Stacking The Shelves: An Unexpected Month Bookhaul

   Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves; books you buy in physical stores or online; books you borrow from friends or the library, gifts, and e-books!

ARC REVIEW: The Cage by Megan Shepherd

The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Release Date: May 26, 2015
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Format: Print ARC, 385 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance

Series: The Cage, #1

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard

{Blog Tour+Interview} Spelled by Betsy Schow

I'm excited to be apart of this blog tour for SPELLED by Betsy Schow, hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. It is right up my alley since it's a fairy tale retelling and sort of a different version of The Wizard of Oz, which is a favorite childhood movie of mine.

For my tour stop, I have an interview with the author. There's also the giveaway for a chance to win an Amazon giftcard. And don't forget to follow the rest of the tour stops for more fun posts!

Why ARCS Aren't All That!

*This post is more directed to bloggers or those in the publishing industry. But maybe you could enjoy this too.*

   Book Expo America, the number one event for the book publishing industry, is finally here (I mean it started yesterday and today the exhibits opened). Lots of people will surely be running to get their hands on some of those limited arcs that will be given away. And with this comes ARC envy for those unable to attend it. There's no denying that I'm sure almost every blogger has felt this when we see that someone obtains that one arc we are desperately wanting.

   There may or may not be drama concerning how some people might have grabbed way too many arcs. Let's hope not...

   But I don't want to talk about that. I wanted to sort of discuss about how some people shouldn't lose control over people receiving a book that doesn't come out for months or days because there are

Should authors read reviews about their books?

   I always hear authors talking about how reviews are just for people who are looking for something to read and that it's not really meant for the authors. While I agree with that, I think that maybe it could be for them. I consider reviews constructive criticism. It can be used to help them improve on their writing skills. But then there are some (not all) authors who go bananas after someone gives their book a low

REVIEW: Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

Publication Date: October 11, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: Paperback,
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Series: Shadow Falls, #2
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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Step into the world of Shadow Falls, a camp that helps teens tap into their special... talents. Once you visit, you’ll never forget it—and you’ll never, ever be the same. 

From the moment Kylie Galen arrived at Shadow Falls Camp, she’s had one burning question: What am I? Surrounded by vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, fairies and witches, Kylie longs to figure out her own supernatural identity…and what her burgeoning powers mean. And now she’ll need them more than ever, because she’s being haunted by a new spirit who insists that someone Kylie knows—and loves—will die before the end of the summer. If only she only knew who she was supposed to save. And how... 

But giving Kylie the most trouble is her aching heart. Gorgeous werewolf Lucas left camp with another girl, but he’s still visiting Kylie in her dreams. And Derek, a sexy half

ARC REVIEW: Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Release Date: May 26, 2015

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Format: Print ARC, 324 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Series: Standalone

Pre-order Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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From the author of The Beginning of Everything: two teens with a deadly disease fall in love on the brink of a cure. 

At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French. 

There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out

My Love For Studio Ghibli Films!!

Have you ever seen this guy?

   If you have but don't know him. His name is Totoro and he is the mascot to a Japanese Animation Film Studio called Studio Ghibli. Their animations are probably my favorite ever. It's just so artistically beautiful to watch which is why I think people enjoy the movies. They sort of have a style. Like the characters in every film look very alike. And you can tell.

   I absolutely love their films!! I've only seen two and there's like 20 of them. And I decided I want to watch them all and review them for you. I feel like everyone should experience the magic that is

Reader's Crisis: Not Loving A Genre Enough

Have you ever felt that you liked a genre but you really didn't? Or you really wanted to like it?

   I remember seeing someone posted on Twitter saying how she really wished she was into books that dealt with parallel universes. And that sort of sparked the same feeling in me. 

    I mislead myself when I say that I absolutely love fantasy. But the truth is, I've always been more keen on Paranormal Romances. I think it's just me trying to get into fantasies lately. Or I'm just not reading the right ones. The ones I've picked up just haven't sparked me yet. Or I like them, but not

ARC REVIEW: Last Year's Mistakes by Gina Ciocca

Last Year's Mistakes by Gina Ciocca

Publication Date: June 9, 2015

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Format: Print ARC, 320 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Series: Standalone

Pre-order Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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Before: 

Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...  

After: 

Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he

May TBR

   I already posted a picture on my Instagram of all the books that I plan to read this month but I also wanted to talk about them here as well. And how it's sort of complicates with my June TBR.

   I know that these ARCS that I have aren't necessary to read them as I didn't request them. I got them at the ALA Midwinter Conference. But I still want to and feel like as a blogger that I have to read and review them all before their respective release date because the publishers gave the complimentary books for people to review. That's why from the beginning I've been reading them in order of their release.

   It'll sort of be a relief once I get through this month because then I'll only have 5 ARCS that I will have to read in June and I will finally be able to read the finished books I have. And let me tell you something, I have lots of physical books I own because I won them! And I've been wanting to get to read them for such a long time.

May TBR:

ARC REVIEW: The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Release Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Format: Print ARC, 388 pages
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Retellings, Romance
Series: The Wrath And The Dawn, #1
Pre-order Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights.

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once

REVIEW: Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard

Publication Date: May 22, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Berkley
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Series: Gabriel's Inferno, #2
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever.