[Review] Vivian Apple and the End of the World by Katie Coyle

Katie Coyle
Vivian Apple at the End of the World
#1 Vivian Apple [YA dystopia]

You can buy it here:
Vivian Apple at the End of the World (Hardcover)

FTC: I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: (via Netgalley)
Sixteen-year-old Vivian Apple never believed in the evangelical Church of America, unlike her recently devout parents. But when Vivian returns home the night after the supposed "Rapture," all that’s left of her parents are two holes in the roof. Suddenly, she doesn't know who or what to believe. With her best friend Harp and a mysterious ally, Peter, Vivian embarks on a desperate cross-country roadtrip through a paranoid and panic-stricken America to find answers. Because at the end of the world, Vivan Apple isn't looking for a savior. She's looking for the truth.

My thoughts:
I am so torn with this novel! On one hand, I loved the story in general, but on the other hand, there were a few things that still bug me. I have questions about the rapture, about the New Orphans (the group formed after the rapture that opposes the teachings of the Church of America), and Peter... 

In the long run, though, I'm just glad that we have a YA without instant love, without a love triangle, with a kickass heroine who doesn't need a guy to save the day necessarily, and her Indian-American bff Harp, Harpreet! 

This book is also available for the Kindle as Vivian Versus the Apocalypse.
The series also includes:
2) Vivian Apple needs a miracle (paperback)

Rating:
4/5

[Review] Pawn by Aimee Carter

Aimee Carter: Pawn [YA dystopia]

You can buy this here via Amazon:
Hardcover
Paperback
Kindle

FTC: I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (via Goodreads):
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.
For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.
If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.
There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

My thoughts:
This first book in the Blackcoat Rebellion series was absolutely thrilling! Kitty has a choice - live as a III as due to her dyslexia, she did not score well, and live in misery at the bottom of society, or be transformed into the Prime Minister's niece and live at the top of society as part of -the most powerful family. Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece died and she needs to be replaced. Due to her physical appearance, Kitty is a good choice to be transformed into Lila. What Kitty does not know is that Lila was at the head of the Blackcoat Rebellion, trying to bring down the class system and toppling her own family off their "throne". Kitty's job as LIla's replacement would not only be to pretend she is Lila, but to also bring down the Blackcoat Rebellion. This novel has some amazing storytelling and character building. The world Aimée Carter built comes to live and Kitty jumps off the pages. Her dilemma is described vividly, and it is wonderful to see how each character changes and reveals their true faces after time. This is certainly a series I need to continue reading. to find out how Kitty and her friends continue on.

Rating:
5/5

[Review] The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Kady Cross
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
[Steampunk YA]

You can buy it here:
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Amazon paperback)
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Amazon eBook)

FTC: I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: (via Netgalley)
What happens when someone you love becomes a weapon to use against you...

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her “straynge band of mysfits” have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade — the dangerous device Jasper stole from him... for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei’s neck tightens. And tightens.

From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper’s elusive trail. And they’re about to discover how far they’ll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley Jayne will rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley...and will risk his life and reputation to save her. Sam, more machine than man, finds his moody heart tested by Irish lass Emily — whose own special abilities are no match for the darkness she discovers on the streets.

Now, to help those she’s come to care for so deeply, Finley Jayne must infiltrate a criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much...

My thoughts:
Let me get one thing out of the way: I love this series! I was reading The Girl in the Clockwork Collar on a university day and boy was I annoyed when my Kindle ran out of battery. I did not have all that many pages left and there the battery dies in the middle of a thrilling and suspenseful part. Oh my! I was very anxious to get home that day!

Finley is such a strong heroine, and this feeling did not let up in the least in this second book. She remains amiable, yet she kicks butt. She does not need the male characters to survive in a hard world, but she also does not push them away. In short, Finley rocks!

Seeing the friends in new waters was very interesting as they had to get used to new sets of rules in New York society. The characters' relationships with each other are ever evolving and kept me entertained. Their interactions remain fun in this installment and you will not be disappointed, however, the end may be a tad bit too obvious. This, however is my only complaint. Young Adult novels need stronger female leads and a broader cast, which Kady Cross sure delivered. As for me, I cannot wait to read The Girl with the Iron Touch, the next installment in this series.

Rating:
4/5

[Cover Reveal] You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross & Mark Perini

So, my morning started with lots of fun when my son and the cat played with a necklace - and it tore... And hundreds of tiny beads were on the floor. And they still may be, because they are tiny, and you can hear them when you step on them, but that's it. Hard to see. It was annoying, but you know what? I don't care because - the cover above. It is absolutely beautiful, and I am thrilled to be able to show it to you. Don't you agree that this cover for You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross and Mark Perini is absolutely gorgeous? Personally, I cannot wait to get my hands on it, but we still have to wait a few months. This gorgeous books will hit the shelf on August 2, 2016. Thanks so much to Sourcebooks!

And yes, Julie Cross and Mark Perini collaborated again, after last year's Halfway Perfect! This might be gold!

I'm so in love with the cover. The fonts used are sleek, but catch my eye, and the photo used. I like the colors, they just make me look at the cover for ever. But now for the story...

Summary (via Goodreads):
Model Finley needs someone to help her shed her "good girl" persona, so she'll try Eddie on for size.
New York City model Finley is fed up with hearing the same feedback at castings: she needs to take some serious action to wipe the "good girl" stamp from her resume if she wants to launch to stardom.
Enter Eddie Wells. He's shallow, predictable…and just as lost as Finley feels. Deep down, Finley is drawn to Eddie's bravado, his intensity. Except Eddie is hiding something. A big something. And when it surfaces, both loving and leaving Finley will become so much harder.

Dewey's Readathon - Final update...

Can you believe it is over? I read all day yesterday still to finish up my book - and I made it! Yay! I have not finished a book within 2 days in I don't know how long. Barbara AllaN's Antiques Swap was a great choice, although it was not on my original list. I had fun reading it and once I have recovered, I will post a review. A slight hint: I definitely recommend it! /5

Dewey's Readathon Check in #3 and late Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?
I am still reading Barbara Allan's Antiques Swap and I enjoy it.

2. How many books have you read so far?
I am still working on the first book. Toddler, being sick and all that...

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I just want to make a dent into my current book...

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Yes, of course! I just live with them and read whenever I can. Honestly, I don't remember when I last read as much on a weekend as I have read during the readathon. I would say I'm doing ok.

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
That I actually get some reading done. So far, I am at about an hour...

Dewey's Readathon Check in #2

Well, we are about half-way through Dewey's Readathon and my eyes just want to fall shut. I will head on over to bed and read a bit before I fall asleep for sure. I will be back tomorrow, however! I am still working on Barbara Allan's Antiques Swap and I still enjoy it very much.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon - Check in #1 and Intro Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I'm reading in Germany, near Frankfurt.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Hm, that's a tough one. I chose all books because I kinda want to read them sooner rather than later!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Nothing in particular. I have had a pizza so far and a slice of bread. Also, I may or may not have made a chocolate chip cookie in a mug...

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I'm in my 30s, working on my thesis and both my toddler and I are sick. This will make for a fun readathon, especially because we both napped for like 2+ hours already and some Big Bang Theory was necessary... The reading part is not going too well so far. I have, however, read a good part of Barbara Allan's Antiques Swap, the 9th in her Trash 'n' Treasures series (it's hilarious!). I have read for maybe 30 minutes so far, though, so this will be a relatively uneventful readathon with not a lot of books finished (if any).

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I have not participated in the last readathon, but I have participated in the past. The biggest challenge for me really is to take care of the toddler and play with him while getting a bit of reading done. It is tough and I still haven't figured out how to do it. Any tips and tricks are certainly welcome!!!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon - plan of action

It is that time of the year again! I at first did not want to commit to anything, but I am actually going to. I want to at least try and see how far I could get with everything, having a toddler and all that. But wait, what am I talking about ? Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, of course!

I have participated in the past, I have spent the majority of the night up and awake, and I have read a good number of pages. I doubt it will be anywhere near past experiences this time (in part because I never know for sure if I will actually fall asleep when I take the toddler to bed). But I will try, and no matter what happens, I will be happy...

Naturally, I decided to make a list of books I am putting on a stack specifically for the readathon. It is relatively extensive, but that's just for the sake of having variety. So, without further ado, here it is:

Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Jill Shalvis: It Had To Be You
Jilliane Hoffman: Plea of Insanity
Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham: Fables 4

Monday Musings and what I am reading

Hello everyone!

It's Monday, and honestly, I wish I could be more positive, but the last week was not very productive, so the upcoming week might easily be horrible. The truth is, I was sick for the majority of last week, which in part had to do with the joys of missing a connection and getting to spend extra time in the cold outside when I was already not 100% healthy. It happens, so I just recovered, tried to at least get a bit done every now and then. Everything else I will have to tackle this week.

As I am working on my thesis at the moment, I am somewhat busy as it is, but additionally, I decided to revive my blog and YouTube - I need to do something for myself, after all, so it is a nice way to spend some me time. To be honest, I do like it, but I do not know how much of a proper schedule I can actually make for myself with this. For now, I know that I have 2-3 blog posts planned out in my head, so it's a matter of time until I have written down my thoughts and organized everything. And for YouTube I have a somewhat regular schedule set up that is relatively easily manageable. Nonetheless, both means work to a degree and this takes a back seat to my thesis and my family (unless I really need to unwind).

I am currently working on a number of books and I hope I do not forget about any. For one, I finally picked on older series back up with Jillian Hoffmann's Plea of Insanity. This is a great one and I cannot wait to have more time to read it. The basic premise is that a family was brutally murdered and the prime suspect is the father. It ties in with Hoffmann's Cupido books, but does not have a direct connection.

I am also reading Cassie Alexander's Nightshifted, the first in a series about a nurse who deals with plenty of supernatural beings. I cannot say much more about it yet, but the writing style is quite neat, so I am going with it.

And then I am reading a book which is a bit more unusual. I am talking about Lynda Barry's Syllabus. It is set up pretty much like a series of sketchnotes on Barry's lesson planning and writing exercises. I find it absolutely fascinating, but it is going slower for me simply because I am taking my time to think about it and I am taking notes.

Now, I am sure I forgot something, but we will leave it at that, ok? What are your plans for the upcoming week and what are you reading?