Weekly Wrap Up #27

Weekly Wrap-Up 

July 14th - July 28th 

I have not posted many reviews lately and I hope to get caught up soon. My daughter is 37 weeks pregnant and between getting the nursery done, false alarms to the hospital, and getting everything baby ready... I have been low on time and exhausted. I hope to get more done this week. 

Giveaways:

Quarantine by Lex Thomas

Reviews:

Doll Bones by Holly Black
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
Quarantine by Lex Thomas

Blog Tours:

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor Review and Giveaway

Weekly Memes:

Genre Definition and Recommendation
Teaser Tuesday and Top Ten Tuesday

Waiting on Wednesday and W.W.W. Wednesday 

Delightful Discoveries
Follow and Feature Friday

Stacking the Shelves

Books Read: 

Reading Plans:

Upcoming Reviews: 

Stacking the Shelves #47

Stacking The Shelves is a hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Come join the fun and share all the book you received this week. 

Review:

Memento Nora Series by Angie Smibert

                                       

On an otherwise glossy day, a blast goes off and a body thuds to the ground at Nora's feet. There are terrorist attacks in the city all the time, but Nora can't forget.

In Nora's world you don't have to put up with nightmares. Nora goes with her mother to TFC--a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. There, she can describe her horrible memory and take a pill to erase it so she can go onlike nothing ever happened. But at TFC a chance encounter with a mysterious guy changes Nora's life. She doesn't take the pill. And when Nora learns the memory her mother has chosen to forget, she realizes that someone needs to remember.

With newfound friends Micah and Winter, Nora makes a comic book of their memories called Memento. Memento is an instant hit, but it sets off a dangerous chain of events. Will Nora, Micah, and Winter be forced to take the Big Pill that will erase their memories forever?

Angie Smibert's remarkable debut novel takes readers on a thrilling ride through a shadowy world where corporations secretly rule and consumerism is praised above all.

Hourglass series by Myra McEntire

     

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should've happened?

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

                                       

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

Countdown by Michelle Rowan

                                       

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

Review: Quarantine by Lex Thomas

Title: Quarantine: The Loners

Author: Lex Thomas
Publisher:  Egmont USA
Publishing Date: July 10th 2012

Pages: 416
Genre:  YA Horror 

Series: Quarantine #1
Source: Hardcover

  

      

It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning.

A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you’re as good as dead. And David has no gang. It’s just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school.

In this frighteningly dark and captivating novel, Lex Thomas locks readers inside a school where kids don’t fight to be popular, they fight to stay alive.

I finally moved this book up on my TBR list thanks to the wonderful publishers at Egmont. I put off reading this book for a very long time, not for any particular reason except that I didn't have it on my shelf when I went looking for a book to read. I am happy to finally mark it as read. It was a very entertaining read from start to finish and I found it hard to put the book down. The story was interesting, original, and crazy. Lots of gore, action, and suspense... just like a horror should be. 

On what seems like a perfectly normal day at school, David and his younger brother Will join many others to start the new school year. Once there nothing is normal. Teachers start to drop dead and the kids get trapped in the school. After a year of no communication with the outside world except for the the drops of needed supplies. men is bio suits enter into the school to finally give the kids a heads up on what is going on. The world has been infected with a virus... those that are in the school are carriers and they have to stay quarantined until further notice.... or at least til they "graduate". Fill with tons of kids, the school is separated into gangs and the fight for survival continues inside the school walls as they wait for release. 

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was everything a good horror should be.... gross, intense, and full of not so smart decisions. The characters were all crazy and likable or hated.  The read was quick, a page turner, and it was easy to get through. There was humor along with the gore and just a bit of romance. 

The characters were all over the place with different personalities. I liked that. There were smart mouths, smart brains, and street smart kids. They all were well together to form close friendships or extreme enemies. I felt that most of the kids were true to form for what my mind would see if such a situation existed. I don't think they would make good decisions and I don't think they would care much for the common good of the group. They all formed cliques even in a quarantined situation and instead of being regular school bullies things got real bad. No adults around led to some pretty horrible things. 

I liked the main character, David. He was a pretty strong character and grew through out the book. At the beginning of the book he went from the in crowd to a nobody when he secluded himself from his peers. His mother recently died and he found himself in a depression. In the beginning of the quarantined he was a loner and really just wanted to take care of himself and his brother. When he met up with Lucy, things began to change and he found himself in the leadership role pretty quickly. It was good to see him step up and take control. His little brother Will really just angered me throughout the entire book. He was pretty selfish and worthless in my eyes. Always wanting to be in the spotlight. He did have a few good points, he knew how to scavenge and trade but he seemed to cause more problems then to help solve them. Lucy was pretty OK. I didn't feel a real connection with her. She came in later in the book and she never really stood out for me. 

Sam was the bad guy in the book and he brought villain for sure. He was ruthless, evil, heartless, unpredictable and just plain cruel. I could see how many kids without morals to begin with could turn so bad so quickly. He needed more discipline in his life for sure. I loved hating him though.

The story was good. It was a bit predictable at times and then others things seemed to happen that I didn't expect.  The horror element was great, there were lots of blood and guts, thrilling moments, and some pretty intense scenes. The book moved quickly and I found myself finished before I knew it. I liked enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and I can't wait to read the next installment. 

It was really good. More than I expected. 

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Feature and Follow Friday #75

Feature Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read!

Featured Blogs:

and

Q: What do you do with your books after you are done reading them?

A:  Many different things. Sometimes I use them for a giveaway, sometimes I give them to my daughter. Many times I have them as an E-ARC- or a library book. The E-ARC stays on my kindle and the library book goes back. Audio books I erase, great books that I consider a re-read I stock on my shelves. Every once in a while I go through my books and take them to the local library for a donation or to a local small used book store.  I think that is about it. I tried to go to Half Price Books once but I didn't get anything worth it out of them, so I gave up. I would rather give them away anyways, it's like giving away joy!

Delightful Discoveries #27

Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered during the week... old, new, just released... from blogs, Goodreads, libraries, friends, or bookstores. 

So this week I found these goodies...

Living With Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles

  

        
After fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive.

This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always. But here he is, miles from home — new school, new life, living with his Jackie-Chan-obsessed uncle, Larry, and trying to forget. But Josh can’t forget. So many things bring back memories of last year and the night that changed everything. Every day the pain, the shame, and the just not knowing are never far from his thoughts. Why is he such a loser? How could he have done what he did? He finds some moments of peace when he practices karate with Stella, the girl upstairs and his one real friend. As they move together through the katas, Josh feels connected in a way he has never felt before. He wonders if they could be more than friends, but Stella’s jealous boyfriend will make sure that doesn’t happen. And maybe it doesn’t matter. If Stella knew the truth, would she still think he was a True Karate Man? Readers first met Josh in Jumping Off Swings which told the story of four high school students and how one pregnancy changed all of their lives. In this companion book, they follow Josh as he tries to come to terms with what happened, and find a way to forgive.

The Lonesome Young by Lucy Connors

  

        

Get swept away in the first book of the sensational romantic drama that is Romeo & Juliet meets Justified.

WHAT HAPPENS when the teenage heirs of two bitterly FEUDING FAMILIES can’t stay away from each other?

The Rhodales and the Whitfields have been sworn enemies for close on a hundred years, with a whole slew of adulterous affairs, financial backstabbing, and blackmailing that’s escalated the rivalry to its current state of tense ceasefire.

IT’S TIME TO LIGHT THE FUSE . . .

And now a meth lab explosion in rural Whitfield County is set to reignite the feud more viciously than ever before. Especially when the toxic fire that results throws together two unlikely spectators—proper good girl Victoria Whitfield, exiled from boarding school after her father’s real estate business melts down in disgrace, and town motorcycle rebel Mickey Rhodale, too late as always to thwart his older brothers’ dangerous drug deals.

Victoria and Mickey are about to find out the most passionate romances are the forbidden ones.

. . . ON A POWDER KEG FULL OF PENT-UP DESIRE, risk-taking daredevilry, and the desperate actions that erupt when a generation of teens inherits nothing but hate.

Minders by Michelle Jaffe

        

A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist,MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?

Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She's been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she'll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There's just one problem: Sadie's fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?

Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford's life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves

Space Rocks by Tom O'Donnell

  

        

The thrilling intergalactic adventures of four kids in space—as told by Chorkle, a hilarious alien!

It all happened because of Feeney’s Original Astronaut Ice Cream. Those accursed pink bars entranced me with their sugary magic! But I digress . . .

Life on Gelo was fine until the fur-headed �humans” arrived. They invaded our peaceful asteroid with their loud drill machines and their endless greed, stealing our precious Iridium to take back to their weird looking blue-and-green planet.

Then the mothership took off and four little hair-heads were marooned here. But thank Jalasu Jhuk that Hollins, Becky, Nicki, and Little Gus are actually pretty cool. They have awesome gadgets like hologram games and rocket bikes, and they can pilot starships!

But there’s plenty the juvenile humans don’t know, like how to fight a ferocious thyss-cat or ride a giant usk-lizard. They’re decidedly terrible at dealing with my stink-gland.

Luckily the Earthlings have me, Chorkle, and all five of my eyes to look after them.

If only I knew how to help them get back home . .

The Morning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard

  

        

A family's loyalty is put to the ultimate test in this haunting and unforgettable debut.

Kirsten Hammarstrom hasn't been home to her tiny corner of rural Wisconsin in years-not since the mysterious disappearance of a local teenage girl rocked the town and shattered her family. Kirsten was just nine years old when Stacy Lemke went missing, and the last person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Johnny-the high school wrestling star and Kirsten's older brother. No one knows what to believe-not even those closest to Johnny-but the event unhinges the quiet farming community and pins Kirsten's family beneath the crushing weight of suspicion.

Now, years later, a new tragedy forces Kirsten and her siblings to return home, where they must confront the devastating event that shifted the trajectory of their lives. Tautly written and beautifully evocative, The Mourning Hours is a gripping portrayal of a family straining against extraordinary pressure, and a powerful tale of loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness.