Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi Book Review

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Hardcover, 338 pages

Published November 15th 2011 by Harper/HarperCollins (first published November 1st 2011)

ISBN

0062085484 (ISBN13: 9780062085481)

edition language

English

original title

Shatter Me

url -http://taherehmafi.com/

series - Shatter Me #1

characters

Adam Kent, Juliette Ferrars

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.


My thoughts

I read this book in two days.  I am obsessed with the story.  Once I read the first few pages I was hooked.  It is amazing.  Some reviewers hate the strikeout but i think it was simply genius.  This first time author has a unique way of writing and for me its perfect.

In a not so distant future Juliette has been sentenced to a cell.  Deprived from human touch or interaction she counts the days away writing on her notebook and dreaming about a flying bird.  In this future our world has been destroyed by poor ecologic conservation.  Animals are dissapearing being extinguished.  Food is scarce and the fight for power has been taken by  the Reestablishment.  

A group of people who claimed to be the regimen to establish peace and balance to the chaos.  The only thing they have really brought has been death and destruction.  Only to be the only ones in power.


In this journey Juliette meets an old friend from childhood Adam who is the only one that has shown her compassion. 


This boy she finds saves her from her doom as the leader of the Regimen entraps her only to use her as a weapon against her will.  


I absolutely love how the characters relationship develops.  How we see the characters grow and mature along the story.  Turning scared and helpless Juliet into a fierce young woman who will fight for love and what is right.

Loving science fiction, I absolutely was intrigued by the ending of this installment.  There are more humans like her, people with abilities who use their powers to protect and restore.

What is next for our heroine?  Well have to wait and see but Tahereh I tip my hat to you.  You have created a breathtaking and intriguing world I want to find out more about.

Cannot wait from Spring 2012!

I give Shatter Me 5 hearts!
 

Project Tell Taylor

Project tell Taylor

 

Remembrance by Michelle Madow was inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” music video. (How? Click here to find out.) You can also click here to read the letter Michelle wrote to Taylor about her book back in August. Michelle really wants Taylorto know  how inspiring she and her music have been to her, but since Taylor Swift is an international superstar, she’s a little hard to reach. This is where YOUR help comes into play! Michelle is giving away the biggest prize pack she’s offered yet, and the ways to enter to win are by telling Taylor Swift about Remembrance. Read on to learn how to participate in this giveaway hop, and help Michelle tell Taylor about Remembrance!

New Hampshire high school junior Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she seem to get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, the pair of them soon find that fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

Divergent Book Trailer by Veronica Roth

This is one of my favorite books and I am all excited for the new release coming this year. The sequel Insurgent.  Just wanted to share my love for this series.

Here is Veronica Roth talking a little bit about her book

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Book Trailer

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.


Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

Love YA Books Forever First Giveaway's Winner is ...

As you all know we had our very first giveaway this week.  The winner of a hardcover copy of Bloodrose and pendant is adaj8212.   You have been sent an email for your address. 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks to all of you for your support.  Stay tuned I have two more Giveaways coming up next week!

Tammy





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway: Win an iPad & a Kindle Fire

Rafflecopter makes the whole process of running giveaways on your blog really, really easy. Over 80,000 giveaways have been created with Rafflecopter, and if you didn’t know yet, there’s a new version in town! Oh yeah, it’s free. If you haven’t used Rafflecopter, sign up and launch a giveaway in the matter of minutes.
If you’re a Rafflecopter veteran, check out several of our recent blog posts, including ‘6 Tips for Rafflecopter’s New Widget‘, and ‘Rafflecopter Q&A: Facebook vs. Email Login‘.







a Rafflecopter giveaway

When Bad Reviews hurt Authors and their Fans

Usually The Young Adult genre has a lot of drama when it comes to juicy stories.  After all these books are made for teenagers about teenage situations right!  

Somehow the drama spilled over from the books onto the authors vs. reviewers.  

Recently I have noticed many authors blogging about unfair and scathing reviews.  For some reason a series of unfortunate events (back and forth with authors, fans and the reviewer) has made a loud roar around blogs and Twitter.   

It seems that some reviewers were not expecting the authors to actually read or comment about their review.  Well Hello!!! If you write and then post something on the world wide web it will forever recorded for everyone with a computer, tablet or smart phone to read.

Therefore be true to your opinion but not unkind.   Put yourself in the authors shoes, it is extremely hard to create a book and get published.  Whenever you read a book you are peeking into someones mind and wild imagination.  If you don't like the book give your honest review but there is no need to attack or disrespect anyone.  

Remember what you post online will be there forever!  Everything started in good reads.  

A reviewer posted a very straightforward and offensive review:

"These sample pages ENRAGE me.

This BS is exactly what we DON'T need to inflict on feminism today. The attitude to feminism that this book has is the same as the masses; that all feminists are angry, man-hating bitches with nothing better to do than to moan. Apparently we're all lesbians, too, because the only reason anyone would be a lesbian would be to escape men - it wouldn't simply be because they're naturally attracted to other women. Why, no! How preposterous!

Feminism is the desire to achieve gender equality in society, from a female perspective. It judges the role women play in society and works to change and balance it with that of men. There's none of this angry man-hating; that's a stereotype, and a dreadful stigma that blights modern feminism."

This is just a quote from the review it goes on and on and on.   Below are some of the posts I have seen that caught my attention and helped me write about this issue.

From Goodreads: (where it all started)

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show.html?id=248683171&

From Twitter:

Rachel Caine Author of Morganville Vampires wrote today:

rachelcaine Rachel Caine

I referenced my 1-star ratings for Glass Houses for a response to a reader, and ZOMGZ, those are some awesomely catty 1-stars, y'all.

1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

On the Blogosphere: 

Julie Kagawa Author of The Iron Fey Series

juliekagawa.blogspot.com/2012/01/authors-and-negative-reviews-re-posted.html
 

Karen Hooper Author of Tangled Tides

http://karenamandahooper.blogspot.com/2012/01/for-love-of-stories-and-all-people-who.html
  

I could keep posting about all the drama that spilled over the Internet with Authors, fans  and agents striking back.  It is frustrating to see this and for those authors out there suffering the wrath of opinionated negative readers please ignore the reviews.  You will always have both sides good fans and haters. 

If you want to read about what when on this week follow this link:

http://dearauthor.com/features/industry-news/wednesday-links-and-deals-ip-listing-of-your-fave-sites-authors-attack-ep-1-2012-ya-edition

 

The City of Lost Souls Cover Reveal

I cannot get over about how beautiful this cover is.  From The Mortal Instruments Saga this is  the series fifth installment The City of Lost Souls.  Me wants some Jace!

The book will be available in stores on May 5th, 2012.  For now we have been gifted with the prologue of this book.

CITY OF LOST SOULS PROLOGUE - Courtesy of USA Today.

Simon stood and stared numbly at the front door of his house.

He'd never known another home. This was the place his parents had brought him home to when he was born. He had grown up within the walls of the Brooklyn row house. He'd played on the street under the leafy shade of the trees in the summer, and had made improvised sleds out of garbage can lids in the winter. In this house his whole family had sat shivah after his father had died. Here he had kissed Clary for the first time.

He had never imagined a day when the door of the house would be closed to him. The last time he had seen his mother, she had called him a monster and prayed at him that he would go away. He had made her forget that he was a vampire, using glamour, but he had not known how long the glamour would last. As he stood in the cold autumn air, staring in front of him, he knew it had not lasted long enough.
The door was covered with signs—Stars of David splashed on in paint, the incised shape of the symbol for Chai, life. Tefillin were bound to the doorknob and knocker. A hamesh, the Hand of God, covered the peephole.

Numbly he put his hand to the metal mezuzah affixed to the right side of the doorway. He saw the smoke rise from the place where his hand touched the holy object, but he felt nothing. No pain. Only a terrible empty blankness, rising slowly into a cold rage.

He kicked the bottom of the door and heard the echo through the house. "Mom!" he shouted. "Mom, it's me!"

There was no reply—only the sound of the bolts being turned on the door. His sensitized hearing had recognized his mother's footsteps, her breathing, but she said nothing. He could smell acrid fear and panic even through the wood. "Mom!" His voice broke. "Mom, this is ridiculous! Let me in! It's me, Simon!"

The door juddered, as if she had kicked it. "Go away!" Her voice was rough, unrecognizable with terror. "Murderer!"

"I don't kill people." Simon leaned his head against the door. He knew he could probably kick it down, but what would be the point? "I told you. I drink animal blood."

He heard her whisper, softly, several words in Hebrew. "You killed my son," she said. "You killed him and put a monster in his place."

"I am your son—"

"You wear his face and speak with his voice, but you are not him! You're not Simon!" Her voice rose to almost a scream. "Get away from my house before I kill you, monster!"

"Becky," he said. His face was wet; he put his hands up to touch it, and they came away stained: His tears were bloody. "What have you told Becky?"

"Stay away from your sister." Simon heard a clattering from inside the house, as if something had been knocked over.

"Mom," he said again, but this time his voice wouldn't rise. It came out as a hoarse whisper. His hand had begun to throb. "I need to know—is Becky there? Mom, open the door. Please—"
"Stay away from Becky!" She was backing away from the door; he could hear it. Then came the unmistakeable squeal of the kitchen door swinging open, the creak of the linoleum as she walked on it. The sound of a drawer being opened. Suddenly he imagined his mother grabbing for one of the knives.

Before I kill you, monster.

The thought rocked him back on his heels. If she struck out at him, the Mark would rise. It would destroy her as it had destroyed Lilith.

He dropped his hand and backed up slowly, stumbling down the steps and across the sidewalk, fetching up against the trunk of one of the big trees that shaded the block. He stood where he was, staring at the front door of his house, marked and disfigured with the symbols of his mother's hate for him.

No, he reminded himself. She didn't hate him. She thought he was dead. What she hated was something that didn't exist. I am not what she says I am.

He didn't know how long he would have stood there, staring, if his phone hadn't begun to ring, vibrating his coat pocket.

He reached for it reflexively, noticing that the pattern from the front of the mezuzah—interlocked Stars of David—was burned into the palm of his hand. He switched hands and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Simon?" It was Clary. She sounded breathless. "Where are you?"

"Home," he said, and paused. "My mother's house," he amended. His voice sounded hollow and distant to his own ears. "Why aren't you back at the Institute? Is everyone all right?"

"That's just it," she said. "Just after you left, Maryse came back down from the roof where Jace was supposed to be waiting. There was no one there."

Simon moved. Without quite realizing he was doing it, like a mechanical doll, he began walking up the street, toward the subway station. "What do you mean, there was no one there?"

"Jace was gone," she said, and he could hear the strain in her voice. "And so was Sebastian."
Simon stopped in the shadow of a bare-branched tree. "But he was dead. He's dead, Clary—"

"Then you tell me why he isn't there, because he isn't," she said, her voice finally breaking. "There's nothing up there but a lot of blood and broken glass. They're both gone, Simon. Jace is gone. . . ."

What happens when Indie writers band together? The Indelibles

A group of twenty five independently published authors have all banded together to support each other and get the word out about great indie publishing books and authors.  This is truly Amazing!  They have will launch there website on Monday, January 9 with great giveaways.

This is definitely a group to keep an eye on and I'm sure you will love their books.  I am currently reading Tangled Tides by Karen Hooper and next on my list is Untraceable by SR Johannes.

 
Want to find out more about them http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/

Tangled Tides Novel by Karen Hooper - I Heart Mermaids

I have recently discovered a new love for all things Mermaids.  On my search for new mermaid books to read I found Tangled Tides. I absolutely love the cover and the description has intrigued me.  Reading a little bit about the author (Karen Amanda Hooper) I found she had quite a struggle to get published due to the Vampire & Werewolves trend. 

I cannot wait to find out more about Yara and her story.

Tangled Tides

Yara Jones doesn’t believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one.
When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.

Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process—or she might open the gateway to a love that’s deeper than the oceans.

Karen was born and bred in Baltimore, frolicked and froze in Colorado for a couple of years and is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. She's addicted to coffee, chocolate and complicated happily-ever-afters.
Karen has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. In high school she discovered her passion for putting her thoughts onto paper, but it wasn’t until her late twenties that she wrote her first novel. Due to her strong Disney upbringing, she still believes in fairytales and will forever sprinkle magic throughout all of her novels.

If you want to find out more about Tangled Tides follow the link http://karenamandahooper.blogspot.com/

Matched by Allie Condie Review

Matched by: Allie Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. 

Hardcover, 366 pages

Published November 30th 2010 by Dutton Juvenile (first published November 2010)

ISBN -0525423648 (ISBN13: 9780525423645)

edition language -English

original title -Matched

url -http://www.matched-book.com/

series -Matched #1

characters -Cassia Reyes, Ky Markham, Xander Carrow

literary awards -YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of the Year for Fiction (2010)

 

Matched joins the many recently published dystopian young adult novels.  Cassia Reyes lives in  a world where every thing is controlled The Society runs everything in the country. It takes all the decisions in order to make sure everything is controlled from who you marry to what you eat.  By doing this they guarantee a long and healthy life until you expire according to their standards.

  
You heard right every single detail is already carefully planned out. Where you live, what you eat, where you work, how fast you run, when you die, who you marry.  You only follow rules to live in this Society.

Cassia Reyes was happy with her life and excited about her upcoming match ceremony.  Something unexpected happens and error in the system and her curiosity  and concern about what happen lead her to find out there are somethings that are not meant to be.  Her search for the truth and what to do with her newly found knowledge lead her to find love, friendship and adventure.

Matched is a great dystopian novel.  A world carefully thought through.  I loved the details of the world and envisioned it clearly.

I give this book 4 out of 5 hearts

You can buy this book on http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525423648?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525423648&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

You can follow the author https://twitter.com/#!/allycondie

Love Ya Books First Giveaway

In honor of my favorite series I want to giveaway a lucky follower a brand new hard cover copy of Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer.  (Bonus crystal tile necklace inspired by the book cover)

See my contest rules for more information.  The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter.  You can enter by leaving a comment on this post, becoming a follower on the blog, sending a tweet about the giveaway or following me on twitter.





As a bonus I decided to include a crystal tile pendant necklace inspired by the beautiful cover. 

You may not be familiar with Rafflecopter so here are some things to note:

• Your name will be viewable by everyone. A nickname or alias is preferable.
• On the other hand, I am the only one to see your email address. Please make sure it is correct, as this is how I will be contacting you.

The winner will be announced on this post once the contest ends.

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer Review

Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)

by Andrea Cremer 

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.

 

 

Hardcover, 414 pages

Published January 3rd 2012 by Philomel (first published January 1st 2012)

ISBN

0399256121 (ISBN13: 9780399256127)

edition language - English

original title - Bloodrose

series -Nightshade #3

Source - Barnes N Noble

 My point of view about the series (in a flash) NO SPOILERS

Okay from the very first moment I read Nightshade I fell in love with the Guardians and their story. I am not going to lie I was Team Shay throughout the first book. I loved how Calla was strong and fierce as well as the fact she was an Alpha. How amazing is that! A female character that is strong. This is a true example for women any age. I recommended the book to a friend at work and since then we have been truly obsessed. Watching every book 2 & 3 launch and reading the reviews prior to getting our hands on them.

With Wolfsbane I found myself loving Ren as a male character more than Shay. Ren was strong, and alpha and he was sure of what he wanted and how he loved Calla. A mans man. Shay on the other hand was a boy who was just finding out what he was and what his destiny would be. Once again Calla was strong character balancing life and love. The relationship with her brother took me back home and her friends where ahhhh inspiring.

Andrea Cremer is a genius. She has grown as an author throughout the series. Bloodrose is the best book of the series by far. I have cried and laughed. I read the book int two days staying up at night after the kids and husband went to bed. Yes, I'll admit it I have neglected my family for the book. They'll survive!

Bloodrose is a box of surprises you will never expect whats next.  Reading this book was like watching a movie. The descriptions of the battles, adventures and love scenes where amazingly well written.  Trust me when Andrea said no one expected the ending, she was right.  Took me completely by surprise.  I have been so emotionally invested in this series that my heart ached, my pulse hiked and I wanted to scream. 

I love the way the series ends, it leaves a lot for our imagination and who knows maybe more will come in the future. I also fell  in love with a new character YES! Team Connor. I found myself laughing at his many jokes, I wonder who inspired Andrea for this character.

So after obsessing over tweets about the book and reviews to find out what happens I can honestly say you won't be disappointing. It's great writing, a rich story with hopes of imagination.

I give Bloodrose 5 hearts!!!!

If you want to follow the author you may do so at:
https://twitter.com/#!/andreacremer 
http://www.andreacremer.com/

Matched by Ally Condie Review

Matched by: Allie Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. 

Hardcover, 366 pages

Published November 30th 2010 by Dutton Juvenile (first published November 2010)

ISBN -0525423648 (ISBN13: 9780525423645)

edition language -English

original title -Matched

url -http://www.matched-book.com/

series -Matched #1

characters -Cassia Reyes, Ky Markham, Xander Carrow

literary awards -YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of the Year for Fiction (2010)

 

Matched joins the many recently published dystopian young adult novels.  Cassia Reyes lives in  a world where every thing is controlled The Society runs everything in the country. It takes all the decisions in order to make sure everything is controlled from who you marry to what you eat.  By doing this they guarantee a long and healthy life until you expire according to their standards.

  
You heard right every single detail is already carefully planned out. Where you live, what you eat, where you work, how fast you run, when you die, who you marry.  You only follow rules to live in this Society.

Cassia Reyes was happy with her life and excited about her upcoming match ceremony.  Something unexpected happens and error in the system and her curiosity  and concern about what happen lead her to find out there are somethings that are not meant to be.  Her search for the truth and what to do with her newly found knowledge lead her to find love, friendship and adventure.

Matched is a great dystopian novel.  A world carefully thought through.  I loved the details of the world and envisioned it clearly.

I give this book 4 out of 5 hearts

You can buy this book on http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525423648?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525423648&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

You can follow the author https://twitter.com/#!/allycondie

Happy Book Birthday Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Bloodrose
By Andrea Cremer
Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Number of Pages: 414

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is. In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.