Review: Girl Stolen by April Henry

Girl Stolen by April Henry
Publication Date: December 1, 2010
Publisher: Macmillan
Format: Paperback
Source: Author
Pages: 213

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of the car while her stepmom fills a prescription for antibiotics. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, the car is being stolen.
Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne and once he finds out that not only does she have pneumonia, but that she's blind, he really doesn't know what to do. When his dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes--now there's a reason to keep her. 
How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare?

 My Review: Girl Stolen is definitely a quick read being only about 200 pages. Trust me, when you start this you had better devote your time to reading this and not have anything else planned. It was a gripping read and I could not stop myself from devouring it.
   First, the characters. Cheyenne is our main protagonist. She was obviously, blind. I was expecting her to be whiny and wanting pity but no, she wanted pity for her advantage. Cheyenne was a very unique character not just because she was blind but because of her attitude and personality. She didn't let being blind keep her from doing what she wanted. Griffin was also a very good character. He was sweet but wanted to help, I don't want to give away too many details about Griffin as I could basically give away the whole book.
   Next, the plot. So, we follow Cheyenne Wilder, 16 year old girl, not an average girl, a blind girl. When she develops pneumonia, her step mom takes her to the pharmacy to get the medicine she needs. Cheyenne begs to stay in the car but little did she know, getting to stay in the car would result in an accidental kidnapping. 
   Overall I thought this book was definitely a page turning mystery! I loved everything about it and I can't wait to read Henry's other novel that was just released, The Night She Disappeared.
                                                        5/5

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

                                   Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Expected Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.
Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.
Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.
Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.
Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

Do I need to say anything else other than OMG!? This cover is beautiful and I have heard Kathleen's writing style is also beautiful. I will probably pick this up as soon as it comes out and devote my weekend to it. Even  if I don't like it, well I think I will haha.

Review: Fair Coin by E.C. Myers

Fair Coin by E.C. Myers
Publication: March 6, 2012
Publisher: PYR (Prometheus)
Format: Finished Copy
Pages: 250
*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide attempt is even more disturbing: she thought she’d identified Ephraim’s body at the hospital that day. 
Among his dead double’s belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin—a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he’s liked since second grade. But the coin doesn’t always change things for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people’s lives as easily as it rebuilds his own. 
The coin could give Ephraim everything he’s ever wanted—if he learns to control its power before his luck runs out. 

My Review: Going into this novel, well let's just say I expected something totally different than what I got. Fair Coin was a gripping sci-fi novel and I am very glad I was able to experience it.
   First, the characters. Ephraim was an interesting protagonist. He was still in high school. I loved his personality and how he was a kind of relaxed kick butt character. Did that make any sense? Ok, well anyway, I liked how he tried to protect his friends but sometimes it could get annoying. I felt like he repeated something like his every two pages, "I couldn't let anyone else die." Do you see how that could get annoying? Nathan was an okay sidekick/friend. I thought that later in the book, he was kind of messed up. I got confused with the whole "analog" thing alot.
   Next, the plot. We follow Ephraim Scott. He gets home from school one day and finds his alcoholic mother on the brink of death. We then follow him through his adventures with a coin he finds. It wasn't your average quarter. It was a quarter but the head was backwards on it. Ephraim would make a wish flip the coin and his wish would either come true in a good way or come through in a bad way. 
   Overall Fair Coin was a compelling novel. I didn't want to put it down. For a debut, it was pretty good and I can't wait to get to read more of Myers's novels.
                                                3.5/5

IMM (9)

                                          In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren!                                           I had a pretty good week in books this week. I didn't buy any which is really good. Haha. Even though I only got 3 books this week, they all look SO amazing! P.S. Blogger is all jacked up when I am typing up posts. Is it the same way for yall?

FOR REVIEW: 

Eden's Root by Rachel E. Fisher (Thanks Rachel!)

                    Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (Thanks so much HarperCollins)

The List by Siobhan Vivian (Thanks Scholastic)

                                                             That's it for me this week!

                                               WHAT DID YOU GET IN YOUR MAILBOX?

                                                       Leave me a link and I'll check it out!

Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Publication Date: November 21, 2011
Publisher: RazorBill
Format: Hardback
Source: borrowed from friend
Pages: 358

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future. 
By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

My Review: It took me no time at all to finish this book. It's almost 400 pages but I started it on a Sunday night and finished it Tuesday morning. This probably won't happen again for awhile until I get out of school. I wanted to push everything else to the side so I could finish this book. Usually when I put a book down I stop thinking about it until I pick it up later, not with this one, I'm still thinking about it.
    First, the characters. First, I want to talk about Emma. She was your average high school girl. She ran track, loved to hang out with her best friend Kellan and loved to just relax at home. Josh was an okay character. I thought he was just too.....typical. He had a crush on his neighbor, Emma. I thought okay he has a crush on her. No, it constantly reminds you of that throughout the whole dang book and I found that just a little bit annoying.
   Next, the plot. We follow Josh and Emma. Josh gives Emma an old CD-ROM that his family got in the mail but couldn't use since they didn't have a computer. When Emma logs onto AOL, she clicks her favorite places and discovers 'Facebook'. Neither, Josh nor Emma know what it is. Josh thinks it's just a prank being pulled and not to worry. Emma on the other hand, thinks it's real. They soon realize that even the tiniest event or choice now, can change their future, in a good or bad way.
   Overall this book was amazing. The writing was breathtaking in my opinion. If it wasn't for the whole Josh loves Emma thing it would've been a heck of a lot better but in my book, it was still a five star read. I hope you guys check this book out if you haven't already. If you have, leave me your thoughts on it in the comments or a link to your review of it.
                                                                          5/5
       

IMM (8)

                    In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by the awesome Kristi at The Story Siren.


FOR REVIEW: 

                                        Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell (Thanks to PYR Books)
                                    The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry (Thanks Abrams)
                                          Girl Out Loud by Emily Gale (Thank you Scholastic)


WON:

ARC of Starters by Lissa Price (won from Random House)

P.S sorry for the bad quality pictures, they will be better next week.

That's it for me this week.

What did you get in your mailbox?

Leave me a link!

In a Flash: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Publication Date: February 2, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback
Source: purchased
Pages: 272

No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama. 
For all the ten years of her life, HÀ has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by . . . and the beauty of her very own papaya tree. 
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. HÀ and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, HÀ discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape . . . and the strength of her very own family. 

My Review: This novel is written in poetry so this will be a pretty quick review. This is heart warming story of a young girl who moves from Saigon to Alabama.
     HA is not your typical heroine. She comes from a war filled background. This is her journey to America on a crowded ship with her mother, and 3 brothers. If I was on a ship moving someplace I knew nothing about, I would not be very happy. Ha doesn't mind though because she knows she is going someplace better where she can be free. 
     When she starts going to her new school in Alabama, things seem fine until kids start making fun of her for her hair and clothes. She doesn't understand why so she tells one of her older brothers. Her brother starts to teach her some moves so they'll be scared but she won't hurt them. 
     So, that was a really bad review but I read it about 2 or 3 weeks ago I think and I am just getting around to typing up a review. Just go check this out and see how awesome it is for yourself!
*P.S. Things have been crazy here on the blog lately but everything will resume back to normal on Sunday for In My Mailbox.