The Quiet Concert

Stacking the Shelves (58) - Feb 8th

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:

Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
The Little Android (Lunar Chronicles #2.5) by Marissa Meyer
Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

What books are stacking your shelves??

REVIEW: Lady Thief (Scarlet #2) by A. C. Gaughen

Title: Lady Thief
Series: Scarlet #2
Author: A. C. Gaughen
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: February 11, 2014
Pages: 304
Source: ARC obtained at ALAMW

Summary from Goodreads:
Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.

"'A knife-wielding lady who cut off her own hair to fight a thief taker? There aren't many of you in the world, my lady.'"

This book. THIS book. I liked Scarlet well enough but I LOVED Lady Thief. It was so much MORE in every way that matters:

More LOVE
Between Rob and Scar
Within the Band
From the people of Nottingham

More HATE
Towards Gisbourne
and Prince John
Between the people to the nobility

More LOYALTY
Scar for Rob and Rob for Scar
To the people
From Gisbourne to Scar

More ALLIES
Winchester
Eleanor
Allan

More FOES
Prince John
de Clare
Isabel

More LOSS
In part
and in whole

More GAIN
In family
In triumph

More ACTION
Competitions
Riots
And of course, thievery ;)

I could go on and on. Lady Thief is MORE MORE MORE. So naturally I loved it MORE! :)

Thoughts for Thursday (14) - Disney World & Universal Recap

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

Disney World and Universal Studios

The idea of posting a recap of my trip came from seeing Mel @ The Daily Prophecy's post about her love for Disney. I found myself saying, 'Oh you should see this picture I took from Disney'. So I decided to share with you guys some pictures and experience from Disney and Universal Studios (since Harry Potter World was there)!

We bought a hopper pass (best decision ever!) so we could bounce from park to park. Our first park was..

Hollywood Studios!

As you see we met Mary Poppins, Stitch, and even Darth Vader. This was probably my second favorite park. The shows were awesome and the rides were great too!

Next up where we traveled around the globe, met Jasmine, Belle, and Mulan. This park is probably the least ride heavy but does have lots of food and drinks from around the world.
Epcot!

After Epcot we went on a Safari, met Rafaki, Baloo, and King Louie. We got to see Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale, and more at ...
Animal Kingdom!

We save the best for last at Disney, The Magic Kingdom :) It was by far my favorite park! We got to eat lunch in Beast's castle. There are three rooms and each was so elaborately done it was so impressive. We met tons of characters and while most of the rides are not thrill rides they were all so well done.
Magic Kingdom

After Disney we went to Universal which had more thrill rides but overall I enjoyed Disney a lot more. Harry Potter World is what makes the park.

Harry Potter World

I hope ya enjoyed my pictures! I had a blast if you are planning a trip or anything and have questions I am more than happy to give my opinion!

Have you been to Disney? or Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure? Excited to go visit one of these parks now?

REVIEW: Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

Title: Roomies
Author: Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: December 24, 2013
Pages: 288
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:
It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

Roomies is a really great story that I think many will connect with. Maybe, like me, you'll reflect back on your own college roommate experience, or maybe you'll look ahead and think about that day to come. Maybe you'll even learn a thing or two. A lot can change in the time leading up to and after you leave for college - friends, significant others, family, scenery, habits - and Roomies does a great job of capturing it all. And with the POVs of both Elizabeth and Lauren - two very different girls leading very different lives - readers get to experience 2x the change. It's a wonderfully well-rounded, relevant story and I had a lot of fun reading it.

The variety in Roomies was my favorite thing about the story, but there were so many other admirable details. I loved that the girls didn’t see eye to eye on everything. They actually had a few disagreements and had to work through some of their differences. I appreciated this so much because the odds of getting along perfectly with someone you are randomly paired with are slim and I thought it was honest of the girls to voice their opinions even if it would be easier to just agree.

I also loved the part that email played in this story. Elizabeth reaches out to Lauren through email when she first learns they are paired together as roomies and that is how they communicate throughout the book. The chapters alternate POVs and in almost every chapter, weaved into the rest of the story, the email chain is continued. And it just so happened that they both needed each other to talk to, someone separate from their everyday lives that they could open up to who would maybe understand. They took risks and shared pieces of themselves and they grew closer that way.

However, at the end of the day, Roomies didn't leave quite the impression on me as it seems to have left on everyone else. I think it's a strong contemporary and a worth-while read but it didn’t pack the feels for me as some of my other favorite contemporaries. But I don’t mean to say it is any less great or memorable. I do recommend this one.

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten list is
"Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
Everyone who has read this book or seen the movie knows the part I am talking about. I had a serious cryfest during and after this part. I couldn't talk to anyone about it without crying hah. I still tear up when I think about it years later. Saddest part of the series for me.
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

A girl watches her father slowly die of cancer. I knew it was coming and I still balled my eyes out. Morgan Matson told this story beautifully.

If I Lie by Corinne Jackson

This book was rough all around on the feels. But one part in particular made me lose it.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
The ending was just so perfect :)
Champion by Marie Lu

Again, I loved the way the series ended up but prior to the epilogue I defintely teared up.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

REVIEW: Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Title: Boundless
Series: Unearthly #3
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: January 22nd 2013
Pages: Hardcover, 448 pages
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:
The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Boundless tied the whole series together very well. I was not left wondering and felt satisfied with the way it ended.
Christian. By the end of the book I was just rooting for Christian, not for him to be with Clara since I was definitely Team Tucker there but for him to just be happy. He is a good guy and a good friend. The Clara-Christian friendship was one of the favorite relationships in this book. I felt like the dynamic and nature while dealing with college and crazy angel wars was well developed and realistic. Their friendship was not forced by any means.
The plot took turns I was not expecting, there were a couple curve balls and I liked that. Some of the craziness with Angela and trust in old enemies were not anticipated. It kept the story entertaining.

While I liked the overall conclusion to the series, parts of this book's ending where not my favorite. Some of it seemed to be a bit stretch, particularly some of the scenes involving Tucker at the end.
Some of the characters (Angela) got on my nerves. Even though I know there is some reasons for her actions/mood her character was not my favorite. I just wanted the story to move on from it.
The love triangle got to be overwhelming. It might be that I read the first two books a long while ago and I was just not invested to the characters any longer. I just felt like I had enough of the back and forth.

Boundless was a fast paced, surprising, and happy conclusion to the Unearthly series. The writing is fantastic and it so easy to just delve into the this world filled with part-Angels. I would not say this book is the best in the series but it did finish the series nicely.

Stacking the Shelves (57) - Feb 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.

So this past weekend I attended the ALA Midwinter Meeting, so I actually added quite a few books to my shelves, which you can find here, but as for what I just started reading/will be reading next...

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