Review: The Tapper Twins Go to War by Geoff Rodkey

Title: The Tapper Twins Go to War
Author: Geoff Rodkey
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Little Brown Books for Young Readers, April 7, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Claudia and Reese, who couldn't be more different...except in their determination to come out on top in a vicious prank war! But when the competition escalates into an all-out battle that's fought from the cafeteria of their New York City private school all the way to the fictional universe of an online video game, the twins have to decide if their efforts to destroy each other are worth the price. Told as a colorful "oral history" by the twins and their friends, and including photos, screenshots, chat logs, online gaming digital art, and text messages between their clueless parents, The Tapper Twins is a hilariously authentic showcase of what it's like to be in middle school in our digitally-saturated world...

My initial thoughts based on the first few pages of the Tapper Twins Go To War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey was that it was going to be a cute, humorous story. But there were a few character comparisons to historical figures left me scratching my head, or just outright frowning. The book wasn’t all bad. Some parts were humorous as the twins Reese and Claudia Tapper continued their dispute with one another over an incident at the beginning. By the end of the book there was an important lesson that the twins had to learn. Another thing that I liked was the way that the book was written. It was in an oral history kind of style with different characters sharing their perspective of “the war”—it was paired with text messages between the parents—so I like how it came together to tell the story. Overall, I liked this book, it had its funny moments, but it also had some details that bothered me. Still, I would consider picking up other novels by Geoff Rodkey.

Musing Mondays (32)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

When I think of what I enjoy reading I usually go straight for fantasy or science fiction first before looking to other genres. So obviously those are the two genres that basically dominate my shelf space. But I rarely ever talk about my least favorite genre. Let me tell you, Dystopian came close to that number one spot, but it got beat out by another genre. And my number one least favorite genre is actually contemporary. After looking through most of the books on my shelf, I realized that I had the least amount of contemporary novels compared to others. I even have more books that fall into the dystopian genre.

I have read some contemporary novels, and there were some that I just loved, but others I did not. However, I sometimes find the stories a little boring, which is probably why I lean towards other types of books. I do enjoy mysteries, sometimes even thrillers, but contemporaries that are just love stories and nothing more tend to have me steering clear of them.

So, I’m not going to ask what your favorite genre is since that’s not what the post is about. Instead, what’s your least favorite genre?

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Of Ice and Snow by Amber Argyle

Today Amber Argyle and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for Of Ice and Snow, a novella in the Faerie Queens series that's set to be released in August, 2015! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win an e-bundle of Amber’s Witch Song Books!

Title: OF ICE AND SNOW

Author: Amber Argyle

Pub. Date: August, 2015

Find it: Goodreads

Otec thought destiny forgot him…

The middle child of the clanchief, Otec is the overlooked son in an overflowing house. He dreams of escape and adventure, so when a mysterious stranger offers both, he doesn’t need persuading. But when his faraway village comes under attack, Otec will do anything to save the people he loves. Cut off from his nation, he must trust a foreign woman with a dubious past as they race to save his clan. But nothing is what it seems, and Otec may have to trust his enemy if he is to become the leader he was never meant to be. Destiny is not always kind...

Of Ice and Snow is being exclusively released in the Daring Hearts box set and the whole bundle is only 99 cents for 8 books! What an awesome deal!

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Daring Hearts synopsis:

Eight All New novels by Eight Bestselling Authors & ONLY 0.99 CENTS FOR A LIMITED TIME! From gorgeous heroes that make us swoon to the super sleuths and feisty heroines that make us cheer, this exclusive collection has something for everyone. Eight clean, sassy and BRAND NEW novels--a delicious mixture of fun, addictively romantic, action-adventure stories -- each handpicked by an award-winning gathering of some of today's most popular YA/NA authors. Its only available until September (so get your copy today). 

The boxed set includes... 

Rebecca Ethington~ Monsters are real...Through Glass 

Rashelle Workman~ Alice is a Dark Moth trainee in Wonderland, Arizona where the days are hot and the guys are hotter. The Dark Moth Society 

Cindy M. Hogan~ Some secrets are better left dead and buried. Kate Unmasked 

Elle Strauss~ Time traveling is wonky enough... and this time it's worse than ever. Counter Clockwise 

Christine Kersey~ College is murder...Witness 

Juli Alexander~ Solving mysteries is in her blood, but it might just get her killed. Paxton Private Investigations 

Lila Felix~ Fasta is an artist, not by choice, but by force. Sketchy Love 

Amber Argyle~ A storm is raging and not everyone will survive. Of Ice And Snow 

About Amber...

Amber Argyle is the number-one bestselling author of the Witch Song Series and the Fairy Queen Series. Her books have been nominated for and won awards in addition to being translated into French and Indonesian.

Amber graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in English and physical education, a husband, and a two-year old. Since then, she and her husband have added two more children, which they are actively trying to transform from crazy small people into less crazy larger people.

To learn more about Amber, visit her Blog, & You can find Argyle on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Alright, now to the giveaway. 3 winners will receive the eBook bundle of The Witch Song Series. This giveaway is International and ends on June 15th. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Musing Mondays (31)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB(Jenn) at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...


This week for Musing Mondays I’m going to answer the random weekly question: Do you have different genres for different seasons? For example, do you choose lighter reading material for the summer, and chunkier books in the winter?

During different seasons I usually just read how I normally do. I select books based solely off of what I’m looking to read at that particular point in time. I don’t have any specific genres that I read more than others.

What are your favorite genres?

Review: Save Me by Jenny Elliott

Title: Save Me
Author: Jenny Elliott
Source/Format: Won, Paperback ARC
More Details: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Swoon Reads, January 6, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Something strange is going on in the tiny coastal town of Liberty, Oregon. Cara has never seen a whale swim close enough for her to touch it—let alone knock her into the freezing water. Fortunately, cute newcomer David is there to save her, and the rescue leads to a bond deeper than Cara ever imagined. But then she learns something about David that changes everything, and Cara is devastated. She turns to her best friend for support, but Rachel has changed. She’s suddenly into witchcraft, and is becoming dangerously obsessed with her new boyfriend. Cara has lost her best friend, discovered that her soul mate is off limits, and has attracted the attention of a stalker. But she’s not completely alone. Her mysterious, gorgeous new friend Garren is there to support her. But is Garren possibly too perfect?

Save Me by Jenny Elliott is one of Swoon Reads books, and so I picked it up solely with the intention of giving it a try. And I’m sad to say that not only was I disappointed but I also DNFed this book.

There were a number of reasons why I didn’t enjoy this book. First, I usually enjoy reading from third person POV. However, sometimes the sentences were a little choppy, and it lacked description. Some things were described while others were not, and I never really fully grasped the setting. Save Me just seemed like a book with too many ideas that seemed to overcrowd the plot.

Cara started out seeming like an ok character in the first few pages, but then David appeared and everything just seemed to unravel. Then there was Garren, who was a character I considered to be just shy of being a Deus ex Machina. Almost every time he appeared he seemed to have all of the answers—I almost started calling him the Dude With Too Many Clues. And at several times I felt like Cara never had to discover anything for herself, instead she was conveniently handed the answers for the sake of keeping the plot moving.

And the romance? Nope. The relationship dynamics in Save Me were an aspect of the novel that I found odd—and the details were just things I didn’t agree with.

Ultimately all of the details I didn’t like, when combined together just threw me off and wrecked my enjoyment of Save Me. I skimmed and scanned over the last pages and still, it wouldn’t have changed my opinion. If this book seems like something you would enjoy, then I encourage you to check out other reviews for it. But for me, this one is a DNF.