In My Mailbox #20

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Bought:
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Download:
Winter's Passage (Iron Fey, #1.5) by Julie Kagawa

Library:
Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Won:
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Too tired. So I will keep it short. =_= Saw Inception today. Great movie. Still haven't read The Iron King yet. Sorta Like a Rock Star was pretty good. Currently reading Linger. Can't wait to read Forbidden and The Sky is Everywhere.

Review: Demonkeepers by Jessica Andersen

Title: Demonkeepers (Final Prophecy, #4)
Author: Jessica Andersen
Pages: 470
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: April 6, 2010

"Lucius is an Indiana Jones wannabe who never quite measures up until a twist of magic brings him powers beyond belief … and reunites him with Jade, the one-night stand he never forgot. Despite the sizzling chemistry between them—and the added power that comes with a love match—Jade is determined to prove that she can be a Nightkeeper warrior in her own right. But as the two race to rescue the sun god himself from the underworld, they learn that kicking ass isn’t enough. They’ll need all their brains and skill—and the love, long denied, that burns between them—to foil the dark lords’ plot."

My Thoughts: In Demonkeepers, the Nightkeepers must find a way to access the library of their ancestors in order to acquire knowledge of new spells and prophecies. Their only hope in finding the library is with Lucius. A human who has the Prophet's power lying within him. However, after rituals and blood sacrifices fail, it is decided that another type of magic should be used to try and awaken Lucius's powers. Sex magic. Although not having seen Lucius in months and not truly knowing the status of their relationship, Jade, who is tired of being on the sidelines, volunteers.

Demonkeepers is the second book I've read in Jessica Andersen's "Final Prophecy" series. From reading the first book in the series, Nightkeepers, there were some characters that I wanted to know more about, like Rabbit, Sven, Cara, and Jade. When I realized the fourth book was Jade and Lucius's story, I was very intrigued and couldn't wait to get started.

I must say that I really enjoyed the book. I liked Jade and Lucius. They were great characters, and I could easily connect with them. Both wanted to do more than what they felt they were actually capable of doing. Even though there were times where I was frustrated with them because they kept pulling back from each other, I thought they had an interesting (and hot) relationship. I was glad when they both began to realize that magic was not the only answer. And I was definitely rooting for them till the very end.

After reading this one, I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series. Thank you goes out to the author, Jessica Andersen, for sending me a copy of the book! :)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

"There is no..." [Catching Fire fanart]

¡¡SPOILER ALERT!!

If you have not read Catching Fire, book 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy, then you might not want to click this image! In fact, you might not want to continue reading this post. ;P

¡¡SPOILER ALERT!!

So this is another fanart by my sister! :) This time it's a scene from the end of Catching Fire, featuring Katniss and Gale. Wasn't it such a sad scene? :'( My sister planned on drawing all the way to the end, but she got lazy and busy. I'm not quite sure she will complete it... I really like what she did though. It looks really awesome! Gale is hawt. hehe (Ahh!! I need Mockingjay!)

In My Mailbox #19

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

ARC Tour:
Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
(Through Smitten With Books Arc Tours!)

Library:
The Iron King (Iron Fey, #1) by Julie Kagawa
The Off Season (Dairy Queen, #2) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Front and Center (Dairy Queen, #3) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Won:
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (Read this now! :3)
Plus some bookmarks! Some are even signed, like the Linger/Shiver and Shadow Hills bookmarks, which is really cool. I won them from Kristi at The Story Siren. Thank you so much! :D

Well, I think I got great books this week. :) It has been a pretty exciting week for me (book-wise anyway). I found out I also won Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick through GoodReads! I've had my eye on that one for awhile, so I'm really happy that I won & can't wait to receive it. :D

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

So excited for this one! :D


Title: Return to Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Flux
Summary: Maggie and Caleb just went through the worst year of their lives. Hit by a car and starting life over with a limp, Maggie never thought she would forgive Caleb. But she did-and fell in love. What they shared was real. But Caleb wanted to be free from the past-and a terrible secret. So he left Paradise-and Maggie-forever.

When Maggie and Caleb run into each other in a different town, they can't deny their true feelings. Will Maggie let Caleb get away again? Or will Caleb face the truth and return to Paradise?

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

In My Mailbox #18

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Library:
A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen's Thief, #4) by Megan Whalen Turner
Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen, #1) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

Three books again this week. This time from the library. ;)
I already finished reading WBaOTTMKM (too long to write out lol). It was alright; I was able to finish it quickly. Also finished reading the fourth book, A Conspiracy of Kings, in The Queen's Thief series. It was good, but the third book, The King of Attolia, is still my favorite! :D As for Dairy Queen, I'm starting it now. I heard the trilogy was good, so I'm hoping I like it. :)

25 Random Things About Me

I was tagged by Audrey (like...a long time ago) over at holes In My brain to list 25 random things about myself. So here goes!

1. I like to collect things. Postcards, stamps, coins (foreign currency & older US coins). This is how I came up with my blog name Collections. ;D

2. Two very interesting fortunes I got from fortunes cookies:
> Book lovers never go to bed alone.
> The secret of vast riches begins with a single penny.
Isn't that weird? Fits me perfectly. I just might start collecting fortunes. lol

3. I pretty much like telling everyone that I love Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. It's my favorite book ever. It blew my mind!

4. My favorite movie of all time is Pulp Fiction! It's freakin' awesome.

5. I have a fear of vomit. I don't even want to smell it, see it, or hear it coming out of someone. *shivers* Thankfully I haven't vomited in years.

6. I love orange! The color. And yes, I was so happy when I found out Peeta Mellark likes it as well. hehe

7. I seriously need Mockingjay in my hands now!

8. My favorite number is 8.

9. Learning about planets is interesting to me. I do believe there has to be life on other planets. I like to imagine them looking like us. lol

10. Jonah Griggs. He is my favorite male character in YA! He is loyal, badass, flawed, and hot. Who is Jonah Griggs? Well, you have to read Jellicoe Road to find out! ;D

11. Malcolm in the Middle was the best show ever! It reminded me of my family. XD

12. Electronica is the type of music I love listening to.

13. I can't say how long I've had braces. It's too embarrassing. It's not my fault either. I don't believe my orthodontist knows what she is doing. :(

14. I have 4 sisters. No brothers.

15. Putting lemon on Doritos (spicy nacho flavor) and popcorn is delicious.

16. I wish I could speak Spanish. :\

17. Here's a postcard I received from Finland that I love: [click here] It's really pretty, but the main reason I love it? Even though it's icy/frozen, it reminds me of Jellicoe Road. I think it fits this line from the book: "The prettiest road I’d ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-La."

18. I really want to go to the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando!

19. I'm in the mood for blue cream soda.

20. Blade of the Immortal by Samura Hiroaki is my favorite manga. It's hardcore!

21. I enjoy being sneaky. ;)

22. I'm kinda getting annoyed with this whole "popular chicks of school are mean to main character and they like main character's love interest" theme in YA books. From what I remember, the preps were definitely not the only crowd who could be mean. C'mon...there has to be a better villain.

23. I would like to meet Melina Marchetta one day. I know my mind would go blank though, if I see her. ^^;

24. Oh yeah, I'm shy.

25. It took me forever to complete this list!

Umm..I don't know who to tag, but if you want to do this, then go ahead! :D

In My Mailbox #17

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Bought:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

I bought The Book Thief because it was about $5 on Amazon, and I needed about $3 to get free shipping. However! I wouldn't have even considered buying it if I didn't already plan on reading it one day. I keep hearing it's a really good book! :) I can't say when I will start it, but at least I can go at my own pace, since I don't have to check it out from the library. ;)
As for the other books, I already read Leaving Paradise, but I thought it was about time I bought my own copy. It was the first Simone Elkeles book I read, and so far, it's still my favorite by her. :D Harmonic Feedback is a book I've had on my wishlist for awhile. I've been reading good reviews for it, and it sounds very interesting, like something I would like. I hope it's good! :)

Burn - Hunger Games fanart

Back in May, I mentioned that I forced my sister to read The Hunger Games. Not only because she needed to read it, but because I wanted her to draw fanart! I know that later on I said that she didn't plan on drawing Katniss/Peeta fanart; however, since she already forgot details from the book (and since we don't own copies), she didn't know what she should draw. So I told her about a contest being held at a Hunger Games group on deviantART, with the theme of 'When they were younger.' She decided to draw a Katniss & Peeta scene from the book, and here's the finished piece:

GAH! I love this scene so much! So, what do you all think about the fanart? Don't Katniss and Peeta look adorable? I want to hug them! When I was watching her color the panels, I admit I felt like crying because the scene is sweet but at the same time so freakin' sad. And when she drew in the tears running down Katniss's checks, gahh...I almost died. These characters have suffered so much. I hope it ends well for them all in the final book or I will be heartbroken. :'( And I may be biased, but seriously, I think my sister did an amazing job! I hope she decides to draw more Hunger Games fanart in the future. (And if you're reading this, guuurrrl, thank you!!)

Hunger Games T-shirt

Guess what I bought today? :) Yes, it's obvious from the pictures and the post's title, but I have to say it.

I got a Hunger Games t-shirt! :D

Bought it at my local Hot Topic store. I found out about it through Mockingjay.net yesterday evening and immediately decided I was going to the mall on Sunday. Totally forgot that today was the 4th of July though. I only remembered while I was on my way there, so I got scared that the mall would be closed. It wasn't! But then I got scared that Hot Topic wouldn't have the shirts. I started to get sad when I didn't see anything. :( So I asked one of the employees, and she said that they had them in the back! She also said that they just received them, which was why they weren't out front yet. I was so glad! It's really nice. I plan on wearing it for the first time next week when I go to the movies. Maybe a Hunger Games fan will notice? :)

(Oh, if you don't have a Hot Topic store near you, they are selling it on their site here. I'm not sure if they sell internationally. Might have to check around, if you're interested.)

So who else is getting extremely excited for Mockingjay? Only 50 days away! I've been trying hard to get other people to read the books by constantly advertising on forums I frequent and mentioning it to my friends. Because they have more than enough time to read the first two books before the release of the final book, and I don't want them to miss out. Haven't managed to convince anyone, except two of my sisters, so far though. Maybe they'll pay attention once my sister draws a fanart? I'm finally next in line on her list. Hopefully she starts it soon! >:)