Waiting on Wednesday: The Magnolia League

I'm still waiting...

Cover:

Description:

After the death of her free-spirited mother, sixteen-year-old Alex Lee must leave her home in northern California to live with her wealthy grandmother in Savannah, Georgia. By birth, Alex is a rightful, if unwilling, member of the Magnolia League, Savannah's long-standing debutante society. She quickly discovers that the Magnolias have made a pact with a legendary hoodoo family, the Buzzards. The Magnolias enjoy youth, beauty and power. But at what price?

As in her popular adult novels, Crouch's poignant and humorous voice shines in this seductively atmospheric story about girls growing up in a magical Southern city.

What Drew me in?

Not the cover (let me explain). I read the summery paired with a totally different cover and though the cover wasn't bad I think the new one is better. So technically the summery drew me in but the cover is nothing to complain about :P

The Magnolia League will be published by Poppy on May 3rd, 2011 (according to Goodreads)

just sayin, 

-Kare

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

This isn't the smooth-like-butter-cover but its cuter then that one :D

Description:

Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia's boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can't mourn Julia openly, and he's tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia's journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he's desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

Epic Wins:

• Colton was strange… in a good way! He liked being alone, usually walking by the river. He seemed to have his emotions in check; he was good at hiding them anyway.
• I know this is random and I am weird but I might as well tell you! The cover of the paperback is all smooth, I practically rubbed it for like an hour going ooooh soft! (yes I am THAT weird)
• I really like Kirby! She was so sweet and sure of herself.
• Michael, though he was kind of geeky, he was nice and was the only once who knew about ‘the secret year’.
• Colton’s situation just flat out sucks! You have a secret relationship with a girl that can only talk about her BOYFRIEND and ends up dying!  The emotions expressed were real, raw, and rational.
• For me it was a quick read with a point.
• Books like this make you what is REALLY going on with the people around you. Are they really okay or are they suffering in silence?
• Hidden Romance+ Tragic Death+ Mysterious Journal = The results are The Secret year

Epic Fails:

• SEX , SEX, SEX! Colton and Julia’s whole relationship is based on it. There are never gory details but still… its there!
• Julia is confused I get it, I really do but I thought she was selfish. She only ever talked about her boyfriend (what? Who does that?) . She couldn’t fully embrace Colton or let go of Austin . I just didn’t like her (which I think was half of the point) no matter how much Colton liked her she just felt like nails on a chalk board.

Overall:

It was a well told story about loss with beautiful writing. Not one of my top favorites but I liked it well enough! 


just sayin,
-Kare

Daily Dose (13)

Daily dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly 

The Warrior/Ninja Edition

What inspires you? (Me? ninjas :P)

just sayin, 

-Kare

Waiting on Wednesday: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

I'm still waiting...

Cover:

Description:

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster. 

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though. 

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters. 

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

What Drew me in?

So I added this to my good reads page a billion years ago because of the description. Then I the cover one day and went when did I add...oh shiny!! So it was the description but man that cover is SWEET!

Sweet Venom will be published on October 4th 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books (according to good reads)

just sayin,

-Kare

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Description:

I had a life anyone would kill for.


Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thePretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

Let the lying game begin.

Epic Wins:

• I loved Emma. She was real and honest. She had quarks that I loved like she made faces with her food. She had an eye for fashion but it wasn’t her obsession.
• The way Sara wrote the point of view it just so artful. The point-of-view is Sutton, but Sutton is dead and all ghosty. She is sort of attached to Emma, her long-lost twin sister. She goes everywhere Emma does, she knows Emma’s thoughts, and sees what Emma sees. So you get the best of both worlds.
• Murder mystery fun!! I just love when there is an air of mystery, those moments when you can’t tell who the enemy is and who the good guy is.
• I was completely confused. I know this doesn’t seem like a good thing but as a writer she has set it up with so many possible suspects that I can’t figure it out! This is what hooked me most… who did it? I don’t know.
• Ethan was adorable but I can’t help but getting a he-might-turn-on-Emma-any-moment vibe. Maybe that’s just me but like him more than Garret so .
• The ending , though cliffhanger-less, wrapped up nicely

Epic Fails:

• I found that there wasn’t a cliffhanger, I like cliff hangers they keep me hooked. That being said I also found that the same thing that hooked me in the beginning is still eating at me now, the whole WHO DONE IT thing.
• It was a big fat circle with a couple clues along the way. Important clues but none the less a circle…

Overall:

I really loved this book and I thought the execution was daring and bold and something new and I am using too many ands. I maybe looking into Sara’s other series (Pretty Little Liars) because I love it THAT much! 

just sayin,

-Kare

The Liar Society Blog Tour of Awesomeness!!

Yes. This is the most amazing post for Fixated Friday I'll have, even though it isn't on Friday its still epic and hilarious! I absolutely LOVE these authors and I am entirely sad that this is my last Liar Society post! 

Enjoy!!

Thanks for putting up with us, everyone! If you want to enter The Liar Society Blog Tour of Awesome contest, and really, who wouldn't want to enter!?! There's a $100 Amazon gift card up for grabs! Just click here and enter the super secret password, HEADQUARTERS, for an entry. Remember you can enter one time for each stop on our blog tour, so be sure to click here and see where else we're visiting this month to maximize your chances of winning.


My Review of The Liar Society


just sayin,
-Kare

Daily Dose (12)

Daily dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly 

Well I do love books :D

What inspires you?

just sayin, 

-Kare

IMM (21)

[Lets give props to Kristi (The Story Siren) for her amazing meme that allows us to drool over what books people got in their mailbox. If you want go get in on the IMM Magic check out Kristi's blog ]

http://www.sharingmachine.com/index.php?comic=mtts

We haven't done one of these in a while and we got books so I was like why not?

For Review:

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

The Demon Trappers Daughter by Jana Oliver

Forgotten by Cat Patrick 

(AHHH! AMAZING!!)

Epic Fail by Claire LaZablink 

(AHHHH! AMAZING ALSO!)

What did you get in your mailbox?

just sayin,

-Kare 

Blue by Lou Aronica

Description:


Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris's fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman - and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. 


Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.

Epic Wins:

• I loved Becky's point of view!
• The world the author has set up (Call me nerdy but I have a thing secret worlds)
• The Writing was real and rhythmic
• Miea's point of view was interesting, she isn't an ADULT but she isn't a teen sort of in the middle like me :D
• WOW talk about twist in a story! Drop your jaw and pick it back up!
• The interlocking and weaving of stories was very intricate and artful.

Epic Fails:

• I know the point of views were nessisary to tell this story but I really wish it had just been Becky's point of view. 
• It took me a while to get into the story

Overall:

I liked it but I just don't think it was my type of book. Some of the point of views were just lost on me, If it had just been Becky this book would have been a tad better.  I will leave it to you to judge. 

just sayin,

-Kare

Waiting on Wednesday: Shattered Souls

I'm still waiting...

Cover:

Description:

Lenzi hears voices. She also sees visions--gravestones, floods, a gorgeous guy with steel gray eyes. She knows she must be going crazy, just like her dad did. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't do anything to help, and the voices just keep getting louder, the visions more intense. But when Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, everything makes sense. 

Sort of. 

He tells Lenzi that she's a reincarnated Speaker--someone who can talk to lost souls and help them move on--and that he has been her Protector for centuries. But instead of embracing her abilities, Lenzi struggles between her life as the girlfriend of a sexy musician and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. Yet time is running out; a malevolent spirit has been trying to destroy Lenzi for ages, and he will surely kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon. 

Her choices are clear: Destiny or normalcy. Alden or Zak. Life or death

What Drew me in?

The cover hands down! Not that the description is great but MAN look at that cover!!

just sayin,

-Kare

Author Guest Post: Lou Aronica

Today

A letter to myself at 17

Dear Lou,

First off, let’s get a few things out of the way:

•          Emerson, Lake & Palmer aren’t nearly as significant as you think they are. That Springsteen guy, though – he’s the real deal.

•          Relax about the Yankees; they’re about to go to three straight World Series.

•          Yes, Asian food is fabulous and you’re always going to love it, but don’t trivialize great Italian food just because you get it at home all the time. Decades from now, your friends are still going to be envious that Dad and Mom were both such excellent cooks.

•          No, she’s not worth it.

Now to some more significant matters. I should probably tell you right now that nothing turns out the way you thought it was going to. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In some cases, it’s a great thing. For instance, you only think you don’t want to have kids. Instead, they’re going to become the most consistently magical part of your life. You don’t need to believe me now. I didn’t believe it until I held our daughter for the first time.

You will definitely find True Love. The only issue is that you’re going to have to deal with a fair amount of Equivocal Love first. Yeah, I wish we’d handled our approach to that entire thing differently. Growing up romantic isn’t necessarily a blessing, though it’ll lead to some fabulous four-month stretches.

You’re going to spend far more time in suits than you think you’re going to. Don’t let this make you crazy; you look good in suits, as long as you avoid olive. Wearing a suit doesn’t mean that you need to leave your independent spirit in the closet. The reality is that the suit and the independent spirit is the look that works for you. Never forget that. Anyway, at some point you’ll get to go to work in jeans. It’s going to take a while, though.

Do you know how much you hate where you live? That doesn’t really get better. However, Manhattan is calling. Yes, I know, but it’s going to turn out to be one of the safest big cities in America, and the way it awakens from its slumber is going to be remarkable to witness. After that, you’ll fall in love with Connecticut. No one saw that coming.

I could tell you more, but you’re probably better off experiencing the rest it without any idea of the outcome (though when someone mentions “Google” to you for the first time, think, “investment opportunity.” Man, I wish I’d done that). I’ll only say that the key to everything – love, family, career, the best places to go for ice cream – is keeping your heart open. You’re going to have endless opportunities to close off your heart. Resist. Make sure that life always matters to you. This isn’t the safest approach, but I’m convinced that it’s the only one that will make you want to keep getting up every morning.

Enjoy the ride. And remember to floss.

With love and compassion,

Lou

Thanks SO much for stopping by Lou! 

Stop by tomorrow for my review of Blue!!

just sayin, 

-Kare

Daily Dose (11)

Daily dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly 

An Ode to Cameras 

( because they help make these amazing pictures)

What inspires you?

just sayin,

-Kare

Fixated Friday:The Liar Society Dallin's Review

I have been talking too much on these Fixated Fridays so I am gonna let Dallin take the reigns this week...

just sayin,

-Kare

My Thoughts:

It was great!

It was amazing!

It was…pink?

So I am not such a huge fan of the pinkness but otherwise it was a great read. I could feel the air of mystery; it was strong throughout the book up to the very last page. Kate was like a super sleuthing ninja, picking up clues where ever she went. Now Kare is a HUGE fan of Liam but I find myself relating to Seth so I am on the unofficial Team Seth!!  He was sort of nerdy and so am I! Lisa and Laura Roecker shine like rock stars in this debut novel. (Thanks for the great read L and L!)

Rating :

Characters: 4 /5

Plot:  4/5

Intensity: 5 /5

Voice:  4/5

Humor:  4/5

Average: 4.2

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl in the Steel Corset

I'm still waiting...

Cover:

Description:

She thought there was something wrong with her. She was right. 

Finley Jayne has known for quite some time that she isn’t ‘normal,’ but when she beats up the son of her employer and is forced to flee, she stumbles into a world where there are bigger freaks than her. They take her in, treat her like family and demand her trust. How can Finley trust them when she can’t trust herself? And why is she drawn to the powerful Griffin as well as the dangerous Jack? She has to get herself under control before she gets into trouble she can’t get out of. 

Griffin King is one of the most powerful men in Britain but he couldn’t save his best friend from almost dying. He is determined to save Finley and help her become the person he knows she can be, but there’s evil afoot in London. Machines have attacked humans under the orders of a nefarious criminal called The Machinist. He has sworn to protect his country against such a threat, but he’s never faced any foe like this. However, when he discovers The Machinist’s connection to his past, Griffin vows to end the villain once and for all — but he’ll need the help of all his friends, including the beautiful Finley Jayne – the girl in the steel corset.

What Drew me in?

THAT COVER IS AHHHHH! Okay so I really love covers and if its good enough I can want it without knowing what the book is about! In this case I actually knew what it was about first and it sounds really good except the hint of the love triangle... that isn't something I like. 

This book will be out on May 24th 2011 by Harlequin Teen.

just sayin,

-Kare

Daily Dose (10)

Daily dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly 

The Adorable Cute Baby Animals Edition

What inspires you?

just sayin,

-Kare