Throwback Thursday #6

Throwback Thursday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Stephanie @Bookfever and Christina @Booksane where we feature books that we've read in the past but are still crazy about. It could be a book you read as a child and still remember and love or maybe just a book that you haven't read in a long time and want to show your love for.

Each week we'll be featuring a new random question to answer!

~

Blood and Chocolate

by

Annette Curtis Klause

Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He’s fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.
Vivian’s divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate?

I still remember that after I moved a few years ago this was one of the first books I discovered at my library after having read one of Klause's other books, The Silver Kiss. Blood and Chocolate is one of those short and sweet '90s books which give you thrills but aren't so flippin' long and I loved this for the werewolves that are actually wolves, not monstrous things. The book is much better than what they did to the movie and is pretty much the complete opposite of how the movie went.

 Quote 

“I had the taste of blood and chocolate in my mouth, one as hated as the other.”

 Question of the Week: 

If you were given a free airline ticket with a destination of your own choice, where would you go? And what book would you take with you?

I would love to go to England, it seems like such an interesting country and I think I would take Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare with me.

Character Interview: Geoff Woods

My friends Christina @ Booksane and Stephanie @ Bookfever asked me if I'd interview their gorgeous character Geoff Woods as part of Woods Wednesday and of course I agreed. Check it out!

Review: Emerge by S.E. Hall

 About the Book 

Emerge (Evolve Series, #1)

Laney Walker is a quick witted, athletic, southern tomboy who lets few get too close, using her sarcastic zingers to deflect. She also has no idea how others view her, Evan having protected and coveted her since they were children. But college puts a gap between Laney and Evan that neither of them were prepared for- old relationships are tested, new ones are formed and nothing will ever be the same.
Especially when in walks one Dane Kendrick, not at all the familiar, southern charmer of home, but an animal all his own.
A story of growing up, friendship, loyalty, first love, primal love...and life.

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

 My Thoughts 

Emerge centers around tomboy Laney Walker as she discovers love for the first time and makes her way to college. Falling for Evan, her best friend since they were ten, Laney is swept up in a quick romance and soon they're heading off to different colleges. Laney meets Dane and they become close as she and Evan struggle with a long-distance relationship.
I enjoyed the first half or so of Emerge but felt that Laney was wishy-washy, always saying she didn't want to hurt anyone but instead of being honest to start off with, there are plenty of hurt feelings. Also, to me she had already made her choice about who she wanted and was just stringing them both along and she was self-centered.
Character-wise I didn't care for Laney, Evan or Dane a lot but I loved Laney's college friends, Sawyer, Zach, Tate and Bennett.
Overall Emerge was an okay read for me, the story was decent but I just couldn't stand the actions of the main characters.

2 STARS
to
Emerge

 About the Author 

S.E.Hall resides in Arkansas with her husband of 17 years and 3 beautiful daughters. When not in the stands watching her ladies play softball, she enjoys reading YA and NA romance.

| Goodreads |

Throwback Thursday #4 and #5

Throwback Thursday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Stephanie @Bookfever and Christina @Booksane where we feature books that we've read in the past but are still crazy about. It could be a book you read as a child and still remember and love or maybe just a book that you haven't read in a long time and want to show your love for.

Each week we'll be featuring a new random question to answer!

~

(Since I missed last week's Throwback Thursday, I'm posting two this week.)

~

 Throwback Thursday #4 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)

by

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was probably the book that got me back into reading once I'd hit my pre-teen years. It's such a wonderful world and the movies were fantastic.

 Quote 

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

 Question of the Week: 

Which author would you buy and read every single book from?

Hmm...that is a tough question! I would say Kelly Creagh is the author I would do this for. Her books are amazing and I love that she bases her Nevermore series around Edgar Allan Poe's work.

~

 Throwback Thursday #5 

The Thief Lord
by

Cornelia Funke

Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy. Here, hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelters runaways and children with incredible secrets....

After escaping from their cruel aunt and uncle, orphans Prosper and Bo meet a mysterious boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord." Clever and charming, The Thief Lord leads a band of street children who enjoy making mischief. But the Thief Lord also has a dark secret. And suddenly Prosper and Bo find themselves on a fantastical journey to a forgotten place. What they discover there will change the course of their destiny... forever.

I first saw the movie featuring the cutest little guys, Aaron Johnson and Rollo Weeks which was a great movie. A couple years later I found the book to read and loved it. The setting in Venice was fun and Prosper and Bo were so sweet and it was fun to think of hanging out as a kid and making your own trouble.

 Quote 

“Children are caterpillars and adults are butterflies. No butterfly ever remembers what it felt like being a caterpillar.”

 Question of the Week: 

When was the last time you cried over a book?

Just a few weeks ago when reading The Death Cures by James Dashner. I knew what was going to happen but I got a little crazy and cried a bit.

Review: The Death Cure by James Dashner

 About the Book 

The Death Cure (Maze Runner, #3)

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.

What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.

Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

 My Thoughts 

WICKED is good.

The last book of The Maze Runner series, The Death Cure, was definitely the hardest to read. I didn’t want the books to end and I didn’t want the loss of characters (when does a favorite of mine not die…).

After their time in the Scorch, Thomas and friends ended up at WICKED headquarters, poor Thomas, locked in a padded room. After about three weeks he’s released from his room and soon Thomas, Minho, Newt, Brenda and Jorge make their escape, thinking Teresa, Frypan and Group B have already left them behind. They head to Denver, a quarantined city and making their way through the city, they meet up with the others and an enemy or two.

I can’t really say a lot about the book without giving the whole thing away since it’s continued throughout a series but I felt it was a clean ending, there were no unanswered questions for me or a terribly depressing conclusion.

The Death Cure was a nice finish to the Maze Runner series. As usual, Dashner’s writing kept me hooked and his characters are easy to love and connect with. Like I said, there is a bit of death obviously...

 and I cried/tried to deny that a certain someone wasn’t meant to make it to the end. 
Even with the death, I just thought The Death Cure kicked ass! It’s fun, thought-provoking and has a male POV which always makes me happy.

5 STARS
to
The Death Cure

 Quotes 

Minho looked at Thomas, a serious expression on his face. “If I don’t see you on the other side,” he said in a sappy voice, “remember that I love you.” Snickering at Thomas’ eye roll, he went through the doors and they closed.

“Dude, you tried to slice my you-know-whats off!”

Thomas laughed, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He welcomed it happily. “Too bad I didn’t. Could’ve saved the world from future little Minhos.”

 About the Author 

James was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. He has four kids, which some might think is too many but he thinks is just right. Once upon a time, James studied accounting and worked in the field of finance, but has been writing full time for several years. (He doesn't miss numbers. At all.)

In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Most of all, he's thankful that he gets to make a living writing stories and considers himself pretty much the luckiest guy on the planet.

| Goodreads | Blog | Website |

Book Bird Goodies #1

Meet Magnus, my little Book Bird Reviews mascot.

Instead of doing a Showcase Sunday or anything, I've decided to just post any book goodies myself.

 Library 

Hell's Heroes (Demonata, #10) by Darren Shan

The Paladin Prophecy (The Paladin Prophecy, #1) by Mark Frost

I finally got Hell's Heroes which is the last book in Shan's Demonata series and I'll be sad when I finish it but they are fun and gross books. The Paladin Prophecy was recommended to me by my librarian, Miss Kitty (that's what I call her, she's a Mrs. but I can't help but call her Miss) who is simply awesome and I hope to start it soon.

 Bought 

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, #3)

by Stieg Larsson

Found these at a thrift store for a dollar a piece and now my set is complete.

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

Department Nineteen (Department 19, #1) by Will Hill

Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1) by Anthony Horowitz

The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice, #1)

The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice, #2)

by John Flanagan

 Kindle Freebies 

Shadows (Lux, #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

 About the Book 

The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner, #2)

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

 My Thoughts 

The Scorch Trials picks up right where The Maze Runner left off. Thomas and his fellow Gladers think their WICKED nightmare is over or that at least they're in control of their journey but soon things turn bad again. WICKED gives them instructions to travel across the stretch of barren land known as the Scorch or die with no chance at freedom or a cure to the Flare which they've been exposed to according to WICKED.
New obstacles and creatures turn up at every turn and the Gladers come face-to-face with the Cranks, people infected with the Flare virus, in the lone city in the Scorch and meet Group B, their fellow trial subjects, the only difference being that they're all females. New characters are introduced, Aris is Group B's counterpart to the Gladers Teresa, Jorge and Brenda are Cranks that agree to help for a chance at a cure to the Flare.
The Scorch Trials is another fun read and I'm still rooting for the Gladers!

5 STARS
to
The Scorch Trials

 Quotes 
“Yeah, right," Minho said. "And Frypan's gonna start having little babies, Winston'll get rid of his monster acne, and Thomas here'll actually smile for once."
Thomas turned to Minho and exaggerated a fake smile. "There, you happy?"
"Dude," he responded. "You are one ugly shank.”

“Didn't know you could measure distance so well with nothing but you bloody eyeballs.” 

 About the Author 

James was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. He has four kids, which some might think is too many but he thinks is just right. Once upon a time, James studied accounting and worked in the field of finance, but has been writing full time for several years. (He doesn't miss numbers. At all.)

In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Most of all, he's thankful that he gets to make a living writing stories and considers himself pretty much the luckiest guy on the planet.

| Goodreads | Blog | Website |

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

 About the Book 

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

 My Thoughts 

The Maze Runner begins with our main character Thomas, waking up in the dark and making his way up-top in a moving box (later known as the Box, obviously) and finding himself at a loss as to who he is. The only thing he can remember about himself is his name.

"Nice to meet ya, shank," the boy said. "Welcome to the Glade."

When Thomas makes it to the surface, he's met by The Gladers, boys ranging in age from around eleven years old up to seventeen. He learns some of them have been there for two years and that the Glade is in the center of a maze that no one has been able to solve because the walls around the Glade close at night and the rest in the maze change.
Adjusting to his new life in the Glade comes naturally to Thomas and he soon feels the pull to become a Runner (Gladers who run the maze daily and map it out). Besides their daily life and trying to make it out of the Maze, the Gladers have to deal with the Grievers, large, slug-like creatures that are the size of a cow with claws, saw blades and other instruments for arms.
The Maze Runner has no shortage of likeable characters but my favorites were Newt and Thomas. Newt could be a smart-ass (which I enjoyed) but he was a smart and strong leader when he needed to be and Thomas was brave and he actually cried! I love male characters that can breakdown and not make a show of being in control all of the time.
The Maze Runner is one of the best books I've read this year and I love the male POV. The story is fast paced and keeps you guessing about what's really going on and who put these kids in the Maze and it's adventurous and a bit creepy in spots.

5 STARS
to
The Maze Runner

 Quotes 
“Shouldn't someone give a pep talk or something?" Minho asked, pulling Thomas' attention away from Alby.
"Go ahead," Newt replied.
Minho nodded and faced the crowd. "Be careful," he said dryly. "Don't die.”

“You get lazy, you get sad. Start givin' up. Plain and simple.”

 About the Author 

James was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. He has four kids, which some might think is too many but he thinks is just right. Once upon a time, James studied accounting and worked in the field of finance, but has been writing full time for several years. (He doesn't miss numbers. At all.)

In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Most of all, he's thankful that he gets to make a living writing stories and considers himself pretty much the luckiest guy on the planet.

| Goodreads | Blog | Website |