Title: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Pages:  335
Publisher: Delacorte
Released: March 13th 2012

Stars: 8.5 out of 10

Summary: After being really depressed after her boyfriend broke up with her, 18 year-old Bria Sandoval signs up for a guided tour of Central America. But she quickly realizes she signed up for the wrong one, because she hardly wants to travel with middle-aged tourists, who seem really boring. So, it’s not a hard decision for her to go backpacking with siblings Rowan and Starling. As they travel through Central America with all their belongings on thei back, they get to know each other better and realize that they both want to do the same thing: escape their past, which shapes up as not being simple at all. Both of them learn that they can’t run forever and have to make a decision finally.

My thoughts: I hadn’t read a book by Kirsten Hubbard before, but she was able to captivate me from the beginning by her writing style. Bria’s adventure was really exciting and it was really descriptive, so I felt like I was all the way with them. Kirsten Hubbard put in lots of details and I never tired of hearing about the adventures and new experiences Bria underwent. I especially liked the drawings throughout the book Kirsten Hubbard drew herself, because they showed how Bria changed while being on vacation. Although she appeared a bit boring and not spontaneous at all, she became more offhanded the longer she traveled. Especially her relationship to Rowan was important to her change. Although she made some wrong decisions in her past, which she regretted, she finally found to herself again during this trip.
She underwent a huge change during the vacation and I really could really feel that when reading the book. Each place she went to and visited with Rowan was a new step toward her developed self. Especially Rowan was very important to her. I loved him and his sister, as they were the exact opposites of Bria in the beginning. Through the random meeting with Rowan at the bazaar, Bria experienced great things during her trip in Central America.
I especially loved the descriptions and drawings of the places Rowan and Bria went to, because they were very detailed, so you could feel like you were there yourself. They really made me want to go there myself and experience these things myself. I liked the second half of this book more than the other half, because Bria and Rowan finally got to speak about their feelings and what they planned to do afterwards. She finally got to know about Rowan’s past and the stories of the island they went to were really amazing.

So, in short, it was a wonderful story with lots of details and two great main characters.

Hi, so I decided to do a retrospective each month, telling you about the books I got, the books I read and so on. I hope you’ll like this feature. So, here we go:

• Crossed by Ally Condie
• Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
• The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
• The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks
• Welcome Caller this is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
• Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz
• Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser
• Jersey Angel by Ann Beth Bauman
• Starters by Lissa Price
• The Academie by Susanne Dunlap
• Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Thanks to the publishers!

So, I wanted to read 9 books in total and 3064 pages this month and I nearly met this goal. As I didn’t get to reading “Freshman Year and other Unnatural Disasters” I’ll be reading it first thing this month (stay tuned for a giveaway of it as well!). Another book I’ll read this month is “Illuminate”, which I didn’t finish last month. The reviews of these books will be published as soon as possible, but I’ll write a short comment behind each book I read, so you get an insight on the best books of this month. Without further ado, here are the books I read:

• Pure by Julianna Baggott (aside from some things, which weren’t exactly my taste, I really enjoyed this book)
• The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal (nice book, but pretty foreseeable)
• Someone else’s life by Katie Dale (One of my faves!)
• Cross my heart by Sasha Gould (It was also quite nice, but could have been better)
• Where it began by Ann Redisch Stampler (I really liked the first half, but the second was a bit slowgoing)
• Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (This book is amazing!)
• Partials by Dan Wells (Another awesome read!)

Some stats:

Pages Read: 2733
Pages read per day: 95                          

• Check back for the reviews, which will be hopefully posted soon
• check back soon, because of my Blogoversary giveaway, which will be held soon

(Side note: You may have realized that there haven’t been many reviews lately. So, please expect nothing too special for the blogoversary, because I don’t have much time at the moment, because of school. It’ll be all over soon and until it’s that time, there won’t be too many reviews here, but afterwards, I’m going to go back to post every day! Thanks for understanding!)

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There’ll be a post on my March TBR pile tomorrow, so if you’re interested in that be sure to check back. And if you’re already her, I’d love if you’d follow via RSS or e-mail, because GFC was shut down for non-Blogger blogs like mine. Thank you in advance.

I hope you liked this new feature, which I think is really neat to get a nice overview of the things that happened in the past month, so readers who don’t check the blogs everyday, can see what they missed. Do you like it as well?

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The nice button is from Bewitched Bookworms.

The book I chose for today, which I’m really waiting for, is Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig, which sounds pretty good in my opinion:

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones. Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected. The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her: evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan. But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

What do you think of it? “Pretty Crooked” will be published on March 13th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books. Not only do I love this cover, but the book promises to be very hilarious and awesome. I read a lot of amazing reviews on that book, so I can’t wait to read it myself.

Title: Seers by Heather Frost
Pages: 330
Publisher: Bonneville
Released: October 4th 2011

Stars: 8 out of 10

Summary: After the car accident, in which her parents died, Kate Bennet can see people’s auras. And if that wasn’t hard enough there’s a new Irish guy at school, who seems really mysterious to her, because he doesn’t have an aura. She quickly has to learn to trust the Irish, Patrick O’Donnell, who is how he says, a Guardian and helps her to escape Demons. Not only is she in real trouble, but she’s quickly falling for the guy who’s off-limits to her.

My thoughts: Seers was quite refreshing, because it had a very new intriguing concept. I loved how Kate had not only to deal with demons, but with seeing auras after her car accident. So, after losing her parents she not only had to deal with her own life and this of her sisters, which included moving to her grandparents, but also with seeing the auras of others. But only when she meets Patrick O’Donnell, a handsome Irish guy, she learns what she’s really capable of.

Kate was a very determined and brave character. She did pretty much everything in her will to save other people and although her ability was quite annoying at the beginning, she quickly learned how to use it properly. Then, there was Patrick. He was an amazing character, who was really emphatic and saw a lot in people. He was very brave as well and didn’t hesitate to rescue others in danger. His background story was very interesting and was one of the best parts of this book.

I also loved the back story of the Guardians: who they were, what they did and so on and the people Kate and Patrick met during their adventures. Furthermore, I absolutely loved Kate’s grandpa. He was her legal guardian after her parents died and was really insightful. Her twin sisters were amazing as well, because they just acted like sisters do in real life.

The plot was very fast paced and had some twists in it, but some things were nevertheless predictable, but this didn’t bother me too much.
I can’t wait for the sequel, because I’m really excited for what’ll happen to both of them.

This is a new feature, which will highlight amazing covers of upcoming books. Each time I’ll show you five new covers plus their release date and other important things concerning those books. (Synopsis taken from Goodreads.)
I’ll also try to pick a theme each time, so these posts will be organized.

This week I chose covers of books by Debut authors, which will all come out this year. So, enjoy!

Title: Struck
Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Synopsis:

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

This cover is amazing. I love the lightning and the girl in the middle of everything.

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Title: Glitch
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Release Date: August 7th 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Synopsis:

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

I love the brightness of this cover and the sun in her necks. The colors are greatly chosen and I love the font.

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Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Release Date: May 22nd 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Synopsis:

Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish.

What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.

Really simple cover, but nevertheless amazing. Cute font and amazing colors.

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Title: The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Author: Ruth Frances Long
Release Date: August 16th 2012
Publisher: Dial Books
Synopsis:

The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own.

I love the flowers and the girl in this amazing dress. This cover is really astonishing and amazing. The scenery is overwhelming. This cover reminds me a bit of Entwined.

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Title: What’s Left of Me
Author: Kat Zhang
Release Date: September 18th 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Synopsis:

NEVER LET ME GO meets HIS DARK MATERIALS in a beautiful, haunting YA debut, the first book in The Hybrid Trilogy.

Eva and Addie live in a world where everyone is born with two souls, but where only the dominant one is allowed to survive childhood. Fifteen years old, and closer even than twins, the girls are keeping Eva, the ‘second soul’, a secret. They know that it’s forbidden to be hybrid, but how could they ever be apart?

When a dramatic event reveals what really happens to hybrids if they are discovered, Eva and Addie face a dangerous fight for survival, neither wanting to be the one left behind…

I love the half of her face and the subtle colors. And these fake eyelashes… But she has a beautiful face.

Title: Keys to the Repository by Melissa de la Cruz
Pages: 227
Publisher: Hyperion
Released: June 29th 2010

Stars: 7 out of 10

Summary: Keys to the Repository is an informative guide on the Blue Bloods series. It contains characterizations, short stories and some new facts concerning the Manhattan Vampires and their relationships. Besides it contains letters and diary entries not published in any of the books before and dictionary terms concerning all the books.

My thoughts: Well, if you are looking for an exciting book of the Blue Bloods series, this isn’t what you’re looking for, because this book is more of an almanac containing all knowledge of the Blue Bloods books plus some short stories woven into the book. There are descriptions of each main character, several parts concerning the plot, but mostly stuff you already know, if you read the books.

It’s a nice addition to the books, but as it doesn’t have any new information, I’d say that you don’t have to have it, only if you’re a big fan and can’t stand not to have this addition with facts of each character on several pages. But it’s basically the same information you gather when you read the books. So, it could probably be helpful, if you haven’t read for example the first book in a while and forgot what happened, so you could just check out this book, to remember what happened, so you can start the sequel without any missing information.

It was nice to read more about the characters of the series, especially as it has been some time since I read the books. Some things were surprising, because I haven’t read all of them yet, so I suggest you only read this book, if you already read the whole series or you might be spoiled.

So, I’d say, it definitely isn’t a must-have, but it’s a nice addition to the series with information of all characters on a few pages and peppered with short stories.

Title: Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
Pages: 272
Publisher: Egmont USA
Released: October 11th 2011

Stars: 5 out of 10

Summary: A modern retelling of the German fairytale “Tristan and Isolde”. Izzie is a young witch who’s dating Mark King, who’s captain of the basketball team. But one day Tris arrives. He’s new at school and insanely goodlooking. Trying to make a love potion for her best friend Brangane, she accidentally ends up drinking it herself and therefore falling in love with Tris. But that’s one of her minor problems, when her world starts to break around her.
 

My thoughts: Well, this is going to be hard. It’s not like I didn’t enjoy this book at all. It was just that I felt like it was written for a much younger person and therefore it didn’t fit into YA for my taste. “Tris & Izzie” is a lot like a fairytale. And therefore it was quickly a bit boring and I though it more suitable for my younger cousin, who enjoys fairytales. I haven’t read the German fairytale on which this book is based, but I hoped it would be a lot more like Beastly, which I really enjoyed.
I expected something really modern and not bad dragons looking to destroy a prince. But for younger people, I think it’s quite a cute story. Sure, there are some “dangerous” and probably “frightening” scenes, but it just isn’t fit for young adults. So, as I already said, there are a lot of dragons, a good and bad boy (I don’t want to spoil the book for you, so I won’t go into detail) and some witchcraft. There were some suspenseful scenes, but there weren’t really many surprising parts and most of it was really predictable, so it quickly turned a bit boring.
But it has a gorgeous cover. Really, the cover is amazing, which I can’t actually claim for the story. So, if you’re looking for a fairytale and don’t mind dragons and it being better suited for younger children, you might enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I just expected it to be more realistic without the dragons and maybe a different evil source.
But nevertheless, it was a really quick read, which was okay, but I think it’s better for younger children, although the main characters are already 16 (but all the time it just felt like they were much younger). 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The nice button is from Bewitched Bookworms.

The book I chose for today, which I’m really waiting for, is When you open your eyes by Celeste Conway, which sounds pretty good in my opinion:

The more you love, the more you stand to lose…. Tessa’s head over heels for Lucien, the son of a French diplomat. Sexy, artistic, and daring, he brings out a completely new side of her. With him, Tessa feels beautiful and exotic. So when Tessa’s strict father forbids her to see Lucien, she’s determined to keep their relationship a secret. But as Tessa gets caught up in Lucien, he becomes increasingly volatile. What she once found alluring about him now feels alarming. Tessa must figure out how far she’ll go for Lucien before she risks losing not just him, but everything she loves.

What do you think of it? “When you open your eyes” will be published on march 20th 2012 by Simon Pulse. Not only looks this cover really intriguing, but the synopsis sounds really promising. What do you think about it?

Hi, this week’s Top 10 (hosted at The Broke and the Bookish) is about the top ten  books I’d quickly save if my house was going to be abducted by aliens. The posts are in no particular order.

1. Saving June by Hannah Harrington (my favorite book of 2011!)
2. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (I mean, I have to read them before the movie comes out and how would I do that, if aliens abducted it?)
3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (I loved the concept and everything about this book. Amazing debut!)
4. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (first book I read of her and it was really overwhelming!)
5. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder (also the first book I read of her and it was amazing. Funny and actionpacked! Can’t wait to read the sequel)
6. 13 reasons why by Jay Asher (I read that only 2 months ago, but it was awesome. Couldn’t part with it.)
7. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray (this series is my favourite!)
8. Gossip Girl Series by Cecily von Ziegesar (I love these books. They are quickly read and I love the descriptions and schemes of the Upper East Side. And the covers are just amazing.)
9. Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard (another awesome contemporary series I love to read, which never stops to amaze me)
10. I have to name two series here, because I love both of them, but they’re the same author, so it’s ok, right?: The Infernal Devices and Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare (I love these books. Cassandra is one of my favorite authors!  

Which books did you choose? Do you like my mix of books?

Welcome to the second part of my “Books I’m Highly Anticipating in 2012” feature. Because there are so many great books I can’t wait to read this year, I’ll post several posts on that subject to give you a more detailed description of those books. All the synopsises are taken from Goodreads. In contrast to WoW this feature will highlight books coming out throughout this year, whereas in WoW I’ll show you books coming out the same or the next month.

So, onto Part II:

Title: If I lie
Author: Corrine Jackson
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: August 28th

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception. Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town. Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Title: Kiss the Morning Star
Author: Elissa Janine Hoole
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Release Date: April 1st

The summer after high-school graduation, a year after her mother’s tragic death, Anna has no plans – beyond her need to put a lot of miles between herself and the past. With forever friend Kat, a battered copy of Kerouac’s DHARMA BUMS, and a car with a dodgy oil filter, the girls set out on an epic road trip across the USA. Maybe somewhere along the way they’ll prove or disprove the existence of God. Maybe they’ll even get laid … It’s a journey both outward and inward. Through the Badlands and encounters with predatory men and buffalo. A crazy bus ride to Mexico with a bunch of hymn-singing missionaries. Facing death, naked in the forest with an enraged grizzly bear … Gradually, Anna realizes that this is a voyage of discovery into her own self, her own silent pain – and into the tangled history that she and Kat share. What is love? What is sexual identity? And how do you find a way forward into a new future – a way to declare openly and without fear all that lies within you?

Title: Glitch
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: August 7th

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network. When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers. As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.