My favorite scary movies

For some reason, today I am in a very list-y mood! I've been making lists all day today. NERD POWER!

Anywho, since I haven't been posting very often lately (even though I have reviews to write!), and because Halloween is coming up, I decided to share with you guys my list of my favorite scary movies. Now, I'll say I haven't watched many of the new scary movies, and all of the ones I'm going to list I haven't seen in a really long time.

Oh, and these are in no particular order:

1. Darkness Falls - I haven't seen this movie in YEARS because I am WAY too scared to watch it. The first time I ever saw it, I peed my pants. Literally. And I was sitting with my brother...HAH!
2. Final Destination 3 - All of the other Final Destinations (I actually haven't seen the newest one) pale in comparison to this movie. It could be because it has Alexz Johnson, who I absolutely adore, in it. But really, it is just full of awesome!
3. Candy Man - Oh gosh. I am still way too scared to watch this one again.
4. Prom Night - I don't even know why. Maybe because the first time I ever saw this in like fifth grade, I was laying on my crush's lap! Lol.
5. Hostel - I don't care if half of the movie is basically porn. I LOVE IT.
6. Hostel II - I love this one even more than the first.
7. The first few Saw movies - I thought the first three were awesome, but after that, the plot just got tiresome.

Those are just a few that I love! And I am totally craving a scary movie marathon now.

So what do you guys think? What are some of your favorite scary movies? Least favorite?

Once Upon a Blog Hop - Steampunk Week!

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It's October! Bree from The Magic Attic and I have decided to host giveaways all through this month, and you can join us! The 'Once Upon a Blog Hop' will feature four weeks, and four genres. Each week, we'll giveaway a set of books on our blogs, and discuss reads within that genre. The titles will depend on the genre of that week.

Week one, which will last from October 3-9 is reserved for things in the Fantasy genre (paranormal, urban fantasy, supernatural, etc included). 

Week two, which lasts from October 10-16 is Steampunk week. 

Week three, which lasts from October 17-23, is for Contemporary.

Week four, which is October 24-30, is a week for Dystopia.

This is week two, therefore it is time for STEAMPUNK!

For those of you who don't know what steampunk is, well...it's sort of difficult to explain so I'll direct you to a post on Andrea Cremer's blog.

Now for the questions:

• What is your favorite steampunk book?
• What are your thoughts on steampunk in general?
• Are there any authors you would like to see try out their hand at steampunk?
• Are there any steampunk books being released that you are especially excited about?

Share them with us! Write a blog post/Facebook post/Goodreads note/etc sharing some of your favorite/most highly anticipating titles within the fantasy genre, and attach our Once Upon a Blog Hop Week One: Fantasy banner to it. Leave a link below in the comments anytime during this week to share it with your fellow bookworms :)

I'll go first :D

What is your favorite steampunk book?

Personally, I haven't actually read that much steampunk, and some of the books I've read I probably didn't even realize WAS steampunk. However, even if I had read a lot, I have a feeling my anser would be the same because of how much I LOVE the book. Clockork Angel by Cassandra Clare (which I am giving away). Clockwork Angel is the first book in the Infernal Devices series, which is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series. Cassie Clare is just a fabulous author with fabulous ideas, plots...and BOYS!

What are your thoughts on steampunk in general?

I think steampunk is a really cool concept. The amount of steampunk books being produced is increasing daily, and I think there are a bunch of great ideas floating around, waiting to be written. Like I said, I haven't read a whole lot of steampunk, but I want to.

Are there any authors you would like to see try out their hand at steampunk?

Oh, hah! I made this question and I'm having a hard time answering it. Uh...okay. I have a few in mind. First, Kelley Armstrong. All of her books have really awesome plots and characters and I'd certainly be interested to see her attempt steampunk. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. After reading the Caster Chronicles, I feel like they have the right feel in their writing. Richelle Mead. I just love her.

Are there any steampunk books being released that you are especially excited about?

Like I said, the amount of steampunk books is rapidly increasing, so there are a load of great books that are coming out. Obviously, I'm beyond excited for Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Also, Andrea Cremer, the author of Nightshade and Wolfsbane is writing a steampunk book, and I love her work so I'm pretty excited for that.

Now, we all love free stuff, right? Giveaway time!

I've added a ton of extra entries, so you can pick and choose which ones you want!

In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren!

Wow, this week was an AWESOME book week for me. I swear, if I was old enough and had a car I would have drove to a casino, because I was very lucky and won quite a few books this week! Honestly, all I have for books is a little plastic bin, and now I need something else because it is overflowing!

1) Savor by Megan Duncan - (Signed!) Megan is an indie author, whose first book, Released was the first indie book I'd ever read! Now, I got Savor for a blog tour and I'm really excited to read it! 

2) Redheart by Jackie Gamber - Thanks to Seven Star Press for giving me this book :D

3) The Pledge by Kimberly Derting - (eARC) Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Galley Grab for this one! I'm really siked to read it.

4) If I Tell by Janet Gurtler - Thanks to NetGalley for this. I'll probably be reading this one next.

5) Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning - Thanks, Taryn!

6) Scriber by Ben S. Dobson - Thanks, Ben!

7) Fury by Elizabeth Miles - (Signed!) A billion thanks goes to Novel Novice. I was sooo excited when I won this one.

8) The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - (Signed!) Thanks to Heidi @ YA Bibliophobe for this one. I've heard awesome things about this book and I am so thrilled to have a signed copy. This also came with other little goodies, which I will show later. But I am just so excited to read this!

9) Abarat: Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker - (ARC) I won this from Harper, the publisher, over Twitter. However this is the third book in the series, and I haven't read the first two! :O

10) Over My Head by Marie Lamba - I won this over at LibraryThing. It looks super cute and I can't wait to read it.

This is the other stuff that came with The Name of the Star. Once again thanks to Heidi @ YA Bibliophobe!

That's a "YA Saves" button on my backpack. Yes, I actually wear it to school. People ask me what YA is, and I laugh and shake my head and tell them that if they don't know by now then they are obviously not cool enough to know. Obviously, that isn't true because nobody isn't cool enough for reading, but it's more fun this way!

And then of course, magnets on my fridge that say random things. I love them all!

11) Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick - Like many others, I was super excited to read this and made my dad get it for me the day it came out. You can read my review for it.

12) The Apothecary by Maile Meloy - (ARC) Thanks to Yara at Once Upon a Twilight for temporarily loaning me this book for the OUaT ARC tour.

13) Chasing Dragons: Vengeance by Barbara Farquharson Scott - Honestly, I have no idea where I got this from. I'm thinking maybe I won it from LibraryThing, but I'm not sure!

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (REVIEW)

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Genre: YA paranormal - Publisher: Simon and Schuster - Publication Date: October 4, 2011 - Format: Hardcover - Pages: 438 - Source: Purchased

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever. (Goodreads.com)

I wanted SO badly to love this book. Crescendo, the second book in the series, ended on a note that left me and everybody else hanging on the edge of our seats. There was so much potential for this book, but I had a very difficult time really getting into it. It took me a few hours each to read the first two books in the series, but it took me almost three days to read Silence. For a while, I wasn't sure why. Then I figured it out.

First of all, all we do throughout this book is basically re-learn all the information we were given in the first book, Hush, Hush. Some of the character's in Nora's life were obviously keeping things from her, but she didn't know what exactly they were hiding. The problem: The readers DO know. Nora spends almost the entire books trying to unravel information and events that we already know.

Second of all, I was more than halfway through the book and Patch had only come into the picture TWICE. I'm not sure if Becca Fitzpatrick was trying to prove that the books would be good even without Patch, but I found myself looking ahead to figure out when was the next time Patch would come in. Because while he is not the biggest part of this story, he is HOT and us fangirls want to see A LOT of him.

Now, in the two books preceding this, I never really had that much of a problem with Nora. A lot of people did, but I didn't mind her that much. But in Silence I swear she got even more stupid, self-centered, and whiny. Seriously, most of her thoughts throughout the novel consisted of, "Omg. My life sucks. I can't remember anything. Wah wah wah." I mean, I can understand that you'd obviously be upset about losing your memory, but we didn't need to be reminded every thirty seconds. To make matters worse, Nora didn't really think of anyone other than herself. Sure, she helped Scott a few times and worried about her mother. But she snuck out anyway, knowing that if her mother found out she would probably have a heart attack. She was so wrapped up in her own self-pity that she forgot to warn Scott about a few VERY important things. And when she figured out that Vee and her mother were hiding things from her it was all, "How could they do this to me? Blah blah blah." Like maybe they didn't care about her or have a very good reason for omitting information. 

Nora reminded me of the girl that when you're watching a scary movie, you're thinking, "Yeah, that's smart. Go upstairs and hide in a closet where there is absolutely no room for escape." Despite everything, she continuously made stupid decisions. She claims to love Patch, but she can't obey ANYTHING he freaking tells her to do. He asks her to stay in a house for a little while, and she goes out to assist a guy with a major target over his head. There were several times throughout this novel when I actually said out loud, "Oh my god. Why are you so dumb!?"

Having said all that, Becca Fitzpatrick is very good with a story arc. Her rising and falling of action was very good.

This book could have been condensed into a few chapters. There was only about one important event that really furthered this story, and I am extremely disappointed. I am really glad that this is not the final book in the series.

• Scott. Scott was not a character I particularly liked in Crescendo but in Silence he has changed tremendously and I loved learning at least a little more about his character.
• Patch. Really, he should be the first bullet. I love this guy to death, but I do not understand his choice of woman. He's sexy and strong and smart and brave and everything wonderful, yet he wants a girl like Nora. In this book, we get to see an even more affectionate side of him and I loooooveeee it!

2 + 1/2 pawprints

If you liked...

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Then you will probably enjoy Crescendo.

Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository - Indiebound

Cover Gush: Hemlock

HEMLOCK by Kathleen Peacock

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

OMG. Does this not look and sound fabulous!? Definitely newly on my TBR list. I think the cover is elegant and gorgeous! I want this book riht now. Too bad it is released in 2012 :(

What do you guys think? 

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Publication date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Dystopian

Lauren Oliver captivated readers with Delirium, the first book in a thrilling dystopian trilogy in which Lena Haloway dared to fall in love with Alex and escape the cure, the government-mandated procedure that renders a person immune to the disease of love. Lena and Alex staked their lives on leaving their oppressive society, but only Lena broke free.


Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counterinsurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again.


Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet. (Goodreads.com)

Uhm...WHAT!?

"Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again."

Lauren Oliver, don't you dare do that to me! Don't you dare! You already ripped out my heart with the ending of Delirium. You cannot do this! Ughhhhhh!!!!

Okay, well, if you've read the first book, Delirium, then you know EXACTLY why I am more-than-anxiously awaiting this book. If you have not read Delirium then...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Oliver's writing moved me. It was fantastic. So right now, I think I may want this book more than any other book.

That's what I'm waiting on. What about you?

Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall (REVIEW)

Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall

Genre: Urban Fantasy - Publisher: Luna - Publication date: August 23, 2011 - Format: eBook - Pages: 315 - Source: NetGalley

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin— her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life. (Goodreads.com)

I don't read a lot of adult books. There's not much of a reason for it except that I'm a teen and I like reading about teens. But I read (Read: Stalk) Karen Duvall's blog and I'll admit, I was ferociously excited for this book. When I saw it on NetGalley, I sort of flipped and had to get it.

Now, this book definitely has a debut feel to it. I'm not saying that debut books are bad or any worse than books written by an author who has multiple books under his or her belt. I'm just saying that this book has a lot of room for improvement and progression that will be achieved by experience.

From the very beginning, I was very intrigued by the premise and Chalice's, the protagonist, abilities. Throughout the entire story, though, I felt like something was missing. It wasn't until the very end that I realized what it was. There's sort of a lack of tension in this book. Sure, Chalice faces tons of obstacles but I feel like the solution is just two easy and there's not enough consequences. The other thing that felt wrong, to me, about this book was that the world was a little lackluster. I could tell that there were loads of awesome aspects of the world, like a living person that is in pieces and talks, but I didn't really feel their awesomeness.

I loved the plot. I loved it. Loved it. Loveeeeed it. I thought it was super original and fun. I mean, how many books do you get to read about gargoyles!? There were some parts in the book that I honestly wasn't expecting and I was absolutely stunned by the different ways that Duvall incorporated some unique supernatural aspects.

As for the characters. I feel like there was a lot of growth for Chalice, but to me it seemed like every change was sort of nonchalant. She finds out this big news and she struggles with it for a little while but then she just accepts it. That kind of fits in with the lack of tension. I liked her a lot, though. She was spunky and tough and smart. All good qualities in a heroine. Now Aydin. Hmm. I loved him. I'm not particularly fangirl for him, but he was a really good character to read. He's sweet and smart and nice. All good qualities in a love interest.

This book didn't really keep my undivided interest. It could be because I was reading it on my computer and I kept getting distracted by that shiny little thing called the internet. But I did want to find out what happens and how it ends! I'd say it's an even-paced book that was light and easy to read.

I wouldn't say this book blew me away, but I'll certainly be looking out for the sequel! I feel like many people could enjoy this, but to me it seemed just a little bland.

• Gargoyles. I cannot get over that. They weren't just random, either. The gargoyles had a major part in the plot, considering Chalice runs a huge risk of becoming one. I've never ever read a book with gargoyles in it before.
• Consistency. Chalice has unique abilities and Karen Duvall doesn't forget that. Those abilities come in handy for almost every scene and while they help her a lot, they can also be really inconvenient.

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