Hidden Wings by Cameo Renae

Title: Hidden Wings
Author: Cameo Renae
Publisher: Indie Inked
Released: January 16th 2013
Pages: 204 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise.
As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.

Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.

A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

So ever since I saw Haley's review of this over at YA-Aholic, I've wanted to read it. So when I got accepted for a review copy, I was over the moon! I love angels and demons, and a few years ago I went through a complete stage of being obsessed with them - now I remember why! Hidden Wings was fast-paced and furious, with a witty band of characters and enemies like no other.

Top Ten Tuesday (#17)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten...Authors I Am Thankful For

Blog Tour: Bitter Like Orange Peel by Jessica Bell (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Title: Bitter Like Orange Peel

Author: Jessica Bell
Publisher: Vine Leaves Press
Released: November 1st 2013
Pages: 179 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Six women. One man. Seven secrets. One could ruin them all.

Kit is a twenty-five-year-old archaeology undergrad, who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. Life seems purposeless. But if she could track down her father, Roger, maybe her perspective would change.

The only problem—Roger is as rotten as the decomposing oranges in her back yard according to the women in her life: Ailish, her mother—an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and clichés, and who still hasn’t learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister—a depressed archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy’s mother—a pediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and named her daughter after "Intravenous."

Against all three women’s wishes, Kit decides to find Roger.
Enter a sister Kit never knew about.
But everyone else did.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
If Jessica Bell could choose only one creative mentor, she’d give the role to Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyrics. This is not only because she currently resides in Athens, Greece, but because of her life as a thirty-something Australian-native contemporary fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist, whose literary inspiration often stems from songs she’s written. Jessica is the Co-Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal and annually runs the Homeric Writers’ Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca. For more information, please visit her website: www.jessicabellauthor.com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

EXCERPT
KIT

His head is ripped off. In that photograph. Of him. Kit spots it buried among four years’ worth of undergraduate essays—the photo she stole from her half sister, Ivy, and misplaced in an effort to keep safe.
She drags her bottom dresser drawer out too far. The stiff wood clunks as it slips out of its casing and hits the floor with a thud. Sitting cross-legged and naked on the hot, itchy carpet, she stares at the photograph. At five-year-old Ivy’s carefree grin and trusting arms wrapped around her father’s knees at the Melbourne zoo. A drop of sweat tickles Kit’s crotch. She scratches herself and wipes her wet fingers on the carpet beside her thigh. Stares at her father’s hand placed delicately on the top of Ivy’s head, and Ivy’s sideways and upward glance toward his nonexistent face. Kit touches the top of her own head, imagining what his touch may have felt like, what she would give to have been Ivy those twenty-five years ago, before she was even born.

Stacking the Shelves (#12)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews where bloggers get together and show off what new reads are stacking up on their shelves.

For Review
Imposter by Susanne Winnacker (from Hachette Children's Books via Netgalley)
Witchfinder by Ruth Warburton (from Hachette Children's Books via Netgalley)
Game Slaves by Gard Skinner (from Harcourt Children's Books via Netgalley)
Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins (for a YABound blog tour)
Red by Alison Cherry (from Quercus Books via Netgalley)
The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello (from Diversion Books via Netgalley)
Allegiant by Veronica Roth (SQUEE! Thank you HarperCollins!)

Borrowed
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake (from Paige)

Bought
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Gifted
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (from Paige)
The below books from the Guardian for winning the Young Critics competition

So what have you received this week? Leave a comment below!

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Title: Freakboy
Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Released: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 448 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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From the outside, Brendan Chase seems to have it pretty easy. He’s a star wrestler, a video game aficionado, and a loving boyfriend to his seemingly perfect match, Vanessa. But on the inside, Brendan struggles to understand why his body feels so wrong—why he sometimes fantasizes having long hair, soft skin, and gentle curves. Is there even a name for guys like him? Guys who sometimes want to be girls? Or is Brendan just a freak?

In Freakboy's razor-sharp verse, Kristin Clark folds three narratives into one powerful story: Brendan trying to understand his sexual identity, Vanessa fighting to keep her and Brendan’s relationship alive, and Angel struggling to confront her demons.

This is the second verse book I have read, and the first of which I have reviewed. I'm a keen supporter of LGBT rights, and I never turn down an opportunity to learn a bit more about the different situations people of the LGBT community have been through, fictional or otherwise. I've read a few novels centred around being transgender, and I'm honestly amazed at the strength these people have - how horribly they are judged, but how they still persevere to get what they know is right. Freakboy was an amazing story, and I'm just left in awe.

Waiting on Wednesday (#36)

Waiting on Wednesday' is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Top Ten Tuesday (#16)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten... Books I'd Recommend To A Reluctant Male Reader

The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles

Title: The Kissing Booth
Author: Beth Reekles
Publisher: Random House Children's
Released: December 13th 2012
Pages: 448 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular--and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile--and a total player. And also Elle's best friend's older brother... 

When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer--this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak. 

But will Elle get her happily ever after?

I don't like cheesy books and I don't like cheesy couples yet I liked The Kissing Booth.  Please go and figure. Something about this read appealed to me, so despite it's vast amount of teen angst, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're looking for a light, easy-going read, I'd definitely recommend this.

Netgalley November: Week 1 & 2 Wrap Up

Hey guys! So last week I forgot to post a wrap up (I know, I'm a terrible human being!) so this week's counts for two!

Books I Finished in Week 1

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Books I Finished in Week 2

The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns / The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles

What I'm Currently Reading

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Although I'd hoped to be further ahead by this point, I have had blog tour books to read on top of school work and my part-time job, so all in all I'm not too far behind. This next week I'm hoping to get through three more books, so fingers crossed! Also look out for my review of The Kissing Booth.

V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Title: V For Vendetta
Author: Alan Moore
Illustrator: David Lloyd
Publisher: Vertigo
Released: March 1982
Pages: 296 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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"Good evening, London." It's nine o'clock and this is The Voice of Fate... It is the Fifth of the Eleventh, Nineteen-Ninety-Seven...

"The people of London are advised that the Brixton and Streatham areas are quarantine zones as of today. It is suggested that these areas be avoided for reasons of health and safety...

Police raided seventeen homes in the Birmingham area early this morning, uncovering what is believed to be a major terrorist ring. Twenty people, either of them women, are currently in detention awaiting trial...

The weather will be fine until 12:07 A.M. when a shower will commence, lasting until 1:30 A.M... 

Have a pleasant evening."

A frightening and powerful tale of the loss of freedom and identity in a chillingly believable totalitarian world, V for Vendetta stands as one of the highest achievements of the comics medium and a defining work for creators Alan Moore and David Lloyd.

Set in an imagined future England that has given itself over to fascism, this groundbreaking story captures both the suffocating nature of life in an authoritarian police state and the redemptive power of the human spirit which rebels against it. Crafted with sterling clarity and intelligence, V for Vendetta brings an unequaled depth of characterization and verisimilitude to its unflinching account of oppression and resistance.

"Remember, remember the fifth of November..."

V For Vendetta is my favourite film, full stop. Books have always had the ability to make me cry easier than films, yet somehow V makes me bawl like a baby every single time. So imagine what I was like when I found out that it was originally adapted from a DC graphic novel (and that my best friend conveniently had a copy of it) To be honest, both the novel and the film are equally amazing, and I must say that it is possibly one of the most accurate film adaptations ever.

The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns

Title: The Name on Your Wrist
Author: Helen Hiorns
Publisher: RHCP Digital
Released: July 15th 2013
Pages: 185 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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It's the first thing they teach you when you start school. But they don't need to; your parents tell you when you're first learning how to say your name. It's drummed into you whilst you're taking your first stumbling steps. It's your lullaby. From the moment it first appears, you don't tell anyone the name on your wrist.

In Corin's world, your carpinomen - the name of your soul mate, marked indelibly on your wrist from the age of two or three - is everything. It's your most preciously guarded secret; a piece of knowledge that can give another person ultimate power over you. People spend years, even decades, searching for the one they're supposed to be with.

But what if you never find that person? Or you do, but you just don't love them? What if you fall for someone else - someone other than the name on your wrist?

And what if - like Corin - the last thing in the world you want is to be found?

I can't decide on a rating. I can't decide on a rating and I hate it when that happens! The Name on Your Wrist's synopsis piqued my interest, and whilst on one hand I want to sing its praises, on the other I just can't get over the fact that nothing happened.

Blog Tour: Intermix Nation by M. P. Attardo (Review + Giveaway)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.P. Attardo is a twenty-something, part-time writer, full-time daydreamer. She has a college degree … is still trying to figure out what ever to do with it. She loves amateur baseball commentating, heckling, and overindulging. And putting her bizarre, gritty thoughts into words for all to read.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

REVIEW
Title: Intermix Nation
Author: M. P. Attardo
Publisher: Self
Released: March 5th 2013
Pages: 331 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Intermix: to mix together, blend

North America, paragon of diversity, is gone. From its ashes, a new nation has arisen – Renatus – where the government segregates the surviving population into races, forbidding interracial marriage, mating, and love.

Eighteen-year-old Nazirah Nation is a pariah, an intermix, born of people from different races. When her parents are murdered in the name of justice, Nazirah grudgingly joins the growing rebellion fighting against the despotic government.

Overwhelmed with grief, consumed by guilt, Nazirah craves vengeance as a substitute for absolution. But on her journey to find the girl she once was, Nazirah must learn the hard way that nothing … no one … is purely black or white. Like her, every human is intermix, shades and hues of complex emotions. And those who can take everything away are also the ones who can give everything back.

Well, I really wasn't prepared for that emotional rollercoaster! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew Intermix Nation was a book I had to read. As someone who is mixed heritage, I know what it's like to be of two different ethnicities but feel that, at times, I belong to neither. In Attardo's debut, North America has been divided into a land known as Renatus. The divides have been put in place to separate races, forbidding them from mixing – but love can conquer boundaries, and the children of two races are born. They are known as intermix, and are cast out by everyone but their own. Nazirah is an intermix, but not just anyone – she is the face of the rebellion, a beacon of hope for the citizens of Renatus. But Irri has her own past, and if she’s going to win over the nation, she’s going to have to face her biggest enemy yet: Adamek Morgen, murderer of her parents.

I can't believe how well-written this was, especially for a debut novel. I'm not suggesting that debut authors are bad, but usually since it's their first book, they're still trying to find their own individual style. Attardo has her style set. Admittedly I at first found it strange to read in the person she used, but as I became more engrossed in the story, I grew used to it. Aside from that, the language, the plot, the build up...it was the perfect concoction for a story.

Nazirah Nation has to be one of my favourite protagonists of all time. I know I can go on a bit about how I love my brave heroines, but I think she's one of the strongest I've ever come across. Nazirah is put through a lot of trials, yet she is as hard as nails the entire time. She is a true face of a rebellion, and because of that she made the diegesis, the plot, the idea believable. 

Adamek Morgen is my latest addiction. When we were first introduced to him, I just thought he'd be the counterpart to Nazirah, an enemy to reinforce the idea that she is the good guy. However, halfway through and I realised she created him to be so much more than that. Although the book centers around the issue of racism, it also talks about forgiveness. How can you forgive someone who has wronged you so terribly? He is a counterpart, that's for sure, but he's not necessarily just the enemy. Although we don't find as much out about his past as I would have liked, his character holds a depth so vast that you can't help but feel that he's real. 

This may seem strange, but one thing I really loved about Intermix Nation was how Attardo managed to get this entire story into just one book. A lot of dystopians nowadays are split into a trilogy, a lot of which tend to fall short towards the end. Although I do like it when books are a series, I was glad she just got to the point with the story and didn't unnecessarily drag it out, making it intense, dynamic and dramatic.

I must admit, I really am impressed with Attardo. Debut novels rarely come as good as this, especially New Adult books. This genre has me skeptical, but this book just had the right amount of snarky language, witty characters and smoky sex scenes to be perfect. I recommend this book 100%, it's one of the best indies I've read yet.
Rating: 5/5

GIVEAWAY

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Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Title: Crash Into You
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher:  Harlequin Teem
Release: November 26th 2013
Pages: 489 (Kindle)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Am I the only girl stupid enough not to have fallen in love with Isaiah from book one? Yes? Well, better late that never! The Pushing the Limits trilogy is one of my favourite YA contemps out there, and you wouldn't believe how excited I was when I received an ARC of it. True to what is becoming McGarry's fashion, it was an absolutely breathtaking read - imagine my relief when I found out that the series wasn't ending here!

Top Ten Tuesday (#15)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten... Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

Blog Tour: The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray (Author Interview)

Title: The Dollhouse Asylum
Author: Mary Gray
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Released: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 292 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
Add on Goodreads
My review

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Gray has a fascination with all things creepy. That’s why all her favorite stories usually involve panic attacks and hyperventilating. In real life, she prefers to type away on her computer, ogle over her favorite TV shows, and savor fiction. When she’s not immersed in other worlds, she and her husband get their exercise by chasing after their three children. The Dollhouse Asylum is her first novel.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

INTERVIEW
What inspired you to write The Dollhouse Asylum?

I had this image of a girl trapped in a subdivision in the middle of nowhere by a man she both loves and hates. Also, I had finished reading Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and wanted to write a book with the same writing style and creepy vibe. Finally, at the time, I was living in Virginia, and desperately wanted to move to Texas, so I knew my subdivision had to be in Texas.

Top Ten Tuesday (#14)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten... Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On

Netgalley November

Netgalley November is a month-long event where bloggers try to catch up with some of their TBR Netgalley titles. Personally I have quite a lot of these, so despite the fact that I have a few tour books to read and required reading books for my English class, I thought Heck, why not? There are five challenge categories, and despite the fact that I'll be lucky to read 10, I've picked 15 (just in case).

Challenge Categories:

Easy: 1-4

Medium: 5-10

Hard: 11-15

Difficult: 16-20

Netgalley Superstar: 21+

The Books:

Freakboy / Crash Into You / The Name on Your Wrist

Hidden Wings / The Kissing Booth / Fireblood

Pawn / Wild Cards / Inhuman

The Naturals / After Eden / Noble Conflict

Parasite / Freak of Nature / Countdown

So those are my targets for this month - what are yours? Leave a comment below, and I wish you all the best of luck!

Book of the Month: October

This month - wait for it - I've given out no fives! Admittedly I haven't read as much as I would have liked, but I've read quite a few. Although I gave Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Requiem by Lauren Oliver, Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader, and Lover Eternal by J. R. Ward the same score, this month the winner has got to be Requiem.

I adore Oliver's writing style. She is perhaps one of the best and most consistent YA authors I have ever come across, and I know that her next novel, Panic, will be just as amazing. The Delirium trilogy was fantastic, one of my favourites by far, and although I was sad to see it end, it got a good send off. One hundred percent recommend!

Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader

Title: Escape from Eden

Author: Elisa Nader 

Publisher: Merit Press

Released: July 18th 2013

Pages: 272 (eBook)

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Add on Goodreads

Since the age of ten, Mia has rebelled against the iron fist of a fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join a fanatical family of followers. At "Edenton," a supposed Garden of Eden deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the reverend's strict and arbitrary rules--even about whom they can marry. Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in and the curious out. 

When the rebellious Gabe, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees her chance to escape and to free her family. But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound's facade are more shocking than anything they imagined. While Gabe has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friend and freedom fighters. But there's no time to think about love as they race against time to stop the reverend's paranoid plan to free his flock--but not himself--from this corrupt world. 

Can two kids crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman whose only concern is his own secrets?

Oh my days, what an emotional rollercoaster! When I first read the Escape from Eden synopsis, I was intrigued. Although I don't really like books that have a heavily religious aspect, I was happily surprised by the fact that although it talks about religion, the book is about a lot more than that. Nader has created a unique idea - a paradise in the modern world where struggling people seek to find refuge under the guidance of the Reverand. However, the reality of this "Eden" is far from what the Bible promised, and the main character, Mia, alongside rebel Gabriel are about to find out what temptations lurk beneath the façade.