The Choosing

“Not to be Chosen would yield a cruel fate of my own making.”

Like all citizens since the Ruining, Carrington Hale knows the importance of this day. But she never expected the moment she’d spent a lifetime preparing for—her Choosing ceremony—would end in disaster. Ripped from her family, she’ll spend her days serving as a Lint, the lowest level of society. She knows it’s her duty to follow the true way of the Authority. 

But as Carrington begins this nightmare, rumors of rebellion rattle her beliefs. The whispers contradict everything she’s been told; yet they resonate deep within. 

Then Carrington is offered an unprecedented chance at the life she’s always dreamed of, but she can’t shake the feeling that it may be an illusion. With a killer targeting Lints and corruption threatening the highest levels of the Authority, Carrington must uncover the truth before it destroys her.
First off a huge thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for sending me this title for review. Second, I LOVE a good dystopian, some of my favorites being Divergent and The Giver. Once I read the synopsis of this book I knew I needed to read it. So glad I did! I really loved this, the story was well written and well paced, the characters were well written and easy to love (or hate). The first page grab's you and drags you in and the last one brings closure with promises for more in the future book(s) in the series. I love how this is written by a Christian author, the daughter of the famous Ted Dekker and yet doesn't seem to have the normal Christian vibe that most others do, it doesn't sugar coat anything, it's more nitty gritty then other Christian author's are willing to get into when writing a novel. It's not written to uplift you but to make you really think about what you are reading and how the story should affect our way of thinking. Her and her father have a very similar writing style, her's with a different edge to it. It's hard to really explain, plus it's been forever since I have read a Ted Decker novel anyways. Overall AMAZING! Great work Rachelle and I look forward to reading more of your book's in the future. 

I received this book for review through Tyndale's Blogger review program in exchange for my honest review.

Uglies

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her driver's license — for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society. She'd rather risk life on the outside and urges Tally to defect with her.

When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world — and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever. 

Some dystopian books I have a hard time seeing them happening, this one easily could. As obsessed with beauty as america is this seems like something that can easily happen.( Hopefully it never does)
This is my second book by Scott Westerfeld, the first being So Yesterday, I had high but not overly high hopes for this start of the series. So far i have been really enjoying the story even though I feel like Tally comes up with complex-amazing-always-seems-to-work plans a lot and they always are successful. But over all I really enjoyed it and the cliffhanger would  be annoying if I didn't own the whole dang series. ( thanks Goodwill!) Overall I liked it, wasn't blown away but it was good and looking forward to the rest of the series and to see where we will find Tally by book 4.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!


OHHH MY GOSH WHAT IS LIFE. THIS BOOK IS SO DANG GOOD MY GOSH, I NEED THE REST OF THE BOOKS, NOW! I am really excited to finish this and a little sad, I wanted to find out what happened but not get to the end, ya know? I have never read a book by Sarah J. Maas and I have been meaning to read the throne of glass series but just haven't got to it. ( currently trying to read through my TBR pile) But wow, I loved this book so much and that it was a beauty and the beast retelling never hurt either. ;) Overall amazing!

Crimson Bound

When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

(This is a standalone novel, not part of the Cruel Beauty Universe.)


Love love love. Nothing but dang love for this author. She blows me away every time This book I love less than Cruel Beauty for these reasons; I had a hard time seeing the retelling side of little red riding hood, I just didn't see it, and Cruel Beauty is a retelling of beauty and the beast which is my favorite fairy tale. So point made. This book should be a movie, it would have to be done right but it totally could be one. OVerall just as good as the first and can't wait to see more from this amazing author!

The Whipping Boy

Jemmy, once a poor boy living on the streets, now lives in a castle. As the whipping boy, he bears the punishment when Prince Brat misbehaves, for it is forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like one another. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.

A rather strange book if I do say so myself. I love historical fiction, but this one isn't even close to the best I have read. It lacked depth or very good story line at all. Quit frankly if your a little kid this may be a decent book to read or get read to you, other then that this sucks.

If I Stay

The critically acclaimed, bestselling novel from Gayle Forman, author ofWhere She Went, Just One Day, and Just One Year.

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. '

Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time. 

Wow, I really loved this! (slow clap) Bravo! I love how the suspense of if she will or will not stay. It's just great, I am very excited to watch the movie and see how it compares. I highly recommend this, it's a short read so a good short car trip read.

Finding Your Way Back to God: Five Awakenings to Your New Life

“God, if you’re real, make yourself real to me.” 
 
Each of us spends our lives on a journey toward God. Yet often our most deeply felt longings—for meaning, for love, for significance—end up leading us away from, instead of toward, our Creator and the person he made us to be.
 
Finding Your Way Back to God shows you how to understand and listen to your longings in a whole new way. It’s about waking up to who you really are, and daring to believe that God wants to be found even more than you want to find him. It’s about making the biggest wager of your life as you ask God to make himself known to you. And it’s about watching what happens next.

I really enjoyed this book, it's focus is on the story that Jesus told of the lost son and his journey back to his father. The same journey of sorts that we as Christians should be on everyday; on a journey to find our Heavenly Father everyday and to have him make himself real to us and in our lives. This is an amazing title to encourage you to grow in your faith as a believer or as a non believer.
I received this book for review through Blogging for Books.

In the House of the Queen's Beasts

Fourteen-year-old Emily is drawn to the treehouse in the backyard of her family's new home. That's how she meets her next-door neighbor, Rowan, who has been using it as a refuge, where she carves wooden animals and stays clear of her difficult father. Shy, imaginative Rowan is like no friend Emily has ever had. They get along -- and begin to change each other's lives -- because of what they don't tell each other, as well as what they do. For Emily has her own secrets, too. And some friendships have unspoken rules -- rules that you have to follow even if your friend might not be safe...

This is a book I got from a friend last year for my birthday, it didn't have a dust jacket so I went into this blind. It was super weird at first, I couldn't figure out if this was going to be a horror novel of sorts, a re-telling of a fairy tale or just something else entirely. It was the something else entirely. I'm not going to get into it though what happens, it isn't bad in the end. I wasn't a huge fan of the book but I like the main character Emily's family is a lot like ours. Yelling all the time, mad or not. ;) Overall, good but not a book I will probably  want to pick up and read again. 

The Clearing

In this bittersweet romance, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever.

     Amy is drawn to the misty, mysterious clearing behind her Aunt Mae’s place because it looks like the perfect place to hide from life. A place to block out the pain of her last relationship, to avoid the kids in her new town, to stop dwelling on what her future holds after high school.

     Then, she meets a boy lurking in the mist—Henry. Henry is different from any other guy Amy has ever known. And after several meetings in the clearing, she’s starting to fall for him.

     But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of the clearing, it’s still 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past, staving off the tragedy that will strike them in the future. Amy’s crossing over to Henry’s side brings him more happiness than he’s ever known—but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.

     In The Clearing, author Heather Davis crafts a tender and poignant tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny—a perfect book to slip into and hide away for awhile. 

Thoughts on finishing this book: WHY DID YOU HAVE TO END. (sobs fading into the distance) My gosh though, it was so well written it felt real, so dang real so you start getting attached to them and you feel a personal connection to the characters and the story became like it was part of your own story.  It felt real. It's a very well written and beautiful book, I really loved it and just wish it ended different the way I wanted it too.Its hard, to let the story go, but I must. 

Searching For Darkness

Edwin is a Seer, one of the few remaining in the world, who can see places and animals that the normal eye cannot. When his parents, the legends that would find the ancient cave and destroy the book Darkness, are killed before they can, Edwin finds it his duty as heir to the legends, to live out their destiny. In this day and age, wolves twice the size of the average ones with red beady eyes, walking piranha that destroy anything in water or on land, and even a pearlescent white dragon will only be some of the creatures Edwin will have to cross to reach the cave that Darkness is hidden in. Along the way he learns of several powers that he has been gifted with, when strangely a normal Seer is only gifted one. The cave will reveal incredible secrets and what he thought to be true may just unravel the world that he is so desperately trying to save.

 I won this book from the author off of Instagram. So glad I did. This book was amazing, I really enjoyed the story and the characters. It was exciting, magical, and dramatic. My only complaint would be it sometimes moved a little to fast in some places. It made it a little bit hard to keep up with the story at a couple of points in time. Overall worth the read! 

At the Back of the North Wind

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate "reader friendly" type sizes have been chosen for each title--offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords.

This edition of At the Back of the North Wind includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by Nancy Springer.

Listen hard...you can hear magic in the wind!

Diamond lives in a hayloft. But that was all right with him. He loves to snuggle up to the horses at night and listen to them snore away. Sometimes he can even hear the stars twinkling in the sky.

One night Diamond is visited by a beautiful fairy with long flowing hair. She calls herself North Wind, and she lives in the enchanged land far, far away. Best of all, she has come to take Diamond back with her--back to the land at the back of the North Wind.

Adored by millions of young readers since its first publication in 1871, George MacDonald's magical tale continues to delight.

Love this! I listen to an audio drama of this a long time ago and loved it so my mom got me this super cheap at a college library. So glad she did it! Love this just as much as the drama of it. I really enjoyed it and this is one of the first classics i have been able to get all the way through, without reading the modern version or the abridged version. Overall I love it, its one of my favorites and one of my top favorite classics. 

Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life

“There is a part of the soul that stirs at night, in the dark and soundless times of day, when our defenses are down and our daylight distractions no longer serve to protect us from ourselves,” writes beloved author, Joan Chittister. “It’s then, in the still of life, when we least expect it, that questions emerge from the damp murkiness of our inner underworld…These questions do not call for the discovery of data; they call for the contemplation of possibility.”
   In words as wise as they are inspiring, Between the Dark and the Daylight explores the concerns of modern life, of the overworked mind and hurting heart. These are the paradoxical—and often frustrating—moments when our lives feel at odds with everything around us.
   Only by embracing the contradictions, Chittister contends, may we live well amid stress, withstand emotional storms, and satisfy our yearnings for something transcendent and real. By delving into the chaos, this book guides us through the questions that seemed easier to avoid and enlightens what has been out of focus.
   With her signature elegance, wit, and spirit, the bestselling author of The Gift of Years and Following the Path opens our eyes and hearts in these times of confusion. With simple and poignant meditations, Between the Dark and the Daylight reveals how we can better understand ourselves, one another, and God. 

Love love love this! I normally don't read books written by catholic authors, but this one was really amazing and even if you aren't  catholic ( like I am not) you can still read and enjoy the points she makes. Keep a highlighter, pen or flags close by! You'll want too!

I received this book for review through blogging for books.