Review: Of Triton by Anna Banks

Of Triton by Anna Banks
256 Pages
Release Date: May 28th, 2013
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Mermaids, Fantasy
Level: YA
Rating: 4.5 STARS

Goodreads Summary:

In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

MY THOUGHTS:

           I know, I know, its mermaids. BUT its good I swear!! Personally I love mermaids! They are so cool to me, especially the ones that can shift their fins into legs and walk on land! Now if you haven't read Of Poseidon I suggest you do that because this is major spoil-ige right here. If you are a hard core book nerd and will read this series even knowing what will happen I commend you, you are amazing. MOVING ON! So when I finished Of Poseidon I was like "Wait! What? Where's the rest?!?!" When I figured out there was a second I was ecstatic. Of Poseidon was funny, adorable, and really just wonderful and left me with a pleasant feeling inside even with the ending. So I started reading Of Triton thinking that this was gonna be like the last one and not emotionally traumatizing, I mean common its Emma and Galen. AHAHAHAHA I was so wrong! Dont get me wrong this book was amazing and funny and adorable too...but it was soooo not what i was expecting. It was so much more nerve wraking and endless amounts of "oh my gosh, oh my gosh, no how are they gonna fix this!?!?! AAHHH!!!" Basically *grins* I loved it! Here's why:

      Emma. Emma is amazing. She is half Syrean and half human so she can't grow a fin or blend but she can breathe underwater and doesn't get hypothermia. Her mom is the long lost Syrena princess Nalia who was betrothed to Galen's brother Grom. Now Emma isn't bad-ass in the usual sense of like amazingly strong and scary, she's bad-ass in the sense of her temper is legendary and her snarky comments? The funniest! She is one of the most like-able characters who's POV I have read from. Other characters always have that one thing that irritates me, but not Emma. She is the bomb. Emma is strong willed, bull headed, and really reeeaaallly smart(a deadly combination for any unsuspecting Syrena). OHMYSWEETGOODNESS!!!! And her Gift! She can control fish! It sounds lame but its not, she can control anything under the sea: sharks, whales, dolphins, fish...all of them. Its pretty cool. 
       
     Now Galen. He is a Syrena prince and *cough* is in love with Emma and she with him. *grins like a lunatic* It is so cute I can't even begin to describe it!!! *laughs* I describe a particular scene from this book with an adorable moment between them to one of my friend and her response was "Why can't this be my life?" <3 Its just......*still grinning* they are wonderful and adorable. He knows just how to keep Emma calm and she knows just how to keep him sane and keep his confidence up. GAH!
      
      There are two other couples that I want to discuss briefly: Toraf and Rayna & Nalia and Grom. THEY ALL ARE SO PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER OH MY GOSH!!!!! They are all cute and adorable and make me want to squeal and giggle and just have relationship like that and then die from the happiness of it all. No exaggeration. They just fit each other perfectly. 
     
      Now the only hard part for me with this book was the villain Jagen(I think thats his name sorry if it isn't). He is just SO terrible and his motivations were never really clear to me, like at all. He just uuuggghhh I don't know I hate him like you're supposed to but he irritates me not just as a person but as a character! And his daughter Paca!!! Like WTF!!!! Grow some balls or think for yourself or SOMETHING!!!! JEEZ!!!!
      
       Overall I really loved, loved, LOVED this book and the one before it! They are filled with adorable snarky wonderful rainbows. You should read them. Yup. Definitely should. Seriously the relationships and characters *dies* wonderful, just wonderful.  

Event Recap: Goddess by Josephine Angelini Release Party

On Tuesday, Caitlyn and I had a the AMAZING chance to go to the Goddess release party!

We got there an hour early so we got good seats and talked till Josie came!

Also random, but I was also on Twitter and the Of Triton Twitter party was also going on and to win a Of Poseidon and Of Triton, Anna Banks asked us to tweet out duck face pic, which Caitlyn totally did! But apparently it didn't tweet *huffs* And I don't have her permission to put it on this post or else I would!

Anyways, since there was time, I went to see if I could find a legit duck picture book or something in the kid's section. But I found something better....an actual duck:

BACK to release party! 

There were CUPCAKES!! Delicious cupcakes :P

I FINALLY got to meet AVA from Why Ava Reads and hug her!!! We didn't get a chance to talk because we had to leave after but we must next time I meet her!!

At 7:00, all the chairs started to fill up and Josephine Angelini made an entrance!

Josie is a ball of sunshine and is super awesome! She immediately connected with the crowd!

She then answered any of the audience's questions they had for her and the Starcrossed series.

She then read chapter 5 from Goddess  (and I may have gone photo crazy) 

 

She answered a few more questions. One was actually from Anna Carey, author of the Eve trilogy, who came to support Josie! Josie also mentioned about doing a prequel about Daphne's story in first person POV. She also said that when she turned in Goddess, her editor/publisher gave it back to her saying how wonderful it was except for the fact that it didn't have a beginning. She had a mini heart attack and said that the first 3-4 chapters were never originally there.

Another question led to one of her new books called Crusable which is a cross between fantasy and sci-fi about a girl names Lily who gets taken to an alternate universe by Lilian her parallel self and Lillian is an evil witch from the Salem Witch Trials where she kills all scientists and stuff. Josie being the ever kind person read us the prologue of it on her phone. And I can't wait to read it! It sounds so original and different!!

Then there was a signing!! 

I unfortunately don't own the books and found Starcrossed via library so I never bought it.

(Josephine Angelini and me) 

(Caitlyn with her signed books and Josephine Angelini)

I had so much fun Tuesday night! Thank you HarperTeen and Epic Reads for throwing all this together!!

We can now say that we are official high school students for attending a party ignoring the fact that it was a release party that took place in a book store ;P 

I do hope I get to see Josephine Angelini again too!! 

Waiting on Wednesday (36)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where that spotlights the upcoming books I am currently anticipating.

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Release Date: November 19th, 2013 

Publisher: Razorbill

ADD TO GOODREADS

Goodreads Summary:

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

That cover? Yeah soooo not working for me.

But I LOVE LOVE Richelle Mead's ADRIAN series!!

PLUS its dualed POV so we get into Adrian's head too!!!! 

SO NOT looking forward to reading about Zoe though >.<

BUT SYDRIAN!!!!!!!

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Comment and add your link below!!

New Releases: May 27th-June 2nd

May 28th:

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Of Triton by Anna Banks 

Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer

The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne
Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Imposter by Susanne Winnacker

Not many releases this week but GODDESS IS FINALLY RELEASING AND MUST READ

Anti-BEA Read-A-Thon

The Anti-BEA Read-A-Thon starts today!! If you haven't already heard about it, Inky from Book Haven Extraordinaire thought up about having a last minute read-a-thon while BEA is going on for all the readers NOT going to BEA. It's a great way to go through your TBR list and *cough* try to forget about all the books people from BEA are going to have. Read her post HERE.

The run down of it all is that for this whole week, starting from today to June 2nd, we're going to be going on a reading binge. Help spread word about Anti-BEA Read-A-Thon by using the hashtag: #antiBEAReadathon 

or tweet about your progress throughout the week!!  

Cover Reveal: Endless Knight by Kresley Cole

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole
Release Date: October 1st 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

ADD TO GOODREADS

I'm so sorry to say this but this is just a horrible cover.

I like the font and background and its color scheme

but that dude is creepy and both him and the girl look like they seriously computerized and it just looks weird...

Review: Parallel by Lauren Miller

Parallel by Lauren Miller
419 Pages
Release Date: May 14th, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Sci-Fi
Level: YA
Rating: 4 STARS

Goodreads Summary:

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

MY THOUGHTS:
        Wow! Parallel by Lauren Miller literally has fried my brain. The concept was so scientific and explained in such a way that I was awed by its complexity yet simplicity of it. It's also an idea that YA authors never grasped, so its pretty cool having a story dealing with it!!

        Abby is the type of girl that plan everything and doubts that anything could lead her plans a stray. In her story, we see her Parallel self deal with just that, everything not turning according to plan. Parallel Abby I will admit was a bit irritable and annoying and it's seen as she interacts with her friends, *coughs* Josh, school (in general), and her parents. No matter how much Abby thinks she would have never done the same decisions as Parallel Abby, I think she totally would have. Abby is a determined girl who's life still kind of confused on like that moment you totally understand what's happening, then this small thing or line is said and  you're like,"Whaaaaaaa???" Which also is what my reaction was throughout the book.

     I loved the conceptual-ness needed for Parallel and seeing how it worked. Ok....well not really the conceptual-ness but I did really like the way it was presented and the idea in general. Gustav Mann (I think that's his name, not entirely sure) was a great Albert Einstein look a like kind of character and it was interesting all his theories on "entanglement of universes". The catalyst for all this was trouble/drama in Abby's life is really just the clash of the parallel universes which may I add coincidentally occurred on my birthday :P
Caitlin was also a great supportive, nerdy but awesome best friend who totally accepted the whole parallel universe theory helping out Abby in any way she could.

      The only thing I didn't like about this story was all the unanswered questions buzzing around in my head throughout the course of the book. I think Lauren Miller did try to answer things without giving away stuff that would spoil the book but it took my brain quite some time to get used to the whole sci-fi-ness of it all. There also may be some spoiler questions so you're warned!!!

• Was her being in L.A, her actual life or what?? *does not know how exactly L.A fit into this*
• Follow up to previous question: And if L.A was her actual life, then shouldn't there just be only another parallel universe? Or was it specifically suppose to show her life in L.A and then branch two ways and show just the parallel universes of her other life if she didn't get to choose drama class?
• When Michael and Abby meet, they didn't know each other, but when she's talking to Caitlin, Caitlin says that Abby did kind of know Michael. If that were the case then why didn't Michael know Abby when she first saw him? Or did that happen because of something Parallel Abby did so her and Michael had never met until Abby officially met him?
• And I wasn't really sure but does the whole parallel universe affect all the other characters too?

      Then there's Josh....and Michael. *groans* Two lovely, fantastic guys..yet again. In the beginning, I honestly thought Josh was a super-ly minor character that would have been thrown out one she meets Michael, but then Parallel Abby starts dating him and they're so cute and adorable together!! He is super awesome and understanding of course. And then there's Michael, who I LOVE and is dating Abby. But then this super spoiler-y thing that I won't be telling you thing happens and I had the "OMG!WHATJUSTHAPPENED?THISISAMAZINGBUTNOT!ANDIMKINDACONFUSEDNOW" moment and expression which involved a lot of squealing, "Oh my god(s)", and spazzing. Don't judge me, I'm crazy like that. The thing I didn't like about the romance was that I felt that there wasn't a big connection between Abby and Josh/Michael and that it lacked moments of them truly together, not just on a date. However Lauren did an exceptional job piecing together everything so you understood what happened between all of them by the end of the book. 

      Parallel is a world that will most definitely have you in a legit book hangover but was well done! It's definitely a book for a all the nerds and science/theory loving readers or just someone looking for a new kind of thing to read. However if you're not one for complexity and just want a straightforward book, this may not exactly be the book for you. Happy Readings! 

Review:The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
375 Pages
Release Date: April 1st, 2006
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Genre: Greek Mythology/Fantasy
Level: YA
Rating: 5 STARS

Goodreads Summary: 

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Excerpt and Giveaway: The Liberator by Victoria Scott

The lovely Victoria Scott presented all he soldiers part of the VMafia with the excerpt for The Liberator!!!

Isn't she WONDERFUL???

Goodreads Summary: 

Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard. 

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

Have more questions about the romance in THE LIBERATOR? Read a note from the author about Aspen's involvement in the story: http://tinyurl.com/asl8qyy 

EXCERPT:
When I open my eyes, the sun is trying to murder me. It’s shining on my face and making my head pound. Or maybe it’s my hangover that’s giving me the headache, but nonetheless—me and the sun?—we’re not on friendly terms.

Charlie murmurs beside me. My arms are still wrapped around her waist, and I suddenly realize I must have crashed out in her bed last night. If Grams wakes up and finds me here, she’ll run me a bath…and toss in the toaster.

“Morning, babe,” I whisper.

“Morning, hot stuff,” a distinctly male voice responds.

I whip around, my heart racing, and find Max sitting in a chair across the room.  “You look so hot when you first wake up,” he says. He raises a hand to his hair. “Got that whole sexy bed head thing going on.”

Charlie doesn’t even move from her place, but I feel her laughing against me. “Your friend is kind of creepy, Dante,” she manages.  

“Max, what the hell are you doing in here?” I ask, pulling the covers farther up even though I’m (regretfully) fully-clothed.

“Real question is, why did I wait so long to join you guys?” Max stands from his chair and cocks his head. A mischievous smile crawls across his face.

“No,” I say, trying to appear serious. “Don’t even think about it, dude.”

Max starts running in place, his smile widening farther until he looks deranged. “Ready or not!” Before I can stop him, Max races toward the bed and dives on top of us. “Oh! Oh it feels even better than I imagined.” He rolls back and forth across our bodies as Charlie laughs and I wonder why I’m friends with such a raging idiot.

With all my strength, I grab Max’s shirt and rotate him toward the edge. He falls off the side, his arms pin-wheeling. There’s a loud thud, and then nothing.

I wait for several seconds before leaning over to search for him. Max is lying face down on the floor, his arms and legs curled like a dead spider. “You’re not really hurt,” I say.

“I think you gave me spinal bifida. You need to call someone.”

“That’s a genetic disorder,” I respond with a sigh, collapsing back onto my pillow. A second later, he raises his head very, very slowly up from the side of the bed. It’s one of the more unsettling things he’s ever done.  “Max, is there a purpose to this visit?” I ask. I want so badly to act like he’s annoying me. But he knows, and I know, that we both love this game: the one where I pretend he’s a pain in my ass, and he acts like a damn circus clown.

He stands up, crosses the room, and plops back down in the chair. “Valery sent me.”

I throw an arm across my eyes. “Of course she did.” Beside me, Charlie moves to get up and I immediately reach for her. She squeals and wiggles out of my grasp.

I watch as she walks around the bed and ruffles Max’s hair. The twenty-eight year old pants like a dog. It’s a bit disturbing considering Charlie’s seventeen. She eyes me with a grin. “I’ll make waffles.”

My face lights up.

“Yes,” she continues. “And bacon.”

I glance at Max and nod toward Charlie. “That’s my girl.”

“Damn straight,” he says.

“I’m still making breakfast for your birthday,” I call after Charlie. Then, looking at Max, I add, “My girl’s going to be legal soon.”

Max says, “Boom.”

Don't you just love Max  all of Victoria's characters?!?! :P

Now.....its GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (35)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine that spotlights the upcoming books I am currently anticipating.

Belladonna (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #2) by Fiona Paul
Release Date: July 16th, 2013
Publisher: Philomel

ADD TO GOODREADS

Goodreads Summary:

In Renaissance Italy, love, lust, intrigue and secret societies converge to stunning results!

In the second in the stunning Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he’s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass’s life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose—the only evidence that will prove he’s innocent.

So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of vampirism, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who is working for the Order’s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.

Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time?
Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.

*WANTS* 

 Cass is going to Venice where her love is but is trying to save her fiance...

Odd? Nah not really just a bit more drama than normal :P

Can't wait to read Belladonna! Looks better than Venom!

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Comment and add your link below!!

New Releases: May 20th-26th

May 21st:

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

All I Need y Susane Colsanti

Night School by C.J Daugherty 

September Girls by Bennett Madison

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler 

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

Dark Shore: Book 2 of the Atlanteans by Kevin Emerson