Review: Purity by Jackson Pearce

 Source: Received a copy of the book from Hachette Book Group Canada for an honest review.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: Already released.
Number of Pages: 218 (Hardcover)

Description from Goodreads:

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.
Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

While Purity is very different from Jackson Pearce's Fairytale Retellings series, it was still a wonderful story. Shelby made some promises to her mother before she died, and we see her struggling to keep all three of those promises. The promises pretty much control Shelby's life, and treats them as if they are binding. Her promise to listen to her father conflicts with trying to live her life with restraint...and the main clash between those two happens when her father wants her to take part in the Princess Ball, where she has to vow to live a pure life.

At times Shelby's struggle seemed pretty trivial, and I wasn't a huge fan of how she treated her father. She listened to him, like she promised her mother she would, but she didn't actually hear what he was saying most of the time, and she often ignored when he was trying to actually get to know her. It frustrated me that Shelby was so nonchalant about her father's interest in her life. I definitely wanted to shake her more than a few times, and this behaviour was the only thing that actually bugged me about Purity. Although...I'm sure for most girls, this is how they'd react as a teenager. I might have been in the minority with wanting to actually hang out with my parents when I was Shelby's age. :P

That being said, I was so happy once Shelby actually started giving her dad a chance! While she still didn't want to do the Princess Ball, she did become more involved with it because her dad wanted her to, and she also took more of an interest in getting to know him, too. I absolutely loved seeing them bond, and I thought that Shelby's dad was awesome! I'm not sure if I'd want to do a Princess Ball either, but I defnitely wouldn't mind the chance to get to know my dad better. The relationship between Shelby and her dad was the best part of Purity for me, and I loved that by the end of the book they both knew each other a lot better....and they were actually communicating!!! ;P

Along with the father/daughter relationship, I really enjoyed Shelby's friends, especially Jonas. ;) I loved Shelby's voice in the story, and definitely enjoyed getting to read her story. It was funny, and overall it was a rather heartwarming story. :) 

So, have you read Purity yet?

Any thoughts on it?

Review: Sweetly (Sisters Red #2) by Jackson Pearce

Source: Received an ARC from publisher for an honest review.

Publisher: Little, Brown

Release Date: August 23, 2011
Number of Pages: 320 (Hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

---

I really liked Sisters Red, but I LOVED Sweetly! I knew that the two were companion novels, but I had no idea that they would be so closely linked! The world is definitely the same, and for anyone who's planning on reading or rereading Sisters Red before reading Sweetly, I suggest that you pay attention to the members of Silas Reynolds' family, one of them may just turn up. *hint, hint. nudge, nudge* and *wink*

Now onto the story itself, I loved it! I loved the sibling relationship between Gretchen and Ansel, but I did feel kind of bad for them, their step-mom was such a bag, and their family just suffered so much! I was so glad that they had each other, though. I loved how Gretchen grew throughout Sweetly, she really impressed me! And Samuel...oh boy, he was awesome (please note that you must read "awesome" in a breathless whisper, almost with a worshiping tone). If you can't tell by my massive amount of gushing right there, I loved Samuel, and Gretchen, together or apart, these two were fantastic! :D

The only downside to reading Sweetly was that it made me want chocolate and candy REALLY bad, and I didn't have ANY! So, if you're about to read Sweetly, I suggest you stock up on some snacks first, it'll be like you're IN the story! haha

Now, moving on from my intense desire for some candy while reading, this book was awesome. I read it during a Read-a-thon, and I just couldn't put it down! It drew me in, and I loved every moment of it! I thought that Jackson Pearce did a fantastic job of including details from the original tale of Hansel and Gretel, while also incorporating it into the world that she created in Sisters Red. Together, these two elements made for a remarkable story, one that you will want to read over and over again because it's a story that will have you craving more and more!

Sweetly was a fantastic book! As a stand-alone, a follow-up, or even a a precursor to Sisters Red, it was amazing! I do recommend that you read it after Sisters Red though because there are certain details you learn in Sisters Red that would make Sweetly even better! Definitely would work either way though. :)

Have you already read Sisters Red? Thoughts?
Are you excited for Sweetly?
And just because I'm curious, does anyone else have a serious sweet tooth...or is it just me? :P

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Books I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On....

So, there have been plenty of gorgeous covers released this week, as well as a few books that I just recently found out about. I've decided to share a few of these books that I can't wait for. :D

Okay Book 1: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

The blurb for this book sounds amazing, and the cover is kinda clever, not the shiniest one ever, but it's kind of refreshing to see a simple YA cover. :)

On Sale: April 26, 2011

Blurb from Goodreads:

" When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common. "

--------------------------------

Book 2: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

This cover is GORGEOUS!! I love me some green, I mean Nightshade's cover was gorgeous too, but this was is va-va-va-VOOM! :)

The Wolfsbane blurb on Goodreads is pretty small, since it's still a ways away from coming out, but so far it's:

Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?

And in case someone is curious and hasn't read Nightshade, Click HERE for it's Goodreads page.

-----------------------------------

Well Book 3, is 3 books actually. The cover that was released was for Illusions by Aprilynne Pike

I haven't actually read any of the books from this series yet, I've wanted too, but I still haven't gotten around to it. Wings and Spells are also getting touched up a bit to match the cover for Illusions. They're all so pretty...I love them :)

Here's their Goodreads pages:

Wings
Spells
Illusions

-------------------------------

And finally Book 4: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce.

This one's been around the blogosphere for a little while now, not too long though. I really just had to share it though. It's such an awesome cover. :D

I just love how the branches look like a face, of the witch I'm guessing...and then the trees lead up to the house in the forest. We can't tell if it's a gingerbread house though, but it could be :P lol

This story sounds amazing! I really enjoyed reading Sisters Red, so I can't wait to read Sweetly. Sisters Red was a modernization of Little Red Riding Hood, while Sweetly is a modernization of Hansel and Gretal.

Here's it's Goodreads blurb:

" SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED and FATHOMLESS.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful. "
 
Click HERE for Sweetly's Goodreads page.


--------------------------

All of these books just look and sound so amazing, so of course I wanted to share. :)

Also some of these covers might change, maybe a little, maybe a whole bunch, by the time these books go into printing, so don't be shocked if they end up a bit (or a lot) different. :)

Have you heard of any awesome new books? Or have you seen any new covers being released that you just had to share? I'd love to hear about them, so feel free to tell me all about them in a comment :)


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!
♪♫ Ambur