Review - White Cat by Holly Black

Title: White Cat
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: McElderry
Pages: 310
Rating: 4/5

"Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories."

White Cat is a novel that I haven't even read about before. The author created a world where with the touch of your hand, Curse Workers could put a curse on anyone they wanted. I think that's slightly on the awesome side, don't you think? I immediately liked Cassel and his story as it developed with each page you turned. The plot was one helluva ride and often had you thinking one thing, but in truth, it was something completely different. The author did that with ease. Overall, I came to the realization that Holly Black has some skills cursing me with this book. Okay that was cheesy, but you get the point!*

Favorite line:

"Pet the cat, dude," says Sam. "She brought you a present. She wants you to tell her how badass she is."

*I realize this review is on the short side. I'm working on changing my review style and this is what you get in the process. So yeah... They'll get better. (At least I hope.)

Blogoversary Contest!

**Contest Now Closed**

So, I decided to have a contest anyways. There's two awesome releases that I'm willing to give away to one lucky winner! Here's the low down :)

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go...

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper. But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them. Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).

But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own. And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare. Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future... If she even has one.

• Ends June 15, 2010 at 12:00 P.M EST time.
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IMM [33]

Hey, guys. This week I borrowed a lot of good books from the local library. Can you believe these were from a library? Yeah, they're all books that were recently released. I love my library :) Sorry for the tiny images and awkward positioning. Used Paint this time around, lol. Anyways, here are the books:

• White Cat by Holly Black
  
• The View From The Top by Hillary Frank
  
• Something Like Fate Susane Colasanti
  
• Somebody Everybody Listens To Suzanne Supplee
  
• Keep Sweet by Michele Dominguez Greene
• Folly by Marthe Jocelyn
• Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi
  

Review-Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Title: Glimmerglass
Author: Jenna Black
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: 4/5

"Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go..."

Glimmerglass is a spellbinding debut novel that creates a world of Fae and humans alike. This novel was amazing. No other words to describe it.

The author had a way to make you go back and forth between characters and if you could trust them or not. I never really did figure it out completely who was who, but I was satisfied with who Dana figured out were the good guys and who were the bad ones. Each of the characters were well drawn out and had their personalities. Ethan, Kimber, Dana, Finn, and even Keane were my absolute favorites. You have your romance as well, and that starts off quite steamy. The world Avalon was realistic and had an air of old flair to it although it was modernized. The other world of Faerie was equally as interesting, but you didn't read much of it.

The only iffy problem that I had was how quickly Dana meets with her dad and automatically calls him dad. Most children who have never met their mother/father don't fall so quickly into calling that person mom or dad. Ya know? But that's my only issue with his novel! All these fairy books are starting to become my favorites, but overall, I think this is yet another amazing 2010 debut! Look for it's release the 25th. That's five days away!

I almost forgot!

Today's my one year anniversary! Yupp, you heard correctly. This time last year, I created this blog. And although it went through two other names and more designs than I can count, it's still has been run by me all along. Since that day, I've written 212 posts. Each consisting of reviews and memes with a few author interviews hidden in there somewhere. My love for reading hasn't faltered. It got started, by come on give me a break, The Twilight Series. After I read that series, I just wanted to read more and more. Funny way to ignite your love of reading, huh? Either way, I'm so happy that I started this blog. The authors I was able to talk to, the books I was able to read and review was worth it. I wouldn't change it for anything. I hope that you'll stick with this blog with me for another year and probably many more! There might or might not be a contest. You'll just have to wait and see if I do or not :)

In Muh Mailbox [32]

Hey, ya'll. I know you pretty tired of a lot of IMM's and like one review in between. Sorry 'bout that. I'm fixing to change it! Anyways, you know the drill, it's Sunday and I show you what books I got this week. It's hosted by The Story Siren & is inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.

Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet’s life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her friends, from society, and verging on no prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father’s betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie’s heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be.

A summer to remember?

Angie always thought high school romances were just silly infatuations that come and go. She certainly never thought she would fall in love over one short summer. But when she meets Jack, their connection is beyond any childish crush. Suddenly, Angie and Jack are filling their summer with stolen moments and romantic nights. But as fall grows closer, they must figure out if their love is forever, or just a summer they'll never forget.

When Jacob’s foster father whispers, “You are indestructible” seconds before dying in a car crash that should’ve killed them both, Jacob never imagines he could possess a real superpower. To test it Jacob and his friends start indulging comic book-like fantasies. Later, they commit to use this amazing power of indestructibility to do good in the world and save others from death. But how do they decide who to save? And what happens when they blur the lines of life and death, right and wrong, and good and evil? Thirteen Days to Midnight is a nail-biting tale of dark intrigue, powerful romance, friendship and adventure.

Review | Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Author: John Green & David Levithan
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 310
Rating: 4/5

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical. Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson was one of those novels you just have to read. The alternating chapters give you points of views from two different people named the same name. My favorite W.G happened to be the second one, the depressed one. His voice drew me in and had me feeling what he was feeling. I connected more with him. Did I mention the writing was unique? I loved that. It was fantastic and had humor and realization. On the flipside though, you had the first Will Grayson who was, inevitably, was the dork with the gay best friend. His POV was more laid back and funny, especially with Tiny Cooper. He's the gay best friend who had me laughing quite a lot. Overall this novel says a lot about different kinds of love there actually are and I highly recommend you buy it or borrow it, anything to make you read it! :)

Favorite Line:
"maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure out if you want to fall, or how and when you're going to land, and i gotta tell you friends that to stop thinking about the landing, because it's all about falling. maybe there is something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. it's gonna hurt. it's gonna hurt because it matters."

In My Mailbox [31]

Hey guys, I have another IMM for you! This week was actually a good trip to the library. There were some good ones and I got them :) Sorry the layout is kind of loopy and the images are a tad too big, but whatever. As you know, this was created by Kristi from the The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. Go check them out!
So yeah, the first book is for review! And the rest are from my local library. I'm excited about all of these and I just started Give Up The Ghost. So it's the next review after the review scheduled on Monday ;) What did you get?

Waiting on Wednesday [13]

"Hello, David. My name is Rose. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are now entering minute two of our friendship. According to my Intimacy Clock, a handshake is now appropriate…"

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot to encourage healthy bonds and treat "dissociative disorder," he can’t get enough of luscious red-headed Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock.

Severed from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal "companion" is about to become her own best friend.

This sound really good. What books are you waiting for?

Review | Fade Out by Rachel Caine

Title: Fade Out
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: Signet
Pages: 237
Rating: 4/5

Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected.

*There are no spoilers in this review*

Fade Out is another awesome book in the Morganville Vampire series. The group have always been my favorite since the first book. The closeness that each of them have towards each other is completely realistic and funny as ever. As with the second set of characters (you know who I'm talking about) they were all still allies in a sense, but necessarily couldn't trust. I admit that this one in the series started out a little slow, but proved to be filled with action towards the middle and the end. I love how the author can have a ton of novels in a series and each one be completely different but alike. As usual, I loved this one as the others and I'm looking forward to Kiss of Death which is in my to read pile! Look out for that review.

Favorite part/line:
"I like a good bunny slipper. I'm surprised you didn't get the ones with fangs," she said, and scanned the room. "Wow the place looks fantastic."

Myrnin's eyes brightened. "They have some with fangs? Excellent."
-Claire & Myrnin pg. 10