THE CRESCENT
Author: Jordan Deen
Source: Purchased

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 190 pages
Publisher: Black Rose Writing (January 14, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0982582366
ISBN-13: 978-0982582367

SUMMARY:

Becoming a werewolf is not an option for seventeen-year-old Lacey Quinn, but death can be a strong motivator.

Lacey is so focused on her future that everyday life has passed her by. Counting down the days to her eighteenth birthday, Lacey is almost home free. But when she falls for the mysterious Alex Morris, she lands in the middle of an ancient war between two enemy wolf packs. Tempting dreams, tantalizing lies and a dangerous love triangle ensues leaving Lacey heartbroken and confused.

Lacey’s fate rests in the hands of Alex and Brandon, but both are pulling her strings for their own agendas. Even as she slips further into the dark world of werewolves, Lacey struggles to find the truth and save the only family she’s ever know.

MY THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed this story from author Jordan Deen.  It has the werewolf factor that is hot and in demand right now, plus it has a love triangle with two gorgeous guys in love with the girl.  

While there were parts of the story that dragged and characters that had flaws, I still enjoyed the journey that the author takes you in in the book.  I was a little disappointed in the fact that Brandon, Lacey’s true soul mate, was only around for a few pages within the first 3/4 of the book.  I wanted to cheer for them, but it is hard when you don’t get to see the characters interact throughout the entire story.  

This leads me to Alex.  Alex is there from the beginning.  He is loving and attentive towards Lacey.  He tries hard to be the boyfriend she thinks she needs.  Plus, he is one of the most gorgeous boys in school which makes the popular girls green with envy.  I found myself cheering that Alex would be the one she chose mainly because I established a connection with him since he was around more in the story.  

Lacey was a little hesitant in the love department with Alex.  She was indecisive and couldn’t make up her mind about the boys.  While I understand that she was torn between two loves, she seemed to flip flop between the two way too much.  


The author saved the action for the last 1/4 of the book which made for a climatic ending.  In a way, I wish there would have been more action and suspense throughout the entire book, but I can also see how the author wanted to build the characters and relationships first.  The action scenes were a little choppy and inconsistent, but I was willing to overlook that fact mainly because of the revelation of who Grant is and the redeeming of certain characters in the book.  


A great read to introduce to young readers and adults who are just getting their toes wet in the paranormal genre, and a series that has me eagerly anticipating the next book in the series!  


MY RATING:

 
Okay book, but it left me wanting more! 3 STARS

INVASION
A C.H.A.O.S. Novel
Author: Jon S. Lewis
Source: BookSneeze
*I received this book free of charge 
in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595547533
ISBN-13: 978-1595547538

SUMMARY:

He didn’t ask for the job, but now all that stands between us and chaos… is Colt

Colt McAlister was having the summer of his life. He spent his days surfing and his nights playing guitar on the beach with friends. He even met a girl and got his first car. But everything changes when his parents are killed in a freak accident.

He’s forced to leave his old life behind and move to Arizona with his grandfather. The only person he knows at the new high school is a childhood friend named Dani. And Oz, a guy he’s sure he’s never met but who is strangely familiar.

But what if his parents’ death wasn’t an accident? His mother, an investigative reporter, was going to expose a secret mind-control program run by one of the world’s largest companies. Before she could release the story, what if agents from Trident Biotech made sure she couldn’t go public?

Vowing to uncover the truth, Colt gets drawn into a secret world of aliens, shapeshifters, flying motorcycles, and invisible gateways.

The Invasion has begun. 

MY THOUGHTS:

What originally attracted me to this novel for review was the cover.  It has the eerie and sci-fi look to it.  Granted, I am not a huge fan of science fiction but the cover kept calling to me. 


In the first book of a series, Colt McAlister is a surfer, youngest of seven brothers, and has a crush on a girl like any normal 16 year old boy.  Unfortunately, he is far from normal whether he knows yet or not.  When his parents die in an accident he is forced to move in with his Grandfather in a different state,  Colt gets a mysterious text stating that his parents’ death was not an accident.  After the text, Colt is sucked into a world that you would find in comics. From that point on, Colt and his childhood friend Dani and new friend Oz, must find a way to save the world from Aliens. 


Again, I am not a huge fan of science fiction, yet I found myself drawn into the story and felt like I was on the adventure with Colt.  The writing was good and flowed nicely.  The suspense was great and the action was fast paced.  The book was just what a science fiction book would be about without being boring!  I feel that teens and adults will both enjoy the story as well as it being great for both boys and girls.  Granted, it isn’t a favorite book of mine, but it was a great read for someone who is just venturing into the Science Fiction genre with hesitancy. 


MY RATING:


Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren
I had a fabulous week! I spent some of my gift cards from Christmas to buy some books that have been on my wish list, plus I got a great package of books from my secret book fairy! Here is what showed up in my mailbox this week!
All titles are linked to GoodReads for summary!


 For Review:
(TY Hachette!)
(TY Scholastic!)
 
From My Book Fairy:


Purchased:
So what did everyone else get? Feel free to link to your IMM in the comments!

For the New Year, I wanted to focus the first month on reading a series that I have heard great things about!  I have owned the entire series for sometime now and I just can’t decide which series to read first. So I am going to let you, my readers, decide which series I should devour first!! Please take a moment to vote below for your choice on which series will be read and reviewed first! I will close the poll tomorrow night, 1/2/2011, so hurry and vote!  Tell your friends to vote as well!

*POLL CLOSED*

Wow! 2010 was an amazing year for me in the book blogging community!  I made new friends, found new authors, and read some wonderful books!  It was also my first FULL year of blogging.  For 2009, I only blogged for a few months, so 2010 I actually had 12 full months to share with you my book addiction!

Many people are doing posts about their Top Ten books of the year and such. Well, to be honest, I can’t do that.  I read so many books this year that I just can’t do it.  I tried to narrow it down, but the number just wouldn’t budge below 50.

First I want to mention some wonderful blogging friends!

I  had the great pleasure of having Fiction Vixen on my blog and let me tell you, she better plan on coming back this year!! She had me laughing so much with her guest post that my sides STILL hurt! She is so fun to read that you need to read her blog!

I also reconnected with a great fellow book blogger.  She was the first person I turned to when I started my blog in 2009.  She helped me when I had endless questions on the “how-to” of book reviews and blogging.  She never fails to help my TBR pile grow and my wallet to cry! Thank you Anna for everything this year and I look forward to sharing more pictures of the endless force of Mother Nature!

Then of course there is Kris ‘N’ Good Books who has expanded my reading experience to not only include M/M books, but now she has got me hooked on DeRo! *fist bump*

Finally there is Princess Bookie!  She introduced me to book tours and PBS games.  Oh man, how my wallet has cried with PBS games!  Each month we swap with other book readers to get our hands on new copies of great released books that have been on our wish list.  The tours have kept me busy with ARC reading and have fueled my obsession with new debut authors.  Who else puts up with me emailing them 30 times a day with “Have you seen this book?” or “OMG! You have to read this book!” ??

Now for the stats for 2010!

Challenges Completed:

2010 Romance Reading Challenge
Read 20 Romance Fiction novels
Completed on Feb. 22, 2010

2010 Erotica Romance Reading Challenge
Read TEN Erotica Romance
Completed on March 5th, 2010

2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge
Read 50 Young Adult novels
Completed on June 4th, 2010

2010 100+ Reading Challenge
Read over 100 books in one year
Completed on March 29th, 2010

Author Interviews of 2010:
Jack Cauldwell
Lara Adrian
Anastasia Hopcus
Mary Wine
Cate Masters
Shiloh Walker
Dee Julian
Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Judith Graves
Lynsay Sands
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Rachel Caine
Susan McBride
S.A. Price

Guest Posts of 2010:

Terry Spear (twice)
Susanna Kearsley
Grace Burrowes
Fiction Vixen
Carolyn Brown (twice)
Julia London
Jill Mansell
Lydia Dare
Cynthia Roberts
Wendy Holden
L. Diane Wolfe
Phillipa Ashley
Nick Valentino
Rachel Hawkins
Jeffrey Bryan
Maria Lucia
Liz Johnson
Stephanie Draven
Cheryl Brooks
Jamie Rush
Joanne Kennedy
Author I got to meet in person this year:
TK Richardson
Grand Total of books read and reviewed in 2010: 291
Total posts for 2010: 641
(as of 12/30/2010, 7pm)
48,730 visits to my blog
1214 Followers-GC
162 Reader/Subscribers through email
Good-Bye 2010 and Hello 2011!!!!!