Since You've Been Gone

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend- the one who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just...disappears. no note. No calls. No texts. no Sloane. There's just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-sselected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try...unless they could lead back to her best friend. 

Apple Picking at Night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a Stranger? Wait...what?

Getting through Sloane's list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she'll find? 

Go Skinny Dipping? Um...

Author: Morgan Matson
Page Count: 449 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Series: No

At the beginning of the year (2015) I joined an online book club. Since You've Been Gone was the first book we chose to read in January. I've heard great things, along with a few bad, but I never really had the urge to pick this book up. A friend gets abandoned during the summer, how great could this be?

Then I read the first chapter. Already the story had me hooked. I enjoyed reading the writing style the author used, and the mystery was already laid out in front of me. Where was Sloane and why did she leave?

Having to figure out a good mystery will usually keep me reading a book even when the story no longer keeps my interest, I can't leave something unsolved. Starting the first couple of chapters I was a little worried I would end up disliking this book. The main character, Emily, was starting to scratch at my nerves in the wrong way.

Finding out Sloane, Emily's best friend, had up and disappeared would be a reasonable explanation to why she was a little depressed and uncertain at the start of the story. Having something like that happen would surely flip a person's world upside down. But there was something about Emily that bugged me a lot. She seemed to be too dependent on Sloane. I understand her character was a shy teenage girl, but the way she seemed to just shut down without her friend really bothered me. I don't mind having a hurt and broken main character to follow, but this character was not my favorite.

That's when I realized after a little more reading, she was basically me. This is one of those characters that gave me a sense of looking into a mirror. I was seeing my old middle and high school self yelling at me from the pages. I'm proud to say, the shy girl that missed opportunities because of doubts and shyness is no longer me, but I still hate knowing I was that person. How much did I miss?

Everything got a little more exciting when Sloane's list showed up. Seeing all the items left for Emily to complete was amusing to read. Some where simple but for others...well let's just say not many people would be willing to do them. (I personally wouldn't steel something, and no way would you find me skinny dipping!) But the interesting part of the list was the way the author presented challenges to each item. Even the most basic item had obstacles to overcome and a deeper meaning that Emily only recognized after she completed the task.

A fun part of reading for me, is seeing a character grow. Sometimes this can mean physically, but most of the time I rather see them grow emotionally. This story is a prime example of character growth. The main character is Emily, her growth is the most noticeable throughout the story. She starts off awkward and shy, but soon becomes a pretty outgoing person with a mind of her own. No longer does she need a  friend to lead the way as she stays silent. As the reader continues the story we also see a bit of growth with Sloane and also Frank.

Frank. Frank Porter. Now if a person were going to picture a great friend/boyfriend Frank would be a great model. From the moment I met Frank, I knew I was going to like him. Without him to help guide the way, Emily would not have succeeded with as much as she did. Frank Porter should have some form of reward for his work.

To be completely honest, there isn't much more I can really say about this book. I loved it! I could keep typing this review, but it would only result in more fangirling, and that could just get awkward. If you really want to know how great this book was, I recommend picking it up! Morgan Matson will be an author I read more of from now on. Sadly, I have to admit this is my first book to read from her, but it will not be my last!

I gave this book a 5 star rating, and it deserved every point of those stars!!

Atlantis Rising

I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me. Until Ian…the mysterious and oh-so-cute boy I know I need to avoid.

Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted—by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do

Author: Gloria Craw
Page Count: 352
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance
Series: Yes! (Book 1)



  *I received an ebook version of this book from Entangled Teen for a free honest review*

  I read the summary of this book in an email request for upcoming review titles. The title alone drew me in. This was going to be a book about the mysterious world of Atlantis! Ever since I was young these stories have pulled me in. 

  Starting this book my expectations were high. As I mentioned above the chance to read about Atlantis already had me wanting this story, but the description on the back pulled me in as well. Who is this person and what powers does she hold? Why would someone be after her? This is where my thoughts stayed as I began the story...

  While the story was interesting and I really did enjoy it, my expectations were squashed a little. Some of the things I was hoping to see within the pages of this story never happened. The overall story was good and the characters were great, but there was still something missing.

  One of the parts I loved most about this book was the characters. Each character was unique in their own way, even the side characters had something that would make them stand out from the rest. The main characters were lovable and I found myself wishing I could talk to them. 
       
   Thankfully there was something missing from this story that I won't complain about: A love triangle. Unlike most Young Adult novels out there, this story kept the love interest between one guy and one girl. You didn't have the over protective friend trying to get the same girl as the exceptionally hot new guy. Some love triangles are ok, but I'm honestly getting tiered of  most of them. But with this story, the relationship between Alison and Ian is refreshingly normal. (Except for the whole being from Atlantis thing...) 

  There was a little action toward the end, nothing mind blowing or outstandingly epic, but it was a good ending to the story. There was a little build up to this fight throughout the story, and I personally am satisfied with the way it turned out. Not only did it wrap some issues and questions up, we are now left with a few others that need to be answered, a nice way to set up for a sequel. 

  About the only two problems I had with the entire story is:

1. What about Atlantis? One of the key points in my decision to read this was to get a bit of Atlantis story, but there really wasn't anything present. We get maybe a page about what happened to Atlantis and how it ends up at the bottom of the sea, and a quick mention that some of the people are alive. This is mainly to express why the lead characters are different from others, they are called Dewings, which means they come from Atlantis. But other than those two things, Atlantis is not really brought into the story. This was a major let down to me, but I'm hoping as the next book (or books?) come out there will be more!
2. A bit cliche. There were parts that came out being different than most stories, but most of the entire beginning is something that I have read many times. -The main character is trying to blend into society. All is working fine, until the new kid arrives, and then something extraordinary happens to them changing their lives forever!- This is not exactly a bad thing, I just think with the Atlantis aspect to the story, something a little different could have been done. 

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this story. It was a quick read and something I look forward to reading more of. I give this story a 4 out of 5 stars! If you like a cute read, this is the story for you. 

New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! 

  Today marks the first day of 2015! A blank page in this new chapter of life. Like many people, I guess I need to get some goals I might can achieve this year. I normally don't do resolutions, partly because I honestly know I won't stick with them.

   This year I going to do a little better with my resolutions! Instead of making mine the typical: Lose weight, exercise daily, eat healthier, etc.. I'm going to stick with bookish goals. If I'm going to be completely honest with myself, I know I'm more likely to hit the local library than the local gym.

  So here are a few of my goals for 2015:

• Read 50 books- This may not seem like a lot of books to read in a year to some, but for me it's a large amount. Don't get me wrong, I read a lot! But I never read that many in a year. This is going to be a bit of a challenge for me so that is where the next goal comes in handy...
• Complete the 2015 Reading Challenge- This is the challenge hosted by Popsugar. It's a checklist of different reading challenges to complete throughout the year. I'm going to work this a bit differently than a checklist, more info on that coming soon!
• Do more Posts- I just started blogging late in 2014 so this should be an easy goal to meet. I look forward to getting more reviews up and hopefully add a few ARCs to the list of reviews! Also planning on doing a few discussion type posts. Got to come up with a few topics first, but hopefully I'll get some going pretty soon.

Just to keep from failing at too many things this year I'm going to stop at 3 resolutions. I believe I can complete these 3, but only time can tell. A new year is a time for a new start and I've already started the year off in a great way by joining two reading groups! I have found some great people to talk to with these clubs and I look forward to all the fun awaiting us this year!!! 

• Book Dreams Book Club
• The Reader's Lounge

I guess that is all for now, I hope every the best in this new year! If you have made a few resolutions feel free to share in the comments or add a link to your post! 

Now I'll talk to you all later, it's time to go get lost between the pages!

~Lauren

Stacking the Shelves December edition!

Now that December has ended, I think now would be a great time to list my new books that have been added to my shelf!

Since I have a pretty long list, I'm just going to do a group picture of all the books instead of doing individual pictures.

Let me show you my little castle of books:

Now that I have shared the picture, let me break these down:

First we have my Black Friday books I got from BookOutlet's Black Friday Sale! 

• Another Little Piece of Me, by Kate Karyus Quinn
• Antigoddess, by Kendare Blake
• Scintillate, by Tracy Clark
• Pulse, by Patrick Carman

The next batch is from the lovely Stacie!

• Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Maar
• Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead
• Sketchy, by Olivia Samms
• The Gathering Storm, by Robin Bridges
• Ruby Red, by Kerstin Gier
• Shadowcry, by Jenna Burtenshaw
• Ashes, Ashes, by Jo Treggiari
• Find Me, by Romily Bernard
• I Am Number Four, Pittacus Lore
• Second Star, by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
• Mila 2.0, by Debra Driza
• The Burning Sky, by Sherry Thomas

My last set of books came from my Boyfriend for Christmas:

• Complete Harry Potter book Set

Just because they are gorgeous covers to me, I want to share a picture of these books! 

I know games are not books, but the three I'm listing have an actual story plot. 

• Kingdom Hearts 1.5 remix
• Kingdom Hearts 
• Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
• Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
• Kingdom Hearts II.5 Remix
• Kingdom Hearts II
• Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
• Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded
• The Last of Us

That's all I have for now on new books. 

Have you read any of these on the list? If you have, what did you think??

First Stacking the Shelves!

So normally I wait until the end of the month and do a little post called Book Haul. Well a friend of mine on twitter talked me into doing a new one, Stacking the Shelves. 

And here we are, the very first edition of...Stacking the Shelves 

Without anything else to add lets get to it, I have quite a few books to list! (Which never happens!)

These are the few I have bought. Sometimes a girl has to splurge, right? Another reason I love my local Libraries. 

1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

2 & 3. Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing, Libba Bray

4. Game of Thrones (book 1-4) George R. R. Martin

What's better than getting roses from the boyfriend? Getting a book shopping spree!! Here is my little bouquet! 

5. Seraphina, Rachel Hartman

6 & 7.  Siege and Storm & Ruin and Rising, Leigh Bardugo

8 & 9. Scarlet & Cress, Marissa Meyer

10 & 11. House of Hades & Blood of Olympus, Rick Riordan

12. Dreams of Gods & Monsters, Laini Taylor

And this last book I won in a giveaway! 

13. The Girl from the Well, Rin Chupeco

Well, that's it for now. As you can tell I have a good amount of books to read. My shelves are finally growing!! The best part?? Christmas is coming which will mean I might get more!!!! 

Have you read any of these?

If you have what did you think of them? 

Any suggestions on which one I should read first?

Doll Bones

        Zack, Poppy, and Alice have been friends forever. And for almost as long, they've been playing one continuos, ever-changing game- a game that takes place in a world populated with pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors. Ruling over them all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll imprisoned in a cabinet, cursing those who displease her.
       But the three friends are in middle school now, and Zach's father is pushing him to give up make-believe for basketball. When his father gives him no choice, Zach quits the game and lies about the reason. It seems like their friendship might be over, until Poppy declares she's been having dreams about the Queen- and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave.
      And so Zach and Alice and Poppy set off on one last adventure to lay the Queen's ghost to rest. But nothing goes according to plan, and as their adventure turns into an epic journey, creepy things begin to happen. Is the doll just a doll, or is there something more sinister at work? Has Poppy been telling the truth, or is she tricking them into playing a new game? And if there really is a ghost, will it let them go now that it has them in its clutches? 

Author: Holly Black
Page Count: 244
Genre: Middle Grade, Horror, Adventure
Series? No

**This was originally planned to be out during Halloween, life got in the way so that is why it's a bit late.**

I may be a 20-something- year-old, but that doesn't mean I can't sit down and enjoy a "Middle Grade" book. I have heard great things about the author Holly Black, but I had yet to read any of her work. Halloween was upon us, so I decided it was time to find something creepy to read. Thankfully this beauty was sitting on display right inside the door of the local library. Nothing like offering creepy and scary books to young children... not a bad idea at all. *Watches mothers cringe at the thought of late night calls because of bad dreams*

Going in with the expectations of it being for younger children, the bar was set kinda low. Most middle grade books are great reads, but they have that certain element that can hinder older children or adults from enjoying them. Thankfully, this was not the case for this book.

The cover alone had me hooked, mainly because china dolls creep me out. (Thanks to my older sister who loved to taunt me about the dolls that kill you.) So here is a story about a china doll, made out of a girl's bones, that posses one of the children. Yep, sounded creepy enough for me.

Beginning from page one, I enjoyed this story. It didn't have some of the older situations you would find in Young Adult or New Adult books, but there was a bit of drama woven into the story. The good part about the problems in this book, excluding the haunted doll and going on an adventure, most of it was something most people go through. The problems of figuring out when to grow up.

The main reason I liked this story, besides the beautiful writing, was the fact that the story centered around these 3 children's imagination. They had their own story, acting it out with action figures and dolls, a never ending story...or one they hoped wouldn't end. Why did I like this part so much? It was something I did during my childhood. I had dolls and stuffed toys and made up stories with them, it was the fun part of being a child. Reading this made me have a nice dose of nostalgia.  

Having parents thinking you need to move away from the story you are creating, or that fear of having friends or peers finding out you still play games like that, is something most children face. Having the characters go through this and finding a solution was what helped make this story a great read. Especially since the large audience for this book would be children around the same age as the characters with the same problems. (Again, excluding the haunted doll. If there is a haunted doll in the mix...they need to do more than read this book.)

I can't say this was the best read of the year, but it was definitely one of the books that made the lists of a must read. Especially for those who enjoy a good adventure book with a little ghostly activity. It wasn't as scary as I hoped it would be, but that was not a surprise considering the age the book was written for. However, I do give it a good 4 out 5 stars for me! Looking forward to reading more books from Holly Black, but maybe next time I'll make sure it's a Young Adult book.

The Assassin's Curse & The Pirate's Wish

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to another pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. when Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn't really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together. 

Th break the spell, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks-all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic...and the growing romantic tension between them. 

Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Page Count: 320
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Series? Yes. (Book 1: The Assassin's Curse)

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Najir and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies - and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction. 

Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Page Count: 336
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Series? Yes. (Book 2: The Assassin's Curse)




First off, can I just note how beautiful these covers are! Amazing art work!!

  How can someone not be interested in a swashbuckling tale of an adventurous pirate and a cursed assassin? A tale spun about the results of one pirates actions and the magic that binds the assassin to her. Not to mention a unique world not known to a normal human. This is one of those stories that has the makings of a pretty good read.

  Thankfully, that is what this story was! I have never heard of this series until I read a review for The Assassin's Curse. It's not a brand new book, but not as popular as say The Hunger Games. I would consider it a hidden treasure personally.

  Ananna, the pirate of our story, encounters problems when she decides to ditch her own family so she wouldn't have to get married. Not a marriage of love but of politics, Ananna runs to start her life in the hopes of getting her own ship. However, when Naji comes after her with the orders to kill her, that is when the story truly begins. Because of a curse Naji has placed on him from a separate world called The Mist, Ananna and he are now stuck together.

  Thankfully, for both Ananna and Naji, the curse can be broken, with one spall problem...it's impossible. The only way to undo the curse is to complete Three Impossible Tasks. Kinda dampens the mood a bit, not to mention it's hard to complete anything on an enchanted island.

The story itself was entertaining. The magic system the book used was not entirely unique, but not the same old system every other book uses. I liked the concept of each magic user having something to do with elements. For example, Ananna's mother uses the sea to help with her magic, while Naji uses his own blood. The information given about the world and magic was well done so thankfully there was not a huge confusing info dump on the reader. The way everything was explained flowed quite nicely.

  I enjoyed the romance part to this book. There were a few couples we get to see along the journey, but nothing was rushed. This was not a boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love at first sight, The End, kind of story. Each character had to figure out the relationship and how to deal with it in their own way, and I liked that nothing felt forced or  had the instant love moment.

  The only complaint I probably had about the writing, or story in general, would be the way the author wrote. The descriptions were beautifully done, and the writing was not bad, but she made it sound like the pirate was actually talking. A few times my grammar correction mode wanted to correct a few things, but it didn't take long to block that out. I got used to it quickly, and it did help add character to the story and also made the reader feel more connected to Ananna.

  The way the first book ended and the start of the second book had a easy flow to it. We didn't start months or years later, we picked up right where the first book left off. It almost felt like this was just one book all together, and to be honest, it could have easily been made into one book. I can't say I liked one over the other, because to me they were both equally great.

I have to give both of these books a 5 out of 5 stars. If you want a fun quick adventure to read, these are a great choice! Glad I had a chance to find these gems!