Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1)
by Meg Cabot
Publication Date: 26 April 2011
Publisher: Point
Format: Paperback
Rating:4/5

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld. |Goodreads|

Abandon is a new take on the Greek myth of Persephone, who was abducted by Hades and forced to live in the Underworld with him. My passion for Meg Cabot books has already been expressed in our first Author Spotlight, but I just have to praise her again. Whenever a new Meg Cabot book is published, there is no question about it, I just go out and buy it. And Abandon was no different.

I really enjoyed this book because of its pace. There are so many books out there at the moment dealing with the whole paranormal romance thing. One is a human, the other is a being from an alternate universe, their worlds collide and they are caught in between, you know the drill. Normally these types of stories take half the book for the two main characters to even realize that they are in the same room, let alone falling in love with each other. But with Abandon you pick up the book and, Bam!, you are in the middle of a really hostile relationship between a mortal girl and the "lord of the Underworld". The story doesn't drag on and gets quickly to the point, with tons of intrigue involved as well. It kept me guessing but not for too long , so I never lost interest. 

I loved that it was also refreshing. We are so used to paranormal romance being a 'love at first sight' thing but with Pierce and John (the underworld dude), their relationship (if you can call it that) has some serious issues. And it's really rewarding for the reader to see them work through everything. Don't get me wrong, this book isn't all sunshine and rainbows at the end but that's what I really liked about it. It was deep and enthralling when it needed to be and lighthearted and enjoyable in parts as well.

If you are looking for a quick yet enjoyable read, I would recommend Abandon because it only spans a couple of days, so there's no chance of you losing the plot or getting bored. It also appeals to those who love paranormal romances and a little bit of myth and legend involved in stories. It is the first in a trilogy so be prepared for some cliff hangers. Be on the look out for the second installment, Underworld, out Spring 2012. I definitely will be!

In My Mailbox #2

Bought:

• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• XVI by Julia Karr
• Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
• What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Cover Love Friday

Date Published: 14 June 2011
Find Me On Goodreads

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. After a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers a dead body floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away—away from home, away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns home at last, she finds a precarious and deadly balance waiting for her. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Imaginary Girls is a masterfully distorted vision of family with twists that beg for their secrets to be kept.

Date published: 21 July 2011

Find Me On Goodreads

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without?

Date published: 30 August 2011

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Bethany and Xavier are even closer since battling Jake Thorn and his evil influence (in Halo) and Beth and her angel siblings must still protect Venus Cove from the Dark Forces.

When a party game – a séance – inadvertently releases Jake from the Underworld, he disguises himself and tricks Beth into taking a ride on his motorcycle. When the highway opens up and swallows them, Beth learns too late that she’s now a prisoner in hell. What happens to angels there? As her archangel brother, Gabriel, her sister Ivy, Xavier, and her best friend, Molly search for her, Beth must weigh Jake’s bargaining for her freedom: one night with him, and she will be released back to Earth.
Can Jake be trusted in this wager? And is he also using Beth to engineer the fall of the archangel Gabriel? Xavier has already lost one love – when Jake tricks him into thinking that Bethany is dead, his grief and anger result in a betrayal that will leave Bethany – and readers – wondering if he is so good after all.

It will be up to Beth to use everything she’s learned about her powers as an angel – and about love – to free herself and those she loves from the clutches of Hades.

Feature & Follow Friday #2

Thanks to Alison Can Read and Parajunkee for hosting!

Q. In some books like the Sookie Stackhouse series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish this would happen with in real life?

Hhm... interesting question. At the moment I am really into books that have angels as main characters, like the Fallen series or the book I'm currently reading, Halo. So I have to say I would love it if angels "came out" in real life. I think that would be awesome! Just imagine having an epic romance with an angel, like Luce and Daniel! My dreams will just have to suffice. Don't forget to share your answers in the comments! Have an awesome Friday YA Readers! 

Book Trailer Thursday #1

To celebrate its release on Tuesday here is the book trailer for Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.

Official Bloodline website: http://www.bloodlinesseries.com/

Waiting For Wednesday #1

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

4 October 2011
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Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin? For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask. Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

18 October 2011
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Lauren Oliver captivated readers with Delirium, the first book in a thrilling dystopian trilogy in which Lena Haloway dared to fall in love with Alex and escape the cure, the government-mandated procedure that renders a person immune to the disease of love. Lena and Alex staked their lives on leaving their oppressive society, but only Lena broke free. Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counter insurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again.Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet.

6 March 2012
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Review: Passion by Lauren Kate

Passion (Fallen #3)
by Lauren Kate
Publication Date: 14 June 2011
Publisher: Random House Publishers
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again.
Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn't need to be that way. Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime, going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel and finally unlock the key to making their love last.Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history. Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever. Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series. |Goodreads|

When I started Passion I was well and truly engrossed by Luce and Daniel's relationship, and the Fallen series (Fallen and Torment). I was sitting on the edge of my seat, rife with anticipation as to what would happen next. And I wasn't disappointed.

The book starts out with Luce going back in time to find her past selves and trying to unravel the mystery that is her and Daniel's relationship. Personally I have always stayed away from novels that are set in different time periods, purely because I struggle to picture the scenes, as I am not an expert in history. But with Passion, Lauren Kate provides such amazing details about each time period that both Luce and Daniel visit, that surprisingly, I found it very easy to picture what was happening in the story. 

Passion is full of suspense and intrigue but the true essence of the story is never lost. An element of the book that I really enjoyed was the switching of perspectives from Luce to Daniel. It was a nice change to know what each character was going through as the story progressed, rather than just having one characters perspective. It also provided well- rounded characters and also helped the reader relate to both Luce and Daniel. 

Personally, the ending was a slight disappointment after the build up throughout the story but it's possible, after reading Fallen and Torment consecutively, my expectations were slightly too high. 

All in all Passion was a thrilling read and now the long wait for Rapture begins. 

In My Mailbox #1

In my mailbox this week:

Bought:
Matched by Ally Condie
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Die for Me by Amy Plum

Feature & Follow Friday #1

We are now part of Feature & Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Thank you to these 2 amazing book review blogs for hosting this wonderful feature!! We really appreciate it!!

Author Spotlight Saturday

Our very first author to be featured in Author Spotlight Saturday is one of my personal favorites whom I've been following for many years, Meg Cabot.

Meg Cabot was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana and graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in fine arts.  After moving to New York City and working for ten years as an assistant residence hall director at New York University, Meg Cabot wrote the worldwide hit series, The Princess Diaries. The series has sold over 16 million copies, been translated into 38 languages and has produced two hit Disney movies.

Other Teen/Young Adult books by Meg Cabot include the 1-800-Where-R-U? series, All-American Girl, Avalon High and The Mediator series ( a personal favorite of mine). Some of her Adult works include The Heather Wells Mysteries and The Boy Nest Door. Meg has also written the Allie Finkle books for young girls.

Some of Megs latest works include her YA trilogy Airhead, Being Nikki and Runaway. This series is fantastically fun to read with enough intrigue and plots twists to keep you guessing up until the very end. Abandon is the first book in a new YA paranormal trilogy (which I will be reviewing soon), and Underworld, the second book, will be released in US stores Spring 2012. Insatiable and Overbite, released July 2011, are the first paranormal romance novels for adult readers by Meg Cabot.

I have been reading Meg Cabot books since I was an early teen and they have played an intricate role in my teen as well as early adult life. There has always been something about Meg's easy flowing writing and imaginative plots that have kept me engaged in all her works. She is a one of a kind writer and no matter what, I will always be ready to read another Meg Cabot book. I will proudly say that her books are the are some of the ones I treasure the most and they will always have a prominent place on my bookshelf.

So if you have yet to read a Meg Cabot book I implore you to go out and try one. There is a book by Meg Cabot to suite everyone!

http://www.megcabot.com/

My First Post!

Hi to whomever is reading this (if anyone)!!

Welcome to The YA Reader. My name is Stephanie and I have started this blog because I an absolute reading fanatic!!! I love reading and I do so much reading that I practically eat through the books on my bookshelf :) But lately simply reading a book, delving into a brand new world with new characters and going on amazing adventures, and then having it all end in the simple action of turning a page has left me feeling slightly let down. No matter how fantastic the story was I still feel let down, because it all had to end. So I decided that maybe if I create a blog where I can pour out all my thoughts, feelings and opinions on a book that I have just finished  maybe the adventure doesn't have to end. So this is what my blog is :) It is a place for me, you, whoever is out there to share our love of books and authors and learn from each other. I have some amazing books sitting in my 'To Read' pile which will soon find there way in the form of reviews on the blog. Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Forgotten by Cat Patrick, Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini are to name but a few. ;)

So blog followers I shall leave you with a quote that is all too true "The greatest gift is a passion for reading".
I hope that you enjoy my blog!