Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Title: Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2)

Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: July 26, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer--one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack--and the man--she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter way? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must figure out which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

I have had Wolfsbane sitting on my shelf pretty much since its release date. But I only just read it, and now I'm kicking myself for that. I had forgotten how much I loved this story and these characters. This second installment proved to be just as good, if not better, than the first.

After running away from her union with Ren, Calla was taken by the Searchers. When she wakes up in their lair, she doesn't know what's going on and what happened to Shay. Last she saw him, he was also being taken away by the Searchers. As Calla finds out more about the Searchers and everything she's been told by the Keepers, she realizes that the enemy may not be who she thought it was. Calla and Shay decide to join forces with the Searchers in an attempt to take down the Keepers. But Calla won't be able to do it alone, she needs her pack back. Except she left them behind when she ran away from Vail with Shay. But more importantly, Calla needs an Alpha. Will it be Ren, the boy she's known her whole life, or Shay, the boy who came into her life and stole her heart.

Werewolves, or just wolves, are probably my favorite paranormal creatures. I don't really know why, but they just are. And Andrea Cremer may also have something to do with it. The world she created in this series feels incredibly real, every page I felt like I was right there alongside the characters. And if the world isn't amazing enough, the story she tells through Calla is absolutely incredible. I loved every single minute of it, and never saw any of it coming. The story was packed with action and at every corner there were new twists and turns. This book just took me on an incredible ride.

Calla is an amazing character. She's strong, she's not afraid of anything and she'll do just about anything to help the people she loves. And then there's the whole love triangle thing. Normally it would annoy me that Calla keeps going back and forth between Ren and Shay, but here the story wouldn't work without Calla not being able to choose. And in her position I wouldn't know show to choose between Ren and Shay (though I do lean more towards Ren). Shay pretty  much swept her off her feet when he showed up in town and she ran away to save him. But she has a history with Ren and she grew up thinking that's who she would be with. And on top of it all the boys are not making it any easier on her. The new Searcher characters were really great. I loved getting to know them and they were a great addition to the story. And I have to admit that Connor and Adne were my favorites, I just loved the relationship between the two.

Wolfsbane was a great sequel, and an even greater read. This book will take you on an incredible journey and you won't want it to end. It was a good thing I was lucky enough to have a copy of Bloodrose on hand to read when I finished this one. 

Tournament of Heroines - Bryn's First Match!

I announced last week that I would be participating in YA Sisterhood's Tournament of Heroines as Bryn's advocate. For those of you who don't know who she is, Bryn is the main character and heroine of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Raised by Wolves series.

Starting at 12:00 AM (Midnight) EST, Bryn will be up for her first match against Tris from Veronica Roth's Divergent. Let me tell you, it will be a tough fight. Tris is also quite the heroine and more people know her but I still believe in Bryn and her chances of winning. But for that I'm going to need your help.

What I am asking you to do is to head on over to YA Sisterhood's blog once the voting begins and vote for Bryn. Once you've done that, spread the word to get even more people to vote. Tell as many people as you can to vote for Bryn. If you tweet about the match make sure to use #TeamBryn and #HeroineTourney. The more people and the more votes the better, because Bryn is going to need them to win.

I have absolute faith in Bryn and I know that she deserves the title of Heroine and to make it through to the next round of the tournament. To me, there is no doubt that Bryn is a heroine, she has all the necessary qualities and even more. Tris may also be a great girl, but she is no Bronwyn Alessia St. Vincent Claire. If you're still undecided then you can also read my defence and see why Bryn really deserves to win.

So be sure to head over to YA Sisterhood's blog tomorrow and vote for Bryn. Even better, spread the word once you've voted and show your support for Bryn.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Title: The Future of Us

Author: Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 21, 2011

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long--up until last November, when everything change. Things have been awkward ever since, but when Josh's family gets an American Online CD-ROM in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto Facebook...but Facebook hasn't been invented yet. Josh and Emma are looking at their profiles fifteen years in the future. Their spouses, careers, homes, and status updates--it's all there. But it's not what they expected. And every time they refresh their pages, their futures change. As they grapple with the ups and downs of what their lives hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right—and wrong—in the present.

As soon as I heard the premise of The Future of Us, I knew it was a book I wanted to read. I mean it's about two teenagers seeing the future through Facebook. It just sounded like it would be a really great read. If the fact that I read it all in one sitting is anything to go by, it really was as great as it promised to be.

Josh and Emma have been best friends and neighbors for as long as they both can remember. But last November something happened that caused them to grow apart. They're still friends but they just aren't as close as they one were. That's until Josh's family received an AOL CD-ROM and his mom asks him to bring it over to Emma since she just got a new computer. When Emma first logs in, everything appears to be normal, but then she it asked to enter her e-mail and password a second time and finds herself on a website called Facebook. Except that this is 1996 and Facebook hasn't been invented yet. Now Josh and Emma can see their lives fifteen years into the future. Soon they realize that every decision they make in the present affects the future and soon enough they find themselves becoming addicted to the mysterious website.

I absolutely adored this book, it was simply the perfect read. I mean how ingenuous was it to write a book where people can see their future through Facebook of all things. It was a really great concept, though at first I had my doubts as to how it would all work out. In the end it worked out perfectly, even surprising me how everything really fit together. I also really loved the writing. I've read some of Carolyn Mackler's other books in the past, but it was my first time reading something by Jay Asher. Let me just say that I loved it. The writing was flawless, I couldn't tell where one author's writing ended and the other one began. Though the best part of the book had to be all the references to 90s culture. I may have been relatively young at the time but I still remember a lot.

Emma and Josh were fantastic characters, both felt incredibly real. I found myself relating to both of them at different times and more than anything they made the story for me. But they weren't perfect and that's what I really loved about them. Emma more than Josh,  I could really relate to. Like Emma, I was a track runner, but more importantly, I could really relate to how quickly she became addicted to Facebook (not that this is something I'm necessarily proud to admit). Though I didn't like as much how obsessed she became with changing her future without really know much about it. While I didn't relate to him quite as much, I still really enjoyed getting to know Josh and at times I felt really bad about his situation with Emma. But mostly I loved the parts of the story that were told from his point of view, because there just aren't enough male narrators in YA. Mostly, I think that with characters other than Emma and Josh the story wouldn't have been the same.

The Future of Us was an absolutely fantastic read. I enjoyed every page and it really put into perspective the amount of time I spend on Facebook. On the surface it may appear to be a light read, but it's one that needs to be out there if only to help people realize how dependent we have become on technology for almost everything in our lives. This is a book that definitely deserves all the praise it has been getting.

In My Mailbox (21)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. It's a post where we talk about the books we received during the week either for review, from the bookstore or anywhere else.

This week wasn't a massive book week but I still got some books so that's always exciting. It's actually a good thing I didn't get too many new books since I already have quite a few to read and it's getting to be exam time with school so I have less time to read. Anyways, here's what I got in my mailbox this week.

For Review:

Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield -  I was approached by the author about reading this book and it sounded really interesting so I decided I would give it a go. I haven't heard much about it, but I've heard really good things about the author and her previous book so I'm looking forward to reading it.

Thank you Cheryl and JKSCommunications for sending me this book.

Bought:

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally -  I am beyond excited to soon be able to read this book. Ever since I first heard about it, I have been wanting to read it. It also doesn't help that I've heard nothing but rave reviews about it. With some luck I may be able to fit it in during exams since I'm pretty sure that once I start reading it, it won't take me long to finish.

Gifted:

iBoy by Kevin Brooks - This book sounds really interesting, and I love that it is about a boy and not a girl, which there is definitely less of in YA. Other than that I haven't heard much about it but I am definitely looking forward to reading it.

Thank you to my awesome little sib Hayley from The Fable Faerie for sending me this book.

So that's all for me this week, what did you guys get in your mailboxes?

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Title: The Water Wars

Author: Cameron Stracher

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: January 1, 2011

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Hundreds of millions of people have already died, and millions more will soon fall. The rivers have dried up, the polar caps have melted, and drinkable water is now in the hands of the powerful few. There are fines for wasting it and prison sentences for exceeding the quotas.

But Kai didn't seem to care about any of this. He stood in the open road drinking water from a plastic cup, then spilled the remaining drops into the dirt. He didn't go to school, and he traveled with armed guards. Kai claimed he knew a secret--something the government was keeping from us...

And then he was gone. Vanished in the middle of the night. Was he kidnapped? Did he flee? Is he even still alive? There are no clues, only questions. And no one can guess the lengths to which they will go to keep him silent. We have to find him--and the truth--before it's too late for us all.

When I was offered this book for review, I vaguely remembered hearing people talk out it at the beginning of the year when it first came out, but that was about all I knew about it. At any rate, the premise sounded really interesting and to an extent, like it could easily become a reality in the not too distant future. In the end, it turned out to be quite the interesting read.

All her life, Bera has been told not to waste any drops of water. If she did and got caught, she even risked punishment by the authorities. But then one day she sees Kai emptying a cup of water on a deserted road. Vera quickly becomes obsessed with finding out more about Kai, the mysterious boy who wasted water an has a body guard following him. As the two get to know each other and grow closer, Vera is intrigued by the lost river Kai keeps talking about, even though everyone knows that all the rivers dried up years ago. Just when Vera begins to understand how Kai knows the things he does about water, he and his father disappear. Vera feels it's up to her to rescue Kai. With the help of her brother Will and the friends they meet along the way, Vera sets off on an incredible journey to save the boy she just met, risking her own life in the process.

If you want action, The Water Wars is definitely the book to read. While I found it a little slow to start, once the action began it didn't stop until the very last page. The world without water that Cameron Stracher created here felt incredibly real, mainly because in today's world it could be a reality in the not too distant future. I really enjoyed finding out more about this world and the way the different republics, states and empires worked with and against each other. This re-imagination of the world as we know it was definitely an interesting and new one.

At first, I was frustrated because it took me quite come time to find out information about Vera. But then I realized that I actually knew more about her than I thought, just from the way she told the story. And then I found myself liking her more and more, especially when I saw the lengths she was willing to go to in order to help and protect those she cared about. The rest of the characters were all very interesting, there was definitely somebody for everyone. From pirates to eco-terrorists, there was everyone and then some in between those two. All that to say that the very varied cast of characters definitely played an important part in keeping me interested in the story.

Overall, The Water Wars was a very enjoyable read, one that even hit close to home with everything happening with climate change. I will definitely keep an eye out for more books by Cameron Stracher in the future.