Hunting Lila [Sarah Alderson]

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she’s prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever.

After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust—her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they’ve found them.

In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone—there are others out there just like her—people with special powers—and her mother’s killer is one of them… -taken from Goodreads

Pages: 314

  I was intrigued on the first page, but then for the next few pages I thought I was going to be disappointed. I was wrong.

  As soon as I got into the story [which was within the first few chapters], I couldn't get out. There was so much to keep you going, the relationships, secrets, ideas, characters.

  First of all, Lila and Alex. Their relationship was perfect, Alex was perfect. All through the story, I was rooting for him. Seriously, how could they not be together? You know in fiction, when two characters are just destined? That's Lila and Alex. But Lila has always been loving him secretly, she could never tell him. And if she did, it could completely ruin their friendship, as well as her brothers friendship with Alex. And that could then lead to problems between Lila and her brother. So, although they just have to be together, there are so many complications.

  To add to those complications is Alex and Jack's [Lila's brother] job. We don't find out what exactly there job is until mid-way through the novel, but we're given hints and clues throughout. There's also the whole 'Lila can move things with her mind' complication. Which turns about to be even more complicated when it comes to Alex and Jack's job... So why can Lila move things with her mind? Is she the only one?

  Lila's mother died when she was 12, and that has influenced her life greatly. She's been away from her brother [and Alex] for three years, living with her dad in London, whilst her brother stayed in America. And she's hated it. At the beginning of the story, we see Lila leave London following an incident with her 'power', and go to stay with her brother for a while. From there, we're whisked into the whirlwind of action.

  I loved Lila as a character, she was so relateable and really came off the pages. She was confident, yet shy, which was brilliant. She knew what she wanted, and how to get it, she didn't play games. Alderson's writing can create these characters and make you feel as though they're your friend, like you really know them. Everything was written so fluently and flowed so well.

  Overall, I recommend this to you all. You'll be brought on a journey and be completely absorbed into the story, wanting to know everything. What really happened to Lila's mum? What's gong to happen between Lila and Alex? What do Alex and Jack really do? You just really need to read this.

  And the ending! Ah! Giant cliffhanger, set over a couple of pages. I'm so excited for the next book in the series to be released [Losing Lila released 2nd of August 2012]!

Unraveling [Elizabeth Norris]

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process. -taken from Goodreads.

  I had heard a lot about this, and was really excited to finally read it.


  Firstly, the characters. I really liked Janelle, but she seemed to be lacking in some emotion. Of course, everyone mourns in their own way, but I felt as though she left it a little late to feel upset. THE THING that happens, should really affect Janelle, but it seemed to affect Alex [her best friend] more than it did her... However, she was a great character and I really wanted to find out the secret of what happened 'that night' when she and Kate stopped talking She was both sarcastic and confident, and snooping is definitely 'her thing'.


  Alex was a brilliant character. As Janelle's best friend, he stuck with her through thick and thin, and was just an awesome friend. At first, I thought he was going to be a love-rival, but it was brilliant to see that this didn't happen. It made it different and original, whilst also making me love Alex even more.


  I really liked Ben, he was such a great character. At first he's misinterpreted and we're lead to believe that he's somebody he's not. The relationship seemed really solid [though there wasn't a big build up of it], and didn't take away from the action of the story at all.
 

  The story line itself was brilliant and felt really original. The need to know what was going on, what was going to happen, was a great motivator to read on. When we finally do find out, it doesn't let you down. Whilst the theory could be complicated, it's explained thoroughly, so everything is understood.


  Whilst I expected it to be better, it was still an exciting read and one that I would recommend. Even if you're not a massive sci-fi fan, I think you could still enjoy this. I'd give it a 3.5 / 4, leaning slightly more to 4 stars.

 

New Girl [Paige Harbison]

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back. -Taken from Goodreads.


*book tour.


  I found that there wasn't enough detail in the writing, at all. It seemed like a story plot, or a list- this happened, then this happened and 3 months later this happened. The lack of detail, for me, kind of ruined the story. Okay, it didn't ruin it, but it definitely annoyed me. 

  What I loved was that we don't find out the main characters last name [it's narrated from first person] until the last page, so we'll call her C.

  I also thought that there was no proper build up of relationship between the characters. I felt like a didn't know any of them, and that they didn't really know each other. I thought that C and Max hardly knew each other, and their relationship seemed forced and unnatural. A scene between them at the end was a bit random, but I couldn't help but like it [it's so sweet].


  We have flashback chapters, from Becca's time at the school. These chapters were brilliant. I loved Becca. Whilst she was kind of a psycopath, I thought she was so well described, so clever, it was hard not to like her. Her chapters were so brilliant, we see what really went on between Becca and Max. The way she twisted things were amazing and sly. Her relationship with Max on the outside is the cutest thing ever, but once you dig deeper, cracks start to appear.

  I was also quite drawn to Dana. I wanted to know what was up with her, what her problem was, what she knew. I thought she could have been mentioned a bit more, but all in all she lured you in.  She holds the answers to secrets that the reader is desperate to know.


  Despite feeling the book lacked detail and some character connection, I found that I couldn't stop reading. The actual idea and story line is so cool, it makes you want to be there and watch first-hand what's happening. I was absorbed in what was happening. 


  For its bad bits, the good bits made up for- so I would recommend you read this. It's so fun and you just need to expirience Becca in all her glory.

-please excuse any typo's, spell check wouldn't work. ):

Hardback Vs Paperback

Cover posts are always fun to do, and here are two covers I really wanted to compare. I first thought of doing this when I had to find a photo for Showcase Sunday of My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece [by Annabel Pitcher]. The cover I have [paperback] is completely different to most of the ones Google showed me [the Hardback cover], so I thought a post comparing them would be fun.




My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher:

paperback

hardback

  I definitely prefer the paperback cover of this. It's simple and elegant, whilst also hinting at us what the book is about. On the other hand, I think the hardback cover is really in your face, and the writing looks boring. But the model is so cute that I can't be too mean on it. The colours on the paperback cover are beautiful, soft, and the arrow going down to the pot on the mantelpiece gives us a clear indicator of what the book is about. However, the hardback cover gives us no indication, and I would probably avoid it if I was in a book shop. I also love the little drawing on the paperback version, and the wallpaper in the background is so pretty. I'm struggling to find a compliment in the hardback cover, but [as I mentioned] the little boy is so cute.

  Overall, I think that the paperback cover is beautiful, whilst the hardback is boring.

  I don't know if these are UK or USA editions, but I did notice that there were a few other covers out there for these books. You can see all of them by searching for this book on Goodreads.

  Talking of Goodreads, I'm finally getting the hang of it- and using it! My username is RiaLikesReading, but you can find me HERE.

Which cover do you prefer?

Showcase Sunday #1

I thought it was time to get back to regular posting, so here's my first post of Showcase Sunday- a meme inspired by In My Mailbox and hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits & Tea. I've got quite a few books in the last few weeks, though I've forgotten which ones are new and which ones I haven't shared yet [I'm too lazy to check through], but here are ones I'm sure I haven't showed you guys yet:

My dad bought me a load of books for doing well in exams and just because I'm amazing [ joke :p ], here they are:

 Big thanks, I can't wait to read them all!


I also got two books for review:

Thanks to Mira Ink and Bloomsbury for these.(:

Look out for the New Girl blog tour. For the dates, there's a banner on the right hand side, in the sidebar. My review is up on Tuesday- be sure to check back [the 22nd]!

What are you showcasing this week?

Slated [Teri Terry]

Kyla's memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She's been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist,
and that they are giving her a second chance -
as long as she plays by their rules.
But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla's mind.
Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems.
Who can she trust in her search for the truth? -Taken from Goodreads.


  I'm going to start off by telling you about my anger towards the ending of this book. So I've been drawn in, I'm captivated by the words and the story-line and then BAM, it ends; it just ends! I was really disappointed by the ending, but I'm glad to say that's the only thing I'm [hugely] disappointed about.
  
  It took me a while to get into the story, but once I had been pulled in, there was no way I was getting out. Terry [the authors name is Teri Terry, how amazing is that?] revealed little information at first, making me read on to discover the secrets.

  Kyla was a great character, struggling with the pressure to be the perfect Slated girl, but knowing something was wrong. Why is she so different? What are these memories? Some of the other characters confused me- Hatten, for example. He's introduced in the middle of the book, but we discover who he really is at the end [okay, how did Kyla actually figure it all out so suddenly?], and his association with Kyla. Also, I thought Wayne was a pretty pointless character. 

  Ben was brilliant. [Spoiler alert, highlight to read] I'm seriously keeping my hopes up that he's alive, because he just NEEDS to be. The moments with him and Kyla are so cute, and so well built up. His mum was a lovely character, even though we don't meet her much. Kyla's mum was one of my favourite characters. At first, she's a 'dragon', but the more we read- the more we see she's actually protecting Kyla and she's just generally amazing.

  Sorry, I'm just throwing names out, but here are a few more. Amy- Kyla's 'sister' started off with quite a big role- she was mentioned a lot- but the more the book progresses, the less she's mentioned- which was a shame, because she's really sweet. I wanted to find out more about Kyla's dad and her therapist- Dr Lysander. Both were interesting, but we didn't find out much about them. There are so many other characters to talk about, which would usually confuse me about who's who, but I found each character was so defined that I could remember.

  Judging by the ending, there's going to be another book. I really hope there is, I want to know about Hatten and Kyla's dad and Dr Lysander. Most of all, I want to know about Ben.

  The whole idea of being Slated is creepy and a great story-line. Kids are only meant to get Slated when they're done something terrible and must forget to start a new life, but are the Lorders [sort-of-Police, but more like an army [if you do History, they're a lot like Hitler's SA]] really doing that? If they are, why are innocent kids being taken away?

  The cover on the ARC I prefer to the actual cover. I always say this, but I'm just not a fan of model covers. Whilst the ARC cover is simple [it's the same as the one above, but without the model- it just has a chalky-black background], it's effective and relevant. That being said, I do like the actual cover, though the model looks a lot younger that Kayla.

  I was happy with this book, but I was also upset with it. For not providing me with enough answers- though I'm hoping that things will be covered in the next book- and for that ending. But I would still recommend you read it, because- aside from those things- I really enjoyed it and the story-line is amazing. The suspense makes you turn every page and I found it to be really gripping.

  I was debating with myself whether to give Slated a rating of 3.5 or 4. I would say 3.5, but then that sounds really low and I don't want people to be put off reading it, because it's worth it. But, I'm going to go with: