Bookish Buys & Weekly Wrap-up #38

This is where I show everything I that I bought, borrowed, or just added to my bookshelf over the past week. I throw together Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves in one post.  I also include a wrap-up of everything that was posted to the blog this past week.

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Team at Tynga’s Reviews. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

{Bought}

I have been really good and I only bought one book during the month of June, and it was a Kindle book. I am hoping that I can continue on this path and go at least another month if not a couple more.

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3) by Katie McGarry

{Borrowed}

I picked up three books from the library.

Boxers(Boxers & Saints, #1) by Gene Luen Yang Already read it.
Saints (Boxers & Saints, #2) by Gene Luen Yang Already read it.
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen & Faith Erin Hicks

{Review}

From Edelweiss & Greenwillow books I received

The Fall by Bethany Griffin

From the author I was gifted

NextTo You (Life, #2) by Claudia Y. Burgoa 

I am so excited for this book! I am currently reading it on my phone because I need to get a new charger but I am already three chapters in. This will definitely be finished in the next couple days.

Weekly Wrap-up

May & June Wrap-up |July TBR
Happy 2nd Blogiversary to Me!!
Review: Meridian (Arclight, #2) byJosin L. McQuien
Review: Renegade (MILA 2.0, #2) byDebra Driza
Review: Wanderers (Wasteland, #2) bySusan Kim & Laurence Klavan

How was your week? Let me know in the comments!

Review: Wanderers (Wasteland, #2) by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Wanderers by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Series: Wasteland, #2
Release Date: March 25^th 2014
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Format: egalley
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction, Dystopia
Source: Edelweiss
Author:  Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

The Emmy Award-nominee and Edgar Award-winning duo bring readers back to the Wasteland in this thrilling sequel.

Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of Criminal, called Wasteland, "A Lord of the Flies for future generations. An irresistible page-turner."

The former citizens of Prin are running out of time. The Source has been destroyed, so food is scarcer than ever. Tensions are rising…and then an earthquake hits.

So Esther and Caleb hit the road, leading a ragtag caravan. Their destination? A mythical city where they hope to find food and shelter - not to mention a way to make it past age nineteen.

On the way, alliances and romances blossom and fracture. Esther must rally to take charge with the help of a blind guide, Aras. He seems unbelievably cruel, but not everything is as it seems in the Wasteland.…

In this sequel to Wasteland, the stakes are even higher for Esther, Caleb, and the rest of their clan. They're pinning all their hopes on the road...but what if it's the most dangerous place of all?

*This is a review of the second book and it may contain spoilers.*

Nope, just Nope. I will start right off the bat saying that I will not be picking up the next book in the trilogy. I tried to give the second book and a chance and it just didn’t do it for me either, although it was slightly better than the first book. I almost didn’t pick it up at all because someone put a spoiler in the capital letters on Goodreads and I saw it as I was skimming through to see what people had rated it. I was super bummed about that spoiler too.

The book starts with Esther hunting using the techniques that her variant friend Skar had taught her. She has not really seen Skar since she was partnered. Skar is acting very distant and Esther can tell that something is wrong. Joseph, Caleb, Kai, & Esther all live in a crumbling apartment together above a Starbucks. Everyone in the town is starving and they all blame it on Caleb since he took down Levi and caused “the source” to burn down. Leaving the town to provide for themselves.

Caleb and Esther try to talk the town into leaving but of course no one wants to go. Then quite conveniently, later that night a giant earthquake hits and destroys the town and kills half the people in it. This forces everyone to have to leave. Rafe, who had stepped down from being the town leader but still likes to be the leader, tells everyone that they need to go to a place called Mundreel (Montreal), which they have only heard rumors about. Everythign there is supposed to be great, but Caleb and Joseph try to tell them they haven’t heard anything true about it, or anything that can be verified.

After certain events happen that I won’t spoil, Skar ends up leaving town with the group also. People are wary of her but welcome her because she can hunt. I would also like to say that no one knew that edible plants grew in the wild. They thought it had to be dried out and packaged in order to eat it. I found this a little unbelievable. New friends are made in this book and some people die., including ones that I was not expecting at all. Caleb also mentions having a child with Esther. Why would someone want to bring a new child into a world that you can’t survive in?! Now, don't get me wrong, there are a couple scenes that are worth reading but a couple scenes out of an entire book just aren't worth it to me. 

The writing is not the best in this book which was a major problem for me in the first book. There are plot holes and things happen and then never get spoken of again. As with the first book this one changes different points of view, however, it changes in the middle of a chapter with no warning what so ever. Multiple times I had to try and figure out who was narrating. There is a certain death scene that could have been written really well and I felt like the entire thing was over in a couple of pages.

Like I said, I will not be going on to the next book and I really can’t recommend either book to anyone. IF you read the first one and didn’t like it, don’t waste your time.

My Rating:

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Renegade (MILA 2.0, #2) by Debra Driza

Renegade by Debra Driza

Series: MILA 2.0, #2
Release Date: May 13^th 2014
Publisher:  Katherine Tegen Books
Format: egalley
Pages: 448
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction
Source: Edelweiss
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

There is no one left for Mila to trust. Except for a boy she barely knows.

But Hunter has no idea who—and what—Mila really is. She can’t bear to reveal her secret, even though he’s unwittingly joined her search for Richard Grady, a man who may know more details of Mila’s complicated past.

Yet the road to the truth is more dangerous than ever. With General Holland and the Vita Obscura scouring the earth for her whereabouts, Mila must rely on her newfound android abilities to protect herself and Hunter from imminent harm. Still, embracing her identity as a machine leads her to question the state of her humanity—as well as Hunter’s real motives.

Perfect for fans of I Am Number Four and Divergent, this action-packed and heart-wrenching second installment of MILA 2.0 will leave readers breathlessly awaiting the series conclusion.

*This is a review of the second book and it may contain spoilers.*

You’ll have to excuse this short, sort of vague review, it’s been over a month since I’ve read it and my notes weren’t quite as on par as they usually are. So I’m trying to remember the best that I can.

Renegade starts off two days after Mila made the phone call to Hunter to meet her in Virginia Beach. She hasn’t told him anything about herself or what happened to her mom. He doesn’t question it either. Everything about him is shady and she doesn’t even really know him. At least the author acknowledges that point though. Mila goes in search of the man that her mother told her about at the end of the first book. She tells Hunter that they are in search of her biological father. He completely believes her.

Mila and Hunter are running from Holland’s men and the Vita Obscure, which is a lot closer to Mila than she thinks. There were a few action scenes in this book, one in particular involving Mila 3.0 that I enjoyed. Other than that it wasn’t quite as exciting as the first book. This book focuses more on finding answers to questions from the first book. I say that it did not suffer from “middle books syndrome” like a lot of second books do, even though I think some people would disagree with me. There are some twists and betrayals and lots of Mila’s feelings are explored in this book.  

As I did with the first book, I found myself flying through it. The writing flows very nicely and I really enjoy reading these books, even though some of Mila’s decisions are on the dumber side. I never found myself getting bored with the story and I fully plan on continuing on with the next book. As of right now, according to Goodreads, the third book is untitled and has no release date. I hope I don’t have to wait to long for it!

My Rating:

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Meridian (Arclight, #2) by Josin L. McQuien

Meridian by Josin L. McQuien

Series: Arclight, #2
Release Date: May 27^th 2014
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
Format: eGalley
Pages: 458
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction, Dystopia
Source: Edelweiss
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Marina thought that she had solved all of the Arclight’s mysteries. She had found her own history—that she was one of the Fade, that she never should have been human. She knows that the Fade who surround the Arclight don’t want to be the humans' enemies at all. She knows that the leader of those inside the Arc, Honoria Whit, never told the whole truth. But there is so much more that Marina is just discovering. There are more survivors out there. Only Marina—and her friends, all of whom have connections to the Fade they'd never known about—can lead her people to them. But there are also darker dangers, things that even the Fade fear. And Marina slowly realizes she may never have been “cured,” after all. The sequel to Arclight, Meridian is an intense, action-packed page-turner about the lines we draw between right and wrong, light and dark . . . and the way nothing is ever that black and white.

*This is a review of the second book and it may contain spoilers.*

This book starts off where the first one left off. When I started the book I thought I remembered most of the first one but I quickly figured out that wasn’t true. There was a bit of a recap in the beginning but this is the one time that I wish there would have been a little more. I would recommend reading this second book close to when you read the first one to avoid this problem.

The chapters are between Tobin and Marina. Tobin has been having awful nightmares he thinks are associated with his healing at the end of the first book. Something is definitely not right with him. Marina on the other hand has quit taking her inhaler and is going on the two month mark for that. She still bleeds, and acts like a human, but Cherish is making herself stronger as time goes on.

The village currently has a sort of peace going on with the Fade and has allowed those that were lost to come back, including Tobin’s father. Marina seems to be the person right in the middle of everything, considering she started it all anyway. They still do their nightly rounds and have fixed the lights for the most part but they are pretty much uneventful. One person that has not been seen since the end of the first book is Rue, which made me sad. I am definitely one that is rooting for Rue. I would so rather see a story with him and Cherish than with Tobin.

The first half of the book is actually sort of slow, boring, and nothing really seems to happen. The second half gets better, action wise, so I would recommend pushing through if you aren’t enjoying it at the start. Overall though, not a lot happens. One thing you do get is a lot of back story with the older group of people which was something I enjoyed reading.  I believe this is now going to be a trilogy, even though it started out as a stand-alone. If this is true then this book seems to fall prey to the “second book syndrome”. I’m not sure how I would like to see the trilogy end but I’m hoping it gets better. There is nothing worse than starting out with a great first book and then going straight downhill.

I do really like McQuein’s writing even though this book wasn’t the best. There were definitely a few times I found myself marking quotes, which I NEVER do. (I would quote one here if my rabbit didn’t chew up my tablet charger.)

Am I going to continue with the series? Yes. Only because I really enjoyed the first one and I would like to see how it ends (or if she randomly decides to go with Rue!)

My Rating:

3.5/5 Stars

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Bookish Buys & Weekly Wrap-up #19

This is where I show everything I that I bought, borrowed, or just added to my bookshelf over the past week. I throw together Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves in one post.  I also include a wrap-up of everything that was posted to the blog this past week.

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Team at Tynga’s Reviews. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

{Borrowed}

I am starting to get obsessed with the library again. This is bad news for my TBR pile.

Undercurrentby Paul Blackwell

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Keep Sweet by Michele Dominguez Greene

{Review}

The first two are from Edelweiss. I need to stop downloading review books…. The third book was sent from the publisher. 

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Don’t Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley

The First True Lie by Marina Mander

This Week on Laura’s Adventures in Bookland

{Features}

2B Tuesday #64 – Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Wishlist Wednesday #73 – The Lake and the Library by S.M. Beiko

{Reviews}

Torn True Love by K.D. Ferguson

Twisted (Deathwind Trilogy, #1) by Holly Hook

Poor Little Dead Girls by Lizzie Friend

How was your week? Let me know in the comments!

Bookish Buys & Weekly Wrap-up #18

This is where I show everything I that I bought, borrowed, or just added to my bookshelf over the past week. I throw together Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves in one post.  I also include a wrap-up of everything that was posted to the blog this past week.

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Team at Tynga’s Reviews. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

{Borrowed}

Amphigorey (Amphigorey, #1) by Edward Gorey

Sky High by Germano Zullo

The Dark by Lemony Snicket

{Review}

From Edelweiss

Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel

From NetGalley

Running on Empty by Colette Ballard

Three (Article 5, #3) by Kristen Simmons

This Week on Laura’s Adventures in Bookland

{Features}

2B Tuesday #63 – The Whatnot (The Peculiar, #2) by Stefan Bachmann

Wishlist Wednesday #72 – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel by Ransom Riggs

{Reviews}

The Field by Tracy Richardson – Blog Tour

Clan by Realm Lovejoy – Blog Tour

Flight of the Griffin (Flight of the Griffin, #1) by C.M. Gray

{Other Posts}

Save Magic City by Rocsanne Shield – Book Blast

Storm Warning (Broken Heartland, #1) by E. Lee & C. Quinn – Teaser

Flight of the Griffin by C.M. Gray – First Chapter Preview

{Current Giveaways}

Lots of good giveaway stuff so make sure to check out the links!

Reap by Christina Channelle

Submerged by Nicole Sobon

Counting Shadows by Olivia Rivers

Clan by Realm Lovejoy

How was your week? Let me know in the comments!

Review: Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillians) by Laurie Boyle Crompton

Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains) by Laurie Boyle Crompton

Release Date: February 1st 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Format: Paperback
Pages: 309
Source: My Collection/Edelweiss
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines.

All she wants is for Mark the Soccer Stud to notice her. Not as Josh's weird sister who drives a turd-brown minivan. And not as that nerdy girl who draws comics.

What she gets is her very own arch-nemesis.

Name: Mark Deninger, aka Mark the Shark

Occupation: Soccer star and all-around lady killer

Relationship Status: Serial ater

Group Affiliation: No loyalty

Known Superpowers: Anti-girlfriend force field, breaking hearts

Mark may have humiliated Blaze supervillian-style, but what he doesn't know is how geek girls always get revenge.

#GeekGrlzRevenge

 

First off, don’t read the synopsis from Goodreads, it tells pretty much everything that happens and it’s sort of a spoiler.

This book was a little slow to start, and right off the bat it was sort of driving me crazy with the comic book sound effects that were sprinkled in almost everywhere. Thank goodness that tapered off and I think I sort of got used to it as the book went on. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of her referring to her van as Superturd throughout the whole book. I understand it but I’m not sure it was necessary. I did however enjoy that the talks about the old comic books and the comic sketches that were scattered throughout the book. That added a neat touch.

This book follows around Blaze, named after her dad’s favorite comic book guy, Ghost Rider or Johnny Blaze. Speaking of her dad, he has run off to New York to pursue his acting dreams. He doesn’t call or come around because of a dispute between him and her mom. So Blaze is left in charge to make dinner and drive her brother, Josh, to soccer games while their mother works.

It is at these soccer outings that she meets Mark, or aka Mark the Shark. She desperately wants to be with him and when fate puts him in her car she takes a chance. Then her friends decides to send a text of her in some lingerie and all of sudden Mark is super interested in her.

 

This of course causes a riff in her friendship. I also didn’t like her friends or the major slut-shaming of another student. She had a rich friend that made a move on every guy she liked and another one who constantly asked to have her stuff. Blaze makes numerous bad decisions which was a bummer because I liked her in the beginning of the book.

Despite all the warnings from her brother and even the fact that he has the nickname Mark the Shark already, she continues to try and date him. When things don’t go quiet as planned with Mark she decides to get some revenge on him by putting out a comic book that becomes pretty popular throughout the small town. In turn, Mark puts out the picture of Blaze taking her form Super Virgin Girl to Super Slut girl overnight.

The quickness that people turn on her and start calling her names is a little unbelievable to me. Even people that don’t know her completely turn on her. This of course leads to rumors upon rumors that aren’t true and just fuel the fire. A simple call to the police would have gotten the picture taken down, especially when the school finds out, however it is just thrown out as a simple case of bullying.

All the while this is happening she is trying to rekindle a relationship with her father who doesn’t have a second of time to spare for her or her brother.

In the end I didn’t love this book but I did like it. The author’s writing has some potential and I can see myself possibly picking up her future works.

 My Rating:

 

 

*This book was provided by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.