Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

Book Summery:When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back — if Cassie will agree to be his bride.
That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her — until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice. -goodreads.com

Book Review:

I had originally never intended to read this book until I read a rave review for Durst's Enchanted Ivy. Suddenly, I was intrigued, and craved to read both books by Durst. Furthermore, I got really excited when I got several good recommendations for Durst's Ice. As I read the beginning of Ice, I could see it came so highly recommended. It didn't take long before I became fully enveloped in the story. Dursts descriptions are just beautiful. I could vividly imagine impossible ice castles and graceful ice sculptures. I even began to fully believe the relationship between Cass and Bear. Then came the second part of the book. The enchanted story that I came to love suddenly came to a grinding halt and I found myself wading through the pages, hopelessly longing to return the world of Cass and Bear. While I can appreciate the unwavering dedication that Cass has for Bear, and the unyielding need she has to bring her family back together, I just didn't enjoy Cass' journey across the earth as much as I did the first half of the story. Overall, the second half detracted enough to bring down the rating from a 4 to a 3 out of 5 stars. I am glad I read Ice and still look forward to Enchanted Ivy. I recommend this book for those who enjoy a good fairy tale.

Favorite Quote:

"She was inside a rainbow. Chandeliers of a million shards of ice danced colors over the foyer. Ice frescoes covered the walls, swirling with sapphireand emerald reflections. Frozen ruby red roses wound up colmns. She had never seen anything so magnificiant." (p. 37-38)

Cover Art Commentary:

This cover is gorgeous. It gives the feeling of Arctic beauty, which sets the tone for the story.

Overall Rating:

Gone by Lisa McMann

Book Summery:

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves: She has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life — and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out. . . .-goodreads.com
Book Review:
Wow! Lisa McMann finishes off her trilogy with a bang! Her final book in the series, Gone, is nothing less than stellar, which I have come to expect from her. The mystery that Janie is uncovering this time is her past, present, and future. While on vacation, Janie explores what her future holds, for both her and Cabel. She is in the midst of making a permanent decision for the future, when she gets a phone call from her next door neighbor, telling her to come home as soon as possible because her mother's been taken to the hospital. On arrival, Janie discovers that her mother isn't hospitalized, rather it's the man that is claimed to be her father. Janie withdraws into herself, and embarks on a personal journey of discovery of her father's past; which helps her to better understand her current predicament; which ultimately helps her to decide what is best for her future. Prepare yourself for waves of emotion, mixed with love, mystery, and heartache. A sentimental ending to a whirlwind trilogy, will leave the reader wanting more. I have already ordered McMann's next book Cryer's Cross (info found here), which should HOPEFULLY be arriving soon! I highly recommend the entire Dream Catcher series to readers. They are dark, emotional, fast-paced reads that will make you think twice about what your dreams are trying to tell you.

Favorite Quote:

"Janie grins and rips it open. 'You have absolutely everything in that drawer. Snacks, steri-strips, food stain wipes, plastic ware...what else?'

'Anything and everything a person needs in order to live for several days,' Captain says.

Janie laughs. Relaxes. 'That's amazing.' Takes a bite.

'I was a boy scout.' Captain's serious face never wavers.

Janie snorts, and then wonders if Captain wasn't joking with her. One never knows with her." (p. 200)

Cover Art Commentary:
I honestly have to say, this cover is my favorite of the entire series. The black and green contrast nicely against each other. The entire trilogy looks gorgeous on my bookshelf! :)

Overall Rating:

Fade by Lisa McMann

Book Summery:

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open -- but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability -- and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared.... -goodreads.com

Book Review:
Author Lisa McMann takes it up a notch in her second book in the Dream Catcher trilogy, Fade. McMann really had me guessing up to the end as to what -exactly- was going on in the big mystery that Janie is investigating. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I really thought Janie made some dicey decisions, which played up the plot well. What I like most about this series are the characters. They are raw, flawed, honest human beings. Easy to relate to. On a more personal level, I LOVE that the trilogy is set in Michigan, somewhat, okay...rather loosely, close to where I live. (Although, I would LOVE to live closer to Ann Arbor!) It makes it very easy to picture the story in my head. If you are looking for a thrilling mystery, look no further. This is the story for you, though I HIGHLY recommend you read the first book, Wake, beforehand. :)

Favorite Quote:

"That's another reason why this new assignment is putting him on edge. He knows the dreams will make this harder on her than him.

Physically, anyway.

Mentally? Emotionally? It'll be harder on him.

Because this love thing is foreign to Cabel. And now that he has found Janie, he's becoming increasingly protective of her. There is no man in the universe he wants to share her with. Especially a creep.

Even if it unearths a scandal.

Of greatest proportions.

The biggest scandal Fieldridge High has ever seen." (p. 25)

Cover Art Commentary:
Very mysterious, which is a perfect backdrop to the story! It also goes along nicely with the first book! :)

Overall Rating:

Wake by Lisa McMann

Book Summery:
For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She can't tell anybody about what she does they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can’t control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant. -goodreads.com

Book Trailer:



Book Review:
Lisa McMann takes us on a high-paced, emotional journey in her debut novel, Wake. What I liked most about this book is that it is character driven. Janie, Carrie, and Cable are real, raw, flawed charters. I love the friendship between Janie and Carrie. It definitely offers some insight into both girls' personalities and upbringings. Cable is a sweet surprise. The chemistry between him and Janie is pure, intriguing and intense. Overall, this was a quick read and left me craving more. I'm already digging into the second book in the trilogy, Fade. For more insight and information, check out the author's website here.

Favorite Quote:

"Jamie lies awake in bed. Scared.

She wonders if she will end up like her friend Miss Stubin from the nursing home, all alone.

Or dead in a car crash, because of this stupid dream curse." (p. 50)

Cover Art Commentary:
I love the ominous tone of the cover. Just enough color peering through. :)

Overall Rating:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Book Summery:
Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, adoring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. Then, in an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the one decision she has left—the most important decision she’ll ever make.
Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving. -author's website
Book Trailer:



Book Review:
Gayle Forman has done an extraordinary job of placing the reader in Mia's metaphorical shoes. In an instant Mia is ripped from everything she knows, frozen in a coma-state, and forced to make the biggest decision of her life, literally. Beautifully told, this poignant tale is sure to take you on an emotional roller coaster. There were times that laughed, and times that I cried. Mia definitely had an interesting life before her accident. I loved getting to know her and her family through the various flashbacks as Mia tries to determine her ultimate choice. Another great aspect about this book is its centered focus on music of all kinds. The references were nicely placed and definitely gave the story a flair all of its own. I highly recommend this book to readers of all kinds. For more information, check out Forman's website, where you can also find the playlist to the story. :)

Favorite Quote:

"'Are you going tonight?' Dad asks.

'I was planning to. It depends if they shut down the whole state on account of the snow.'

'It is approaching a blizzard.' Dad says, pointing to a single snowflake floating its way to the earth." (p.6)

Cover Art Commentary:
I have the paperback, which is the cover I have displayed at the top. This cover coveys a girl frozen in time. Not looking forward, not looking back. Just existing in the here and now. Beautiful. Silent. Powerful.

Overall Rating:

Book Bundle

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love. -goodreads.com


The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julid Kagawa

My name is Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it. This time, there will be no turning back. -goodreads.com

Gone (Dream Catcher #3) by Lisa McMann

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.
She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves: She has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.
Then a stranger enters her life — and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out. . . . -goodreads.com


Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.
Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.
That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice. -goodreads.com


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
So you're a guy; you're at a band show and your ex, the girl who dumped you, walks in with the new guy. Looking for a safe exit, you ask the girl you happen to sitting with to be your girlfriend for five minutes . You're a girl; you're at a get-together and your least favorite female strolls in. The stranger sitting next to you asks you to be his five-minute date. So what do you? You lock lips . Nick and Norah's instant connect begins a roller-coaster "first date" that takes them through Manhattan and into themselves. A novel concept that works. -goodreads.com


Source:
Half were bought at my local indie bookstore, and the other half at B&N with the BF's discount card. :)

Most Anticipated:
Hmmm...most of these are books that I have reallllly been looking forward to. If I had to pick, I would say it's between Delirium and The Iron Queen. :)

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Book Summery:

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.” So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own. -goodreads.com

Book Review:
I'll admit. I was a bit hesitant on this one. I had previously picked up Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and thumbed through it at the bookstore. I'll admit, I didn't really give it a proper chance. I was distracted by the enthusiastic use of the F-bomb. While I'm not one to mind profanity (I use it quite a bit myself), it was so overused that it was distracting. However, I recently read a few reviews on Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, and most of them were stellar, so my interest was piqued. The BF and I headed over to the bookstore, and I picked up a copy and was immediately adsorbed into the pages. Rich said that he has never heard me laugh aloud so much while reading. This book has it all...laughter, sorrow, mystery, love, heartache. I fell in love with the characters, and found myself wanting to a part of their life. I cannot recommend this book enough. It stole my heart from page one. To the point that I plan on picking up a copy of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist on my next trip to the bookstore and give it the proper chance it deserves. For more info, check out Rachel Cohn's website and David Levithan's site. :)

Favorite Quote:

"I was usually in the mood to look for nothing in particular when I went to the Strand. Some days, I would decide that the afternoon was sponsored by a particular letter, and would visit each and every section to check out the authors whose last names began with that letter. Other days, I would decide to tackle a single section, or would investigate the recently unloaded tomes, thrown in bins that never really conformed to alphabetization. Or maybe I'd only look at books with green covers, because it had been too long since I'd read a book with a green cover." (p.3)

Cover Art Commentary:
It took me a while to figure out what exactly I liked about the cover. For some reason, it grabbed my attention long before I decided to purchase and read it. After finishing the last page, it finally dawned on me. What I like most isn't a single item in the cover, but rather the overall conveying message of possibility. You're on a street, downtown...anything can happen. It's a recurring theme throughout the book, and the cover artist has captured it nicely. :)

Overall Rating: