Monday 30 June 2014

No Books Allowed - June 2014.


Welcome to No Books Allowed. This is a monthly feature hosted by me, used to discuss things things in life which aren't connected to books. This post can be used to talk about days out, music, TV, video games, films etc for all those book bloggers out there who do occasionally do stuff other than read and go to book events!
No Books Allowed by Raimy, over at Readaraptor

Saturday 28 June 2014

Personal Pickings - What I Watch and What I Play

Personal Pickings is a feature here at Beautiful Bookish Butterflies that allows one of us to approach subject personal to us that has no link or connection to our bookish endeavors. Today, Amanda is talking about some of the other things she does when she's not slaving away reading. She does other things? Blasphemy!

Thursday 26 June 2014

Film Review - The Hunger Games (2012)


The Hunger Games
Director(s): Gary Ross
Genres: Science Fiction | Young Adult
Duration: 142 Minutes
Release Date: 23rd March 2012
IMDB Rating: 
Butterfly Rating: 
Trailer: See Here
Buy From: Amazon | Ebay
In a dystopian future, the totalitarian nation of Panem is divided between 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal retribution for a past rebellion, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors while the citizens of Panem are required to watch.

When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. Will they survive, and will the the odds be ever in their favour?

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Book Review - Red Glove


Red Glove
Author: Holly Black
Series: Curse Workers #2
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 14th June 2011
Publishers: Gollancz
No. Pages: 272
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov's retribution and finding out that Lila, the girl he has loved his whole life, will never, ever be his, Cassel is trying to re-establish some kind of normalcy in his life. That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family that's tied to one of the big crime families, and whose mother's cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is coming to terms with what it means to be a transformation worker, and he's figuring out how to have friends.

Except normal doesn't last very long. Soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past- a past he remembers only in scattered fragments, and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on, because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive..

Tuesday 24 June 2014

Book Review - Only The Good Spy Young


Only The Good Spy Young
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #4
Genres: Mystery, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: May 2009
Publishers: Orchard Books
No. Pages: 304
Source: Purchased
Rating:
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn't know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that's exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie 'The Chameleon' can't hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers - or even her own heart.

Monday 23 June 2014

Book Review - Catching Fire

Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #2
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopian | Young Adult
Release Date: 1st September 2009
Publishers: Scholistic
Pages: 439
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Saturday 21 June 2014

Bookish Musings - Books That Changed My World

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 the books that have influenced her reading, her life, and therefore her world. She definitely can't take the credit for the idea, but it's definitely worth a look. Hold onto your hats people, there's a history lesson coming..

Thursday 19 June 2014

Who Wore It Better #13 - The Ask and the Answer

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 The Ask and the Answer, book #2 in the Chaos Walking Trilogy. Nitzan and Amanda don't always agree on novels, and their opinions differ hugely for this series, but once Amanda saw that there were over 11 cover options for this series, she soon got over the fact that she disliked The Knife of Never Letting Go. Sure her, she doesn't care.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Book Review - Under the Never Sky

Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopian | Young Adult
Release Date: 8th January 2013
Publishers: Atom
Pages: 384
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered.
This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland known as The Death Shop are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild, a savage, and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Monday 16 June 2014

Book Review - Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover

Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #3
Genres: Mystery, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: May 2009
Publishers: Orchard Books
No. Pages: 304
Source: Purchased
Rating:
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
When Cammie 'The Chameleon' Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), 'exciting' and 'deadly' are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.
As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?
Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth.

Saturday 14 June 2014

Bookish Musings - NetGalley Negatives

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 Netgalley and the negative things that she personally has against the site. Does it mean she won't use it? Of course not, but it's not a perfect formula. See why..

Friday 13 June 2014

Book Review - The Dark World

The Dark World
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Series: Dark World #1
Genres: Paranormal, Demons | Young Adult 
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Publishers: Harlequin Teen
No. Pages: 384
Source: Review Copy - Harlequin Teen
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Paige Kelly is used to weird--in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.

Thursday 12 June 2014

Bookish Musings - Series

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, Stacie is talking about series and how they seem to be taking over there life, why she has an inability to finish any and what she plans to do about it..

Book Review - Graceling

Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Series: Graceling Realm #1
Genres: Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 22nd January 2009
Publishers: Gollancz
No. Pages: 352
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are both feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. Feared by the court and shunned by those her own age, the darkness of her Grace casts a heavy shadow over Katsa’s life. Yet she remains defiant: when the King of Lienid’s father is kidnapped she investigates, and stumbles across a mystery. Who would want to kidnap the old man, and why? And who was the extraordinary Graced man whose fighting abilities rivaled. The only thing Katsa is sure of is that she no longer wants to kill. The intrigue around this kidnapping offers her a way out – but little does she realise, when she takes it, that something insidious and dark lurks behind the mystery. Something spreading from the shadowy figure of a one-eyed king..

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Book Review - The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

 The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Standalone
Genres: Vampires, Paranormal | Young Adult
Release Date: September 3rd 2013 
Publishers:  Little Brown
No. Pages:  419
Source: Purchased
Rating:
Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Book Review - White Cat

White Cat
Author: Holly Black
Series: Curse Workers #1
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 4th June 2010
Publishers: Gollancz
No. Pages: 310
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, all by the slightest touch of their hands. Since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals. But not Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider - the straight kid in a crooked family - as long as you ignore one small detail:
He killed his best friend, Lila.

Now he is sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat. He also notices that his brothers are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of one huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.

Monday 9 June 2014

Book Review - Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy


Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #2
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: May 2007
Publishers: Orchard Books
No. Pages: 264
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Cammie Morgan may have a genius IQ and attend the best school in the country, but as she starts the spring semester of her sophomore year there are a lot of things she doesn't know. Like will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble did she really get in last semester? And, most of all, exactly why is her mother acting so strangely?

All Cammie wants is a nice, normal semester, but she's about to learn her greatest lesson yet - that when you go to a school for spies, nothing is ever as it seems.

Saturday 7 June 2014

Book Review - Sweet Evil

Sweet Evil
Author: Wendy Higgins
Series: The Sweet Trilogy #1
Genres: Angels, Demons  | Young Adult
Release Date: May 1st 2012 
Publishers: Harper Teen
No. Pages: 447
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Friday 6 June 2014

#PROMOTEYAINSTEAD: Slate, YA and Reading What You Want

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 an article was published on Slate about how adults should be 'embarrassed' to read 'young adult' books and it's fair to say that that article irritated, angered and frustrated her beyond recognition, so in a clear retaliation against that article, she's going to both pick apart the article and give an unique angle on the entire situation, the angle from a 19 year old, teenage adult.

Thursday 5 June 2014

Book Review - Girl, Missing

Girl, Missing
Author: Sophie McKenzie
Series: Girl, Missing #1
Genres: Mystery, Thriller | Young Adult
Release Date: December 1st 2006
Publishers: Simon and Schuster
No. Pages: 283
Source: Borrowed
Rating:
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Lauren has always known she was adopted but when a little research turns up the possibility that she was snatched from an American family as a baby, suddenly Lauren's life seems like a sham. How can she find her biological parents? And are her adoptive parents really responsible for kidnapping her?

Who Wore It Better #12 - Sapphire Blue

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 Sapphire Blue. Unlike Nitzan and probably the entire world, she haven't read these books yet; but she does love the covers. Shall we see why?

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Book Review - This Song Will Save Your Life

 This Song Will Save Your Life
Author: Leila Sales
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: September 17th 2013
Publishers: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
No. Pages: 279
Source: Purchased 
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.


Book Review - Pivot Point


Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 12th Febuary 2013
Publishers: Harper Teen
No. Pages: 343
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Knowing the outcome doesn't always make a choice easier..

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with - her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the 'Norms',  or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it's not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school - but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie's father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through.. and who she can’t live without.

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Film Review - Beautiful Creatures (2013)


Beautiful Creatures
Director(s): Richard LaGravenese
Genres: Fantasy, Romance | Childrens, Young Adult
Duration: 124 Minutes
Release Date: 14th Febuary 2013
IMDB Rating: 
Butterfly Rating: 
Trailer: See Here
Buy From: Amazon | Ebay
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Monday 2 June 2014

Book Review - Tease

Tease
Author: Amanda Maciel
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult 
Release Date: April 29th 2014
Publishers: Balzer + Bray 
No. Pages: 336
Source: Review Copy - Balzer + Bray
Rating: 
Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault. At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the community, and the media. In the summer before her senior year, in between meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist, Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment—and ultimately consider her own role in an undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.

Book Review - Cinder

Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 5th Febuary 2012
Publishers: Puffin
No. Pages: 387
Source: Borrowed
Rating:
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.