YA Crush Tournament - Lucas' Advocate

As some of you may have seen on YA Sisterhood, I'm taking part in this year's YA Crush Tournament where I will be advocating for Lucas Delos from Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed books. My first match will be on July 23rd so I'm looking to get some support. This match will be against Peeta from the Hunger Games, so Lucas will need all the help he can get. What I'm looking for is some people to help me spread the word about Lucas before and on the day of the match since I won't be able to do it all on my own. If you're interested in helping me out, just leave me a comment below or contact me via e-mail (emiliebookworld@gmail.com) or on Twitter @emiliebookworld.

Waiting on Wednesday (54)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming release they are particularly looking forward to.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

TEN BY GRETCHEN MCNEIL

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives--an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school's most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

I've been hearing about Ten for quite some time now and every time I hear about it I can't help but think about what a fantastic book this sounds like. The premise kind of makes me think of the TV show Harper's Island, which I loved, so it only makes me want to read the book even more. Now if only September could come around so I can read this book.

Ten by Gretchen McNeil will be published September 18, 2012 by Balzer + Bray.

Possession by Elana Johnson

Title: Possession (Possession #1)

Author: Elana Johnson

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: June 7, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them…starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play. 

When Elana Johnson's Possession came out last year it had caught my attention but after hearing mixed reviews I didn't end up picking it up. Then I received a copy of the sequel for review and I decided it was time to give it a chance. I'm glad I decided to finally read Possession and it ended up taking me by surprise. 

Knowing the Rules has never stopped Vi from breaking them, especially when she's with Zenn. But the Thinkers are determined to help Vi change her ways and become one of them. To get to Vi, the Thinkers go through Zenn, knowing that Vi won't leave him behind. But somewhere along the way, Vi meets Jag Barque. As infuriating as Jag is, he is also incredibly charismatic and Vi has a difficult time resisting him. ANd the more time she spends with him, the more Vi starts to think that with Jag, she could leave everything she knows behind.

While at first Possession had caught my attention, after seeing mixe reviews for it, I ended up not picking it up. But then I received a copy of the sequel for review and I decided it was time to give it a chance. And though Possession had a few minor shortcomings, I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I thought i would. I quickly found myself being drawn in to the world that Elana Johnson created and it wasn't too long before I believe it was real. My only concern was that at times I was given information without really knowing where it was coming from. But other than that, Possession was a really great story and Elana Johnson quickly made me believe in it.

Right away I loved Vi. There's nothing I love more than a character that doesn't let anyone control them. That's exactly who Vi was. She wasn't afraid to defy the authorities if it meant that she got to be herself and help those she cares about. Though sometimes that didn't always put her in the best situations, especially where Zenn and Jag were concerned. What was interesting with the two boys is that they were so alike but so different at the same time. And you know they have a history together but never really find out what it is. And for me that just added to the feeling that I never fully knew what was going on with either of them. The only thing I knew for sure was they both wanted what was best for Vi though they didn't always agree on what that was.

I'm glad I finally decided to give Elana Johnson's Possession a chance. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did and that took me by surprise. It was a fantastic dystopian story and by the time I finished reading, I was excited to see where the story would go in Surrender, the sequel.

Canada Day Blog Hop!

This Sunday is going to be Canada Day, and to celebrate Canada's 145th birthday (yeah, we're a pretty young country) I decided to participate in the Canada Day Blog Hop hosted by Snowdrop Dreams of Books, Rabid Reads and Stitch Read Cook.

To celebrate, I will be giving away books written by Canadian YA authors. It's only fitting since this is to celebrate Canada Day after all. So, 2 winners will each win one book of their choice written by Canadian YA authors. If you're not sure which YA authors out there are actually Canadian, you can find a list below of the ones I know off the top of my head.

- Kelley Armstrong

- Lesley Livingston

- Courtney Summers

- Denise Jaden

- Jeyn Roberts

- Charles de Lint

- Carrie Mac

- Allison Van Diepen

To enter the giveaway, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck to everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (53)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming release they are particularly looking forward to.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

EVE AND ADAM BY KATHERINE APPLEGATE & MICHAEL GRANT

Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an fluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she's never really questioned it. Much like how she's never stopped to think how off it is that she's never been sick. That is, until she's struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible.

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech's lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he's never questioned anything…until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn't right, and EmmaRose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.

This book has only come to my attention recently, but right when I found out about it I knew it was a book I definitely wanted to read. The story sounds really interesting and like a creative new take on the story of Adam & Eve. And it sounds like it would be a great science fiction read. So really, what's not to love?

Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant will be published October 2, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends.