{Review} Always Emily - Michaela MacColl

Always Emily by Michaela MacColl
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Release Date: Apr 8 / 2014
Publisher: Chronicle Books

Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they’re not there yet. First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.

{Review} The Impossible Knife of Memory - Laurie Halse Anderson

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: Jan 7 / 2014
Publisher: Viking Juvenile

For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

{Review} Sekret - Lindsay Smith

Sekret by Lindsay Smith
Genre: YA Paranormal / Historical Fiction
Release Date: Apr 1 / 2014
Publisher: Roaring Book Press

An empty mind is a safe mind.

Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one--not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention--and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.

{Weekly Craving} March 2014 #4

Weekly Craving is a weekly feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR

{Mini Review} Don't Even Think About It - Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: YA Contemporary / Paranormal
Release Date: Mar 11 / 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

*A copy was provided by the publisher for review*

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley!

Don't Even Think About It is a pretty light and fun contemporary about what happened to a class of kids that got telepathy from vaccine. The way the story was narrated was quite different with "we" and "us", but it was easy to get used to. When the students suddenly developed ESP, everyone can suddenly listen in on everyone's thoughts and that way all the secrets were revealed. My favourite characters were probably BJ and Olivia. BJ was an interesting character because he didn't actually think differently than he acts. Olivia is quite and shy but now she's forced to share what she thinks with everyone. She also learns to be more open and grew as a person. I'd recommend this to people who just wants to read something short and fun!

{Review} Nil - Lynne Matson

Nil by Lynne Matson
Genre: YA Dystopia
Release Date: Mar 4 / 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

{Weekly Craving} March 2014 #3

Weekly Craving is a feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR

Stacking the Shelves - March 2014

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

that shows what you got in your haul every week.

{Novella Review} Fracture Me - Tahereh Mafi

Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #2.5
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Date: Dec 17 / 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins

In this electrifying sixty-page companion novella to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, discover the fate of the Omega Point rebels as they go up against The Reestablishment. Set during and soon after the final moments of Unravel Me, Fracture Me is told from Adam's perspective.

As Omega Point prepares to launch an all-out assault on The Reestablishment soldiers stationed in Sector 45, Adam's focus couldn't be further from the upcoming battle. He's reeling from his breakup with Juliette, scared for his best friend's life, and as concerned as ever for his brother James's safety. And just as Adam begins to wonder if this life is really for him, the alarms sound. It's time for war.

On the battlefield, it seems like the odds are in their favor—but taking down Warner, Adam's newly discovered half brother, won't be that easy. The Reestablishment can't tolerate a rebellion, and they'll do anything to crush the resistance . . . including killing everyone Adam has ever cared about.

Fracture Me sets the stage for Ignite Me, the explosive finale in Tahereh Mafi's epic dystopian series. It's a novella not to be missed by fans who crave action-packed stories with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu.

- My review of Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5)

Fracture Me is a novella told from the perspective of Adam. After Unravel Me, I didn't like Adam much. I found him clingy and annoying. I think Fracture Me was suppose to make me like him better. Well, I can see that he has priorities in the war and that he doesn't want to lose anyone that he loves. It didn't make me like or dislike him more. My opinion of him stayed the same. This novella picked up right where Unravel left, with Warner leaving Omega Point. Having a glimpse into Adam's mind is nice but it didn't feel that crucial to the whole story.

Waiting on Wednesday #61 - Plus One

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

that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating

{Review} 16 Things I Thought Were True - Janet Gurtler

16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: Mar 4 / 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue

When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue

Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue

With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

{Weekly Craving} March 2014 #2

Weekly Craving is a feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR

{Review} The Winner's Curse - Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: Mar 4 / 2014
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

{Review} The Nightmare Dilemma - Mindee Arnett

The Nightmare Dilemma by Mindee Arnett
Series: The Arkwell Academy #2
Genre: YA Paranormal, Mystery
Release Date: Mar 4 / 2014
Publisher: Tor Teen

The second in a thrilling new fantastical mystery series.

Dusty Everhart might be able to predict the future through the dreams of her crush, Eli Booker, but that doesn’t make her life even remotely easy. When one of her mermaid friends is viciously assaulted and left for dead, and the school’s jokester, Lance Rathbone, is accused of the crime, Dusty’s as shocked as everybody else. Lance needs Dusty to prove his innocence by finding the real attacker, but that’s easier asked than done. Eli’s dreams are no help, more nightmares than prophecies.

To make matters worse, Dusty’s ex-boyfriend has just been acquitted of conspiracy and is now back at school, reminding Dusty of why she fell for him in the first place. The Magi Senate needs Dusty to get close to him, to discover his real motives. But this order infuriates Eli, who has started his own campaign for Dusty’s heart.

As Dusty takes on both cases, she begins to suspect they’re connected to something bigger. And there’s something very wrong with Eli’s dreams, signs that point to a darker plot than they could have ever imagined.

Waiting on Wednesday #60 - Boundless

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

that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating

{Review} Grim - Various Authors

Grim by Various Authors edited by Christine Johnson
Genre: YA Fairy Tale Retellings
Release Date: Feb 25 / 2014
Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today:

Ellen Hopkins, Amanda Hocking, Julie Kagawa, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Kimberly Derting, Myra McEntire, Malinda Lo, Sarah Rees-Brennan, Jackson Pearce, Christine Johnson, Jeri Smith Ready, Shaun David Hutchinson, Saundra Mitchell, Sonia Gensler, Tessa Gratton, Jon Skrovan

Two things:

New bleed setting so you need to add more to the top and bottom.

No copy in Joint.

{Weekly Craving} March 2014 #1

Weekly Craving is a feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR

{Review} My Life with the Walter Boys - Ali Novak

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: March 1 / 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Sixteen-year-old Jackie Howard is devastated when her parents are killed in a car accident. She has no one to turn to except for her mom's best friend Katherine Walter. Jackie quickly discovers that Katherine is no stranger to being a mom-she's got twelve boys! And every single one is a handful...

Adjusting to life with the Walter boys is not going to be easy, especially when two of them start to show an interest that definitely goes beyond brotherly.