Shadowland: Immortals Book 3 Review

Title: Shadowland: Immortals Book 3

Author: Alyson Noel

Publisher: 

St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: 

November 17, 2009

Pages: 368

My Edition: Hardback

Reading Level: Young Adult

Received From: 

Christmas present! 

Summary from Amazon:

Enter the realm of the Immortals—the #1 New York Times bestselling series that’s been acclaimed as breathtaking, mesmerizing, flawless and extraordinary. 

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world’s darkest enemies—so they could be together forever.  But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything.  Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into the Shadowland.   Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar.  Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past.  She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true.  But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…


Review:

Shadowland was a lot better than the second book in the series, but still wasn't as good as the first book, Evermore. It picked right back up where the last stopped which includes more more drama between Damen and Ever; if they share any DNA, it could send Damen to Shadowland forever. Since Ever doesn't have enough boy troubles between Damen and Roman, Jude comes into her life and seems like they have met before. Also, Ever has to face troubles when the Twins from Shadowland lose their magic and can't go back. 

There was a lot more magick and other paranormal things that made it more interesting to read. I really like how fast-paced the story was, and how quickly I read it. I've started to really like the characters and just love reading about them. So far I really enjoy reading the series and can't wait to read the next book, Dark Flame, which comes out this summer!

Rating:

The Unwritten Rule Contest Update and Friday Firsts (16)

**Update: My sister came home from college and helped me tweak a couple things, so they look different now but a lot better : ) The bookmarks are two-sided now, and I added another magnet winner also! To enter go to the original post here.**

New Pics of Bookmark Front and Back and Magnet:

 

  

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The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.

• Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
• Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
• Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title and the author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
• Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?

The book I'm currently reading is Shadowland: Book 3 of The Immortals by Alyson Noel. I'm about a third of the way through into it already, and it's really good so far. Here is the first teeny, tiny sentence:

"Everything is energy." (Damen says this)

The first sentence makes a lot of sense if you have read any of The Immortals books. It's a little short and probably not the best first sentence. I still like it though. I loved the first one but the second one was a tad disappointing. So far Shadowland has been really good, and I hope it keeps getting better.

What's your current book's first sentence?

Unwritten Rule Magnet and Bookmark Contest!

As an extra creative entry in Elizabeth Scott's amazing contest for now 35 books (!!!) and more prizes, I made some magnets and bookmarks for The Unwritten Rule with the help from my sister. I would love to give some away to you guys, so I giving away 3 magnets and 5 bookmarks!

**Update: My sister came home from college and helped me tweak a couple things, so they look different now but a lot better : ) The bookmarks are two-sided now, and I added another magnet winner also!**

New Pics of Bookmark Front and Back and Magnet:

 

  

This will be a simple contest and not have an extra entries, but if you want to enter her amazing contest which ends March 2nd go here. To enter fill out the form below:

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

  "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han! INSWY is the sequel to The Summer I Turned Pretty which was really cute and a great summer read. I'm excited to read it when it comes out April 27, 2010!


  

There's not an official summary for It's Not Summer Without You yet, but this is a tiny sentence about it from Amazon:

In Jenny Han's follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly finds out what comes after falling in love. 

Nanny Returns Review

Title: Nanny Returns

Authors: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Publisher:Atria

Publication Date: 

December 15, 2009

Pages: 305

My Edition: Hardback

Reading Level: Adult 
*lots of cuss words!*

Where I got it: from Engleman & Co.

Summary from Goodreads:

Ten years after her original misadventures in babysitting, Nan returns to NYC in this saucy sequel to the phenomenal bestseller The Nanny Diaries. Now married and pondering motherhood herself, the recovering caregiver is about to get a whole new perspective on childrearing. Her trouble former charge bursts back into her life and her new consulting business introduces her to nannying's sophisticated older sister: private school. With the same biting wit and tender heart that marked the original, this long-awaited follow-up skewers the elite culture of "outsourced parenting" on the razor-sharp tip of a 21st-century Mary Poppins umbrella. It's as funny as it is affecting: call it chicklit with a conscience.


Review:

Nanny Returns was a decent sequel to Nanny Diaries and is set 12 years later in Nan's yet again hectic life. It took me forever to finish because there was just too much going on and not many things I could relate to like I did in the first book. I had trouble reading the first 200 or so pages because it was just a little too slow and kind of tedious to read. However after those pages, the ending was very fast-paced and filled with so much action which I enjoyed reading. Unlike the beginning, I couldn't stop reading the end with so much drama going on. I guess because it is an Adult fiction book, I couldn't really relate to Nan's life now that she's married and is in the "real" world.


I really liked that Nan and Ryan aka Harvard Hottie got married, and now they are buying a house that has many issues. It was interesting to read about the X family again and read about all their drama. Grayer is now 16 and is very troubled...his mother is distraught when Mr. X leaves her which leaves him to take care of his little brother, and he's also dealing with his parent's separation and never seeing his father. I felt pretty bad for the boys and really liked that Nan gets involves & helps them out. I didn't really like reading about Nan's new job or her becoming friends with an old snooty classmate because half the time I just couldn't follow what was going on. Altogether, I wish it was a little more entertaining and a little more interesting to read like the first book The Nanny Diaries, but in the end I did enjoy reading about Nan and the troubled X family again.

Rating:

IMM (24)

IMM was started by The Story Siren. In My Mailbox is where I post the books/swag I won, received for review, bought, borrowed, or ect. The book titles are linked to their Amazon pages. These are the books I got this week:

 

FOR REVIEW:

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien (ARC w/final flap from H.H. InGroup)

Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (Paperback from Engleman and Co.)

BOUGHT:  

The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I by L.J. Smith (Paperback from Walmart)
The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks by E. Lockhart (Hardback from Big Lots for $3!)

What books did you get this week?

Guardian of the Dead: DAC Review

 


Title: Guardian of the Dead

Author: Karen Healey

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: 

April 1, 2010

Pages: 333

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: YA & Ages 12+

Where I got it from: Hip Scouts 

Summary from Amazon:

This is an intriguing YA urban fantasy in the tradition of Holly Black and Wicked Lovely. Set in New Zealand, Ellie's main concerns at her boarding school are hanging out with her best friend Kevin, her crush on the mysterious Mark, and her paper deadline. That is, until a mysterious older woman seems to set her sights on Kevin, who is Maori, and has more than just romantic plans for him. In an effort to save him, Ellie is thrown into the world of Maori lore, and eventually finds herself in an all-out war with mist dwelling Maori fairy people called the patupaiarehe who need human lives to gain immortality. The strong, fresh voice of the narrator will pull readers in, along with all the deliciously scary details: the serial killer who removes victim's eyes; the mysterious crazy bum who forces a Bible on Ellie telling her she needs it; handsome, mysterious Mark who steals the Bible from her and then casts a forgetting charm on her. All of this culminates in a unique, incredible adventure steeped with mythology, Maori fairies, monsters, betrayal, and an epic battle.

Review:

Guardian of the Dead was an interesting and original but a very confusing book full of New Zealand mythology and history. I really was excited to read this book, and the beginning kept up to my beforehand excitement. The beginning was really good, and I really liked how it was written and the characters. Once I hit the middle, the story became very confusing with all the Māori mythology which I didn't really understand and I couldn't follow the history. I really liked the different mythical creatures, but I wish I knew more about the Māori and their culture, so I could've understood the book better.

Besides the mythology, I really liked the characters. The main character Ellie was a great character, and I loved reading from her point of view. I also liked her best friend Kevin, Iris, and her crush Mark. All the characters even the magicians were nicely developed and fun to read about. The ending wasn't as boring as the middle because there was lots of action. The ending was surprising and pretty good. In conclusion, I really liked the characters and the exposition of the story. The middle was a little boring and confusing, but the ending wrapped everything up and was even a little sad. I wish I had liked the story I little more, but I still recommend reading it. I look forward to reading more from the debut author Karen Healey because I really liked her writing style and the original story line.

Rating:

Friday Firsts (15)

The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.

• Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
• Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
• Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title and the author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
• Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?

The book I'm currently reading is Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey. I'm more than half way through into it already, and it's alright, It's a little slow and a tad boring right now...hope it gets better. Here is the first two sentences since the first one is so small:

"I opened my eyes. My legs were bound and my head ached."

These first couple sentences are very intriguing and made me interested in reading more. After reading those two sentences, I thought something else was happening but it was totally different in the book. It is a little boring right now, but I hope to finish it tomorrow and review it too. I meant to do it today, but I passed out when I got home for three hours...oops : )

What's your current book's first sentence?

Waiting on Wednesday (24)

 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I CAN NOT wait for Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins!!!! I love the Hunger Games trilogy, so I'm sooo excited! Sorry for the fangirl exclamations : )  Mockingjay: Hunger Games Book 3 will be released on my mom's birthday, August 24, 2010!

Mockingjay: The Final Book of the Hunger Games

By: Suzanne Collins 
(No summary yet, but info from Scholastic)

Obviously, I had to know more. So I asked the one and only David Levithan (VP Editorial Director, Scholastic) if he could share some top-secret things with me. The answer?

I am not, under any circumstances, allowed to divulge the contents of the third Hunger Games book. Nada. Nothing. Not a peep. I can, however, share with you five things that will not be appearing in the new book:

• Panem is not shaken up when District 9 is nominated for a best picture Oscar.
• At no point does President Snow utter the line, “This is Snowmageddon, baby.”
• Despite internet rumors to the contrary, it is not revealed that Cinna has been secretly designing outfits for a Capitol operative known as “Lady GaGa.”
• All rumors of a crossover appearance by Geronimo Stilton are false.
• In a tough editorial call, we decided not to have Katniss win the Hunger Games…only to be interrupted by Kanye West.

In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl's dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time. 

Check out the article here: http://onourmindsatscholastic.blogspot.com/2010/02/hunger-games-book-3-cover-revealed.html!

IMM (23) and Happy Valentine's Day!

IMM was started by The Story Siren. In My Mailbox is where I post the books/swag I won, received for review, bought, borrowed, or ect. The book titles are linked to their Amazon pages. These are the books I got this week:

 

RECEIVED:

Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald (ARC won from LibraryThing to review)

5 adorable Princess for Hire bookmarks from Lindsey Leavitt

FOR VALENTINE'S DAY: 
The red heart blanket and heart pillow in the picture above! Also, I got some yummy candy and chocolate : )

What books did you get this week?

Shadow Hills Swag Winners!

Hey all, I picked the ten winners of Shadow Hills swag by random.org! Out of 70 entries and 26 different people these 10 won some ssswwwaaaggg : ) The first five (Yan through Sherry) will receive a signed bookmark and the last five (Cindy through Kristen ) will receive a regular bookmark! I will email you all the same email (since I get tons of spam and never know if it's legit, the subject will be Shadow Hills Swag Winner!) asking for you address, so please get back to me quickly. You all have until Sunday afternoon to email me back or I will have to pick other people. Thanks to everyone who entered and enjoy!

#39: Yan L.

#18: Jessica S.

#66: Morgan M.

#2: Orchid F.

#57: Sherry S.

#33: Cindy P.

#44: Lisette C.

#60: Jennifer B.

#15: Leslie G.

#9: Kristen H.

Shadow Hills Swag Contest Reminder!

My mini-contest for Shadow Hills swag which is for 5 signed bookmarks and 5 regular bookmarks ends tonight! I won't select the winners til Friday so just get your entries in before then. I'll select the winners by random.org and post them that day too. If you haven't entered already then go HERE and fill out the form!

Snow...Again and Elizabeth Scott's 14 ARCs Contest at Her Blog!

Hey everyone, I'm snowed in again so much that my school was canceled today and is canceled tomorrow! I already got about 2 feet this past weekend and yesterday & today we got more another foot. I can't believe all the snow and if you can believe it, it's still snowing! I'm never going to be able to leave my house...at least I'm warm, and I'm currently watching season one of Gossip Girl!

Anyways, Elizabeth Scott is hosting a contest for 14 ARCs for just spreading the word for her upcoming book The Unwritten Rule. You can find out more information at this blog post. I made a countdown for the release, and I'm trying to figure out how to make a scroll box that can let others grab it. If anyone knows how to do this please let me know, thanks! Jenn from Books at Midnight helped me out, thanks so much Jenn! Here's the countdown and grab it if you want one : )

<center><a href="http://s915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352

/Adrienne2093/?action=view&current=theunwrittenrule.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Adrienne2093/theunwrittenrule.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><center><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.oneplusyou.com/bb/files/countdown/countdown.swf?co=71007D&bgcolor=FFFFFF&date_month=03&date_day=16&date_year=0&un=UNWRITTEN RULE RELEASE!&size=small&mo=03&da=16&yr=2010" width="188" height="60"><param name="movie" value="http://www.oneplusyou.com/bb/files/countdown/countdown.swf?co=71007D&amp;bgcolor=FFFFFF&amp;date_month=03&amp;date_day=16&amp;date_year=0&amp;un=UNWRITTEN RULE RELEASE!&amp;size=small&amp;mo=03&amp;da=16&amp;yr=2010" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /></object><img src="http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/img/bb_badges/countdown.jpg" alt="" style="display: none;" height="1" width="1" /><center></center></center></center>

Waiting on Wednesday (23)

 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt. It sounds so cute just like the adorable pink cover. Princess for Hire will be released March 16, 2010!

Princess for Hire 
By: Lindsey Leavitt (summary from Amazon)

When an immaculately dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and asks you if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you

 a) run

b) faint

c) say Yes!

For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C--that is, once she can stop pinching herself.  As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge," she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?

Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don't know? Or when a princess's conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off--and you know she would want you to change his mind?

In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl's dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.

The Unwritten Rule: Blog Tour Review

Title: The Unwritten Rule

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing

Publication Date: 

March 16, 2010

Pages: 210

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: YA~Ages 14+

Where I got it from: Elizabeth Scott for blog tour 

Summary from 
Elizabeth's website:

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like you best friend's boyfriend. Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.
Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more... 

First Line:

"I liked him first, but it doesn't matter." 

Review:

The Unwritten Rule was a short, quick, fun read about two friends and the boy that tears them apart. I loved how quickly the story flowed and how hard it was to stop reading. Page after page, the story started to get more complex for the main character Sarah, and I started to really dislike her best friend Brianna. She had a way of putting down her so called "best" friend by seeming like she was just being nice. Granted, Brianna did have a messed up family and just wanted someone to truly love her and never leave her. I felt really bad for Sarah because she was a good friend, but she just loved her best friend's boyfriend since eighth grade and he vice versa.

The tagline of the story says the unwritten rule is you don't like your best friend's boyfriend and that line totally describes the essence of the story. It's a hard situation to be in, and Elizabeth Scott wrote a great story about just that. The characters were so well-written, I fell in love with Ryan and pretty much loathed Brianna. I love reading books where I have strong feelings for the characters, so that's why I really liked the Unwritten Rule. By the end, I guarantee you will be rooting for Sarah and Ryan to be together! I've read most of Elizabeth's books and have loved every one. The Unwritten Rule was one of the shortest, but I loved the story just as much as the others. I'm so happy I got to read this for the blog tour, thanks!

Rating:

Before I Fall: Debut Author Challenge Review

 
Title: Before I Fall

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date:

 March 2, 2010

Pages: 470

My Edition: ARC Paperback 

Reading Level: YA: Ages 14+ 

Where I got it: 

B&N's First Look 

Reviewed for: B&N's First Look Book Club & Debut Author Challenge

Summary from Amazon:
What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Review:
Before I Fall was an amazing story about a teenage girl whose every action on one single  day can make a huge difference in many people's lives. She lives the same day seven times and sees that every act she does has an impact on someone else. In the beginning of the story, you meet Samantha and her friends. They are the "popular" senior girls of the school, and everyone wants to be them and all that. They all are selfish, nasty, petty, and cruel to all the other unpopular people at their high school. They say and do want they want, and they get away with it because they don't think about how they affect everyone around them.

I won't go much more into the plot than what I stated above because you will figure that all out in the first twenty pages or so, and the unexpected plot makes the book so amazing. I loved the story because it was very original and unlike many other Young Adult books. The mean things Sam and her friends did made her very hard to like in the beginning of the story, but finally by the end I started to really like and even admire her. Once she finds out that she can change something important each day as she relives the same day over and over, she starts to make the right decisions and changes her attitude towards her old life.

The ending was sad, even though you knew what must happen. It was a really good ending, and it left me thinking about the story even after finishing it. I teared up at the end because I was moved by Sam's final act. She was a great character who made a total 360 by the end of the story. I don't have any complaints about the book, so I can guarantee you that you will have trouble putting this book down because each page keeps you wanting more. Even though she does relive the same day seven times, it never was repetitive because each day was so different. I can't believe this is Lauren Oliver's first book; it was very well written and unique, she made it seem like she had been writing for years. I look forward to reading other books by her in the future!

Rating: