Luminous by Dawn Metcalf

Publication Date: June 30, 2011

 Summary from Goodreads:

As reality slips and time stands still, Consuela finds herself thrust into the world of the Flow. Removed from all she loves into this shifting world overlapping our own, Consuela quickly discovers she has the power to step out of her earthly skin and cloak herself in new ones-skins made from the world around her, crafted from water, fire, air. She is joined by other teens with extraordinary abilities, bound together to safeguard a world they can affect, but where they no longer belong.

When murder threatens to undo the Flow, the Watcher charges Consuela and elusive, attractive V to stop the killer. But the psychopath who threatens her new world may also hold the only key to Consuela's way home.

My Two Cents:

I have to be completely honest. This was not for me. Perhaps this one went over my head? I really don't know but man was this confusing. Usually I'm able to adapt to whatever world the author has come up with. The "Flow" was just too complicated. One thing I can say about it was that it was written nicely. Though at times the descriptions of things were a bit overdone. 

I hated the fact that the main character's special ability was taking off her skin. Also, her nickname was Bones. I started liking her in the beginning as Consuela but when she became Bones I felt like I had no idea who she was. Feeling very much disconnected from the main character I began reading just to get through it.

The romance between Consuela and V felt a bit forced. I just didn't feel the chemistry between them. This is going to sound crazy but I have to say my favorite character was Tender, the person responsible for finding everything bad in the flow and eating it. Literally. He was sarcastic, and straight to the point.

 Again, this one was not for me. If you're looking for a book that is out of the box (and around the corner) this is definitely for you.

Rating:

In My Mailbox (39)

In My Mailbox highlights all the great stuff we've received every week (books!) and is hosted by Kristi the Story Siren. This was a nice week. I received pretty much every book I've really been looking forward to.

~ Fateful by Claudia Gray

 ~Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

~Orchards by Holly Thompson

 ~Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

 ~Forgiven by Janet Fox

 ~The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty

 ~Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

~Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

~Sphinx's Queen by Esther Friesner

What did you get??

BEA/BBC Book Haul

I got some really great books between BEA and BBC! Take a look:

Audio Books I snagged:

 ~Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

~Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

~Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald

~Satan's Sisters by Star Jones

~Martin Misunderstood by  Karin Slaughter

~Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler

ARCs/Finished copies

~The Secret Prince by Violet Habadasher

 ~Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

 ~Reasons to be Happy by Katrina Kittle

 ~Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

 ~How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston

 ~Bronxwood by Coe Booth

 ~Ten Things we Did and Probably Shouldn't Have by Sarah Mlynowski

~Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away by Christie Watson

~The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

~Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

~The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

~The Daughters Take the Stage by Joanna Philbin

~In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

~The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

~Legend by Marie Lu

~Enthralled by Melissa Marr

~The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater

~Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

~The Girl who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane

~Bedbugs by Ben Winters

~When Tito Loved Clara by Jon Michaud

~Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

~Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff

 ~The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michele Hodkin

 ~ Undercurrent by Traci Rayburn

 ~Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson

 ~Sirenz by Charlotte Bernardo

 ~The Ninth Wife by Amy Stolls

 ~Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

 ~Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

 ~The Future of Us by Jay Asher

 ~Bunheads by Sophie Flack

 ~Frost by Wendy Delsol

 ~Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

 ~Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

 ~Shelter by Harlan Coben

 ~The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

 ~Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

 ~Fostergirls by Liane Shaw

 ~ The Poison Diaries by Mary Rosewood

 ~The Taker by Alma Katsu

 ~A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

~A Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate

~The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

~Explorer X-Alpha by LM Preston

~Bandits by LM Preston

~Warm Bodies by Issac Marion

~The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly

~Middle School is the Worst by James Patterson

~Leap by Jodi Lundgren

I love to share so definitely look out for my next giveaway coming VERY soon!

Forgot to tell ya I went to BEA and BBC!! Wrap-up Finally

Am I the worst or what?? I just disappeared without a trace! Here's the thing, I've been dying to go back to BEA (Book Expo America) ever since last year's ended. I just really wasn't sure if I'd be able to get the days off from work. So this was quite last minute. So last minute I literally registered for my badge the Monday before lol. It's a good thing that I live in New York! So anywho, it became a scramble to prepare everything at the last minute. Needless to say I had a blast! First event I went to  was the Teen Author event at the Mulberry Library. It was pretty tight in there and quite hot but I was able to meet a few cool authors including Susan Colasanti, Hannah Moskowitz, Ellen Hopkins, Michelle Zink and Carrie Jones below. 

I wasn't able to go to BEA until that Wednesday so I had to move quickly because I'd already missed so much. My first stop was the Elizabeth Scott signing. She is the best!  

I was just walking around and saw someone with a crown on their head. Who else could it be? Flavor Flavvvvvvv LOL. Apparently he has a book coming out. This should be interesting. I just hope it's filled with his personality.

The day started off a little slow for me because everywhere I went they were running out of books. At first I was a little discouraged but then the bottom line is they alll have to come out some time :) I also found myself being a lot more selective than I was last year. Last year I was just a kid in a candy store. I took pretty much anything that was given out. Needless to say I still have most of those things just collecting dust. So this year I only took what I knew I was going to read. 

After Day One was over I went to the Class of 2k11 event at Books of Wonder. I had such a great time there as usual. There were so many authors there including , Gae Polisner, Amy Holder, Amy Fellner and more. They were all so nice. A few had even heard of my blog so that was a nice surprise!   

 Emma Michaels, Keri from Quill Cafe, and me. They were so fun to hang out with.

Even later that night I went to a Blogger/Author dinner that Good Choice Reading put together. The authors that came were Kristie Cook, A.M. Robinson and Emma Michaels. So many bloggers showed up including Bookshelf Lust, Sniffly Kitty, Read My Mind, Yara from Once Upon a Twilight, and Reader Teens just to name a few. I had a really good time. The food was good of course and the drinks were strong! We even had a little question and answer period with the authors. We talked about negative reviews, what they like to see from us, and what can be hurtful. Kristi Cook even came bringing books that other bloggers didn't get a chance to snag during the expo. A.M. Robinson also brought 2 copies of her book and I won one for myself woohoo! 

Damaris from Good Choice Reading eating her tempura and Jenna from Avid Reader's Musings.

Sorry it's a bit blurry but this is the Blogger table.

Okay, now Day Two at BEA was a lot more quieter. First stop of course was Ellen Hopkins signing for Perfect!

 Melissa Marr and I! 

 Want to know what my lunch was on Day Two? One chicken empanada from a little stand! I ate that sitting on the floor chatting with Pirate Penguin. BEA puts me on a mandatory diet that I never plan on being on. I tend to forget to eat until I suddenly feel like I'm going to pass out in the aisle. Usually the last is good because the booths start giving away almost everything in their booths including books, and swag. They are also easier to chat with because it's not as busy anymore. Last year, each day I lugged tote bag after tote bag all the way home. This time I got a little smarter. Not a whole lot just a little. I decided to open up a box at the convention and just keep loading it up and at the end I Fed Exed it to my house (yes in NY). 

The Book Blogger Convention was fantastic!!! I'm so happy I was able to go this year. It was really nice to be around so many people that were into what I'm into. I met so many bloggers and publicists. Below is Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches Trashy Books who was the first seminar. She had some great things to say about blogging. She said that as bloggers we had to kick our own ass. Very informative.

 Then I went to the Publisher's panel below.They had great things to say about bloggers. They said that we help to sell books. Did you hear that? Bloggers sell books!! There was also a question and answer period that was priceless. Do they care about negative reviews? Nope.

 Then I went to the panel for publicists. They really know how to make a blogger feel appreciated. One publicist even admitted to going out and purchasing books from the store just to mail them to bloggers to review. That's dedication.

 There was lunch which was awesommeeeee. Then the very exciting Author Speed Dating event. It was basically tables filled with bloggers and one or two authors would come sit with us and pitch their book. That was the idea. Well let's just say things got awkward at times but in a funny way. One side was YA and the other side was Adult. Of course I sat on the YA side. Well at one point an Adult author had wandered over to our table and it was strange because obviously none of us were interested. In the end you could probably hear a pin drop. Other than that hilarious moment it was great. Seeing right next to some of these authors was unbelievable. Below is myself and Lisa McMann!! I couldn't believe she was there. We got to ask her anything. 

 Below is myself and a few other bloggers with Michele Hodkin author of the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Did I mention I got a t-shirt?? Love it! Slept in it the first night. Anywho, Michele was sooo sweet.

 Other authors that were there that I didn't get a picture with were Elizabeth Scott, Daniel Nayeri who says I should brand "Only Sexy" and get t-shirts lol. Can't wait for his new book to come out in the Fall. Violet Herbadasher was also there. My goodness she is the cutest thing. So small and full of energy! Apparently she's into so many other things and she just happens to be an author as well lol. 

BBC and BEA was the best experience this year. I met so many bloggers and sooo many authors. The time and money spent was well worth it. If you can come next year definitely do! It's so worth it. 

Steve Watkins: Teenage Garage Sale

Today we're chatting chatting with Steve Watkins, Author of What Comes After. In case you missed my review you can check it out here. I've asked Steve what kind of things we’d find if he were to have a garage sale of items from his teenage years.From pot to a lock of hair (sounds pretty wild!) Steve gives us the all the dirty details. Check it out:

1. Original subscription to Rolling Stone magazine from my older brother, back when it was considered the hippie music bible.
2. Honda 350cc motorcycle, well-dented from that time a woman pulled out in front of me and I was going too fast to stop so had to lay it down on wet pavement and slide halfway under her car.
3. Ounce of pot.
4. Water pipe and rolling papers.
5. Search warrant.
6. Arrest warrant.
7. Low table I made from a stop sign I found on the side of the road, where I used to always sit cross-legged on the floor and do my homework. When I ever got around to doing my homework.
8. Old copies of The Free Press, an underground newspaper my friends and I put out during high school to protest the war, protest the lame high school curriculum, protest the criminalization of marijuana, protest whatever needed protesting. And also to publish our very serious and seriously angst-ridden poetry.
9. Seriously holey jeans with more patches sewed on than denim left to sew it on. Bellbottoms.
10. A William & Mary Wrestling Team t-shirt that my high school wrestling coach gave me. Threadbare.
11. Snare drum and well-worn drumsticks that I used when I was in the high school band, until I got kicked out for insubordination.
12. Lock of Susan Eaddy’s hair from when I took the bus from North Carolina back down to Florida where we used to live, so I could take her to Homecoming. I’d just gotten my license and somehow managed to back her Dad’s car into her Mom’s on our way to the dance after the game. Susan took the blame. Her dad yelled at her and made us walk. I was a coward and didn’t say anything at the time but confessed everything to Susan’s mom a couple of years ago—40 years after the fact. She forgave me.
13. Umbrella that Debby Crayton’s parents gave me as a Christmas present. They’d asked Debby, who was my girlfriend senior year, if I’d prefer that, or fifty dollars. Debby must have been mad at me for something because she said I would definitely like the umbrella.
14. Hair ties for my long hair that went down to my butt.
15. Draft card. 

Bloodspell by Amalie Howard

Publication Date: June  1, 2011

Summary from Goodreads:

The spell was simple...

Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)

But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?
,.
Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.

What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself

My Two Cents:

First let me say that I love Victoria as a character. She's had so many things against her yet she doesn't play the victim but takes it one day at a time. She loses her parents in an accident that only she survives. She's a complete outcast in school. Things happen that she can't even begin to explain.Then when she turns seventeen she receives a journal from one of her ancestors revealing that she is a witch. What a way to say "Happy Birthday" huh? Still eventually she starts to embrace it so she can protect herself.

This book is like one huge roller coaster that never comes down. From page one I was sucked into this story. Things really pick up when she meets the very hot Christian Devereux who has his own secrets. According to the journal if Christian and Victoria's worlds collide it could be deadly for them both. As much as they try to resist they can't be denied of each other. There's something about forbidden love that drives me nuts! As the reader you just want to say to hell with the laws, and let them be together. Unfortunately nothing ever turns out that way. 

I truly enjoyed this author's way of writing. It just flowed. No stale awkward moments. She also brought originality to a story filled with witches, werewolves, fey, vampires, and forbidden love without overdoing it. I've read so many paranormal books that after awhile they begin to sound the same but this one will definitely be remembered. 

Rating: