On My Wishlist #11

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Cosy Books .

The Breakaway
Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle
Published : 1st May 2012
Genre: YA/Contemporay

Goodreads:

When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she’s missing. Escape isn’t high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she’s part of a family—even if it is a family of criminals. But she’s still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she’s falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn’t sure she wants to take it.

That was mine. What about you? Leave me a comment down below which I'll be sure to check out ;)

And happy reading everyone!

xoxo, Mariam

It's Monday... What Are You Reading

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is a meme hosted by Book Journey.

Books I Read Last Week:

    Matched by Ally Condie ( Review Soon )

    Crossed by Ally Condie  ( Review Soon )

On My Blog Last Week:
     The Vampire Diaries Tag 
     Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon
     My Top: New Releases in May 2012    

     Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Books I'm Currently Reading:

The Scorpio Races 

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Published: 18 October 2011

Goodreads:

 It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Books I Have My Eyes On:
     The Iron King ( The Iron Fey #1 ) Goodreads

   

What do you think? Leave me a comment down below which I'll be sure to check out ;)

xoxo, Mariam   

We Are Young #2

 

We are young is a weekly meme hosted by Read Into Hiding.

This week's question is:

 If you could be your favorite book character for one day, where and with whom would you spend your time? Whether you choose to be with a character from a book, in a place from a different one, that's your choice :)

Ah, tricky question Ella. There so many but for one day, I'd like to be Rose Hathway from the Vampire Academy series. I personally love vampires and so if you read the series then you know that she is a Dhampire, so not a real vampire like Edward Cullen for e.g. And would spend the day with Julian from Pandemonium, he was such a sweetheart so absolutely him. And would spend it with him in the underground  caves from the Host by Stephenie Meyer, where Melanie and Wanderer stayed with the others for most of the story, it felt home-ish for some reason. That was a twisty answer :)

So what about you? Leave me a comment down below telling me or a link to your own post, which I'll be sure to check out in both cases :D

And hope you all are having an amazing day!
xoxo, Mariam

Book Review: Insurgent

From Goodreads:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

     In the sequel to Divergent, Insurgent. The story picks up immediately from where it ended in Divergent, where Tris, Tobias, Marcus, Caleb and Peter were going to the Amity compound, where they got rest and such. But it was the beginning of a really exciting adventure with some twists & turns. It still enchanted me, the whole story. But I feel it wasn't as Divergent. I feel in Divergent, each incidents in the story was much more remarkable.

   However, we get to know better some of the characters whom weren't quite in the light in the first book. I honestly enjoy Roth's characters. But Tris was sort of a surprise, new things were revealed about her character. And as she was still shaken by the latest incidents, her parents death and shooting Will, she couldn't even a gun for a long while. Her character developed really well. She and Four, ah Four was still Four. But getting to know more about the other factions was something that I was looking forward to and it was a pleasant experience. But the ending was such a cliffhanger that I can't wait for the third book to come out already. 
   

   Overall, I personally had a hard time putting it down. I absolutely recommend reading it. So if you already read Divergent, read this one because it was worth it. This book actually had a lot, from romance to guilt to loss to betrayal to some tension and considerate amount of action in it. Well-written and had a good-pace as well.

Some Quotes:

" I love Tris the Divergent, who makes decisions apart from faction loyalty, who isn’t some faction archetype."

" Relax, Beatrice (…) I’ve driven a car before."

"I’ve done a lot of things before, but that doesn’t mean I’m any good at them!"

"I think it would be easier to fight in a dress,” says Marlene, tapping her chin. “It would give your legs freer movement. And who really cares if you flash people your underwear, as long as you’re kicking the crap out of them?"
"Insurgent,” he says. “Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as belligerent."

Author: Veronica Roth

First Book: Divergent ( Review HERE )
Grade Rating:

Happy reading everyone!

xoxo, Mariam

PS: I actually read this book a while back but hadn't got the chance to the review it until now because of my exams :(

On My Wishlist #10

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Cosy Books .

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

Author: Richelle Mead

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Expected Publication: 12 June 2012

Goodreads Summary:

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

I'm so super excited for this book to come out, since I loved  the first book, Bloodlines. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

That was mine. What about you? Leave me a comment down below which I'll be sure to check out :)

Hope you all are having a wonderful day
xoxo, Mariam

My Top New Releases in May 2012

   There are some new releases that I have my eyes on for this month and thought I'd share it with you guys and so here they are:

1) Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days.

Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape. Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.

2) Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis From Goodreads:

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.

3) A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix
Genre: YA

Synopsis from Goodreads:

I have died three times, and three times been reborn, though I am not yet twenty in the old earth years by which it is still the fashion to measure time. This is the story of my three deaths, and my life between. My name is Khemri.

Taken from his parents as a child and equipped with biological and technological improvements, Khemri is now an enhanced human being, trained and prepared for the glory of becoming a Prince of the Empire. Not to mention the ultimate glory: should he die, and be deemed worthy, he will be reborn...Which is just as well, because no sooner has Prince Khemri graduated to full Princehood than he learns the terrible truth behind the Empire: there are ten million princes, and all of them want each other dead.

4) Slated by Teri Terry
Genre: Sci-Fi

.

     Synopsis From Goodreads:

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

5) Revived by Cat Patrick

Genre: Sci-Fi

From Goodreads:

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger—and more sinister—than she ever imagined.

And finally some summer appropriate reads...

6) The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland

Genre: YA

From Goodreads:

Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn’t. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time.

7) Bringing The Summer by Julia Green

Genre: YA

Synopsis From Goodreads:

It’s the lazy end of summer and Freya is about to start her A levels. Her brother Joe died a year ago, but she is slowly coming to terms with his death. She is beginning to feel ready for something new – a change. And then a railway accident brings her into contact with the gorgeous Gabe. Freya is drawn not just to his blond good looks, but everything about him, including his large, shambolic, warm and loving family, which seems to Freya so different from her own.

And then Gabe’s clearly troubled older brother makes it clear he is interested in Freya – and Freya has some decisions to make about what she really wants.

I haven't read any of these books yet, I'm just planning to, but there seem to be alot of new releases this month and I sort of picked my top. So have you read any those? If so, what do you think? If not, leave me a comment in both cases telling me about new releases that you like :)

xoxo, Mariam