Thursday, October 31, 2013

Guest Post: Character Interview with Jenna from Waterfell



1) Will you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Jenna Pearce. I’m seventeen. I grew up in San Diego and I’m a senior at Dover Prep. I’m captain of the Dover Field Hockey and Tennis Teams. I’m dating a boy called Sawyer. He’s captain of the Surf and Swim Teams. I like sports, reading non-fiction and listening to music. That’s me in a nutshell.

2) Tell us about your best friend, Nerissa. What exactly is an Aquarathi?

Nerissa is part of an alien underwater species known as the Aquarathi. They came here thousands of years ago when their own planet died, and they’ve been living in our oceans in secret ever since. They only ever take human form as part of a human acclimatization cycle when they have to learn about human culture. For the most part, they live in a place that’s largely inaccessible to us, in the deepest part of our ocean, which is why we don’t know they’re there. Not that we haven’t seen them throughout history at certain points. You know all those stories and myths about sea monsters and whole ships disappearing from the ocean? Yep, that’s the Aquarathi.

3) What was it like when Nerissa told you the truth about herself? Be honest.

I was more curious than anything. After I found her in such an advanced state of dehydration, my brain had already processed the fact that she wasn’t all girl, if you know what I mean. She didn’t look human. Ever seen a dried-up jellyfish? That’s what her whole body looked like … like withered gray putty. Her eyes were wild and psychedelic—that’s what convinced me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t like WTF. Thank goodness I called Echlios and not 911, or we’d all be locked in a classified government bunker somewhere in New Mexico and not having this conversation.

Anyway, even though I was already expecting something out of the ordinary, I was still blown away when she told me what she was. I mean she’s a whole other species from another planet! I read enough to know that there’s other intelligent life out there in the universe besides us, but seeing it up close and personal was an entirely different experience. And then when she morphed into her true form right before my eyes, it was unbelievable … like something you’d see in a science fiction movie or dream up in your head. Sometimes, I still think it’s a dream.

4) As a friend, you’ve been there for Nerissa no matter what. Is that hard?

Well, that’s what friendship is, isn’t it? Being there for someone through thick and thin? I know who she is inside, and that’s all that matters. I know her. Just because she looks a little different on the outside doesn’t change the girl I’ve come to know and love. I mean, don’t get me wrong—it took a little time to get my mind around it, but at the end of the day, she’s still Nerissa. Some fancy fins and dragon eyes aren’t going to scare me away. [laughs] As far as her being a hard person to be friends with, we all have our flaws. I’m super competitive, sometimes too much so, and I’m an obsessive over-achiever. She accepts me for who I am, and vice versa.

You have to understand that Nerissa grew up as a princess in Waterfell, pampered and given everything she’s ever wanted, but she’s always had a chip on her shoulder that she’s never been good enough for her people. It puts her in a tough spot, so she comes across as she’s unaffected by it all or doesn’t care about anything but herself. Deep down, she does care. It’s all a huge front. On top of that, she can be pretty hardheaded and stubborn, which are good traits in a potential leader, not so much a teenage girl. People are going to think what they’re going to think. But at the end of the day, we’re all still works in progress.

5) If you could change one thing about Nerissa, what would it be and why?

Nerissa thinks her future is a prison, but the truth is, we all have to live up to some kind of expectation, whether that’s from our parents, teachers or ourselves. The only thing that matters is how we meet those expectations, and whether or not we choose to do so. We were all born to do something. Nerissa was born to be a queen, and she needs to come to terms with that. Regardless of what she chooses to do, her choices are going to have consequences. So I’d want her to take her future a little more seriously.

6) How do you feel about aliens living secretly in our oceans?

As long as they don’t affect our ecosystems to the point that other life is threatened, which hasn’t happened in the last millennia they’ve been here, then I have no problem with it. If they’re exposed, well that becomes an entirely different story. They’ll be hunted, dissected, studied, and our species could go into an all out war. Better for all of us that they stay secret and in hiding.

7) If you could be an Aquarathi, would you?

Who wouldn’t want to be an underwater dragon? At least for a day, anyway. I like having my two feet on the ground too much to be a sea creature forever. Nerissa once explained to me that their eye color is representative of the color of their fins, and their hair color is the hue of their scales. If I was Aquarathi, I’d have a deep red body with pale blue fins—it just sounds beautiful! And being able to breathe underwater and experience that the ocean from their point of view would be amazing.

8) What do you think defines a great friendship?

Truth, laughter, love, forgiveness, and pie.

9) What is the one thing that you think Nerissa must never forget?

Who she is and where she comes from.

10) Do you ever think you’ll get to visit Waterfell?

I hope so! One thing on Nerissa’s bucket list is a heist to borrow James Cameron’s submarine that he used to visit the Mariana Trench last year. That would be amazing—visiting Waterfell, I mean, not the theft of James Cameron’s property. And we would totally return it. 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Waterfell by Amalie Howard Review and Giveaway!

Name: Waterfell
Author: Amalie Howard
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: October 29th, 2013
Format: E-Book ARC
Buy the book on Amazon

Summary:
The Girl Who Would Be Queen

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa's upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age. 

Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa's mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?
Goodreads

My Review:
Overall, I really enjoyed Waterfell by Amalie Howard! It was a great new take on the genre of mermaids and science fiction (mixed with realism of course!).

At first, I thought this was going to be the typical mermaid story, but I was so mistaken once I continued reading this book! I really loved how the author was able to make a spin on the "classic mermaid tale" making the story unique and different. I thought the plot of this book really was fantastic..it was fast paced and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I also really liked how descriptive Amalie Howard was with her characters. I really could imagine the characters while I read the book and that definitely was a great aspect.

I thought that the characters developed really well throughout the novel. Nerissa was a really great character and I thought she was a very relatable character. She is going through problems that regular teenagers face (school, falling in love) but also has to deal with the fact that she is an exiled mermaid princess!

Overall, I really enjoyed Waterfell! It definitely was a refreshing take on a genre that I love, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

My Rating:

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday 109: To All The Boys I've Loved Before

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Name: To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 22nd, 2014
Add the book on Goodreads

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
Goodreads

My Thoughts:
This sounds like a really great contemporary read! I think the concept is really interesting and I am interested to see what happens when Lara's crushes get her letter! Definitely will be checking this out in the spring!

What are your thoughts? What are you waiting for this week? Let us know in the comments!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday 108: What I Thought Was True


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Name: What I Thought Was True
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books For Young Readers
Release Date: April 15th, 2014
Add the book on Goodreads

From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.
Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.
Goodreads

My Thoughts:
This book sounds great! Even though it comes out in April, I definitely feel like this book would be a perfect beach read for next summer! I'm always looking for cute contemporary romances to read so I will be checking this one out.

What are your thoughts? What are you waiting for this week? Let us know in the comments!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday 107: The Lonesome Young


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine


Name: The Lonesome Young
Author: Lucy Conners 
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: April 8th, 2014
Add the book on Goodreads

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.
Goodreads

My Thoughts:
How gorgeous is this cover?! Seriously it is so pretty. The plot of this one sounds really great as well, I definitely can't wait to read it! I always love a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet!

What are your thoughts? What are you waiting for this week? Let us know in the comments!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday 106: Fates

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Name: Fates
Author: Lanie Bross
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 11th, 2014
Add the book on Goodreads

What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?
Goodreads

My Thoughts:
This book sounds very intriguing! I definitely want to learn more about the Pyralis Terra place, and how Corinthe got exiled. Definitely will be checking this book out when it comes out in February!

What are your thoughts? What are you waiting for this week? Let us know in the comments!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday 105: Ignite Me


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Name: Ignite Me (Shatter Me # 3)
Author:
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: February 4th, 2014
Add the book on Goodreads

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.
Goodreads

My Thoughts:
I am so EXCITED to read this book!!!! Is it February yet?! I'm not going to lie, this series is probably one of my favorites and I am so sad that this is the last book. I'm still SUPER DUPER pumped for this book! I can't wait to see what happens next ahhh

What are your thoughts? What are you waiting for this week? Let us know in the comments!