Today's Releases (April 30)

May 1st

Damn, that's a whole lot of books. The Program is absolutely fantastic and you should all get yourselves a copy right now--just saying. Review should be up on Thursday, but if it's not, it should be up soon. But all you need to know right now is that it was amazing. I also definitely recommend Life After Theft, although it may not be a book for everyone, I thought it was a really fun read with great character development, and, underneath all of the fun and quirkiness of everything, a surprising and well written layer of depth. I also have my eye on The Ward--it sounds interesting, but haven't heard the most positive things. It seems most of my friends have at the very most liked that one, and at least felt 'meh' towards it. We'll see. I'm also really excited for Game. Set. Match.! It will be my first new adult novel, and I have really high hopes for it. What are you getting this week? Let me know in the comments!

(Actual) Review: September Girls

September Girls

Bennett Madison

Series: None (HALLELUJAH)

Release Date: May 21st, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Number of Pages: 256 

Star Rating: 0 stars

Word Rating: BURN IT NOW

When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn to him.

Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here.

September Girls has inspired me...

Showcase Sunday (35)

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits, and Tea, where we showcase what books we've gotten over the course of the week, whether it be from a book store, bought for your eReader, received from the library, or from the publishers for review.

For Review:

Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin

The Program by Suzanne Young

The Language Inside by Holly Thompson

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry

Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Loud Awake and Lost: I really don't know much about this one (you may have noticed that I'm not much of a synopsis ready--far too lazy for that), but based on the cover and what I've gathered from skimming the synopsis, this one sounds really mysterious! Books dealing with memory loss don't have much of a great reputation in YA, but I think this one could defy that memory loss stigma. Thanks, Knopf!

The Program: Reading this right now and oooooh myyyyy gooddddddd. So good. So. good. I can't. Thanks, Simon Pulse!

The Language Inside: So this one is huge. But it's told in verse, which is normally a turnoff for me, but this has gotten good reviews, and is set in Japan, so why not give it a chance? Thanks, Delacorte!

Fangirl: This will be my first Rainbow Rowell novel. *ducks from flying object* I PROMISE I'LL READ ELEANOR & PARK SOON, GUYS. Anyway, this one sounds fun. I've never read or written fan-fiction, nor do I know who Simon Snow is *ducks from another flying object*, but I'm going into this one with high hopes. Thanks, St. Martin's Press!

All Our Pretty Songs: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Thanks, St. Martin's Griffin! 

Truly, Madly, Deadly: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I love stalker books. Love. How that reflects upon my character is up for debate (it means I'm a stalker), but hot damn I'm excited for this one. Thanks, Sourcebooks! 

What I read this week: 

Tandem by Anna Jarzab, 3.5 stars

Pre-review posted here, but if you don't want to click on that, I thought this was a great parallel universe novel with a fascinating, creative, and original twist on parallel universes. However, it met a dip in pacing towards the middle, and the world-building was slightly less than sufficient. 

The Program by Suzanne Young, currently reading

OH MAAAH GAWWWDD. Review to likely be posted tomorrow.

What did you get this week? 

Leave a comment letting me know!

DNF Review: Project Cain

Project Cain
Geoffrey Girard
Series: None. Hopefully.
Release Date: September 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Number of Pages: 320 
Star Rating: 1 star, DNF
Word Rating: Mierda 

Fifteen-year-old Jeff Jacobson had never heard of Jeffrey Dahmer, the infamous serial killer who brutally murdered seventeen people more than twenty years ago. But Jeff’s life changes forever when the man he’d thought was his father hands him a government file telling him he was constructed in a laboratory only seven years ago, part of a top-secret government cloning experiment called ‘Project CAIN’.

There, he was created entirely from Jeffrey Dahmer’s DNA. There are others like Jeff—those genetically engineered directly from the most notorious murderers of all time: The Son of Sam, The Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy . . . even other Jeffrey Dahmer clones. Some raised, like Jeff, in caring family environments; others within homes that mimicked the horrific early lives of the men they were created from.

When the most dangerous boys are set free by the geneticist who created them, the summer of killing begins. Worse, these same teens now hold a secret weapon even more dangerous than the terrible evil they carry within. Only Jeff can help track the clones down before it’s too late. But will he catch the ‘monsters’ before becoming one himself?

I can't do it. I just can't. I read up until about 40%, and the entirety of what I read--literally, all of it--was one huge info-dump.

There were three to four pages dedicated to just the main character telling us the characteristics and likes and dislikes of a man. Here are some examples of the likes and dislikes of this man:

He preferred brunettes over blondes, but his last girlfriend, the first he'd ever truly loved, was blonde.

His favorite band was Pearl Jam.

He disliked snow.

If any of that information is proven to be useful as the novel progresses, I would give the author my right arm. And I am right-handed.

And then there's another three pages or so on the history of cloning.

And why exactly are they making teenage clones of serial killers? Which scientist thought this would be a good idea? Yeah, send him off a cliff. Like now.

And then there's some horribly inaccurate statistics of men and rape and death and suicide and domestic violence.

And don't even get me started on how the main character asks the reader questions and speaks to them directly.

I'm not five years old, and you're not Dora; you can stop asking me questions like, "Have YOU ever felt the urge to kill someone?", book. Ay dios mio.

I can't.

I really just can't.

DNF.

God.

Coming Attractions: Tandem

Coming Attractions is inspired by The Perpetual Page Turner's Save The Date, both in concept and format. Coming Attractions showcases a book that is not released for a while that I've read, and gives you a sneak peek for what I thought about the book, since I can't post the review until closer to the release date.

Tandem
Anna Jarzab
Series: Many-Worlds, #1

Release Date: October 8th, 2013

Publisher: Delacorte BFYR

Number of Pages: 448

Rating: 3.5 stars

Everything repeats.

You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds. Many lives--infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.

Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real--until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.

To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love--one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she's someone she's not.

The first book in the Many-Worlds Trilogy, Tandem is a riveting saga of love and betrayal set in parallel universes in which nothing--and no one--is what it seems.

Waiting on Wednesday (April 24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where we post upcoming releases we're highly anticipating. My pre-publication selection for this week's Waiting on Wednesday is Proxy by Alex London. 

 Proxy

Alex London

Series: Proxy, #1

Release Date: June 18th, 2013

Publisher: Philomel

Number of Pages: 384

Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

Ahhhh, this sounds so awesome! I really like the idea of a person who is given punishments for something someone else does--a clone? I'm not sure if Syd is a clone of Knox but what I do know is that this sounds incredibly thrilling, that one of the male protagonists is gay (woo, diversity!), and that Wendy thought this was fantastic, so yeah. I really want to read this one. 

What are you waiting on?

 Let me know in the comments! 

Today's Releases (April 23)

  

  

  

   

  

I don't think I'll be buying any of today's releases, but I won Unbreakable, so I will be getting that--when I'll get around to read it? *shrugs* How Zoe Did Something I Don't Know Since I'm Too Lazy To Look At And Type The Title also sounds really cute, so I'll definitely be keeping my eye on that one, if I'm ever looking for a cute and fluffy read. And Arclight is released today, which I definitely, definitely recommend for those looking for a pretty damn freaky dystopian/post-apocalyptic read. Which of today's releases will you be getting? Let me know in the comments, and happy reading!

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm
Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha, #2
Release Date: June 4th, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Number of Pages: 448
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Word Rating: Daaaaaaamn

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

This review is SPOILER-FREE for both Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm

What is it about Leigh Bardugo's novels that makes writing reviews for them absolutely and frustratingly impossible? I read Shadow and Bone as an ARC last year and absolutely loved it, yet after rewriting and rewriting my review for it over and over again, I ultimately decided to throw in the towel and give up attempting to review it. I know that for some, if not most reviewers, writing reviews for books you love is a very difficult process, and it's generally quite difficult for me as well, but I can honestly say that I've never been so unable to write a review for a novel until I'd been faced with the task of writing a review for both of Leigh Bardugo's novels.

Which brings be back to my initial question--what is it about her novels that make writing reviews for them so impossible? I'm rarely stunned by a novel so much that it leaves me completely and utterly speechless when it comes time to write my review, and even when I am so stunned by a novel, I am usually able to gush incoherently (and endlessly), but as I'm writing this review (or at least attempting to write it), days after finishing Siege and Storm, I'm at an absolute loss for words, once again.

Showcase Sunday (34)

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits, and Tea, where we showcase what books we've gotten over the course of the week, whether it be from a book store, bought for your eReader, received from the library, or from the publishers for review.

For Review:

   

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard

The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Find Me by Romily Bernard

Project Cain: I was so excited for this (understatement), so I started it right away expecting to read a five star read. Yeah, no. I DNF'd the shit out of this one. Thanks, though, Simon and Schuster!

The Lost Sun: I should be starting this really soon! It sounds interesting, and it involves Norse mythology, so obviously I'm in. Thanks, Random House! 

Teardrop: Heh. This should be interesting. Thanks I think..., Random House! 

Find Me: Now this sounds really interesting! I love murder mysteries and this just sounds awesome. Can't wait to start it! Thanks, HarperTeen!

(Also, I don't know what's up with the alignment of the covers, but Blogger is annoying me and I'm not even going to bother fixing it.) 

What I read this week: 

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, 4.5 stars

This was so, so awesome, you guys. My review is going to be up tomorrow, but seriously. I can't even put to words how awesome this was. Also, Sturmhond's mine and I'll fight you for him.

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard, DNF - 1 star

Tandem by Anna Jarzab, currently reading

I'm almost halfway through this and I'm really enjoying it so far! Very twisty and creative! Though I would like a little more world-building, as the most we've really gotten so far was when the MC looked at a map of the parallel universe and described it.

What did you get this week? 

Leave a comment letting me know!