Wordbird Giveaway! (And a Megalodon of one)

That's right. All of those books up there? You could win one. I mean, technically you could click on this link (that one right there) and just go, and enter. Really. But you shouldn't. Why, you undoubtedly ask? Because I want them. MINE! So DON'T CLICK. DON'T GO.

Another Second Hand Saturday!

Week 18, and I've got my eyes on Reckless by Cornelia Funke! If you have your eyes on one, go HERE and enter. Simple, simple! Readingteen.net.

Review: Skinned by Robin Wasserman

I had been waiting FOREVER to read this one...it was one of those books that I had on my list since the premiere, but just never bought or borrowed. It had the coolest premise, an almost-dystopian futuristic society in which bodies are optional, and people can recover from almost anything by being downloaded into robotic humanoid machines.
Mia was uber rich and definitely snobby, until she died in an almost impossibly unlikely accident. She tries to hold on to her old self, but no one treats her the same way-- some even avoid her-- and she loses every one of her old friends. She can no longer run track, get cold, or feel the effects of uppers (futuristic drugs). She makes friends instead with the school outcast, who helps her try to come to terms with her new inhuman body. They encounter people like Mia, those who have been cast out of society because of their undead condition. She has to decide where she belongs- her old shallow life, where she has no one? Or the new world full of crazed, cult-like teenagers who aren't like her?
What I thought: Alright. This book was confusing. Not the plot, it was easy to follow. But it was NOTHING like I thought it would be. The society, for one. Everyone is shallow and addicted to technology, but they are also addicted to futuristic party narcotics, and go to high school. Cars drive themselves, everyone has an online profile from early childhood, and you can pay to make your child perfect before they are born. Mia is lucky-- her parents made her smart, beautiful, and athletic with their plentiful wealth. Second, the language was pretty horrible. All types of obscenities. And sex, as well, although only once was it actually described. I liked the book, because the story was intriguing. I liked the two main characters well enough. And the writing wasn't terrific, but it wasn't annoying or horrible, except for the explicit content. I think the author lost me on some parts, but it was all-in-all a good book. I think people who don't mind the cursing would like it much more than I did, and maybe be more enthusiastic about the book.
I guess I will decide later whether or not to continue the series, but I wasn't rushing out for the second one when I finished...

3/5 stars, or chess pieces, or bananas, whatever you wanna rate it with.

Time travel, fairy tales, and immortals oh my!

Fabulous giveaway: Everlasting, Entwined, and Wildwing- 3 in one! Go to Cindy Pon's blog and comment to enter. Deadline 9/20...don't miss out!

Half Moon Cover Release

Jordan Deen has released the over art for her newest book, Half Moon, sequel to Crescent. To win free Half Moon swag, go to her site here and sign up. The contest takes place in scavenger hunt form, just comment and follow each blog. Collect the secret words from each, and e-mail the final sentence to Jordan Deen. Details and better explanation are at the link above.

BTS Giveaway Bash by Reading Teen

Visit here and fill out the form to enter....quite an impressive lot of books for giveaway. As for me, I'm dying for Nightshade! Most of the copies are ARC, so this is an amaaazing opportunity!

The Luxe #2: Rumors by Anna Godbersen

I have recently discovered an inner passion for Gilded Age novels, after a whirlwind affair with Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy about a year or two ago. *Heaves a sigh of nostalgia* However, when I decided to give The Luxe a try, I did not expect to love it as much as I did. It took me awhile to even commit to checking it out of the public library. In all honesty, it was the cover that did it. (Admit it, you know where I'm coming from!) It didn't take me long to decide I loved the book, the prologue was ROCKIN'! Long story short, Shay-la found a new series, and here's a short review of the second Luxe novel:

Warning: if you have not read the first Luxe novel, please don't be angry with me for ruining it for you with this review...make sure you read The Luxe before you tread any further...

Book #2 starts off right where #1 so kindly left off. Henry is lovesick for Diana, and Elizabeth is widely believed to have died. While New York mourns its fallen Holland star, said star is living--quite happily--in California with her lover/formal coachman Will. However, circumstances are much less than favorable back home, and Elizabeth finds she cannot continue her life of bliss. Her correspondent, the younger Miss Holland, is in a heartbreaking state, only a shadow of the formerly vibrant Diana. Their family is in financial ruin, her mother is on the verge of death, and fate is determined to keep her from her only love, the "widower" Henry Schoonmaker. However, it seems things are going to get less favorable for the sisters, especially at the hands of conniving Penelope Hayes, who has a few tricks up her fabulous sleeve...

I loooved the book. I can see how it would not be for everybody, especially in the less-than-gripping beginning, when I could just not seem to get into the story. Don't get me wrong, the prologue was enough to make me want to flip to the end, but once the actual story began, I couldn't get into the groove. After page 60 or so, though, I devoured the book in a couple of sittings.
What I really liked was, well, most things. I adore all of the characters, first of all! Godbersen has the inconvenient gift of smearing the lines between protagonist and antagonist, making you simultaneously abhor and empathize with certain characters, i.e. the society wannabe Lina, who I secretly want to succeed, but also of whose methods I generally disapprove. I really like Diana, who despite her unwillingness to conform is beautiful, passionate, and simply awesome. Penelope...hmmm...that's all I can really say for her. There is a new character introduced, on whom the entire Holland residence now depends, Mr. Cairns, an obnoxious guy who I really wanted to just off a couple of times...
The romance between Henry and Diana, while quick and at times too passionate to be believed, was still fiery and delicious in this book. The secret lovers have morphed into love-starved pitiable things, so every bit of contact they get turns into a kind of secret affair, passing feelings and thoughts with only their eyes. Diana and Henry are the couple I have been rooting for since the beginning, and I love their secret romance!
Elizabeth and Will? Eh, I could take it or leave it. I will say, I like them together better than apart, as I was never Team Liz. She is kind of a prude, and definitely the foil of Lion-hearted Diana.
Penelope is her old self in this book, still fighting for Henry with all she has, through any means possible. Speaking of which, Lina, aka, Carolina has managed to find her way into the society pages at last. Her gossip money is dwindling, and her salvation comes from Mr. Longhorn, an old dude of whom I grew particularly fond. What do I think of Lina? She's a pitiful creature who only wants the opportunities that were presented to her once-betters. I can see where she's coming from, and I sympathize with her. BUT she is becoming more and more venomous, much like one Miss Penelope Hayes. Between these two characters, readers get a giant dose of love-to-hate syndrome.
I'm not gonna give it away, but the end DID make me cry. I stayed up for a while thinking about the conflict I was left with in the end. The next day, I rushed out for #3.

New Secondhand Saturday!

Go here to view Week 17: Just post a comment about YA fiction to enter.