tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42425940960221443532024-03-05T08:01:11.438-08:00Book Bindings BlogWelcome! Here you will find a girl sharing her love of all YA literature.Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-67069035685974712622014-06-19T11:09:00.000-07:002014-06-19T11:09:26.650-07:00Book Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6)" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389748702l/8755785.jpg" width="211" /></div>
Title: <i>City of Heavenly Fire</i><br />
Author: Cassandra Clare<br />
Release Date: May 27th, 2014<br />
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry<br />
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Buy the Book:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/city-of-heavenly-fire/9781481426305-item.html?ikwid=city+of+heavenly+fire&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0" target="_blank">Chapters</a><span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Heavenly-Fire-Mortal-Instruments/dp/1442416890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403201021&sr=8-1&keywords=city+of+heavenly+fire">Amazon</a> -<span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/city-of-heavenly-fire-cassandra-clare/1116394309?ean=9781442416895" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8755785-city-of-heavenly-fire?from_search=true" target="_blank">Synopsis from Goodreads:</a></span></div>
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<span style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.</span><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.</span><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?</span><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...</span><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style=" font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!</span><br />
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Wow. I am seriously shocked at how much I didn't like this book. I think the first problem is that it is way too long for the plot. This book has so much filler, it got to the point where I found it hard to follow. There is also quite a few times where I caught myself skipping paragraphs and mumbling "so cheesy". As a huge Cassandra Clare fan, I was expecting to devour and love this book, however, I experienced the complete opposite. Reading this book became a chore. <br />
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Another thing I didn't like was that the characters seem too young for their dialog and issues. I kept picturing them as twenty year olds, even though it clearly states in the book that they're only around sixteen or seventeen. <br />
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Overall, this book is a big disappointment for me. WAY too much filler, there are parts where I found it comically cheesy, and the dialog of the characters is really lacking in that special Cassie Clare humour. I'm really sad that this is the last impression I'll have of these characters. <br />
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<b>I give <i>City of Heavenly Fire</i>, by Cassandra Clare, 2 out of 5 stars. </b></div>
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-81310259598830111252014-06-03T22:28:00.000-07:002014-06-03T22:28:42.901-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">The Murder Complex </b><b>by Lindsay Cummings</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13576132-the-murder-complex" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b></div>
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<img alt="The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex, #1)" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385467089l/13576132.jpg" width="211" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.</span><br />
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<b>Expected Publication: June 10th, 2014 from Greenwillow Books</b></div>
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I've been reading some really great reviews for this book so I'm pretty excited to see how it is! What an amazing title though, right?! I can't get enough of thrillers, assassins, and action/adventure, so this seems like the type of summer read that would be just for me. ;)<br />
<b><br /></b>Is anyone else excited for <i>The Murder Complex</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-29566080330272331982014-05-15T09:42:00.000-07:002014-05-15T09:42:40.630-07:00Book Review: Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="Second Star" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1383148076l/18465577.jpg" width="212" /></div>
Title: <i>Second Star</i><br />
Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel<br />
Release Date: May 13th, 2014<br />
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux<br />
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Buy the Book:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/second-star/9780374382674-item.html?ikwid=second+star&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0" target="_blank">Chapters</a><span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Second-Star-Alyssa-B-Sheinmel/dp/0374382670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400171795&sr=8-1&keywords=second+star">Amazon</a> -<span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-star-alyssa-b-sheinmel/1116890991?ean=9780374382674" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465577-second-star?ref=ru_lihp_up_rv_13_mclk&uid=1661194207" target="_blank">Synopsis from Goodreads:</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.</span><br />
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This book was not what I was expecting. At all. I was super edited to read a modern and exciting retelling. However, instead I was reading a contemporary novel with a plotline that I had a hard time making connections to the real Peter Pan story. </div>
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Take Jas (aka Captain Hook) for example. I was prepared for a dark mysterious character that battled between villainy and heroism, trickery and caring. Instead, he’s a sweet, lighthearted surfer who shows <i>no </i>signs of villainy <i>at all. </i>Perhaps this is supposed to be a very loose retelling, however, it comes across to me as very unsure about whether to stick to the real story or go off on its own course. </div>
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Another problem that I have with this book is the main character. Throughout the story she comes across as very lost. In the beginning, this is fine, however, since she is the main narrator of the story, it gets old very quickly. </div>
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I am so disappointed with this book. At the beginning of the year, <i>Second Star</i> was close to the top of my “can’t wait books of 2014” list. Despite the amount of potential, this book falls disappointingly flat for me. There is a severe lack of plot adventures and dilemmas, the characters are extremely boring, and the ending is very anticlimactic. </div>
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<b>I give <i>Second Star</i>, by Alyssa B. Sheinmel, 1 out of 5 stars. </b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(I received a copy from Farrar, Staus, and Giroux through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)</i></span></div>
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-80052293345578205402014-04-08T10:58:00.000-07:002014-04-08T21:00:22.918-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">Don't Look Back </b><b>by Jennifer L. Armentrout</b></span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13418925-don-t-look-back" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if </span><em style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">not</em><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"> remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Expected Publication: April 15th, 2014 from Disney-Hyperion</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>Is anyone else excited for <i>Don't Look Back</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-29600458118565905102014-04-02T16:24:00.000-07:002014-04-02T16:24:16.640-07:00Obsidian Eyes Blog Tour + Excerpt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm super excited to be one of the tour stops for A.W. Exley's <i>Obsidian Eyes</i>! Scroll down for an excerpt and more...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="text-align: start;" /><b><span start="">Published by: Curiosity Quills Press</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">Publication date: March 24th 2014</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1836, a world of light and dark, noble and guild. The two spheres intersect when seventeen-year-old Allie Donovan is placed at the aristocratic St Matthews Academy. More at ease with a blade than a needle, she finds herself ostracised by the girls and stalked by a Scottish lord intent on learning why she is among them.<br /><br />She begins to suspect the underlying reasons when soldiers arrive to see her friend, Zeb, a mechanical genius. On the hunt for answers she breaks into his underground laboratory. There, Allie discovers he is not just constructing sentient me<span style="font-family: inherit;">chanical creatures, he is building a devastating new weapon for the military.</span><br />The guilds want the weapon and Allie is trapped by ties of blood. She must obey the overlord of the guild and deliver up her friend, unless she can rely on bonds of friendship, to save both their lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18812696-obsidian-eyes?from_search=true">Goodreads</a>/<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/obsidian-eyes-aw-exley/1118948294?ean=9781620075036">Barnes & Noble</a>/</b><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Obsidian-Eyes-W-Exley/dp/1620075032/ref=la_B00BG0TD7O_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395669489&sr=1-5">Amazon</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this tour stop I'll be featuring an excerpt: </span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Allie's heart pounded; an echo of her footsteps on the hard slate floor of the hallway. As a guild child she learned to wield a knife like noble girls learned needlepoint. Swords and throwing stars were her pianoforte and deportment classes. Her sparring partners were often boys, so why did this particular one make her pulse run faster than a bolting horse? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> He had circled her with the easy grace of a dancer. His hair draped over his forehead, so black it bordered on blue, cut short on the nape but rangy in front, almost obscuring that pale grey gaze. Eyes so mesmerising she thought a wolf watched her. Pure predator looked out, assessing her weaknesses. Her skin burned under her tunic where his arms held her. The memory of his lips at her neck made a shiver pass down her body. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A foolish reaction or worse, a deadly mistake. Her mind whirled as she traced her path to the girls' dormitory. She flung open the door to the room she shared and pressed it shut behind her. With short, quick movements she stripped off her loose cotton pants and kimono top and threw herself on the bed clad in just her chemise and knickers. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Lying back she stared at the ceiling. Her roommate, Eloise, had painted an intricate sky scape during her long internment at the school. A dark blue night-time sky with constellations painted in swirls of gold and silver stared back at her. The walls were a forest of climbing vines fit to conceal Sleeping Beauty. Eloise was a genius with her hands whether painting, sewing, or dissecting wild life. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Allie gathered her thoughts and calmed her mind, before she dressed for class. The colours over her head reminded her of the harem, where the walls were decorated with tiles painted in azure blue, startling orange, deep green, and sunshine yellow. The brilliant mosaics were a hard contrast to the lush silken drapes and velvet floor cushions so large she used to curl up on one, like a kitten in a lap. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "I wish you would stop killing my frogs!" The genius in question had stirred and risen from her bed only to find the lifeless amphibian on her desk. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Stop reanimating them and I wouldn't have to," Allie countered, rolling over on to her stomach. "And to be fair I don't kill them, I just disconnect them. How can you sleep with their limbs twitching and jerking? It woke me up again this morning."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Bio: </span></b></div>
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<img alt="A.W. Exley" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1360812269p5/6585392.jpg" width="143" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Books and writing have always been an enormous part of Anita’s life. She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.<br /><br />Today, Anita writes steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. She lives in rural </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">New </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Links:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.awexley.com/">Website</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/AWExley">Twitter</a>/<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585392.A_W_Exley">Goodreads</a><u>/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AWExley">Facebook</a></u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AWExley"> </a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is <i>Obsidian Eyes </i>on your TBR list?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you to <i><a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/">Xpresso Book Tours</a></i> for having me as a stop on this tour!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stay nerdy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Julia</span>Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-80342069258240002912014-04-01T20:52:00.002-07:002014-04-01T20:52:23.178-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">Prisoner of Night and Fog </b><b>by Anne Blankman</b></span><br />
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<img alt="Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1395470671l/17668473.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17668473-prisoner-of-night-and-fog" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.</span><br />
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<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">And Gretchen follows his every command.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.</span><br />
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<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?</span><br />
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<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">From debut author Anne Blankman comes this harrowing and evocative story about an ordinary girl faced with the extraordinary decision to give up everything she's ever believed . . . and to trust her own heart instead.</span><br />
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<b>Expected Publication: April 22nd, 2014 from Balzer + Bray</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Is anyone else excited for <i>Prisoner of Night and Fog</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-56590622044528378932014-03-31T14:26:00.000-07:002014-03-31T14:28:47.242-07:00March Wrap-Up Post<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
So this is my first attempt at a monthly wrap up post. I’ve seen other bloggers do it and decided to give it a try. Here goes!</div>
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<b>Reviews</b></div>
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<a href="http://bookbindingsblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/mini-book-review-endless-by-amanda-grey.html#more"><i>Endless</i> by Amanda Grey</a></div>
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<a href="http://bookbindingsblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/book-review-backward-compatible-by.html#more"><i>Backward Compatible</i> by Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark</a></div>
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<b>Books</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206760-scarlet?ac=1"><i>Scarlet</i> by Marissa Meyer</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465577-second-star"><i>Second Star </i>by Alyssa B. Sheinmel</a> </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429045-shatter-me?from_search=true"><i>Shatter Me </i>by Tahereh Mafi</a></div>
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<i>T<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18455515-the-shadow-soul?ac=1">he Shadow Soul </a></i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18455515-the-shadow-soul?ac=1">by Kaitlyn Davis</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21496110-obsidian-eyes"><i>Obsidian Eyes</i> by A. W. Exley </a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/985873.A_Game_of_Thrones"><i>A Game of Thrones </i>by George R. R. Martin</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12109772-paper-valentine?ac=1"><i>Paper Valentine </i>by Brenna Yovanoff</a></div>
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<b>Music</b></div>
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“Luck” by American Authors</div>
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“Brutal Hearts (feat. Coeur de pirate)” by Bedouin Soundclash</div>
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“Shout” by Ida Redig</div>
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“Love Me Again” by John Newman </div>
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“Wasting my Young Years” by London Grammar</div>
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<b>TV/Movies</b></div>
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<i>Game of Thrones</i> (TV Show)</div>
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This has basically been my life this month. I don’t think I have been this obsessed with a show since <i>Sherlock </i>or <i>Doctor Who</i>. I’m working on a discussion post which I will publish on the blog sometime next month in time for the release of the new season. </div>
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<i>Bitten </i>(TV Show)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlHgFvMWRDzkm5b58t1VbulC3JX-9WTCtvNF0AGj5YcqKDI4tLQCd_a4Rwmlf3FLcRbCr20ptA8iQ8XJOII5OUAqAhEpWqmvGqyzNV9_ztW9IIWvigeeLzp_5454uMpConf_oYw5URFo/s1600/BITTEN+-+Laura+Vandervoort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlHgFvMWRDzkm5b58t1VbulC3JX-9WTCtvNF0AGj5YcqKDI4tLQCd_a4Rwmlf3FLcRbCr20ptA8iQ8XJOII5OUAqAhEpWqmvGqyzNV9_ztW9IIWvigeeLzp_5454uMpConf_oYw5URFo/s1600/BITTEN+-+Laura+Vandervoort.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Still on the fence about this show. I’ve been following it weekly, but I still wouldn’t classify myself “hooked”. I am looking forward to watching the finale next week though. Maybe picking up the book would help me become a bigger fan?</div>
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<i>Pompeii </i>(Movie)</div>
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Okay. I don’t get why the critics gave this movie such bad reviews! I honestly enjoyed it! There are some good back stories, the characters are interesting, the acting is impressive, and the special effects are really, really well done. Plus Kit Harrington stars in it and after watching <i>Game of Thrones</i> I would say he’s one of my new favourite actors. I plan on watching it again when it comes out on DVD. </div>
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<i>Divergent </i>(Movie)</div>
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Me and a friend went to go watch it and fangirl together on Monday. Although the ending action was amazing, I thought the journey to it was a little rough around the edges. Maybe its because I haven't read the book in so long. However, around the second "fear sequence", I was looking at my watch and wondering when they would move on. I will say though that I really loved Shailene Woodley at Tris. She nailed that character! I can't wait to see her on the screen again in a few months in the <i>Fault in Our Stars</i>! </div>
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<b>Real Life</b></div>
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This month has had its highs and lows. </div>
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I’ll start with the high…</div>
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I purchased my first Apple computer! After years of saving, dreaming, and drooling, I finally have a Macbook Pro to call my own. *Cue Gollum voice* my precious. ;) I’ve downloaded all my programs and transferred my files and have been loving my new device!</div>
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Now for the the low…</div>
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I couldn’t get Comic-Con badges this year. *Sniff, sniff*. Over the past year me and my father have been planning this epic trip to San Diego to finally go to Comic-Con…however, that dream came to an end after the open online registration closed. Oh well, just have to keep our fingers crossed for next year…</div>
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And end with another high!</div>
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Since I already purchased the plane tickets for Comic-Con, rather then letting them go to waste, I booked a trip to Los Angeles for Wondercon at the end of the month!! Super excited about checking that out. Since I'll be down there, I hope to get to visit some other tourist attractions too, like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, and Legoland! I plan on writing a full report about Wondercon and will post it on the blog after I get back.</div>
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All and all, this has been one exciting month! Thanks to spring break, I was able to meet up with some friends, watch more shows than usual, and begin to tackle the <i>Game of Thrones </i>book series! Now back to school, exam, and performance mode…</div>
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What have you been up to this month? Let me know in the comments below!</div>
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia </div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-70814829013374914882014-03-28T22:59:00.001-07:002014-03-28T22:59:40.752-07:00Stacking the Shelves (Week 19)<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="STSmall" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hyk9Z7WdVNA/T6P68ADmNrI/AAAAAAAAFKI/WfHmIKAeAGI/STSmall_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></div>
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"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> that highlights which books are new on ones bookshelf for that week. Here is what this week has brought to mine!<br />
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<img alt="The Body in the Woods (Point Last Seen, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384297374l/18490532.jpg" width="203" /><img alt="Paper Valentine" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350335466l/12109772.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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<img alt="The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384362444l/18243700.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490532-the-body-in-the-woods?from_search=true"><i>The Body in the Woods </i>by April Henry (received from <i>Henry Holt and co.</i> through Netgalley)</a> Review to come!</b><br />
<b><br /></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12109772-paper-valentine?ac=1"><b><i>Paper Valentine</i> by Breena Yovanoff (purchased)</b></a><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18243700-the-assassin-s-blade?ac=1"><i>The Assassin's Blade </i>by Sarah J. Maas (purchased)</a></b><br />
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What's new on your shelf this week?<br />
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<br />
Stay nerdy,</div>
</div>
<div>
Julia</div>
</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-46958657408502778462014-03-25T22:15:00.000-07:002014-03-25T22:15:16.893-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: Salvage by Alexandra Duncan<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">Salvage </b><b>by Alexandra Duncan.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378399791l/13518102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378399791l/13518102.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13518102-salvage" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment, and death. Taking her fate into her own hands, she flees to the Gyre, a floating continent of garbage and scrap in the Pacific Ocean, in this thrilling, surprising, and thought-provoking debut novel that will appeal to fans of Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, and The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood.</span><br />
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<b>Expected Publication: April 1, 2014 from Greenwillow</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Is anyone else excited for <i>Salvage</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-5542422099497449012014-03-22T19:55:00.001-07:002014-03-22T21:28:27.240-07:00Book Review: Backward Compatible by Sarah Daltry & Pete Clark<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="Endless" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386599936l/19311332.jpg" width="211" /></div>
Title: <i>Backward Compatible</i><br />
Authors: Sarah Daltry & Pete Clark<br />
Release Date: December 8th, 2013<br />
Publisher: SDE Press<br />
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Buy the Book:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/backward-compatible-a-geek-love/9990044218527-item.html?ikwid=backward+compatible&ikwsec=Home&gcs_requestid=0CIjQvLvop70CFQWY5wodzAoAAA" target="_blank">Chapters</a><span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Backward-Compatible-Geek-Love-Story/dp/1494430576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395548845&sr=8-1&keywords=backward+compatible">Amazon</a> -<span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/backward-compatible-sarah-daltry/1117649953?ean=9781494430573" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19311332-backward-compatible?ac=1" target="_blank">Synopsis from Goodreads:</a></span></div>
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<strong style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>A YA Gamer Geek Comedy in the vein of</em> Scott Pilgrim <em>and</em>Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. <em>Ideal for fans of</em> The Big Bang Theory, The Guild, <em>and all things Joss Whedon.</em></span></strong><br />
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<strong style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WARNING: There is no sex in this book. Your Kindle or other device will remain at a pleasant room temperature. At no point will your panties drop. Your significant other will be allowed to snore in peace as you read. You may, however, laugh yourself out of commission.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Not too long ago, in a town that, depending on your current location, is either not super far or actually quite close... (insert </span><em style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Star Wars</em><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;"> theme music here...)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">It is a time of chaotic hormones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Two nerdy gents home for winter break have discovered a female gamer at a midnight release.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">During the break, the gamer trio manages to reveal the game's secret boss, a hidden enemy with enough power to destroy anything in its path.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Pursued by other gamers who want to be the first to beat this boss, George and Katie race to level up, and, in so doing, restore decency and sexual activity to their personal galaxy...</span><br />
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<b>My Review:</b></div>
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<i>Backward Compatible </i>by Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark revolves around the nerdy romance of Katie and George, two college students who meet at the midnight release of their favourite video game. Right from the beginning, their relationship is compelling and charming, with their nerdy banter being the cherry on top. </div>
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I could not put this book down. I started it Sunday morning and did absolutely nothing else until I finished it. The relationships between the characters are diverse and interesting. Katie and George have this instant spark that is incredibly fun to read. I couldn’t help routing for them the entire time. </div>
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However, despite the charming personalities of the main couple, the character that I enjoyed reading the most was George’s best friend, Lanyon. He has some of the best jokes, one-liners, and sarcastic comebacks that I have ever read. His witty banter, innocent demeanour, and awkward pick-up lines had me laughing out loud in quite a few places. He was a blast to read! </div>
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Despite the amazing connections between the characters, one of the things that I thought could have been improved was the plot. A large portion of the book is spent with the characters interacting through role playing games. At the beginning, I enjoyed following the action. There are some great scenes where the characters fight dragons, monsters, and each other. However, closer to the end of the book, I was getting tired of it. I would have preferred it if the authors wrote about some other nerdy aspects like going to conventions, reading comic books, television shows, movies and so on, rather than only touching on the gaming side of it. Yes, there are some great references to one of my all time favourite shows, <i>Firefly, </i>although it is short lived. </div>
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If you consider yourself a nerd, then I would definitely give this book a try. Thanks to the hilarious writing from Daltry and Clark, I was laughing out loud throughout so many scenes. Definitely worth a read!</div>
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<b>I give <i>Backward Compatible</i>, Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark, 4 out of 5 stars. </b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(I received a copy from SDE Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)</i></span></div>
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Stay nerdy,</div>
<div>
Julia</div>
</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-74783795283172701292014-03-20T21:20:00.002-07:002014-03-20T23:36:34.904-07:00Stacking the Shelves (Week 18)<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="STSmall" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hyk9Z7WdVNA/T6P68ADmNrI/AAAAAAAAFKI/WfHmIKAeAGI/STSmall_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></div>
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"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> that highlights which books are new on ones bookshelf for that week. Here is what this week has brought to mine!<br />
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<img alt="Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1379083526l/13206828.jpg" width="212" /><img alt="Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, #2)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1381258937l/12396528.jpg" width="210" /></div>
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<img alt="The 100 (The Hundred, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1377012321l/17332969.jpg" width="208" /><img alt="Half Bad (Half Life, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378660484l/18079804.jpg" width="208" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206828-cress?from_search=true"><b><i>Cress </i>by Marissa Meyer (Purchased)</b></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12396528-hollow-city?from_search=true"><b><i>Hollow City</i> by Ransom Riggs (purchased)</b></a><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17332969-the-100?from_search=true"><i>The 100 </i>by Kass Morgan (purchased)</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079804-half-bad?ac=1"><b><i>Half Bad</i> by Sally Green (purchased)</b></a><br />
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What's new on your shelf this week?<br />
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Stay nerdy,</div>
</div>
<div>
Julia</div>
</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-42955325737379020962014-03-18T22:58:00.001-07:002014-03-18T22:58:42.701-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: After the End by Amy Plum<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">After the End </b><b>by Amy Plum</b></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><img alt="After the End (After the End, #1)" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1380827849l/13601681.jpg" width="265" /><br />
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13601681-after-the-end" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b><br />
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<em style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.</span><br />
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<b>Expected Publication: May 6, 2014 from HarperTeen</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Is anyone else excited for <i>After the End</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-18948522999837575252014-03-17T23:18:00.001-07:002014-03-17T23:18:33.688-07:00Top Ten Tuesdays: Books on my Spring TBR<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2KvZXXRfU3Q7uZMP7IMhrtU9HZ8norcv7rJnIOyrpn3-Plq5UJQv7baG-rSP0CZ8Uns-8_RvTPId3QT5mRATZRjx7X08hfk9UDeRGyuu6AVHQ4GR3imu7CnPODc5nVa1h1S4QlvJiuIM/s320/toptentuesday.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This week on "Top Ten Tuesdays" (hosted by </span><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.ca/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a><span style="text-align: start;">) the topic is books that are on my to be read list for this spring.</span><br />
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<b>Top Ten Books on my Spring TBR:</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6421982-a-game-of-thrones">1. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429092-the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns?ac=1">2. Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839976-red-rising?ac=1">3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206828-cress?ac=1">4. Cress by Marissa Meyer</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17612776-the-lost-boys?ac=1">5. The Lost Boys by Lillian Carmine</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9361589-the-night-circus?ac=1">6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12396528-hollow-city?from_search=true">7. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17332969-the-100?from_search=true">8. The 100 by Kass Morgan</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17926775-stolen-songbird?from_search=true">9. Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief?ac=1">10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak</a></div>
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Which books are on your TBR list this spring?</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Subscribe or come back tomorrow for this weeks edition of "Waiting on Wednesday".</span><br />
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Stay nerdy,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Julia</div>
</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-89406178746330422352014-03-12T11:12:00.005-07:002014-03-12T11:12:52.810-07:00Mini Book Review: Endless by Amanda Grey<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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<img alt="Endless" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372789470l/18157967.jpg" width="132" /></div>
Title: <i>Endless</i><br />
Author: Amanda Grey<br />
Release Date: September 10th, 2013<br />
Publisher: Month9Books<br />
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Buy the Book:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/endless/9780988340954-item.html?ikwid=amanda%2520grey&ikwsec=Books&gcs_requestid=0CKiD0Y3Kjb0CFQsw5wodDVIAAA" target="_blank">Chapters</a><span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Endless-Amanda-Gray/dp/098834095X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394647377&sr=1-6&keywords=endless">Amazon</a> -<span 19px="" center="" text-align:=""> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/endless-amanda-gray/1117054070?ean=9780988340954" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18157967-endless?ac=1" target="_blank">Synopsis from Goodreads:</a></span></div>
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<span style=; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life.</span><br />
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<span style="; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has travelled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back. </span><br />
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<span style="; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-indent: 0px;">While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock - and the Order - Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life - and beyond death.</span><br />
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<b>My Review:</b></div>
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Unfortunately, a little over halfway through, I stopped reading this book. Even though I didn’t finish reading it, I thought I would write a short review based on what I read and explain why I stopped reading.</div>
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The biggest thing about this book for me is that it is very slow. As I was reading, my eyes brushed over the words quickly in attempt to read faster and get to pivotal scenes. However, after a while the action and excitement just didn’t come and I decided to put <i>Endless</i> down. In my opinion, this book drags on and on without really hinting at what the characters are trying to achieve and where they’re headed. While I was reading, I had no idea where the story was going and I was getting more and more confused as it progressed. </div>
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Due to the slow moving pace, inanimate characters, and confusing plot, over halfway through, I decided that this book wasn’t for me. </div>
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<b style="text-indent: 27pt;">Because I didn’t finish <i>Endless, </i>I’m not going to give it a final rating.</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(I received an advance copy from Month9Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)</i></span></div>
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-20205372841141482192014-03-11T17:54:00.000-07:002014-03-11T21:13:42.531-07:00Waiting on Wednesday: The Ring and The Crown by Melissa De La Cruz<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">The Ring and The Crown </b><b>by Melissa De La Cruz</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span>
<a name='more'></a><a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1387912944l/18296016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1387912944l/18296016.jpg" width="211" /></a><br />
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18296016-the-ring-and-the-crown" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? </span><br />
<br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-family:="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. </span><br />
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<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-family:="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. </span><br />
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<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-family:="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.</span><br />
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<b>Expected Publication: April 1st, 2014 from Disney Hyperion</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Is anyone else excited for <i>The Ring and The Crown</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-59176085139323993282014-03-08T08:42:00.000-08:002014-03-08T08:44:07.804-08:00Stacking the Shelves (Week 17)<div style="text-align: center;">
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"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> that highlights which books are new on ones bookshelf for that week. Here is what this week has brought to mine!<br />
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<img alt="Second Star" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1383148076l/18465577.jpg" width="212" /><img alt="Incarnate (Newsoul, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358271343l/8573642.jpg" width="207" /></div>
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<img alt="Obsidian Eyes" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384724093l/18812696.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465577-second-star?ac=1"><i>Second Star </i>by Alyssa Sheinmel (e-galley received through NetGalley) Review to come soon!</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8573642-incarnate"><i>Incarnate</i> by Jodi Meadows (purchased)</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18812696-obsidian-eyes?ac=1"><i>Obsidian Eyes </i>by A. W. Exley</a> Review and blog tour coming April 3rd!<br />
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<b>What's new on your shelf this week?</b><br />
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-37965640736371663872014-03-06T12:20:00.000-08:002014-03-06T21:06:48.073-08:00Feature and Follow Friday (Week 4)<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Alison Can Read Feature & Follow" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8474595901_873f4993f4_n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></div>
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Feature Friday (hosted by <a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/">Parajunkee</a> and <a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/2014/01/feature-and-follow-friday-185.html#more">Alison Can Read</a>) is a way of spreading the word of ones blog and gaining new blogging friends, as well as writing about fun topics! <br />
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<i>Note: If you want, you can follow me by scrolling down on the right side bar.</i></div>
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This week's topic is...What are some of your favourite back-list books (about 5-10 years old)?<br />
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Here are a couple of books that I read a few years ago and really enjoyed!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113304.The_Thief_Lord?from_search=true"><i>The Thief Lord </i>by Cornelia Funke (published in 2003)</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38709.Holes?from_search=true"><i>Holes </i>by Louis Sachar (published in 2000)</a><br />
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Although I read them awhile ago and my love for them might change if I read them again, I remember raving about these books to everyone I knew and talking about them every chance I had. They are a little older than ten years, however, I thought I would still include them. ;)<br />
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What are some older books that you enjoyed? </div>
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-41712064038993181302014-03-03T15:04:00.000-08:002014-03-04T09:16:54.577-08:00Top Ten Tuesday: Popular Authors I Have Never Read<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2KvZXXRfU3Q7uZMP7IMhrtU9HZ8norcv7rJnIOyrpn3-Plq5UJQv7baG-rSP0CZ8Uns-8_RvTPId3QT5mRATZRjx7X08hfk9UDeRGyuu6AVHQ4GR3imu7CnPODc5nVa1h1S4QlvJiuIM/s320/toptentuesday.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This week on "Top Ten Tuesdays" (hosted by </span><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.ca/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a><span style="text-align: start;">) the topic is popular authors I have never read.</span><br />
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1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/656983.J_R_R_Tolkien">J. R. R Tolkien</a><br />
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2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/346732.George_R_R_Martin">George R. R. Martin</a><br />
(However, <i>Game of Thrones</i> is one of my all time favourite shows and I plan to read the books over the Summer)<br />
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3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2493.Lois_Lowry">Lois Lowry</a><br />
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4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11466.Markus_Zusak?from_search=true">Markus Zusak</a><br />
(<i>The Book Thief</i> is another Summer TBR)<br />
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5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8349.Christopher_Paolini?from_search=true">Christopher Paolini</a><br />
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6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/137902.Richelle_Mead?from_search=true">Richelle Mead</a><br />
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7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295178.Gayle_Forman?from_search=true">Gayle Forman</a><br />
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8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1221698.Neil_Gaiman">Neil Gaiman</a><br />
<br />9. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/589.Orson_Scott_Card">Orson Scott Card</a><br />
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10. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13957.Scott_Westerfeld?from_search=true">Scott Westerfeld</a><br />
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Who are some popular authors that you've never read?</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Subscribe or come back tomorrow for this weeks edition of "Waiting on Wednesday".</span><br />
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-82780086871448638312014-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:002014-03-04T21:19:50.798-08:00Waiting on Wednesday: Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">Elusion </b><b>by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam</b></span><br />
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12369550-elusion" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.</span></span><br />
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<b>Expected Publication: March 18th, 2014 from Katherin Tegan Books</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Is anyone else excited for <i>Elusion</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-56729484823912971172014-03-03T08:39:00.001-08:002014-03-03T08:39:49.084-08:00The Shadow Soul Blog Tour + Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18455515-the-shadow-soul?from_search=true">Summary from Goodreads:</a></div>
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<b><i>GAME OF THRONES meets GRACELING in a new young adult fantasy by bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis. Told in alternating male and female perspectives, THE SHADOW SOUL has been hailed as "an amazing start to a new series that is going to have people of all ages wanting so much more."</i></b><i> (Happy Tails & Tales Reviews)<br /><br />When Jinji's home is destroyed, she is left with nowhere to run and no one to run to—until she meets Rhen, a prince chasing rumors that foreign enemies have landed on his shores. Masquerading as a boy, Jinji joins Rhen with vengeance in her heart. But traveling together doesn't mean trusting one another, and both are keeping a deep secret—magic. Jinji can weave the elements to create master</i></div>
<i>illusions and Rhen can pull burning flames into his flesh.</i></div>
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<i>But while they struggle to hide the truth, a shadow lurks in the night. An ancient evil has reawakened, and unbeknownst to them, these two unlikely companions hold the key to its defeat. Because their meeting was not coincidence—it was fate. And their story has played out before, in a long forgotten time, an age of myth that is about to be reborn…</i></div>
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<b>Praise for THE SHADOW SOUL</b></div>
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<i>The writing is flawless. The story and plot line, and plot twists, had me captivated and enamored for the first words. I couldn’t put this book down for anything, and I absolutely cannot wait for book two. The world building is amazing. I feel like I can feel the spirits when Jin speaks of them. And I can feel the fire on my skin like Rhen. And the secondary characters are just as great as the main characters…It’s an amazing start to a new series that is going to have people of all ages wanting so much more. </i>- Happy Tails and Tales </div>
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<i>I loved the characters. Jinji is an amazing girl of such strength. Reading about her sometimes brought tears to my eyes because I couldn’t help but love her from the beginning. And Rhen, even though I was suspecting him of treachery he didn’t fail to be surprising at every turn… I can’t wait to find out what happens next!" </i>– Creating Serenity <br />
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<b>Praise for KAITLYN DAVIS</b></div>
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<i>Kaitlyn Davis writes some of the best action scenes I have come across in a young adult book; they are fast paced and so well delivered. </i>– Reflections of a Bookworm</div>
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<i>I really enjoyed Ms Davis's writing, I was riveted throughout and was eager to see what would happen - there was drama, danger, action and romance that was wonderfully detailed and described.</i> – Obsession with Books</div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Shadow Soul – Buy Links: </b></span></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Soul-Dance-Dragons-ebook/dp/B00IJEMYTE/ref=la_B008R4OPM0_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392840178&sr=1-8">Amazon</a> - </b> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Soul-Dance-Dragons/dp/1494900092/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392903909&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shadow+soul+kaitlyn+davis">Amazon (paperback)</a> - </b> <b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shadow-soul-kaitlyn-davis/1118140764?ean=2940148251972&itm=1&usri=2940148251972">B&N</a> - </b> <b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-shadow-soul/id795258293?mt=11">Apple</a> - </b><b><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/395961">Smashwords</a> </b> </div>
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<b>At this tour stop I'll be featuring an unset letter from Jinji to Rhen: </b><br />
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<i>Dear Rhen, </i></div>
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<i>I’m leaving. I know this letter is the coward’s way out, I know I should tell you to your face, but I just can’t. It would be too much. Too hard. You would convince me to stay, when I know in my heart that I must go. </i></div>
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<i>A letter? I know you must be confused. I’m not writing it, you know I don’t know how, never learned. But I won’t tell you who helped me, and though it is against your nature, I beg you not to ask. You hunt for secrets, you live to uncover them, but please do me this one favor. </i></div>
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<i>In exchange, I’ll tell you my secret. You’ve known about it since day one, sniffed it on my skin, pushed me to the brink to reveal it, and now I will. </i></div>
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<i>I am a girl. </i></div>
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<i>The boy Jin—the one you saved, befriended, let inside—that boy is me, a girl named Jinji. </i></div>
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<i>How? I know that word is spinning circles in your head. Well, here is my other secret. I have magic. Just like you, except different. I can weave illusions, very real illusions, and I apologize for my dishonesty. </i></div>
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<i>But mostly, I’m sorry that you will never read this. That I will never send this. It will be torn up the moment it is completed. Because I would rather you hate the boy I pretended to be, than know the real me and hate her still. </i></div>
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<i>I will miss you. But I cannot ignore that path of destiny any longer. My family waits, and I must put them to peace. </i></div>
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<i>Goodbye,</i></div>
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<i>Jinji</i></div>
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<b>Author Bio: </b></div>
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Kaitlyn Davis is the bestselling author of the Midnight Fire series, a young adult paranormal romance, and the A Dance of Dragons series, a young adult epic fantasy.</div>
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Kaitlyn graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars. She's been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to finally share her work with the world. She currently lives in New York City and dreams of having a puppy of her own.</div>
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<b>Author Links:</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/:%20http://kaitlyndavisbooks.blogspot.com/">Blog</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KaitlynDavisBooks">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/DavisKaitlyn">Twitter</a> - <a href="http://kaitlyndavisbooks.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> - <a href="http://wattpad.com/KaitlynDavisBooks">Wattpad</a> - <a href="http://pinterest.com/kdavisbooks/">Pinterest</a> - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/KaitlynDavisBooks">Youtube</a> - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5276341.Kaitlyn_Davis">Goodreads</a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kaitlyn-Davis/e/B008R4OPM0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">Amazon</a> </div>
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GIVEAWAY:</div>
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2 signed paperbacks of The Shadow Soul (US only)<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2348b9233/" id="rc-2348b9233" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><br />
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<b>Is <i>The Shadow Soul </i>on your TBR list?</b></div>
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Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for having me as a tour stop to this tour!<br />
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Stay nerdy,<br />
JuliaJulia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-82013694388620247852014-02-25T20:25:00.003-08:002014-02-26T08:27:55.174-08:00Waiting on Wednesday: Nil by Lynne Matson<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">Nil </b><b>by Lynne Matson</b></span><br />
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17225463-nil" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span style= font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.</span><br />
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<span style= font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.</span><br />
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<span style= font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.</span><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Expected Publication: March 4th, 2014 from Henry Holt</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Is anyone else excited for <i>Nil</i>? Which book are you waiting for this week?</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-71707735289878770022014-02-21T17:35:00.000-08:002014-02-22T08:24:56.685-08:00Stacking the Shelves (Week 16)<div style="text-align: center;">
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"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> that highlights which books are new on ones bookshelf for that week. Here is what this week has brought to mine!<br />
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<img alt="Everneath (Everneath, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1340210035l/9413044.jpg" width="211" /><img alt="Partials (Partials, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1337468746l/12476820.jpg" width="212" /><img alt="Attachments" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1390340711l/8909152.jpg" width="212" /></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9413044-everneath?from_search=true"><i>Everneath</i> by Brodi Ashton</a> (purchased)</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12476820-partials?from_search=true"><i>Partials </i>by Dan Wells</a> (purchased)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8909152-attachments"> <i>Attachments</i> by Rainbow Rowell </a>(</b><b>borrowed from library</b><b>)</b><br />
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<b>What's new on your shelf this week?</b><br />
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-90221311363104168332014-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:002014-02-21T09:00:30.312-08:00Feature & Follow Friday (Week 4)<div style="text-align: center;">
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Feature Friday (hosted by <a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/">Parajunkee</a> and <a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/2014/01/feature-and-follow-friday-185.html#more">Alison Can Read</a>) is a way of spreading the word of ones blog and gaining new blogging friends, as well as writing about fun topics! </div>
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<i>Note: If you want, you can follow me by scrolling down on the right side bar.</i></div>
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This week's topic is...Which was the last book that made you cry?<br />
<br />This one is an easy one for me, its...<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18335634-clockwork-princess?from_search=true"><i>Clockwork Princess </i>by Cassandra Clare</a>. I don't usually cry when reading books or watching movies (my friends say I'm heartless sometimes). ;) However, I don't think I've ever cried so hard as while I was (trying) to read that epilogue. The pages on my copy are all warped in that section to prove it! <br />
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What was the last book that made you cry? </div>
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-69132910071558815562014-02-18T22:13:00.001-08:002014-02-18T22:13:33.365-08:00Waiting on Wednesday: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">"Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36px;">, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is my pick for this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is <b style="font-style: italic;">Dorothy Must Die </b><b>by Danielle Paige</b></span><br />
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053060-dorothy-must-die" target="_blank">Synopsis from <i>Goodreads</i>:</a></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?</span><br />
<br 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="" />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.</span><br />
<br 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="" />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">What happened?</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.</span><br />
<br 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="" />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">I've been trained to fight.</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">And I have a mission:</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Steal the Scarecrow's brain.</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Take the Lion's courage.</span><br />
<span 0px="" 14px="" 19.31999969482422px="" font-size:="" georgia="" left="" line-height:="" serif="" text-align:="" text-indent:="">Then and only then—Dorothy must die!</span><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Expected Publication: April 1st, 2014 from HarperTeen</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Is anyone else excited for <i>Dorothy Must Die</i>? Which books are you looking forward too?</b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Stay nerdy,</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0px;">Julia</span></i></b></div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242594096022144353.post-50964243923097545882014-02-15T12:24:00.001-08:002014-02-15T12:26:14.713-08:00Stacking the Shelves (Week 15)<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> that highlights which books are new on ones bookshelf for that week. Here is what this week has brought to mine!<br />
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<img alt="Scarlet (Scarlet, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370147602l/11983940.jpg" width="227" /><img alt="A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327957410l/6421982.jpg" width="194" /><img alt="For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #1)" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1338529086l/8306761.jpg" width="210" /></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11983940-scarlet?from_search=true"><i>Scarlet</i> by A. C Gaughen</a> (borrowed from library)</b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6421982-a-game-of-thrones"><i>A Game of Thrones </i>by George R. R. Martin</a> (borrowed from library)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b> <i>For </i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8306761-for-darkness-shows-the-stars?from_search=true"><i>Darkness Shows the Stars</i> by Diana Peterfreund</a> (purchased)</b><br />
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<b>What's new on your shelf this week?</b><br />
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Stay nerdy,</div>
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Julia</div>
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Julia Moniz-Leccehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18203117337961515591noreply@blogger.com4