YA Boys I Love {with lots of gifs} (1)

It can be argued rather well that the boys in YA novels are one of the best parts of being a YA reader. We all have our favorite boys that we love to sigh and swoon over (I know my list is probably several feet long, haha!) YA boys are fantastic.

But, there are so many deserving hotties that get lost under all the hype surrounding the more prominent boys, such as Jace, Peeta, Stefan and Damon, etc. And while I love all of them, I do believe that we have to give some love to the boys that are left behind.

Thus, THIS POST WAS BORN! This is the post where I utterly fan-girl and hyperventilate over the boys that I love so dearly, and in which I try to convince you to love them as well. First up is...

Hayden Anders

from Something Witchy This Way Comes by Veronica Blade

BUY IT: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Brainiac Tessa McClean’s newly discovered magical powers give her an escape from her self-absorbed parents. But the thrill of being a witch fades when she learns of a rival coven and begins to suspect her own coven’s motives. Evidence tells Tessa to trust one side, but instinct drives her toward the other. When the school’s scrumptious delinquent, Hayden Anders, offers Tessa self-defense lessons in exchange for tutoring, his timing couldn’t be better. Although hanging out with him is a necessary evil in Tessa’s fight to stay alive, resisting a bad-boy she secretly yearns for might be more than she can manage. Together, Tessa and Hayden work to unravel the mysteries behind the two covens to discover why they’ll stop at nothing to lure Tessa to their side. She must form an alliance with one of the covens before it’s too late. But the wrong decision could cost Tessa the lives of all who she holds dear — including Hayden.

Do you see that rather excited girl to the right? Yes? Well, I am completely unashamed to admit that she is exactly what I look like whenever Hayden Anders is brought up. I. LOVE. HIM. So much. Like, if my love for him were water, it'd be the whole freaking ocean. He's one of those guys that you just know isn't good for you, because he's a player and he can--and does--have any girl he wants. But, he also has a really sweet and adorable side to him, and whenever Tessa needed him we was right there. He never went anywhere, never left her on her own. And that's what really matter.

Plus, he's TOTALLY FREAKING SEXY. Did I mention that? There's this scene in the book where they go to a Halloween party, and do you want to know what his costume is? DO YOU? A love slave. Ummmmm.... I think my ovaries just exploded. He's walking around shirtless, with his chiseled abs and sexual innuendos.

Hayden, please....

Eros, god of love

from Destined by Jessie Harrell

BUY IT: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

Okay ladies, we are dealing with the god of love here, so he's pretty good with being all suave and charming. Eros was delightfully yummy to read about, and even though he had quite a temper that made me want to smack some sense into him sometimes, he was still hot. I just wish we got to see more of him and Psyche together, falling in love! I loved it when he was trying to woo her. I loved him.

Lucian Bell

from Hex, A Witch and Angel Tale by Ramona Wray

BUY IT: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Like most girls at Rosemound High School, seventeen-year-old Lily Crane is acutely aware of Ryder Kingscott. Hands down the cutest guy in school, Ryder is cool, mysterious, and utterly untouchable…especially for Lily. For when she touches someone, Lily instantly learns all about their lives. And while such a skill might seem nifty, in truth it is wrecking Lily’s life.

So she is shocked when Ryder asks her out — and even more shocked to discover he has a rival. Lucian Bell is the gorgeous new kid who can’t take his eyes off of Lily. Being pursued by two hotties should make a girl happy, but Lily is skeptical. The boys act as if they’ve met before, hating each other with a passion that could only be rooted in a dark, dangerous past. A past full of terrible secrets. The kind of secrets that could get a girl killed.

Lucian is a bad boy, through and through. My kind of boy! He's the kind of boy that, when he walks by you in the hall way at school, this is you:

Sure, he had a pretty dark side to him, but there was also a light in him that really shone through in the end of the novel, and that just made me love him more! Move over Lily, you can have Ryder; LUCIAN IS MINE! *sighs dreamily*

Lord Jonathan Denbury

from Darker Still by Leanna Renee Heiber

BUY IT: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

I was obsessed.

It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I'd ever seen--everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable...utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I've crossed over into his world within the painting, and I've seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked--bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.

Sooooo... because there are no words to describe how much I love Debury, here are various gifs to try and help you understand. Also, Denburylicious:

What do you think? Have you met any of these smoking hot boys yet? If not, GO GET THE BOOKS RIGHT NOW AND READ THEM AND ENJOY THEM!

The Bookarazzi: January Edition

The Bookarazzi is a new feature that I'm starting at What's Your Story, which will showcase the new releases for that particular month. I try to find all of the releases that I can, but there are thousands of books and I can only find so many. If you know about a book that will be released in the coming months, feel free to comment below with the title and author. If you're an author with your book being released in 2012, feel free to email me about it and I'll absolutely include it in a future Bookarazzi post.

So without further ado, the YA books released in January!

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Pages: 370
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

This gif quite accurately sums up how I felt when I had turned the last page of Everneath:

As a reader, I almost always get sucked into novels and get very emotionally invested. But with Everneath, it was different. Nikki's emotions were my emotions, I felt everything she did, and when she was hurting, I was hurting just as badly. That's how strongly I felt about this book, and reading it was both extremely difficult and very exhilarating because of it. I wasn't just emotionally invested, it went so far beyond that!

Suffice to say that Brodi Ashton has created a unique and wonderfully told novel in Everneath. I really have never read anything like it. I'd also like to say that I went in thinking it was a retelling of Hades and Persephone, but in reality it's not. If anything, it's a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice more than anything. But there isn't one set mythology that Ashton draws from, she uses Greek and Egyptian throughout the novel, which I thought was really interesting as a mythology buff. She drew some parallels between the two mythologies that I hadn't thought of before, but now I'd really like to explore them.

The plot isn't extremely eventful, but that's because this isn't a plot driven novel. It's completely about the characters, mostly our main ones, Cole, Nikki, and Jack. I have mixed feelings about our protagonist, Nikki, because I felt like some of the choices she made--especially one massive choice that basically screws her over forever--were not thought out well enough. And while I know that's the point, I'm still a little bitter about it because those choices led to what happened in the end of the novel, and the end of the novel left me like this:

To say that I love both Jack and Cole is a huge understatement. I adore both of them for different reasons, and I'm really not on either team. Jack is just... wow. He's the perfect boy, because he never gave up on Nikki, ever, and that's something that literally saves her life several times. Cole is much more complicated, because of what he is, but I really love him as well, and I wouldn't mind if Nikki went with him either.

Can you tell I loved this book? Because I did. I recommend you buy it right now at this very moment, because you'll love it too! So, so good. 5 out of 5 stars.

Priorities

I know the blog has been silent for a few days now. I'm really sorry about that. I had hoped I could plan things out better, but I hadn't anticipated being overloaded with so much work from school. This is my junior year of high school, which is the most important year when it comes to impressing colleges, so I need to do my best grade-wise. So, when it came down to it, I had to opt for studying instead of scheduling a post. This just kept happening, and before I knew it I didn't have anything scheduled, and there wasn't any time in the foreseeable future for me to write up quality posts. I've basically just focuses solely on school lately, which was good because my grades definitely picked up quite a bit.

But, that will change in March, because I have a feature that I've been working on for that month.

More info on that will be coming closer to March, but I'm hard at work putting it together. I already have all 31 authors booked, now it's just a matter of getting all of their interviews and guests post together and scheduling them. From there on out, meaning after March, I should have several months scheduled. At least, if everything goes according to plan.

:) Miss you guys! I'll be back very soon!

$0.99 Kindle Books (3)

Books can get pretty pricey, which is why it's always exciting to find great books that are priced relatively low. And how much lower does it get than 99 cents?? I've come across these fantastic novels all for $0.99, so if you've been looking for something new to read, check out the books below!

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday

Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA Thriller Mystery
Release Date: April 24th, 2012

Twittercide [twit-er-sahyd]: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting.

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper's brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went...a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the Homecoming Queen-hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH's resident body finder, I'm stuck trying to prove that Sydney's death wasn't suicide.

I'm starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos...

I loved Deadly Cool, the book that came before this one, as evidenced by my review of it. I can't wait to see what happens next with Hartley!

Review: Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Pages: 229
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Genre: YA Fantasy
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Between the Sea and Sky wasn't what I expected it to be. Being an extreme mermaid lover, I had wanted to really love this one, but unfortunately I didn't. I just kind of coasted through the novel. The only reason I finished it was because it was so short.

My biggest problem with the book was that I never once connected to the main character, Esmerine. Her character never came to life for me. She felt very two-dimensional. As such, the romance she had with Alan suffered, because he didn't pop off the page either. There were some sweet scenes between the two of them, but for the most part, their romance didn't do anything for me, or for the story, I think.

Plot-wise, it wasn't remarkable. I did like the concept of the winged people, and the sirens being the protectors of the mer-society, and I think that it had the potential to be a really epic storyline. But for the whole story, Esmerine was consumed with finding her sister, which wouldn't be a problem if it didn't take so long for her to fine Dosia. The plot dragged as a result.

I've heard good things about Jaclyn Dolamore's other novels, so I'm not going to discount her from my to-read authors yet. I do want to try her other books, and see if I like them better. But, Between the Sea and Sky just didn't work for me. 2 out of 5 stars.

Waiting on Wednesday (10)

The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell

Pages: 288
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Genre: YA Historical
Expected publication: April 17th 2012

It’s a long way from Baltimore to Oklahoma Territory. But Zora Stewart will go any distance to put the tragic events of her sixteenth summer behind her. So this city girl heads to the tiny frontier town of West Glory to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going.

When another Baltimorean shows up in West Glory, Zora couldn’t be more surprised. Theo de la Croix made the long trip out west hoping to court Zora, whom he has long admired from afar.

But Zora has developed an attraction to a rather less respectable fellow: Emerson Birch, a rough-mannered young "sooner" whose fertile land is coveted.

As Zora begins to suspect that there may be more than luck behind Emerson’s good land, she discovers an extraordinary, astonishing power of her own: the ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a "springsweet" to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land.

Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.

Review: Hushed by Kelley York

Hushed by Kelley York

Pages: 260
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Genre: YA Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Hushed starts with a murder--how's that for attention grabbing? It's the very first scene in the book, and when I read it I admit I started freaking out a bit. I mean, the main character, Archer, is a murderer, I wasn't so sure how I felt about that. But I kept on reading, and slowly things were explained. Did that mean the murders stopped? Nope, there is death galore in this book, but it's not for malicious reasons. At least, most of it isn't.

In the beginning, I wasn't sure how to feel towards Archer. Do I hate him because he's a killer? Or do I have sympathy, because he believes he's doing the killings to exact justice on the people that terribly hurt his best friend, Vivian. Archer is a very cold person, at least on the surface, and I just couldn't get close to him. But, as the book went on and we got more of a backstory, I really did start to feel bad for him. And then when he realized that he couldn't live the way he was living, I gained some respect for him. He knew what he was doing wasn't right, and he wanted to change. As he put it, he didn't want to be a monster anymore. By the end of the book, I actually really liked Archer because he was trying.

Evan was by far my favorite character in the novel. He cared deeply for Archer, and wanted to help him with his problems, but at the same time he knew that he couldn't let Archer drag him down either. Evan was like the anchor for Archer, helping him get his life back into place and disentangle himself from Vivian. It's mentioned several times in the novel that Evan is full of light, and he is--he's the perfect counterbalance for Archer's darkness.

This is not a book for the faint of heart. It deals with a lot of heavy subject matter, murder being only one of them. I recommend reading this book somewhere sunny and open, because it can get pretty intense at times. But it was that heaviness which drew me into the book. I was fascinated with how someone could be so messed up, and I'm not even talking about Archer. Overall, Hushed was a really amazing novel, one that I would recommend to any fans of YA thrillers. 5 out of 5 stars.

Review: My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

Pages: 87
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Prequel to My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Buy it: Kindle | Nook

It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities....

Being a huge fan of the Soul Screamers series, I of course wanted to read anything I could get my hands on by Rachel Vincent. I found out about this prequel short story after I had already read up to the 4th book in the series, My Soul to Steal, so I was already well-versed in the characters and the world. I think, in a way, that the fact that I already knew what was going on with Kaylee was a big plus while reading this short story, because I could understand things differently than if I had gone in cold.

Kaylee has a freak out attack at the mall, a 'panic attack', and she's sent to a psyche ward. Rachel Vincent has the ability to bring out intense emotions in the reader, which she definitely did even in this short little thing. The entire time Kaylee was in the ward, I just kept thinking "Why is she there?" Even when her aunt and uncle came to visit her, they wouldn't take her out, even though they knew exactly what was going on, and that Kaylee definitely wasn't crazy. It was so infuriating! Like I said, I think I appreciated this story more since I knew exactly what was going on.

I recommend this to anyone, honestly. If you haven't read the Soul Screamers series yet, and you're looking to start, then get My Soul to Steal. And if you're like me, and you've already read all the books released thus far and you want more, then get it too! 4 out of 5 stars.

In My Mailbox (43)

This is about a month and half's worth of books, because I haven't done an IMM in a really long time. There are so many books that I'm really not going to say anything about them, but you can see the awesomeness below! :)

Bought:

Review:

Gifted:

$0.99 Kindle Books (2)

Books can get pretty pricey, which is why it's always exciting to find great books that are priced relatively low. And how much lower does it get than 99 cents?? I've come across these fantastic novels all for $0.99, so if you've been looking for something new to read, check out the books below!



Out of these, I've read Destined and Daimon, and let me say that both were fantastic! Destined is for anyone that's interested in Greek mythology, and so is Daimon. Both are sooo good.

Have you read any of these, what were your thoughts?

Discussion: The Bad Boy & Why He's Hotter {told in gifs}

I am a firm supporter of Team Bad Boy. Whenever there is a love triangle, I INSTANTLY gravitate towards Tall, Dark, and Dangerous, because, well, why the heck would I would the nice guy, when I have this?:

You *know* you just fan-girled right now.

And really, the nice guys almost always do finish last for that simple reason. The bad boy is dangerous, provocative... he makes girls feel alive. The nice guy may be sweet, but, (and I'll let you in on a little secret, gentlemen) girls don't want sweet in a boyfriend. Save that for marriage, but right now I want spontaneity and just a little of that bad boy charm. I mean, COME ON:

Marlon Brando. <333333

It's no different in novels. Just think of your favorite book crushes. Are they nice guys, or the sexy and brooding bad boys? I know that when I think of mine, boys like Jace, Ren, Sin, Will, and Ash come to mind--and each of them is most definitely a Bad Boy. In the case of Jace, who is probably everyone's favorite bad boy, it's that sarcasm of his that's always underscored by some sexual innuendo. Also, the fact that he has perfect abs. That totally helps.

So why is the bad boy hotter? Well, because of the fact that he's a bit unpredictable. Am I right ladies? That and, generally, bad boys are sexier. What I mean by that is they know how to work their charisma, and they know exactly what buttons to push on a girl that will leave her breathless.

So what do I want to see more of in YA? Bad boys. And I'm talking, bad boys, not boys that have a 'reputation', but when they meet the female protagonist they become sweet little puppies. I want sexual tension, teasing, and mystery. I want sexiness and even a bit of that cocky attitude that, when used correctly, is a total turn on.

What say you ladies? Do you dig the bad boy?