Awesome Book Nuts

Friday, August 14, 2015

SWITCHING WEBSITES! YES WE ARE MOVING!

Hello My fellow book blog followers!

It has come to that point where we have loved being here on Blogger but it is time to move on.

We have currently decided to move the blog over to an actual .com domain! YAY! We have MOVED! The new site is still under some changes but nothing that will be bothersome as we continue to get everything in order! We have loved being here and hope you'll join us over at are out new site! Click on the banner below to be moved to our new site!

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Jubilee Manor by Bethany Hagen

*An ARC of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.*

Publication Date: August 11, 2015
Publisher:
Pages:

The thrilling conclusion to Landry Park is full of love, betrayal, and murder--perfect for fans of Divergent, The Selection, and Pride and Prejudice

In Landry Park, Madeline turned her back on her elite family, friends, and estate to help the Rootless. Now, in Jubilee Manor, she struggles to bring the Gentry and the Rootless together. But when Gentry heirs—Madeline’s old friends—are murdered, even she begins to think a Rootless is behind it, putting her at odds with the boy she loves and the very people she is trying to lead. If she can’t figure out who is killing her friends and bring them to justice, a violent war will erupt and even more will die—and Madeline’s name, her estate, and all the bonds she’s forged won’t make any difference.

This conclusion to Landry Park, which VOYA dubbed "Gone with the Wind meets The Hunger Games,” is a richly satisfying, addictive read.

My Thoughts:
Wow. What a great conclusion to this story! Plus I love the fact that I don't have to wait for another book! YAY!

This was a great book, maybe even better than the first. I love a story with balls, gorgeous gowns, manners, society etc. But what makes this even more is the touch of dystopian that was in Landry Park. A high society oppressing a lower society and a girl and boy from each side brought together. *sigh* makes an epic story.

With this book it's no different. oh, I'll admit it started of slow but then I couldn't put it down!

I loved Madeline's character development here, between the last book and this one she grew up A LOT. Meaning, she REALLY came out of herself. I loved that no matter who it was with she had her priorities straight and she was strong. Not strong physically like we see in some many of the other YA "strong female characters" but strong in the sense of character. She wanted what was right for her and those she loved plus those in both the Gentry and Rootless society.

I really enjoyed the conflict of the story. When Madeline's old friends are murder she thinks it's the Rootless behind the murders. Can you blame her? She is still young and makes mistakes, she is human but with some strength. She started something in book one and was determined to see it through with book two, and it was perfect. I loved the political intrigue.

I loved especially the relationship between Madeline and David because it wasn't a toxic relationship, in many aspects it was a legit real relationship where you argue about real important stuff not just silly teen stuff but stuff that actually mattered and YET through it all they were still able to see and love each other. I love that! It's realistic and tender and sweet.

Overall these 2 books are so worth reading, I love the whole element of the story.

*A huge thank you to Dial and PenguinTeen for this ARC.*

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Girl Underwater by Claire Kells

Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 304

An adventurous debut novel that cross cuts between a competitive college swimmer’s harrowing days in the Rocky Mountains after a major airline disaster and her recovery supported by the two men who love her—only one of whom knows what really happened in the wilderness.

Nineteen-year-old Avery Delacorte loves the water. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she took swim lessons at her community pool and captained the local team; in high school, she raced across bays and sprawling North American lakes. Now a sophomore on her university’s nationally ranked team, she struggles under the weight of new expectations but life is otherwise pretty good. Perfect, really.

That all changes when Avery’s red-eye home for Thanksgiving makes a ditch landing in a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies. She is one of only five survivors, which includes three little boys and Colin Shea, who happens to be her teammate. Colin is also the only person in Avery’s college life who challenged her to swim her own events, to be her own person—something she refused to do. Instead she’s avoided him since the first day of freshman year. But now, faced with sub-zero temperatures, minimal supplies, and the dangers of a forbidding nowhere, Avery and Colin must rely on each other in ways they never could’ve imagined.

In the wilderness, the concept of survival is clear-cut. Simple. In the real world, it’s anything but.

My Thoughts:
I was very disappointed in this book. I had high hopes for it, because the plot sounds incredible. I was sooo interested in reading based on the plot.

Unfortunately, the plot write-up is about the best this book gets. It starts off relatively well and continues to be decent up until the crash and then the characterization goes to hell. I'm not sure if Kells has ever met a real 3 year old, but the little boys Avery saved are definitely not 3-4 year old boys. Even Tim's characterization is pushing it. The kids don't act like kids - they are silent little cooperative plot devices. There should have been much more drama involved with them. Tim's illness seemed pretty contrived - again, a forced thing to move the plot along. Blech.

I never liked Avery. She was very flat and boring. I couldn't empathize with her at all. Her whole inner conflict was stupid and pointless and ridiculous. Also wrong. The actual survival was really pulled off by Colin, so saying that it was all thanks to Avery that they lived is kind of disingenuous.

This book was just really flat and boring. I'm sad about it. What a waste.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Top 10 Tuesday: Authors I've Read the Most Books From

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the awesome people of The Broke and the Bookish

I had to get on my goodreads and scroll down my read list by author and I was happily surprised at the authors I had read the most from! So here are my 10 authors I've read the most books from:

1. C.S. Lewis (8 books) The Chronicles of Narnia & Mere Christianity