Review: Illuminae - Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

"Am I not merciful?"

"Don't look at me!"

Title: Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

ISBN: 9780553499117

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: NetGalley

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Waiting on Wednesday #6 - Seven Black Diamonds

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Waiting on Wednesday #4 - Shade Me

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Title: Shade Me
Author: Jennifer Brown
ISBN: 9780062324436
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 19, 2016

From Goodreads:

Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray. Thanks to a rare phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.

Always an outsider, just one ‘D’ shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies. It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.

The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?

As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultra-rich Hollis family, and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, never-do-well older brother Dru. While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson.

Shade Me is award-winning author Jennifer Brown’s first book in a thrilling suspense series about Nikki Kill.

~*~

Why this is on my list:

I am super, super excited about this book!  Everything I've read by Jennifer Brown has been amazing.  And I love books where characters have unique skills, and synesthesia is nothing if not unique.  Add to that the fact that this is a thriller?  I am so sold on this book and I want it in my greedy book loving hands like yesterday!


What are you waiting on?

To Be Read Pile: October

Since my TBR pile isn't getting any smaller, here are the books I want to get through this month:

Picture Books

Middle Grade

Waiting on Wednesday #3 - The Rosemary Spell

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Title: The Rosemary Spell
Author: Virginia Zimmerman
ISBN: 9780544445376
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: December 1, 2015

From Goodreads:

Part mystery, part literary puzzle, part life-and-death quest, and chillingly magical, this novel has plenty of suspense for adventure fans and is a treat for readers who love books, words, and clues. Best friends Rosie and Adam find an old book with blank pages that fill with handwriting before their eyes. Something about this magical book has the power to make people vanish, even from memory. The power lies in a poem—a spell. When Adam's older sister, Shelby, disappears, they struggle to retain their memories of her as they race against time to bring her back from the void, risking their own lives in the process.

~*~

Why this is on my list:

I love books, as if you couldn't tell, and a book which incorporates a magical, people erasing book as a pivotal part of the plot?  Sign me up!  I'm super excited to hit bookstores in December and nab me a copy of The Rosemary Spell to read.


What are you waiting on?

Review: Lost in Geeklandia - E.J. Russell

"I'm pond scum.  I'm lower than pond scum.  I'm the scum on the bacteria of the pond scum virus."

Title: Lost in Geeklandia

Author: E.J. Russell

ISBN: 9781633753754

Publication Date: September 28, 2015

Publisher: Entangled: Select Contemporary

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

She has 30 days to turn her enemy into her boyfriend...

Introverted computer engineer Charlie Forrester has coded an algorithm for love, a nearly flawless matchmaking program. But then she's challenged to prove its accuracy - on herself. With her dream job on the line, Charlie has thirty days to forge a romantic relationship with her "perfect" match...her ex-friend and now-nemesis, Daniel Shawn. Since her dating experience is expressed in binary, she'll need more than flirting lessons and a wardrobe overhaul to pull it off.

After falling victim to the same online matchmaking con he was investigating, reporter Daniel Shawn's professional reputation went up in flames. Now he suspects someone has rebooted the scam, and he's determined to expose the fraud and rebuild his career. Unfortunately, his efforts to get back in the game get sidetracked by Charlie and her adorable geekitude, even though she seems to know a little too much about digital dating for Daniel's comfort.

Review: Firsts - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

"Tonight, I'm doing Evan Brown's girlfriend a favour.  An awkward, sweaty, fumbling favour."

Title: Firsts

Author: Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

ISBN: 9781250075963

Publication Date: January 5, 2016

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.

Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.

When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

Waiting on Wednesday #2 - Carry On

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

Title: Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
ISBN: 9781250049551
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 6, 2015

From Goodreads:

Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

~*~

Why this is on my list:

Holy cats, this book.  Ever since Rainbow announced she was writing a Simon and Baz novel, I've been chomping at the bit to get my hands on it.  I loved Fangirl, especially the Simon/Baz addition that played to my adoring little fangirl heart (no pun intended).  I am soooooo excited for this book's release that I had to babble about it on Wednesday, even though I only have to wait another two weeks for it to hit shelves.


What are you waiting on?

Review: Signs Point to Yes - Sandy Hall

'"That does not seem like appropriate work wear to me," Teo said.  "I mean, to each his own, but assless chaps in public are so last year," Jane said.'

Title: Signs Point to Yes

Author: Sandy Hall

ISBN: 9781250066008

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Source: edelweiss

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She's babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo. 

Teo doesn't dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo's pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he'll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane's house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she's terrified of how her parents will react.

In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane's Magic 8 ball can't give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes.

Waiting on Wednesday #1 - This is Where it Ends

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week's pick is:

 Title: This is Where it Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
ISBN: 9781492622468
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: January 5, 2016

From Barnes and Noble:

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

~*~

Why this is on my list:

As depressing, and weird as it is, I have an unending want to read every book I can find which deals with school shootings.  Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes and Dave Cullen's Columbine are two books I can, and have, reread multiple times.  So, when I first heard about Nijkamp's This is Where it Ends, I knew it had to be added to my TBR list.

I'll balance out this week's pick by sharing a super fluffy, feel good novel I'm eager to read. :P

Review: Dumplin' - Julie Murphy

"I'm fat.  It's not a cuss word.  It's not an insult.  At least it's not when I say it."

Title: Dumplin'

Author: Julie Murphy

ISBN: 9780062327185

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Source: edelweiss

From Goodreads:

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed "Dumplin'" by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy's, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn't surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she'll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

Review: This Book Will Change Your Life - Amanda Weaver

"That's the great thing about books...As opposed to movies, or God forbid, real life- The only thing that matters is how the reader perceives it."

Title: This Book Will Change Your Life

Author: Amanda Weaver

ISBN: 9781633754317

Publication Date: September 28, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Source: Netgalley

From Goodreads:

College was supposed to be where Hannah’s hard work paid off, but the major in honors chemistry she’s been working towards since childhood is slipping away. Worse, she’s not sure she wants it anymore. Salvation comes from an unlikely place—a used bookstore and Ben, the passionate college senior who works there.

Ben’s trapped in a life mapped out for him. Trapped in a future career as a lawyer to make his father happy. Trapped pursuing a girl he doesn't even like because she fits into a world he doesn’t want, but can’t escape. But then he meets Hannah. And for the first time, he knows what it means to truly want something.

Review: One Small Thing - Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea

"Love is messy.  Sometimes, that's the best part."

Title: One Small Thing

Author: Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea

ISBN: 9781613724972

Publication Date: May 4, 2012

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

"Daddy" is not a title Rue Murray wanted, but he never thought he’d have sex with a woman either. Now he’s the unwitting father of a newborn named Alice. Between bartending and cosmetology school, Rue doesn’t have time for babies, but he can’t give her up. What Rue needs is a babysitter, and he’s running out of options. He’s on the verge of quitting school to watch Alice himself when he remembers his reclusive new neighbor, Erik.

Erik Van Nuys is a sci-fi novelist with anxiety issues to spare. He doesn’t like people in general, and he likes babies even less. Still, with his royalties dwindling, he could use the extra cash. Reluctantly, he takes on the role of manny—and even more reluctantly, he finds himself falling for Alice and her flamboyant father.

Review: The High King's Golden Tongue - Megan Derr

"I have no idea which is worse:  saying that Prince Allen has gone missing and I have no idea where he is, or that I know precisely where he is."

Title: The High King's Golden Tongue

Author: Megan Derr

ISBN: 9781620046234

Publication Date: November 3, 2015

Publisher: Less Than Three Press

Source: NetGalley

From Less Than Three Press:

Prince Allen has trained his entire life to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious mother, who has made their kingdom one of the wealthiest and most influential in the empire. For the past few years he has trained to become the new consort of the High King. The only thing no one prepared him for was the stubborn, arrogant High King himself, who declares Allen useless and throws him out of court.

High King Sarrica is ruling an empire at war, and that war will grow exponentially worse if his carefully laid plans do not come to fruition. He's overwhelmed and needs help, as much as he hates to admit it, but it must be someone like his late consort: a soldier, someone who understands war, who is not unfamiliar with or afraid of the harsher elements of rule. What he doesn't need is the delicate, pretty little politician foisted on him right as everything goes wrong. 

Publisher note: this is a highly expanded, completely re-written version of the free short that was previously available under the same title.

Review: Shattered Blue - Lauren Bird Horowitz

"It's OK, the tree missed me.  I'm fine."

Title: Shattered Blue

Author: Lauren Bird Horowitz

ISBN: 9781503949973

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Publisher: Skyscape

Source: NetGalley

From BN.com:

For Noa and Callum, being together is dangerous, even deadly. From the start, sixteen-year-old Noa senses that the mysterious transfer student to her Monterey boarding school is different. Callum unnerves and intrigues her, and even as she struggles through family tragedy, she’s irresistibly drawn to him. Soon they are bound by his deepest secret: Callum

~*~

I did not finish this book.  I tried, but couldn't get myself to keep reading beyond the first quarter.  That's not to say it's a bad book, just that the book and I weren't meant to be.

Based on what I did read, I do have to say I really enjoyed that Horowitz brought in some of Noa's poetry, because it did give her more depth.  Noa is also a strong portrayal of a young woman being hit by a number of difficult experiences ad refusing to allow these to defeat her; her sister dying, her mother basically giving up on everything, and a rambunctious little sister. all work together to show us a well rounded character.

Further, I liked what world building I did see before I decided I was done trying to force myself to read further.

~*~

I would recommend this to fans of Colleen Houck's The Tiger Saga, Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, and other similar titles.

-Digital ARC provided by Netgalley, in exchange for a review.

Review: The Inn Between - Marina Cohen

"Welcome to Inn Between," said a woman in a chirpy voice..."We've been expecting you."

Title: The Inn Between

Author: Marina Cohen

ISBN: 9781626722026

Publication Date: March 22, 2016

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Source: edelwiess

Eleven-year-old Quinn has had a rough time lately.  She was caught cheating in school, and then her little sister Emma disappears while walking home from school.

On a last road trip with her best friend Kara before she moves away, Quinn instantly gets the creeps from the Victoria inn they stop at for the night.  When Kara's parents, and then brother, vanish without a trace, the girls are stranded in a hotel full of strange guests, hallways that twist back in on themselves, and a particularly nasty surprise lurking beneath the floorboards.  Will Quinn and Kara be able to solve the mystery of what happened to Kara's family before it's too late.

Review: Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

"Everything's a risk. Not doing anything is a risk.  It's up to you."

Title: Everything, Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

ISBN: 9780553496642

Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: NetGalley

Maddy hasn't left her house in seventeen years.  She spends her days in her white room, with her books, her mother, and her nurse, Carla, for company.  One afternoon, a moving van arrives next door, and suddenly the precautions Maddy's forced to live by as a result of her disease are no longer ignoreable.  Because the new neighbors have a son.  A 'dresses in all black', wall climbing, butterfly inducing son named Olly.

To Be Read Pile: September

Since August went so well, I'm doing it again.  

What follows are the titles I hope to get through during the course of the month of September:

Picture Books

Chapter Books

Middle Grade Books

Young Adult

New Adult

Adult

Non-Fiction

Review: The Sister Pact - Stacie Ramey

"I almost laugh.  Almost.  I don't even know how to think for myself.  I realize I've only been the negative space in Leah's life this whole time."

Title: The Sister Pact

Author: Stacie Ramey

ISBN: 9781492620976

Publication Date: November 3, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: NetGalley

Devastated by her older sister Leah's suicide, Allie hunts for the reasons why.  Especially since the two had a pact to always be together, in life and in death.  In her struggle to find out why Leah killed herself, Allie's not sure which is more distressing:  finding out the secrets behind her sister's death, or learning to live without her.

Review: Perfect - Ellen Hopkins

"Bad choices or good, if you never take chances, someone else will build your life for you."

Title: Perfect

Author: Ellen Hopkins

ISBN: 9781416983248

Publication Date: September 13, 2011

Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books

Source: purchased

To continue with most of the reviews I've seen out thus far, this book was absolutely 'perfect'.

Now that my initial moment of flailing is a bit more manageable let's get to the review instead of just using a play on Ellen Hopkins' title. :)