Monday 26 November 2012

Review ~ I'll Be There ~ Holly Goldberg Sloan

I'll Be There

Title: I'll Be There
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Released: March 2012
Published by: Piccadilly Press

goodreads says:

Emily Bell believes in destiny. To her, being forced to sing a solo in the church choir—despite her average voice—is fate: because it’s while she’s singing that she first sees Sam. At first sight, they are connected.

Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there’s nowhere for him to run. He and his little brother, Riddle, have spent their entire lives constantly uprooted by their unstable father. That is, until Sam sees Emily. That’s when everything changes.

As Sam and Riddle are welcomed into the Bells’ lives, they witness the warmth and protection of a family for the first time. But when tragedy strikes, they’re left fighting for survival in the desolate wilderness, and wondering if they’ll ever find a place where they can belong. Beautifully written and emotionally profound, I’ll Be There is a gripping story that explores the complexities of teenage passions, friendships, and loyalties.


My thoughts:

I'll Be There is a really hard book to talk about. It feels like it could be a few stories in one and I'm finding it hard to decide where this book resides in the book world. It's very hard to categorise. We've got a young man trying to take care of his younger brother as their father deals with mental health problems, a romance that feels a little rushed and happens at just the glance of a person and a odd survival story line after an terrible accident.

Now, I love Sam and Riddle, and this may sound a little odd because this story is about them but I wish it was more about them! I told you, it sounds odd. I think if the story would have really concentrated on the two brothers and gone into more detail about their past and their dad's past I would have liked the story more. We are shown how their father can be and it's more than cruel but I feel like we are not told enough about how everything happen to them and how things have been allowed to get to this stage. It's not the father's fault he is the way he is, he's ill. I just wanted more detail and history.

I also can't help but think that somethings seem a little far fetched within this story, I can't really mention them as it will give away several big story lines but you can't help but wonder how so many things keep happening to these two boys in such a short space of time and some of them just seem a little unbelievable.

3 out of 5 stars because I really liked Sam and Riddle, I just wish I knew more about them.





Sunday 25 November 2012

Stacking The Shelves #26

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Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. All the links added here will take you to Goodreads.

Bungle's Shelf

I was good again this week but it was sooooo very hard to be! We are getting so many exciting books in at the shop with Christmas coming up and I want to buy everything in site!!! I was good though and I haven't bought any actual books!! I did download a free ebook this week which was The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines. I of course went for the new & uncensored version, hearing a lot about this book so had to see what it's all about :)

The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys, #1)

Sally's Shelf

So Sally is off doing her bridesmaid duty this weekend which has kept her to busy to buy any books! It's not like her I know but these last two weeks she has done well to keep hold of her pennies! She did get a galley this week though which was The Stone Demon by Karen Mahoney. I can't wait to see what she thinks of it!




So that's what Sal and I got this week. We can't wait to see what you got :)



Sunday 18 November 2012

Stacking the shelves #25


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Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your   shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. All the links added here will take you to Goodreads.

Bungle's shelves

Bungle was really good (again!) this week and she only got her hands on one book which was free!  The Christmas spirit has taken hold and  to celebrate Bungle got her hands on a copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. 


Sally's shelves

I've been good!! Did you ever think you'd read that?! Me!! That said I still got my hands on two fabulous books, I was just very lucky to get freebies.  This week I got a free audio copy of Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness.  I also got hold of a copy of City of the Falling Sky, #1 of the Seckry Sequence series by Joseph Evans.



So that's it from us this week.  So tell us, what have you been up to?







Thursday 15 November 2012

Mini Review ~ Devilish ~ Maureen Johnson

Devilish

Title: Devilish
Author: Maureen Johnson
Published by: HarperCollins
Release date: September 2006
 
goodreads says:
 
Wickedly funny high school satire - what would you give to be popular? Ally and Jane may not be that popular but they're good friends...that is until they each get allocated a freshman, a 'little' to show the ropes to at school. Cracks begin to show as Ally changes into a whole different person, literally overnight. She's dressed better, making new friends, and ditching Jane more and more. But Ally's transformation has its price. And it's up to Jane to save her former BF from a ponytail-wearing, cupcake-nibbling devil in disguise!


I'm not going to lie, I read Devilish because Maureen Johnson had tweeted that it was free as an ebook and having seen several customers but it I thought I'll have to give it a try. I love the cover, the colour is very pretty and the cupcake looks good enough to eat!
 
I liked Jane, our main character who was funny and always seemed to do her best and try to help others no matter what they did to her which I think is an important message. But I found Ally really annoying and just a little bit stupid but I guess if you're not happy with yourself you'll do just about anything to get others to like you so you can like yourself.
 
This was a quick easy read and just what I need as I read it while I was a little unwell last week. It allowed me to delve in and out of the story without thinking to much about it but that doesn't take away from Johnson's writing. You can really hear her voice in this early novel, her wit and humour really shine in this story.
 
I gave this story 3 out of 5 stars because it's the kind of story to read when you have a few hours to spare, or like me when you're a little ill. It's not deep and meaningful and it doesn't pretend to be, it's just a quick easy read.

 

Monday 12 November 2012

Cover Reveal ~ Goddess ~ Josephine Angelini

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed


How beautiful is the cover for Josephine Angelini's Goddess!? We love it here at Midnight Reads and we can't wait to get our hands on a copy, we need to know what happens!!!!

I have loved all the UK covers and I have loved the proof covers just as much. I'm really hoping there is going to be a proof of Goddess, I feel I need it to complete the set :)

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this UK cover.



Saturday 10 November 2012

Stacking the shelves #24


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Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your   shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. All the links added here will take you to Goodreads.

Bungle's shelves

So this week I was naughty & I bought 2 books but I NEEDED them, just look how pretty they are!! The first book is Rachel Caine's Bitter Blood which is book 13 in the Morganville series. These books have really started to pick up again so I'm looking forward to this one. I also bought Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins, I'm not going to lie I bought it because of the cover!  I also got 2 free ebooks this week which were Devilish by Maureen Johnson which I've read & enjoyed & the other was Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen.







Sally's shelves

Ok, so I was bad again this week.  I got my hands on three books.  The first was Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor.  This book is huge!  I've actually gone back to re-read Daughter of Smoke and Bone before I delve in and I'd forgotten just how much I enjoyed it! The second book I got was Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr.  Loved the cover for this one!  The last book I bought was Falling to Ash by Karen Mahoney.  This has been getting some excellent reviews and it's about vampires (as if I'd need telling twice!) so I can't wait to read it.




So that's what we've been up to this week. What did you add to your shelves? We can't wait to find out!

Thursday 8 November 2012

Currently Reading: Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2)

Title: Days of Blood & Starlight
Author: Laini Taylor
Published: TODAY (8th November 2012)
By: Hodder & Stoughton

goodreads:

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world!


I really wanted to get my review up for Days of Blood and Starlight ready for it's release as I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone and just knew that this story would be written with the same amount of grace and enthusiasm as book 1. But unfortunately I've been a little ill and I'm behind with my reading. However, I have read up to chapter 28 which is 130 page into the story and I am loving it!!

I knew Taylor had alot to live up to with this book as Daughter of Smoke & Bone was so popular and so far it's brilliant!! As I said I'm only 130 pages and this book feels so tortured  and you can really feel the pain of the characters. The whole book just makes me feel like I'm being transported into the lives of each of the characters and I feel as though I'm feeling what they feel. It's been a few days since I've read as I wanted to wait until I felt better so I could give this story my full concentration.

Days of Blood and Starlight is not going to be that typical second book that often feels like its just going to fill a gap, I can already feel it's going to be so much more than that! I'm looking forward to finishing this story and I already want books 3!!






Tuesday 6 November 2012

YA Winter Warmers Event 2012



So, Christmas is nearly upon us and it's time to think about presents which for us means which books to buy! Here at Midnight Reads we love to champion début authors which is why we started the Winter Warmers event.  Last year an amazing list of authors took part ,each championing their own favourite book by a début author and this year we'd love to do the same again.

For the YA Winter Warmers Event we would like authors to:~

~ Pick a YA debut author from 2012 (Jan-November or December if the book is released before Christmas)

~ Read the book and either

~Review the book or 

~Just tell us why you are highlighting it even just a sentence as to why is fine with us (this is a good option for those of you who may be busy writing your next amazing book) or

~If the author is a good friend of yours and you have time you could interview them :)
~After each post we will add the book(s) to a Christmas Wishlist which will be visible on the blog

~ You don't have to be a debut author or a YA author to take part but the book you highlight has to be written by a YA debut author (2012)

If you would like to get involved We would love to hear back from you. Please send your posts to us at: midnightreads@gmail.com  by Monday 10th December.

Once an author has confirmed they wish to take part in the Winter Warmers Event we will add their name to the Winter Warmers Event page on the blog.


 


Sunday 4 November 2012

Stacking the shelves #23


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Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your   shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. All the links added here will take you to Goodreads.

Well, Bungle has managed to keep her purse tightly zipped up in her bag and hasn't bought any books this week.  Working in a bookshop I genuinely don't know how she does it! I think I'd be in a perpetually frenzied shopping state!

Unlike Bungle I am weak-willed and demand instant gratification which is why I ended up with five new books this week.  The first book I bought was Vanish, #2 of the Firelight series by Sophie Jordan.  This series about Draki (humans evolved from dragons) kind of crept up on me and I absolutely love it! I also bought Starters by Lissa Price which I've been meaning to buy for ages.


I came across a buy two get one free offer yesterday which I instantly perceived to be a challenge.  Of course, I won. I got my hands on The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, Sisters Red, a modern telling of Red Riding Hood by Jackson Pearce and Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. I love this cover!


So, now you know what we've been up to! What have you been buying this week?

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