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March 31, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (11) - The one that broke our book buying ban

Meme Hosted by Tynga's Reviews




Review books
We would like to thank Kensington Teen as well as Penguin for the review books. Touched and A Touch of Scarlet were great while Farah really enjoyed Othermoon. Juhina is SO excited for The 5th Wave! (have you seen that awesome survival kit?!) 

Bought books
We went a little bit crazy the past week and bought a ton of books. It did help that most of these books were only 6 dollars! Juhina is so happy to have finally gotten The Crown of Embers, Breathe, The Lost Girl, and Endlessly, while Farah is dying to finally pick up Sweet Shadows and start The Body Finder series! Of course we can't forget Clockwork Princess!!! (Farah is reading it right now and loving it!)

Library books
Juhina is planning on finishing up a couple of the series she started (she just finished the Delirium trilogy!) so we got Hallowed by Cynthia Hand (Juhina is reading it now!) We also got Graceling because we only heard good things about it. Deb Caletti's book also looks like a great contemporary! 




Digital galleys

We received a ton of amazing titles from Edelweiss & Netgalley from Harper Collins, HBG Canada, Kensington Teen, and others. Juhina is most excited about Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols while Farah is most excited about Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer!


How was your week in books? Link us below to your book hauls!

March 29, 2013

Review & Giveaway: A Touch of Scarlet by Eve Marie Mont

A Touch of Scarlet
Title: A Touch of Scarlet (Unbound, #2)
Author: Eve Marie Mont
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Publication date: March 26, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Time Travel)
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 319
Emma Townsend is back at prestigious Lockwood Prep, but her world has altered immeasurably since her tumultuous sophomore year. The best change of all: her boyfriend, Gray. And though Gray is leaving for Coast Guard training, Emma feels newly optimistic, even if the pain of her mother’s long-ago death still casts a shadow.

Yet Emma isn’t the only one who’s changed. Her friend and roommate, Michelle, is strangely remote, and old alliances are shifting in disconcerting ways. Soon Emma’s long-distance relationship with Gray is straining under the pressure, and Emma wonders if she’s cracking too. How else to explain the vivid dreams of Hester Prynne she’s been having since she started reading The Scarlet Letter? Or the way she’s found herself waking in the woods? As her life begins to echo events in the novel, Emma will be forced to choose between virtue and love. But can she forge a new future without breaking her heart?
A Touch of Scarlet, from its title, is about The Scarlet Letter. It is not a retelling, far from it, but the main protagonist, Emma, ends up in a parallel world, the one from The Scarlet Letter, by entering a dreamlike state. This happens every time she ends up going near the place where she got struck by lightening (and survived). This book is also set in Emma's boarding school where she is entering as a Junior. The beginning of the book showed us that she is finally in relationship with Gray who was in A Breath of eyre. The plot does not slow down one bit, where there are a lot of romantic anguish concerning our couple along with some possibility of a love triangle, as well as a very surprising yet satisfying ending. 
If you guys have read my review of A Breath of Eyre you would know that I enjoyed it but wasn't that impressed by it. Even with that I thought I would give A Touch of Scarlet a try and I am glad I did. In a Touch of Scarlet, you really feel that the characters are wearing an extra layer, whether it be emotional baggage or finding a friend in a person you least expected it from. Emma and Michelle's friendship was strained and challenged throughout the novel but at the same time new friendships were formed from two of the "fearsome four" in A Breath of Eyre, if you guys remember them, they are basically Emma and Michelle's mortal enemies. I love that Eve allowed us to find the good in some of these people and that they could repent for their wrongdoings and aren't all a bunch of heartless mean girls, though the other half of that crew proved just that. As for Emma and Gray, I just have to say that I was very disappointed in how Gray handled the relationship and felt very sorry for Emma. I felt that Gray, at 19, was too immature and made some decisions that you could tell were stupid from a mile away. However the star in this book is Emma; she was forgiving, a good friend, and wasn't the type that was consumed by any relationship troubles she was facing. 
You are all wondering where The Scarlet Letter fits into all this, unlike A Breath of Eyre, Emma didn't spend as much time in the parallel world. I honestly REALLY appreciated that because I was more concerned with the development of Emma's actual life. The Scarlet Letter was more like a guiding hand, steering her in the right direction as well as opening her heart and mind to the things around her. A Touch of Scarlet 
Kensington Teen have generously offered one copy of A Breath of Eyre, the first book in the Unbound trilogy, to one lucky winner. This giveaway is US/CA only. Be sure to enter using the rafflecopter below

March 28, 2013

That Awkward Thursday: When the cover is too embarrassing to take out in public places

Hey guys *waves* So I know we haven't been participating in any memes lately but nothing actually caught our eye until this one. We have been thinking of doing more discussion posts (I don't even remember the last one we did) and thought we would join the meme Ashley @ Wholly Books started: That Awkward Thursday. Every week there is a new topic, anyone can participate if you want to join in the fun! This week's topic is:

oh boy, I am sure every one of us has suffered from this problem. I (juhina) am twenty two years old. Imagine me carrying a book with a kissing cover out in public. imagine this:

Me at my university, I am a fourth year chemical engineering student, I pull out Losing It by Cora Carmack (A book which I ADORED btw) and then my professor passes by and sees that cover or better yet some guys in my class. The mortification and embarrassment I would have felt make me blush so hard thinking about them now. 

So what are some embarrassing covers I would never take out in public?

1. Every kissing cover ever made
2. Covers with half naked guys and girls
3. Covers with a guy and girl model cozying it up
4. Covers with very childish or embarrassing titles
September GirlsErased (Altered, #2)Just FlirtBeach Blondes: June Dreams, July's Promise, August Magic (Summer, #1-3)
So I have nothing against the books included, hell some of those are all time favorites for me while others I haven't even read. Heartbreak River is an all time favorite while I highly enjoyed Onyx. I think the reason why I am embarrassed to carry these covers are self explanatory? I just think I am a person who gets embarrassed too easily and because so many people I know think of me as this smarty pants and top of her classes, they don't expect me to read fiction, let alone YA. Yes it is true, I have actually been laughed at by some friends when they saw some of the books I read so this is sort of a sore point for me. 
Heartbreak RiverPerfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1)Babe in BoylandUnleashed (Wolf Springs Chronicles, #1)
Also, don't get me started on paranormal books and how somehow the focal point of the cover is the romance. I might get why contemporary novels have covers like that because they center on the romance, but that isn't usually the case for paranormal novels. Yes, some are heavy on the romance but there still is another major plot line. 
Finale (Hush, Hush, #4)The Dark LightOnyx (Lux, #2)Awaken (Abandon Trilogy, #3)
Ok so Finale.. reminds me of Romeo and Juliette with the way the guy is standing. As for The Dark Light, where is that girl's hand creeping to?? As for Onyx and Awaken, I don't like the touchy feel of the models, I would totally be embarrassed to display those covers out in public. 









So what do I do? There are two ways for me to avoid any potential future embarrassments and they are:

1. Buy the hardback and remove the jacket when reading the book and taking it out in public. However this doesn't solve the problem of the childish of girly title such as "Anna and the French Kiss" or "Just Flirt"

2. Buy the ebook and read it in public. If you love the book so much then buy the paper version and covet it and add it to your bookshelf. This way you can admire it at home, away from any prying eyes.

Also, Publishers could change the way they design their covers. Not every contemporary/romance book has to have such embarrassing covers. They should relate it more to the plot of the story and not slap a girl and guy on a cover just because it is a romance. hello? most YA books (99%) have a romance! Below are some of my favorite contemporary covers!  


Right of WayAfterpartyOut of ReachThe Probability of Miracles
These covers are so original and eye catching. I would definitely pick up those books at the store before the cliche guy/girl one because these covers aren't just eye catching but actually make a statement. The Probability of Miracles has to be my all time favorite contemporary cover. Yes it is simple, but it got me to buy the book and read it! 

As I already said, my favorite covers are the ones that actually relate to the story, not just the romance, but the actual plot, most of those are found in dystopian, post-apocalyptic, fantasy, and mystery novels. Unfortunately most paranormal novels have the typical guy+girl together or girls in dresses (which aren't embarrassing but just used exhaustedly) 
The Forsaken (The Forsaken, #1)Insomnia (The Night Walkers, #1)Divergent (Divergent, #1)The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
Insomnia is amazing, the whole play on the eye totally conveys what the title is about. The Forsaken and Divergent are some of my favorite dystopian covers. The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die has such a scary cover, but the plot itself is creepy so it tells you exactly what this book is about. 

What do you guys think? do any of the covers that embarrass me also embarrass you? do you agree or disagree with my solution, have you actually done any of them (I am guilty of the jacket and even ebooks from time to time). What about some of the covers that you find embarrassing to take out in public? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! 

March 27, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (38) - Fangirl

Fangirl
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Find on: Goodreads
A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?
I love love loved Eleanor & Park (review here) by Rowell and I can't WAIT to read Fangirl! Eleanor & Park was such a surprise, so realistic, heartbreaking, pure, and just unbelievably amazing. I hope I love Fangirl as much as I loved Eleanor & Park - Juhina

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


    

March 26, 2013

Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead


Title: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)
Author: Richelle Mead
Publication date: August 16th, 2007
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre(s): Young Adult (Fantasy)
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 332
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.
After hearing millions of great things about the Vampire Academy, I bought all seven. I didn't start them until Vampire Academy got the top votes from my Help Me Choose video (Which you can watch on MajiBookshelf's YouTube channel). I am so glad, and I thank all of those who voted, because I loved and devoured this book. It was unbelievably amazing, and tremendously addicting. Every page was full of deliciousness! The main protagonist, Rose, is a Dhampir. Dhampir's are those who are born from a Moroi and a human. Most Dhampir's are raised to be bodyguards who protect the Moroi. Rose is a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, who is also a Moroi vampire princess. Rose and Lissa ran away from St. Vladimir's Academy, but not long, they were found and got dragged back to the academy. 
St. Vladimir's Academy being a boarding school, I loved this book even more! It's always fun when books are taken place in boarding school, because that way I am always able to connect with the characters better! When Rose and Lissa are back at the academy, Rose starts her training sessions. As a bodyguard, she needs to train in order to protect. The thing about Rose is that because she had time away from the academy, she was lacking in skill compared to the other trainees. That's when she is assigned to take extra special classes with Dimitri. (Time for everyone to swoon). Dimitri is the hot teacher, who is about 24 years old (sorry I wrote 27 before!). Yes, you're probably thinking he's too old for Rose to me romantically interacted with, but like Rose said, there's only a 7 year difference. haha. I honestly loved reading about Dimitri and Rose when they were together. I'm honestly not a fan of the student/teacher relationship, but I gotta admit, it has a nice twist to it. Romance aside, the action in this book was awesome. 
Overall, I enjoyed every bit of this book. From the characters to the romance and the action. I am glad that I started this series, because I'm absolutely excited to find out more and go on this long ride. Frostbite, the second book in the Vampire Academy series, is waiting for me on my shelf. I Can't wait to start it!