Waiting on Wednesday (18): Catching Jordan


"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:

Catching Jordan
by  Miranda Kenneally
Paperback, 288 pages
Expected publication: December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire

Summary:

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

Why I'm waiting for Catching Jordan: I'm not a big fan of football, but I really, really loved Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen series. I have a feeling Catching Jordan's going to be awesome too. Plus, I only hear good things about this! :)

Book Review: Bloodlines

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)
by Richelle Mead
Hardcover, 421 pages
Published August 23rd 2011 by Razorbill
Source: Bought

Summary:

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

Review:

I am obsessed with Sydney x Adrian. I loved Sydney and Adrian in Vampire Academy, but after reading Bloodlines, I was a goner. I've been shipping them so hard ever since! I spend hours reading Sydney and Adrian fanfics but they're not enough. (I really wish more people would write Sydrian fanfics.) I seriously, seriously need the second book now or I'm going to explode!

I love Sydney! Her character is a far cry from Rose but I like her all the same. I especially like it when Adrian's in the picture. He makes every scene interesting. The fact that Sydney thinks that vampires are creatures of the night, and is scared of them and their magic makes scenes with Adrian all the more amusing. Also, Sydney has a knack in knocking sense into him. It was awesome to see some improvement on Adrian. I gotta say though, the ending was a real killer! I'm just excited to see how things between Sydney and Adrian are going to unfold. I'd love to finally see him free from Rose.

I also like the fact that RM is taking time on building Sydney and Adrian's relationship. I am ashamed to admit that I'm the type of person who values romance in YA so much. I rarely read YA books with no romance. Bloodlines doesn't have romance but I still love it like crazy! If you loved Adrian and want to see him finally get his happy ending, start with Bloodlines now!!!

Rating: 5/5 stars!

In My Mailbox (20)

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

Got some pretty awesome books this week. All of which I'd been anticipating to read, and all of which I read for the Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon. :)


Shut Out - Kody Keplinger (Finished. Loved it!)
Anna Dressed in Blood - (Finished - Loved it!)
Waterfall - Lisa T. Bergren (Finished - LOVED IT!)
Cascade - Lisa T. Bergren  (Currently reading)
From NetGalley:

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon

I decided to join Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon (hosted by Monica @ Bibliophilic Book Blog) at the last minute. It runs from Sep 15th 9PM EST to Sep 18th 9PM EST. It's already Sep 16th 9:35AM here in PH but if I remember correctly, there's an 11-hour difference between PHT and EST so anyway, here are the books I plan to read for this event:

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren


And snacks! Since I joined at the last minute and I no longer have time to go grocery-ing, I snagged all the snacks available in the house.
- A bunch of chips
- Cloud 9'sssss
- Oreos
- Candies/lollipops
- Softdrinks!

And now, it's on!

I'll be posting my updates on twitter (@rachelmosq) using the hashtag #SIRYOBM


FINAL UPDATE:


I was rather preoccupied with finishing my 5th book that I forgot to post my final update! *Facepalm* Anyway, I might not have finished my 5th book, Hourglass by Myra McEntrire, on time but I'm still pretty satisfied with the number of books I managed to read/finish. 

I originally have 4 books on my list. I didn't think I'd be able to finish all 4 of them before the end of the read-a-thon so I threw in another book, which again, I didn't finish.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake  - Finished!
Shut Out by Kody Keplinger  - Finished!
Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren  - Finished!
Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren  - Finished!
Hourglass  by Myra McEntire  - DNF


I had so much fun in this read-a-thon. I can't wait to join another one! :)

Book Review: Chain Reaction

Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3)
by Simone Elkeles
Hardcover, 308 pages
Published August 16th 2011 by Walker Books for Young Readers
Source: Bought

Summary:

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill.

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.

Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?


Review:

I honestly don't know when the Goodreads summary changed. I distinctly remember that Luis was first described as the innocent, honest-to-goodness Fuentes brother, and the girl, as the one who unintentionally dragged him to the rebel side. That was probably the only reason I was so looking forward to reading the final installment in the Perfect Chemistry series. I was hoping that somehow, it would be different from its predecessors. So you can only imagine my disappointment when none of what I expected came out.

If you have read Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction, you know that both books practically have the same formula: the Latino blood, the family, the girl, the cheesy epilogue, you know what I'm talking about. I honestly thought Elkeles would finally change that formula in Chain Reaction, perhaps reverse the situation in which the girl is the rebel and the boy is the good one just like how I thought it was going to be, but boy I was wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed PC despite it being so cheesy. I liked RoA because it reminded me of PC. But with Chain Reaction, the Fuentes brothers no longer amused me. It was practically like reading PC or RoA all over again. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy Chain Reaction because I did enjoy it, only not that much.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

In My Mailbox (19)

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

VirtuosityLiesl & Po
Virtuosity - Jessica Martinez (Oct 18, 2011) - I read this immediately after downloading from S&S Galley Grab. It was really good!
Liesl & Po - Lauren Oliver (Oct 4, 2011) - I've never read a MG book so this will be my first. Thanks to Harper and NetGalley!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Book Review: The Iron Knight

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4)
by Julie Kagawa
Paperback, 386 pages
Expected publication: October 25th 2011 by Harlequin
Source: NetGalley

Summary:

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review:

The Iron Fey has been one of my favorite series and it was very sad to see this finally come to an end. But also, I feel gratified for having given the chance to read such wonderful books. Excuse me for being cheesy but really, the moment calls for it. Le sigh.

The Iron Knight picks up after Summer's Crossing. Puck and Ash travel to the End of the World to fulfill his vow, to find a way so he can be with Meghan again. Along the way, they are reunited with friends, as well as non-friends. In this book, we get to learn more of Ash's history when he was still the cold-hearted Winter prince - the terrible things he did that he longed to forget. We also get to learn more about Ariella, as well as his history with Puck.

I think Iron Knight was the BEST and the most emotional book in the series. I swear I cried a bucket! I don't know how Julie does it, but by some fluke of nature, (or probably because she's just that awesome kind of writer), her books just keep getting better and better. At first, I was a little scared to read The Iron Knight. I've always viewed Ash as the personification of perfection and I was afraid that by reading his POV, he would seem out of character and not-so-perfect. Turns out, he is not perfect. But, he didn't come off as OOC instead, he came off as just... Ash. Instead of feeling awkward for his character, I grew to love him even more. In other words, The Iron Knight did not disappoint.

Rating: 5/5 stars!

Disclosure: This e-ARC was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen via NetGalley) for free in exchange for an honest review.

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