The 2012 Author Debut Challenge

CHALLENGE OBJECTIVE:

* To read & review a minimum of twelve young adult or middle grade debut novels between the dates of January 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013.*

*The 2013 extension is so that December Debuts can be read and count toward the challenge.

* Any advance reader copies you read from 2012 BEFORE the January 1st start date DO NOT count toward the challenge!
* You can read twelve books in one month, or one book a month. It doesn't matter as long as you have 12 read by the end of the year!


RULES & GUIDELINES:

* You must have a Blog to post your reviews or be a member of Goodreads.
* Your blog must be written in English.
* Deadline to join is May 31, 2012.

BOOK GUIDELINES:

* Must be a young adult or middle grade title.
* Must be the author’s YA or MG debut, released in 2012.
* If an author has a previous novel published for adults or children, they can still qualify for the challenge.
* If an author has a previous YA or MG title, they do not qualify for the challenge.
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I figure I should go ahead and sign up for this I signed up for this years and I have done a terrible job  -hangs head- I'm hoping next year will be better. There are some awesome sounding books coming out. Yea!

1. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
2. Everneath by Brodi ashton
3. Under the never sky by Veronica Rossi
4. Something strange and deadly by Susan Dennard
5. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
6. Sweet evil by Wendy Higgins
7. The Vanishing Game by Kate kae Myers
8. Halflings by Heather Burch
9. The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenburg
10. When the sea is rising red by Cat Hellisen
11.Fracture by Megan Miranda
12. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

AUTHOR: Gayle Forman

PUBLISHED: April 5, 2011

PUBLISHER: Dutton Juvenile (penguin)

PAGES: 260

SERIES/STAND ALONE: Series (Book 1-If I stay)
SOURCE: Bought

CHALLENGES: None

OUTLINE:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by 

  
himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit  the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

MY THOUGHTS:
Omg!
First thought was I'm not gonna love this like I did If I Stay because there's no way to bring the same emotions out. I was wrong. Gayle Forman did an awesome job making me love this book as much as the first. I thought with it being told in Adams POV that it would be just okay. I was wrong again. I loved reading Adams point of view and the struggles that he faced being a rockstar. I know that anxious feeling that he got because sometimes I get that same way. (although I'm sure not for the same reasons) There's not much I can say without giving away what happened. So this is probably going to be extremely short. I think being able to understand Adams situation and his feelings helped me love the book. When we were able to see Mia I was happy as well because I loved her voice in If I Stay. Even though in this story she flipped out a few times it's totally understandable with what she's been through.



I will definitely read other things by Gayle Forman she has a beautiful way with words and she knows how to write emotions.

 Overall:
If you loved If I Stay you'll love this one. Maybe not for the same reasons, but yeah.

Blog Tour: Pyxis by K.C Neal Kindle Giveaway

AUTHOR: K.C Neal
Corinne lives an average teenage life working at her dad’s cafe, hanging out with her best friend, and trying to forget a falling-out with her almost-boyfriend Mason. Things take a strange turn when she uses her late grandmother’s food dyes for a bake sale, and her customers suddenly find her irresistibly alluring. Then she discovers she and Mason are haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that consumes everything in its path. Pursued by shadowy figures and a crazy woman with secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect this world--and the dark world of her dreams. She races to find the answers she seeks before her nightmares break free.
Visit K.C Neals site to win a Kindle
Kindle Giveaway

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

AUTHOR(S): Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
PUBLISHER: Little Brown Books
PAGES: 562
SERIES/STANDALONE: Series book 1 (Beautiful Darkness #2) (Beautiful Chaos #3)

OUTLINE:
There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.At least, that's what I thought.Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.There was a curse.There was a girl.And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

STARTED: 9-27-10
FINISHED: 10-09-10

MY THOUGHTS:
(This is an updated version of my review from my older blog)

When I started this, it was before I actually had the book I went online and read the first 200 and something pages from the website. After reading those I was like I have to buy this book and see what happens. So it took me a good month to find the book. Which I finally found at B & N. (Now I see it everywhere)

When I did get it I admit it took me awhile to actually get into it.  Don't get me wrong once I did I loved it. It just seemed a little slow at first. It seemed like it took awhile for things to start happening, but that's ok. (I love fast-paced books but sometimes slow is good) The book described alot of stuff at the beginning. It built up the characters which I loved. I'm one for knowing the characters quick it lets you kinda build a relationship with them throughout the book I guess you could say. You feel like you know them better and you can connect with them. I definitely felt that way with Ethan and Lena. It was also nice to see a "Romance like novel" in the point of view of a guy. I loved learning about Lena's world of Casters.

Honestly, if I had to choose between paranormals I think I'd go with witches because they're more human then anything else. (Not to mention the first cool story I ever wrote were witches, and that was back in 10th grade when a friend and I started writing a "never-ending" story about fairies/witches. Yes, my characters were the witches. I loved my Blackcrow family. *sigh*)

I must admit I was sad near the end of the book. I hate when things happen, but it makes the story more interesting when things do happen so it's all good.

Breakdown:

Likes:
-Characters (Lena and Ethan)
-POV from a guy
-The World of the Casters

Dislike:
-The ending because it made me a little sad.
-The beginning pace was slow

QUOTES:

B A 500 Follower Giveaway: Ashley's Favorites

 This is going to be Ashley's Favorites Pack so far it includes:

1. Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender (This is by far one of my favorite reads. Want to know more about it. Check out my review by clicking on it.)
2. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Another favorite of mine.)
3. Paranormalcy by Keirsten White (This one is freakin' adorable I love Evie. I actually just got Supernaturally to read. For my review on this click the title.)
4. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (I enjoyed the mystery aspect to it. To see more check out my review)

Again, these are the ones I have so far, but the giveaway lasts until the end of December so more books could be added. If  so I'll add them on here.

To enter use Rafflecopter below:
-This giveaway is for US followers only. (Sorry. I'll be shipping them.) (International Followers will have their own giveaway)
-Ends on December 31, 2011
-Must be a follower. :)

In My Mailbox 45

Lookout: Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

Hey everyone I just wanted you all to be aware of a new book that gets published on December 6,2011  by St. Martins Griffin called Shattered Dreams by Ellie James.

Here is some more info:
Goodreads Page: Shattered Dreams
Author Site: Ellie James
Face Book Page: Midnight Dragonfly Series
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn’t as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She is special. She sees visions, and for those she’s seen, it’s already too late.

Trinity arrives on her aunt's doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she's seen.

But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica's disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She is kind-of dating Jessica's ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario.

Nothing prepares Trinity for the dark odyssey that ensues while searching for Jessica, including the surprising romance she finds with Chase, or the shocking truths she learns, not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her.