If Only...(4)

Hey everyone! 

It's me, Ishita! So today I am doing If Only... though usually Zareen is the one who does this post. I have Orientation (for college!!) this week and so I won't be able to work on my other post because of that *poop* it's okay though; Zareen's got that under control ;). So without further ado...

If only Inception were a book! 

Haven't seen or heard of the movie? Here's a taste:

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Mini Reviews: #ContemporaryFangirling

Hey guys!
This week I'm going to catch up on reviews with a bunch of mini reviews of some of the latest books I've read. Like usual I am obsessed with contemporaries, and of the late (the past few months) I have read so many contemporaries that I  have yet to review! So in hopes of not only catching up, but also to get the word out about some great books that are out there here are the mini reviews:

Title: This is What Happy Looks Like 
Author: Jennifer E. Smith

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

It all started with a little email; who thought it would become something so big? After reading The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight I knew I wanted to read everything by Jennifer E. Smith; so the moment I got my hands on This is What Happy Looks Like I jumped in right away. I loved how Ellie and Graham had met through the computer on accident, and it sorta formed into what they have now. It was a bit too long for my taste, I felt like the story could have been shorter, and some parts weren't really necessary. I definitely loved tSPoLaFS a lot more, but this one wasn't bad at all! It was sweet cute, and a fun contemporary to read.
Rate: 4/5

Review: The Space Between Us by Jessica Martinez

From the author of Virtuosity, a novel about two sisters and the secrets they tell, the secrets they keep—and the secret that could tear them apart.

Amelia is used to being upstaged by her charismatic younger sister, Charly. She doesn’t mind, mostly, that it always falls to her to cover for Charly’s crazy, impulsive antics. But one night, Charly’s thoughtlessness goes way too far, and she lands both sisters in serious trouble.

Amelia’s not sure she can forgive Charly this time, and not sure she wants to . . . but forgiveness is beside the point. Because Charly is also hiding a terrible secret, and the truth just might tear them apart forever.

Special Someone Saturday: Kaleb Ballard

This week of Special Someone Saturday is brought to you by Myra McEntire's Hourglass trilogy. As a huge fan of her books, and just having finished Timepiece *Check out the review here* I knew my special someone this week would be, the one and only Kaleb Ballard. 

It's Finally Friday! (3): Intervew with Laura Howard

Hello beautiful people of the world! 

As you know Friday and the weekend is among us, and to celebrate, today we have Laura Howard of The Forgotten Ones to come and discuss herself and her book. Laura is just fantastic, and I love talking to her, so it was really great that I got the chance to interview her. Also make sure to continue reading and check out The Forgotten Ones, it's definitely a novel you will want to read! Also, if you are an author who is interested in being featured please send me an email or a tweet; I would love to have you particaipate! And on that note...THE INTERVIEW! >:D

Out This Week in YA (3): Dystopians, Teen Life, and Revenge

Every week there is another new release, so why not highlight them? This week there have been some great releases, these are some that I am most excited for:

Title: Of Beast and Beauty
Author: Stacy Jay
Release: July 23, 2013

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.
Amazon--Goodreads--Barns and Noble

RETELLINGS!!!!<3 Enough said. I love retellings of classics stories into something more modified or in a completely different genre. I enjoyed Stacy Jay's Juliet Immortal which as you can tell is a rendition of Romeo and Juliet. So I can't wait to see what's in store with Of Beast and Beauty.

If Only... (3)

If only Ten by Gretchen McNeil were a movie.

Haven't read the book yet? Here's a taste:

SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Review: Timepiece (An Hourglass Novel) by Myra McEntire

A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...
Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples - cracks in time. Are his powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before he can find out, Jonathan landers, the man who tried to murder is father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?
In the wake of Landers' return, the Hourglass organization is given an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered - with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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.

Special Someone Saturday - The Darkling

As you may have noticed, I finished reading Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone earlier this week, and since then, I just haven't been able to get the Darkling out of my mind.

It's Finally Friday! (2): Interview with Angeline Kace

Hi guys!

This week on It's Finally Friday!, we have Angeline Kace, author of the Vampire Born series and a new NA novel titled Wicked Thing. If you haven't read any of Angeline's books yet, I can personally recommend Descended by Blood (Vampire Born #1). Here's more from Angeline herself!

Out This Week in YA (2): Pressure, Apocalypse, Death (This week is a grim one)

Every week there is another new release, so why not highlight them? This week there have been some great releases, these are some that I am most excited for: 

Title: 45 Pounds (More Or Less)
Author: Kelly Barson
Release: July 16, 2013

She is 16.
And a size 17.
Her perfect mother is a size 6.
Her Aunt Jackie is getting married in 2 months, and wants Ann to be a bridesmaid.
So Ann makes up her mind: Time to lose 45 pounds (more or less).
Welcome to the world of informercial diet plans, wedding dance lessons, endless run-ins with the cutest guy Ann's ever seen—and some surprises about her not-so-perfect mother.
And there's one more thing—it's all about feeling comfortable in your own skin—no matter how you add it up!

Amazon--Goodreads

I really really want to read this one! I definitely feel like I can relate to this, because I have always felt self conscious about my weight, so I have a feeling this book will not only be enjoyable but it will be a learning experience for me as well. Definitely sounds like a great contemporary novel! 

If Only... (2)

If only (500) Days of Summer were a book.

Haven't seen or heard of the movie? Here's a taste:

After it looks as if she's left his life for good this time, Tom Hansen reflects back on the just over one year that he knew Summer Finn. Despite being physically average in almost every respect, Summer had always attracted the attention of men, Tom included. For Tom, it was love at first sight when she walked into the greeting card company where he worked, she the new administrative assistant. Soon, Tom knew that Summer was the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Although Summer did not believe in relationships or boyfriends - in her assertion, real life will always ultimately get in the way - Tom and Summer became more than just friends. Through the trials and tribulations of Tom and Summer's so-called relationship, Tom could always count on the advice of his two best friends, McKenzie and Paul. However, it is Tom's adolescent sister, Rachel, who is his voice of reason. After all is said and done, Tom is the one who ultimately has to make the choice to listen or not.

Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.
Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.
Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Special Someone Saturday- Hector Delos

Greek legends, their incarnates, and the gods equal mass chaos...but it also means an abundance of Adonises. Those of you who are familiar with Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed trilogy will probably agree with me when discussing the Delos family.

 

It's Finally Friday! Interview: Nyrae Dawn

Hey Guys!
Well Zareen and I took a bunch of the tips we got from our 2 year blogoversary giveaway and decided to add more interviews and discussion posts to the blog! Now every Friday we will have something different- ranging from interviews, discussions, cover reveals, etc. Today initiating out first It's Finally Friday is Nyrae Dawn! She was awesome enough to do this interview and talk about her latest release Four Summers! I can definitely tell you from experience that I love Nyrae's books. Well keep reading there is an awesome interview for in store!

Out This Week in YA (1): Romance, Magic, and Road Trips

Zareen and I have been collabing for the past month trying to figure out what to post, after finally figuring out our schedule and taking all the suggestions given to us during out giveaway we have delegated that every week  So starting this week The Reading Fish will be discussing some of the latest books in YA and MG so you can hear about some of the great books out there even if they aren't the most hyped up books!You know since there are so many amazing books that release each week, so why not highlight them yet at the same time give our first impressions of each book.

Title: Who Needs Magic?

Author: Kathy McCullough 

Release: July 9, 2013

 The sequel to DON'T EXPECT MAGIC! Now that Delaney Collins knows she’s a fairy godmother, she’s ready to make magic happen. But first, she has to find her next client. And it’s not as easy as she thought it would be.
Delaney’s spending the summer working at Treasures, a secondhand store at the mall, surrounded by cool vintage boots—and potential clients. But when she finally feels a connection with Jeni, a girl who needs a life-changing, happily-ever-after wish . . . Jeni doesn’t want her help. And to make matters worse, Delaney finds herself competing with another f.g. Glittery, sparkly Ariella is an uber-f.g., granting wishes with a flick of her lemon candy stick, while Delaney can’t seem to make anything happen. Not even a summer romance with her boyfriend, Flynn.
It takes more than waving a chopstick to make big wishes come true. But what good is being an f.g. if you can’t make the boy you like want to be with you as much as you want to be with him?

Goodreads -- Barns and Noble -- Amazon

I actually met Kathy McCullough at our Author fair in March, and after hearing her speak I got really excited about Who Needs Magic?! She not only is darling, but her series seems to allow the reader relate to her characters, and her modern day fairy godmother story is unique and unlike those out today! I hope I get the chance to read her series soon!

If Only... (1)

Hey guys! After a bunch of collaboration, Ishita and I have decided to dedicate Wednesdays to discussion about books that I believe should be movies or vice-versa. So without further ado...

If only Struck by Jennifer Bosworth were a movie. 

Haven't heard of or read Struck yet? Here's a taste... 

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.
Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.
Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Review: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Review: Hooked by Liz Fichera

When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done. But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...