Review: What's Left of Me

What's Left of Me By Kat Zhang 

Publisher: HarperCollins 
Publication Date: September 18th 2012
Pages: 343
Source: Library
Genre: Fantasy
Goodreads

I should not exist. But I do.

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

This book plain old  blew me away. I have no words to express the impression the book has left on me.  What's Left of Me is such a unique idea, and the way it's presented so emotionally is just... *heart breaks*

What's left of me is about a society were people are born with two souls in their body, and by the time a child is ten one of the souls is supposed to become dominant and the other should fade away.  But sometimes that doesn't happen. Eva was supposed to fade away, but she didn't, and now she and her twin soul, Addie are doing their best to keep that a secret.

Though it's a bit harder to pick apart characters in this story because of the twin soul thing, it's still amazing how well each soul has their own personality. The book is told in Eva's point of view. Eva was supposed to fade a way, but she didn't. She doesn't have any control of the body she shares with her twin soul Addie, and life is often very hard for her because the only person who she ever talks to is Addie, her parents don't even know she's still there. Between Eva and Addie, Eva is the nicer of the two of them and she is much more sympathetic that Addie is. Addie is a little more selfish I think, though they both really care about with the other thinks and are very good... friends or sisters or whatever.

Other main characters include Hally/Lissa and Ryan/Devon. Hally and Lissa are a girl (oh my gosh that's an awkward sentence) who are secretly twin souls that befriend Addie/Eva and try to help them so that Eva will be able to control her shared body again. Lissa/Hally seemed really similar to me. I really didn't know how to tell them apart. Ryan/Devon are Hally/Lissa's brother (again with the awkward sentences) unlike Hally/Lissa I was easily able to tell the two apart. Devon isn't very sociable and kind of a mysterious soul. Ryan was much nicer and I really liked him <3.

My favorite thing about this whole book is, where the heck did the idea for this come from? I mean really, it's just the strangest idea and at the same time it just makes you sit down and think "What if?" What if there was another soul in my body, how would I be different? It's just so interesting!

The not so good? When I first heard about this book I heard it was a dystopian? Not really... the government is kind of messed up, but the book feels more like an alternate present day society with a fanatical element. It was sort of pushed towards dystopian because of how they decide to create a revolution and all that, but that's not necessarily dystopian because of that.

Overall this was a super awesome book with great characters and one of the most interesting stories I have read in a very long time!

Waiting on Wednesday 11/28/12 Uses for Boys

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Sheidt
Publication Date: January 15 2013
Goodreads

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical,  Uses for Boys  is a story of breaking down and growing up.

This book sounds really sad, but at the same time it also sounds like it has the possibility of being a very good book, plus I love the sting lights on the cover!

Manga Review: Fullmetal Alchemist Books 1-13

Fullmetal Alchemist (1-13) 
Art and Story by Hiromu Arakawa
Publisher: Viz Media LLC
Publication Dates: May 3rd 2005 (Book One)- May 15th 2007 (Book 13)
Average Pages Per Book: 186
Source: Library
Genre: Manga, Action, Supernatural
Goodreads

Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg...and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders...even to kill. Except his powers aren't unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are...

I would like to note that this is a review for the first 13 books in the Fullmetal Alchemist Manga Series.  In total there are 27 books in the series. The two different anime versions are available on Netflix.

I completely put the blame for my obsession for these books on Jasmine from A Room With Books because she recommended them and I cannot stop.  This is one of my first manga series and so far I am hooked. If you have never read manga/watched anime before, I would recommend you start with The Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal is full of action, drama and loveable characters that go through a crazy roller coaster of ups and downs in their journeys. The story follows the Elric brothers, Ed and Al, as they go on a journey to fix what they did when they were younger.

The characters in Fullmetal are all very amazingly developed and I absolutely loved them all. The main characters Ed and Al are both given very strong backgrounds and personalities that let them stand out and seem like real people. Ed is very strong willed and just a bit sensitive. I love how he and his brother get along and have a great relationship. Al is the younger brother who, like his brother is a very determined character and is there to keep his brother from going too far. There are many other characters other than Ed and Al including his childhood friend, some of the people they work with in the brothers work with in the army as well as some villains.

I have no idea where the author came up with the idea for such a well structured and thought out story. This world defiantly wouldn't live inside my head.  I'm not going to get into specifics about what goes on in the story because it's just going to get super confusing, but when you actually watch/read the story it makes perfect sense. There are multiple layers to the Brother's story and they all connect as it goes on, I can't even imagine figuring out how to write such a great story.

The art in Fullmetal is beautiful and well done and the characters seem to come to life. The artist/author do an amazing job at creating the story in a fun, beautiful, emotional, and humorous story that I absolutely love. I adore the story, and I can't wait to dig more into it! (I accutally have the next six requested from the library...)

If you aren't interested in manga, both versions of the anime are also great! If you want to watch and read, do not watch The Fullmetal Brotherhood until after reading the manga, otherwise both are great stories that go different directions!

My Overall Rating of the First 13 Books: 

Waiting on Wednesday 11/21/12 Shadows in the Silence

Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton
Publication Date: Januray 29th 2013
Goodreads

Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.

And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion. 

Ummm.... So I haven't actually read any of the books in this series, but I really want to. I've heard so many good things about this series that I can't wait to read them!

Some Quiet Place Cover Reveal

Today The Mod Podge Bookshelf and Mod Podge Blog Tours are hosting Kelsey Sutton's Some Quiet Place cover reveal!

Summary:

Elizabeth Caldwell has perfected the art of pretending to feel emotion, but it’s always a lie. After a near-fatal car accident when she was a small child, Elizabeth lost the ability to feel any emotion, but along with that loss she gained bizarre abilities: she can see the personified Emotions she cannot feel.  Fury, Resentment, Longing—they’ve all given up on her, because she doesn't succumb to their touch. All, that is, save one. Fear. He’s consumed by the mystery of Elizabeth’s past, consumed by her.

And then there are Elizabeth's cryptic, recurring dreams, in which there’s always love, and there’s always death. Haunted by these dreams, Elizabeth paints them, knowing that they somehow hold the key to the mystery of her past. 

But a shadowy menace is stalking Elizabeth.  Her survival depends on uncovering the truth about herself.  And when it matters most, she won’t be able to rely on Fear to save her.

Kelsey is very enthusiastic about her debut novel's cover; here is what she has to say about the design:

"It is gorgeous, eerie, and maybe a little strange. I love how much relevance it has to the story, as well. The farmland in the background, the town, the stormy sky, the leaves, the way the girl is vanishing. The point is, I am in love. Hope you adore it as much as I do."

 What relevance is she talking about? 

Enter to win a Pre-Order of Some Quiet Place below to find out!!!

This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!

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Book & Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of  Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

Publisher: MTV Books
Publication Date: February 1st 1999
Pages: 231
Source: Bought 
Genre: Contemporary
Goodreads 
Movie Info

Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

The Book

When I saw the movie trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower I knew that I had to see it. I was planning on reading the book first, unfortunately I was half way through the book when I saw the movie. That wasn't how I wanted it to go but that's how it ended up. I absolutely adored this book.

As a book this story was beautifully done. The writing was very unique and fit the book perfectly. The story is told in letters that the writes to an unnamed person as he tells them about his life as he starts high school. The book goes though many of the tough topics that teens go though in high school as well as the unique difficulties that Charlie has in life with family and friendship troubles.

The thing that made me so excited about this book was the characters. Other than the main character, Charlie, other main characters include step brother and sister Sam and Patrick. Both Same and Patrick are seniors and the befriend freshman, Charlie. The two characters are both outcasts that don't care what anyone else thinks and that's what makes them so special. None of them are perfect and they are completely okay with that.

The Movie

I was really worried that the movie would be nothing like the book or leave out major pieces, but I was surprisingly happy about this movie. The movie was directed by Stephen Chbosky, the same man who wrote the book so it followed almost the same path. Because the book was also very short very few things were cut out. 

There were really only a few things that I noticed were very different at all. I thought the actor that played Charlie was a little bit to old to be a high school freshman, he seemed to fit in with the seniors better. In the book Charlie also had a very over the top awkwardness to him that really wasn't there in the movie. There were some very subtle changes that I barely noticed, and a few scenes that were cut that were less important. The only major thing that I didn't like, is that there is a major piece that is revealed at the end of the story, and I didn't catch it in the movie, but I did in the book. I really can't get any more specific without ruining things. 

Likes! There were a lot of likes. I really like how Patrick was funny in the movie. He really wasn't all that funny in the book, but oh my yes he was in the movie. 

My Favorite Quote: 

Patrick: C- everyone, I am below average!

Sam: Below average!

I also really liked Emma Watson as Sam, I wasn't sure I could ever think of her as someone other than Hermione, but it worked. She was great!

Waiting on Wednesday 11/14/12 A Shimmer of Angels

A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso
Publication Date: January 29th 2013
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

Psychiatry, fantasy and real life come together in A Shimmer of Angels, as a young girl struggles with identity, secrets, and confronting her greatest fears. A Shimmer of Angels is for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, or perhaps has felt like giving up entirely. It touches on themes of suicide, ostracism and emotional pain. The author, personally exposed to suicide through the death of a beloved family member, will donate a percentage of sales of this novel to a suicide prevention and outreach program in San Francisco, California.

 I found this book on a goodreads listopia and I think it sounds kin of interesting! Not to mention the cover is all pretty rainbow! 

NaNoWriMo Week One

Week one of NaNoWriMo is done, and now we move on to another hard week of writing. I'm taking a break from my story to give you guys a little update, if you are at all interest in how things are going. Because I should probably be writing at the moment, I apologize for how quick this post is.

So far I'm doing pretty well, I've been getting all my words in and I'm still on track! It's been a very crazy attempt for me. Up until this point the longest story I had ever written was just over 13,000 words long, and now as you can see from the widget at the very top of the right hand side of my page, I'm already past that. The story that I wrote that was 13,000 words long I wrote over the course of four months. Beating that count in a week is quite a jump, but I'm proud I've made it!

The first three days were the  best writing days for me, since then I have been making it, but it's been a lot harder than it was. Recently the only reason I've been getting in my daily words has been because of the wonderfully helpful word war and three digit threads. I also participated in on write-in so far, and it also helped quite a lot. I think I'll win this year! Before I started writing I was watching several pep-talk videos on youtube, and a lot of that advice I got from several vloggers have helped a lot.

The biggest draw back of NaNoWriMo is diffidently the fact that I barely have time to read anything. Since the start of the month I have only finished one book, Unspoken by Sara Reese Brennan, and I started reading Velveteen. I'm not sure I'm in the mood for a book like Velveteen though, so I'm not sure that I'll continue. I have, however read a lot of manga. I might be finishing the Full Alchemist series this next few days.

I really should go back to my writing now! I would love to hear form you in the comments!

Review: Hemlock

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: May 8th 2012
Pages: 416
Source: Library
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal, Romance, Mystery
Goodreads

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:

A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock's thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

When I first heard about this book from another blogger, Lauren from 365 Days for Reading, I immediately wanted to read it. The story just has a beautiful, yet very emotional feel to it that caught my eye right away. Hemlock is about a girl named Mackenzie, and her best friend, Amy, had recently been killed by a werewolf. In the world that Mackenzie lives in, becoming a werewolf is a disease that can be passed through bites and scratches. During the story it becomes Mac's mission to find out what happened to Amy that lead up to her murder, and her decision to go after the werewolf who committed the murder.

The main character Mac is a girl who grew up with a  very difficult child hood and she's been shuffled between family members. I'm not sure as to why she wasn't with her parents, that wasn't explained. She currently lives with her cousin. Because of her childhood she's not the best at expressing her self, especially when others care for her. I really liked Mac as a character, she always handled all sorts of situations surprisingly well and always kept a straight head. She wasn't much of a fighter, but she always found a way out of rough situations. Other main characters include her two friends Jason and Kyle. All three of them have been having a very hard time since Amy's death and they all play a major part in solving the murder. Kyle and Jason both had a very love/hate relationship with me. Both of them were stupid sometimes, but, in the end they both figured things out.

My favorite part about this book was the mystery that Mac was working to solve. It was really hard to guess what exactly had happened that lead up to the murder of her friend Amy, and even as things slowly began to come out I was still left guessing at what, exactly had happened, and who had done it. I also enjoyed how a paranormal element was so well implanted in the story in a way that makes the world seem to still mirror our world in many ways.

The only drawback was the fact that it's a series. It could have easily been a standalone if just one or two things had been changed. I actually spent about half the book thinking it was a standalone because it felt like there would be a conclusion in the end, and I noticed it was part of a series on goodreads.  

Overall, Hemlock is a great story with great characters. I really enjoyed how you really couldn't predict anything in the story and the story leaves you wanting more. 

Waiting on Wednesday 11/7/12 What We Saw at Night

What We Saw at Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Publication Date: January 8th 2013
Goodreads

 Like the yearning, doomed young clones in Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, three teenagers with XP (a life-threatening allergy to sunlight) are a species unto themselves. As seen through the eyes of 16-year-old Allie Kim, they roam the silent streets, looking for adventure, while others sleep. When Allie's best friend introduces the trio to Parkour, the stunt-sport of running and climbing off forest cliffs and tall buildings (risky in daylight and potentially deadly by darkness), they feel truly alive, equal to the "daytimers."

On a random summer night, while scaling a building like any other, the three happen to peer into an empty apartment and glimpse an older man with what looks like a dead girl. A game of cat-and-mouse ensues that escalates through the underground world of hospital confinement, off-the-grid sports, and forbidden love. Allie, who can never see the light of day, discovers she's the lone key to stopping a human monster.

I heard about this from Lauren from 365 days of Reading in one of her recent book hauls. I love books with kids who have various illnesses because it give a different perspective on life that I'm used to seeing and I think this sounds just awesome! 

Top Ten Tuseday 11/6/12

Top Ten Tuesday is Hosted by the ladies at Broke and Bookish
This Week's topic: Freebie!

Because  it is a freebie week I decided to do my favorite upcoming covers for books that aren't out quite yet.

The Darkest Minds I really Love the gold on this cover, it looks like it's liquid almost!



Level 2 I really like this cover because it's weird and interesting! I really like how clean it looks!



Uses for Boys I love the use of Christmas lights on the cover, I love how magical they seem!



A Shimmer of Angels I loved the use of color on this cover, it really stands out!



Etiquette and Espionage I love how strange this cover is, it just looks very clean and yet weird!



Pivot Point This cover looks very strange and I love the glittering little dot things!




Let the Sky Fall The Background is why I love this cover, it looks just astonishing!



Going Vintage This cover is also a stand out cover that just screams I'm Awesome!



The Elite *Fan girls* Okay, one, I loved the first book, two I love to colors of this cover!



Invisibility I love the neon coloring on this cover!

October Book Haul

I haven't been getting to many books recently but I have bought a few. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Meridian by Amber Kizer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer

What did you get this week, and what do you think of what I got?

It's November!

Hello Readers!

It's November, the month of Turkey, fall colors, eating all that left over Halloween candy, snow...maybe? and for some of us daring people....

NaNoWriMo! What is it you ask? Well. NaNoWriMo is pretty much an event for people who think they have more free time than they actually do spend the entire month of November trying to write a 50,000 word novel. And I guess I'm going to give it a go. Yay?

*Stress* So... While I try to write my really really really long fairly short story about who knows what, my reading and blogging will go down down down. Well, you might not even notice. The last few weeks of October were spent finishing up some posts that will be popping up throughout the month so it's possible you won't notice I'm gone. I will be on twitter. Probably more that I should be actually. Probably stressing the heck out and trying to get people to make me write. So come check me out on twitter @erikablogger and cheer me on I'll need it.

Oh! I'm not the only one doing NaNoWriMo in the blogging community either, cheer everyone on! 
If you're participating in NaNoWriMo, friend me! My account.

*Stress stress stress*

~Erika

Review: Defiance

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Publication Date: August 28th 2012
Pages: 403
Source: Bought
Genre: Dystopian/Fantasy, Romance
Goodreads

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Defiance is a story filled with action, suspense, and a bit of romance as it tells the story of a dystopian society with a fantasy feel. Defiance is told in two perspectives, Rachel's and Logan's. The story starts as Rachel's father is declared dead when he doesn't come back from a trip to a neighboring city-state. But Rachel and Logan don't think he's dead. The two decide that they must go out and find Rachel's father.

This book is kind of in a weird place for me. I liked this book. It was a nice story with a very interesting idea and all that stuff. But I can't really pick out much that I really liked about it. When I think about it, everything just felt. Good. Average. Nothing stuck out or made me feel like it was something I should keep with me. Sure, I thought the romance was cute, but it too wasn't all that magical. It just was.

The biggest thing that bugged me in this book was how it was classified as dystopian. The world that Defiance takes place in seems to make much more sense as a fantasy setting. In the world that the characters live in, they live in "city-states" that are surrounded with tall protective walls to keep a large dragon like creature they call the "cursed one" out of the city. The way they told the story of the this creature is that the cursed one had been living in the ground for years and years and when people were looking for oil, they ran into this creature. People calling this a dystopian book just bugged me, it felt like it was fantasy!

The characters in the story really didn't connect to me very well. The two main characters, Rachel and Logan are two very different people but neither of them seemed that interesting to me. Though Rachel is a very kick-butt character who can fight and all that, she still didn't seem all that though to me, I don't know. Logan on the other hand is much more of a technical person and... it was kind of cool at times. He was very smart and always knew what to do. But that's the problem. He ALWAYS knew what to do. He seemed like some sort of perfect guy (not physically... but in a more intellectual sense) and it felt like he couldn't make mistakes.

I know this is a really short review, but I truly don't have much to say about it. Overall, this book was okay. It wasn't great. There were some things that bugged me, and I'm not really interested in continuing the series at all. I'm really left very confused.