Marissa Meyer's Scarlet Signing in Toronto!

Yes it's true!! To those who are living in Toronto, or even near Toronto, Marissa Meyer will be doing a reading of Scarlet, Q&A and signing at Indigo Yorkdale at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 9th. (Hope to see you there!)

Raincoast Books is also hosting a little contest for it (see below).

So if I was lucky enough to have the opportunity, one of the questions I would ask Marissa Meyer is:

When you first decided to write a book, what made you want to write a fairytale re-telling, but in an awesome dystopian world? Is it because you were always a fan of fairytales, or was it just a sudden idea that you decided to do?

Review: Cake by Joyce Magnin

Title: Cake: Love, Chickens, and a Taste of Peculiar
Author: Joyce Magnin

Publisher: Zondervan

Publication date: December 25, 2013

Genre(s): Middle Grade (Fantasy)

Source: Author
Format: ARC

Pages: 352

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

More than frosting filled those cakes... Wilma Sue seems destined to go from one foster home to the next---until she is sent to live with sisters and missionaries, Ruth and Naomi. Do they really care about Wilma Sue, or are they just looking for a Cinderella-style farmhand to help raise chickens and bake cakes? As Wilma Sue adjusts to her new surroundings and helps deliver 'special' cakes, Wilma Sue realizes there's something strange going on. She starts looking for secret ingredients, and along the way she makes a new friend, Penny. When Penny and her mother hit a rough patch, Naomi decides to make her own version of cake---with disastrous results. Then tragedy strikes the chickens, and all fingers point to Wilma Sue---just when she was starting to believe she could at last find a permanent home with Ruth and Naomi. Will the sisters turn her out, or will she discover what it feels like to be truly loved?

Wilma Sue is a 12 year old girl who seems to be destined to spend her life hopping from one foster home to another......until she is put into the grey house of two sisters, Ruth and Naomi. As Wilma Sue gets comfy in the new house, she helps Naomi deliver special cakes to neighbors and discovers a strange secret. The cakes seem to have the power to make things happen to people who eat the cake, like making chairs float and magically putting goldfish in lemonade pitchers. Now, Wilma Sue is determined to find the secret ingredient in the mysterious cakes and finds out what it means to have a real family. 

This book is a really good book. The author has a great flow and plot line; I want to read this book again! I can't really relate to any of the characters but maybe you can. I don't really enjoy the parts where snotty Penny is involved because it reminds me WAY to much of my little sister. There are some really good parts to the story, like reading about what happens to people who eat the cakes. 

There is a lovely and happy ending that makes you feel like you already know what's going to happen after you close the book. It's one of those endings where you know everything's going to be ok, so there is no need for a sequel. The author writes in first person, and she never adds (or leaves out) to many details. This book is incredibly good and you should read it too.

Blog Tour: The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

Hello lovely readers and welcome to today's blog tour stop of The Murmurings by Carly Anne West, hosted by Itching For Books! I'm so glad to be part of this blog tour, because I've always wanted to read The Murmurings!

Title: The Murmurings

Author: Carly Anne West

Publisher: SimonPulse

Publication year: March 5, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Horror/Thriller)

Source: Blog Tour

Format: Digital ARC

Pages: 384

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Indigo

Carly Anne West grew up in Phoenix Arizona, where she melted more than a few pair of shoes on the summer asphalt and swallowed buckets of chlorinated water over the course of several years of swimming. She's written short stories before, but The Murmurings is her debut YA novel.

Follow Carly Anne West on her: Website || Goodreads || Twitter

I remember when I first saw the cover of The Murmurings, and I just knew that I had to get the book. The cover just caught my eye in a way, no book ever did. After reading the synopsis, I just HAD to get this one as soon as possible! The story is about Sophie, a girl who just lost her sister a while ago. Sophie's sister, Nell, was admitted to Oakside to get treated for what they called, schizophrenia. Sophie knew that that wasn't the case, because Nell could hear murmurings, and see things that other people couldn't. At first, I found it to be a bit creepy. The weird things that Nell used to hear, and then her death, and how all of it was just a tad weird to be true.  

Later, we meet Evan. Evan is a guy who goes to Sophie's school, who suddenly searches her house number and gives her a call, asking to "hang out". It struck me a bit weird at first, but he's just a shy guy wanting to hang out with a girl he has a crush on! I actually found it cute later on.. lol. Anyways, as we get to know more about Evan, they both share their secrets together. It seems that Evan's cousin, Deb, also had the same problem as Nell. Evan found some sites and blogs that talk about the same problems, and then bother Evan and Sophie try to figure out the truth, or the secret behind those murmurs and sights. The story is really good, but I guess it was a bit slow paced for me. It would usually take a long while for some shocking event to happen, and that's why I ended up being a bit bored in between some chapters. 

Towards the end, the secrets unfolded, and we got to know the truth behind all that happened! I think the ending was really great, because it was happy! (yay for happy endings!!) I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if there wasn't so much unnecessary details included, and little dialogue to read. If you enjoy mystery/thriller books, and don't mind them being a tad slow-paced, I totally recommend you reading The Murmurings!

Read an excerpt below..

The wordless murmurings in my ear turns to one strained, sputtering gasp, and I open my eyes wider to catch the faint rippling of my reflection across the bathroom. 

“Please”, I whisper, no longer believing that anyone will come to my rescue.
The rippling grows stronger, and soon my reflection is disappearing behind an undulating figure that’s turning blacker and blacker with each movement. 

“Please, don’t.” But I know it’s no use. It won’t understand me. Nothing can keep it from trying to get from me what it thinks I have.
A curtain of black, oily hair spills from the glass, obscuring the eyeless face and moving, silent mouth. Long skinny digits follow, twitching on the ends of blacked, rotting hands – a decaying body and halting legs emerge last from the mirror, leaving a layer of oily residue in their wake. 

My joints lock into place, freezing me in a stiffened pose, as if they’re given up hope before my mind has. My reflection in the mirror is gone. I’ve already been blotted out of existence. The Taker is laying its claim to my body in an attempt to restore its own. 

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Review: Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Title: Dualed (Dualed, #1)

Author: Elsie Chapman

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication date: February 26, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Sci-Fi/Dystopia)

Source: NetGalley

Format: Digital ARC

Pages: 304

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indigo

You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

When I first read the synopsis for Dualed, I was immediately interested as to how the story will turn out. I actually find the idea very interesting, and unique. Dualed talks about West Grayer, who is a 15 year old girl living in the city of Kersh. West has been training all her life, preparing herself for the day when her assignment arrives, telling her that she has 30 days to kill her alt. Killing your alt makes you the worthy one. Killing your alt means education, jobs, and marriage. Basically, if you were to kill your alt, you have proven to everyone that you deserve to live. I really liked how Dualed immediately got to the point. In other words, it was fast-paced, but not too fast to be confusing or anything. As soon as I started it, it was action packed and full of excitement. I don't even think there was a time when I actually felt bored. 

West was a very mature character, despite her being only 15 years old. I think it's because of how most of her family members died, leaving only her brother Luc. We also got to meet Luc's friend, Chord. Things happen, and a major turn on happens for West. I don't want to spoil anything, but things get more interesting then. When West actually gets her assignment, it was crazy fun. West had to go into hiding, spying on her alt, and figuring out her daily patterns, etc. I'm such a fan of anything that has to do with spy, so I really enjoyed reading the part where she was hunting for her alt. We also got to know more about Chord, and I really got to like him as well. He was always there for West, providing her money, getting her food, and sometimes even cleaning her wounds. 

I tried guessing how the book would end, but fortunately, my guess was never right! I'm glad that the book was full of surprises, and I really am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. If you're into sci-fi/dystopian books, I totally recommend you reading Dualed. It's got everything you need in a book; action, romance, and great characters!   

Stacking the Shelves (9) - The one with the overwhelming number of books!

Meme Hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Review: Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington 

Review: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Review: Mind Games by Kristen White

Review: Entanglement by Dan Rix

Review: Override by Heather Anastasiu

Blog Tour: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Blog Tour: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

FazeSuperGirl Event: Breathless Reads recap

1:Face Watches, Heard of them?

Review books received from publishers
We are so excited for all these titles! Thank you Penguin Canada and HarlequinTeen! Farah is super excited for The Eternity Cure and INK, while Juhina is excited for The Moon and More and Star Cursed!! 

Books swapped/received from bloggers & Event

Thank you so much to every last one of you! yes, I am talking to you amazing canadian bloggers. Thanks Tiff, A A Omer, Ashley, and Michele! You guys are awesome for giving away these amazing books. Juhina is SUPER excited for Fever & Sever while Farah is dying to pick up Just Listen! 

Books won at the event

Thank you SO MUCH Penguin Canada and Faze Magazine for these awesome books. More than one of these have been on Juhina's wish list for a while! 

Lastly, our only library book 
Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

How was your week in books guys? link us to your book hauls in the comments below