Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris
Publication Date: 4/23/13
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Series: #2 in Unraveling
Page Count: 496
Author Website: Elizabeth Norris
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound
Summary from Goodreads:
Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.
And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?
My Review:
Unbreakable was even more epic and intense than Unraveling. Is was incredible and overflowing with action, stakes, and suspense. There wasn’t a moment in Unbreakable that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat.
Following the events of Unraveling, Janelle and her family/friends are working to rebuild and recover. People have been disappearing for months and the rate of disappearances is rapidly increasing. It seems as if the missing people just got up and walked away, but that is very far from the case. Barclay returns and Janelle knows that trouble is afoot.
Gosh, I love nearly all of the characters in this series. I had my doubts about Janelle when the series started, but she has grown on me. She is resilient, which is always a good quality, and she will do what is necessary to save everyone. She’s not like those female protagonists who are constantly blinded by their love for the mysterious guy and fail to see what’s right in front of them. Even though she is in love with Ben, she doesn’t let it cloud her judgment.
Ben wasn’t in the book a whole lot. This bothered me for a little while, but then I began to realize that I don’t like him that much. He’s kind of plain compared to everyone else. His main significance in Unbreakable is his connection to the conflict.
Elijah and Barclay were so amusing to see again. Cecily too. They all compliment each other so well, and I applaud Ms. Norris for her outstanding character development.
Unbreakable is definitely for older YA readers. I don’t think my parents would have let me read this when I was thirteen. There is a fair amount of swearing, as well as a lot of vivid/bloody fight scenes. Personally, I think the latter only mad the book better. I love Norris’ writing because she doesn’t hold anything back. It’s almost like reading an adult novel, only with a YA feeling to it.
Also, there isn’t a huge focus on the romance in this book, which is so amazing considering most YA books focus on romance.
• Tags: 2013, action, review, Sci-Fi•
Hello everyone! Today I am going to show you some major cuteness, so brace yourself.
I’d like to give a shout out to Nick, our foster kitten that got adopted today! We are thrilled that he has found a home but also sad to see him leave.
• Tags: cats•
Hello everyone! I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately, or, I should say, it has been annoying the crap out of me lately.
A lot, if not most grammar mistakes are undoubtedly annoying but we deal with them. This isn’t exactly a grammar mistake, but it irritates me just as much, if not more, than grammar mistakes. Lately, I’ve noticed an increasing level of people saying the word “literally” at uncalled for and incorrect reasons. People say things like “I will literally kill you for saying that!” or “That was literally the best thing I’ve ever seen.” or “You literally have amazing eyebrows.” In that first example, ‘literally” is obviously not true to that situation, yet people don’t seem to care that it isn’t. The second and third examples are situations where “literally” is a bit redundant and absolutely unnecessary. They could say “You have amazing eyebrows” and get the same effect. Does it bother anyone else that the word “literally” gets so misused?
• Tags: discussion, quick thought•
“Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
Until It Hurts to Stop by: Jennifer R. Hubbard
Publication Date: 9/12/13
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Genre: Contemporary
Page Count: 256
Author Website: Jennifer Hubbard
Summary from Goodreads:
When you can’t trust anyone, how can you ever feel safe?
In seventh grade, Maggie Camden was the class outcast. Every day, the other girls tripped her, pinched her, trapped her in the bathroom, told her she would be better off dead. Four years have passed since then, and Maggie’s tormentors seem to have moved on. The ringleader of them all, Raleigh Barringer, even moved out of town. But Maggie has never stopped watching for attacks, and every laugh still sounds like it’s at her expense. The only time Maggie feels at peace is when she’s hiking up in the mountains with her best friend, Nick. Lately, though, there’s a new sort of tension between the two of them—a tension both dangerous and delicious. But how can Maggie expect anything more out of Nick when all she’s ever been told is that she’s ugly, she’s pathetic, she’s unworthy of love? And how can she ever feel safe, now that Raleigh Barringer is suddenly—terrifyingly—back in town?
why am i anticipating this?
I know I say this all the time, but it’s true, I love heavy/deep contemporaries! I’ve heard great things about the author as well. I don’t read many bullying stories, and I think this one might be one that sticks with me long after I read it.
Ketchup Clouds by: Annabel Pitcher
Publication Date: 11/12/13
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary
Page Count: 272
Author Website: Annabel Pitcher
Summary from Goodreads:
Dear Mr. S. Harris,
Ignore the blob of red in the top left corner. It’s jam, not blood, though I don’t think I need to tell you the difference. It wasn’t your wife’s jam the police found on your shoe. . . .
Zoe has an unconventional pen pal-Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two brothers, betrayed one of them, and killed the other.
Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives a voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe’s letters, but at least somebody will know her story-somebody who knows what it’s like to kill a person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again.
Rising literary star Annabel Pitcher pens a captivating second novel, rich with her distinctive balance between humor and heart. Annabel explores the themes of first love, guilt, and grief, introducing a character with a witty voice and true emotional resonance.
why am i anticipating this?
Why not? Ketchup Clouds truly looks like the most unusual contemporary I’ve ever seen. I can tell Zoe will be a funny/entertaining main character. Everything about this book looks amazing.
What books are you anticipating this week? Leave a link in the comments to your WOW post!
• Tags: Waiting On Wednesday•
Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher
Publication Date: 5/1/13
Publisher: Dial
Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy
Series: #1 in Chronoptika
Page Count: 384
Source: ARC from publisher (Thanks Penguin!)
Author Website: Catherine Fisher
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound
Summary from Goodreads:
Jake’s father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger … The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn’s estate: Sarah – a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne – who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror’s power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.
My Review:
When reading Obsidian Mirror, I was reminded of my love for Catherine Fisher. She is a master of the fantasy craft and it shows. I was so mesmerized and amazed for most of the book. A lot of it was quite whimsical, but at the same time being intense, action-packed, and deep.
Obsidian Mirror switched perspectives between the protagonists. I have no complaints about this style. I think the book would have been excellent either way.
I’m telling you, this book appealed to my love of fantasy/sci-fi like no other. This could be a competitor with Narnia and Lord of the Rings. If Catherine Fisher wasn’t one of my all-time favorite authors, she is now. There is always mysteries unfolding and new burning questions to be asked about this new world Fisher has created.
Obsidian Mirror took me back to when I was reading Harry Potter/Percy Jackson/Narnia and just got better from there. I thought Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron series was spectacular, but this is even better.
Fisher’s writing transports me. I lose myself in the worlds she so marvelously weaves. I couldn’t compare her writing to anyone’s, she is too unique and wonderful.
Time Travel, fairies, moors, wolves, mystery, suspense. I could go on. My gosh, this book. I can’t even.
I tried to write this review without getting all hot and bothered about how amazing it is, and failed. Now I’m going to go smell the pages and pretend I can read it for the first time again.
• Tags: 2013, fantasy, review, Sci-Fi•
The title of this posts sounds strange looking at it, but in my head that is how I think about this posts’ topic.
(Disclaimer: this post is no way about vandalizing books with usage of sauces/dressings)
Lately, I have been reading books and waiting a couple of days to write a review on them. The reason for this being that I noticed my reviews not reflecting my lasting thoughts on the book. After I read a book, I think that I need to let my feelings marinate for a while before coming to my final conclusions about a book. Often times, after I complete a book, I’m just so satisfied/happy/overwhelmed that I just glaze over all the things about it that may have bothered me. When I finish a book, I am kind of buzzed on it, if that makes sense. In order to come to clear opinions, I need to wait awhile and let my thoughts marinate.
Also, I’ve found, discussing the book with someone who has read it also helps form solid and trustworthy opinions.
What do you think? tell me in the comments!
• Tags: discussion, quick thought•
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, where we share what books we received each week!
Won:
The Key and the Flame by: Claire M. Caterer (Thanks to Girls in the Stacks!)
Bought:
The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by: Julie Kagawa
The Ward (The Ward #1) by: Jordana Frankel
Reboot (Reboot #1) by: Amy Tintera
Library:
The Archived (The Archived #1) by: Victoria Schwab
For Review:
Parallel by: Lauren Miller
Be sure to check out my giveaway for an ARC of Parallel!
• Tags: stacking the shelves•
Hello everyone! I have been so lazy about doing weekly favorites, but I’m starting up again today and I hope to keep it consistent! I have a HUGE amount of posts bookmarked that I will be sharing with you all over the course of several weeks. Bloggers seem to be really pumping out the inspiring/thoughtful posts lately!
I’d like to give a special shout out to my spectacular mom, who is the best woman in the world. That is all.
posts:
Tara at Hobbitsies reviewed Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley on her blog.
Read.Breathe.Relax posted some YA Pirate Books You May Not Know Exist! Follow her. She always does awesome posts like that!
Supernatural Snark reviewed Reboot by Amy Tintera. I’ve heard so many amazing things about this book, guys.
Icey Books reviewed The Ward by Jordana Frankel.
Lori at Pure Imagination reviewed Wild Awake by: Hilary T. Smith. So did Anna Reads!
Radiant Reads has the best discussion posts! Here’s some you must read: The Bait and Switch, Wisdom in Children’s Literature
Cuddlebuggery Book Blog posted about The OCD of Picking a Book. Love it!
Mundie Moms has a the latest news about Cassandra Clare’s new The Dark Artifices series!
Katie at Katie’s Book Blog posted about Bookish Pet Peeves: Stereotypes
Smash Attack Reads discussed her Review Writing Style
YAvengers posted about the Minds of Writers and Character Flaws
In a blogging slump? I Swim for Oceans has got you covered!
The Book Muncher posted about her Publishing Internships!
A NEW SERIES BY KIERA CASS! What?!!! YES!
Music:
Terrible Love by: The National
If you don’t watch The Vampire Diaries, this might not seem as wonderful. It was played in a recent episode and I think it is the perfect Klaus song.
Heart Attack by: Demi Lovato
Hey, I will probably end up thinking this song is annoying as heck pretty soon, but it’s good at the moment. I never like Top 40 songs for longer than a few listens, I find.
Machine Gun by: Sara Bareilles
If I Had a Heart by: Fever Ray
This is the song that plays during the title sequence of History Channel’s Vikings show. I can’t explain it, but I love it!
TV:
The X-Files – I just started season 2 on Netflix and I am nothing short of obsessed! If I was a guy, I think I’d be like Mulder. Does that sound weird? My parents watched it when it aired and they loved it, and now so do I! Mulder and Scullly’s relationship is amazing to me. I couldn’t explain it, it just is. Plus, aliens. Duh.
Random Thoughts:
1. Have you noticed how cats and teenagers are horribly misconceived by television?
2. The school year is just about over and I’m SO EXCITED for summer reading!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s favorites! What are your favorites this week?
• Tags: Favorites of the Week•
Hello everyone! I received two copies of Parallel in the mail and thought I’d give one away to one of my wonderful followers! I am looking forward to reading the book myself, it looks great!
Synopsis:
Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She’d go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she’s in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it’s as if her past has been rewritten.
With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby’s life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby’s senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby’s never even met.
As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn’t choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that’s finally within reach.
Here are the rules:
- Must be a blog follower
- Must be at least 13 years old to enter
- US Only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
• Tags: giveaway•
Hello everyone! I am so excited to reveal to you all our new kitten, Kermit! He is 5 months old and was a member of a litter of babies named after Muppet characters! He is incredibly playful and always trying to play with our other cats. He has actually made a friend in Charlie. Enjoy!
(That reappearing yellow toy is his favorite yellow mouse that’s filled with catnip.)
I hope you liked this week’s edition! We are loving Kermit so much! We waited a long time for him but it was very worth it!
• Tags: cats•
