IMM (25) and Thanks 200 Followers!

Thank you so much to all my amazing 200 followers! I appreciate you all so much and hope you enjoy my blog. I can't believe how far my blog as come, and I enjoy blogging so much! It's so awesome to be apart of a book blog community : D I will be having a 200 Followers Contest, so be on the lookout for that soon. 

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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:

FROM THE LIBRARY:

Inner Circle by Kate Brian (Paperback)

The Vampire Diaries: The Return Vol. 1: Nightfall by L.J. Smith (Hardback)

Very LeFreak  by Rachel Cohn (Hardback)

Fire Study: Study Book 3 by Maria V. Snyder (Paperback)

Pretties: Uglies Trilogy Book 2 by Scott Westerfeld (Audiobook)

What books did you get this week?

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt Review

Title: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Author: Beth Hoffman

Pages: 306
 Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publication Date: January 12, 2010

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: YA/Adult

Received From: LibraryThing

Summary from Beth's website:

Twelve-year-old CeeCee is in trouble. For years she’s been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille— the crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town. Though it’s 1967 and they live in Ohio, Camille believes it’s 1951 and she’s just been crowned the Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia.

The day CeeCee discovers Camille in the front yard wearing a tattered prom dress and tiara as she blows kisses to passing motorists, she knows her mother has completely flipped. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, a previously unknown great-aunt comes to CeeCee’s rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. Within hours of her arrival, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricities—a world that appears to be run entirely by women.

While Tootie is busy saving Savannah’s endangered historic homes from the wrecking ball, CeeCee encounters a cast of unforgettable, eccentric characters. From the mysterious Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in an outdoor tub under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic peacock, to Oletta Jones, the all-knowing household cook, to Violene Hobbs, the loud-mouthed widow who entertains a local police officer in her yellow see-through peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

But CeeCee’s view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined: there are secrets to keep, injustices to face, and loyalties to uphold. Just as she begins to find her ballast and experiences a sense of belonging, her newfound joy collides with the long-held fear that her mother’s legacy has left her destined for destruction.

Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others. 

Review:

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a refreshingly, sweet novel about a little twelve year girl who goes through many hardships to finally feel like she fits in and to feel loved. Cecilia "CeeCee" has to overcome the death of her crazy, mentally unstable mother and leave her father who was never been there to take care of her or her mother. She goes to live with her great-aunt where she meets several strong-minded women who she grows to love and cherish, and finally she starts to feel like she finally has a real family.

The characters of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt were mainly women, but were so strong they overpowered the men from their past. I loved reading about CeeCee's new life as she moves to Savanna, Georgia to live with her generous, loving aunt. The story was nicely written and very enjoyable to read. It was pretty hard to stop reading, and at times I could picture the scenes in my head while I was reading. At one part, I even became hungry for peaches because I could just picture the scene so perfectly. 

It is set in the past in a time where African Americans weren't truly excepted yet, so at times, the racial discrimination was just horrible. I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the book because when I first received it from LibraryThing after winning an ARC to review, I kept putting it off to read because I thought it would be unrelatable and boring. I was really wrong to delay from reading it because it is a sincerely, great book.

I loved the main characters so much! CeeCee along with her loving Aunt Tootie, and Oletta were amazing people and characters. The ending was just so good, and it left off at the perfect time leaving me very pleased. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is Beth Hoffman's first book, and I'm very impressed by the well written and developed story. Altogether, it was a wonderful novel filled with Southern charm, lovable characters, and a great setting/plot. I can't wait to see how Beth's future books stack up against such a great debut one.

Rating:

Friday Firsts (17)

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 Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. I received it from LibraryThing, and I wasn't expecting that I would like it as much as I do. I thought it would be boring, but it's not at all. Here is the first sentence:

"Momma left her red satin shoes in the middle of the road."

The first sentence is pretty intriguing, and it foreshadows what will happen later on. CeeCee's mother is pretty crazy, so the sentence is pretty sad once you learn what happens to her. So far Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is really good, and I can't wait to read more.

What's your current book's first sentence?

Waiting on Wednesday (26)

  "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 Keys to the Repository by Melissa De La Cruz! Keys to the Repository is the the fifth book in the Blue Bloods series, and it's not really about Schuyler but short stories and other expansion info about the series. I'm excited to read it when it comes out June 29, 2010!

 Summary from Amazon:

Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Midterms. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring. But there's oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, exists a wealth of revealing information about the vampire elite that dates back before the Mayflower. In a series of short stories, journal entries, and never-before-seen letters, New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz gives her hungry fans the keys to the Repository and an even more in-depth look into the secret world of the Blue Bloods.

Birthmarked: A 2010 Debut Author Challenge Review

Title: Birthmarked

Author: Caragh M. O'Brien

Pages: 368
 Publisher: Roaring Book Press

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian
Challenge Read For: 2010 Debut Author Challenge

Received From: Henry Holt InGroup

Summary from Caragh's website:

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents disappear.

As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she faces the brutal injustice of the Enclave and discovers she alone holds the key to a secret code, a code of “birthmarked” babies and genetic merit.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where a criminal is defined by her genes, and one girl can make all the difference.


Review:

Wow, Birthmarked was such an amazing book! It had a totally unique, intriguing, dystopian story filled with adventure and action with a touch of romance. From the first page, I was immersed into the story and just had to keep reading. Never once bored while reading, every page just added to the intrigue of the book. It is truly a page turner that you wouldn't want to put down til you're finished.

I loved the main character Gaia because even though she is scarred and "ugly" on half of her face, she is a beautiful and strong girl. She went to great lengths to save her family and never once thought of giving up on them. I also loved Leon since he risks his own life to help Gaia and her family. It was really interesting to read about Gaia and her society in a weird time period set in about 300 years from now. Gaia is a midwife and every month she has a quota of three babies that have to be given to the Enclave. Her parents are then taken by the Enclave, and Gaia is left to wonder where they are and why they were taken. The book is about her story to find her parents and figure out what the Enclave wants from them.

I have never read anything like Birthmarked, and I really loved it. The ending was very dramatic and some events were very unexpected. It was a cliff-hanger that left me both happy and sad, so I hope there will be a sequel! This is Caragh's first book for teens, and she did an amazing job. It was well-written, and the characters and history were nicely developed. I loved the characters and the story she created, so I look forward to reading other books by her in the future.

Rating:

 

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: