Monday, December 31, 2012

Manga Mondays #135: Merry Manga New Years Eve!

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 and a half years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! Hope you all have lots of fun today and tomorrow. I promise I'll get back to regular blogging in a few days.

In the meantime, here's my view for New Years:





Sign up for the Manga Mondays Meme!


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #129

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Manga Mondays #134: Merry Manga Christmas Eve!

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 and a half years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Hope you all have lots of fun today and tomorrow.

Sign up for the Manga Mondays Meme!


Thursday, December 20, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #128

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins
Release Date:
June 26, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Your heart misleads you. That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah. And he loves me.

We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms.

It should be

ROSE & NOAH

forever, easy.

But it won't be.

Because he's Amish.
And I'm not.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Nothing makes a book scream "Read Me" more than having an Amish character. I've been obsessed with the Amish ever since I was a teen. I've read a ton of books about them, both fiction and non-fiction. As soon as I saw that Temptation featured a forbidden romance between an Amish teen and a non-Amish teen, I knew I had to read it.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Goddess (Starcrossed #3) by Josephine Angelini

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


Goddess (Starcrossed #3) by Josephine Angelini
Publish Date: May 28, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen

*I love this series!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Release Date:
June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Source: Library

Summary

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Have you ever read a book that starts out on a familiar path and then veers off it so completely that you're left slack-jawed in the dust? That's Shadow and Bone in a nutshell.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Manga Mondays #133: Vampire Knight vol. 15 by Matsuri Hino

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 and a half years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Vampire Knight vol. 15 by Matsuri Hino


Summary

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires! With Kaname missing, Yuki must now step in as acting head of her clan to maintain the fragile peace between the human and vampire societies. Will she be able to regain the trust of the vampire aristocrats, much less Aido? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Vampire Knight finally turned a corner. The series is by far the most confusing of any that I've read. I still don't know where it's going or how long it's going to take to get there, but at least it finally feels like it's going somewhere.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #127

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
Release Date:
July 31, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimée Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness….

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal….

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another….

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others#151;but never knew true loss before….

Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope…(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

The Goddess Legacy is a companion novel to the Goddess Test series. I've read the first two books in this series and have enjoyed, although not loved, them. I picked up The Goddess Legacy partially out of curiosity and partially because it was there. Let me tell you, The Goddess Legacy has entirely changed my feelings about this series. I went from a quasi-admirer to a full-fledged Goddess Test fan girl! The Goddess Legacy is the best book of the series so far and has made the prior two books much more meaningful and interesting.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Release Date:
July 10, 2012
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Seraphina is one of those rare books that has something for everyone. Strong plot, incredible world building, and complex main and side characters. It is one of the most astounding high fantasies I've ever read. I can't believe this is Rachel's debut novel.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Manga Mondays #132: Skip Beat vol. 29 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 and a half years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Skip Beat vol. 29 by Yoshiki Nakamura


Summary

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

On the way to the Dark Moon wrap party Kyoko bumps into her cast mate Kijima. He’s never paid her any attention before, but he heard that people called her beautiful when they saw her in her Natsu role. Kijima can’t contain his curiosity and buys Kyoko a total makeover for the party. But is his interest innocent, or does he have wicked plans in store?! (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Volume 29 of Skip Beat is a scattered addition to the series. Well, I suppose the whole series is scattered, but this is particularly so. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is one of numerous reasons that - especially when I step away from it for awhile - it's hard to take it seriously.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Bookish Recap

I'm joining Tynga's Reviews' meme Stacking the Shelves and The Story Siren's In My Mailbox meme today. Thanks for hosting Tynga and Kristi!

My first Bookish Recap in 2 months! Excited to get back into it. 


On the Blog This Week


Manga Mondays:


Reviews:


Books Received the Past Few Months


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #126

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody
Release Date:
July 3, 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Source: Library

Summary

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.

Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteen birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

There's only 1 reason to love 52 Reasons to Hate My Father: It's a lot of fun. If you're looking for a light contemporary novel, 52 Reasons fits the bill.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans
Publish Date: January 15, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

*Who doesn't love reading a book written by a fellow blogger?

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
Release Date:
May 8, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: Library

Summary

Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

I've never met a vampire story that I didn't like. Actually, that's not entirely true. Let's try again: I rarely meet a vampire story that I don't like. The Hunt was a great book. I liked it a lot, but it wasn't really the book for me. I hesitate to say that because I don't mean to give it a bad review. The book is yards away better than most other young adult novels that I've read this year, but it's just not the kind of thing that makes me go with in the knees with reader-love.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Manga Mondays #131: Skip Beat vol. 28 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 and a half years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Skip Beat vol. 28 by Yoshiki Nakamura


Summary

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Kyoko’ s having trouble getting into the role of Cain’ s sister. But is it because she can’ t relate to a spoiled punk princess, or because she can’ t let go of the fact that Ren is playing Cain? And Ren faces his own challenge with the situation. Can he stand to have the woman he loves treat him like a brother?(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

How refreshing to get back to Skip Beat. I just picked up volumes 28 and 29 at the library. I've finished 28 and can't wait to start 29. Finally something happens in this volume to move the plot forward, but we don't realize it until the end.