Review'd: Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep

Book Review: 
Title: Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy Book #4)
Author: Jennifer Estep
Published December 24th, 2012 by K-Teen

Goodreads Summary: 
For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.

I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself…


DeLibrarie Review:
 It is no secret that I love this series. One of my favorite things about it is that she releases a new one about every six months.... I love that. :) I really think that if you like Paranormal based books... you will really enjoy this series... but don't go into it thinking that it is some epic saga of star crossed lovers... It isn't. It is light, and  quick and, yes, there is romance but that is not the whole point of the book. Also... total book crush on Logan... yummy.

Top Ten Tuesday

Sooo, I know that this was the topic for LAST week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), but I didn't see this topic until after last Tuesday and I really wanted to post on it so sorry 'bout that. Plus I'm sorry that I still can't get any pictures on here... I'm working on it!!
So for this post I'm doing the topic of:

Top "Ten" Bookish Goals For 2013

 

 

1. Stop borrowing from people and libraries and read from my own TBR pile. I get sucked into borrowing because it's cheaper and easily accessible, but I keep pushing back the ones that I truly want to read: the ones on my bookshelf. It's high time I finally got to them all.

 

2. Try joining and accomplishing more challenges this year. They're such great ideas but I never join because I don't know how much reading I'll get done (some years I'm just too busy reading for school...). I really want to try them out though so hopefully this is the year for it!

 

3. Read more books before the movie comes out. There are just some stories that once I've seen it, they just aren't reading. Granted, for some movies/TV shows I immediately want to read it after seeing it like with Game of Thrones, but that doesn't always happen. So I just need to read it before I watch it. Especially now that Teen books are becoming the next big thing in the movie business. Teen books are almost always ruined for me after I've seen its televised version.

 

4. Do more blogging! We are SO remiss about this and we really need to step it up. This year we're both graduating so maybe we'll finally have more time for this instead of being forced to focus on our studies all the time.

 

5. Get more reading done. I just don't read like I used to, and I HATE that! I think there's just so much pressure to get reading done that it's starting to make me not want to read much anymore. This goes hand in hand with my goal number one. By taking the pressure off of getting a book back to someone or someplace, I can relax and read what I want, when I want without having to answer to anyone.

 

6. Read more than just Young Adult. I moved on from reading the Young Adult Genre to reading the Adult Fiction Genre (including Science Fiction and Fantasy and Historical Fiction) when I was 13 because I had read all the Young Adult stuff I could get my hands on. But lately I've been focusing on Young Adult because that's what we read here at Delibrarie and that's usually what I end up borrowing from others. Well, I really want to get back into the classics and fantasy and historical fiction because I miss them so that might be a change that's coming.

 

7. Go through my books and make sure there's nothing I don't want within my shelves. Sometimes I cling to books too much and I need to remember to only keep the ones I really want, so I should really go through and cleanse my bookshelves a little.

 

8. Do more giveaways. We never do giveaways. It's time we started delving into that part of the blogging world.

 

9. Be apart of a book tour. It looks like fun but we've just never done it and we should. So I'm going to work on that... look for a good blog tour to join.

 

10. Join Happily Ever Endings because it's such a great idea and I use it ALL the time. I want to be apart of that.

 

So that's my top ten, what's yours?

 

 



In My Mailbox

Whelp, another week has come and gone, and as promised, here is my In My Mailbox post for this past Christmas season. I got a LOT more than what I'm going to list here, but I decided to do it in incriments so as to not to overwhelm you guys and make a ridiculously extensive list of books all in one post.
So here it is! A little belated, sorry about that, but here nevertheless! Enjoy!


Radiance by Alyson Noel
I've wanted to get this book ever since it came out but I've just never done it. Well I finally did and I'm excited! I havn't read anything by Noel yet but all of her books look really interesting. So if this one goes well, I'll probably invest in several other works by her!

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
This is another one that I've always had my eye on but was never sure if I should get it or not. Well I'm doing an independent reading course this upcoming semester with a focus on the Grimm Brothers so I've been on the lookout for retellings of Grimm fairy tales. Since this happens to fall into that category, I decided to just get it. I'm a huge fan of the Twelve Dancing Princess's story so if this goes well, that might end up being one of the three stories I choose for study!

Found The Missing: Book 1 by Margaret Peterson Haddix
My brother read this and said it was good so I picked it up. It looks pretty decent!

The Seventh Tower Book 4: Above the Veil by Garth Nix
This is an old favorite series of mine from back when I was in second or third grade. It's a kid's book, I know, but I never did finish the series because I had difficutly encountering the fourth book. This, for me, is truly a find because now, after all these years, I can finally continue the series (especially now that I'm old enough to get whatever book I want online... I just find it to be MUCH more fun to discover books like this one within book stores... we'll see how lucky I can be with the rest of this series). Hopefully my age won't ruin the book though... books always seem wonderful as a child but when you reread them at an older age, they're not as great because you see the writing style as being dulled down in order to be accessible by kids. It tends to ruin books for me. So I hope that that doesn't happen here...

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
I was just intrigued by this one :)

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
I am fascinated by the Eastern societies of the world which our schools tend to avoid teaching us about so when I come across fiction based off of fact which takes place in Japan or China, as this one does, I grab it because they almost always end up being so good that I can't put them down.

Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace
A classic. Need I say more?

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Oh Jules Verne... the adventures you take us on. Can't wait to read this one!


So that's all I've got! Sorry there were no pictures today...I've been trying to make it work all day but apparently my computer is forbidding me to add pictures to my posts unless they've already been on our blog before! So we'll just have to go without them for now... sorry. Maybe tomorrow it will decide to open the link for me and thus allow me to add pictures :)

What did you get in YOUR mailbox this week???

2012 End of Year Book Survey

I realize that it's a bit late in the game to do an end of year book survey but late is better than never. So here it is! I found this at The Reader's Antidote and I've always found surveys to be fun so I thought I'd give it a go! So here it is...

2012 End of Year Book Survey

 

1. Best Book You Read in 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

 

The Selection by Kiera Cass

This book blew my mind... I could not put it down.

 

2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didnt?

 

The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus. It was intriguing but long and tedious... a little disappointing in that respect but it's a classic so I'm not all that surprised.

 

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?

 

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

I'm always a little nervous when it comes to putting mythological creatures in teen fiction because they have a tendency to make the creatures silly or inconsequential. However, this book was so real and believable and true to the severity of the creature that I LOVED it. It was such a captivating read.

 

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Not as many people have read it as I had previously supposed so I went on a mission to get people to read it especially since it had become a movie this year.

 

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

 

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

This book is stunning and I havn't put it down since I picked it up late last year. It's the perfect read for winter because it takes place in winter, too. I love it.

 

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

 

Jocelyn Davies and Kiera Cass

I had never read anything by them before this but I'm so glad I have now. They are wonderful writers.

 

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

 

Medea by Euripides

I've always been a sucker for the classics, but this type of classic genre was new to me and while the writing is tedious, this particular story was heart-wrenching. And while it was terribly sad, it has stayed with me because it is such an incredible story. Definitely a great read.

 

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Of course I've read this before, several times, but I've been rereading the entire series and I have trouble putting these books down once I've started them.

 

9. Book you read in 2012 that you are most likely to reread next year?

 

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Because the sequel, The Elite, is coming out soon. EEK!! I'll be rereading this series over and over again for the rest of my life I imagine.

 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

 

Nightlight by The Harvard Lampoon

That cover is SO funny, I LOVE it.

 

11. Most memorable character in 2012?

 

Damon from The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

He's so immensley different from the Damon in the television series version of this story that I love seeing the contrast. In the book he is so purely evil. I hate him for it, but it's refreshing to see a character so bent on destruction like he is. All the bad boys nowadays have this soft side to them, but not him. He's pure evil and it's a nice change.

 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

 

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Seriously, this book was wonderful!

 

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

 

How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel

So disturbing and yet powerful...We always forget how life can be for some people and then stories like this remind us...

 

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?

 

Until I Die by Amy Plum

She is such a fantastic writer and this series is so spell-binding that I wanted to read it right away, but I also want to wait and savor the series, too. So I put it off but I'm upset that I waited because it's SO good...

 

15. Favorite book passage/quote from a book you read in 2012?

 

I had to give most of the books I read back to people or to libraries so alas, I cannot look up my favorite quotes as of now... but go look up some Teaser Tuesdays and I'm sure you'll find some good quotes there!!

 

16. Shortest and Longest book you read in 2012?

 

Longest: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling with 734 pages

Shortest: The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus with 43 pages

 

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc...) Be careful of spoilers!

 

The end in Ripple. I won't say anything more than that, except that I DID NOT see it coming and I was SO taken aback... I'm still looking for someone to talk to about it because no one else has read it apparently!

 

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc)?

 

I love America's TWO relationships in The Selection. I won't say more so as to not ruin anything...

 

19. Favorite book you read in 2012 from an author you read previously?

 

The Mandrake by Niccolo Machiavelli

That story is SO wonderul! Machiavelli is fascinating.

 

20. Best book you read that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else?

 

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Del made me read it because she needed to talk to someone about it and I'm SO glad she forced me to read it. It is now one of my all-time favorites.

 

Looking Ahead

 

1. One book you didn't get to in 2012 but will be your #1 priority in 2013?

 

Destined by Aprilynne Pike

I've been putting off the final in the Wings series, but I need to know what happens...

 

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2013?

 

The Elite by Kiera Cass!!!

 

3. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2013?

 

Do more of both!

 

I love surveys... Now off for more reading! Happy Belated New Year Everyone!

 

 





In My Mailbox

Today marks the last day of our local Half Price Books extra 20% off sale. Needless to say, Nic and I spent quite a while there yesterday. Not quite as long as both of us would have liked be we had other errands to run and I was getting antsy. (sorry Nic) I only got a few things so I figured I'd post those now and make sure to keep an eye out for Nic's IMM post that I'm sure she will be posting soon. She got a helluva lot of books yesterday and now that I think of it I only know a few of the ones that she ended up getting... so I am also looking forward to her post.

I never really spend a whole lot of time at half price book stores because I have found that they mostly have the first books in the newer series and not very many new releases. I'm one of those people that rush out to the bookstore the day the book is out, or even call the day before, and snatch up my copy asap. SO... usually when I go to Half Price I have a few very specific things that I'm looking for and if they have it great, if they don't oh well. I had gone in wanting to see if they had a copy of Unraveling Isobel, The Raven Boys or Enchanted Ivy. All of which they didn't have. I still managed to find a few gems among the shelves that were not already on my shelves at home.

Here's what I got at Half Price:

I found Dead Beautiful around the time that it was released and liked the concept so I snatched it up right away. Lately I've been focusing on the series in which I own all of the books that have been published so far. That way I won't have to go out and spend another 18 bucks the second I finish the book. I saw this one for 6 and say it as a sign. :)

Confession: I already own a copy of Unearthly. BUT... this is the British cover and the reason I like going to second hand book stores is because I found a British cover of Harry Potter 1 and the cover was really cool. So now I am always excited when I find an international cover of a book I already own. Plus it was 3 dollars. Can't pass that up.






So that is what I got from Nic and my quick trip to Half Price. The new Gwen Frost book came out the day before Christmas and I went to BN to pick it up and for some reason they have like all stopped carrying this series...which makes me sad because it's one of my favorites. My friend Dave who manages a BN in Minnetonka ordered it for me and texted me saying it came in today. I picked it up today and can't wait to start it. :)

I just really enjoy Gwen's story and while at times the books are a tad predictable they are always entertaining. I get a little agitated when authors write series with no end in sight...like seriously Janet Evonovich... 19 book?!  But I think that Jennifer Estep could write 10 more of these and I would still be reading them the minute I get my hands on them.






So that's what I've added to my shelves this week. :) What did you get?

Happily Ever Endings: Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter

What is it?
Happily Ever Endings was created by Amber of Down The Rabbit Hole due to the relatively frustrating feeling one has when it has been a while since they have read a book and now they are unsure of how it ended. This tends to be a problem when that book is part of a series. AND SO... this fabulous idea was brought to life. Obviously, there will be spoilers...so if you haven't read the book... don't read the post. There is also a mega list of posts which you can find over at Down The Rabbit Hole. Link on sidebar.

WARNING: THIS IS NOT A REVIEW AND DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ WHISPERS AT MOONRISE DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS POST. 

Goodreads Summary: 
Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.

 

As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.

The breathtaking fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling Shadow Falls series from author C. C. Hunter...Whispers at Moonrise.

Do NOT continue if you have not read Whispers at Moonrise. Spoilers Ahead.


Click Read more to discover the full synopsis of Whispers at Moonrise including the ending.

Review'd: Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter

Book Review:
Title: Whispers at Moonrise
Author: C.C. Hunter
Published October 2nd, 2012 by St. Martins Griffin
Series: Book 4 in the Shadow Falls Series

Goodreads Summary:
Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.

 

As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.

The breathtaking fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling Shadow Falls series from author C. C. Hunter...Whispers at Moonrise.

DeLibrarie Review:
AHH... my heart aches for you Kylie Galen...and you aren't even an actual person...reader problems. I just can't get over this ending... I really didn't see it coming and I'm super bummed that I got to read all for of these books in a row and then now I must wait for 121 days before I can read the last one. :( Maybe I'll start waiting to read books until the series are complete... but probably not. Seriously though, this series has turned into one of my very favorites. I love every single character and I seriously am UNABLE to put these books down... I even was reading it today in the middle of a conversation with Nic and our buddy Dave. I LOVE these books!