The Friday 56 (21)

 The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

"I reach the wall and turn right, the sun beating down above us in violent waves. I wish he would have told me we were doing this today. I would have dressed in lighter clothes, like shorts and a tank instead of pants."--Hover Melissa West


What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: Hover by Melissa West

Title: Hover
Author: Melissa West
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: YA, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Entangled Teen, August 13, 2013

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Summary from Goodreads...

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted...

I don’t know if this is going to be a thing, but I have to say that the dystopian books that I’ve decided to read this year have been really good. Hover is a sequel to Gravity, which is a book I read a long time ago, so I was curious to see where the story was going. Some of the details I’ve forgotten about—but not too much to where I couldn’t get back into the story. I have to say that I really liked Hover.

Loge as a setting was interesting. The landscape was vastly different from what I remember of the setting from Gravity. The transition between the two books really highlights the differences between the two worlds, and it was easy to see where some of the characters got their motivation.

Ari Alexander’s life on Loge was immensely different from the one she lived on earth. I liked seeing how she dealt with the sudden changes. Jackson and Ari’s relationship was an aspect of the story that I really enjoyed. They worked well together, and I liked the dynamic of it. West did an excellent job conveying the emotional turmoil that they experienced the longer they were on Loge as Ari learned more about Jackson’s past. Every time Zeus would pop up I just…*glare.* Seriously, I didn’t like Zeus at all, he was manipulative, coldhearted, and it seemed like he ended up losing himself no matter if his original intentions were for the benefit of his people or not. Also, he was calculating…seriously, he was. But that was part of the suspense that surrounded the story—there was just no telling what Zeus was going to do next.

The plot, while slow at times, was nice. I’m not going to specify because I don’t want to reveal anything. But just know that I completely enjoyed Hover. And now, I’m curious to know how the trilogy ends.

Musing Mondays (21)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week....

This week I'm going to be answering the random weekly question: Do you enjoy debating / discussing the books that others are currently reading? Why, or why not?

My answer to this is going to be short. No, I don't enjoy debating/discussing the books that others are currently reading, because I think they should form their own opinion about it—especially if I've already read the book.  I don't want my opinion influencing how they view the book.  If they enjoy it, then they just do.  And if not, they're perfectly entitled to have that opinion. So once they do finish then we can have a discussion about it, even if our opinions differ.

What are you reading this week?

Review: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Title: A Wrinkle in Time 
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Source/Format: won, 50th Anniversary Edition
More Details: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Square Fish, first published 1962

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Before I get started, let me just say that I completely forgot that this review even existed. Its just been sitting unpublished for a few months and it wasn't until recently when I was going through my drafts that I realized this mistake. Anyway, moving on to the forgotten review. (This one only covers the first book in the edition I have.)

Before I won the 50th anniversary edition I never actually considered reading A Wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle.  Despite the fact that I've heard about it I honestly didn’t think that it would interest me. But I’m glad to say that I didn’t pass it up because I actually ended up enjoying this book.

 A Wrinkle in Time is a deeply imaginative story about friendship, the bonds between family no matter how far apart you are, and absurdly cool science fiction themes that contrasted nicely with the story. The setting was numerous places and spanned across different, often times strange—sometimes drastically methodical—worlds that were so unlike the one we all know. It all began in a small town but gradually shifted once the Tesseract’s meaning was revealed. A Wrinkle in Time was easily an enjoyable, entertaining novel that’s one of my favorites. The characters were wonderful—they were well-written with a number of flaws to make them different from one another—and it was interesting to see how those characteristics would play into the events of the plot.

While I did find the beginning to be a little slow—as it did take some time to introduce the characters and setup the plot—things did pick up quickly after that and the pacing ended up having a nice flow. The ending was quick, but nice, and it wrapped up a lot of the plotlines introduced in A Wrinkle in Time. All in all, I look forward to reading A Wind in the Door.

Would You Rather Book Tag

So today I’m going to participate in the Would You Rather Book Tag created by RayKayBooks over on youtube. Link to the original video: CLICK HERE 

Read only trilogies or standalones?

While I do love series sometimes I’m just looking for a single story that’s completed in one book. So, I have to go with standalones.

Read only female or male authors?

I can’t choose between them, so I’m just going to have to go with both. Sure, it’s a cop-out answer, but I really can’t decide because some of my favorite authors are male as well as others that are female.

Shop at Barnes & Noble or Amazon?

I’m going to say Barnes & Noble because I enjoy going to the store to see what they have rather than browsing the selection online.

All books become movies or TV shows?

Sometimes I think that books with more information in them would do better as TV shows, not that I don’t like movies. However my answer for this one would be TV show.

Read 5 pages per day or 5 books per week?

5 pages per day, because I want to have time to do others things besides reading.

Be a professional reviewer or author?

N/A

Only read your top 20 favorite books over and over or always read new ones that you haven't read before?

I would actually read the books I haven’t read before, because rereading only my favorites would mean that I would be passing up all the other great books out there that I haven’t discovered yet.

Be a librarian or book seller?

My answer for this one is book seller.

Only read your favorite genre, or every genre except your favorite?

Oh man, this is a tough question considering that I would really want to read books in my favorite genre, but that would be kind of restrictive. So, I have to go with every genre except my favorite.

Only read physical books or eBooks?

Physical books all the way, because I still prefer them over ebooks.

Well those are my answers. I’m not tagging anyone specifically, but if you want to participate then I tag you. And don't forget to check out RayKayBooks on youtube. Happy reading!

Musing Mondays (20)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

This week I'm reading Hover by Melissa West, book two in The Taking series. This book was released August 13, 2013.

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More about the book (Summary from Goodreads)...

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because in this world, pleasure is everything, held up by a ruling body that keeps their people in check by giving them what they want and closing their eyes to what's really happening around them. The only hope Loge has is to move its people to Earth, and they have a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth’s atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems…and no one can be trusted...

What are you reading this week?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from Our Thoughts Precisely! I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

The Friday 56 (20)

  The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

"I'd do what I always did: I'd survive."--The Keep Veronica Wolff




What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: The Keep by Veronica Wolff

Title: The Keep
Author: Veronica Wolff
Source/ Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: YA, Paranormal
Publisher/ Publication Date: NAL Trade, June 4, 2013

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I had a hard time deciding just how much I liked this book after I finished it. It took me some time to get to The Keep, but at least now I can say that I finished the series. And I’m trying to finish more of the various series I started a while ago. And this one happened to be about vampires. I did enjoy the concept of The Watchers series throughout the previous books, and I was looking forward to seeing how it ended.

I’m conflicted, I really am. Don’t get me wrong I liked this book, but it was just sort of average for me. However, there were a few things that bothered me. But first I’m going to start with what I did like.

The Keep sat on my shelf for about two months. I finally decided to read it after finishing and reviewing a book for another blog. This book began a short time after Blood Fever ended, and Drew is basically struggling with what happened. I’m not going to specify what that something was, but it changed things on the island for Drew. Speaking of the main character, well, she was reckless and didn't seem to listen to any advice being given to her—and one aspect of the story almost seemed to become an obsession for her. Though I could understand why, the Isle of Night was a horrible place to be. So I think Wolff did a good job capturing the overall atmosphere of the Isle of Night, and portraying the characters—including those that thrived in that environment and others that didn't do so well.

And now here’s what I didn't like so much: the ending and parts of the plot. The plot…hmmm, well at times I felt like it was a little repetitive but interesting enough to keep my attention. The part that really got me was the ending. It felt entirely rushed and unfinished to me. There were too many mysteries introduced in this novel—even at the very end—and I had to sit down and think for a while about what I wanted to say about The Keep. I believe that this is the last book and I wish that there had been more—maybe even another book to finish tying up those loose ends. I liked this book but not as much as the previous three in The Watchers Series. So that's why I'm going to give it a 3.5.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott is nearly here! But before we get to the excerpt & giveaway here's a little more about the book.

Summary from Goodreads...

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

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I swallow and stare at him in the dark, my entire body itching to feel his touch. When I see the anticipation in his stance, the way he looks at me as if I’m both infuriating and appealing — it makes me feel powerful. But when he takes a step in my direction, that power plummets to some place untouchable. Now I’m a seventeen-year-old girl again, standing in the shadows with someone who feels like he’s lived three lives to my one.

“Come with me,” he orders.

There’s no room for refusal, and I don’t want there to be. He takes my hand to help me step over sleeping bodies, both human and Pandora. When I stumble, he leans over and sweeps beneath my knees. I’m brought into his arms with the same ease I may use to curl a rabbit to my chest. But I’m not such an innocent, silent creature.

I’ve got spirit and fire in spades. Though, right now, as he carries me to the single back bedroom, I have neither. I’m somebody else now. I’m Tella Holloway, Boston girl turned Montana transplant, sitting on the edge of her bed, awaiting her very first date with the boy who makes her parents uneasy. A boy who doesn’t speak nearly enough, but when he does, this girl stops and listens. In my mind’s eye, I’m wearing the silver-sequined dress that’s hibernated in my closet far too long. I feel beautiful and confident, and who cares if he said we’re going to the lake at night? I want to glimpse the look on his face when he sees me. I envision how his entire face will light up as if it’s lit from within. How his full lips will part slightly and his cold blue eyes will soften.

Guy sets me on my feet, and I gaze up at him.

Oh yes. Right there. That’s the look I imagined.

© 2015 Victoria Scott. From Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott, published by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

That excerpt was awesome, right? Anyway, don't forget to visit Victoria Scott...

Website     Twitter     Goodreads     Facebook 

Below you can enter for a chance to win a signed UK edition of FIRE & FLOOD, a signed galley of SALT & STONE, and signed swag. This giveaway is open internationally. Good luck to everyone who enters!

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Musing Mondays (19)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

This week I'm going to share a bit about the book I'm currently reading. I literally just started an ARC of Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks. This is a middle grade novel that was released on February 3, 2015.

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More about the book (Summary from Goodreads)...

When Tuesday McGillycuddy and her beloved dog, Baxterr, discover that Tuesday’s mother—the famous author Serendipity Smith—has gone missing, they set out on a magical adventure. In their quest to find Serendipity, they discover the mysterious and unpredictable place that stories come from. Here, Tuesday befriends the fearless Vivienne Small, learns to sail an enchanted boat, tangles with an evil pirate, and discovers the truth about her remarkable dog. Along the way, she learns what it means to be a writer and how difficult it can sometimes be to get all the way to The End...

What are you reading this week?

Book Haul

So, today I thought I would do an actual book haul, which I haven’t done before on Our Thoughts Precisely. But I figured I might as well put together a post since I recently received some books in the mail.

Won…

First, I won Save Me by Jenny Elliott from TheBook Bratz. It’s one of Swoon Reads books so I’m curious to see how it goes.

Next I won Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake (Thank you to RayKayBooks & Kendare Blake).

And finally, I won Finding Serendipity by AngelicaBanks (Thank you to Macmillan Kids, this book sounds adorable and I can’t wait to start it).

For review…

I got Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (A huge thank you to The Novl for this one. I’m really excited to read it, but I think I’ll do the review closer to the release date).

Purchased…

I purchased a kindle copy of Alienated by Melissa Landers (I’ll get to this one eventually, but I do look forward to reading it).

So that’s basically it for this haul. I don’t know, maybe I’ll do another one when I get more books, but for the foreseeable future who knows.

ARC Review: Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas

Title: Lucidity

Author: Stephanie Thomas

Source/Format: Author, E-ARC

Age Range: YA

Publisher/Publication Date: February 7, 2015

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Summary from Goodreads...

Beatrice never thought she’d find herself in the middle of Aura, the city of her sworn enemy, the Dreamcatchers. Nor did she never think she’d abandon everything she’d ever known and everyone she’d ever loved to blindly follow Echo, the Dreamcatcher Prince. Gabe would never forgive her, if he lives, and nor will any of the Seers. Upon arriving, Beatrice is quickly thrown into the Dreamcatcher Queen’s self-serving plot to save Aura from a disastrous plague, and Bea’s anticipated return to the City is becoming less likely every day she is held captive and subjected to the epidemic. Full Summary Here

My history with dystopian books has been spotty to say the least—I liked some and I disliked even more—but thankfully, Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas is one that I actually liked! You have no idea how excited I am about that.

It’s been some time since I read Luminosity, the first book in the series, and it was kind of an average read for me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the sequel. The writing had a good flow to it, and it was easy to get into the story. There were plenty of descriptions and I could easily visualize the setting and what was happening. I really enjoyed the concept of Seers and Dreamcatchers, and the conflict that surrounded them.

Things literally started where the last book ended, and I was glad to see what happened to the characters after the events of Luminosity. Beatrice was a little indecisive—sometimes she was sure about what she wanted, and at other times she seemed more conflicted. But actually, it kind of worked. Beatrice was raised to have certain beliefs and I could understand why she had a hard time straying from them.

The conflict in Lucidity was enough to keep me invested in the story—the ending wrapped things up nicely and I liked it. Overall, the plot was good and the pacing was nice. The world building was handled well and it was easy to understand the society that the characters had to live in. Who knows, maybe my enthusiasm for dystopian books has finally returned, but regardless I enjoyed this book.

This copy of the book was provided by the author for review, thank you!

Release Week Blitz & Giveaway: Invaded by Melissa Landers

I'm so thrilled to be taking part in Melissa Landers release week launch party for Invaded! See a note from Melissa below and make sure to enter the giveaway!

"Hey, fiction lovers. I’m Melissa Landers, author of the Alienated series (YA sci-fi from Disney-Hyperion), and today I’m bouncing with excitement because the sequel is finally here!

It’s been a year since we left Aelyx and Cara onboard the intergalactic transport, and INVADED begins with an emotional goodbye as they part ways—Aelyx returning to Earth to salvage the alliance, and Cara continuing to L’eihr to serve out her part of the student exchange. While they’re apart, our star-crossed lovers will face assassination attempts, betrayal, crippling self-doubt, and a sadistic alien Phys Ed class. (Because there’s no escaping PE, even in another galaxy.) When Aelyx and Cara finally reunite…well, let’s just say it’s combustive. ;-)"–Melissa Landers

“Readers will love the seamless blend of suspense, humor, and romance set against an interstellar landscape. Dual narratives and a tightly plotted mystery keep the suspense running high, and the chemistry between Aelyx and Cara smolders.” –Booklist

“Excellent character development and integration between modern reality and science fiction. Teens will be rooting for the galactic couple while enjoying the action and suspense that runs through the two volumes.” –School Library Journal

“The protagonists' forced separation gives greater depth to their romance. Each learns to turn a critical eye upon the flaws of their native societies while confronting genuine obstacles to a future together. These complications only underscore the growing sense of menace that propels the narrative to an action-packed climax.” –Kirkus

If you’re snowed in, here are some easy links to bring the sequel right to you...

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     iBooks     Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)     Indie Bound     Indigo     Books-A-Million

About the Author...

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information, or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Instagram

To celebrate her new release, Melissa Landers is offering one lucky winner a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble and an autographed swag pack, complete with mini posters of BOTH books! This giveaway is open internationally, and due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate. Good luck to everyone who enters!

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Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

 Thank you to Cynthia from Bingeing on Books for nominating me! Listed below are the rules for Sisterhood of the world Bloggers Award:

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you & link back to their site
2. Post the award's logo onto your blog
3. Answer the 10 questions you've been asked
4. And finally, Nominate 10 other bloggers and ask them 10 new questions

Here are the questions from Bingeing on Books

If you were a character in a book, who would you be and why?

Vin from Mistborn because of her abilities...which I would want because they're so cool.

What are you reading right now?

I'm not reading anything at the moment since I literally just finished an ARC of Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas.  I want to finish working on the review for it before I move on to something else.

Who is your favorite author?

I have too many to count and it would take all day to list them. But for now I'm just going to say Brandon Sanderson...F.T, Bradley...um Victoria Schwab...and Jennifer Estep. See, I have too many to just list one.

Describe your favorite reading spot.

I mostly read at my desk, so I guess that counts as my favorite reading spot.

What is your favorite book to movie adaptation?

Does Alice in Wonderland (1951 movie) count? It's technically a book to movie adaptation so I'm just going to stick with that as my answer.

What do you like most about blogging?

I like being able to share my thoughts about books with other people!

Which book do you recommend the most and why?

Video Game Storytelling by Evan Skolnick because it offers an interesting insight into how video games are made.

Do you prefer coffee or tea?

Oh, tea all the way. I've never been a fan of coffee. Its just not my thing.

Fun fact about yourself!

I still like CDs better.

Rough estimate, how many books are in your TBR pile?

At the moment I've got 3 books I plan on reading soon, and the rest are just kind of whenever I get to them.

Here are the bloggers that I'm nominating (some are on youtube & its not exactly 10)...

• Naya @ Naya Reads & Smiles
• Katherine P. @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
• Eden @ Blogging Between the Lines

And here are my questions...

• Which 2015 release are you most looking forward?
• Name one series that you plan on finishing but just haven’t gotten to yet.
• If you ever found yourself lost in the wilderness, which character from any book would you have with you to help you survive?
• Do you prefer ebooks or paperbacks?
• Would you rather have a book shaped cookie or cake?
• If there is a book signing with three authors in attendance, which ones would you like to meet and why?
• What’s your favorite kind of drink?
• Name a book from 2014 that had a cover you absolutely loved.
• What's one thing you enjoy doing other than reading?
• Why do you love reading?