Review: IFrankenstein by Bekka Black

iFrankenstein (iMonsters #2)

Author: Bekka Black 
Publisher: Self-Pup
Release Date: September 16th 2012
Author Website | Twitter 
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Source: e-book from Author

Frankenstein comes to life for the wired generation.

Following her critically-acclaimed iDrakula, award-winning author Bekka Black breathes life into a modern re-telling of iFrankenstein, using only text messages, web browsers, tweets, and emails. 

Homeschooled teenager Victor Frankenstein is determined to write his own ticket to independence: a chatbot to win the prestigious Turing prize and admission to the high tech university of his choice. He codes his creation with a self-extending version of his own online personality and unleashes it upon the internet. But soon he begins to suspect his virtual clone may have developed its own goals, and they are not aligned with Victor’s. The creature has its own plan, fed by a growing desire to win darker and more precious prizes: unfettered power and release from loneliness.

As the creature’s power and sentience grows and its increasingly terrible deeds bleed over from the online world into the real one, Victor must stop his creation before his friends and humanity pay the ultimate price.

My Take:

Ever wonder if technology can be used against us in the end, whos thought process is like our very own. In Ifrankenstein, we get a glimpse of a possible outcome if a person ever voices his or her computer. The machines rise in this spunky tale that allows us the reader a chance into messages, emails and also communication from the other side. Victor Frankenstein is on cruise with his father and also Elizabeth and her mother, since he is not prone to venture outside the cabin and comes up with an idea of a bot chat that allows the bot to collect his data from social media. Because of the design of V.V., Victor has been able to use the bot for finding things out, until things kinda take a turn. 

So when a robot takes over and posts personal information on display, its kinda hard not to want to stop it. To bad the bot is two steps ahead of them and is willing to make his life so much harder. What is frightening is that V.V. can hack any system, of course he has an agenda. Of course that agenda is to make Victor build another bot like him but with Elizabeth's information. Yup things go from how to why in a instant, with help from Henry who is in the states and also the fact that being far from wifi might me a key factor in ensuring the bot gets offline.

The technology in this story is amazing and allows the reader a chance to experience it as if they are their along for the ride. Of course Victor didn't know that he would end up with a bot that would gain to much information. Bekka gave us another insight of why social media can either be the fall or rise of each of us. V.V. was cool and even though he hacked into things his personality was spot on to any person who wanted someone to talk to. He had real feelings and saw what everyone was thinking about him with texts and emails, it even had me thinking this was a cross between Eagle Eye and WarGames, add this to your to-read list because you might want to rethink that facebook status.

5/5 Stars

Review: Envy by Elizabeth Miles

Envy (The Fury Trilogy #2)

Author: Elizabeth Miles 
Pages:400
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 4th 2012
Author Website | Twitter | Facebook
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Source: Library

The Furies are back in the second book of a chilling paranormal trilogy where revenge rules the day—and “sorry” isn’t going to cut it. Spring is coming, and the ice is slowly melting in Ascension…revealing the secrets buried beneath.
     Emily Winters knows the Furies have roots in Ascension, Maine—but she’s about to discover that they’re deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to dig them out. But it’s hard to focus when she’s desperate to make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her.
     Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she’s thrilled when popular Gabby takes her under her wing, and the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all…
     It’s tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day.

My Take:

Being tormented is hard enough, but losing your closest friends to a bunch of furies isn't really fare, for Emily just getting through the day without interruption is hard enough. Having to lie to friends close to you is hard to stomach, but when you add in the furies, if you cross them than its not only your life, but also theirs as well. Keeping her promise, Emily has not shared what she went through and how hard it was for her, even her friends are noticing that her behavior has changed. So what is a girl to do but talk to the one who is likely to listen Drea. 

Newcomer Skylar a typical sophmore who wants to fit in, but can't seem to forget her past as well. Coming to a small town and starting over is tough and with Skylar's mom in jail, getting away has never been easy. Because of what she desires she is met by a fury by the name of Meg who tries to help. But with that kind of help strings are always close by, Skylar doesn't see that her new found interest is hurting her as well as the town, she just wants attention. Can too much attention be to much for her or can it change her thinking forever.

In Envy, Miles gives us another fury, Meg who isn't quite like the others but in a way the same, gain trust than turn on that person. In the world with furies its hard not to think anyone can be a target and even though the three cousins seem nice and harmless they can turn a good day to anyone's nightmare. Emily of course has changed since Fury because she knows the moment she thinks of saying one thing, something happens like a warning that she can not tell anyone. With Drea's help she is able to have another perspective, and also someone who she can talk to about the tormentors. Everyone of course wants to be in spotlight but Skylar wanted more it seems, stealing to get inside was one warning that she was willing to whatever it took. So looking forward to the 3rd, and to see what else Emily has to go through to be able to be her again without having to look behind her back.

5/5 stars

Review: The Spring Before I Met You by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Summer Before I Met You

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Pages:15
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 11th 2012
Author Website | Twitter | Facebook
Available: Here

Introduction by Holly Black:Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy, including The Spiderwick Chronicles.

I had the privilege of reading this story many months ago and swooning over it almost as much as I swooned over Unspoken, the first book of Sarah Rees Brennan's gorgeously crafted modern gothic trilogy. Sarah's writing is incredible in that she is able to write these witty, lush scenes that have you smiling along until suddenly, in a single sentence, she reaches out to break your heart.

This story introduces us to one of the main characters of Unspoken, Jared Lynburn. Seeing him as the broken, dangerous, closed-off teenager that he appears to be from the outside allows us to anticipate all of the insight we'll have into his character when we get inside his head--which we will, since he's the heroine's "imaginary friend."

I enjoy the contrast of Jared's loneliness in the rough streets of Hunters Point/Bayview in San Francisco and the small, strange English town Jared is headed toward, and the girl he is about to meet. But most of all, in this story, I enjoy Jared himself, a character who is a study in contrasts--pushed to such extremes of despair and fury that he's truly capable of anything and yet capable of vast kindness, gentleness and humor.

My Take:

This a short story told through the perspective of Mariel a teacher who became his guidance counselor. She noticed thngs that others never paid attention too and saw that Jared had not one person who saw him for him. Even when Mariel met his mother, not once did she get the feeling that he was loved. What was strange was that she saw he would always be to himself and even smiling as if he was talking not to himself but someone who was their yet not present. When Jared told Mariel about Kami that changed everything because she saw that quite possibly Jared did have someone who he thought mattered to him. But when good things happen something bad comes to past and she never saw Jared, of course she was asked if she had seen him by strangers, but nothing came out of it they all left and Mariel was left with more questions than answers. This was amazing because we saw that even though Jared didn't feel comfortable at home he found someone who he can share with like Kami shared with him.  

5/5 Stars - Seeing Jared in a different light was amazing.

Cover Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!

http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/p/october-1-2012.html

 USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on:  Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Review: The Farewell Season by Ann Herrick

The Farewell Season

Author: Ann Herrick 
Pages:150
Publisher: Puddleton Publishing Group
Release Date: Nevember 11th 2011
Author Website | Twitter 
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Source: ARR

Eric used to think he'd live forever, but not any more. As football season starts, he hopes he can live normally again after the death of his father, but his refusal to face his grief results in anger at his coach, fights with his sister, resenting added responsibilities, and disillusionment with football. It takes a special relationship with a girl dealing with the divorce of her parents to see he is angry with his father for dying and the way to get through grief is by grieving.

My Take:

What happens when you lose the person you thought would be there forever, wht happens when your love for a sport was only the love you spent with that person while playing. The love for a game in anyone is strong but a bound and a shared love is even stronger, for Eric losing his father turned his life upside down. It seems that life moves forward and even though he present he doesn't feel like he did before. The love for football was always shared between Eric and his father and without him, something seems different Eric is different. 

Going through routines, Eric sees that life might easier without football, its not until Eric meets Glynnie and interviews him for the paper that he starts to see that football  means even more to him than he thought. Everything Eric sees at home though is tough for him because he sees his mom spending time with other men, his sister spending more time with his best friend. Yeah life at his house is hard, at least with Glynnie is seems easier. Its because she doesn't expect anything from him and he able to just talk. Even though he sees Glynnie as the type to not bother with jocks, she surprises him. 

The Farewell Season was more than just the love of a sport, it was a bound that shared equally and even though Eric and his family lost someone in memory that person is always there and will always be. His story had me crying because his pain was displayed for all to see. Eric taught me that life should be valued and the memories along your journey help shape who you end up being. Football to me was always just a sport but for someone else its a shared love and should be shared with the world.  

5/5 Stars

Review: After Ever by Jillian Eaton

After Ever

Author: Jillian Eaton
Pages:196
Publisher: Bay Horse
Release Date: June 12 2012
Author Website | Goodreads
Available for Order: Amazon

Source: ARR

“Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t die again in a thousand different ways.” 
For sixteen-year-old Winnie Coleman, dying is the least of her worries. Between coming to terms with her mother’s unexpected death, trying to think up new and inventive ways to break up her father and Girlfriend #3, and keeping her brother from chewing off his fingers, she has her hands full. Courtesy of a thin patch of ice and failed swimming lessons, all of that changes in the blink of an eye. 

In death Winnie will find the answers that eluded her in life, and a whole slew of other questions she never thought to ask. Like why is she stuck with Sam for a guide? Sure, he’s funny and cute in a geeky sort of way, but he wears sweater vests… and loafers. For a girl who has tattoos on her face and glue in her hair, it’s not exactly the best match up.

But when Sam is taken and his very existence threatened, Winnie must make the ultimate choice between cowardice and courage. Faithlessness and loyalty. Family... and love.
Suspenseful and action packed, After Ever is a must read for anyone who ever wondered: what happens next?

My Take:

Ever wonder what happens after you die, for Winnie just an ordinary teen one day and gone the next isn't something she ever thought of. But when she unexpectedly falls and dies her life doesn't end like that, the Ever works differently. But what happens when death offers you so much more than what life offered, like being able to relive any memory and remember all as if your actually living it. But communicating with the living is a no no and even though the temptation is there Sam is there to help her understand why the living need to be in the dark in these things. Meeting someone while alive who isn't actually alive is one thing add in the fact that he is her guide after what happens is just crazy right? Winnie  just wonders why now and of course her.

The answers of course are never so straight forward, and with  some time in the Ever Winnie will gain some insight about what she has to look forward to in the afterlife. Of course everything isn't all what it seems, with many warnings from Sam, Winnie knows that just she is in the ever doesn't mean she can not get hurt and more. Just understanding that she is not apart of world she once knew has to tough, to bad it's short lived when other problems start happening. With her life as well Sam's in danger Winnie has to come to grips that life or unlife just got complicated and the rules have changed forever.

After Ever was a story about finding out that life shouldn't be taken for granted and sometimes life goes on. Of course losing someone like Winnie did has to be tough for anyone and even though her father always looked to her to take care of her brother didn't mean she had to stop living life. Of course now her the Ever is a different playing field, and rules must be followed. I liked that the ever offered a way to live your life until that end came but when your stuck on a memory, life goes on. After Ever offered an insight to what could happen next and when things get tough its easier to stick together. 

5/5 Stars

Tempting The Best Man by J. Lynn

Tempting The Best Man (The Gamble Brothers #1)

Author: J. Lynn
Pages:172
Publisher: Entangled Publishing:Indulgence
Release Date: April 23rd 2012
Author Website | Twitter 
Available for Order: Amazon|Barnes and Noble

Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they're forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of "accidents" as the family tries to prove their "spark" can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don't strangle each other first…

My Take:

Having a crush on one of your brothers friends is one thing that family and friends pick up on over the years. For Madison Daniels she has it bad for Chase Gamble and even though she displayed it once she is determined to see that her brother's wedding goes with no arguing between her and Chase. Of course though with her arriving last and just one room available sharing with non other than Chase the weekend was sure to be long.

Chase has never seen himself as the type to have everything, even as successful as he is with three clubs. He just never saw himself settle with anyone except maybe one, Madison. For him though she is hands off except that one time that he has regretted the way he handle things, but for her sake its easier for her to not like him at all. Too bad as luck would have it one room left and who is his bunk mate non other than Madison and the room is the old honeymoon room. Yeah luck isn't on his side or is it, he just has to get through the weekend and he can go on. 

Both seem to like and care for each other its just for Chase going for your best friends sister is just not something you ever do. But can these last until the wedding without tearing at each other and even when Madison is so tempting to him, he knows not to touch of course that goes for all the other guys present. Tough luck guys, Madison may not be taken but that doesn't give you access not while Chase is around. 

I loved this so much not only because the author's writing in any form is pure joy but because it had me laughing, screaming, and sometime even wanting to slap Chase is the face. Madison knew what she saw in Chase and saw that he wasn't like his dad and he would treat any girl right. If only Chase would see that he really is the right guy for her. I liked the fact that he tried so hard to stay away but she was just so tempting and infuriatingly sexy. This was enjoyable and seemed like a breeze that I wouldn't mind reading again I enjoyed everything about it and others will too. 

5/5 Stars- loved ever word of this!!!!!