Short Review: Undead

Title: Undead
Author: Kirsty McKay
Release Date: September 1st 2012
Publisher:The Chicken House
Pages: 272
Source: Netgalley


My Thoughts: 
I had no expectations for Undead and I think that's the best way to come into this book. Undead for me was a really funny and likable read! The humor is what I loved most about this book, it made the living dead seem slightly comical and fun. The actual story itself moves really fast. No long drawn out beginnings, just straight into the action.  The zombies in this book weren't too nasty, but Kirsty still gave them the element of creepy. The characters in this book were cliched with the typical mean popular girl, the nerd, the bad boy and the down to earth protagonist. Even if they were cliched I still enjoyed them. The plot was decent - fighting for survival in the cold English mountains. Although I didn't take away much for this book I still enjoyed it. Overall this book was a fun light read perfect for Halloween! 

Rating: 3/5 

Waiting On Wednesday (3)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine! Each week, bloggers spotlight what upcoming release they're eager for.

Title: Shadowlands by Kate Brian

Released: January 8th 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

"Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?"

Why I want to read this: 

I love thrillers and this one just sounds amazing! I can't wait to find out what happens to Rory! (That cover ain't bad either).

Review: Anna Dressed In Blood

Title: Anna Dressed In Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Release Date: August 30th 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 316
Source: Purchased 

Summary:

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 
So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

My Thoughts: 

The first impression I had of this book was cover lust. I LOVED the cover and how totally creepy it was. Never had I seen a cover so pretty and disturbing at the same time and that made me really want to at least see what the book was about.

When I first began reading, I really enjoyed how I was reminded of the show Supernatural (huge fan)! It set the whole mood of the book for me and I just knew I was gonna love this book (and I did).

The mood of this story was fantastic, it was creepy, intense and foreboding with huge amounts of suspense and vivid detail strewn through out the story. It had everything I love in a creepy novel. Not many books can give me chills but Anna Dressed in Blood definitely did, especially during the violent parts which were super gory and intense! Even the characters were enjoyable in this YA horror novel.

Cas (the main character) is extremely snarky and sarcastic and hilarious protagonist, while his new friends Thomas (the psychic) and Carmel (bearable popular girl) served as great companions on the hunt for Anna (ghost bust team)! Speaking of Anna, she was my favorite character of all. Anna was one kick-ass anti-hero. I love characters that have depth, and Anna had that. There was so much more to her than a demonic killer ghost. Awful things happened to her that caused her to become what she is now. Anna was a complex character that added a lot to the reader experience. 

The action scenes in this book were great and kept me reading all night. The romance between Anna and Cas was sweet and tragic. It warmed yet broke your heart at the same time. The ending of the book left me craving more!

Overall this book is great for Halloween and horror lovers! I can't wait to pick up the second book Girl of Nightmares and continue on with Anna and Cas's story! Highly recommend! 

Rating: 4.5/5

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