When she woke - Review

When she woke by Hillary Jordan

Available now

www.harpercollins.co.uk 

What's it about?

Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family, but after her arrest, she awakens to a nightmare: she is lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes – criminals whose skin colour has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime – is a new and sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red; her crime is murder. The victim, according to the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she’s shared a fierce and forbidden love.

When she woke is a fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of a not-too-distant future – where the line between church and state has been eradicated and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned and rehabilitated but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a path of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith.

My review

This book was a complete surprise when it arrived through my letter box one morning, I'd never heard of it but right away knew it sounded great and I had to read it and I'm so grateful to the lovely lady at HarperCollins who sent it to me because I really enjoyed it.
When she woke really is a thought provoking book that touches on a lot of subjects, all in brilliantly plotted, dramatic read. Not only is it a great story but it poses questions about its main subject, abortion, along with politics, religion and criminal justice.
I was glued right up until the last pages as I watched Hannah's journey unfold and went back with her to find out how she had ended up in her position and I couldn't help emphasizing with her right the way through, she's already a strong woman but becomes stronger throughout the book in other ways and I admired her integrity a lot.
The world building was done really well, When she woke is set in the not so distant future so technology is slightly more advanced and Jordan managed to write it in so flawlessly that I didn't believe once that this wasn't the way the world will be in the future as the advances weren't over the top.
The idea of the Chroming system was also really intriguing, in a world where prisons are becoming too full, people are 'Chromed' so their skin is permanently a different colour to match their crimes, so even though they aren't in prison, they become outcasts as they are 'named and shamed' so to speak, something that can been seen as too harsh for some but fitting for others and its one of the things that really gets you thinking with this book. Is it really humane to do that to people? Don't criminals deserve it? And lots of other questions like that.
There's also a lot of talk of religion in this book, but its not pushed on you, its part of the world as religion is being used to 'control' people and again it opens up a lot of questions.
I'd recommend When she woke to anyone looking for a thought provoking read and even if your not, its a great journey to read and a brilliant book that'll have you up late turning the pages to see what unfolds next for Hannah.

My thoughts on the cover
This cover is nice but not necessarily anything special, the girls vacant stare is kind of creepy to be honest and I'm kind of disappointed her skin isn't red like it is in the book. But the fresh colours are nice and I like the font.

Favourite quotes

'Kayla gave Hannah's leg a forgiving squeeze. "Love's a bitch, isn't it? Spoils you for being on your own."'

'But. For a day and a night, he would be hers, and she wanted it to be perfect, a shining jewel she could carry with her into the blank expanse that was her future.
It wouldn't be enough. It would have to be enough.'

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UK vs THE WORLD (39)

UK vs. The world is a weekly meme I made up lol.

It's simlair to UK vs. US except the UK covers are battling it out with their foreign counterparts from all over the world, because who doesn't love judging books by their covers!

UK                            vs.                   Turkey

When she woke by Hillary Jordan

('Uyandığında' translates to 'Wake up.' - According to Google translate.)

Mist: I'm torn between these two, for cosmetic reasons I love the UK cover but the Turkish cover fits the story but its not very attractive, in the book the girl has red skin so she's not represented properly in the UK cover but I like the light colours and the font so I guess its a UK win for me if I have to choose.

Ninfa: I've heard good things about this book but I'm a little unimpressed with the covers unfortunately.
 The UK cover is just like any other fiction cover out there and the model seems too sweet and innocent for what the book blurb describes.
The Turkish cover is very "Crime Noir" and again, doesn't really make me want to pick up the book.
 I think this time covers have failed the book, as neither encompasses the story line very well. Personal taste would move me towards the UK cover, but this time I don't think either can truly be winners...

Which do you prefer?

Blog tour: The color of Grace - Character interview

Quickie interview.

What was the first thought that ran through your mind the first time you spotted Grace?

 -Well, after that blank-brain moment where you can't think much past "wow," I was pretty like "I'm in big trouble now" because I had this sense she was the one, you know.

 What is it about architecture you find so interesting?

 -Have you ever seen that movie, Mean Girls, where Lindsay Lohan is asked why she likes math and she answers, "because it's the same in every language"? Architecutre is kind of the same for me, except without the girly Lindsay vibe she put into the sentiment. I like how you could be anywhere in the world and still see something familiar, like the pyramids, or the Eiffel tower, The Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, or Stonehenge.  I think it would be amazing if I could create something that could be known worldwide and throughout the ages.

What ran through your mind the night Grace showed up at your window?

-Midnight booty call?  No, no, I know she's not like that.  But the guy in me had to admit I did hope for a second there.  Then I saw her shivering without her coat and I just knew something was wrong...and no matter what it was, I would fix it.

Do you think you'll ever make up with Todd?

-Who?  Joking!  Actually, I still talk to him occassionally. I even thanked him for stabbing me in the back because in the end, everything ended up a lot better for me than it did for him. But we'll never be besties or anything. 

What do you see for the future with you and Grace?

-How does that one song go?  **Hums "Going to the Chapel..."** What can I say, when I meet the one, she is the one!

Ryder’s Character Profile

Name:  Ryder Yates

Age: Senior at Southeast High School

Height: “six feet even” --According to the basketball roster.

Hair color: “Silky-straight, sandy-colored hair…with the shaggy bangs pushed to the side just far enough to see out from under them.” --Grace

Eye color: “He had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen, a pale, sparkly, jewel-kind of green, like the birthstone for August. Peridot. Yeah, he had peridot green eyes.”  --Grace

Dating Status: “He had a girlfriend.” --Grace

Distinguishing traits: “A scratch ran across his knuckles from his pinkie to his middle finger. The thumbnail had a bruise under it, as if he might’ve hit it with a hammer. They were one hundred percent boy hands. Nothing girly or feminine about them.” --Grace

Likes:  “Architecture.” --Ryder

Personality: “I think he’s totally blind to social status. In fact, I bet he’d befriend just about anyone. But that group leaches off him and clusters around him so tight he really doesn’t have a chance to see the rest of us through the trees.” --Alaina

Catch phrase: “I don’t know. Read it somewhere, I guess.” --Ryder

Best line: “You’re the type I want to be my last. You know...the settle down and marry sort. If you’re my first, then I won’t get to—I don’t know—sow any wild oats or anything.” --Ryder

Why should he get the girl? “I think it has something to do with my big green eyes.”  --Ryder

The color of Grace by Linda Kage

Check out my 4* review

Meet sixteen-year-old Grace Indigo:
Hey. When my mother remarried after thirteen years of being a widow, I had to move to a new town and enroll in a new school. Suddenly thrust into an entirely different kind of life, I just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to meet new people, didn’t want to leave my old friends, didn’t want to become a third wheel to my mom and her husband...and I really didn’t want to see Ryder Yates again. Ugh, I still don’t know why I turned down that too-good-to-be-true boy who flirted with me when we were attending separate schools.

But honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was worse.

Who knew becoming lost in a new life could help a girl find her true colors?

Showcase Sunday (20)

'showcase Sunday' is hosted by Vicky at books, biscuits and tea.

24th Sept - 30th Sept

It's been another quite week for me as I continue to curb my book buying and requesting review copies in an attempt to catch up on the ones I have, I only got one book this week:

The Christmas spirits by Whitley Strieber which was a random book I was sent for review but I actually already read and reviewed an ecopy last year that the publishers sent me, you can see that review HERE if you want to.

I also got myself a cover for my Kindle since its already picked up a few scratches in my bag and I don't want my baby to get ruined!

And I also got season 4 of Fringe on DVD which came out this week! Since its a DVD I won't picture it but I'm so excited I figured I'd at least mention it! lol

What did you get this week?

Same difference (33)

Debutantes by Cora Harrison and 

The summer garden by Paullina Simons - Tatiana and Alexander book three.

Mist: I have to say, hands down I love the Debutantes cover the most here, the colours are just stunning, whilst I do like the sepia on  The summer garden and the girls green eye, its nothing next to the Debutantes cover which is just so pretty and girly.

Which do you prefer?

UK vs THE WORLD (38)

UK vs. The world is a weekly meme I made up lol.

It's simlair to UK vs. US except the UK covers are battling it out with their foreign counterparts from all over the world, because who doesn't love judging books by their covers!

UK                  vs.                     US

Dearly, beloved by Lia Habel

Gone with the respiration book two.

Mist: Both of these covers are pretty gorgeous but I think the US cover narrowly wins for me, I just like the colours better, the UK cover is more dramatic but I do like the stormy sky.

Ninfa: I must say the UK cover is a little off for me, it looks like the guy was photo shopped badly next to the beautiful woman and unfortunately that kinda puts me off the whole thing. The plus side of this cover for me it's pretty much just the lovely dress :p I do like the US cover though, it's very pretty and feels historical and romantic.I don't love either of them, but having to choose I'd go for the US as it's something I would probably pick up, even just for curiosity's sake :)

Which do you prefer?

Significance - Review

Significance by Shelly Crane

Available now. 

What's it about?

Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who's had a bad year. She was smart and on track but then her mom left, her dad is depressed, she's graduating, barely, and her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football scholarship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is gripping tight with everything she has.

Then she meets Caleb. She saves his life and instantly knows there's something about him that's intriguing but she is supposed to be on her way to a date with his cousin. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally.

They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing supernatural changes unlike anything she's ever felt before and she needs the touch of his skin to survive.

Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a pain as well, but Caleb's enemies know he's imprinted and are after Maggie to stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him.

Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just finding one another?

My review

After seeing so many great reviews for this I knew I had to pick it up since I'd (shamefully) had sitting on my Kindle for review for months! Unfortunately I just didn't enjoy it as much as others, it was a bit too much love story and not enough of much else for me, I prefer more action in my books and this was just a bit too 'sweet' for me, that being said I do think fans of the romantic contemporary genre will enjoy it.

There were also a lot of typos in the version I was reading (which, as far as I know was a finished one.) which put me off as there were quite a few times I got 'pulled out' of reading because I had to read a line again.

The story itself though was a really unique and intriguing one, it was something I haven't seen before and was what kept me interested in the book when the romance got a bit too much for me.

I thought Maggie and Caleb made a great couple and were pretty hot together, though I'm not usually a fan of the 'insta-love' it worked in this story and actually made sense, Shelly Crane is a great story teller and did a fine job of putting these two characters together and some great secondary characters, I liked them all except Kyle who was just too hostile at times, he seems like such a nice guy to start I thought he'd be more understanding of the situation since he lives in that world.

So, overall, even though I didn't love this book myself I think others will.

My thoughts on the cover

I really like this cover, I like the soft colours and the swirly frame, the font fits in too. Its a really pretty ensemble.

Favourite quotes

'Not like a girly wow-he's-touching-me jolt. I mean an actual jolt. Like it felt as if fire was racing through my veins and I was standing in water with a blow dryer.'

'"I'll always come for you. I'll always find you, I told you, you're everything now, Maggie. I love you so much."'

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Showcase Sunday (19)

'Showcase Sunday' is hosted by Vicky at Books, biscuits and tea.

17th Sept - 23rd Sept

I had a really quiet week this week, but I don't mind since my reading is soooo slow lately! But I did get one book, Harlequin UK sent me Devil's bargain by Rachel Caine for review which I'm excited for since I love her Morganville vampires series. Then my handsome boyfriend got me a Mockingjay pin because he's awesome :)

What did you get this week?

UK vs THE WORLD (37)

UK vs. The world is a weekly meme I made up lol.

It's simlair to UK vs. US except the UK covers are battling it out with their foreign counterparts from all over the world, because who doesn't love judging books by their covers!

UK                           vs                     France

The heir of night by Helen Lowe

Wall of night book one.

('Si la nuit tombe... tout tombe' translates to 'If night falls ... everything falls.' - According to Google translate.)

Mist: Definitely a UK win for me this week, I just love the whole set-up of the cover, its intriguing and eye catching. The French cover is kind of boring and I don't like the way the girl is washed out.

Ninfa: No contest here, it's a UK win all the way! The French cover is literally the same model slapped on a red and faded background which takes all the epic feeling out of the cover.
 The UK cover is fabulous, I love the storm/battle feeling behind the girl, and she looks ready to fight, and fierce.
 UK wins 100%!

Which do you prefer?

Diary of a one-night stand - Review

Diary of a one-night stand by Alexandrea Weis 

What's it about? 

Resilient and practical, Kara Barton has continually strived to live a respectable life. She went to college, embarked on a promising career as an attorney, married a great guy, and always appeared to be the perfect wife and mother. But all is not what it seems, and the troubling past Kara has been running from her entire life is about to catch up with her. Urged on by her insecurities about growing older, and desperately wanting to feel one more night of passion, Kara agrees to share a tryst in a hotel room with a sexy business associate, Scott Ellsworth. But Scott wants more than one night together, and Kara quickly discovers it is impossible to resist him. Soon Kara finds herself transformed into the kind of woman she vowed never to become, and the secure world she has struggled all her life to build begins to fall apart. Kara Barton is about to find out how a one-night stand can change everything.

My review

Whilst I wouldn't say I loved Diary of one-night stand I did find it to be an enjoyable quick read and I really liked the message it ended with. This is an adult read so there are some steamy scenes throughout the book, there's nothing 'hardcore' though so I think anyone that likes a little bit extra to their novels will enjoy it.
I found it easy to get through and enjoyed the story, Kara was an interesting character but there were so many times I wished she'd stand up for herself more, never the less, her journey was an interesting one and I enjoyed taking it with her and wondering how things would end up for her.
I thought it ended perfectly, I wasn't sure if it would go that way or a completely different direction but I'm glad for the way it turned out.
I would definitely be interested to see more work by this author in the future and would recommend Diary of a one-night stand to anyone looking for an easy read.

My thoughts on the cover
I do like what's been done with this cover, its a nice clean image that's attractive but it looks too computerized, I think an actual image of this scene would look amazing!

Favourite quotes

'"Yes, you can. Life has no rules, Kara. We're all just makin' it up as we go along, so grab whatever you have with that man who has put a twinkle back in your eye. You've got the rest of your life to think about your mistakes. So you'd better try and make some while you're still young enough to enjoy them."'

'He ran his fingers through her silky hair. "Because what would be the fun in that? Takes all of the mystery out of it. Life has got to have mystery, otherwise it gets boring."'

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