In My Mailbox (70)

We have Kristi at The Story Siren to thank for hosting IMM every week. 

I didn't post an IMM last week, so this is actually 2 weeks worth of books. Which, actually isn't that much for 2 weeks.

Won:

Dark Souls by Paula Morris (thank you Princess Bookie)

Library:

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

And, it was my birthday last week. I got something pretty amazing:

I got this lovely Nook Color. I've been playing around on it, and I love it!

So that's what I got this week.

What did you get?

Princess Bookie's Contest Craze

It's that time of the year again! Princess Bookie is hosting Contest Craze again!

It's coming September 17- October 23

I, personally love cotes craze and am very excited. 

For more information, visit her blog here. 

She also needs donations to help ship out prize packs. You could win an awesome prize pack!

Go here to donate.

Steampunk in Music?

So I was browsing through YouTube like I normally do and I came across the new Panic! At the Disco music video: The Ballad of Mona Lisa. My first thought was this: steampunk. Does anyone else see that in this video?

Steampunk is a growing genre, especially in YA and it's one that I really like. So I think it's pretty cool to see it outside of books, too. 

So that's it. That's what I wanted to share with you today. 

Review: Always a Witch

Always a Witch
Carolyn MacCullough
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcour
Release Date: August 1, 2011


The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights. 

Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

Once a Witch was such a fun surprise for me. I wasn't expecting to like it so much, but I did. So of course I was looking forward to more adventures in Always a Witch.

And there was more adventures. Always a Witch, too, was full of magic, mischief and time traveling. Unfortunately, I didn't get into this book as I did Once a Witch.

The book jumps right into the story. The majority of this book is spend in the past. I both liked this and didn't. I would have liked to see more of the characters from the present. Also, it was a little slow right after Tam arrived in the past. But it quickly sped up.

I still really liked Tamsin. Even with her Talent, she still had a good heard on her shoulders. She was a little too independent at times, but that's okay.

I was a tad sad with the ending. I don't know if there will be another book or not, but I hope there will be. 

I love witches and magic, which it part of why I like these books so much. I didn't like Always a Witch as much as its predecessor, but it is still an enjoyable read. 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jenson

February 16, 2012

Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming
romantic comedy

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. She’s got her friends— the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She’s got her art— and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they’re dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

This looks so cute. And really? Could you go wrong with Anna and Pretty in Pink? I don't think so. I can't wait to get my hands on this one!

Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Bookish and Broke. To learn more visit here.

This week we are talking about the Top Ten Sequels I'm Dying to Read. I'm actually pretty excited about this one.

1. Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton- Sequel to Angelfire. I absolutely loved Angelfire, probably one of my favorites of 2011. I need to read the sequel now!
2. Hollowed by Cynthia Hand- Sequel to Unearthly. I really enjoyed Unearthly, and with and ending like this I can't wait to read Hallowed!
3. Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes- Sequel to Falling Under. Falling Under was very interesting and I liked it. Can't wait to see what Dreaming Awake brings us. And can I just say that the cover is absolutely gorgeous! 
4. Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter- Sequel to The Goddess Test. The Goddess Test was a nice surprise to me because I wasn't expecting to like it so much. But I did, and I can't wait to see more of these characters. 
5. Fever by Lauren DeStefano- Sequel to Wither. Wither was absolutely wonderful. Again, with the huge cliffhanger! I need to know what happens next!
6. The Calling by Kelley Armstrong- Sequel to The Gathering. I'm am such a huge fan of Kelley's. Not much happened in The Gathering until the last maybe 50 pages or so. I think that this book will actually pick up a bit. I'm really excited to see what Kelley has in store for us this time!
7. A Million Suns by Beth Revis- Sequel to Across the Universe. I enjoyed Across the Universe, even though it wasn't my favorite. I'm still excited to see what happens next. 
8. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead- Sequel to Bloodlines. I think this one is pretty obvious. The reason I really can't wait to read this (besides the fact that it's Richelle and it's the VA world and it's just plain awesome) is because at the very end of the book, a character showed up and I can't wait to see more of him!
9. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins- Sequel to Anna and the French Kiss. Again, this one is pretty obvious. 
10. Last, but not least, The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting- Sequel to The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead. I really enjoy these books a lot, and I can't wait to see whats in store for Violet and Jay this time!

Well, I guess that's ten, even though I'm sure I could probably go on for a long time. 

What sequels are you most excited for?

August Wrap Up

Books Read:

1. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
2. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
3. Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
4. Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong
5. Spellbound by Kelley Armstrong
6. A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
7. Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
8. Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles
9. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
10. Numbers by Rachel Ward
11. Vanish by Sophie Jordan
12. Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard
13. Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty
14. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
15. Always a Witch by Carolyn McCullough
16. Tales of the Otherword by Kelley Armstrong
17. What I Did for Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Other Reviews:

1. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
2. Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison
3. Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski
4. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
5. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
6. The Hidden by Jessica Verday

So, overall it was a pretty good month, especially for how busy I was. Hopefully September will be good, too.