Review: The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats. (Goodreads)


Holy plot twist Batman. stumbled across that looked interesting before I began my half hour long drive to work, and man, was it better than I anticipated. Sage was a great character. He was defiant, cocky, and he really focused. I love that he always had a plan, and that no matter how hard Conner pushed. I like the Sage refused to be someone else puppet, he refused to be anyone other than who he wanted to be, and that was one of my favorite things about him.

Conner's character, although I hated him, he was a great character. He honestly thought that his "plan" would save Carthia (Is that how you spell it, I audiobooked this) although he clearly had his own selfish motivation for his actions.

Mott, that poor guy. I understand that his loyalty was to Conner, and I'm going to assume there's some back story there, but as he grew closer to Sage, I kind of felt bad for the guy. He was clearly torn between loyalty and he was knew was right.

Aaaaaaan, we get to the best part, the last five or so chapers, holy plot twist Batman. I pride myself on having the basics of a book figured out, there may be a thing or two I wasn't prepared for, but large scale, I've got it figured out, but I didn't see any of that coming. I couold hardly stand it. I was literally talking to my phone as things came to light. Snaaps Jennifer Nielsen.

Life of a Blogger- Origin of You Name

What is it?

A Weekly meme hosted by Jessi at Novel Heartbeat.

Rules from Jessi herself!

*Please stick to the topic order on the list. If you want to catch up on old topics that’s fine, but the point is to link up to the same topic all around the blog-o-sphere, so please do not move ahead or change it to your own topic.

This Weeks Topic

Origins of your Name

 So, there are no meanings for the name Kymberlee, probably because it's a unique spelling. In order to find any meaning at all, I had to search Kimberly (which was weird) and it turned out to be an English name means "Ruler". I guess it works because I'm pretty convinced that I'm always right!

Apparently my mom named me Kymberlee because she wanted me to have a common name, with a slightly uncommon spelling!

Books vs. Movies vs. Audio Books

It's common knowledge that books are almost always better than a movie adaptation. The books provide more detail, a better connection to the characters, and, at times, despite the description an author has provided for the protagonist, I tend to picture them with my face (we all do it). We then tend to decide how accepting we are of the movie based on what they have included and left out from the book.

What I'm wondering is how does listening to a book affect us vs. reading it. Right now I'm listening to Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver and I like it, but I'm wondering, do I like the book because I really like it, or is the girl reading the book making me like it. Sometimes when listening to the book there are sentences, or descriptions that make me stop and go"...really," but I want to keep listening to this girl reading so I get over it.

I have no answer. Just questions.

The Friday 56 #3: Made for You

The Friday 56 is  weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

Rules:

--> Grab a book any book

-->Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (if you have to improvise that's okay)

--> Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

-->Post it.

-->Add your (URL) post on Freda's Linky. Add the post URL, not your blog URL It's that simple.

"When it happened, I was more than picturing Nate dying. It was like I was Nate."

Review: Made For You by Melissa Marr

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling. (Goodreads)
 
As silly as it may seem this is my first Melissa Marr book. I've always intended to read one of her books, but I never got around to it. This one was pretty good, the book begins with a literal bang, when Eva (our main character) is run down by some guy who calls himself Judge. When Eva wakes up, she learns that when people touch her (not to be confused with when she touches them), she can see how their going to die. Soon friends of her turn begin to die and freaky messages for her, are carved into their skin. It's all very morbid. The book switches POV's from Eva, her friend Grace, and Judge. We learn that Judge is just nuts, she loves Eva and thinks God speaks to him, and he's killing all of these people for her, it's all a mess. However, it's a mess that I figured out about a third of the way through the book. I'm pretty sure the author wanted us to put the pieces together, so it's okay.

We saw something in this book that a lot of people complain YA book lack, parents. In the beginning of the book while Eva is in the hospital her parents are away, and Grace and her mom (known as the General) are caring for her. However when the parents finally do show up, the mom is pretty awesome. She's a true southern belle and just an awesome and at times hilarious character.

My biggest issue which wasn't actually a big issue at all was the relationship between Eva and Nate. They were best friends, then one day Nate shut Eva out of his life and went on to be a big jerk and a "man-slut" (I kind of got tired of reading that). Then when Nate sees Eva in the hospital he declares that he's sorry and that he wants to be friends again. There wasn't even much of an explanation. As irritating as this was, I decided to over look it because Eva was just as annoyed as I was. At one point she calls him on his BS and it was pretty awesome. Obviously they continue on to a romantic relationship but I was glad to see a character stand up and say "hey, that's not cool." I'm glad to see more of the communication that I practically beg for in these YA novels.

So in conclusion, the book was pretty good, I'll give it 4 stars, and maybe read another Melissa Marr book at some point.

Waiting on Wednesday: Creed by Trisha Leaver & Lindsay Currie

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Three went in. Three came out. None even a shadow of who they once were.

When their car breaks down, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike walk through a winter storm to take refuge in a nearby town called Purity Springs. When they arrive, the emergency sirens are blaring and the small farming town seems abandoned. With no other shelter, they spend the night in an empty house.

But they soon discover that not everything in Purity Springs is as it seems. When the town's inhabitants suddenly appear the next morning, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves at the mercy of the charismatic leader, Elijah Hawkins, who plans to make Dee his new wife. Elijah's son, Joseph, offers to help them escape . . . but the price of his help may be more than Dee and her friends can bear.

~*~

Release Date November 8, 2014 

The Friday 56 #2: The Compound

The Friday 56 is  weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

Rules:

--> Grab a book any book

-->Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (if you have to improvise that's okay)

--> Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

-->Post it.

-->Add your (URL) post on Freda's Linky. Add the post URL, not your blog URL It's that simple.

"I spread my books out on the table, wondering what it would be like to have to study in a room full of people, to only have a small allotted space. Not the entire room, as I did. I never had to tell anyone to pipe down so I could concentrate, that's for sure."

Review: Forget Me by K.A. Harrigonton

On the three-month anniversary of her boyfriend Flynn’s death, Morgan uploads her only photo of him to FriendShare to get some closure—but she’s shocked when the facial recognition software suggests she tag him as "Evan Murphy." She’s never heard of Evan, but a quick search tells her that he lives in a nearby town and looks exactly like Flynn. Only this boy is very much alive.

Digging through layers of secrets and lies, Morgan is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her boyfriend, her town, and even her parents' involvement in this massive web of lies. (Goodreads)

I'm honestly not sure what to say here. The description of the book hooked me, a dead boyfriend who may be alive, but then the guy you thought was him was actually someone who looked like him. Very Twilight Zone. I thought the book might swing SyFy, or possibly Dystopian, or weird science experiments like in Altered. Nope, nope, nope, I was all wrong, and in that aspect I liked the book. It's rare that I'm taken totally by surprise. However, the ending was so random and out there that I'm not sure what to think. Sometimes, I think, that was cool and creative, other times I think, you were trying just a liiiiiiitle, bit to hard there buddy. You don't have to force mysteries and plot twists on us.

I didn't connect with the characters here as much as I would have liked, the central plot line the of story focused on why Evan looked almost exactly like Flynn, and what happened to him. It was a good quick read that I would suggest to many of my teens, particularly the reluctant readers. The book started with such a bang (literally) that I think the kids would be quickly drawn to it.

3 stars.

Gears of Brass Cover Reveal

Gear up for GEARS OF BRASS! 

A world like ours, but filled with gears of brass, where the beating heart is fueled by steam and the simplest creation is a complex clockwork device.  

Within this tome, you’ll find steampunk fairy tale re-tellings, as well as original stories that will send your gears turning.  

Welcome to the steampunk realm, with eleven authors guiding your path. 

GEARS OF BRASS is a steampunk anthology published through Curiosity Quills.  It will be available for purchase on November 10, 2014.  Within the pages, you’ll come across clockwork inventions and steampunk-ified fairy tale retellings.  Eleven authors will guide you through worlds filled with airships, top hats, and corsets. 

Meet the authors:

Jordan Elizabeth writes young adult fantasy for Curiosity Quills, including ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW which was published in October and the upcoming TREASURE DARKLY; she’s represented by the Belcastro Agency.

J. Million is the author of Last of the Giants and can always be found reading or writing.

Lorna MacDonald Czarnota is a professional storyteller and author of several books including, Medieval Tales That Kids Can Read and Tell, Breadline Blue, Legends Lore and Secrets of Western New York, Wicked Niagara, Native American and Pioneer Sites of Upstate New York, and Dancing at the Crossroads: Stories and Activities for At-Risk Youth Programming.

SA Larsen is represented by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary and is the author of published short stories, community-interest stories, and magazine articles focused on children. 

Grant Eagar is an Engineer who would take the tales he told his children at bed time, and transform them into fantasy stories. 

Clare Weze is the author of The House of Ash (forthcoming) and the co-author and editor of Cloudscapes over the Lune.

Eliza Tilton: gamer, writer and lover of dark chocolate; author of the YA Fantasy, BROKEN FOREST, published by Curiosity Quills Press.

Heather Talty's stories have been featured in Enchanted Conversation, as well as her own fractured fairy tale site, Mythopoetical (www.Beatrixcottonpants.com).

W.K. Pomeroy is a third generation writer who has published more than 70 short stories/articles/poems across many genres and styles, which now includes Steampunk.

Christine Baker is the author of Lana's End, The Guild of Dagda, and many more. 

Natalia Darcy: a bookilicious reader, tea drinker and Zumba aficionado who enjoys playing cards against humanity and washing her hair with ice cold water. 

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You can get your steampunk fix before GEARS OF BRASS is released in November.  To enter for your chance to win a copy of GEARS OF BRASS, you will need to share the cover.  This can be on your blog, Facebook, Twitter… Each time you share the cover image, log it into Rafflecoper (#insert link) to record it.  It will give you more chances to win.  The drawing for the winner will be held on October 27^th. 

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