Favorites Giveaway Hop!

 

This is a hard one!  What is my favorite book?  Since 2015 pretty much just started, I think I'm going to go with one of my 2014 favorites.  

This book surpassed any expectations I had.  It was so descriptive, swoonworthy, and heartbreaking.  What's not to love?

The winner of this giveaway will be able to win this book, right here:

 I remember being on Tumblr and seeing so many posts about this Jamie guy.  I was intrigued, of course.  So I looked up this show, Outlander, on Starz.  I watched the first episode and was completely hooked.  I fell in love!  So, I had to buy the book, obviously.  I mean, what kind of book nerd would I be if I didn't.  Not a very good one.

I just have to say that it's amazing.  It's one of those books that stick with you and you can't get it out of your head no matter how hard you try.  And you don't really want to try because you just want to keep thinking about Jamie and kilts and standing stones.

Anyway, good luck to you all!

Ze Rules:

1.  US ONLY (sorry INT people, look out for a huge giveaway in April *hint hint* *cough cough*)

2.  Must be over 18, this is an Adult Novel with graphic themes

3.  You have 48 hours to respond to my email if you win

 4.  If you already own Outlander but not any of the sequels, then just let me know and I'd be happy to purchase the next book for you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Click on the banner above to get the list of participating blogs!

Fictional Boyfriend Tag!

This tag was created by the lovely ladies over at RayKayBooks in the booktube world!

I wasn't tagged by anyone, I just thought that this would be fun to do!  I'm also not going to tag anyone specific because this tag has been going around for quite some time and I'm not sure who has and hasn't done it.  But if you haven't done it and want to then feel free!  I tag you!

This list is going to be a mixture of book boyfriends as well as TV boyfriends.  Because, I can't just limit myself to one medium.  It's too damn hard!

Up First Is:  Most Romantic Boyfriend!

I'm going with Mr. Pacey Witter from Dawson's Creek!

I mean, seriously, he bought Joey a wall.  A wall for God's sake!  

Next Is:  Boyfriend Who's Dark And Moody But Has A Good Side!

Fade from the Razorland Trilogy is who popped in my mind

 

He's like the definition of dark and moody.  Really.  He's awesome though.

Third up:  Paranormal Boyfriend!

The One, The Only, Adrian Ivashkov

 He's a vampire.  But the good kind.  Promise.  

(If you haven't read Vampire Academy or Bloodlines yet, then you need to get on that.)

Next:  Boyfriend That I Would Like To Tame!

That would have to be Rule from the first book in the Marked Men Series

Definite bad boy.  Totally a player.  But he's just so...ugh!  

Number 5: A Boy Who I Friend Zoned!

Sorry Mal.  Just not my type.

 

He's a good guy and everything.  I just prefer Nikolai, to be honest.  Even the Darkling.

After That Is: Your Soul Mate!

This guy, right here.

Stiles freaking Stilinski.  From Teen Wolf, in case you live under a rock.  I love him.  I really really do.  He's so perfect.

And Then We Have:  Boyfriend I Would Elope With!

Mr. Darcy

I would marry this man in heartbeat.  

Next:  Boyfriend I Would Venture Anywhere With!

Gotta give this one to Percy Jackson

He gets to go on so many awesomely terrifying quests!  I'd love it!  

Number 9:  Boyfriend I Would Want To Be Stranded On A Desert Island With!

I feel like this is kinda self explanatory.  Oliver Queen

He was stranded on an island.  He knows survival skills.  He's good with a bow and arrows.  He looks good with his shirt off.  Yup.  I have good reasons.

And Lastly:  Most Badass Boyfriend!

I had to fit him in somewhere.

Jamie Fraser.  He has gone through so much shit it's not even funny.  I can't even describe how badass he is.

So, that's it!  That's the Fictional Boyfriend Tag!  If you have already done this then definitely leave a link to your video or blog post, I would love to see your picks!

Review: Hana (Delirium #1.5) by Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver's riveting, original digital story set in the world of her New York Times bestseller Delirium.

The summer before they're supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her first kiss.

But on the surface, Hana must be a model of perfect behavior. She meets her approved match, Fred Hargrove, and glimpses the safe, comfortable life she’ll have with him once they marry. As the date for her cure draws ever closer, Hana desperately misses Lena, wonders how it feels to truly be in love, and is simultaneously terrified of rebelling and of falling into line.

In this digital story that will appeal to fans of Delirium and welcome new admirers to its world, readers will come to understand scenes from Delirium through Hana's perspective. Hana is a touching and revealing look at a life-changing and tumultuous summer.

 Description taken from Goodreads

My Review

This one fell so flat for me.  I absolutely loved Hana in Delirium but in her own novella I didn’t like her at all.  At first I felt bad for her, but it was mostly pity.  She was so conflicted and acting out but in the end deciding that the cure is the be all end all.  I just really didn’t like her here.

I feel like Delirium was all about the good side of first love and true love and all that good stuff.  Hana is all about the bad stuff.  Guys using you for one thing and one thing only. 

She was just so indecisive  and I did feel sorry for her, I really did but it got to the point where it was just so boring.  Nothing really happened that we didn’t already know in Delirium.  We already knew that Hana acts out and that she was sneaking out and everything.  I feel like we didn’t learn much.

I do have to say that it is a little unsettling knowing that she might have done something awful.  And that makes me hate her.

Hana was a very unsatisfying novella.  It didn’t bring much to the table at all except for the very last page.  And that last page is the only thing worth reading.

Inside                               Outside

                     Characters       2/5                Cover 5/5

                     Plot                  2/5

                     Feels              3.5/5

                    Writing             3/5

                    Overall          2.6/6

Review: Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

Description taken from Goodreads 

My Review 

 

I just want to let everyone know that this is a reread for me.  But keep in mind that I first read this when it originally came out which was like 3 or 4 years ago.

I find that there’s something so beautiful and morbid about Delirium.  People being so intimidated by something so simple as love.  Going through something so horrid, completely losing yourself just so you don’t have to feel.  But it’s so wonderful to read about someone realizing that it’s worth it.  Loving someone.  And not just in a romantic way but friendships and family as well. 

Lena is our main character and I felt like I could relate to her so well.  An average girl just trying to make it in life.  Living day to day, just waiting for a big moment to change her life forever.

Alex is Lena’s love interest and I have to say, I really loved him.  He’s so adventurous and carefree but very protective of Lena as well.  I feel like he’s the kind of guy that would be friends with anyone and everyone.  Always talking to somebody or making that loner feel like a part of the group.  But, I’m sorry, if I had to read one more time about how his hair was like ‘a crown of autumn leaves’ then I was going to chuck the book out my window.

The whole story was a tad unbelievable, but that’s kind of what you get when you read a dystopian.  A bit unbelievable with an inkling of truth to it.  Can I see this happening right now?  People freaking out over love and labeling it as a disease?  Not really.  At least not to this extreme.  Could it ever happen way off in the future?   I don’t know.  But that’s what’s so great about fiction, it doesn't have to be completely believable, just entertaining.  And Delirium was just that, entertaining.

Now, of course, Oliver leaves us on a cliffhanger.  I mean if you didn’t see one coming at all then you must be completely blind.  It was just surprising as to what actually happened and then trying to figure out how Oliver is going to handle it in Pandemonium.  Really can’t wait to read that next!

I would say if you’re a fan of dystopians, especially Divergent, then definitely check out Delirium!

Inside                                 Outside

               Characters         4/5                    Cover 4/5

               Plot                 3.75/5

               Feels                4.5/5

              Writing            3.75/5

              Overall               4/5

If you would like to purchase any of these books, please think about using my Book Depository affiliate link.  I'm currently unemployed and truly appreciate anything I can get. 

Review: Annabel (Delirium #0.5) by Lauren Oliver

Warning: Spoiler Alert for those who haven't read Delirium!

Lena's mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery—a ghost in Lena's past. Until now.

Discover her secrets in Lauren Oliver's brilliant original digital story set in the world of New York Times bestsellers Delirium and Pandemonium.

Lena Halloway's mother, Annabel, supposedly committed suicide when Lena was only six years old. That's the lie that Lena grew up believing, but the truth is very different. As a rebellious teenager, Annabel ran away from home and straight into the man she knew she was destined to marry. The world was different then—the regulations not as stringent, the cure only a decade old. Fast forward to the present, and Annabel is consigned to a dirty prison cell, where she nurtures her hope of escape and scratches one word over and over into the walls: Love.

But Annabel, like Lena, is a fighter. Through chapters that alternate between her past and present, Annabel reveals the story behind her failed cures, her marriage, the births of her children, her imprisonment, and, ultimately, her daring escape. 

Description taken from Goodreads

My Review

I feel like Annabel shouldn’t be labeled 0.5 in the Delirium series.  Kind of a spoiler if you haven’t read Delirium first.

Annabel is Lena’s mom.  This novella is very short but I feel like it gives us just enough to get to know Annabel.  It’s told from two different POVs, Now and Then.  When Annabel was young, when the cure was just being administered as mandatory and then when she’s in the Crypts.

It’s definitely sad to read about how much life she has and how much she wants to love her daughters.   She feels as though she has to apologize to an unborn Lena for the world she’s about to be born into.  How sad is that?  Annabel was really a depressing little novella but I really enjoyed being inside her head, knowing what she was like when she was younger, how she met Lena’s dad.  And then eventually to her escaping from the Crypts.

I just wish we could have gotten a bit more after she escaped and bit more of her and Conrad’s relationship. 

Overall, a great insight. 

 Inside                                         Outside

                  Characters        4/5                       Cover 4/5

                  Plot                   4/5

                  Feels                 5/5

                 Writing              5/5

                 Overall             4.6/5

Waiting on Wednesday (26): The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Hosted by Breaking the Spine!

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.

 

Description taken from Goodreads

Why I'm Waiting

The premise to this sounds so interesting!  It's definitely going to be a unique read!

 

The Glass Arrow releases February 10, 2015!

 

Pre-Order it HERE!

 

 What are you waiting for?  Let me know in the comments!