Waiting on Wednesday (26)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight upcoming releases I can't wait to get my hands on!

                                             This weeks WoW pick is...

Through the Looking Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter

Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so much—family, friends, her home. After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things. The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more—including her boyfriend, Cole—than she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.

Release Date: September 24th, 2013

Add it to your goodreads

Alice in Zombieland was such an enjoyable, fun-spirited take on one of my most-beloved classics, so I can't wait to see what happens next! This one definitely seems more serious and heavy, but I have no doubt that Showalter will put her usual spunky twist on it. 

What are you waiting on? 

Giveaway Hop • Clear Your Shelf

Hey guys!

Welcome to The Teen Book Guru's stop for I Am A Reader Not A Writer's Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop.

For this giveaway, I'll be offering you guys a chance to win one of my two copies of the amazing Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick, which was even praised by the fabulous Meg Cabot!

(Sorry for the terrible quality!)

Check it out on Goodreads.

The details:

-This giveaway is international.

-You must be 13+ to enter.

-There will be only one winner.

Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, y'all!

Review: Requiem (Delirium, #3) by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollin's Children Books
Rating: YA 14+
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Action
Pages: 391

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past. 

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure. We are free to choose. 

We are even free to choose the wrong thing. 

*A huge thanks to my wonderful, gorgeous BFFL for letting me borrow and read this gem even before she did, love yo' face! (Oh, and I'm totally not sucking up to you because you have the last book in the Gone series... not at all...)*

Just like all the last books of any of my favorite, most beloved series, by the end I'm a jumble of mixed emotions, and Requiem (pronounced Reck-wee-em; thank you google!), was no exception. On one hand, I am actually quite satisfied with the ending, and I really enjoyed the roller-coaster of emotions that Requiem was. But it's definitely bittersweet, as a fantastic set of characters, and yes, close friends, whom I adore and have grown so fond of will no longer be with me.  

It's safe to say that Pandemonium left me in a dizzy for days- I had no idea how Requiem was going to turn out! The third book in this trilogy picks up right after Pandemonium's nefarious ending; Alex is back, but he's not the same. After being tortured by the government, almost to the point of no return, he's turned bitter, and despite how hard Lena tries to break through his shell, it seems like he's just not coming back. But then again, maybe she deserves it. The whole reason Alex sacrificed himself was for Lena, and her having seemingly moved on already does not bode well. Apart from the non-stop action, there's also a mild love triangle. I say mild because, from the beginning, it was pretty obvious who Lena was going to end up with, for me. Although I relatively liked Julian's vulnerable, caring personality in Pandemonium, I didn't warm to his character in this book- I actually found most of his actions to be rash and annoying. Maybe it's because of Alex's incandescent presence? ;)

While at first I thought the dual points of view between Hanna and Lena's story would be confusing, it was actually quite cool. The difference between the two sides was breathtaking, and to think that Lena would have probably been in a similar situation as Hanna's had she not met Alex was quite scary to think about. Once again, Alex saves the day! Oh Gods, he's amazing... Anyway... back to the point. Reading Hanna's chapters, I was overcome with nostalgia and sadness- she'd lost the vibrance and exuberance to her, her excitement for life itself was gone. I'm so delighted her story ended the way it did; she really deserved it.

Requiem took a lot longer to pick up pace than the previous two books, and it was a slight challenge to push through the first few chapters. But once it got going, and as the resistance started planning its final act, the tension was high and I could not put it down. It was so refreshing to have the plotting and action as the main focus, instead of the romance. Lena wasn't constantly, obsessively thinking about Alex or Julian, she was focused and independent, which I really liked. I don't remember feeling so affectionate towards her character in Delirium or Pandemonium, but in Requiem I was able to see just how much she's grown, and I admit, there were a few times I got a little choked up (totally allergies, you guys!)

The stakes are so much higher in this book. The government is closing in on the resistance, and now even the Wilds aren't safe. Every day for Lena, Raven, Tack, and the whole gang is an epic fight for survival. There's no one they can trust- not even, it seems, each other. The ending was a tad anti-climatic, in my opinion. After building up the intensity and increasing the anticipation, Oliver had a lot to accomplish in order to satisfy the suspense she'd been establishing throughout the whole novel. Although I am happy and satisfied with how it all ended, I still feel like she could have elaborated on it a bit more; there are still a few questions I'm yearning for to be answered.

Overall, Requiem is a worthy conclusion for one of my absolute favorite series. Exciting, taut, and laden with romance and action, it's an unforgettable, highly entertaining work of art. I'm truly honored to say that I was able to experience Lena's fight for love alongside her and a wonderful cast of characters. Their story will always live on.

❝We wanted the freedom to love. We wanted the freedom to choose. Now we have to fight for it.❞

If you like this, try:

Eve (Eve, #1) by Anna Carey

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1) by Veronica Rossi

Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight upcoming releases I can't wait to get my hands on!

                                             This weeks WoW pick is...

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send."

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look.

Acclaimed author Jennifer Brown brings readers a gripping novel about honesty and betrayal, redemption and friendship, attraction and integrity, as Ashleigh finds that while a picture may be worth a thousand words . . . it doesn't always tell the whole story.

Release Date: May 21st 2013

Add it to your goodreads

After reading Perfect Escape and Hate List by Jennifer Brown, I think I see a growing trend here- this woman likes to tackle controversial, pressing problems and anxieties among teenagers, and boy does she do it well. I have a feeling that Thousand Words will be no different. Sexting is a growing issue in today's society, and I admire Jennifer for having the courage to confront it head-on. So excited! 

What are you waiting on? :)

In My Mailbox (4)

Aloha and welcome to my post for In My Mailbox.

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi, the blogger over at The Story Siren. It's a great way to share all the book-related goodies I have received in the past week (bought, borrowed, won, etc.).

I haven't done an IMM post in forever, mostly because I just haven't had the time or patience. (Lazy Riya!) 

But these last three weeks I have gotten some seriously awesome gems, and I just couldn't bare the thought of not acknowledging all the fabulous publishers/authors, and sharing these books with you, of course!

It's been so freaking hard trying to keep my hands off these jewels because of exams, but now that they're over... ;)

So, without further ado, my haul!

Received for Review:

• Crash (Visions #1) by Lisa McMann [ARC]
• The Trouble With Flirting by Claire LaZebnik [ARC]
• A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty [ARC]
• The Essence (The Pledge #2) by Kimberly Derting ~ 2 copies
• The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan
• Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder

• How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer [ARC]
• Through The Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, #2) by Veronica Rossi [ARC]
• Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg [ARC]
• The Last Academy by Anne Applegate 
• Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
• A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty [ARC] ~ 2 copies
• Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick ~ 2 copies

Any books which I've received two copies of will be given away, and you guys have a chance to win one of them! Yay generous authors and publishers!

I want to mention a huge thanks and send out a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies to the authors and publishers who've sent me their books from all over the world: Simon & Schuster, Harper Teen, Scholastic, Point, Kimberly Derting, Lisa Schroeder, and Sarah Strohmeyer. Thank you guys so, so much!

What was in your mailbox this week? Feel free to link me up, guys! :)

I'm Back!

Hello my lovelies!

You have no idea how fantastic it feels to have gotten my exams over and done with, so I can come back to earth and focus on my hobbies (uh, basically, blogging.)

I can't wait to get back to reading and reviewing, and commenting and visiting all of your wonderful blogs. <3

Thank you all so much for bearing with my absence, the fact that you've still stuck with me and my blog for so long means the world (plus some.)

I love you guys so much! I've got a bunch of fabulous posts planned, so look out for them!

xx
Riya