And My Heart Wanders Away

Wanderlove
By: Kirsten Hubbard
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: e-ARC from Netgalley and Random House (thanks!)
Release date: March 13th, 2012

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Barnes & Noble||Mrs. Nelson's||Amazon||The Book Depository

There are two types of flutters in your chest. The first type is when you read something sensual, something evocative and you know you should stop reading it, but you can't help it, so something quick bursts out among the fragments of seconds as you devour every single letter of every single word, savoring the strange inappropriateness of the scene. The second type is full on cardiac arrest. Where every part of you is shaking, fluttering so badly you don't even realize you're doing it until all of a second, you stop, and your heart just drops like a pebble. When you are a butterfly slowly flying away, wings straining against the pounding wind, and you can no longer ignore the fact that this--this feeling of complete fulfillment, complete satisfaction--has almost never happened before, and you are so desperate to feel it again you can't help but try and capture the wordless depiction into actual words.

A Monster Called, and I answered

A Monster Calls
By: Patrick Ness
Reported by: Julianna Helms

This is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss. The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming. . . .

This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

-Summary from Goodreads
Mrs.Nelson's||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||The Book Depository

Here's a confession: I have nightmares.

Waiting on Wednesday {25}

This week, I'm waiting on...

I have a design site!

Do YOU like my blog design? Do YOU want an AWESOME (I hope) design (whether for your blog or something else) that makes your dreams less like dreams, but into actual reality (hence Dreamless Designs)? If so, you are in luck! :D I just opened my design site, Dreamless Designs, and I'm giving away a free Earn that Dream package! Woot! :D Now, this giveaway is for blogger only (sorry folks! But I can design headers and such for you if you don't have blogger. You just have to install it yourself). It will go from today until 3/10. Enter the giveaway after the jump! (And as always, it's international. Though if you want to use an image and/or such of your choice, and it's copyrighted, then I can't use that, sorry!)

CHOYAM (what sounds like instant noodles but isn't)

The Catastrophic History of You and Me
By: Jess Rothenberg
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC from trade
Release date: Already released

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

-Summary from Goodreads
Mrs.Nelson's||Barnes & Noble||Amazon||The Book Depository

Brie died of a broken heart, and she left me with one, too.

Breathless

1) I'm so sorry you guys. I've been MIA all week. :( It looks like my schedule must be altered! Well, make sure you check back here on Mondays and Fridays. I will have a new post up then by sure. :)

2)

You're welcome.

3) I went to the Los Angeles stop of the Breathless Reads tour tonight at Once Upon a Time. I met Beth Revis, Marie Lu, Andrea Cremer, and Jessica Spotswood, and got their fantastic signatures. SO. AWESOME. Everyone there was hilarious, and I promise I'll do a more in depth post on this soon with PICTURES (because imagery just needs to be in existence, right?)! But, hey, pssst, did you know that ANDREA CREMER AND BETH REVIS ARE SISTERS?!?!?

Yeah. I know. I didn't either. But, man, check out their face structures. Total resemblance. They claimed it themselves, too. Wow.

4) I'm going to meet Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder (which is about a cyborg Cinderella--SO COOL) tomorrow at my FAVORITE BOOK STORE EVA, Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop! Maybe I'll see you there? *Edited to add: NOOOO!!! I remembered wrong! The event was actually on the same day as #3. T.T Well, this sucks...*

How was YOUR week while I was off in homework-land?

What's INBETWEEN? A cover reveal (and sneak peek)!

Today, me, along with a bunch of other fantastic bloggers, are going to reveal to YOU the cover of Tara Fuller's INBETWEEN!

Here's the official blurb:

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.

Pre-order the awesome INBETWEEN on Amazon!

Okay, okay, I know you're all waiting for the cover. Here it is...

Book Blogger Confessions {3}

Karen over at For What It's Worth, along with Tiger from All Consuming Books, started this new meme called Book Blogger Confessions. Basically, it's where they ask a question on alternating Mondays, and bloggers can respond/confess the behind-the-scenes work on blogging and such.

This week's question is: Social networking with authors: Do you interact on Twitter/Facebook/etc with authors? Does it affect how you review their work or do you look at their books differently because you're on friendly terms with them?

The Sky, the Sea, and the PANDEMONIUM

Pandemonium
By: Lauren Oliver
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: Trade with friend
Release date: February 28th, 2012

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

-Summary from Goodreads
Published by: HarperTeen
Pre-order: Barnes&Noble||Amazon||The Book Depository

Look at the sun and see the clouds and the faces in the sky; what do you see? There are glowing animals and sharpened weapons, an eternity of possibilities buried within our own imagination. Pandemonium is the sky, and its cloud burn with a passion.

Turn the Tables

First things first: I'm so sorry for the lack of reviews on Tuesday and Thursday. I totally forgot to put into consideration the fact that I have debate on those days, so I think I'm going to make Saturdays and Sundays "makeup days." You know, to make up for post(s) I was supposed to post earlier in the week but never did? :)

Now. This post is about Adele and plot twists. Hang around. (This one's for you, Adele.)

Waiting on Wednesday {24}

This week, I'm waiting on...

Something Random

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know of a few things that are going on!

1) The fantabulous Karen over at For What It's Worth interviewed me on her blog! :D Check it out if you want to know answers to question such as, how did you choose the name for your blog?

2) I'm gearing up for the debate tournament that will determine who goes to National's, so I'm afraid blogging will still be a bit sporadic, and I'm really sorry about that! BUT! I came up with a sort of schedule that I'll try my best to follow (and no, you're not allowed to get mad at me if I fail to follow it since I have a legitimate reason) (okay, okay, you can get mad at me) (just don't tell me you're mad!)...

Monday

IMM or Book Blogger Confessions. Depends on if I get awesome books or not ('cause y'all don't just want to hear me talking nonsense, right?) and if it's a BBC week.
Tuesday

Review.

Wednesday:

Waiting on Wednesday (if I remember...)

Thursday

Review

Friday:

Dunno. Probably a writing post or something.

Weekend
SLEEP! :D

3) There... really isn't a three. I just like the number three. (hey, this kinda reminds me of The Butterfly Clues, which I'm reading right now.)

ROCK ON!

P.S. Oh wait, I do have a three.

(\_/)

(=  ")

(u  u)o

DO YOU LIKE THE BUNNY!? :D Me likeys. 

Ahem. Anyway. Yup. Thanks so much for stickin' with moi!

Ana Incarnate

Incarnate
By: Jodi Meadows
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: DAC ARC Tours

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

-Summary from Goodreads 

Barnes&Noble||Amazon||The Book Depository

If I lived a thousand lifetimes, I would've read this book every time and loved it still.

EverYours

Everneath
By: Brodi Ashton
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: Jena @ Shortie Says (Thanks, Jena! <3)

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's... 

-Summary from Goodreads 
Barnes&Noble||Amazon||The Book Depository

What do you call a book that made you cry at your numbest times? Everneath is a beautiful story about hope--and the absence of it; death--and the absence of it; love--and the absence of that as well.

The Pile-o-Meter {1}

This is my first IMM! :D Yay! Most of you probably know what IMM is, but if not, it's basically where a blogger showcases the books she/he got that week. :)

I never did an IMM before, mostly because I never really get anything remotely interesting. But this week, I got so many awesome books, it's too hard not to share! :D

The Epitome of Epicness Giveaway (because I adore alliteration, alright?)

**UPDATE: I'm so sorry, you guys, I totally didn't think of this. But the giveaway has to end on 2/24, 5 days earlier than what I previously said it to be, because I meet the authors for EE#3 on the 25th, and I need to know which book to get. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

Uh, I have over 100 followers on the blog now. Almost 150. Holy roasted marshmallows on a stick, can you guys tell I'm shocked?! Thank you all so much! (also, I do not normally start conversations with "Uh." I just wanted to see what a capital "U" would look like all big and fancy. Heh.)

Now, let's see. I've been pretty much nonexistent everywhere on the web lately, and here's why: school. To celebrate almost 150 followers on the blog and almost 200 followers on twitter, and to compensate for my darn, darn hectic schedule, I'm having an even MORE AWESOME giveaway. ;)

If I reach 300 followers--since I more than doubled the number of followers last time, I don't think it's unfair to put it this way--anyway, if I reach 300 followers on the blog by the time the giveaway ends (February 24th), I'll have TWO winners. And one of them is going to win a little special mystery ARC pack that's pretty much awesome. (If you follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page, you might have noticed that I offered to give away an ARC pack if I reach 150 followers on the blog and 200 followers on twitter by 2/1. That didn't happen, but it was so close, so here's your chance again!) (Psst, you can like the facebook page to discover what two of the mystery ARCs will be!) (Psst again, don't forget to enter my Giveaway of Giving if you haven't already! I'd like to think it's pretty awesome, yeah?)

Anyway. So.

I'm going to incorporate some old giveaways, ones from last time, and some awesome new ones, too!

Epic Entity #1

One complete *BLOGGER* blog design by yours truly. I'm humbled to admit that I've received such wonderful praise on my blog's new look. Truth is, I designed it with one of the amazing Irene Alexeeva's kits and plenty of Photoshop magic. I'm currently in the process of making my own design site, Dreamless Designs, so... this is your chance to win a "deluxe" package (whatever that turns out to be) of a maybe epic design! :D This prize is international!

Epic Entity #2

The signed books from RTBookLovers Convention. (This is the same as Thing #2 from last time.) Go check out this list of authors on the RT BookLovers Convention Teen Day page. Do you see ONE author you particularly would love a signed (or personalized) book from? Do you? Well, if you do, and you don't mind waiting until APRIL, you can tell me the author and the book you'd like signed, and I'll buy you one there (must be under $20.00) and get it signed by the author (personalized, too, if you'd like). Now, if you choose this option, you have to live in the U.S. or Canada unless you are willing to pay for the international shipping yourself (sorry, peeps, but I'm broke). Also, if something happens and the author you chose can't make it, I can't take any responsibilities for that, though I will be very very sorry. So, if you do choose this option, do keep some back-up authors in mind! (I'm sure you'll find plenty. After all, the list comprises of people like Veronica Roth, Cynthia Hand, Beth Revis, etc. Come on now.) Also, to compensate for the long wait, I'll be including some random SWAG. Signed bookmarks, CDs, postcards, posters, you name it! :D Luck of the draw, peeps, luck of the draw.

Epic Entity #3

More signed books! Yay! I'm going to be meeting Beth Revis (Across the Universe), Jessica Spotswood (author of Born Wicked), Marie Lu (Legend), Andrea Cremer (Nightshade), and Lauren Oliver (Delirium) in Februrary and March! :D So, you still only get one book that will be signed by one of these authors. This prize is basically like Epic Entity #2, except was less waiting time and not as many authors and books to choose from. This prize pack is U.S. and Canada only, sorry!

Epic Entity #4

Because this was epically popular last time, a book of YOUR CHOICE under $20. This, along with Epic Entity #1, are the only prizes that are *INTERNATIONAL* (sorry!). Just make sure The Book Depository ships to your country!


And that's it! Woot! Remember, one winner will get to win one of these prize packs. But! If I reach 300 followers on the blog by the time this contest ends, I'll have TWO winners, one of them winning the mystery ARC pack! :D

Enter the giveaway after the jump!