Top Ten Books On My Spring 2013 TBR list!

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers get the chance to post their own lists of the chosen theme for that week.

This week the theme is Top 10 Books On My Spring 2013 TBR List :) 

In no particular order..

1) The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

2) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

3) Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

4) Slammed by Colleen Hoover

5) Easy by Tammara Webber

6) Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

7) Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

8) The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

9) A Million Suns by Beth Revis

10) Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Let me know if you have read any of these books and your opinions on them in the comments ;)

COVER REVEAL: Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone

I am excited to reveal to you the cover of Summer Stones debuting novel Hell's Hollow. The description of this book is really intriguing and I hope to check it out as soon after it is officially released! :)

Title: Hell's Hollow

Author: Summer Stone
Publication date: March 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads link

Synopsis:

When Seraphina was younger, she healed her best friend's injured hand. Terrified by the inexplicable cure, the girl shunned her. From that day on, Seraphina found herself without friends, a freak and an oddity. And so she obeyed her mother’s rule to refrain from using her innate ability, heeded her mother's warning that its use could land her in the local mental health facility alongside her aunt and grandmother.

But when sixteen-year-old Seraphina finds a mysterious, wounded boy hiding in the hollow in the woods behind her house, she can't hold out against the overpowering urge to help him. She is drawn to him each night, and as they come to know one another, their irresistible attraction blooms.

She longs to uncover his secrets — where he comes from and why he's hiding and how he came to be so wounded — and to share her own, though she knows it's forbidden. And while her healing touch seems to be helping him, it's hurting her. When the symptoms of psychosis — experienced by the women in her bloodline who used their powers — begin to plague Seraphina, she is faced with the unbearable choice of saving her sanity or the boy she’s come to love.

AUTHOR BIO

Summer Stone loves immersing herself in the worlds that live inside her mind. When she's in the real world, she likes kicking back on the beach, exploring new places, reading (of course) and eating rich, gooey chocolate. She loves spending time with her husband and kids, which she does as much as she can. Summer writes young adult and women's fiction, both supernatural and contemporary, realistic and looks forward to sharing her novels with you!

 

Author Links:

Website: http://summerstonebooks.blogspot.ca/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SummerStoneBks

Player by Laura DeLuca

Title: Player
Author: Laura DeLuca
Publication Date: 12/12/12

Joshua Handover had it all. He was handsome, rich, athletic, and had always been popular with the ladies. Yet, until he gets paired up with his beautiful but shy lab partner, Rosa, he never allowed himself to fall in love. As the chemistry between them grows, Josh realizes that his player days have come to end. But it seems his change of heart has come too late. Not only is Rosa leery of his bad boy reputation, he has four vindictive ex-girlfriends who are on a rampage. At first he doesn’t take their threats seriously, but then his tires are slashed, someone tries to poison him, and one of the girls turns up dead. Josh doesn’t know who to trust, but one thing is certain. It definitely isn’t worth the price he’s paying to be a player. 

Excerpt: 
Someone else came over to offer Nadine their congratulations, so Josh said goodbye and went to his locker to get his backpack. He figured he would meet up with Andrea and Rosa in the parking lot. He fumbled with the combination before finally getting the door to swing open. Something glittered on the top shelf and caught his eye. He reached for it, and a small scrap of paper fluttered to the floor.
At first he wasn’t sure what he was holding. It was a pink plastic tiara with some big gaudy plastic jewels. It was the type of thing he had seen in dollar stores for little girls’ birthday parties. It was practically broken in half, and the edges were sharp. Josh pricked his finger on the jagged point, and a few drops of blood welled from the small wound. He put his finger in his mouth as he bent to pick up the paper that had fallen. When he read it, the broken crown suddenly made sense and he wondered how he could have been so naïve. He should have realized from the instant he saw it what it meant.
“Josh decided to play around. Now one of his girls is under the ground. Another has a big bump on her head. And by the end of the dance, the queen will be dead.” 


I don't know about you but this excerpt has really intrigued me! I'm a sucker for a good romance but this is your chick lit with a twist.. Definitely going to check it out!  (‘∀’●)♡

If you are interested in buying Player, then please check out these links!
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble


About the Author:
Laura "Luna" DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and three children. She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Old high school friends would tell you she was always scratching in her notebook instead of paying attention in class and the children she used to babysit for always loved to hear her scary stories at bedtime. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. She loves writing young adult novels, because it keeps her young at heart. She is the author of three published works including Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, and Phantom, and has several more projects in the works.


Author Links
For more information on Laura DeLuca and her books please visit her website here.
Twitter 
Facebook 
Goodreads 



Giveaway:

Laura is giving away a print copy of Player during her Tour. For a chance to win just fill out the Rafflecopter Below. This is open to US residents only. a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Prophecy by Rachel Deagan

Title: The Prophecy

Author: Rachel Deagan

Publication date: 08/02/2013
Genre:YA Urban Fantasy/Science Fiction

“The cards tell me of the children of the stars.”

Jacey thinks her life is worthless, when she finds herself in a psychiatric hospital after a failed attempt to end her life; her wounds miraculously healed. Devin, who claims to kill on touch, is also there. When Michael arrives, bearing telekinetic powers, he insists the government, and an even darker, more powerful force, wants them dead.

In a desperate attempt to escape for their lives, the three teens find they must confront an even greater adversary, themselves - and with a prophecy forced upon them, they must find a way to accept their fate, or rebel together, as one.

Excerpt:  Trees swept by Devin as he ran. Their gangly tendrils grasped at his clothes, tearing scratches at his skin. He almost welcomed it. The ache to have physical contact with something, anything, burned as a residual longing deep inside of him, but that was what the men wanted. They knew his touch would kill, and he would not fall to that level.

It hurt, knowing he had to always stay away, but he refused to care. No one gave a crap about him anyway. The abuse and torture from Lament and his crew proved that was true, but they would not break him.

He would not become their weapon. They could go to hell.

The sound of footsteps moved behind him, and he quickened his pace, scrambling as best he could through the darkened branches. Sweat broke across his brow, and his lungs heaved for air. Even in the cool, night breeze, the gray tee shirt he wore clung to his chest, hot and damp. It had seemed like hours since he had broken free of Lament’s hell-hole prison of a lab, and he had no idea where he was headed. All he knew was that he had to run. He couldn’t live like that. He would not become a monster.

If only he could find a way to blend in and hide amongst the canopy of darkness, perhaps the idiots would pass him by unseen. Maybe he could be free.

He couldn’t go back. He would rather die. 

About the Author

Rachel grew up in small town Massachusetts where she spent most of her time writing about strange paranormal creatures instead of paying attention in class. She has always been considered the 'dreamy' one with her head in the clouds. She now lives in Nevada with her two sons, a cat, and a rat named Sam.

Author Links:

Website: http://moonlightprose.blogspot.ca/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5447836.Rachel_Deagan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.deagan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/racheldeagan

To me this book looks really interesting I will definitely be checking it out soon!
Rachel Deagan is having a giveaway of her book The Prophecy. If you want to be in for the chance to win 2 paper backs and 2 kindle copies then enter below! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

March - To Be Read!

Hello guys! ヾ(＾∇＾)
As March is rapidly approaching (wtf I swear only yesterday it was the start of the new year?!!) I have decided to post my March to be read list. I will start doing this at the end of each month :)
So here goes...!

1) Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles 1#) By Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
 This book I actually purchased around two years ago. I just never got round to reading it （ﾉ´д｀） (So disgraced) But I actually went to watch the movie last week and wow! Truly was amazing I would recommend it to anyone! So hopefully this book will be one of the first I read this month!

2) Captive In The Dark by CJ Roberts - I purchased this book last month and have still yet to read. You can blame my snail pace reading for that. Seriously I am sooooooo slow (what is me).

3) Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - I recently also went to watch Warm Bodies in the cinema which I also lurvedddd. So I will definitely be checking out the book next month!

4) Slammed by Colleen Hoover - I love the whole taboo teacher/student romance concept. (Give me any taboo themed book and I am guranteed to love it) So I am super excited to get my hands on this! Two friends have also recommended this book to me so hopefully it will be read soon!







Like I mentioned before I read at snails pace so I will only be posting these 4 for now. But who knows what would happen ;) I am actually going abroad mid March for 4 weeks and I always read lots when I'm abroad so I may be able to actually be able to stick to my 2013 reading challenge (50 books) （　´∀｀）

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Publication Date: 01/03/2012
Book Description: Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

Review:  Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is without a doubt one of the most funniest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. You would be surprised since its called Me and Earl and the Dying Girl but this book is not all about dying. If you are one of those people who don’t enjoy reading “dying books” then you can still enjoy this book.

What I liked: Ahhh where to begin. The first thing that gripped me was the cover. So.. Colorful! The inside of the book was also formatted nicely and looked really cool.  It definitely stands out on my book shelf.
I also adored the characters! The book is written by the male protagonist Greg Gaines as he tells his own story about his own experience. I really enjoyed this writing as style as we got to see all of Greg’s thoughts and got to know his unique but hilarious personality first hand. Although Andrews didn’t create a handsome sexy male protagonist I still found myself really caring for Greg a lot. I really felt empathy for his character. His “best friend” Earl Jackson was equally as obscenely hilarious. I loved the two contrasting personalities between him and Greg. I loved how the book didn’t hold back on the crude language. We really did get to experience everything these two young boys said and did.. It was entertaining to say the least.
So that brings me onto the aspect I loved the most which was the humor. You may be thinking .. Why? Didn’t you enjoy the actual plot more? To be truthfully honest the plot wasn’t all that amazing. Neither was it meant to be. Like I mentioned before the book is written by the protagonist Greg Gaines and he says himself he is not a writer. He just wanted to tell his story. His brutally honest personality and awkwardness was really refreshing to read. The emotions in which Greg and Earl felt, particularly towards the end of the book felt so raw. I feel like this is a book anyone could enjoy.

What I didn’t like: There is nothing I disliked about the book. Nothing! Only suggestion would be give us more! The book ended way to quickly for me I just wanted more （*´▽｀*）  (write a sequel please Jesse Andrews thank you love you)

So to conclude… read this book! READ IT. I have not ever seen this on book blog before so it would be interesting to see others opinions on it. You honestly won’t regret it!

Rating: 5/5

Review - Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Publication Date: 26/05/2011
Book Description: INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match


Review: I adored this book. I can’t tell you how long its been since I've really became so absorbed into a book. I literally couldn’t put it down. At first (for some absurd reason) I was kinda reluctant to pick this up and read. This is mainly because one of my friends said the main guy in it is not attractive at all as he has a buzz cut (to each their own). But with another friend nagging at me to read I decided to give it a go and I'm so glad I did.
What I liked: The whole plot was perfect. From such a simple idea for a YA romance Jamie McGuire really described everything realistically and vividly. The pacing was great, it had the perfect amount of drama, romance and humor you could ever want to find in a book. I’m a sucker for a love hate relationship and this book… (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ my feels.
I also loved the characters. The male protagonist is Travis Maddox. He is described as “sexy, built, and covered in tattoos”. What more could you ask for ;) He really is oozing in testosterone. Although I have read a couple reviews on goodreads where people were “creeped” out by his full on, possessive and clingy personality, I digress! Fight for your woman man! Do what needs to be done. I admit a few times in the book he does become violent and is described as throwing furniture about, beating up guys but that’s all part of his personality and charm. I like how Abby the female protagonist is really the only one who keeps him calm and level headed. Yes their relationship was intense, even described as a disaster but that’s the point. The book is called Beautiful Disaster for a reason. I also loved all the secondary characters: America, Shep, Finch. McGuire really took the time to develop each character and give them all their own personality.

What I didn’t like: I’m finding it hard to state what I didn’t like simply cos there is barely anything I could criticize. However If I was really going to be a picky bitch I would say the ending could have been better. I felt it ended too quickly with Abby suggesting such a huge life-changing idea at only 19 years old. I kinda felt she was going against her moral code she kept throughout the book. But hey, fuck i,t if you are that much in love.. Who knows what you would do.  (´ ▽｀).。ｏ♡

Ahhhhhhh I would honestly recommend this book to ANYONE. It is amazing, my new baby hfdsjhk definitely up their with some of my faves. I cannot wait to anymore books in this fabulous series!

5/5 Stars

In My Mailbox #1

 

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren where fellow book bloggers have the opportunity to share books they have received or purchased.

This week I purchased:

1) Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

(NOTE: I have already read this beautiful perfect amazingballs piece of literature ahhh gfhdjghkjghsk please await review^^ )

 2) Me And Earl And The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

3) The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
(Best movie everrrrr excited to finally be reading the book!)

4) Captive In The Dark by CJ Roberts










Please await reviews on these fabulous books! ;)

Review - Stolen: A Letter To My Captor by Lucy Christoper

Title: Stolen: A Letter To My Captor
Author: Lucy Christopher
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
Publication Date: 04/05/2009
Book Description: It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.
This is my story. A letter from nowhere. 
Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? 
The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost. 

Review: Stolen for me was a fantabulous read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and often tend to re-read it. Stockholm Syndrome for me is just fascinating. It's a genre I often like to look for to read and for me Stolen really is the best of its kind.
What I liked: The very first line of the book gripped me. "You saw me before I saw you." From that first line I was immediately drawn in. No other intro to a novel has ever engrossed me this much.
The male protagonist, Ty was HOT. This really conflicted me as naturally you expect to dislike him given the situation but.. his character was really intense. You really begin to feel with him and as a reader it is almost like you yourself are starting to feel the symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome. (I can honestly say I have never felt like this reading a book).
I also loved the format which the book was written in. The book is written like a letter or a journal entry and towards the end of the book you realise why. I thought this was unique and have always enjoyed reading this type format (similar to Perks Of Being A Wallflower). Lucy Christopher takes the relationship of a kidnapper and the kidnapped to a whole new level, Stolen was exciting, full of drama, action-packed and intense (oh yes).
What I didn't like: The ending, although still brilliant.. I felt it could have been more epic. I felt that the romance between Gemma and Ty was not fully developed. As a reader I wanted to see more! I wanted to witness Gemma becoming more and more interested in Ty. I felt that the pacing was not right and for Gemma to feel as conflicted as she did towards the end.. there needs to be a bigger build up to that. Although this point could also be turned around on itself as I liked the fact Gemma didn't run to sleep with Ty as soon as she started to feel something. It made the relationship more real and powerful.

I really would recommend this book to anyone. Words can't express how much I loved it. This is one of the books which stays with you years after reading.


5/5 Stars

Review - Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

Title: Overprotected
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing
Publication Date: 09/02/2011
Book Description: Ashlyn. A lonely society princess living in NewYork City.
Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.
Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.
Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.
Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.
Daddy was wrong.
A kidnapping leaves a father fanatical about his only child's safety. A story of obsessive love and the quest for independence.

Review: Overprotected is the second Jennifer Laurens book I have read. The first being A Season Of Eden (taboo teacher/student romance which I absolutely love) Having thoroughly enjoyed A Season Of Eden I had hoped to enjoy this one just as much if not more. Although Overprotected was a really fun, quick read (I swear Jennifer Laurens books are always very short?) It lacked...something. The plot was predictable. There was no exciting surprises for me which singled this book out from many other YA romances I have read in the past. Regardless of all this Overprotected was very entertaining in some parts and a speedy read.
What I liked: I liked the general idea of the book. Overprotective dad hires bodyguard to protect daughter,  daughter falls in love with bodyguard bla bla bla. The book description is what made me want to read the book in the first place. I also liked some of the subplots which occurred towards the middle of the book with Ashlyn’s parents. To be truthfully honest I found the drama between the parents more absorbing that the romance between Ashlyn and Collin. Which brings us onto what I didn’t like (There's a lot).
What I didn’t like: The romance between Ashlyn and Collin became kinda boring to me halfway through the book. After the initial omg I used to hate you when I was a kid why am I having strange feelings for you moments passed, the romance was lackluster. I found myself focusing more on other parts of the book. I also found the plot fairly predictable. Especially the end with the ex bodyguard Stuart coming back. I saw that coming since the beginning of the book. Finally the thing I disliked most about the novel was the ending. Although everything wrapped up nicely there was one vital part which they could have ended better.
“I turned a glance over my shoulder to see if the suited man was still tailing me. He was. I waved. His head averted the second I made eye contact.
Facing forward, I kept my gaze out ahead. A long as the suited guy kept his distance, we were good. I had more important things on my mind."
What. Whaaat? The whole novel was about how Ashlyn absolutely abhorred being under constant watch of a bodyguard. Then the ending she simply says she has more important things on her mind? I would have liked to see that issue dealt with more better as it was such an underlying controversy throughout the whole novel.
To summarize, Overprotected was enjoyable. It was fun and light and contained drama which made you want to carry on but at the same time it lacked a lot of points which would have made it a great book. The cover is simply horrendous one of the most ugly covers on a book I have ever seen (if that middle aged man on the cover is supposed to be Colin then wtf..).

3.5/5 stars

Small Birthday Book Haul!

So guys it was my birthday 4 days ago (19 ahh yeah) and I received a couple books which I am super excited to read. This year I received a range of genres to read which should keep me occupied for some time  Tiggy xx

Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens
Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.
Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.
Daddy hired him to be my bodyguard. Daddy thought I'd be safe. He thought I'd never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever. 
Charles: Obsessed with keeping her safe and keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.
Daddy was wrong

I have already started this book and so far I like it. I have read a previous book from Jennifer Laurens which I thoroughly enjoyed so I hope this one is just as fun!

Things Get Better - Katie Piper
Britain’s most inspiring young woman shares heartfelt and expert advice for coping with life’s challenges, big and small, one day at a time. 
Katie’s story alone has proved inspirational to millions of people, and now in this important book she begins to answer the question that everyone wants to know – “where did you find the courage?” Katie shares the key steps and support that led to her emotional recovery so that she can help others in their own lives, whether suffering a breakup or life change or more serious trauma. Through her own stories of emotional recovery and in letters sent to her by others, she acknowledges the pain we have all felt at times, whether physical or psychological, grief or trauma, and shows with spectacular compassion and encouragement that we can all find the strength within to carry on.
  
So this isn't the typical young adult genre I normally read but I am still anticipating this book. I have watched a previous documentary on Katie Piper and find her story heartbreaking yet inspiring at the same time. This book will be my first biography (I am a disgrace) and I will definitely post my thoughts soon.

Gabriel's Inferno by Slyvain Reynard
Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption. When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide. An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, "Gabriel's Inferno" is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man's escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible...forgiveness and love.

Looking forward to this read, has been a while since I have read a saucy book ;) But on a serious note I really am anticipating this novel. The reviews on goodreads are great and the book has some impressive credentials.

Cracked by K.M. Walton 
Sometimes there's no easy way out.
Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.
Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.
When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….

This book was a birthday gift from no one other than... myself. Yes yes I thought I'd treat myself a little. The reason this book is so alluring to me is that I am a huge fan of It's Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzilini which is a story very close to my heart. Although the books are not completely similar they have some collateral themes and I hope I will love Cracked just as much as I did with Vizzilini's amazing novel.

and finalllyyyy.....

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 
 Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart. 

I was so delighted to receive this book! I have had my eye on it for a while. This book is different from anything I have ever read. This book has mixed views on Goodreads and I have been told that you either love it or hate it... and I hope I am one of the readers who love it :)

That is all and I will be posting some reviews on these books soon :) 
 

Review: Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Title: Leaving Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications,U.S.
Publication Date: 31/01/2008
Book Description: Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad - her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares - has been cancelled. After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb's free ...if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers. Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It's a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.

Review: So this is the first book in the Leaving Paradise series and was nothing short of fabulous. Once again Simone Elkeles has not disappointed. Being a huge fan of her previous works I was anticipating this read and in my opinion this has to be her best book to date.
What I liked: The characters. The characters in this novel were just perfect. Maggie Armstrong the female protagonist is not your typical heroine. She has a limp. I have not read many books where disability is one of the main themes throughout the book and especially not as the female lead, so it was refreshing to read something different, something more.. real in a way. What I love about Elkeles writing is that her characters are not always the typical perfect, sexy leads you would find in many YA books but instead real human beings which we can all relate to. I also loved the male protagonist, Caleb Becker. Ahh what can I say about Caleb. Being totally hot I fell for him straightaway but seeing him go on his self discovery journey throughout the novel really makes you see beyond the two dimensional. Really he was just a young boy who made mistakes like many other boys his age but was also wronged many times, trying to put his family back together and be accepted for who he is not what he did.
The minor characters in this book were not ignored, Leah Becker Caleb’s younger sister also played a unique role as someone who was affected deeply by what happened to her brother and best friend. As a reader it was interesting to see the side affects what such a tragedy can have on loved ones. And we cannot forget Mrs Reynolds. Personally she was my favorite character providing a beacon of light throughout the novel and being a strong good hearted woman.
Now aside from the characters the plot was very well developed. The story begins a year after the accident but throughout the novel we are transported back to that night and learn more and more of what went on. The book is told in both Maggies and Calebs point of view alternating from each. Elkeles writing was very realistic and enticing making you want to read on. The way she depicts the events of the book not sugar coating anything is really something making this read feel really raw and emotional. I have to say after I finished I just sat there for a few minutes really affected by the story line and if a book can make you do that then it has done it’s job.
What I didn’t like: Although I found this book nothing short of spectacular I did feel some parts were very rushed. The pacing was not right. I found this most prominent when Caleb is suddenly in love with Maggie Armstrong. I felt the transition of this could have written a lot better and the reader could have been given more hints that her was falling for her.

I really recommend this book to anyone. If you are looking for a easy read but not something typical then you need to defiantly read this book. Because I have to say the ending was not what you would expect..
I cannot wait to read the sequel, Return to Paradise and look forward to that review very soon!

4.5/5 Stars

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