Review of: Burn for Burn(Burn for Burn, #1) by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn(Burn for Burn, #1) by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Page Count(ARC Edition): 354 pgs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released: September 18th, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
My Rating: 4/5 stars 
Read: from January 17th-25th, 2013
Source: Won in The Story Siren's Giveaway

Synopsis:

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...

THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

(from Goodreads)

I was really excited when I learned that I had won Burn for Burn in a giveaway in September 2012. I have the September 2012 ARC version, which is super cool! Anyways, onto the review.

For me, Burn for Burn resembled much more than a revenge, getting-back-at-you kind of book. It resembled, in one sense, bullying. For example, Mary was bullied by Reeve for a good portion of her life, and that stood out to me personally. I know what it feels like to be bullied. I know the pain, sadness and humiliation that is felt.With that aspect to the story, I was really able to connect with Mary and what she dealt with way back when.

I loved the setting of this book. Jar Island sounded like this cute, quirky place that would be neat to live in. I especially loved Lillia's house, because of how gallant it seemed. Even though Lillia was most definitely rich, she wasn't stuck up at all. She knew what she had and appreciated it.

Kat was my favorite character, because she was the total opposite of Mary and Lillia. She was the stereotypical bad girl, but that image is only driven by rumors of her ex-bestfriend, Rennie. Kat was daring and dominant, but has a soft side reserved for special people, I think. Mary, for me, was kinda a dull character, but I still adored her and understood her like I have mentioned above. 

I was sort of disappointed when the girl's revenge wasn't as big as I expected it to be. Sure, as a group they had some pretty bad *** revenge on Alex, Reeve and Rennie. But individually, it didn't really impress me. Wasn't the whole part of the story based around revenge? I didn't feel much, to be honest. Except for the end though, that actually scared me. I knew Reeve bullied Mary, but I'm not sure he deserved what he got.

All in all, Burn for Burn didn't let me down, but I was hoping for bigger revenge then what was shown. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment in the series, Fire with Fire. 

P.S:(I know this is really sucky, but I'm very behind on reviews, so I wanted to get something out for ya'll :D)

♦Haley♦

Mini Reviews: The Selection and Glimmerglass

Hi guys(: I hope you all had a wonderful week, and are having a great weekend! Today, I will be doing 2 mini reviews, because I have come to the conclusion that I simply have no time to write out 2 full ones. My schedule is so hectic right now, but at least I still have time to blog! Now, let's begin(:


1. The Selection(The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass

Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 327 pgs
Publisher: HarperTeen
Released: April 24th, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Read: January 1st-5th
Source: Barnes&Noble

Synopsis:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

(from Goodreads)

The Selection was a perfect read for me. I had heard so much press about it, so I was really excited when I got my hands on it. I think the part I liked the most about it was that America was such a fighter. She was very out of the ordinary, and stood out from the rest of the Selected. The pacing was nicely put, and I didn't feel like a snail or an Olympic runner at any point. Maxon, oh Maxon. He is probably the first fiction boy I have swooned after, instead of lusting after, lol. He was so gentlemanly to America, and he truly seemed like he one day could run their country. Aspen was okay for me. I liked him a lot in the beginning, but after something happened, I kinda hated him and forgot about him until he came back into the story. The love triangle was pretty nice, unlike the forced ones you see authors make. I can't wait to read The Elite!

I thought America was very feminist for herself, fellow Selected and to her maids. She stood up for them all no matter how many chips were down. Therefore, I am marking The Selection as my first Feminist Read for my 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge.

1.The Selection(The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass 5/5 stars.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

○○○○○

2. Glimmerglass(Glimmerglass, #1) by Jenna Black

Page Count(Paperback Edition): 294 pgs
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Released: May 25th, 2010
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Read: January 6th-12th
Source: Library

Synopsis:

It's all she's ever wanted to be, but it couldn't be further from her grasp...

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides shes had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl, she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she'll never have a chance with...until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn't sure where she'll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again.

For a good part of this book, I was confused as to what Avalon really was, and who the Council was for that matter. I also had a hard time connecting with Dana and her life. She seemed to over-react a lot, and kept trusting people who hurt her time and time again. Dana was entertaining though, so I stuck around to see what came next. As far as the plot goes, it was interesting enough to want me to stick around as well. As it progressed, I slowly grew more and more attached to the story. I definitely want to read the next book soon, but I'm not totally sold to the story yet. I may take a couple of months and then read it, who knows? (:

♦Haley♦

Cover Reveal: Sporadically Inspired By by Ashley Demi

Sporadically Inspired By by Ashley Demi

Scheduled Release Date: June 2013

Publisher: Entwined Publishing

Edition: E-book

Synopsis:

Sometimes, in a small community, it can be difficult to find reality in big dreams. Samantha can't wait to get out of town to start her life and move on from sad memories. Morgan isn't learning from the past, and Charlotte may be forced to make make a hard choice over following her dreams. It's Cali's story from which the girls find their inspiration. They believe her story is a fictional cult classic that each have read over and over. It encourages them to follow their hearts.

In the end, however, it could be Cali who needs the most help turning her sporadic inspirations into reality. . . again.

About Ashley Demi:

The story of my life is one that’s still being written, it’s about a girl named Ashley that had to go through a few chapters before she learned how she wanted to live the rest of the story. I could take you through moment after moment that got me to where I am now; in fact I’d have to take you through every single one. So instead I’ll just give you some highlights. Around May 2009 after seeing 17 Again at the movies it inspired me to pick up writing. I couldn’t tell you what it was about that one movie that was different from the tons of others I had fallen in love with over the years that finally shined light on what I had been trying to figure out since I was first asked what I wanted to be when I grew up; but there it was…my dream realized. It’s funny how after you reach that moment, you can’t believe you didn’t think of it sooner…I’ve loved movies since I was a kid and played The Little Mermaid on repeat, and had always been a daydreamer who loved coming up with a good story. I started writing my ideas in script format for movies and then decided to try one of my ideas as a book.

I’m just a girl from a small town with a big dream. Classic story…think you’ve heard it a thousand times…well I’d like to think mine’s unique. Maybe not extreme or extravagant to everyone; but to me…to me it’s a fairy tale. Oh don’t get me wrong it’s also a comedy, a horror film (you know how bad hair days can be lol), one with action, love, tears, and inspiration…but it’s my story, and it’s one of kind.

I use to think dreams were…well just that, dreams; nothing but thoughts and wishes that you kept stored away for a day you didn’t know would come or not. But then I thought why should it be like that? Seemed like a tragedy really, to keep all my dreams in my head instead of experiencing them for real. So instead I decided I wanted to live my dreams and make them my reality…make them my ‘normal’…if there is such a thing a normal lol. It won’t be easy, who knows where it will take me, or how long it will take to get there…but I can promise one thing…it’ll be one amazing ride!

Forever Inspired

Ashley Demi

Twitter: @LUVashleydemi

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AshleyDemi?ref=ts&fref=ts

Blog: http://ashleydemi.wordpress.com/

**Big thank you to Jodie Baker, Ashley Demi and all ya'll at Entwined Publishing. Thanks for letting me participate!**

♦Haley♦

Liebster Blog Award

Liebster Blog Award

The rules of the Liebster Award are as follows:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you;

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees.

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen. (No tag backs)

4. Copy and Paste the blog award on your blog.

○○○○○○○

Wow! I was honestly so surprised when I saw that A Bookish Escape nominated me! I am a new blogger in the blogosphere, sitting at about 7 1/2 months currently(: My thank yous go to the lovely ladies Lindy, Ria and Ro. I look forward to getting to know you guys better! ♥

Questions from my Nominator:

1.  Q: Why did you start book blogging?

                    A: This goes way back into a really long story that I'm sure nobody wants to stick around for:P Long story short, I was really into(and still am) Sarah Dessen books about Jan. 2012. I also joined Goodreads at this time(: This is kind of the point in time when I started have actual thoughts on books I read, instead of thinking that they were all good/bad. I then found Lauren @ Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf. I had no clue until up to that point that people actually thought out reviews on books. I knew I immediately had to try it myself, so I did in June 2012. And here we are! :D

2.  Q: What is your favorite book genre?

A: As of right now, I'm really digging some Dystopian novels. It's a need I can never fully satisfy. On a regular basis though, I'm not too picky and will go for almost anything, including: Historical Romance, Dystopian, Contemporary, Paranormal Romance and Realistic Fiction.

3.  Q: How did you come up with the name of your blog?

A: Actually, I'm not even quite sure. I know that it is based around my past and now kinda love of the beach, waves and surfing. I used to surf a bunch when I was little, but kinda got afraid of going into the water after a certain little thing happened (thanks mother nature). I just love the sand, wind and water/sky color, so it all played a part in this design process.

4.  Q: What are your top three favorite book blogs?

A: Oh man, this is so hard. In no particular order:

 Chloe @ YA Booklover Blog. Her reviews are simply spot on, more than I could ever dream of writing. Chloe is simply fantastic as book blogging friend, as well(:

Beverley and Jen @ A Reading Daydreamer. Their reviews are so dreamy and make me want to melt to a puddle with their words. 

Racquel and Sharon @ The Books Barbies. These two are so damn funny in their reviews, and every word they type is realistic.

Please do me and them a favor, go follow this wonderful chica's for dedicating their time to awesomely reviewing books!

5.  Q: Who is your favorite author?

A: Why do you make me choose?! Urgh the misery! I'm going to have to cheat and say Deb Caletti, Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Andrea Cremer and Elana Johnson. Yeah, I think that's  about right(:

6.  Q: What do you love about book blogging?

A: The connection. It may sound like any other blogger's answer, but I really do love that social media aspect to it. Being able to connect with new people, share opinions and read reviews from others just makes me happy. It lets me know that they're are other people out in the world that will freak out over a book, and the only way to relieve those thoughts is by reviewing it. I have met so many great people on here who have helped and supported me all the way through this journey. I am never more grateful for you all, you know who you are♥

7. Q: What do you dislike about book blogging?

A: I really dislike it when I come across a blog and find a person who think that, since they have all of these ARC's sent to them, they are a big deal. No matter what, we all started as mullet and will end up as grouper's, in time or in fast forward. We all are the same in this process no matter what.

8.  Q: What is your favorite Meme?

A:  Showcase Sunday, hosted by Vicki @ Books, Biscuits and Tea. You basically post about what books you received, bought  or swapped that week(or weeks!)

9.  Q: What was your favorite book(s) of 2012?

A: Hands down, Surrender by Elana Johnson. See my review here.

10.  Q: How did you come up with the theme or design of your blog?

A: Above, I told you that the beach holds a special place in my heart. I tried to incorporate that feeling into it, along with the color. If you didn't know, I have three favorite color's: Teal, Turquoise and Sea Green. :DDD I sorta played around with the color and template for a while until I found the design I liked(:

11.  Q: Are you participating in any reading challenges this year? If so, which ones?

A: As of right now, I am participating in 2: The Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge(75 books),  and The 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge(5-10 books). In my mind, I am participating in the 2013 TBR Challenge, as I have over 500 to read, but I have yet to make it official.

○○○○○○

11 Random Facts about Me:

1. I play competitive travel softball all year long, and this year on my birthday will mark 10 years playing the sport I love ♥
2. I eat frozen chocolate chip Eggo waffles sometimes. I know, it's strange, but I like it anyway :P
3.My eyes are kinda undefined, because I have no clue anymore what color they technically are. I have one yellow band around the pupil, a thicker olive green ring in the center, then a thin-ish navy blue ring on the outside, with white flecks in them. I guess you could call them hazel?!
4. My hair is golden-brown and reaches past beyond my waist; I have a plan to grow it out to my butt by this summer :D
5. I can be really spastic, awkward and weird with my best friend ,Shayna. We match perfectly, she is my un-biological sister.
6.I am slightly pigeon footed in my left foot when I walk.
7. I plan to become a genetic scientist one day(:
8. My cat, Chubby, is 9 pounds(ironic, I know) and is 18 years old. 
9. I am OCD a bit about how I read my books. I put them in order so I read the oldest one's first and pick from the top. If I pick the newest ones, I feel like the older ones will get their feeling's hurt...( I warned you I was weird!! ;))
10. My older brother is almost a decade older than me. Wowza.
11. My birthday is on June 30th, in the middle of summer, just like I like it(:

○○○○○○

My 11 Nominee's (In No Particular Order) Are:

1.Laura @ Laura's Adventures in Bookland

2. Kelly @ Belle of The Literati

3.Lisseth, Nicki and Eileen @ The Book Paparazzi

4. Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

5. Delaney @ The Random Ranterer 

6. Kylee @ Babbling of a Bookaholic

7. Sarah @ Living in A Book Wonderland

8. Sophia @ BookWyrming-Thoughts

9. Heather @ The Flyleaf Review

10.  Katrina @ .Kindred Dreamheart

11. Bella @ Bella's Bookshelf

○○○○○○

My 11 Questions for my Nominee's:
1. What do you like about reading/reviewing books?

2. What do you dislike about reading/reviewing books?

3.Do you own an E-reader? If so,which one?

4. What are you currently reading?

5. If you had to choose, which character from and book(s) or series would be your favorite?

6. Who is your favorite author?

7. Favorite Book Genre?

8. Do you judge a book by it's cover?

9. If you could choose, what book character would you be?

10. What else do you like to do besides reading/blogging?

11. Do you prefer print or E-book copies?

○○○○○○

Again, thanks bunches to the ladies at A Bookish Escape for nominating me! I had lots of fun answering all these questions, making my own and nominating others! Happy Blogging!

♦Haley♦

We Want You... To Be Part of "The List"

Hey my fellow bloggers! I have a great opportunity for you all today. Keep reading below to find out! :D

*This has been copied and pasted from Kate's Blog. Please check back with her for the official post, with more information available(:*

○○○○○○○○○○

Calling all bloggers!

Calling all bloggers!

Entangled needs you! *points at you*

Be part of The List.

Here's what you need to know:

One of my awesome publicists at Entangled is compiling a list of bloggers.

Here are the requirements:

Do you have a blog?

Do you love to review books?

Do you want access to books before they release?

If your answers to these questions is a resounding "YES" then you're the right blogger for the job.

We want you! Now's a great time to join The List.

If you want to be a part of The List, here's what you have to do:

○○○○○○○○

Additional Option: URL to your blog post about this call for bloggers.

Priority will be given to those who help spread the word by creating a post on this call for bloggers on their blog. *smiles*

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments section and I'll reply right away.

Don't miss this exciting opportunity.

Be part of The List today.

♦Haley♦

Review of: Surrender(Possession, #2) by Elana Johnson

Surrender(Possession, #2) by Elana Johnson

Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 480 pgs.
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Released: June 5, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
My Rating: 5 stars
Read: from December 26th-31st, 2012
Source: Books-A-Million

Synopsis:

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.
All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque....

(from Goodreads)

I knew I would enjoy Surrender, but I didn't know how much I would fall in love with it. This heart pounding, action-packed sequel to Possession simply blew me away, easily becoming my favorite book of 2012.

From the start, Surrender turned into an un-put-down-able book. There was no moment in my mind where I said " Oh, I'll just stop here for today". No. I was constantly on the edge of me seat going round and round in circles in my head, trying to figure out what the heck what was going on at that point, but that was a good thing! Just as soon as I sorta half figured out what happened and kinda digested it, another surprise took me, and I delved on in between the story's folds. I still can't believe all of what happened!

I was super duper happy with the characters. I am obsessed with Raine and Gunner officially. They match so well,and truly could own their world one day. Their relationship was slow and steady, in contrast to insta-love. Raine had always noticed and watched (not creepy at all haha) Gunn, but never really felt their connection until they spent time together ♥.

I was surprised when I figured out Elana didn't continue with Vi and Jag's story from Possession. I suppose there was nothing to continue with in Vi's P.O.V in Surrender, as she was brainwashed and other stuff I shall not tell for the sake of you who have not read it yet :P. The switching of P.O.V's of Raine and Gunn was quite brilliant and never was I once confused as to who was talking. You learn what is going on with Vi and Jag through Raine and Gunn's P.O.V's. I loved that aspect of it, because Vi and Jag's part in the story was never left, but rather added to. Throughout all this, you begin to learn that the Earth as we know it now was totally destroyed from a nuclear war, which is kinda scary but eye opening as this is very possible. You also learn that their world is protected from the outside, while on the inside they live with bunches of protocols to follow and to never go beyond the wall, because you will never come back.

I loved this sequel because, for one, Elana expanded on so much that was a mystery to me in Possession, like their world, the Badlands, who was Gunn's father in Possession(I'm going blank on the name lol).
Surrender was a fantastic sequel to Possession, that I thoroughly enjoyed, and all I can say and think now is: I NEED THE NEXT BOOK PRONTO. Surrender will leave you going:

♦Haley♦

Showcase Sunday, #2: Post Holiday Edition!

Showcase Sunday is a wonderful meme hosted by the lovely Vicki @ Books, Biscuits and Tea. If you would like to join, please click HERE.

I hope you are all having a great New Year! I most certainly did, but on Tuesday I go back to school. :( I got so many books over the holiday's, I feel spoiled! Plus, I got bunches of gift cards, and have already spent about half. ^_^. So this is a mix of books I bought, got as gifts and some library books I just checked out yesterday(: Enjoy!

Checked out from library

Glimmerglass (FaerieWalker, #1) by Jenna Black

Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn

Possess by Gretchen McNeil

The Silenced by James Devita

Gifts to me

North of Beautiful by Justin Chen Headley 

Crossed(Matched, #2) by Ally Condie

Entwined by Heather Dixon

The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

Belle of the Brawl(Alphas, #3) by Lisi Harrison

Bought

Eve(Eve, #1) by Anna Carey

What's left of Me(The Hybrid Chronicles, #1) by Kat Zhang

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

So as you can see, I am kinda craving Dystopian books right now. I am so excited to start reading all these! What is your Showcase Sunday? Link me up!

♦Haley♦