[REVIEW] Prophecy of the Most Beautiful

Series: Oracle of Delphi #1
Author: Diantha Jones
Genre: young adult, fantasy, mythology, romance
Published: March 1, 2012
Publisher: Diantha Jones

She has a destiny so great that even the gods fear her. 

Constant hallucinations and the frequent conversations with the voices in her head, have earned eighteen-year-old Chloe Clever the not-so-coveted title of "Whack Job" in her home town of Adel, Georgia. Fed up with prescription meds and therapists, she wishes for a life where she is destined to be more than the butt of everyone's jokes and mockery. 

Be careful what you wish for has never rung more true. 

After a vicious attack and learning that her favorite rockstar is an Olympian god, she is thrust into her new life as the Oracle of Delphi, the prophesier of the future. Setting out to fulfill the prophecy she has been given, Chloe learns of how great she is to become, all the while fighting mythical monsters and trying to outwit the ever-cunning Greek gods who harbor secrets of their own. While on a mission to discover the Most Beautiful, she strives to uncover the mysteries of the demigod Prince who has sworn to protect her with his life…and threatens to win her heart in the process.

[Waiting on Wednesday] Of Scars and Stardust

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: N/A
Author: Andrea Hannah
Genre: young adult, contemporary, mystery, fantasy, thriller, mental illness
Expected Publication: October 8, 2014

After her little sister mysteriously vanishes, seventeen-year-old Claire Graham has a choice to make: stay snug in her little corner of Manhattan with her dropout boyfriend, or go back to Ohio to face the hometown tragedy she's been dying to leave behind. 

But the memories of that night still haunt her in the city, and as hard as she tries to forget what her psychiatrist calls her "delusions," Claire can't seem to escape the wolf's eyes or the blood-speckled snow. Delusion or reality, Claire knows she has to hold true to the most important promise she's ever made: to keep Ella safe. She must return to her sleepy hometown in order to find Ella and keep her hallucinations at bay before they strike again. But time is quickly running out, and as Ella's trail grows fainter, the wolves are becoming startlingly real. 

Now Claire must deal with her attraction to Grant, the soft-spoken boy from her past that may hold the secret to solving her sister's disappearance, while following the clues that Ella left for only her to find. Through a series of cryptic diary entries, Claire must unlock the keys to Ella's past—and her own—in order to stop another tragedy in the making, while realizing that not all things that are lost are meant to be found.

[TOP TEN TUESDAY] Authors I Own the Most Books from

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.

This Week’s Topic: Authors I Own the Most Books from. So this is one of those times when I wish I actually have more books in my shelf (or that I have a bigger and more spacious shelf).

I don’t have many books from the same author mainly because I’m quite random in picking my books and generally, I look at the blurb (and cover) before looking at the author (but it isn’t the case for some authors beginning this year, honestly). Here’re ten authors I have the most books from.

[Stacking the Shelves] where did my bookbuyingban go?

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted at Tynga’s Reviews.

Like seriously.

I think I mentioned in one of my posts that I’ll be on a book buying ban because I’m saving up for something. Unsurprising enough, I just can’t stop myself from grabbing these books when I saw them in the bookstore. SO this is what I call my chick-lit contemporary grabs (okay maybe We Were Liars isn’t completely chick-lit but hey, it’s contemporary!) simply because it’s such a big deal for me since I’m not a big chick-lit reader.

[REVIEW] Ignite Me

Series: Shatter Me #3 | review of #1, #2

Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: young adult, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, romance, fantasy, science fiction
Published: February 4, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins

THE FATE OF OMEGA POINT IS UNKNOWN. 

Everyone Juliette has ever cared about could be dead. Juliette may be the only one standing in The Reestablishment’s way. But to take them down, Juliette will need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together to defeat their mutual enemy, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew – about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam – was wrong.

[Waiting on Wednesday] Tabula Rasa

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: N/A
Author: Kristen Lippert-Martin
Genre: young adult, science fiction, thriller, dystopia
Expected Publication: September 23, 2014

The Bourne Identity meets Divergent in this heart-pounding debut. 

Sixteen-year-old Sarah has a rare chance at a new life. Or so the doctors tell her. She’s been undergoing a cutting-edge procedure that will render her a tabula rasa—a blank slate. Memory by memory her troubled past is being taken away. 

But when her final surgery is interrupted and a team of elite soldiers invades the isolated hospital under cover of a massive blizzard, her fresh start could be her end.
Navigating familiar halls that have become a dangerous maze with the help of a teen computer hacker who's trying to bring the hospital down for his own reasons, Sarah starts to piece together who she is and why someone would want her erased. And she won’t be silenced again. 

A high-stakes thriller featuring a non-stop race for survival and a smart heroine who will risk everything, Tabula Rasa is, in short, unforgettable.

[REVIEW] Downsiders

Series: N/A
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: young adult, science fiction, romance, adventure
Published: November 10, 2009 (first published June 1, 1999)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Fear the Topside, or be crushed by its embrace. 

Beneath the sewer grates and manholes of the city lies a strange and secret world called the Downside. Every Downsider knows that it’s forbidden to go Topside. But fourteen-year-old Talon is curious about what goes above ground, and when he ventures out in search of medicine for his ailing sister, he meets Lindsay, who is as curious about Talon’s world as he is about hers. 

When Lindsay visits the Downside for the first time, she is awed and amazed by the spirit of the Downsiders, and the way they create marvelous works of art from Topside “trash.” But when she discovers that this fantastic world is not all it appears to be, she is determined to tell Talon the truth. Then a construction accident threatens to crush Talon’s world, and his loyalty is put to the test. Can the truth save the Downside, or will it destroy an entire civilization?

[Flashback Friday] Kimi to Boku.

Flashback Friday is a weekly post where I talk about a book, manga, or anime series I’ve finished. This is more like me reminiscing on stuff I come across back then.

English Title: You and Me.
Studio: J.C. Staff
Genre: shounen, slice of life, comedy, drama, romance, school
Episodes: 13 (S1); 13 (S2)
Anime Director: Kanbe Mamoru

The story revolves around four teens — the good-looking twins Yuuta and Yuuki Asaba, the effeminate Shun Matsuoka, and the class head Kaname Tsukahara — who have known each other since early childhood. While they are not necessarily good or bad friends, they continue to hang out well into high school. The half-Japanese transfer student Chizuru Tachibana joins the circle of friends in this comedy about the everyday life of adolescence.

*             *             *

Kimi to Boku. was one of the first anime I wrote about when I started anime blogging. It’s just one of those shows that involve beautiful sceneries, pastel colors, laidback characters, plain everyday life, and a bunch of guys with nothing really special to do in life.

[BOOK TOUR | Guest Post: Top Ten Heroines] Prophecy of the Most Beautiful

full tour schedule can be found at YA Bound Book Tours.

Series: Oracle of Delphi #1
Author: Diantha Jones
Genre: young adult, mythology, fantasy, romance
Published: March 1, 2012

She has a destiny so great that even the gods fear her. 

Constant hallucinations and the frequent conversations with the voices in her head, have earned eighteen-year-old Chloe Clever the not-so-coveted title of "Whack Job" in her home town of Adel, Georgia. Fed up with prescription meds and therapists, she wishes for a life where she is destined to be more than the butt of everyone's jokes and mockery. 

Be careful what you wish for has never rung more true. 

After a vicious attack and learning that her favorite rockstar is an Olympian god, she is thrust into her new life as the Oracle of Delphi, the prophesier of the future. Setting out to fulfill the prophecy she has been given, Chloe learns of how great she is to become, all the while fighting mythical monsters and trying to outwit the ever-cunning Greek gods who harbor secrets of their own. While on a mission to discover the Most Beautiful, she strives to uncover the mysteries of the demigod Prince who has sworn to protect her with his life…and threatens to win her heart in the process.

[Waiting on Wednesday] the Vault of Dreamers

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: N/A
Author: Caragh M. O’Brien
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, mystery, thriller, action, romance
Expected Publication: September 16, 2014

From the author of the Birthmarked trilogy comes a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling novel about what happens when your dreams are not your own. 

The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success:  every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

[First Impression] Zankyou no Terror

English Title: Terror of Resonance, Terror in Tokyo
Studio: MAPPA
Genre: psychological, thriller
Episodes: 11
Anime Director: Watanabe Shinichiro

In an alternate version of the present, Tokyo has been decimated by a shocking terrorist attack, and the only hint to the identity of the culprit is a bizarre video uploaded to the internet. The police, baffled by this cryptic clue, are powerless to stop the paranoia spreading across the population. 

While the world searches for a criminal mastermind to blame for this tragedy, two mysterious children—children who shouldn't even exist—masterfully carry out their heinous plan. Cursed to walk through this world with the names Nine and Twelve, the two combine to form "Sphinx," a clandestine entity determine to wake the people from their slumber—and pull the trigger on this world.

[Top Ten Tuesday] Anime!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.

This Week’s Topic: Other types of stories! Top Ten Favorite Movies or TV Shows! (can break it down to top ten favorite romance movies or comedy shows etc. etc.). In this topic, I decided to make my top ten anime!

It’s been quite a while since I last made my top ten list and I thought that this is my opportunity to ponder around on this list. I’m thinking of writing a more comprehensive list soon with more descriptions blah-blah-blah… but for now, here’s my current top ten anime (in no particular order).

[Book Blitz] The Haunt of Thirteen Curves Excerpt + Giveaway

Title: The Haunt of Thirteen Curves
Author: Jeanne Arnold

Release Date: July 7, 2014

"In the armory, things can be convincing and impossible. Just like Elias." 

Seventeen-year-old Marcella Jackoby’s bleak reality is altered when she encounters the apparition of a grieving bride wandering the deadly thirteen curves outside of Pennywright. Intent on capturing Marcella, the bride seeks to populate a mythical castle disguised as an abandoned armory, where young guests tirelessly battle an alliance of recluses in order to live with the promise of eternal youth and love. 

Unaware of Elias Hawk’s efforts to safeguard her from untimely death, and in spite of the fact that he and the kids residing at the armory are not what they appear to be, Marcella falls for this enigmatic young man. As she uncovers Elias’s century-old secret, Marcella’s home life crumbles and an encounter with a roughneck adversary threatens her budding relationship and the existence of the armory’s residents, unintentionally leading Marcella to ignite war between the worlds, endangering the couple’s future in a shocking twist of fate.

[Flashback] Summer 2013 Anime

Flashback Friday is a weekly post where I talk about a book, manga, or anime series which I’ve seen years ago. This is more like me reminiscing on stuff I come across way back then.

Since we're on the second week of the Summer 2014 Anime Season, I decided to make a flashback post of last year’s summer anime :D

AND if you still haven’t seen my watch list this season, here’s my post: click here! I’ll be posting most of my first impression posts over at Sekijitsu. So be sure to check them out.

ANYWAY, Summer isn’t really my fave season when it comes to anime. I usually just don’t find most summer anime that enjoyable or worth so much of my time. But either way, I still watch them for the fun of it and for the heck of seeing more stuff.

Summer 2013 anime were totally off my radar and most of which are anime that are still on my backlog list (which I’m really hoping to clear up soon~). NOW let me reminisce on this list (my Summer 2013 anime watch list)!

[REVIEW] Gypsy

full tour schedule can be found at YA Bound Book Tours.

Series: The Cavy Files #1
Author: Trisha Leigh
Genre: young adult, science fiction, fantasy, romance, magic, paranormal
Published: May 13, 2014
Publisher: Createspace

Inconsequential: not important or significant.
Synonyms: insignificant, unimportant, nonessential, irrelevant 

In the world of genetic mutation, Gypsy’s talent of knowing a person’s age of death is considered a failure. Her peers, the other Cavies, have powers that range from curdling a blood still in the vein to being able to overhear a conversation taking place three miles away, but when they’re taken from the sanctuary where they grew up and forced into the real world, Gypsy, with her all-but-invisible gift, is the one with the advantage.
The only one who’s safe, if the world finds out what they can do. 

When the Cavies are attacked and inoculated with an unidentified virus, that illusion is shattered. Whatever was attached to the virus causes their abilities to change. Grow. In some cases, to escape their control. 

Gypsy dreamed of normal high school, normal friends, a normal life, for years. Instead, the Cavies are sucked under a sea of government intrigue, weaponized genetic mutation, and crushing secrets that will reframe everything they’ve ever been told about how their "talents" came to be in the first place. 

When they find out one of their own has been appropriated by the government, mistreated and forced to run dangerous missions, their desire for information becomes a pressing need. With only a series of guesses about their origins, the path to the truth becomes quickly littered with friends, enemies, and in the end, the Cavies ability to trust anyone at all.

[Waiting on Wednesday] Falling Into Place

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: N/A
Author: Amy Zhang
Genre: young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction, death, mental illness
Expected Publication: September 9, 2014

On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road. 

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? 

Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.

[REVIEW] The Silkworm

Series: Cormoran Strike #2
Author: Robert Galbraith (Pseudonym) for J.K. Rowling
Genre: adult, contemporary, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Published: June 24, 2014
Publisher: Mulholland Books / Little, Brown and Company

A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott. 

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he hasgone off by himself for a few days – as he has done before – and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. 

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine’s disappearance than his wife realized. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel is published, it will ruin lives – so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him. 

And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before…

[Book Blitz] Collide Excerpt + Giveaway!

Title: Collide
Author: Christine Fonseca
Release Date: July 7, 2014

What if psychic warfare is real??? 

Christine Fonseca's latest action-packed, heart-pounding thriller COLLIDE, explores the world of psychic warfare with a new twist! 

The most dangerous secrets are the ones that kill. 

When a surprising mental breakdown draws too much attention from a secret government group call the Order, 17-year-old Dakota discovers that her so-called boring life isn’t so boring after all. Between the lies, secrets and assassins out to kill her family, Dakota discovers there’s more to paranormal activity than ghosts and cheap mind tricks. Now she must uncover the truth before a new breed of terrorism takes everything away – including her life.

[Waiting on Wednesday] UnDivided

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: Unwind #4
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: young adult, dystopia, thriller, science fiction
Expected Publication: October 14, 2014

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman. 

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future. 

But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

[Top Ten Tuesday] Classics I Want To Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.

This Week’s Topic: Classics I Want to Read. So far I’ve only read 3 classics – NEMESIS, The Giver, and Wuthering Heights. I have the Iliad and Jane Eyre up my ‘currently-reading’ shelf but in reality I stalled them because I’m getting bored.

Yup, that’s just how classics end up in my hands. Classics easily bore the hell out of me BUT there really is just this part of me that wants to read them. I’m really doing my best to motivate myself and read classics. I’m honestly reading Jane Eyre bit by bit. Hopefully I can finish it before the year ends though, hahaha~~

JUNE ROUND-UP: that crazy adjusting to school month.

This is technically NOT my first month of blogging that came along with school but it’s my first BOOK BLOGGING month that has school works along side.

I’ve been blogging for almost 3 years and somehow I’ve managed because I just watched anime, write my thoughts, blah-blah-blah… but this time around I find it more difficult to balance everything out with school going on, plus my REALLY SLOW READING, and writing mood swings. My anime watching has been cut down to almost none other than Ace of Diamond and HUNTER x HUNTER (and I literally didn’t watch a single anime this past week).

This is my first monthly round-up post sooooo I’m still trying to think of my post layout but either way, I’ll most likely to stick to this layout (maybe I’ll just add or subtract a part or two in the future).

- Book Reviews -

- Fave Meme Posts -

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’ve Read So Far This Year
Waiting on Wednesday: License to Spill | The Young Elites
Flashback Friday: Unwind (my only flashback post this month… school + writing mood swings = almost no posts at all x__x)
Stacking the Shelves: THE SILKWORM IS OUT AND YOU SHOULD READ IT!!! [the Ocean at the End of the Lane + Ignite Me + Downsiders + Proxy + Being Friends with Boys + THE SILKWORM]

- Book Tours, Blitz, Cover Reveals -