See you soon!

Hey guys:)

If you're an actual follower of this blog I'm sure you've noticed I've been a little absent lately. Well, my friends, I'm sorry to announce that I will not be around on the blogosphere until August.

The reason I've been a bit MIA this past week is because I have just moved a house (within my city, so not that big a deal) and I have a show coming up (eeeeeeek tomorrow!!) which means lots of packing, unpacking, and rehearsing (I'm a dancer). In addition to that, I leave for summer camp this Tuesday which means, shopping and yes, more packing. I will be back from camp in late July so I will be talking and writing to you by August.

Yes, I am sad. I'll miss hearing from you! I also just want to thank you (yes, you!) for reading, following, commenting, sending emails, tweets, books and goodreads recommendations! I really appreciate every single one of you, you make this experience worthwhile!!

So I'm hoping you don't forget about me and my blog an that you enjoy your summer! When I come back I'll show you all the books I received and some reviews (one of them being The Fault in our Stars....!!) so stay tuned!

You can still email, tweet, and all the above and I'll see them on my phone, I just will answer you late. (but have no fear, I WILL eventually answer everything).

Like I said hit the beach and enjoy your summer TBR, and don't forget sunscreen!
See you in August-
Love,
Esty

Review: Dare You To (spoiler free)

Dare You To
Katie McGarry
Contemporary Romance

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

OH MY GOD. Dare You To was an amazing, sensational, and epic read. The two days in which I read this book went something like this:

Me: I have dance in a few minutes.
DYT: no. 

And then the book proceeded to get awesome-er. I was literally hooked from the first page.

The romance: was beautiful. Every moment between Ryan and Beth was real and perfect and made me swoon. The characters problems made sense, their reactions made sense, the thoughts and dialogues flowed flawlessly. 

The characters: Oh, the love. I just loved everyone. I wanted to jump in and make everything right in their lives. With Beth, in the beginning I didn't understand why she kept running even when that clearly wasn't the smart thing to do. But as the novel progressed, we start to see who she was and the fears she had. And Ryan? Can you say NEW FICTIONAL BOYFRIEND? On one hand, a troubled, daring boy, and on the other, a perfect gentleman and talented baseball player and writer. What more could you want??

The plot was realistic and great, and I enjoyed EVERY SECOND OF IT. 

The side characters: needless to say, I'm dying to get my hands on Pushing the Limits (Noah and Echo's story). Also, it seems Isiah's book will be coming out soon! Sooooo excited. 

The title and cover: check and check! I LOVE IT when the title perfectly ties in with an element of the story, and this couldn't have been a more perfect fit. 

 What more can I say? There were sad scenes, there were happy ones, there were literally-laugh-out-loud bits. Basically? JUST GET IT. It was worth every minute. Rating: 

Love, Esty

Review: Hidden

Hidden (Firelight #3)
Sophie Jordan
Fantasy/Paranormal

Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.

I read the first two novels before I started blogging, so unfortunately I can't link you my reviews. I can tell you though, that I really enjoyed them.  In Firelight, I fell in love with Will and was wowed by the new world and the complex situation. In Vanish, I fell in love with Cassian and was swept with all the action and the new developments in regard to Tamra and her (Jacinda's) (well, Tamra's, too.) mom. 

In all respects, Hidden disappointed me when compared to the first two novels. It was quick and wasn't as emotional as the others, and usually it's the conclusion that's jam-packed with feels. There were some new surprises, but nothing that really caught me off guard and shocked me (More like, 'Oh. Okay. That makes sense' kinda reaction). When I said quick, I meant that all the events in this novel occur in some 36 hours. 

That's not to say it wasn't good. I still had a hard time putting it down and couldn't wait to read what happened next, but I wasn't as hooked as I wanted to be. I had a hard time but I was able to put it down.

The end wraps everything up nicely, including Jacinda and her love life, Tamra and her love life, Will vs. Cassian (though my ship lost:/) the twins' dad's disappearance,  her mom leaving, the pride's rule, etc. basically all tied up. My one problem is that I was hoping for a big explosive scene in which Jacinda (with Tamra- she's my fave character) stands up for the things she's been fighting for throughout the trilogy and gets them. There wasn't such a scene. And she was kinda unconscious for all the good stuff. *sigh*

 All in all? Finish the series, but don't get hyped. If you have yet to read Firelight, I still recommend it. The first ones were great. Rating: 2.5 but till I figure out how to do half stars...


Summer vacation is here!! Enjoy and stay safe:) Love,
Esty

Review: A Shade of Vampire

A Shade of Vampire
Bella Forrest
Paranormal Romance

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

A vampire book whose author's name is Bella. Huh. 

I received this book for review and had no expectations whatsoever for it. I'm please to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Sophia's story was fun and compelling, and I found myself fascinated with almost everything about it. 

The setting and back story- the novel takes place on a secured island called The Shade which the vamps conquered for themselves to hide in from the hunters (unknown enemy). The descriptions of The Shade were beautifully written and conjured up spectacular images in my head. Also, I was interested in the history of the place and the identity of the hunters- we only get little clues in A Shade of Vampire. It gets me excited for book 2:) 

The characters- Sophia was a relatable teenager suffering from a classic case of in-love-with-your-best-friend. I liked how she stays realistic and faces her fears throughout the book. I wouldn't call her badass, but cool enough. 
Derek, Lucas and Vivienne (main vampire characters. Siblings) each had all sorts of feelings and agendas, making for a great and sophisticated cast. I do wish we got to hear more from Vivienne, though. That girl knows more than she lets on, and I need some more info on these visions of hers! 

The language- like I mentioned above, something about the writing made me really like it. It flowed and just made me think pretty thoughts. Make of that what you will. 

Lastly, the points of view- A Shade of Vampire switches narrator between Derek and Sophia. I enjoyed seeing them each as they see themselves and as they view each other. It made for an interesting contrast. 

One nitpick: It was too short for my liking. I prefer having a basic understanding of the word and/or the magic system and the characters by book 1. A Shade of Vampire, being only 100 pages on kindle, did not satisfy that need. 

Rating: 4 stars. 

Love, Esty
P.s. Don't forget to follow via the new bloglovin button! >>>

Review: Son of Sobek

Son of Sobek
Rick Riordan
middle grade short story

Carter Kane is investigating rumored sightings of a monster on Long Island when he runs into something else: a mysterious boy named Percy Jackson. And their meeting isn't exactly friendly. . . . 

Basically a crossover between Percy Jackson and the Kane Chronicles. Can anyone say, RECIPE FOR WIN??

Of course it was perfect! Percy and Carter funny and sarcastic as usual, saving Manhattan from bloodthirsty monsters. What's new? Honestly, my only complaint was that it was too short. I thought there would be earth-shattering revelations on both their parts, what with realizing there are other gods alive, but not to worry- nothing changes. You'll see.

I was also happy to see Rick Riordan left us an opening that Carter and Percy will meet again in the future... hmmm :) Rating:


Anyone else been seeing these rumors about a new Harry Potter? They're not true... right?
Happy Monday!
Esty

Bloglovin!

Hi everybody,

As I'm sure you've heard, it seems GFC will expire on July 1st. As I love you all and want to keep you around with me, I would really appreciate if you could click the button below and follow me with bloglovin:) It's easy to make an account, and if you get any emails it's easy to unsubscribe. 

I'm happy to follow you back/refollow you instead of GFC if you like! Just comment or send me a message.

Hoping you have a great day!

Love, Esty

Top Ten Tuesday- Summer TBR!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

Hello y'all:) Summer's almost here! This week's list is your summer TBR pile. So, lately I have put acquiring books to a stop while I work to eradicate my pile. I am succeeding! So this is what I plan to read these next few months:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- I'll be surprised if this one stays in the mound till July. It's been calling me. I read the first chapter and am HOOKED. I'll be getting to it right after Dare You To, my current read.

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld- I'M SORRY, MY SWEET. I'LL BE RIGHT WITH YOU. 

Lioness Rampant/ The Woman Who Rides like a Man by Tamora Pierce- *cringes at the thought of five months spent next to my bed* I love Tortall, I do. I will get there!!

Bossypants by Tina Fey- Hey, you with the ugly cover- get out a my pile! 

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver- I plan to reread Delirium first, so it my be a while till I get around to this one. 

At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks- *preps the tissues*

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon- I've heard too much about you to ignore.

The Exemus by Folami and Ebeni Morris- received for a book tour in August, so I can guarantee you'll see this one.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare- Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale (book #3) is out today! Eeeeeeep! I will review the first five together in one post but in the meantime you're welcome to check out my Goodreads page for my review on What Really Happened in Peru and The Runaway Queen. (You can follow me there too, if you're interested:)) 

So, this isn't my whole summer TBR pile, but just ten I wanted to show you. I hope to finish them all and more! What are your picks for this vacation?

Love, Esty 

Review: Bewitching

Bewitching
Alex Flinn
YA Paranormal

Bewitching can be a beast. . . .

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.

I go to a new school now—one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.

You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years—except for when to take my powers and butt out.

I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in theTitanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.

Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl—and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

Beastly..... ring a bell? Remember? Great book, later adapted into great movie (*cough* Alex Pettyfer *cough*)? Yeah that! So the witch, Kendra, now has her story told. Partly narrated by her,  Bewitching tells the surprisingly not typical at all (!) Cinderella story of Emma punctuated with some really enjoyable anecdotes from Kendra's life including Hansel and Gretel, the Princess and the Pea and The Little Mermaid. 

The back gives the impression that the book will be told from Kendra's PoV. It was not- she basically put in little notes, which, after I got over the initial disappointment, I really liked. Emma was an ok MC, more or less realistic. The beginning was a little frustrating for me because of her naivete, but she grows throughout the novel and I liked her quite a lot at the end. About the Cinderella bit, I implore you, DO NOT PASS THIS UP BECAUSE OF THAT. It was done soooo differently than anything out there, even if it may not seem so at first. 

The ever-changing POVS kept the book interesting and refreshing, though I do wish we got to hear more from Lisette. The conniving stepsister had a hard life and we get to hear a little about why she does the things she does, but I'd have loved to have read more of that. 

Bewitching wasn't as amazing as I remember Beastly to be, but a really great read all the same. It's a companion to Beastly and Lindsey's Diary (called The Kendra Chronicles), though is a completely different story and can be read as a standalone. Which is why, this is my first book to be read for the SUMMER OF STANDALONES CHALLENGE. To read about or sign up for the challenge, go here. Rating

 

Love, Esty