Follow Friday (8)

 

It's Friday again, and you know what that means...;D

This Friday's feature is Alaskan Book Cafe on Alison Can Read's blog!

Q. It's that pesky magic book fairy again! She has another wish: What imaginary book world would you like to make a reality?

Oh jeez. I...no, I just can't....I just can't limit myself to one world. So I'm going to answer with all the ones I would do almost anyting to go see. (Though, if they existed, I might be pretty scared of the bad guys...)


(not in order)

1. Harry Potter's world. Duh. Though London actually does exist, I mean the world...XD Yeah.
2. Alagaesia. I want to be a dragon Rider! :DD OH. And I want to see the ELVES. <3
3. MIDDLE EARTH.
4. The other world thing in The Iron Fey series. I'm really tired and I cant think of what its called...wait..is it Netherworld!? No, I think that's Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. Anyway. I just Puck. Whatever it takes to get to the Summer Court. :]

And that is all that I can think of... What did YOU pick?

Review: Ruined

 

Title: Ruined

Author: Paula Morris

Publisher: Point

Release Date:   August 1st 2009

Format: Paperback (ARC)

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost.   A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.   As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

Ruined is a ghost story, and being so, is different from what I normally read. I was a tad bit worried if I'd like it or not, but I wanted to give it a shot.

I loved it.

Rebecca Brown is a great character, and SO easy to relate to. She's a bit of a rebel when she gets to New Orleans, and goes places and sees people she's told to stay away from. Her personality is great, and she doesn't fall head over heels for the story's hottie, Anton Grey. She's completely grounded in the romantic relationship with him and I really liked that. I didn't feel like reading it was turning my brain to mush.

My only problem with the characters was Lizette the ghost. She's portrayed in the beginning as a 'little' girl. Yet, we later learn (much later), that she was sixteen when she died. So, I had a really hard time imagining her as a full grown teen and not a little eight year old bouncing along with Rebecca. Plus, the cover image is not at all how Lizette is described. That was a little bothersome.

Aside from the characters, the material was great. It pulled me in, and I didn't want to stop at the end of a chapter, because Morris pulled some pretty awesome cliff-hangers.

At the beginning, it was a tad bit slow, but as I got to the middle, the pieces began to fall together and the real mystery began. It really shined a light on New Orleans' beautiful and dangerous history, the culture, and the reality of the people in that city.

At the end, I was already a big fan of this book. Then I read the acknowledgments, and I now am a big fan of the author, Paula Morris:
 

"Readers interested in learning more about the rich and complex history of New Orleans might want to start with Ned Sublette's 'The World that Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square'. And anyone keen to help rebuild and renew this unique American city should visit www.makeitrightnola.org or www.habitat-nola.org."

 
Look at that! The author did some research! That. Is. Awesome. And she supports the help of the real city this story is based on. Total bonus points.

So, when I closed this book, and marked it as finished, I felt satisfied and happy. It's a good story, easy to read, and a great book to suggest to friends. 

I gave it FOUR out of FIVE sporks

The Godddess Test Giveaway Winner Announced!

 

So, The Goddess Test giveaway ended August 31st and 92 people entered, for a combined total of 163 entries! I was blown away! (And yes...I counted every 163. By hand. o.o)


Then, after pouring all those names into random.org, I found the winner! Are you ready!?


The winner of The Goddess Test giveaway is.....


.......

*drum roll*

Michael @ The Bookshelf Reviewer !

Congratulations, Michael, on being the winner of a shiny signed copy of The Goddess Test! :D Look for an email from me soon!

Didn't win? Don't worry! I'll be having some more giveaways soon! 

IMM (2 )

 

In My Mailbox is an awesome meme hosted by Kristin at The Story Siren!

 Hey there! It's time for that amazing In My Mailbox thing again. :D I got some wonderful books again this time around. Also, I really wanted to do a vlog again, but my webcam still fails. Maybe it'll work next time! :D

Bought:

None

Arrived in the Mail:

The Inheritance Almanac by Michael Macauley (From Nicole @ WORD For Teens)
LOVE. I took a picture of this book in B&N on my phone and sent it to her and then she bought it for me. Talk about being awesome. :D
Secret Society by Tom Dolby (ARC) (From Nicole @ WORD For Teens)
I've had this on my to-read list for awhile and then I saw Nicki's mass cleaning project. Bahaha.

Digital Scrapbooking for Dummies by Jeanne Wines-Reed & Joan Wines (From Nicole @ WORD For Teens)
From Nicki's mass cleaning. Its a gift for my mom. ;D Shhh.
Speed Decorating by Jill Vegas (From Nicole @ Word For Teens)
From Nicki's mass cleaning. And it came at the right time...I'm redecorating my room right now. XD

R.A.K.

When I first opened the box! So cute!

There was this awesome little Spork presentation! <3 <3

And the book she sent me! :DDD

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (From Amelia @ The Authoress)
This book has also been on my to-read list for the longest time so I was really excited to receive this. Even more exciting, was that this was SO unexpected, hence R.A.K. Even MORE exciting, was that she included this awesome little Spork presentation in the box. In case you're wondering, the the little note card with the Spork and plate said "This place of awesomness is reserved for: The Spork Master." I love this girl! <3 <3 <3

What did YOU get in your mailbox?

News?

 

Hi there! So as you know...Senior year is busy. And I haven't had time to read more than five pages in a book that's not school related. I'll be posting some reviews to take up space since I don't want you guys going 'Well, she just ditched her blog. Not cool.' 'cause I'm not ditching my blog. :D I'm just SUPER busy. 


Also, The Goddess Test giveaway ended the 31st and I shall be drawing and announcing the winner soon! I can hear the drum rolls. 


Lastly, if you haven't already, go enter the Fabulous Favourites I put up last month. No entries so far! If I don't have any, than I'll have to go on talking about MY favourites while we all want to hear about YOURS. So get to it! :D