Sarah J. Maas Launch Party +Giveaway!

This past Tuesday was Sarah Maas's launch party for her new book Crown of Midnight. I was dying to go because I have never met her before. I begged my hubs if we could go as an Anniversary gift to me, and he begrudgingly said YES! (Thanks hubs, you're the best!) So off we went in the California heat to Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop.
We got there early to the event, and while waiting for Sarah to arrive I got to meet fellow book blogger friends, Charlene of Bookish Whimsy and Paola of A Novel Idea! They were super sweet and friendly to me, it helped calm my nerves a little bit. Check out their blogs to get a recap of their experience from the launch party! Sarah finally arrived, and instead sitting behind the table, she stood in front of the table to give a more informal, relaxed talk with us. Sarah doesn't like formal settings.

     Sarah spoke a tiny bit about her book. She did not want to delve so much about Crown of Midnight since some of us haven't read it yet. Sarah has been writing this series since she was 16! She put it up on Fiction Press. From there, people told her that she needed to look into publishing her book. It took her a few years with many revisions, but she did it! She did mention that this series will hopefully have around 6 books. I did not know about this, I was dying with elation!!! I'm exhilarated there is going to be more than three books because I love this series, but I'm also flabbergasted because we have to wait that much longer until the end! Along with this series, Sarah is also writing a New Adult trilogy called A Court of Thorns and Roses. This series is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Tam-Lin, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. It's about a woman named Feyre (aka Belle), she is a Huntress and Beast is a young, hot Faerie Lord. Buyer beware, this may not be appropriate for little girls. This series is for an older audience because the characters get "down and dirty." Her words not mine hehe. This is expected to be released sometime in 2015. 
     After she spoke about her books it went into Q & A. The first question asked was, "what does she do on her free time when she's not writing?" Sarah's reply was watching Teen Wolf. She had just caught up with the show and loves it. The only thing she did last week was lay on her couch, watch Teen Wolf, while eating cheetos. Oh and her other favorite movies/tv show is The Little Mermaid and Buffy!
     The next Q & A was "what is she currently reading right now?" Sarah is currently reading and taking on tour with her The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. She said that this series is absolutely addicting and one of the best books she has read in a while. She also mentioned another author but I the name was difficult to spell and look up...sorry. The other author Sarah is fangirling over is Melina Marchetta. No one knew of the author except Charlene and Paola. When they heard Sarah speak of Melina, they literally screamed and shouted that they love her too lol! Sarah got so excited, calling them her "spirit animals". They even brought their own copy of Melina's book Finnikin of the Rock. The rest of the room drew a blank lol. I will definitely have to look up this author now hehe. Sarah then went on to explain how she went to Comic Con last year meeting Melina for the first time. She idolized her and fangirled over her with so much glee. She said she felt bad thinking she was acting like a crazed stalker toward her. It's ok Sarah, most of us feel the same way when we fangirl over you too hehe.
     Then came the time for everyone to get their books signed. There was no line so that everyone could talk to Sarah individually. While it did take a really long time for our books to get signed, it was well worth the wait. I was the second to last person to talk with Sarah. I didn't say much, mainly because I am such a shy person. It's in my nature, but I'm working on it. As soon as she wrote out my name, she recognized me from Twitter and congratulated me on my Anniversary!!! I was so touched, I was screaming with joy (on the inside of course)! That got me so shy I didn't say much after that lol. Her husband was sitting near us and he commented that since they have been married, they have never celebrated an Anniversary. She joked saying she's out partying with her friends. But then Sarah felt horrible because during their Anniversary is when she's actually working at conferences. They will celebrate next year for sure! I really do hope so hehe. I thanked her for signing my books, I signed her book (she has her own Throne of Glass that she has her guests sign for her. Isn't that awesome!), took a picture with her, and said my goodbye's to Charlene and Paola. I had a blast! I'm so happy I got to meet Sarah. She is really a hilarious and classy lady.

Now is the time I spread my love :D. Below, I am giving away a signed copy of Sarah's second book Crown of Midnight. Good luck and thank you for taking the time read about my experience!

           
Rules: You must be 13 years old to enter. This is a US giveaway only. Sorry, I cannot afford to mail out of the country. The winner has 48 hours to email me and claim their prize. If not, I will have to pick someone else. Good luck!
(I borrowed this outline from Stacee of Adventures of a Book Junkie).

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Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Published: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Pages: 404
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 5 out of 5

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Throne of Glass is centered around a competition of 23 people to be the king's assassin. Forced out of slavery, Celaena has made herself a deal with the prince that if she wins the king's championship, she can be free of imprisonment in four years. Every few days, Celaena and the other champions compete against each other in a challenge, eliminating the weakest player. The final four must compete in a duel to be the king's champion. (This sort of reminded me of The Hunger Games). We see many fight scenes and action through out the book. There was even a tremendous amount of flirting, although not much romance. The world building was well described, taking place in the king's frightening palaces.
As I was reading this enchanting book, the author spoke of Faeries and magic! It was an unexpected surprise that she incorporated into the story. There was also some kind of gruesome monsters that played a huge part of the book. The monsters that were killing the champions gave me the utter creeps. The mystery of the murders, plus the magic of the Wyrdmarks and faeries intertwine together suggest that they are cause of the same problem. It does not dwell too much on the faeries, though I suspect there will be more mention of them in the coming books. I also figured out early on who was controlling the monsters, but that did not disappoint me in the least.
I loved Celaena as the main character! She is supposed to be the tough as nails, lean mean killing machine. She is known in her world as the deadliest assassin. Yes, she was scary and intimidating, but she had another side to her. Through that hard-shelled exterior, Celaena had a feminine and genuine personality. I appreciated that she made some special friendships with Nehemia and Nox. They helped bring out the more sentimental side in Celaena. It also gave her the ability to open up and trust others again. My heart hurt for her through all the hardships she had to endure, both during her past and her present. I'm surprised she did not break. Instead she had the will power to never give up, always fighting for her freedom. What I loved most about Celaena was her snarky, sarcastic banter. She can really talk the talk with her witty sense of humor, especially between Chaol and Dorian.
The other main characters, Prince Dorian and Chaol were fantastic! I loved how Dorian came off as this arrogant, pompous prince, when deep down he is a smart, charming, and sympathetic person. I totally was not expecting that from his character. I thought he was going to be this spoiled know-it-all prince, but I am so glad he is not. He even loves to read! Talk about a swoon-worthy character! Aside from his good looks and smarts, I loved his comedic, flirting with Celaena. The chemistry between them just clicked. He grew to love her, feeling her pain that his own father put upon her.
Chaol on the other hand is more closed and suspicious. He is Celaena's guard, plus her coach for the competition. He is a guarded, brooding, handsome man. Slowly, he lets his guard down, seeing the fragility that Celaena hides. This leads to Chaol developing feelings for her, yet he does not show it. There is potential for a love triangle, but for now, I do not see Chaol and Celaena as a couple. We will see in Crown of Midnight.
The secondary characters, Nehemia and Nox were great as well. The friendship Celaena developed with Nox was cute. It was enjoyable to see that not every competitor hated her, thinking she was a nobody. Nox saw her as an equal champion. He even admired her being a bad ass assassin. I hope he comes back later in this series.
The most beautiful, authentic friendship I ever read was between Celaena and Nehemia. They both are coming from horrible places, trying to find their own freedoms from the evil king. They had the same commonalities and they both despised all the royal people. (They would speak another language just so no one would understand their sarcastic trash talking about everyone lol). Celaena and Nehemia grew to trust one another knowing there is an evil far greater than anyone on earth.
My only small gripe I may have had was that Celaena's abilities were not shown to its full potential. I wanted to see more fighting scenes between she and the other contenders. Instead, the monsters were killing all the contestants and that left Celaena only to battle with two men. She practiced with Chaol, beat up another champion, but it left me feeling a little deflated.
Bottom line is, would I recommend this book? Heck yeah! There's fighting, there's flirting, there's even some magic entwined in the story. Sarah Maas is officially one of my favorite authors! Thank you for reading my review!
Favorite Quote:
"Names are not important. It's what lies inside of you that matters. I know what you went through in Endovier. I know what my people endure there, day after day. But you did not let the mines harden you; you did not let it shame your soul into cruelty. The princess traced a mark on her hand, her fingers pressing into Celaena's skin. You bear many names, and so I shall name you as well. Her hand rose to Celaena's forehead and she drew an invisible mark. I name you Elentiya. She kissed the assassin's brow. I give you this name to use with honor, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, Spirit That Could Not Be Broken."
Pg 321 Nehemia is blessing Celaena
           

Waiting on Wednesday (3): Infinite by Jodi Meadows

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights future releases of books that I'm excited about. Here it is...

DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.
FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.
CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.
With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.


This cover is so breathtaking! I have never seen a cover like this before. It's so dramatic and just pops with color. I cannot wait to finish this series! This is the conclusion of the Newsoul Trilogy by Jodi Meadows. She writes fantastic books that are so different to many other YA books that are out there. I hope Sam and Ana pull through to the end!

Infinite will be released on January 28, 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books
Here is a list of other books by Jodi Meadows
What book are you waiting for?
____________________________________________________________________________________

On a side note. Congratulations to the winner Cee, who won the Summer of YA Giveaway! Thank you for entering and I hope you enjoy the books. Thank you to everyone else who entered. I truly appreciate it!

Also, I know I have been slacking on my reviews. I promise I will be posting up a couple real soon. Plus, I will be doing another giveaway! Be on the look out for it!

New Releases This Week 8/27/13

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass Series #2
Fantasy

Deception by C.J. Redwine
Defiance Series #2
Fantasy

Don't Look Now by Michelle Gagnon
Persefone Series #2
Mystery

The Infinite Moment of Us
By Lauren Myracle
Contemporary

Two Boys Kissing
By David Levithan
Contemporary

Confessions of a Hater by Caprice Crane
Contemporary

The Beginning of Everything
By Robyn Schneider
Contemporary

The Liberator by Victoria Scott
Dante Walker Series #2
Paranormal

Love in the Time of Global Warming
By Francesca Lia Block
Contemporary

The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
Lorien Legacies #4
Sci-fi/Paranormal

Descendant by Lesley Livingston
Starling Series #2
Mythology/Paranormal

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
Contemporary

The Dark Between
Historical Fiction/Paranormal

Relic by Renee Collins
Fantasy

Just Like Fate
Contemporary


                                 












Click on the Title to see the description of each book. So many awesome releases this week! My wallet sure is going to be empty these next few days hehe. Don't tell the hubs though okay ;0)



Waiting on Wednesday (2): Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights future releases of books that I'm excited about! Here it is...

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.
In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.

This is by far my favorite cover of the Shatter Me series! The flowers looks so pretty giving it a fresh look. If you love dystopic books where the characters have super human powers, then you might want to read this series. I hope the main character Juliette kicks butt in this one. For those that have read this series, who do you think Juliette should be with: Adam the loving hero, or Warner the twisted yet caring enemy?

Ignite Me will be released on February 4, 2014 by Harper Collins
Here is a list of books by Tahereh Mafi
What book are you waiting for to be released?

Review: Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Published: July 23, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 389
Category: Fairytale/Contemporary
My Rating: 5 out of 5

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...
In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.
Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.


Wow! There are not enough words that can describe how beautiful this retelling of Beauty and the Beast is. Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite Disney movie, so when I heard of this book coming out I had to buy it! (Luckily, the author was in town and so I got my book signed by her too!) This story literally took my breath away with the author's poetically descriptive words. She depicted the emotions of Gem and Isra in such a fascinating, delectable way I was so enthralled.
This is not the usual beauty and the beast story. It takes place in a dystopic era where humans, also known as the Smooth Skins, and the Monstrous live. The Smooth Skins live in a domed city called Yuan with perfect weather and a bounty of food. Where as the Monstrous are banished to live in the desert with no rain and food is scarce. Told in the point of view by the two main characters, Isra and Gem. There is an occasional third point of view told by Bo, but I felt his parts were unnecessary. Isra is the princess turned queen of her city. She is blind, alone, tainted, feeling as though she has no confidence to rule a city. Gem becomes Isra's prisoner the night of her father's murder. Gem and Isra despise each other. He'll do anything to go back to his people, so he conjures up a lie to Isra that will help her heal her tainted skin. At first, they cannot stand each other nearly killing one another in the process. Slowly they start to break down their walls, speaking the truth about the injustices that are happening to both of their people. They form a love worth fighting for. This displeases the leaders, especially The Roses.
Isra was flawed with many insecurities. Since she was blind, her father let her live a sheltered life in a tower away from the city people. She believed her father kept her away because he was ashamed of her skin being rough and ugly. Isra was a naive, clueless queen in the beginning. She self doubted herself so much so that the king's advisor played her for the puppet she was. It isn't until about halfway through the book that she finally gets a back bone to make a difference for her city. It is through her flaws that Isra understands all the injustices that her own noble people are doing to the tainted people in the city. She became independent, head strong. Although Isra had no domination over her city, she decided on her own how she was going to die. She made sure she had some control to her freedom that no one could take from her. I commend her for that bravery.
I enjoyed Gem's character point of view a tad more than Isra's. Gem was a raw, angry, conflicted person. He was angry at his ex-girlfriend for leaving him with another man, while taking his son at the same time. Anger at his enemies for not sharing their wealth, making his people starve and die in the desert. Anger for going against all that is wrong, falling in love with his sworn enemy. Through his internal struggles, he slowly lays down his barriers, opening up to Isra all that he feels for her. I liked that he stood up for what was right to him. I felt his pain for his people as they were slowly dying. He was a strong, tormented character.
This was a fascinating book with all its dark magic. Those roses were frightening! I don't think I will look at roses the same way again haha. There were only two things that were left unanswered for me, nothing major though. I highly recommend this book with its beautiful poetic lyrics. Stacey Jay did this book justice and I'm so grateful I got the chance to meet her.
Favorite Quote:
"Our lips brush, soft on softer, timid and testing, the barest friction of skin against skin, but that's all it takes to know that it's right. Isra sighs and twines her arm around my neck. My blood rushes and my body comes alive and everything in me lights up like a sunrise. Like a night sky spitting stars. Like her eyes when she smiles." Page 161  
    


  

Waiting on Wednesday! Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights future releases of books that I'm excited about! With out further ado here is my first WoW.

Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself... which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

In this stunning conclusion to the Everneath trilogy, Brodi Ashton evokes the resiliency of the human spirit and the indomitable power of true love.

I cannot tell you how much I am anticipating the conclusion of this series!!! I fell in love with these characters, even the bad ones. I want to see what happens between Nikki, Jack, and Cole. Cole that sly little devil! He may be the enemy, but there's just something about him that makes me want to cheer for him too. We will see! If you ever get the chance to meet her, she is one of the sweetest, friendly authors you will ever get to talk to. She is who inspired me to start blogging. Oh and this cover is to die for! Just breathtaking, don't you think?

Evertrue will be released on January 21, 2014 by Balzer + Bray
Here is a list of books by Brodi Ashton
What book are you waiting for to be released?

New Releases this week 8/06/13

New Books released this week. Click on the link to see the description of each book!

Infinityglass by Myra McEntire
Hourglass Series #3
Hardcover, 304 pages, Paranormal (Time travel)

Elegy by Amanda Hocking
Watersong Series #4
Hardcover, 542 pages, Paranormal (Sirens)

Gated by Amy Christine Parker
Hardcover, 352 pages, Contemporary/Thriller

A Tale of Two Centuries #2
My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #1
Paperback, 320 pages, Contemporary/Paranormal














Out of Play by Jolene Perry
Paperback, 320 pages, Contemporary

Summer of YA Author Event +Giveaway!

Hi! You might want to know I have been an avid reader for quite a few years now. While reading and looking up information on a certain author, I found about the world of Author Events! (I know I'm a little late on the band wagon lol). So this year I have started going to different author events and getting my many books signed by them.

As I was saying, a couple of weeks ago was another event but this one was totally different. Instead of the usual author sitting down, we sit on other side, author talks about book then signs our books, this was a "speed dating" event! At each table sat 2 or 3 authors, and we, the book fanatics got to talk to them one on one individually about ANYTHING! Even though I enjoy getting my books signed, I am an extremely shy person. I thought I was going to have a panic attack just reading about it! So I put my big pants on, sucked it up and just went with it. Let me tell you this event was so much fun!!! I had a blast, plus I didn't faint or panic haha!
In spite of my shyness I was able to talk with a couple of authors about a few things. Luckily, my hubby was there to back me up and even he got into the spirit of things. While there, I  got to meet a few of my favorite authors: Jessica Brody, Lissa Price, Stacey Jay, and Gretchen McNeil. It was so sweet getting to know Jessica a bit more! We spoke about book to movie adaptations, if we like them or not. I told her that I kept my opinions open because the movie is not always going to depict what the book had. She agreed with me, and we also agreed that one of our favorite movie adaptations was  Breaking Dawn's 1 and 2! She then told me she was reading City of Bones for the first time to prepare for the movie later this month, and she loves it! I thanked Jessica for signing my book, then I asked if I could take a picture with her. As we took the picture she remarked how my wristband is purple like my glasses. I told her it was my favorite color and she said hers too! She is the nicest person/author I have ever met!

After Jessica, I moved onto the next table with awesome authors Lissa Price, Allen Zadoff, and Andrew Smith. I did not speak with them much, but they were pretty cool for signing my books and giving me extra swag. The next table I moved onto was Stacey Jay and Gretchen McNeil. We hit it off right away because I was the third Stacie at the event! (All with different variations of the spelling of course). She said that we, Stac(ie)'s rule and were taking over the event!!! That was so awesome to hear that from her! I know I'm fangirling here lol. Stacey then asked if I liked my name Stacie, if I could have another name instead. I told her no because Stacie is short for my real name Anastasia. Anastasia is a little too long for my liking to use on a regular basis. Stacey said she wished her mom gave her another name because to her, Stacey sounds to girlish. She wished she had a more mature name such as Eleanor or Margaret. Gretchen was listening in and said that her Mother and Grandmother's (I think) name are Eleanor and Margaret! What a coincidence haha! It's okay though, if you are reading this out there somewhere Stacey, you totally ROCK that name hehe. I got my books signed by them, thanked them, and got my picture taken with them. (It would have been a perfect day if my cough *hubby* cough didn't take a blurry picture of Stacey).
I did not get to meet the other authors as I had other arrangements, though I still had a blast going to this event. I had my doubts going into this, but this turned out to be one of my favorite book events ever! I really hope that bookstores and authors do more speed dating events. They're fun with a less formal atmosphere. Here are some pictures I took with the coolest authors. I know the picture of Stacey Jay doesn't do it justice, but she's so pretty I had to put it up!


Ok now to the good stuff. Since this is my second month blogging, I would like to show my appreciation by hosting my first ever giveaway! Below, I will be giving away a signed copy of Unremembered by Jessica Brody and a signed copy of Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay, with lots of bookmarks from the other authors that were there. Here are a couple pictures.

You must be 13 years old to enter

U.S. Giveaway only...Sorry!

Winner has 48 hours to claim prize

Goodluck!

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Review: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Published: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 306
Category: Science Fiction
My Rating: 3 out of 5

 When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?



Sera also known as Violet is lost, lonely and has no idea who she is or where she came from. She woke up from a plane wreckage as the only survivor. What's worse is she has no identification whatsoever, with no one claiming her as their family member. There isn't even a record of how she got on the plane! Since no one came for Sera, she is sent to live with a foster family. Everything seemed normal at first, but she soon realized she not so ordinary. For one, she is super duper intelligent and two, she is mighty strong. From there, it kind of clues you in that something is inhuman about her.
Among the chaos of confusion that surrounded her life, Sera stumbles upon a guy named Zen who claims to know her from their past. She has no recollection of him, so she battles with herself debating whether she should trust him or not. The relationship doesn't progress much through out the story. The majority of their romance is shown in flashbacks. Since Sera and Zen weren't madly in love, I felt they were a bit bland together. If the story was a bit longer and detailed, they would be more believable as a couple. I wanted to see more fireworks between them. Only towards the end did I see that.
During the book we meet Cody. Cody is Sera's foster brother. He was cute in a nerdy, protect your little brother kind of way. He also brought out some humor to the story with his sarcastic banter, his babbling mouth, and he had a pretty wild imagination. Cody made the book more lively, a not so serious side, which I gladly enjoyed. I adored the bond that Cody formed with Sera. I honestly hope he comes out in the second novel because he made Sera not be so serious and she was actually was funny.
Overall, this was a good, light hearted summer read. It was short, a little romantic, with a science fiction background. Although I guessed what would happen was correct, there was a twist towards the end that I did not see coming. I loved Jessica's writing style. The words flowed so beautifully keeping me entranced by the story. I hope her next book, Unforgotten is better with more details. I don't want the romance to be bland like some chicken noodle soup. (It has to be more like some spicy tortilla soup, where they can't keep their hands off each other!) She left many unanswered questions that left me kind of hanging. I will continue reading this series though because I want to know what happens to Sera and Zen! Plus, I think there will be more kissing. Have you seen the just released cover of Unforgotten?! Let me show you a picture. It is absolutely beautiful!

Coming February 2014 (Unfortunately we have to wait that long!)