Follow Friday #15

Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This is a great way to discover new blogs and make new friends! This weeks featured are Hesperia Loves Books and Novel Days.

Q: Have you ever looked at a book's cover and thought, This is going to horrible? But, was instead pleasantly surprised? Show us the cover and tell us about the book.

A: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I am one of those people who judges a book by it's cover and I love pretty covers that stand out and blow you away and The Hunger Games didn't do this for me. In fact I hated the cover so much so it took me ages to actually get a copy let alone read it. Everyone on Goodreads kept telling me how brilliant this book is but I still didn't budge for a long time but eventually I caved and got a copy. When I finally read the book I thought WOW AMAZING, it was and still is one of my favourite books of all time as it made me laugh and it made me cry, I felt so attached to the characters. Now I feel so silly for not giving it a chance a lot earlier and it was all because of the cover. I would like to say that I have learnt my lesson but I haven't I still judge a book by it's cover but I am more willing than I used to be. I am also pleased to say that we have new covers for this series which tie in more with the film or other ones where it's just the mockingjay badge they look so much better.

Book Review: Ascend (Trylle Trilogy #3)

Ascend (Trylle Trilogy #3) by Amanda Hocking

Format: Paperback (arc)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 24th April 2012
Pages: 336
Main Characters: Wendy, Loki, Finn, Tove
Date Started: 6th March 2012
Date Finished: 8th March 2012
Rating Given: *****

Goodreads:
Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself.  If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe.  But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?
The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end. 
Everything has been leading to this moment.  The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it.

WOW - is the only place to start this review as I loved everything about it. It's the best book of the trilogy as everything picks up haste loads happen in a good way and a bad way but both of those together makes this book what it is. At the end of my review for Torn I said that this one had the makings of being epic and I wasn't wrong as that is what it was EPIC!!

This book didn't actually pick up straight from the end of the last one like Torn had but it wasn't much time inbetween these books so I don't feel like I have missed anything.

Ascend made me laugh out loud but it also made me cry and even awww in places which I think those are just a few reasons why I loved it so much as not many books can make me go through all these different emotions in just one book but when they do I have to give the book the full marks.

Wendy in Switched I really didn't like as she was just a spoilt brat who had to have everything on her terms not caring what anybody else feels. In Torn I felt she grew up a lot but she did have her brattish ways occasionally. By the end of Ascend I found her to have grown up even more and she was a selfless person rather than selfish it was great to feel like we watched her to grow up into a great person.

Loki was just the same as he was in Torn so I still love him as he is just a great character and he actually does wear his heart on his sleeve where Wendy is concerned. You can really tell that Loki loves her and he would do anything for her and even give up anything for her which is great to see in the male characters.

Finn was in this book even less than Torn but when he was in it he grew on me again as he showed more of his softer side.

I really felt for Tove in this book as you can really see how much his 'gifts' trouble him and the side affects are terrible.

I was so pleased with who Wendy ended up with as by the end you could really tell how each of them felt about each other and it was beautiful.

If this series is anything to go by Amanda Hocking is going to be one of my favourite authors. I know for certain that this won't be the last series of hers that I read.

Overall I fell in love with this book hook line and sinker!

Thank you so much St. Martin's Publishers for giving me the opportunity to review this series.

Film Review: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
(May contain spoilers)

Director: David Slade
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), Stephenie Meyer (Novel)
Stars/Characters: Robert Pattinson/Edward, Kristen Stewart/Bella, Taylor Lautner/Jacob
Cinema Release Date: 9th July 2010
Recently Watched (DVD): 8th March 2012
Rating Given: ****

I have watched this DVD a couple of times now yet when watching it this time I found that I loved it more than what I remembered in fact last time I thought I didn't like it but I guess I was wrong.

I really enjoyed watching this and I just found myself smiling and laughing at everything in a good way even if it was a bit cheesy in places I guess I like a bit of cheese in my films.

There was bits that I didn't like though which a good thing about watching it on a DVD I could skip those parts and would still understand what was happening. Other parts that I didn't like was the part where Jacob gets Bella to kiss him as it just winds me up the wrong way he acts like a total jerk in this film and in the book too so it's nothing wrong with the film in this particular case.

The wigs was bad again although some of them was an improvement from New Moon. I have to mention the wigs as you would think the amount of money that was made by these films you would think they could have better props. Don't even get me started on the wolves cgi as that was rubbish they reminded me of my dog rather than a huge wolf which they was supposed to have been.

I didn't like the way they cut down the history of Rosalie and Jasper and even the wolves history as I think it would have better explained things if the whole of the history was used this I was very disappointed in.

Overall not too different from the book which I was happy about but some parts that was missing should have and would have been helpful to tell the whole story.

200 Hundred Followers!!

I can't believe it but I have finally gone over the 200 followers mark I wasn't sure that it was ever going to happen and I am so happy and greatful to all of my wonderful followers.
Thank you so much for following me and I do hope you enjoy my blog and continue to follow me.

                                  

Book Covers: The Selection

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The first time I came across this book I just fell in love with it as it is just stunning.

I love the repetition of the girl as it looks like its a mirror image but when you look closely you can see that that isn't the case as there is different movements so it gives you something different to look at every time you see it.

I love the dress that the girl has on as it's just stunning. The ruffles of the dress gives the texture to the cover and also makes it look more three dimensional.

The way that they have used minimal colours also makes it stand out to other books. The blue of the dress looks beautiful and then the background is a lighter shade of blue which gives it either a glass/mirror or ice feel to it but I'm not sure which it looks like to me as one time I think one way and another time I think the other way.

I love the way that the title has been done as it's simple as it needs to be otherwise the cover would look too cluttered, but there is an elegance about it which I am hoping that is a sign of what is to come in the actual book.

I can't wait to read this book!!

Book Review: Pieces Of Us

Pieces Of Us by Margie Gelbwasser

Format: e-arc
Publisher: Flux Books
Published: 8th March 2012
Pages: 336
Main Characters: Katie, Julie, Alex, Kyle
Date Started: 28th February 2012
Date Finished: 6th March 2012
Rating Given: **

Netgalley:
Two families. Four teens.
A summer full of secrets.

Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities...and escape from their everyday lives.

Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too-at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn't seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she's not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.

Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie's secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality-before it tears them to pieces.

When I first came across this on netgalley I thought it sounded good and I wanted to give it a try but I'm not sure that I am glad that I read it as parts where too deep and other parts where far too shallow there was no balance to the book.

I do feel it had the potential to be a fantastic book as the storylines was very hard hitting and that people should know more about. Maybe this would make a better film to show people not just teens but everyone as this talks about different kinds of abuse not that they all understand what is going on. This for me was too dark there wasn't really any light points and I would say no happy ending but maybe that's just the way that I look at it.

I love that we get to hear what the different characters are feeling by changing the point of view as I always wonder what the other person is thinking about. There is Kyle's chapter that doesn't really flow as well as the others as when he speaks he says you when really he is talking about himself it just got really annoying and very fast.

Even though I have given it 2 stars I was addicted to this book and I just wanted to find out what was going to happen but I couldn't give it more stars as I just didn't like the way everything was portrayed. I didn't see the point to some of the storylines for example the chickens getting slaughted it just seemed pointless.

At first I didn't really like Katie's character she seemed very shallow but then something big happens to her and it changes her and she seems less shallow and I also very sorry for her. Even though a lot of the characters say that she is weak I would say she is strong just because she went through it and came out on the other side.

I loved Kyle's character he was my favourite as he seemed the nicest yet he has been through so much as well yet it doesn't take it out on everyone else. The only thing was like I said before the way his chapter was written put me off reading his part yet I always wanted to know what he was thinking.

Alex and Julie I couldn't stand they was horrible and it just made me feel sick the way Julie thought of Katie and yet they are sisters it was very disturbing. I know that both of these characters have been through a lot of abuse as well and that these are portraying how they cope but I still didn't like them.

I didn't like the ending as I felt like I was left with more questions than answers.

Overall this book is actually addicting in the most sick and twisted way and it won't leave you until long after you have finished it.

Top 10 Tuesday #10

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday everyone involved in the TTT will make a list of that weeks topic.



This weeks topic is: Top Ten Covers of 2012 (that we know of so far!)

I just had to do this topic this week as there has been so many beautiful covers that I want to share and where not even halfway through the year yet!

Starters by Lissa Price
I just love this cover I am a huge fan of it. I found it so stunning I just had to get a review copy of this but unfortunately I was only able to get the galley version but I am sure when this book comes out I will buy a final copy just so I can have the cover sitting on my shelf! Release date: 13th March 2012

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
What can I say other than STUNNING! Release date: 31st January 2012

Torn by Amanda Hocking
These books was out a few years ago but are now being re-released in book format. I have picked the UK version as I prefer them over the American version although they are also stunning. I have only used one of the books but I love all of the series covers and they are similar to each other but I love them all the same. Release date: 1st March 2012

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
I love this cover. It's simple but with the extension of the dress and the smokey look at the bottom it just makes it look that bit more special. Release date: 24th January 2012

Fracture by Megan Miranda
I love the cover to this book it looks so beautiful and every time you look at it I see something else into it. I love the texture of the background and I love the reflection which ties into what the book is about. Release date: 17th January 2012

Rapture by Lauren Kate
I love all of this series covers but I think that this one is my favourite I hope that means the same about the actual book. Release date: 12th June 2012

The Selection by Kiera Cass
The moment I fist came across this cover I fell in love with it I just love everything about it. Release date: 24th April 2012

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
I love the background of this cover especially the lightening it really stands out and also the title is a little big but I think it needs to so that it can stand out as well. Release date: 8th May 2012

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
There may not be much going on in this book but for me it still stands out as one of my favourite book covers of this year as it looks more elegant than anything else. Release date: 22nd May 2012

The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long
Every time I see this cover it makes me want to read it. It looks so beautiful in the way the flowers flow onto the dress and into the background. Release date: 16th August 2012