On My Bookshelf : Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié

I'm doing a mini-review today! :) 
Book : Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié
Source : Me(I bought it c:)
Rating : 4/5 Stars
Summary : 
When a storm brings the dashing Prince Richard to her family's farm, Violet falls in love at first sight. Richard also gives Violet his heart, but he knows his marriage is destined to be an affair of state, not of passion. For the king and queen have devised a contest to determine who will win their son's hand in marriage.

To be reunited with her prince, Violet must compete against princesses from across the land. It will take all of her wits - and a little help from an unexpected source - if Violet is to demonstrate the depth of her character and become Richard's bride.

Review : I enjoyed this book, I went into it expecting it to be fun and cute, a light little Summer(it's not Summer but it feels like it, so I'm doing my Summer reading already!) read, like the others in this series of stand-alones, which I read and enjoyed, and that's what it was.
The writing was all-together choppy, especially at the beginning, I felt like the sentences were structured odd. In a jarring way. Like I just started doing. In this review. To demonstrate. That choppiness alone almost made me set down the book, but I stuck it out, and i'm glad I did - it's worth the choppiness, plus, the choppiness gets better/you get used to it! 
For all you looking for a fun, light, summer read with a prince who's definitely swoon-worthy, this is a great book for you! Stick out the writing, and enjoy the cute story. :)

On My Bookshelf : Agent Colt Shore : Domino 29 by Axel Avian

Book : Agent Colt Shore Domino 29 by Axel Avian

Publication Date : May 15th, 2013

Rating : 5 trillion/5 stars

Short summary(from Goodreads) : When an ordinary kid learns he’s the heir to a secret agent dynasty, F.A.L.C.O.N puts him on a case to protect a famous rock group and find a missing journalist. Before he knows it, Colt Shore has gone from body guard to rock star to full-fledged agent when he learns that a human trafficking ring plans to kidnap a group of teenage girls. It will take more than his ingenuity and skills and a couple of cool gadgets to protect his new friends and rescue the captured girls before it’s too late.

Review:

WARNING : You will not want to set down this book. It may lead to very late nights spent reading.

This book was AMAZING. I've only read one other YA(i'm billing this as YA, as it's definitely a crossover book, spannig multiple genres. I'm sure MG lovers will love it too though, and i'm lending it to my 9 year old sister to read next!) book dealing with teenage 'secret agents', and it was my favorite book, thus I was super excited to read AGENT COLT SHORE : DOMINO 29, especially after I saw this video explaining the reasoning behind putting 'Domino 29' in the name.

This book started out with the action almost from page 1, which was awesome, and continued all the way to the end. I sympathized with the characters, and I might have stayed up until 4 AM one night just to finish it, because I couldn't bear the suspense of not knowing what happens next!

Normally, I have small quips about every book I read, even something as small as a misplaced comma can jar me from my reading pace, and ruin the whole chapter, i'm a very picky reader, but I loved EVERYTHING about this book - the writing style, the plot, the action, the characters, the humor, and there were so many twists and turns I never expected, it was really kept interesting!

All in all, in case you couldn't tell from my review that was more a load of gushing than a review, I definitely highly recommend this book, and it is on my list of top 5 favorite books ever!

What I'm Reading!

Hey everyone! :)
I haven't been posting much(quality over quantity, anyone? ;)) but i'm not about to let it get over a week without posting, so I decided to give you guys a quick highlights post about what i'm reading! Let me know if you're reading any of the same books, even if you're not, i'd love to hear any of your thoughts! :)

I'm reading REBOOT by Amy Tintera, which I ADORE, so far it's a five star read!

I'm also reading HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski, this one is quite possibly my favorite of the books i'm reading right now, it's a cute contemporary, not a life-changing book, but it's a fun read, and sometimes, those are better than the life-changing, thought-provoking ones. :)

I'm also reading THE PROGRAM by Suzanne Young, I have been waiting for this FOREVER, and i'm mildly disappointing by it so far, although i'm only about 10% in, so this could quite possibly change, as i'm hoping it will. :)

Last but in no way least is LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger, this book is really good so far, probably 4 stars, possibly five, depending on how the last 50% of this book pans out. :)

Leave your thoughts in the comments below! :)

On My Sister's Bookshelf : A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace

This is a mini review of a middle grade book, reviewed by my eight year old sister, in her own words, with minimal prompting from me. :)
I'd rate 4 stars.
What I liked about it was I loved dog books, and it was really detailed, and it doesn't use many grown up words, like it's perfect for me.
The reason I am giving it 4 stars is because it wasn't the best book, but it was good, it was entertaining and sad.
I wouldn't read another book by the author unless it's another dog book.
Let me know if you guys liked her book review & would like me to put more of her reviews on the blog. :)

On My Bookshelf : Zombie Days, Campfire Nights by Leah Rhyne

Bear with me - this review is half just a lot of gushing about the author's blog. ;)

Rating : 5/5 Stars

Source : Meee. c:

First sentence of synopsis : Millions died when the zombie plague swept the country. For the survivors, the journey has just begun.

My review : A good year or two ago, while doing one of my 3AM insomnia google searches, I came across a blog(blog link is http://www.leahrhyne.com) , and I immediately fell in love with the blog authors writing, it quickly became my favorite blog EVER and I started stalking it(even though I never left a comment c:) - I remember reading the posts about when Leah Rhyne was writing Zombie Days, when she sold it, etc.

So I went into this book really nervous - it was a book i've always held on a high pedestal, I had some of the highest expectations i've really EVER set for a book.

And it lived up to my expectations!

I loved Leah Rhyne's writing style, the characters and plot were amazing, and all in all this was an amazing book, I stayed up way later than I should have reading it because I couldn't stop turning pages, needing to know what happens next, and I can't wait for the sequel!

I definitely recommend this, it was an amazing Zombie book, although it was so much more than that - it definitely deserved the spot it's surely getting on one of my top ten books of 2013.

I'm Going To BEA!

I'm going to Book Expo America this year(it's in New York! Whoo!), some of my favorite authors are going to be there and i'm super excited! If you are going too, say hey in the comments & maybe we'll meet up there. :)

On My Bookshelf : In The Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

I'm trying a more relaxed reviewing style for this review. :)

Rating : 5 billion trillion million/5 stars

Source : from publisher, in exchange for this honest review

Synopsis : In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she's forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love - a boy who died in battle - returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her? 

My review : WARNING : I can't manage to get my thoughts all neat and orderly for this review, even thought i've let this review stew in my mind for a few days, so this might be some disjointed love about the book more than a review, so bear with me. :)

I loved this book from -it's beautiful, look at it, it's on the right- cover to cover.

I think one of the best ways of describing In The Shadow of Blackbirds is an overused sentence : I read it with the same feeling the whole time as the sickly fascination of watching a car accident, knowing you should look away but not being able to tear your attention from it.

VERY SLIGHT SPOILER I FOUND OUT FROM READING SUMMARY AWAITS, HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ

It’s this feeling I got multiple times as I read through this novel, even though I knew Stephen and Mary were doomed before I even opened the book (I read some very detailed summaries before reading!) I kept reading even though I knew it was going to end up breaking my heart.

And it did – this lovely, beautifully written and researched novel that will forever stay in my heart has broken my heart, but the best novels do this, and you love them all the more for it, after you get over that period of throwing the book at the wall and cursing the author’s name, of course.

This book was so much more than a ghost story – it was a love story, a ghost story, yes of course, but it was also a tale of the Spanish flu, a tale of family, of being unique, of war, and of finding strength even in the darkest times.

RUN to your nearest bookstore to buy this amazing book, you will not be disappointed by this amazing debut novel.

I can’t say much more without spoiling, as this novels various twists and turns are one of the best things about it, so I’ll depart with another sentence to sum up the book, this one I don’t think has ever been used before : Make room, John Green, Cassandra Clare, and Kristin Halbrook, Cat Winters is joining you guys on the pedestal of my all-time favorite authors, the ones I auto-buy!