Nicole Speaks: The Fault In Our Stars by: John Green

Every now and then my sister drops by the blog to join me in my book rambling and share her thoughts. If you want to know more about Nicole, click here.

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"Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind."

Nicole Speaks:

Where do I even begin? The Fault in our Stars was one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read. I have read sad books before that I thought were heartbreaking, but none of them are anything compared to Green’s The Fault in our Stars. From the very beginning he makes you love all of his characters just to make you watch them all suffer.

Hazel is the main character of the book. She was diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer and now she is dying because of it. “Hazel is such an inspiration to me, she really is. She just keeps fighting the battle, waking up every morning and going to war without complaint. She’s so strong,” said one of the girls from the support group that Hazel goes to. There is not a better way to describe Hazel then by calling her strong. No matter what she faces she is able to make it through it, even when she hits the point where she doesn’t want to fight at all anymore. She is so caring that her biggest concern isn’t dying, but leaving her parents to deal with her death. Hazel is a great character that I grew to love through everything she went through.

Augustus Waters was an amazing character. He was good looking with a great personality. Even though he suffered with another disease, he tried to hide it. All he wanted was to be remembered and to leave a mark on the world. As Augustus’ and Hazel’s relationship grows they both realize what is really important in life and how to go on while living with these terrible diseases.

Isaac may not have been the main character of this book, but I loved him just the same. He was another poor teenager who was sick. Because of his disease he had gone completely blind. Seeing what Isaac went through made this book even more heartbreaking, but I think that his speech to Augustus was really what made me break down while reading this book. He loved his friend so much that he said how even if they could fix his eyes he wouldn’t want to see a world without his best friend Augustus.

Even though watching the characters struggle with illness and loss, the relationship between Augustus and Hazel was what made this book so amazing, beautiful and heartbreaking. Hazel talks to Augustus about how she wishes they had more numbers, more days, to spend together, because it wasn’t fair how little time they got to be together, but that what they had was better than anything else and she wouldn’t trade it for the world. I thought that was beautiful because her limited days with him would be more important to her than any number of days without him. She knew from the start of their relationship that she was risking hurting him because of how sick she was, but their love was so strong they wanted to spend what little time they had together. Their relationship was one of the most beautiful relationships and they are one of my favorite couples out of all the books I have read.

I would recommend this book to absolutely everything, but I have to warn people that you must be prepared to have your heart ripped out while reading this. Even though my heart was being torn apart as I was reading this, I have never loved feeling so heartbroken before. This book is amazing in every way and I am so happy I decided to read this incredible story.

Book Review: The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies #3) by: Pittacus Lore

Release Date: August 21, 2012 from Harper
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"In Pittacus Lore’s The Rise of Nine, third in the New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series, the stakes are higher than ever as John, Six, and Seven try desperately to find the rest of the Garde before it’s too late.

The Mogadorians who destroyed the planet Lorien continue to hunt down the Garde, the small group of Loric survivors who have taken refuge on Earth. The Garde must come together. They are Lorien and Earth’s only hope.

During the dangerous mission at the Mogadorian base in West Virginia, John found and rescued Nine. But even with their combined powers, special abilities known as Legacies, the pair barely escaped with their lives—and they lost Sam in the process.

In order to save our world and their own, John and Nine must join forces with Six and Seven who have been battling the Mogadorians in Spain, and who are now trying to locate Number Eight in India.

Power in numbers will save us all."

My Thoughts:

I really really really wanted to love this book, but sadly I just didn’t. I think I expected more from the book. I wanted to see the Loric come together and start kicking ass, instead we spent a majority of the book waiting for them to find each other. That’s not to say that other things don’t happen, they do, but I felt as if this one was very repetitive. There are only so many times I can watch John/ Four or whoever get cornered by the bad guys and somehow miraculously fight his way out. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the book. I like the action and suspense and sci-fi goodness this series brings. I love the kickass characters and how they really are just simply awesome. What I don’t like is that I still don’t have many answers concerning Lorien. I feel like I just have to accept certain things without any real reasoning or backing. Maybe the answers are being withheld until the conclusion, but I feel like there are a lot of things we should have answers to by now. 

John/ Four is still awesome and I still love him, even when he is being all mopey over Sarah. Gosh, Sarah, I dislike her… a lot. She isn’t even in this one really and she still aggravated me. Then we have Six, who is all sorts of awesome. She is the definition of a tough chick. I love that we got her perspective in this one. With that, I wish we could have lost Marina’s perspective. She annoys me. Then we have what I think is the best addition to this series, Nine. Nine is an awesome character. He is hysterical! He always has a response and is always ready for a fight. Heck, he is always looking for a fight. But underneath the snark and wit, there is a good hearted guy there. He was rude, but I pretty much fell in love with him. 

The ending to this one kinda kills and not necessarily in a good way. There really isn’t much closure. I get that it is a series, but I still want a story ARC and this book lacked that. The story came to a climax, but I feel as if the climax has been left to conclude in the next book. Plus, I thought the ending came about abruptly. I also didn’t like the transition between chapters. Every chapter seemed to end on a cliffhanger, almost as a ploy to keep you reading. While I am all about keeping your readers invested in the story, I don’t think you need to end every chapter the way the author did. 

All in all, The Rise of Nine was a good addition to the series, albeit a bit disappointing. However, I have hopes for the next one as this book really sets up for the event we have all been waiting for.

Swoon Thursday #48: This Girl by: Colleen Hoover

Swoon is a weekly meme hosted by YA Bound.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! We want to know :-)

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"Think what you want, but there isn't a single woman in this whole damn universe that I could ever love like I love you." 

and because there  is no such thing as too much Will Cooper...

"She deserves to be kissed by someone who loves her. Someone who spends every waking moment trying to do everything right by her. Someone who would rather die than see her hurt. She doesn't deserve to be kissed by anyone other than me." 

This book was incredible. I loved every single minute I spent reading it!

What made you swoon? Link me.

Excerpt: The Liberator by: Victoria Scott

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When I open my eyes, the sun is trying to murder me. It’s shining on my face and making my head pound. Or maybe it’s my hangover that’s giving me the headache, but nonetheless—me and the sun?—we’re not on friendly terms.

Charlie murmurs beside me. My arms are still wrapped around her waist, and I suddenly realize I must have crashed out in her bed last night. If Grams wakes up and finds me here, she’ll run me a bath…and toss in the toaster.

“Morning, babe,” I whisper.

“Morning, hot stuff,” a distinctly male voice responds.

I whip around, my heart racing, and find Max sitting in a chair across the room. “You look so hot when you first wake up,” he says. He raises a hand to his hair. “Got that whole sexy bed head thing going on.”

Charlie doesn’t even move from her place, but I feel her laughing against me. “Your friend is kind of creepy, Dante,” she manages.

“Max, what the hell are you doing in here?” I ask, pulling the covers farther up even though I’m (regretfully) fully-clothed.

“Real question is, why did I wait so long to join you guys?” Max stands from his chair and cocks his head. A mischievous smile crawls across his face.

“No,” I say, trying to appear serious. “Don’t even think about it, dude.”

Max starts running in place, his smile widening farther until he looks deranged. “Ready or not!” Before I can stop him, Max races toward the bed and dives on top of us. “Oh! Oh it feels even better than I imagined.” He rolls back and forth across our bodies as Charlie laughs and I wonder why I’m friends with such a raging idiot.

With all my strength, I grab Max’s shirt and rotate him toward the edge. He falls off the side, his arms pin-wheeling. There’s a loud thud, and then nothing.

I wait for several seconds before leaning over to search for him. Max is lying face down on the floor, his arms and legs curled like a dead spider. “You’re not really hurt,” I say.

“I think you gave me spinal bifida. You need to call someone.”

“That’s a genetic disorder,” I respond with a sigh, collapsing back onto my pillow. A second later, he raises his head very, very slowly up from the side of the bed. It’s one of the more unsettling things he’s ever done. “Max, is there a purpose to this visit?” I ask. I want so badly to act like he’s annoying me. But he knows, and I know, that we both love this game: the one where I pretend he’s a pain in my ass, and he acts like a damn circus clown.

He stands up, crosses the room, and plops back down in the chair. “Valery sent me.”

I throw an arm across my eyes. “Of course she did.” Beside me, Charlie moves to get up and I immediately reach for her. She squeals and wiggles out of my grasp.

I watch as she walks around the bed and ruffles Max’s hair. The twenty-eight year old pants like a dog. It’s a bit disturbing considering Charlie’s seventeen. She eyes me with a grin. “I’ll make waffles.”

My face lights up.

“Yes,” she continues. “And bacon.”

I glance at Max and nod toward Charlie. “That’s my girl.”

“Damn straight,” he says.

“I’m still making breakfast for your birthday,” I call after Charlie. Then, looking at Max, I add, “My girl’s going to be legal soon.”

Max says, “Boom.”

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Blog Tour: Runes by: Ednah Walters (Review and Giveaway)

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Runes by: Ednah Walters hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. This was an awesome read and I am excited to be a part of the tour. You can check out the rest of the stops on the tour here.

Release Date: May 20, 2013
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Source: I received a copy of this book as part of the blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life."

My Thoughts:

There are so many things I want to say about this book, but the one thing I just cannot stop thinking about is that ending! It was a total and complete shocker and I’m not entirely sure if I loved it or if I hated it. I just wanted to run around in circles and get my hands on the next book. Part of me loves that and part of me is pissed because I have to wait FOREVER. But, moving on, Runes is an excellent read and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

I’m not going to lie. When I first began reading, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the story. See Torin reminded me a lot of Daemon from Obsidian. Also, a lot of the story in general had an Obsidian feel. That could have been a good thing or a bad thing. Ultimately, it ended up being a good thing. It wasn’t a carbon copy but it was still along those lines. So we all know how much I loved Obsidian and I really enjoyed this one as well.

Raine is a feisty heroine and I love characters like her. She is determined and does not take no for an answer. She is a strong character and one you can easily identify with. Then we have Torin St. James. Jeeze, even his name is sexy. I have no doubt that women everywhere will swoon all over him. As I said before, he reminded me of Daemon Black and we all know how much I loved Daemon. Torin is a bit of an asshole but he is a lovable asshole. At the same time though, he goes to extraordinary lengths for Raine and you can’t help but love that! It is clear that the attitude is a front and that really he just enjoyes arguing with Raine because it makes her feisty.

I loved trying to figure out what Torin was and I loved how it was unraveled slowly, piece by piece. I’m not going to say what paranormal being we get with this one, because that is a big part of the plot. I will say that it is something different and something I have personally never encountered before. I love being surprised and I love when I am treated to a different type of paranormal read.

My only issue with this one is the buildup between Torin and Raine. It went on a bit too long for my taste. I know this is probably a bit unreasonable of me, but I just wanted Raine to accept that magic exists in the world and start making out with Torin ASAP. I do enjoy build up and I’m not asking for insta love, I just got a bit impatient.

All in all, Runes is a great read! I loved the plot and the characters, especially Torin, and I look forward to the next installment in this series.

Giveaway:

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About The Author:

EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting with fans.
Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September 2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third installment, will be released April 2013. She’s working on the next book in the series, FORGOTTEN.
Ednah also writes New Adult paranormal romance. RUNES is the first book in her new series. She is presently working on book 2, IMMORTALS.
Under the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published four more books in this series. She's presently working on book six. Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter