My Birthday Wish for Alex + Giveaway

What's in a 18th Birthday?
The significance of tuning eighteen for me is a coming of age. It's the age when you realize where you're no longer a kid but an adult in the making. You're legal, but still contain that innocence of the real world before you. It's the age for realization that it's finally time to grow and really think about the future. Starting that day, people will see you as a different person. Someone older, stronger, wiser, possibly even more brilliant then when you were at seventeen. To be eighteen is quite an honor and an accomplishment, it's a sort of age where you fill in your shoes and accept the responsibilities set aside for you. However, it's also the time to experience new things. To open your eyes and see the world in a different light. It's to explore and conquer the world. It's to expose yourself to things you didn't think were possible. Ultimately, it's a time to have more fun. It's a time to experience complete happiness and joy without adherence.

My 18th Birthday & More.
For my eighteenth birthday, I spent it with the people I hold near and dear to me: my family and my long-time boyfriend. I know in my culture, there's supposed to be this big extravagant party. It's just not something I wanted to do and I was constantly criticized by it. Instead, I had a small get together with my loved ones. We laughed and joked around. I had a good time. The year I turned 18 is the year I fell in love with books. The day after my birthday I went to the YA section of the bookstore and discovered Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. That was the first book I purchased from the YA section with my  birthday money. After that first book, I was hooked with YA and ending spending the rest of the money on books alone. From then and there, it was all history. I am who I am today because of that first book. If I had a chance to turn eighteen again, I'd do what I wanted ever since my love for YA books became in all consuming and ultimately obsessive passion: spend one whole day in a bookstore from the time it opens until the the last second it closes, buy every book that catches my eye and just experience that swell of exhilaration I get every time I step into a bookstore. That's what I would do over and over and over again.

For Alexandria Andros.
I've showed you, along with other amazing #HalfBloodLegion members, my undying love and support when you were up against Rose and Katniss during the YA Tournament of Heroines. We made blog posts, tweeted our hearts out and rounded up people to vote for you like crazy!
Now, I'm here to greet you a Happy Happy 18th Birthday, Alex!
My wish for you Alex, is to have the best day possible. To spend your special day with the people you love, doing the things you enjoy the most. This could mean training and getting better at fighting, or even fighting daimons itself. This could mean spending your day with Seth then spending your night with Aiden or vice versa. I know a lot of Half-Blood fans would love that, right? But you go through so much already. Maybe it's time to take a little break. Time to have just an Alex day.

Sunset Cliffs, San Diego

So I want this day for you to be as normal as humanely possible. To have normal human experiences with all the works: birthday cake and candles, wishes and dreams, towers of gifts filled with surprises and a big dinner feast with loud music in the background. With dancing and singing and games and just downright fun. To go all out and buy everything and anything your heart desires. To spend a day at a carnival, to go to the mall, to step into a bookstore and get lost in a book, to go to the zoo, maybe go to Disneyland. Whatever it is, there is no rules, no worries and no impending danger. Just pure happiness, pure freedom, pure love to do whatever the heck it is you want to do. You could take a swim, walk around the beach, watch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs, maybe even mess around Pacific Beach. You could laugh out loud, no matter how loud. Scream at the top of your lungs. Run and run as fast as you can until it feels like you're flying.
No one can stop you because This. Is. Your. Day. Alex, you know I love you to death. You're such an amazing person through and through. You're stronger than any character I know. You're a fighter, a winner and a lover. You're smart and witty. You make every one around you smile. You deserve this one day to just live it like it's your last. You deserve to spread the awesomness that you bring when you step into a room. This is what I want for you, Alex.
Again, Happy Birthday Alex! I hope you have many more birthdays to come! Enjoy it.<3 :)

To celebrate Alex's 18th Birthday, I'm holding a giveaway!
One winner will win this:

- One print copy of Daimon and Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

The Rules:

1. One entry per person

2. Must be 13 years or older

3. Must be US/Canada Resident

4. Winner will be picked through Random.org

5. Winner will notified via email & have 48 hrs to respond or I will have to choose a new winner

*Please read my Giveaway Policy before entering

To Enter just Fill out this FORM. 

- This giveaway will be closed: March 12, 2012

Don't forget to wish Alex a very Happy Happy 18th Birthday! 
Aiden and Seth would want you to :)

Join Us:

*Rendezvous with the #HalfBloodLegion on twitter at 7pm EST for a virtual birthday party for our girl, Alex! #Alex18Birthday

Book Haul #12

A book haul feature that shares items, such as books and swag, that I received within the week. 

It was another awesome book haul for me this week!

For Review:

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFervers

- Thanks to Netgalley & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Revamped by Ada Adams

- Thanks to Ada for sending me an ebook copy!

Gifted:

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

- Many thanks to Bailey @Novel Nerd for gifting this to me! You totally rock, Bailey! You know that you are totally awesome and that I love you to death <3 Everyone go visit her amazing blog.

Won:

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

- Thanks Michelle for sending this! (won during twitter giveaway)

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

- Thanks to Aimee! :) (won during twitter giveaway)

*Michelle and Aimee personalized the books <3 Thanks oh so much!

Ebooks Won:

Partials by Dan Wells

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

- Both won from Janina @Synchronized Reading; Thanks Janina :)

Bought:

Legend by Marie Lu

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Ebooks bought:

The Goddess Hunt by Aimee Carter

Existence by Abbi Glines

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Freebies:

Reckless Magic by Rachel Higginson

Rippler by Cidney Swanson

What did you get in your book haul?

REVIEW: Starters by Lissa Price

Title: Starters (Starters #1)
Author: Lissa Price   Website | Twitter
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 13 March 2012
Format: Netgalley, ebook *
GR Summary:
Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. 
He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined.





My Review:
In Starters, Lissa Price introduces this futuristic world occupied by seniors called Enders and teens called Starters. This world takes place a year after the Spore Wars that killed off people between the ages of twenty and sixty. Living in this world is Callie Woodland. Orphaned at a young age with her little brother, Tyler and best friend Michael, they are constantly on the move. The three of them are squatters, moving from the next abandon old building to the next hoping to avoid marshals and renegades. Callie promised her father she’d take care of Tyler and her dream is to have a permanent roof over their heads. The only solution seems to be Prime Destinations, a sort of clinic that uses young bodies for Enders to rent in order to relive their youth, literally. Although the pay is good, Callie doesn’t realize the danger she is in the moment she decides to rent her body out for the first time. Her renter, Helena, has other plans to use Callie’s body for.



From the first page I was immediately intrigued by Starters. At first, I was a little confused in the beginning but as I got into the story, everything became clear. Lissa’s writing style is lovely and has a great flow. The way she writes is easy to understand. It’s not difficult to visualize what she intended to set up in Starters. Some aspects of the story such as Callie and Helena’s tandem reminded me of Stephenie Meyer’s The Host and Callie’s make-over team was very reminiscent to Katniss’s team during The Hunger Games, which I loved. 



The world that Lissa has built up is a little chaotic, but seemingly advanced with all the fancy technology. I loved the world Lissa created because it’s so different from other futuristic novels I’ve read. There seems to be a government, but they are not the center of the book’s attention. The age gap in Starters is very interesting. It’s unbelievable to imagine a world with only seniors and young people walking around. Also, the thought of seeing unclaimed, homeless kids running around trying to survive is a brilliant parallel to the rich and privileged Enders whose lives are nearly endless with all the new found technology keeping them from dying off. I liked being able to compare the different worlds of the two: the rich vs. the poor.

What I enjoyed with Starters the most was the overall plot. I love how the main focus is on the facility, Prime Destinations or more commonly known as the body bank to the protagonist. In the world that Callie lives in, it’s not unusual, especially for an unclaimed, to rent their body to a senior for money. However, there is nothing innocent when it comes to dealing with Prime Destinations. Under the glamour of advanced technology, endless beautification and irresistible cash, something dark and sinister lies deep within this facility that has something to do with the ever mysterious Old Man. The idea of renting was downright creepy and slightly disturbing to me. I could never imagine allowing anyone to take over my body and having no control of what they did to it. It really scares me that Callie allowed this. However, Lissa really draws you in with this idea. It’s what made me want to read this story because I have never encountered anything like it before. It’s so fascinating and maybe even a little thrilling.



This book is in the point of view of Callie. She’s a Starter, young and unclaimed; left to care for her seven year old brother, Tyler, after her parents die from the spores. I instantly liked Callie from the start of the book. I connected with her quickly. I really feel for her. What she’s going through is tough, having to live on the streets, trying to survive day after day. I completely understood the decisions she made throughout the novel and I get that she did all of it for Tyler. Callie is strong-willed, determined and self-less. She’s sets her mind on something and she goes through with it. She’s young, realistic and bound to make mistakes and this what makes her a great character. She’s a fighter for what is right. Callie really had me aching for her throughout the whole book. I wanted to comfort her and shield her from the sick world she lived in.



There seems to be a shadow of a love triangle happening with Callie’s best friend Michael and the rich and privileged, Blake, but it’s still too early in the series to tell where it’s going and if there really is one. I do wish to have gotten to know Michael more. He was like a ghost to me and not prominent in the book at all. However, Blake captured my heart from the moment he opened his mouth. He was a complete sweetheart, very concerned with Callie and so charming. I do have to say that their romance for each other developed pretty quickly to me, but the way Callie felt for Blake had me trusting him to no extent. 



I have to say that Starters has this profound mystery to the story. Nothing is what and who they seem to be. I was more than propelled to read further. The unknown of this book was begging for me to uncover it. The never-ending plot twists really had me mind blown and definitely left me gasping from shock. I was literally at the edge of my seat from the excitement. The build up was perfect and the revelations were truly jaw-dropping. The ending left me with a little sad and bittersweet feeling with a tinge of hopefulness, but also with an unnerving feeling of what’s to come in the second book.

Overall, Starters is highly compelling novel that is full of tricks and surprises with every turn of the page. I definitely recommend this book to anyone.



My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.



*Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to read and review this book. In no way do they influence my opinion/thoughts of this book. It is solely my own.

Pre-order Starters:
B&N | Amazon

REVIEW: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Published: 27 September 2011
Format: First Edition; Hardcover: 418 pages
GR Summary:
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. 
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. 
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My Review:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor simply blew me away. From the start, I was immediately captivated by the story and the world that Laini built up. It was so easy for me to just lose myself into this book. Each time I picked up this book, the real world would fall away and I was able to place myself into Karou’s surroundings. I was able to lose myself entirely.



The originality of the plot and the mythology was not only refreshing but entirely compelling. The plot was complex, well-thought out but still easy to understand. Laini really turned this book into a mysteriously creative piece of work centered around war between two entities. The book transported me into this intoxicatingly vivid place never to be forgotten. The imagery and descriptions of Prague, Eretz, Loramendi and all the other places Karou went to were absolutely exquisite. There’s never such a place I would dream to be in but there. Laini took me to this incredible fantasy world filled with Seraphim and Chimaera and left me breathless from amazement.

Laini’s writing overall is extremely divine. I have never been so enraptured by an author’s writing before. Everything, from the places to the characters were magically descriptive and expressive. The way she writes is crystal clear, smooth as glass and clean as pure water. Her writing evoked deep emotions from within my soul. I smiled, laughed and cried. I found myself angry and tormented at all the right moments. Laini’s writing in Daughter of Smoke and Bone left me with this great feeling of contentment that no other author has ever been able to do so. Not only is Laini a genius, she’s brilliant. 



What I completely loved most about this book was the way Laini created her characters. Each and every one was unique. Each character carried themselves with such stunning beauty. They were very well developed and seemingly real. Also, I was able to make deep connections with the characters, especially Karou. She exuded this fierce sense of confidence and strength. She was beautifully flawed, cleverly witty, so human and otherworldly all at once. She has so much personality. There’s no reason at all not to love and adore Karou. She’s everything a heroine should be and more. She literally kicks ass. Akiva was another character I loved. He became this mesmerizingly brooding character that I really enjoyed reading about. To read how he transforms from the experiences of pain and loss broke my heart. He’s such a beautiful character. He’s so broken and conflicted. As I continued to know him better throughout the book, I couldn’t help but feel this intense feeling of sympathy and awe. All the other characters, such as Brimstone, Issa, and Zuzana were extraordinarily likable. There is not a character in this book that you cannot relate to. 



“She craved a presence beside her, solid. Fingertips light at the nape of her neck and a voice meeting hers in the dark. Someone who would wait with an umbrella to walk her home in the rain, and smile like sunshine when he saw her coming. Who would dance with her on her balcony, keep his promises and know her secrets, and make a tiny world wherever he was, with just her and his arms and his whisper and her trust.” 

This book was most enjoyable for me because it kept me at the edge of my seat at all times. The air of mystery and danger was always apparent. Each page and chapter was always a gasping surprise. I was always uncertain of what was going to happen and when. I felt like anything could leave me drowning or explode in my face at every turn. Nothing was ever foreseen or expected.

Overall, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is strange and wonderful in the best possible way. There really is no book like it. By the end, I was rendered speechless.

“Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.” 



My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!