Let's Talk About.. Blogging: Back In the Day v.s. Now

It's been nagging me for quite some time now. Many of you know that I actually started book blogging a year ago, but from back then, I've jumped from blog to blog. At the time, blogging was really different. Do not get me wrong, I am in no way stating that I am an "old blogger", or "professional blogger", or that I have tons of experience. I've just noticed a lot of change in the blogging atmosphere. Quite frankly, it scares me a bit.

Do you remember, a year ago, when blogging was all about sharing your love for books with other book nerds? Do you remember the joy and carefree-ness of it all? Is it the same today? Sure, most bloggers still find it extremely fun and they treat it like a hobby. But others, I feel… have unintentionally changed the reason why they started blogging. And that reason is to get advanced reader copies/review copies. People are getting greedy. A year ago, I started blogging because I loved talking about books. And somewhere along the way... honestly, I feel like I've fallen into the trap… to get books. It scares me that I REALIZE I'm blogging to get free books. IT'S TERRIBLE. I must change this.

To be honest, I think at least half of the bloggers out there share my terrible problem. So much drama has happened and people have gotten so demanding that I think it's just CHANGED everyone in some way or another. With more bloggers joining the blogosphere each day, blogs are becoming more competitive. These days, it's all "Bloggers who get the most books for review are the most popular blogs." At least, that's what I think. And then I think, all the little or less-known blogs have to try to live up to that, and people just start gaining followers the wrong way to become that "bigger blog".

Again, the greed. People are just starting to grab as many ARCs as possible and that's just… wrong. Like I said, I've fallen into this very trap. Awhile ago, I got all obsessed in getting review copies, because of wanting to live up to those "bigger blogs". But now, I'm just stressed and it's making blogging not-so-much fun. I've decided for myself that I definitely need to hold off on review copies for awhile.. if you think about it, it is completely disrespectful to the publishers out there who have provided us readers with review copies, and then you just.. don't review them? Yeah, not cool. 

My point is, I think every blogger should just sit down, and think for a minute. How has the book blogging society changed you? Do you need to take a breather and hold off on review copies? What about you bloggers who were around a year ago? Do you think the blogoverse has changed? In what way?

**All opinions are my own.**

HAPPY reading,

Jen xx

REVIEW: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Name: Everneath

Author: Brodi Ashton

Publisher: HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray

Release Date: January 24, 2012 (US)

Pages: 370, Hardcover

Source: Audiobook Library

Rating: 3 Teacups

"Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen."

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

I've always loved learning about Greek mythology, so when I found out that Everneath is based off of the Hades and Persephone myth, I've been excited ever since. Truth be told, Everneath is my first retelling story that I've read about Hades and Persephone! Sadly, however, I found many flaws in the story that I couldn't enjoy much. The characters were flat and boring, and there was that cliché paranormal love triangle aspect going on. The only thing I really enjoyed was the plot and world-building.

THE OH-SO-DREADED LOVE TRIANGLE

You all know what I'm talking about. That love triangle that typically happens in paranormal romance stories. Well, here it shows up in Everneath (I know it's greek mythology, but I'm counting it as paranormal). Guys, I used to like love triangles. I still do. If they're done correctly and not annoyingly. It was pretty aggravating in Everneath, unfortunately. None of the boys were flattering in my opinion, and it just did not work for me.

BORING, AND FLAT AS A PANCAKE

Nothing is worse than characters that aren't entertaining and fun to read about! I couldn't connect to any of them, and there was no spark. I was especially disappointed with Jack--the fact that Brodi Ashton made him a cliché boy. The football player, floppy brown hair… Can we get something new here?  And Nikki was so indecisive that it just ended up annoying me. None of the characters stood out.

AWESOME WORLD

I have to say, the plot and world-building was quite great. The world was very believable for me, and I kept wanting to know more about it. Along with the Everneath world itself, the plot delivered exciting twists. The storyline was able to keep me reading until the end.

All in all, I was quite disappointed with Everneath. I expected a lot more out of it, but didn't get what I wanted. It's decent, but it definitely won't be a memorable read that will stay with me. Although, if you're looking for a greek mythology story, I would still recommend giving this one a try!

Audiobook Review: I definitely suggest reading the book, physically. The audio wasn't my favorite--the narrator sounds a little too robotic and caused the character to sound like she was droning. Acceptable, but it could have been better.

3 teacups for Everneath!

REVIEW: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Name: Where Things Come Back

Author: John Corey Whaley

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 3, 2011 (US)

Pages: 228, Hardcover

Source: Library

Rating: 5 Teacups

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . . 
In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. 
While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax. 
Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Where Things Come Back is a touching story about religion, missing brothers, and woodpeckers. Wait, what? Yes, you heard me right. WOOD FREAKING PECKERS.

As mentioned above, Where Things Come Back is quite heavy on the religion. Now, if you've been following me on Twitter for a while now, you probably know that I HATE World History class, and when we were learning about world religions, it was pretty much death for me. When religion was first brought on in the book, all I could think was, "Oh no, here we go AGAIN." But after awhile, I got used to it, and it actually was kind of… nice. The religious aspect part of the story was more there to symbolize hope, I think. It was a nice touch, as well as beautiful.

The story itself is complex and as many little storylines in the story. In Where Things Come Back, the story is told between different point of views, between Cullen Witter, the main character, Benton Sage (a religious boy in Ethiopia), and even Cabot Searcy (arrives later in the novel). All of their stories somehow intertwine and it is quite magical to see it happen. There is even areas in the novel where Cullen takes the reader back to his past.

Where Things Come Back is such a unique story. I mean, have YOU ever read a YA fiction novel with woodpeckers involved? I know I haven't, until now. The aspect of woodpeckers included in the story was totally random, and totally relevant. It's spontaneous, but it makes sense for it to be there. Everything fits and came together very well.

And may I talk about Cullen for a second? I have weird feelings about Cullen. For me, I couldn't really identify a character trait to describe him. It's quite hard. He wasn't full of fun, but he wasn't boring and selfish either. But he was one thing--interesting. He has so many thoughts and ideas and the way he analyzes things is very entertaining to read about.

Lastly, Mr. John Corey Whaley's writing. It was hard to get into at first, because of the complexity I'm not normally used to. But his writing quickly becomes soothing and easy-going. I loved it.

Where Things Come Back earned an abundance of awards for a reason, because it's a breathtaking story that leaves the reader pondering. If you liked Jellicoe Road or The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

5 Teacups for Where Things Come Back!

Showcase Sunday #7

Showcase Sunday is hosted by the lovely Vicky over at Books, Biscuits, and Tea! It's a great way to share what you have received the past week and to also gush over the wonderful books other bloggers have added to their bookshelves!

Beverley's New Books:

For Review:

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black: I'm super-duperly happy to be getting a chance to read this 4 months before its release! I love how the proof copy came with a beautiful cover, don't you love it?

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter: Eeeeeee!!!!!!!! So frikkin' excited to read this one!  Some of my favourite bloggers gave it amazing reviews so I can't wait to experience it myself :D

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan: Jen wrote a glowing review on one of Levithan's other books and I've heard many great thing about this so hopefully I'll enjoy it!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington: My first approval on NetGalley! Whoop whoop! I'm currently reading this and I'm absolutely ADORING it :)

Possession by Elana Johnson: This is for a blog tour and both Jen and I will be reviewing it so keep your eyes out for it :D

6 Seconds of Life by Tonya Fitzharris: Another e-book for blog tour review.  Can't wait to read this: it deals with suicide and I'm eager to see how the author deals with such a sensitive matter.  Probably won't be reading this straight after Saving June, huh?

*Many thanks to Bloomsbury, Mira Ink, Harlequin UK, Elana Johnson and Tonya Fitzharris, and the blog tour sites representing them*

Won: 

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth: Those of you who are close readers of the blog may remember I won a copy of Divergent a while ago.  Well, after that I won another giveaway for Insurgent and it took quite a long time for it to arrive so I'm guessing that's why I got a complimentary copy of Divergent as well.

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang: OMG!!!!!!!!! I practically squealed when I opened the package to reveal this beauty!!!! I'm so so so so excited to read this since I've been waiting forever for its release!!!!! And I just ADORE the UK cover XD

I probably won't have many books to showcase over the next few weeks as I am stopping requesting/accepting review books. My TBR pile is HUGE right now and the pressure is building up at school so I want to take things slowly.  I'm sure you can all just gush over Jen's hauls ;)

Jen's New Books:

Borrowed:
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff: I got this one from Netgalley a couple of months ago but I never read it because I heard it's quite difficult to read it as a galley. Unfortunately, I won't be getting to this one because I don't have time. :(

Survive by Alex Morel: I've been eyeing this one for a long time ever since it came out. But again, I won't be getting to this one either. :(

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White: Listening to this one on audio right now, and it's not my favorite.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready: So excited to start this on audio soon! Paranormal audios for October FTW!

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready:  Book 2 oh yes.

Review:
Swipe by Evan Angler: I heard really great things about this one so I'm excited to start this MG dystopian series!

Sneak by Evan Angler: Book 2!

The Wild Ones by M. Leighton: For a tour! I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED TO START THIS ONE!!

Timeless by Michelle Madow: I should probably start this series really soon... -__-

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson: This is the sequel to THE NAME OF THE STAR, which, of course, I have not read. I'm a bad blogger.

**Much thanks to Thomas Nelson, M. Leighton, Michelle Madow, Penguin Book Group, and Netgalley!

Bought (All were Freebies on Amazon) 
Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes: Bev just reviewed this one! Click here to read her review. :)

Ethereal by Addison Moore: Apparently this one has movie rights? Sounds interesting!

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs: Funny, I bought this one the day after Bev interviewed Tera on the blog. :) I've been wanting to read this one for FOREVER.

Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand: I've been eyeing this one for awhile too, but just never got it. Sounds good thought!

Blood of Anteros by Georgia Cates: I've been hearing awesome things about Georgia Cates, so I decided to pick up one of her books!

What did you get this week?

Happy reading,
Beverley and Jen x

REVIEW: Forever Mine (Moreno Brothers #1) by Elizabeth Reyes

Name: Forever Mine (Moreno Brothers #1)

Author: Elizabeth Reyes

Publisher: Self

Release Date: 6th September 2010

Pages: 335

Source: Bought

Rating: 3 stars

Seventeen-year old Sarah’s life is turned upside down when her single mom is sent to jail. She’s forced to move, leaving behind everything she’s ever known, including her best friend Sydney. Lost and bitter in a new school, her one goal is to save money and move back home. Then she meets Angel Moreno.
Enigmatic but gorgeous, Angel is almost too good to be true. Except for one thing, his archaic belief that guys and girls can never be “just friends”. The problem? Sarah’s best friend Sydney is not a girl.
With their unexpected romance intensifying to places neither ever experienced, how long can Sarah keep Angel in the dark about the guy waiting for her back home?

[summary taken from Goodreads]

First of all: Eeeeeeeee!!!!!!! I finished reading my first book on my new Kindle!

Beverley's Review

I wasn't expecting a lot from Forever Mine.  It was free on Amazon and seemed like a nice read so I bought it mainly so I could try out my new Kindle.  I didn't even think I would finish it but guess what?  I finished it in two days, which is pretty good for me.

I haven't read a lot of books which primarily focus on romance so this was a little different for me.  What I didn't really love about this was the insta-love.  Come on, you set eyes on the girl then immediately know you want her?  I would have enjoyed a build-up instead of a sudden spark I wasn't sure I was convinced with.

I really liked most of the characters.  Sarah was a bit of a weak protagonist: the problem could have been resolved much quicker and easier if it weren't for her running away from everything.  However, I had a soft spot for Angel.  He's protective and a little too intense but you can see he has good intentions at heart.  I enjoyed their relationship as it progressed but there was still a sceptical part of me which questioned if Angel was actually in love with her.  It was all, 'Sarah is so different' but Reyes never showed me how or why Angel thought she was so special.  Did he just want to get in her pants?

The secondary characters added some fun to the story.  Alex, Angel's brother, was such an outrageous flirt that I found myself giggling at his words.  Romero and Eric were awesome too with their playful banter and drunken antics!

A lot of the book was pretty mediocre.  The writing wasn't anything spectacular.  It was quite simple and not very descriptive.  I spotted quite a few grammatical errors too which irked me a little but it wasn't too major and didn't affect my enjoyment of the book too much.  Despite the flaws, I was compelled to read on and keep turning the pages so it was quite addictive!

Overall, Forever Mine was a nice, light read.  It is perfect for when you're in a reading slump and you need something less serious and heavy to enjoy.

3 teacups for Forever Mine

Waiting on Wednesday #9

Waiting on Wednesday is a fabulous meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!  It's a wonderful chance to share the books we're eagerly anticipating and to find out what our fellow bloggers are looking forward to reading!

Jen's eagerly anticipating...

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams.
Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell.
And then it comes true.
Now the Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

GUYS THIS SOUNDS FANTABULOUS. I love boarding school-type reads, and the paranormal aspect just reminds me of Hex Hall! AND AND, there's that murder mystery feel.. doesn't sound so freaking good! Let's not forget about that cover, too.. so gorgeous. I actually first heard about this one when I was checking out Shane's upcoming blog tours at Itching For Books! Grrr, I have to wait until March 2013..

Bev's eagerly anticipating...

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

This book sounds super-duperly thrilling, I love anything that deals with dreams!  And just look at that cover - it's so beautiful and I love how half of the word is blurry which represents the dream world Sloane and Maggie live in when they sleep! So eager to get my hands on this one.  It's out this month so I don't have to wait too long.  Hopefully it will release in the UK so I can get a copy then!

What are you waiting on today?

Happy reading,

Bev and Jen x

Alfie the Sniffer Pup (October '12 Edition)

Alfie the Sniffer Pup is a monthly feature here on A Reading Daydreamer where I spotlight exciting upcoming releases and book-ish news which my pup, Alfie has kindly 'sniffed' out for me!

Okay, time is seriously flying by far too quickly! I didn't even realise October was coming up! Anyway, October looks set to be another month filled to the brim with awesome releases so I won't wait any further to show you what Alfie has sniffed out! [all covers link to their Goodreads page]

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Breathe by Sarah Crossan
The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Dark Star by Bethany Frenette
Gravity by Melissa West
Beta by Rachel Cohn
Blind Spot by Laura Ellen
The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Hollow by Richard Denney
The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver
Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Wow.  And these are only just a few of what is to be released.  I adore the covers of The Lost Prince and Crewel.  I'm excited to read Breathe and Eve & Adam even though they've both had mixed reviews - I'll just have to judge for myself.  Dark Star, Gravity and The Shadow Society all sounds really kick-ass so I'll be checking them out too.

Thank you to Alfie for this month's sniffing work :D

Are you excited for this month's releases? Which ones are you eagerly anticipating?

P.S. Don't forget to enter My Super Sweet Sixteenth Birthday giveaway to win an e-copy of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris and a pretty swag pack.