WOW #12

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Book bloggers present upcoming books they can’t wait to read and share their enthusiasm about new releases

Chasing Power ( GOODREADS)
by Sarah Beth Durst
Published by  Bloomsbury
Date to be published:  October 14th 2014

Synopsis: Lies, secrets, and magic — three things that define Kayla's life.

Sixteen-year-old Kayla plans to spend her summer hanging out on the beach in Santa Barbara and stealing whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. Born with the ability to move things with her mind — things like credit cards, diamond rings, and buttons on cash registers — she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up a safety net, enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again. Well, that, and the thrill of using her secret talents.
But her summer plans change when she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel — a boy who needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Daniel has a talent of his own. He can teleport, appearing anywhere in the world in an instant, but he lies as easily as he travels. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family — and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive... or survive

*Fanboying* I have only read three books by her but loved every single one. Definitely one of my favorite authors . Secondly most of her fantasy /paranormal books are stand-alones  and that's a plus

The Midnight Queen
by  Sylvia Izzo Hunter

Published by Ace Trade

Date to be published: September 2nd 2014

Synopsis: In the hallowed halls of Oxford’s Merlin College, the most talented—and highest born—sons of the Kingdom of Britain are taught the intricacies of magickal theory. But what dazzles can also destroy, as Gray Marshall is about to discover… Gray’s deep talent for magick has won him a place at Merlin College. But when he accompanies four fellow students on a mysterious midnight errand that ends in disaster and death, he is sent away in disgrace—and without a trace of his power. He must spend the summer under the watchful eye of his domineering professor, Appius Callender, working in the gardens of Callender’s country estate and hoping to recover his abilities. And it is there, toiling away on a summer afternoon, that he meets the professor’s daughter. Even though she has no talent of her own, Sophie Callender longs to be educated in the lore of magick. Her father has kept her isolated at the estate and forbidden her interest; everyone knows that teaching arcane magickal theory to women is the height of impropriety. But against her father’s wishes, Sophie has studied his ancient volumes on the subject. And in the tall, stammering, yet oddly charming Gray, she finally finds someone who encourages her interest and awakens new ideas and feelings. Sophie and Gray’s meeting touches off a series of events that begins to unravel secrets about each of them. And after the king’s closest advisor pays the professor a closed-door visit, they begin to wonder if what Gray witnessed in Oxford might be even more sinister than it seemed. They are determined to find out, no matter the cost…

PRETTY, PRETTY  cover . haha . it sounds really exciting .  i hope it will be great *fingers crossed*

BOOK TOUR: Playing By The BOOK by S. Chris. Shirley ( REVIEW)

Title:  Playing By The BOOK
Author::  S. Chris Shirley
Publisher: Magnus Books
Publication Date:  June 11th 2014
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4.5/5

WORDERY // AMAZON

When seventeen-year old high school newspaper editor Jake Powell, fresh from Alabama, lands in New York City to attend Columbia University's prestigious summer journalism program, it's a dream come true. But his father, a fundamentalist Christian preacher, smells trouble. And his father is rarely wrong.
Jake navigates new and unfamiliar ways "up North." Starting with his feelings for a handsome Jewish classmate named Sam. What Jake could keep hidden back home is now pushed to the surface in the Big Apple.
Standing by his side are a gorgeous brunette with a Park Avenue attitude and the designer bags to match, a high school friend who has watched Jake grow up and isn't sure she's ready to let him go, and an outrageously flamboyant aunt whose determined to help Jake finds the courage to accept love and avoid the pain that she has experienced. 
Provocative and moving, Playing by The Book is a feel-good novel about the pain and joy we encounter in the search for our own truth

My thoughts

‘’I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me”” excerpt 2nd cor. 12: 7-10

As the saying goes , “’every family has its cross to bear’’. As does the Powell family. One of the crosses looms above Jake Powell. The pk; preacher kid. He has a drive for Journalism but his career choice is already determined, to be a preacher. Playing by the book is about Jake accepting himself and personal growth. At least he does IMO.

Religion and to be precise, the Christian faith is of importance in this book. I did not find it preachy but you may. So be wary of that. I grew up in a Christian household and I now when it gets preachy. I hate the bigoted way that my family members/former church goers are of opinion that homosexuality is a ‘sin’ or a ‘choice’. If you’re a BIGOT stay away from it.

THINGS WORTH MENTIONING:

(+) It gave me a peek at how living at a dorm maybe. I’ll be going to the university this fall and will not be staying at a dorm because there aren’t any. * exited but also scared to go to uni* #HistoryDepartment

(+) It is nice to see the pov of a gay Christian. This is an oxymoron to some. I’m all for people that want to be closer to God. But ‘’curing’’ gayness is a criminal act to your true self. And I’m happy that Mr. Shirley did not chastise Jake. A life without romantic love or any love for that matter is a sad and lonely one. Can’t people not see that gay love is not ,just about sex and lust.

(+) Jake’s story felt realistic. Jake could be a real person whereas the characters from girlfriends with boyfriends by Alex sanches were not. Sanches’ characters were bare bones if you would ask me. Playing by the book has a more flamboyant male that is only seen once or twice. I’m bringing this up because even though we know little of the more flamboyant character, he’s did not feel like the token flamboyant guy.

(-) Mr. Shirley stop using Brah. I glossed over the dialogue or used bro in its place every time Sam Horowitz, love interest used it. JEEZ

(+/-) It was tough for me to read about the self-hate (of which I have to a degree and gladly has lessened), suicidal thoughts and suicide attempt ( I’m thankful never happened) and coming out process I really had to put down the e-reader/phone at times because it got to emotional.

(+/-) I feel like sam was less developed than Jake and wished it was not so. But besides that a good loveable character none the less.

In conclusion I truly love this book and fell in love with the characters. I hope that if people read that they will feel the same. And that my furure coming out will not be a train wreck. It is unlikely. Top reason; the bigotry in the church and my peeps being part of the church

August 5^th – The Rainbow Tree – Spotlight

August 7^th – Cabin Goddess – Guest Post

August 7^th – Unconventional Librarian – Guest Post

August 8^th – Reads All The Books – Review

August 8^th – Patrice Rhoads - Real Deal – Review

August 11^th – Book Escape – Guest Post

August 12^th – Fangirlish – Review/GP

August 13^th – Like a Bump on a Blog – Review

August 14^th – Breaking that Kindle Budget Book Blog – Review

August 15^th – Laurie Lee – Review

– Roro is Reading- Review

August 16^th – Opinionated Person – Promo post/Teasers

August 19^th – Bookish Deb – Review 

REVIEW: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher:  Delacorte Press
Publication Date:  May 13th 2014
Source: Netgalley
Rating : 2.5 /5

AMAZON  /  BOOKDEPOSITORY

A beautiful and distinguished family.A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A secret.Lies upon lies.True love.The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 
Read it.And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE 

My thoughts

Liar, Liars, pants on fire . Fire ... FiRe FIREeeeeeEeee !!!! *mad cackle*


This lovely summer abode is full of half truths, half lies and loss somewhere, here and there. I'm not allowed to go into specifics so let start what I'm able to mention.

We were liars consists of 90% of nothing that happens. Yes there are conversations between characters ,flashbacks and king leer fairy tale-esque chapters. The excitement only happened in the last 40 odd pages. I have enjoyed slow moving or plot lacking books in the past. And in most cases my love of the characters are the reason for this . I can not say this while reading we were liars . And here I say I did not feel attached to any of them . They are spoiled rich kids and their spoiled fucking family ( pardon for my language ) . I felt meh towards the MC.

The writing

I have grown fond of lyrical and poetic prose. But miss Lockhart did not do it for me. I do have to add that I loved the king leer chapters. I've recently studied it in English class and it was nice to see it used in someway.

I did however not like the description of the Indian male love interest. I don't know what's she means with it but could she not have worded it differently . A sentence from the galley

"He was contemplation and enthusiasm. Ambition and strong coffee " 5%

Maybe I'm overreacting . Does she mean coffee as a likeness to the darker skin tone.

Romance

The romance is nothing special but useful to me personally. I used my real life crush to in the place of the love interest ( btw my straight crush is Indian also ). And used him in the story to get over my unrequited love/ crush thingy . The big reveal and the circumstances were used to get over it. #amIMorbid ?. Unrequited love thingy is a bitch . So that's something personal . #stopFalling4thestr8'ies


To wrap this up I found this book pretentious. I'm not ashamed to be the black sheep and also will not pick an other book John Green praises and blurbs. I've not read any green book but I'm 100% I will not like it as well. The same with Rainbow Rowell . I do however maybe want to try Lockhart 's previous books . I did not like it but you might . A lot of people surely do.

Review : THE RIVERMAN BY AARON STARMER

Title : The Riverman
Author : Aaron Starmer
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date :  March 18th 2014
Source : Netgalley
Rating :  4.5 /5

AMAZON | BOOKDEPOSITORY

"To sell a book, you need a description on the back. So here's mine: My name is Fiona Loomis. I was born on August 11, 1977. I am recording this message on the morning of October 13, 1989. Today I am thirteen years old. Not a day older. Not a day younger."

Fiona Loomis is Alice, back from Wonderland. She is Lucy, returned from Narnia. She is Coraline, home from the Other World. She is the girl we read about in storybooks, but here's the difference: She is real.

Twelve-year-old Alistair Cleary is her neighbor in a town where everyone knows each other. One afternoon, Fiona shows up at Alistair's doorstep with a strange proposition. She wants him to write her biography. What begins as an odd vanity project gradually turns into a frightening glimpse into a clearly troubled mind. For Fiona tells Alistair a secret. In her basement there's a gateway and it leads to the magical world of Aquavania, the place where stories are born. In Aquavania, there's a creature called the Riverman and he's stealing the souls of children. Fiona's soul could be next.

Alistair has a choice. He can believe her, or he can believe something else...something even more terrifying.





My thoughts

We've all used our imaginations during our childhood ,current children still do and future ones will do the same. As we grow older were confronted with reality and the fantasies , forts build out of pillows and blankets and playing with stuffed animals stops and fades away. Of course authors never lose this marvelous thing. Though some are better then others . The riverman is a tale of the girl who imagined, the boy who wants to believe - beliefs and at the same still remains sceptic and that mysterious evil that steals all .Both real and imaginative .

You should not judge a book by its cover but I do anyway , from time to time and requested The riverman on NG for that sole reason .So glad I got approved. The riverman is about Fiona loomis and Alistair Cleary who were once close friends when they were younger . But now at the age of 12 in 1989 , they have drifted apart like some friends do when growing up. On a particular day in October Fiona needs his help to save Aquavania and stop the Riverman. Ooh , how I like Alistair . In A very skeptic way Alistair listens to her and tries to play along and helps her . He tries to figure it out but can't figure it out if it's real or not and starts to believe , still a skeptic thought remains. The story of Fiona loomis in Aquavania is written anecdotally and in the 3rd person. In this way it does not feel like there was any info dumping and it could be seen as the detachment from Alistair from what Fiona tells him.

Characters

The main characters are Fiona , Alistair and Charlie , who's Alistair best friend. I will mention my thoughts of them briefly.

Alistair is the one I could so relate with. He feels like an outsider and is friend with Charlie not because Charlie is that good of a friend but because it is convenient and Alistair is scared that he will lose that only friend if he demands Charlie to be better friend . When they hang around they only do what interests Charlie and that is playing video games. Alistair has certain maturity to him but you can still see he is still a child. I loved his eye for detail and observation. Also he's a kind kid that gets in though situations in this book but still keeps his head in the mid of it.

I've had some difficulty with Charlie. He's the resident cat lady or rather cat boy and gets bullied because of it but he does not give a kaka about that. I've had sympathy for him but along the way my liking for him changes. A mix between hatred , confusion and sympathy after the things he did and a accident that happened to him . He will be an interesting character to watch in the other two books of this trilogy.

And finally Fiona . She is very mysterious and once you think you know her , she does something unexpected . And this puzzling ambiance of her makes Alistair fall in love with her but at a steady pace. You don't really get to know Fiona at all but only see glimpses of her and this quote explains her perfectly .

She left reminders of herself, but she didn't leave herself, and I was sick of it.

I hope we get to know more of her in future books .

Ok , I was never really scared of the big kahuna . The riverman only appears at the last 30 pages but the tension is creepy and unnerving. I don't know a lot about him but I put him the same class of that of count Olaf.

The setting

Yes we get to know about Aquavania , it is fantastical and anything you can dream of can happen it but what drew me in the first place starting from page one is the town of Thessaly. I've always loved the small town feeling in books maybe because of the reason that Paramaribo , Suriname has that same atmosphere. Thessaly has that close knit community and even has a Christmas tree with lights that represent every Thessaly originated battle perished soldier. That's really cool is you ask me. This is middle grade book but an amount of darkness is present. There are mentions of sex, trailer parks, drugs , vandalism and even an scene were someone tells about murder that was committed. This book is not for the smaller of the smalls but more for upper middle grade and even an upper YAer or Adult can read it .

A younger person will enjoy the marveling Aquavania and an Adult has an coming of age book to come too. This book tells you about death in some way or an other , that living in a fantasy world or using your imagination is fine and dandy but that you should break from that and be in the present as well. I can't wait for the sequels and hoping to get ahold of Mr starmer previous books. I hope you will enjoy this mysterious , magical , grounded and smart middle grade book that people from different ages will get something out of. I will not easily forget about

Review: Out Of The Pocket by Bill KONIGSBERG

Title: Out of the Pocket
Author: Bill Konigsberg
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: September , 18th 2008
Source: bought
Rating: 3.5/5

Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he's different from his teammates. They're like brothers, but they don't know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he's outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates' trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he'd hoped. An affecting novel about identity that also delivers great sportswriting.

My thoughts

( I could not find real american foot ball audibles* ,so I created one)

B24 B 22 C 10 ,Hut Hut Hut .

( an audible* cry out )

American football is one of the four major sports in 'Merica . As I'm from South America , specifically Suriname , I have never experienced or seen a live match on TV . I've only come in contact with this sport through American media. Ok now a bit on the sport !

American football (known as football in the United States and gridiron in some other countries) is a sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field 120 yards long by 53.33 yards wide with goalposts at each end. The offense attempts to advance an oval ball (the football)down the field by running with or passing it. They must advance it at least ten yards in four downs to receive a new set of four downs and continue the drive; if not, they turn over the football to the opposing team. Most points are scored by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins.*source ; Wikipedia *

Now that we know what american football is I can share my thoughts on this novel . I know little or nothing at all of the sport .Out of the pocket has been the first American Football centric novel I've read ,I do have others on my radar or on my shelf but this is the first. So I can not say if the author represented well enough but I could feel as if was a part of the team trough Bobby's eyes . I could feel the comradery between the team mates and the rush of adrenaline on the green during a match . Bobby Framingham has it all ,he is the school's star quarterback , popular and dating a cool weird chick. Ok kinda dating . But he's is hiding something , his attraction to men . His not coming out because it could damage his future foot ball college career . Involuntary coming out of the closet changes his carefully crafted cocoon. He's outed by a school reporter .

Ok that's a quick rundown on the Out of the Pocket . ( it's really paraphrased version of the synopsis , hahaha) ok now on the characters , pacing and all that jazz.

The characters

Bobby has a great voice trough out the book. A great friend and team mate who would have had my back in a match if I was one of the characters in this novel. It took me a quarter of the book to emotionally attach to him with this said it does not mean he was annoying or anything. He felt like nothing special but at end of Out of the Pocket I felt for him dearly . And I like how he handled the situation caused by the outing and how dealt with the kid that outed him . Bobby was of course furious but calmed down did nothing stupid and handled it well. Up to bro . ( tiny 5'4 roro tries to hive five him lol ) . I don't know or can't remember but I envisioned bobby to be 5'9 ^^.

The remaining cast of characters were okay. Nothing special but the ones that sticked with me are his parents. They were in his life. A lot of times YA novels don't have present parents and if they have some the parents often take a back seat in the scheme of things ( hope I'm using the expression correctly ). Bobby is very consumed about his parents and especially his father and after I thing that happens they grow closer. Coming out and an other thing started the growth. *I hope I have an great coming out experience when I come out. My dad thinks it a face and mum does not know yet* . Ok enough of my life drama ( you're here for the review gosh darn it lol , tnx for the eventual comments of what I just shared )

The plot and such
Out of pocket is written in first person past tense. The things that made it special in my opinion were the sports articles appearing at certain moments in this book. I loved one in particular. Just saying


2nd.The other thing that I loved to read about was the football terms , I've was never interested in American football. I must watch one now . Name your favorite team in the comments and do say so why ^^ .

One thing I did not like and which dropped the rating with 1 1/5 star was the notion being gay is okay as long as your not effeminate. I don't know if this is intentional but it appeared at least twice in Out of the Pocket. It's only okay when you're a jock/ athlete .AKA very masculine . I'm not effeminate but I would get crushed at a football match . I'm more like the artsy skinny kid but this rubbed me the wrong way. In the past I felt like effeminate gay guys gave the gay community a bad rep but I now I don't think that way anymore . That's who they are . Ok back to the review . Later on Bobby come to same conclusion but I did not take way what already was done . Maybe I'm bitter or hypocritical but effeminate statement should not have happened. Also the new upcoming romance has an open ending I which I don't like. I wish it did't ( the open ending )

My final thoughts

I've had this book on my wish list since 2011. By then it was already 3 yrs old . Every time I had the opportunity to buy it I did not. I was planning to buy it early 2012 when I would win cash again but my access to the internet was cut 2013 so I was not able to. Now 2014 it is out of print . I bought a kindle version with the sum of credits I had left and some I had recently won at the time . It is freaking $ 14 . Overpriced and I did not love it 100% but still happy I gave it a try. I hope you all give it a try . Library lend it or find it at second hand bookstores . $14 dollars is not worth it for the kindle . Time flies for sure . When this book was published not a lot of current day athletes came out but recently that has changed. Ranging from nfl players to a WWE superstars and even Olympic divers like Tom Daley and Matthew Mitcham ( he's 26 or soon to be and he's so adorable , search him up on YouTube his ukelele videos brighten up my day immensely ) . I can't wait for openly straight but hopefully I won't wait till it's out of print

*audibles: Audible, a tactic used by quarterbacks in American football to change a play at the line of scrimmage

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Title: Unhinged
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered, book #2
Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: January 7, 2014
Source: gifted
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble



Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Hi all, your fateful netherling guide is back * he twirls around in a sickly green mist and reappears in a gothic attire resembling to a tattered rag clown * Did y'all miss me , heh?
A lot happened in Splintered . Yesiree bob , a lot, a lot. Stuff happened and we were acquainted with lovely mad creatures and quite few will be present on todays trip* toot toot*
So what has happened to Morpheus * cat scratch *, Jeb*swoon* and Allysa . Let's take a look.

The plot: we were rather soon head first in wonderland in the previous book but don't expect that in this book. Character growth, motive and secrets are more important in the sequel . Some people found some parts dragging and were bored , so it is better seeing the sequel as a whole other book. A different book but still the same .(my first attempt was difficult for this reason but after I figured this out I liked it more at my second try ) There are still enough maddening wonderland madness in unhinged for those that are wondering. I have re read Alice in wonderland and trough the looking glass months before I picked up unhinged and I I feel like that more of the looking class is incorporated in the sequel. More of wonderland was used for it's predecessor ( is that the right term , O well ). Maybe to avoid repetition. I don't know. Splintered had a nice rounded up ending and I asked me self how Miss. Howard would continue the story . I can quite surely say I'm not disappointed.

Ok ,that's enough reviewer. Let's talk about the characters ect ect . It is quite hard being a half half . Don't you all agree. Hihihihi hahahahahahaha ( the human and other half constantly butting against each other)

We have more chessie . I'm referring to the Cheshire Cat for all that don't know who that is He's far more prominent in unhinged. A happy Cheshire grin from me. I love how he interacted with Morpheus, Allysa and other characters

Ok now onto The Boys. I'm undecided on what team I'm on at the moment. Both had heartfelt moments with Allysa and also did some or had some dastardly moments. I will not go in to detail but boys. You . $&$@!? I know it is not completely there fault but still . I want them to be both happy. Now sedge way into the romance triangle part, it was fine but not my favorite part of the book. I liked it more in Splintered because the good and the bad boy were recognizable but in unhinged both qualities intermingled. That is good in away because people are not one thing.* the naughty streak comes out * will any of you write Morpheus /Jeb slash . The ship name could be Jebpheus . If any of you does it , gimme a tweet will ya * giggle*

Now onto Queen Allysa . I can imagine the stress of keeping parts hidden from society but she was selfish at moments. I still liked her but even more so when the secrets were revealed, how she acted when they were revealed and how she did not fall apart after the incidents in the end. Any toot else Where toot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So we are coming to an end. This review is shorter for obvious reasons: Spoilers. I hope you all liked this review and comment away away away ( echoing ) I hope to see more character growth, more madness in Ensnared. And hopefully they will be alive, it is okay that they will be more than a little scarred but they need a pulse when I'm at the end. The title is ensnared and I'm anxious to see how it continues. I love youuuuuuuuuuuuu.Tooot, Toooot , Tooot ! ( you will know what I'm referring to when you're finished with unhinged )