Ascendant Contest Winner!

Sorry that this post is a few days late!

ANYWAY, the winner of my Ascendant contest is.....

MannaB

 An email has been sent to you.

Thanks everyone for entering! (I have another contest coming up in the near future.)

-Senfaye

Ascendant Contest!

Recently, I got an extra ARC of Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund. And since I love you all very much, I think one of you lovely blog readers should have it.

Rules to enter:
Follow my blog and comment below saying you follow!
That is all you have to do. Simple, right?

The contest ends July 24th! Oh, and you have to live in the US or have a US address.

-Senfaye

Things I Know About Love

Title: Things I Know About Love
Author: Kate Le Vann
Publisher: Egmont USA
Number of Pages: 153                                        
Publication Date: June 22nd, 2010

 Synopsis:  Livia's experience of love has been disappointing to say the least. But all that is about to change. After years of illness, she's off to spend the summer with her brother in America. She's making up for lost time, and she's writing it all down in her private blog. America is everything she ever dreamed of - and then she meets Adam. Can Livia put the past behind her and risk falling in love again?

Review: Things I Know About Love... wasn't what I expected AT ALL. I expected a light, romance novel. Instead, it was so much more.

Livia was a quirky main character, and her blog was quirky as well. Her idea was to write down all the things she knows about love in a blog. And she would tell all, even if it made her embarrassed. And since I love blogs, it made the book really awesome!

One of my only complaints is that the book needed to be a bit longer, so the characters would be a bit more fleshed out. Livia was the most developed, with a heartbreaking background.

The relationships in the book were portrayed very well, especially the relationship Livia had with her brother. I loved that they were so close. The only relationship that really had a downfall was Livia & Adam's relationship. I felt it all moved a little too quickly. Though, it was probably because of the ending.

The ending was a total shock. I really didn't expect it, and it left me heartbroken. And since the ending was such a shock, I can't stop thinking about it. I can't tell if that is a good thing or a bad thing, since it was so sad.

Overall, it was a really great novel about experiencing new things. I will definitely read more of Kate Le Vann's books in the future!

I recommend this book if you want a contemporary novel that is a tad bittersweet but awesome nonetheless.
FTC: Got for review from Goodman Media

The Unwritten Rule

Title: The Unwritten Rule Author: Elizabeth Scott Publisher: Simon Pulse Number of Pages: 210 Publication Date: March 16^th, 2010

Synopsis from Jacket Flap: Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.
Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.
Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.
Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...
Review: The Unwritten Rule was just as eloquent as Elizabeth Scott’s previous works. I jumped up and down when I got it, and then sped through it.

It was painful to read at times, because I really hated how Sarah treated Brianna. (I have had friends like that before.) I really disliked Brianna… yet I felt myself sympathizing with her at times. I couldn’t help it. While some authors wouldn’t be able to pull a book like this off (mainly because I wasn’t sure if I could identify with Sarah at first, but I reallyreally did), Elizabeth Scott DID pull it off.  Sarah’s character was so quirky and different, and I loved her obsession with Chucks. While all the characters were great, they weren't as remarkable as Sarah--she jumped off the page more than anyone else in the story.

Ryan was a great character too. He isn’t a cheating jerk as you would have expected. He is really sweet and cares about Sarah. Anyway, the pacing of the book was pleasant. And the characters developed more as the story went on. The ending… was shocking, but really wrapped the book up.

I thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth’s new novel. I cannot wait to read more of her novels in the future.

I recommend this book if you have either really enjoyed Elizabeth’s previous novels or if you are looking for a really good contemporary young adult novel.

FTC: Got for review from Simon Pulse

Why I've Been Away + BEA!

Hey everyone,
It's been a while, and I feel horrible about my lack of posts. I've been really overwhelmed with school, and everything else going on in my life. Thankfully, it is almost time for my summer vacation!

I will be attending BEA this year, and I am SO ecstatic to be going. I am flying out to New York on Monday and will be leaving that Friday. Words cannot even describe my excitement. Seriously.

Anyway, expect tons of reviews and posts on my journey in New York!

-Senfaye

1 Year Blog-O-Versary!

Today is my 1 year blog-o-versary!!!! Yaaay! I am really proud of myself for keeping up with a blog. I know I have failed as a blogger lately, but I PROMISE I will be back soon! Anyway, thank you SOSOSOSO much for following and keeping up with my blog. It means so much to me. <3

-Senfaye

Books Read In 2009!

Hey everyone,
First off, I am SOSOSOSOSO sorry for not posting much lately. I have been really busy. I promise to post more soon!

Anyway, here are the books I read in 2009:
January:
1.Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
2.The Fairies Return by Gail Carson Levine
3.Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
4.The Two Princesses Of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
5.Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
6.How To Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
7.Lily B. On The Brink Of Love by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
8.Into The Wild by Sara Beth Durst
9.A Girl Like Moi by Lisa Barham
10.The Nobodies by N.E. Bode
11.Olivia Kidney And The Secret Beneath The City by Ellen Potter
12.Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
13.Graceling by Kristin Cashore
14.The Devouring by Simon Holt
15.Prom Nights From Hell by Various Authors
16.Bliss by Lauren Myracle
February:
17.Love Is Hell by Various Authors
18.Coraline by Neil Gaiman
19.Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
20.Willa By Heart by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
21.Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski
22.TTYL by Lauren Myracle
23.Let It Snow by Various Authors
24.Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater
25.The Dust Of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
26.Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith
27.Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling
28.The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
29.The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones
30.City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
31.Bones Of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
March:
32.The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
33.Kin by Holly Black
34.Zombie Blondes by Brian James
35.Girlwood by Claire Dean
36.3 Willows by Ann Brashares
37.You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay
38.Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
39.Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
40.Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
41.City Of Glass by Cassandra Clare
April:
42.Wake by Lisa McMann
43.Fade by Lisa McMann
44.Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita
45.Prophecy Of The Sisters by Michelle Zink
46.GoldenGirl by Micol Ostow
47.NEED by Carrie Jones
48.Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by RJ Anderson
49.Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
50.One Butt Cheek At A Time by Amber Kizer
51.Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
52.Prada & Prejudice by Many Hubbard
53.Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman
54.Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
May:
55.Wings by Aprilynne Pike
56.Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
57.Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
58.Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker
59.Exclusively Chloe by J.A. Yang
60.Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
61.Darkwood by M.E. Breen
62.Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
63.My Big Nose & Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter
64.Switch by Carol Snow
65.Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan
66.Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margie Stohl
67.Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson
68.Soulstice by Simon Holt
69.Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
70.Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
June:
71.Devoured by Amanda Marrone
72.It's Not You, It's Me by Kerry Cohen-Hoffmann
73.Fairest Of Them All by Jan Blazanin
74.Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
75.Bedeviled: Daddy's Little Angel by Shani Petroff
76.Dead Is The New Black by Marlene Perez
77.The Waters & The Wild by Francesca Lia Block
78.The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley
79.As You Wish by Jackson Pearce
80.DupliKate by Cherry Cheva
81.Emily The Strange: The Lost Days by Rob Reger & Jessica Gruner
82.Suddenly Supernatural: Scaredy Kat by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
83.Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
84.GirlForce by Nikki Goldstein
July:
85.Undead Much? by Stacey Jay
86.Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
87.Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
88.Once A Witch by Carolyn McCullough
89.Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors
90.Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
91.I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure
92.I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
93.Boyology by Sarah O'Leary Burningham
94.The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
95.The Hollow by Jessica Verday
96.Behind Every Illusion by Christina Harner
97.The Comeback by Marlene Perez
98.Fashionista by Micol Ostow
99.Jennifer's Body by Audrey Nixon
100.Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley
101.Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
102.Sloane Sisters by Annabelle Vestry
103.Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block
August:
104.The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler
105.Immortal by Gillian Shields
106.The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
107.The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
108.Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe
109.Kiss Of Life by Daniel Waters
110.My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent
111.Evermore by Alyson Noel
112.Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
113.Crank by Ellen Hopkins
114.The Realm Of Possibility by David Levithan
115.The Boy Book by E. Lockhart
116.The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
117.The Eternal Kiss by Various Authors
118.Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

119.The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

120.The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson

121.Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis
September:
122.School Of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari
123.The Waking: Dreams Of The Dead by Thomas Randall
124.Fade To Blue by Sean Beaudoin
125.The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones

126.Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

127.I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter
128.Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
129.Liar by Justine Larbalestier

130.Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Worm King by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi

131.Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

132.Break by Hannah Moskowitz

133.The Sky Always Hears Me And The Hills Don't Mind by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

134.The Everafter by Amy Huntley

October:

135.Snap by Carol Snow

136.Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

137.Ash by Malinda Lo

138.Whip It! by Shauna Cross

139.The Magykal Papers by Angie Sage

140.Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

141.Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

142.Dark Secrets 1 by Elizabeth Chandler

143.Dawn by Kevin Brooks

144.Stupid Cupid by Rhonda Stapleton

145.Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

146.The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

November:

147.Demon Princess: Reign Or Shine by Michelle Rowan

148.The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

149.Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

150.Feast Of Fools by Rachel Caine

151.Lord Of Misrule by Rachel Caine

152.Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

153.Fade Out by Rachel Caine

154.Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation

155.Captivate by Carrie Jones

156.Top Ten Uses For An Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro

157.Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen

158.Confession Of A Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman

159.Triple Shot Bettys In Love by Jody Gehrman

160.The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

161.The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

December:

162.Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

163.Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

164.The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

165.Front And Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

166.Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen

167.My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

168.Lock And Key by Sarah Dessen

169.Frogs & French Kisses by Sarah Mlynowski

170.Spells & Sleeping Bags by Sarah Mlynowski

171.Penelope by Marilyn Kaye

172.The Key To The Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson

173.Ex-Mas by Kate Brian

174.Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

175.Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

I am really happy I was able to read so many last year!

-Senfaye

Happy Birthday Emma!

Hi everyone,
Today is a very special day. Today happens to be one of my best friend’s birthdays! Her name is Emma and you might know her as Emmyreader from Don’t Lose My Place. She is seriously one of the most amazing people I have ever talked to.
Emma, let me just say, HAPPY 14^th BIRTHDAY! You are getting old. You will be wrinkly soon (TOTALLY kidding!) Anyway, I love you Emma. You are like a sister. I cannot believe how long its been since I first talked to you. I remember exactly what we did. We played animal crossing and I was THRILLED because someone so cool was playing with me. (I know. I was a weirdo child.)
I hope you have the best day ever because you deserve it. Anyway there are some other people who wish to say something to you:

Happy Birthday, Emma! You’re 14 now. Doesn’t it feel GREAT? Well, it should NOT feel great. Cause there is NOTHING great about 14. Trust me, I would know. It’s almost EXACTLY the same as 13. But don’t let that concern you. While there is nothing awesome about 14, there are certainly MANY awesome things about you. I hope you believe me. You DO know I never lie, right?
For example, you are one of the KINDEST people I know. You sent me a package after only knowing me for like a month. I was like “Surely this must be a JOKE. Nobody is THIS nice.” But I was WRONG. And you like reading awesome books! Like WAKE. And SHIVER, the sequel of which you will be reading in a few weeks time (SO JEALOUS).
And finally, you like LADY GAGA. If that doesn’t make you awesome, then PLEASE tell me what does.
I hope this last year went well for you. Your first year as a TEENAGER, exciting! But I also hope that it wasn’t even CLOSE to as fun as this next year is gonna be. Cause’s that’s what someone as great as you deserves. <3  -- Michael

I want to wish a very happy, happy birthday to Emma! Although I’ve just gotten close to her—not even THAT close, but still, it counts!—she is a wonderful friend who can cheer me up from her blurbs about a certain baby to just books, books, and books. If I were to choose 10 people I’ve met online that are the nicest since I’ve been blogging, I would SO pick her.
You are 14 years young like me now, although I’ll grow older in a few months. Anyway, 14 is a great year in your life, and I hope every second of it is better than when you were 13 (BOOO). If there’s any moment today that you are down, just remember—today is a special day because YOU were born. –Kimmie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA HARRISON! i <3 you so much you are awesomeundo Emma Harrison. –Elise

Today is awesome. You know why? Someone incredibly, mind-blowingly awesome was born today. And that incredily, mind-blowingly awesome person is (get ready to be gobsmacked) the lovely EMMA! You hear that faint noise? That's the millions of people cheering because that's just how awesome she is. Emma is always sweet and she's my my other half and I'm GAGA for her (inside joke... be jealous ;D). So happy birthday, Emma. May your wishes always come true and may your birthday cakes never blow up.

Love,
Your Favorite GaGa Luva
--Catt

Emma, I'm so glad we met this year. You are an awesome young lady. I had the best Halloween I have had in years acting like a crazy kid at your house. I know there are many wonderful and exciting things in your future! I hope your birthday was awesome. Can't wait to see you on Saturday. Stay sweet! Lovely, Korianne

And last but not least..

For my dearest Emma, who is a bright spot in every day, may this birthday be just the beginning of all things bright and wonderful!
Love,
Michelle Zink

So, I hope you had an awesometastical birthday Emma!

-Senfaye