Update

Hey,
 
I'm sorry I haven't posted in years, I lost my dad to cancer and stop reading and posting. I recently got back into reading and the book community. Would anyone be interested if I started blogging again? Leave a comment letting me know thanks.

Waiting On Wednesday (7)

 

Waiting On Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where you spotlight upcoming books that you are waiting for.

 

 

My WoW Of The Week Is:

 

 

 

Genre: YA Contemporary 
Release Date: 4/22/2014

Goodreads: "Here" 
Summary:  

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Why It's My WoW of The Week:
This book sounds so good, and I love Jenny Han's books! Plus, the cover helps a little, it is so gorgeous! I can't wait to be able to read this book. 
 

What Are You Waiting On This Wednesday?

Leave me the link to your post in the comments.  

Review: Elegy by Amanda Hocking

 

Genre: YA Paranormal

Release Date: 8/6/2013
Received from: Publisher for Review 
Goodreads: "Here"
Summary:

Readers won't want to miss the explosive final book in the Watersong series by New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking

Now that Gemma holds the key to breaking the siren curse, the stakes have never been higher. At last, a future with those she loves—and a romance with Alex—is close enough to touch...but not if Penn has anything to say about it. Penn is more determined than ever to have Daniel for her own and to destroy Gemma and Harper along the way, and Penn always gets what she wants. Now a final explosive battle is about to begin, and the winner will take everything Gemma holds dear


 My Thoughts:

               Elegy is an epic ending to the fantastic Watersong series. I’m sad to see the characters and their story go. Even though I’m sad to see the series go, I’m extremely happy with how it ended. I highly recommend Elegy and the rest of the Watersong series.

I loved reading about all the characters; good or bad, I enjoyed reading about each and every one of them. I have especially enjoyed reading about them in this book. Gemma was at her best in this book, through out the series there has been many times where Gemma infuriated me. She was extremely selfish and she didn't care about what the things she was doing affected other people through most of the series. In Elegy she is not like that anymore, she changed into a part version of herself, and I really enjoy that. Throughout the series Harper and Daniel have been my favorite characters to read about, and I highly enjoyed reading about their happy ending. 

The end to the Watersong series was great. I was super happy to see more of the mythology in this one. I also loved how quick and fast paced it was for a book with over 500 pages. I also loved that unlike some of the other books in this series, was action packed. But, the end was a bitty cheesy and wrap into a to perfect of a bow. I overall enjoyed how the series ended; I just wished a couple things were done differently. 

I loved Elegy as much as I have loved the other books. I’m sad to say goodbye to the characters and this highly entertaining storyline, but I’m happy it went out with a bang. Overall the end was great; just not want I was wishing for. I highly recommend Elegy and the rest of the Watersong series.

My Rating:

4.5 Stars, I loved it!
 

Favorites: August Releases

Favorites is a weekly feature where I will share my favorite books that fall under a chosen category.  


 Today’s favorites are my favorite August releases. I’ve only read 6 August release (so far) and I picked my top 3 out of those 6.

3. Taste Test by Kelly Fiore 

Release Date:8/27/13

Genre:YA Contemporary

My Rating: 5 stars

Received From: Walker Childrens for my honest opinion.

Summary:  

If you can grill it, smoke it, or fry it, Nora Henderson knows all about it. She’s been basting baby back ribs and pulling pork at her father’s barbeque joint since she was tall enough to reach the counter. When she’s accepted to Taste Test, a reality-television teen cooking competition, Nora can’t wait to leave her humble hometown behind, even if it means saying good-bye to her dad and her best friend, Billy. Once she’s on set, run-ins with her high-society roommate and the maddeningly handsome—not to mention talented—son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, mean Nora must work even harder to prove herself. But as mysterious accidents plague the kitchen arena, protecting her heart from one annoyingly charming fellow contestant in particular becomes the least of her concerns. Someone is conducting real-life eliminations, and if Nora doesn’t figure out who, she could be next to get chopped for good. With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.

Why:

I loved Taste Test so much! It is such an original book, I’ve never even heard about another YA book about a food competition TV show. I like food competition TV shows, so reading a book about one with teens around my age in the competition was extremely fun. I also highly enjoyed all of the characters. Original and fun storyline plus great characters makes Taste Test my third favorite August release.

2. Infinityglass (Hourglass, #3) by Mrya McEntire

Release Date:8/6/13

Genre:YA Time Travel

My Rating: 5 stars

Received From: EgmontUSA for my honest opinion.

Summary:  

No time like the present. No time in the present. No time left. From the moment the Hourglass group violated the rules of the space time continuum to rescue a murdered loved one, time has been in flux. People from other centuries slide into our time, intruding into our space, threatening our world. Frantically seeking a way to turn back this tide, the Hourglass begins a search for the legendary Infinityglass, tracking it to the city of New Orleans, a place where the past rests easily with the present. Quiet, reliable Dune, the group's favorite geek, is selected to travel to the Crescent City and somehow retrieve the renowned object. But there's a problem. Because the Infinityglass is not an object, it's a person. A beautiful, headstrong dancer named Hallie, a girl so enticing Dune can't take his eyes off her. And time is not on her side.

Why:

I love the Hourglass series so much. I think this is the last book (but I’m not sure, the end of the book made it seem that way but I haven’t heard anything) in the series and I’m sad to see it go but Infinityglass is a great end to this series. I love the characters in this series and they didn’t disappoint in this book. It is in the point of views of Dune and the Infinityglass (Hallie); I loved Hallie and reading from her point of view so much and I loved reading from Dune’s point of view.  Great ending to a great series plus always amazing characters makes Infinityglass my second favorite August release.

1. Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Release Date:8/27/13

Genre:YA Contemporary / Ya Parallel Universes

My Rating: 5 stars

Received From: Simon Pulse for my honest opinion via edelweiss.

Summary:  

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life. The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both. Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted. Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

Why:

I loved Just Like Fate so very much! The storyline is mind-blowing, beautiful, and highly entertaining. I loved the great message this book holds. I loved Caroline so much; she is really relatable and extremely enjoyable to read about.  A beautiful and meaningful storyline with a message plus an extremely lovable main character makes Just Like Fate my favorite August release!

Comment on this post to help me come up with categories to do favorites on next week and in the future. Remember, I will give the person who comes up with the category I use credit on the post I use their idea on.

Update

Hi everyone,

I’m extremely sorry for my lack of blogging lately. My life has been super busy and I also have been in a reviewing slump lately. But my life has slowed down a bit and I think I finally have kicked the reviewing slump. I’m ready for a fresh start of blogging. I changed the blog design back to how it was when I first started, as a clean slate for this fresh start. I’m adding some new features and changing the schedule a little bit. I decide to stop doing book haul for now. I’m also not going to be posting any Midway Chatters for a little while because I have not pre-written any for most of the books I have reviews for coming up and I also want to change how I write them. I will be doing two new features. The first one is favorites, I will be doing this weekly with different themes; more details about this feature here in the first post and in the features page. The second is called Ittie Bittie Rambles, where I will do a couple mini reviews in one post; more details about this feature will be in the features page also and in the first post later this week. The new schedule of post is: Saturday: Favorites, Monday: a review, Wednesday: Waiting On Wednesday, Thursday: Ittie Bittie Rambles. This is how it will be for right now, I’m hoping to be able to do more than one full review week soon but for right now I’m not going to be able to.  Comment and let me know if you like the idea of the new features, if you like this blog design better or the other one, and if you would want to see book hauls.

Thanks so much for sticking with the blog and me through my lack of blogging, and also helping me make the blog better! I appreciate each and every one of you so much! :)

Waiting On Wednesday (6)

Waiting On Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where you spotlight upcoming books that you are waiting for.

My WoW Of The Week Is:

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction / YA Contemporary 
Release Date: 9/12/2013 

Goodreads: "Here" 
Summary:  
                                                                     

When you can’t trust anyone, how can you ever feel safe?

In seventh grade, Maggie Camden was the class outcast. Every day, the other girls tripped her, pinched her, trapped her in the bathroom, told her she would be better off dead. Four years have passed since then, and Maggie’s tormentors seem to have moved on. The ringleader of them all, Raleigh Barringer, even moved out of town. But Maggie has never stopped watching for attacks, and every laugh still sounds like it’s at her expense. The only time Maggie feels at peace is when she’s hiking up in the mountains with her best friend, Nick. Lately, though, there’s a new sort of tension between the two of them—a tension both dangerous and delicious. But how can Maggie expect anything more out of Nick when all she’s ever been told is that she’s ugly, she’s pathetic, she’s unworthy of love? And how can she ever feel safe, now that Raleigh Barringer is suddenly—terrifyingly—back in town?

Why It's My WoW of The Week:

This book looks so heart-breaking, and like an extremely good realistic fiction. I can't wait to be able to read this book. 

What Are You Waiting On This Wednesday?

Leave me the link to your post in the comments.  

Review: Rush by Eve Silver

Release Date: 6/11/2013   

Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Received From Publisher For Review
Goodreads Link: "Here"  
Summary:

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

My Thoughts: 

 The only word I can think of to describe Rush with is wow. Wow for everything this book is. Wow for an amazing storyline and great explanation behind "the game". Wow for great characters, like kick ass Miki Jones and lovable bad boy Jackson Tate. And also wow for hair that smells like strawberries. Wow is just three little letter word that can mean a lot of things like; wondrous original well-done, willful obnoxious (that one is just for Jackson) well-written, worn-out over-done well-known.

 I love the storyline of this book! It has a very well developed storyline, and the sci-fi elements in this book are slowly but surely excellently explained. The ending is extremely frustrating, because there is a cliffhanger. The action in this book is heart-racing. Most of the action scenes I felt like I was there in the "the game" too, and I really liked that it made reading this book even more fun. This is a book I want to read over and over again, because it is such a well-developed storyline, it fast paced, action packed, and the sci-fi elements are well explained (even though you do have to wait awhile for it). Plus there are incredible characters to back up this astounding storyline.

 I loved all of the characters.  I loved Miki so much, she is so fun to read from and about. She is a kick ass heroine with a highly relatable, lovable, and realistic side. She is so strong and powerful, in "the game" and in her day to day life.  I can't wait to read more about Miki in the next book. I also really loved Jackson, he is extremely obnoxious but extremely likeable at the same time. He is one of those bad boys that you love to hate and hate to love. But he is also so much more that, he is complicated to explain. I also loved all of the background characters.

 For as original as I thought the storyline and the characters are this book does have some things that I feel like I have read a million times before. Having a bad boys in book is so over-done to me, but it is not to frustrating because even though it's done a lot it's done differently every time. Also Jackson is so much more than just a bad boy. There is also a cliffhanger, much like with the bad boy thing it is frustrating but not to frustrating. The most frustrating thing in this book is that: during a scene Jackson tells Miki that she smells like strawberries and Miki says it's her shampoo. I just feel like I read of girls using strawberry shampoo a million times, and for as unique Miki is I would think that she would use something more original. But really, strawberries!?!?  Why do girls always smell like strawberries in books, why not every once in a while some of them smell like green apples, or even waterfalls!?!?

 I loved Rush! I loved the excellent storyline. I adored all of the characters. There are some over-done things that did frustrate me slightly, but I still overall loved Rush. I highly recommend this great action packed sci-fi novel.

My Rating:
5 hearts, I loved it!