Saturday 31 May 2014

Bookish Musings - Becoming Mood Reader Reliant

Bookish Musings is a feature here at Beautiful Bookish Butterflies that allows one of us to share our thoughts and opinions, talk and discuss things happening in the book and blogging community or share a personal book related issue we have. Today, Amanda is talking about what it means to suddenly become mood reader reliant. Why does choosing a book have to be such a chore, and why is it such a difficult task?

Friday 30 May 2014

Book Review - The Hunt

The Hunt
Author: Andrew Fukuda
Series: The Hunt #1
Genres: Dystopian, Vampires | Young Adult
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Publishers: St. Martin's Griffin
No. Pages: 293
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

Thursday 29 May 2014

Book Review - The Testing

The Testing
Author:  Joelle Charbonneau
Series: The Testing #1
Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian | Young Adult
Release Date: June 4th 2013
Publishers: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
No. Pages: 336
Source: Borrowed
Rating:
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

Book Review - Last Stand of Dead Men

Last Stand of Dead Men
Author: Derek Landy
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #8
Genres: Fantasy | Childrens, Young Adult
Release Date: 29th August 2013
Publishers: Harper Collins
No. Pages: 604
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
War has finally come. Not a war between good and evil, or light and dark, but a war between Sanctuaries. Skulduggery and Valkyrie must team up with the rest of Dead Men if they're to have any chance of maintaining the balance of power and getting to the root of a vast conspiracy that has been years in the making.

And at the same time, another war rages within Valkyrie herself, as Darquesse is on the verge to rising - and if Valkyrie slips, even for a moment, Darquesse will burn the world and everyone in it..

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Book Review - Across the Universe

 Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Series: Across the Universe #1
Genres: Dystopian, Space | Young Adult
Release Date: January 11th 2011
Publishers: Razorbill
No. Pages: 398
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming


Book Review - Sweet Reckoning


Sweet Reckoning
Author: Wendy Higgins
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | Young Adult
Series: The Sweet Trilogy #3
Release Date: 22nd May 2014
Publishers: Harper Teen
No. Pages: 464
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous - especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Book Review - Gameboard of the Gods

Gameboard of the Gods
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Age of X #1
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Dystopian | Adult
Release Date: June 4th 2013
Publishers: Dutton Adult
No. Pages: 472
Source: Borrowed
Rating:
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board

Monday 26 May 2014

Book Review - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopian | Young Adult
Release Date: 1st December 2011
Publishers: Scholistic
No. Pages: 454
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Winning will make you famous.
Losing means certain death.

In a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

Saturday 24 May 2014

Bookish Musings - Why Libraries Are My Second Home

Bookish Musings is a feature here at Beautiful Bookish Butterflies that allows one of us to share our thoughts and opinions, talk and discuss things happening in the book and blogging community or share a personal book related issue we have. Today, Amanda is sharing her thoughts and love for libraries in a chock full post of advantages to, well, free books, everywhere! Don't utilise this fantastic feature, shame on you..

Friday 23 May 2014

Book Review - Between the Lines

Between the Lines
Author: Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary, Fairy Tales | Young Adult
Release Date: June 26th 2012
Publishers: Simon Pulse
No. Pages: 352
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Delilah, a loner hates school as much as she loves books— one book in particular. In fact if anyone knew how many times she has read and reread the sweet little fairy tale she found in the library, especially her cooler than cool classmates, she’d be sent to social Siberia forever.To Delilah, though, this fairy tale is more than just words on the page. Sure, there’s a handsome (well, okay, incredibly handsome) prince, and a castle, and an evil villain, but it feels as if there’s something deeper going on. And one day, Delilah finds out there is. Turns out, this Prince Charming is not just a one-dimensional character in a book. He’s real, and a certain fifteen-year-old loner has caught his eye. But they’re from two different worlds, and how can it ever possibly work?

Thursday 22 May 2014

Book Review - Far From You

Far From You
Author: Tess Sharpe
Standalone

Genres: Contemporary, Thriller | Young Adult
Release Date: March 27th 2014
Publishers: Indigo
No. Pages: 343
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Nine months. Two weeks. Six days.

That's how long recovering addict Sophie's been drug-free. Four months ago her best friend, Mina, died in what everyone believes was a drug deal gone wrong - a deal they think Sophie set up. Only Sophie knows the truth. She and Mina shared a secret, but there was no drug deal. Mina was deliberately murdered.

Forced into rehab for an addiction she'd already beaten, Sophie's finally out and on the trail of the killer - but can she track them down before they come for her?

Who Wore It Better #10 - Scarlet

Who Wore It Better is a meme created and hosted by Nitzan at The Book Babes Read and co-hosted here on Beautiful Bookish Butterflies by Amanda and Stacie. We don't talk about clothing or fashion and we definitely don't talk frills and spills, we talk books and their covers and who we think has the best. This week, Amanda's talking about the covers for Scarlet (eep!), book #2 in The Lunar Chronicles series. In case you hadn't noticed, Amanda is pretty excited about this weeks installment. The covers are SO DAMN PRETTY. She might have fainted from the beauty. Lots of covers, all the beauty.

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Book Review - Dead Girls Walking


Dead Girls Walking
Author: Suzy Cox
Series: Dead Girls Detective Agency #2
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 15th May 2014
Publishers: Much-in-Little
No. Pages: 320
Source: Review Copy - Much-in-Little
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
The Dead Girls Detective Agency trilogy charts the adventures of teens in NYC, tasked with solving the mystery of their murder from beyond the grave. Lorna has been dead long enough to know the Rules. But that doesn't stop her showing up at her little sister’s high school production of Hipster Hamlet. But when she arrives, a lighting rig comes crashing down on the lead cast member mid-performance. All fingers point to Lorna’s little sister, Emma, and it’s up to The Dead Girls Detective Agency to find the real culprit. Unless Em’s not as innocent as she looks?

Charlotte wants to help Lorna prove her sister’s innocence, but she’s completely distracted. Not only is her ghostly-self suspended in this New York-limbo-hotel, she is having to deal with the fact that the very alive love of her life has moved on. And then there’s the cute dead boy Edison, who seems to be acting nice all of a sudden. But is Charlotte ready for a new boyfriend, and one with such a murky past?

Monday 19 May 2014

Book Review - Dangerous Girls

Dangerous Girls
Author: Abigail Haas
Standalone
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 1st August 2013
Publishers: Simon and Schuster
No. Pages: 388
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Elise is dead.
And someone must pay.

Anna, her boyfriend Tate, best friend Elise and a group of close friends set off on a debaucherous Spring Break trip to Aruba. But paradise soon turns into a living nightmare when Elise is brutally murdered. Soon Anna finds herself trapped in a foreign country and fighting for her freedom. As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone is questioning her innocence. To the rest of the world, Anna isn't just guilty, but dangerous. As the court case unfolds the truth is about to come out, and it's more shocking than you could ever imagine..

Saturday 17 May 2014

Book Review - Unraveling

Unraveling 
Author: Elizabeth Norris 
Series: Unraveling #1
Genres: Paranormal, Romance | Young Adult
Release Date: 24th April 2012
Publishers: Balzer + Bray
No. Pages: 464
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared.

And that was before she died... and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet..

2 Things That Make Me Follow or Unfollow You


I'm an avid blogger and that fact isn't something that's new to you all. I can spend anywhere between two hours to nine hours on both my own blog and other peoples blogs a day, and today, it's not my own blog I want to talk about, it's other peoples. I know that sounds like a very dangerous and possibly very controversial subject, but lets face it, as bloggers, we spend a dedicated amount of time visiting fellow bloggers and friends, but we don't follow every blogger in the community, not only is that impossible but it's extremely impractical, and so in a very different type of conversation today, I want to talk about what keeps me going back to somebody's blog and why sometimes I will say taddie ho to someone else's. This post hasn't been created to hurt or upset anyone in anyway shape nor form, neither has it been written to encourage bloggers to change, so please remember that while this may be the honest truth, it's not written to insult or directly hurt anybody's feelings. Do keep this mind. (This is also going to be an extremely long post, I advise tea and biscuits before you start.)

Thursday 15 May 2014

Book Review - Teardrop

Teardrop
Author: Lauren Kate 
Series: Teardrop #1
Genres: Mythology | Young Adult
Release Date: 22nd October 2013
Publishers: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
No. Pages: 441
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Never, ever cry...
Seventeen-year-old Eureka won't let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean. And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mother's death and Ander's appearance seem connected, and her life takes on dark undercurrents that don't make sense. Can everything you love be washed away? 

Book Review - Kingdom of the Wicked

Kingdom of the Wicked
Author: Derek Landy
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #7
Genres: Fantasy | Childrens, Young Adult
Release Date: 30th August 2012
Publishers: Harper Collins
No. Pages: 607
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Magic is a disease.

Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them. Terrified and confused, their only hope lies with the Sanctuary. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are needed now more than ever. And then there's the small matter of Kitana. A normal teenage girl who, along with her normal teenage friends, becomes infected. Becomes powerful. Becomes corrupted. Wielding the magic of gods, they're set to tear the city apart unless someone stands up against them.

Looks like it's going to be another one of those days..

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Book Review - Scala

Scala
Author: Christina Bauer
Series: Angelbound #2
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 17th December 2013
Publishers: Ink Monster LLC
No. Pages: 532
Source: ARC - Ink Monster LLC
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Nineteen-year-old Myla Lewis has transformed into the Great Scala, the only being with the power to move human souls to Heaven or Hell. Although she no longer fights demons in the Arena, Myla still has tons of ass-kicking to do as she redefines the afterlife and rebuilds Purgatory's government.

Unfortunately, her world falls apart faster than she can put it together. An enemy out of Myla's past is sapping her powers, making her weaker by the day. Even worse, her angel bound-love Lincoln has mysteriously disappeared. As her true enemy becomes clear, Myla discovers that all the after-realms are at risk. After losing so much power, does she still have the strength to save her world?

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Book Review - Avoiding Alpha

Avoiding Alpha
Author: Aileen Erin
Series: Alpha Girl #2
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 14th May 2014
Publishers: Ink Monster LLC
No. Pages: 290
Source: Review Copy - Ink Monster LLC
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Seventeen-year-old Tessa McCaide has come a long way since her abrupt entrance into the world of werewolves, but she still has a way to go before she’s comfortable with going full-wolf. So, she’s avoiding thinking about it any way she can. Thankfully her hot mate, Dastien Larent, is proving to be quite the distraction.

But when she finds her suitemate getting sick in their bathroom, she knows something’s majorly wrong. The curse on Meredith that suppresses her wolf is slowly killing her, and Tessa can't sit idly by while her best friend wastes away. Going against her pack Alpha, Mr. Dawson, by playing with magic she doesn't fully understand might not be her smartest move, but Tessa has never been one to follow the rules. She'll break every one if it’ll give her a chance at saving Meredith. But can she save her friend without losing more of herself?

Monday 12 May 2014

Book Review - The Dead Girls Detective Agency

The Dead Girls Detective Agency
Author: Suzy Cox
Series: Dead Girls Detective Agency #1
Genres: Mystery, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 18th July 2013
Publishers: Much-in-Little
No. Pages: 336
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Being told you're dead is one thing. But having to solve your own murder? It's a lot for a girl to take in. Solving the mystery behind your death can be murder.

Charlotte wakes up at Hotel Atessa, home to murdered New York teenagers and HQ of The Dead Girls Detective Agency. Before she has time to adjust to her new, erm, dead self, she's thrust into the arms of her new afterlife companions, Lorna, Nancy and the cute - if slightly hostile - dead boy, Eddison. But where does this leave Charlotte and her boyfriend David? Is it possible to have a long-distance relationship from beyond the grave? The only way out of this limbo is to figure out who killed her, or she'll have to spend eternity here. But who could hate her enough to want her dead?

Saturday 10 May 2014

Book Review - The Winner's Curse

 The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski 
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1 
Genres: Historical Fiction | Young Adult
Release Date: 4th March 2014
Publishers: Farrar Straus Giroux
No. Pages: 355
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

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

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

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

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

Book Review - The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner 
Author: James Dashner
Series: The Maze Runner #1 
Genres: Science Fiction, Action | Young Adult
Release Date:  6th October 2009
Publishers: Delacorte Press 
No. Pages: 374
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run

Bookish Musings - A Discussion About Discussions

Bookish Musings is a feature here at Beautiful Bookish Butterflies that allows one of us to share our thoughts and opinions, talk and discuss things happening in the book and blogging community or share a personal book related issue we have. Today, Amanda is talking about discussion post ideas and giving out some handy little tips for people struggling to come up with any. Need some discussion ideas? Help yourself!

Thursday 8 May 2014

Who Wore It Better #9 - Insurgent

Who Wore It Better is a meme created and hosted by Nitzan at The Book Babes Read and co-hosted here on Beautiful Bookish Butterflies by Amanda and Stacie. We don't talk about clothing or fashion and we definitely don't talk frills and spills, we talk books and their covers and who we think has the best. This week, Amanda's talking about the covers for Insurgent, book #2 of the Divergent series. Following the recent release of Divergent in the cinema and the hype surrounding the series, I thought we could honour it's release by using this week Who It Better to look at the sequel. I'm nice like that.

Wednesday 7 May 2014

Book Review - See Through Me


See Through Me
Author: Sera Bright
Series: Lose My Senses #1
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult, New Adult
Release Date: 8th May 2014
Publisher: Createspace
No. Pages: 222
Source: Review Copy - Createspace
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
There's only one person I want to see when I return home. But I know he won't be waiting. It's the reason I feel safe enough to come back. I’m so wrong.

Ash Townsend isn't the same quiet boy from next door. He's tall, dark and demanding answers. He wants me, but he doesn't trust me. Why should he? When his own family tried to break him down, he still sheltered me in this town full of liars. And I repaid it by leaving him without a word. But I'll do anything to protect him. I have the scars on my wrist to prove it.

Monday 5 May 2014

Book Review - Deep Blue

Deep Blue
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Series: Waterfire Saga #1
Genres: Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 6th May 2014
Publishers: Disney Press
No. Pages: 320
Source: Review Copy - Disney Press
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe. When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence.

Thursday 1 May 2014

Book Reviews - Death Bringer/The End of the World

Death Bringer
Author: Derek Landy
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #6
Genres: Fantasy | Childrens, Young Adult
Release Date: 1st September 2011
Publishers: Harper Collins
No. Pages: 603
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Think you've seen anything yet? You haven’t. Because the Death Bringer is about to rise..

The Necromancers no longer need Valkyrie to be their Death Bringer, and that’s a good thing. There’s just one catch. There’s a reason the Necromancers don’t need her any more. And that’s because they've found their Death Bringer already, the person who will dissolve the doors between life and death. And that’s a very, very bad thing..