Jenuine Cupcakes

Author: E. Lockhart Publication: May 13, 2014 By: Delacorte Press Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads 3.75 Stars A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE. Thank you Random House, Delacorte Press and Netgalley for this eARC.   This is one of those stories that is really hard to review because I don't want to spoil anything! I went into this with certain expectations. The title lends itself to so many different interpretations but this wasn't anything I imagined it would be either in plot or prose. I did consider DNF'ing it because trying to get a grasp of Cadence...

Author: Lissa Price Publication: January 7, 2014 By: Random House/Delacorte Books for Young Readers 3 Stars! Goodreads With the Prime Destinations body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save Callie's life - but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too ...and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body? This is the thrilling sequel to "Starters" Thank you Random House and Netgalley for this eARC. You have to have read the first book, Starters, in order to have any clue as to what is going on in this book. A reread for those who have would be good as well because almost two years has gone by since I read the first...

Author: Daniel Marks Publication: October 9, 2012 By: Random House Children's Books 3.75 Stars!   Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that's not the problem. The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it's not a fiery inferno, it's certainly no heaven. It's gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn't leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what's really on her mind. Bonesaw. Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she's figured out just how to do it. She'll haunt him for the rest of his days. It'll be brutal . . . and awesome. But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen's obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she's willing to take—except fate has ju...

Author: Deborah Hopkinson Illustrator: Raúl Colón Publication: September 11, 2012 By: Schwartz & Wade 5 Stars! Author Deborah Hopkinson and illustrator Raul Colón present the story of Helen Keller in a fresh and original way that is perfect for young children. Focusing on the relationship between Helen and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, the book is interspersed with excerpts of Annie's letters home, written as she struggled with her angry, wild pupil. But slowly, with devotion and determination, Annie teaches Helen finger spelling and braille, letters, and sentences. As Helen comes to understand language and starts to communicate, she connects for the first time with her family and the world around her. The lyrical text and exquisite art will make this fascinating story a favorite with young readers. Thank you to Random House for sending me this for review.  My first impression of this book is that it's beautiful!  The illustrations are...

Author: Lissa Price Publication: March 13, 2012 By: Random House/Delacorte Press for Young Readers 4 Stars! Thank you NetGalley and Random House! "HOLY.CROW. was this a good read!" That's what popped into my head when I finished this book .   BTW, I have no idea where the "crow" came from because there weren't any mentioned in the story and usually the words that pop into my head have to do with the plot or sugary confections, but a bird?  Yeah, even I can't explain that one.   STARTERS is a well written, interesting story full of heart pounding suspense, and has twists and turns that will leave you guessing right up to the very end!  There's even a little romance thrown in for good measure. Acutally, this romance has the potential to break your heart but you'd have to be sure you know whose heart your breaking to begin with. *wink* The Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty and forced Callie and her littl...