Stacking the Shelves and Weekly Update (25)

Hi everyone!! I hope you all are having a great week and Happy Saturday/Sunday!! Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is a great way for fellow bloggers to share the books that they have received over the week.

 

 

This week has been pretty uneventful..lots of school work and such! I hope you all are having a fabulous week though :)

Anyway's here's what Jaime and I reviewed this week:

Winter White (Belles # 2) by Jen Calonita

Blink Once by Cylin Busby

Here's what we received to review:

 

Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep (Thanks Kensington and Netgalley!)

Poison by Bridget Zinn (Thanks Disney/Hyperion and Netgalley!)

Well that's all we got this week! What did you get in your mailbox? Let us know in the comments! :)

Waiting on Wednesday 70: The Elite

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Name: The Elite (Selection # 2)

Author: Kiera Cass

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: April 23rd, 2013

Add the book on Goodreads

Summary:
The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Ever since first I read The Selection last spring, I fell in love with this series! I am SO EXCITED to read The Elite! I am interested to see what happens between America, Maxon, and Aspen! The cover of The Elite is GORGEOUS as well..I love the red color!

What are you waiting for this week? Let me know in the comments!

Winter White (Belles # 2) by Jen Calonita Review

Name: Winter White
Author: Jen Calonita
Publisher: Poppy
 Release Date: October 9th, 2012
Format: Hardcover
Buy the book on Amazon
368 pages
Thanks Poppy for sending me a copy of Winter White for review!

Summary:
Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe are still reeling from the revelation that they share more than just the roof over their heads. The media has pounced on their story and the girls are caught up in a flurry of talk-show appearances and newspaper interviews. They've put on a happy public face, but someone is leaking their true feelings to the press, and while it seems like the world is watching their every move, at least they have each other.
But with cotillion season right around the corner, Izzie and Mira have barely had time to process their newfound sisterhood. Mira has dreamed of making her debut in a gorgeous white gown forever-now, if only she could find an escort. Izzie, meanwhile, is still struggling to find her place in Emerald Cove and it's seeming ever more impossible with EC mean-girls, young and old, doing their best to keep her down. As cotillion preparations heat up, though, there are dance steps to learn, manners to perfect... and secret initiations to complete? As if sophomore year wasn't hard enough!
It's time for the gowns to go on and the gloves to come off.

Goodreads

My Review:
After reading Belles (and really enjoying it!), I knew that I had to read the second book, Winter White! Overall, I really enjoyed Winter White! While it wasn't as good as the first book, I still find this series very enjoyable and I love seeing Mira and Izzie's various adventures that they have together.

It was great to see Izzie and Mira's relationship grow throughout the series. Well they still have various issues to work out, I liked seeing them trying to work on their friendship and becoming better friends. It was also really cute seeing Izzie and deal with their various relationships with different boys.

Now onto the plot..I will say the plot wasn't as shocking as the first book but it was still good! I do wish there were a little bit more twists and turns to make things more exciting. It was really fin to learn about the whole cotillion process, especially since I haven't read about cotillions in a really really long time! It was fun seeing Izzie and Mira go through the whole process of cotillion..and it was cute seeing them go dress shopping! I will say that the ending of Winter White definitely caught me off guard and I didn't see it coming at all.

Overall, I enjoyed Winter White! It was a nice addition to a really cute contemporary series! If you are looking for a fun book to read, definitely check out this series!

My Rating:

Blink Once by Cylin Busby Review

Name: Blink Once
Author: Cylin Busby
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: September 4th, 2012
Format: ARC Copy
Buy the book on Amazon
304 pages

Summary:
West is a high school senior who has everything going for him until an accident leaves him paralyzed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, slipping in and out of consciousness, West is terrified and alone. Until he meets Olivia. She's the girl next door-sort of. A patient in the room next to his, only Olivia can tell what West is thinking, and only Olivia seems to know that the terrible dreams he's been having are not just a result of his medication. Yet as West comes to rely on Olivia-to love her, even-certain questions pull at him: Why has Olivia been in the hospital for so long? And what does it mean that she is at the center of his nightmares? But the biggest question of all comes when West begins to recover and learns that the mysterious girl he's fallen in love with has a secret he could never have seen coming.

Goodreads

My Review:

This hauntingly beautiful story was a great read that had my attention from the start of the book to the end; I was constantly wondering what would happen next!  I spent much of the book trying to figure out the difference between the fiction in West's unconscious state and the reality in his conscious state.  The challenge of determining what was real and what was not was one of my favorite parts of this book, especially because I did not anticipate the twist at the end at all!

Following a biking accident leaves him completely paralyzed, West is stuck in the hospital with no way to
communicate with any of his friends or family members, even though he is aware of everything that is happening around him.  The only person who seems to understand him is Olivia, the patient in the room next to him, who understands that blinking once means yes and blinking twice means no.  The two begin to develop a beautifully realistic romance that has its ups and downs throughout the novel.  They appear to be quite different characters, yet they come together anyway through their similar experiences.  I particularly enjoyed watching how both West and Olivia change throughout the course of the novel, and how they are able to bring out the best in each other.

My favorite part of this book was without a doubt the plot twist at the end.  Even though it left me hating the book at first, I quickly began to admire Busby for creating such an amazingly sad plot twist that I do not think any reader could have seen coming.  I thought this book was a great, quick read and I would definitely recommend it for fans of unpredictable sad and romance books!

My Rating:

Stacking the Shelves and Weekly Update (24)

Hi everyone!! I hope you all are having a great week and Happy Saturday/Sunday!! Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is a great way for fellow bloggers to share the books that they have received over the week.

Hi everyone! SO sorry for the lack of posts lately/comment replies!! College has been crazy! I promise though I will catch up on posts and commenting..I'm really not trying to ignore you guys so don't think I'm forgetting about you all! I just need to budget my time better lol :)

Posting should resume normally this week (I promise!) and I should get back to my regular commenting speed! So keep reading Catching Books and don't forget to comment! We have some fun things planned soon :)

Also..make sure to enter our follower appreciation giveaway!! It's international!

Anyways..here's what we have received this past month!

Purchased:

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Received for Review:

Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel (Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin!)

Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati (Thank you Netgalley and Penguin!)

Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler (Thank you Netgalley and SourcebooksFire!)

Well that's all we got this week! What do you think of what we got? What did you get in your mailbox? Comment below and let us know :)

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa

Name: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlquin Teen
Release Date: April 24th 2012
Format: Hardcover
485 pages   

Summary: 
In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.

My Review:

As soon as founf The Immortal Rules on Goodreads the first thought that came to mind was "Another book about vampires?"

After tons of Young Adult about these creatures, was more than sure that The Immortal Rules would have been another boring and anonymous read, and I've been avoiding it for a long time, but finally the curiosity got the better of me and I decided to start it, and now i'm really happy i read it.

I admit that the first few chapters were pretty boring, and above all very heavy, but, after 50 pages or so the real plot was revealed, and the story began to appassionate me.

Julie Kagawa win me over again with her writing and her ability to create, unique, ingenious and wonderful books.

In a not so distant future, the world as we know changed radically.

The vampires revealed to humans, and now they rule undisturbed all the cities. Plus it has spread a mysterious plague that change humans into horrible and terrifying creatures, halfway between humans and vampires, who are now decimating the population.

In New Covington the situation is more tragic than ever. Humans are divided into Registered, protected by vampires but forced to donate a certain amount of blood every month, and Not registered, who instead are free to do whatever they want but must survive on their own.

Live as a Not Registered is really hard, but Allison Sekemoto learned how to survive a long time ago. 

When a mission to find food in the center of the city conducts her three friends to death, Allie doesn't know what to do. Kanin, a mysterious vampire suddenly apparead, gives her a choice: die or become a vampire like him.

Frightened to die, Allie chooses to live, but life as a vampire is even more difficult than as an Unregistered.

Allison was one of the best heroines i ever read about. She's strong, brave and ready to sacrifice and fight to save who she cares about, determined to preserve her humanity

Kanin wasn't so present in the book except for brief periods in the first chapters, but he's definitely an interesting character that I expect to see more in the next book of the series.

The ending was wonderful. Certainly it wasn't the Happy End I wanted so much, it has nothing of "happy" and leaves many things pending, but it was still great.

My rating is 5 stars!The Immortal Rules is a unique book and definitely a must read, that all lovers of vampires should read!