TV Madness: Elementary

A few weeks ago, my very dear and best friend Lucy told me about this show. She said it was great, that it was a modern twist on Sherlock Holmes and that she loved it and that I should see it. Of course, because I'm a stubborn creature (...err...wait, no, that's wrong. I have a strong will...Yes, that's better) I didn't see it right away. I already am WAY behind with all of my fave TV shows, I really didn't need another new one to see. And I also barely have time to read, so I thought I should maybe wait for summer vacation when maybe, possibly, though not very likely, I'll have more free time.

Anyway, those plans where shot to hell when on one particularly stressful night, when I couldn't sleep at all, I was watching a local TV channel and Elementary was on. Because besides stressed I felt way too tired to even change the channels, I decided to watch it. Oh, what a great night that was.

I loved it. I honestly don't know how to tell you how completely perfect I think that show is. The actors are fantastic, the setting, the cases, the story line, everything. Though I can't say anything about how accurate it is because I haven't read Sherlock Holmes, I believe the writers did an amazing job.

I'm hoping there's a second season coming because honestly there's nothing I hate more than to fall in love with a TV show and with some characters and then find out it's been cancelled. Not that having more seasons softens the blow (*coughs* Leverage *coughs*). But at least I can see how the story and the characters develop.

Have you seen Elementary? If not, do see it. It is worth your time and it's a change from the regular TV drama/crime shows.

Obsessed With Covers #5

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. 

*all links and covers go to the Goodreads page of each book.

Oh, I so adore this cover! The sky, the clouds, the flying couple, the colors of the clouds, everything. I can even imagine that if I had superpowers and was able to go inside the cover, the air would smell like rain (yes, I love rain :D) 

Let The Sky Fall - Shannon Messenger 

This is another cover that I stared at for entire minutes, without getting tired. I love it. I love the frosted tree lashes, I love the birds flying over the eye and at the same time looking as if they left the said lashes, I love the icicle-like tear...Anyway, I believe it's an amazing cover. Makes me wonder about the book. I have it on my TBR pile, so don't yell at me for not reading it! I will make time *sheepish*

Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi

What covers do you love this week?

Early Book Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza (YA)

Author: Debra Driza
Series: MILA 2.0 #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: March 12th 2013
My Rating:5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity–style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

 

Oh man, oh man, oh man! I have to say, when I received this galley a few days ago, I didn't expect to love the book as much as I did. I already told you that I love the cover. The idea of a girl disintegrating into tens of tiny puzzle pieces is brilliant. Once you  read the book you  realize that Mila really is a puzzle.

The book started a little slow, yet it was Mila herself that kept me glued to the screen of my reader. Not remembering certain details from before the fire that took her father's life, her mother not answering her questions, her new friends, everything was a huge mystery and it all made me want to know more. And then there's the new boy in town, who I actually believed for a moment he was someone completely different than what he claimed.

Once Mila finds out the truth and her world crashes down around her, the pace picks up and you get anything that you could expect: suspense, conspiracies, secret government organizations, trained fighters and more. Oh, and there's drama. You can't have a book like this without a thread of drama. The ending was a little predictable, even though I kept hoping that maybe some things wouldn't happen. Even so, I am completely in love with this character and with the world.

One thing I need to mention. Looking beyond the fact that Mila is an android, I loved how the author made her be different but human at the same time. Yes, she's very strong and smart and she has a lot of super cool abilities, but she also has the regular teenage doubts that we all know (and hate).

I think this is perfect for a debut novel and I am definitely going to read the next books in this series. So if you want to read about androids, go get this book when it's released.

Follow Friday #18

Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around!


This week’s question is:



Confess your blogger sins! Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you’ve done, that as you gained more experience you were like — oops?


Oh, so many. One of them was choosing my blogger alias based on my hair color. Yes, I lack imagination when it comes to names. Then there's NetGalley. Oh, how I love that site. I do. But when I first started blogging I didn't have a compatible ereader and I found it terribly difficult to read on my computer for hours and hours and hours. That and I also requested books like a crazy person. I now know not to overwhelm myself and request fewer books. But I do mistakes even now. Not posting every day, not commenting as much as I should, not socialize as much as I should. Another big mistake was overwhelming myself with reading challenges. Most of them are great and at least half of them helped me discover more authors and new genres than I wouldn't have without them. But I think it's best if I do about 4 "officially" and the others sort of in the background, like an inspiration to the big "what to read now?" question.

What about you? What are your blogger sins?

Cover Reveal: Out of Play by Jolene Perry & Nyrae Dawn

Hey!! *waves* I have another fresh cover to share with you today! It's for Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn's book, Out Of Play.

Out Of Play

by Jolene Perry & Nyrae Dawn

Expected publication: August 6th 2013 

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Blurb:

Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn't have a problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—deserve to party, right? Wrong. After taking a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.

Hockey player Penny Jones can't imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who'll take care of her absent-minded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered with the new tenants next door.

Penny’s too hung up on another guy to deal with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time.

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17332383-out-of-play
BN.com- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-play-jolene-perry/1114317968
Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1622660102

Book Review: Venom by Jennifer Estep

Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Elemental Assassin #3
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: September 28th 2010
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

What kind of assassin works pro bono?

It’s hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most.

To the public, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best barbecue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker—Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists.

At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.

The first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about this book is the lack of Donovan Caine. *does a happy dance* When I finished reading Venom I actually felt like singing Hallelujah for not having that idiot representative of the male species in the book. Yes, I was happy he was gone. (Can you tell I hated him??).

No Mr. Idiot means more Mr. Hottie a.k.a Owen Grayson. I like him a lot. He's very hot, very considerate, he helps Gin when she needs it, even if she doesn't ask for it. And he is mysterious. While reading this book I kept thinking there's something we still don't know about him. Something rather big. I'm waiting to discover what.

One of the best things in this book was Gin helping Roslyn. If you've read the books, you know that these two women aren't exactly on the best of terms. Even so, I always liked Roslyn and I hoped Gin would see her as the good friend she might become if only she'd allow it. I was right. This relationship and the way Gin helps Roslyn makes the situation with Mab a lot more dangerous than before.

I feel like a bad record here, but I have to say this: the repetitions killed me. We know Gin carries 5 daggers made of silverstone, we know Fletcher trained her to be an assassin, even though his son in older than Gin, we know a loooot of things. By heart. A friend of mine suggested that I should just skip over those parts. But that's even worse, because it would pull me away from the story even further. Anyway, I just hope these repetitions will stop as the story progresses.

I am still waiting for Gin to do something about Bria. She's putting off the inevitable and I believe this will make things even worse for her cop sister.

In the end, I enjoyed reading this book, even with those pesky repetitions. It was a good book.