Spring Fling Giveaway Hop!

Hey guys! To celebrate for my graduation, I decided to participate in this hop since it ends on the day of my last final exam!

This giveaway is US only (sorry international friends!), and I will be giving away a mystery box of books! Some of the books will be ARCs and some will be finished copies. The books are all YA.

Some of the books in the mystery box are:

Plus many, many more! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Be sure to visit the other blogs that are participating in this tour!

MISFIT by Jon Skovron

Misfit
Jon Skovron

Rating: F
Synopsis:
Jael Thompson has never really fit in. She’s changed schools too many times to count. The only family she’s ever known is her father, a bitter ex-priest who never lets her date and insists she attend the strictest Catholic school in Seattle. And her mother—well, she was a five thousand year old demon. That doesn’t exactly help. 

But on her sixteenth birthday, her father gives her a present that brings about some unexpected changes. Some of the changes, like strange and wonderful powers and the cute skater boy with a knack for science, are awesome. But others, like the homicidal demon seeking revenge on her family? Not so much. 

Steeped in mythology, this is an epic tale of a heroine who balances old world with new, science with magic, and the terrifying depths of the underworld with the ordinary halls of high school.

My thoughts on the book:
Misfit is one of the dullest books I've ever read. The characters have no personality, the writing is awful, the plot is boring, and the pacing is slow as molasses. I honestly don't think there's a single thing about this book that I liked, except for the concept. This had the potential to be an awesome novel, but it fell so terribly flat. Misfit was a major disappointment. 

Jael is extremely boring and the typical cookie-cutter "good girl." There is nothing special about her. I mean she's half demon, but she's such a pansy that it really doesn't matter. All she does is whine about how bad her life is and then get herself into messes she can't handle. She's one of the worst main characters I've read lately. Paul, her father, is also boring. He has secrets, which should make him mysterious, but without a personality, I didn't really care what the secrets were. He's the typical overbearing-but-with-good-reason father. He doesn't really stand out. The demons aren't creepy at all. Britt, Jael's best friend is a skank. Rob, the love interest bored me to tears. The characters have no emotions for the most part, and when they do act out an emotion, it seems forced. Also, Skovron must think teenagers are just stupid brats because every teenage character in this book couldn't speak to save their lives and said and did stupid things constantly. If I were still a teenager, I'd be insulted. As it stands, I'm just annoyed. 

The plot is boring, and the writing is atrocious. Skovron's writing is so juvenile, I felt like I was reading a Middle Grade book half the time instead of YA. He tells instead of shows. The idea of alternating between memories and the present in the chapters is cool, but it seemed as if the memories were being told to me instead of being shown. There are parts in which Skovron overly describes every little minute detail and other parts where the description is sorely lacking. The pacing is so slow - the story doesn't even get started until after 100 pages. Once the plot begins to reveal itself, it's still not very coherent, and it's still... yep, you guessed it... boring. 

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. I know it had some great reviews, but I personally couldn't stand it. I was barely able to make myself finish it. Needless to say, I won't read anymore books by this author. 

THE RISING by Kelley Armstrong

The Rising
Kelley Armstrong

Rating: A+
Synopsis:
Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

My thoughts on the book:
I went into this book with super high expectations because Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. The Rising somehow exceeded those expectations. This is one of the best books I've read all year. Armstrong takes on some difficult, yet important, social issues in the final novel of this trilogy. Additionally the plot is intense and captivating, the writing is spectacular, and the character growth is fantastic. I couldn't put this book down. The Rising reminded me why Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. 

Maya grows up a lot in this novel. She becomes self-aware and even more responsible. She is honest and open and just an all around likable character. Daniel really grew on me in this installment as well, and by the end, I absolutely loved him. Rafe surprised me... in a good way, and I am glad that Armstrong painted him in this light. Additionally, I got to see all of my favorite characters from the Darkest Powers trilogy, and it was good to see how Derek, Chloe, Simon, Tori, Kit, and Lauren are doing. Derek also grew since the last book in the Darkest Powers trilogy, and I was impressed by how he's changed. There is also a surprise cameo that I was super excited about. I don't want to spoil things, though, so I'll leave that one alone. 

Armstrong surprised me with her social statements, but I was extremely pleased by them. She acknowledges and creates a dialogue about the dangers of stereotyping American Indians and First Nations peoples and illustrates how that leads to racism. Eventually, as she exemplifies, the racism leads to hateful violence against indigenous peoples. Armstrong handled this issue very gracefully and made an important contribution to the decolonizing movement without having her characters preach at people. Thank you for that, Kelley. 

The plot itself isn't extremely action-packed, though there are action scenes. It is intense and will keep you on the edge of your seat, though. Armstrong handles the love triangle with grace, and things seem to work themselves out naturally. The ending itself surprised me a bit, but I like how it ended. I think the characters handled things extremely well and made terrific decisions. I was happy with how things wrapped up, even though I was sad to see the ending of this trilogy. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and trilogy to anyone who loves good books. Armstrong is a fantastic writer, and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading her work yet, then you're missing out. 

Order The Rising!

UP FROM THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost Cover Reveal!!!

Squeeee I LOVE JEANIENE FROST'S BOOKS AND CAT AND BONES! I have been waiting for what feels like forever for the next book in this series. Therefore, I am SOEFFINGEXCITED to share this cover with you.

Up from the Grave
By: Jeaniene Frost
Release Date: 01/28/14
Synopsis:
There’s always one more grave to dig.

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.

Stacking the Shelves #27

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by  Tynga's Reviews! This meme showcases the books received, bought, or checked out from the library over the past week. 

For Review:

Werewolves be Damned
By: Stacey Kennedy
A big thank you to Entangled and Net Galley!
Synopsis:
Nexi Jones—part witch, part guardian, and wannabe kick-ass warrior—can’t throw a punch or conjure the simplest magic. But that doesn’t stop her from hunting the werewolves who slaughtered her human family. She’ll have her revenge, but only if Kyden, the elite guardian, would get the hell out of her way.

Kyden can’t decide if Nexi wants to get herself killed or if she just has no clue what she’s doing. But her father made it clear: keep Nexi safe…or else. Of course, the more Nexi runs toward revenge, the more she needs Kyden’s aid, and as she grows into her power and confidence, so does his desire to protect her. The only problem? She’d rather he dropped dead.

But when a vampire paints a bull’s-eye on Nexi’s back, she’s hard-pressed to deny Kyden and the help he’s offering. Even if it means getting her revenge will be a little bit harder. At least it will still be as sweet.

Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend
By: Louise Rozett
Release Date: 06/18/13
A big thank you to Harlequin Teen and Net Galley!
Synopsis:
Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...

...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.

When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself.

Survivor
By: James Phelan
Release Date: 04/30/13
A big thank you to Kensington/K-Teen!
Synopsis:
Jesse is alone. His friends are gone. His supplies are gone. And the chasers, the zombies, are getting bolder. So when he starts to see signs of life, of other humans, he can't believe his luck. But in post-incident New York, the only thing more dangerous than the chasers, are the survivors.

Pursued by the predatory Chasers, Jesse finds unexpected friendship in three other survivors:

Felicity - a girl he meets via a home video. Finding her is the key to escape.

Rachel - more concerned with animals than people. Can Jesse persuade her to put her own safety first?

And Caleb - disillusioned, angry, and maybe dangerous.

Friendship comes at a price in a world where nothing can be relied upon. Will Jesse's new mates help him to flee or is he destined always to be ALONE?

Purchased: 

Die for Her
By: Amy Plum
Synopsis:
Set in the romantic and death-defying world of the international bestselling Die for Me trilogy, this digital original novella follows Jules, a brooding, immortal French artist who has fallen in love with his best friend’s girlfriend.

Jules Marchenoir is a revenant-an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save human lives. He’s spent the better part of the last century flirting his way through Paris, but when he met Kate Mercier, the heroine from Amy Plum’s Die for Me trilogy, he knew his afterlife had changed forever and he had found the love of his life. Until Kate fell for his best friend, Vincent. Now Jules is faced with an impossible decision: choosing between his loyal friend and a love truly worth dying for.

UNHINGED by A.G. Howard Cover Reveal!

I am SO FREAKING EXCITED to share this cover with you guys!!! I didn't even know a sequel was in the making. OMGOMGOMG Can't wait!

Unhinged
By: A.G. Howard
Release Date: January 2014

Some great Kindle deals for $1.99 or less!