FAIRY TALE WEDDINGS by Debbie Macomber Book Review
Publication Date: November 24th 2009 by Mira
Summary: Fairy Tales Can Come True
Cindy and the Prince
Thorndike Prince—handsome, levelheaded, successful—is a high-ranking New York City executive. Cindy Territo is the janitor who cleans his office after hours. There’s no reason they’d ever meet, no reason he’d even notice her—until, on a whim and a dare, Cindy crashes his company’s Christmas ball. She dances with her Prince and then, like a proper Cinderella, flees at midnight, leaving her heart behind….
Some Kind of Wonderful
Beautiful inside and out, New York socialite Judy Lovin values family over fortune and fame. So when her father’s business collapses and his most powerful enemy offers to help—in exchange for Judy’s company—she agrees to join John McFarland on his remote Caribbean island. It isn’t long before she discovers that John’s far from the beast he seems to be!
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Book Review, Two Stars - Amortentia Reviews, Audience: Adult, Author: Debbie Macomber, Book: Fairy Tale Weddings, Genre: Romance, Publisher: Mira | 
262 words
Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
A Great and Terrible Beauty meets Cassandra Clare in this spellbinding fantasy
Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.
Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.
If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.
Expected Publication Date: February 7th 2012 by Putnam Juvenile
I fell in love with the trailer for Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. Plus, I’ve been in the mood lately to pick up witchy books!
Pure by Julianna Baggott
We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it’s his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.
Expected Publication Date: February 8th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing
I’ve been hearing great buzz about this one after reading great reviews. I’m still hesitant to read dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels but I’m willing to give this one a try.
Scarlet by AC Gaughen
Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.
Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.
Expected Publication Date: February 14th 2012 by Walker Books for Young Readers
Okay, I’m not the biggest fan of the cover. But listen to this: I’m pretty sure I read this when the manuscript had been circulating around different publishers and I had been an intern at Scholastic. I remember it being one of the few manuscripts that I had actually passed on to my supervisor. I never thought this day would happen…
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy
Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. She’s got her friends – the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She’s got her art – and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they’re dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?
Expected Publication Date: February 16th 2012 by Speak
I’ve already read this one and I absolutely loved it. Keep an eye out for my review and interview with the author, Y.S. Lee, in February! I can’t wait to get my hands on a final copy of this book.
The Traitor in the Tunnel by YS Lee
Get steeped in suspense, romance, and high Victorian intrigue as Mary goes undercover at Buckingham Palace – and learns a startling secret at the Tower of London.
Queen Victoria has a little problem: there’s a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency puts quickwitted Mary Quinn on the case, where she must pose as a domestic while fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales. But when the prince witnesses the murder of one of his friends in an opium den, the potential for scandal looms large. And Mary faces an even more unsettling possibility: the accused killer, a Chinese sailor imprisoned in the Tower of London, shares a name with her long-lost father. Meanwhile, engineer James Easton, Mary’s onetime paramour, is at work shoring up the sewers beneath the palace, where an unexpected tunnel seems to be very much in use. Can Mary and James trust each other (and put their simmering feelings aside) long enough to solve the mystery and protect the Royal Family? Hoist on your waders for Mary’s most personal case yet, where the stakes couldn’t be higher – and she has everything to lose.
Expected Publication Date: February 28th 2012 by Candlewick Press
I am a huge fan of YS Lee. I’ve already read this one and I absolutely loved it. Keep an eye out for my review and interview with the author, Y.S. Lee, in February! I can’t wait to get my hands on a final copy of this book.
Meme hosted by Breaking the Spine
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Memes, Waiting on Wednesdays - Author: AC Gaughen, Author: Jessica Spotswood, Author: Julianna Baggott, Author: Melissa Jensen, Author: YS Lee, Book: Born Wicked, Book: Pure, Book: Scarlet, Book: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare, Book: The Traitor and the Tunnel, Series: Pure, Series: The Agency, Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles | 1581 words
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth Book Review
Series: Divergent, #1
Publication Date: May 3rd 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books
Rating: 
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Book Summary: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
Book Review Overview:
- Fantastic world-building; I love the concept of the different factions
- I love a novel with a strong female lead; Roth delivers with her protagonist, Tris
- Great romance – no insta-love here
- Nail-biting action that will leave you at the edge of your seat
This is probably going to sound a little weird, because the thought sounded weird to me as well but: DIVERGENT was one of those books that I purposely did not want to like. I did not want to join the bandwagon and be a crazed fan for Tris and Four. I tried hard. And I failed. Like it or not, I’m a big fan of DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth and I am eagerly awaiting its sequel, Insurgent.
Why did I not want to like DIVERGENT? What did I have against it before even picking it up? Hype is probably the biggest reason. There are loads of overhyped books out there that I didn’t quite enjoy. Second, is the Year of Dystopias, also known as the year 2011. A million dystopian novels were released last year and to be honest, I was just sick of the cookie cutter plots. Basically, I thought that DIVERGENT was too good to be true.
I probably won’t be the first to tell you that the world-building in Divergent is quite awesome. Okay, I’ve never been to Chicago before, but based on what I know, I did recognize some remnants of the old city. But I love the dystopian city that Roth has created. Chicago is now divided into five different factions: Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite – which are basically different districts that are characterized by the personality of the people who live in the area. When a kid turns sixteen, her or she will take a test that basically determines what faction they end up in. The concept is quite fascinating, and Roth makes it believable because she explains that humans are creatures of habit. It doesn’t take much to convince a person to act a certain way based on their characteristics.
What makes DIVERGENT special in addition to the world-building is the protagonist. Tris has flaws. And she is quite awesome for it because she shows that there isn’t just the extreme nice girl or the extreme brave girl. She falls in the middle and she’s a little bit of both. Her character tries to be the best person she thinks she can be, but sometimes her decisions are not very good. She admits that she’s sometimes selfish and unkind, but Tris is also brave and willing to stand up for what she believes in.
I love how Roth maintains a sense of realism in DIVERGENT. Despite the fact that Tris has gotten stronger over the course of her training, it still doesn’t mean that she can go against really big burly men in hand-to-hand combat. Hello, physics?! It just doesn’t work that way. Tris is awesome, but she still has some weaknesses.
And of course there’s the love interest. This isn’t insta-love. Admittedly, Four captures Tris’s eye instantly because something strikes him different from the other Dauntless. Plus, he’s a pretty kick-ass instructor. (Alright, and this is where I admit that Four also reminded me of Dimitri from the Vampire Academy series because he’s technically the forbidden older instructor, heh.) But the progression of their relationship is slow. The best part is that Four is actually quite a nice guy. But that’s all I’m going to say because you really have to experience Four for yourself.
I will say that DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth is quite long. Unnecessarily long? I don’t think so. Unlike other series that kicked off last year, I feel like DIVERGENT had enough development as the first book of a series but also had enough to stand alone on its own. At 400+ pages, it does seem like a daunting read, but the novel is fast-paced and will keep you at the edge of your seat.
Veronica Roth is a talented debut author and you do not want to miss DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. I don’t regret waiting to read DIVERGENT as it means I do have less time to wait before the sequel comes out this year.
I strongly recommend this book to those who are fans of dystopian novels like The Hunger Games and to those who are fans of novels with strong female protagonists.
Other Book Reviews:
Book Purring
For What It’s Worth
Gone with the Words
About the Author
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Find the Author
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Veronica Roth is only 23, so her bio will be short. She’s from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011). The second book in The Divergent Trilogy, INSURGENT, will come out in May 2012. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)
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Book Review, Four Stars - Action Packed, Audience: Young Adult, Author: Veronica Roth, Book: Divergent, Genre: Action, Genre: Dystopia, Genre: Romance, Genre: Science Fiction, Masterful World-Building, Must Buy, Page-Turner, Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, Romantic Read, Series: Divergent | 1453 words
- Borrow It
- Hahaha Funny
- Keeps You Guessing
- Heartwarmer
- Makes You Think
- Poetic Prose
- Tear-Jerker
