Stacking The Shelves (1)!

So this is my first ever Stacking the Shelves! I only got three books this week but I am really excited about them! 


For Review: 
Ironskin by Tina Connolly 
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff


Gifted: 
The Betrayal - R.L. Stein (From Andrea @ The Busy Bibliophile, Thanks so much!) 


That's all I got this week! What did you get :)? 

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Goals and Updates!

I will be participating in the Once Upon a Read - a - Thon and am super excited! It starts tomorrow and lasts until Wednesday. For more information on the readathon or to sign up, go here!
Goals:
I have been super behind on my reading this month so this readathon came at a good time. I'm hoping to finish three books, but if I read more than that's great! The books I hope to get through are...

Undead by Kristy McKay

Drain You by M. Beth Bloom 

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard 

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry 

Rosebush by Michelle Jaffe 

So far those are the only books I have planned, and if by some miracle I read all of them then I will feel like  a champion! I plan on updating through twitter (#OUreadathon) and making a wrap up post on here. Happy reading everyone! 


UPDATES: 
07/09 
12:34 AM began Undead by Kirsty McKay 
1:25 AM I participated in IB Book Blogging's mini challenge! She asked two questions.


Question One: What is your favorite cover that has been revealed this summer and why? 
Answer: My favorite cover that has been revealed this summer has to be Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff! I have always had a soft spot for Japanese culture and when I laid my eyes on that cover I was in love. Just look at it! I love everything about it, the Thundertiger in the top corner and Yukiko on the cover looking all bad ass. I LOVE IT. Even the subtle hints of the red sky make the cover pop even more. Seriously, I am in cover LUST. 


Question Two: Do you rely on the cover to help you choose whether you want to read a book or not? 
Answer: Well, If I were to be brutally honest I'd say yes. A really pretty cover lures me in and makes me want to pick the book up and look at it. Most of the time when i'm at the bookstore I gravitate to books with covers that catch my eye. So yes, covers do play a role in the beginning, but the actual story makes me adore the book! 
9:15 AM I finished Undead by Kirsty McKay 
9:47 AM began Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry 
Total Books read: 1 
07/10
Didn't get much reading done as I'd hoped. About halfway on Pushing the Limits. 
07/11
4:15 pm finished Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry (LOVED IT) 
4:47 PM entered Kindle Fever's mini challenge! 
Challenge: As the story teller, I want you to tell me which to characters are fighting and why!  
Story: Tris and Katniss are fighting in an arena of death to determine which kick-ass heroine is finally THE BEST! It's a tough fight coming from two strong willed characters! 
4:51 pm entered Stiletto Storytime's mini challenge! 
Challenge: Share a foreign author whose work you adore.
Answer: I love Markus Zusak's work. Absolutely everything I have read by him I have loved. His prose and characters are amazing!  I highly recommend anything he has ever written but my favorites are I Am the Messanger and The Book Thief. 

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Release Date: October 4th 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Source: Purchased

 Summary (from Goodreads):

“The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life”

My Thoughts:

I first heard about Eve way back in the fall when the plethora of dystopian books seemed to be popping out. I remember being intrigued at the premise of the book, I mean it kind of sounds like a movie synopsis rather than a book summary. Needless to say, I think I would have enjoyed this book better as a movie.

A major issue that I had with reading this book was the pace. Don't get me wrong, I love books that get the plot rolling, but with Eve it just seemed too fast. Within only a few chapters the main character (Eve) drastically changed in a rather unbelievable way. She changed because of a major point in the plot but the issue was, I just couldn't see why Eve would change her mind so quickly. Eve spent years in a school that taught her to fear men and the world outside the school's protective fence. Eve had everything at the Girl's school - best friends, a bright future, and she was even a leader there, her classes valedictorian . One conversation was all it took to completely crumble Eve's world and send her onto her journey. I just couldn't wrap my head around why it was so easy for her to change! From that point on I just feel as though the story progressed way too fast. Also, I had a HUGE problems with Eve herself. When I read books I like being able to peak inside the main characters head and feel what they do in order to make difficult decisions. I didn't get that with Eve. In fact, Eve was a really annoying protagonist. Many times through out the book I just wanted to slap her the crap out of her.

I know this review has been mostly negative, but there are good things about Eve too. The world building was interesting and was on good route. The side kick characters (Arden and Caleb) were pretty enjoyable and made up for some of Eve's downfalls. Even the romance between Caleb and Eve was okay. About a third of the way through the book things started to

slow down and the book got better. A lot better in my opinion. While this book didn't leave that big of a lasting impression on me, I still loved Anna Carey's writing style. Eve was just a decent read for me, but don't let my review scare you off from reading Eve though. Other bloggers loved it and I always encourage people to make their own opinions on books. I have higher hopes for the sequel which comes out July 3^rd.

Rating: 2/5

July R.A.K!

The wonderful girls over at Book Soulmates created this monthly event! Each month you sign up with your wishlist and can also view other people's wishlist too! The whole goal of Random Acts of Kindness is to make someone's day by sending them a book off their wish list. Sometimes other people even send you books off your wish list. I think its a really sweet idea and have participated in previous months! I think if you haven't you should! :) 

Ahem. There are rules though! (taken directly from Book Soulmates site): 

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

My Top 3 Books! 

A Million Suns by Beth Revis 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn 

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/16L57NRRWP1JR/ref=topnav_lists_1

Happy Reading everyone! <3