Title: Death by Design by Carolyn Keene
Pages: 180
Genres: Mystery, YA, Children’s
Published by: Turtleback Books (December 1st, 1988)
Summary
Nancy Drew and her friend Bess Marvin travel into a world of fashion. Behind all the clothes though, there is someone determained to see the death of Kim Daley a fashion designer. A poison that was meant for Kim was given to Nancy. Know Nancy has only 72 hours to live. Can Nancy find the poisoner and the antidote before it’s to late?
What I Thought
For Nancy Drew, this book was dark! There were times when I was reading it and was like, “This is Nancy Drew?!” It was also very emotional and intense for an ND book. Although that may be the reason why I enjoyed it so much. I wasn’t expecting this book the be the way it, but I liked it. It was just different. Nancy is literally dying throughout pretty much the entire book, and as the story progresses Nancy starts to deteriorate more and more. There’s a lot of crying and intensity between Nancy, Ned, and Bess.
The actual storyline was very good too. There were a lot of different suspects with different motives, and I really love how the story played out! Even though the intensity was extreme for a Nancy Drew book, I really enjoyed it. There were a lot of special moments between Ned and Nancy too that I really thought went nicely with the story. You could really feel the gravity of the situation. The possibility that Nancy really could die was very prominent and realistic (even if I knew Nancy wasn’t really going to die!).
Just a head’s up, if you haven’t already thought this, I wouldn’t recommend this book to a young ND fan. It’s really too mature for the younger fans. I want to keep this review spoiler free, but I really want to add the poisoner attempts to kill him/her self at the end of the book! Like I said, there were times when I wondered what I was reading!
FUN FACT: The Nancy Drew computer game, Danger by Design, was inspired by this book (even if there aren’t that many similarities between the two, and the game is much less intense haha).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, even if it wasn’t your typical Nancy Drew.
Review originally written July 2013.
I’m only doing a top 5, and I may be a day late, but I’m doing it anyway! Today is Yesterday was Top Ten Tuesday – A weekly bookish list created by The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s topic is:
Most Anticipated Releases for the 2nd half of 2016
*
Tales of the Peculiar
Check it out on Goodreads
I’m a huge fan of the Peculiar Children series, so when I found out about Tales of the Peculiar, I just knew I had to buy it! It is set to release September 3rd, 2016.
The Fever Code
Check it out on Goodreads
I know that the Maze Runner series sometimes has mixed reactions, but, for me personally, I loved it! They are so fast-paced, action packed, and full of mystery. Supposedly, “all will be revealed” with this book, and since The Death Cure left me with questions, hopefully this book will give me the answers! The Fever Code comes out September 27th, 2016.
What Light
Check it out on Goodreads
This book sounds really interesting to me, plus, CHRISTMAS! I really enjoyed both 13 Reasons Why as well as The Future of Us, that he co-wrote with Carolyn Mackler, so I’m sure that I will enjoy this book as well. What Light will be released October 11th, 2016.
Crooked Kingdom
Check it out on Goodreads
I admit, I have not read Six of Crows yet. That being said, it’s next on my TBR, and from what I’ve heard, I just know I’m going to love it, and then, of course, need the the sequel! Crooked Kingdom set to be released on September 27th, 2016.
Wayfarer
Check it out on Goodreads
Okay, so Wayfarer doesn’t release until 2017, but it’s very early January, and I’m very excited for this book, so I’m counting it. Wayfarer is the sequel to Passenger, and based on how much I loved the first book in the series, I know I’m going to love this one as well! It comes out January 3rd, 2017.
That’s it for this week! What are your most anticipated books for the rest of the year? Let me know in the comments. 🙂
Title: A Thousand Salt Kisses by Josie Demuth
Pages: 443
Genres: YA, Romance, Fantasy
Published by: Wise Ink (April 29th, 2016)
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Crystal White is the new girl on Starfish Island. Dragged to the remote community by her environmental activist father, she is eager to find fun that doesn’t involve touching fish guts or listening to local folklore.
During a midnight swim with some new friends, Crystal is pulled out to sea by the waves. Convinced she’s going to drown, Crystal is rescued by Llyr, a handsome stranger. As she searches for him in the following weeks, she finds there may be more truth to the Starfish legends than she thought.
Over a sizzling roller-coaster summer, Llyr introduces Crystal to magic she’d only ever dreamed of. But as Crystal comes to love Starfish Island, it begins to drive her family apart. A nearby power plant is devastating local marine life, and her parents are stuck in the middle. As the magic and mundane parts of Crystal’s life converge, she finds herself risking everything to save Llyr, her family, and herself.
What I Thought
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to Wise Ink Creative Publishing and Netgalley.*
After I first read the description for A Thousand Salt Kisses, I knew I was going to like this book. It sounded like such a fun, summer-y read, and it definitely was! There were a few things that I found to be a bit problematic, but overall, this was a fun, easy read.
May was not my best reading month. I don’t know why, but 2016, in general, has not been my reading year. Hopefully now that summer is going to go into full-swing I’ll actually be able to read more!
Today is Top Ten Tuesday – A weekly bookish list created by The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s topic is:
Top Ten Great Beach Reads
*
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
I feel like the Traveling Pants series is the ultimate summer series. It’s funny, sad, happy, thoughtful, and so much more. It’s one of those books that you can fly through quickly, which also makes it a perfect beach read.
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids
I found The Summer of Chasing Mermaids to be magical (even though it is not a fantasy and there isn’t any “real” magic), creative, and oh so fun. It’s very loosely based on The Little Mermaid, but it is actually a contemporary. When I read it last summer, it was one of the most original contemporaries that I had read in a while.
Peaches
If you enjoy The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, then you will enjoy Peaches as well! They have a similar vibe, and they both explore the importance of friendships. This book, however, will give you a craving for peaches like no other!
Since You’ve Been Gone
While this book also explores friendships, Since You’ve Been Gone is unique, because the best friend has disappeared. This book is a lot of fun, filled with summer bucket lists and ice cream. It gives you that perfect summer vibe, which, in my opinion, makes it the perfect beach/poolside read!
Along for the Ride
This list simply would not be complete without listing at least one Sarah Dessen book! All of her books are the ultimate summer, beach/poolside read. They are seriously flawless. All of her books give you summertime vibes x 100. I chose Along for the Ride, because that was the first Sarah Dessen book I read, and I just remember falling in absolute love with all of the characters, the storyline, and the location.
The Christy Miller Collection
When I think of summer and the beach, the Christy Miller series is the first thing that comes to my mind. These books are so fun, memorable, and summer-y (the first book is especially beach read-ish, but honestly, the whole series is amazing)!
13 Little Blue Envelopes
This book is such an adventure! I love reading adventurous contemporaries in the summertime at the pool. This book is absolutely perfect for that.
This is What Happy Looks Like
Creative and fun, This is What Happy Looks Like is such an enjoyable read. I know most of the books on this list I have called fun, but that is what I enjoy reading on the beach (or in my case, the pool). Jennifer E. Smith is another author who never fails to disappoint me when it comes to summertime contemporaries.
Matched
The thing I love about Matched, is because it is so unlike most dystopians. There’s danger and action, but it is not so dark and heavy, like The Hunger Games or Divergent, for example. It is highly enjoyable and suspenseful at times, but in a more…easy-going(?) way.
Safe Haven
Filled with action, suspense, romance, and the beach, Safe Haven makes a great beach read. This book is very fast-paced, and highly entertaining. While reading, I wanted nothing more than to be sitting on a beach chair in the North Carolina sun, with my toes in the sand (unfortunately, I wasn’t 😛 )!
*
That’s it for this week! Let me know what your favorite beach reads are! 🙂
Title: Within Reach by Jessica Stevens
Pages: 258
Genres: YA, paranormal/supernatural, contemporary, romance
Published by: Sparkpress (May 17th, 2016)
Summary
Dying wasn’t on seventeen-year-old Xander Hemlock’s summer to-do-list. Finding ways to spend more time with his girlfriend, Lila, was the most critical thinking he planned on doing. But that was before he found himself trapped in a realm of only darkness with thirty days to convince Lila he’s not actually dead—well, not completely, anyway.
As Xan tries to show Lila she isn’t alone, she struggles to comprehend how her life has changed so completely. Six months ago her life was perfect: she was on her way to becoming a professional dancer, her parents were still married, and her boyfriend was alive. But now, with her anorexic tendencies stronger than ever, she must decide which is the lesser of two evils: letting go to be with a boy she doesn’t love, or holding on to the unreasonable, yet overpowering, feeling that Xan is still within reach…and trying to show her something.
Improbable and endearing, Within Reach is a story of two soulmates discovering that sometimes it takes more than one lifetime to get it right.
What I Thought
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to Sparkpress and Netgalley.*
After reading the synopsis for Within Reach, I was instantly intrigued. The story sounded very unique, Lila was a ballet dancer (my favorite!), and plus, look at that cover; it’s gorgeous! So, I think it is safe to say that I was quite excited to read this book. While there were certain parts in the book that I didn’t care for, overall I quite enjoyed it!
I was tagged by Giovanna at Book Coma to do the 3 Days, 3 Quotes challenge! Thank again for tagging me! I have had so much fun with this tag. 🙂
The Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
3. Nominate three new bloggers each day.
Today’s quote is from A Court of Thorns and Roses. I really like this quote, because so often in life, there is so much judgement when it comes to people’s hobbies, passions, and even something as simple as what books people “should” read. This quote really puts all those judgements aside though, and actually validates that people should be allowed to enjoy what they enjoy (as long as it does not harm them or others).
” Don’t fell bad for one moment for doing what brings you joy.”
– Sarah J. Maas
I Tag:
I was tagged by Giovanna at Book Coma to do the 3 Days, 3 Quotes challenge! Thank you so much for thinking of me for this fun tag!!:)
The Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
3. Nominate three new bloggers each day.
Sorry this is a day late, I completely forgot to do it yesterday…oops!
Today’s quote comes from 17 Wishes, which is part of the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn. It may be a bit cheesy, but this is actually one of my all-time, favorite quotes!
If we spend all of today thinking about tomorrow, today will be gone, and we will have missed it.
– Robin Jones Gunn
I Tag:
I was tagged by Giovanna at Book Coma to do the 3 Days, 3 Quotes challenge! Thank you so much for thinking of me for this fun tag!! 🙂
The Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
3. Nominate three new bloggers each day.
Today’s quote comes from one of my all-time favorite books: Anne of Green Gables!
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
– L.M. Montgomery
I Tag:
Title: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Pages: 486
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Science Fiction/Time Travel, Romance
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
Summary:
Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home… forever.
What I Thought
Wow! What an adventure!! I feel like Passenger is one of the most talked about books of 2016 so far! Honestly, I was a little intimidated to read this one, because everybody seems to just love it, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t like it as much. Because I had heard so many good things about this book, I was a bit skeptical on whether or not it would actually live up to the hype. For the most part though, it actually did! While, I admit, it felt a bit slow at parts, this book was so worth the read!
