) participants can add the book to their TBR (To Be Read) Lists if they like your teasers!

It's my first time doing this so . . .without further ado . . .

This week I'm reading . . .

Check it out on Goodreads!
Here!

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton!

Here is the teaser . . .

"Careful not to be pricked by thorns, Cassandra reached a hand in and leaned closer as the hedge devoured her arm, all the way to her shoulders. Her fingers scraped against something hard and cold."

Page 306 

I'm not that far in the book and I am so curious! Maybe it's Nell's . . . . . I'll let you read it. *wink*

Side note: I love that cover! Look, at the small faeries surrounding the border. :)

Cover Analysis (#1)

Cover Analysis

So, this week. I chose . . . .

*horn blares* 

What I Got (1)

What I Got

My Purchases!

Yes, I finally got Article 5 by Kristen Simmons! I saw it at Barnes & Noble and I have seen and read all the reviews. I just had to. The cover alone blows my mind. I just want to start reading this ASAP! I wish I had gotten an ARC, though. Article 5 cost me, yes ME, 17 dollars. Why can't it be in Paperback already?

 

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly. I love how she has L.A. Again, great reviews and, dude, LOOK AT THE COVER! Yes, I am the only one in this entire world who will admit that I sometimes get a book just because of the cover. I am a sucker for covers. I am! There is no denying it but, of course, I don't base my opinion on the cover alone. :)

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows! Another BEAUTIFUL cover! I am so having a case of Cover Love right now! :) I am so stupid. I was actually tweeting the author, Jodi Meadows, on Twitter and I didn't even know it! I was left with a jaw drop when I finally bothered to check who I replied to. She is so cool! I can't wait to read Incarnate and, oh, for those who haven't or will read Incarnate. Instead of spelling Incarnate just put ">\*_*<" Yes, it's >\*_*<. 

So, an example would be . . .

"I am reading >\*_*< by Jodi Meadows this weekend! Yay!"

And now onto Parte Dos. Part 2! 

Giveaways I've Won!

Recently, I have won two giveaways! Yes, two, and this is what it is.

I won Tempest by Julie Cross from Fictiticious Musings! Just click here to see where I won and click here to check out their blog! It's actually really cool. I'm a huge fan of it! Well, I am now! St. Martin's Press let them give away a copy of Tempest and when I saw the package on my front door I squealed and ran around the front yard. Truth be told, some ladies who passed by were looking at me as if I was crazy. I probably was. 


I mostly loved receiving this book because at the top right corner it said "Advance Readers Edition" but, the thing was, the book was released in January already. The point is, it felt like an actual ARC. :D 

Now, THIS, this is the one I'm really excited to talk about! I know a lot, and I mean A LOT, of you aren't a fan of Lauren Kate's writing and, truth be told, I am and let me tell you why.

Her debut novel, The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, was GREAT! I mean, FANTASTIC! The first YA series I ever read was the Fallen series. More specifically, Torment. Hey, I was new to the book world so I didn't know it was a sequel to Fallen so anyways. 


It was the Fallen series that got me to like reading in the first place so I was about to cry when I recieved my SIGNED COPY OF FALLEN IN LOVE TODAY!! Yes, it's signed!! It was wrapped in some pink, with swirly-magenta lines, and the cover can come to life on some Fallen app! I won her giveaway that she hosted on her blog! Wanna see? Of course you do! Right here! I answered the last question, by the way. If you click the link you'll see what I'm talking about. :)

So, that concludes my first WIG! I hope you enjoyed!

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

8th Book Review of 2012

Pretty and an author.
Pretty awesome, right?
Go to website! Go here!

Author: 

Marissa Meyer

Grade: 

B+!

Does It Have a Trailer?

YES! YES! YES! 

Take a look right here!

Add it on Goodreads!
Right here!

Cover:

Oh, c'mon. Cinderella's shoe? Cinder being a cyborg? 

The cover couldn't be anymore perfect. :) 

Summary:

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.

My Opinion:

Characters 

Cinder! 

Our dear cyborg/human Cinder :D 

I have to say Cinder annoyed me. She kept talking about how she didn't belong and how she was a cyborg so no one would love her. Bleh. Cinder, AKA Cinderella, is drop-dead gorgeous! She is so pretty, determined, and nice person. She was invited to Prince Kai's ball and she kept going on and on and, did I mention?, on about how she was a-, hold on. Let's get one thing straight I know being a cyborg is kind of like social suicide in New Beijing and vice versa but she kept worrying about her metal hand and leg way too much. I would of walked into that ball, chin held high, looked at everyone (including her ANNOYING mother and sister) and pretty much be like . . .

 

Seriously! Cinder should of done some kind of "IN YOUR FACE!" thing but no. She let her insecurities get the best of her and practically mask her entire personality. 

*sigh* 

Moving on. . . 

YES! YES! YES! Prince Kai! 

*deeps breaths* 

Okay . . . 

May I say one thing? 

Kai . . .is just . . .just. . .so . . . 

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . .SO PERFECT! 

Brains, loyalty, and sexy good-looking? Does this sound like the perfect guy or what? Except for one thing . . . 

I'm just going to avert my blow up about that one little thing Kai did. . .no-, wait on second thought I will. 

This is what I think Kai deserved for that one little thing. . . 

 

No, on second thought, he deserves this . . . 

I'm going to need your imagination for this. Ready? 

After Cinder does what she does to Kai they both stand there and now hit that pause button! I will jump into the book and go the scene where you hit the pause button. I squeeze in between Cinder and Kai until I stand directly in front of him and slap him. How I slap him? That's up to you. I jump back out of the book and continue reading. 

*SPOILER ALERT!*

Why does my our Kai deserve this? BECAUSE!! Because Cinder kissed him . . .yes, Cinder kissed him. I couldn't believe it myself either. Props, Meyer. I really never saw that coming. Anyways, back to Kai. Kai did nothing! I repeat nothing, nada, zilch. He just stood there like a motionless zombie or some I might say shock but c'mon dude. You have tried to kiss this chick for what now? A long time and when she kisses you . . .you do that?

*long sigh* 

*SPOILER ALERT AVERTED!*

One of Cinder's step-sisters was Peony . . . 

Oh, Peony. She was my favorite character. She was the only human there who completely didn't treat Cinder like an absolute freak cyborg. I cried, yes Monica cried, when it happened. She was so sweet and, and, an- . . . 

 

Can you blame me? I really and I mean I really liked her so much :)

*takes box of tissues* 

I'm good now . . .let's move on to some people who I know all of you hated or will hate once you read 'Cinder'. Yes, that's right! 

Cinder's legal step-mother and other step-sister. 

I forgot their names and I lent my Cinder copy to my friend, Veronica, so I'm going to do my best but this is going to very terse and short. I hate 'em. Case closed. 

The Lunar Queen. 

*shakes head* I'm just going to skip her. She was just-, so, what's the right word(s)? Manipulative? Fake? Controlling? Yeah, all those words work for me. She is at the bottom of my list. Although, I really do have to admit. She might be all of those things that I just questioned but she is intelligent. She knows what moves to pull and I can't help but think this is going to get us somewhere! Who thinks there's a epic battle coming!? 

*raises hand* MEEEE!! 

Yay! Okay, now onto someone who made me laugh! 

The doctor! 

I love this doctor/scientist/whatever you wanna call him he is so smart. He is the only one their who knew what was going on and the only one who knew the OBVIOUS truth! I started doing my happy dance when he told Cinder everything at the end of the novel. 

Goes a little something like this, c'mon. . . 

I was exactly like the monkey except without the talent 

I have to say I was completely baffled when I learned that this ENTIRE time he knew all the answers to each and every one of my suspicions. Okay, maybe I didn't necessarily know all of it but I had a hunch. :) 

Ah, finally. . . 

THE PLOT! 

*dramatic music*

Despite knowing where and who *hint, hint* Princess Selene was... the plot was e-pic. Yes, epic.

I felt that Marissa Meyer really got this New Beijing world head-on. It was perfect. There wasn't any moments where I was thinking "Wait. So, why/how does that happen?" As soon as I thought it the characters were already giving the reasons and answers. It felt so good to be in the know, for once. Other authors don't give us any insight into their series' world. The plague, the world, the problems that happened in New Beijing were so perfect and flawless. I can't even explain it but Marissa? 

Marissa that should be you instead of Emma. You deserve the clapping and David Letterman. 

In conclusion Marissa did a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious job on her debut novel! I give her stunning debut novel "Cinder" a B+! I cannot wait for the 2nd book in the Lunar Chronicles series . . .Scarlet! :D 

Wanna Buy It?

Amazon? Right here!

Barnes & Noble? Here!

Books-A-Million? Aqui!

iBooks? Over here!

Get Connected!

Follow the Author on Twitter!

"Like" the series on Facebook!

Marissa's Blog!

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

7th Book Review of 2012

I love her hair! :D Go to her
website! Here!

Author: 

Ally Condie

Grade: 

C-!

Does it have a trailer?

Yes-sir-ree! It's pretty epic. . .

Click here if you want to see it!

Add it on Goodreads! Now!

Cover:

The cover? Perfect! The cover shows Cassia being trapped and caged by the Society in the dress she wore at her Match banquet. :) 

Summary:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. 

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

My Opinion:

So, I'm just going to break this down onto 2 things. Main characters and plot line.

Let's start with our precious Main Protagonist. . . 
. . .Cassia. Our dear, dear cheating Cassia. 

I don't necessarily hate her but I hate how stupid she is. Throughout the book I begin to warm up to her. She starts doing these small things that go against the Society but these is one problem for which I want to slap her. One reason only . . .SHE CHEATS ON XANDER! That's right. Little miss goody "I trust the Society" goes against them and goes with Ky and although I LOVE Ky. Xander does not deserve it. He doesn't. Cassia should of told him from the beginning that she wasn't really feeling love for him. Well, not that kind of love anyway. Other than that . . .I admire Cassia for how she goes against the Society in her own ways. She is very head-on and, well, she is really pretty too :) 

Now, onto the guys or should I say my guy? Haha. . . 
That's right! Ky! 

TEAM KY!!! Sorry, I had to get that out of system. 
So, how can I put this? Ky . . .is mine! Cassia needs to go beg for Xander's forgiveness and Ky can come with me! I love Ky so much it's ridiculous. He is the only one in this entire novel who deserves praise and love. He goes against the Society in EVERY way humanly and non-legally/legally way possible! The way he looks, the way he acts, the way he cried in the movie theater. I liked Xander but Ky stole my heart. :) 


Onto the "plot" line. . . 

*SPOILER ALERT* 

Okay, so let me tell you what the book is about. 

Cassia is Matched with Xander. Cassia sees Ky. Cassia and Ky get to know each other and, BAM!, they fall in love. Cassia keeps secrets from Xander that she eventually tells him. Ky gets sent away because of Cassia. They all take a red pill. Everyone forgets everything except Cassia & Xander. Cassia and her family are relocated and Cassia decides to find Ky no matter the cost.


Sounds complicated, right? *snorts* NO! There! I just gave the book to you. I have to tell you . . .even though I loved how Ky and Cassia slowly fall in love. I hate the plot. Me? Personally? See no plot. I expected myself to hyperventilate and give Ally one of my "OH NO YOU DIDN'T!" but guess what> Ally really didn't. 

". . .the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow." She chose the 2nd one if it isn't obvious. 

*SPOILER ALERT AVERTED*

In conclusion. I both LOVED and HATED this book. I think I will base my final decision on this series with Matched's sequel . . Crossed! But overall, everything balanced out and I give Ally's precious Matched a C-!

If you want to read my other version of my review of Matched by Ally Condie then click here!

 I just go more in depth and say what I really want to say but for the most part. It's the same :)

Get Connected!

Follow her on Twitter!

"Like" her on Facebook!

Visit her website!

Wanna Buy It?

Barnes & Noble? Here!

Amazon? Click o-va here!

Books-A-Million? Over here!

iBooks? Her-re!

Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

6th Book Review of 2012

Yup. This is Amanda Hocking!
Visit her blog! Here!

Author:

Amanda Hocking

Grade:

C+!

Does It Have A Trailer?

Yes! Right here!
I gotta tell you . . .it left me with chills! :)

Add it on Goodreads! Like, NOW!

Cover:
Pretty girl wearing a white dress in a field of red flowers. VERY intriguing!

Summary:
When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

My Opinion:

Trolls? Are you kidding me? I expected faeries, or, I don't know, some other magical creature. Never a troll though. I imagined the midget sized tan guys with ridiculously long pink hair just like Wendy did. I really like Wendy! She is the best! Until . . .well, until she finds out she's a troll.


In the beginning of the novel. I took her for a conflicted bad ass chick. I mean, she knew she had it going on, besides her hair. She knew she never fit anywhere. She's been expelled from school several times. She had a cool compulsion thing going on. Hell, I thought this was a vampire book! That covers the bad ass part but the conflicted part? HER SO-CALLED MOTHER WANTED TO KILL HER! Who does that? That's right! AN INSANE MOTHER! I do admire her mother, though. She knew Wendy wasn't hers and she never accepted the fact her son is gone but still. C'mon guys. Who tries to kill their "daughter" at six years of age?

*shakes head* This is about Wendy not her mother. Moving on . . .

So, after all this time. Finn Holmes magically appears and, may I add *raises eyebrows* he is pretty sexy, tells her this big secret! Wendy is a troll! Wendy leaves even though she knows her brother, Matt, won't like it and suffer but she goes anyway. They go into this magical world filled with pure nature and fancy stuff.  EXPENSIVE fancy stuff! I'm talking time-share fancy stuff. :) Wendy enters this HUGE house *cough, cough* Excuse me, I meant MANSION and finds out she is a princess and that her mother is obviously, the Queen. The Queen has to do this and that and tells Wendy how to do everything without giving her long- forgotten daughter ONE hug, kiss, or anything. Nothing, nada, zilch and Wendy takes it without a word.

Guy 1:  Awesome, right!?
Guy 2: * face palm and shakes head in ignorance*

Wendy does NOTHING! Where did the bad ass go? Where did the "borrowing" a guy's motorcycle girl go!? This is mostly, the reason why I really disliked the novel. Her personality went from bad ass to tell-me-to-do-something-and-I'll-jump. Other than her. I really liked EVERYONE else!


Anyways! On to the good stuff! I loved Finn, Tove, and the wind chick! Ugh, I can't remember her name! They were all so cool and had these epic powers. I found myself in complete awe along side Wendy when Tove was going his thing. And then it happened  . . .



Yes, AN EPIC BATTLE WENT ON TO GET WENDY and I have to say. That really won me over! I can never deny the great detail and insight Amanda gave me through Wendy's eyes. I felt like I was actually there! :) So, that's why I give Switched by Amanda Hocking, a solid C+!


Get Connected!
Follow Amanda Hocking on Twitter!
Follow Amanda's Blog!
Wanna Buy It?
Amazon? Here!
Barnes and Noble? Click here!
Books-A-Million? HERE!
iBooks? Over here!

GIVEAWAY! My first! ;)

My First Giveaway! Whoo!

8 Wander Dust Bookmarks!

8 Bookmarks? 4 Winners!

Hey! So, obviously, I am hosting my first giveaway! Yay! So, your probably asking yourself  "How did you get your hands on these SIGNED bookmarks, Monica?" 

Answer:


 "Easy! Michelle Warren, AKA author of Wander Dust, had a contest on Facebook. (Click here if you don't believe) and I won. She knew I had a blog and, well, she sent me EXTRA bookmarks. Can you believe that? She's so nice!"

P.S. 
Please, read the entire post. I don't want ANY confusion. :) 

What's Up For Grabs! 

Hint: Look Below!

A CLOSER LOOK AT MICHELLE'S AUTOGRAPH!

<--------




-------->

Anyways, I am so excited that I get to host my first giveaway! I don't want any confusion so I will explain the rules plain and simple. 

1) This giveaway is US ONLY! 

Sorry! It's my first giveaway and, well, I'm only 13. I don't have that kind of money for international costs. 

2) There will be FOUR (4) winners.

There are 8 (signed) bookmarks of Wander Dust. 8 divided by 2 equals 4 winners. Each winner will get TWO bookmarks. Isn't that awesome?

3) Must be 13 or older!
If your, like, two weeks or one week or just a day from becoming 13. Enter! But if you just turned 12 or if your birthday is two months away. Don't enter. :)


4) TELL YOUR FRIENDS, AUNTS, UNCLES, GRANDMA, GRANDPA, MOM, DAD, CAT, DOG, FISH! Everyone!! :D

Get on with it Monica. . .

Okay, sheesh. I was just trying to explain. Do you blame me for being excited? Ah, so enough of my nonsense. Just enter the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

Review: Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

5th Book Review of 2012

Isn't she pretty? Nice eyes. Want to check her out?
Go to her website! It's right here!

Author: Michelle Warren

Grade: B+!

Does It Have a Trailer?:

Yeah! What are you waiting for? Watch it now!

Add it on Goodreads!
Add it now! Click this already! :D

Cover: 

Oh, c'mon! You want to tell me you DON'T want to jump into it? I absolutely love the cover! If I was Dora, I would definitively jump into this cover! It's beautiful and so magical in every way. 

Summary:

Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish. 

The Lady in Black… burns Sera’s memories. 

Unexplainable Premonitions… catapult her to other cities. 

The Grungy Gang… wants to kill her. 

And a beautiful, mysterious boy… stalks her. 

But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she is immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most. 

Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love.

My Opinion:

I liked it! No wait- I loved it! Time traveling! Can you believe it? A beautiful, mysterious boy AKA British Stalker boy. . . .*drools*

*shakes head* Michelle certainly knows how to grab my attention in Wander Dust. Haha. Wander Dust was amazing! The characters, the plot, Seraphina Parrish. Oh, dear. Throughout the novel I kept feeling what Seraphina felt (besides it being from her perspective, of course). They way she always tried to get her Dad's attention. The way she felt she didn't belong even though she moved constantly. The way she knew she was going insane, yet, at the same time she knew she saw what she saw. What I really liked was that, unlike other female protagonists, Sera (Seraphina) was so keen to find out what she needed to find out. More importantly she, and I, knew nothing was going to stop her from letting her meet her mother. 

Michelle Warren made me think I had everything in place but, no. She goes ahead and, BAM! Something unexpected happens. I never saw that or this coming. There were parts that me laugh and other that made me tear up. Especially the end with Sera and ___! :) The only thing that bothered me was that the secondary characters felt like they were being kept in the shadows. Other than that, it was perfect and that's why I, Monica G Lopez, gives Wander Dust by Michelle Warren a B+! I cannot wait for the next book, Book 2, from the Seraphina Parrish trilogy to come out!

Get Connected!

Check her out on Facebook!

Follow her on Twitter!

Seraphina Parrish Trilogy website!

Add it on Goodreads!

Wanna buy it?

Amazon? Over here!

Books-A-Million? Click here!

Barnes & Noble? O-va here