My name is Amber and I'm an aspiring YA author with a passion for movies and novels. If it's young adult AND paranormal and/or romantic (best if all three!) I'm there. Also, it seems fair to warn everyone that I am not a robot or a zombie and when it comes to the all important question: zombie or unicorns, I must side with the unicorns because they were my first love.
Friend me on Goodreads and Twitter!
Happily Ever Endings are ending summaries of novels that will be in series for your reading pleasure. That way, you can refer to them when the next book comes out if you can't remember exactly what happened.
I have been addicted to finding nerdy t-shirts lately since I started looking for Doctor Who shirts. I basically have lived on this site called RedBubble. I wanted to share some of the fun things I've found. If you're a nerd, I promise I'll have something you'll love in this pile. All links lead to the RedBubble site so you can purchase if you want.
First up, I've got some shirts for Doctor Who fans:
My hubby and I have been watching a couple episodes of Doctor Who every night and have been walking around saying "exterminate" to each other non-stop. I decided I need to show my love for the Doctor (said in a British accent, of course) by checking out some of the merchandise offered. I've found some really cool t-shirts and toys that you've got to check out if you are a fan. Who knows, we might even be getting the same things!
Check out some of the awesomeness I've found that every Doctor Who fan should own!
Dalek Alarm Clock ($39.99)- Can you imagine waking up to "exterminate" every morning? The alarm clock noise is awful anyway so why not wake up to something funny? Plus, it projects the time on the wall. I need this. Definitely a must for us!
Spinning Tardis ($39.99)- Perfect for any fan to sit next to their desk. I love that is spins and floats in midair. I think this is a really fun desk accessory. My hubby collects fun little things for his desk and this is perfect!
Tardis Plushie ($20.99)- It lights up and has phrases if you squeeze it. How could a girl not want to cuddle up with her very own Tardis? I need one!
11 Doctors Figurine Set (129.99)- This is another perfect pack of items for desk sitting. My hubby loves to collect action figures around his desk and this set of Doctors are perfect. Imagine them standing next to the spinning Tardis!
Tardis USB Hub ($26.34)- This provides 4 extra USB ports and anytime one is plugged in it makes sounds and flashes lights. A must have for computer geeks!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where you can post about upcoming books you're looking forward to. This is a wonderful chance for blogger to show off what's coming out soon that they are excited about! Every week my wishlist balloons thanks to this awesome meme.
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
The story of a girl figuring out the truths and illusions of life and love, both in the nostalgic past and in the very real now. Laugh-out-loud humor combines with a hint of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.
The cure for a broken heart? Go vintage and live like it’s 1962!
Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, isn’t just cheating on her. He’s cheating with an online girlfriend. So Mallory decides to swear off boys and modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to “go vintage” and return to a simpler time. She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous.
The list proves to be trickier than it looks. Obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how intriguing she finds Oliver (er, Jeremy's cousin). But with the help of her sister, Mallory will finish the list and find peace. .
Somehow.
Going Vintage is out 2013 by Bloomsbury.
I choose this because it sounds so unique and adorable. I love that it is adding a new spin on a contemporary and the fact that the main character uses this to get through her break up tells me a lot about her. I'm really excited to get my hands on this!
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBe careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles!
I should've used the last ten hours to grill Chay until he broke--until he confided every dark and dirty secret Paloma is hiding. Instead I chose to eat. And read.
--Pg. 50 of an ARC of "Fated" by Alyson Noel
I haven't actually started this book so I can't say too much about it. I haven't read Ms. Noel's other novels but I love the concept and am excited to get started reading it!
I'm happy to announce the winners of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I want to thank each and every one of you who entered this giveaway.
Winner of a signed copy of Shatter Me is:
Samantha
Winner of a signed copy of Under the Never Sky is:
Vivien
Again, thanks so much to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes peeled for more giveaways coming up soon! All winners have been emailed and have 72 hours to get back to me or they forfeit their prize.
In my mailbox is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren that encourages other book bloggers to share what they bought, won, begged for or borrowed. It is usually held on Sundays!
Thanks so much to the two publishing houses for sending me along some awesome books. Super excited for the two I bought as well! What's in your mailbox this week?
Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (May 8, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1250005140 ISBN-13: 978-1250005144 Series: The Hunt #1 Source: Finished copy provided by publisher Cover: I like this cover because of the color of the sky. Since the main character can go outside at any time (not being a vampire and all), it's a good thing that they showed people right before night or early dawn. Even the fact that it is torn through is cool. However, I think I liked the first cover just a little bit better. This one is still great though. First Sentence: "There used to be more of us."
Mini-Review:A creative and interesting take on vampires but suffered from pacing issues.
Summary:
Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.
Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.
When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?
Review:
The Hunt is definitely an unique take on vampires that you aren't likely to forget and has some pulse pounding moments and interesting characters. Unfortunately, some of that action is lost in heavy writing and poor pacing that effects the overall enjoyment of this novel.
I really loved learning about this breed of vampire that Fukuda created because I truly felt like I'd never read about it before. They laugh by scratching their wrists and they make out by rubbing an elbow in an armpit. It's all so foreign that it feels like you are reading something fresh. The vampires also have super strength and sleep upside down which for me gives the perfect blend of the creature we know while being completely knew. I loved the idea that this was a story about a human trying to live in a vampire's world and the price of being found out is a painful terrible death of being ripped apart and eaten.
Gene is one such human in that world, trying his best not to be discovered as a "heper". In order to survive, he shaves every single day, smuggles water into his house, has straps on the ceiling to pretend he is sleeping there, never draws attention to himself and bathes religiously. What I liked about Gene is that I felt his fear in living in such a perilous world but he never gave up. He was creative at finding ways to avoid being detected even in situations where I couldn't see an out. It was sad that he was ashamed at what he was and I liked that throughout the novel, he was forced to accept it. The other thing that really made Gene shine as a character was he never thought about ending it. Even though he lived a half life, he fought tooth and nail to keep it even though a lot of the time it was probably easier to give up. I'm not sure I'd have that type of strength, especially having to do it on my own.
The plot of The Hunt was definitely not something I've seen before. The stakes are high the entire time. Every time Gene walks out of his house, he is betting his life AND risking getting ripped apart and devoured. However, I felt like the pace was really off. I was thinking that it would pick up a bit after he was chosen for the hunt but then we were shown around the facility. It just felt like it never really got going. Parts that I wanted to get to happened too quickly and parts that I could have lived without went on and on. I also was able to guess quite a few of the plot twists which isn't a terrible thing since I make a game of guessing where a book goes but it would have been nice for a few more surprises.
Though the writing was very clever, after a while it sort of felt like over kill. I have no doubt that Fukuda is a talented writer and he created a world and a character that are truly unique. But I felt like there was an overabundance of detail and sometimes it wasn't at the right time. I guess it is all this detail that caused the writing to feel thick. It just didn't flow very smoothly and almost felt too formal. Coupled with the fact that the print on the pages was tiny, it felt like it took way too long to get through a single page.
Even though there are a few problems that slowed this book down for me, I really enjoyed the characters and world that the author created. I'm not sure if I'll tune in for the second one but I am interested to know how it turns out. Over all, if you want a really different vampire read that is funny, I'd say go for this one. Just don't expect to be able to take big bites out of this novel at a time.
Rating:
Favorite Lines:
After kindergarten, when you're free and clear of naps, that's when you show up at school.
--Pg. 1 of "The Hunt" by Andrew Fukuda
Call my picky, but imminent death at the hands (or teeth) of a friend who would suckle blood out of you at the drop of a hat...that throws a monkey wrench into friendship building.
--Pg. 11 of "The Hunt" by Andrew Fukuda
Under the flickering light of the candle, colors burst into being, flooding the room with pools of melted rainbows.
--Pg. 24 of "The Hunt" by Andrew Fukuda
He can whisper a rat to death with the razor-sharp incisions of his carefully nuanced words.
--Pg. 52 of "The Hunt" by Andrew Fukuda
I can never forget that her beauty is laced with poison, that her lips veil twin rows of knives, that her heart is enclosed by a razor-sharp rib cage.
--Pg. 143 of "The Hunt" by Andrew Fukuda
She peers at my face as if it were a page, like a toddler learning how to read, enunciating in her mind the syllables of emotion on my face.
