Book Blogger Hop (5)

Hi there hoppers :) Thanks for visiting BAM Book Reviews and make sure to leave a comment so I can come check out your blog too!

Question: "Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?"

Answer: I read YA because I feel like I can relate to it the most right now. I know someday I might want to grow out of it, but I can't imagine myself doing that. I love everything YA has to offer. Young love, discovering yourself, and other touching subjects. Oh, and the covers are a lot cuter than any other genre I know of ;)

Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #3) by Sara Shepard

Publisher: HarperCollins

Source: Bought (Barnes & Noble)

# of Pages: 320

Rating:

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anythingthat belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else!

Wow! This series just keeps getting better and better! And while I do love the TV show on ABC Family, I have to say that the books are twice as intense, thrilling, steamy, and overall better! The whole time I was reading this book, I was thinking to myself "Why don't they keep the TV show closer to the book!? There would probably be a lot more viewers!" Oh well, I'm sure they have their reasons. :)

Every chapter of this book had me on the edge of my seat with my emotions on a rollercoaster (like the sick ones at Six Flags!) One chapter, I was thrilled; the other, I was depressed; then a different chapter, I was angry! It's crazy how emotionally involved I get when reading this book.

I loved all of the characters and they became a lot more complex this time around. Especially Spencer. And man, I think I'm in love with Lucas :P I already went out and bought books Unbelievable (#4) and Wicked (#5).

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

Source: Bought (Barnes & Noble)

# of Pages: 398

Rating:

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

(THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK YET AND PLAN TO IN THE FUTURE, DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!)

I can't believe it took me this long to pick up this book. I've had a (signed ;]) copy of this book with me for a few months now and had two friends read it before I did! I'm not sure if it was just the distraction of school or because I was afraid of what might happen, because Suzanne Collins doesn't seem like the type of author to leave a happy ending.

Now onto my thoughts... I think I'll start off with the negatives: The first 2/3 of the book was dragging on for me. I wanted to be blown away by each chapter and never want to put the book down, but instead I was putting the book down to clean my room, grab a snack, and even go downstairs to see w

hat my mom was doing. Gale's character just didn't live up to standards for me! I thought it was going to be a huge choice for not only Katniss, but for me also to have to choose between the two guys! I drool over a good love triangle and I assumed that's what I would get in Mockingjay. But instead, Gale seemed like he was more interested in the rebellion then trying to win Katniss over. That might sound foolish of me to have that opinion, but damnit I wanted a good love triangle! I was dying to see Gale try to show Katniss why he deserves her and why she should be with him, but unfortunately I never saw that.

The positives: Th

e last third of the book was pretty awesome. I'm glad that there was some grief to go along with some happiness. I have to admit, I was pretty shocked when Katniss shot Coin, but I was also shouting (silently) "YES!" I had the biggest smile on my face when Peeta came back to District 12. The two of them being together makes so much sense. They've both been through so much and they're both a little messed up from it, but they can be messed up together! :) Wow... that sounded wrong.

Anyways, overall I enjoyed the book. It was a good conclusion to a fantastic series and although I may not have liked everything that went down, I don't think I would change it if I could.

House of Night Contest!

Hi there lovelies!

I have just been informed that St. Martin's Press is throwing a fabulous contest in which the prize includes for one lucky fan and their guest to fly to Tulsa, Arizona to tour the sites from the books and have lunch with the authors, P.C. and daughter, Kristin Cast!

The lucky winner will receive a 3-day, 2-night trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma for two people which includes airfare, hotel accommodations, a tour of Tulsa and lunch on Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Chalkboard Restaurant with the authors. In order to enter the promo, they must answer three questions about the series.

Click here to enter the contest and also find more information. For the contest rules, click here!

St. Martin's Press (being as generous as they are!) are also giving away the chance to win 1 of 30 complete sets of House of Night books (via the House of Night Facebook fan page!) Click here to check that out!

Below is the book trailer for the newly released book in the series, Awakened! Enjoy and good luck! :)

Update from Briana!

Hello my lovely readers/fellow bloggers! I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting anything lately, not ONE review since I left for school. It's been unbelievably busy and I rarely find the chance to get on Blogger. I have been reading though. So far I've read Frankenstein, Dracula, Paradise Lost, parts of The Holy Bible, and Heart of Darkness. As of right now I'm in the process of reading The Medic by Leo Litwak (History course), I am Legend by Richard Matheson (Monster Literature), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (to review for the upcoming movie!), and Mockingjay. Yes, Mockingjay. I STILL haven't read it. I'm so disapointed. But I did get people on my floor to start reading The Hunger Games! :) Oh, and I also got people to start reading Salvaged by Stefne Miller! I love recommending books to friends lol!

Anyway, that's about it for me. I will definitely be reading during the holidays and posting as many review as possible!

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!

Hey guys!

It's GIVEAWAY time :)

I received two copies of Pluto's Ghost by Sheree Fitch in the mail, one for review and one for a giveaway! The contest ends November 20th and I'll notify the winner by email. The book is an ARC edition and you get a maximum of 5 entries. Open to residents of the US and Canada!

ENTER HERE!

Pluto's Ghost isn't a very well known book but it does sound excellent! Here's the synopsis of the book and the cover:

"Murderer. It's one kick in the belly of a word isn't it? Has a taste, too. It tastes like barbed wire and has wild hyena eyes. Murderer. Murder-her. Did he? Did I? That's when I remember what I want to forget."

Jake Upshore has loved Skye Derucci since before he can remember. Volatile, complex and frustrated (he's got a label disorder from all the labels he's been given) at the best of times, Jake's on a desperate quest to find Skye before she aborts the baby he believes is his. As he hurtles headlong toward certain tragedy, Jake relives the fatal choices he's made and the powerful forces that have led him to this to end. A gripping thriller and a heart-wrenching love story, Pluto's Ghost is a raw and powerful novel about anger, escape, and redemptive love.


Good luck to you all :)

CSN Bedspread Review

It's been way too long since I've been on here! Sorry about that :( School is kicking my butt and I haven't been able to get ANY reading done. I've been reading books for school, but that's it. I haven't even gotten to read MOCKINGJAY yet!!! Anyways, a few weeks ago I got asked to review something from CSN stores. If you guys don't remember or don't know, I reviewed an amazing bookshelf for my dorm room which you can read here.


I chose to improve my dorm room once again, so I decided to get a new bedspread! I was supposed to have a roommate but since she didn't come back to school this semester, I have a room all to myself with two twin beds. I decided to push my two beds together and make one huge king size bed!


So... here's the before picture.







& here's the after!

Let me just say that I am much more than pleased with this bedspread. It's absolutely gorgeous and makes my room feel so much more homey. My room doesn't even feel like a dorm room anymore! The shipping was pretty fast, about 3-4 days, and it's just as pretty in real life as it was online. Thank you CSN for this amazing opportunity!

PS... If anyone has sent me a book for review and I haven't gotten the chance to review it yet, I apologize! I plan on getting to it as soon as possible!

Another Amazing CSN Opportunity!

Hello my lovely readers! I'm oh so excited because I got asked to review a product from CSN, or give away a gift card. Since I'm giving away a gift card already, I figured I'd review something! I'm pretty sure that I want a new comforter for my dorm, so I think I'll go with that. I was supposed to have a roommate this year, but it turns out she transferred, so now I have two twin beds which equals a king size! I'm going to push the two of them together and have one amazing big bed! Nice right? Anyway, when I was looking at comforters I also came across platform beds. These beds are so awesome!

Aren't they awesome?! I especially love the bed with the drawers. I have so many clothes and that would definitely come in handy! Anyways, I'm very much looking forward to reviewing a product and I'll be picking out a winner for the gift card tonight! Good luck! :)