Book Nerds Across America

Good Reads Description:

Isadora Rivers feels trapped. Her small town high school is suffocating her. Another day of wannabe gangsters, dumb jocks, and Barbie clones, and she'll just lose it. Her keen emotional sensitivity is to blame. She sees through all of the poser behavior to the pain and insecurity simmering just below the surface, and it's overwhelming. She feels like she's literally drowning in other people's emotions.

This same sensitivity, however, makes her a great actress. Suffocating or not, her high school is one of the top arts schools in the country. Acting is not only her passion, but it also looks like her way out. If she can just score the lead role in the school play, she might get herself noticed by a Hollywood agent. But she's got a strong reckless streak, and it keeps getting her in trouble and jeopardizing her chances.

Riding her bike at top speed, she swerves in front of a car and nearly gets hit. The driver, Tristan Blake, turns out to be the mysterious new boy at school. He's rebellious, broody, and wise beyond his years. He's also devastatingly gorgeous. From the moment their eyes meet, Isadora is irresistibly drawn to him. But as soon as he enters her life, things go horribly wrong. She begins having disturbing visions full of unimaginable glamour and unbearable darkness. He knows things about her he shouldn't. And he's somehow so familiar. As he at turns pulls her close, and then pushes her away, Isadora feels like her heart is being twisted and torn.

She soon discovers that her whole future is in jeopardy, and her only hope is to stay away from Tristan. But how can she turn away from the only boy she has ever loved? As a harrowing event looms closer, one that threatens to rip apart her psyche, Isadora must reach deep inside herself and find the strength to change her own destiny. But is she strong enough to do it?


Mary's Review:

Good Reads Description:

Jessie Boone is a self proclaimed bad boy and doesn’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum, but his own. Growing up in less than desirable circumstances has made him no stranger to the hard knock life and his determination to leave it behind is fierce. When he finds himself transferred to East Franklin High School, he sees his opportunity to use his athletic ability to snag a college football scholarship, but Forbes Henderson, the player Jessie means to replace isn’t giving up his spot willingly. In fact, Forbes is willing to go to extreme measures to retain his place as first string quarterback. When Forbes’ malicious plan to injure his replacement fails, Jessie is furious and determined to show him he messed with the wrong person; not only is he going to take the position of first string quarterback, he’s going to take his girl, too.

Claire Deveraux is perfection at it’s best. She is beautiful, intelligent and unaware she just became Jessie Boone’s conquest as revenge against her boyfriend, Forbes Henderson. Like her flawless performance as the perfect daughter and student, Claire’s production of being the perfect girlfriend has everyone fooled, except Jessie Boone, and she fears this tattooed bad boy will see her secret desire to explore his crude threats and promises to rock her perfect world. If she decides to give in to one uninhibited moment with Jessie, will she learn too late that it was all an act of vengeance or will Jessie learn the taste of first love is sweeter than that of revenge?


Mary's Review:


Again, @LuvMyHootie loaned me another amazing book.  No werewolves, vampires, or any other supernatural being.  It was just a boy from the wrong side of the tracks that falls for a girl from the other side of the tracks.


I loved it! Georgia Cates is an amazing author who makes you root for Jessie and Claire.  It is not just one of those tragic love stories either.  Do not get me wrong, there are parts in this book that I definitely teared up for Jessie but at the same time I just held on to hope until the end.

Good Reads Description:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.


Mary's Review:


Once again I need to thank my Twitter buddy @LuvMyHootie because she loaned me this book.  I was up until 3 am reading this book.  It was great!


Let me explain, you all know that I love my supernatural guys and couples, but sometimes a girl needs "regular" characters and Jamie McGuire delivered!  I fell head over heels for Travis and Abby!  It was so nice to read a book that I could actually relate to because it could happen (somewhat).  Jamie McGuire did keep me guessing about some parts and I kept rooting for Travis and Abby to get together the whole time.  

"Sixteen-year-old Piper Wesley has always been better at hooking fish than guys. But with her best friend Benny by her side, she’s never minded. And besides, her fishing skills have made her a celebrity in her hometown of Islamorada, an island paradise in the Florida Keys. So when a slump in tourism threatens to sink her family’s fishing charter business, Piper recruits Benny to help her win a major fishing tournament and the $25,000 grand prize. It seems like a perfect plan. Put her skills to use, win some money and help her parents weather the storm. Except that now Benny cares more about hanging out with his girlfriend Marina than helping Piper. And he keeps disappearing, usually after something suspicious happens on the island. Add in Logan, a Michigan transplant with a growing interest in something other than Piper’s fishing, and it looks like practicing for the tournament will be anything but easy. Leaving Piper to wonder how she'll win. And who will be there when it’s over." (From the author's website.)

Jackie approached the BookNerds about reviewing her book, and when I saw that it takes place in my home state of Florida, I couldn't say no. But I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. This was a really great read! I tore through it, reading it in a few hours over a couple of plane rides. I couldn't put it down. I had to see what Benny and Marina were up to. I had to see if Piper would let herself be swept off her feet by Logan. And of course -- the Scramble. Jackie must be quite the fisher woman because all her descriptions were pretty in depth. At times I glossed often the lengthy explanations, but overall it was neat to learn about something different, and I really like the idea of a book focusing on a girl who likes to fish. Outside of the norm, but it totally works for Piper. I think some might say the twist at the end was easy to see coming, but I totally did not! It's not very often that I am so pleasantly surprised by how good a book is, but this one did it for me. If you are looking for unique and engrossing read, I would definitely check it out!

I contacted Jessica Sorensen when I began reading the forth installment of The Fallen Star series.  I thoroughly enjoyed this series and I would recommend others to read them also.

As usual, I asked 5 questions because I know how busy authors are.  I would like to THANK Jessica for taking time to answer my questions.

Good Reads Description:

My name is Gemma Lucas and my life’s a mess. Alex is gone, my dad’s trapped in his own mind, and my mom’s working for the dark side. Not to mention Nicholas refuses to quit haunting me. 

The world has also entered apocalyptic mode. Everyday more vampires, witches, and fey run the streets. Innocent people are dying. The Mark of Malefiscus is showing up everywhere. And I’m the only one who can stop it.

The only problem is I have to die in order to do so. And I have to let Alex die. Something I’m not sure I can do.

My Loss poster, signed by Jackie!

We were lucky enough to be a part of the Loss blog tour last month. I finished reading the book shortly after, and finally -- here's my review!

Loss is a little different from the previous two books, Hunger and Rage, in Jackie's Riders of the Apocalyse series. Now that we are three books in, the faithful readers know the pattern. If Loss had followed suit, it would have involved a teenager who was living with a disease. Death would come and invite him to be Pestilence, the Rider of the Apocalyse, and then he would go out into the night learning how to use his powers for good.

But Loss didn't follow suit, and I applaud Jackie for that. The main character, Billy Ballard, was not suffering from a disease. He was being horribly bullied. And he was taking care of his grandfather who was suffering from Alzheimer's. There is already a Pestilence, Rider of the Apocalyse -- but instead of doing his job, Pestilence has gotten it into his head that if he doesn't ride then the Apocalypse won't happen. So he puts his physical self into a coma and hides in a memory. It's a good plan -- because he hasn't given up his title, Death can't actually get to him. That's where Billy comes into play. I won't go into the details why here, but suffice it to say that Death needs Billy to go get Pestilence and convince him to ride.

One thing I really liked about this book was all the talk about balance. I am sure it is mentioned in the other books, but it was really emphasized in this one. So, all of our teen Riders are not just going about wreaking havoc to usher in the Apocalypse-- they are helping to keep the world balanced so it can survive.

This book was a little hard to get into at times -- I felt the section where Billy went into the White got a little long-winded and repetitive. But, as always, Jackie's characters delivered some great one-liners and I really enjoyed the final showdown between Billy and the White Rider. And Breath -- Death's story -- is coming next. The final Rider of the Apocalypse. Oh, I cannot wait for Breath!

My review of the Riders of the Apocalypse series:
Hunger
Rage
Loss Blog Tour post

Fever is Book 2 of the Chemical Garden series by Lauren DeStefano.  Book Nerds reviewed Wither, which is Book 1 of the series shortly after its release.  We even declared whether we were team Gabriel or Linden, so you know we were anxious to get our hands on this sequel.

Good Reads Description:

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.


Mary's Review:

O.M.G! That is what I can say about Fever! I was so excited to see it on my Kindle that I could not contain myself at all.  If you do not remember I am Team Linden.  We actually did not see much of Linden in the book, but when we did it was GOOD! This book really took a lot of twist and turns for Rhine and Gabriel.  I really admire Rhine's courage but at the same time I thought she was very weak. She actually had to rely on other people this time.  I still do not like Vaughn and his vicious ways.  I really enjoyed the few new characters that we meet along the way.  I do not like the way Lauren DeStefano always leaves us hanging onto the end of the book.  Then again that might be part of her charm!!

I hope that I do not have to wait forever for the third book, but I am sure that I am going to have to.

Good Reads Description:

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what's next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.

What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.

But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you're sorry.


MARY'S REVIEW:


Shocked! I was just shocked when I received this ARC! I enjoyed Katie's book Awaken so much that I could not wait until this book came out.  Now, this is not part of the Awaken series but, nonetheless, I was excited.  I do not think I have ever cried so much or wanted two people together as much as I did in this book.


Katie truly takes you on an emotional roller coaster and I am very surprised that this is a stand-alone book.  By the time the ending came, I was almost shouting for more!  Gray and Dylan are so much the opposite of each other, that they are perfect together.  One day Dylan just walks up to Gray and his world changes.  I really do not want to give too much away because Katie is such an amazing author that I think everyone should read it. However, here is what I will tell: this is truly a wonderful love story.  It is so believable that you think you are going through these barriers with Gray and Dylan.

Photo by mygrafico.com

It's officially Prom season! And thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, we have a great giveaway to celebrate!

FIRST PLACE: A Book Bundle that includes:

Jacque's Review:

Note: Slight spoilers for Delirium by Lauren Oliver follow.

It seems to be as you read Delirium that Hana and Lena and foils for each other. (Yes, I did just bust out some high school English terminology. In short, they are opposite characters.) In the beginning, Hana is the one that is listening to music and sneaking away to parties, and Lena is terrified. In fact, it is Hana that takes Lena to a party where she sees Alex. While Lena is freaking out, Hana is having reckless fun. Yet at the end of Delirium, it is Lena who has caught the disease and decides to run away, while Hana decides to get the cure. We follow Lena's journey in Delirium, so we know how she came to her decision. But what about Hana?

The novella Hana which Lauren Oliver recently released answers this question. It's a short, quick read (and only $3 on Amazon!) We follow Hana through the summer, see her sneaking out to several parties and even having a fling of her own with a boy named Steve. Through it all, we get to learn Hana's feelings about her family situation and future husband, as well as her reaction to learning about Lena and Alex.

I enjoyed it. Like everyone else, the cliffhanger ending left me with my mouth open. I literally had to re-read it about 4 times before I accepted it. And then I had to give myself a day or so of thinking about to understand it. But I do understand how it came to end the way it did. And it's sad, but realistic and honest.

Our reviews of the Delirium trilogy:
Delirium
Pandemonium

The Book Nerds are so grateful that Nikki Jefford is letting us show you an exclusive look at the second installment of the Spellbound series.  If you remember that not to long ago we review the book Entangled, which we loved! Today we have the cover and a book trailer of Duplicity



Of course we want to thank Nikki for this exclusive!

Jacque's Review:

Hell on earth.

That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.

It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.

What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies. (Goodreads Overview)

I wasn't planning on reading Torment this soon, but I had an unplanned 16 hour drive to Florida due to the cancellation of my flight.  I decided I needed something to listen to for the drive.  I'm not usually one for audio books, but I listened to Fallen while on a road trip and really enjoyed the narration.  I was nervous about this selection since Flo was lukewarm on the book, but I actually enjoyed it even more than Fallen. 

Torment starts out pretty much where Fallen left off.  Daniel and Cam made a truce and decide to hide Luce at a protected school for Nephilim children in California.  This is actually a HUGE improvement from her last school.  Luce's teachers are angels and demons and the classes are related to their LONG history, which Luce has been trying to learn on her own.  She learns how to manipulate the shadows and can even see glimpses into scenes from her past lives.  The more she learns, the more she becomes confused about her feelings for Daniel and how their love has effected so many of her past families. 

There was a lot more action in this book and we learned considerably more about the history of the war and how all of the characters fit into the equation.  The love story is still verging on non existent since Daniel and Cam are off fighting the majority of the book.  This leaves Luce to consider what a relationship with a "normal boy" would be like....all be it a Nephilim boy named Miles.  She enjoys the every day interactions they have along with the fact that a relationship with him would not hurt her family and friends like her relationship with Daniel has done for ages.

I am excited to read Passion, the third installment in the series.  I have another 12 hours in the car planned  for next weekend...so I downloaded the audio book.  I am going to be one highly productive Book Nerd next weekend.  I can finish a book while I drive to and from the RT convention,  I get to hang out with my FAVORITE book nerds (with one very sad excetion), and I will meet several authors that I absolutely love.  What could be better than this?

GoodReads description:

Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who's had a bad year. She was smart and on track but then her mom left, her dad is depressed, she's graduating, barely, and her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football scholarship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is gripping tight with everything she has. 
Then she meets Caleb. She saves his life and instantly knows there's something about him that's intriguing but she is supposed to be on her way to a date with his cousin. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally. 
They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing supernatural changes unlike anything she's ever felt before and she needs the touch of his skin to survive. 
Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a pain as well, but Caleb's enemies know he's imprinted and are after Maggie to stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him. 
Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just finding one another?

GoodReads description:

In the sequel, Maggie learns much more about all the strange things that happened to her, and has to face new ones. She rebels against it, but ultimately, must face it for her new families sake and maybe even her life. Bish went from being her biggest supporter to her biggest pain in the butt and Kyle's intentions to attract her interest may not be so innocent. Caleb and Maggie face many new obstacles together and fight to work through them but will one that should be a good thing be too much for Maggie to handle?

In the third installment of the Significance series, we begin with Maggie and Caleb in the clutches of a new enemy; the Virtuoso council. Not only do they have to deal with the consequences of taking the lives of the Watsons and the council attempting to take Maggie away to keep their precious Visionary safe, but they must deal with Marla as well. All are determined to undermine, control and use Caleb and Maggie's rare gifts for their own uses, some wish to destroy them entirely. Then Maggie's father and Bish are threatened but the council forbids the presense of humans. Peter and the family fight and stand beside them every step of the way to save Maggie's father, to keep Caleb and Maggie together when the corrupted council is so set on keeping them apart and to stop Marla and whatever she has up her sleeve. Then Maggie has the shock of her life when she discovers something about her real father. It may change everything for everyone. Stay tuned as the story continues.

OMG! Not since Nicole Williams' Eden Trilogy have I been so consumed by a series! Shelly Crane had pulled me into her world and let me tell you how much.  I started this first book on a late Sunday night and I thought that I would read a few chapter before heading to bed.  Before I knew it was 1 AM and I had to be up in a few hours for work.  I had to wait until my lunch hour to read the book again. THEN I was so consumed again I was 15 minutes late coming back from lunch.  Now, I had to wait until I got home to pick it up again. THEN I was so consumed that I burnt my husband and my dinner and we had to order take-out (I am lucky though because my husband understands). I just could NOT stop reading.  

I have two books I am dying to read sitting on the corner of my coffee table, winking at me as I go by. But I have not opened them. And I won't -- until Sunday, April 8th. Because they both contain love triangles, and my Lenten Booknerd Challenge was to give up books with love triangles. Like any other Lenten sacrifice I have made, this was difficult! There are frankly a lot of love triangles out there! But I persevered in staying away from them, and I am proud of myself for doing so.

Now, for the other challenges: I started with a Stand Alone book: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green which was such a great book! I had been wanting to read it for awhile, so it was a bonus that it fit into one of our Lenten challenges. Next, I tackled the Book Jacque Chose for Me: Between by Cyndi Tefft. Well....it's a good thing I liked the John Green book! With that behind me, I tried a Book That's Been in My TBR the Longest: The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. I struck out on this one. My last Challenge book was another Book That's Been in My TBR the Longest: The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Ehhh....

So, it appears that the only one of the Challenges (besides my personal one) that led me to a book I really enjoyed was the Stand Alone Challenge! This is a little unfortunate, especially with the books that have been in my TBR the longest. Oh well. At least now I know -- AND they are off my pile!

Overall, I had a lot of fun with my #Lent4BN Challenges! It was fun to deviate from my set list of what I plan to read and add some different elements into the mix.

Lent is almost over and I was afraid that might not make my goal.  My goal was to read 20 books in 40 days.  It was a little bit harder than what I thought, it was coming down to the wire.  However, I finished it today!

Not all the books have post (that will be coming though).  The ones that I do have post to will be linked.  I am very proud of myself and all the Book Nerds!! I think this might be fun to do again .... soon!

Here are the Books that I read during Lent:


1.  Fever by Lauren DeStefano

2.  The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

3.  Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

4.  Midnight Sun by Stephanie Myers

5.  The Great Gasby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

6.  Fallen by Lauren Falter

7.  The Awakening (Vampire Diaries) by L. J. Smith

8.  Stealing Grace by Shelly Crane

9.  Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

10.  Intuition by J. Myers

11.  Destined by Jessie Harrell

12.  Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace

13.  Because of Law by Abbi Glines

14.  A Weekend With Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly

15.  Entangled by Nikki Jefford

16.  Significance by Shelly Crane

17.  Accordance by Shelly Crane

18.  Defiance by Shelly Crane

19.  First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

20.  The Promise by Jessica Sorensen

There were a couple more books but I did not count them because I did not finish them.  I had a blast doing this Lent Challenge.

I really enjoyed the BN4Lent challenges this month.  I completed not only my assigned reading from Flo Anna and the French Kiss, but an additional assignment from Teri Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready.  I also completed the "stand alone" challenge, but I can't post my review until April 14th due to an ARC tour requirement.  Check back on the 14th for my review of First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky. 

With 3 days remaining, I have one challenge left to complete.  I came up with the brilliant idea for us to read the book that has been on our TBR list the longest.  For me, this is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...the 6th book in the series.  I really do LOVE the Harry Potter series.  I don't have a good reason for why I haven't finished the series before now...aside from the fact that it was not available in electronic format and I own the hard copies which are HUGE.  At the end of 2010 I read books 4 and 5, but then my arm needed a break, so I went back to my e-books for a while.  This challenge was just the incentive I needed to get back into the Potter series.  I am a third of the way through the 652 pages, so I will be VERY busy the next few days.  While I am sure most, if not all of you, have already read this book...you can look forward to my thoughts and comments about it sometime this weekend. 

This leaves one final challenge left unmentioned.  Was I able to avoid mysteries for the entire Lenten season????  The answer to this is....YES!!  I did receive a mystery from an author a couple of weeks ago that I agreed to review with one stipulation....I would not be able to read the book until after our challenge was over.  While giving up mysteries was not easy, I am thrilled with all of the books I completed this month.  I am also left wondering how I never met Etienne St. Clair, Logan Keeley, and Zachary Moore prior to this.  Clearly I need some more challenges in the future to prevent me from missing out on these AMAZING characters my fellow BookNerds were keeping all to themselves.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella:

We were left wondering what happen to Alex and Lena after their big escape from the land of the cured at the end of Delirium.  Now we are looking for answers to all of the following questions as we read Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.  Is Alex alive or dead?  Did Lena make it to the Wilds and can she survive? 
Mary's Review

The moment I put Delirium down was the moment I wanted Book 2.  I can honestly say that I have the same feelings with this book.  I am dying for Book 3! I did not think the Lauren Oliver would be able to suck me back into Lena's world,  but she did. The only thing that I was unsure of, at first, was the layout of the chapters.  "Then" and "Now" I thought that to be a bit strange.  However, once I got into the issues of Lena, Julian, Raven, Tack, and the others I did not mind it so much.  In all honesty, it was kind of different and made the story stand out a bit more.  I was also very happy to see a stronger and more determined Lena! That was awesome! The one thing the Lauren Oliver does best is the "cliff-hangers" and O.M.G did she leave us with a good one!

I will be counting the days until Book 3!!

Teri's Review:

Like Mary I was begging to get my hands on this book. I couldn't wait to see what happened with Alex and Lena. Unlike Mary, I wasn't fond of it..it had those middle book blues for me. Not saying it wasn't good, because it was, but not in the sense I wanted it to be. I didn't like the jumping back and forth between the "Then" and "Now". I really found the "Then" chapters boring and slow. but I also knew they were needed to set up the story of how Lena got to the "Now" . You did however get to see Lena become a strong independent person out in the wilds, where in Delirium she depended so much on Alex to show her the way. The people she interacts with all have stories, and they play a part in the "Now" also. My problem with the "Now  " was I just really did not like Julian AT ALL. I didn't feel the romance between them, I thought he was  really a bit of a cry baby, whiny..... He wasn't a strong person, pampered I guess you would say. I liked the excitement that came in the "Now" the protests, the escapes..it made these parts fast and entertaining to me and it helped me get thru the book rather quickly. I will say this..once again I am waiting patiently for one of Lauren Oliver's books, because once again..she left me with my mouth hanging open when I closed the back cover....

Jacque's Review:

There is one thing we book nerds seem to agree on, the concept of Then and Now chapters was very odd at first.  Like Teri, I felt that the Then chapters were very slow.  The first 60 pages were actually a struggle for me.  I was beginning to think this book was not going to live up to my expectations.  The setup and detail they contained was essential, but I felt like the story was not moving forward.  Once I met Julian in the Now chapters, I was hooked and that is where I wanted to stay.

By the end of the book I was a member of Team Julian.  He was a lot like Lena was in Delirium.  He was taught to believe certain things his entire life and now he is being exposed to a whole new way of thinking.  While he did come from a privileged upbringing, I did not think he was spoiled like Teri did.  His father was abusive and I just wanted him to get away from his family and to live his life on his own terms.

The love story was not at all like it was with Alex for several very good reasons.  Lena is still trying to get over the loss of Alex, Lena and Julian are learning to trust each other, and Julian has a lot to learn about the Wildes and living life freely.  They start to depend on each other and their relationship develops very slowly.  I felt that it was realistic given the circumstances and was actually really sweet.

The ending was a bit of a shock, but I can't say I was surprised.  I was expecting something like that from Lauren Oliver after the way she left us hanging at the end of Delirium.  Requiem, the final installment in this series, is scheduled to be released in February 2013.  There will be A LOT of anxious readers waiting to see how this trilogy comes to a close.  I have no idea which direction this story will take and can't wait to see what Lauren has in store for us next.  

Flo's Review:

What?! The Book Nerds are all in agreement about something?! I didn't like the "Then" chapters either, but I also understand why they were needed, so you could see Lena's growth and development. But like Tee said, it felt very middle book. I did really enjoy the "Now" chapters. I really liked the whole "Now" story and that's what kept me reading. I was not expecting either of the two big twists at the end of the book! And I can honestly say I can't wait for Requiem because ...how do I say this without giving away spoilers?...this is a rare instance where I don't have a clear favorite.

GoodReads Description:

Twin witches Graylee and Charlene Perez agree on one rule: No dating warlocks. 

Not so easy when a certain rogue warlock is convinced he and Graylee belong together and will use anything, including magic, to try and impress Gray. When Charlene’s boyfriend dumps her, she threatens to kill either herself or the girl who stole Blake. Somehow, Gray ends up dead. 

A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong: 

Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in Charlene’s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Only now Gray’s stuck sharing her sister’s body 50/50 in twenty-four hour shifts. 

The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence. Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he’s after Gray’s invisibility spell and worse – her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever.


Mary's Review:

Flo's #Lent4BN Challenge: Read a Book That's Been In Your TBR Pile the Longest


Ok, I tried to complete this challenge with The Truth About Forever and failed, so I decided to give it another chance by trying another book that's been in my TBR just as long. This trilogy by James Dashner is a favorite of some of the girls at Down With the Capitol, a Hunger Games fansite I also work on, so I've been meaning try it out for awhile. With everything I had heard about it, I was expecting to love it.

Well...

It was better than the TTAF because I did actually finish it! And I enjoyed it. I wanted to see if the Gladers would figure a way out of the Maze. But here was my main problem: characters. In order for me to really enjoy a book, I have to enjoy the main character(s). Most of the time, this means I have to like them, but I'm pretty sure there are some instances where this means I just absolutely despise them as well and have to keep reading to see what happens to them. (I can't think of anything off the top of my head, though.) But I didn't like Thomas. He frankly annoyed the klunk out of me. I agreed with the Gladers when they got annoyed at him for asking too many questions at inopportune times. I agreed with Alby when he got annoyed at Thomas because Thomas was whining that Alby didn't like him. Alby said something along the lines of: it's not about liking you, but strange things have been going on since you arrived and we're trying to figure them out. Thomas questioned EVERYTHING the Gladers did even though they've been there two years, so they clearly know what's up. And he'd been there, what, a day or two? The Gladers would get insulted with Thomas' questions and I agreed with them! At one point Minho said something along the lines of: that's insulting. Don't you think we've thought of that? and I agreed! Then, after asking a bazillion questions at highly inopportune times, when people asked questions of him, he just wanted them to follow him and blindly trust him, at one point saying, "I'm done with explaining!" So they can stop in the middle of a crisis to answer your annoying questions, but you won't explain anything to them?!?!

I didn't really like Teresa either. She wasn't nice to the Gladers. They were suspicious of her, but she freaking told them she initiated the end! Of course they were! Yet they still took care of her and fed her through her coma phase and then she repays them by being unfriendly to everyone but Thomas and Chuck.

There's another scene that annoyed me, but I don't want to be spoilery.

So, I'm not sure that I'll keep reading the trilogy. I am kind of interested to see how they fare in The Scorch Trials, but can I deal with Thomas as I find out? I'm not sure.

One final note: I heard they are making this into a movie. This will be one gross, gory production!! I can't even begin to imagine how'll they translate a Griever to the big screen.

Click here to read Mary's review of The Maze Runner.