Monday, February 16, 2015

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...

Hover (The Taking, #2)This week I'm reading Hover by Melissa West, book two in The Taking series. This book was released August 13, 2013.

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Book Outlet

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?

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day!

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


Friday, February 13, 2015

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

The Keep (The Watchers, #4)"I'd do what I always did: I'd survive."--The Keep Veronica Wolff




What's on your page 56 this week?

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Review: The Keep by Veronica Wolff

The Keep (The Watchers, #4)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.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

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.
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!

Monday, February 9, 2015

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...
Finding Serendipity
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.

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

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?

Sunday, February 8, 2015

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.


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…
Alienated (Alienated, #1)

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.

Friday, February 6, 2015

ARC Review: Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas


Lucidity (The Raven Chronicles, #2)Title: Lucidity
Author: Stephanie Thomas
Source/Format: Author, E-ARC
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: February 7, 2015

Goodreads     Amazon

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!

Monday, February 2, 2015

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.

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!

Sunday, February 1, 2015

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)...
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?

Friday, January 30, 2015

The Friday 56 (19)

     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

The Unbound (The Archived, #2)"Requirement ruins even the best of books."--The Unbound by Victoria Schwab 


I know its two weeks in a row that I picked a quote from a page that's not 56, but I liked this one so much that I had to share it.  What's on your page 56 this week?

Cover Reveal: Maybe Me by Amber Hart

We're so excited to reveal the cover for Maybe Me by Amber Hart! Maybe Me releases this fall from Kensington Teen! But before that, I'm going to break out one of the arrows that I haven't used in a long time!




About Maybe Me... 

A sliver of a second is all it takes. 

Maria Reyes knows what it means to come from nothing. Escaping Cuba, the States have given Maria new dreams. Like graduating high school. Going to college. Making something of herself. Forgetting a past that always seems to creep up on her family. But mostly, staying out of trouble. Which is why falling for Hale is out of the question.

An unguarded moment, a simple mistake.

Hale Watson is a flash of a second away from being locked up for good. With a rap sheet longer than the list of homes he comes from, Hale has one more shot at making things right. Graduate senior year. Don’t mess up. Don’t get caught. That’s the plan. Until he meets Maria.

And everything changes.

Add Maybe Me to Goodreads here! You can also preorder it below (more retailers coming soon)!


Maybe Me is the third book in the Before & After series, but it can be read as a standalone! You can find out more about Before You and After Us here!

About Amber Hart...

Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides on the Florida coastline with family. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of Before You, After Us, Until You Find Md, and sequel to Until You Find Me (untitled as of yet). Represented by Beth Miller of Writers House.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Review: The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

The Unbound (The Archived, #2)Title:The Unbound
Author: Victoria Schwab
Source/Format: Purchased, Hardcover
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Hyperion, January 28, 2014

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble     Amazon    Book Depository

I don’t know if I have the words to sum up how much I loved The Unbound—I really don’t think I do. This book was amazing, and I didn't think it was possible to like it more than the first book—but I did. It’s been some time since I read The Archived by Victoria Schwab, so when I was in the bookstore and saw the hardback of The Unbound I decided to get it. I have no regrets.

All of my favorite characters from The Archived were back and dealing with the fallout from the last book. Mackenzie Bishop was more broken than not—her reactions were realistic given what she went through. I liked the fact that she wasn’t just ok about everything. I loved Mackenzie and her family I really got their relationship with one another. Their reactions to certain situations in the book were completely understandable, and I liked the way the tension was portrayed as they did their best to protect their daughter. Their concern, gosh, it was awesome. I love it when the family is more involved with the main characters, so in that aspect it was completely well-done. And Wesley Ayers…what can I even say about him? He was nice, and he truly did care for Mackenzie. The portrayal of their relationship was nice and refreshing amongst everything else that went on in the story. There were a few new characters that attend Hyde School like Mackenzie does. They were nice additions to The Archived world.

The writing, despite being first person, was descriptive with enough detail that I could easily get into the story.The plot might have seemed a little slow at first, but there were little hints as to what was going on. I didn’t have a problem with the pacing, and ended up enjoying The Unbound from start to finish. In fact, I read it in one sitting.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Musing Mondays (18)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week. **There are a new list of prompts for Musing Mondays**

My Musings for the week...

Today I'm going to be answering the random weekly question: Give a list of 4 books you read last year that you’d recommend to others — and why.

Double Vision: The Alias Men
Double Vision: Alias Men by F.T. Bradley. Really, the entire middle grade trilogy was fantastic and I would recommend it to just about anyone!
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Oh gosh, there’s a lot of things I really liked about this book, the writing style, the world building, and the characters combined with the interesting magic system. I think a lot of people would like this one, which is why I recommend it.

Courting Magic (Kat, Incorrigible, #3.5)The Archived (The Archived, #1)Courting Magic by Stephanie Burgis. Ok, I know this one isn’t a full length novel, but I recommend it as well as the books that go along with it—it was another really good middle grade series that I enjoyed.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab. I really liked this book. It has an interesting premise, plenty of mystery surrounding the Archive, and plenty of interesting characters.

There are a lot of other books that I recommend, but listing them all would make this post too long. Happy reading!

Friday, January 23, 2015

The Friday 56 (18)

  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

Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques"A natural inclination when it comes to conveying exposition is to tell. After all, the most efficient way we humans have of conveying complex ideas is with language."--Video Game Storytelling by Evan Skolnick



What's on your page 56 this week?

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Discussion: Short Stories

I recently read Until Midnight by Melissa Landers, which got me thinking about short stories—you know the stories that are set between, before, or after the novels and are generally a cheaper way for readers to get introduced to a writer’s work.

Given the chance to read a short story before you read the novel, would you?

Some short stories—especially the ones that are set after a novel—can contain spoilers. That’s a given. But I don’t particularly mind them as long as they’re not too big of a spoiler. As you can see from my review of Until Midnight by Melissa Landers I read it before the novel, which I don’t even have. Yet, there was one good thing about doing so, it gave me a chance to get introduced to the writer’s style and the story to see if I would even be interested in picking up Alienated. Since the short story got my interest, I’m now curious to see where it all began. Sure, there were a few things that could have been spoilers, but I don’t particularly feel like I know the entire story leading up to Until Midnight.

So, I guess my answer would be yes. I would buy/read the short story before I bought a novel by an author I’m unfamiliar with. That method might not be for everyone, but I find that it generally works for me.

Question: What are your thoughts on short stories?
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