Waiting on Wednesday Wk 42

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the awesome Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

~I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS COVER, AND THIS COLOR IS SO PRETTY!! *0* ~

Plot blurb:
Reeling from her mother's death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave - all the things she's wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she's always been afraid to do - including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most - and you learn that you're stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet this author at the YA festival this past Saturday (that post is a coming ;) ), and she is an absolute sweetheart!! :) I honestly CANNOT WAIT for this book to be published, and I am SO excited!! *squeal!*

Comes out: November 3rd, 2015 (THIS DATE IS TOO FAR D: )

So what are you guys waiting on this week? ;) 

Death Wish

Author: Megan Tayte

Release Date:  February 7th, 2015

Publisher: Heaven Afire

Genre(s): YA Paranormal
Pages:  305

*Book one of a series*

~Spoiler Free~

Summary (Goodreads):

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. Butsuicide? It makes no sense. 

Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to the isolated cove of Twycombe, Devon, with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need. 

As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power. 

What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death. 

To believe the impossible. 

Review:

~ Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy of this book!~

This book was okay.  I think my biggest iffie was that I went into the book thinking it was going to be focused on the ceruleans.  However, that didn’t really come into play till the end, and even then it wasn’t a huge deal (plus the whole affair with the ceruleans in general was a bit abrupt; she sort of just leapt to conclusions…). If I didn't know any better, I would have thought this was a contemporary novel on loss, and on that aspect (of loss), I felt the book could have been stronger there as well.  Maybe the paranormal aspect was holding it back or something, but I felt like the emotions and the grief underlying everything could have been more explored and emphasized (and that would have made the book SO much more impactful).  There were maybe one or two strong moments where the main character did deal with grief and what was going on in her family, but that was pretty much it.  There was also a lot of telling rather than showing when it came to the background.   

As for the characters, I didn’t think they were really memorable.  Luke and Jude were a bit underdeveloped, and while Scarlett was fully developed, I didn’t really feel a connection with her, making this a book a little boring for me. Also, I didn’t think there was a plot in this book, but rather just a description of Scarlett’s everyday living-- which is totally fine, but it made me think, again, that this book was more suited to be a contemporary than a paranormal/fantasy. 

But to go away from all the doom and gloom, I did LOVE how I could hear her accent coming off the pages and the descriptions in the book.  The scenery made me feel like I was there by the ocean, feeling the spray of the salt water and surfing along with Scarlett and Luke.  That was pretty cool. :)  

Overall,  I think the best way to describe this book is okay.  It seemed this book was mainly set up to set the tone for the rest of the novels, and hopefully the cerulean aspect gets more explored in the later books.  But because the book wasn’t fully this or that (like either exploring emotions or paranormal- or fully both), and these aspects/ issues were just lightly touched upon,  I wasn’t able to connect with the book, and this was an okay read for me. 

Thanks for reading!:)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Winners!! :)

So the winners of this giveaway are.... *drum roll please!*

Christina C, Petra A, and Erleen! :)

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this giveaway! I really enjoyed reading everyone's responses! :)

And thank you once more to all my followers (who stick around even with my erratic posting schedule LOL). :)

(PS I attended my first ever YA book fest today (!!! it was a TON of fun), and I met SO MANY fabulous authors. I'll be blogging about that later this week, so be prepared for just a post with endless gushing. :D )

Warmest wishes,
Kye :)

400+ Follower Giveaway!!

Hi everyone! :)

I apologize for the lateness of this giveaway! I meant to have posted it last Thursday, but I was still debating about the prize, then the weekend snuck up on me (along with a book blast that I'd forgotten about oops), and I ended up pushing it back this far.

But annnyways. :)

As I've recently announced, I've reached 400 followers AND 10,000 pageviews (!!!!!!!!!!)

squeeee! :)

I want to say a GIGANTIC thank you once more to all my followers and everyone who takes the time to read this blog. Through blogging, I've met so many wonderful people, and I am honestly so, so grateful for each and every one of you!!  Thank you so much for all your support and comments!  *hugs*

;) So for my awesome followers, I have a giveaway for you guys!!!

Giveaway time!

(PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY! :) )

Rules:
- There will be three (!!) winners! :)  If more than 50 people enter (which would be AWESOME!), I'll add one more winner.

- Must be a follower via Bloglovin or GFC ;) (After all, this is for you guys!! :D)

- Open to everyone 13 years old and up. For my international followers, only if Book Depository ships to you for free. (sorry :( ) Here's a list 

- Ends 3/18/15

Ready for the prizes? Each winner will get to choose ONE of the following (Click on the cover to go to the Goodreads page :) ) OR (to change it up from last year's giveaway ;) ) if there's a book from Book Depository that you want that's not on the list and is 11 dollars or less (usually these are the paperbacks), you can request it (even if it's pre-order):

 
 
 
 
 
 
___
Pre-Order

Enter Here!
a Rafflecopter giveaway > (PS. Sorry for the weird formatting at the end.  Blogger seems to hate me right now....)
Thanks for participating! :)

Nerd Blast! In the Time of Dragon Moon

~THIS COVER *0*  <3~

Synopsis 

An epic fantasy about dragons, dark secrets, Pendragons, and magic

On the southernmost tip of Wilde Island--far from the Dragonswood sanctuary and the Pendragon Castle--live the native Euit people. Uma, who is half Euit and half English, and not fully accepted by her tribe, wants to become a healer like her Euit father. But the mad English queen in the north, desperate for another child, kidnaps Uma and her father and demands that he cure her barrenness. After her father dies, Uma must ensure that the queen is with child by the time of the Dragon Moon, or be burned at the stake.
Terrified and alone, Uma reaches out to her only possible ally: the king's nephew Jackrun, a fiery dragonrider with dragon, fairy, and human blood. Together, they must navigate through a sea of untold secrets, unveil a dark plot spawned long ago in Dragonswood, and find a way to accept all the elements--Euit, English, dragon, and fairy--that make them who they are.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

*Sounds exciting!! :) *

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janet Lee Carey is the award-winning author of nine Young Adult novels including her newest release, In the Time of Dragon Moon, book three of the Wilde Island Chronicles, ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Winner of the Mark Twain Award and finalist for the Washington State Book Award, her books highlight the courage of children and teens, and explore the challenges of staying true to your values while following your dreams. School Library Journal starred review calls her work, “fantasy at its best-original, beautiful, amazing, and deeply moving.” Statistics have shown that children who read are more compassionate. Janet links each new book with a charitable organization empowering youth to read and reach out. She tours the U.S. and abroad presenting at schools, book festivals and conferences for writers, teachers, and librarians. Janet and her family live near Seattle by a lake where rising morning mist forms into the shape of dragons.

WEBSITE: http://janetleecarey.com/
TWITTER: @janetleecarey 
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/165105.Janet_Lee_Carey
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janet-Lee-Carey-Author/113029975405630

Photo Credit: Heidi Pettit

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 Signed Copy of In the Time of Dragon and Mug.

1 Signed Copy of In the Time of Dragon Moon and Mouse Pad. 

Thank you for letting me participate in this Nerd Blast! :)

Grab our Button:

Waiting on Wednesday Wk 42

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the fabulous Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

*So summery!*

Plot blurb:

Silas Hart has seriously shaken up Westlin Beck's small-town life. Brand new to town, Silas is different than the guys in Green Lake. He's curious, poetic, philosophical, maddening-- and really, really cute. But Silas has a sister-- and she has a secret. And West has a boyfriend. And life in Green Lake is about to change forever.

Truest is a stunning, addictive debut. Romantic, fun, tender, and satisfying, it asks as many questions as it answers.

Releases: September 1st, 2015

Sounds like a cute book! :) So what are you guys waiting on this week?

The Color of Happiness

Author: K.P. Gazelle
Release Date:  March 1st, 2015

Publisher:  Radiant Books

Genre(s): YA Contemporary 
Pages:  157

*Stand alone*

~Spoiler Free~

Summary (Goodreads);
Faith Lane is the girl who has everything. At least, that’s what everyone thinks when they see her rocking a killer dress while laughing with her best friend, Tiffany. But Faith’s life is far from flawless. Her peers torment her relentlessly, and her parents expect her to be the epitome of perfection. Criticized and pressured at school and home, Faith retreats into silent acceptance and finds an escape in her passion of dancing. Then she meets Alex – quirky, forever with a pass, and concealing a mysterious secret of his own. And through his encouragement, Faith starts believing in her gift for dance and gains courage to stand up for herself. But will she be able to keep her footing when the events of one night consume her with the need to jump off the rocky cliffs near her coastal home? And what has pushed her to the edge of reason? 

Review:
*~Thank you so much to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of this book! :) ~*

Ehhhh. Not my cup of tea.  I just didn't click with this book, and towards the end, I found myself skimming. It was really boring, and I think it mostly had to do with the writing. It was polished, but perhaps too polished?  The writing was very matter of fact and wasn't very expressive; it was pretty straightforward.  I also felt like I was being overloaded with details- and usually this isn't a bad thing, but here, I thought it was a bit too much because there was a lot of telling and not enough showing.  

Also, there wasn't a point to this book (which again I thought had to with the writing).  I guess these types of books (where it's not driven by a solid plot, but by the lives of the characters) are what I would call "heart-driven," but that word would be a bit of an overstatement. This book was well-meaning, but I thought it lacked heart.    

In general, this book is pretty forgettable- and that statement extends to the characters as well. I hate to end this review without mentioning at least one good thing, but this book was just one of those books I didn't really care for all that much.

Thanks for reading! :)

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

10,000 Pageviews!!

Hello everyone! :)

I've reached 10,000 pageviews.

*tries to stay calm*
...
...
...

*fails*

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating 400 followers, and now 10,000 pageviews???!? OOOMMGG!!!!!! :D

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I couldn't have reached this milestone without you guys, and I am so grateful to each and everyone who reads this blog. :)

*hugs*

;)

(PS. Look out for the upcoming giveaway this week! I know I said I was going to do this in Feb. but I've decided to add a few more books to the list. ;) )

Warmest wishes,

Kyendwarrior :)