Judge a Book By Its Cover: The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

Don't judge a book by its cover? Ha. When have I ever not? Every time I go to the bookstore or scroll through lists on Goodreads, I judge books by their covers. So to all the gorgeous books out there, I dedicate this to you...

My pick for this week is...

The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

Hardcover, 368 pages

Release Date: June 9, 2015

Publisher: Delacorte Press

I have no idea what this book is about. I still want to read it. It's simple and elegant. The colors are great. The butterfly almost looks like it's on fire (wait, poor butterfly...).

Check out the summary!

What books are you judging by their covers this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at her blog, Breaking The Spine, spotlighting anticipated upcoming releases. Here’s mine for this Wednesday:

Hardcover, 416 pages

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Publisher: Razorbill

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Add it to Goodreads!

I'm going to be honest: I really don't like the Bloodlines series covers. But that's not going to stop me from reading Adrian and Sydney's next adventure!

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Whatcha Watching? (Week of July 15 to July 21)

 

There's always something to watch on TV, whether it's a new show or the re-run of an old favorite. Here's what I'm watching this week:

Tuesday:

Extant - S01E02 "Extinct"

Sam gives Molly an ultrasound in hope of learning more about her mysterious pregnancy.

The first episode left me with enough questions that I'll tune back in next week. I want to know more about Molly, her husband and robot son, and the secret the ISEA is keeping. Hopefully, the show will remain interesting. If it does, I'll remain a happy viewer throughout the summer.

Thursday:

 

Defiance - S02E05 "Put the Damage On"

Amanda is terrorized by a stalker; the reasons for her experiences have far reaching ramifications.

I love this show. I love its worldbuilding. I love the characters. The ending of last week was beautiful, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Dominion - S01E05 "Something Borrowed"

Alex begins training with Michael, but a vision causes him to go rogue while on a mission.

There are a lot of familiar actors in this series (Rupert Giles! Charles Widmore! Doreah!), but I was drawn by the storyline. Though at times it feels "off", I enjoy watching Dominion.

Sunday:

Witches of East End - S02E03 "The Old Man and the Key"

Ingrid prepares to move out; Freya tracks down Killian; Dash discovers his blackmailer's identity.

Though this series only has some similarities with its book counterpart, I love the new additions. They really do make things thrilling. I already have a lot of questions, and it's only episode 3!

The Last Ship - S01E04 "El Toro"

A small team heads to the jungles of Nicaragua to find monkeys for Rachel's vaccine trials.

The Last Ship captured me in its first episode. Four weeks later, I'm still in love with it. Unlike some of my other TV shows, I don't feel as if this one could last for multiple seasons and keep its steam. But we'll have to wait and see.

The Leftovers - S01E04 "B.J. and the A.C"

Kevin tries to find out who is responsible for a holiday display; Kevin gets unexpected visitors.

I sometimes find myself bored during The Leftovers, but haven't canned it yet. There's still potential for a great series. I'll keep it on my list for a while longer.

Streaming:

True Blood - S01 

Small-town Louisiana waitress Sookie Stackhouse already is viewed as an oddball by her friends and neighbors, since she can read the minds of those around her. She doesn't exactly help her reputation, though, when she falls for Bill Compton, a 173-year-old vampire who has ``come out of the coffin'' along with many of his undead comrades now that a new synthetic blood has made it possible for vampires to survive without preying on humans. Still, the conservative locals aren't wild about mortal-vampire liaisons, especially Sookie's boss, Sam Merlotte, who carries a torch for her.

I've been meaning to watch True Blood for years. I saw the first episode, "Strange Love", all the way back into 2008. But I was much more innocent back then, and disturbed by the gore and sex. Now I watch Game of Thrones. The twist at the end of "The Mountain and the Viper" almost made me throw up. So I say, "Bring it on, True Blood!"

That's all for this week. If I added anymore, I wouldn't have time for anything else! What are you watching this week?

*show summaries are taken from www.zap2it.com and show logos are from www.wikipedia.org

Books on Trial: 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Books on Trial is a method of reviewing where I decide if books I've read recently are guilty or innocent of the "charges" laid against them by other reviewers, aka the "witnesses". This week's case is for...

 Hardcover, 368 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Toronto Public Library

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

Witnesses:
The "witness testimonies" are from the top three opinions on Goodreads as of the posting date. The reviews have earned their position based on number of likes. The "testimonies" are:

In the end, 3:59 didn't live up to my expectations. Had the plot and mystery been tighter, the characters better developed and the romance cleaned up, I would have probably really loved this one. Would I recommend this? My first reaction is, "Eh, no." But I do think if the above doesn't bother you much in novels, you may enjoy this one. I would, instead, strongly recommend checking out a sample to see if the writing style works for you and then abandoning all sense of logic at page one.

-Steph Sinclair

For an entertaining thriller, 3:59 does a good job. Some of it is overwhelming or far fetched, and specific parts made me cringe, but it's an action packed read that's great for a quick thrill. 

-Giselle

A promising book, built on solid scientific theories and a well-executed premise of a parallel universe that was ultimately let down by an absurd plot and no character development.

-Khanh (Kittens, Rainbows, and Sunshine)

Ruling:
3:59 was actually pretty great. I read 80% of it in a four hour stretch!

The "testimonies" for 3:59 seem to have three issues in common: the romance, the predictably and the plot holes. To be honest, most didn't bother me until after I finished reading. I'm not a very judgmental reader. As long as I don't want to strangle the MC or jab my eyes out, I keep on reading.

The romance between Josie and Nick II (the Nick from Jo's universe) had a strange foundation. Nick I cheated on Josie, and Nick II couldn't stand the sight of Jo. I could see how Nick II could grow to love Josie. But wouldn't Josie be appalled by the sight of Nick II? I mean, he looked just the like the Nick that cheated on her. But, no, I guess not because Josie went to Jo's universe in the first place to spend a day with Nick II. C'mon, girl, he cheated on you with your best friend? Why would you want him back? In any universe? It made Josie seem needy. She could have wanted to switch universes just out of curiosity. I know I would want to.

There were times when the plot was predictable. I knew the animal attacks weren't animal attacks right away. I knew the black bird things - later revealed to be the Nox - were responsible for the deaths. I knew Jo was lying about her world. But the secrets about both of Jo's parents caught me off guard. They were twists for the betterment of the book. I really loved how there wasn't a happy ending for Josie and Nick II, though. It made me angry. It made me feel!

The plot holes were cleverly disguised throughout the book. Only now, as I write this, do I think back to all the things that don't make sense. Here's one that's really chewing on me: why did the Nox attacked Josie's mother in Jo's universe? McNeil stated Josie's Nox "invisibility" originated from Josie being from another universe. But so was Josie's mom. The Nox liked to attack her. Why? It's a plot hole, and it bothers me.

All in all, 3:59 was entertaining! The few surprises and lack of a happy ending kept me guessing (well, I didn't guess after the ending, but you get what I mean). It's worth the read if you want a paranormal/supernatural book with a dash of mystery. But I still find it GUILTY of the claims laid against it by the "witnesses".

Would I recommend 3:59? Yes.

Would I re-read 3:59? No.

Would I read a sequel? I'd put it on my TBR list.

Next Monday... I'll be doing my first Series Binge post on Archetype and Prototype by M.D. Waters (plus an ARC giveaway of Prototype!)

Weekly Writing Stats: July 5 to July 11

Just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep writing, writing, writing...

Weekly Word Count Target: 10,500 (1,586 per day)

Weekly Word Count Accomplished: 10,769 (1,540 per day)

Verdict: SUCCESS!

But this success is even more successful than usual success...

I'M DONE THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY WIP!

Now to my favorite stage... EDITING!