SUCH A RUSH--and why it's really not

Such a Rush
By: Jennifer Echols
Reported  by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC from ATWT
Release date: July 10th, 2012 from MTV Books

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's (support my local indie store!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

A promising beginning crumbled by a hypocritical yet beautiful ending, Such a Rush is a convoluted novel that's both intense and grilling.

Giveaway: Signed ARC of THE SELECTION

Hi peeps! I've got a signed ARC of The Selection by Kiera Cass for y'all today! The thing is, it's signed to "Juli," so if you don't want that, I suppose you could... white it out or something? >.< I figured since it's signed, most of you won't mind... hopefully...

The Selection
By: Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

-Summary from Goodreads

This is a US/Canada only giveaway, sorry! T.T The Giveaway will run from 5/20/2012-6/01/2012. Feel free to grab a button!

<center><a border="0" href="http://thereviewsnews.blogspot.com/2012/05/giveaway-signed-arc-of-selection.html" target="_blank" ><img src="http://i.imgur.com/5GX2U.png" width=200 height=200 title="The Selection Giveaway at The Reviews News!" alt="Win THE SELECTION from The Reviews News!" /></a></center>
Enter the giveaway after the jump!

Donate to the Red Cross and get a design!

Hey all! So, if you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me talking about something called the Bike Marathon.

Yeah, I just biked 97 miles in a 24-hour period. *collapses*

The point of the Bike Marathon is to raise money for the Red Cross. To earn more funds, I have a fundraiser going on at my design site. I designed my blog using elements from a kit by Lorie Davidson, for example, so if you like the way my blog looks, please check out the funraiser! :) ANY DESIGNS PURCHASED FROM 5/18/2012-5/30/2012 WILL HAVE THEIR PROFITS DONATED ENTIRELY TO THE RED CROSS. If you purchase $50 or more worth of designs, you will also get 10% off. So, let's say you bought a Keep That Dream packet. That's $70.00, with $7.00 discounted. So, you'll be donating $63.00! :D Here is the link that will lead you to the design post.

This event is perfect in the sense that not only are you donating to charity, but you will also be getting something profitable in return. It's a win situation!

If you would like, please do spread the word! Tweet it, Facebook it, Tumblr it, blog it, etc. Even if you are, for whatever reason, unable to currently purchase a design/donate to Red Cross, you can still help spread the message!
Thanks so much, all, and reviews are comin'! :)

For the Greeks!

Dreamless
By: Josephine Angelini
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC Tour
Release date: May 29th, 2012 from HarperTeen

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos.

As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.

-Summary from Goodreads
 Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's (support my local indie store!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

Josephine Angelini has the uncanny ability to tread uncharted waters and come back with loads of gold in her hands. In other words: what was an aggravating tale of insatiable love, a tale that spanned centuries with infamy and worship--the epic of Helen and Paris--has been transformed completely by Josephine Angelini into an addicting series gleaming with beauty.

Where I pledge to become a knight: UNRAVELING, and why it rocks

Unraveling
By: Elizabeth Norris
Reported by: Julianna Helms

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's (indie stores FTW!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

There are NO WORDS that can describe how I feel about this book. It's freaking badass and mind-boggling and brilliant and fast-paced and beautiful and devastating and so infinitely intelligent I can't even-

Forget it. I cannot write this review in a calm and neutralized way. I'm fan-girling way too hard. Is it possible that I have a girl crush on Janelle and absolutely love Ben Michaels? Oh yes. Is it possible that this might be the best sci-fi book I've ever read? Possibly. I'm teetering towards a yes, even though A Million Suns is glaring and threatening to cryogenically freeze me.

If the world rained brilliance, then Unraveling is a hurricane. It's unstoppable in its formidable exterior and gorgeously raging interior. It brings pleads and tears and SO MUCH BADASSERY I was freaking out with ohmigod this can't be happening it can't be THIS good, can it?! AHHH!!! the entire time.

I can't do this anymore. I can't. I don't even know how to express my thoughts without collapsing into the chasm of full-on exploding happiness. So here:

The Double Review: EON and EONA by Alison Goodman

Eon
Eona 
By: Alison Goodman
Reported by: Julianna Helms

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured. When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

~*~*~*~*~

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon’s army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona’s power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the self-styled “Emperor” Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power—and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans....

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and surprises, is the conclusion to an epic only Alison Goodman could create.

-Summaries from Goodreads

Too much is lost in our greed and ambition to be recovered.

Eon and Eona are different beasts coalescing in the same form, the same thoughts, the same ideals all slammed together until there’s just this giant wall of steel. These books are unbreakably vulnerable and cracked with dirt. They are not perfect; far from it. But they are entertaining and they make you think, and that’s all that really matters.

The Pile-o-Meter {2}

The Pile-o-Meter is a weekly feature here at The Reviews News, though you all know I suck at keeping things conformed, so the "weekly" should probably more be like "when-I-remember-or-feel-like-it-ly." Also, I did not come with the idea of this meme, and if anyone wants to join me on this pile-sharing meme, let me know and I'll send you graphics for various positions on the meter (or maybe even make you a custom one! :D) suitable for any pile size!

Possible Notations:
1-3 books: Puny Pile
4-6 books: Pygmy Pile
7-10 books: Productive Pile
11-13 books: Party Pile
14+ books: Pig-out Pile

This week's pile is pygmy-sized. I actually got a lot of books at RT and the last few weeks, but I always forgot to mention them. So this week's post will be totally irrelevant because I'll just be adding random stuff I got, but I'll probably get confused with when I got what.

For Review:
-Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti. (Reviewed this one already and LOVED it!)

Trade:
-Team Human by Justine Larbalestier (I just donated it! I don't think this is from this week, but ah well. I don't remember exactly when, haha.)
-The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross (Got it from my awesome bud Jaime. :D)

Bought:
-The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (EVERYONE tells me to read this series. I will soon!)
-Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard (I have an ARC of this and loved it beyond words. My review is here! I bought this as a birthday gift to my bestie. :D)


That's this week's Pile-o-Meter! What's YOUR pile?

Rainbow-spewing fish (and why you should KEEP HOLDING ON)

Keep Holding On
By: Susane Colasanti
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via tour
Release Date: May 31st, 2012 from Viking Juvenile/Penguin

A romantic and empowering book about bullying

Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's (help support my local indie store!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository 

Fish

The picture you see above is a rainbow-spewing fish. It's a blurry picture, as I took it with my webcam up close, and it's not colored. I assure you, though--it is indeed a rainbow-spewing fish.

"Um, Juli," you might be thinking, "What the heck does a freakin' fish have to do with Keep Holding On?" That's a great question. And so allow my quasi-philosophical explanation to fathom for a second or five.

Our lives are blurry. They pass by us faster than we realize and slower than we desire. Things don't work out right; they turn upside-down; colors degrade to black; brightness fades to a dimmer white; what was once a promise is now a dread. Through it all we're still fighting to find a better life, and even if that means sacrificing certain values, most of the time we are willing to do it.

So why, then, is bullying such a problem? And suicide?