Sunday, January 20, 2013

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myrcle






Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myrcle
Publication date: October 1, 2008 (Speak)


On the night before Christmas, Gracetown, North Carolina is hit with a terrible blizzard. Jubilee finds herself being shipped to her grandparents’ house the night of Christmas Eve; Tobin and his friends race to reach the Waffle House first to have the privilege of dining on waffles and hanging out with hot cheerleaders; Addie spends the what should be cheerful holiday trying to get over her ex-boyfriend who is consequently the only thing she can think of. Along the way, these three teenagers stumble upon romances in ways- and in people- they never expected to find it.

Three of today’s top Young Adult authors (John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myrcle) came together to weave this novel of winter romances. Each author contributed a short story that cleverly (and sometimes subtly) connected with one another.

For not being given a lot of pages to work with, each author is able to give a well delivered story. The plots don’t seem rushed at all, the characters are fairly well developed, and the stories come together nicely even though they are three separate tales.

However, out of the three, I felt Myrcle’s story was the weakest. Some points were repeated too often and Addie sometimes came off as whiny which got to be annoying a couple of times. Not to mention her critical character flaw was pointed out one too many times.

But all in all this book is an enjoyable read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good romance.


(4 out of 5)

~ Yajaira (SynysterShadows)


Monday, December 31, 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM FLESH & BOOKS (and books we're excited for)



Hello, survivors of the 2012 apocalypse! To celebrate our survival of what we think is the 3rd apocalypse in our lifetime, we have decided to restart our book blog. We apologize for the unannounced and rather long hiatus but life got all “hey, have some extra suck” became lifeish and got in the way like it has a habit of doing. BUT NOW WE'RE BACK. We will try to post a review at least once a week, possibly more if time and life are feeling kind. To kick things off, we are bringing you two books apiece that we're looking forward to in the next year. We hope you all had a safe and happy new year! Enjoy!

Rachel’s picks:



Requiem (Delirium #3) by Lauren Oliver
Publication date: March 5, 2013 (HarperTeen)

As the third and final book in Lauren Oliver’s dystopian series, there are mild spoilers ahead...

From Goodreads:

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancĂ©e of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.



The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Publication date: June 4, 2013 (Viking Juvenile)


 From Barnes & Noble:


Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.
Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.
Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?
Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?




Yajaira's picks:




Altered (#1) by Jennifer Rush

Publication date: January 1, 2013 (Little, Brown & Co.)

From Goodreads:

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?
Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.
Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.
Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.





Music of the Heart by Katie Ashley

Publication date: February ?, 2013

From Goodreads:

For Abby Renard, the plan was supposed to be simple—join her brothers’ band on the last leg of their summer tour and decide if she’s finally ready for the limelight by becoming its fourth member. Of course, she never imagined stumbling onto the wrong tour bus at Rock Nation would accidentally land her in the bed of Jake Slater, the notorious womanizing lead singer of Runaway Train. When he mistakes her for one of his groupie’s, Abby quickly lets him know she sure as hell isn't in his bed on purpose.
Jake Slater never imagined the angel who fell into his bed would resist his charms by promptly kneeing him in the balls. Of course, the fact she seems like a prissy choir girl makes her anything but his type. So he is more than surprised when after betting Abby she wouldn’t last a week on their tour bus, she is more than willing to prove him wrong. But as Jake’s personal life begins to implode around him, he finds an unlikely ally in Abby. He’s never met a woman he can talk to, joke with, or most importantly make music with.
As the week starts comes to a close, neither Abby nor Jake is ready to let go. Can a sweetheart Country songstress and a bad boy of Rock N Roll actually have a future together?

Comment below and tell us what books will be making their way onto your ToBeRead piles!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (9/21/11): Bunheads by Sophie Flack


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Publication date: October 10, 2011  (Poppy)

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

- Tabbyc

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (8/17/11): All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Publication date: September 6, 2011

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.
Caffeine illegal? WTF? Noooooo! 

~ SynysterShadows 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (8/10/11): Bloodlines by Richelle Mead



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I really, really loved Vampire Academy. Hoping this spin-off series won't be a disappointment! 


Publication date: August 23, 2011 (Razorbill)

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

- Tabbyc

Friday, August 5, 2011

Seven Deadly Sins by Corey Taylor




Publication Date: July 12, 2011 (Perseus Books Group)

I’m not gonna lie; the only reason I was interested in this book at first was because Slipknot and Stone Sour singer Corey Taylor was the author. When I saw the title, I figured it was going to be a memoir of how he has committed each of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Boy was I wrong.


He makes it evident from the start that this is not going to be a memoir. He tells the reader that he will be talking about each of the seven sins are, as he puts it, bullshit. Committing a chapter to each sin, Taylor logically explains why each sin shouldn’t even be considered a sin. He occasionally throws in moments from his life in which he has committed the “sin” but then quickly points out the reasons as to why they aren’t a sin.


The only thing that ever sorta bothered me about this book was the random tangents he sometimes went off on. But most of the time he was able to relate it to what he was talking about.


All in all, I would suggest this book even if the arguments presented mean nothing to you. Look at more points of view, you know?

What I’m saying is that in all the chaos, remember to breathe, remember to smile, and remember that the only time to panic is when there is truly no tomorrow.

(3.75 out of 5)
~ SynysterShadows

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (8/3/11): The Pledge by Kimberly Derting


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Publication date: November 15, 2011 (Margaret K. McElderberry)

From Goodreads: 

Words are the most dangerous weapon of all.

 

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

 

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.


~ SynysterShadows