Life Update and Review of Audrey, Wait!

Divergent (#1)

Summary:

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her."

Final Quick Thoughts: Really Addictive writing... something I forgot to mention, that I didn't like was the Insta-Love.

Meet Molly: An American Girl Series (#1)

Summary:

"While her father is away fighting in World War II, Molly finds her life full of change as she eats terrible vegetables from the victory garden and plans revenge on her brother for ruining her Halloween."

A Tale Dark & Grimm

Summary: "In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.

Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after."

Final Quick Thoughts: It may be in the children's section but it is definitely a 12 and Over book.

The Chapel Wars

Summary:

"Sixteen-year-old Holly wants to remember her Grandpa forever, but she’d rather forget what he left her in his will: his wedding chapel on the Las Vegas strip. Whatever happened to gold watches, savings bonds, or some normal inheritance? 
And then there's Grandpa's letter. Not only is Holly running the business with her recently divorced parents, but she needs to make some serious money—fast. Grandpa also insists Holly reach out to Dax, the grandson of her family's mortal enemy and owner of the cheesy chapel next door. No matter how cute Dax is, Holly needs to stay focused: on her group of guy friends, her disjointed family, work, school and... Dax. No wait, not Dax. 
Holly’s chapel represents everything she’s ever loved in her past. Dax might be everything she could ever love in the future. But as for right now, there's a wedding chapel to save."

Review: Also Known As By Robin Benway (#1)

Summary:

"Which is more dangerous: being an international spy... or surviving high school?
Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world's premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it's three digits, why bother locking it at all?)
But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she's attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school's elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat... all while trying not to blow her cover.
From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world's greatest spies don't have a mission plan for love."

Quick Final Thoughts: Easy and fun read.

Rules of Summer (Rules of Summer, #1)

Summary:

"There are two sides to every summer.
When seventeen-year-old Rory McShane steps off the bus in East Hampton, it's as if she's entered another universe, one populated by impossibly beautiful people wearing pressed khakis and driving expensive cars. She's signed on to be a summer errand girl for the Rules -- a wealthy family with an enormous beachfront mansion. Upon arrival, she's warned by other staff members to avoid socializing with the family, but Rory soon learns that may be easier said than done.
Stifled by her friends and her family's country club scene, seventeen-year-old Isabel Rule, the youngest of the family, embarks on a breathless romance with a guy whom her parents would never approve of. It's the summer for taking chances, and Isabel is bringing Rory along for the ride. But will Rory's own summer romance jeopardize her friendship with Isabel? And, after long-hidden family secrets surface, will the Rules' picture-perfect world ever be the same?"

Quick Thoughts: Fun, easy summer read, with overall strong writing, but weak ending. Will definitely read the Since Last Summer.

Emerald Green (Red Ruby Trilogy,#3)

Summary:

"Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is. She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.This stunning conclusion picks up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate."

Enter My Giveaway

1000 Feelings For Which There Are No Names

Summary:

"They amaze us and hurt us, bring us to tears and make us laugh, delight us and keep us up at night: feelings that we know only too well, but which have eluded the English lexicon for so long. In 1,000 Feelings for Which There Are No Names, author Mario Giordano catalogs those familiar emotions.
Perfect for cocktail parties, quiet reflection, daily inspiration, or travel entertainment, this delightful compendium is broken up into helpful sections that will fit your every mood, such as “Afternoon Feelings,” “Nerd Feelings,” “Heaven-help-me Feelings,” or the somewhat more nebulous “Tangerine Feelings.” Or try opening a page at random to help kiss writer’s block goodbye. Don’t forget to add your own feelings in the back of the book (before they get away!) and share with others."

Pub. Date: April 29th, 2014 

^^^ That Summary basically sums up my review haha.

Fairest of All : A Tale of the Wicked Queen

Summary:

"The tale of the young princess and her evil stepmother, the Wicked Queen, is widely known. Despite a few variations from telling to telling, the story remains the same--the Queen was jealous of the girl's beauty, and this jealousy culminated in the Queen's attempt on the sweet, naive girl's life. 
Another tale far less often spoken of is the one that explains what caused the Queen to become so contemptuously vile. Still, some have attempted to guess at the reason. Perhaps the Queen's true nature was that of a wicked hag and her beautiful, regal appearance a disguise used to fool the King. Others claim that the Queen might have hated the girl for her resemblance to the King's first wife. Mostly, the Queen is painted as a morally abhorrent woman who never loved another being during the course of her miserable life.
In fact, the theories about exactly what cause the Queen's obsessive vanity and jealous rage are too numerous to catalog. This book recounts a version of the story that has remained untold until now. It is a tragic tale of love and loss, and it contains a bit of magic. It is a tale of the Wicked Queen..."

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (#1)

Summary:

"A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob 16 to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs. The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason - and maybe still alive."

What a plot, what a plot...what a unique plot. 

That is all I can say.

The story obviously centers around several Characters. Jacob, his Grandfather Abe, Miss Peregrine and her Peculiar Children. Mainly, a girl names Emma. I like Jacob. I oddly like him, because their is nothing overly special about him. He knows his faults and where he can improve. However, he doesn't magical get strength for his short-comings or anything like that. Which I can respect. You don't see that enough in books. We learn about Abe more post-humously and there is still SO much more to learn about him. Miss Peregrine, is your typical matriarchal mysterious and stern headmistress and I love that about her. The peculiar children.. are just that peculiar and Emma's personality fits her talent perfecty.. a fiery temper that one. 

SO unique and a great unisex read.

Slower than I expected.

My feelings about this book are so very mixed. I liked it, but I want be dying to read Hollow City. More like something I will pick up if I see it on the shelves of my library. Now that isn't saying this book is bad, it isn't by any means. I just think this is one of those books, that had SO much hype, that I built up my own expectations of the book and it just didn't live up to what I imagined it would be. 

The Madness Underneath (Shades of London, #2)

Summary:

"When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…
There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…
But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery."

Starts off slow and is mainly a transitional book for the rest of the series. However, it has a great plot twist and I am very eager to see what book 3 has to offer!

Not a lot of character growth or crazy character involvement. 

While reading I was very intrigued, there is something about Maureen Johnson's writing that can do that, but there really wasn't A LOT going on. The book wasn't action packed and I was stumped with where the book was going to go. Which is when Maureen Johnson threw me for a loop! Now, I have no idea, where the book will be going. BUT I am very excited to find out! 

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)

Summary:

"“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before."

Man oh man! Maggie Stiefvater knows how to write a book! She does it in such a beautiful and lyrical way. The plot is very unique, with a bi twist I didn't even see coming.

I really love most of the characters, especially Stiefvater gives us different character POVS so we can really see who they are as person and how they developed to the characters we see now. They only character who really gets on my nerves is actual Adam and basically it is because he is the biggest "chip on the shoulder" character ever and it gets so UNBELIEVABLY annoying.

I think Raven Boys to date, is Stiefvater's best book yet! She mixes creepy and paranormal with Young Adult perfectly. Raven Boys really would make a marvelous Halloween read. I would most definitely recommend Raven Boys to friends, especially) since it is a gender nuetral read. It isn't just told from a male point of view or just a female point of view. 

Dance The Moon Down

My Life Next Door

Brooklyn Girls (#1)

Summary:

"Fantastically funny, fresh and utterly relatable, Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess is the first novel in her brand new series about five twenty-something friends—Pia, Angie, Julia, Coco and Madeleine—sharing a brownstone in hip, downtown Brooklyn, and discovering the ups and downs and ins and outs of  their “semi-adult” lives. The first story belongs to sophisticated, spoiled, and stylish Pia, who finds herself completely unemployed, unemployable, and broke. So what is a recent grad with an art history degree and an unfortunate history of Facebook topless photos to do? Start a food truck business of course! Pia takes on the surprisingly cutthroat Brooklyn world of hybrid lettuce growers, artisanal yogurt makers and homemade butter producers to start SkinnyWheels—all while dealing with hipster bees, one-night-stands, heartbreak, parental fury, wild parties, revenge, jail, loan sharks, playboys, karaoke, true love, and one adorable pink food truck. And that's without counting her roommates' problems, too. Gemma Burgess has captured the confusion, hilarity and excitement of the post-graduate years against a backdrop of the pressures and chaos of New York City life, with heartfelt empathy, fast humor and sharp honesty.
A charming debut series about five twenty-something girls and the humor, heartbreak, and drama that bring them together"

VLog Review: Vampire Academy Series Books, 1-3

VLog Review - The Weird Sisters

VLog Review - The Princess Diaries

VLog Review - Skinnydipping

Summary:

"“Who do I have to sleep with to get a drink on this plane?” Beloved by countless fans for being devilishly dishy, outrageously funny, and always giving it to us straight, three-time New York Times bestselling author Bethenny Frankel now makes her fiction debut with the story of Faith Brightstone. Faith is an aspiring actress just out of college, who moves to L.A. determined to have it all—a job on the most popular TV show, a beach house in Malibu, and a gorgeous producer boyfriend. But when reality hits, she finds herself with a gig as a glorified servant, a role that has more to do with T&A than acting, and a dead-end relationship. Finally, Faith decides she’s had enough of La La Land and moves back to New York with just a suitcase and her dog, Muffin. Five years later, Faith has finally found her groove as an entrepreneur and manages to land a spot on a new reality TV show hosted by her idol—the legendary businesswoman and domestic goddess Sybil Hunter. Diving into the bizarre world of reality TV, Faith’s loud mouth and tell-it-like-it-is style immediately get her in trouble with her fellow contestants—the delusional socialite; the boozy lifestyle coach; the moody headband designer; and her closest friend, the ambitious housewife who eventually betrays her. Even Sybil is not what she appears. As the show comes to a dramatic close, Faith discovers that the man of her dreams may have just walked into her life. Will she choose fame or love? Or can she have it all?"

SkinnyDipping Is Out TODAY, May 1st.