Waiting on Wednesday: What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which bloggers post books they are eagerly anticipating to be released. Without further ado, here's mine:

To be released: September 8, 2012 by Harper

Goodreads

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…
For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

I really like the premise. It kind of reminds me of The Host, having two souls in one mind. I think that if done really well, this could be a world I can really get into. Plus, the cover is just fabulous!

What are you waiting on?

Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Genre: Romance, Dystopian
Format: E-book, 336 pages
Published April 24, 2012 by HarperTeen
More about the author: Website // Twitter
Goodreads // Amazon UK

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

With The Selection, I'm not even sure where to begin! It was a seriously delicious surprise topped with girly sprinkles. Yep, that must be the only way to describe it. I was instantly drawn to this book. Just look at that cover! It makes me regret not holding out for the physical book, but I couldn't pass up having a dystopian, girly, and The Bachelor-esque novel as quick as possible. The paperback is going to be released in the UK June 7 this year, but I apparently could not wait that long.

The main character, America Singer, is not high up on the caste system. Her family and caste are resigned to the artisan life of supplying society with art and music, but there's one thing her family doesn't know- she's in love with someone even lower down the caste system! When Aspen, the passionate first love of America, pushes her into participating in the Selection to win over the heir to the throne's heart, he breaks hers in the process. America is whisked off to the castle to wear fabulous dresses and endure the drama of living amongst 34 other girls competing for Prince Maxon. The drama of the girls does not disappoint, but it's the underlying drama from the rest of the kingdom that brings deeper turmoil to the castle. It's something that I hope is built upon in future books.

The plot itself is very satisfying and makes me ache for the second book. The characters, specifically America, were quite fickle at times, and frustratingly so. In fairness, if America was certain of her feelings there would not need to be further novels in this series. The two love interests could not be more different from each other. The story was written in such a way that I simply cannot chose who I want America to end up with! What was deeply lacking for me, in my opinion, was the world building. I wanted to be immersed in this future North American monarchy and learn more about the caste system. Perhaps there is more to learn in the following books, but I was deeply disappointed. There was the capacity for it to become more on par with the world building in say The Hunger Games, as there are provinces and revolts, but it simply did not go there. It didn't even try. I even wanted a bit more of The Bachelor out of this book. They described the country as rooting for certain girls in the Selection, but to be honest, I quickly forgot that it was televised since it is seldom mentioned that there are cameras present.

For what The Selection is, it's an extremely guilty pleasure. I gobbled up a good quarter of this book just making sure it had downloaded to my e-reader properly. I recommend this book to someone looking for a large serving of a girly read with very small side of dystopia! It'd be perfect for anyone hesitant to read dystopia in the past.

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon

I've stared at my growing TBR pile this weekend and thought long and hard about getting it read. By joining in on a read-a-thon, I thought I'd cross a few more books off of my list and meet more bloggers! Two birds. One stone.

I'll be participating in a read-a-thon hosted by Bout of Books (and signed up very last minute). It's purpose is to encourage each other in reading as much as we can! It's an awesome way to network and get motivation. To follow my progress, look back at this post while I edit it or better yet, follow me on Twitter!

Here's a list of my goals and updates as I go:

My Goals

- Finish 1 book I'm currently reading

- Finish 1 audiobook I'm currently listening to

- Read 2 Books

- Listen to 2 Audiobooks

- Start Reading 1 Book (pending)

Books To Read
- Finish Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

- Finish Fallen by Lauren Kate

- Read Glitch by Heather Anastasiu 

- Read Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

- Listen to Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

- Listen to Dead Girls Dance by Rachel Caine

- Start reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth (pending my ability to obtain said book)


Updates

5/14

Number of books I’ve read today: I've finished two!
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, Fallen by Lauren Kate
Today's Stats: 203 pages read + 4 hours, 46 min listened to

5/15

Books I’ve read today: I didn't finish any
Books I started today: Started Dead Girls Dance and Bloodlines
Today's Stats: 68 pages read + 2 hours, 43 min listened to



5/16
Books I’ve finished today: Dead Girls Dance
Books I started today: The Scorpio Races
Books I'm still reading: Bloodlines
Today's Stats: 64 pages + 9 hours, 30 min listened to (HOLY MOLY!)

5/17

Books I’ve finished today: None
Books I started today: None
Books I'm still reading: The Scorpio Races and Bloodlines
Today's Stats: 28 pages, 6 hours, 28 min listened to


5/18

Books I’ve finished today: The Scorpio Races
Books I started today: None
Books I'm still reading: Bloodlines
Today's Stats: 139 pages, 2 hours, 23 min listened to


5/19

Books I’ve finished today: None
Books I started today: None
Books I'm still reading: Bloodlines
Today's Stats: 59 pages (I kind of took the day off. Whoops.)



5/20

Books I’ve finished today: Bloodlines
Books I started today: Insurgent
Books I'm still reading: None
Today's Stats: 132 pages

* I used the example post from Bout of Books as my post's guide.

May Update

This blog has seen quite a bit of change since May began. The new look I gave it a couple weeks ago has been slowly worked on and I've changed up one of my weekly memes. I plan on shuffling around my weekly memes some more in the weeks to come. I feel like I've gotten myself into too many and I'll whittle it down to just a handful. I still want my main content to be the book reviews themselves. My goal for this blog is to post 2-3 book reviews per week.

In other news, this blog has a Facebook page! Please go and 'like' it! I want to do more things with it in the future, but for now follow me on Twitter for the best updates. Also, feel free to grab my new button which I added to my blog this afternoon. Once I reach 100 followers, I have plans to set in motion a pretty awesome giveaway, so spread the word!

Stacking the Shelves (#2)

Stacking the Shelves is a brand new weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Here I will post the books that I've acquired throughout the week each Saturday.

I've picked up quite a few books this week in a ton of different formats!

Paperback

A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Purchased

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Purchased

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Purchased

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Purchased


Audiobooks

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Library

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Library


Ebooks

The Selection by Kiera Cass
Purchased

For Review

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu
Received via NetGalley



What did you add to your shelves this week?

Feature and Follow Friday (#5)

Feature & Follow is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and AlisonCanRead. It's set up so bloggers to discover new blogs and gain new followers. Every week two different blogs are featured. This week's features are Books Galore and The Fake Steph.

If you are a new follower, please leave a comment on this post so I can follow you back!

This weeks question: 

Q: This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day. In celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?

A: I had to honestly think about this question. First of all, it makes me miss my mom who is over 5,000 miles away. Secondly, most YA books are lacking strong parental bonds with the main character, who is more often than not either an orphan or left to fend for themselves. In all honesty, if they were such good parents they wouldn't let their children hang out with their significant others or vampires, etc. the way that they do in YA books. And that wouldn't nearly be as interesting! 

Luckily, there are a few books where mothers share a part in their child's life. I feel that Clary from the Mortal Instruments series has a close relationship with her mother, Jocelyn. In the same manner, Clara from the Unearthly series and her mother Maggie share a similar bond. Both these women can relate to what their daughter is experiencing, whether she is becoming a shadowhunter or fulfilling her angelic duties and they'd do just about anything to protect them. There is hope after all for our beloved YA characters to receive the parental guidance they need!

Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Published 2004 by Listening Library
First published 2003 by Alfred A. Knopf
More about the author: Bio
Goodreads // Amazon UK

When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands….
From the Hardcover edition.

Eragon is what I'd call a fairly typical epic fantasy. While it isn't the fastest read I've come across, it's makes up for it in the vast amount of mythology and world building. Those two things are nothing short of beautiful, even if they aren't that original. When I think of a world of men, elves, dwarves, and nasty things (called urgals in this series), I think of Middle Earth. Eragon is Middle Earthen mythology meets Star Wars plot with dragons thrown in. If that interests you, then you won't be disappointed in this book. If that irritates you, turn away now! You won't find much in the way of redeeming qualities in the rest of the book. The first time I read this book, it was a 'Did Not Finish' because I was irritated with how many things Christopher Paolini borrowed from. This time around, I gave it another chance because I've come to terms with how many books are similar to each other in general. The bones of most books are the same when you look closely because there's often a formula to what makes a book good.

I gave this book three starts because not only were the bones similar to other epic plots, but most of the details mirrored other authors. It was a gorgeous read, nonetheless, and I enjoyed it for what it was. The author shows a lot of promise for the books to come in this series. I'm just not sure if I have the patience to read them!

*Audio Review: I really enjoyed the narrator's voice and character he brings to the story. I just felt frustrated occasionally, as it was very slow at times. The book is long as it is and I wish it was read a bit quicker.

Review: Outside In by Maria V Snyder

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Format: Paperback, 326 pages
Published March 1, 2011 by Mira Ink
First published by HarlequinTeen
More about the author: Website // Blog
Goodreads // Amazon UK

Me? A Leader? Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion - between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again - while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants In.

This book, I think, was a pretty good follow up to the first in the series, Inside Out. It picks up several weeks from where the first book left off. After a society-shaking rebellion, the people of Inside are starting to break apart again. Trella, her friends, and the Committee are losing control and they have to figure out who they're losing it to.

The action of the book starts fairly quickly, as events began to happen that I can only describe as mini terrorist attacks. As Trella and her friends start to lost control of entire networks and processes, they begin to suspect the people responsible for the oppression the last time. It was super exciting and action packed to read them solving the mysteries of the ship. As the reader already had the arduous task of learning how the world of Inside works in the first book, those who had trouble with the world building previously will be pleased to see how quickly this book gets going in comparison.

The majority of the characters are just as likeable in this book as the first, though I wish we got to see more of Riley. Though when we do read about Riley we're rewarded with some steamy scenes! I find the only character I didn't like as much was Trella herself. The first part (nearly half) of the book I think she's got an attitude problem. I think the notoriety she received had gotten to her head. In the end, though, when she snapped out of it and became her good old self, I think that that attitude change actually made the book realistic. She wasn't expecting to become a leader again and she was one reluctantly.

Overall, this book was a fast-paced and extremely satisfying conclusion to Maria V Snyder's two part series of Inside. In the end, I think I preferred the first one. It just comes down to Trella's character in this book. I'd highly recommend this book to SciFi fans who like a bit of dystopia.