Waiting on Wednesday, WoW

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I also feature books that may have already released, but I am anxiously waiting to read.

This week, I'm featuring:

Very in Pieces by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Very Sales-Woodruff is done being a good girl. Done being the only responsible one in a family that’s unraveling. Done being the obliging girlfriend in a relationship that’s sinking. Done saying no to what she wants—like Dominic, her rebellious classmate.

With her mom’s drinking, her dad’s extended absences from home, and her younger sister, Ramona, running wild, the path Very has always seen for herself doesn’t seem to matter anymore. At the same time, Very’s grandmother, a poet known less for her work and more for her exploits with the likes of Andy Warhol and Arthur Miller, is slipping away.

If everything else can fall to pieces, why can’t she?

Releases:  September 29th 2015 by HarperTeen

What are you waiting on?

Review: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

 A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.
And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.
Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.
Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

Publishes in US: October 6th 2015 by Disney Hyperion
Genre: ya fantasty
Source: Disney via Netgalley
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free
Series? No

Buy it: Amazon, Chapters, Waterstones, IndieBound Book Depository Barnes and Noble

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter ~blog

    I wanted to read A Thousand Nights because the premise of being a good storyteller being the thing that helps her to survive in the wake of thousands of dead wives at the hands of Lo-Melkhiin. The sound of the main character putting her life up as tribute rather than the otherwise obvious choice of her beautiful sister shows me a lot about her priorities, and I love when family is one of the driving forces behind the development. Also, the sister left behind weaving the subtle magic trying to help her sister who volunteered to go in her place at home only strengthened that. 

    The desert setting was fascinating. I am not sure that I have read anything quite like it. But living surrounded by sand sets up a very different way of life than being in a more normal setting of country or city. The ways of survival are so different as well as the feel of the middle east with family formation being different (multiple spouses, the importance of sons and carrying on family name). 

    I loved the strength of the main character, as well as her intelligence. She realized so much about LoMelkhiin and the qasr. She made friends wherever she went although at first everyone seemed to avoid her, because I am sure they got attached to other wives only for them to die as well. But her mysterious power is a match for LoMelkhiin.  She is the only one that realized and could confirm that he had been possessed by a powerful being, but she and his mom believed that there was still a part of the original LoMelkhiin still in there, fighting against. 

   I was captivated by the story, but it wasn't one that I could get fully immersed in because I would want to stop and think. 

   I like that romance wasn't really the forefront. She wanted to meet the real LoMelkhiin, but she def didn't love the demon that had taken over. It is more about family, friendship, politics to some extent, and magic. 

   I thought that is was going to be a cliffie ending for sure, but I love how it was wrapped up. The ending surprised me in a good way, because I wasn't sure how it was going to possibly wrap everything up, but it did, and I was happy with it. 

Bottom Line: Great main character, and themes with a bit slower pace.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Could you put yourself up to probably die in place of a sibling?

Review: A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern

A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern

Cammie McGovern follows up her breakout young adult debut, Say What You Will, with this powerful and unforgettable novel about learning from your mistakes, and learning to forgive. Told in alternating points of view, A Step Toward Falling is a poignant, hopeful, and altogether stunning work that will appeal to fans of Jennifer Nevin, Robyn Schneider, and Jandy Nelson.
Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing—until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all.
Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people. Soon, Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most?

Publishes in US: October 6th 2015 by HarperTeen
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Harper Teen via mail and Edelweiss
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free.
Series? no

Buy it: Amazon IndieBound Book Depository Barnes and Noble

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter ~facebook

    I wanted to read A Step Toward Falling because I was interested in the bullying of a girl with disabilities. I think that it is such an important subject, and even though Emily wasn't the one doing the bullying, the silence of Emily when she saw it is the big turning point of the story. She is sentenced with community service working with young adults with disabilities. 

    The story is told in dual perspectives with Emily and Belinda, the said girl that was bullied. I am not sure that I have ever read such a perspective, but it felt well done. We can see the places where she is delayed or has problems and how the whole situation effected her. Emily is able to learn from the people in the relationship class that she is volunteering at. She also learns a lot about Lucas, the football player who also saw the situation and also did nothing as well as a returning volunteer. 

   They both brought a lot to the story and saw things in completely different ways. In some ways Belinda is very mature, in others she is delayed. She is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, the long version, as well as a football player who did a dance for the disabled. She thinks that means they are boyfriend and girlfriend, but of course, he was only there because of community service, so that led to very awkward situations. 

    Emily learned so much from the class she is helping with, but she does come to the conclusion that although she is helping in some ways the students in the class, but she is doing nothing that actually helps Belinda who for most of the story isn't even going back to school. She remembers more of the incident at the football game, although she doesn't understand what all it means. I liked it when she finally started to do things to make up for what she did, and try to help Belinda heal, and for others to see her, and others with disabilities in a different way. 

   The ending was nice, and wrapped things up. There was character development and an important message. 

Bottom Line: A look into teens who didn't do anything when they saw a girl with disabilities being bullied, and their character growth facing the consequences.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever stayed silent when you wish you would have spoken up or done something?

Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, Bought Borrowed and Bagged

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews,  check it out and sign up  here

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged is a weekly meme, hosted by TalkSupe, where I share with you the books I have bought, borrowed, or bagged. Link up with me here.

Currently reading:

Rules for 50/50 Chances Source: Macmillan via Netgalley

McGovern, Kate *

From my mailbox: nada

What I read: nada

Last Week on the blog:

• Waiting on Wednesday, WoW

The Fall \Source: macmillan via netgalley DNF It's not you: It's me:

Preller, James

Succubus on Top (Georgina Kincaid, #2)\ Source: library Adult Review

Mead, Richelle *

From This Moment (Moment of Truth, #3) Source: bought Review

Barnholdt, Lauren *

Dreamland Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss Review

Anderson, Robert L. *

New giveaways exclusive to my blog:
 This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup ends 10/10

My week:
Went to girls beach weekend and had a blast. We had a great speaker and lots of good girl time.

 I am on the left front

 middle shorty in black

 in the back right

What are you reading? Any of my books new to you or have you read any of my books? If so, what did you think?
Also, feel free to link up your blog and mailbox post.

Exclusive Giveaway and Interview: This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup

This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup

High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around. That is, until her brother Danny's latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she's back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother's booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny's future.
Then she meets Wes. He's the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep Jasmine from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her. Jasmine can't control everything, not who wins the internship, not her mother's addiction, not her brother's health, not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but Jasmine may just discover that what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.

Buy it:  Indie Bound Powells Books Barnes & Noble Amazon.com Indigo

Award-winning author Jennifer Walkup is most often found writing, reading, and spending time with her husband and young sons. A member of SCBWI and RWA, Jennifer also works as an editor and creative writing instructor, and is an advocate for Epilepsy awareness. You can find her online at www.jenniferwalkup.com twitter or facebook The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or  less. THIS ORDINARY LIFE is about a teen dreaming of being radio DJ, while holding her dysfunctional family together & healing her broken heart. Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with? Even though Wes is adorable and would probably have me cracking up with his jokes and antics, I would choose Jasmine if I could. I would love to treat her to a nice dinner and tell her how awesome she is. She deserves to have some fun and relax a little. Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates? I’m working on a few different projects – all YA contemporary. My favorite at the moment is a summer YA where an unlikely duo teams up and tries to lose their real-life fears and worries in one crazy-fun and insightful summer at the beach. What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read? I read a ton! Almost exclusively YA, but I do make exceptions. Right now I’ve been reading lots of contemporary YA, but it comes it waves and sometimes I go on a paranormal, horror, or mystery kick, or throw in some fantasy. If a fairy godmother told you could be put into the world of your favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why? I’d love to visit Wonderland! Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?  Herbal tea or coffee, and if it’s a tough writing day, a lot of both. I don’t listen to music while I write, but I often listen to music before writing or when I’m revising. Lots of instrumental music and also a fair amount of classic rock. If you could have any superpower what would you choose? The power to heal others, no doubt. Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time? I love reading, cooking, and spending time with my family. Being on the beach or hiking in the woods makes me so happy. What is one thing you would tell your 15 year old self? Push through. No matter what it is or how bad it seems, it will pass. And don’t ever stop dreaming.  Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers? Thank you so very much to everyone who reads my books. I appreciate every single one of you! >  >  Lightning round: this or that? >  >  Vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla >  >  Video or Board Games? Board >  >  Summer or Winter? Summer >  >  Edward or Jacob? Edward >  >  Hockey or soccer? Soccer >  >  Ebook or paper? Paper >  >  Salty or sweet? Salty >  >  Beach or mountains? Beach >  >  Phone call or email? Depends on the person, but mostly e-mail. >  >  Early bird or night owl? Night owl >  >  Dog or cat? Dog >  >  Messy or neat? Messy (ish) >  >  Ninjas or pirates? Pirates, arrrr! Giveaway is for: This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup Acknowledge that by entering, you are agreeing to these Rules, Terms and Conditions If under 18, must have parent's permission. No Purchase Necessary. Must be legal resident of countries specified on giveaway. If giveaway is prohibited in your country, you agree to not enter. Open: 9-26- 10/10 The Sponsor: publicist Winners will be chosen by giveaway host and notified by email. They will have 48 hours to respond. You must agree to share pertinent info if you win: name, email, and address if applicable ONLY to blog owner and the sponsor of the giveaway (who may also share with author) Email addresses or physical addresses or any personal information will not be sold. Liability: Brandi Breathes Books is not responsible for lost or stolen packages Brandi Breathes Books Giveaways are hosted in Holly Springs, NC USA Void where prohibited by law -If you win a review on your blog and/or amazon is appreciated but not required. *If, for whatever reason, the Rafflecopter widget does not appear, you can click on the link where it says rafflecopter giveaway and it will show up, sorry for the inconvenience. a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's not you: It's me: The Fall by James Preller

The Fall by James Preller

Through his journal a boy deals with the death of a classmate, who committed suicide as a result of bullying.
The summer before school starts, Sam's friend and classmate Morgan Mallen kills herself. Morgan had been bullied. Maybe she kissed the wrong boy. Or said the wrong thing. What about that selfie that made the rounds? Morgan was this, and Morgan was that. But who really knows what happened?
As Sam explores the events leading up to the tragedy, he must face a difficult and life-changing question: Why did he keep his friendship with Morgan a secret? And could he have done something—anything—to prevent her final actions?
As he did in Bystander, James Preller takes an issue that faces every student and school in the country, and makes it personal, accessible, and real.

Publishes in US: September 22nd 2015 by Feiwel and Friend
Genre: ya cointemp
Source: macmillan via netgalley
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free.
Series? no

Buy it: Amazon Barnes and Noble IndieBound Book Depository

Author stalk away: ~site

     I have done this several times on my blog. Books that just don't work for me. I know my reading style pretty well, and I can tell whether I will like the book or not accurately about 80-90% of the time. If I finish a book, then there are aspects of that book that I enjoyed. I never talk about the author in a negative way, I only say what doesn't work for me. Normally if I finish a book, I give it at least 3 stars, meaning that I liked it.

   Stopped at 7%

   I really wanted to read and like The Fall, because bullying is such an important and powerful topic, and when there is suicide as a result, it gets my attention even more. But I am not usually one to read books that are written in alternate formats besides first or third person narrative. I wanted to try because it sounds like a book for me, but the journal didn't end up working out.

    That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.

Positive Reviews:
Kathy Martin
Ashley from ChicToronto
Brandy Danner

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you keep a journal?

Adult Review: Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead

Succubus on Top (Georgina Kincaid #2) by Richelle Mead

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy writer she's been dating, she'll drain his life force. Admittedly, the shape shifting and immortality perks of a succubus are terrific, but it's completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can't get down with the one mortal who accepts her for who she is. . .
It's not just her personal life that's in chaos. Doug, Georgina's co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects something far more demonic than double espressos. She could use an assist from Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, but he's giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one--and fast, because soon, Doug's life won't be the only one on the line. . .

Publishes in US: January 1st 2008 by Kensington
Genre: adult uf
Source: library
Series? Georgina Kincaid #2
my review of first Succubus Blues

Buy it: amazon kindle, Apple, Google,Kobo, Nook

Author stalk away: site twitter facebook blog

  

   WaRnInG: SPOILERS for Succubus Blues but not for Succubus on Top

    I wanted to read  Succubus on Top because I really enjoyed Georgina in Blues. I loved that even though she's a demon, she tried to feed on men who were already evil instead of fully corrupting what she called the good guys. I also enjoyed her group of paranormal friends, a vamp, an angel, an imp and her of course. They have an easy relationship even though they are giving her a hard time for being with a mortal in this installment. 

    It is such a forbidden attraction with Seth and Georgina, or Thetis as he calls her because of mythology. But they have such banter when he finally shakes off the shy and starts talking with her. They have books in common, and his family is in love with her (she is falling for them too esp the kids). 

     This book didn't take any time to get going like the first did, and that just reaffirmed what I felt about her YA series, that each book gets better instead of the second book syndrome. The new player in this one is Georgina's long time bestie Bastien, who def adds a new plot line with his own agenda for being in town. Also, Doug is acting like a crazy person, and I couldn't decide if I thought he was on drugs or if the newly introduced Alec was the one behind it. He has so much energy, but it comes out inappropriately at work, where he was never like that with customers before. His band is also on fire, which its nice to see him successful in that, but I just wonder, at what cost? 

   This was a fast paced book and it came to a point where decisions had to be made, and Georgina was brave and thinking only of others when she acted. It wrapped up well, but for sure still wanted to read the next one. It actually left me at a spot where it was more fade to black, use your imagination of one of the steamy parts of the book, and I am like really? Come on, give me some more sexy Seth. 

   I will for sure be continuing the series to get more Georgina and Seth. 

Bottom Line: Hot, fast paced sequel-- even better than the first-- with the characters I adore.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Would you date an author?

Waiting on Wednesday, WoW

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I also feature books that may have already released, but I am anxiously waiting to read.

This week, I'm featuring:

Forever with You (Wait for You #5) by J. Lynn, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book 5 in the # 1 New York Times and Internationally best selling Wait for You Series. 

Nick and Steph's book.

Releases: September 29th 2015

What are you waiting on?

Review: From This Moment (Moment of Truth #3) by Lauren Barnholdt

From This Moment by Lauren Barnholdt

Before graduation, I will...learn to take a risk. In the final book in the Moment of Truth series, readers will learn if Aven is willing to take the ultimate gamble.
Aven has had a crush on her best guy friend, Liam, for years. Now with graduation looming and a week of nothing but sun, sand, and countless hours alone with him, Aven has decided that now is finally the time to see if he could possibly feel the same way about her.
Each book in this paperback original series is told from the perspective of a different girl—Lyla, Aven, and Quinn—former best friends who wrote emails to their future selves back in freshman year about one thing they hope to accomplish before they graduate. When the emails get delivered on the first morning of their senior trip, all three girls will spend the next three days trying to keep the promises they made to themselves four years ago. While each book follow’s one girl’s life-changing adventure, you have to read them all to get the whole story, including why they’re no longer friends and whether they can get their friendship back on track.
Smart, hilarious and full of heart, the thrilling finale to the Moment of Truth series is the perfect conclusion to an irresistible trilogy.

Publishes in US: July 14th 2015 by Harper Teen
Genre: ya contemp
Source: bought
Series? Moment of Truth #3

My reviews:
#1 Heat of the Moment
#2 One Moment in Time


Buy it: Amazon IndieBound Book Depository Barnes and Noble

Author stalk away: ~site

      I wanted to read From this Moment because I enjoyed reading Lyla and Quinn's stories. We saw that their friendship fell apart, and some of the pieces of the puzzle through Lyla's eyes. Aven sounds like a character that I can relate to because she has been the catalyst to what seems like will be a turning point in their friendship at the end of the other two books, but she wants to do take a risk before graduation. I also liked the other two girl's character development so I hoped for more of the same as well as the readability of the other books.

   Aven has crushed on her best guy friend for years, and this book seems like it is going to focus on her acting on that crush instead of keeping silent even longer. But what I found out in the first chapter made me mad. Because she remembered and counted on that email, but now Liam is dating her friend Izzy. I mean, really. She should have spoken up before or wait until they break up. So there is that, dear readers. I am going to keep reading because maybe I just need a guilty pleasure summery read, or I am two story invested into this group of friends. 

    Given, she does feel a lot of guilt about it, and at one point, she resolves to just leave it alone. But the emails keep coming, and she keeps getting time alone with Liam. They do book club, she appreciates his music, and they are comfortable with each other. Luckily things worked out pretty well, and I liked the resolution of the romance. There was a lot of drama to get there, but finally it worked out.

    I feel like Aven didn't do as much growing as the other two but I did like her initiative to get the friends back together. She took time to listen to both of the girls even when they were distant to each other. She took responsibility for what she did wrong, and tried to get everyone to look at it from the others' perspective which really opened them up. 

    I feel like everything with Aven is introspective so I don't feel like I got as much a feel about her goals for the future, but really intense on what she is feeling in the moment as well as feelings that she's held for years, not only with Liam but with Quinn and Lyla. 

Bottom Line: Good wrap up of the series focusing on friendship getting a second chance and dealing with a long term crush that is also a best friend.


My question to you, my lovely readers:
Did you act on crushes or admire in silence?

Review: Dreamland by Anderson

Dreamland by Anderson

Odea Donahue has been able to travel through people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her the three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dream more than once. Dea has never questioned her mother, not about the rules, not about the clocks or the mirrors, not about moving from place to place to be one step ahead of the unseen monsters that Dea’s mother is certain are right behind them.
Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town and Dea finally starts to feel normal. As Connor breaks down the walls that she’s had up for so long, he gets closer to learning her secret. For the first time she wonders if that’s so bad. But when Dea breaks the rules, the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate. How can she know what’s real and what’s not?

Publishes in US: September 22nd 2015 by HarperTeen
Genre: ya fantasy
Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free
Series?

Buy it: AMAZON OR BARNES & NOBLE

Author stalk away: ~site
Twitter (@DreamlandAuthor target="_blank") or shoot him an email.
Instagram (@DreamlandAuthor)
Facebook (Dreamland Robert)
Goodreads (Robert L. Anderson)
Tumblr (Dreamland Author)

     I have done this several times on my blog. Books that just don't work for me. I know my reading style pretty well, and I can tell whether I will like the book or not accurately about 80-90% of the time. If I finish a book, then there are aspects of that book that I enjoyed. I never talk about the author in a negative way, I only say what doesn't work for me. Normally if I finish a book, I give it at least 3 stars, meaning that I liked it.

   I just didn't get off to a good start with Odea. I can't quite place what the disconnect was, I am normally all about characters who just feel like they don't fit in, because a lot of my life, I have felt like that. The interactions felt strange to me as well,  even though they are realistic enough I suppose.

    That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.

Positive Reviews:
Kathy at Inside of a Dog
Jess at Such a Novel Idea
Adam Silvera


My question to you, my lovely readers:
Would you want to be able to control dreams?