Book Review: Summer's Crossing

Summer's Crossing (Iron Fey #3.5)
by Julie Kagawa
ebook
Published June 1st 2011 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Free from Harlequin ebooks

Summary:

A Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.


An ebook exclusive novella from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.

Review:

Summer’s Crossing picks up right after The Iron Queen. In The Iron Queen, Ash vowed to find a way to be with Meghan no matter what. In Summer’s Crossing, he is about to set off on a journey to fulfill the vow with the help of Puck, who unabashedly invited himself. However, a fey suddenly steps in the way, interrupting Ash and Puck’s plan, to collect a bargain from Ash - one that involves setting up a very dangerous prank top retrieve an object from a very powerful fey from the Summer Court.

The plot covers Ash and Puck’s journey to the Summer Court. As we all know, Puck + Ash = Neverending amusement, so their constant banters and Puck’s infamous pranks provide for a very entertaining read. I just wish this was a novel instead of a novella. I love reading from Puck’s point of view. Here, readers get to take a glimpse on how Puck truly and still feels for Meghan. I know Iron Fey readers already know that he’s deeply in love with her, and was really hurt when Meghan chose Ash over him. But as he is Robin Goodfellow and is known for being awfully cheerful and sarcastic, sometimes, it is easy to forget that he’s still in love with her in a romantic way. And is actually capable of being hurt.

Summer’s Crossing is a perfect read for all Iron Fey lovers out there, whether you’re on Team Puck or Team Ash. You may download this for free from Halrequin ebooks.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Download HERE for free.

Waiting on Wednesday (16): Going Underground

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

My WoW:
Going Underground
Susan Vaught
Expected publication: September 13th 2011 by Bloomsbury USA

Summary:

Del is a good kid who’s been caught in horrible circumstances. At 17, he’s trying to put his life together after an incident in his past that made him a social outcast—and a felon. As a result, he can’t get into college; the only job he can find is digging graves; and when he finally meets a girl he might fall in love with, there’s a whole sea of complications that threaten to bring the world crashing down around him again. But what has Del done? In flashbacks to Del’s 14th year, we slowly learn the truth: his girlfriend texted him a revealing photo of herself, a teacher confiscated his phone, and soon the police were involved.

Basing her story on real-life cases of teens in trouble with the law for texting explicit photos, Susan Vaught has created a moving portrait of an immensely likable character caught up in a highly controversial legal scenario.

Why am I waiting for Going Underground? I'm really curious as to how Del's life came plummeting down just because of this explicit photo. It sounds ridiculous and exaggerated but not completely implausible. Really looking forward to reading it.

In My Mailbox (16)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

ForgottenCaleb + KateVanish: A Firelight NovelCold Kiss
The Girl of Fire and ThornsEveA Beautiful Dark
Bought:
From NetGalley:
Vanish - Sophie Jordan (HarperTeen - Sep 6, 2011)
Cold Kiss - Amy Garvey (HarperTeen - Sep 20, 2011)
The Girl of Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson (HarperTeen - Sep 20, 2011)
The Beginning of After - Jennifer Castle (HarperTeen - Sep 6, 2011)
Eve - Anna Carey (HarperTeen - Oct 4, 2011)
A Beautiful Dark - Jocelyn Davies (HarperTeen - Sep 27, 2011)
The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa (Harlequin - Oct 25, 2011)

Thanks so much to HarperTeen, Harlequin and NetGalley for making reading these awesome galleys possible. :)

Book Review: The Locket

The Locket
Stacey Jay
Paperback, 288 pages
Published January 22nd 2011 by Razorbill
Source: Borrowed

Summary:

On her seventeenth birthday, Katie discovers a locket and decides to wear it for good luck. But when her boyfriend Isaac finds out she cheated on him— with their mutual best friend Mitch, no less—he dumps her, leaving her devastated.

And then a miracle happens. The locket burns on Katie's chest and she feels herself going back two weeks in time, to the night she cheated with Mitch. At first, Kate is delighted to be a better girlfriend to Isaac this time around. But as other aspects of her life become inexplicably altered, she realizes that changing the past may have had a dangerous effect on her present.

Can she make things right before the locket destroys everything—and everyone—she loves?


Review:

This has got to be one of my favorite reads of 2011. Frankly, I think the plot is a little clichéd, but I so love how the story was executed. The summary provides the readers the idea on how the story is going to play out. The Locket begins on Katie’s birthday, October 10. Exactly two weeks after she cheated on Isaac. Katie still feels guilty about it, but she just tells herself to forget about it because it was a mistake and it will never happen again. While she is preparing herself for her date with Isaac, she finds a locket on her grandmother’s vanity. She decides to wear it just as Isaac arrives on her doorstep.

The first time I got to meet Isaac, I couldn’t help but wonder how Katie could have possibly cheated on him. They’ve been together for three years. Isaac seems like a really nice guy and takes good care of Katie. They are both in love with each other too. However, when Isaac finds out about what Katie did with Mitch and dumped her (almost literally), I knew right then that Isaac doesn’t deserve her.

The locket then starts getting really hot and in the blink of an eye, Katie finds herself transported back to the party two weeks ago where it all began. Katie, knowing how the scenes are going to play out, successfully avoids cheating with Mitch. So the next day, she is guilt-free and still has both her best friend and boyfriend on her side.

During the days before October 10, we get to learn more about Mitch, Isaac and as well as the other characters. Mitch is exactly the type of guy you would love to be your bf-bf (bestfriend-boyfriend). He’s sweet, funny and thoughtful. He’s always there when Katie needs him unlike Isaac who values basketball more than anything. And most of all, he knows what Katie needs. Mitch has had a crush on Katie since they were younger. When his two bestfriends got together, he continued to be the third party, waiting by the sidelines until Katie notices him and realize that Isaac doesn’t deserve her. (Aw!)

The Locket is actually a lot darker and twisted than I originally thought. But regardless, I was easily captivated with the plot. There are times when I really, really want to shake Katie so hard for foolishly trying to save her relationship with Isaac. Though, given the time that they have been together, I think this kind of stupidity is almost acceptable. There was also a time that I cried so hard I thought my heart was going to break. I only wish that Jay provided a back story for the origin of the locket so the readers get an idea where it came from and how it could possibly do what it does.

Overall, The Locket by Stacey Jay is a gripping novel that intertwines romance, friendship, self-growth and acceptance of life and facing its struggles as they are. I absolutely recommended this to all readers out there!

Rating: 5/5 stars! - This book is an awesome incarnate!

Waiting on Wednesday (15): My Beating Teenage Heart

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

My WoW:
My Beating Teenage Heart
by C.K. Kelly Martin
Expected publication: September 27th 2011 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Summary:

Ashlyn Baptiste is falling. One moment she was nothing—no memories, no self—and then suddenly, she's plummeting through a sea of stars. Is she in a coma? She doesn't remember dying, and she has no memories of the life she left behind. All she knows is that she's trapped in a consciousness without a body and she's spending every moment watching a stranger.

Breckon Cody's on the edge. He's being ripped apart by grief so intense it literally hurts to breath. On the surface, Breckon is trying to hold it together for his family and his girlfriend, but underneath he's barely hanging on.

Even though she didn't know him in life, Ashlyn sees Breckon's pain, and she's determined to find a way help him. As her own distressing memories emerge from the darkness, she struggles to communicate with the boy who can't see her, but whose life is suddenly intertwined with hers. In alternating voices of the main characters, My Beating Teenage Heart paints a devastatingly vivid picture of both the heartbreak and the promise of teenage life—a life Ashlyn would do anything to recover and Breckon seems desperate to destroy—and will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, John Green, and David Levithan.

Why am I waiting for My Beating Teenage Heart? I normally stay away from contemps with lots of drama. This sounds like it oozes with angst. I'm not a fan of Dessen and have never read a book by Green or Levithan but I am strangely compelled to read this book.

In My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Eek! It's been so long since I posted on this blog. I hope you guys still remember me. :/ I haven't been a very productive blogger since I arrived here in the Philippines. I think I've only read one or two books since we arrived here... And no reviews at all!

I'm having a great time with my cousins and newly found friends. But, not everything is great around here. First, the constant blackout. My grandparents live in a rural area. Not a day misses without 1-4 30min-2hr blackout. Second, the place is surrounded either by water or woods, and creepy/weird animals like tokay geckoes and ginormous centipedes. I had an encounter with one of the resident geckoes. It had a really huge head I thought it was a snake! Lastly, I lost my laptop, cellphone and camera at the airport. I don't know why but I'm not that sad that I lost those gadgets. They have internet connection here but it's only dial-up.

Anyway, here are the books that I got since my last IMM a month ago:

Playing HurtSeaFins Are ForeverFront and Center (The Dairy Queen Trilogy)Carter Finally Gets It
Playing Hurt - Holly Schindler
Sea - Heidi Kling
Fins Are Forever - Tera Lynn Childs
Front and Center - Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Carter Finally Gets It - Brent Crawford

Philippine bookstores have a surprisingly huge amount of selection of books. I got these when we went to Manila. Practically 75%-90% of the books are in English language. They are slightly cheaper than in US too! And they have plenty of paperbacks!

Tris and IzzieThe Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of AjaxAmbitious (Kimani Tru)FuryWitchlanders
From NetGalley:
Tris & Izzie - Mette Ivie Harrison (Egmont USA - Oct 11, 2011)
The Mephisto Covenant (Egmont USA - Sep 27, 2011)
Ambitious - Monica McKayhan (Harlequin - Aug 23, 2011)
From Simon & Schuster Galley Grab:
Fury - Elizabeth Miles (Aug 30, 2011)
Witchlanders - Lena Coakley (Aug 30, 2011)

What did you get in your mailbox this week?
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