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January 31, 2012

Waiting On Wednesday (11) - Tokyo Heist

Tokyo Heist
Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn
Publication Date: June 14, 2012
Publisher: Viking
Find on: GoodreadsAmazonBook Depository
ixteen-year-old Violet loves reading manga and wearing scarves made from kimono fabric, so she’s thrilled that her father’s new painting commission means a summer trip to Japan. But what starts as an exotic vacation quickly turns into a dangerous treasure hunt.

Her father’s client, the wealthy Yamada family, is the victim of a high-profile art robbery. Someone has stolen van Gogh sketches from the Yamadas’ Seattle mansion, and is holding them hostage until the Yamadas can produce the corresponding van Gogh painting.

The problem is that nobody knows where this painting is hidden, and until they find it, all of their lives are in danger. Violet’s search for the missing van Gogh takes her from the Seattle Art Museum, to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo, to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery deepens, Violet’s not sure whom she can trust.

But she knows one thing: she has to find the painting and the criminals—before it’s too late.
We are huge fans of the asian culture, the Japanese and Korean in specific. So finding out this is set in Japan is awesome! plus its a detective/mystery and we love those! 

What are you waiting on this wednesday? 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we are excited about. 

   

New week with new exciting releases!


Hey guys! Exciting New Releases will be a post that we do every week or so about books that we are super excited for and we want other people to get the chance to check them out! This post is for books released between February 1st and February 7th 

The Girls of No Return

The Girls Of No Return by Erin Saldin
Publication Date: February 1st, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Find on: GoodreadsAmazonBook Depository







Harbinger



Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
Publication Date: February 2cd, 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR

Find on: GoodreadsAmazonBook Depository



Two Truths and a Lie (The Lying Game, #3)

The Lying Game: Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard
Publication Date: February 7th, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen

Find on: GoodreadsAmazonBook Depository



Dead to You









Dead To You by Lisa McMann
Publication Date: February 7th, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Find on: GoodreadsAmazonBook Depository



Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles, #1)

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Publication Date: February 7th, 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Find on: GoodreadsAmazonBook Depository





January 30, 2012

Review: Life On The Edge by Jennifer Comeaux - Juhina

Life On the Edge
Title: Life On The Edge
Author: Jennifer Comeaux
Publication date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Astraea
Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)
Source: Author
Format: 
Ebook
Pages: 314
Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.

Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily's dreams of gold.
When the author contacted me to review Life On The Edge I immediately jumped at the chance to read it! I am a huge fan of ice figure skating, whether in movies, books, or real live competitions. This book definitely kept true to its theme, and I was rooting for two things during my read, the romance and winning the 2002 Olympics. Emily, the protagonist has recently moved to pair skating and Sergei, their young russian coach has big dreams for them. The story begins in the year 2000, where Emily and Chris her partner, are practicing for preliminary competitions in the hopes to move up to the olympics. This is when the problems start. 
 The student-coach relationship Emily and Surgei has starts to blur when Emily takes up a job to co-coach a younger pair skating couple with Surgei and they start spending coffee breaks chatting with each other at Starbucks. Emily starts developing feelings for Surgei, and so does he, this is when they're really in trouble. I loved how the relationship started slowly, with them being friends and so forth; it just gives the book the realistic feeling so many contemporary novels seem to be missing. 
The other theme in the book, the figure skating career of Emily. I am happy that the author didn't neglect it but actually gave it importance. I mean we're talking about players who have been on the ice rink since they were able to walk and practice at least 6 hours a day, of course this is something that would overtake their life! I was cheering for her, during her programs, I would hold my breath and pray that she skates a clean program, and wait in the kiss & cry to find out her scores then rejoice with her or feel disappointed. It was one emotional roller coaster!  
The protagonist is 18 years old and that might seem a bit older from the usual YA novels, same as Surgei, who is six years older than her. Now I found this a bit odd for a YA novel, but the older age gives them more maturity and logical thinking than the usual 14 year olds! 
Life On The Edge is a contemporary novel about achieving your dreams, finding your love, and being able to juggle all of this without going out of your mind! 
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Also look out for an interview with the author, Jennifer Comeaux, and a giveaway in the upcoming week!


January 29, 2012

Review: Halflings by Heather Burch - Farah


Title: Halflings
Author: Heather Burch
Publication date: February 1st, 2012
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing
Genre(s): Young Adult (Paranormal/Angels)

Challenges: A-Z Title, Debut Author
Source: NetGalley
Format: 
Ebook
Pages: 288


After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.
As I first started reading Halflings, I was a bit confused about what it was talking about. But guess what? It's about fallen angels, who are called Halflings, or "The Lost Boys". The protagonist, Nikki, isn't a halfling. Three boys, who are halflings, are sent to protect her from the bad side.
The three halflings are Mace, Raven, and Vine, whom I adore. The thing that really gets you hooked, is the suspense in the story. I don't know why these bad guys want Nikki. Why her, when she's just a normal human being? 
I really enjoyed reading this book because all the characters were awesome. Nikki has a black belt in karate, so she's not weak, and doesn't need a "guy" to protect her. I liked how she was smart, and how she put the pieces together of what's happening around her.
Mace, Raven, and Vine are so cute together. I loved how there was a 15 year old kid (Vine). They were all caring towards Nikki, and none of them were lazy. I also really loved their brotherhood towards each other. How nothing can break them apart or cause hatred.
Halflings was a very interesting read! Its a debut novel, so I want to give a big clap to Heather Burch for writing an amazing story! Can't wait for the sequel!
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January 28, 2012

In Our Mailbox (15)


In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. In this post you just show all the books, and any book related items you have either bought, borrowed, won, or was gifted for the past week.

Books Mentioned:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Hourglass by Myra McEntire 
Sweep (Volume #5) by Cate Tiernan
Jane by April Linder
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Sirenz Back in Fashion by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman
Hollyweird by Terri Clark
I Am (Not) The Walrus by Ed Briant
Shadows On The Moon by Zoe Marriott
The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher
Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella


What did you get in your mailbox this week?

January 27, 2012

Opinions, Thoughts, Ramblings: Books: Oldies

Its saturday, so it's time for Opinions, Thoughts, Ramblings! Opinions, Thoughts, Ramblings! is just a thing Juhina and I did, so we can basically post any random book/ or blog related posts!

Today, i want to talk about some of the books that aren't so known, and that are also old, and that i just enjoyed reading them! If you haven't read any of these books, you SHOULD because they are just amazing. 
Watch my video to check out the books that i love!



Girl Overboard by Aimee Ferris
The Whispering Road by Livi Michael
Going for the Record by Julie A. Swanson
Fast Friends by Julia DeVillers

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Girl Overboard is such a cH ill summer book! It was so fun to read, because I also read it in the summer. I loved the concept of the ocean, and the sea animals and whales and dolphins and aaah *sigh* I love the ocean. I loved the romance and the fact that they are staying in dorms and all that awesome stuff.
The Whispering Road is such a heart warming book I'll never forget about. It's about a brother and a sister who try to run away from a farm, because people treated them like slaves. They run in search of their mother, with the help of fictional creatures. I love the mix and reality and fiction in this book. Such a great, and touching middle grade book!
Going for the Record is an all time favorite. It's a book that i couldn't PUT DOWN! This book made my feelings stir in a way that no book could. Happiness with shock, and sadness. Such a beautiful twist that in the end, brought me to tears. Unfortunately, I need to buy this book, since i read it from my library :(
Fast Friends by Julia DeVillers are such a FUN FUN FUN series of books! Me and Juhina had such a fun time reading them, and we still re-read them sometimes! Fast Friends is about a group of girls who get signed to do a photo shoot for "Limited Too". Yes the Limited Too that you bought your grade 4 jeans from. It might sound girly and stupid, but they were so fun to read!
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Those were some of the books that were kind of old/ or that weren't known by a lot of people! If any of you guys got some old favorites, or some unknown favorites, PLEASE leave it in the comment section below so I can run to goodreads and search them up! 

Feature & Follow Friday (1)


Welcome to our first Feature and Follow Friday meme post!
We've seen this meme in many blogs and we finally caved in and decided to try it out!
Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. Want to participate? Find out how here.

Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?


I honestly like to be open minded when it comes to choosing a book. I read the synopsis and see the cover THEN if i'm interested I would start reading it. However I noticed that me and Science Fiction aren't good old friends.. we could be considered frenemies at times! This whole love hate relationship going on and all. You all heard of The Host by Stephanie Meyer (though also a dystopian), it is one of my all time favorite reads, however lately many of the science fiction novels do not appeal to me at all, and the some I've tried, I had to try really hard to finish the book. I am a huge Dystopian fan and sometimes the line between dystopian and science fiction is blurred in books, but trust me, I know when the book is a cross over, Science Fiction is a hit and miss with me, and I'd rather have more hits than misses!! 




This is a pretty hard question for me, because i honestly enjoy reading every genre. Though if i had to choose my least favorite one, it would probably be historical fiction. I don't like history. I don't like how most of the time, i don't understand their choices, or how they act towards specific events or tragedies. I prefer reading books that are set in this century, so i can actually relate to the characters and etc. So if you gave me a historical book, id probably put it off for a very long time. 







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January 26, 2012

Review: The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols - Juhina

The One That I Want
Title: The One That I Want
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publication date: 6/12/2011 in Digital & 2/7/2012 in Paperback
Publisher: Simone Pulse
Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)
Source: Own
Format: 
Ebook
Pages: 320
Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.   
Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?
As soon as I found out Jennifer Echols has a new Simone Pulse release, I had to get it ASAP, and I did, on its release I instantly got it and read it. I am a huge fan of Jennifer Echols, especially her Simone Pulse novels so I had high expectations for it.  
While I wasn't disappointed, this isn't my favorite read my Jennifer Echols. This is partly to the plot; it was a bit too simple and the whole miscommunication that caused the whole misunderstanding. I just hoped there was a bit more to it. Nonetheless, The One That I Want was cute cute cute! and you can definitely feel Jennifer Echol's style of writing. 
This is the story: Gemma sees a guy that she is interested in, she felt the same vibes from him, but her oh lovely best friend gets in between and announces that they're double dating! Addison and Max with Gemma and Max's friend.. wait. what? hold up. Didn't Gemma already tell Addison that she's interested in Max? Addison, you are officially crowned the worst best friend award of the year, and trust me, you had some hard competition (Addison Blakly's best friend, Corrine's best friend, etc). It just amazes me the superficiality of so many friendships in books lately, and I honestly understand where they're coming from. I've had a best friend for over 10 years, but last year we had a fall out, and that's it, it's over. While you might not be able to see yourself letting go, sometimes its for the best, and I just hope that some of the protagonists see that before having to go through years of "supposed" friendship. 
Throughout the whole book all I am thinking is "Make the first move! god you two are just wusses! you like each other!" This sort of hesitation and just "missed opportunities" annoyed the hell out of me. I mean why would Gemma care about Addison's feelings when obviously the only feelings Addison cares about is her own? yes, this is what makes our protagonist a better person than Addison, but still, be selfish! get what you want! 
The book definitely had its cute moments with Max and Gemma, its frustrating moments with Addison and Gemma, and its awkward moments with Gemma and Max's best friend. Oh and did I mention Max is Japanese? Sugoi! daisuke desu! I love how Jennifer Echols deviated from the usual love interest, and a Japanese? let me just say I am a HUGE fan of the Japanese culture so that brought a smile to my face! 
This is a book for all contemporary lovers, Jennifer Echols knows how to please her readers and she did it again in The One That I Want. 
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Check Jennifer Echol's other Simon Pulse releases: