"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I am eagerly awaiting so many it was very hard to choose which one I was going to spotlight today. In honor of Halloween I have chosen one of the creepiest books on my to-read list.



Release Date: January 8th 2013
Synopsis: The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls. 
For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? 
Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn't there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness. With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again. 
Paper Valentine is a hauntingly poetic tale of love and death by the New York Times bestselling author of The Replacement and The Space Between.

Why can't I wait?
We don't have nearly enough young adult books centered around ghosts! The only one I can think of is Anna Dressed In Blood. If someone asked you to bring them a ghost book you'd bring them a horror right? Well it is always refreshing to see a non-horror ghost book! Plus it looks perfectly creepy but will sadly not be released in time for Halloween...

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

This Is Not A Test By Courtney Summers

Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Dystopia
Release Date: June 1st 2012 
Source: Bought 
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars 
Cover Rating: 3/5 Stars 
Synopsis: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

I was very hesitant to read this book. Not because it didn't look very good but because it did look so good. In my experience the ones that look the best are often the worst. Not because their bad but because your expectations were so high that disappointment tarnishes anything you may have liked ordinarily. That was the fear I had for this book. I was lucky though because this book actually exceeded my expectations which was very rare indeed. The book is set at literally the end of the world. Yes it's the zombie apocalypse. The good thing is that the book is less centred on the zombies but more on how it has changed the characters lives. Nearly the whole book takes place inside a high school. Sloane and 5 other students have taken cover there. The five students are desperate to survive but Sloane just wants to pull down all the barriers and throw herself to the zombies. But she can't, she may want to die but the others don't. As the days go on and Sloane spends more and more time with the others, her motivation to live slowly seeps back in.

The characters in this book were unbelievably real. They all had flaws some larger than others but they all surfaced. Sloane's story is really what caught my interest in the first place. She comes across very cold and distant but her reasons behind it really make you feel for her. I loved the authors unflinching way of portraying the character. She doesn't hold back which is what I think makes Sloane such a believable character. The other characters were so great I have to tell you about them all which is not something I usually do. Cary was the oldest, he was the kind of person you would cross the road to avoid. The thing about him was that the moment we met him he gave off such a huge misunderstood vibe I had to like him. He may have been very into self preservation but he looked after those he cared about and that's what mattered. Rhys was the popular guy at school but he wasn't all stuck up. He looked after Sloane, even when she didn't want him to. What I liked about the twins, Trace and Grace, was how devoted they were to each other. They argued as all siblings do but they were inseparable throughout. Lastly is Harrison. He's the youngest of them all. The reason I liked him so much was how much he grew throughout. He started off wimpy but by the end he was one of the bravest and probably the most admirable.

This book was flawless and the best zombie book I've ever read without a doubt. By the end I was almost in tears. I said in my earlier review of The Forest Of Hands And Teeth that I don't get upset with books unless I bond with the characters and unlike in that book, I really did. I would recommend this book is absolutely anyone and everyone because it was truly one of the best I've read this year.

My Favourite Quote:

“I wouldn't have left you like that. Not like she did to me." I swallow hard. "She always said I'd die without her and she left anyway."

"But you didn't die," He says.

"I did," I say. "I'm just waiting for the rest of me to catch up.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

The Knife Of Never Letting Go By Patrick Ness

Series: Chaos Walking #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction 
Release Date: May 5th 2008
Source: Bought 
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars 
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars 
Synopsis: Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

I did not at all expect to like this book. Not sure why I bought it actually but I am very glad I did. It took a while to get used to it because of the way it's written. Words are written how they are pronounced like creatures is spelled 'creachers', direction is 'direktshun' etc. Although that annoyed me at first, as I grew to love Todd I also grew to love the way he spoke. Some authors wouldn't have been able to make that happen but Patrick Ness managed it. The book follows Todd who is the last boy in Prentisstown with just a month to go until his birthday makes him a man. The noise has always been part of life, everyone can hear everyone's thoughts. There are no secrets. Or at least that is what he thought.When Todd comes across a girl in the forest after being told they had all been killed and they both flee together.

Todd was an awesome character. It is very difficult to believe that he is only twelve years old. The commentary we are treated to makes Todd seem a lot older. Although I had minor issues with the way he spoke at the beginning, by the end I enjoyed it. Todd seemed a very real character, he wasn't the perfect, hot guy we are usually given in young adult books (though that would be weird since he's 12!). No Todd is an awkward teen (tween?) boy and I loved him. I loved the way Ness conveyed his character, making him loveable without being too perfect. Just normal. Another character I loved was Viola, instead of falling for Todd right away which is what normally what would happen in YA books, she is very suspicious of him. She doesn't even speak to him for about fifty pages and hits him with a stick a couple of times. I'm usually wary of reading books with talking animals in but Todd's dog Manchee was amazing. He displayed all the characteristics you would normally associate with dogs, love, loyalty, plus he could speak. It left me wanting my own Manchee.

This book truly blew me away, it was totally unflinching and real and not at all what I expected. I thought the book would be slightly childish because of the 'children's fiction prize' heading on the cover but now I'm not sure how it qualifies as a children's book. I am very glad I bought the second and third book since I will be diving into them very soon. This book is genius and well deserving of all of the awards it has. I would recommend this to everyone! Except maybe younger children because at times it can be very crude. Seriously this book is well worth the buy, borrow, steal or however you choose to get your books - I wont judge.

My Favorite Quotes:

“Here's what I think," I say and my voice is stronger and thoughts are coming, thoughts that trickle into my noise like whispers of truth. "I think maybe everybody falls," I say. "I think maybe we all do. And I don't think that's the asking." I pull on her arms gently to make sure she's listening. "I think the asking is whether we get back up again.”

“The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say.
About anything. 
"Need a poo, Todd." 
"Shutup, Manchee." 
"Poo. Poo, Todd." 
"I said shut it.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Going Too Far By Jennifer Echols

Series: Standalone 
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary 
Release Date: March 17th 2009
Source: Bought 
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Synopsis:  HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO? 
All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back. John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge - and over...

I had never read a book by Jennifer Echols but I had heard great things about her. I originally wanted to read her book Such A Rush but I couldn't find it in my bookshop so I made do with this one. I'm glad I did because it was actually a really great book. It follows Meg and John. Two very different characters on the surface but deeper down you see how similar they really are. Meg want's to leave her suffocating town as soon as she can, she doesn't care how but she will. John chose to stay for reasons Meg can't understand. Both want to be in control of their lives and they are going to push each other to the limit.

One thing I loved about this book is how real the characters were. I really liked Meg, she made some stupid decisions at times but she acted like a real teenager which is rare in young adult books. Meg's rebellion is very real, something you would expect an actual teenager to do. Her reasons lie a lot deeper though which is one difference between her and the majority of teenagers I know. John was a really good character too. At times his controlling attitude annoyed me but his sweetness brought it back for me. His reason for his fixation on the bridge was obvious for me but it made a really good branch of the story. The minor characters like Will and Tiffany were really well developed and likable which is not a regular occurrence in the YA world.

Jennifer Echol's writing is amazing and flawless and I will most definitely be investing in more of Echol's books. This book has reignited my love of YA contemporary so I will be looking out for more in the genre (any recommendations?). I would recommend this book to those who enjoy more mature young adult books as this is not one for younger young adults.

My Favorite Quotes:

“Waiter, this is not the policeman I ordered. I wanted one with a lot less sauce.”

“But you can’t live your life worried about dying all the time. If you do, you’re dead already.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Stacking The Shelves (7)

Stacking the shelves is hosted over at Tynga's Reviews. This week I rediscovered Amazon and I can't go on that website without buying something at least. And by something I mean at least five books each time. Click the images for more information on Goodreads.
So here is what I got:

Bought:

I bought Rebel Angels because although I didn't like the first one all that much I have been told they get better and I'm hoping that's true. City Of Lost Souls is another story all together, I've loved all of Cassandra Clare's books so I'm certain I will love this one just as much. I'm surprised I didn't buy it sooner actually.

I got The Immortal Rules on Netgallery, twice, but I never read it in time so I decided to just buy it myself. Cinder looks like a really awesome retelling and I haven't read many of those.

Everyone is always talking about Under The Never Sky so I gave into temptation and bought it just so I could see what all the fuss was about. I read Rachel Vincent's Shifter's series and loved it so much that I had to try her young adult series. My Soul To Take's cover really is stunning minus the Twilight comparison of course.

For Review:

The author wrote to me requesting a review of FireSeed and after looking it up I much happily obliged.

Library: 

I didn't like the first book, Matched, all that much so I thought I would try out the Crossed from the library instead of paying for it.

I also received some swag from the lovely Corrine Jackson, sorry the pictures the wrong way round. I couldn't change it.

What books did you get recently? Leave me your links and I'll check them out.

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Imaginary Girls By Nova Ren Suma

Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Magical Realism, Paranormal
Release Date: June 14th 2011
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Synopsis: Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby. But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

What did I just read? That was the first thought that popped into my mind when I finished this book. I have never been so dumbfounded by a book before. I'm not even sure whether I liked it or not. I spent the entire book with questions and when the answers came at the end I just didn't get them. I wasn't originally even going to rate this book because I'm just not sure what it actually deserves. The book centers around sisters, Ruby and Chloe. They are very close but there is something not right about Ruby. I can't really say anymore about this book since the best thing about it is the shock of all the events.

It's hard to describe the characters in this book. The minor characters were just pawns in moving the story along, they didn't really have personalities. Chloe, the main character, didn't really have a personality either but then I suppose that was the point. Chloe worshiped her sister Ruby and they seemed to have a really good relationship... at first. Ruby was psychotic. Interesting, but psychotic. She was also a siren when it came to her old boyfriends as they - and everyone else in town - doted on her. Did she deserve it? Nope. The only thing I actually liked was hope dedicated she is to her sister, even if it is in a creepy way. One thing that really annoyed me was that we were told about one character who was immune to Ruby's charms but that didn't go anywhere. You would expect them to be the hero of the story, they weren't.

Time for some positives! The story building and the writing in the book really was gorgeous. If it weren't for the characters I would have rated it a lot higher on the beautiful writing alone. I did really enjoy the book even if the ending was mega confusing. I would recomend this book to people who enjoy beautiful writing but don't mind huge mind benders.

My Favorite Quote:
“The story you choose to tell isn't always the story you believe.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Rogue By Rachel Vincent

Series: Shifters #1
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: April 1st 2008
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Synopsis: Okay, so cats don't always land on their feet. I know that better than most. Since rejoining the Pride, I've made big decisions and even bigger mistakes: the kind paid for with innocent lives. As the first and only female enforcer, I have plenty to prove to my father, the Pride, and myself. And with murdered toms turning up in our territory, I'm working harder than ever, though I always find the energy for a little after-hours recreation with Marc, my partner both on- and off-duty. But not all of my mistakes are behind me. We're beginning to suspect that the dead are connected to a rash of missing human women and that they can all be laid at my feet--two or four, take your pick. And one horrible indiscretion may yet cost me more than I can bear...

I knew I was going to love this book because I had loved the first so much and it seems for once I was right. I loved it just as much as the last, maybe more. This book follows on from the first, Faythe has agreed to rejoin the Pride and in return her father has let her become an enforcer. The only ever female enforcer. But with that comes responsibility especially when the usual females in the Pride are normally treated as if they were made of porcelain. Then again Faythe has never been the usual female. She can fend for herself and will hurt anyone who says she can't. When Toms and human women begin turning up dead she knows it has something to do with her, and she has to do something about it.

As in the first book I still love Faythe! She is badass personified. I think she beat up more guys in this one that the last so that's always a plus. Faythe is very entertaining, witty and a total bookworm. Talk about challenging stereotypes, she has it all. I love her relationship with Marc though his possessiveness is really getting on my nerves. The minor characters are just as good. Seriously apart from Marc, I have no problems with any of the characters. Ethan has to be my favorite of her brothers though. There's something about him and his friend Jace that just radiates awesome.

This book is fast paced and the twists and turns will have you trying to puzzle the mystery out yourself. I must say, I figured it out before Faythe did but only by a few pages. The whole book is thoroughly entertaining and one of my favorite adult series'. I would recommend this rollercoaster ride of a book to anyone who likes adult urban fantasy with a very strong heroine.

My Favorite Quote:
“I laughed. It was just like Owen to make excuses for someone else’s shortcomings. Even fictional characters. Owen found my tendency to speak my mind “refreshingly honest,” and hailed Marc’s temper as “a deep protective instinct.” He said Ethan “thoroughly enjoyed life,” and that Parker “really knew how to have a good time.” According to Owen, we were all doing just fine, and all was right with the world.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Waiting On Wednesday: The Evolution Of Mara Dyer

I've decided to start this meme again, not sure why but alas I have. I'll try to stick to it this time!
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Synopsis: Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. 
She can’t. 
She used to think her problems were all in her head. 
They aren't. 
She couldn't imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. 
She’s wrong. 
In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?
Release Date: October 23rd 2012

Why Can't I Wait?
Because the first book in the series was amazing! I still have so many unanswered questions though so I'm hoping they will become clear in this one. Plus I need more Noah!
Read my review of The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer here.

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK