Vacation Bound

Hi guys,
I just wanted to give you all a heads up on some things.  I am finally finished with my first semester of Grad classes... thankfully! :)  So, I will be able to get back into the swing of things here on the blog soon. First though, I will be going on my belated honeymoon/anniversary trip.  This Mon my husband and I will be leaving for a 10 day trip to Italy!  We can't wait!  


With that said, there will be no postings during this time.  I didn't have a chance to schedule anything and I won't be getting on the internet while we are gone.  I will be unplugged from the blogosphere for a bit!  Once I get back, I will be able to start back at full swing with the blog.  Which means more reviews and a few memes here and there! 


I will see you guys soon and will leave you with some pics of the places we are going! :)



Sorrento, Italy (Source: Travel)



Rome, Italy (Source: Tourist Destinations)



Florence, Italy (Source: Yahoo! Travel)

I will share some of my own pictures upon coming back!

Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title:  Fever
Author:  Lauren DeStefano
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published:  Feb. 21, 2012
Format:  Hardcover
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads Blurb:
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

My Thoughts:
If any of you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that I was a HUGE fan of Wither.  It is one of my favorite reads ever.  Well, Fever by Lauren DeStefano was just as good.  It was an amazing second book to The Chemical Garden trilogy.

It starts right where Wither left off and we are taken on Rhine and Gabriel’s adventure to Manhattan to find her brother.  On their way to Manhattan they encounter a few different road bumps that test their ability to survive.  Throughout their whole time on the way to find Rowan, they have to elude her father-in-law, Vaughn.  Will he catch up to them and drag her back?

Lauren DeStefano’s writing is amazing.  She is able to string words together that paint a vivid picture that places you in the story along with Rhine.  

In the end, Fever is an amazing read.  I can’t wait until the next one comes out!  I’m not sure I can wait a whole year!

My Rating:

 

x2!

Have you read Fever?  What did you think?

Review: Hana by Lauren Oliver

Title:  Hana (Delirium 1.5)
Author:  Lauren Oliver
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Published:  Feb. 28, 2012
Format:  eBook
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads Blurb:
In the world of Delirium, love is a disease. And like all eighteen-year-olds, Lena and Hana must take the cure.

At the start of their last summer of freedom, they were the closest of friends. Until Hana made a decision that tore them apart... In Delirium, we heard from Lena. Now, Hana gets to tell her side of the story. And nothing is what we first thought.

Hana is a powerful, moving and beautifully told original eBook short story, with a shocking twist that will leave you with your heart in your mouth.

My Thoughts:
I’m going to start off saying that I loved Delirium.  Though this is a short novella, I honestly loved this just as much.  It was great to see what was happening through Hana’s eyes.  You truly get a feel for Hana as a person and it brings a whole new light to her character and role in Delirium.  Hana really gives you a true sense of who Hana is and why she did some of things she did in Delirium.  You are able to feel for Hana and connect with her a lot more.

In all Hana by Lauren Oliver was a great short story and it made me even more excited to read Pandemonium.

My Rating:

Have you read Hana? What did you think?

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title:  Linger
Author:  Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Published:  July 13, 2010
Format:  Audiobook
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads Blurb:
The astonishing #1 New York Times bestseller.

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

My Thoughts:
As far as an audiobook goes, Linger by Maggie Stiefvater is great.  I loved the people they chose to read for it and their voices fit the characters well.  I also listened to the audiobook of Shiver and loved that just as much!  

Maggie Stiefvater is an amazing author and I loved Linger.  It is a great story of a boy and girl’s romance and their struggles to make it work.  At the end of Shiver Sam has been cured and now life is great with since he is a human now and they don’t have to worry about him changing anymore.  That is until Grace begins to defy her parents and starts keeping a secret from them and Sam.

Throughout Linger we have a good idea what Grace’s secret is and it isn’t a big mystery; however, the story is still well written and intriguing.  We are left with an ending that is going to make you want to get your hands on Forever as soon as you can!

Stiefvater has a way to draw you in and keep you captivated throughout the entire book.  You really feel for the characters and connect with them.  She writes in a way that makes you visualize the story in ways that make you feel like you are there.  

Overall, I really enjoyed Linger by Maggie Steifvater.  I have already downloaded the audio of Forever and I can’t wait to listen to it to find out what happens with Grace & Sam next.

My Rating:

Have you guys read Linger?  What did you think?

Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Title:  Crossed
Author:  Ally Condie
Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile
Published:  Nov. 1, 2011
Format:  Hardcover
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads Blurb:
Rules Are Different Outside The Society

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his sure death--only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of a rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices every thing to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.
Narrated from both Cassia's and Ky's point of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever.

My Thoughts:
Crossed by Ally Condie is the second installment in the Matched trilogy.  When I read Matched I fell in love with the characters and the love between Cassia and Ky.  I was so excited to read the second one and couldn’t wait to see what happened.  I couldn’t wait to find out if Cassia and Key found each other again and what struggles they had to go through to get there.

Caution: Spoilers ahead!

When I began reading Crossed I found that it was a slow start and I was hoping that it would pick up.  Though there were parts that had a bit more action, the whole thing ended up being a bit slow.  It focused a lot on Cassia & Ky’s journeys to find each other again, with most of it taking place in the canyons.  Honestly, it kind of seemed like it was a bit too easy for them to find each other.  I was hoping for a bit more of a struggle and longing for each other than what happened.  Once they found each other their journey continued to find the rebellion.  There were points where their relationship was rocky and they were struggling to keep it together, but in the end was still strong.  

In the end, I felt like I wanted something more from Crossed.  However, with that said I still enjoyed it.  I loved the characters enough to still like the story and thought it was a decent read.  I hope that the final installment of the Matched trilogy has a lot more action and ends the trilogy on as great a note as the first one.

My Rating:

Have you read Crossed?  What did you think?