Reading Right Now! Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett or Fear by Michael Grant

                    
                 Title: Confessions of an Angry Girl              Title: Fear
                 Author: Louise Rozett                                   Author: Michael Grant

So guys, I'm not exactly sure which book I'm going to read next. I think I'm leaning towards Confessions of an Angry Girl and then I'm going to continue on with Fear #5 of the wonderful and fabulous Gone series. I actually just finished The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, which is a fantastic middle grade adventure story revolving around the various Prince Charmings of many well known fairy tales. Full review to come soonish. I say soonish because you guys all now that I've been pretty horrible at keeping this blog updated. When life isn't getting in the way I sometimes just end up feeling too lazy to get to it. So yeah, I'm pretty sure Confessions of an Angry Girl is what I'm going to be reading first. I requested it from Netgalley a great while ago and never got around to reading and reviewing it, which makes me feel bad. I also requested the sequel which came out June 25th, so I really need to get around to reading those. For those that are interested, the sequel is called Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend. So that's what I'm planning on Reading Right Now! If you want, tell me what you're reading in the comments or whatever :D

Review of Pure by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure

Author: Julianna Baggott

Published by: Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group

Released: 2012

Summary: When the Detonations went off, only those inside the Dome were spared the horrific effects. Those outside the Dome became fused with the objects around them, some became part of the ground itself. Many people perished in the Detonations and those that didn't struggle to survive in a dead and desolate Earth. Pressia is one of those survivors. She lives with her grandfather in an old barbershop. Along with a few burn scars on her face, Pressia also has a doll head fused to her body in place of where her hand should be. Pressia knows when she turns 16 that the OSR will come to take her away. As Pressia runs from the OSR, she encounters someone, a Pure named Patridge.

Patridge has grown up in the Dome and is unmarked from the Detonations. Living in the Dome isn't the utopia that it seems. Everyone is watched at all times and if one goes against the Dome, they will be sent to rehabilitation and might never return.

When Patridge learns some new facts about his mother, he gets an inkling that she might not be dead after all. So, Patridge escapes the Dome to find his mother and ends up discovering a lot more than he bargained for.

My Thoughts: I LOVED this book! It was an amazing read and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. There were a lot of times where I just wanted to sit and read the book straight through, but unfortunately school and work got in the way of that. If you're a reader and lover of dystopian and post apocalyptic books, then this book deserves a definite place on your shelf.

The atmosphere and world building are crazy good and the attention to detail is just amazing. Pure doesn't deliver a pretty world full of ponies and rainbows. it delivers a hellish place that won't leave your head. While reading, you'll become part of the story and come to care for the characters and their futures.

This book was awesome and might just be one of my favorites for the year. I highly recommend it to everyone and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel and continue on with this great story. Go Read Now!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 5/5

Pure Amazingness! Full of twists, turns, heartbreak, hope, and survival.

Reading Right Now! Her Sky Cowboy by Beth Ciotta

Title: Her Sky Cowboy (The Glorious Victorious Darcys Book 1)

Author: Beth Ciotta

This weekend, I'm reading Her Sky Cowboy by Beth Ciotta. Although the title sounds a little dirty, I'm hoping it's not. It's a steampunk book and I do like the steampunk genre. Our main character is Amelia Darcy, whose heart belongs to the sky. She loves piloting dirigibles and other air ships. She has no interest in getting married which irks her mother to no end. Her father is an eccentric inventor of odds and ends who dies tragically in an explosion. After his death, the family finds out that they are penniless and Amelia decides to take up an adventure for fame and fortune by finding an unknown important scientific object for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Along the way, she meets up with Tucker Gentry, a hero of the sky and a handsome guy to boot.

So yeah, this sounds like a fun sort of read. I really enjoy steampunk and the cool little worlds that are created, where technology is mixed with Victorian London. I'm not very far in, only on page 40. I'm liking it so far and can't wait to see where it goes next.

So, that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

Review of The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga

Title: The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor

Author: Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga

Published by: Thomas DUNNE Books an imprint of St. Martin's Press

Released: 2011

Summary: The Walking Dead has conquered comics, enraptured television audiences, and now makes its way into novel format. Have you ever wondered the origins of The Governor? What makes him tick and how he became the recognizable, bloodthirsty villain he is today? If you have wondered that very thing, then this book is for you. Meet the Governor before he became The Governor, when he was just Phillip Blake, a man trying to survive the zombie apocalypse with his daughter, brother, and two friends. Find out how Phillip Blake got to Woodbury and what changed him into The Governor!

My Thoughts: This book was a decent read that had its edge-of-your seat moments. Finding out how Phillip Blake became the Governor was really fascinating and interesting, and learning his backstory was all the more heart rending because we, the readers, know how it ends. A very enjoyable origins story that I would recommend as a supplement for all Walking Dead fans.
I did have my issues with the book. I'm going to try not to rant and rave, but I did feel there were some disappointments and greatly missed opportunities. My first one being how this book, like all the other works, starts after the first outbreak of the zombies has already occurred. This book had the prime opportunity to start with the outbreak of the plague, the beginnings of it, but instead chose to start 3 days into it. That was just disappointing and felt like a massively lost opportunity.
Also, knowing that Phillip Blake was going to become the Governor from the start, hindered my ability to sympathize or like him as a character. Sure bad stuff happened to him and his descent into madness was understandable, but I still didn't like the choices he made or the person he became.
I also wasn't too impressed with brother Brian Blake. He didn't feel like an older brother at all and his transformation at the end of the story didn't feel entirely believable or true to his character. I'm was just disappointed in his uselessness throughout the majority of the story and then who he became at the end of it.
One other little meager detail that took away from the appreciation of the book were all the weird similes and metaphors used. There were just some odd comparisons made that just hindered the flow of the story. And also, the countless descriptions of zombies' grey marble eyes and cranial fluids just got repetitive and a tad annoying. I already have a corpse picture in my head and the same details don't need to be repeated again and again.
I'm sorry for my ranting.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and thought it was great supplemental material for fans that want to know more about the Walking Dead and its side characters. It did have its problems and issues, but in the end turned out to be an okay book. I would recommend this to all Walking Dead fans and tell them to watch out for the major twist at the end. I will be continuing with this series by reading The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

Phillip Blake's story: Crazy, Sad, and zombie-riffic!

Reading Right Now! In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway

Title: In Office Hours

Author: Lucy Kellaway

After finishing Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead, I just really wanted to pick up a fun sort of light read and this is living up to my expectations of it. The subject matter is kind of scandalous in its own way because it's all about these two women named Stella and Bella having affairs. Stella is a 40 something corporate manager at a gigantic oil business called AE. She's married with two kids, but when she's assigned a new intern named Rhys to train something develops. She likes being thought of as sexy and attractive again. Bella is a single mother in her 20's who works as a  Personal Assistant at AE, and has just started an affair with her married boss. The novel chronicles the starts and ultimate ends of their affairs and how it affects their lives.

I'm loving the cover of this book. I love the story it tells just through the cover alone. I also really like the colors. You can't beat a good cover.

 It's a very enjoyable, quick read. The novel moves from Stella to Bella at a fast pace and it just keeps me intrigued and not bored. So far, it's a prefect easy and light read and just what I need after Gameboard of the Gods. I know it can't possibly end well for either woman, but I'm interested in finding out the rest of the story. I'm only 39% of the way through this book, but so far so good.

What are you Reading Right Now! Tell me, I really want to know.

Review of: Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

Title: Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)

Author: Richelle Mead

Published by: Dutton/Penguin Group

Released: June 4, 2013

Summary: The RUNA is a nation full of technological marvels and happy citizens. The RUNA rose after the Decline and operates as a place where technology is always at ones' fingertips and religion is tightly observed and controlled. When Justin March is exiled from the RUNA, he is devastated. Now living in Panama, a city known for its lack of technological wonder and gun violence, Justin is surprised to receive a message from his old boss along with a job opportunity. Justin is offered to return to the RUNA only if he can solve a series of crimes involving the murder of patricians. Justin jumps at the offer. A Praetorian guard named Mae is assigned to him for his protection. They must gather the clues and solve the crimes before another death occurs.

My Thoughts: I just want to thank Netgalley and Dutton/Penguin Group for letting me review an early e-ARC of this novel. I was super pumped to get my hands on Richelle Mead's newest novel and brand new series. I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting into with this book, but I was excited to go on the journey.

Unfortunately, I didn't end up loving this book. Nothing against Richelle Mead or her writing, there are a ton of her books that I'm dying to read, but I don't know if Gameboard of the Gods is my cup of tea. This book is a beast, coming in at 464 pages and it felt like it took me forever to read. It was kind of a dull, boring read that didn't have enough action or suspense. The draw just wasn't there for me to keep reading. I think the book suffered from too many words and not enough action. The build up to action scenes took way too long and there were many scenes that were unnecessary and not relevant to the overall story line. I think if this book had been a little shorter, I would have enjoyed it more.

I was also ambivalent about the characters. I didn't like them, but I didn't hate them either. Justin wasn't really an attractive or likable character. He's a metro-sexual, womanizer who likes to flaunt his intelligence every chance he gets. He's not a guy I would crush over. Mae is a cold fish who lives in extremes. I also have a hard time seeing the two of them as a potential couple.

The world of RUNA was a little weird for me too. I don't understand how a place can be so open to new technology and so close minded when it comes to faith and religion.

All in all, I was super excited to get my hands on this book, but in the end I was disappointed. The ending was a little interesting and I might check in to see what happens in the next book.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

Too many pages and not enough action.