Tag I'm it! Are you next?

Book Gif Tag

I try to use gifs to express my feelings and break up all those words, as well as just keep life interesting. I got tagged for the book gif tag 8 days ago by Ella from Once Upon A Bookish Time and I am just now getting around to doing it! I'm sorry Ella! It's nothing personal and I know I've been a terrible slacker lately but grades and my future have to come first. :( Anyways, I still wanted to do the tag even though I'm way late.

Rules: The person who tags you gives you 10 books for you to post a gif reaction to.  After you do that, you tag people that you want to see do it and give them 10 books to post their reaction too!

The books on Ella's list that I haven't read yet will be in BLUE and I will base reactions off of word of mouth and the synopsis. (Just for the TBR ones)

Alice in Wonderland

I have yet to read the actual book by Lewis Carroll, but I love the idea of it and all the movie versions and some of the great retellings of it (AKA Splintered by AG Howard)!

Twilight

I'm not even going to talk about this one. I haven't read it for very VERY obvious reasons and I will go to my grave proudly having never even touched a copy of the series. 

Every Breath

I hadn't heard of this one and there wasn't an author specified so I guessed that Ella meant the one by  Ellie Marney? I don't know if that is what she really wanted but that is what I looked at on Goodreads. It sounds interesting!

Grave Mercy

This one is actually on my TBR list and has been for a long time because I can't decide if it sounds horrible or great. I feel like it is one of those books that could go one of those two ways and I'm just not brave enough to try.

Clockwork Angel 

I read this one a long time ago (pre Reader Writer Critic era) but at the time I remember loving it to pieces (even more than Mortal Instruments)! I never finished the series though because I got distracted, but I'd love to re -read it all! 

The Selection

Oh the shame! I really liked this series when it came out! Not loved but I thought it was pretty great I re-read parts last night and I hated EVERY word. There was nothing good. I didn't like the writing, or the characters, or the romance. Nothing was enjoyable for me.

Graceling

I LOVED this book when I first read it (again I am pretty sure this was pre RWC era), I hope I'd still love it now. (Now that you've got me thinking about it I may re-read it!) It was just beautiful and creative and just *sighs* ahhh....

Skulduggery Pleasant

I know, I know! I commented on Cait's Goodreads about this book when she was reading it and how this was like every kid's childhood at my elementary school, and that is true! It just wasn't my childhood. I never read it and I probably would have liked it if I had read it back then, but now...eh...not so much.

The Distance Between Us

Pure romance and contemporaries aren't my thing. At all. However this one sounds super duper flippin' adorable and I may just have to read it! I feel that if I were to love a romance contemporary book this one might be the one.

Poison Study

I basically feel exactly like I did about Grave Mercy, and just like Grave Mercy it has been on my TBR for years and has gone unread. It sounded to die for when I added it and then when I looked back I was kind of more like "nawww...." 

I feel so horrible! I've only read three out of those ten! Ahhh! For my list of books I am going to TRY to do as many well read/ known ones as possible, but there will always be ones that people haven't read so you can either do those the way I did them OR exchange them for one of the most recent books you've read. 

Books:

1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

2. Allegient by Veronica Roth

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 

5. Splintered by AG Howard 

6. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater 

7. These Broken Stars by Meagen Spooner and Amie Kaufman

8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

9. The Book Thief Markus Zusak 

10. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 

Tag you're it!

(Be fearless! No shame! Tag yourself! Just comment below! I will probably end up nominating a lot of people that have already done it because this tag has been around the block a few times by now, so sorry! And no worries if you don't want to do it a second time! I tried to do mostly people that haven't been tagged yet. ) 

Amanda and Addison @ Of Spectacles and Books!

Emily @ Forever Literary!

Catherine @ Stray Imaginations!

I would love to see Skylar @ Life of a Random, Tansie @ Totally Tansie, Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf, Aneta @ The Graffiti on The Wall , Cait @ The Notebook Sisters, and Emily @ The Loony Teen Writer  do the tag but all of them have already done this post or have been tagged already! You should check out their Book Gif Tag posts because they are really awesomesauce!

Sunday Swoons

by Skylar Finn

We love having you guys involved! If you don't know what this feature is about here is the deal, Sunday Swoons is an original feature hosted by myself  and the spectacular Skylar Finn from Life of A Random. Every Sunday we bust out a different swoon worthy topic and discuss it, swoon about it, and chat it up!

Rules:
1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!

2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.

3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)

4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)

5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).

This Week's Topic Is: Sassy Spoofs

You have the option to make a spooftastic new title for a book (We aren't trying to steal your idea Cait. Your Honest YAs are awesome and we love them! Ya'll should check them out!) and/or re-write the first sentence of the blurb. (write a first sentence that is as sarcastic as it gets, or brutally honest, or horribly humorous, or whatever you want.) Have fun with it!

(I only had time to do covers for two sorry!)

(The Redemption of Mara Dyer by 

Michelle Hodkin)

Life and Death, Love and War, Yin and Yang, these things all go together, but at what price?

(Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott)

Emma is angry and her mother is dead, but the love of a hot bad boy might just make being angry ok, because love and misery and physical attraction solves all problems.

Insanity Games

(White Space by Ilsa Bick)

In the Insanity Games, anything goes. Will you survive your worst fears, or will the people you thought you knew take you down first? Can you survive the insanity of humanity?

Survivor In Space

(These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner) 

For this season of Survivor, two unsuspecting participants will "accidentally" get dumped out into space, left to love, hate, and survivor all on their own. It's Martians vs Man this season.

The Hungry Hungry House

(Amity by Micol Ostow)

Amity is one hungry, hungry house. It's been quite a few years since her last all you can eat buffet, and she is starving, and oh so glad you could join her for one meal you won't ever forget. She finds you to be utterly delicious, mind, body and soul. CRUNCH!

I had been trying to do romance books but two of them aren't because I got off track. (Oops!)

There you have it folks! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with! Sorry it has been so chaotic and late these few weeks, I'm still working everything out so bear with me! One of these days I'll get a schedule figured out. 

They All Fall Down

They All Fall Down

by Roxanne St. Claire

Every year, the lives of ten girls at Vienna High are transformed.

All because of the list.

Kenzie Summerall can't imagine how she's been voted onto a list of the hottest girls in school, but when she lands at number five, her average life becomes dazzling. Doors open to the best parties, new friends surround her, the cutest jock in school is after her.

This is the power of the list. If you're on it, your life changes.

If you're on it this year? Your life ends.

---

Expected Publication Date: October 14th, 2014

Received From: Liberty Bay Books 

Format: ARC

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(You can win a copy of this one and several other books here!) It was really the title and the cover and the sheer ridiculousness of it all that made me pick this one up. I mean really, it sounds shallow and cheesy, and it was pretty cheesy and REALLY crazy, but it was so, SO, fun!

It was like a soap opera, it sucked you in! I knew it should be stupid but I just couldn't put it down!

The action,  there was the perfect amount of action! It was thrilling and kept you on your toes, but it wasn't like solid action and epic fight scenes. 

Plot, there was a lot going on. A LOT. But the way the plot was paced was really nice, and it was stretched out so that it was never confusing. Also, it made it so that you could have theories and suspicions, but never know exactly what would happen or what the end result would be. 

The characters, while not extremely extraordinary, I felt they were easy to picture, and fairly well rounded and developed. The personalities were likable and understandable, and it was easy to love them and accept their flaws.  

The romance was well paced, and pretty darn cute. It wasn't like the cutest relationship that I've ever read, but I still really, really loved it. The love triangle part was a bit annoying, but not overwhelmingly so.

There was a lot going on. I didn't really like that there was so many really different wild things going on. I liked the individual things, but all of it together was a bit much at times.

The writing was pleasant enough. I didn't really have any qualms about it, but it didn't have me jumping up and down either.

Last Thoughts: This is a great "just for kicks" read. It is wild and wacky and a little bit cheesy, but it is so much fun. It's cute, unique and action packed with some moral themes and speaks to teens. I'd recommenced it and it would be four and a half stars based on entertainment value but for over all I'm giving it three and a half stars out of five as a final, overall rating.

Add it on Goodreads  and Liberty Bay Books!

Gif. Consensus: 

Rebel Belle

Rebel Belle

by Rachel Hawkins

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.


It took me two tries to read this one. Thankfully, I gave it a second try. Although, I still thought about giving up on it once or twice even in the second time through. Why you ask? Two words. Harper Price.

She was nearly insufferable at times. She is that person that you think, that person can't possibly exist in real life. That slightly vain fashionista, sugary, popular, and the head of everything. There is nothing wrong with these types of people really, but it came on so fakey and stereotypical and the sugary-ness was stifling and sickening.

The other half to this was that eventually all that dropped. I get that she develops and grows and her life changes and all that, but the basis of her personality wouldn't change, but it did in the book. The change didn't make sense so it bothered me. I mean I get it, she is more than the vain prissy chick everyone else sees, but parts of what was originally portrayed and was so obnoxious were parts of who she really was.

However, Harper was pretty much the only thing that really bothered me. The plot was cool and had interesting twists. The action was absolutely epic and oh so fun. The writing was well rounded, and all of this made for a thoroughly entertaining read.

Another minor qualm that I just remembered was that at least once it was very predictable. We all knew how the romantic part of the book was going to go down.

David had to be my favorite part of the book. He was great! Realistic, quirky, and funny, Although, I didn't really like Harper the way she was for the first part of the book, I have to admit that the characters were pretty well developed and well rounded, and they were very vibrant with strong personalities.

Last Thoughts:  It was a blast after I got past Harper. Wild, unique, and totally epic, the entire concept was great. The plot kept readers on your toes and the characters had well written and formed bonds with each other and have bright personalities. I give it four stars out of five, and I'd recommend it for a fun read anytime.

Goodreads and Liberty Bay Books.

General Gif. Consensus: 

P.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you Catherine for the book! 

Sunday Swoons

Skylar Finn's creation

We love having you guys involved! If you don't know what this feature is about here is the deal, Sunday Swoons is an original feature hosted by myself  and the spectacular Skylar Finn from Life of A Random. Every Sunday we bust out a different swoon worthy topic and discuss it, swoon about it, and chat it up!

Rules:

1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!

2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.

3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)

4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)

5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).

This Week's Topic Is: Dancing in Love

For The Friend-zoned (but sexy) 

Now I'm not very far into it (read that as Briana is only a few pages in and doesn't know what she's talking about), but I understand what the friend-zone looks like. So Althea and Oliver's song is: Crave You by Flight Facilities 

For the Sob Worthy Romances (I'd say more but spoilers)

This one is a heart breaker of a book so I picked a heart breaker of a song. Well, if you aren't looking at it in a certain way it's not a huge heart breaker but still. The Civil Wars's song, Sacred Heart.

                                 













For Lovers of Bad Boys

It's not a perfect fit word for word, but Devil's Backbone by the Civil wars certainly works for Anna and Kai from the Sweet Trilogy. And all those other good girl falls for bad boy romances out there. 

For All the Guys That Love Mean Girls

I loved Celaena, I really did. But even her biggest fan's have to admit she could be cruel and that she was pretty vain and arrogant. So She's so Mean by Matchbox Twenty works for her and her triangle, as well as the other rare occasions where the girl was not sugar, spice and everything nice. 

Another One for all Those Good Girls and Bad Boys

Pushing the Limits is a classic, good girl falls for bad boy who maybe isn't so bad, I enjoyed it all the same. There are a lot of books like this, so again this book is just one example that fits Lana Del Ray's Diet Mountain Dew.

Add your own song and literary romance combinations! Link up and share your thoughts in the comments below! Oh, and don't forget to check out Skylar's post!

P.S. If you saw the tweet where I mentioned lady jams, this is what I was referencing...

Can you guess the movie?

Briana is sorry that she complains about all her homework on twitter all the time, but it is a lot and she doesn't like that there is so much. She's trying not to complain so much. She is also sorry that all her little blog minions have been so neglected lately and blames it furiously on those teachers that are giving her all that nasty homework. When she isn't doing homework or blogging her fingers off, she has been playing tennis with her mother and watching her latest Netflix obsession, Arrow. 

Stacking The Shelves

I allowed myself one Liberty Bay Books spree trip yesterday and have come home with a respectable stack, so I'm linking up with Tynga @ Tynga's Reviws and sharing the glory! Don't forget to link up too, and share your thoughts and your haul in the comments below!

Althea and Oliver: This one was one of those round two picks. I saw it once and glanced over the synopsis and wasn't too impressed. The second time around I still wasn't that impressed, but I figured, hey what the heck, why not give it a shot. I'm only a few pages in but I'm really liking it so far.

Zodiac: This one didn't have much of a synopsis on the back but I picked it up anyways, not really knowing what it was about. I just read the synopsis on Goodreads and it sounds super cool. I don't read a lot of Sci-Fi  but Zodiac signs? How cool does that sound?

The Beige Man: As you probably know by now, I love crime novels and shows, so this one was a no brainer. I only now realized it is book SEVEN in a series. So, I'm just crossing my fingers that it will still make sense without the rest of the series.

Far From You: I loved the concept, and of course that cover. I enjoy stories with that whole, "no one believes me, everyone is against me" thing going on. (When it is done well/right.)

Midnight Thief: I've been hearing really great things about this one and it sounds really good. I love the occasional fantasy and the entire premise sounds simply epic. My one qualm, every time Kyra's abilities are mentioned in the synopsis, they are described as uncanny. There was an uncanny amount of uncanny being used.

So, what does your haul look like?

Figments Friday: Throwback Addition

This is my picture so please give me credit, also I would like to give credit to the Brooklyn street artist who created this. 

You probably have read this in a different post, or an interview or something (I've mentioned it a few times) but I have never finished a piece of writing. I counted and discovered that I have started roughly 18 different stories and never finished them. So I'm going to do a little something fun today and give you a clip of my embarrassing early writing and then a bit of my newer stuff so we can laugh at my lack of skill from years ago and then smother a chuckle at my slightly improved but still novice writing from this week. 

Figments Friday is an original feature for writers, wherein they share something about their writing, a character interview, an excerpt, a conversation between a character from one WIP and a character from another WIP, ect.  Feel free to join in!

Rules:

1. If you use my image please give me credit!

2. You DON'T have to do the same style post as me and can post in what every style you want about whatever you want as long as it has to do with sharing your writing. (Not advice)

3. Please remember to link back to me in your post, giving me credit for the feature and make sure to link up by using the button at the bottom of this post!

Note: I reserve all rights to all of my original work. If you quote or reference any of it I ask that you give me credit. Any snippets and excerpts are works in progress and may have typos or need more editing, for the most part they are first drafts.

First up a clip from what might have been the first story I ever tried writing. It was a lovely gem called "The Queen's Circle." It was based in Ireland with a crazed plot that went ever where at once. I haven't corrected any grammar or changed anything from what it was like before. (I will forgive you if you laugh. I laugh at myself so that makes it ok.)

As you can see, subtly was not my forte, The Island Killer is the first time I've attempted it since and I feel like it is going a lot better this time but I may be blind to my own flaws. Foreshadowing didn't work for me. (I'll give you three guesses what the attempt at foreshadowing was trying to "hint" (*cough* screaming *cough*) about.)

Here is a second, more recent and hopefully more subtle attempt at foreshadowing. Hopefully it worked out better. Weather it did or not you are only permitted to quietly chuckle at that one because it is recent and it may wound my pride. I do not however have so much pride that I would not permit you to laugh even a little bit. So chuckle away my friends. (P.S. That last one was from The Island Killer)

And don't forget your writing and link up!

Sunday Swoons

Created by Skylar Finn

I hope y'all are having a swell Sunday! Feel free to join up this week and every week! We love having you guys involved! If you don't know what this feature is about here is the deal, Sunday Swoons is an original feature hosted by myself  and the spectacular Skylar Finn from Life of A Random. Every Sunday we bust out a different swoon worthy topic and discuss it, swoon about it, and chat it up!

Rules:
1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!

2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.

3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)

4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)

5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).

This Week's Topic Is: Couples on Covers

I'm going to make my own "awards" for covers involving couples, and list the first three words or phrases I think of upon seeing it. 

Most Artistic

Romance. Dream. Northern Lights.

Most Awkward

Awkward. Trying hard. Crush.

Most Photo Shopped

Dramatic. Blended. Fitting.

Deja Vu Award

Words. Two worlds, Gasp. 

Silhouette Award

Fireflies. The forehead touch. Ombre.

Best Job Photo Shopping

Why isn't he little and green? Gravity where are you? Contrast.

Hope y'all enjoyed and I can't wait to see what you guys do! 

What are your favorites? Least favorites?

Next Week's Topic is: Dancing in Love: Songs that Represent Fictional Couples we Love

Stacking The Shelves

Sorry this post is so late and that there haven't been posting more. School has officially taking over my life and even though I've spent 90% of my day doing homework (which was 95% of which was reading two textbooks) and I am still not even halfway done with it all.

I have also been not so fearlessly not vanquishing a newt that was living underneath a pair of socks on my floor. That basically consisted of me screaming bloody murder every time it so much as breathed and covering my eyes and screaming some more as my plucky, lion-hearted mother scooped it into a bucket and relocated it to the great outdoors. These newt, lizard, salamander things invade our house nonstop every fall, everyone (the small group of people I socialize with)  thinks I'm crazy because no one has ever heard of such a problem. Please tell me one of you guys out there have this problem or have heard of it at the very least!

I only grabbed a few books this week from Liberty Bay Book's stash, but I'm still linking up with Tynga @ Tynga Reviews. I was too tired to take pictures of them so I'm just using the cover images. 

This one has already come out and it has been on my TBR list since I was a Goodreads novice. I had forgotten about it until I saw it in the stack, but when I remembered I was instantly thrilled and re-intrigued. I mean really, look at that cover, how can you not be intrigued?

I have to bring up that cover. Is that not the most beautiful, romantic, wistful, whimsical, artistic cover ever? I know I've talked a lot about covers today but both of these books have covers that spark certain emotions which I find impressive. Now, about the book. I actually passed on I Remember You the first time I found it in the stacks because it is just a huge romance and it has hockey, neither of which are my kind of thing. The second time around I still had my doubts but then I thought, "Eh what the heck." and threw caution to the wind and decided to give it a fighting chance. 

Do you get newts? What books did you get? 

P.S. Don't forget about the giveaway!

Love Stacks is Back!

Love Stacks is back thanks to Suzanne and Liberty Bay Books supplying more ARCs for this super special giveaway!  (Thank you, thank you!) These stacks of books are my favorites from my latest haul that I want to share. These are ARCs and some have already been published, while others have not. These have all been read by at least myself, but they are all in good condition. Just  lightly loved. ;) This time it is not a flash giveaway, this time you have a full month to rack up the entries!

Here are the Rules:
-USA Residents ONLY, Sorry! (Shipping is pricey!)
-You ARE allowed to enter for both stacks or just one, but know that I will make sure different people win each stack. (You won't win both stacks. You can enter for both.)

Stack/Prize One "Stack of Adventures"

Includes:
-One ARC copy of Amity by Micol Ostow
-One ARC copy of Suspicion by Alexandra Monir
-One ARC copy of The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black (Yes you'll also get the little box it came in seen on the far right. ;) )

Stack/Prize Two "Guilty Pleasures" 

Includes:
-One ARC copy of They All Fall Down  by Roxanne St. Claire
-One ARC copy of Forevermore by Cindy Miles
-One ARC copy of Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin

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A small note about the names and the books, "Stack of Adventures" are not all adventure books. The books in the "Guilty Pleasures" stack are not by any means stunning literary works of art or anything, and some of them were kind of cheese balls or a bit stereotypical, but they are just so darn entertaining! They suck you in like soap operas, you just have to keep reading and its so delicious and entertaining!

Also, read the my reviews of Tabula Rasa, The Iron Trial, and Amity. Reviews for the rest will becoming soon. For They All Fall Down and Suspicion, the reviews will be up when it is closer to their expected publication date.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Figments Friday

The above picture is mine. I give permission for feature participants to use this picture IF they give me credit. I also wish to give credit to the amazing Brooklyn street artist who created this scene.

You guys get double snippets today because I forgot to post last night and because I want to. :)

Figments Friday is an original feature for writers, wherein they share something about their writing, a character interview, an excerpt, a conversation between a character from one WIP and a character from another WIP, ect.  Feel free to join in!

Rules:

1. If you use my image please give me credit!

2. You DON'T have to do the same style post as me and can post in what every style you want about whatever you want as long as it has to do with sharing your writing. (Not advice)

3. Please remember to link back to me in your post, giving me credit for the feature and make sure to link up by using the button at the bottom of this post!

Note: I reserve all rights to all of my original work. If you quote or reference any of it I ask that you give me credit. Any snippets and excerpts are works in progress and may have typos or need more editing, for the most part they are first drafts.

WIP II:

WIP I:

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa

by Kristen Lippert-Martin

---

Sixteen-year-old Sarah has a rare chance at a new life. Or so the doctors tell her. She’s been undergoing a cutting-edge procedure that will render her a tabula rasa—a blank slate. Memory by memory her troubled past is being taken away.

But when her final surgery is interrupted and a team of elite soldiers invades the isolated hospital under cover of a massive blizzard, her fresh start could be her end. 

Navigating familiar halls that have become a dangerous maze with the help of a teen computer hacker who's trying to bring the hospital down for his own reasons, Sarah starts to piece together who she is and why someone would want her erased. And she won’t be silenced again.

A high-stakes thriller featuring a non-stop race for survival and a smart heroine who will risk everything, Tabula Rasa is, in short, unforgettable.

---

Expected Publication: September 23rd, 2014

Received from: Liberty Bay Books

Format: Physical ARC

---

My opinion of this one is quite complex and mixed. So don't put too much value in the star rating, you'll get a better idea of my thoughts from the review itself.

I utterly devoured this book! I was less than half way through and loving it. I decided right then and there that this was going to be a flawless five star, rave of a review. I spoke to soon. Don't get me wrong, I still really LOVE it, but I began to realize two issues that really really bothered me, making it not flawless or five star worthy.

Issue number one: The relationship. It was insta love but not really. I loved them as a couple, their relationship developed odly and their friendship and relationship came out no where. They went from one of them threatening the other and barely convincing him to let her stay with him for one night, to besties, totally trusting eachother, and totally at ease together. That went on for a while and then the romance. That romance sneaks up on you! I mean I knew it was coming (we all did) but then it just wasn't happening and nothing was leading up to it. Then there was a little joke thing. Saying I love you to someone before you die.  After that I wasn't sure if that was like a real moment and things were starting or if it was just kind of a mock or fake moment, and then life was going on and they couldn't have moments. And then the end came and it was just like,

I half liked that it kind of snuck up, but not really. In general the pacing of the relationship just didn't work even though they were cute. 

Issue number two: The plot. I actually didn't end up having as big an issue with this as I thought I would. It wasn't bad! I want to establish that now, I didn't really not like it, I just didn't like it. In hindsight, it wasn't really an issue per-say, it just wasn't something to rave about. The pacing and just the way it was put together was a little...interesting. I was sometimes a bit confused because there was SO much going on! It wasn't bad and it wasn't good as I said before the whole plot was just kind of eh, as far as how well it was done, however, it keeps readers hooked for the most part and is suspenseful. 

The Action. This is very much an action book. Really all it is is action. I like action and the action was well done and logical. You couldn't really cut out any of the action they put in but, at times there was just too much action, and it was easy to get a tiny bit lost. Generally speaking though, I thought it was well enough done, and good for an action book. 

The Characters. I loved Sarah. She was strong, fun, kind, and stunning with the perfect amount of snark. Pierce/ Thomas was equally awesome. He was funny sweet, smart and totally swoon worthy. I felt like all of the characters were very vibrant and stayed true to themselves and the personality established for the most part, with the exception of Sarah and Pierce / Thomas when they suddenly became best friends and more. They had some background and such, but I felt like they could have been a touch more developed, but really they were all solid enough characters and you just can't help but love them to pieces. 

The Writing. The writing was ok. It wasn't a shining example of what authors should aspire to write like or anything, but it wasn't awful. It was just kind of there and a smidge bland. The story could have benefited a bit from things like more vivid descriptions, better imagery, stronger and more meaningful wordchoice, ect. but all in all the writing was decent. It didn't hold the story back so I was ok with it. 

The Concept/ Story Line. The concept was really interesting and made for a great story! The idea of a surgery that would help some people, and give others a chance at the real fresh start so many crave is highly intriguing! Then playing upon the other ways such research could be used added depth to the concept. It would have been interesting to see more of the moral issues dug into a bit, but there was already, SO much going on that it probably would have been too much in addition to everything else. 

Last Thoughts: Over all, I liked the book a lot. It definitely had some issues and it wasn't perfect, but it was still a really fun and unique read. The entire thing was a bit of an action packed whorl wind read and that was both good and bad. It's great for a quick and fun read, and I'd recommenced it if it sounds interesting to you. I gave it three (or three and a half) out of five stars.

Add it on Goodreads and buy it through Liberty Bay Books here..

Gif. Consensus: