The Quiet Concert

REVIEW #114: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Title: The Summer I Became a Nerd
Author: Leah Rae Miller
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: May 7th 2013
Pages: Paperback, 267 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

The Summer I Became a Nerd transports you right into high school popularity drama. Maddie learned her lesson early when she dressed up as her favorite comic book character for a costume contest and was laughed at by her friends. From that day forward she vowed to keep her comic book loving side a secret. Everything changes when the cute comic store clerk lets her borrow issue #400, the final issue in her favorite series.

It is hard to describe my feelings towards this book. Being only 267 pages, it was a super fast cute read. I found Maddie to be pretty easy to relate to; the characters where real and portrayed honest high school feelings and insecurities. That being said though, I felt like the story was a bit more on the younger side of young adult. The romance was cute, I know he keep using that word but it is the perfect word to describe the moments between Logan and Maddie. You just want to say AWWW.

I did not really have any issues with the story; it was a pretty basic plot. There were no real twists or crazy suspense, the story just kept moving at an entertaining yet predictable pace. There were some funny lines and cute comic and LARPing moments but overall the story had no special wow factor that would bump it to a 4 or 5 star story.

The Summer I Became a Nerd is a fun, cute love story about a girl overcoming her insecurities and truly allowing her true self to come out. If you are looking to be drawn right back into high school and feel some of the drama of fitting in this book is perfect fit.

I'm Waiting On Relic by Renee Collins

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine to shine a spotlight on upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating!

This week I chose...

Title: Relic
Author: Renee Collins
Release Date: September 3, 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

After a raging fire consumes her town and kills her parents, Maggie Davis is on her own to protect her younger sister and survive best she can in the Colorado town of Burning Mesa. In Maggie’s world, the bones of long-extinct magical creatures such as dragons and sirens are mined and traded for their residual magical elements, and harnessing these relics’ powers allows the user to wield fire, turn invisible, or heal even the worst of injuries.

Working in a local saloon, Maggie befriends the spirited showgirl Adelaide and falls for the roguish cowboy Landon. But when she proves to have a particular skill at harnessing the relics’ powers, Maggie is whisked away to the glamorous hacienda of Álvar Castilla, the wealthy young relic baron who runs Burning Mesa. Though his intentions aren’t always clear, Álvar trains Maggie in the world of relic magic. But when the mysterious fires reappear in their neighboring towns, Maggie must discover who is channeling relic magic for evil before it’s too late.

This book sounds right up my ally. I love fantasy, magic, magic-users, mystery, good vs bad - you name it. It has a lot of similar elements to books that I have loved in the past and I really hope I will be adding this book to that list!

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday (21) - June 4th

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten list is "Top Ten Books Featuring Travel In Some Way"

Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands #1) by Sarah Fine

Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2) by Melina Marchetta

Just One Day (Just One Day #1) by Gayle Forman

Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1) by Moira Young

Everbound (Everneath #2) by Brodi Ashton

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope #1) by Maureen Johnson

Die for Me (Die for Me #1) by Amy Plum

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

The Best Book Ever Giveaway Hop

The Best Book Ever Giveaway Hop

Hosted by The Best Books Ever

Co-Hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer

June 4th to 10th

As part of The Best Book Ever Giveaway Hop we are giving away one (1) book that fits into the category of "Best Books Ever: Best of 2012. We have each picked our top three books from 2012 and will give one lucky winner their choice of one of them.
Nicole's Favorites

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands #1) by Sarah Fine
Ashley's Favorites

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW #113: The Program (Program #1) by Suzanne Young

Title: The Program
Series:The Program #1
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: April 30th 2013
Pages: Hardcover, 408 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

I LOVED this story. The entire book flew by. The world in which Sloane and James live in is faced with a serious suicide epidemic something one would never think would plague a society. The whole concept of the story was fascinating yet surprisingly not depressing. The characters were easy to connect with and to root for.

James’s cocky but romantic nature paired with Sloane’s demeanor so well. Their relationship was quite cute and believable. When tragedy struck, the relationship was really tested and pushed to its limits. Sloane and James believed that death was better than going through the program; the thought of having a clean slate was not worth it. Not only was the plot fast paced, there were no holes in the story. The world created by Young while serious was excellently crafted and explained. The romance between Sloane and James just made your heart ache, so intense but yet so delicate. If you are meant to be, you are meant to be :)

The only thing that really confused me a bit that forced me to give it 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars was the epilogue. WHAT? Can someone tell me what I was supposed to gleam from that? I also could have used more on the description about the rebels but I guessed that was being saved for the second book.

Overall I would definitely recommend The Program; it has unique traits which step away from the traditional architecture of a dystopian book. The fast paced plot had memorable characters who had to face unthinkable challenges and subjects.

REVIEW #112: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Title: Poison

Author: Bridget Zinn

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: March 12, 2013

Pages: 288, Hardcover

Summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

“It was the most ridiculous thing in the entire world: Kyra, would-be-assassin and master potioner, had resorted to hunting down her prey - her best friend the princess - with a piglet.”

My oh my what a pleasant surprise this book was! I must admit, I expected to find it a little cheesy, or at least young for my tastes, and while it was still a pretty innocent book, I found that I very much enjoyed it!

The story is simple but has all the right elements to entertain readers. Kyra is a master potioner and a witch. Is this the right time to mention how much I love a strong female lead? Kyra was talented, capable, funny, brave, selfless, and just AWESOME. She won me over pretty quickly with her dry humor and attitude toward life. Anyway, Kyra’s witch-ly talents allow her to see the future and, in one particular vision, she sees her best friend, the princess, destroying the world. As a last resort, Kyra realizes she must kill the princess to stop the vision from coming true.. Thus the adventure begins. Kyra’s first assassination attempt failed and now she is on the run from the King’s Army and chasing after the princess to finish the job. Enter a pig with special searching abilities, a ruggedly handsome traveler named Fred, and some ghoulish evil creatures, and you have a recipe for Poison.

So Kyra’s journey was fun to follow and was told at a really nice pace that kept my full attention. There was plenty of exciting action dispersed throughout the story and a pretty solid ending in my opinion. But the real adoration for this novel comes in the humorous writing. I have so many quotes to share so excuse me while I share ALL OF THEM *evil laugh*. But seriously, if you read anything all please read this excerpt that I took the time to type up after it cracked me up. :D

“Kyra looked at Fred skeptically. ‘I’m sure Fred can give us a few tips, at least, of how to act like men.’
‘Hey! I am more than capable of giving man lessons.’ Fred smiled broadly at Kyra. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘For one thing, we need to know how to walk.’
‘No problem. I’ve been walking most of my life.’ Fred held up a hand. ‘Stop and watch.’
The girls leaned up against an apple tree with Rosie at their feet.
‘First, you aren’t just acting like any kind of men; you’re going to be especially manly men. I picked you up to work for me, after all, and I wouldn’t choose just any men for that sort of thing. I need men who can fight and lift heavy things. You might want to spit occasionally.’
‘Why?’
‘It helps keep you from looking too smart. Now, because you are so manly, it naturally follows that you have large upper-arm muscles. Huge muscles, really. The way you let people know this is by slightly bending your elbows and holding your arms out from your body, like your muscles are so big they’re getting in the way.’
Kyra and Ariana bent their elbows and pushed their arms a couple of inches away from their bodies.
The edges of Fred’s lips quirked as though he was trying to restrain a smile. ‘Then you need ot let them know that not only are you muscular, you’re confident of your abilities in all areas. You accomplish this by swaggering when you walk. Langley, stay.’ He pointed for the dog to sit next to the girls.
Fred sauntered away from them under the lacey white boughs of the trees in a masculine strut.
‘Your turn.’
The girls copied Fred’s walk while he stood back and watched.
‘A little less hip swinging, Kyra.’
‘I’m not-‘
‘And don’t walk so close together. Imagine there’s at least one invisible guy between you at all times.’
Ariana leaned over and whispered in Kyra’s ear. ‘He wants us to imagine him between us. Guys are so weird.’
‘Men don’t whisper, but if you have to do it, at least do it the right way.’
Ariana and Kyra stopped walking and turned back to Fred.
‘If you find you need to whisper, you don’t get up close to the other person and lean into their ear. Stay where you are, a person’s-width apart, and put a hand up on the far side of your face like a shield.’ He demonstrated with his hand out straight from one side of his face. ‘Then turn your head slightly to the other person and say what you need to say.’
The girls exchanged a look.
‘No ‘best friends’ glances at each other like that , either. Or ‘dears’ and ‘darlings.’ Men insult each other every chance they get.’
‘Men don’t have best friends?’ Kyra asked.
‘You’d only know it by the ferocity of the insults. If a guy’s your really good pal, you let him have it at every opportunity.’
‘Got it, fathead.’ Ariana said."

And there is so much more where this came from:

“A few minutes later, a chuckle came from behind her. ‘Kitty don’t be alarmed, but this part of the forest seems to be populated by a bush I’ve never seen before.’

‘Hmmm. . . ?’

‘It seems to be sprouting women’s underthings.’

Kyra sat bolt upright. ‘Leave those underthings alone.’

Fred sat beside her. ‘I wouldn’t dream of touching such an unusual plant. It’s probably poisonous.’”

“Ariana dabbed sap about her lip and smoothed a chunk of her hair on each side, creating her mustache. ‘How does this look?’

‘Um. . . ‘

‘The only real answer to that is ‘great.’’

‘Looks great, Ari.’

‘Convincing and genuine?’

‘Uh-huh?’

Fred popped out of the woods wearing a black riding outfit with a long navy velvet cloak attached at the shoulders. ‘Ariana, there’s a small rodent on your face. Thought you should know.’‘It’s a mustache. Kyra assured me that it’s extremely convincing.’”

“’You know, kitty cat, you don’t need to go to such great lengths to find out my secrets. I’d tell you anything you wanted to know without truth serum.’

‘Ari, maybe we should get you out of here. No joke. You really are dangerous with this truth serum in you. You might say something you wished you hadn’t.’

‘Like that your mom scared me, but I think your dad is kind of cute, in an old-guy sort of way?’ ‘Exactly like that.’”

‘…I might stick around for a little while longer. There are some interesting things in the Kingdom of Mohr.’

‘Like what?’

‘Like a certain funny and extremely talented potioner.’

Kyra took a breath. ‘I have to warn you, Hal isn’t that great as a boyfriend. He’s pretty self-absorbed.’”

Ok ok I'll stop. But see what I mean? Pretty amusing stuff. This book is a lot of fun. A daring adventure with a few twists thrown in. A very clever and skillful female lead. And great writing with quite a bit of laughs. All in all, I'd say this is a great book when you are looking for some light action and fun.

Stacking the Shelves (22) - June 1st

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

This is what's on my shelf for upcoming reads: