Today is my 21st Birthday!

I can hardly believe that I'm 21 today. It's so weird. I feel so old...but not really. I feel 16 still. I'm going to have to say 21 when some one asks my age, but will probably forget I'm 21. It's so odd.
So, you guys know what 21 means? Well, I don't care what it means. I'm not doing it. I'll still get my horizontal drivers license, but no way am I buying or consuming alcohol, or gambling. Maybe I'll buy a lottery ticket once, just because, but that's it.
So, what did I get for my 21st birthday? I got a MacBook Pro. I badly needed an upgrade, but have waiting years because anything Apple is so expensive. And Apples are what graphic designer mainly use and I'm a graphic design major who's been using Windows all her life. So I finely got a Mac and it's kind of weird. Some things weren't compatible and I have to buy accessories and programs just to get it to work. I had to by a disc drive, since the computer didn't have one in it. A hub I could have more USB slots. And Microsoft Office for Mac because that's very necessary for school. And of course I already have my Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
I also got a new phone. A touch screen TracFone. The touch screen is surprisingly difficult to get used to. Wish I'd got the blackberry-like one instead. But I got a 4gig micro-SD so I can use it to play music. It only takes mp3 so I had convert a lot of my iTunes. And of course it wouldn't be an awesome birthday if I didn't buy books.
What  am I doing (or already did) for my birthday? Well on Wednesday I went to se Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. (I also had an interview for an on campus job that morning and got hired! How awesome is that?) And later on I watched TeaTime with EpicReads and got to use my webcam on spree cast. I was on camera, and told them what I was reading and they wished me a happy birthday!!! That was so cool.
Yesterday I went shopping and got a pair of jegging (jeans-leggings). Today we're ordering Chinese food for dinner. I love anything spicy, especially Mongolian Beef, or Szchehaun Chicken. Tommorrow we were planning on going to some state parks. Maybe Mazonia or Kankakee. Maybe we'll just drive on Route 66 instead. Sunday grandma is gonna come over and we'll eat the carmel frosted cake I picked out.
Today is also my brother's last day of work for the summer, and he's going to UIC in a week and a half.   and living on campus. It'll be weird without him here.

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Series: PERSEPHoNE (bk. 1)

Genera: Action Thriller/Suspense/Sci-fi

Subjects: hackers, computers, technology, experiments, foster care, Massachusetts

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 310 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover (and now in Paperback!)

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary/ product description: “In Michelle Gagnon’s debut YA thriller, Don’t Turn Around, computer hacker Noa Torson is as smart, tough, and complex as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander.

The first in a trilogy, Don’t Turn Around’s intricate plot and heart-pounding action will leave readers desperate for book two.

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her hacking skills to stay anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life in no uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.”

My Review: Kind of disappointed with this book. I was hoping it would be more sci-fi. There were a few things that were on the science fiction side, but also possible. PEMA, a made-up disease and what happened to Noa.

There were parts of this book that had a lot of action. Noa was on the run and Peter got his laptop stolen by guys in black suites. The main genera is definitely thriller. I though the hacking stuff was pretty interesting. I just got a MacBook Pro myself and was at the Apple Store setting it up. I could totally picture Noa just walking into the store and doing her thing. There were some funny parts too. Especially stuff that Peter said, or even Cody (a friend of Peter).

I enjoyed the setting in this book. I’m sick of books set in New York City or Los Angeles. I can’t think of a book that I’ve read set in Boston. It’s kind of refreshing. And with the events that occurred in Boston this year, kind of eerie. If I read this book last year, then I don’t think I would say that. This book talked a lot about foster care and runaways. This place called the Center, too. Noa spent a lot of time there and in foster home. When she learned to hack, she set up a fake family so she could live on her own.

This book is very well researched, clearly. I know the author isn’t a hacker herself, but she did a good portrayal. She actually used to work with foster care kids. I don’t think I’d compare this book to the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I didn’t read the book, but the movie was kind of weird. I’d compare Noa and Alex to the hackers on TV shows I like instead. I really wish there was more romance between Noa and Peter. I didn’t care much for Amanda, Peter’s now ex-girl friend. And I didn’t see why the parts from her perspective were really necessary. There was a lot of disjointedness in the plot and tons of unanswered questions.

I enjoyed this book enough that I’ll read the sequel, Don’t Look Now.

Cover Art Review: I can’t decide whether I like the hardcover or paperback version. Both the orange or the blue works. The hand and grid are cool. The hair is okay. The like both type treatments.

The Saints by Lex Thomas

Series: Quarantine (bk. 2)

Genera: Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: survival, gangs, cliques, high school, quarantines, viruses, diseases

Age/Grade Level: Teens 15+

Length: 384 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Egmont

Summary/ product description: “A cross between the Gone series and Lord of the Flies, Quarantine #2: The Saints continues this frenetically paced and scary young adult series that illustrates just how deadly high school can be.
Nothing was worse than being locked in—until they opened the door...
McKinley High has been a battle ground for eighteen months since a virus outbreak led to a military quarantine of the school. When the doors finally open, Will and Lucy will think their nightmare is finished. But they are gravely mistaken.
As a new group of teens enters the school and gains popularity, Will and Lucy join new gangs. An epic party on the quad full of real food and drinks, where kids hookup and actually interact with members of other gangs seemed to signal a new, easier existence. Soon after though, the world inside McKinley takes a startling turn for the worse, and Will and Lucy will have to fight harder than ever to survive.
The Saints brings readers back to the dark and deadly halls of McKinley High and the QUARANTINE series.”

My Review: Like many people, I forgot what happened at the end of the Loners, and I forgot who Will and Lucy were, but I remembered pretty quickly because thankfully the author reminds us. David, the main character in the 1^st book, isn’t in this book, but his younger brother Will is. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this book as much as I did.. I was also suffering from a book-hangover (It took me a few days to decide what to read next! I choose this). Thankfully there was enough action and humor to make me enjoy what I was reading.

There is a lot of gruesome stuff in this book, and a lot of profanities. The 1^st book too. Lot os of swearing, and lots of sex talk, so I would recommend it to teens under 15. There’s a lot of nightmarish stuff in here. It’s all very realistic and horrifying. Very fast paced and interesting. It’s scary good. I love survival stories, and this one was different. In the last book we found out about the different gangs based off of cliques, and they style and dye their hair the same way. Since it’s a quarantine inside a high school with only teens left alive, it’s very appropriate.

It you forgot what the gangs were called, I’ll remind you. The Loners (Will and Lucy were in this gang, white hair), Varsity (jocks, yellow hair), The Pretty Ones (Lucy used to be in this gang, yellow hair), the Sluts (red hair), Freaks (blue hair), Skater (shaved, Mohawks, black hair), Nerds (black hair), Geeks (multi-colored hair), and Burnouts (gray hair? Not sure). This books we welcome a new gang, the Saints, because they come from a private school.

The Saints is led by this guy named Gates, who I think might be bi-polar, ADHD and maybe schizophrenic. He’s pretty manic, but not in the manipulative psychopath way. More in the crazy idea-guy kind of way. Also, he’s a party animal, and used to be a rich kid. (He’s not like Caine from Gone.) He and the Saints live on the bus he crashed into the school. Will helps him out.

I really enjoyed some of the funny parts, especially dialogue. There’s so crazy stuff that Gates did that cracked me up. And Will went along with it. Also, Lucy going through Naked Week. It sounded like a Sorority hazing. Lucy becomes really kick-butt after joining the Sluts. The authors do a really good job of portraying her.

This series is a unique dystopia overall, but similar to others. You might like this series if you enjoyed: No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz, Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne (Also set in Colorado like this book), Variant and Feedback by Robison Wells, the Gone series by Michael Grant, Divergent by Veronica Roth, or The Hunger Games series. It’s also like Lord of the Flies or Battle Royale, too. Dystopian fiction in general, you should read this.

Cover Art Review: Another book with a bus on the cover! Monument 14’s sequel had a bus on it. The bus is kind of where the Saints gang lives. The cover fits the book well. Very dystopian looking. Cool photograph.

Cover Love: Ignite Me

So last Thursday the cover for Shatter Me book 3 was revealed. Alot of people guessed Ignite Me and were right. Who care if Ignite is only 6, not 7 letters like Shatter and Unravel? As long as it sounds cool and ends with a Me.
I love this cover. I wish the eye was made of fire, but I like the plants too. I love the colors. My biggest complaint is that this cover is not different enough from the Shatter Me paperback. It's the same eye. Did the designer get lazy and didin't feel like getting another eye photo. See? SAME EYE. Different eyelashes. You know what the cover make me think of? Tahereh said that she wrote a book (that shall never see daylight) about a girl with magic eyelashes.

 

So, as you can see, the Ignite me cover uses the Shatter me cover, minus the tree layers, and waterfall. Same clouds too. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

 

Flicker & Burn by T.M. Goeglein

Release Date: August 20^th, 2013

Series: Cold Fury (bk. 2)

Genera: Action-Adventure Thriller/Sci-fi

Subjects: Chicago, Illinois, mafia/mob, mystery, missing persons.

Age/Grade Level: Teen 12+

Length: 352 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Penguin: Putnam

Summary/ product description: “Sara Jane Rispoli is still searching for her missing family, but instead of fighting off a turncoat uncle and crooked cops, this time she finds herself on the run from creepy beings with red, pulsing eyes and pale white skin chasing her through the streets in ice cream trucks; they can only be described as Ice Cream Creatures. They're terrifying and hell bent on killing her, but they're also a link to her family, a clue to where they might be and who has them. While she battles these new pursuers, she's also discovering more about her own cold fury and more about the Chicago Outfit, how the past misdeeds--old murders and vendettas--might just be connected to her present and the disappearance of her family. But connecting the dots is tough and time-consuming and may finally be the undoing of her relationship with the handsome Max--who's now her boyfriend. But for his own safety, Sara Jane may have to end this relationship before it even really starts. Her pursuers who've shown her her mother's amputated finger and the head of the Chicago Outfit who's just whistled her in for a sit-down make a romance unthinkable. The only thing that matters is finding her family and keeping everyone she loves alive.”

 

My Review: As someone who lives in Chicagoland, I love reading YA books set in my area. Besides this series, there’s Divergent, XVI, The Dark Elite series and a few others, but not many. This series does the city more justice than the other I mentioned. Sure, a few names of companies are tweaked (StroBisCo is actually NaBisCo) for the sake of not saying bad things about them. Some places are just completely fictional. But for the most part, it’s really Chicago. I don’t get to go downtown that often, but it’s easy to picture the story because he says what street Sara Jane is on and describe stuff.

The story feels kind of like a diary because there a lot of telling rather than showing, but it works pretty well. I usually prefer more dialogue and descriptions of actions and no info dumping. There’s a lot of stories and anecdote, almost like Sara Jane is writing it, or summarizing it. The author does a good job of making background stories for each of his characters. Since this is a mafia story, it works.

There’s more paranormal-ish stuff (that’s probably more sci-fi than anything else) in this book than the first one. There’s these “Ice Cream Creatures” as Sara Jane calls them. They have red eyes. They seem very odd, and I wondered what they were, in the beginning. And Sara Jane learns more about the Cold Fury, and how it works. I wish there was a paranormal explanation for it. Sadly, the Rispoli’s are not descended from a god or are witches, or anything like that.

The characters are still pretty awesome. Sara Jane is a tough heroine, a real kick-butt girl. Doug, her overweight side kick is funny as ever and begins to act even more ridiculous as the story moves along. Max is a great guy, and there are some very romantic scenes in parts, but the romance doesn’t ply a super huge role in the book. We also get to meet some new characters: Heather, who’s a relative, and a few other relatives. But if I told you too much about them, I’d spoil the surprises.

There were definitely a lot of twists, and the plot was great. I can’t wait to see how it all ends in the final book. Hopefully I can get an ARC of it like I got of Cold Fury and this book. Met the author a prepub event and this is also for another prepub. Anyways, if you’re looking for a YA book worthy of an action-thriller movie, then I recommend this series.

Cover Art Review: I liked the old cover for Cold Fury better. They had to change the cover to something less interesting. Sure, it may have Chicago on it now, but the fire doesn’t look that great on the title. I suggested to the author that he should call the sequel Heat Wave, but Flicker & Burn is nice too.

 

Cover Love: Altered

 

 

So, yesterday, this happened. Altered, sequel to Crewel, had its cover revealed. It's very different from the 1st book's cover, and we've yet to see if the paperback of Crewel will get a new cover. This cover definately say "dystopian" or "sci-fi" or "futurist" more than the cover of Crewel. I still feel this is less unique than Crewels cover, but I love this never cover.

Typography: I like the title's type treatment. The A that's missing it's crossbar is used alot in sci-fi titles, but that R with it's leg cutting into the opening add uniqness. I can asume that the typeface used for the author's name is the same one as the title. The pink contrasts well with the background.

Illustration: The hourglass represents time running out, or maybe just time. It's a nice water photograph. I like that it's blue. The girl makes me think of the Under The Never Sky cover. This book will probably end up being similar to that series. The city in ruins does scream dystopian, but it's nicely faded into the hourglass. This it a really simple photoshop illustration, but it's creative because the hourglass. (Honestly, if I had the photos, I could have easily made this in less than an hour)

I really hope that the cover is matte metallic like the 1st book's. And I hope the title is embossed and silver with gloss. This would look awesome if it was shiney.

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday 8-7-2013

 

 

Here's a few books I'm really excited for. Not in any order, but I will probably buy the 1st 2. Kiersten White is awesome, and I love the Beautiful Dark series by Jocelyn Davies. But if anyone's got an ARC to spare....I just want to read The Chaos of Stars that bad. Hope the cover's metallic!!! Or opaline/pearly (Like the cover of Earthbound or Nightshade or Hush, Hush)

I really excited for All Our Yesterdays because the trailer I saw on Hollywood Crush. Time travel stuff, also cool.



In My Mailbox 8-7-2013

 

I didn't actually get anything "in my mail box" except what I ordered. But here are some books I got in the past month.

 Pict 1: Indelible and Sacrifices I bought at Half Price Books. The Neptune Project, which came out in May, I got for free from the library because it's an ARC. Soul Enchilada, Violet Wings (ARC, from 2009) and Passing Strange were from Goodwill.

 Pict 2: Hidden and Earthbound I ordered from B&N, Earthbound I put the author's autograph plate in. Infinityglass and Shadow of the Mark I got at B&N, instore. Elegy I got at Meijer. I Am Number Four The Lost Files 2 I got from Target.

 

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

Series: (Incarnate bk. 2)

Genera: Fantasy, Dystopian, Sci-fi, Romance

Subjects: Reincarnation, love, supernatural, utopias

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 406 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegen Books

Summary/ product description: “DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.
SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.
In this second book in the Newsoul trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.”

 

My Review: Still the most unique fantasy series I’ve ever read. It mixes fantasy with sci-fi and paranormal romance. The reincarnation stuff reminds me of Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, and I recommend this to fans of that series, or the Grisha series.

Ana and Sam make a great couple. Sam may be a 5000 year old teenager, but I don’t think him and Ana being together is creepy and inappropriate. He truly cares about her and shares her love of music. She adored his music before she even met him, Dossam, the great musician. Ana’s so new, only 18 years old and never reincarnated. A newsoul. She doesn’t have the life experience that the others have.  But she’s a fast learner.

I love all the characters. Sure, I find the past-life different gender thing to be weird, like Stef being female, but usually male. It’s odd, but not that important. I love Sarit. She’s so funny and nice. And basically Ana best friend. And Chris is pretty cool, with his blue roses. Jodi did a good job making character who seemed like they were very old. And how they reacted to newsouls being born. Old people afraid of change? Sounds familiar.

I love the setting and world building more than anything in this series. The author based Heart off Yellow Stone National Park, a place where a city should never be built because of geysers and volcanic activity. It’s such a beautiful area and easy to picture. Just add a city with white stone and people and you get the idea. There were no dragons in this book, but there was a development in Sylph. Let’s just say my suspicions turned out to be kind of true.

I like how the dialogue isn’t historical or formal sounding. There’s humor and modern words, minus slang. There’s modern technology and even futuristic technology, designed by Stef. It’s really cool that they were able to advance over 5000 years. I kept hoping that this series was actually set in the future or a computer program/simulated universe (Matrix style), but I’m sure now that it’s just a fantasy world. I’m not disappointed. I just want to enjoy it for what it is. Still, it would be kind of cool if Janan turned out to be the programmer (Spoiler: He’s definitely not). This is all definitely fantasy, and it’s a very unique fantasy at that. Sylph, dragons, phoenixes, trolls, centaurs. Yeah, I love fantasy.

So ready for Phoenix Overture (e-novella) and then Infinite (book 3). As EpicReads said, I ship Sam and Ana.

Cover Art Review: Just as beautiful as the first book’s cover. I love the neon blue and red, and the blue roses by her eyes. The eyes look violet-blue. It’s so mesmerizing to look at. I just had to read it. I love the embossed rose under the dust jacket.

 

 

The Twice Lost by Sarah Porter

Series: Lost Voices (bk. 3)

Genera: Fantasy/Paranormal

Subjects: Mermaids, supernatural, ocean, magic, war, California

Age/Grade Level: 12 and up

Length: 471 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $16.99

Publisher: HMH: Harcourt

Summary/ product description: “Mermaids have been sinking ships and drowning humans for centuries, and now the government is determined to put an end to the mermaid problem—by slaughtering all of them. Luce, a mermaid with exceptionally threatening abilities, becomes their number-one target, hunted as she flees down the coast toward San Francisco.
There she finds hundreds of mermaids living in exile under the docks of the bay. These are the Twice Lost: once-human girls lost first when a trauma turned them into mermaids, and lost a second time when they broke mermaid law and were rejected by their tribes. Luce is stunned when they elect her as their leader. But she won’t be their queen. She’ll be their general. And they will become the Twice Lost Army—because this is war.”

 

My Review: Almost as good as the 2^nd book, but not quite. I enjoyed this well-written conclusion, even though there were some slow parts. The 1^st book, Lost Voices, I didn’t really like, and Waking Storm was so much better. This has the awesome things that were in Waking Storms, but this book was longer.

Mixing magic and mermaids with government and sci-fi-like stuff made for a pretty cool stories. Now that humans have learned of the existence of mermaids, Luce wants to make peace. And she comes up with a crazy-big wave blockade. And that get attention from the media, so Luce ends up on the news. This kind of makes me think of Mermaids: The Body Found, except these mermaids became mermaids because of abuse or devastation. Mermaids capturing the public’s attention.

Luce taught other mermaids known as the Twice Lost how to control water. It’s really cool what they can do with their voice. There are so action-packed parts, but still the book felt slow. Not fast paced at all. And the dialog was kind of immature, which makes sense for the younger girls. I feel like this series is more for 12-14 year old girls that 15 and up. Luce being only 13 herself, there’s only a little romance between her and Dorian. He’s not really around for most of the book.

Still, this book is beautifully written. The words as poetic, lyrical, and full of “lush” descriptions. It’s really easy to picture the ocean scenery or even just the setting of San Francisco. A lot of the book takes place near the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ve never even been to Cali, but I’ve watched a ton of movies and shows set there, so I do know how it looks. Foggy and all.

There are new characters (The Twice Lost Army) such as Yuan and Imani. There’s old characters, like Anais and Catarina. I definitely think Luce and Cat has a “womance” (sisterly love). They get mad at each other, but care about each other. We get to see other character’s perspective. The head jumping is not annoying in this book, because it’s 3^rd-person limited when it does jump perspective.

The conclusion was satisfying, but I kind of wish there was more. I wanted to know what Luce would do. There was no epilogue, or after-the-fact. Peace was made, but how long would it last?

Cover Art Review: The best cover out of the whole series. The mermaids are actually beautiful here but look older than the characters. The top one looks Asian, like one of the new mermaid Luce meets. I love the wave patterns and the hand-rendered script title. And it’s metallic and shiny.