Thought of the moment....

No matter how hard you try, you will NEVER control anyone else's attitudes, actions, or outcomes. The only person that you have the ability to directly impact is you, and it is your responsibility to learn how to do just that...to utilize the knowledge, skills, and abilities you have been given to impact the world in the most positive way that you can EVERY chance you get!



Sunday, January 15, 2012

Review: Unearthly

Unearthly
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Goodreads Blurb:

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.
My Take:


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unearthly is one of those books that actually took me by surprise. Something fresh and intriguing at the same time. Clara is not your average teenager and when she finds her purpose, her family uproots and moves to the town in which is closest for her to fulfill her purpose.


The images are so vivid in her mind and all she can think about is her purpose and the boy she is sent to protect. What she doesn’t expect is having feelings for someone other than her purpose – Christian.


All she thinks about is Christian and when her purpose will come calling for her to save him, that she becomes very obsessed with him to the point where she thinks that she is falling in love with him. He is very polite and very handsome. Someone that you just can’t take your eyes off of.


When he goes out of state to take an internship for the Summer, Clara becomes lonely and knows that he is safe for now until he returns. While Clara is sulking through her summer vacation from school the unexpected happens. Her feeling develop for someone that she least expected and when it comes time to fulfill her purpose she feels torn on who to rescue…her purpose or her love?


Clara risks so much for her own happiness that it could be too late to fulfill her destiny. Watch things unfold for her as she watches her family evolve before her eyes as well and discovers some secrets that her mother refused to tell her.


YA Paranormal recommended.

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Review: Replication: The Jason Experiment

Replication: The Jason Experiment
Replication: The Jason Experiment by Jill Williamson

Goodreads Blurb:

When Your Life Is Not Your Own
Martyr---otherwise known as Jason 3:3---is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to 'expire' in less than a month. To see the sky.
Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars.
As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures---the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he's ever known.
 My Take:
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I got the opportunity to review this book from Net Galley and instantly became enthralled in Martyr’s life. He is such a charismatic person or clone as he is and is becoming more of his own human than they imagined that he would. Being the best candidate, J:3:3 also known as Martyr is very special.


When Martyr takes it upon himself to see the sky before he expires for the greater good, he risks his live to go to the outside only to find that it is nothing that he could have ever imagined it to be. Martyr takes a journey into the world that he was not meant to experience. There, he meets Abby. When Abby first comes into contact with Martyr, she is thrown because of his resemblance to the high school hunk that has been hitting on her, J.D. Kane.


It amazes Abby how different Martyr is from J.D. Besides both being incredibly adorable, that is where the similarities end. Martyr is sensitive, kind, and gentle while J.D. is pushy, arrogant and mostly a jerk. It is hard for Abby to let Martyr go once she has decided to help him find a new purpose.


Both Abby and Martyr risk their lives to do the right thing and pray that they end up together. This book is highly recommended for YA lovers of a dystopian/Sci-Fy nature.

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Review: Vesper

Vesper
Vesper by Jeff Sampson


Goodreads blurb:

Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.
The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely— something not human?
As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?
 My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Take:


I love the way Emily is slowly transforming from a geek into something more and not realizing what is going on at the time. It seems like it is a teenage thing when they go through stages but when she develops more of an attitude and carefree persona, she is really becoming worried. There are times that she find herself trying to leave her house without realizing why or where she intended to go.


There are terrible things happening around her small town and she has no idea what is bring all the death. When she becomes her most defiant, she finds that she is searching for one of her own because there is such a magnetic pull toward him that she is sure that he is considered her mate. She goes to all lengths to find him even stalking around his house.


What she also finds out is that she is not alone in her transformation process and that there are more students with some special qualities different from hers. Emily also discovers that someone is out there taking them out one by one. With her new surge of power, she is determined that she will be the one to take out the bad guy(s). As Emily finds her destiny and her hunters, she teams with the other Deviants as they are labeled and begins a new quest.


Highly recommended for YA Paranormal lovers.


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Sunday, January 1, 2012

Review: The Unidentified

The Unidentified
The Unidentified by Rae Mariz
Goodreads Blurb:
Kid knows her school’s corporate sponsors not-so-secretly monitor her friendships and activities for market research. It’s all a part of the Game; the alternative education system designed to use the addictive kick from video games to encourage academic learning. Everyday, a captive audience of students ages 13-17 enter the nationwide chain store-like Game locations to play. 

When a group calling themselves The Unidentified simulates a suicide to protest the power structure of their school, Kid’s investigation into their pranks attracts unwanted attention from the sponsors. As Kid finds out she doesn't have rights to her ideas, her privacy, or identity, she and her friends look for a way to revolt in a place where all acts of rebellion are just spun into the next new ad campaign.

My Take:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this new book with such a great story line. It is another one to add to your read list if you enjoyed Matched or Possession. This is a rather intriguing situation that Kid has landed herself in.


Imagine if going to school were a game and your fashion, style, friends, interests and hype all determined your scores. If you get enough attention, you could even be sponsored. Most of the teenagers would love to be branded by a sponsor, but few get the opportunity.


Kid isn't one to stand out among the rest of the school's population but after something dramatic happens that she believes is the work of an outsider. Her investigation along with her best friend Mikey uncovers more than she bargained for and could potentially be a hazard to her health.


It is not until she meets the leader of the Unidentified does she start to get some answers and confusion along the way. She is being watched closely by the sponsors and a lot is at stake.


YA Dystopian Recommended
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