Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey.
But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.
After hearing such amazing things about this book (Kyra!), I finally decided to pick it up myself. My first impression was how beautiful the cover was. I borrowed the edition with the pictures on the inside and I am so glad that I read this one as I can’t imagine reading it in any other format. I really need to buy myself my own copy, as it would be a welcome addition to my bookshelf!
I really liked Lennie as a main character. I keep finding that many main character have similar traits and this bugs me a little as I can’t separate them, but Lennie was a unique individual and I really enjoyed reading about her. It was evident right from the start that she was deeply troubled. I just wanted to give her a hug! She did irritate me on occasion, but from what I can remember, I soon forgot about it.
Now, let us move on to these TWO love interests. TWO! I really liked Joe as he could have had any girl he wanted. Yet, he chose the one girl who needed someone and I think he is very noble for that. And, he is one hot person!
The other love interest, Toby, didn’t really have that ‘thing’ that Joe possessed. I found him annoying and, although I could see reasons behind his actions, I didn’t like him as much as I expected. I really liked the fact that I felt like I knew Bailey, even though there weren’t scenes when she was alive, only retellings of stories that featured her. Is it crazy that I loved her as a character?!
The main plot was a really great idea. I’m really enjoying reading contemporary at the moment because nearly every plot is unique. And contemporaries have great romance! I loved the addition of the poems and little notes at the start of each chapter. It meant that we got to see an added depth to the plot line that would have been lost if they hadn’t been included.
I really enjoyed reading this and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves contemporary fiction, or just wants to try something a little different. And of course, if you are a fan of romance then this book will be right up your street!
Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!
You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!
I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.
Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!
Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!
I don’t have a massive haul this week but I am really pleased with the books I got. I’m hopefully going to get some more books next week and so my haul should be much bigger then.
Library Haul
Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd- I haven’t read any of this author’s books before and I’m going to read it as part of the British Books Challenge 2013. It sounds really good!
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray- After wanting to read something by Libba Bray for a while, I was really pleased when I saw this at my library. And it’s historical! Bonus!
Slated by Teri Terry- I don’t know a lot about this book but I’ve heard amazing things about it and so I can’t wait to start it!
The Killablesby Gemma Malley- This is supposed to be really good and I was debating whether to buy it or not the other day. When I saw this at my library I picked it up straight away!
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater- I’ve read all of Maggie Stiefvater’s other books and I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to get this! I should have bought it months ago!
Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson- I was going to buy this last year but never did. One of my friend’s has read it and loved it and it has also been recommended to me by another blogger so I have high hopes for this novel.
Kindle Haul
After scouring the Kindle store the other night (I’m not obsessed!) I picked up two great books in their 12 Days of Kindle sale.
Sophie McKenzie is an author I have yet to have read and so I’m looking forward to this introduction in to her novels. The cover is so pretty!
Wake is a novel I have had my eye on for a little while and so I was glad that I got it for such a bargain price this week!
I read Catching Jordan, the first in the Hundred Oaks series, last week and couldn’t not put it on my favourites list! I can’t wait to read this!
What do you think of my book haul? Did anything catch your eye?
There are so many things I hope to achieve in 2013!
Here are some of the things I achieved in 2012:
I reached 100 followers! I ended the year on 102 and I am so pleased that I did! I just want to quickly thank all of my followers for all of the lovely comments and so many pageviews! I’ve had around 4,300 pageviews which I am really pleased with, as my blog is still relatively small. I had 358 comments! That’s not including the spam! I wrote 77 posts in 2012 which is good as I’m so lazy at writing them! My Blogging Resolutions for 2013:
I would really like to reach 200 followers by the end of the year, possibly more. I’m going to try really hard to reach this, although follower count doesn’t really make the content on my blog any better!
I would like to get better at organising posts as I am terrible at it! I need to start scheduling more, as some days I don’t post at all!
I really want to get better at commenting more on other blogs, although I am getting a little better at this. I love commenting on blogs to show people that I’ve noticed their posts and have enjoyed them. If I comment then I’m more likely to get the favour returned!
I want to start analysing the books I read better. I really need to work on this as I’m good at expressing my opinion, but not on telling readers about the actual text.
I WANT TO MEET MORE BLOGGERS! Not that my current bloggy friends aren’t amazing, but I want to talk to more bloggers! Mainly because they are so interesting and THEY LIKE BOOKS! I don’t know many people who like books!
I would like to receive more review copies. I know this will come with time, but it’s something that I would definitely like to achieve by the end of the year.
My Reading Resolutions for 2013:
This year I have set my reading target to 100 after reaching my target of 75 in 2013. I’m pretty confident that I’ll reach it as if I read 2 books a week, every week, by the end of the year I will have read 104 books.
I really want to join a book club! I’m going along to one in February to try it out and hope that it will be a regular occurrence as it’s a great way to find new books.
By the end of the year, I vow to have read at least one Harry Potter book. I haven’t felt the need to read them until now but I feel like I’m missing it! I know next to nothing about them, apart from a tiny bit of information that I’ve overheard. It will also add to my British Books Challenge 2013. I am going to try and aim to read at least 20 UK YA books, although this number may change. I should achieve this if I read at least 2 books a month.
I want to try and read more historical fiction, as it is one of my favourite genres.
I also want to try to read more classics, such as Great Expectations. I read A Christmas Carol for school and really enjoyed it.
And Just Some Other Resolutions… I want to try and write more! I love writing but whenever I start a new project I always give up! I WILL stick with it this year!
I would like to go to a few literary events this year, such as book fairs and signings. I attended two book signings in 2012 and really enjoyed them.
I really want to try and expand my vocabulary. Why use boring words when you can use exciting ones?! I think this will really help with my writing, as well as my reviews.
I want to stop using words such as ‘like’. So many people use this word and it irritates me! I’m going to try and stop saying it myself!
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.
When I picked this book up I wasn’t expecting it to be my favourite Contemporary of all time! Just a warning, if you haven’t already read this book: Buy a box of tissues before buying! You’re going to need them!
From the first page I was instantly transported in to the life of Hazel, a sixteen year old girl who was diagnosed with Stage IV Thyroid cancer at the age of thirteen. I really loved Hazel and found it very easy to read from her perspective. John Green has made this serious subject into something fun to read as well as keeping the solemn side.
I really don’t think I’ve ever read a book in first person that is so descriptive and informative. The style of writing is very complex but also understandable which made it flow along very smoothly, as books should do. This books contains some of my favourite quotes and I still really can’t believe how any book can be written as well as this one. If I can write half as good as this then I know that one day I’ll be an amazing writer!
I love the cover to this book! Can I buy this book 2,000 times just so I can have a room full of the covers to stare at all day?! I know, I am extremely sensible! I love how the dark blue writing blends in with the lighter blue background, and doesn’t look intrusive at all. It’s memorable as well, as some covers can all look the same nowadays.
I really loved this book: up until the ending. I was fine, and then I hit this part and started getting incredibly panicky. Like this:
**I DON’T OWN THIS**
And then I was like this:
OR THIS!
And then:
OR THIS!!
Yes, I was an emotional mess!
I finally reached the stage when I was like this:
I needed comfort food!
I really loved The Fault in Our Stars, even though I was on an emotional rollercoaster whilst reading it! It is definitely one of my favourite books OF ALL TIME! I would highly recommend it to anyone and will definitely be doing so in 2013!
Have you ever wished that a big YA book tour would make a stop in your hometown? Well, here’s your chance for that wish to come true! YA2U is a program that features five award-winning and best-selling authors who are holding a contest to see what city they should visit in an exclusive tour stop!
The authors are collecting votes from January 1 to February 15, and any city in the continental US or any Canadian city that has an international airport can win an exclusive visit from all five authors, including an author panel and book signing! Entering is super easy–and if you help spread the word about the contest, you can also enter win a signed copy of all of their books (TEN signed books in total!)–and the book contest is open internationally!
And they want to have an event in your home town! To participate, just got to the YA2U website and let them know what city you want them to come to. And while you’re there, help spread the word about the contest and you can be entered to win all of their books–TEN signed books in total!
Here’s why the YA2U Team should come to MY hometown!
As I live in the UK, I won’t be voting. But why should you vote for your hometown?
Don’t just give voting a miss because you think that other people will vote for you. One vote could be all it takes!
Authors visiting towns for book tours and such helps people read their books! You never know, somebody could pick up one of these amazing books and it could change their life! Books offer such an opportunity to escape and I know how much they have helped me.
With the authors visiting libraries and bookshops on the stop, it is also a great promotion for them! With many people buying their books online now, bookshops aren’t being given the business they deserve. And many libraries are under threat because of their lack of funding. We can’t let online shops take over, can we?! And one of the main reasons: you can get your books signed! I love book signings because you get to meet your favourite authors! It’s a great experience and is also very inspiring.
Why should the YA2U Team come to your hometown? Why not join in the fun today and share with others about this program and your hometown. The more votes your town gets, the closer you are to having your very own personal tour stop! Vote for YOUR town here!
And if you help spread the word, you can also participate in the book giveaway. Tell them that you learned about YA2U from me and we both get extra entries in the contest!
The End of Year Book Survey is hosted by Jamie from Perpetual Page Turner! You should check it out as it’s so much fun!
Best In Books 2012
1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)
My favourite books of the year are easy to choose as they are also my favourite books of all time! I’m going to have to choose Shaman of Stonewylde by Kit Berry and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? Delirium by Lauren Oliver and Matched by Ally Condie. I don’t really know why I didn’t enjoy them as they were written beautifully but I just didn’t enjoy them very much! 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012? The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky! It went from being a 3 star to a 5 star and one of my favourites! 4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012? Magus of Stonewylde by Kit Berry! I recommended it to a lot of people and even got my mum to read it! 5. Best series you discovered in 2012? This is really hard! I really enjoyed the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater as well as the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick! If I have to choose though I’m going to have to say the Wings series by Aprilynne Pike as I really loved them! 6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012? John Green, Maggie Stiefvater, Becca Fitzpatrick, Aprilynne Pike, Stephanie Perkins, Marie-Louise Jensen, Veronica Roth, Cassandra Clare. 7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? I’m going to say The Wolves of Mercy Falls series as Shiver was really my first supernatural YA novel and I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like it. 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012? Shaman of Stonewylde by Kit Berry as I couldn’t put it down for around 3 to 4 days. And I nearly hit somebody as they tried to take my bookmark out of the book! 9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year: This is really hard! I have loads of books that I could re-read next year! I’m going to try and read Matched again as I really didn’t enjoy it the first time. I also really want to re-read Finding Sky by Joss Stirling as I can’t get enough of the Benedict brothers! 10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012? Destined by Aprilynne Pike! I really love seeing the Wings series on my bookshelf as they are just so pretty! 11. Most memorable character in 2012? I’m probably going to have a long list here!
Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Sylvie from Shaman of Stonewylde
Ethan Wate from Beautiful Creatures as well as Lena Duchannes from the same novel. 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I really don’t know how one person can write something so beautiful and descriptive. 13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012? Shaman of Stonewylde, again! I couldn’t stop crying for days after reading it and I still feel teary now when I think of it! Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. Although I didn’t cry, it was probably the first book that has made me want to cry! Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle. I was sent this book to review as part of the Spinebreakers website and I really loved it. It had such an affect on me and I can’t wait to read more from this author! 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read? The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It was first published in 1999 so I’ve had ages to read it, but I never did! 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012? And in that moment, I swear we were infinite -The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. And then there are books like An Imperial Affliction, which you can’t tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal. -The Fault in Our Stars by John Green “What a slut time is. She screws everybody.“ –The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? Wow! I can’t think! The longest was probably Shaman of Stonewylde as it is a very long book! And the shortest was The Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos 17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers! The Fault in Our Stars! THAT ENDING. WOAH. 18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc). Simon and Clary! I love their friendship! They’re just so sweet! 19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously I’m going to have to say something other than Shaman of Stonewylde for once!
Velvet by Mary Hooper! I think I read this sometime in January, and I love historical fiction! 20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson! Thanks Kyra, for recommending this!
Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012? So many! I’ll just choose a few! I’m sorry if I’ve missed you out!
Rebecca-Books– I love this blog so much! And I’ve finally found someone who loves historical fiction as much as me!
Bookhi– This blog is owned by one of my favourite book bloggers, Zoe!
Blog of a Bookaholic– Kyra has helped me so much and I will be forever grateful for her help!
Fluttering Butterflies– If you were to look in the dictionary for the definition of the word ‘amazing,’ then this blog would be the answer! It is definitely one of my favourites!
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012? I’m not sure! I love them all! I can’t choose: it wouldn’t be fair on all the other reviews! 3. Best discussion you had on your blog? Why Do I Read?- I love this one because I feel so passionate about the fact that everyone should read! 4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog? When Did Blogging Become Cool?– This discussion was written by Rebecca from Rebecca-Books and it’s a post that I can relate to. It’s also a post that I wish I had written as it really is amazing! 5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I’ve been to two book signings this year- both for the same author. I really loved meeting Kit Berry, the author of my favourite books, the Stonewylde series.
This was in October! I’m a little awestruck!
6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012? Reaching 100 followers! I only achieved this the other day but I was so proud and I also went a little hyper ( a lot of that was down to Eileen, though!) 7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? My most popular reviews were City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa 8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? My ‘Why Do I Read?’ discussion! I really loved writing it but didn’t feel like it got enough views 🙁 9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? Goodreads! How did I survive without it?! 10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? I completed the 2012 Goodreads reading challenge! I’m really pleased as I didn’t think I would complete it at first!
Looking Ahead…
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone! I’ve wanted to read it since it was released but haven’t got around to it yet! 2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?
Divergent #3! I can’t wait to hear the ending!
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins because I love these books so much! And I need my dose of romance!
Dare to You by Katie McGarry because of how much I loved Pushing the Limits!
3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013? I would love to reach 200 followers! I’m not sure what else! I’d just like to keep doing what I’m doing now!
Q: What book do you think everyone should read? If you could gift the entire population with one book?
My favourite book series of all time is the Stonewylde series by Kit Berry. When I first picked up the first book, Magus of Stonewylde, my only expectation was to read the book and enjoy it. I didn’t, however, expect for my life to change.
The books have shaped my beliefs in life and helped me through some hard times. They linger in your thoughts, long after you’ve turned the last page.
I’ve been fortunate to meet the author twice now and, if I’m honest, she is one of the nicest people that you could meet.
They’ve only just been introduced to America and are very popular in England, with their own website and forum for readers.
There are worse things than death, worse people too The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they’re a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn’t until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.
I was sent this book to review and was instantly drawn in by the cover. I love the pomegranate seeds and they stand out well on the pale background.
I’ve always loved Greek mythology and learning about the Greek pantheon and so I was very excited when I got asked to read this book for review. I’ve been going through a bit of a reading slump and wasn’t sure if I wanted to read anything, but this was the perfect book to get me out of it.
At the start we are introduced to the world of Persephone, who goes by her middle name of ‘Kora’ at the start of the novel. This confused me a little at first but I soon got used to it. I really liked her and admired her for how she reacted in the situation she was put in. However, I found some of her traits similar to many other YA female characters. Hades was a very interesting character. I was actually surprised at how much I loved him. Although he didn’t come across as very warm he was in his own way. I think there’s a huge pressure on the author when you’re writing about mythological characters, especially Gods and Goddesses, and Hades is a great example of a character that has been well thought out and prepared. He was portrayed in such a manner that led me to slowly begin to love him. It wasn’t immediate and I think this is how Persephone would have felt. Cassandra was a great addition to the novel and I can’t wait to read about her in future novels. She made me laugh and added a light side to the more serious Underworld.
I love the cover and it’s one of my favourites of the year. The pomegranate is a big theme throughout the novel and the myth of when Persephone visited the Underworld and ate six pomegranate seeds is a well known one. I liked that even though the story had been changed the pomegranate seeds were still included. I really wish that this book was on my shelf as it would a welcome addition. The silver on the front is also very eye catching as most covers these days are black and red for the Vampire craze or busy for Dystopian novels.
I really enjoyed this book and am hoping to read the second book as I can’t get enough of Persephone and Hades now! It’s a memorable read that won’t leave your mind even after you pick up another book
