Review of: Rise(Eve, #3) by Anna Carey

Rise(Eve, #3) by Anna Carey

Page Count(Paperback Edition): 310 pgs
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: April 2nd, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
My Rating: 2/5 stars
Read: from 10/26/14 to 12/22/14
Source: Books-A-Million
Synopsis: 

How far will you go when you have nothing left to lose?

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America—and the blushing bride of her father's top adviser—Eve's whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb's memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King's court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she's called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion—killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion. 

(from Goodreads)

First off, Merry Christmas everyone, if you celebrate it! I had a wonderful day with family and friends, and I'm looking forward to the coming days to spend time with some special people :)

Okay so I have to be truthful here, but also give the author some credit. The first half of the book, I had huge aspirations for. I was completely happy, until the ending. From there, Carey lost me. I have no words other than I'm disappointed in this trilogy's ending.

By far, the first 2 books in the series provided more rapid heartbeats than this book had the potential to. For lack of a better word, I was bored. I was utterly heartbroken at the end of Once when Caleb died, and didn't have much faith that the author could bring me out of the depressed hole she dug. 

I don't want to spoil anything but I do have to say that the ending was very unsatisfying. I felt that so much was left unsaid and unanswered, I'm so antsy. I NEED the answers! A certain character gets killed but I knew it was coming. I'm happy hes gone actually. But there was no drama to his death!! I was baffled. After all the struggle, he was gone in a split second.

Eve remained pretty true to herself  throughout the book and pregnancy, which was a relief. Of course, the baby is Caleb's. OF COURSE it is. She decided to lead a group of girls from a mixture of schools to Califia, the women's camp in the Outlands. I have to get her credit as well; there is no way I could have survived pregnant in the wild. She's tough as a rock.

One big positive was how easily I have been able to imagine "The New America" in the past 3 books. I visualize the capital, City of Sand being located along the East Coast of the US, around where Alabama is presently. I see the outlands as everything north, east and west of the capital walls. Directly north of the capital, I picture Califia to be stantioned, with their many houses and rivers and lakes. Due west from there, I see Eve's old School, and nearby there, I see her old house and neighborhood. It's sad, I can only picture what it looked like after the virus..

Overall, Rise didn't do much for me. The epilogue left me only slightly satisfied knowing that Eve is able to have a happy life in the future. Too brief, too short, etc. Not my cup of tea as the 3rd and final book of this series.

Review of/Blog Tour: How I Fall by Anne Eliot

How I Fall by Anne Eliot

Page Count(e-book Edition): 379 pgs
Publisher: Butterfly Books, LLC
Released: June 15th, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Read: from 7/1/14-7/15/14
Source: An e-book copy was sent in exchange for an honest review. Thank you bunches Anne!
Synopsis: 

ELLEN LIKES CAM * CAM LIKES ELLEN *
What if the one person you can't stop thinking about...
...can't stop thinking about you?

*CAM LIKES ELLEN *
What if during one long day you failed at everything because you met this glitter-crazed new girl who practically ruins your life? Worse, she insists you and your secret crush become best friends—with her?!! Only you don’t have time to be friends with insane people, and you think your crush might need to stay the way it’s always been: Distant. Impossible. In your head. This is because you have problems and secrets a crush would never understand.

*ELLEN LIKES CAM *
But what if the three of you wind up assigned to a group photography project, and rumors are already circling about the new girl being ridiculous? You know she’s nice but alone, so you convince your crush to help protect the new girl. Working on the project suddenly makes hanging out, texting, talking—and even high school—seem completely normal when it’s anything but.

ELLEN LIKES CAM * CAM LIKES ELLEN *
What if you fall for each other just enough to kiss…and it’s perfect? You tell secrets and make the kind of promises that might be impossible to keep when you’re only sixteen. Which is why, long before it all falls apart, you already knew nothing this beautiful could have been meant to be yours for long.

But what if… 

(from Goodreads)

This book wasn't just your traditional high school love, it was so much more than that. It was the scary truth of falling in love with someone who is so different than you imagine, but somehow, it makes perfect sense. How I Fall was able to shed light on the easy and hard parts of falling in love, all while keeping it upbeat and heartwarming.

I so wanted to scream at Cam in the beginning when I learned that he has had a crush on Ellen for all these years. I know its hard to talk to your crush and all, but starting a conversation can get you places! So I was very happy with how they came about being able to talk! I found it so adorable how Cam, the jock and high school quarterback, was so down to earth and didn't fall for any of the queen bee admirer's. He had seen Ellen's beauty in her strength, from living with CP for all her life. Despite Ellen's Cerebal Palsy, she really seemed to be a normal teenage girl to me!! I loved how she never let her condition stop her from pursuing her dreams and living her life as much as she could. I admire her!

I'm sorry that this is a spoiler but I WANTED TO SCREAM WITH PURE JOY EXCITEMENT HAPPINESS ELATION ETC when they kissed!!!!!!! It was the most perfect surreal moment. I even made them a hashtag : #camllen

Although their relationship was not picture perfect, Anne made it work so, so well. Their love for one another is true and real and I was gripping my kindle for dear life while reading. Their twisted lives made the plot so very action packed. The plot twist in the end almost killed me.  You'll know what I mean when you read this book, as I suggest you to go do NOW! 

So I really need the 2nd book right now, as in this second right now. Waiting for it to magically appear in my hands. *prays to the book gods for it*

Author Interview:

Me : When did you first really begin to love writing?

Anne: I loved writing for the first time when I joined Romance Writer’s of America and met the first of my ‘future best friends’! Writing, for the most part fills me with doubt and I never quite think it’s good enough. But going to writing classes, and meeting other writers? Now that is love.

Me: Out of all of your books so far, favorite character and why?

 Anne: Oh Haley, that’s a really tough question. I love them all because I spend so much time with them, but the names that jumped into my head was ‘best friend, Jenna’ because she did crack me up a lot. But…oh, then there’s Hunter and Vere and Jess and Gray, and Cam and Ellen, and…of course I have a crush on Patrick.

Me: How do you come up with the topics you write about?

Anne: The topics usually come up from my own life. Almost was about rape-related PTSD. That topic came about because when I was in high school a dear friend was raped at a party by an acquaintance of ours. Hunter Kennedy’s depression came about because I have 2 dear friends who were depressed as teens, and who both got better. One on her own, the other still needs medication to stay stabilized, and they are both such amazing moms and women now, I wanted to explore that time in life when you learn to love yourself and move on, despite what weighs you down. The topic of How I Fall, came about by an inspiring girl named Allison Winn who actually doesn’t have CP, but who has symptoms very similar to left sided CP. I wanted this girl to have a book about a girl who falls down some and who is tippy on one side of her body, but who still gets to have a normal love story. I settled on CP when looking for something to match her symptoms. The second book in this series, How I Fly, is about the same characters and we just switched the cover to green to salute CP Awareness because I’ve met such amazing teens like a girl called Chloe and and a young woman called Charisse who've really inspired me to work on spreading information about Cerebral Palsy awareness. 

Me: Favorite part about writing and least favorite part?

Anne: My favorite part about writing is when fans tell me they liked the story, and the least favorite part is when I can’t quiet the voices in my head that make me doubt myself as I write.

About the Author:

Anne Eliot writes sweet, first-love stories. She was raised in the mountains of Colorado, but says she really learned about life, love and friendships from summers spent with her large, Italian immigrant family in Ontario, Canada.

Anne is grateful to have had schools with inspiring teachers and librarians who directed her to worlds she would not have found on her own. To this day, she adores school visits, teaching writing to teens, and is dedicated to making sure kids in need have access to books that will fuel their hopes and dreams.

While growing up, Anne hid her own anxieties by hiding and reading book after book. She developed an addiction to first love, first kisses and her favorite: the happy-ever-after story. This is what she writes today. Now she's a mom of two and happily married to her own first love. Anne works hard to juggle being a wife and parent while writing, but fails at cooking because she is still trying to read book, after book of love stories on the side.

Anne Eliot’s first book, Almost, became a top 100 best selling Kindle book, and was a Readers Choice, Top 12 of 2012 book for Amazon.com at #11, and will be translated and released in Germany and Turkey fall 2013. Her second book, Unmaking Hunter Kennedy, is a also a Kindle, top 100 best selling book in Teen Romance for 2013. She's hard at work on her third novel, another sweet teen romance releasing fall/winter, 2013. She loves to hear from readers. Please look for her on Facebook or tweet her @yaromance.

Author Links: 

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1r6nTF4

Website: http://www.anneeliot.com/

Facebook Fanpage: http://on.fb.me/1r6nItz

Twitter: @yaromance

Tumblr: http://anneeliot.tumblr.com/

Inspiration for the story:

The character of Ellen Foster is fictional, but her Cerebral Palsy symptoms and hemiparesis/balance issues loosely match what an amazing teen (and I girl I’m proud to call my friend) named Allison Winn, faces every single day. Her condition was not brought on by CP, but was brought about due to complications Allison suffered after the removal of a childhood brain tumor which resulted in side effects that will be with her for the rest of her life.

Despite all that sadness, with the help of her mom, Dianna, dad Brian, the patience of her sister, Emily, and the inspiration from

a tiny rescued dog named Coco, Allison was inspired to help other kids by baking dog biscuits (thousands of them) so she could raise money to help other kids like her. These biscuits were hand sold by Allison for months (and now years) so other sick kids and sad families could afford to adopt a fully trained dog from a very special program into their lives.

At age nine, Allison’s goal was to raise enough money so one special trained dog could be placed with a kid who had life threatening issues. She met that goal, and that same year adopted out 10 dogs with the sales of her dog treats! Now she’s fourteen and her project has a name: The Stinkbug Project. Stinkbug has now adopted out 40+ dogs to kids who live around the Rocky Mountain Region all because Allison never gives up baking. Now so many people help to raise awareness while others donate baking and packaging supplies and volunteer to help Allison bake and sell the treats.

This girl, who soon will be an amazing woman, is now cancer free but she still works tirelessly at baking and selling biscuits for what has become a thriving community charity effort. The trained dogs are all rescued dogs who come from the very special, Colorado based, K-9 correctional dog training program. Adoptions and applications for a dog are now handled via the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation. More information about The Stinkbug Project, Allison, and RMHF can be found at:

http://www.rmchildren.org/programs/stink-bug-project/

Every year, a donation will be sent by me to support this amazing project, and at all book signings I will be accepting donations on behalf of this wonderful project and donating them to Allison’s efforts as well.

So I think that's a wrap! If you made it this far in this super long post, then major kudos for you!! Thank you to Anne Eliot and Mandy over at I Read Indie for letting me participate in this awesome blog tour!

♦Haley♦

Cover Madness Giveaway 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have the most wonderful giveaway of the year, called Cover Madness Giveaway hosted by Xpresso Reads. Click the first link to head over to their blog to see others who have giveaways planned! Basically, I found a bunch of beautiful upcoming books that will be released soon. Most of them, if you win, will be pre-orders. I think there is only one or two that will be freshly released by the time the giveaway is over!

Pretties Up For Grabs

For this giveaway, I have decided to give 2 lucky people a chance to win!

1. The Bridge From Me to You by Lisa Shroeder
2. Endless by Kate Brian
3. One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington
4. The Young World by Chris Weitz
5. Extraction by Stephanie Diaz
6. Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
7. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
8. Just Like The Movies by Kelly Fiore
9. Starbreak by Phoebe North
10. Wecome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz
11. Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank
12. A Blind Spot for Boys by Justina Chen

Rules:

• To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below
• There will be a total of 2 winners!
• I ask that all entrants be 13 years or older.
• This giveaway is U.S only, due to postal prices.
• When the winner is chosen, it will be announced here and the winner will be emailed by me. Please check your email, because I am only giving the winner 48 hours to respond. Another winner will be selected if this occurs.
• Please enter your email address in the form below, and not in the comments please!(:

Here are some other blogs that are also participating!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of: The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 425 pgs
Publisher: HarperTeen
Released: September 6th, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Read: from 5/13/13 to 6/26/13
Source: Books-A-Million
Synopsis: 

Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.

Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

Jennifer Castle’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching, surprisingly witty testament to how drastically life can change in the span of a single moment.

(from Goodreads)

The Beginning of After was truly it's title. After a horrible thing happens and it affects your family or friends, you have to start over again. I know, I've been there my share of times. This book perfectly navigated one girls' journey after her mother, father and brother were killed in a car accident.

One of the most important things this book taught me was how to be sad, how to grieve, which I think everyone needs to know how to do. If you don't grieve, you will never be able to get past something that has happened. But also, after grieving, you have to begin to grow from it. Laurel taught me that it is perfectly okay to feel bad for yourself when something awful happens. But she also taught me the importance of getting back up on your feet and persevering through life once again. Life is full of ups and downs, no matter how much we wish the downside's of life ceased to exist

I think the story line was brilliant. Bad boy neighbors-dad, Mr. Kaufman,  is responsible for the deaths of her family. He is comatose, but the only survivor of that night. I sympathized with Laurel as she began to come to terms with what has happened. She didn't know who to blame, herself for not saving the day, or Mr. Kaufman. David, his son, is also dealing with this car accident as his father is in critical condition. It was nice to see that Laurel didn't automatically shun him, whilst she didn't exactly invite him over for dinner as well. It took time for their relationship to grow, and I appreciated that! Not very fond of insta-loves!

On a happier note, I adore this cover! The actor perfectly resembles what I would have thought Laurel would have looked like. Plus, just the colors and design are gorgeous!

If you're looking for a deeper, emotional contemporary read focused on moving forward in life, this book is for you!

♦Haley♦

Review of: The Elite(The Selection, #2) by Kiera Cass

The Elite(The Selection, #2) by Kiera Cass

Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 323 pgs
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Released: April 23rd, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Dystopia
My Rating: 5 stars
Read: from  April 25 to May 02, 2013
Source: Amazon
Synopsis: 

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller, The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

(from Goodreads)

The Elite is the 2nd out of three books in Kiera Cass's trilogy, The Selection, of which I am wholeheartedly OBSESSED with! I had high expectations for this book because of The Selection, and let me tell you, I wasn't the slightest disappointed!

Since this is the 2nd book in the series and the competition between girls is narrowing down, it was definitely faster paced than with the first. I loved that, I kept right up with it as I finished it in a mere few days. I couldn't get enough of it. I was turning pages left and right.

One thing that made this book so exciting was the amount of action! The attacks on the castle became more frequent and had higher stakes, so naturally my heart was beating out of my chest. I also adored the development of Maxon and America's relationship. Though Maxon has other girls as well at the castle, it wasn't hard for me to see how much he truly cares for America and all that she stands for! I will support them till the end. (TEAM MAXON ALL THE WAY). 

I won't say it, but something happens to a pivotal character in the story that truly ripped my heart out! I was so shocked when I read the words along the lines of "She is being caned" I love this particular character so much and almost cried when this happened. Props to Kiera for making me so emotional!

As you already know, I like Maxon over Aspen. I believe that Aspen had his chance with America in the beginning, and since that didn't work out, it's Maxon's turn now! I know that America loves them both blah blah, blah, but STILL. I like Maxon better plain and simple. I just wish Maxon would man up and America would quit being so indecisive over the two of them! Ugh just pick one!(Preferably Maxon please and thank you (: )

Yes, yes yes yes yes I totally absolutely recommend this book to everyone and anyone out there because I love this series just as much as the next person and I want you to share these feelings as well with me! But please read The Selection first because reading them out of order would kinda ruin it!

♦Haley♦

Blog Tour: Hedge Witch(The Coven Land Trilogy, #1) by Simon Kewin

Hedge Witch(The Coven Land Trilogy, #1) by Simon Kewin

Publisher: Stormcrow Books
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Read: April 27th - March 10th
Source: Big thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and Simon Kewin for a review copy!
Synopsis:

Fifteen year-old Cait Weerd has no idea she’s being sought by the undain: sorcerous creatures of necromancy that feed off the spirit of the living. She doesn’t know the undain need her blood to survive. She doesn’t even know, descended from a long line of witches. Cait Weerd doesn’t know a lot, really, but all that’s about to change.

At Manchester Central Library she’s caught up in sudden, horrific violence. In the chaos she’s handed an old book that’s been hidden there and told to run, hide the book or destroy it. It contains all the secrets of the undains’ existence. They and their human servants want to find that as much as they want Cait.

Cait learns the fates of two worlds are at stake. Just what she needs. Along with definitely-not-a-boyfriend Danny, she has to decide what the hell to do. Run, fight or hope it all goes away.

It's only then she learns who she really is, along with the terrible truth of what the undain have been doing in our world all this time...

Wow this book really got my mind spinning! I couldn't believe how many things happened at once, I was turning pages like a mad man!

One of my favorite things about this book what the development of each character. You get to learn about Cait, Fer, Ran, Johnny, Cait's mother and grandma, and even Hellen and Ariane. Some of this characters had a point of view to read it from, which was really interesting. I had a few laughs when Fer was talking, she has a fire in her!

Usually, fantasy books that involve witches and the supernatural get me lost the moment  I begin reading. This is one of the rare few that didn't. The names and spells of things were actually really interesting, and made sense! Props to Simon for pulling that off.

I loved the fact how, though this book seemed long, the time span was really only a few days. The big groups' adventure got me thinking about what was going to happen next and if the "police" were going to catch them.

All in all, Hedge Witch was a really great read. I enjoyed picking it up everyday and learning something new about their world. Everyone should definitely check this out!

Purchase:
-Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JKIE5KY

AUTHOR BIO:

Simon was born on the misty Isle of Man but now lives deep in the English countryside with his wife and two daughters.

He writes science fiction and fantasy as well as some stories that can’t make their minds up.Find out more on his website at simonkewin.co.uk.

Author Links:
http://www.simonkewin.co.uk/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4013862.Simon_Kewin
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Simon-Kewin-Author/139665209438997
https://twitter.com/SimonKewin

I hope you all enjoyed! Again, a HUGE thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and Simon Kewin for letting me be a part of this!!

♦Haley♦

Review of: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Page Count(Paperback Edition): 472 pgs

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Released: March 27th, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Read: April 17th-30th, 2013

Source: Books-A-Million

Synopsis:

Come and mend your broken hearts here.

Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it’s taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

(from Goodreads)

Fantasy as a genre is not often a subject I read. I've always strayed away from it because the topics in it were either too creepy to read about or just plain weird. This book though, it grabbed my attention because first of all, THIS beautiful cover is just unf. Plus, the thought of this hidden chamber, mystery, romance and dancing captured me completely.

The first thing I wrote down about this book was dancing. Azalea has eleven sisters, of which those who can talk and walk love to dance. They dance every day, it is there passion, their obsession, their escape. *SPOILER* Unfortunately, when their mother dies, they are under mourning for a year, which means no happy activities, like dancing or dressing up. They complain and whine, but the King, their father, stands solidly behind the fact. The sisters find an enchanted passage way below the castle in which they are allowed to dance as much as they want every day. The Keeper lets them do as they please, only they do not yet realize that they will have to pay a price later.

I also wrote down how after the girls mother passed, he had to go to war. He became very cold and disconnected from his own daughters. You'd think that if a family member passed away, that it would pull a family closer together. Only the girls came close.

Ah, the romance! It wasn't the center of the story at all, which I liked. Sometimes, romance can be overdone. Mr. Bradford was the absolute gentleman to Azalea. His compliments and the way he talked to her pulled at my heartstrings.

This book was a good read. Made me giggle and smile but also race to flip the pages so I could find out what happened next.

♦Haley♦

Review of: North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Page Count(Paperback Edition):  373 pgs
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Released: February 17th, 2009
Genre: Young Adult Romance
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Read: April 4th-17th, 2013
Source: Books-A-Million

Synopsis:

I repeat-Why not fix your face?

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

"The meaning of true beauty". That really does say it all. True beauty comes from within oneself, outer beauty has almost nothing to do with it. Beauty is how cordial you are with people. Beauty is being yourself, and most important of all, beauty is you and me.

I think the way Headley captured this subject was brilliant. Terra is obviously flawless, besides the port wine stain on her face that she has had since she was a child. Some may even say it marr's her face, or it is a "pity" that she has this awful stain on her cheek. When the author created Terra as a character, she knew what she was getting into with the subject of self love and self acceptance. 

Through ought the story, we travel with Terra on her day to day life,boyfriend, friends and family.  What struck me the most was her family life, and the father she has to live with. I don't want to give too much away, but he is a insulting pig to Terra and her mother. Just plain awful.

I loved the incorporation of maps and facts about maps into the story. I never realized how interesting cartography could be. Headley was able to perfectly intertwine facts about geography right into Terra's life. You could easily make the correlation between the two.

At the beginning of the story, Terra did not have a great self esteem. She covered up her stain with pounds of makeup and powder to just try to convince herself she was normal. Terra has gotten so many stares over the years that she just decided to cover up her beautiful natural self. Towards the end though, she changes her view on that and I basically jumped with glee! She finally realized how perfect she was, inside and out. Makeup covering up who she was on the outside was only keeping her from her full potential. 

The trip to China really pulled the whole story together. Terra and her mother Lois learn so much about themselves, while becoming closer and closer to the family they traveled with, Jacob and his mother.

Overall, this book made me extremely happy! I think this is something all girls need to read to realize their full potential and extraordinary beauty. Too many teens these days struggle with their self image as they have society pressing on them with what they need to look like and act like to be perfect. I admit to being one of those teens to struggle with who I am, but with help of a very close friend, I am now happier with myself and my body than I have in a while. North of Beautiful really opened up my eyes.

♦Haley♦