Tis' The Season Contest @ Good Books & Wine!

There's so many good contests going on it's not even funny. I seriously think I should tell you all about this one [: But let's get to the point, shall we? At Good Books and Wine there's a contest going on where the:

• First place winner gets: Their choice of 6 books from the pile.
• Second place winner gets: Their choice of 5 books from the pile.
• Third place winner gets: Their choice of 3 books from the pile.
• Fourth place winner gets: Their choice of 1 book from pile.
• Fifth place winner gets: Their choice of 1 book from the pile.

Sound good, eh? And there's some really great books up there to! Hint, click on the picture and you should be able to see each titles clearly.

Check the contest out.

Review | Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen

Title: Keeping The Moon
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Speak
Pages: Speak
Rating: 3/5

"Colie expects the worst when she's sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast -- first for being fat and then for being "easy" -- Colie has no friends at home and doesn't expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina.

But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along."

My thoughts:

Keeping The Moon is a book that I'm sort of iffy about. It was good because all of Sarah Dessen's books are, but as I said...iffy.

Colie, our main character, isn't relateable. She barely talks, has any emotions throughout the book except low self esteem and that's about it. I hate to down a character like that, but I'm serious. That's the first thing I thought of the book. Norman, though, is a character I liked both. He was straining to be something that his father necessarily didn't like. He loves art and collecting things. On the outside he may seem like a hippie, as pointed out by Colie, but there's more to him and I love that in any book. Aunt Mira is a really nice character. She's eccentric and dresses weirdly, but she doesn't let whatever someone says about her keep her down. That's something I loved about her character. Really someone everyone needs, don't you think? All of the characters are down to earth and relateable, except for my little annoyance up there ^ somewhere.

The writing, of course, is fairy awesome. Dessen's writing is my favorite, there's just something about it that keeps me reading them. I just love how she ties in the title into the actual story. But I have to say her other books were much better and deeper. Anyways, this novel was more on a lighter subject which, by the way, I still can't figure out all the way. The ending tied up perfectly and to me it wasn't rushed. Above all, I still recommend this book to any Sarah Dessen fans!

FTC: This was bought with my own money.

In My Mailbox. [22]

^^^^^
Ever heard of surreal art? Well you've just witnessed it!

So, I officially have enough books to last me for awhile. I still haven't gotten around to all of last weeks books! And yet here I am again. But psh, I don't mind one bit [: It's a movie because I didn't want to do a whole post/mess with Photoshop...so yep.

The Story Siren created this meme, and it was inspired by The Book Junkie.

Music that I tried to get on there:
The Islander - Nightwish.

Uber Awesome Contest.

Hey! I'm sorry for doing this to you guys again. But I just heard about this great contest and I thought you'd guys be interested too!

Basically there's this box, and its filled with eleven awesome books! Some including: Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves, Fallen by Kate Lauren, Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe, and many more.

So here's the link for any of you who're interested just click on the smiley right after this sentence[:

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. "
-Norman Vincent Peale
______

To all my followers who celebrate Christmas:

Merry Christmas! When children are going to bed waiting for their presents, I'm writing this so you get it at exactly 12:01 Christmas morning. Smart, aren't I? But anyways, this is just a little post to wish you awesome guys a nice Christmas. One that's filled with laughter, family, presents, and all that good stuff! [:

To those who don't:

Whatever your holiday is, Happy Holidays! I wanted to make sure I went both ways this time. Just in case. But yeah! I hope you and your family have a great holiday filled with all the stuff listed above. The laughter, family, presents (if you do those) and all that good stuff!

Sincerely,
Kaylyn [:

Review | Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 452
Rating: 5/5

"There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go.

Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her. Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story."

My thoughts:

Fallen is a book that'll have you gasping with each encounter with Daniel, flinch at the action, and overall swoon to the entire book.

Words can not describe how much I loved this book. Unlike Kate's first book, this one was beyond amazing. The writing, from start to finish, kept its hold on me throughout the whole book. The characterization was amazingly done. You really got a sneak into each of the character's personalities even though it was all Luce's point of view. Each were well rounded. The action towards the end of the book had me gripping the pages. The concept, in my eyes, was even more awesome. The author's point of view of that is quite interesting and I love it.

This book will have you trying to figure out whose on what side, swooning over how romantic it can get, and having you flip pages constantly. Overall a really good book, I would recommend it to all of you! [:

*Fan girly review. I'm so sorry about that, xD. It was just really good and surpassed how I originally thought it would be!

Waiting on Wednesday! [o8]

Haven't done this in awhile, but anyways here's what my pick for this week is!

"Christine Johnson’s CLAIRE DE LUNE, in which a teenager learns that she is a werewolf, descended from a long line of female werewolves, and must balance her human and werewolf lives, while tracking down the rogue werewolf preying upon the people of her town."

[:

Werewolfs. Need I say more?

Review || Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 336
Rating: 4/5

"St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever."

My thoughts:

Vampire Academy is a fast paced, awesome book. It, as any other vampire book will do, created it differently than your basic story about vampires.

The main character, Rosemarie, has a smartalec-I don't care what you think-whatever attitude. And I must say I liked her character. On the other hand, you have Liss, who takes things more seriously and thinks about the consequences. She's Rosa's peanut butter to her jelly. In other words they put together well. Dimitri, God help us all, is just awesome in a bad boy type of way. Overall, all the characters are nicely put together and their relationships are likeable.

The plot is where I get a little iffy. The action, love, and suspense was awesome don't get me wrong, but for some reason it only seemed to revolve around one thing. That one thing being figuring out who did those 'things' (read to find out) to Lissa. Other than that, the writing and plot was awesome and kept me on my toes (: Did I mention how amazing Mead's concept of half vampires and guardian are? Because it is!

Overall, I really like this series. I don't know why I waited so freakin' long to start reading them! Off to find the second book :P

In My Mailbox! [21]

So, instead of a tower of pictures like last week, I decided to do a little video. It has what I borrowed, etc. It won't take much of your time I swear. Because it's like one minute long, xD.

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren and inspired by The Book Junkie! So go check them out as well. I'm posting this early, btw.

Oh! Enjoy the music! It's Short Stack...whadya think? That picture just caught my eye, it has no meaning lol.

Review | City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: McElderry
Pages: 560
Rating: 5/5

"To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters — never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and her best friend, Simon, has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City — whatever the cost?"

My thoughts:

For the last book of this awesome series folded everything up nicely and ended on a nice note. The suspense that's driven throughout the whole book will bound to have you cursing under your breath and just turning the pages for more.

The characters, as stated in the previous reviews, were so realistic, you would have thought they were real people. Clare made them with so many layers in their personalities it was fantastic.

Finally, in the third book, I got a hold on the whole different views type of writing. That was better than I originally thought it was. With each event you got a different view each way. You also ride a wave of emotions along with the characters; the writing just did that to you.

Overall, this series is amazing and I couldn't recommend more than right now. City of Fallen Angels come on to me! (:

[Sorry this isn't much of a, well, review but I couldn't help it. Unless, you know, you wanted me to spoil it all for you. So yeah I thought it'd be better to just review everything than give a review. Make sense? :P]

FTC: Borrowed from local library.

Review | City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: McElderry
Pages: 496
Rating: 5/5

"Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil -- and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings -- and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation."

My thoughts:

This sequel will have you running through all the action, just urging to keep reading and just finish the whole book in one sitting.

The characters in this book are now more developed than they already were in the first book, City of Bones. More are introduced, two to be blunt. The relationship between Jace, Simon, and our heroine, Clary is even more tense. Mostly that tension runs through her and Jace's relationship, not with Simon. But towards the end it's somewhat cleared out; which, by the way, makes me mad. Ish. I have a feeling that's not the end of that triangle. Throughout the book you get the often, the feeling of nothing is what it seems. The action, suspense, love triangle and just everything about this book was awesomely created and beautifully written as ever (:

The only thing that threw me off, and this isn't a bad thing at all; it just confuses me. The perspectives. It takes you a bit to figure out which section is read in who's point of view. But eventually, you get the hang of and it's easily figured out quickly. This is just my problem sometimes, not that is has anything to do with others or has anything wrong with it. I love it actually and it's a very good idea; adds to the book's magic (:

FTC: I bought this book with my own money;

In My Mailbox/ Birthday Stuff [[: [2o]

Hi! This Wednesday I had my seventeenth birthday and I got some really cool stuff for presents. So that's right, this is going to be a big IMM. Ish. Well, however you look at it xD. I'll be showing you books that I got for my birthday, for review, and borrowed from the library (:

Stay tuned...!

Presents (Some):

Borrowed from thee library!:

For Review!:


If you haven't noticed, yes I did make a little pyramid but that's beyond the point! Yep, yep that's all I got this week. You're probably thinking that's not much, but hell there all the books I wanted this month (: The second section and first and second books are not something I would normally read; sciencey type books aren't my thing, but it sounded interesting.

Don't be hating on my Robert Pattison movie either! xD. I knew you were thinking that. *Mumbles* Just kidding...

...What did you get?

*There may or may not be more books for review... I don't really know. Just felt like posting this earlier.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer:
This policy is valid from 07 January 2010


This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of advertising, sponsorship, or paid insertions. I write for my own purposes. However, I do accept and keep advanced reader copies, or ARC's, from publishers, authors, or sometimes publicists.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. Most every book reviewed on Darling Reviews is borrowed from a local library or purchased with my own money. If I, by chance, receive an arc for review, it is given by the publisher each time.

The owner of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on any given arc. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If I claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Thank you.

Contest Finds! [:

I normally don't do these, but I have to have these book. They sound so amazing and good. But if you're interested as well, you should follow the link I'm about to give...It's also signed by the author, that's a double right? Of course!

Go on and enter, I know you want to read it as well (:

&&&&&

Wanna win Shadow Hills? I know you do! Go on, follow and enter. It's amazing. And who doesn't want to read that book? I know I do! Here's the link: Contest

Psst, that picture has nothing to do with the contests :P I just thought it was purty amazing. Anyways go! Go enter those contests!

Review | City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: McElderry
Pages: 512
Rating: 5/5

"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end."

The Review;

City of Bones is a thrilling debut novel that will have your foot constantly moving as the plot twists and turns.

The characters in the book are very realistic. Each of them have flaws and things they're great at. Our main character, Clary, is a spunky red head who witnesses a 'murder' that sends her spiraling in a world she never knew existed. Jace is your sarcastic, fight-loving bad boy in the novel. His character was my favorite. But don't think that the other characters aren't any more amazing because I didn't list them..'cuz, well, they are. Awesome that is.

The writing was phenomenal. It gave you just the right amount of back story, emotion, action and descriptions that you could ever want in a book. They were never too much or too little, just perfect. And for a debut novel? That's awesome! The plot was perfect as well. This is my type of book; all things paranormal with some love mixed in. The world Cassandra created is amazing. Can I live there? Anyways...

Overall, I highly recommend that you pick up this series. It will have you nervous with the fighting; swooning with Jace and Clary; laughing with how they act; and dazed with how well it's written[:

FTC: I bought this book.

Review: Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Title: Hold Still
Author: Nina LaCour
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 304
Rating: 5/5

"An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction.

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself."

My thoughts:

Hold Still is a heartbreaking, raw book about dealing with the loss of someone who meant so much to you.

This novel is so much more than dealing with your close friend's suicide. The author made it that you feel what everyone in the Ingrid's life felt about her taking her lfie. It definitely showed that everyone is different when it comes to that subject. In the way they mourn.

The writing was amazing and I felt that how they were separated - by the seasons - showed each stage of grieving that Caitlin went through. It shows her from silently grieving then she finds her diary and slowly she doesn't forget necessarily, but she allows herself to get over the fact and understand the reason behind why Ingrid did that.

The photography aspect of this novel will catch you by surprise, but it shows you what Ingrid loved to do best. And that made her seem alive throughout the book. Like you really knew her. You will have tears in your eyes through some parts; I know that I did.

Overall, this is unlike any 'losing someone over suicide' book that I've ever read. It's so much into Caitlin's head that you'd think it really happened. I really, really liked this and following through with the stages of the main character's grief and recovery is fascinating and heartbreaking. Go get a copy if you haven't read it (:

FTC: This was borrowed from my local library.

2010 Challenge!

What is this challenge exactly?

• The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year.* I'm going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! I’m hoping to read at least 30! You don’t have to list your choices right away, but if you do feel free to change them throughout the year. I will also be focusing on mostly Young Adult novels.

• Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site.

• The challenge will run from January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. You can join at anytime!

Interested? Check it out here.

Anyways, here's my list (: I have to say, I don't own any arc's of these whatsoever. And a head's up, the ones I just HAVE to read are in bold - not that I don't really, really want to read all of them. Because, trust me, I do :D

• The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
• Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
• Other by Karen Kincy
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
• The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story by Adam Rex
• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
• The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (Have arc)
  
• Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
• Sleepless by Cyn Balog
• Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine
• In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
• Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw (Have arc)
  
• Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison
• The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand
• Palace Beautiful by Sarah Deford Williams
• The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Ooh, doesn't that just interest you? xD.

In My Mailbox! [: [19]

Sorry it's been awhile, but I've been stuck reading the books from last week or the week before that? It's been taking me awhile to finish, but it's all cool...The pile is finally down some! Anyways, I got four books this week! None for review, all borrowed. But yeah! The Story Siren created this meme, but you already know that(: Tempted is actually the audio book of it, :P Thought I'd try something new.

What did you get?

Writers Wednesday 2

Hi ya, I hope you're ready to read some more of my novel for Nanowrimo. This meme was created by Just Your Typical Book Blog. So definitely go check hers out as well. It's really a funny story. Back to mine though, this is another one that's found throughout the novel itself.

This is one of her dream's dream's memory. Does that make sense? I bet it doesn't, but whatever.

"The chairs and beautiful setup in the garden was even more gorgeous from the actual view. The smell of lilies fill my nose and I breath it in deeply. Taking it all in. I spot Laylon with his green eyes sparkling brightly. With happiness. He folds his hands in front of him and looks innocent as ever."

This is just a playful moment between my two of my three main characters. xD

“Don’t you already spend enough time with me?” I stated the obvious. We finally arrived back into the living room. Laylon shut the door behind him softly and headed towards me. He wrapped his hands again around my waist, his forehead resting on mine.

“Never.” He breathed into my ear. Then he licked my cheek and ran to the other side of the room.

“Ew!” I yelled, running around to where he was. He moved quickly back to the other side. “That was not cute, Laylon!” His laughed reached my ears from behind me , he grabbed me from behind and I squealed.

“You know you liked it,” he whispered in my ear again. We fell backwards onto the couch laughing.

Review: Girls That Growl by Mari Mancusi

Title: Girls That Growl
Author: Mari Mancusi
Publisher: Berkley Jam
Pages: 249
Rating: 3/5

"Rayne McDonald thought getting into the Blood Coven was the hard part. But now there's a new breed of trouble in town...and the former slayer and her vampire boyfriend may be the only ones who can stop it. Now that she's an official vampire and full-fledged member of The Blood Coven, Rayne assumes her vampire slaying days are over. Sure, she doesn't have any vampire powers, thanks to a mutated blood virus, but she and Jareth can go out in the sun, which is a pretty good trade-off. But just when Rayne's starting to enjoy her afterlife, she's contacted by Slayer Inc once again. It seems that a member of her high school's football team has disappeared—and the powers-that-be think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now Rayne has to infiltrate the squad before the cheerleaders have a chance to sink their teeth into someone else..."

My thoughts:

Girls That Growl is the third book to the Blood Coven series and is full with more supernatural beings. It's full of funny moments and action.

Rayne is a vampire slayer, whose, well, a vampire. Her character is totally goofy, and smart minding. She's my favorite character. Throughout the book you'll get funny remarks from her. The character is also emotional. The writing this time was okay, but it's not really my favorite. I don't know what to call it exactly. First person first person? I don't know, but it showed the characters more. Does that make sense? The plot was a lot like the second one. Sunny had to go to England to find a cure for vampirism, this one has to deal with this time Rayne going to England to find the cure for the cheerleaders. It felt like I was reading the same thing over again with different reasons and causes.

Overall, this is a cute quick read that will bring you into another realm of vampires and (SPOILERS) werewolfs. (SPOILER OVER) I reccomend that you pick this series up(:

Teaser Tuesady [12]

Should Be Reading started this Teaser Tuesday meme. This week's teaser is going to come from Girls That Growl by Mari Mancusi. Mm, nothing like some vampires to brighten your day. *Insert goofy grin*

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Sunny puts a finger to her lips and motions for me to follow her into her room. I do, taking one last shuddering glance at the place formerly known as my bedroom. This time Mom has gone too far."
-Page 75

Review: The Everafter by Amy Huntley

Title: The Everafter
Author: Amy Huntley
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pages: 148
Rating: 5/5

"Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this—she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can reexperience—and sometimes even change—moments from her life.

Her first kiss. A trip to Disney World. Her sister's wedding. A disastrous sleepover. In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life—and death.

This is a haunting and ultimately hopeful novel about the beauty of even the most insignificant moments—and the strength of true love even beyond death."

My review:

The Everafter is a heartbreaking and amazingly unique book that takes you on a journey with the main character. See what she sees, even feel what she felt.

Madison, our main character, died and she knows it. Yet apart of her doesn't know anything. She doesn't remember any memories. But there are these objects that stand out, gleam at her. They throw her memories at you, and slowly she remembers everything up to her death. Snippets and dominant memories. I loved that part of the book. Huntley made her feelings amazingly realistic. The writing gave descriptions of each and the plot twisted and smacked you in the face towards the end, but it was all leading up to it.

Overall, this book is absolutely amazing and is completely and utterly a unique view of the afterlife. I'm definitely looking forward to more of her writing!(:

The Twilight Saga: New Moon! (:

**This contains no spoilers!**

So we, me and my aunt, had this planned out for months. And finally, finally!, the day came. You should have seen me. I was talking up a storm because I was so excited. So we drive then get there perfectly fine. It was way too early, so we went to White Castles to sneak in a snack and looked like idiots from giggling too much. xD. Back to the theater, we found ourselves sitting under an Eclipse poster for about an hour. We attacked the door where the movie was showing. And was still showing the other part. Get this, I was able to see the corner of the movie. And my self restrain was running low. So I peeked, but didn't see much.

Then there was this guy. He seemed purty normal to me. Cept' he's wearing all black with a trench coat. When I look closer his eye are ICE blue. No lie, it wasn't natural. Then I saw his teeth... he had two inch fangs. So that pretty much convinced me there are vamps. Shut up, I know you can get extensions and stuff along with contacts, but still! Enough of this crap...let's get to the good stuff!

I heart Chris Weitz. He made the movie so much better than the first one. He stayed absolutely true to the book and that amazed me. Somehow, he Incorporated a lot of dialogue. Jacob. No words can describe how good his acting was. Not to mention the...erm... build. The wolfs. They're sexy and are now my favorites. Edward. Omg. He was so depressed looking and delicious. The movie was everything I expected and a lot more. The ending pissed me off, I'm not kidding! I was reading some reviews saying the ending wasn't in the book. I totally disagree. It was the exact ending just mixed around. So yeah, I totally disagree with all of you who say that. Still... I swooned xD. The acting was suburb, definitely amped up by a lot of levels. The vampire running was much better, it was realistic. Jasper! I loved that he talked in this one, and each time it was really funny. Awww. I loved it. Oh, yeah. I did. Then we went home, or at least we tried.

We got lost. I witnessed a creepy down at three in the morning, which happens to be the witching hour. Evil crap comes out at that time. Or so I heard. It was still creepy! After an hour we made it back. The stars were amazing, I never seen so many! (:

So yeah, I thought I would blog about this on a personal level and not book related. It wasn't so much a review, but hey, who cares, it's New Moon!(: I'm going to look for online version, seeya.

Review: Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block

Title: Pretty Dead
Author: Francesca Lia Block
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 195
Rating: 4.5/5

"People pity me, but mostly they feel envy. I have all the luxury and freedom a girl my age could want.

Something is happening to Charlotte Emerson. Like the fires that are ravaging the hills of Los Angeles, it consumes her from the inside out. But whether it is her eternal loneliness, the memory of her brother, the return of her first love, or the brooding, magnetic Jared—she cannot say. What if it's something more . . .

Something to do with the sudden tear in her perfect nails. The heat she feels when she's with Jared. The blood rushing once again to her cheeks and throughout her veins.

For Charlotte is a vampire, witness to almost a century's worth of death and destruction. But not since she was a human girl has mortality touched her.

In what way will you be transformed?

Until now."

My thoughts:

Pretty Dead is a story about a vampire, Charlotte Emerson, that's starting to get things only humans get in their lifetimes. She's changing, and she can't stop it. I liked her character a lot. She was portrayed as someone who was something they no longer strives to be in. And she wanted to change that. Her emotions filled the book, but they mixed together flawlessly. Her creator, William, is dark and pretty weird in my eyes. Every where he was put in the book, it was creepy. Emily was the human she loved. She was Charlotte's best friend. She was well portrayed as innocent and fun loving. They all fit Charlotte's story well, and I liked that.

The writing and plot in this fast read were amazing. Each and every thing that Block described, were vividly painted with words. Speaking of pages, this indeed was a fast read. But that wasn't a problem at all.

Overall, I think that this book was much deeper and a different kind of vampire story that I've seen out there and read. I recommend that you pick it up.

Contest

Okay, since I had a guest post with L.M Preston, she told me I could hold a contest. So want to know what's up for grabs? An arc of her upcoming book Alpha-X, a tee-shirt, and some swag. Do you want to enter? Well keep on reading.

I made a form for the first time, and I'm seeing how this works. Just fill it out here and you'll be all set. Easy peasy. Comment with any questions you have about the form. Swear you will? I don't want to confuse anyone. I'll reply with a comment on your recent post (:

But yeah, go on and enter. The winner will be announced January 1st @ Midnight wherever you are!

It is open internationally, so it's not just open to the United States and Canada. Woo, everyone loves that idea don't we? Of course. I think I have the basics down. Go to the form, now.

Review: The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Title: The Hollow
Author: Jessica Verday
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 513
Rating: 3/5

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead???and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. It only makes things worse that everyone now treats Abbey like either a freak show or a charity case. Thank goodness for Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

Review:

The Hollow is a dark, mystery, love novel about a town with a legend. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

I'm have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it, I really did, but something was off for me. Abbey, the main character, is grieving over her best friend and the author portrayed that really good. I could almost feel her pain myself, if I lost my best friend. Caspian was an okay character. To me, he was really distant and barely talked. Not exactly a brooding bad boy. He has a reason though and that only covers a bit of the reason behind it. I felt that her grief of her best friend was what most of the book was about. In the beginning.

Towards the middle/end it started to get good. Sleepy Hallow made itself known. It's a lot of pages, and it's too many. The writing was beautifully descriptive when it had to be, but sometimes it got overly descriptive. And the suspense toward the end? It made helluva good ending.

I can't wait for the next one, and hope just a tiny bit that it'll be better. Overall I enjoyed this book towards the middle and end because it sent you on a twisty turvy plot smack in the face. Do I recommend this book? Yes, even though it starts out slow and can be overly descriptive in all the wrong places.