Review: Auracle by Gina Rosati

I was scouring my local Library’s bookshelves, looking for something to read. It’s been awhile since I really search the Library. It’s amazing what little gems you can find, gems that go unnoticed. A gem such as Auracle…

Auracle by Gina Rosati
Released August 7, 2012
Source of my copy: Library 

16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe.

When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them.

 Can we just talk about the cover for a bit? Oh my gosh, it’s so ethereal, mysterious, and absolutely gorgeous. It’s stunning. I’m sad to say it was what originally drew me to Auracle. I am afraid to admit that I am a sucker for pretty book covers!

Auracle is so unique, from its title to its cover to its story. The story and the characters held me captive from the beginning to the end. It’s been awhile since a book has truly done that for me.

Anna, our protagonist, is a 16 year old girl. She can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to go anywhere in the universe. Sounds cool, right? For abilities, I say it’s pretty awesome one. Until one of her classmates, after a terrible incident, hijacks Anna’s body. Nobody knows how to get her out, not Anna, Taylor (the hijacker), or Anna’s best friend, Rei.

Anna is adorable. I love her. She is funny and down to earth. She always thinks about other first. She struggles with her home life yet still comes out shinning? Anna is some everyone can relate to and admire. Anna would be someone I would hopefully be friends with. 

Rei…  Where do I start? Rei is smart, loyal, extremely protective of Anna, strong, and hot! But he is also down to earth like Anna. If you remember from my Teaser Tuesday, he's funny too! He truly is a swoon worthy guy! I kind of hate Gina Rosati for creating him and making my already high expectation of the male species even higher.

While I was sad to see Auracle end, I was happy the way it ended. It wraps it up nice and neat, no loose ends. Auracle is one of the books where you want a sequel to see more of the characters not because the actually storyline needs it. In fact, I wouldn’t want a sequel because Auracle is so wonderful on its own.

Auracle was an awesome find! I could not put it down! Gina Rosati did an excellent job, especially considering this was her debut novel.

Auracle most certiantly gets

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Tor's Stacking the Shelves- 7/27/13

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted over at Tynga's Reviews, where booklovers can share whatever awesome new reads they got in the week, whether purchased, borrowed, or gifted!

Since this week is my last week of freedom (I start band camp next week), I decided I am going to read as many books as I can. I may have gone a bit overboard with on this...

FROM THE LIBRARY:

• Storm by Brigid Kemmer: I think I already read this book on my Kindle but I couldn't remember so I got it anyways!

• Auracle by Gina Rosati: I did my Teaser Tuesday on this book. I randomly found this in my library and what a great find it was!

• Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev: Another random find! It looks interesting so I though I would give it a try!

• Destined by Aprilynne Pike: Because I avoided the library for a year (I owed $11.50 in fines and was ashamed to show my face. It's all good now because I finally paid it off!) I am finally getting to read the last book in the Wings Series! I am excited to see how this series ends!

• Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst: Another random find! It turns out I already read a book by this author, Enchanted Ivy, which happens to be one my favorites. The story seems so unique and interesting, I can't wait to read it!

• Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti: I love this author! When I found Keep Holding On, I was surprise because my library never has Susane Colasanti books in, you always have to put it on hold. Naturally, I grabbed it before anyone else could. 

• Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: I've wanted to read this book for awhile now but never had a chance. I've heard some good things about so I am excited to read it!

• Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell: It looked like a quick, easy read. I just randomly picked it so I don't know what to expect!

• Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendra Blake: A friend recommended this to me (I think it was Mag). I was so happy when I saw it at the Library! 

FROM MY KINDLE SPLURGE:

 There are some awesome deals for a bunch of YA books right now so I decided to take advantage of them!

• Pivot Point by Kasie West: The whole idea that this character's life is this giant "What if?" is intriguing. 

• Spellcaster by Claudia Gray: I have a weakness for books that involve magic. I love, love books with magic in them. I also am a fan of Claudia Gray. 

• Defiance by C.J. Redwine: Another on my to- read list. I was ecstatic when I found out it was only $1.99! 

• Starling by Lesley Livingston: Another weakness of mine- mythology. I don't care what kind of mythology it is, if it has mythology in it I will most likely read it. In this case, Starling has Norse mythology which I don't know anything about so this will be interesting! 

FROM TARGET:

I originally wasn't going to by anything other than chapstick but... 

• Legend by Marie Lu: This was recommended to me a while ago by one of my Tumblr followers (I think Mag also recommended this to me too). I've only heard positive things about Legend so I am excited to read it! 

 Care to share your thoughts on any of these books? Or did you get any awesome new books that you want to talk about? Leave me a link in the comments!

Happy Reading,
Tor

Waiting on Wednesday: 7/24/13

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking the Spine, spotlighting books that have not yet been released but are being greatly anticipated! What are we waiting on this week? Let's find out!!

Tor is waiting on... 

Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told. 

Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents' death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them--and that she may have been the true intended victim--she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.

Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.

Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn't know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson's love. And that's the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she'd never do.

 I loved Aprilynne Pike's Wings Series, so I am excited about her new series Earthbound and where it will go!

Mag is waiting on...

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts. 

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him--and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth. 

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.

 Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall books (plus spinoff School Spirits) are some of my absolute favorites, so I CANNOT WAIT to see what she's doing with her next books. And this one sounds AMAZING. I can't wait to read it!!

What are you waiting on this week? Leave us your WoW links!

Teaser Tuesday: 7/23/13

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play, and the rules are simple:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Tor's Teasers:

My teasers are from Auracle by Gina Rosati. I saw this book at the library today and thought it looked good. Auracle sounds different and enrapturing. I just picked this book up so its to soon to tell if I like it or not. 

     1. "'Finders keepers, Anna. I'm not going anywhere. You go away.'"

        -Page 76

     2. "'Yeah, and I used to think my Power Rangers underwear were cool, too."

        -Page 47

Mag's Teasers:

My teasers this week are from Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman, a book I received for review before my hiatus. That means a review coming soon, so keep an eye out! 

1. "Sometimes knowledge is power, and sometimes it's a deadly liability."
   -Kindle Location 3015 

2. "What is insanity, though, Audrey?" He flashed a feral grin. A vein throbbed in his temple. "Isn't that just the word we use when people won't conform to our limitations?"
   -Kindle Location 6277

 What are you reading this week? Leave us your TT links!

Tor's Stacking the Shelves- 7/20/13

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted over at Tynga's Reviews, where booklovers can share whatever awesome new reads they got in the week, whether purchased, borrowed, or gifted!

This week I was at a band camp so I wasn't able to get any books from the Library. I did, however, buy a book on my Kindle and swapped books with a friend. 

FROM THE KINDLE BOOKSTORE

-Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder: This book kept popping on my recommendations so I decided to get it. Its Mature YA/New Adult and so far I like it! 

FROM MY FRIEND

-Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: This has been on my to read list for a while and when I saw this on my friend's book shelf, we decided to swap books. I took this and he took Insurgent by Veronica Roth. 

Did you guys get any books this week? Care to share? Leave a link in the comments!!

Happy Reading,
Tor

Waiting on Wednesday: 7/17/13

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking the Spine, spotlighting books that have not yet been released but are being greatly anticipated! What are we waiting on this week? Let's find out!!

Mag is waiting on...

Infinityglass by Myra McEntire

The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series. 

The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time trav­elers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order. 

With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does. 

But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?

Myra McEntire's Hourglass series is one of my absolute favorites. I'm so excited to see what happens next with the characters I've come to adore :D

Tor is waiting on...

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite authors. The first book, Raven Boys, was awesome.  So I can't wait to see what happens to Gansey, Blue, Adam, and Ronan. 

What are you waiting on this week?

Teaser Tuesday: 7/16/13

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play, and the rules are simple:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Tor's teasers:

 My teasers are from Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti. Its too early in the book to know if its good or not!

1. "So I snuck a piece. Then I got Tiger Eyes off her bookshelf because she kept telling me I had to read it. I ate another piece of chocolate while I was reading. And another." -Page 94

     2. "Attempting eye contact at lunch always involves a huge degree of risk." -Page 50 

Mag's teasers:

My current read is Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan. I have no idea why I haven't read this one sooner! I read the other two AGES ago. Really good so far! I especially enjoy Sadie's narration. I love that girl. (Maybe that's why both my teasers are from her :D)

1. He choked up. Poor boy. He really would have been lost without me.
         [Ouch, Carter! Don't pinch.]
                            -pg 31 

2. Apparently I'd made a strong impression on the young man. No surprise. I am rather memorable.
         [Oh, stop laughing, Carter.]
                            -pg 97

What are you reading this week? Leave us your TT links!!

Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

I’ve wanted to read The Name of the Star for a while but it never was on the top on my reading list. When I saw at the Library, I immediately grabbed. What drew me to In the Name of the Star was that it had my two favorite things- London and mystery. But I have to say, I am slightly disappointed by it.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Released September 29, 2011
Source of my copy:  The Library 

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago. 

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities. (Synopsis from goodreads.com)

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It took me awhile to read The Name of the Star. Not because it was long but because the beginning was so slow. The first half of the book was all about how Rory is now in England and explaining British culture. While I did like learning new things about the British culture, I quickly grew bored of it. I remember thinking, “Yes, I understand. We are in London! Not America! Can we please move on?”

I did like how Maureen explained Jack the Ripper. You can tell that she really took her time researching the case. I especially like that she didn’t just dump all the information onto you in a single paragraph. She paces it out, revealing information only when Rory finds out for herself.

I liked Rory. I thought she was pleasant and witty. But she fell flat at times. At the end, I felt like she didn’t really do anything, that she was just there. The ‘just there’ feeling was something I got out of a lot of characters.

There is a little bit of ‘romance’ (if you even want to call it that). I felt it to be… frivolous. Like the only reason there was a love interest was for the sake of having a love interest. I felt zero chemistry between Rory and the love interest. I think the book could’ve done without it.

While The Name of the Star falls short of expectations, I do think this series has potential. It was slow start but the end has enough hook that it leaves you curious what the second book will entail. I have a feeling this will be a series you borrow, not own.

The Name of The Star gets <*><*><*>

Happy Reading,

Tor