Beauty Queens

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Scholastic
Number of Pages: 400
Publication Date: May 24^th, 2011

Synopsis: Survival of the fittest.
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.
What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program—or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan—or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
Welcome to the heart of the non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Review: Beauty Queens is one of the most hilarious books I have ever read. I didn’t want to read it in front of other people because I was giggling so hard most of the time.

I never knew what was going to happen next, everything was unexpected. And while the plot was fantastic, it was the characters that made it even better. Their personalities were so distinct, which is really important since there were lots of characters.

The way the beauty queens dealt with things was really amusing, and I could see them growing and changing as people.  When the book ended I was really sad because I had grown attached to certain characters. Although, I loved the ending SO much. It wrapped  everything up so nicely.

Libba Bray wrote a touching, comical, and down right crazy desert island novel, and I adored every minute of it. Overall, if you are a fan of Libba Bray’s other works, or aren’t sure about them read Beauty Queens because it is awesome.
FTC: Received for review from publisher 

Contest: Abandon & Between Here and Forever

I am going to be giving away ARCs of Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott as well as Abandon by Meg Cabot to one lucky person!

All you have to do is comment below with your email address! Unfortunately, this contest will only be open to US residents. The last day to enter will be May 1st.

Perchance to Dream

Title: Perchance to Dream

Author: Lisa Mantchev
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Number of Pages: 333
Publication Date: May 25^th, 2010

Synopsis:  Brava! Encore!
Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned all about every play ever written, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and is determined to follow her stars. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the walls of the Thèâtre, they don’t go as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between Nate, her suave pirate, and Ariel, a seductive air spirit.
When Nate is taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him, and she and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?

Review: Perchance to Dream is just as magical as Eyes Like Stars. It had everything a book should have; romance, magic, cupcake loving faeries, and a great protagonist.

I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy Perchance to Dream nearly as much as I enjoyed Eyes Like Stars. Soon after starting it, all my worries were gone. I was once again swept up in the world Lisa had created. Instead of it taking place at the Thèâtre, Bertie explored the world. Which, while it was different, was quite a nice change.

I sped through this book, and at the time I just didn’t have time to read. With Perchance to Dream though, I made sure to sit down and read every possible time I could. I hadn’t sped through a book that quickly in a long time. (It got me out of my reading slump!)

I must mention, as well, that I love Bertie & Co. Bertie is awesome, the faeries are amusing, and I cannot decide between Ariel and Nate. I don’t think I will be too upset if she ends up with one of them and not the other.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. And if you loved the first one, you should definitely pick this one up! I highly recommend this series.
FTC: Received for review from publisher

Late Blog-o-versary Post!

Yesterday was my 2 year blog-o-versary!!! I ended up not writing a post about it yesterday  because I'm sick and I needed rest. I thought today though, I would write a little post today because I'm feeling a bit better. I'm really excited that I've had my blog for 2 years! And, I want to thank each and every one of you who take the time to read my blog.

-Senfaye
P.S. I'm really going to start blogging again soon, I promise! 

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