Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

From Goodreads:

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb — males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape — to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Checked this book out at the library this morning...finished this afternoon...ordered my own copy...

If that doesn't say it all, I don't know what does. I LOVED this book. Seriously, 5 of 5 stars for it. It was creepy, it was repugnant, it freaked me out and it was completely brilliant. One of my favorite books of the year, and I've read a lot of books this year.

It's kind of funny to me: I had this insane emotional reaction to Bumped and figured it would be more of the same here. Very similar topic, but it didn't make me angry. Maybe it's because there wasn't anything glamorous about the situation? I felt like Bumped glamorized things to make a point (a very valid point, mind you) and that bothered me. That book made me incredibly angry.

Wither though, WOW.

I think that when you can take a topic that is SO incredibly sensitive and make it into a brilliant book, you've got something going. And you've really got something going if you can make it as creepy as humanly possible and STILL make it one of the best books of the year.

I felt so many of the same emotions as Rhine does throughout the book. I could feel her sense of being trapped. I could feel the hopelessness at times and I could feel her determination at others. I recoiled every time Housemaster Vaughn came into the picture and I wanted to do away with him myself. Rhine is an absolutely amazing character and so real.

I felt like the sister-wives, Jenna and Cecily, were real as well. They acted exactly as I'd expect someone their age to act (especially Cecily and especially considering that she's only 13 when we meet her). I feel like we got to know them quite well and I loved knowing more of the motivation behind things with Jenna. She made so much sense to me after that.

And poor Linden. That's all I can really say about him because I don't want to give too much away, but poor guy.

Loved Gabriel, loved the attendants, HATED Vaughn...

Plot-wise, I'm sold. Kept me going from start to finish and was fast-paced enough that I read it in a couple of hours. I just had to keep going to find out what happened next. It really sucked me in.

It's pretty amazing when you can take a seriously creepy subject and make it into a seriously awesome read. I'm serious when I say that I need the next book NOW. Now as in yesterday. Really, you should all need it too. You can get copies of Wither HERE. (and you should. Oh, you should)

Guess what rating this gets?

Yep.

My top marks: So good it made me incoherent

Congratulations on being one of the best books of the year.

Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

*Received ARC via NetGalley* From Goodreads: Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Here’s another one that I was really excited for. Luckily, this time, my hope wasn’t in vain. I truly enjoyed this book. It felt so original to me, and brought freshness to the paranormal romance genre. I’ve read a ton (probably literally) of YA paranormal, and I don’t ever recall anything like this. Woo for being fresh!

I liked that the action started right at the beginning. At first, we don’t really know about Amelia or what she is. It’s pretty ambiguous, but we’re let in on the secret quickly. I like that it wasn’t a long, drawn out process of getting to THE REVEAL. Sometimes a book can go on and on and on forever, you know? It gets old. So I liked being let in on it quickly.

And I liked Amelia. She wasn’t the typical ‘wait for the man to rush in and save the day’ kind of heroine that we frequently see. She does take matters into her own hands and discovers her abilities in her own way and in her own time. Nothing is completely thrust on her.

I thought Joshua was a credible love interest. His ability to see/feel Amelia didn’t seem at all hokey to me once it was explained. It made sense that he’d be able to see her after having a death experience, especially with his family history.

I liked the story, liked the way things flowed, and liked the way that Amelia gradually remembered more from her past as time went on. She had to grow, and I feel like as a reader, I was able to go on that journey with her with the way the story was written. I didn’t feel like I was being asked to swallow a load of garbage all at once.

I’d recommend this to any fans of YA paranormal, and especially fans of ghost stories. I know I’ll be continuing on with this series. I’m giving this a ‘Drool Worthy’ rating.

Review: The Raising by Laura Kasischke

*Received ARC via NetGalley* From Goodreads:

Last year Godwin Honors Hall was draped in black. The university was mourning the loss of one of its own: Nicole Werner, a blond, beautiful, straight-A sorority sister tragically killed in a car accident that left her boyfriend, who was driving, remarkably—some say suspiciously—unscathed.

Although a year has passed, as winter begins and the nights darken, obsession with Nicole and her death reignites: She was so pretty. So sweet-tempered. So innocent. Too young to die.

Unless she didn’t.

Because rumor has it that she’s back.

I was excited for this one, but sadly, it didn't live up to expectations in my opinion.

It started off strong, with a very compelling prologue. For me, it went downhill after that. It seemed to get mired in the details of everyone's lives, and while I could see how it might be relevant down the road, it wasn't interesting at all.

I didn't care about the characters and I had no interest in traveling the road with them. I pretty much just wanted it to be over. Solved in a nice little package courtesy of Perry Mason, thank you very much.

The premise was interesting, at first, but it soon lost me in all the raunchy bits that followed. Sorry, but I don't care to read graphic descriptions of anything really, and the F-word just isn't my thing. In some cases, sure, I can forgive it when it seems necessary to the scene and the emotion. But here, it was gratuitous, almost like "look Mom, I can swear." Sorry, but I'm not interested in diving into a book like that.

Overall, not an enjoyable read. I wanted to care, I wanted to experience SOMETHING other than boredom and I wanted to like it. Didn't. Just don't care. Sorry.

The best rating I can give is 'Meh' because I just didn't feel anything other than a very slight feeling of disgust.

Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

*Received as ARC via NetGalley* From Goodreads: When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food. Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job. Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from. When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common. I'll just be honest right up front and let you know that I didn't like this book. I didn't like it at all. The whole concept bothered me, but I could put that aside for a good dystopian read (hello, Hunger Games anyone?!). I just couldn't get past the commercialism of something so personal as a pregnancy. I didn't like the idea of 'pregging for profit' or 'going pro' or all the talk of 'pro-boner' work. Gag. The language alone was enough to turn me off to the whole book. Seriously, one more preggy or neggy or boner joke and I'll scream. It seriously freaks me out that Harmony pretty much dreams about sleeping with Jesus. Hello, CREEPY much!? And at the same time, I've known people like that, so I know it happens. Yes, it freaks me out, but it happens. With that, I get what McCafferty is trying to do. She's making a point here, about how casual we could get about this. I don't for one second believe that she's promoting this kind of teenage promiscuity. Nope. It's a statement, in my opinion, that some things can indeed go too far. It bothers me that being a pregnant teenager is a huge status symbol, and yet look at our society now. People flock to the likes of reality shows about pregnant teens: '16 and Pregnant' or 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager'. Really, how much of a leap is Bumped? Not as much a one as I'd like. And it's brilliantly done. Yes, I can still say that, even though I didn't like it. See, it made me react in an emotional way. A book that I didn't care about wouldn't have this kind of response. In fact, it makes me so angry that I want to throw it against the wall or something. It's the same kind of reaction that I had with The Hunger Games. Seeing society degenerate to that point (or this point, as the case may be) really does something to my psyche. So if you're going to read this, read it as a warning that no matter how advanced or how amazing society is, it can always get to this point. This book makes me angry. And that's a good thing.

Review: Die for Me by Amy Plum

*Received as ARC via NetGalley* From Goodreads:

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

This was another book that had a load of hype attached to it. I wasn't sure right at first, because some of the books I've read lately haven't lived up to it.

I'm lucky again that this one totally did. I loved it. It was a beautifully crafted story that took me along with it. Whatever Amy Plum is selling, I'm buying. No questions asked. This is one that I'll be buying a hard copy of as soon as I can. I seriously loved it.

Kate is a likeable character, in the throes of grief over her parents' untimely death. She's moved to Paris, but can't lose herself in the beauty of the city because of the weight she's feeling. I think that's completely believable and shows the depth of her character. Not that someone who immersed themselves in society would be shallow...this isn't what I mean by depth. I just mean that her reaction was completely and totally believable to me, and I bought her story. I tend to withdraw when faced with things like that, so I get it.

I liked that there were a lot of normal things about the revenants. They ate like normal humans, which made them that much more real. I've never really liked the 'we don't eat' bit about supernatural fiction. I've always kind of thought that bit was hokey. So this really drew me in. Pretty much they're the normal undead...if there's such a thing. They're as normal as you can get in the paranormal world. Special powers, but not ALL of the special powers (seriously, if I read one more book where the main character can do every. single. powerful. thing. ever, I will scream). Just enough to make them special.

Plot-wise, loved it. The whole idea of revenants really appealed to me and Amy Plum did a brilliant job of presenting it. I never once felt like I was being asked to swallow a load of garbage. Add to that the fact that it's beautifully written and you have a winner. I didn't feel like skipping ahead once, and I certainly never skimmed. I read every single gorgeous word and loved every minute of it. Couldn't put it down!

Plus the setting...Paris!!! PARIS!! Those who know me well know that when I die and become a revenant, I'll definitely be spending my time in Paris. It just holds a special place in my heart. The descriptions were gorgeous and made me feel like I was back there, walking down the rue du Bac along with Kate. Plum couldn't have picked a better setting for me. Because you know, it was all for me. :P

I'd recommend this to any paranormal fan, and especially anyone who is looking for a break from the usual we-have-all-the-powers-and-you-have-none brand that we're getting a lot of.

I'm giving this my 'Pick Me' rating for excellence! I really can't say enough good about this one. Seriously, there's not a single thing I'd change or do differently. It's that awesome. You should get a copy...really, go get it NOW!

You can pick up a copy HERE.

Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

From Goodreads: Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice? I first heard about this series when a bit of controversy erupted over the change in covers. I can see why it happened. Just look at how gorgeous this cover is! They should stay the same, right?! Anyway. I admit to being a bit hesitant to read this. I was about shapeshiftered/werewolved out from Twilight, and didn't think I'd enjoy another book with a focus on either of those elements. Luckily, I was wrong. I SO enjoyed this one. Like enjoyed it a lot. It had just the right mix of everything to keep me happy. I really liked how the characters were portrayed. Calla was strong on her own and didn't need a guy to hold her up all the time. She pretty much kicked trash and took names. The male characters were believeable and likeable. Even Ren. I kind of set myself up to dislike him from the beginning with the whole union/alpha thing going on. I was sure he was going to be the stereotypical teenage peacock and that I'd hate him. I was pleasantly surprised when he ended up having more character than I thought. And Shay, I liked him from the beginning. He was a great foil for Calla. (I especially like their discussion about tails later on, which I'll not spoil here for you) I liked that the teenage main characters worked together to solve problems, rather than the adults swooping in to save the day. My writing teacher says that's key in writing for the young adult audience. I think Andrea Cremer really hit the nail on the head here. The plot moved quickly, and while there were a couple of things that I could see coming from a mile away (the big 'surprise' at the union? Not a surprise for me. Not even close.), but for the most part, it really kept me on my toes. I thought it was well-written, without any gaping holes, and without leaving me feeling unfulfilled. Yep, I'm a new convert to the wolf/shapeshifter POV now. After Twilight, I thought all hopes for me were dashed. I'm happy to report that Andrea Cremer has restored my faith. :P I'm giving this a 'Pick Me' rating for being completely awesome! You can pick up a copy HERE.

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

*received as ARC via NetGalley* From Goodreads: How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Mythology is *really* my thing. Maybe even more than my thing. I've always loved it, and the recent forays into YA mythology have really been awesome.

Sadly, I didn't love this one. I wanted to like it SO badly, but I just couldn't. It's not that it was poorly written, because it wasn't. It's not one of those books that you can't get through for the errors. I just didn't click with it. Sad too, because just look at the absolutely GORGEOUS cover! (Yes, I judge books by their covers...I admit it)

I had a hard time liking or relating to her characters at all. Seriously, at all. I thought Helen was a whiny weakling, even with superpowers, and she bugged me the whole time. I wanted to smack her at points and tell her to get a grip and grow up. Lucas and his family were a bit better for me, but not by much. It just seemed too contrived, too easy. Even the conflicts seemed too easy. The romance seemed sappy to me (though I do understand why it happened the way it did, and it does make sense...I just didn't really care for it) and that always gets me down.

With that, I did like Kate and Claire. They're more supporting characters, but they brought life to the story. They had spark and attitude, and I liked them. They're characters that I'd have loved to see more of.

Plot-wise, I thought there was a lot of potential: demigods on different sides of the equation, fighting to make sure that Olympus doesn't rise again and end the world. Pretty sweet, huh? TONS of potential, I'm telling you. I just didn't really get into it. Maybe it goes back into things being too easy, but I just wasn't buying this time.

Here's the thing too: I got an uncorrected proof of this book, so it's not the final version. From what I've heard from people, the final version is better. And don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, not at all. I didn't particularly like it, but I definitely didn't hate it. I do wish I'd liked this more because I wanted to a lot. I just don't feel like it lived up to the hype surrounding it.

I think there's a lot of potential for future books, and I'll give at least the next book a try. We'll see what happens next.

I'm giving this a 'Meh' rating.

Book Signing Awesomeness Yesterday!

I had the chance yesterday to meet another of my very most favorite authors and have my books signed. Squee!! I'm telling you now, authors are like rock gods to me and I will SQUEE at any given moment when I come into contact with them. Just so you know. Anyway, yesterday's signing was with Lisa Mangum, author of The Hourglass Door trilogy (The Hourglass Door, The Golden Spiral, The Forgotten Locket). I, of course, own all three books, and jumped at the chance to get them signed. WOO! The signing wasn't really all that well publicized. I felt bad about that, because Lisa's books are worth standing in line for awhile to have signed. The only reason I knew about it is that we're Facebook friends, and I'd asked her awhile ago if I could convince her to come up to Rexburg. She responded and let me know when she'd be here. Thank goodness, or I'd have missed out on awesomeness! I picked up my cousin Ashley (the one that I did the other signing with, back in April, and maybe the only person I know personally who actually understands my obsession with books and authors, and who also happens to blog at Basically Amazing Books) and we headed over to Deseret Book. Got there, found parking, made our way to the store. You know what was on the door? A teensy little flier announcing the signing. Hello, Deseret Book!! HELLO!! You have a nationally known, award-winning author coming and you can only muster up a little flier?! FAIL. I wish they'd gone out more for this. It would have been awesome to see a huge crowd lined up, because I think these books are worth huge crowds. Seriously. Anyway, we got there at 11:45 and the signing was scheduled to start at noon. Because we were about the only people there, she just went ahead and signed for us. We got to visit with her for about 15 minutes, and it was made of awesome. PLUS I now have a lot of my very most favorite books signed by the authors!!! WOO!! PLUS Lisa was incredibly gracious and so much fun to talk to. We had a blast! In fact, it's been decided that when she goes to Australia (Note to publisher: please send Lisa to Australia), I shall accompany her as the official tour poisonous spider spotter. Every book tour needs one of those, don't you think? Let's forget the fact that I'm deathly afraid of spiders, just for a minute okay? After the signing of awesomeness, I had a picture snapped with Lisa and then Ashley and I headed to lunch. Mucho funness (is that a word?!) followed. I shall avoid the details. Hah! (now do you kind of wish that I was in the mood for TMI so that I would share what we talked about?) Anyway, the picture: All in all, a day made of WIN. Don't forget to ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!

Follow Friday #2/Blog Hopping

Wow, my second week of hopping! I knew this would be a good habit to get into. I've made some really cool new blogging friends in the last week, and I'm looking forward to meeting more. So without further ado, here are the follows! This week's featured blogger is Angela, at Angela's Anxious Life. Head on over to check her blog out! And this week's question is: What do I do when I am not reading?Umm...is there ever a time when I'm not reading? Well, not much. I do a lot of gardening, blogging (here and on my personal blog), talking to The Man, other general yard work, watching movies, and going for scenic drives.

This week at Crazy-for-Books, we're answering this question: How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap? All of the above. I've been frequenting the library quite a lot lately, which is excellent on my budget. Some of the books I've picked up there go on to become purchases later on. I haven't listed anything on paperbackswap for awhile now, but I should. So thanks for stopping by! I have a giveaway going on right now, so feel free to enter! It's open until July 31, so plenty of time. Looking forward to meeting more blogging friends!

The Giveaway of Epic Awesomeness is HERE!!

You guys!!! You did it!! You helped me get up to 100 followers! You are all awesome and I can't even tell you how cool this is. I feel so loved in the blogosphere! Since I'm tragically lacking for words, I'm going to give you prizes instead! Are you excited?! I know I am! FOUR lucky winners will walk away with stuff! One lucky winner will get: 1 copy of Sweethearts by Sara Zarr 2 signed bookmarks (from other authors) Some sweet unsigned bookmarks One will get: 1 copy of Forget You by Jennifer Echols 2 signed bookmarks (from other authors) Some sweet unsigned bookmarks Another will get: 1 SIGNED copy of The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor 1 Transformation of Things bookmark Some other sweet unsigned bookmarks Another will get: 1 copy of Legacy by Cayla Kluver (the original AmazonEncore edition with the red tapestry cover) 2 signed bookmarks (from other authors) Some sweet unsigned bookmarks How do you enter, you may ask? Simple! Just fill out my form! (you can leave a comment too, if you want, but that's not an entry and not a requirement...just so I can come visit you back!) Whoops, almost forgot to give the ending date! Can't let that slide! This giveaway is open from now until midnight on July 31. I know, long time! But I want as many people as possible to have a chance to enter, so I didn't want to do a short giveaway. I hope it'll be worth the wait!

Follow Friday/Blog Hopping

Ah, Friday. Best day of the week, right? You got it! I've decided it's high time to get involved in the Follow Friday meme hosted by Parajunkee, so here goes. (Click on the picture to go to Parajunkee's blog, which is awesome) If you're here from Follow Friday or from the Blog Hop, welcome! I hope you'll like it here, and decide to stay awhile. Feel free to follow and leave me a note. I'll stop by your blog home too! (Plus, I'm going to be having some cool giveaways coming up soon, and I'd love to have more people involved!)

This meme features other bloggers, and this week happens to be my friend, Lisa, from Read, Breathe, Relax. I love her blog, and I think you will too! Just click on the link to go visit her. This week's question:

Q. Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?

Ugh. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, hands down. HATED that book. In fact, it may be the only book that ever came close to hosting the neighborhood hot dog roast. I hated it that much. And for the Crazy-for-Books Blog Hop, we're featuring someone else's giveaway this week. Coolness!

So...I'm a huge fan of Alex over at Electrifying Reviews, and he ALWAYS has cool things going on. Right now, he's giving away the following books (just click on the link to go right to his site):

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (7/10/11)

Supernaturally (7/10/11)

Bargains and Betrayals (7/10/11)

The Goddess Test: SIGNED (7/14/11)

The Midnight Palace (7/14/11)

Poseur (7/14/11)

Beautiful Beings: SIGNED (7/17/11)

Twisted: SIGNED (7/17/11)

Mystify (7/17/11)

Hope y'all enjoy your blog hopping weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Review: The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton

*Received via NetGalley* From Goodreads: In a time of grand airships and steam-powered cars, the death of a penniless young maid will hardly make the front page. But part-time airship waitress and music hall dancer Julia Bairstow is shattered by her sister's murder. When Lady Law, the most notorious private detective in Britain, offers to investigate the case pro bono, Julia jumps at the chance—even against the advice of Constable Al Grant, who takes her protection surprisingly to heart.

Lady Law puts Scotland Yard to shame. She's apprehended Jack the Ripper and solved countless other cold-case crimes. No one knows how she does it, but it's brought her fortune, renown and even a title. But is she really what she claims to be—a genius at deducting? Or is Al right and she is not be trusted?

Julia is determined to find out the truth, even if it means turning sleuth herself—and turning the tables on Lady Law...

So for the record, I'm a HUGE fan of steampunk. I love it. I'll read it anytime, anywhere. When the opportunity arose to read The Mysterious Lady Law, I was hooked from "grand airships."

And the best part? It doesn't disappoint. I got into the story from the beginning and it never let me go. I loved the characters, especially Julia. She's strong, she's sassy, and totally my type of heroine. None of this wait around for the men-folk to ride to the rescue. No damsels in distress here!

I loved the plot. The intrigue started from the beginning and never let up. It was well done, and tied together nicely.

The writing was excellent: descriptions described beautifully without being too wordy, the author showed, rather than told, and at times, I felt like I was right there. I could picture things as they were happening. Very well done.

Really, I don't know what else to say. It was well done, a lot of fun, and one I'd read again. So head on out and pick yourself up a copy! I'm giving it a 'Pick Me' rating.

Massive Book Tour Giveaway!!

Trust me, if you're a book fan, you don't want to miss this one. These generous bloggers and authors are giving away SEVEN signed books, plus more signed SWAG, plus more awesomeness. Come be a part of it!! Click on this LINK to check out the tour/giveaway and get yourself entered. There are tons of ways to enter, so don't miss out! Seriously, don't miss this one!!

Special for Sunday, Favorite Author Edition: Rick Riordan

From Goodreads: Rick Riordan is an American author from Texas famous for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian). He attended The University of Texas at Austin in 1986, where he double-majored in English and History He also wrote The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles) and, most recently, The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus). He also wrote the Tres Navarre series for adults and helped to edit Demigods and Monsters, a collection of essays on the topic of his Percy Jackson series. He also wrote book one of the 39 Clues (The Maze of Bones), published by Scholastic Corporation, and wrote the first book in the series, The Maze of Bones. I was first introduced to Rick Riordan's books through a friend. After reading The Lightning Thief, I was hooked. I quickly became a huge fan, and determined that I would read and own all of his books. So far, I've read all of the Percy Jackson series (love them) and the first two books of the Kane Chronicles. Seriously good stuff here. I love how Riordan weaves mythology through his books. I'm a huge mythology fan, so these are right up my alley. Percy Jackson is all about the Greek (my favorite) and the Kane Chronicles are all Egyptian (2nd favorite). The Heroes of Olympus series will go back to the Greek. I own the first book, but am waiting until I at least have the 2nd in hand before starting. (I usually like to wait until a series is complete before I start, but I do make exceptions for my favorite authors. Still, I want to have at least 2 before I start.) I love how characters come and go, and yet, are always important. I couldn't tell you a single throwaway character in any of the books so far. I like that, because I have a tendency to become close to characters (if that makes any sense) and I like for them to have a purpose. One of my favorite things about Riordan's books is that things don't just fall into place. The people have to go through things in order to get what they need, and it's not always (okay, rarely) pleasant. They actually have to grow. They have to reach for something and they have to work hard to get it. I like that because it mirrors life far better than something where good stuff just falls out of the sky. So it's an element of reality woven into a fantasy/mythology series. I don't know exactly why that appeals to me, but it does. I haven't read the 39 Clues series yet, but Riordan wrote the first book in the series, The Maze of Bones. I'll be picking it up one of these days, just because of the author. I'll also be reading the Tres Navarre series soon. I love it when I love someone's books enough that I'll pick up anything they've done. He's definitely one of my very most favorite authors, and I'm giving him my 'so good it makes you incoherent' rating. You can pick up Mr. Riordan's books at any bookseller (Go to a bookstore if you can! Support the printed word!) or if you can't find them there, you can pick them up at Amazon HERE. Percy Jackson Series: The Lightning Thief The Sea of Monsters The Titan's Curse The Battle of the Labyrinth The Last Olympian The Heroes of Olympus Series: The Lost Hero Son of Neptune The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid The Throne of Fire Tres Navarre Series: Big Red Tequila The Widower's Two-Step The Last King of Texas The Devil Went Down to Austin Southtown Mission Road Rebel Island Books in The 39 Clues Series: The Maze of Bones (#1) Vespers Rising (#11) Other: The Demigod Files Cold Springs

Review: One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen

*Received via NetGalley* From Goodreads: It's taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I'm settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it's not as if Noah is anything more than a friend….

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I've opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

I didn't realize at first that this was the 2nd book in a series. I'd had it in my Netgalley queue for awhile, and when I went to mark it on Goodreads, I saw that it was book 2. I had to track down book 1, because wouldn't it be weird to read the 2nd book in a series first?!

Anyway, I digress.

I liked Past Midnight a lot, so I was really looking forward to what One Hundred Candles would offer. It didn't disappoint. I think I liked Past Midnight better, but this was still a great read. Quick, easy, and full of good stuff.

I already liked Charlotte a lot and I liked her continued development. She's a character that I can understand: trying to fit in during high school was complete torture, and I didn't have the added burden of being the child of famous paranormal investigators. Through it all, Charlotte stays true to herself and yet is still a teenager trying to find her way.

I liked how things unfolded in One Hundred Candles. Who knew that something as simple as a party game could lead where it did? I liked the suspense build up and I liked the resolution. Very well done.

I think this book was everything a summer read should be: fun, light, and engaging. Pick it up if you get a chance! (You can find a copy HERE) I'm giving ONe Hundred Candles a 'Drool Worthy' rating.