Which Cover? You Decide

As most of you already know if you read Andrea Cremer's blog lately, you know that Nightshade and Wolfsbane have new covers. Personally, I don't know which one is better. They are both beautiful... What about you? Which of the two do you like? Or do you like both?

Personally, I like the second one better. I love how they have incorporated the wolf with Calla and the way they set it up so that the wolf's and Calla's eyes match up. But I also like the original because they have the Calla lilies. Both are amazing.

Honestly, I don't know. I think I'd like to purchase the original cover because I have the original Nightshade cover. But the second one is just as pretty. I love how they again incorporated the wolf by her crouching stance and the full moon behind her.

ARGH! Why'd they have to make such beautiful covers??

Daily Dose (13)

Daily Dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where we share inspirational/moving/cute/romantic/any-adjective-you-can-think-of pictures.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (13)

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey where we share what books we've read, what we're currently reading, and what we're hoping to read. Yay! I'm finally on time, for the first time in two weeks. And I managed to read something this week.

Read:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Fire by Kristen Cashore

Reading:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

To Read:

Harry Potter # 6 and 7

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Cover Reveal: Crossed by Ally Condie and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Alright, so I loved, loved, loved Matched by Ally Condie (see my review here) and have been waiting for the sequel Crossed's cover reveal. AND IT'S FINALLY ARRIVED!!

Love it! I love the similarity between this cover and Matched. But I thought it would look something like this. Predictable in a way, but very nice. And here's what it's about:

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his certain death--only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to a question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellions, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander--who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart--change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

I've never actually read Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, but I've heard that it is just adorable and amazing and I really want to read it. Then, today, I saw the adorable cover of the companion novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door:

It looks so sweet, and I love how the model has purple hair. And it sounds so cute, too!

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket--a gifted inventor and engineer--steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feeling for the boy next door

Wow! And now for the release dates (because they just can't have these come out tomorrow...)

Crossed is released November 1, 2011
Lola and the Boy Next Door is released September 29, 2011

Happy reading!

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Genre: teen fantasy and adventure
Series and book #: no series
Pages: 461
Synopsis: It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she has the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City. The royal family needs her to help uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

~~

Alright, so this is my first review since I Am Number Four. And I've been reading this book for two weeks, not because it wasn't good but because I was reading it next to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. But this did nothing to stop what I thought was a great book.

Cashore made a beautiful tale of a land beyond the seven kingdoms in Graceling. It's much more war-prone since there are only two kingdoms: the Dells and Pikkia. They also have creatures called monsters and they are more colorful and more deadly versions of the creatures their based after. Fire is the only remaining human monster.

I think Fire is less strong than Katsa. She is strong, and she's more powerful mentally, but she's very pampered and she's very afraid of things unlike Katsa who had this courage and confidence that she could do whatever she thought she could. Although I think Fire had many more loved ones. Towards the end of the book, she became very strong and very determined to protect the family she had built for herself.

Overall, I though Fire was an amazing read. Cashore did a splendid job weaving everything together and binding it in the end. She threw in so many twists and secrets that I didn't see coming, and she had two guys who you couldn't help but like. I thought it was a little slow at parts as Fire wasn't as much a part of the action as Katsa had been, but it was still very interesting to get inside Fire's head and try to feel like her. Her mind was very complicated and interesting, just like this book.

The Cover: I don't like this cover as much as Graceling's, probably because it has less to do with the story. But they kept the tapestry around the edges. It's still pretty to look at, too.

Paige's Must Read List (A Shorter Version)

Alright, since I haven't really been reading (tee hee hee) I thought I'd show you the list that I can't wait to read from because I'm still stuck in Harry Potter (which, I might add, is NOT torture at ALL).

• Harry Potter Series
• Stolen by Lucy Christopher
• Beastly by Alex Flinn
• The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
• Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Of course, it continues, but I don't want to think that far ahead. As you can see, they are all amazing books that I've yet to read. They're all sitting on my shelf, whispering, "Read me, Paige! Read me!" And I'm like, "OH! But I can't!" (Ah-hem, coming back to reality....) My friends have all read these books too, but they've also read Harry Potter. It's funny watching them trying to decide which books I should read. Anyway, happy reading!

(P.S. My hope is to finish Harry Potter by the end of this coming week. I know it's a bound, but hey, a girl can dream)

Daily Dose (12)

Daily Dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where we share inspirational/cute/funny pictures that we've found around lately. I'm late. See my apology on It's Monday! What are you Reading? (12).