{Closed Giveaway} Half Bad by Sally Green

Page Count: 394
Published By: January 13, 2015

Published by: Penguin/Speak

Genre(s): YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Source: Paperback

PROVIDED BY PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter:

My Rating: 4.75 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

“Highly entertaining and dangerously addictive”— Timemagazine

“A bewitching new thriller.” — The Wall Street Journal

In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and sixteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his seventeenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

In the tradition of Patrick Ness and Markus Zusak, Half Bad is a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive, a story that will grab hold of you and not let go until the very last page. 

~~~

Hey guys!

      I was contacted by Penguin/Random House to do a special review on Half Bad in order to celebrate the release of the third and final book in the Half Bad Trilogy, Half Lost. I was so excited to be contacted by Penguin, because I've been wanting to read Sally Green's books for a while. Ben from benjaminoftomes on YouTube has been raving about these books for quite a long time, and it's made me really want to read them. There's actually a giveaway that will end on Monday that I regrettably forgot to post when it first started. So here is the link to it!

 Giveaway:

• Dates: 2/22 – 3/21
• Rafflecopter giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NjliNDM1MTFmN2Y4NWJlNDFlZGZhMDI2NDYxYWQ4OjI5/?widget_template=5627e93058b80d6e0b616d91
• Restrictions: US only, ages 13+
• Prizes: The complete Half Bad series (Half Bad, Half Wild, and Half Lost), and a Penguin Teen totebag

~~~

Praise for HALF LOST, the last book in the trilogy

 “The Half Bad trilogy ends as strongly as it started in this conclusion to one of the finest recent examples of YA fantasy.”- PW 

    " An immensely satisfying finale of dazzling magic, hard-earned romance, and the tragic realities of war.”– Kirkus

    "It’s a poignant finale to a trilogy that for readers, for full effect, will need to absorb from its beginning.”– Booklist

Praise for HALF BAD

“Highly entertaining and dangerously addictive.” – TIME Magazine

“Genuinely engaging.”  -The New York Times

“

This is an enthralling fantasy in the Harry Potter tradition, powered by Nathan’s unique narrative voice.” – TIME.com, Best Books of 2014

“Much more than a book about witches. Her page-turner is a ruminative exploration of the nature of evil.” – The Boston Globe

“What if Harry Potter were never rescued from his uncle’s house?….THAT story would be Half Bad and it’s a KNOCKOUT.” – Justine Magazine

“Have you ever had the thing where you're so absorbed in reading a book that you try to keep reading it while walking around on the street, only to come close to being hit by a bus? I had a bit of that with the new young-adult fantasy novel Half Bad by Sally Green.” – io9

“Both gripping and surprisingly sophisticated” – The AV Club

“Sally Green’s Half Bad is the perfect novel for inspiring one to despise all of humanity or fall onto the ground and weep pathetically. Needless to say, it is an excellent book.” – Tor.com

“It’s refreshing…chances are, readers will want to revisit this world of witchcraft because, well, it's not half bad.” – USA Today online

“With a memorable main character and its themes of good and evil, Green’s book deserves to stand out.” – Bustle.com

~~~

My Review:

      I was at first really skeptical about this book, because the first couple chapters/part was really confusing. I didn't exactly know what was going on, but it was interesting so I kept on reading. I really liked where it was going once I got into the second section of the book. I really enjoyed Sally Green's writing style, and her characters and magical world was so compelling. It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, and the over all magic system was really interesting. The differences between the black and white witches and the prejudice between them was really interesting. I thought that it was really really well done. 

      I really didn't like the beginning of the book. It was written in second person, and the way that it was started is really confusing. It later makes sense because after the first few chapters, it goes back into the beginning of his life. The beginning of the book starts out when he was a baby, then when was in his teens, then it reverts back to when he was a kid in the second part. It was just very strangely done. Sometimes the writing style felt a bit broken, and the pacing felt a bit off. Those problems alone have caused my rating to go from 5 stars to about 4.75 stars.

      Once I got passed the weird first part, the book was very addicting. Sally Green's characters were very interesting, and the relationships between them were very cool to read about. As Nathan experiences the hardships that the opposing witches send his way, he perseveres through and doesn't give up on his goals. I really liked Sally Green's magical aspects and I really hope that I see more of it in the second and third book. I'm really excited about reading the rest of the books, I really hope that they live up to the hype. I cannot ever compare this book to The Hunger Games, because the only similarity between them are their YA genre status. There isn't much else that is similar.  

       I highly recommend this book. Lovers of Harry Potter, urban fantasy, and witch oriented books will love this book.

My Favorite Character: Nathan
My Least Favorite Character: Annalise

I hope you enjoyed this review!

Happy Reading!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~
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Top 5 Wednesday {#12}: Least Favorite Books In Series

Hey guys!

      It's that time again! Once again, it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday! i had looked at the Top 5 Wednesday group on Goodreads, and I had seen that one of the weekly topics to discuss was your least favorite books from series. This took a lot of thought from me on my part, but I've managed to make up a list of 5 books. Here they are!

1. The Kill Order (The Maze Runner#0.5) by James Dashner

One of the first books that I thought of would have to be The Kill Order. If you had read my Maze Runner series review {click here},you would know that I actually really hate this book. The book was made up of maybe 90% action, and 10% story. I was hoping for a story that revolved more on Thomas and Teresa, but there wasn't much to keep my bookish appetite sated. I hope for more when it comes to The Fever Code which will come out in September.

My Rating: 3 stars

2. New Moon (The Twilight Saga #2) by Stephanie Meyer

I've read this book a multiple of times, and it's probably my least favorite of the series. I didn't like Bella or Edward in this book, they were both aggravating, and even thinking of this now...it's aggravating. The Twilight Saga was the first vampire series and Twilight, the first in the series, was the first vampire book I had ever read. These books are very nostalgic for me, and even if I kind of think this addition to the series is bleh, it still holds a very special place in my heart.

My Rating: 3.75 stars ???

3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Ok! LET ME EXPLAIN!

The Chamber of Secrets. I absolutely love it! It just happens to be my least favorite of the Potter books...I don't really know why. It's fantastic in every way! It's just my least favorite of the series...I guess that's all I have to say about that.

My Rating: 5 stars

4. Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

So recently, in December, I read Opal for the first time. It had been a year since I had read the first and second books in the Lux series, so I decided to read them again. I read the first and second, and I loved them, as I started Opal...I was getting bored...I was getting slumpy. I decided that I would push through and stop after the third. I was beginning to predict what was going to happen next, and I didn't like it, and I was beginning to hate the book. I know that I will complete the series because there's only 2 books left, but I had decided then that I would put it off so that I could end the year reading something amazing.

5. Peter & the Sword of Mercy (Peter and the Starcatchers #4) by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson 

As an 11 or 12 year old, I was totally in love with this series, and I had read the first and second books in the series over and over again. I didn't know, at the time, that there were two more installments added to the series (there's now 5 in the series). When I read the fourth, it had been a couple years since the last time than when I read the third. This may have contributed to my negative feelings towards the book, but maybe someday I'll reread the series. 

My Rating: 3 stars

I hope you all enjoyed this addition to LivTheBookNerd's Top 5 Wednesday! I will see you tomorrow with a review of An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, and next Tuesday with a review of Half Bad by Sally Green! See you soon! 

Happy Reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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Entwined by Heather Dixon

Page Count: 472
Expected Published: March 29, 2011

Published by:  Greenwillow Books

Genre(s): YA, Romance, Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling, 
Source: Paperback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Author Profile: [click here]

My Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

    Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it's taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation.

    Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

~~~

Hey guys!

      I first read this book when I was about 14, and in 8th grade. It was one of my all time favorites, and I had never forgotten about it after I graduated from middle school. I received a paperback copy this year for Christmas, and I decided to randomly pick it up after I read The Siren by Kiera Cass {click here for the review}, and I'm so glad that I did! I had forgotten almost all of the little details from Entwined, and reading it again this past month was like reading it for the first time...again...

      Heather Dixon is such a fantastic and skilled writer. Her characters are so beautifully written, and the plot was so intriguing and chilling. The way that Heather Dixon dealt with family, mourning, broken families, and friendship. The relationships between Azalea and her sisters are so heartwarming, and each of their personalities are so different and fun. Though there are 12 sisters, and first time readers would assume that the girls would be hard to tell them apart, but Dixon has made it so that each princesses' name is alphabetical according to their births. The eldest being Azalea, and the youngest being baby Lily. Their relationship is really sweet, and really raw and real. The added magical and fantastical aspects to this novel is absolutely mystifying as well. The magic is simple, yet complex. It reminds me of the stories that were read to me when I was young, and the stories that I continue to read as an (almost) adult.

      The creepy and mysterious Keeper creeped me out from the beginning, and I wondered throughtout the book why the girls did not suspect his motives. His motives are ancient and revolves around the country's history. As the story progresses you, the reader, learns more of their history and it's just wonderfully written. This is one of my all time favorite retellings, and I know that I'll read it again and again and again.

More Awesome Retellings:.

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer {5 stars}
• East by Edith Pattou {5 stars}
• The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor {4 stars}
• The Fairytale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm #1) by Michael Buckley {5 stars}
• A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas {3 stars}
• The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh {5 stars}

Above are some of my all time favorite fairy-tale retellings. I've read 4/6 of the list, and you can check them out if you search them up in the index on the home page or above. I hope you all enjoyed this review!

Happy Reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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The Siren by Kiera Cass

Page Count: 327
Expected Published: January 26, 2016

Published by: HarperTeen

Genre(s): YA, Romance, Fantasy (Mythology), Supernatural, Mermaids
Source: Hardback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @kieracass

My Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

A girl with a secret.
The boy of her dreams.
An Ocean between them.

Years ago, Kahlen was rescued from drowning by the Ocean. To repay her debt, she has served as a Siren ever since, using her voice to lure countless strangers to their deaths. Though a single word from Kahlen can kill, she can’t resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live freely among them again. 

Kahlen is resigned to finishing her sentence in solitude...until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and kind, Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of.

Falling in love with a human breaks the Ocean’s rules. But for the first time in a lifetime of following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart.

~~~

Hey guys!

       If you've been following my blog for a while, then you know that I am a major fan of Kiera Cass's Selection series. When I found out that her stand alone, The Siren, was being rereleased and reedited, I was absolutely ecstatic. I had been planning to read The Siren for a while, but her big news just made me even more excited for her book. Kiera wrote her first book when she was 17, and she published it herself. I think Kiera Cass is such an amazing writer, and The Siren does not disappoint!

      This book was such a beautifully done piece of art. It was hauntingly beautiful, yet addicting and page-turning. It was light, yet deep; and the characters were so wonderfully written. The Siren follows Kahlen, a young girl who was spared from perishing in a ship wreck by The Ocean. In exchange for her life, Kahlen works for the Ocean. Kahlen has to become a siren and lure ships to sinking and causing hundreds of people to die. As Kahlen lives her life as a siren, she has to come to terms with all of the innocent lives that she must claim to feed the Ocean's appetite. She dreams of the day that she gets released from her 100 year sentence. She longs to fall in love, and have a normal life. One day, she meets Akilini, a sweet and caring boy. Kahlen and Akilini's love cannot be, her voice only brings death, and if he ever hears her voice he would die. 

      This book is more than a love story. It is full of friendship, motherly love, and true love. The original and unique form of mythology that Kiera Cass is so fascinating and addicting. Her subtle world building, and Kahlen's siren sisters make this story a beautiful story about friendship and sisterhood. The Ocean's possessive and aggressive character is really interesting, and left me desiring her back story. Kahlen's siren sisters all had deep and relatable back stories that made them essential to the story. All of them were quirky and their interactions with the Ocean and the humans around them were really interesting, and it made me want to read more. 

      The only thing that left me curious were Kiera Cass's choices for the character's names. They're so unique and strange for the time period and the setting. Kahlen was also from the 20's to 50's period so the name seems to be pretty modern as well.

      I really wish that there was at least a novella that told about what happened after the end of The Siren. I cannot wait for May when The Crown comes out...it's what's driving me to get to finals ;)...

I hope you enjoyed this review! I plan on doing a video on it soon!

Happy Reading,
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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The Cellar by Natasha Preston

Page Count: 347
Expected Published: March 1, 2014

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre(s): YA, Mystery, Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Contemporary, Sociology, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Source: Paperback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @natashavpreston

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

      When sixteen-year-old Summer Robinson goes missing one night, her family, friends and boyfriend are devastated. Nothing ever happens in Long Thorpe, so the disappearance of a school girl shocks the whole community. The police waste no time in launching a search and investigation, but with nothing to go on and no trace of Summer, hopes of finding her quickly fade.

      Colin Brown, is a thirty-year-old solicitor living alone after the death of his mother. He suffered a traumatic and abusive childhood, and is left with no sense of right or wrong. Desperate for the perfect family, Colin, referring to himself as Clover, turns to drastic measures to get what he wants.

~~~

Hey guys!

      I picked this book up to add some variety to what I was reading and to read something that was out of my comfort zone. I do not usually read the thriller genre or mysteries...I suppose I could say that I read some short stories or fanfiction stories that could be considered thrillers, but I haven't read many in the past year. One of the main reasons that I decided upon reading this book was that Natasha Preston is a very popular writter on the fanfiction and creative writing website, Wattpad. I had heard some amazing things about Natasha's writing, and I'm excited to read more of her work.

Things That I Liked: 

• The whole story is really suspenseful, intense, emotional, and gripping. The characters were really intriguing, and well thought out. 
• I really liked how the POVs changed back and forth between Summer, Lewis, and Clover. The changing POVs really brought the stories together. 
• Clover's POV enabled the reader to understand the motives behind Clover's psychotic behavior. 
• Lewis's POV was very dedicated, and very sweet. I really loved and appreciated his dedication to finding Summer.
• I also really liked Summer. She wasn't the hero! She was a realistic girl. She was scared, she was freaking out, and she was losing hope. Her behavior was really natural and realistic.

Things I Didn't Like:

• There was very little involvement with the parents. I would have thought that the parents would be frantic to find Summer, but they weren't...very much...I didn't like it...
• And on top of that I couldn't tell which of the adults were Summer's parents and which of them were Lewis's parents.
• I kind of expected the book to be really terrifying, but it was more creepy than scary. I was kind of expecting it to be much scarier, but that doesn't take away from the story. 
• The thing that turned me off from this book was that the ending fell pretty flat. Her behavior at the end was a bit lacking...I suppose I just expected more of it.

      Overall, this was a pretty good book. If you like psychological thrillers, then you will love this book. The plot was nicely paced, full of suspense, and the characters were really interesting. I'm definitely going to check out the sequel, You'll Always Be Mine. I can't wait to check it out. 

Have a great week everyone!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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February Wrap Up 2015

Hey guys!

      It's been a great reading month! I've read 13 books, which includes 8 books and 5 graphic novels. None of the books were under a 3 star rating, so I'm very happy with the books that I read this month.
Here are the books that I read this month.

1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner ~ 4.5 stars
2. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner ~ 5 stars
3. The Death Cure by James Dashner ~ 5 stars 
4. The Kill Order by James Dashner ~ 3 stars
5. Just One Year by Gayle Forman ~ 3 stars
6. The Cellar by Natasha Preston ~ 4 stars {review coming tomorrow}
7. Scott Pilgrim Volume 1 by Brian Lee O'Malley* ~ 4.5 stars
8. Scott Pilgrim Volume 2 by Brian Lee O'Malley* ~ 4.5 stars
9. The Siren by Kiera Cass ~ 5 stars {review coming next week}
10. Entwined by Heather Dixon ~ 5 stars {review coming next week}
11. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 by Brian Lee O'Malley* ~ 4.5 stars
12. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4 by Brian Lee O'Malley* ~ 4.5 stars
13. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 by Brian Lee O'Malley& ~ 4.5 stars

The Scott Pilgrim books will be put in my joint blog post with all of my reviews of graphic novels at the end of the year. I will also talk about them in my video wrap up, which will be up at the end of the week, so keep an eye out for that!

I hope you all enjoyed this little wrap up! I promise that I will go into more detail in my video wrap up, and my exact thoughts will be in the reviews if they aren't up already! 

Enjoy everyone!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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[Q&A With Bailey] The Never Girls: From The Mist by Kiki Thorpe

Page Count: 118

Published on: January 8th 2013 

Published by: RH/Disney

Genre(s): Fantasy, Paranormal, Children's Fiction, Adventure
Source: Print: Paperback

Age Rating: G (ages 6-10)

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @kiki_thorpe

Bailey's Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Gabby are special girls. They know how to travel to Never Land, and this time Kate is craving an adventure. She gets her wish when mysterious mist horses arrive in Pixie Hollow and one takes her on a journey through the magical island. Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies star in a magical early chapter book series for girls ages 6-10--The Never Girls.

~~~

Hey guys! 

      Bailey has been asking to do a little Q&A review for the latest book that she read, From the Mist by Kiki Thorpe. Bailey absolutely loves this series, and she's been working her way through the books for a while. I bought her the last four books in the series, and the look on her face was priceless. I love sharing the book-ish love. I highly recommend it ;). Here are her thoughts on From the Mist!

Q: What is From the Mist about? Can you summarize it?

A: No. 

Q: Please?

A: The Mist horses

I know it's very vague, but Beetle is seven, so I'll just summarize it a bit. It's the fourth book in the Never Girls series, and it follows the girls as they encounter the mysterious Mist horses.

What would you rate it?

A: 5 stars

Q: What did you like about it? What did you dislike?

A: It was perfect. No dislikes. Perfect.

Q: Are you going to finish the series?

A: Yeah. I'm already done. 

Beetle, Ian, Reagan, and I
(picture from thumbnail of my latest video)

      I hope you enjoyed Bailey's thoughts on her book. She really loves the Never Girls series, and she recommends it to all the little girls her age. She's done a review for the first book in the series, In A Blink, so if you're interested then it will be right {here}!

Have a great week everyone!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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