9. stu 2014.

The Sunday Post (#32)

Hello all. Well, as some of you know Sundays are always reserved for Sunday Post which is a meme created by lovely Kim @Caffeinated Book Reviews!

Morning darlings. We hope that you're having a nice and relaxing Sunday and that you'll enjoy some amazing reads today. Sadly that cannot be said for us as Tanja is visiting her grandparents this weekend and Glass is busy with cleaning. But well we'll hope that the next one is our Sunday off. Anyhow this week was busy for both of us. Glass had done some repairs in her apartment so it included a lot of cleaning, while Tanja's classes are driving her crazy. Midterms are coming closer and it's time to start studying, seriously. 
That's why we weren't around much but still we managed to prepare some posts for you. Let's see what we have on our menu for the next week. 
  • Induction Day by P.K. Herzo (Blog Tour)
  • The Unhappening of Genesis Lee by Shallee McArthur 
  • Waiting on Wednesday (#121)
  • Bookish Problems #14 - Having a co-blogger 
  • Landline by Rainbow Rowell 
Glass' haul 
Thank you: St. Martin Press

Until the next time,

8. stu 2014.

The Outside by Laura Bickle

Buy the book at 
Author's 

Book summary:
One girl. One road. One chance to save what remains…
After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.
And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?
In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?
         You have probably heard of the badassness that is called The Hallowed Ones. The book that came out two years ago and which most readers loved and rated with many stars (including me - which you can see from my review). It was really hard not to love books that mixed Amish society with apocalypse and vampirism. After that one, I was waiting for The Outside in hope to get the answers, which sadly I didn't get. Not all of them, anyway.

         This book continues on the outside, where we get to see the results of apocalypse first hand and with out characters that are in search for answers. You get to see different picture from the outside, but you have no idea what's going on. It's all mix of different things and somehow it seemed to me that this book was actually a battle. Something like science vs. religion idea, which we all are familiar with. This book was really hard on religion and it'd be cynical of me not to say that it actually was hard on science too. But the difference is that science talk is something I can relate to or actually try to understand, while religion not that much. It's me and my view of life, so I guess religious people will appreciate those moments much more.

       But honestly, what bothered me the most here is that this transformed from duology to trilogy overnight. Due to that change this sequel didn't suffer from the middle book syndrome for repeating things from the first book, but rather for over complicating everything. I feel like we were given some unnecessary elements, when the story had prefect idea to start with. I guess that now the last(?!) book in this series will give us the full picture and all the answers. I will wait for that, then.

       Just to point out that it wasn't such a great disaster as you might imagine, but it's just that I expected so much more. This book still had some good elements, one of them being the growth and development of Katie and Alex's relationship, which was nicely done and my favorite thing in this book.

       All in all, it wasn't what I expected it to be and my hopes are with the next book.

Rating: 3 stars.

Until the next time,

7. stu 2014.

Bookish Problems #13 - Negative Reviews and One Star Ratings


Today, we are talking about writing negative reviews and rating books with one star. 
Why? 
Well, as many of you are aware, negative review can bring you: a) a lot of likes on Goodreads or b) a lot of trouble in the form of an angry author or c) a lot of attention or d) you just don't care about any of those things. 

      We are all individuals, so not every book will appeal to all readers. Even Tanja and I, no matter how in most of the cases we agree about books we both read, have our differences and from time to time we stumble upon something we rate differently. And that is absolutely fine! Everyone has a right to like or don't like his/hers recent read. I do feel sad when I see that someone hated the book that is one of my favorites, but understand why not. I appreciate when bloggers write thoughtful negative review. Sometimes it makes me think about things that never before have crossed my mind - like certain character traits, repetitive archetypes of the genre, cliches that I realize are not that good (but I still enjoy reading them).

Do we learn something from negative reviews or are we acting like Gossip Girls of the bookish community and just enjoy all the drama?  


      This is something that was bugging me after I wrote one negative, ranty review a while ago and, more lately, after everything that happened with notorious Kathleen Hale. I have never gotten so many likes for 5 stars review on Goodreads as I did for that negative one - in such a short period of time. And comments from people who are not even friends with me. I had to delete few of them because they were too mean. Not mean towards me or review, but author and her book. Truth to be told, I wasn't politest person in that review also, but I was so annoyed with some things and I just had to put it off my chest.

      That got me thinking, so I spent few days going trough one star (even some 2 stars) reviews. They have a lot of likes. A lot. Comments also. It's like being back in high school when two of my classmates realized that they were going out with the same guy and all hell broke loose. Whole school was buzzing about it for days, even teachers were gossiping and girls pulled into it our whole class making us to pick a side. Drama worthy of Selena and Blair.

Why do readers like so much negative and ranty reviews? Are we so eager to see someone fail (even if it's author)? Do we all have our inner "gossip girl"? Or is it simply in flawed human nature to be petty and gossiping creature? 

       I am not free of those sins - I do read rants and quite enjoy them if they are witty and funny. I write those kind of reviews. Not often as some other readers, but still. That is why I made a resolution to try to be more respectful in my future reviews - all of them, but especially negative ones.

Our fellow bookworms and bloggers, 
what is your opinion about ranting? Do you write negative reviews? Do you have a lot of one star ratings? 

6. stu 2014.

Pull (Push, #2) by Claire Wallis

Buy the book:
Author's:

My rating: 4 stars

Book summary:

"PULL is the continuation of Claire Wallis' sharp and shocking debut novel, PUSH. It is the second book in the series and is not intended to be a standalone.

"It is impossible for someone like me—someone with a sin-list capable of wrapping itself around the world—to find redemption. To be repaired."

David Calgaro has secrets, and the only woman he's ever loved is about to pay the ultimate price to protect them. He's spent a lifetime searching for purpose and control. And the only place he's managed to find them is in a single, perfect moment; a moment in which he has absolute control over someone else's life.

David is unredeemable, unfixable, unsavageable. But Emma Searfoss has forced a tiny sliver of hope to penetrate his soul. Hope that, even though redemption is impossible, maybe life isn't. Maybe he isn't who he thought he was. Maybe he's meant to be more.

This is a new adult novel with mature content for readers 17 and up."

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22044546-pull

Read my review for first novel, Push, here.
(There might be spoilers for the first book.)

       One of the books I've been anxiously waiting for is a conclusion of the story about David and Emma - dark and twisted tale about love and redemption written by rather new author, Claire Wallis. First novel, Push, was one of the weirdest books I have ever read. It is hard to explain did you like it or not because, in every other occasion, you would not be on the side of the bad guy. Claire Wallis pulls you into the wicked mind of her antihero. 

What I liked?


  • David's POV.  It was absolutely fantastic. Author manages to make you believe into what you read - few times I felt as if I was going mad along with David. His reasoning sounds so logical and convincing, you know deep down that it is not right or moral, but you can't help yourself and understand him. 
  • Storyline and writing. There is similar pattern in chapters layout like in the previous book, but instead of those snippets into the past events on the bridge from the perspective of girls, here you get to see how David felt and what he thought in those moments. I was left speechless after few of those, how he justifies everything and how cruel he can be. Also, we get insight into his childhood and how his memories influenced who David is now. 
  • The way it ended. I won't say much more about this, but i believe that most of you would agree with me. 

What could have been better?


  • I felt kind of let down with how easily Emma "accepted" David. It is not that I am against them being together, but I felt as if this part of the story lacked more development. Everything just keeps moving forward. You would expect that their interaction would be much more personal and emotional - it is to the certain degree, but I really expected more.

Final word?


      Pull is satisfying conclusion and I am positive that fans of the previous book will be happy with how Claire Wallis finished David and Emma's story.

Happy reading,
*Copy of this book was provided by author in exchange for an honest review.*

5. stu 2014.

Waiting on Wednesday (#120)


You know the story. This is a meme created by Breaking the Spine and every week we pick books we're waiting for. Here are our picks for this week.

Glass can't wait to read...


"The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous.But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now—but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear. 

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?"


Expected publication date: April 14th 2015

Tanja can't wait to read...


"Military legacy Ari Alexander has survived alien spies, WWIV, and a changing world order. But when the new leader of Earth uses Jackson—the only boy she's ever let herself care about—to get to her, Ari has no choice but to surrender.

To free Jackson, she agrees to travel to the national bases to train others to fight. What she discovers is a land riddled with dying people. Ari has the power to heal by turning the fighters into aliens—half-breeds like her. If she succeeds, together, they have a chance at overthrowing the alien leader, Zeus. But if she fails, everyone she holds dear will be wiped away forever.


Once again, everything Ari’s come to believe is thrown into question. In a world of uncertainty, loyalties are tested, lies are uncovered, and no one can be trusted. If Ari and Jackson have any hope at survival and at preserving a life for the future, they must fight the final war with their eyes wide open."


Expected publication date: December 2nd 2014

Are any of this books on your wishlist, too? 

 

4. stu 2014.

ARC Review: Illusion by S.M. Boyce

Buy the book at 
Author's 

Expected publication: TODAY! 

Book summary:
The final chapter in the war for Ourea ends with blood. 
Kara Magari is an icon. A hero. The people love her. The royalty tolerates her. She has everything—an army, allies, and a close circle of chosen family. They believe she will end the war, and they shouldn’t. She’s as scared as they are. She just can’t show it. 
The war she accidentally started ends with a final battle that will either save or enslave her people. She will do anything to win—until she learns the cost of victory.
Braeden Drakonin is afraid of what he’ll become when he takes over his father’s kingdom—that much authority can change a man. But his father has already tried to kill him more than once, and it’s time to end his reign. Braeden’s armies are ready. His strategy is foolproof. His generals are waiting for the order to attack. It’s only in the final seconds before the battle begins that he realizes he missed one crucial detail—the traitor.
          What started as accidental friendship on twitter turned into my love for this series. I have first entered Ourea 2 years ago and now sadly I'm leaving this world behind. It's been a hell of a ride and for that it will always remain in my memories and I'll get back there one day.

          In the previous three book Lichgates, Treason and Heritage we have seen Kara's trip from first entering Ourea till the final battle that was scheduled for Illusion. From the first time she realized that she has a great power till the full blast of it. We have seen her grow. Not only Kara, but all characters in this saga. There is Braeden who learned how to embrace his past and live with it and as far as I'm concerned he will always be on of my book boyfriends. With all that a great villains, that make you scared even though your life is not endangered. That all lead to this final battle which was all but predictable.

         I'm not going to tell you much about the plot here as it'd spoil a lot, but trust me when I tell you that each page was built with suspense, where I continued to read while biting my nails. Not to mention that I was so afraid because of that last sentence in the blurb as the traitor could be anyone.

        Another thing I loved about this one is that finally all pieces fell into place and it all made a round and extremely complicated plot which you get to reveal piece by piece but at the end you have the whole puzzle without missing pieces. With all that the story never wavers, it's always on track.

        All that with the amazing writing and lots of feelings. It's all I could ever ask for and then some. For that it'll have a special place in my heart. Forever.

Rating: 5 stars.

Until the next time,
*NOTE: Copy of this book was kindly provided by the author, S.M. Boyce. Thank you!

3. stu 2014.

ARC Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Buy the book at 
Author's 
Expected publication: November 4th, 2014
Book summary:
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.
        How many times have you seen this cover and just stopped and stared for a few minutes? I stopped counting after some time but despite the fact that I never rate the book solely by its cover, in this case it was hard not to be grabbed by it. So I was thrilled to see the inside of it once I have got a chance.

        I'll be frank with you and tell you that of course I haven't read the blurb before reading the book, so when I figured out that this book dealt with parallel universes I was over the moon. That idea for me is even more interesting than time traveling itself. And here it was amazingly developed and constructed. When Marguerite decided to go and chase after Paul I couldn't dream of all the places we'll get to visit. Traveling from past to present and then from one side of the world to another and with all that all the words were so detailed and imaginable. With every new jump Marguerite got to meet herself better and with that to construct all thousand pieces of herself and others around her, those that have always been part of her life.

        I was lucky enough to connect with Meg right away and while I was annoyed but one thing she kept thinking about still it was amazing how she got to meet herself through different self. It was as if she discovered layers of herself she never knew about. Not only herself but those of Paul and Theo as well. So as you see there are two boys so yes we can say that this book sadly has that monster called love-triangle, still it was pretty clear from the start who is going to win this battle, which is actually the only thing that bothered me in this book.

         Everything aside I loved how it was a really slow-building/burning romance here and I know I have found another book boyfriend in this book (I won't tell you who it is, though. Read it!). At the end, I'm happy to inform you that love triangle didn't ruin this one for me! Just keep trying, you monster!

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,
*NOTE: This book was kindly provided by the publisher, HarperTeen for review.Thank you!

Release Day Lunch - Nocte by Courtney Cole

Nocte RDL Banner
 

We are beyond excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Courtney Cole's NOCTE! NOCTE is a New Adult dark romantic psychological suspense novel. Hang on tight because this book will blow you away...

Nocte
 

Barnes & Noble ** Kobo ** Amazon ** iBooks

Nocte Forward letter
  EXCERPT: 

  Glancing up, I suck my breath in when I find dark eyes connected to mine, eyes so dark they’re almost black, and the energy in them is enough to freeze me in place. A boy is attached to the dark gaze. A man. He’s probably no more than twenty or twenty-one, but everything about him screams man. There’s no boy in him. That part of him is very clearly gone. I see it in his eyes, in the way he holds himself, in the perceptive way he takes in his surroundings, then stares at me with singular focus, like we’re somehow connected by a tether. He’s got a million contradictions in his eyes….aloofness, warmth, mystery, charm, and something else I can’t define. He’s muscular, tall, and wearing a tattered black sweatshirt that says Irony is lost on you in orange letters. His dark jeans are belted with black leather, and a silver band encircles his middle finger. Dark hair tumbles into his face and a hand with long fingers impatiently brushes it back, all the while his eyes are still connected with mine. His jaw is strong and masculine, with the barest hint of stubble. His gaze is still connected to mine, like a livewire, or a lightning bolt. I can feel the charge of it racing along my skin, like a million tiny fingers, flushing my cheeks. My lungs flutter and I swallow hard. And then, he smiles at me. At me. Because I don’t know him and he doesn’t know better.

 Book Trailer:
       

NOCTE Synopsis: 

SAVE ME AND I'LL SAVE YOU.... My name is Calla Price. I’m eighteen years old, and I’m one half of a whole. My other half-- my twin brother, my Finn-- is crazy. I love him. More than life, more than anything. And even though I’m terrified he’ll suck me down with him, no one can save him but me. I’m doing all I can to stay afloat in a sea of insanity, but I’m drowning more and more each day. So I reach out for a lifeline. Dare DuBray. He’s my savior and my anti-Christ. His arms are where I feel safe, where I’m afraid, where I belong, where I’m lost. He will heal me, break me, love me and hate me. He has the power to destroy me. Maybe that’s ok. Because I can’t seem to save Finn and love Dare without everyone getting hurt. Why? Because of a secret. A secret I’m so busy trying to figure out, that I never see it coming. You won’t either.
 ABOUT COURTNEY COLE:

Headshot   Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people. Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.      

Website |Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp|Pinterest

   



Nocte Blurb Teaser

2. stu 2014.

The Sunday Post (#31)

Hello all. Well, as some of you know Sundays are always reserved for Sunday Post which is a meme created by lovely Kim @Caffeinated Book Reviews!

Hello darlings. It's yet another Sunday (it seems like it was yesterday when we wrote the previous Sunday post) so it's time for our update. Well in Tanja's life nothing special happened. There is hardly any time for that as her classes and upcoming midterms are keeping her busy. With Glass, well she worked as a substitute for her friend so it was a busy week for her too. It was great to be again in her old costume. Hopefully she will get to wear it more often now. 
Blog-wise we are still posting as you can see and preparing some interesting posts for you. Hopefully you will enjoy them! 
Also we're not celebrating it but we truly hope you all had amazing Halloween! 

  • A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray (ARC Review) 
  • Illusion by S.M.Boyce (ARC Review) 
  • Waiting on Wednesday (#120) 
  • Pull by Claire Wallis (Review) 
  • Bookish Problems #13 - Negative Reviews and One Star Ratings 
  • The Outside by Laura Bickle (Review)
Glass' haul 
The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher (Serbian edition) 
Thank you: Annika Martin & Skye Warren and K.B. Hoyle

Amazon freebies (click on image for purchase - but note some of them might not be free any longer)

Tanja's haul 
Until the next time,


1. stu 2014.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Buy the book at 
Author's 

Book summary:
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.
They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated.Promises get broken.Rules get shattered.Love gets ugly.
         Well this book was historic. But not because it was so good that it should be considered historic, but rather because it'll go down in my history for some reasons which would be:
a) I cried at some part of it but still won't give it 5 stars (not even close)
b) It has one of the worst female characters I have even encountered
c) It'll probably make me give up on NA for the sake of my physical health
         Let's discuss these points one by one, shall we.
For those who know me a bit longer know that for me books that make me cry have special place in my heart and soul. They tend to stay with me for a long time and just the fact that I loved the characters so much is remarkable for me. But this one did not do that. I didn't cry because I loved the characters so much, it's quite the opposite, but I guess those were tears of last hope I had. Sadly both went down the drain.

Now as reviewers and firstly as readers we get to see a decent share of idiotic characters that make stupid decisions and make you pull your hair all the time. I had met some, but Tate is close to make it #1. It's not that she was a complete disaster, she had some good characteristic here and there, but I really but really couldn't understand her lack of dignity.
I have better idea, as I'll picture that for you.
So Tate is someone who I liked to call doormat throughout the book. But bare in mind that she is not the shiny new doormat that you've just bought and proudly put in front of your doors but she is rather that old one you are so ashamed but you always forget to change. So yeah, I really couldn't understand how she could take all that and go back to him with no self esteem whatsoever. Speaking of characters Miles was hot and everything you could ask for but his POV just made me cringe. I do get that poetic style and I usually love it, but doesn't suit his character at all.

Finally my NA issue that I've been dealing with for almost a year now. I loved Slammed series by this author, and that's why I had hopes for this one but sadly it seems that my tolerance level for these characters is really low. That's why for the sake of my well being I'll stick to the fantasy for now and maybe someday in the future go back to NA. But not soon.

         Now you should also bare in mind that if you like NA stories with a nice dose of romance and steamy scenes featuring typical NA girl character and a really hot guy then you should go for it. Like Glass said in her review that book is just for you!

Rating: 2 stars. - it did make me cry after all.

Until the next time,
*Source of the picture -  I own nothing and permission was given by the owner of it.. 

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