Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan

About the Book
Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan
Format: Electronic for Reading Addiction Blog Tour


Synopsis: From www.bn.com
Incoming freshman, Lindsey Ames, wants to take Italian,and she wants to join the National Honor Society. She wants a new image, and she wants better clothes. She wants Avery to stop tormenting her, and she wants Marco to ask her out.  She wants Jocelyn to go away, but she wants Grouper to be happy. She wants to save Teeny's reputation, but she doesn't want to lose everything.
Will Lindsey find the courage to stand up to her enemies before it's too late?              


Excerpt

I had a hard time falling asleep that night. I kept imagining different scenarios with Marco. I played out the upcoming movie night and then our “first date.” Naturally, in my imagination, I looked flawless and my conversation was smart and witty.

   I also imagined our first kiss. This was difficult to do since I had never kissed a boy before. I had pictured our first kiss like one from a PG-13 romantic comedy. I certainly didn’t want to picture it like a kiss from an R-rated slasher flick or like one from the disgusting public make out sessions that Cal and Avery regularly performed.

   After about an hour of daydreaming, I finally fell asleep and started my real dreaming. I dreamt that I was in the school gym running laps with Jocelyn. Jocelyn was running fast, her feet barely touching the ground. I had a difficult time keeping up with her. Even though we were running, we didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Marco was standing at the end of the gym under one of the basketball hoops. I was trying to run forward, to get closer to Marco, but I couldn’t.

   Teeny and Grouper were sitting in the front row of the otherwise empty bleachers. Teeny was wearing a cheerleading uniform, and she was cheering for Jocelyn and me. Grouper was wearing his neon swimsuit, but he wasn’t cheering. Instead, Grouper was laughing at us because we weren’t going anywhere. The two of them annoyed me; I wanted them to help me, but they remained spectators. I tried to call to them, but I didn’t have a voice.

   Then, I noticed Cal and Avery sitting on the top row of the bleachers, making out. I could have sworn that the bleachers were empty a second ago. I was glad that Avery wasn’t paying attention to me. I knew that if she saw me, she would start to make fun of me. Jocelyn and I continued to run, but we were no longer in the gym. We were outside of the school running on the street. The bleachers were still there, and Teeny, Grouper, Cal, and Avery were still doing their thing. Marco was at the end of the block waving to me, but he seemed farther away than he was before.

    I was having a difficult time running when I realized that the pavement was dissolving beneath my feet. After the pavement was completely gone, I continued to run in mud. Jocelyn was starting to pull ahead of me; she seemed to be having an easy time. The harder I tried to keep up with her, the slower my feet moved. The mud became slippery and thick, and I started to sink. Jocelyn didn’t notice that I was sinking and kept running. Marco seemed to be at least two blocks away from me now.

   I looked to Teeny hoping she would see that I was in real trouble, but she continued to cheer. Cal and Avery were still making out, but they were changing; they were morphing into one being. Before my eyes, they transformed into a single hideous monster—a manticore with green eyes, the tail of a scorpion, and huge blood-red wings.

   Jocelyn and Marco were too far. I could no longer see them. I continued to sink. I was in so deep that I could no longer move my feet. I was worried for Teeny and Grouper because they weren’t aware of the creature sitting behind them. I tried to caution my friends about the creature, but I still had no voice. Without warning, the monster swooped down from the top of the bleachers towards Teeny and Grouper. I wanted to help my friends, but I was up to my thighs in mud. I couldn’t run to them, and I couldn’t scream. I watched in horror as it descended and attacked Teeny.

   I could hear her screams, but I could do nothing. I was helpless. As the monster feasted on Teeny’s flesh, I sank deeper and deeper into the mud until it covered my entire body. I could no longer see or hear anything. I was entombed in the earth, but I was still alive.

   I snapped awake. My pajamas were drenched. I looked at the clock, and it was only two. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to go back to sleep after that nightmare. So, in an effort to clear my head, I took out my copy of Pride and Prejudice and started to read. I was desperate to fall back to sleep. Shopping with Teeny was close to running a marathon, and I needed to be well rested for our trip to the mall in the morning. After reading a couple of chapters, I finally dozed off. This time there were no nightmares.

My Thoughts:

First I want to say that I absolutely loved this story. I think everyone should read this book whether you have young kids, old kids or no kids. I also believe everyone knows a Lindsey or an Avery or was one or the other themselves. Bullying is so big in children nowadays, having books like this available to children is a great deal. It's like an outsider looking in and understanding the different aspects of bullying and how and why some people become bullies.

This story touched me because it somewhat reminded me of myself when I began high school in some ways. Except I didn't have a Teeny or Grouper to be my "cheerleaders". I thought it was really good Lindsey had her two best friends to lift her up and give her some of the confidence she needed. We also get a glimpse of where Avery learns her behavior; and it is quite unfortunate.

Bullying is so big in children nowadays, having books like this available to children is a great deal. It's like an outsider looking in and understanding the different aspects of bullying and how and why some people become bullies.

I think the characters in this book were very "real" and relate-able to our everyday world. There were parts of the story where I wanted to jump in and put Avery in her place. There were parts I wanted to cry and there were parts where I did cry.

I won't give too much away because I want and think EVERYONE should read this book. Everyone should own it and embrace it. The author did a really good job of putting an important issue today on paper.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I agreed to post for the Reading Addiction Blog Tour.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

About the book:
Format: Nookbook
Published by: Quirk Publishing
Published date: June 2011
Genre: Young Adult


Synopsis
A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

About the Author:
Ransom Riggs grew up in Florida but now makes his home in the land of peculiar children—Los Angeles. Along the way he earned degrees from Kenyon College and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television, got married, and made some award-winning short films. He moonlights as a blogger and travel writer, and his series of travel essays,Strange Geographies, can be found at mentalfloss.com or via ransomriggs.com. This is his first novel.


My thoughts:
I don't remember stories that my grandparents told me as a child. I do remember hearing my grandmother talk about people in the neighborhood and such but they weren't stories that I held in my memory. Jake on the other hand were told stories of "monsters" by his grandfather as a kid. He was told stories of where he grew up with peculiar children and even had pictures to prove it. Jake didn't believe his grandfather until the day he saw one of the "monsters" his grandfather mentioned to him as a child.
Although Jake had decided that his grandfather was telling him fairy tales, the day he saw the monster he knew his grandfather had been telling the truth all along. Unfortunately, it was too late. Grandpa is now dead. However, Jake needs t face the demons in his dreams by finding closure from his grandpa's stories. 
He and his dad travels to Wales where his grandfather grew up. This is where the story begins to take a turn and a turn it did take to say the least.
The story is built around a fantastic collection of original yet unique photographs. The way the children and their peculiarities were described reminded me of a circus with the freak show acts. But I actually liked these children and didn't find them creepy. The story included quite a bit of history and time travel which I never knew I would find interest in. However, the way this book was written kept my interest and kept me wanting more. 
Ransom Riggs has written a thrillingly fantastic book. This is a new author that I plan to keep on my favorite authors list.

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Anasazi (ARC) by Emma Michaels

About the book

One year ago, something happened to David. Following the only clue he had he headed out into the desert. Now he has asked me to come see him. But when I arrived, he was gone. The people in town claim they have never heard of him and everyone wants me to leave.

But I know he was here and he is in trouble.

He can't survive out there for long.

Can he?

David. I will find you.

About the Author

Emma Michaels, author of The Thirteenth Chime and Anasaszi, lives in Washington State and writes with the support of her fiancé and Chihuahua. Her fiancé is her sounding board for ideas and research and she knows she is writing something wonderful when her Chihuahua, who likes to sit on her shoulders and stare at the screen, moves her head from side to side as though reading. She wants to make the New York Times Best Sellers list in her lifetime and wants to show that there is no stopping someone who truly puts their heart and soul into what they do. 

Emma Michaels began book blogging in 2009 (http://EmmaMichaels.Blogspot.com)and released her debut novel in 2010 (The Thirteenth Chime) with the sequel in 2011 (Anasazi). 

My Thoughts

When I first began reading Anasazi I was a little skeptic about how it would tie with the Thirteenth Chime. After reading the book I realized that it did but it didn't really need to the way I expected it to. Also, I think it could be read an followed without having to read Thirteenth Chime. Now, I'm not one to start a series in the middle of the series, but it was an observation.


Anasazi began with Megan going to the desert in an old Native American town to find David. Once she gets there she learns that David is nowhere to be found and something seems out of sorts. Megan decides she is going to find David whether it kills her; and that it almost did. 


I must say that I found Anasazi to be written with a lot of very interesting details about the Hopi, Anasazi and Navajo tribes that it kept my interest throughout the book. There was also enough suspense and strangeness of the townspeople that kept my interest in the story peaked.


I found the book to be an easy read. As a matter of fact, I finished it in one day. I'm hoping that the third book will reveal what and who David really is.

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Uglies - Scott Westerfield

About the book

Uglies Series #1 - Scott Westerfield

Publishing Date: May 2006

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult

Format: Nook Book

Synopsis from BN.com

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

My Thoughts:

When I first read the synopsis for Uglies, I thought about how similar it is to what young kids today think about themselves because of society. It's amazing how our culture has led us to think looking a certain way is considered beauty and if you don't look that way then you are ugly. 

In Uglies, Scott Westerfield has written a story about a futuristic world where when teenagers turn 16 they go through an operation that basically rebuilds them to make them go from "ugly" to "pretty". From the years between the age of 12 and their 16th birthday, these kids constantly dream of becoming pretty and living in New Pretty Town where everyone is beautiful. Once they've had the surgery, they no longer look back at Uglyville and their friends. They think everything outside of New Pretty Town is just hideous.

Tally Youngblood has been dreaming about the day she turns 16 and becomes "pretty". She can't stand to be ugly. Now that her best friend Peris, who turns 16 before she does and becomes pretty is gone, she's not only ugly but also lonely; until the night she sneaks into New Pretty Town to see Peris and has to bungee float back to Uglyville in order not to get caught. This is when she meets Shay, her new best friend who will turn 16 on the same day Tally does. To Tally this means, she will not be lonely anymore and not only that, she will have someone to share the experience of planning her day of surgery with together and become pretty together. 

Shay, however has a different idea. Shay doesn't believe that you have to change yourself and doesn't want to go through the surgery. Right before her 16th birthday Shay decides to run away to the "Smokes" and leaves a cryptic message for Tally telling her how to get there if she decides to join her. This is where the story becomes fast paced. Tally has decisions to make, to stay ugly forever or to betray her friend and bring her back to Uglyville to have the surgery. What will Tally do? Whatever decision she makes will change her life forever.

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Rot & Ruin - Jonathan Maberry

About the Book:
Rot & Ruin - Johnathan Maberry
Format: Nook Book
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Young Adult


Synopsis:
In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.


My Thoughts:

Rot and Ruin is my first official zombie book. I've watched zombie movies and have always found them funny because of the moaning and just how ridiculous some of the movies are. When I decided to read Rot and Ruin for my Book Bloggers 2011 challenge, I wasn't sure what to expect but I did read good and bad reviews about the book. I however, thought this book was nothing like the movies and was wonderfully written.
Benny Imura is a 15 year old boy, living in Mountainside, a community of survivors of First Night. First Night was the night that the world was taken over by zombies. The dead basically rose and when they bit you, you became one of them. If you died and weren't quieted, you rose from the dead.

At 15, Benny has to find a job in order to keep his full ration. He and his friend Chong tries to apprentice with a number of people in the community. Benny's older brother Tom, who he thinks is a big coward happens to be a well respected zombie hunter. Tom is the last person on Earth or in zombie-land Benny wants to apprentice with. Benny, thinks Tom is nothing like the other zombie hunters in town, Motor City Hammer and Charlie Pink-Eye, who all the kids enjoyed listening to when they talk about their excursions. Benny's most vivid memory of Tom on First Night is taking him and running. Running away and leaving his mom to be "chomped" on by his dad who had become one of the living dead. Unfortunately for Benny, he either has to work with Tom due to him not being able to or wanting to do any of the other jobs, or he has have his rations cut in half.

Unwillingly Benny decides to apprentice with Tom. Their first day out was a bit rough, but once Benny spent the day with his big brother learning what he does, he becomes a little less hateful towards him. Learning that these zombies aren't choosing the way they are and that they were people too and someone's family member has created some understanding and yet some confusion in Benny's mind. He then sees some other zombie hunters being down right cruel to some zombies and realize there are good zombie hunters and bad zombie hunters. The turning point in Benny's day was when he saw how Tom did his job and learning why he does it the way he does.

While out in the Ruin, Benny learns the difference between good and evil and man and monster. He also learns more about what happened in the past and comes to realize that there may be more out there than his little town of Mountainside.

Rot and Ruin was a very well written book. There were touching moments and there were a few tearful moments. There was action and sometimes a little scare here and there. Jonathan Maberry did an excellent job writing a book with well developed characters and setting. Readers will definitely get lost in the world of the Rot and Ruin. This is definitely a book I would suggest to friends.

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DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Cloud Nine by Melissa A. Smith

About the book:
Cloud Nine (A Paranormal Romance of the Guardian of Man) by Melissa A. Smith
Format: Nook Book, Lendable, 221 pages
Publisher: Smith Books, Young Adult
Series: The Guardians of Man, #1

Synopsis

What happens when you receive a guardian angel?
What if you don't believe you need one?
What if one wants you removed?

My Thoughts:
Claire is a 17 year old high school senior whose parents seem to be too busy and leaves her to her own devices quite a bit. She wakes up one morning to get ready for school and finds a floating fog in her room named Sterling. Not only does she see a fog cloud in her room, but she can hear the voice of a male coming from the cloud in her head. Of course she believes she's dreaming. But wherever she goes, the cloud follows and can only be seen and heard by her. The cloud explains to her that he has been  sent to her as her Guardian to help her with her "needs". As a teenager she of course doesn't believe she needs anything.


Eventually Claire comes to terms, kinda, with having a Guardian which happens to be a floating cloud that she can converse with in her head. Claire then of course being the teenager she is, she begins to ask the cloud questions he's not used to. She then asks him if he can transform into a human. This is a request he's never had to grant in the past but he does for Claire. And there is the beginning of a budding romance. Once she sees him, she immediately becomes attracted to him and figures out how to shut him out of her thoughts. This confuses him because he's never had someone he's guarding shut him out of their thoughts before. He seems to experience quite a bit of 'firsts' with Claire.


Throughout all this however, Claire's ex of over six months decides he wants back in life and will do anything to get her back, including toeing the stalker line. This of course drives Sterling nuts. At one point I thought he was going to use some kind of magical power and have the ex disappear. However, Claire isn't the only one with a psycho ex. Except, Sterling's ex is also a Guardian and can appear wherever Claire is. Which she does and she also threatened her life not once but twice and the second time included a dagger.


Cloud Nine was a simple yet refreshing YA romance with a little bit of a paranormal twist to it. There were laugh out loud moments and moments where I thought I was going to cry. This is the author's first book and she is an indie author. Outside of the editing errors, I thought the book was an easy and quick read. For the price, I will definitely read the next installment to see how Claire handles Sterling's ex.

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

About the Book: 
First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.
Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

About the Author: Courtney Allison Moulton lives in Michigan, where she is a photographer and spends all her free time riding and showing horses. She has always loved reading about ancient mythologies, studying dead languages, and telling scary, romantic stories. Angelfire is her debut novel.


My Thoughts: Angelfire is filled with action, suspense, intrigue and a little bit of romance. When Ellie begins to have her dreams right before her 17th birthday and the handsome Will shows up wherever she is and tells her that they've known each other for over 500 years and he has been waiting for her rebirth, Ellie thinks he is not only weird but on something. Once the attacks and fights against her begins, her memory begins to return and we find out that not only is Ellie more than human and super strong, she has been selected as the one person to fight along her Guardian to protect humankind from evil. 
Angelfire is a mix of supernatural and magic with a female as heroine. Although there is some romance in the book, there isn't a lot of girl meets boy, girl instantly falls in love with boy and they live happily ever after. There is one part that was left unresolved in my opinion and it was Ellie's father. He became more and more hateful throughout the book and at one point Will mentioned that he smelled of blood. If Angelfire is the first of a series, I hope her father's behavior is addressed in the future. 

I GIVE THIS:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I from Harper Collins/HarperTeen through NetGalley.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

About the Book: Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High-from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance.

Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death-and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

About the Author: Lauren Oliver is the author of Before I Fall, which ALA Booklist called a "compelling book with a powerful message [that] should not be missed." A graduate of the University of Chicago and the MFA program at New York University, Lauren is now a full-time writer and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Delirium is her second novel.

My Thoughts:  Initially I found pieces of Before I Fall to be a little bit unrealistic. The behaviors of the teenagers weren't what I found unrealistic but the fact that it seemed like the parents were never around and all the kids did was get drunk. Then I thought back to when I was in high school and realized that I did go to high school with a lot of people like that. After that realization, it was easier for me to get through the book.
Throughout the book, I kept thinking that I would never want to relive the same day over again seven times. I liked that the author didn't have Sam automatically become this nice person on day one of her recurring days. Sam had to go through a number of days going through different emotions and realizing different things, even at the risk of losing her best friends. 
Before I Fall was very well written and I think each and everyone of us can relate to what went on in the halls of Thomas Jefferson High School in some way shape or form. I was hoping that it would have ended differently and that be the only thing that I didn't really like about the book.  It wasn't a bad ending but I wanted it to be different :-)

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

House of Night Series #5 - Hunted - P.C Cast & Kristen Cast

About the Book: What if the hottest guy in the world was hiding a nameless evil and all he wanted was you?
At the start of this heart-pounding new installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey's friends have her back again and Stevie Rae and the red fledglings aren't Neferet's secrets any longer.  But an unexpected danger has emerged. Neferet guards her powerful new consort, Kalona, and no one at the House of Night seems to understand the threat he poses.  Kalona looks gorgeous, and he has the House of Night under his spell. A past life holds the key to breaking his rapidly spreading influence, but what if this past life shows Zoey secrets she doesn't want to hear and truths she can't face?
On the run and holed up in Tulsa's Prohibition-era tunnels, Zoey and her gang must discover a way to deal with something that might bring them all down.  Meanwhile, Zoey has a few other little problems.  The red fledglings have cleaned up well--they've even managed to make the dark, creepy tunnels feel more like home--but are they really as friendly as they seem?  On the boyfriend front, Zoey has a chance to make things right with super-hot ex-, Eric, but she can't stop thinking about Stark, the archer who died in her arms after one unforgettable night, and she is driven to try to save him from Neferet's sinister influence at all costs.  Will anyone believe the power evil has to hide among us?
About the Authors:

P. C. Cast is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author as well as an experienced speaker and teacher.  Her novels have been awarded the prestigious Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Prism, Daphne du Maurier, and Affaire de Coeur, as well as others.  She lives and teaches in Oklahoma.

Her daughter, Kristin Cast, has won awards for her poetry and journalism.  She also lives in Oklahoma, where she attends college in Tulsa.

My Thoughts: I don't exactly like reviewing books in a series but for some reason I felt the need to review Hunted. First off, before Hunted I really couldn't understand why in the world there was this big craze over the House of Night Series. I started reading the series a few months back and stopped at book three and didn't feel the need to go on. Well, of course my very good friend and I would say probably my reading partner if I were to choose one started the series and was enjoying it so I thought to give it another try. I read #4, Untamed and then borrowed #5, Burned from her. This is the point where I realize it's a turning point for me and for the series. This is where the book actually starts making me feel like it's worth me spending my money on. This is where I felt there was a decent plot that I would like to follow and there was some action in the story. The one thing I did not like about this book however was the way the author(s) wrote how the one black girl in the book spoke. It wasn't that she had an urban vernacular, she just sounded downright stupid and ignorant which is not suppose to be the case of these 'Marked' teenagers. Other than that and the obvious typos, it was worth reading and leaves me interested to read the rest of the series.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.