S is for Marta Szemik

Good evening everyone, today is the day I've been waiting for, for a long time, dedicated to my amazing friend/author, Marta Szemik. This one's for you, Marta!

    I've known Marta since I was four years old, and now I can't believe that I finally have my love of books in common with her. When she released her first novel, Two Halves, in 2011, she inspired me right away to start writing as well. 

   I've written a few drafts of things, here and there, but nothing never brought me to going further. I'm currently working on two works, one dystopian and one fantasy/romance.

  Anyways, this is about Marta's work, not mine. So, lets get to the reviewing!

Title: Two Halves

Author: Marta Szemik

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Release Date: November 27, 2011

Publisher: MyLit Publishing

   Two Halves was one unforgettable book, that made my heart hurt for the romance between William and Sarah! 

    

    Marta here has made me obsessed, seriously. There are so many amazing books out there, and this series just happens to be one of them! 

   So, for those of you who haven't read it yet, which you definitely should, here's a little summary. Okay. Twenty-one year old Sarah is a half-breed vampire, who killed her human mother at birth, with her strength, and whose father left her with a trusted guardian. When she starts to get vivid nightmares frequently about someone who is hunted for, just like her, she is wildly captivated into thinking about him, all the time. When the dark side starts hunting for her, Sarah isn't sure if she's ready into coming into the underworld. All it takes is one choice, for everything to change.

     I guess you can see why I love this series, because of it's captivating, urban plot. I loved William and Sarah's relationship. They were destined to be together, and that just made my heart ache from the sight of it. Personally, my favourite characters were Mira and Xander. They were put into the world for a specific reason, to look after Sarah, and you could feel that they were real. I definitely see that Marta added her passion and soul into each and every one of her characters, and I felt it throughout the book.

   The series goes on with Marked, Two Equals, and finally, sadly ending with Evil-Bent. They were all thrilling books, with everything I wanted in them, hoping for more from Marta, who is a brilliant author, with her big imagination, making readers cheering "Two Halves, Two Halves" in the crowds.

   I guess you see why I dedicated this post to my inspiration, and one of my favourite authors, Marta Szemik. If you read this, you'll find NO other book like it.

   If you believe me, and realize that Marta's work sounds terrific, she has a blog too, so no worries! Visit Marta at her website; http://martaszemik.blogspot.ca/ 

  Marta will truly inspire all of you, to follow your dreams, because I'm pretty sure, that she's living hers, writing for all of us to read.

-Michelle

N is for Alyson Nöel

     Spring is finally here! Alyson Nöel's books' colours remind me that summer is finally coming, and that I have to catch up on more of her books! So... N is for Alyson Nöel, an extraordinary young adult author. 
   
   First off, lets start off with the single novels, Art Geeks and Prom Queens, and Kiss & Blog. Art Geeks and Prom Queens is about sixteen-year old Rio Jones, whose mother is a supermodel, who moves from bright New York to sunny California, where everything is about being popular. When she meets Kristi, a beautiful, rich cheerleader, Rio doesn't have one guess that she'll become her friend, but she does. At first as Rio is having a great time, she never realized that you don't cross Kristi...
   
   I've been wanting to read this one for a while, and here I did, and I really loved it! Rio was smart, fun and everything a girl would want themselves to be like. I really liked this book because Rio put confidence in herself and was independent. She stood up for herself against the stupid girls who think the world revolves around them. It's the perfect girly book that will keep you running away from those who turn your world upside down!

   Next off, we have Kiss & Blog, another single novel. Kiss & Blog features Winter and Sloane, two best friends ready for high school, where they make a pact that they will become noticed. When Sloane gets the real life, and ditches Winter, Winter needs to realize that friends should stick together, even in their times of need, and to get revenge. 

  Kiss & Blog was one worthy read. I enjoyed this book a lot, it was a fun, girly, chick-lit for any teen, lovers of The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants. Winter was a really strong heroine, but I hated her Sloane! ! I knew she was up to something! Although Alyson Noel was stronger in Art Geeks and Prom Queens, I enjoyed this book as well.

  Radiance. Radiance is a four-part series written for a tween audience, by Alyson here. Riley Bloom has crossed into the afterlife, the Here, where time is always Now, because of her death in a car accident, that also took the life of her parents, but left her sister, Ever, behind. She's picked up a happy new life where she's been assigned a job, to become a Soul Seeker, and fight ghosts with her "teacher," Bodhi. This time around, both Riley and Bodhi have to find the mysterious Radiant Boy, a ghost that's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. 

   Radiance and the rest of the series made my heart literally swim, and fly, in this case. Alyson showed that she could write both fantasy, and romance, in one, to truly satisfy her readers. I enjoyed the series very much, and I hope that Nöel will soon start a series on a new concept. 

   Last but not least, Evermore. Evermore is about Ever, who lost her parents and her younger sister, Riley (Yes, there's a relation.) in a car accident. As she comes back into Earth, she realizes that she could see people's auras and know someone's life story by simply touching them. She is brought to a new high school where everything changes when she meets Damon. Damon draws Ever into his world of secrets and mystery and falls in love, when she finds he's like her, an immortal.
   
   Evermore was amazing. Damon and Ever truly showed physical romance, that you can't keep apart. Nöel wrote as if in a way that she takes Ever's role in life very seriously. GO EVERMORE!

   I chose Alyson Nöel because she's a great inspirational author for young readers, showing that you could be anything you want to be, and that dreams can simply come true. I adore her books, and will definitely keep on reading the rest of the Immortal series very soon!


QOTD: Who is your favourite author, and why? 
   

L is for April Lindner

   Bonjour! L is for an awesome author, April Linder, author of Jane and Catherine, two books that are based on classic stories, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but with a twist!

   Okay, so lets start off with the first book she wrote, that was the best one, Jane. Jane takes place in a world, similar to ours, where Jane Moore is forced to drop out of an East Coast Collage after her parents' sudden death. 

    Uh huh, so you are listening! Anywho, Jane takes a nanny job at the estate of famous rock star, Nico Rathburn. Independant and confident, Jane soon begins to enroll a romance with the hunky star, and begins to discover a mystery about the estate. Torn between love and mysteries, Jane has to decide whether love should be taken a chance with, if a secret unfolds in between.

      

    This is how I felt after I finished this book. Jane was the perfect book for me, because I adore romance, and a little mystery in-between. Nico might've sounded stubborn, but he turned into a great male character. So, the lesson of this book is to take a chance with love, because you may have found the "one."

    Next, Catherine. Catherine was released this year, prior to Jane, kind of as a spinoff to Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. Catherine takes place with two points of view, Catherine's, and Chelsea's, in two different time periods, the 80's and I guess, modern day? 

     Catherine is your average teenager, with a not-so-average life. Her father owns an underground nightclub, The Underground, in Manhattan. When she meets the mysterious Hence, she falls in love immediately with the talented musician.  But when their love is tested by a true amount of fate, can the two still be together by the end?

     Chelsea always had believed that her mom died of an illness years ago, but when she discovers a letter her dad's been hiding from her for years, a letter stating that she went missing, Chelsea has to go seek for her, and the first place she goes to, the place where it all began, The Underground. Taken in two points of views, two different lives, April Lindner truly showed her side of things in this novel.

     Catherine surprised me. I truly thought that it'd be five stars, but I gave it four, because it wasn't as strong as Jane. Although Jane was better, I still enjoyed Catherine very much, with the romance, mystery, and time periods. A great story for any teens seeking a good mystery-romance novel.

      Overall, I dedicated this post to April Lindner, because she is a fantastic author. Her storylines actually place you in her stories, filling you with thousands of thoughts keeping you awake for hours. Jane and Catherine fufilled my requirements of a great book, and went beyond. 

Question of The Day: What is your favourite classic book? Do you think that there should be a spinoff book, such as Jane or Catherine?

C is for... Cassandra Clare

    
    Good evening, my fellow bookworms, and bloggers. Today is C Day, also known as my choice, Cassandra Clare, author of the popular Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices trilogy!
   The Mortal Instruments, the first series Cassie started to write, came out with its first book, City Of Bones, on March 27, 2007, from Margeret K. McElderry Books. The #1 New York Times bestseller starts off with Clary Fray, your average American teenager, going to a club called the Pandemonium. She'd never expect to see what had happened.. happen. She witnessed a murder committed by three teenagers with strange tattoos and weapons. Then, the body disappears. Clary realizes that the murderers are invisible, and that her best friend, Simon, cannot see them also. Clary had just met the Shadowhunters, warriors part-angel that fight and summon demons. One of those murderers was golden-haired, muscular Jace, who is instantly pulled into her world. Soon after, Clary's mother disappears, and Clary has to find out some answers to her questions, before it's too late. 
     City of Bones is one of my favourite series. It's captivating, thrilling, romantic, and everything in between. It throws you into Jace's and Clary's world, fighting and living the life. Every moment is a keepsake. You'll never forget this journey that takes you with it. 
   City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, and City of Lost Souls are all sequels to this novel, and all bring you closer and closer into finding that the Mortal Instruments series might be too good to be true, but they are. I won't give away anything, but all I could say, is please, please, please read this book, you won't regret it.
      Cassandra Clare's other series is The Infernal Devices, also known as the prequel to the Mortal Instruments. Clockwork Angel, the first book, was released on August 31, 2010 from the same publisher as The Mortal Instruments, Margeret K. McElderry Books. This book features Tessa Gray, a young American girl, whose out to England to look for her brother. Kidnapped by the Dark Sisters, members of the Pandemonium Club, Tessa learns that she is a Shadowhunter. She finds herself in love with two men, James, whose hiding a dark secret, and Will, who keeps everyone at arm's will. She soon finds herself helping her friends save the world, and becoming torn between love. All it takes is one choice... to change everything.
       Clockwork Angel is one of my favourites, also, of all time. The romance made my heart hurt, because I want something like that, and the thrill made me bite my nails to the tips. 
       Cassandra Clare is a stunning author. Every storyline she writes, makes her readers want more. The only thing is, girl, you gotta write quicker! I can't wait for City Of Heavenly Fire, and her next series! 

Cassandra Clare's books gave me a different point of view of life, in a different way, read it, and it will for you, too. 

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

     An Abundance Of Katherines was an piece of excellence, from the heart. Okay, enough of my REAL English talk. In other words, An Abundance Of Katherines was absorbingly great. Yes, because I absorbed the book, I read it quickly. Anyways, John Green is perfection. Whatever he writes, fits for me. His books are made for me, because it helps me overcome the labyrinth of things. (Looking For Alaska) Also, his words help us find The Fault In Our Stars. The appendix at the back, helped me figure out what Colin was talking about, half of the time, and I enjoyed this book every bit. Lindsay, Colin, Katrina, Hassan, Hollis, and TOC were all sarcastically funny, fun characters for readers to remember time after time. 

B is for Books That Start With "B" (My favourites)

    I just realized how much I love doing the A-Z Challenge! I only did it for one day, and I'm already having a blast! Today's the letter B, which means that I will be blogging about my favourite Books that start with B! So, here's a picture from my famous basement-library (yes, I know, obsessive much.) of my favourites! 

     Starting the top of the pile, in no particular order, is Bloom, by Elizabeth Scott!

Bloom is a 237 paged paperback book that was released on April 24, 2007. The cover features a brown-haired girl, with a white flower in her hair. Summary time! Bloom is about a teenage girl, named Lauren whose always had the perfect top-notch life. She's popular, has a hot boyfriend, decent grades and a best friend. When a new guy, Evan Kirkland, arrives to school, she can't stop staying away from him. She skips classes, lies to her friends, and denies many things. Lauren needs to make a choice, before one is chosen for her. I loved this book! I gave it a 5/5 star rating, because it deserved it. I had high expectations of this book, but they were even higher than I thought! Evan was perfection. His words to Lauren were like Romeo's to Juliet. Bloom truly made my heart quiver, and left me thinking about young love.

      Next stop, in Easton, Connecticut, we have The Book of Spells, by Kate Brian! The Book of Spells, is a young adult novel, published by Simon and Schuster, on December 21, 2010. The cover features, a young, black-haired girl, which looks like in a snowy-forest with her wearing a white dress. The book takes place in 1915, when sixteen-year old Eliza Williams is sent to the Billings School for Girls. As she gets used to being away from her rich, strict life, she and her housemates find out that they're witches. After finding an old spell book, they create a coven, searching for more secrets to their pasts. The girls find freedom and power, until when one of the spells have gone wrong. This book introduced me to paranormal-romance books! It was the beginning to them all, and I adored it. Kate Brian's words captivated me, and made me want more. 5/5 star rating. 

       Before I Fall, by the Delirium writer, Lauren Oliver was released on October 25, 2010 by HarperCollins with 470 pages. This book changed my life forever, but lemme tell you what it's about. Samantha Kingston has everything, just like Lauren in Bloom, popularity, money and the perfect boy. Friday February 12, was her last day to this life. Maybe for it all... The thing is, she wakes up the next morning, and finds out that each day is the same day all over again. February 12, each time she opens her life. Sam needs to figure out what had went wrong and solve the mystery of her life. Another favourite to the list! Before I Fall introduced me to Oliver's amazing books, and made me feel what Sam was feeling. 5/5 star rating.

        I always have loved Jen Calonita's books. This one was just another to add to the list! Belles was released on April 10, 2012 by Poppy, and is the perfect summer-road trip type of story. Isabelle Scott lives beside a boardwalk, where she's having a good life. When tragedy strikes, Isabelle has to move in to a long-lost uncle's home and start a whole new life there. Turns out, her uncle has a daughter, the same age as Issy, named Mirabelle. Mira doesn't want to share her life with an outsider, but soon after, they find a secret that will change their lives forever. The characters, plot, and meaning to this book had me thrilled, laughing, and crying at the same time! We can all tell that Jen added her passion into writing this, with meanings that will have you thinking. 5/5 stars.

        Big girls don't cry...... They make revenge. Burn For Burn, by another of my favourite authors, Jenny Han and her best friend, Siobhan Vivian, was girly, fun, and sassy. Probably a 5/5 star rating, right? Lilia, Mary, and Kat all have someone to get revenge from, someone who ruined their lives. When they all create a master plan, something to get down these people, they realize that consequences may overcome, but they'll have to achieve what's right. As I scrolled through the book, I found myself liking Kat's attitude, but Mary's sweetness, and Lillia's lifestyle. All three gals had something in them that WOW-ED me. I was very happy to hear that Fire To Fire would be released soon, another book to add to my to-read list. 

      Perfection is coming up! Between The Lines, by Jodi Picoult, and her daughter, Samantha Van Leer, stunned me, in a phenomenal way. Delilah always described herself as an outsider, a booknerd. She's always had an obsession with a particular fairy tale story, Between The Lines. It's always felt real to her. One day, it does. One day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. Delilah and Oliver need to figure out how to get Oliver out of the book, and maybe, an attraction between them, will overcome. Romantic, adventrous, thrilling, and perfect, Between The Lines went right to my favourites list. I WANT MORE!

       Last but not least, we have Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures is taken place in Gaitlin, where Ethan Wate never expects something BIG to happen in his small southern town, but it does. Lena Duchannes, new to town, has been in Ethan's dreams. Falling off a cliff, together. But, Ethan never saw her until that day. She's struggling to conceal a power, to break a curse between them, but no one would realize that they'd fall in love... Beautiful Creatures is one of my all-time favourites. A friend of mine recommended it, and I loved it, more than she did. It was haunting, romantic, and thrilling all through the story. I never wanted it to end, but it did. 5/5 stars.

All of these wonderful books put a meaning to my life, I hope, after this post, they will for you, too.

A is for Alice In Zombieland

    Today is the first post of the A-Z challenge this year, and for today, A is for Alice In Zombieland! What is better than featuring a book, that's beautiful, and has a phonomenon that many people are obsessed with, the walking dead, also known as zombies?    
    Alice In Zombieland, an young adult novel, by Gena Showalter, is the first book in the White Rabbit Chronicles, was released on September 25, 2012, by Harlequin Teen, with a hardcover edition, and 404 pages. 
    Many people enjoy this book, with its Goodreads average rating, 4.07 and 1,238 reviews. Gena Showalter has announced that the sequel, Through The Zombie Glass, will be released on September 24, this year (2013) in a hardcover edition with 304 pages.
     As I said, many people enjoy this book, but I wasn't one of them. Lesson 1. Do not ever, ever I tell you, judge a book by its cover. Sadly, I did for this one. It's so stunning! With its layout, colours and fab, any reader would want to buy it, right? I did too. In my opinion, it wasn't as good as the public says it is. I highly expected it to be "AMAZING" but, it wasn't. Zombies are something that many people are becoming obsessed with, and I guess I thought that I would see the passion of her writing using these characters. First of all, the title. Why would she even call the book, "Alice In Zombieland?" It doesn't make sense, because it has nothing to do with Alice In Wonderland, and her world is normal like ours, she doesn't leave Earth, into another "land." She's a zombie slayer, there's no point in this.    
      Okay. So, I was hooked into this, as well. At first, I loved the beginning. Ali's father never let her or her family go outside at night because he believes that there's monsters out there, as you can probably tell, zombies. But, when Ali's birthday comes, her family forgets about it. When she reminds them, Ali's mother wants to do something for her. Ali wishes that the whole family could go to her sister's dance recital, at that night, but she makes the wrong wish....
      Anyways, I'm not going to summarize this all for you. You get it, at least I hope so. I rate this book a 3/5 stars, because it didn't WOW me. The male character, Cole was very dull, and didn't seem to love Ali as other boys do to their girlfriends in other books. I wanted more zombie, more thrill, and more romance. 

So, this was today's book for the letter A, we'll see what tomorrow brings, right?

REMEMBER, DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.