Building the Book Stacks #1

So, I haven't been online recently due to finals at school and stuff, but that should change when summer rolls around. :) As most of you know, there has been some drama surrounding the Story Siren, but I won't go into that. I am not going to get involved and take a side, and I am still unsure whether or not I want to participate in IMM anymore. Because of that, for the time being at least, I will continue to post IMMs on Saturdays/Sundays, but under a different name.



Bought:
Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

The last book is obviously for my summer reading assignment. :) Has anyone ever read it before? Do you guys know if it's a hard read? I was looking forward to actually enjoying my work-free break, but it turns out the teachers assigned a lot of work. Even better is that I'm going to be super busy with my job. \:

Negativity aside, I have to say that I'm really excited that I'm finally going to start Unearthly; I've heard so many good things about it. Plus, the cover is just so gorgeous and shiny!
If you've made a post about what books you've gotten this week, then feel free to link to it in the comments section. :) I'll be sure to check out all the posts in return!

Cover Spotlight: Unearthly Series by Cynthia Hand

Cover Spotlight is a post that I make sporadically to bring more attention to the beautiful covers that often draw us in. :)

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Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

I haven't yet started this series (although I bought Unearthly just this week!), but I've always admired the covers when I passed them at the bookstore. They're just so shiny and eye-catching! I really love the way the light reflects off of them. Plus, the girl on the cover, along with her dress, is very pretty!

I wish there was a bit more variety between the Unearthly cover and the Hallowed cover as they're nearly the same exact thing beside the color, the position of the girl and her dress. However, I think I still prefer the Unearthly cover due to it's color. I just love the blueish-purpleish shade they picked! I think it's much easier to look at than Hallowed, which is more of a strain on the eyes.

What are your thoughts? Have you seen a cover lately that's attracted your eye?

Torment by Lauren Kate

Rating: ☆☆☆ [3]
Release date:  Sept. 28, 2010
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Format: hardcover
Source: library
Pages: 452
Series: Fallen (#2)
Challenge: --
Summary:

Hell on earth.

That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.

What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

I definitely liked this one a lot better than the first, which I thought was a so-so kind of book. In this book, I think Luce grows more of a backbone, especially when it comes to Daniel. There are times when she doubts whether her and Daniel's relationship is healthy, which I thought was pretty realistic, seeing as they met like not that long ago and they're already declaring their love for each other.

Daniel, who I didn't particularly like in the first book, really got on my nerves in this one. There were points when he acted possessively and controlling. I loved how Luce started to take matters into her own hands instead of relying only on him. Since he wasn't going to give up any of his information, she took the initiative and began to look for answers herself.

I always thought that their romance was kind of sappy and didn't have much substance behind it. It seemed like anytime after they had a fight, Luce would want to run up and just kiss him to make up for it, which is obviously not how real relationships would work. Still, I felt that she was growing more independent of him, especially in the second half of the book.

Just like in the first book, I think I really enjoyed reading about the side characters more than the main characters. Cam, who I loved in the first book, is back. There are also some great new characters that Luce meets, who seemed like genuinely normal people. The side characters definitely make up for the, in my opinion, lacking main characters.

In My Mailbox #17

Bought:

Exit Here by Jason Myers
Head Games by Keri Mikulski
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
The Hunger Pains by the Harvard Lampoon
Divergent by Veronica Roth

I read Divergent as soon as I got it, and I have to say that it was a pretty good book. (: I also thought that the Hunger Pains was fun to read! (Although it was kind of stupid at times)

Be sure to leave a link to your IMM so I can visit!

Die For Me by Amy Plum

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ [4]
Release date: May 10, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: ebook
Source: library
Pages: 341
Series: Revenants (#1)
Challenge: ebook
Summary: 

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

Unlike so many books these days, Die For Me features a new kind of paranormal creature. Although maybe not entirely unique, the idea was very fresh and exciting.

Another reason I liked this book is probably because of the main character. Kate, the MC, was in my opinion, a really strong lead. She seemed like a genuine person, and I loved how she stood up for herself, instead of being some weak helpless girl. I especially liked reading about her relationship with her sister. They had a close bond, which made me wish that my sister and I had something like that.

Vincent was also adorable. I thought their romance was so cute! Plus, they didn't fall in love instantly, and there were even a few parts of the book when Kate was trying to distance herself from him. I didn't feel as if they were attached at the hip the entire time. I mean, they still were obviously dependent on each other, but I guess not as harshly as some other books.

The setting was pretty cool. I don't think I've read too many books centered in France or Europe, so it was nice reading about something different. Even if the setting wasn't too important in the story, I liked reading about a foreign place.