Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Wishlist Wednesday #22


*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*

21825486
Last Years Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: June 9th, 2015
Pages: 320

The Story:

Before:

Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...

After:


Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.

Told in alternating sections, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a charming and romantic debut about loving, leaving, and letting go.

-via Goodreads

Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Review : The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

PublisherBloomsbury USA

Release Date: May 6, 2014
Pages: 304
Source: Own

The Story:

Sixteen-year-old Holly wants to remember her Grandpa forever, but she’d rather forget what he left her in his will: his wedding chapel on the Las Vegas strip. Whatever happened to gold watches, savings bonds, or some normal inheritance?    
And then there's Grandpa's letter. Not only is Holly running the business with her recently divorced parents, but she needs to make some serious money—fast. Grandpa also insists Holly reach out to Dax, the grandson of her family's mortal enemy and owner of the cheesy chapel next door. No matter how cute Dax is, Holly needs to stay focused: on her group of guy friends, her disjointed family, work, school and... Dax. No wait, not Dax.  
Holly’s chapel represents everything she’s ever loved in her past. Dax might be everything she could ever love in the future. But as for right now, there's a wedding chapel to save.
via Barnes & Noble

Rating
TWO Gold Stars!!



My Review

I thought the premise for The Chapel Wars was fantastic. But I have to say by the end of it, my reaction was simply "Meh." There was no bang, no spark. You know when you see someone you are crushing on and there is tension, chemistry? For me, The Chapel Wars didn't have that. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it but I didn't particularly like it either.

Opening Line:

Inheritance. I hate that word. Translation: Sorry someone you loved kicked the bucket; now here's your present.

Plot:

I liked the idea of Holly fighting to save her grandfather's chapel and being in competition with the cheesy chapel next door -- while dating the owner's grandson. But I feel as if Leavitt didn't milk the conflict for all it was worth. Many of the setbacks Holly faced and efforts she put in to saving her grandfather's chapel was pretty much glazed over -- hinted at in sentences in the past-tense. 


Overall, the plot premise (as mentioned above) was interesting and had plenty of potential. However, it fell flat. And the ending sucked. As I have mentioned in other reviews that I have written, I prefer my books to have happy endings (call it childish but there is plenty of real life grief to go around). 

Character Breakdown:

Holly - Holly was a tad more interesting than Dax but still too bland for me. However, I did appreciate how hardworking she was as well as the love and passion she had for her grandfather's chapel.

Dax - I didn't really get the chance to know Dax. He was wishy-washy to me. I couldn't really picture him in my mind's eye -- he didn't seem real. Other than that, I suppose he was okay. 

Here is one of my favorite quotes from 
The Chapel Wars:

Holly to Dax: "Sense? There is nothing about me sitting in a Gothic wedding chapel with a ridiculously handsome cowboy reading a letter from my dead grandfather that makes sense."
"Ridiculously handsome?"
"I meant to say ridiculous." 


***Check out Lindsey Leavitt's website for more information about her and the The Chapel WarsHERE

*My review on Goodreads

Happy Reading!


Monday, February 23, 2015

Melodious Monday #27


*Melodious Monday is a meme I came up with to share my weekly top picks in music that I like to listen to while reading and writing.

Top Five Picks

These are the songs I had on repeat while reading this past week:








1. Wait On Me by Rixton














4. Ain't It Fun by Paramore





Enjoy the reading tunes!


Saturday, February 21, 2015

2015 Book Blogger Love-a-Thon: Mini-challenge #1 – Book Spine Poetry

The 2015 Book Blogger Love-A-Thon is hosted by Alexa Loves Books

I never knew about Book Blogger Love-A-Thon so this is my first time participating and I'm are extremely excited! I think this a perfect opportunity to meet new book bloggers and strengthen ties in the book blogging community. If you are participating, be sure to leave us a comment with a link to your posts so I can stop by your blog! 

To be honest, I was daunted by this challenge. There are so many good ones! But here goes nothing . . .



Starcrossed Temptation
Dare You To Awaken
Boundless Passion
Everneath Breaking Dawn

What do you think fellow bookies? Have you participated? If so comment with the link to yours - I'd love to check it out!

Happy Reading!


2015 Book Blogger Love-A-Thon: A Little Bit About Me!

The 2015 Book Blogger Love-A-Thon is hosted by Alexa Loves Books

I never knew about Book Blogger Love-A-Thon so this is my first time participating and I'm are extremely excited! I think this a perfect opportunity to meet new book bloggers and strengthen ties in the book blogging community. If you are participating, be sure to leave us a comment with a link to your posts so I can stop by your blog! 


What's Your Name?

Where In the World Are You Blogging From?


I was born and bred in New York City.

How Did You Get Into Blogging In The First Place?

In the late August of 2010 my grandmother ended up in the hospital and I suppose as a way to distract myself I threw myself into reviewing even though I had no idea what I was doing. Then I heard about advanced reader copies, ARC tours and went to my first author signing for Fallen series by Kate Lauren as well as for Wither by Lauren DeStefano. All of these factors together kept me going but the ball truly got rolling after I finished Unearthly I wanted to meet Cynthia Hand and scoured the Internet for a way to meet her. Alas, it was April at the time and she wasn't going to on the East coast but on the west coast at the RT Booklovers Convention in Los Angeles. From there, the book blogging community really opened up to me and as they say, it was all history from there.

How Did You Come Up With Your Blog Name?

I knew I wanted a name that would clearly link the blog to books and The Tattered Page just came to me. 

What Genre Do You Read And Review The Most On Your Blog?

Young Adult fiction is my obsession. More specifically, YA paranormal romance is my favorite - I have a huge thing for supernatural monsters.

What Other Types Of Posts Do You Do On Your Blog, Apart From reviews?

I came up with a few features to spruce up The Tattered Page:
Melodious Monday - share my weekly top picks in music that I like to listen to while reading and writing
Cover Mania! - features the amazing covers of book I think deserve a spotlight
(Feature Review Friday - which features my reviews of advance Reader Copies)
Swoon for Him Saturdaydeveloped to honor my favorite majestic fictional male characters

I also participate in Pen to Paper's Wishlist Wednesday - which features a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while

Best Blogging Experience So Far?

BookExpo America is the best blogging experience ever! Every year. But, of course, I am open to other experiences willing to top it ;)

Favorite Thing About The Blogging Community?

The passion. Those in the book blogging community all have such a passion for books and wanting to spread it to others. Being the only reader in the family, in my circle of friends, and probably in The Bronx (I might be exaggerating:)) it is nice to be a part of a community that understands and shares the same extraordinary relationship I do with books.

Name The 5 Books You're Most Excited For This 2015!


What's An Underrated Book Or Series That You Think Should Read?

Low Red Moon By Ivy Devlin (Elizabeth Scott). I thought it was really good and anticipated the sequel, Moonrise, but it sort of just fell off the face of the earth which was pretty disappointing.

Which Book Boy Or Girl Would Be Your Book BFF?

My book BFF would probably be Mckenna from the Doon series by Carey Cory and Lori Langdon since she reminds me of my real-life BFF, Tiff.



Apart From Reading, What Are Your Other Hobbies Or Interests?

I love writing, hanging out with friends and family, going to the movies (and carrying on my Gramma's tradition of collecting ticket stubs in a red tin), giving into wanderlust (although I haven't actually left the United States of America . . . yet) eating an inconceivable amount of sweets and driving my Mustang GT too fast.


Apart From Book Shopping, What Else Do You Like Shopping For?

DVDs! I love watching movies and currently slowly growing my collection.

At A Party, The DJ Suddenly Changes The Song -- And It's Your Song. What Song Would Be Playing?

I never go to parties but . . . if I had to choose, it would definitely be alternative rock and probably something along the lines of The Outsider by A Perfect Circle or Going Under by Evanescence

Some other options:
The Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin
Dance With the Devil by Breaking Benjamin
All Around Me by Flyleaf

Pick Out Either A Book You Want Turned Into A Film/TV Show, Or A Film/TV Show You Want turned Into A Book.

What book I would like to see turned in a film/TV show? Hmm, this is a difficult question . . .  I have too many answers. Perhaps it would have to be Rift by Andrea Creamer or The Selection by Kiera Cass or a Hades-Persephone retelling like The Abandon trilogy by Meg Cabot or The Goddess Test trilogy by Aimee Carter ... urgh, you see my dilemma?

*And I would also love to see One Tree Hill -- with the focus on Nathan and Haley of course :) -- turned into a book series


#NaleyAlways&Forever

Happy Reading!


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Wishlist Wednesday #21


*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*


Amity by Micol Ostow

Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Pages: 368

The Story:

Here is a house of ruin and rage, of death and deliverance.
Here is where I live, not living.
Here is always mine.


When Connor's family moves to Amity, a secluded house on the peaceful banks of New England's Concord River, his nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of demons. destruction, and revenge. Dreams he kind of likes. Dreams he could make real, with Amity's help.

Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for a fresh start. Instead, she's haunted by lurid visions, disturbing voices, and questions about her own sanity. But with her history, who would ever believe her? And what could be done if they did?

Because Amity isn't just a house. She is a living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a violent end as she's done before. As she'll do again. And again. And again.

Inspired by a true-crime story, Amity spans generations to weave an overlapping, interconnected tale of terror, insanity, danger, and death.


-via Amazon

Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Review : The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher
 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: January 13, 2015
Pages: 336
Source: Own

The Story:

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they're destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she's found the thing she's been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries' seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.
At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.
Until one day, he does...
As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?
via Barnes & Noble

Rating
THREE & a 1/2 Gold Stars!!


My Review

Let me start off by saying, I am NOT a fairy/fey fan. I am, however, a big lover of paranormal (especially werewolves) but the fey ... They drives me nuts with their tricky rules, bipolar moods, the sucky deals, yada yada yada. This being the second book I read with them and the first written by Holly Black, it was good so on that front I am happy. 


I think it is interesting that the town where the story takes place, the human residents know that their town's forest is plagued with fey. Dangerous fey that they have some sort of "unspoken truce with." I am not used to stories where the entire town is aware of the paranormal creatures they coexist with -- it was different but not in a bad way.


The Darkest Part of the Forest is filled with lies, half-truths, broken memories and so much more. Holly Black weaves a dark fairy tale that intrigues and urges you to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to stay in the story.


Opening Line:


Down the path worn into the woods, past a stream and a hollowed-out log full of pill bugs and termites, was a glass coffin.


Plot:


The plot premise was intriguing -- I mean a horned boy under a magical sleeping spell inside a glass coffin that couldn't be broken? How could I not find that intriguing? But that wasn't even the entire conflict of the story. 
The Darkest Part of the Forest was layered with conflict. The horned boy in the glass coffin, stupid, irreversible binds, a pinch of unrequited love, parental neglect, murderous magical beasts and more.


Overall, The Darkest Part of the Forest was less than I loved it but better than okay. Although I own other works by Holly Black this is the first I have read and I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed it. The story was an intriguing one filled with suspense, spoonfuls of magic, and a dash of romance. If you haven't read The Darkest Part of the Forest yet then what are you waiting for? 


Character Breakdown:


In the general gist character-wise, I think Holly did a wonderful job fleshing them out. They felt like real people with "real" problems to me. I could picture them in my head, what they look like, their facial expressions. Kudos to Ms. Black.


Hazel Evans - Hazel is a believable, likable character. What I loved most about her character is her fierceness. She has badass fighter downpat. She may not always makes the smartest decisions but she is willing to do what she has to to rectify them.


Jack - Jack is hot . . . once things started picking up. With whom, I won't tell -- you'll have to find out for yourself. He is wholesomish with just the right amount of mischief.


Ben Evans - I love Ben. He is quirky and adorable. Ben is also expressive, soft and kind. And I adore the relationship he has with his sister. It is clear in the story that they are the two musketeers that will do anything for the other.


Here is one of my favorite quotes from 
The Darkest Part of the Forest:


"Back then, it hadn't seemed weird to Hazel to have the same imaginary boyfriend as her brother" [page 59].

Hazel to Ben: "She shook her head, equally baffled. 'I think you impressed him with the sheer force of your stupidity. How did you find me?'" [page 110].


About Author:

Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Magisterium series (with Cassandra Clare) and The Darkest Part of the Forest. She has been a a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award, the Mythopoeic Award and a Newbery Honor. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door. 

***Check out Holly Black's website for more information about her and the The Darkest Part of the ForestHERE

*My review on Goodreads  |  Amazon


Happy Reading!



Monday, February 16, 2015

Melodious Monday #26


*Melodious Monday is a meme I came up with to share my weekly top picks in music that I like to listen to while reading and writing.

Top Five Picks

These are the songs I had on repeat while reading this past week:









1. 7/11 by Beyonce










4. Outside by Calvin Harris





Enjoy the reading tunes!


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Wishlist Wednesday #20


*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*



Chasing Merlin by Sarah White

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent  Publishing Platform
Release Date: June 29, 2012
Pages: 332

The Story:

When Dyllan Carter ships off to London to start a Master's in Medieval Literature, she expects to spend a lot of time in the library, to write a lot of papers, and to develop acute tendinitis before she finishs her thesis on the difference between Merlin the myth and Merlin the man. What she didn't expect was Emrys. After their initial crash-meeting in the tunnels of the underground, she seems to bump into him everywhere: in the library and even on the street. He knows almost as much as she does about her subject area - and he's not even in school! His actions are sometimes awkward, and very out-of-the-blue - often to the level of absurdity. So when he offers to give her a tour of the old places in Wales - not far from his home - she can't help but wonder who fate has brought her. As the legends get closer and the journey becomes more dangerous, Dyllan finds more questions and fewer answers. Will she be able to finish her thesis? Or is this her life’s final chapter?

-via Amazon

Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!