Tuesday Teasers

Karen's:

Her heavy eyes filled with tears.  "Then I don't care where it is.  I'll go."

From page 118 of The One by Kiera Cass (Book 3 of The Selection series).


Kile wasn't as obnoxious as Josie, but, in all the years I'd known him, he'd never made anything remotely close to an interesting conversation.  So help me, if I ever got a bad case of insomnia, I'd hire him to sit in my room and talk.

From page 31 of The Heir by Kiera Cass (Book 4 of The Selection series).

I sat beside her, holding her hand.  Silly as it sounded, I had slouched in my chair, certain that would make her come to and correct my posture.

From The Crown by Kiera Cass (Book 5 of The Selection series.)

Gerard's:

And the sight of her hand in front of her, lifting the latch, pushing the door.  And again, and again, and again, every moment since:  the slow sweep of the white-painted wood, and the widening expanse of light, and her hand falling to her side through the weight of the still air, and her voice catching in her dry throat.  And the room beyond.

From page 21 of Little Deaths by Emma Flint.

"You are going to keep Playing, but I want to see if we can gain an advantage first.  Perhaps you can push back at the keplers, as well as do something that will help you deal with the others."

From page 82 of Sky Key (Book 2 of Endgame) by James Frey & Johnson-Shelton.

Once the warship had burned to a flaming skeleton and the heat off the attach had drawn back, Safi turned to Vaness.  The empress stood rooted to the ground, stiff as the iron she controlled.

 From page 28 of Windwitch by Susan Dennard.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.   Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.  Happy Reading!

"Little Deaths" by Emma Flint is Based on a True Story

Little Deaths by Emma Flint is based on a true story. Ruth Malone lives a loose life, and that is putting it mildly. She has two kids and an on-again-off-again relationship with her husband. One night her kids are missing and in the days that follow, both are found dead. Did Ruth do it? The police and public opinion have her guilty. This book played out pretty good and kept my interest for the most part. It is worth reading for sure!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Loved "The One" (Book 3 of The Selection Series) by Kiera Cass

The One by Kiera Cass is the third book in The Selection series and my favorite so far!  In this the action really picks up, Maxon and Aspen form a bond, America's father dies, Maxon finally chooses his princess and it has some surprises and several die.  This is like a roller coaster with happy moments and very sad moments.  My emotions were all over the place.  The relationship developments, the danger at the palace, the plot with the rebels and Maxon's father continuing to knock America out of the competition made this book hard for me to put down.

I am loving this series and so glad I gave it a chance despite the boring covers.  I like both Maxon and America and loved the ending of this one even though it was not what I expected!  I am flying through these books because I am enjoying the characters so much.   What a great book, loving this series!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Sky Key" (Engame Novel Book 2) byJames Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton

Sky Key by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton picks up where the first book left off.  The nine remaining players are looking for sky key.  Good action in this book too.  I have my favorite players and they are still alive.  Moving on to Book 3.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Endgame--The Calling" by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton

Endgame--The Calling by James Frey & Nils Johnson-Shelton has constant action!  Welcome to Endgame.  Twelve players in the whole world.  They have been trained for this.  They must find three keys.  There can be only one winner, no rules, Kill or be killed!  The one feature I enjoyed about this book was the constant action.  I never knew what was coming next!  This is the first book of three so I will be moving on to Book two!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Karen's:

But how was I supposed to decide between two good possibilities?  How could I make a choice that would leave some part of me devastated either way?

From page 30 of The Elite by Kiera Cass.

But anyway, to get back to the point:  lifesaving and driving people nuts are Granny's superpowers.  Which perhaps makes her a bit of a dysfunctional superhero.

From page 3 of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman.

Gerard's:

Marcus has wanted, waited, and prepared for Endgame his entire life.  He is not longer bored, and he won't be again until he either wins or dies.

From page 4 of End Game--The Calling by James Frey & Johnson-Shelton.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.   Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.  Happy Reading!

"The Elite" by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass is the second book in The Selection series and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first one. This book has some heartbreaking moments surrounding Marlee and the competition gets a bit more interesting with only six girls left. America questions if she actually could be a good princess if she let her feelings for Maxon blossom into love or if she should just pull out and look to a future with Aspen. She really shocks the royal family with her philanthropic presentation on TV and the king really hates her now! Maxon stands up to his father for the first time to protect America and he and America finally have a heart-to-heart talk while hiding together during an attack. Will she trust Maxon? Will she learn when to keep her mouth shut and control her emotions?  As she learns more what is involved in being a princess, she has more doubts but is greatly encouraged when she receives a very sweet letter from her father.

I look forward to reading book 3 and am excited to read all the rest of the books in this series (3 more to go). I really admire America’s courage but hope she can learn to control her emotions better. I love how her maids all adore her and are so eager to make her look good and help her any way they can. This book has lots of good moments but also very sad things with some surprises along the way. I really liked how sweet Maxon when he surprised America at how he handled the Marlee situation.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Selection by Kiera Cass is a Fun Read!

I’ve heard so much about The Selection series by Kiera Cass that I finally gave in and started it. The first book of the series, Selection, is a fun, light read about the rags to riches story of America Singer, a teenage girl. This is set in a future time where what once was America is now the country of Illéia. There is a royal family who rules and a caste system in place. America’s family are “fives” which are made up of musicians and artists. Just one level above “sixes” who are servants which is the caste Aspen is in. Aspen and America are in a serious relationship but have to keep it secret since they are in different castes. One day America gets a letter that could change her life forever, inviting her to apply to be Prince Maxon’s princess. Thirty-five girls will be selected for him to get to know and choose his princess from. During the selection process, their families will be compensated for allowing their daughters to participate in the selection. This first book is about the girls being selected and the process of Prince Maxon trying to narrow down the number.

I enjoyed this book because it is entertaining and reminded me of the show, The Bachelor. Prince Maxon, however, is a nice guy and not a sleeze at all. I like the humor throughout the book and how America slowly discovers that Maxon is not the snob she expected him to be. In fact, he is nothing but exceptionally nice to her! The love triangle that develops between her, Aspen and Maxon gets a push when Aspen is drafted as a guard at the palace and is assigned to guard America’s room. This is a quick read and I am anxious to continue on with this series. This is a pretty uplifting read with lots of happy moments.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

I linked this up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop in response to the book review prompt.  You can too!

"Under Rose-Tainted Skies" by Louise Gornall

In Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall, Norah is 17 and has accepted that the four walls of her house will be her life.  She cannot possibly go outside and heaven forbid she should come in contact with a stranger.  However, when a new family moves in and a young teen boy notices her, will Norah do something that she could not have imagined she would do or is she just headed for heartache?
This book is based on the author's own experiences.  I enjoyed it because Norah was a fun character and thought the ending was good too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Karen's:

Mom screamed by my ear, and May jumped up, sending popcorn everywhere.  Gerad got excited too and started dancing.  Dad . . it's hard to say, but I think he was secretly smiling behind his book.

From page 56 of The Selection by Kiera Cass.

"Maybe we shouldn't go," Jonathan repeated.  "Maybe we shouldn't tell what happened.  Yet."

From page 60 of Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart.

Gerard's:

"Do you really want to do this?" She wagged her finger between them.  "A battle of wits?  It's not even fun to destroy you because you're too dim to understand you're getting destroyed."

From page 59 of The Serpent King by Liz Moore.

My fingers curl into the door frame so tightly it's a wonder they don't pierce the wood.  But I can do it, one whole foot outside my front door, without my chest getting tight.

From page 24 of Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.   Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.  Happy Reading!

"The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner is told by three teens starting their senior year in high school in a small town.  Dill, Lydia and Travis take turns telling the way this book goes.  They all have different family relationships.  What they do have in common is a strong bond of friendship.

I enjoyed all the three teens very much.  This book kept me interested throughout and has a very good ending.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Scar Island" by Dan Gemeinhart

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, my favorite children’s author, is about boys at Slabhenge Reformatory School for troubled boys located on an island and run with torture techniques. Jonathan is the new boy sentenced to 10 weeks which is longer than usual because of the bad thing he did. Jonathan is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and believes he deserves to be there, unlike the others. A couple boys befriend him and eventually he even wins over the bully who bosses everyone around when all the grownups running the place meet an unfortunate death.

This book is dark but not as dark as Lord of the Flies although there are some similarities. I liked this book because of the exploration of group dynamics, the interaction and growth among the boys, and also because of the suspense. I even got to like that huge rat that Jonathan mistook for a cat. Jonathan is a great character who I admired because he was so kind and compassionate throughout the book. I would recommend this book to boys, but don’t think too many girls would enjoy it since there are no girls in it. I liked both this author’s other books better: The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, because they seemed more believable and not as dark as this one.

SPOILER ALERT – STOP NOW IF YOU INTEND TO READ THIS BOOK. I really liked the librarian and his pet rat. I thought that was a cool surprise and liked how the librarian encouraged Jonathan to take a book every time he came. I was surprised Colin didn’t stay with him when he left the others. There were a few things I felt were farfetched: (1) How all the grownups got electrocuted and died at once; (2) that the boys would put the dead bodies in the freezer where the food would be, yuck!; (3) that the first thing they did wasn’t to all join in to destroy the sinner’s sorrow torture device that they all hated; (4) I didn’t understand why Sebastian got so mad at Colin when he left since at the beginning he announce the boys to go wherever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. When Colin took some chocolates saying they were just Sebastian’s, I was surprised the other boys didn’t back him up and (5) how the majority just followed whatever Sebastian said, letting him take the lead instead of following Colin or Jonathan, who were smarter and nicer, especially at the end.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


Gerard read this first 1-9-17, here's his review, 4.5 stars:
In Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, Jonathan is the new boy at Slabhenge.  It is a reform school for boys who are troubled to say the least.  Now Jonathan is there and he is happy to be there.  But soon he will have to make decisions that will affect him and his fellow boys.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  It has good action and the end has a good twist.  I liked this author's first two books better, The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, but this one is not bad at all!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Unseen World" by Liz Moore

In The Unseen World by Liz Moore,  Ada is 12 years old and works with her dad and his associate in a lab.  Ada is very smart.  When her dad becomes forgetful and wanders off, Ada tries her best to take care of him.  Soon though, he needs more help than Ada alone can give.  Now she must go out in the world and deal with school and everyday things in life that she never had to deal with before.  She learns things that will question just about everything that Ada thought to be true!

I thought Ada was a great character and loved watching her grow up.  I got into this book early.  The story moved along okay and I always wanted to get back into it!  I also enjoyed this author's first book, Heft.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The School for Good and Evil" by Soman Chainani

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is a juvenile fantasy book. I really liked the cover and was looking forward to a quick fun read which it is. Sophie and her friend, Agatha, both get mysteriously kidnapped from their small village to The School for Good and Evil in some distant place. They both think they got put in the wrong school side of the school though and encounter the fight of the life to remain friends. Both girls find themselves living a fairy tale!

I think children would like this book but I was a bit disappointed in it because it really made no sense to me. There is a lot of action and magic going on; however, I found it a bit hard to follow. I liked it enough to care about the main characters, although I really liked Agatha the most and didn’t care much for Sophie, even from the start. I did want to see how it would end and liked the ending.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Karen's:

"Well, in the School for Good, they teach boys and girls like me how to become heroes and princesses, how to rule kingdoms justly, how to find Happily Ever After," Sophie said.  "In the School for Evil, they teach you how to become wicked witches and humpbacked trolls, how to lay curses and cast evil spells."

From page 11 of The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.

Gerard's:

She knew then that she could not pretend any longer.  She walked resolutely down the hall to Liston's office, and knocked on her door, and felt her face crumple.

From page 118 of The Unseen World by Liz Moore.

Jonathan gripped the knife in his hand and fought back the tears that burned in his eyes.
"My God," he whispered to the boy next to him.  "How long do we have to do this?"

From page 27 of Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart.

It wasn't the same spot as the first one.  This time it was in the exact center of the four bare trees.

From page 8 of Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

He's staring at me and I realize that I do know him.

I know him because I killed his daughter.

  From page 22 of The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.   Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.  Happy Reading!

"The Queen of Blood" is Really Good

Wow!  After coming off A Court of Mist and Fury, I was doubtful if anything would come close to keeping my interest as much, but The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst did!

In this fantasy novel, humans are attacked by six different spirits:  air, water, earth, ice, fire and wood who feel the land belongs to them.  These spirits have two instincts:  destroy and create.  Certain humans have an affinity to control them in different degrees and The Queen is the most powerful and keeps everything in balance and protects the people.  Over time though, the Queen can lose some of her power and so they have heirs trained and prepared to become Queen if the Queen dies.  The kicker here is that the spirits are the ones to choose the next Queen and they give her more power.  The main character is Daleina who as a child demonstrates she has the affinity to control spirits when her home is attacked.  She is smart, nice, and determined to learn more so that she can become Queen and protect people from these spirits but do no harm.  The Queen must be able to control the spirits, not just wipe them all out because that would wipe out their land as well.

I loved this book so much, I even read it at night to finish it!  (I hardly ever read at night.)  I got so engrossed in it that was almost late getting back from lunch and had to stop earlier than usual on the bus so I wouldn't miss my stop.  It is a fun and interesting read that shows how important good leadership and teamwork are.  There is a lot of killing in this book and I felt so bad for Daleina when her friends died.  There is lots of action and humor which kept this from being depressing because of the killing.  Daleina is such a great character who truly wanted to protect others.  She befriends a wolf who proves to be a loyal asset to her and also is chosen to be trained by Ven who brings along a healer, Haman.  The three of them work together to do what is best for the land.  I really look forward to the next book in this series, Queens of Renthia.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

In The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst, Daleina is a young girl whose community is torn apart and its people are killed by the spirits.  This is not supposed to happen!  The Queen is supposed  to protect the people.  Daleina decides to try out to be a champion.  A champion is a person who protects the people and is an heir to be a queen.  But the odds are long that she can become one.  Is the queen losing her power?

I thought this book was very good.  I was into it from page 1 because Daleina is a great character.  This has plenty of action and a few twists that I did not see at all.  I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this series.
(Gerard's review 12/23/16, 5++ stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan

In The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan, Zoe Maisey ia gifted pianist.  Now 17, she is giving a recital.  Three years ago, an incident happened that had a tragic effect on her and her loved ones.  She is ready to move on with her life, but sometimes the past catches up with you.

This book goes back and forth in time.  Sometimes I'm okay with that but not with this one.  I never really felt connected to any of the characters at all.  There is a lot going on in this book, so much so that I thing the main story sort of got lost.  I loved this author's book, What She Knew but this one not so much!
(Gerard's review, 3 stars)

What did you think of this one if you read it?

"Every You, Every Me" by David Levithan

In Every You, Every Me by David Levithan, Evan is alone. He is a young teen boy whose best friend/girlfriend, Ariel, is gone! Gone where is the question. Is she alive or dead? Evan begins to get photos of her and places where they spent time, but how and from whom? Is Ariel back or is Evan going crazy with guilt because of the day Ariel left? This book had me from page 1! I love how the author kept building up the suspense all the way to the end.
(Gerard’s review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Remember Yesterday" by Pintip Dunn

Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn is the follow-up to Forget Tomorrow.  This is ten years later and Jessa is now 16.  She mourns the death of her sister and is working with the underground to overthrow the government.  One day a boy who never had any time for her, gives her some new information.  Will Jessa join up with the enemy if it means the world will look better to her?

This book is so much better than the first one!  It has more action and less romance with a good ending to set up book 3.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesdays

Karen's:

The champion looked away, across the ruined village and the broken bodies.  "Only the best can become queen.  And she is not the best."

From page 15 of The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst.

Rys gave me a smile dripping with venom.  He knew--through that bond, through whatever magic was between us, he'd known I was about to say no. 

From page 44 of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sara J. Maas.


Gerard's:

 I can't breathe.  I take huge gulps of air, but it doesn't help.

From page 31 of Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn

If I could go back to the past and undo my sister's decision, I would.  But I can't.  So all I can do now is thwart my sister's enemy.

 From page 30 of Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.   Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.  Happy Reading!