Book Haul [30]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello there! How have you been?

Let's jump straight to the haul, shall we? :D

TITLES (in random order):

(bought from National Bookstore)
ARCHIE 1000 PAGE COMICS DIGEST by Archie Superstars
THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd (read)

(arrived from the Book Depository)
SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman (read)
THE PIRATE'S WISH by Cassandra Rose Clarke (read and reviewed)
TIGER LILY by Jodi Lynn Anderson
LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins
SHUTDOWN by Heather Anastasiu (read and reviewed)

I sense a color palette thing going on with my haul this week... notice the reds, yellows, and oranges? Just saying. Not exactly important, pardon me. LOL.

I'm a little saddened by the cover of my copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door, the cover on my order was the former design it's the main reason I bought it from TBD (the ones sold locally in bookstores around my area only have the new cover design) but alas... this is what came in. :( I'm still excited to read it though.

How about you? What did you get this week?

Happy reading! And have a great weekend! ;)

Shutdown by Heather Anastasiu [ARC REVIEW]

TITLE: Shutdown (Glitch #3)
AUTHOR: Heather Anastasiu
PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Griffin
PUB DATE: Jul 2 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

"The battle is all but over, and hope seems to be lost. Zoe and her fellow Resistance fighters are on the run, having lost their home, their protection, and their leader. They are outnumbered and outmatched by the powerful corporation that controls the world, and the cruel Chancellor is inches away from completing a scheme that would kill most of humanity. Zoe's only remaining option is to chase the impossible dream of upending the Link system, freeing the world from the hardware that controls their thoughts and emotions, and hope it will trigger a revolution.

The plot requires a nearly impossible mission to infiltrate the dangerous Community, and it is a task that Zoe must unfortunately complete alone. With challenges and surprises at every turn, nothing goes according to plan. Adrien's visions of the future now show two possible outcomes: one in which they succeed, and one in which humanity falls. It all lies in Zoe's hands.

Full of romance, high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Shutdown is a heart-pounding conclusion to an exciting sci-fi adventure trilogy for young adults.

The thrilling conclusion to an action-packed sci-fi trilogy"

Rating:

Warning: If you have not read Glitch and Override, this review might contain spoilers from these books.

The Glitch Trilogy is a series of books that I haven’t given much thought of when I read them. I didn’t have any expectations about them. That’s probably a good thing, considering that it let me keep an open mind about whatever was in store for me.

Shutdown, the third and final instalment to the Glitch trilogy, gave off a very promising introduction during its first few chapters. Although I knew that Zoe’s world is on a brink of war, I did not expect the mayhem that went about in between all the planning and preparing to overthrow the Chancellor. While some wars and campaigns during the medieval times were done with honor and proper decorum (although still brutal), this war between the Resistance and the Chancellor is ruthless and vicious, and without show of mercy and sparing of the innocents.

I thought of Zoe to be nothing but a simple protag during Glitch, then I came to respect her in Override, and now I just adore her in Shutdown. I’ve always thought that the weight of being seen as beacon of revolution and the one to lead all to freedom was a really tough image to carry. It’s not only pressuring but also hovers the feeling of guilt and fear that she might lead them only to fail.

I feel sorry for her for not only does she bear such a big burden, she has Adrien to worry about. I understand her inclination to wanting the Adrien she knew before to finally be back. And yet I cannot deny I feel sorry even more for Adrien. I see it’s not easy for him to try and be the person everyone expects him to be when he doesn’t even know who he once was. I understand his need to be known for who he is now than to be expected to go back to whom they once knew. Did I make sense? LOL. Let’s just say, it’s just a topsy-turvy situation.

Book Haul [29]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello! I am so sorry I've been neglectful these days, I've been swamped with things to do for previous weeks, but I'm starting get more free time now. Yehey!

Anyway, here's this week's haul:

TITLES:

(Arrived from the Book Depository)
DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers
SIEGE AND STORM by Leigh Bardugo (read and reviewed)

(Approved titles from NetGalley)
MIDNIGHT FROST by Jennifer Estep (read)
SPARTAN FROST by Jennifer Estep (read and reviewed)
DIRTY LITTLE SECRET by Jennifer Echols
SHUTDOWN by Heather Anastasiu (read)
INDELIBLE by Dawn Metcalf

Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts about them? I personally enjoyed Midnight Frost and Shutdown, and absolutely loved Siege and Storm. I'm about to read Dark Triumph with Maria @ Reading is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac and I'm really excited about that since I was blown away by Grave Mercy.

How about you, what did you get this week? Let me know and I'll be sure to check it out.

Happy reading! ^_^

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books At The Top Of My Summer TBR List

Top Ten Books At The Top Of My Summer TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

Hello! Thanks for stopping by my top ten entry for this week. As the title says, here's my top summer TBR picks:

INDELIBLE by Dawn Metcalf

SHUTDOWN by Heather Anastasiu

CROWN OF MIDNIGHT by Sarah J. Maas

THE FALL OF FIVE by Pittacus Lore

TIGER LILY by Jodi Lynn Anderson

THE OATHBREAKER'S SHADOW by Amy McCulloch

THE COLLECTOR by Victoria Scott

SWEET PERIL by Wendy Higgins

DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers

ARCLIGHT by Josin L. McQuein

How about you? Any plan on reading any of these? What do you have on you list? 

Happy reading! :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list  that bloggers are welcome to join in and answer. 

Hello there!

So this week's Top Ten topic is about books the you liked more or less than you thought you would. Here's mine:

Books I liked LESS than I thought I would

FALLING KINGDOMS by Morgan Rhodes
- That cover seemed to promise an experience of blood and gore, sadly it's not as action packed as I thought it would be...

DUALED by Elsie Chapman
- Probably the most disappointing book I've read so far this year. I had a lot of complaints about it on my review, and to think I really thought the premise was an ideally creative one. *sigh*

REQUIEM by Lauren Oliver
- This was supposed to be the finale of the series... didn't feel like it.

SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard
- Another debut novel this year that I thought was going to be epic... not so much. :(

MONUMENT 14 by Emmy Laybourne
- I'm probably in minority on this one. I just didn't like the idea that the whole book revolved around a bunch of teenagers playing house in a superstore. I thought there was more to it than that.

Book Haul [23]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hi there! Thanks for visiting The Blair Book Project.

I got an incredible pile of books for this week, and I'm just so happy about them! So here they are:

TITLES:
SCARLET by Marissa Meyer
UNRAVEL ME by Tahereh Mafi (Signed Copy)
ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons
SAVING JUNE by Hannah Harrington (Gift from Maria @ Bookchilla)
SISTER ASSASSIN by Kiersten White
CRIMSON FROST by Jennifer Estep (Read & Reviewed)
OVERRIDE by Heather Anastasiu (Read & Reviewed)
SUCH A RUSH by Jennifer Echols
DANCE OF SHADOWS by Yelena Black
UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody
THE SHATTERED DARK by Sandy Williams
THE SHADOW READER by Sandy Williams
THE ETERNITY CURE by Julie Kagawa (NetGalley)

Override by Heather Anastasiu [ARC REVIEW]

TITLE: Override (Glitch #2)
AUTHOR: Heather Anastasiu
PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Griffin
PUB DATE: Feb 12 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

"Zoe is free. She has escaped the enslavement of the Community, disconnected from the hardware that had controlled her every thought and emotion, and evaded capture by the Chancellor intent on killing her. She is finally free, but she is far from safe.

Zoe and Adrien hide themselves from detection at the Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the Resistance movement. Together, Zoe and her new team of superhuman fighters must risk their lives to rescue other glitchers and humans from the Chancellor's control. Challenges abound at every turn, and Adrien, who has become silent, distant, and tormented by his visions of the future, only adds to the growing certainty of defeat. But worst of all, as Zoe's team fights against impossible odds, distrust and betrayal leads to the terrible discovery that their greatest threat could already be lurking behind the safe walls of the Foundation.

Full of high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Heather Anastasiu's Override is an exciting continuation of this popular young adult trilogy."

Rating:

On my review of Glitch last year, I have probably done a lot of belittling over that book, to a point that I wasn’t really expecting myself to read the rest of the series. But seeing an advance copy of book two made me think otherwise. Right now, after reading Override, I think I’m just about to eat my words. I even imagine Heather Anastasiu going: “Ha! In your face, bitch!” She didn’t really say that of course, but I’d take it if she did. Haha!

Anyway, Override was the kind of book I least expected to love and enjoy. For one thing, I found Zoe typical in the first book, so the changes she went through in book two was admirable. From being someone once so powerful then having no control at all, and to be able to harness it once again, well Zoe I really got to give it to you. As struggling as you felt at first, nice job! Not to mention being told that she was supposed to lead an army of rebels, without her having any idea about how to do that was really pressuring, and I couldn’t help but feel compassion towards her.

With Glitch, I wasn’t completely sold on the love triangle going on between Zoe, Adrien and Max. I thought it was simply a ploy to spice things up. But... wow! Turns out Max really has a significant role in all this. That scene where Zoe found out he intruded the rebel facility – I think my mind just blew to bits! Even though I hate Max, I have to admit that was one hell of a tactic!

Book Haul [21]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello! Happy hearts month! You know what I mean. LOL.

Anyway, it was my birthday last Sunday, January 27th and I just had a fabulous week in books and I can't wait to share them with you all. So here they are:

TITLES:
(from Book Depository)
LEVEL 2 by Lenore Appelhans
FALLING KINGDOMS by Morgan Rhodes
 
(from Tina @ tinamats.com)
PERFECT ESCAPE by Jennifer Brown (ARC)
A BOTTLE OF STORM CLOUDS by Eliza Victoria (won from Filipino ReaderCon 2012)

(from National Bookstore)
EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton
THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT by Veronica Rossi

(from Fully Booked)
HARRY POTTER BOXSET by J.K. Rowling (birthday gift from hubby! ^_^)
ROMEO REDEEMED by Stacey Jay

Tadaaaa!!! Aren't they fabulous? *sigh* I can't help but admire their beauty. 

Book Haul [17]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello everyone! How was your week? I hope you had a good one.

I am so eager to show you what I got this week. I'm so giddy about them, I had to stop myself from forming the idea of posting my haul at the middle of the week. If I did, then I'd have nothing to post for today. Yeah, over-excited, much?

So here are the books that I got this week:

These are the ones that came in the mail from the Book Depository. Most of them are books I've already read via Net Galley, blog book tours, and/or review requests but I didn't have printed copies yet.

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu [ARC REVIEW]

Glitch (Glitch #1)
by Heather Anastasiu

Summary from Goodreads:

"In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy."

Rating:

That cover just screams: READ ME! So yes, dear Glitch cover, I accept.  

People please meet Zoe, a girl who lives in the underground city, the Community, where every individual is implanted with a computer chip that wipes out any destructive human emotion. Each person is connected to the Link where every thought is manipulated and controlled. Of course, every controlled environment has its flaws, and Zoe is one of them. She is a Glitcher, someone who has a chip that breaks from the Link. A malfunction that occurs from time to time, giving leeway for her to act on her own, and feel her own thoughts and emotions. Her Glitch also enabled her to develop Telekinetic powers which she has yet to learn to control. Struck with fear of getting caught and being disposed, she hides her Glitch only to find that she is not alone, Adrien and Max come into picture and things get a lot more complicated...