WWW Wednesdays #1

As hosted by Should Be Reading! 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


I'm currently reading "This Is Not A Test" by Courtney Summers. I loved "Some Girls Are" by the same author, so I'm expecting to write another positive review! I decided to start on this book not only because it has been on my to-read list for ages, but because I just finished the game The Last Of Us, so I'm really in the mood for some post-apocalyptic survival stuff. Such a good game.



I recently finished reading "Truly, Madly, Deadly" by Hannah Jayne, which I reviewed here. Unfortunately, I wasn't a very big fan of the novel. I had hoped for so much more and was kind of let down in every way. Oh, and I'm really not a fan of the one GLBT+ character being evil. I absolutely hate the Evil Lesbian trope and find it very offensive.



So, I'm one of the only YA lovers who hasn't read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. With so many reviewers adoring it and even my friends on Tumblr enjoying it, I figured, hey, might as well finally start on it. Especially with the movie coming out -- but wasn't one of the main characters whitewashed? Oh, and that's another reason I'm looking forward to starting it! I heard there was a diverse cast! Yay!

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Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My choice for this week is...

Title: Dance of Shadows

Series: Dance of Shadows (#1)

Author: Yelena Black

Expected Publication: November 27th, 2012

Publisher: Bloombury

Vanessa Adler isn’t so sure she really belongs at the School of American Ballet. But dance runs in her family. It’s been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother and mother were prima ballerinas, and her older sister Margaret was, too. That is, until Margaret mysteriously disappeared from school three years ago. Vanessa is heir to the family’s gift and the only person who can fulfill her sister’s destiny. She has no choice.

But she never could have guessed how dangerous the school is. The infamous choreographer, Josef, isn’t just ruthless with his pupils, he guards a sinister secret, one in which the school’s dancers—prized for their beauty, grace, and discipline—become pawns in a world of dark, deadly demons.

What a beautiful cover. From Black Swan to Princess Tutu, I love a tale of ballet. The darker, the better, and with ruthless choreographers, fierce competition, and demons, I could just swoon. From the little blurb, this book has my hopes high, and it looks like it has so much potential -- which I hope it realizes fully. After all, if it does, I expect that this book could be one of my favorites.

I'm just a sucker for that sort of artistic, but deadly setting.

I haven't read anything from Yelena Black before, nor have I seen this book reviewed by anyone just yet. As such, I admit, I'm a little bit nervous, because I think I would be most upset if it didn't turn out as awesome as I hope. With that said, November looks like it'll be an interesting month for books, and I will be awaiting reviews of this one in the meantime. 

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Musing Mondays #1

Musing Mondays is a weekly feature hosted by ShouldBeReading. Each week, a question is asked, and bloggers answer it and thus reveal a little about themselves!

This weeks question is:

Do you take notes while you read?

I have just begun taking notes while I read, although they're not the most eloquent. My notes tend to be short and choppy, reflecting the fact that I'm just trying to quickly get a thought down so I can immediately go back to reading. I think I will try and change my note-taking style; perhaps using a notebook instead of a laptop, and taking clearer, more well-written notes whenever I take a break from reading. I keep having thoughts, things I want to talk about or add to a review, and then I don't write them down and I totally forget.  Continue reading →

Feature & Follow #1

The Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by two hosts, Parajunkee’s View and Alison Can Read. Each week, answer a question and follow the Featured Blogs to gain more followers and meet new friends!

Q: What book(s) are you reading right now? What do you think of it?

I just finished up with Enclave by Ann Aguirre, which I will try to do a review of today. I am also now halfway through Asphodel by Lauren Hammond, as I've been having a serious craving for some Hades/Persephone. Unfortunately, I find the quality of this one to be rather lacking, and I'm not a big fan of characterization. I'm hoping it becomes better, as the prose has been increasingly less awkward, but I'm not sure quite yet.

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Waiting on Wednesday #1

 Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My choice for this week is...

Title: Velveteen
Series: Velveteen (#1)
Author: Daniel Marks
Expected Publication: October 9th, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem. The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days. It’ll be brutal... and awesome. But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker. 

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

This book looks so, so good, with dark, biblical themes, a possibly unhinged and violent protagonist, and a healthy sprinkling of horror. I love the freaky setting, Velveteen looks badass and appropriately sinister, and I'm excited to meet this evil Bonesaw guy. I can't wait, October can't come soon enough! 

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