Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium (Delirium #1)
by Lauren Oliver

THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I've always believed them. Until now.
Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infectedwith love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

 Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't. 

Stories like this is not something I would typically be drawn to. A world where love is a disease. However it sounded very compelling and unique. So I decided to give Delirium a-go.

I wasn't a huge fan of our main character Lena, I found that she didn't have many of her own thoughts. Since it is Dystopian, maybe that's what the author meant to come across. However, I do wish she would have come across as her own person. I had the most problem with this because in the beginning all the characters seem to think alike. Which is why I don't usually go for Dystopian books, for this reason. But I did find that Lena did develop as her own, more towards the end.

The romance was actually pretty nice. I'm in love with Alex. I really liked Alex. He was a wonderful character. Even though the romance was predicable, I didn't mind it at all. I liked how Alex helped Lena come out of her shell. She started thinking more for herself instead of what she was taught was right or wrong.

As for Lauren Oliver's writing, it was very poetic and delightful, which was a little on the detracting side as I continued to read Delirium, but it wasn't to over done, I don't think.

The main problem I had with this book, which is why it did only get three stars, was because of how s.l.o.w this story started out. I almost kept giving up, because I was so bored, and the concept of love being a disease, is strange to me. But I'm glad I stuck with it. It was a really interesting story, nice character development. And a nice, at times a bit cheesy, but still a lovely romance. With a very nice male character. And best of all no love-triangle.

I don't think this story is for everyone, but I do recommend you give Delirium a try, if you're not sure if you want to pick it up or not.

Rating 3/5

Waiting on Wednesday #13: The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1)
by Page Morgan
Release Date: May 14th 2013

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson has gone missing.
No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

Cover Reveal: There by Denise Grover Swank

There (On the Otherside #2)
by Denise Grover Swank 
Release Date: December 24, 2012

Julia Phillips’ world is an alternate universe away.
Trapped in a land where government leaders want her dead, Julia is forced to run for her life with Evan
and Reece, the two boys who brought her here. They’re on their own in a hostile landscape ruled by
scavengers and thieves.
But Evan is battling a deadly infection, and Julia finds herself racing against time as she tries to find the
medicine that will save his life. She and Reece find an unlikely ally—Jo, a girl they free after finding
her captured in a bandits’ hideout.
As the four travel across the country, Julia has something else to worry about—her memories are
slowly being replaced by the Julia of Evan and Reece’s world. Will they find a way to send Julia home
before it’s too late? Or will Julia’s body and mind be trapped THERE?

About the author:

Denise Grover Swank lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She writes urban fantasies without vampires and werewolves. She also writes romantic comedy mysteries set in the south. Denise has six children, three dogs, and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with her children, reading or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning.

 Connect with the Author:  Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday #4: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books For 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

{1} MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0 #1)
by Debra Driza
Release date: March 12th 2013

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.
Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.
Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

{2}Invisibility  by Andrea Cremer                   

{3}Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

{4}The Elite  by Kiera Cass

{5} Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (no cover)             

{6}Splintered by A.G. Howard 

{7}This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith 

{8} Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

{9}The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

{10}Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)
by Kiersten White

Evie's always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours.
But Evie's about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

 I did find Paranormalcy very interesting and unique. And I enjoyed more than half of it. But it did drag on. I felt like nothing interesting happened for a good 70% of Paranormalcy. I always find myself making excuses for book series. I always think, well since there is a second book, not much is going to happen in the first one. But that's no excuse for a boring book. And I wish more happened in the first to keep me wanting to continue in this series. I did only give this book two stars, but I didn't hate this book. I just lost interest towards the end.

The characters were okay. I did find Evie naive at times, but I liked her enough, I just didn't love her. I also liked Lend, he was interesting but just like the rest of the book, he got boring quickly. I'm not sure how I feel about Reth. I don't like him much, but I did find his character very interesting to read about. And there was nothing boring about him, so that's a plus.

As for the romance, it was cute and I found potential in Evie and Lend. But since I didn't love either of these characters individual, I didn't love them together.

Overall, I wish I got more out of Paranormalcy, it was a bit disappointing. However it wasn't bad, it just lost my interest towards the end. I wouldn't say I recommend this book, but I also wouldn't say avoid it. It's more about your taste if this is a book for you. And it wasn't for me. That's doesn't mean, however, that I won't continue on with this series. I might decide to pick up the second book in the future.

Rating 2/5

Sunday Showdown: Venom vs. Auracle

Sunday Showdown is a monthly meme I created. Every month, on the last Sunday, this post will go up. What I do is take two books I read in that month that has the same rating (both 3 stars or both 4 stars, ect.) and do a comparison of the two. Then I will choose the book I prefer overall.

 Venom by Fiona Paul {REVIEW} {GOODREADS}

Auracle by Gina Rosati {REVIEW} {GOODREADS}

PLOT: This one was easy to choose. Because Auracle is a more light read, with a more predictable plot. I'm going to go with Venom. I'm not much into mystery books but in Venom I liked it.
SHOCK FACTOR: Once again Auracle was a light, fun book. Not many "OMG what just happened" moments. So this on goes to Venom. However, Venom, for me, also wasn't that shocking, but out of the two it was the least predictable.
CHARACTERS: I really liked the characters in Venom. Cassandra and Falco were great. But I do like my characters with more of a sense of humor and it also had great friendships, which is my favorite thing to read about. And that's exactly what I got out of Auracle.
ROMANCE: Auracle had a nice, sweet romance and I do love reading friends-to-lovers theme books. However it was missing a little something for it to be incredible. So I'm going with Venom. Cassandra and Falco were a great match. I loved reading about them and can't wait to read more in the second book.
ENDING: This one is kind of a no-brainer for me. Since Venom is the first book in a series the ending didn't feel complete and you don't get all the answers you want. So I choose Auracle, because it is a stand-alone with a finished ending.
OVERALL: As much as I enjoyed Auracle, because sometimes you just need a nice, easy read. Overall I'm going to go with Venom, because even though I sometimes like easy reads, I also like a book with a bit more drama.

Stacking the Shelves: #7

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which we feature all the book goodness that we received, borrowed or purchased during the previous week.

 Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West {GOODREADS}

Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield {GOODREADS}

I received both of these ebooks from Edelweiss for review. I'm really excited to get to these!

Waiting on Wednesday #12: The Last Academy by Anne Applegate

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

The Last Academy
by Anne Applegate
Release date: May 1st 2013

Curtis Sittenfeld's PREP meets THE SIXTH SENSE in this spine-tingling, unforgettable debut.
Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam--and readers--stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel.

This sound so good! 

Book Trailer Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Opal (Lux #3)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release date: December 18th 2012

No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on. But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love. After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever. Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math.
Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Author links:  Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website |  Blog

Review: Auracle by Gina Rosati

Auracle
by Gina Rosati

16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe.
When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them.

I haven't read,let alone heard, of any another astral projection novels. And what a shame, because this was a great, refreshing read!

Anna Rogan is able to astral project, she's able to slip out of her body into her spiritual form. Visit any were she wants. Weather to see volcanoes, going to different countries in one night to see their sunsets, or accidently projecting her self into her best friends, Rei, bathroom. Of coarse she swears she didn't see anything, from the waist down anyway!

During one of her astral projection, Anna decides to follow her friend Seth to the falls, to confront a girl, Taylor, who stole his phone and would't give it back until he met with her. Unfortunately it didn't go as planned. Taylor slips and falls, which ends her life. With Seth as the main suspect. While Anna is still out of her body, dead Taylor decides she needs another body to go into. And who better then Anna?

This is where the story takes off. Anna and Rei, not only have to prove Seth didn't kill Taylor, they have to come up with creative idea's to get Taylor to leave Anna's body.

Auracle had great characters. I loved Anna and Rei's friendship. And I loved reading about them going from best friends, to having more feelings for each other. I also loved Rei and Seth's friendship.
Rei was my favorite character in Auracle. You could tell he cared about his friends, Anna and Seth, a lot. Anna was a great main character, with a witty sense of humor. All the characters in Auracle were likable in some why, even Taylor.

This was a short, refreshing read. I would recommend Auracle to anyone who is looking for something light and fun!

Rating 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: #6

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which we feature all the book goodness that we received, borrowed or purchased during the previous week.

Won from Sarah S @ WondrousReadings

Review: Immortal City by Scott Speer

Immortal City
by Scott Speer

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.
He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.
Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.
Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

 The moment I started reading Immortal City, I was drawn in. I love the idea of the angels living in the open, instead of in secret. It was a different twist from the previous angel books I've read.

I did like Immortal City, for the most part. I just didn't love it. I was really enjoying Immortal City for about half of the book, but then I felt it started to drag on and on.

I liked that Maddy, the main character, wasn't angel obsessed like everyone else. The angels in this book are like celebrities. Fans asking for their autographs and yelling their name. It was interesting, but it quickly got old.

The romance, as much as I like the idea of Maddy and Jacks together, it was boring and stiff. They meet about 70-80 pages into the book, Maddy doesn't know he's an angel yet, and she feels drawn to him for some unknown reason. And Jacks feels the same about her. So I'm thinking maybe they have some angel connection or something, but I wouldn't know since we don't find out. We just know they're drawn together. That's mainly why I wasn't a huge fan of the romance, it wasn't very realistic and they had no chemistry. Even the romance between Maddy and her other love interest, Ethan, was boring and had no depth. I didn't feel any connections with any of the characters. They fell a bit flat for my liking. All the relationships, friendly or romantic, didn't make since to me. It just felt like they were having conversations with someone
they meet five minutes ago instead of knowing them their whole life.

The character depth is my main problem with Immortal City. I liked the idea of this book and for the most part I liked Immortal City. The ending made up for the parts of Immortal City that I didn't like.

Overall, Immortal City was filled with action and famous angels getting hunted by a demon. Although I didn't love this book, I will be reading the second book in the series Natural Born Angel.

Rating 3/5

November New Release Giveaway Hop

The new release giveaway hop is hosted by Book Twirps & Refracted Light Reviews.

November 15th - 30th

I am giving away one of the following books to one winner! INT as long as The Book Depository ships to you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway