Mini Blog Update + Cottage Pics!

Hi all!

So, I wanted to give you guys a bit of a heads-up about what's been going on in the past couple weeks (including my absence from the interwebz).

Basically, lots of things have been happening. As I mentioned last week, I came down with strep throat and was pretty sick most of the week. Then, as I was kind of feeling better, got hit with a 101 degree fever. Still have no clue why that happened, but it put me out of commission for a couple of days. Then, I was off to Gravenhurst, Ontario for a long awaited cottage trip.

The trip as simply amazing. I got to hang with family and friends (including one I hadn't seen in a few months!), ride on Sea-Doos, relax by the water, and many other things. It was one of the best vacations I've been on in a long time! Here are a couple pictures from the trip!

The view from the cottage!

My friend and I on the Giant Muskoka Chair

Sunset on the dock

Riding the Sea-Doos! (Best invention ever)

Half-way through the trip, I got a phone call from my mom, telling me that some family from Ireland were coming to visit, staying at our house, and were arriving...tomorrow. My grandmother had to have surgery mid-week and they wanted to come to Canada and help out. So, by the time I returned home it was a hectic week of hospital visits, spending time with my family, and hoping and praying the surgery would go well. And it did! My grandmother is one of the most impressive people I've ever met. She is seriously underweight, but underwent open-heart surgery and was awake and talking the very next day. We were so delighted!

So, after all the sickness, vacation, family time, and hospital trips, my blog has pretty neglected recently. Only my long ago scheduled Waiting On Wednesday picks was posted. Sorry about that! I'm going to try my best to get caught up this weekend, once my family returns home. Everything seems to have calmed down, some what, so I'm taking the time to both relax, and to get caught up on everything that's been put on the back-burner!


I hope everyone has had a less stressful week! And have a happy weekend!
- Ciara who is lost at midnight

Waiting On Wednesday (14): UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

 

This week's pick: UnWholly (Unwind #2) by Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: August 28th, 2012

 

Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simultaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.
Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.
Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.

Thought-provoking is probably the best phrase to describe Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I read it about four years ago and I have never forgotten about it, or had its impact lessen. In fact, there is a scene in the novel that haunts me to this day. 

UnWholly is the highly anticipated sequel that many, myself included, have been waiting YEARS for. Although I thought Unwind could be a stand alone novel, I'm really interested to see where the story will go next. I'm sure Shusterman will deliver another heart-stopping novel, rampant with action, anguish and a tiny persistent sliver of hope.

- Ciara who is lost at midnight

Waiting On Wednesday (13): Nevermore by James Patterson

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

This week's pick: Nevermore (Maximum Ride #8) by James Patterson

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Release Date: August 6th, 2012

One last chance...
For Max, Fang, Angel, Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy.
Before it all ends.

Are you ready for the final chapter? Are you ready for the ultimate flight? Because THIS IS IT. One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming. (Summary from Goodreads)

Oh, Maximum Ride. You happen to be one of my heroes.

This is one of those series that has captivated me from page one. Thrilling, heart-pounding, and happy-making, every book has made me love the series more and more. There is never a dull moment in these books, and it never takes me more than a day to read them. I just can't put them down! The characters are fantastic, the plot line is original and engaging, and the books are filled with so much heart it constantly makes me smile. I'm going to be sad to see this one end, and will miss Fang and Max like crazy! But, I don't doubt I will love every single second of Nevermore.

I just recently finished Angel the seventh Maximum Ride novel and man did it end on a cliffhanger! I was lucky and purchased the deluxe limited edition which included extras like bookmarks, a poster (currently hanging on my wall), the first few chapters of Nevermore and the top ten questions that will be answered in Nevermore. The questions literally made my jaw drop and now I am desperate to read it! I can't wait to finally find out the truth!

If you love action, admirable heroes, and mutant bird kids, pick up the Maximum Ride series. You'll be glad you did!

- Ciara who is lost at midnight   

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: February 28th, 2012

Source: Won (from Emilie's Book World)

My Rating: 4/5

I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame. 

*Warning: Plot spoilers for Delirium and Pandemonium*
I was pretty nervous to read this book. I absolutely, totally, and completely LOVED Delirium. The last paragraph still gives me goosebumps, and I want the quote "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it." tattooed somewhere on my body. While I had heard solely good things about the novel I also heard it was, in typical Lauren Oliver fashion, a heart-breaker. I couldn't resist the temptation long (or the frantic tweets from my friend Crim) and finally picked it up. 

There were lots of things I loved about this book. In Delirium we were exposed to life in regular society: rigid, controlled, and loveless. Lena, as part of this society, follows the rules and doesn't question them. After the events at the end of the novel, Lena is a changed woman. She is brought into The Wilds and turned into a self-reliant survivor. It was very interesting, and a part of the novel I loved, to see Lena transform from this docile young girl, to a fierce member of the resistance. Lauren Oliver switched styles beautifully, darkening the tone of the series and giving us a harsh glimpse of life outside society's walls. I really liked having an overall view of this world, something I find is often lacking in many books. And the writing! Man, Lauren Oliver is crazy fantastic. She knows how to write a powerful and engaging story with believable characters and a fantastic plot line. Her writing itself never fails to amaze me. She gives me chills!

There were a few new characters introduced Pandemonium that left me with mixed emotions. I really liked Raven but I constantly felt suspicious of her intentions, and could never completely bring myself to believe in her. The same went with many members of The Wilds. And then there was Julian. Although I thought he was a perfectly fine person, what he caused I was not a fan of. So, this is when I talk about why I couldn't give Pandemonium five stars. It's a bit spoiler-y, as I mentioned above, so read on with caution.

Julian and his relationship with Lena kind of ruined the book for me. In Delirium the idea of love conquering everything was so prominent I felt like it defined the book. I've been a bit frustrated with YA romances recently, but Delirium was different and I loved all the messages it was sending. It was strong, powerful, and consuming. It made me want to get up and preach love from the rooftops! It made me so happy to live in a world where love was cherished. But, I felt like this message of hope that was said in Delirium was undermined in Pandemonium. For Lena to very quickly and easily fall into a new love, so soon after the loss of her previous one, confused the message of "love conquering all" for me.

I was also frustrated with the ending. Lauren Oliver is a fantastic writer and the Delirium series is superb both in concept and in execution. So, was it necessary to throw in that cliffhanger? I knew it was coming, and it was frustrating to have it thrown in at the end. Readers of the Delirium series will pick up Requiem without question. I felt it unnecessary to leave us hanging that way, and lessened the impact of the novel for me. I love cliffhangers, but I was not a fan of this one.

Now, I did love Pandemonium, don't get me wrong. It was a fantastic sequel in almost every way. Yes, there were a few things that irked me, but they didn't ruin the book for me. The Delirium series is one of the best romantic dystopians out there, and I highly recommend them! I'm very, very excited for Requiem and I can't wait to see how it all ends.

- Ciara who is lost at midnight

Find this book: Amazon | Goodreads | Lauren Oliver's Website

Stacking the Shelves (4)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which bloggers share the books they stacked their shelves with during the week!
 
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed a few angry tweets earlier in the week about coming down with strep throat. I've been feeling pretty awful because of it, and have spent lots of time this week laying on my couch watching TV (Cake Boss marathon, anyone?). So, I haven't really been feeling up to reviewing and have found myself in a bit of a slump. Hopefully that will be all resolved soon! I did pick up two books this week because my mom decided to buy me a book to make me feeling better. I ended up picking up another cause of some extra money I was owed. So, here are the book I got this week (no picture cause my camera is missing)!

Bought:

- Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent
- Fever by Lauren DeStefano (I've already read (and LOVED) this one, but I hadn't purchased it yet)

What was on your shelves this week?

- Ciara who is lost at midnight