Blogoversary - Day 1

It's here! It's here!

Blogoversary and 1,000 Followers Giveaway!

*throws confetti*

Welcome to Day 1 of my Blogoversary! I can NOT believe its already been a whole year! 

AND just to make things even better, I just hit 1, 000 followers a couple weeks ago!

*throws more confetti*

Each day this week, Monday through Friday, I am posting some of my favorite reviews from the past year as well as a different giveaway every day! So be sure to come back every day and enter. All giveaways will end Sunday night (August 3).

To keep my posts from being crazy long, I am only posting bits and pieces from the reviews I'm sharing. You can can find links to all reviews in their entirety under the Reviews tab.

Today's favorite reviews: Young Adult

Anna Dressed in Blood

(Anna #1)

Kendare Blake

Goodreads     Amazon

Notable Book Quotes:

"Everything I want to talk about I can't say to them. It feels so separate, like I've touched something that's taken the color out of me. Or maybe I'm in color now and they're in black and white...We're in on the secret, aren't we Cas? And it's taking us out of the world." 

"It's your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story..."

Review Quotes:

Cas is one of the best lead characters I have ever read in a YA book, and certainly my favorite male narrator (not that I've read that many). Blake wrote him as a believable teenage boy who has been spending most of his teen years moving from place to place, avoiding connections and relationships, and...oh yeah...killing ghosts. He is smart, sarcastic, and good at what he does.

Cas finds himself drawn to Anna for unexplainable reasons. Blake does not half-ass Anna in any way. She is scary and strong and violent. I loved her to pieces, even though her opening scene in the book involves words like 'screaming', 'twisting', 'bleeding', 'tearing', and 'corpse'.

Clockwork Prince

(The Infernal Devices #2)

Cassandra Clare

Goodreads       Amazon

Notable Book Quotes:

“Will has always been the brighter burning star, the one to catch attention — but Jem is a steady flame, unwavering and honest." 

“You haven't broken his heart yet, have you?"

"No," Tessa said. Just torn my own in two.

"I haven't broken his heart at all.”

Review Quotes:

Readers will recall being entranced by one of the most heart wrenching love triangles in young adult fiction.

Clare's ability to twist the knife is wonderful and I was in tears at several places throughout the story. Both Will and Jem have sad stories accompanying them and they are both equally in love with Tessa. I feel torn between the two, unable to really root for one over the other since no matter who wins Tessa's heart, the pair of almost-brothers will never be the same!

I love the dialogue that Clare writes for her character in this series, so many serious moments with wonderful, heartfelt words; but also some great comedic one-liners.

Masque of the Red Death

(Masque of the Red Death #1)

Bethany Griffin

Goodreads     Amazon

Notable Book Quotes:

“Hours trickle by, and I wilt. The magic isn't here for me tonight. I can't get away from the heavy feeling of being me. I want to blend in, to be someone besides myself, someone who is part of something secret and subversive and exciting.” 

“And I'm falling in love with you,' he whispers. "But I would throw you in the water and watch crocodiles tear you to bits, if I thought that doing so would accomplish my goals. Do. Not. Trust. Anyone. Especially me.”

Review Quotes:


You know how some books just stay with you? You think about them when you're not reading them and by the time you finish you realize the book has somehow crept into your soul? That's how I feel about Griffin's Masque of the Red Death.


Araby is unusual for a YA heroine. In fact, she would be unusual for a heroine at any age. When the story begins, we can tell that she is extremely depressed and living a fake sort of life to get through the day. . . But its obvious that she is in pain, and the unfolding of the story behind that is gripping to say the least.

It would not be fair to categorize this as a "love triangle" since it is so different than those that I have read. There are moments when I was convinced that one was right for her, and then something would happen and the other would be my favorite. There are secrets revealed about both guys, some good and some bad.

Obsidian

(Lux #1)

Jennifer Armentrout

Goodreads     Amazon



Notable Book Quotes:

“You’re such an ass. Has…anyone ever told you that?”

He flashed a genuinely amused smile. “Oh, Kitten, every single day of my blessed life.” 

Leaning closer, he tipped the edge of his desk down. There were only a few inches between our mouths. Totally inappropriate amount of space, really, since we were in class, and he had a girl on his lap yesterday. "You're nothing like I expected."

"What did you expect?" I was sort of turned on by the fact I had surprised him. Weird. My eyes dropped to his poetic lips. Such a waste of a mouth.

"You and I have to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about."

His gaze dropped and the air suddenly felt steamy. Unbearable. "Yes," he said, voice low, "we do. Tonight."

Review Quotes:

They have the best and most tension-filled chemistry I have ever read in a YA book. Their back and forth was entertaining and I kept shaking my book, trying to magically turn it into an adult book so these two would get it on already. 

Katy is actually a great young adult heroine. She's smart, helpful, and doesn't give in to Daemon. There's no love at first sight in this book (although there may be a bit of a lust at first sight situation...). She fights her attraction to Daemon constantly because he is just such a total jerk most of the time. And even when she sees a glimpse of his softer side she doesn't run into his waiting arms.

Some sci-fi is very scientifically and technologically based with a lot of unfamiliar terms. This is not one of those. Armentrout gives us just enough information about Daemon and his kind without info dumping or getting too much into the science-y stuff.  

Immortal Rules
(Blood of Eden #1)
Julie Kagawa

Goodreads     Amazon

Notable Book Quotes:

“You are a monster.” Kanin’s deep voice droned in my head again, as I forced myself to move, to walk away. “You will always be a monster, there is no turning back from it. But what type of monster you become is entirely up to you.” 

“He suddenly leaned in, and his fingers brushed my cheek. Warmth flooded my skin, and I frozen, waiting for him to pull back.

He didnt. The tips of his fingers lingered on my cheek for a moment. Then, very slowly, his hand slipped forward, the palm brushing my skin. Frozen, I stared at him, watching his face as his fingers moved from my cheek to my forehead to my chin, like a blind man tracing someone's features to see them in his mind.

"What are you doing to me?" he whispered.”

Oh. My. God. This book has won the award for Best YA I Have Ever Read. 

I loved watching as Allison learned her new strengths and weaknesses and came to terms with the fact that she was no longer human. Allison must learn to become a baddass, which I love. Like I said before, Kagawa pulls no punches. Her vampires are not romantic or sexy or sparkly. They are monsters who need to feed on human blood to survive. She doesn't give them any 'outs'.

Reading while Allison tries desperately to fit in with humans, holding my breath every time she feels The Hunger, wondering if she was going to accidentally kill someone in the group or when someone was going to realize what she was - holy cow! And watching Allison fight her attraction to a human was just heartbreaking.

And now for Giveaway #1

YA Hardcover Pack

 

Enter on the Rafflecopter form below. Must be 13 or older and live in the US/CAN.

a Rafflecopter giveaway