Dec 1, 2013

Review - Shadows - By: Paula Weston


Title: Shadows
Author: Paula Weston
Publisher: Tundra Books
Release Date: September 10th, 2013
Series: The Rephaim #1
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Synopsis via Goodreads


Love. Nightmares. Angels. War. A fast-paced, compelling debut novel from a fresh new voice in YA.

It’s been almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant.

It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams, he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense.

Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth – and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly – who can she trust?

My rating:

This book was surprisingly good! From the synopsis, I thought it'd be fairly cliche. You know, girl is in car accident. Car accident kills family member/friend. And then she spends her every waking moment moaning and groaning about the unfairness of it all and pushing everyone away. AND SUDDENLY...a boy--who is unbelievably attractive, of course--swoops into her life and fixes everything and they live happily ever after.

Go on, tell me that that's not how nearly EVERY story goes these days.

Fortunately, this was not that story. I was impressed with how it quickly picked up from it's slow start and completely engaged me. It's one of those books that you never want to put down, and for all the right reasons. Badass characters. An intriguing mystery. Intricate, masterful worldbuilding. Smexual tension galore! (Yes, I meant smexual). And a hero to swoon over.

Gaby's one of the most amusing, engaging and interesting heroines I've read in a while. She actually had a brain, guys! Halle-freaking-lujah. She perfectly balanced her grief with her sense of self, even though she didn't fully understand who she was. And Rafa. Gorgeous, hilarious Rafa. He exceeded all of my expectations. Usually, I have to brace myself when it comes to the males in this particular YA genre. Brace myself for the inevitable douchebags that try to come off as redeemable in the end but sort of just make me want to facepalm. I didn't really have that issue with Rafa. He was a smartass, but not a dick. Badass, but not unbearably arrogant.

Really, this book seemed to be set up for hundreds of cliches, but it avoided them all and turned out fabulous. Easily a 5-star-er.

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Nov 27, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #8

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Bitter Sweet Love
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: December 1st, 2013
Series: The Dark Elements #0.5

Synopsis via Goodreads


Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything...right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again...

WHY I'M WAITING: 
I know, I know. You're probably thinking Damn Taylor, another JLA book? (Oh, and if you weren't thinking that, well, take a seat, stay a while, and browse my past WOWs 'cause I think like three of 'em are JLA books.)

Anyway, it's not my fault! She just...Keeps. On. Writing. I have a conspiracy theory about that, you know. It may or may not involve cyborgs. (Did I spell that right lol?)

Back to the book. I'm waiting on Bitter Sweet Love by the lovely Jennifer L. Armentrout. Guess what? It's YA. Totally wasn't expecting that. The cover's kinda...*shivers* HAWT.

Nov 23, 2013

Life of a Blogger : Favorite Bands

http://novelheartbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/lifeofblogger.png Life of a Blogger is a super awesome new meme started up by Jessi over at Novel Heartbeat. When I came across her post about starting the meme, I thought it was an amazing idea. I thought it'd be a great way to share a bit more about myself outside of the bookish memes I usually do as well as a way to get insight into my fellow book blogger's lives. Plus, I kinda like talking about myself. ;) Even better, the first post is : Favorite Bands! There was no way I was gonna pass up an opportunity to talk about music. It's my life. Aside from books. And food. And coffee. So without further ado...

1) Sleeping With Sirens



Favorite Song:

 

    Satellites

 

Favorite Album:

 

    With Ears to See, and Eyes to Hear 

"I fell in love from the moment we kissed. Since then we've been history." 


2) Florence + The Machine



Favorite Song:

 

    Girl With One Eye

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Ceremonials

"Regrets collect like old friends. Here to relive your darkest moments."



3) The Civil Wars



Favorite Song:

 

    Poison & Wine

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Barton Hollow

"Your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine. You think your dreams are the same as mine."




4) Demi Lovato



Favorite Song:

 

    Warrior

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Demi

"Your love lifts me out of time. And you know my heart by heart."




5) Paramore



Favorite Song:

 

    Let the Flames Begin

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Brand New Eyes

"And when I get there, it won’t be far enough. I’m a renegade. It’s in my blood."





6) Jessie J



Favorite Song:

 

    Mamma Knows Best

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Who You Are

"Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing. It's okay not to be okay. Sometime's it's hard to follow your heart. Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising."


7) Kate Voegele



Favorite Song:

 

    Angel

 

Favorite Album:

 

    A Fine Mess

"Oh and just when I believe you've changed for good. Well you go and prove me wrong just like I knew you would."




So...if you hadn't noticed by now: I have a thing for strong, unique vocalists with huge ranges and emotions that pour into their music. I like to feel when I hear music. Each of the Favorite Songs made me pause once (likely midsentence since I talk so much) and go: Who the HELL is that and where can I find more of their music?!

**Note: The quotes beneath the info are just a few favorite quotes from different songs, not exactly the songs I listed as my favorites.