Spring Break Spectacular Giveaway!

   We are so excited here at Apocalypse Reads because Spring Break is finally upon us! Actually, Spring Break for Rebecca is over and I still have a week before mine, but close enough! Of course we want to share our excitement with you so we've decided to have another giveaway. This time we are happy to be offering a $10 gift card to the e-book vendor of your choice! We figure that everyone needs a new book for Spring Break and with all the great recommendations we've been offering up here on our blog, you should have the chance to decide what it is you’d like to try.

   What do you have to do to enter this stunning giveaway, you ask? Well, first you need to hop up and down on one foot for half a minute, then stick a whole pouch of Big League Chew in your mouth and blow the biggest bubble you can manage, all while entering your information in the window below. Of course, you should also follow our awesome blog and catch us on Twitter. Yup, that ought to do it. (Heck, I might even throw in a new pack of Big League since you'll have wasted yours all in one sitting.)

Happy Spring Break! We can't wait to hear what you've chosen to read!  (You can enter daily to increase your chances of winning!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will run from March 17th-31st. We will announce the winner on April 1st. 

1st Person Blah POV: Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi

Overall Rating: 2 Stars

Addiction Level:  I read it when I had time

Believe-ability:  Some aspects were real; others were not

Dystopia Factor: The world is starting to disintegrate.

~~~

Rossi is a very talented third person point of view writer.  One reason I enjoy Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night is they are both written in third person.  I empathized with the characters and felt like I knew them.

Roar and Liv is written from Roar’s point of view.  I like and admired him in Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night.  In Roar and Liv I found him whiny and annoying.  The first person point of view was not successful for Roar’s voice, because I did not believe the story came from him.

I had also hoped to see more of Liv.  I feel like she got short-sided in the series.  She was more appealing in both books than in this short story.

On the positive side I like that I got more background information on the Tides.  It helped fill in some gaps in her novels.

This is not a must-read for Under the Never Sky fans.  Borrow it from a friend if you want to understand the Tides more.

P.S.  Roar and Liv contains the first two chapters of Through the Ever Night.  If I read it before Through the Ever Night was published, I would have been pulling my hair out.  I enjoyed Through the Ever Night.  Review to come!

I'm done: Reached by Ally Condie

Overall Rating:  3 stars

Addiction Level:  I read it when I had spare time.

Believe-ability:  It was believable.

Dystopia Factor:  The world has been turned upside down and all hope is lost, but maybe our hero/heroine can save it.

~~~

Reached is the conclusion of the Matched series.  Overall I was satisfied with it, because it concluded the series very nicely. 

I have struggled with writing my review.  I feel like I can sum up the series in two sentences, and I owe to you dear Reader to write more.  In the midst of fitful sleep I realized why I like not love this series.  I do not feel deeply connected to the characters.  I do not dream about them or wonder what they would do.  I do not have series ending grief/depression like I did with The Hunger Games or Harry Potter.  I am done. 

Before I am completely done, let me tell you what I liked. I liked how Cassia, Ky, and Xander’s stories were concluded.  The love triangle is resolved.  I liked getting more of Xander’s story.  After Crossed I really wanted to hear more of his story.  As I read I had hoped the Rising would be better.  It is slightly, but overall the Society and the Rising are similar. 

Condie leaves the story on a positive note.  Loose ends are tied up. The characters are ready to start a new journey.  Like them I am ready for a new adventure.

2013 Must Read Books: 1/5

Confessions, Confessions: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Just the facts:

Overall: 3 Stars

Addiction Level: I ignored the hubby and puppies until I finished the book.

Believe-ability: It was believable. (In a fictional, this could never be true kinda way.)

~~~~~

Seeing as the title of this post is confession based, I’ll get right to the point.

Confession #1: I have been sucked into the black hole of girlie fiction recently. I know. It’s disturbing. And yet oddly relaxing. I suppose knowing that girlie fiction isn’t going to bend your mind or make you think too hard is part of the draw. Mindless reading. I can do that on occasion.

Confession #2: I may have suffered a minor book hang over because of this story. Yes, I stayed up to the wee morning hours, on a school night, to finish the book in one sitting. I realize that this may not have been the best idea the day before parent teacher conferences, but I was banking on a snow day. (Wish granted, by the way. Yipee!)

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is, I must admit, a teenage/vampire love story. Eek! Essentially, seventeen year old Jessica is confronted by her arranged-marriage-soon-to-be-husband vampire from Romania that she never knew existed. (Did that make sense?) Of course, Jessica immediately and defiantly resists this new realization by treating Lucius, the aforementioned, like a delusional freak. The school year progresses, and low and behold, the tables turn and Jessica evolves into the one pining after Lucius. Of course, things are never easy in a vampire relationship and Jessica must make Lucius admit to his love for her, else they start an all out vampire war.

Confession #3: As cookie cutter as this story is (and yet, isn’t), I liked it just the same. (Shocking, I know, but I am still a girl.) Sometimes, it’s nice to let go and just enjoy a story for what it is. It doesn’t have to be complicated. There doesn’t always have to be a rebellion and a lot of ass kicking. There doesn’t even have to have a really swoon worthy guy (Prince Brigan, anyone?). Occasionally, what makes a good book is that you enjoyed the time you spent reading it. And as silly as it might be, Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side did that for me. Go figure.

P.S. I finished Bitterblue last night. Expect a raving review soon!!!

A New Book Will Draw You In. Or Not. : Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman

Just the facts:

Overall: 3 Stars

Addiction Level: I read it every waking moment.

Believe-ability: It was believable.

~~~~~

            I picked up a copy of Miss Fortune Cookie at the signing Ms. Bjorkman did at Alamosa Books on Friday. I have to admit the email Alamosa sent had me intrigued. This is definitely not the usual book on my TBR list, but I went for it. My book buying sense probably knew I needed and escape after my somewhat disastrous week at work. I really enjoyed Miss Fortune Cookie. I’ve not been in the mood for much reading lately and I’ve not been able to finish the couple of books on my currently reading list.

Miss Fortune Cookie is a bit of a high school drama, complete with college applications, boyfriends, and lots of homework. (Not something I usually revisit.) Miss Fortune Cookie is actually the online identity of Erin, who writes an advice column. Although not overly witty, there are some witty parts and I especially liked the fortunes at the beginning of each chapter and on Erin’s blog. My favorite character, however, is nine year old Lincoln. He is such an amusing boy who says it like it is. He is unquestionably the funniest kid ever.

My only quarrel with Miss Fortune Cookie is the obvious liberal view point. Although not too disruptive, you can definitely feel it in the book. I could do without.

If you need a quick, easy read, check out Miss Fortune Cookie. It just might be the story you need for a quick pick me up. 

For the Prepper in You: The End of All Things by Lissa Bryan

Just the facts:

Overall: 3 Stars

Addiction Level: I read it when I had spare time.

Believe-ability: It was believable.

Dystopia Factor: The world has been turned upside down and all hope is lost!

~~~~~

First of all, I want to give a big thank you to Lissa Bryan and her publisher, The Writer’s Coffee Shop, for sending me an ARC of this interesting book! Thank you!

            It took me a little while to find my bearings with The End of All Things. I am so used to reading young adult (and dystopian) books that I just couldn’t get into it at first. Eventually, after I got over the fact that I was reading a more “adult” book (I know, I’m lame. I prefer my adult books in historical fiction format.) I was able to better enjoy it.

           

            The End of All Things is a post apocalyptic tale about a young woman who finds herself one of the few survivors in Juneau. She soon meets Justin, an ex-soldier who convinces her to cross the country with him in an attempt to find a more suitable location to start over.

            The End of All Things definitely falls under a survivalist heading (versus a dystopian one) and therefore has a very different feel and agenda. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but there were things that continued to pop up that drove me crazy. One of the most grating being the irregular use of cursing and specifically the f word. Every time Justin cursed it felt forced and weird. The story would have been just fine without it, or with a more regular use of it (not that I’m a fan, it would have just been less awkward). Also, some of the logistical issues didn’t really add up for me. I did like The End of All Things for its uniqueness compared to what I usually read. It was a good introduction to survivalist books and I don’t feel like I wasted my time reading it.

           

            If you’re looking for something new or different (and aren’t opposed to language and some sexual situations) then The End of All Things might be worth trying. Who knows? You may discover a new genre that you really like. 

When the Wait is Over: Middle Ground by Katie Kacvinsky

Just the facts:

Overall: 3 Stars

Addiction Level: I read it every waking moment.

Believe-ability: It was believable.

Dystopia Factor: The world has been turned upside down and all hope is lost!

~~~~~

            Before picking up Middle Ground, I went ahead and reread Awaken, but even if you haven’t reread the first book, Middle Ground picks up right where Awaken left off, making the transition into the second book a breeze.

           

            In Middle Ground, Maddie has finally upset her father enough that he decides to actually send her to a detention center in Los Angeles. While this puts her in a bad spot, she is excited to be able to report to Justin and her friends what really happens in the center. Soon enough, however, her excitement fades as she finds out what it is really like to be “rehabilitated”.

            I was both happy and disappointed with this book. First of all, it took way too long for Kacvinsky to publish this book. I’ve been waiting much longer than necessary for this book to come out and that seems to put a damper on how I feel about it overall. I feel like there is a dark cloud overriding what could have been a great sequel.

            However, I was happy that this sequel took a different approach than most. Basically 95% of the book takes place when Maddie is in the detention center. While some might find this a little repetitive and boring, I really liked it. It gave a better picture of what Maddie was going through and it allowed for a wider cast of characters. It honestly didn’t seem like Maddie and Justin were doing much to defeat digital school, but at least there wasn’t a bunch of action scenes that were just fillers.

Overall, Middle Ground was a slower paced book, but it still did a good job of developing the story. (Just one quick mini spoiler: there seems to be a mole in the group and I’m pretty sure I know who it is. But, we’ll have to wait to find out!)