In My Mailbox! (13)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Kristi over at The Story Siren, where we get to share about the books that we've gotten recently, whether it's in the mail, from the bookstore or the library!

Hi all, so this week is my second attempt at IMM vlogging-- watch and be awed! (Haha, not really, it's super choppy and awkward in some spots but I managed not to say "um" 50 billion times this week so... improvement! lol)


Also, I would LOVE if you subscribed to my YouTube channel, which is Libraryland84 -- thanks so much for the love and support! ;)

Goodreads Links

The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

Cold Fury by T.M. Goeglein

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

Silence by Michelle Sagara

Other mentions:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Book Review: Clarity

Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Series: Clarity #1
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Pages: 242
Read it in: 1 day

Summary: When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift. And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case - but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother - who has supernatural gifts of his own - becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

LC's Take:

Holy Moly, I absolutely adored this book! In fact, it is one of those rare books that I finished in one day, which for me is a milestone because I am a super slllloooowwww reader. If you are looking for something totally irresistible, filled with tons of snarky humor that'll have you laughing out loud and a murder mystery plot that you can't put down, well then this is SO the book for you!

Clare "Clarity" Fern lives with her mom and older brother Perri in a small tourist town in Cape Cod. Summer is turning out to be just as boring as usual until a girl turns up murdered in a local hotel room. Before she knows it, Clare is being sucked into the murder investigation thanks to her supernatural ability to see memories and flashbacks of other people just by holding objects that they once touched.

To make things even more complicated, Clare is working on the case with two guys-- her cheating ex-boyfriend Justin and the mysterious (and hott) new guy in town, Gabriel, who Clair isn't sure whether to be attracted to or suspect.

OK guys, so Clare? AWESOME character, I absolutely LOVED her! She had so much personality she practically jumped off the pages. The story is told from her very lively perspective and seriously I was laughing throughout the entire book due to her witty sarcasm and snarky humor. Clare definitely became one of the best female protags I have read about in a long time-- she just made the story so gosh-darned entertaining!

The murder mystery plot was great too, very addicting, and it kept me guessing pretty much the entire way through the story. And did I mention that I could NOT put this book down to save my life because every single chapter ended with a huge cliff-hanger that just begged me to keep reading? I love it when books do that, and I flew through this one thanks to the fast pacing and the author's amazing ability to tell a completely engrossing story.

Honestly, I had not been planning on reading this book to begin with, and it was only after I picked it up randomly off the library shelf a couple weeks ago and read the synopsis that I finally decided to give it a try. I am so incredibly glad that I did! I highly recommend this book to my readers, because the humor will have you rolling on the floor laughing and the awesome storyline will keep you on the edge of your seat till the last page. Altogether, Clarity was a wonderful surprise and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book, Perception, when it comes out this March!

~Cover Talk~

Well I have to be honest, I do like this cover, but I'm definitely not in love with it. In fact, it was because of the cover that I didn't pick this book up sooner (Ugh, I know, how superficial am I?!) I think it has something to do with the colors-- for some reason, I'm never really attracted to white book covers, and this one with the white and pale blue just seems sort of washed-out to me. So when I saw it on the shelf next to all those other irresistible rainbow-colored YA books, I just passed it by! Which is totally a shame because this book rocked! Maybe that's just me? What do you guys think of the cover for Clarity?

LC's Rating:

This book was beyond awesome and I am SO glad that I finally got around to reading it. The murder mystery plot was not only impossible to put down; it was also totally hilarious thanks to the snarky main character. I definitely recommend picking up Clarity-- trust me, you won't regret it!

LC's Adventures is Getting a Face-lift!

Hi guys! So guess what? I decided that it was high time for my blog to get a little bit of a face-lift. Don't get me wrong, I did like my old header, but for a long time now I have been wanting something completely original-- something that is totally me and was done 100% by me. And here is the result!! Check out my new header because I did the entire thing free-hand from scratch using an image editing program. I've never drawn vector illustrations before so... not gonna lie, I'm pretty stinking excited at how good it turned out! (In fact, I'm probably dreamily staring at my new header this very moment, as you are reading this.)

So anyways, please tell me what you think, and how you think it compares to the old design (shown below). In the next week, expect the rest of my blog to change a little bit as well with some new fancy updates-- this will mean a pretty new grab button, YAY!!

(old header)

Another reason for the re-design is that I am getting pretty serious about starting a career in web design-- now, I am FAR from reaching this goal and there is still like a billion things I need to learn, but it is a dream of mine. So if you like my design and images, well, keep me in mind when I start up my own business, hopefully within the next year! In the meantime, I will still be reading and reviewing, but not quite as intensely as I have been since I am working hard at the web design thing at the same time...

As always, Happy Reading everyone!!

ARC Book Review: Article 5

Author: Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5 #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Pages: 384
Read it in: 5 days
Source: ARC received from the author

Summary: New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

LC's Take:

So basically... I could not put this book down! I was hooked from the first chapter, I stayed up late into the night just to get a little further, I cried at one point, and I obsessively thought about it whenever I wasn't reading it. Yeah! Seriously, this is one book that you guys are going to want to have near the top of your To-Be-Read lists because I am still in awe at just how flipping phenomenal it was.

Article 5 takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States, right after a major war has devastated basically the entire country and caused all the major cities to be evacuated. Now a new government has taken over, replacing the Bill of Rights with a new law called The Moral Statutes-- everyone must comply with these incredibly strict laws or face worse than death. Ember Miller and her rebellious mom live together quietly until one day when soldiers from the Moral Militia come to their house and arrest her mom for breaking the Statutes. When Ember fights back, she is taken to a nightmarish Reform School for girls. It is now up to her to escape and save her mom... oh, and also come to terms with the fact that Chase, the only boy she has ever loved, was one of the soldiers who took her mother away.

Ember was an awesome main character-- she goes through so much that you really have to admire her strength and courage and how well she holds herself together. Whether it's watching her mom being dragged away by soldiers or being beaten by a sadistic school teacher or barely getting away from the creepiest psycho lady you will ever read about (OMG you'll know when you get to that part!), Ember never gives up on her goal of finding and saving her mother, and doing whatever she can to resist the cruel government that has ruined their lives. She had a wonderful heart and was both vulnerable but willing to fight at the same time-- even when the odds were completely against her. I definitely loved Ember's strong, rebellious character, and was on her side rooting for her the entire time!

And then we have Chase-- Chase was Ember's love interest and the reason I liked him so much is that you are never **really** sure what his deal is throughout the story-- is he good? Is he bad? Has he been brain-washed? The author keeps you guessing for awhile! I won't give anything away about him, but I will say that the relationship between Chase and Ember builds up throughout the story, going back and forth--which I also loved, because things between them are realistically tough and complicated. (AKA, You don't have to worry about them falling madly in love within 3 pages-- so annoying when that happens right?!)

The one and only (very) small caveat that I'll mention is that I wish a few things about the actual dystopia had been explained a little more... What exactly happened to society and why has it become the way it is? Who was "the War" against and who bombed out all the cities? Who is the President? Of course these things may be explained more in the sequel which I will definitely be reading! And also, let me just emphasize that in the case of Article 5, I enjoyed the story so much and was so invested in the characters that I didn't mind as much not having everything explained. Honestly, I think that this dystopian was done much, much better as far as dystopian world-building goes than some others I have read (**cough, cough, Matched! cough, cough**) in the YA genre.

So in conclusion, I just loved this book-- I was absolutely, completely blown away. Every chapter was full of suspense, action, terror, escapes, fights, romance, and basically everything else that makes a book impossible to put down! I highly recommend Article 5 to all my blog followers, it is one YA dystopian that you are NOT going to want to miss! 

~Cover Talk~

I am definitely digging this book cover-- I love the image of the bombed-out, abandoned city and the picture of Ember and Chase gazing off into the distance. I really love how the title is done in the red and stands out so starkly against the rest of the sepia-toned design, especially since it ties in with the "Red Zones" in the book, which are the evacuated city areas. And, you know, I have to say that I think sometimes it is really difficult for a book to pull off a hand-drawn illustration instead of using a highly-edited photograph (a la Wither or City of Bones) without coming across as looking a little... cheesy. But this cover design works so well because the illustration is so detailed and life-like! I'm definitely a fan.

LC's Rating:

I am just speechless... Article 5 was an absolutely stunning debut! Action-packed and  full of suspense, I could NOT put this book down-- It totally blew me away. Make sure this one gets added to your TBR list!

Book Review: Forgive My Fins

Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Series: Fins #1
Release Date: May 19, 2010
Pages: 293
Read it in: 3 days

Summary: Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

LC's Take:

Forgive My Fins was a super cute and lighthearted book. Even though I thought that the main story was somewhat cliche and predictable (yup, love triangle), it was told in such a sweet  and charming way that I didn't mind. In fact, one of the great things about this book was that it didn't take itself too seriously-- it was just fun and entertaining to read-- and in my own words-- "light-n-fluffy" :)

Ever since Lily Sanderson ventured into the human world-- and high school-- to see what life was like out of the ocean she calls home, she has had the biggest crush on Brodie Bennett. She's totally convinced that a kiss will seal the deal and make him bonded to her for life so that they can live happily ever after in Thalassinia, Lily's underwater home. However, in a cruel twist of fate, Lily is tricked into kissing her arch-nemesis, Quince Fletcher, and now Quince is turning into a merman-- and her bonded mate-- for good! Lily has to bring him back to her father's underwater kingdom in order to undo the bond before they are paired together for life.

So first, I thought that the underwater world that Tera Lynn created in this book was very creative and imaginative, along with all the things that make up a mermaid's life. For example, mermaids can transform into humans and live on land, and when they are underwater in the beautiful kingdom of Thalassinia, there are aquatic breakfast buffets (did you know that mermaids LOVE sushi?), sea villages, mer clothes, beautiful royal underwater rooms, and even underwater motor transport! I also loved all of Lily's fishy expressions and "swear words," which made me smile, I thought that giving her a fishy lingo was a really cute addition to her character!

I did like Lily as the main character, but I have to admit that she sort of annoyed me at times because she was just so darned slow to figure out who she wanted to be with-- she spent pretty much the entire book drooling over Brody, the hot popular guy at school who didn't give a crap about her, while completely ignoring Quince who clearly loved her and did everything he could to show her that he cared. It was really frustrating, having her be so obviously in denial for most of the story!

The epilogue was SUCH a cliff hanger and REALLY made me want to read the sequel, called Fins are Forever-- if the book had just ended with the last chapter, I don't think I would have been terribly interested in reading the second book, but that last page and a half at the end definitely has me wanting more!

If I had to sum up my impressions of this book, I would say that it was like a chick flick-- totally adorable, but pretty predictable. Altogether, I thought that Forgive My Fins was still completely entertaining, and was a great, quick read that will be very refreshing to you if you've been reading tons of dark paranormals or serious dystopians lately. So if you need a break and want to switch things up a little with a cotton candy book that is sweet, light and fluffy, I would give this one a try because it was definitely a lot of fun!

**I would also like to point out that, in my copy of Forgive My Fins, there are tons of cute and awesome extras! These include: a Sea Slang Glossary with all of Lily's favorite fishy sayings, a Royal Timeline of the Mer-royalty who have ruled Thalassinia, an extra chapter on when Quince first met Lily, and a recipe for Mermaid Cupcakes! Seriously?! And I thought this book couldn't get any more adorable ;)

~Cover Talk~

OK, so it's not that I don't like this cover, I do-- it's just that I like the UK edition so much better! I think that the colors on the US version are awesome, and it fits really well with the whole mermaid theme, but honestly I am just so much more in love with the Templar published edition, shown here on the right. I just love the cover model's face and smile, and  the overall design with the blue tones and the bright pink title...  It just looks much more fun and lively to me. Also, the makeup on the US model is so strange-- I don't know how much of a fan I am of blue lips! Which one do you like more?

LC's Rating:

A fun, quick read to add to your mermaid genre TBR list! The story line was super adorable, although somewhat predictable. I actually call this one a "cotton candy book" because it is sweet, light and fluffy haha... Check it out if you are in the mood for something not too serious!

Follow Me Friday (23)

Follow Me Friday is a fun book meme hosted by the fabulous Parajunkee over at Parajunkee's View AND Allison over at Allison Can Read. Have a book blog? You can play with us too! Just visit Parajunkee's site by clicking on LC's Follow Friday icon-- be sure you are a follower of her blog and the blog she is featuring for the week, put your name in the Linky, create your own FF post on your blog, and then start commenting and following whomever you wish!

This week's Follow Friday question:

What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get your hands on any particular book?

Hmm... I'm not sure I have ever done anything particularly crazy to get my hands on a book! I mean, I was definitely one of those crazy HP fans who ran to the store at midnight to get the latest one but I wouldn't really consider that crazy because... Harry Potter is awesome, duh!

I will confess though-- when I was in 4th grade I read this book that I absolutely fell in love with, called Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman, and... I sort of on purpose never returned it to my classroom. AND I still have it and it has the name of my 4th grade teacher on the spine! Sorry Mrs. Barnhardt! I won't ever be this horrible to get a book again haha...

And what about you? Leave me a link below, I would love to hear what your answer is!!

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Kristi over at The Story Siren, where we get to share about the books that we've gotten recently, whether it's in the mail, from the bookstore or the library!

Hi Everyone!!

So guess what? I am really excited this week because I am posting my very first ever vlog!! It's a little longer than I wanted, but hopefully you guys enjoy it, despite way to many "ums" haha, hopefully I get better at that-- please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below!

Also, just so you know, the first 2 minutes or so is me rambling and introducing my new puppy Sophie. If you want to skip to the IMM section, just go to around minute 2 :) I want to keep doing videos on a pretty regular basis, so I started a You Tube channel for LC's Adventures in Libraryland-- if you want to subscribe to my channel, I put a button in my sidebar! -------->

~Goodreads Links~

Just click on the book covers below!

What did everyone else get this week? Let me know in the comments!

**NOTE: So, I just wanted to quickly say something about the whole uproar with Kiera Cass and her publicist-- after reading about it, I am leaning towards thinking that Kiera herself was not necessarily being unprofessional and immature as much as her publicist was... of course, I don't know this for sure but just based on the evidence, I'm not sure I'm ready to point the finger at Kiera. I think that she was maybe the naive victim who happened to choose a really horrible and unprofessional agent or publicist-- this publicist clearly doesn't understand the business she is in, or anything about the power of social media. These are open platforms that can be accessed by the public! Do not post or tweet things that you do not want other people to see!

Anyways, I will still be reading The Selection, and I will treat it as I treat any other book-- if I like it, I will write a raving review, and if I don't like it, I will state in my review exactly why. And if this publisher wants to say bad things about me? Well, she's only digging herself deeper into her own grave right? She's already done more harm to the author's reputation and the new book than any blogger review ever could...

If you are not sure what I am talking about, you can follow these links below to catch up. I am not saying who is really to blame except the obvious person who insulted another blogger pretty badly simply for giving her honest opinion about the book.

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