Reap Book Blitz!

Foreign, or rather unfamiliar, would be the word I would use to describe how I felt.

Faintly, I could hear the glimmer of voices surrounding me in this dark haze, caressing my ears like skin against silk. I felt like I was in a cocoon of sorts, protectively enveloped, quietly drifting in some far-off place. I wanted to stay that way forever.

But we all know that what you want never really seems to happen in the real world.

Something’s not right in Mia’s head.

The first thing is that her name isn’t Mia. In fact, she has no clue what her name is—who she is. All that she knows is that she’s not like the ones who found her: Dante with his kind blue eyes, Amy with her child-like demeanor, James with his questioning gaze.

And Briggs.

The one she cannot decipher no matter how hard she tries.

As Mia tries to fit in with these people, a strange occurrence is amidst outside. And as she finally remembers who she is …

Well, let’s just say that things get a little more complicated.

~ Goodreads

    

About the Author

A dreamer, Christina Channelle holds two degrees in health sciences but has always had a passion for writing. You will find her reading other young adult novels, or typing up a new story on her computer. When not writing, Christina spends her free time at the movies, listening to music, or eating sushi. She's a reality TV junkie and has a close relationship with many characters on TV that have been a topic of many heated discussions among friends. She resides in Ontario, Canada.

Her next project is the YA Paranormal Romance, Reap, to be released October 11, 2013.

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Tattoo Thief

Title: Tattoo Thief (Tattoo Thief #1)

Author: Heidi Joy Tretheway

Genre: NA/Romance

Release Date: October 8, 2013

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:
♥♥♥♡

22-year-old Beryl doesn't know why Gavin Slater trashed his penthouse, abandoned his dog and fled the country.  But as his house sitter, she must pick up the pieces for the front man of the white-hot rock band Tattoo Thief. 

 When ultra-responsible Beryl confronts the reckless rock star, she wants to know more than just what to do with his mess.  Why is he running?  What’s he searching for?  And is he responsible for the death of his muse? 

 New York newbie Beryl must find her footing in Gavin’s crazy world of the ultra-wealthy to discover her own direction and what can bring him back. 

Steamy, sassy and tender, Tattoo Thief is a story of breaking from a comfort zone to find a second chance.

~ Goodreads

♥A special thank you to Heidi for allowing me to read and review Tattoo Thief!

I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars, so I settled at 3.75 stars.  
Tattoo Thief is gritty and refreshing, but slightly redundant.

Beryl has been living in Eugene, Oregon for most of her life.  Simple, routine, and mundane.  Inside, she's craving for an adventure, anything to urge her onto the road of Wonderful Careers and Fast-Paced Wonders.  That opportunity arises when a family friend offers Beryl a job she can't say no to.  But there's a catch - she has to leave Eugene and move to large and bustling New York.  Frantic and amazed, Beryl is just at the beginning of her story of mending broken hearts, seeing past false exteriors, and finding a love that was made for her.

Tattoo Thief is a sweet love story with a twist!  I loved the way Beryl and Gavin's relationship unfurled through texts and online chatting.  That's definitely a first for me in the NA world!  Most of the NA books I've read had the bad boy personally introduced into the story through some sort of physical interaction, so I loved that Tattoo Thief had sort of a pen-pal thing going on.  Although, I didn't really feel their chemistry through the online chatting, which would have added so much more to the story.  It just felt like Beryl was flirting with Gavin - sweet and innocent flirting.  Not falling head over heels in love with him.  That part came as a surprise because I thought there would be more development in their relationship.  I wish there had been more palpable chemistry between Beryl and Gavin.

Beryl setting out in a new city was refreshing and enjoyable, but I wanted more.  Her job as a house-sitter and all of the adventures that came along with it was fun to read about, but I wanted more.... more action, maybe?  Okay, not necessarily action, but something along the lines of it.  Like adventures?  I mean, Beryl had some adventures that involved partying and walking dogs and some unsettling men, but I felt like there was something lacking in the story.  There also could have been more of an oomph when it came to Gavin.  He actually wasn't that much of a bad boy, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he was a sweetie pie.  I thought he would be edgy and bad-ass, but he wasn't, unfortunately.  Although, he was lovable!

Tattoo Thief definitely started out slower than I would have liked, but once I got past the first 40%, I was cruising through.  I just wish that Gavin had come into the story earlier because to only have him in the last couple of chapters is plain torture!  In the beginning of Tattoo Thief, I kept asking myself "WHEN IS GAVIN COMING BACK?"  Seriously, I asked that over and over again, and when did I get him?  In the last 20%.  Such a downer.

Overall, I'm giving Tattoo Thief a 3.75/5 because it has great potential, but fell short in some areas.

To Read Or Not To Read...

Hello, wonderful people!

I need help.

Every reader has those books that have been patiently waiting in their TBR lists for a couple of months, or in my case, around a year.  My problem is that I get so conflicted over the differing comments and reviews and I can't decide whether or not to read the book because I obviously don't want to waste money on a book I think I'll end up hating.
So, this is where I need help!
I'm going to list the books I'm not sure are worth reading below, and if you all can comment and tell me whether they're a go or a no-go, I would really, really appreciate it!!

~ Thanks, everyone!

Should Teens Be Forced To Read "Classics" In School?

♥ I know this is a very controversial topic, so just know that these are my opinions!

As a senior in high school, I've read Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Crime and Punishment, and many more classics.  I've listened to my classmates go on so many tangents whenever we're to read these old books for a paper or a project.  I know that classics have set the base for so many of the modern stories we love today (YA!), but I feel like they're not relevant to modern society.  I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and I adore the movie, but do most teenagers enjoy reading it?  Truthfully, not many do.  And while I think that's a crying shame, there's nothing we can do about it because most teenagers are so used to reading books with Twilight or Hunger Games-esque dialogue and narration.  Many classics are told with narration that sometimes puts even me to sleep.

I know that teachers love to make their students read classics because it helps them to gain insight on all of the different writing styles throughout history.  But is it really beneficial to the students if they don't give a crap about what they're reading?  And what if they don't understand the contextual meanings, the symbolic meanings?  Those are both integral parts of classics, and if they don't understand it, well, here comes a bad test grade.

I - as you all probably know - love, love, love modern YA, so much that I've sworn to always read the genre no matter how old I get.  Dedication, right?  I asked my friends if given the choice between a classic and a modern YA book, which they would pick.
More than 75% picked modern YA.
Now, what does that tell you?  Students should be allowed to read books that have all of the literary double-meanings that classics have.  I don't think classics should be completely taken off the grid, just the ones that are too complex and whose context include nothing more than incessant stream-of-consciousness (I'm talking to you, As The Sun Also Rises!) because, frankly, those types of books put me to sleep faster than a Pre-Cal lecture.

~ What is your opinion on the topic?

Save the Enemy ARC

Title: Save the Enemy

Author: Arin Greenwood

Genre: YA/Mystery

Release Date: November 12, 2013

Source: I won Save the Enemy in a Goodreads First Reads contest

My Rating:
♥♥♥

Everything has been downhill since Zoey Trask’s mother was murdered in a random mugging.  Her younger brother, Ben, is on the autistic spectrum and needs constant supervision. I t’s senior year, and she’s the new girl at a weird private school in Old Town Alexandria, VA, full of kids who seem too nice to be true—including a very cute boy named Pete.  Aside from half-forgotten martial arts and survivalist skills that her widowed father insisted on teaching her (because that is excellent for her social life), Zoey has nothing to offer Pete or anyone else. 

 Then Dad is kidnapped.  Zoey suddenly finds herself sole caretaker of a younger brother she barely understands.  Worse, Ben seems to hold the key to their father’s disappearance in his Dream Diary, a bizarre journal of names and places Ben claims that their mother shares from beyond the grave.  And as if Zoey doesn’t have enough on her plate, there’s Pete, who stubbornly refuses to leave her side. 

 Relying on the skills she never wanted to learn—Dad might have had his reasons after all—Zoey is plunged into a lethal battle to rescue her father, protect her brother, and determine the identity of her family’s true enemy.

~ Goodreads

Oh goodness.... I have such mixed emotions towards this book.

Zoey Trask lived a seemingly unconventional life up until her mother was murdered in a random mugging in Washington.  Since that night, her father has been pulling farther and farther away from Zoey and her autistic brother Ben.  When her father is kidnapped without a warning, Zoey's life is turned upside down.  Her family is not who she thought they were.  She's no longer living a normal life as she attempts to hunt down her father's kidnapper and discovers her family's secrets, coloring them in a different and strange light.

What I Liked:
Save the Enemy had some very humorous parts!  It's more like the 'weirdo humor' than actual joke humor.  But, nonetheless, I was laughing pretty hard when it came to Zoey's witty and awkward narration.
The narration was actually - despite its flaws - entertaining.  I feel like Zoey was a good protagonist who held her ground throughout the story.

What I Didn't Like:
When you read a YA book, you expect to not have any overtly political and/or religious themes running through it, right?  Wrong.  Totally wrong.  Zoey went on a couple political tirades, making it crystal clear which political party the author belongs to.  It made me very uncomfortable because, frankly, I don't care what political party you belong to because it's none of my business!  I just want to read!  Oh, and don't even get me started on the religious bashing!  Really, I don't care if you believe in God or not, and I don't want to hear your completely secular rant on why there is no God.  Just...ugh.
The plot had a lot of potential, but the story didn't live up to it.  I felt like Save the Enemy lacked in some crucial points, like explaining what the hell was going on.  Seriously, when I finished the book I was still so confused because there were so many holes that were not patched up throughout the story, like why Zoey's mother had the secret occupation that she had had, and what exactly Pete was doing for his mother.  If the author had just explained these points, I would have enjoyed Save the Enemy much, much more.
There was absolutely no chemistry between Zoey and Pete.  It was just "I want to have babies with him."  Ummm, sweetie, you just met him.  Yeah, awkward is an understatement.  There was hand holding and hand rubbing, but sparks were essentially nonexistant.
Zoey was a bit of an idiot in some parts of the book.  If your dad was kidnapped, would you go to a party because it's your senior year and you want to potentially get wasted?  I'd hope the answer is no, but in Zoey's super special case, the answer is "Sure!  Why not?"  What the hell....

Overall, I'm giving Save the Enemy a 3/5 because the plot was interesting, but the story did not cut it, and the author left some integral parts of the story unexplained.