Theresa M. Jones

Title: Pandemonium Author: Lauren Oliver Rating: 4 stars Summary: I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,  pushing aside thoughts of Alex,  pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,  push,  push,  push,  like Raven taught me to do. The old life is dead. But the old Lena is dead too. I buried her. I left her beyond a fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame. Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed  New York Times  bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite. Review: So this story continue right where Delirium stops. You follow Lena on her journey to being a stronger person and finding who she really is. The story is told by alternating between the Now and Then. Then being right after she

Title: Delirium Author: Lauren Oliver Rating: 4 stars Summary: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love. Review: So I noticed that there are several reviews here that list this book in the 1 or 2 Star category and I cannot understand how and I have no idea why! This book is written extremely well. There are parts that are written like poetry, its rather beautiful sometimes! Especially the

Title: Stealing Fate (Novella) Author: Berinn Rae Rating: 4 stars Summary: Much is known about the Greek goddesses of fate, yet much of that knowledge is a dichotomy. For example, while the Fates are often depicted as lame hags, they took part in many battles as warriors. The more I learned about these influential goddesses, the more I craved their stories to be told. And so Unspun was born: an anthology of three novellas, each giving a Fate her love story, and each by a different author. I found it to be an intensely enjoyable effort with fellow paranormal romance authors, Rachel Firasek and Elle J Rossi. In  Stealing Fate , you'll read the story of Lachesis and Phobos, the Greek god of terror. There is no mythological evidence to support Lachesis and Phobos hooking up. But, there is also no evidence that they didn't. I wondered, what if, and so their story begins... Review: Received this book free from the author through a giveaway. After reading a YA ...

Title: First, The Seven Wicked Author: C.M. Stunich Rating: 3.5 Stars Summary: “That's just the First," Caleb said, pausing to worry at his lower lip. “And it's only one of seven, Seven Wicked; we can't destroy any of the others until we destroy the First.” When reincarnated goddess, Eevee Marx, sees the necklace at her local thrift store, she just has to have it. But Eevee has no idea that when she drapes the delicate, silver links over her fingers, she is continuing a legend her spirit had started centuries ago. That when she unhooks the tiny clasp and lays the black and silver pendant against her chest, she will spend the night of her seventeenth birthday holding the dying body of the boy she loves. The Seven Wicked have been sleeping, preparing for Eevee to touch the necklace and reawaken the powers inside of her. Now, the only thing that stands between them is Caleb, the golden haired boy who will sacrifice himself to save her Review: As I was ...

Title: Fracture Author: Megan Miranda Rating: 4 stars Summary: Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine -despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she’s reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy’s motives aren’t quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening? Fo...

This week's Feature and follow by  Parajunkee and  Alison can Read features  Books Are My Reality and Concise Book Reviews .  Be sure you follow all four of them, and read their answers as well - it's always great to learn fun things about our fellow bloggers! If you are a new follower, please let me know so I can follow you back. The question of the week : Q. Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school? A. I was always reading NON required books, SO... I dont remember most of them. I remember To Kill a Mockingbird, but our teachers let us watch half of the movie too... so I mostly remember the movie. The only book that I remember was 1984- which I know is going to be a lot of peoples picks. But that book REALLY scared the crap out of me and made me think. I will never forget that book. What about you? Comment below and let me know if you are a new follower so I can follow you back! :) If you kn...

Hi guys! So I've been tagged for the Would You Rather...? tag by Erika. She's awesome and so is her blog so make sure you check it out:  Living for the Books Here are the Rules:  Intros!-Tell us about yourself and your blog Answer the 6 questions in anyway you want Tag 6 bloggers (or however many people you want to tag) Tell them they have been tagged and link back to your post Put the Would You Rather...? picture to you post  The Intro Hi there, Im Theresa! On my blog I review books and I also participate in a few memes. Also, I am in the process of finishing up my first novel, and plan on writing MANY more. I love talking to people on here so feel free to comment or share your opinion about a book! The Questions 1. Reading: Would you rather read a classic book or a dictionary? Classic book! I feel like I would get extremely bored reading the dictionary and classic books aren't bad! 2. Getting : Would you rather receive a $50 gift card to a booksho...

Title: Everneath Author: Brodi Ashton Rating: 4.5 Stars Summary: Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her friends—before being 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 months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. As Nikki’s time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she’s forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat f...

Ok, so as you all (may or may not) know, I have been writing my first novel for a while now. When I first started this blog, I naively believed that once I finished the story, (see description here ) the book was done. Unfortunately that isnt true. After you finish the story, you have to revise and edit the story a million and two times before its ACTUALLY done. So, I have revised it again and have some teasers for you! If you would like to be a beta reader and give me some advise on my book, please contact me via email at: theresamcrocker[at] gmail (dot) com. (crocker is my maiden name) TEASERS:

Title: Partials Author: Dan Wells Rating: 4 Stars Summary: Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out. When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask. Combining the fast-paced action of  The Hunger G...

OMG is all I have to say... This is obviously the same picture, just reversed and colored...

Title: The Burning Star Author: Jessie Lane Rating: 2.5 Stars Summary: Can she reach her destiny before tragedy strikes? The doctors have told Kay that she will die before she reaches her eighteenth birthday. Her mother’s determination to save her life leads them to a move outside of Asheville, NC to a new set of cancer specialists in the hopes to help her. But it’s not what Kay and her Mom find in the doctor’s offices in Asheville that lead them on the journey to save her before time runs out. It’s what Kay finds in the woods outside of Asheville, and an inhumanly gorgeous guy named Ryan, instead. Myths and fairy tales come to life before Kay’s eyes, bringing her closer to the ultimate cure if she can stay alive long enough to get there. And if the cancer doesn’t kill her before she finds the cure the secrets her mother has hidden from her may be the beginning of the end Review: Things I liked: The COVER is AMAZING!! LOVE It! The story was interest...

Q. Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books will you buy? A. Oh man... There are SO many books that I want to read that I havent yet because I would spend WAY too much money on them. BUT usually thats because they are series, not just stand alone books. So i would have to say the 1. Iron Fey Series and 2. the Hush, Hush books   Both of these Series have been recommended to me time and again, but I just can bring myself to spend $40-$60  on each series!!! :( Dont forgot to let me know if you are a new follower so I can follow youback :)

Title: AngelFire Author: Courtney Allison Moulton Rating: 4 stars (almost did 3 because I got annoyed at the end, but could EASILY have been 5… so I compromised ) Summary: First there are nightmares. Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her. Then come the memories. When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie’s memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend it was just a dream. Now she must hunt. Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in ord...

In every story there are certain elements:  Plot, Character, Conflict, Theme, Setting.     You have to build up the conflict to make the climax feel real.   The Climax is the part of the plot, where the conflict is resolved. It is “ The point of greatest intensity or force in an ascending series or progression; a culmination .”-as described by the free online dictionary. Now, we all know what a climax is , but how do you write it ? How can you make it better ? You don’t want it to be anticlimactic. Ive w ritten before on the beginning of the novel , but now lets focus on the end . Things you need in order to have a great climax: 1.        First things first - you have to have good characters . Before you can have tension or conflict, you have to have someone that it involves. If the reader has no emotional investment in the characters, then the tension or conflict is nonexistent or not important. So make sure to have ...

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns Author: Rae Carson Rating: 4 stars Summary: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of ...

HEY Everyone, Keepin Up with th Joneses... in the Writers World is being FEATURED!! YAY This is the first time this blog has been featured by another blog, and I would like to thank the lovely Ariel Avalon !   Everyone head over to her blog to check out her post HERE

Q: What drove you to start blogging in the first place? A: Well... I started writing a book about 2 1/2 years ago, and when I finally finished (or what I thought meant finished) I thought... Ill have to have an audience. I am a HUGE fan of Amanda Hocking, SO I know a lot about what she has done to get where she is. She self published because she couldnt get an agent to sign with her. On her blog, she explains that what REALLY set her books off was... BOOK BLOGGERS! I had NO idea what a book blogger was... so I figured it out. Decided that 1- I LOVE to read and read all the time and 2- I want to sell me books eventually. SO, 1+2= start a blog! :) AND now I LOVE IT!!!! What about you?

YAY! I got another blogger award! LOVE IT! I would like to thank the Lovely and wonderful Ariel Avalon for nominating me! There are a few rules one one must follow before accepting the award and they are as follows.  1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging. 2. Let the nominated bloggers know that they have been nominated for this award.   3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.  4. Thank the blogger who has nominated you.  5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post 7 Random Facts about me: 1. I LOVE exclamatin points and use WAY too many!!! 2. I dont have cable at home... Now, dont get me wrong, I would LOVE to have it, but I dont have the time to watch TV, I would rather stick my nose in a book :) 3. Unlike most people in the world, I actually love my job! :) 4. One day I want to travel the world! Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany and Australia are ALL a must! 5. I dream of one day being able to spend an entire...

So… As I’ve mentioned before, I am writing a trilogy, the first book is written, but I’m in the process of revising/editing. I had some people read it, give feedback and advice, and I’m trying to make it the best it can be. WELL- I have decided that it needs some SERIOUS work. I’m adding in a whole new element, basically giving the antagonist a reason to want to be bad, not just to be a bad guy JUST because he is. AND I am seriously upping the stakes. He isn’t just going to try and kill the protagonist; he is going to do SO much MORE ! Because of this, it is taking a lot longer than I had originally thought to edit it. I’m adding a lot more to the story, not just tightening up the writing. As I’m writing my book, and going through each chapter, one at a time, I’m falling in love with the story all over again! Its pretty amazing! I think, “I would LOVE this book, even if it wasn’t mine!” And as I continue to read more books, I come more to the realization every day that the st...

Title: Possess Author Gretchen McNeil Rating: 5 stars Summary: Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her over-protective mom, by Matt Quinn, the cute son of a local police sergeant and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, the voices are demons—and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from. Literally. Terrified to tell her friends or family about this new power, Bridget confides in San Francisco’s senior exorcist, Monsignor Renault. The monsignor enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession, but just as she is starting to come to terms with her freakish new role, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. And when one of her oldest friends is killed, Bridget realizes she’s in deeper than she ever thought possible. Now she must unlock the secret to the demons’ plan before someone else close to her winds...

Follow My Book Blog Friday is a weekly meme co-hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read Q: Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a genre you usually don't like and LOVE it? Tell us about it and why you picked it up in the first place. A: I usually stick to the same genre- Paranormal Romance. Adult or YA- I dont even care. But a genre I dont normally read...Well I read this book call On The Island. It was a story about a woman and teenage boy being stranded on an island after a plane crash, and they developed a romance. It was pretty contraversial because the woman was 30 and teh boy 16 when it happened. The romance didnt develop until he was 18, but still... it was wierd. Despite that, it was a good book that REALLY made you think.

Title: The Bringer Author:  Samantha Towle Rating: 4 Stars Summary: Death is sad, love is agony. Max was her next job. She got his name just before he died and it was for her to lead his soul to heaven. She was a Bringer. Then Max started pleading (as they often do), but not for himself, for his son, James. Would she look after him, would she comfort him as he grieved for the loss of his father? James was a sensitive young man. He would take his father's death very hard. Well, Bringers don't do that sort of thing; their exclusive role is to usher souls to heaven. They are not allowed to get involved in earthly affairs. However, when she saw James, she felt something she had never felt before – an emotion, a shock. She was a Bringer. Bringers do not have emotions. Yet she couldn't help herself. She found herself being drawn inexorably towards James and his life, against every instinct she had ever had, against every law of the universe. And she fell in love....

I have been thinking a lot recently about how difficult it may be to publish (sell) books in different age groups , by the same author. For example , I have already started writing an adult paranormal romance trilogy . I have finished the first book (im just editing it again) and started the second book. Then I also have a 5 book YA series I want to write, though I have only barely started. And I have a childrens books series that I have started. I understand the difficulties have writing books in different genres , because then you have to build an audience in each genre, but doing   YA and adult books, if they are both paranormal romance, shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I asked a literary agent , (Natalie from Adventures in Agentland ) and this is her take:  

This will be my first (hopefully a LOT more to come) interview with a fellow blogger! Keepin Up with the Joneses would like to welcome Ariel Avalon from her self titled blog! 1. Tell me a little about yourself.  I am a Navy housewife in my late 20s from the heart of Texas, currently living in Virginia. I spend my days cooking, cleaning, reading, writing, and playing with my pets. 2. What made you decide to start blogging?  I've recently begun writing my first novel and knew that having a blog would be something I would need in the event I ever get brave enough to try to have it published upon it's completion. I am a private person, and as such very uncomfortable with putting myself out there. I decided that blogging would help open me up so that it won't be a huge shock to me if I do end up getting published and needing to blog for my fans. 3. What is your blog about?

Title: Midnight Fire –Rise of the Dark Angel Author: Melody Anne Rating: 4 Stars Summary: Phoenix Light is a typical kid living in a nice home. She has two parents who are okay and an older brother she adores. Her world collapses around her when her dad rushes in the house and switches on the television to see enemy soldiers are taking over their world as they know it. Luckily, her father knew an attack was imminent and he built a vast shelter in the mountains for their family and thousands of others. What the people on earth don’t know is the war is much more than a human take-over. The forces of good and evil are battling and the humans are their pawns. Jayden, A Dark Angel, is a servant of Vyco and sent in to lead the survivors to their death, but the first person he meets is Phoenix and he finds he can’t destroy her. Review: Can you imagine what the world would be like if there was war everywhere? If you had to hide in a cave/cavern just to stay sa...