Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
"Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other."- summary from Jessica's website

When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to have it; even though it was historical which I'm not a fan of, it contained witches, which I am a huge fan of. I was not disappointed at all. Spotswood does a wonderful job setting up the world and how it works as well as all the characters and how they fit in the hierarchy. There's a lot of characters going around and she gives them such a unique voice and features that the reader is able to remember everyone easily.

I loved Cate as a narrator- she is a definitely flawed character but she's trying to do the best she can with what she's been given, both in regards to information and responsibility. She's an easy character to relate to and sympathize with. Her sisters were great too and had such fun personalities.

The romance is handled well too, feelings burgeoning from a vague acquaintanceship to friendship to full-on relationship. It's just great. Both guys are written really well, and are both just good guys, which was a relief since there usually tends to be a good boy and a bad boy to choose between. This romance was interesting and I had no idea who Cate would pick for a while.

I also want to say that I absolutely hate The Sisterhood and wanted to punch them in the face. Repeatedly. That's my go-to reaction when someone is doing something I don't like and is just WRONG. I don't get that kind of reaction often, from real life or from books, so when it does happen, it's a big thing.

Overall, an amazing debut and I am absolutely looking forward to the next books because this one ends on such a cliffhanger!! Definitely go buy a copy!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Meandering Monday- Retrospective

I don't really have anything for today so I'm just going to post a retrospective. Before I get to that though, I was interviewed by Katie of Katie's Book Blog over the weekend, so check that out and leave a comment please! :)

Now, here's the retrospective-

Monday- I did a fun little survey called Busting the Newbie Blues, which reminded me how much I love answering surveys!

Tuesday- I helped reveal the Don't Breathe A Word book trailer, and Holly Cupala is running a fabulous contest to go along with it, so check it out!

Wednesday- I reviewed The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe, which is out in stores now!

Thursday- I recapped the Incarnate launch party that took place Feb 4 in Harrisonburg, VA. It was a lot of fun!

Incarnate Launch Party Recap

You guys, I had the most awesome Saturday last weekend. It did start off with having to get up early which was not fun but after that, it was great. My roommate, her boyfriend, and a friend of ours came with me on the trip. We stopped at a winery my roommate loved which was only 2 miles out of the way. It was called the Hill Top Berry Farm and we did a wine tasting (my roommate's bf didn't though). I've only had a few sips of alcohol over the course of my life and not really enjoyed it, but with these wines, they're more fruity and they also have a lot of meads (made with honey) so I decided to give it a shot. It was not as bad as I thought, but I could definitely taste the alcohol and that wasn't enjoyable. We got to sample 10 different wines for just $3 and they provided a ginger snap with one of them. We were only there for about a half hour but it was fun. The people working there were really nice; the lady who orchestrated the tasting was the owner's daughter. It was just a nice, local, family-owned winery.

Anyway, you're not here for that, so let's move on. We got to Harrisonburg about an hour or so before the signing and had lunch, then went to the store. We actually showed up a few minutes late- Jodi had already done her reading and had been answering a few questions. There were a lot of people there, which was exciting, but there were also some young children there, which was a bit perplexing. My roommate asked if this was a children's book and I said no, it's 12+. But whatever, they were there and full of questions. Also full of questions was Jodi's agent Lauren MacLeod who is amazingly adorable.

Once the questions were done, the big signing started! I got into line while my friends munched on cookies and cupcakes off in the corner. While in line, I chatted with Joli from Actin' Up With Books and Angela from Reading Angel. It's always fun to meet bloggers at events, though I am very shy so it's hard to get me out of my shell. I got up to the front of the line and hugged Jodi 2.5 times (once for me, once for Emma, and then a side hug for the obligatory picture). We chatted for a few minutes while she signed my book; Jodi is such a sweetheart and I loved her knit hat that she wore.

After that, I did some munching on cupcakes and cookies and won a little butterfly knit because my plate had an Incarnate sticker on the bottom of it. Since there were a lot of snacks left over, Jodi told people to please take as much as they wanted, so of course we grabbed a few of each. I didn't take a picture of the whole setup but imagine what's in the picture I took of our haul times a bajillion and you can imagine how much was there. Or you can just check out Jodi's recap that has a picture of it before people devoured them. Also check out these other recaps: Fictional Distraction and The Musings of Almybnenr.

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
"It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they're old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you're dead.

When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for the island's dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.

Because how will she go on if there isn't?"- summary from Amazon

I had heard some great things about this book before starting it, and I can tell you that they're true. Crewe creates an interesting island world here that's rich with depth, people and locations. Kaelyn is a wonderful main character who feels like a real girl; while she can be strong and spunky, she's also fragile and introspective. The other characters were great to read about too; I enjoyed Tessa, Gav, Meredith, and Nell- they were great friends.

I liked the idea of Kaelyn writing journal entries to her friend Leo on the mainland. It was a great way to learn more about Kaelyn, especially about her life before the virus, and to get her perspective on the virus being spread around. Plus, it was an easy way of seeing when the virus started and the timeline of it since the entries are dated.

The romance aspect was cute, working its way from friendship into love. I always enjoy stories like that since it just seems more realistic. Gav and Kaelyn are really good together. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but nothing too huge.

Overall, a fantastic start to a new trilogy and I can't wait to see what Crewe comes up with next!

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Don't Breathe A Word Trailer Launch Party!

I absolutely loved Holly Cupala's debut Tell Me A Secret and now she's got a great new book out called Don't Breathe A Word! We're celebrating the book trailer release with a launch party and huge contest! Details are posted after the trailer.





HOW TO ENTER:

1. Click here to go to the DBAW trailer link, then click the Share button to send to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, MySpace, blog, or other social network. 5 pts each

2. Buy the book at this link for more chances to win (include in your entry below)!

3. Click here to enter with your links and/or purchase!


PRIZES:

Five Grand Prizes:
Signed copies of Don’t Breathe a Word, Tell Me a Secret, the TMAS special edition audiobook, bookmarks, stickers, and other swag*

Ten Runner-Up Prizes:
Don’t Breathe a Word flyers, bookmarks, stickers, and a TMAS button*

Plus the first forty people who buy the book at this link between now and Valentine’s Day get DBAW bookmarks, stickers, and undying book love from me!*

*Must include mailing address with entry. (US + up to 20% international winners)


Good luck to everyone!