Review for Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent #1)
By Veronica Roth
Published by HarperCollins Children's Books
Source: Won from Diana (thanks girl!)
489 pages
    

"Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances." -Goodreads

Can I give it 6 stars? Or would that totally break my rating code? Yes, it was THAT awesome. Veronica Roth has a gift... she spins a tale about a girl's struggles and then jerks you along for the ride. You've probably heard it over and over again but I'm going to repeat it: this book is amazing, seriously it made it to the top of my favourite 2011 reads.

But I have a dilemma. See I can't go and do my regular review. Why? Because if I give too much detail... I'll ruin it for you. The summary has already spoiled it enough. So I will keep what I say to a minimum. Tris is a kick butt main character and you'll be captivated by her because of her realism. If there's one thing I learned from her its this: do not under-estimate the small. They are powerful. Her love interest: *Sa-woon.* What can I say to describe him? He's everything that other 'boys' I read about in previous books are not: real and totally smokin'. All the people in this book are well developed, they each stand out to the reader and leave an impression. I feel personally attached to them and its hard to think I have to wait months for Insurgent!

The plot is fast-paced... one hundred percent un-put-down-able. Action, lies, secrets, shocks, total suspense. This book packs a punch. Veronica Roth created a future world that had my full attention, she revealed things about it but held some back. A perfect balance. It left me wanting more while not starving me! The world building alone was phenomenal.


The romance was perfect for me... not insta-love AND not based on looks! It was just the right amount to satsify me (a romance lover). I was so engrossed in it that the 489 pages just flew by! I didn't want it to end. Even if you don't like dystopians.... try it. You won't regret it.

I'd highly recommend it to everyone who hasn't read it already. Go into it with an open mind and you'll see that the hype is deserved. It blew me away and I'm sure it will for you too. Veronica Roth you have a talent! I surrender to your beaming excellence! My review just does not do this book enough justice... it's one of a kind.

Excerpt:

Marcus offer me my knife. I look into his eyes - they are dark blue, a strange color - and take it. He nods, and I turn toward the bowls. Dauntless fire and Abnegation stones are both on my left, one in front of my shoulder and one behind. I hold the knife in my right hand and touch the blade to my palm. Gritting my teeth, I drag the blade down. It stings, but I barely notice. I hold both hands to my chest, and my next breath shudders on the way out.
I open my eyes and thrust my arm out. My blood drips onto the carpet between the bowls. Then, with a gasp I can't contain, I shift my hand forward, and my blood sizzles on the coals.
I am selfish. I am brave.
**Want to read more? Check it OUT!***

Are you still not convinced? Watch the trailer:

Cover Crazy: Betrayal by Mayandree Michel

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms where a beautiful cover is featured each week for all of us to admire. I will be doing it every once in a while... whenever a beautiful, unique, or stylish cover comes along! So, lets get started!

This week's cover is.... Betrayal by Mayandree Michel. I saw this cover over at Shelby's blog and fell in love.

Got a good look? Yeah? Doesn't the dress make you drool? I would so want to own it even if I didn't wear it. So instead of just showing you, I want to do what Small does and review it. Let's break this cover down and look at the different aspects I enjoy (feel free to tell me your thoughts in the comments!)

 

1. The model and dress.

I probably could go on and on about the dress but I will restrain myself. *takes deep breath* Right, that will work. The colour is magnificent.... gold, how nice! The overall feel of the cover is warm and it attracts me to it. The folds in the dress and the design in the bodice are breath-taking. Such a slim waist too! I would kill for that! The updo for the girls hair I think fits the posture perfectly. Normally I like hair to be down but in this case, no. It's simple and elegant. Overall very beautiful model and dress!

 

2. The Greek building.

I'm not an expert but is that I colonnade? To be safe I will just call it a 'building'. Its nice how it's integrated in the clouds, making it less noticable but bring curiousity to the readers mind. The way the clouds flow with the trees and are so puffy - lack of better term - they look majestical in a way. Anyways, I would predict that the building is important after all it is on the cover! And by the description of the book, its about Cordelia being a descendant of the Greek gods. Interesting.

3. The Lightening bolt.

Or at least that is what I believe it to be. It draws the eyes towards it (after the dress of course) and it looks like its significant. What can she do? It just crackles with energy! Adding a little weariness to the reader. After all beautiful women are dangerous... right? I like the feeling of power we get from her and yet she has feminity.  

4. The font.

What is it about cursive writing (even if its a single letter) that makes a cover featuring a pretty dress that much more... well... pretty? The B just swirls and makes it look elegent. But as I think about it (I believe I'm over analyzing) Betrayal is a dirty, mean, hard word while the B is soft and delicate. Irony! Although I like the combo of the red and gold, I find the title doesn't stand out enough. It feels sub-dued. But maybe that's just me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a final verdict to my ramblings, I find this cover guilty of being stunning. I can't help but be perked up at the sight of it and wonder, "What's it about?" (followed by the thought, "Ooouu, pretty dress - give me, give me!")

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Thank you all for reading my first Cover Crazy post (review) and please tell me your thoughts! Disagree? Tell me! Agree? Tell! I want to know what you think too! Happy reading everyone :)

In My Mailbox (14)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where we get to post about the books we receive each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests, and libraries!

What I Got This Week:

I want to say thank you to the author, D. Robert Pease, for sending me my first physical reviewers copy!! I've done a lot of ebook reviews and my eyes are grateful for the break! So, thank you :)

For Review:

Noah Zarc by D. Robert Pease

What did you get in your mailbox this week??

Thanks for reading!



Review for Slayers by C.J. Hill

Slayers (Slayers #1?)
By C.J. Hill
Published by Feiwel & Friends   
Source: Hardback from Publisher
304 pages

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?-Goodreads

I didn't love, love, this book but I highly enjoyed it. The aspect that caught me was the fresh take on dragons. No, they are not going to be our pets and love us. They are just the opposite.

For the main part of the book we see the story progress through the eyes of Tori. The POV switchs sometimes in between, I appreciated that because it gave us a look into different peoples thoughts on the matter. Tori, well, lots of people say they didn't like her but I didn't mind her at all. She's a little bit of a wimp at first but she is definitely smart. And I loved the fact that the author didn't make her excel at everything. We find that alot, where the main hero/heroine is good at everything. That made her more realistic in my eyes. As the summary above says, they will fall in love. Particulary two will fall for one (see where I'm going here?) and those two, although one was the obvious choice the other dare I say, I felt sorry for. He really did have good intentions. But I'm still sticking with the main choice here... he's awesome. He (yes no names here) can aim arrows, ride horses, shoot a rifle (with his eyes closed!) oh and yeah... FLY! He's a keeper. I like that the romance didn't overtake the book but there was enough to keep my interest (and enough swoon worthy boys around!). One of my favourite characters though, was Bess. She's so sassy and smart, and has all the bravo in the world!

The book moved at a pace that was good. I enjoyed the writing style and I loved how she incorporated super-powers. That was awesome. But I felt as though the real action didn't come until far into the book, and I'm sad to report that.... I think this is going to be a series of some sort. Sigh. I had to keep reminding myself while reading that all these events were happening over a four day period and then it ended with finally mentioned the eluded Ryker (rocking name!) Davis, the character that I wanted to know so much about! Cliffhanger? No not really. Opening for second book? Uh, yeah. But all in all I was happy with the action, there were a lot of neat elements in this story.

I would recommend it to fantasy fans, dragon fans, romance people and anyone who's interested. A very well done job by one of my favourite authors!

Excerpt:

After what seemed like a long time, Dirk said, "I got him. I'm waiting to make sure he goes down, and then I'll head to my guard post."
Jesse's voice came over the radio. "Bess, what's your situation?"
"Same as always - chasing after men who don't know I exist."
"Have you seen your guard?"
"Yeah, and he's way to old for me. Plus, he just went unconscious - those are big turnoffs for me."
"Head toward the enclosure."
"I'm not that far away. Don't start the party without me."
**Find more @ this link**

Book Trailer:

Waiting On Wednesday (24)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine to showcase unreleased novels that we're waiting for. Here is my pick for this week:


The Kill Order (Maze Runner 0.5)
By James Dashner
Expected publication: August 14th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

There is no summary.... yet. But here is what RandomBuzzers said:

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares seared the earth and mankind fell to disease. THE KILL ORDER tells the story of that fall.
“The prequel is something that has churned in my mind since before The Maze Runner was even complete. It's been hard to keep it a secret! I'm excited to finally share the news and I can't wait for my readers to see how it all began”, says James Dashner.

What I think:

How totally awesome is this? Some people aren't happy but I am! A prequel?? Yay! I have yet to read The Death Cure (its waiting for me on my shelf) but I"m sure this one will answer ALL my questions (hopefully)! Eeek, I cannot wait to see the cover, once it's revealed I'll let you all know :D This is one of my favourite series so you can imagine what I was doing when I found out *happy dance*

  What are you waiting for? Share links/comments :) I would love to know... Thanks for reading!

Review for Dreamland by Alyson Noel

Dreamland (Riley Bloom #3)
By Alyson Noel
Published by Square Fish
Source: Won from Iceybooks
192 pages

Riley’s finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work. So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever. She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams. As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer’s dream, share a message, and participate. As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer. But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up. Thinking it’s her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio. There she finds a ghost boy, who’s been creating and sending nightmares to people for years. In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to have to confront and overcome her own fears. -Goodreads

I wasn't sure what to expect, I haven't read the first two books and I've only read Evermore from the main series. I know that most of you are shaking your head thinking, "Sin! Sin! Book sin!" because yes I have commited a great sin and gone completely out of order and jumped in the middle. But alas here are my thoughts.

First of all, as the afore mentioned, I jumped in not knowing the characters or plot or well anything. I could easily follow, despite that fact, and could attach myself to the characters. Riley is a sassy character, and although her fiery drive gets her in trouble, I think that quality is what totally made this book enjoyable. She's twelve and I really liked how the author portrays her as that age - not older or younger! Her dog Buttercup is awesome (I know I'm such a sap for dogs!) and I'm sad to see this is the only book (!) that doesn't have Buttercup on the cover! Bodhi is Riley's guide and I wish we could've seen more of him in this book but since they are on 'vacation' they split and go seperate ways. Sigh. I've heard that the past two books centered on them together. Missed out on that eh? He was, what I thought, a pretty cool guide (Riley is crushing on him and she doesn't know it!) I also loved, loved the scene between Riley and Ever! It was so darn sweet.. and sad. The characters were great throughout!

The plot is pretty easy on the action, it kept me reading but not frantically. I didn't mind that though. I found this to have a certain light feeling to it and I couldn't help but smile at how the author described Here & Now. I thought it was a good-feeling setting and put the reader at ease.  The dream-jumping/weaving was really neat to read about! The quality of the writing was smooth and no 'reading between the lines' deal here.

Overall, I would recommend it to readers who have started this series, like sassy and fun characters and a light-quick read!

Excerpt:

Let's just say that it couldn't be missed.

After all, I'd seen it.

Bodhi had seen it.

Even Buttercup had looked right at me and barked a few times as he wagged his tail and spun around.

All of which I took as a pretty good sign that the Council would see it too—from what I knew of them, they didn't miss a thing.

I relaxed, pushed my hair off my face, and thought: How bad can it be when my glow is so clearly minty green?

More @ this website

Audiobook Clip!

Book Trailer:

Waiting On Wednesday (23)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine to showcase unreleased novels that we're waiting for. Here is my pick for this week:

Insurgent (Divergent #2)

By Veronica Roth

Expected publication: May 28th 2012 by HarperCollins

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. -Goodreads

What I think:

I have Divergent patiently waiting for me to read it on my shelf and I cannot wait to devour it! I've heard many good things so I'm expecting to want to read this second one just as badly! I absolutely admire this cover.

 What are you waiting for? Share links/comments :) I would love to know... Thanks for reading!

Winter is Here!

Hi readers! Ok, so maybe winter was here a week ago. Or maybe for you its still autumn with no snow. But for me and my neighbors here in British Columbia in the Cariboo Region winter came last week. And I wanted to share some pictures with you! I happen to enjoy winter because I personally think its a majestical season where everything glimmers. Its true its cold but I can live with that. As you can see I have 'winterized' my blog. How does everyone like it? Yay or nay? Well here are my pics that I took today (it wasn't the greatest picture day lol)

Here is my front yard.... the lake is iced over now!!



And here is my dog posed....

And for good measure and to avoid sibling rivarly here is one of my cat...

And lastly here is one of our driveway....

Yeah that last one doesn't serve a purpose. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed them! I could have added more, especially of the lake and my animals but I don't want to go overboard :) Now how is this book related? Its not. Really. But doesn't all this snow make you want to curl up in an armchair and read a good book? It does for me!

So, how about you? Do you have snow yet? Do you like winter or hate it? What books do you want to read this winter? Any recommendations? Thanks for reading everyone!

In My Mailbox (13)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where we get to post about the books we receive each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests, and libraries!

What I Got This Week:

 

Yup, I only got one book this past week... but one that I'm so excited to read! This book actually has a bit of a story behind it. See I was going to read an ARC online but the publishers archived it. Now, being me, I had no idea what that meant so I asked the publisher. Of course (duh!) it means that the publication date has already gone by so they take it off the reading list thingy (<- the publisher explained it in better terms). Anyhoo, then, THEN, the publisher offered me a hardback copy because I was sad I didn't get to read it. Wow, I know. :) So a big big immensely humongous hug to Lizzy Mason for sending me a copy to read! And for all of you who didn't know C.J. Hill is actually Janette Rallison (one of my fave authors!)

For Review:

Slayers by C.J. Hill

 What did you get in your mailbox this week??

Thanks for reading!

Review for My Almost Epic Summer by Adele Griffin

My Almost Epic Summer
By Adele Griffin
Published by Putnam Juvenile 
Source: Gifted from Diana
192 pages
      

 "Irene's got big dreams' someday she's going to own an exclusive salon in L.A. It's a good thing she has dreams, since her reality is a nightmare. She's just been fired from her mom's beauty salon for her tear-jerking shampooing technique and is forced to take the only other job she can find-babysitting. Now she's stuck at the beach entertaining kids while everyone else is having a glamorous summer. Will she ever get a life? Then Irene meets Starla, a mindbogglingly beautiful lifeguard, whose diva attitude, dangerous obsessions, male admirers, and fiery blog hold enough real-life drama and romance to fill a book. Suddenly Irene finds that the countdown to real life is over and her fate is in her own hands."-Goodreads

   This was my first Adele Griffin book (I know!) and I've heard many good things about the author from numerous people (*cough*Small*cough*) ... never-the-less I was excited! (This will be a relatively short review)

   Just so you all know, the low star rating is not because I didn't like the authors style! I found Ms. Griffins writing really easy to read because it flowed and there were just enough details to satisfy me. But it seems it just wasn't the right book for me. I was a little bored most of the time and this definitely is a summer read (bad judgement on my part since its winter but I couldn't wait!) I found myself disliking Irene a lot. She didn't seem appreciative of anything and I don't get what she liked about Starla. The kids she babysat were awesome! I didn't see how she didn't like babysitting them (although it is strange that a 12 year old needs babysitting). Lainie was so so sweet and Evan was so charming! But there is one thing I loved about Irene. She read. Classics. I know! I was so happy with that because frankly not enough heroines are well versed! I also enjoyed the self growth made by Irene. I found her to be immature and a bit irresponsible but by the end of summer she was just a bit more mature about matters. And although you don't know by the blurb... there is some romance! Yup! I was excited when finally we got some plot going on and I thought it was the sweetest scenario!

   I didn't love this book but I did like it and I'll be looking for more of Adele Griffins books. I read it in just over three hours so if you want a quick, lighthearted and summer-y read, this is what I would recommend. Thanks for the book Diana!

Excerpt:

Here is my dream. One day I am going to open my own beauty salon. It will be an upscale but cozy boutique in Los Angeles, with chandeliers and a white wood floor, where I will offer the latest looks. My specialty, however, will be re-creating the hairdos of Great Women in Literature.

I plan to call my shop Heroine Hairstyles.
In preparation, I have drawn seventy-six pages of heroine heads in my blue spiral notebook. Three heads to a row, four rows to a page, no order. On one page, Franny Glass is next to Antigone is next to Scout Finch is above Anna Kareni--
"Girl! You got shampoo in my eye!"
I look down. The lady's eyes are squeezed tight. "Left or right?" I ask.
"Who cares left or right? Get me some water!"
"I-rene!" My mom races from the cash register to the line of sinks. When Mom's mad, she says my name like it's a pronoun plus verb.
Rene (REEN): to perform an act of astonishing stupidity.

Waiting On Wednesday (22)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine to showcase unreleased novels that we're waiting for. Here is my pick for this week:


Social Suicide (Deadly Cool #2)
By Gemma Halliday
Expected publication: April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

Twittercide [twit-er-sahyd]: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting.

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper's brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went...a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the Homecoming Queen-hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH's resident body finder, I'm stuck trying to prove that Sydney's death wasn't suicide.

I'm starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos... - Goodreads

What I think:

This is looks like the perfect sequel to Deadly Cool! The cover again is gorgeous and I would love love to read both books :) I'm a sucker for mysteries!

What are you waiting for? Share links/comments :) I would love to know... My wishlist needs to expand, well not really but still!

Review for Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Saving June
By Hannah Harrington
Expected publication: November 22nd 2011 by Harlequin
Source: ARC from NetGalley
336 pages

"Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again"-Goodreads

    I had the chance to check out the reviews on Goodreads for this and apparently I'm an odd ball. Everyone else loved it to bits. So, chances are if you pick this up, you'll like (if you like contemporary and emotional books).

   Harper Scott. Harper Scott. Where should I start? I didn't hate her. But I didn't connect or feel anything towards her. I was confused by her feelings; of course, she is bound to have a roller coaster of emotions but I just couldn't get a sense of who she was. I didn't get anything to work with. She's angry, disappointed, depressed, hating her sister one minute and consumed with love for her the next. Then her actions where contradicting too. And some things she said got really repeptive. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a depressed character. Jake was interesting. I couldn't figure him out too much but its basically the bad-boy-isn't-so-bad-after-all deal. I liked him but I didn't fall on my face love him. He provided the needed support for Harper though and some of the things he did really touched my heart. Laney is a pretty cool best friend, she has her downfalls and isn't always perfect and that's what I enjoyed. She really cares about Harper and would do anything for her. Even though June is dead we still get to read a bit about her and from what I gleamed I liked her and I was really sad at what she did.

   The plot although not slow did lag a bit for me. Some parts I was so gripped to and couldn't tear myself away but others I just didn't have an urge to finish. I loved the road trip aspect of this book and oh my the music! That's what saved this book for me... the music selection was amazing! I have a warning to those potential readers though (not about music) this book I found was quite preachy *cough*Aunt Helen*cough* and had lots of swearing. This is more of a downer book and I guess I just wasn't in the mood for this.

   I would recommend it to readers who like emotional reads that deal with suicide, romance, and deep books. I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to but I know most other people will.

Excerpt:

I loved June. I still love her, and that will never change, but for the first time in my life, I truly, truly don't want to be her. I don't want to be so scared all the time. So alone. I want to believe something can be worth it. Worth the pain. Worth the risk.
Deciding to kiss Jake is like standing on the edge of a pool, staring down and wanting to take the leap, but fearing how cold the water will be.
I hold my breath and jump.

Waiting On Wednesday (21)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine to showcase unreleased novels that we're waiting for. Here is my pick for this week:


Revived
By Cat Patrick
Release date: May 8th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

"As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger — and more sinister — than she ever imagined"-Goodreads

Does this not send chills up your spine? It does to me! I simply adore this cover, I think the colours are amazing and it is so original... what exactly is she peeking into? Or coming out of? Any suggestions? I’ve got none :/ This story sounds like a mystery and a read that I would enjoy :) What do you think? Would you like to read it?

What are you waiting for? Share links/comments :) I would love to know... My wishlist needs to expand, well not really but still!

Review for Tempest by Julie Cross

Tempest (Tempest #1)
By Julie Cross
Release date is January 17th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin
Source: ARC from Netgalley
352 pages

"The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world." - Goodreads

Tempest has it all, time travel, action, adventure, romance, mystery, suspense, a little bit of humor.... and an awesome cover. It has easily made it to one of my favourite books. What you have EVER learned about time travel - earse. This was such a fresh take on time travel and get this - it made sense! Julie Cross made this story for me in mind, it was totally my 'thing'. If I had a physical copy I would read it again and again and again!!

One of the best elements I enjoyed was that we get to read through Jackson's POV. Yes you have heard me correctly! A male protagonist! Hipee horray! And what a MC he is! I don't mean to say that in a swoon-worthy way like I usually do. I mean I totally love him but I just feel different because I got to know him personally. Jackson cares so much for the people he loves, especially Holly. He sometimes messes up, says the wrong thing and hides his feelings - but that made him amazingly realistic! I loved that! He just recently discovered that he can time travel and has fun with it, but as the story progress he learns more and more. Thus as the reader we learn right along with him. Jackson was very easy to read about, I never got annoyed with him or angry, I totally just went with it. All the characters were like that. I can't go into detail about all of them but there are a few that stood out to me. Holly by all means could be my friend, she is a very rounded and dynamic character that was perfect for Jackson. Adam, who is the 'science/math' whiz, was incredible too! I loved his character and I feel that without him in the story it woulnd't have been the same. The last character I'll mention is Jackson's dad because he plays an important role in Jackson's adventures. I was on the fence about him, I didn't know to love or hate him, but I decided on one. But I won't tell for fear of spoiling. Cruel? Yes.

Tempest was a book filled with suspense for me because I wanted to keep reading and reading. I felt like I was on an adventure (or an awesome roller coaster with lots of twists!) and it seemed like I was physically along for the ride. When events unfolded I gasped and like I said before, the way Ms. Cross explains it, I think everyone will be able to understand! The ideas she had are so fresh, her take on time travel has left me pondering. I really love time travel and this theory has become my favourite because it makes sense and sounds plausable!

I highly recommend this book to everyone because I think everyone would enjoy a certain element. It flows easy, the pace is great and I've become so attached to the characters! Normally I want to keep reading a series because of the plot but this one is different - I want to know and get to know more of the characters! Overall, a best read for this year that caused me to scream "OH WHY DID IT HAVE TO END!"

Excerpt:

Okay, so far all I had was a newpaper that said this exact day was two years in the past. Well.... the past for me anyway.
I ran down the sidewalk as the raindrops grew more frequent. I spotted a police officer standing under a tree and raced toward him, not caring in the least about getting soaked.
"Excuse me. Officer. Do you know today's date?"
"The ninth," he mumbled, not even looking me in the eye.
"Of September?"
He snorted a laugh. "Yeah."
"Of 2009, right?"
He rolled his eyes and pushed past me. "Damn kids! 2009?"
The panic that followed his words felt like caffeine being injected straight into my veins. I used the bottom of my shirt to wipe the rain from my eyes and searched for a third source.