An Apology...

I think everyone here, who is a follower of my blog, visits frequently (or not-so-frequently) deserves an apology from me.

I'm sorry.

I haven't been blogging in a while (well, a week) and I feel AWFUL. I literally feel like there's been this huge hole in my life :(
Well, the reason for very little blogging productivity lately has been, yes, SCHOOL. But yes, I'm going to try again and re-start. This week will be awesome and I hope to get back into the blogging routine fairly quickly.

Thanks for sticking around!! :D I won't let you down now.

xoxo
Rabiah

1000 Followers

OH. MY. GOD.

I was out the whole day for a Maroon 5 concert (WHICH by the way, was totally AWESOME!!) and came back to a surprise when I woke up this morning....

1000 Followers.

Being a blogger for I think around 3 years, this is really a DREAM COME TRUE. Thank you so much to everyone who followed me, I've reached the 4 digits! YAY!!!

Thank you so much once again and love you all!!

xoxo
Rabiah

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Release Date: April 1, 2012
Publisher: Point
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ◆ Website

Chasing fame. Chasing love. Chasing a future.

Emme has long lived in her best friend Sophie's shadow. She writes songs, and Sophie sings them. It's always been like this, and feels like it always will be.
Sophie will stop at nothing to be a star. Even if it means using her best friend and picking up a trophy boyfriend, Carter.
Carter is a victim of a particular Hollywood curse: He's a former child star. Now all he wants is a normal life. But being normal is about as hard for him as being famous.
Ethan has his own issues – a darkness in his head that he just can't shake. He's managed to sabotage every relationship he's ever been in. Emme's the only girl he's ever really respected... but he's not sure what to do about that.

Emme, Sophie, Carter, and Ethan are all students at a performing arts school, where talent is the norm and fame is the goal. But sometimes, being in the spotlight isn't as important as the people you're sharing it with – as the four of them are going to find out in Elizabeth Eulberg's excellent new novel, which is about the auditions life puts us through every day, both big and small.

I've heard plenty of brilliant things about The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice, and I'm glad to say Elizabeth Eulberg did no less with Take a Bow. I, being a theatre student, found this particularly enticing– I just couldn't stop! I love the drama (oh, the drama!), the music, the romance, the heartbreaks. All of it had me flipping pages like mad, desperately wanting to read the next chapter of each character's perspective, frustrated when it didn't continue with the same character, and smiling away with the sweetness of this book.

The novel shifts around the four perspectives of Emme, Sophie, Carter and Ethan. Is there a main character? Yes, Emme is, but this doesn't mean the center of attention is always on her. I found it enjoyable to know more about each character in turn. However, there was one problem: I found it quite hard to connect to any of them, because the POV's change every chapter and even though it's the same story, you can kind of feel detached from them at times.
Emme was an okay character, I mean I don't think it's her fault for being the one stepped on all the time, but she should at least listen to her friends (Jack and Ben are both HILARIOUS supporting characters) when they tell her that she's being used. I mean, seriously? It was pretty obvious. But of course, being Sophie's friend and all, it might have blinded Emme a little bit. Speaking of which...
Sophie is one of those characters I love to hate. She reminds me of the Queen Bees at my school– they're both totally fun to hate and make fun of. But of course, there are times when my blood boiled. The very mention of her name made me loathe her even more. I think her character was brilliantly developed though. She really stood out of the four characters and I feel as if Sophie should have had her own story as well.
Carter was such a sweetheart, but I found that I couldn't connect to him at all! I don't really remember him, other than his determination to get out of Hollywood, so I really think he's one character that Eulberg could have pushed forward a bit. Not much variation in his story, I'm afraid.
AND...Ethan. *Sigh* my favorite part of the review: fangirling! I honestly thought his story on the blurb sounded more serious than his character in the book. I like how he was kind of the one who saw everything going on in the plot. He knew where each character was, what role they played and he, to me, felt like the "narrator" for most of the book. And he's so talented: he can sing! I want him so badly now.

I love the whole idea of the Arts school, it's usually very overdone or not done at all, and I'm glad that Take a Bow presents a more realistic situation. I mean, we've all had or known that one person who tries to rain on our parades, and that other person who tries to make us stand up to them right? I could connect with the plot instantly and it was just like reading a memory at times.

Take a Bow is definitely one of the best contemporaries of 2012 that I've read so far. It's got everything you'd want in a book: guys, music, drama, heartbreak, romance, and all that sweet gushy stuff that you won't admit that you like but secretly do. A very heartwarming and entertaining book, I definitely cannot wait to get my paws on another one of Elizabeth Eulberg's novels.

**Thank you so much to Amanda from Scholastic for sending me Take a Bow for review!**

If you like this, try...

• Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy ◆ Goodreads
• Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell ◆ Goodreads
• Just Flirt by Laura Bowers ◆ Goodreads

Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop!

The Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Stuck in Books.

YAY! Another giveaway. This time round, it's two amazing series which I've enjoyed over the years.

Da Rulz:

• Must be 13+ and open internationally to where ever the Book Depository ships for free. Not sure? Check here!
• You NEED to be a follower (through GFC/Networked Blogs).
• Leave a comment below with what you might choose, your follower name + how you follow, and an email so that I can reach you.
• I am not responsible for any lost/damaged packages.

And here are your choices!!

I know... not much. BUT You may pick any book out of the series. So that means The Mortal Instruments Books 1-5 and The Hunger Games 1-3.

Now go leave a comment with your follower name and how you follow, what you might pick and your email. NOTE: Please leave email like this: something AT something DOT com.

May the odds be ever in your favor!!

Check out all the other blog stops!

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 71

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight on upcoming reads which I'm DYING to get my hands on.

This week's WoW is:

Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

Goodreads ◆ June 11, 2013

This one comes out a long time from now (2013 HURRY UP!), but I can't wait for this one. I love the play on the title, and it looks like a great story :D.

What are you waiting on?

Under the Sea Giveaway Hop!

The Under the Sea Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Musings of ALMYBNENR.

YAY! Another giveaway hop! I'm tellin' ya, I'm pretty addicted to these (much to the dismay of my parents). And this time, it's water-themed :D
I'm so sorry I haven't been blogging lately. Ever since school started I've been getting TONS of homework (grade 11 is no picnic I'll tell ya) and sadly, ever since discovering The Voice (Adam ♥) I've been desperately trying to watch Season 1 and 2 so that I can be "up to speed" (I know, people tell me I don't need to watch the previous seasons, but I want to!). ANY-hoo. Onto the giveaway!! I've chosen several books which either have sea creatures (mermaids and such) or water on the cover. But first, the boring bit *BOOO* the rules:

DA RULZ

• This giveaway is open to anyone aged 13+ and is international as long as the Book Depository ships to you. Not sure? Check here!
• One winner may choose one of the following books.
• This giveaway will run from September 14-20.
• The winner has 72 hours to reply to the email, otherwise another shall be chosen.
• I am not responsible for any lost/damaged packages.

Okay, now that's over... Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: YOUR CHOICES!!!

Hopefully there's enough choice for everyone, so that even if you don't like paranormal water-creature-things, then there's a contemporary in here with just a watery cover :D

Enter in the Rafflecopter below:


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Check out all the rest of the hop below!

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Release Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen
Series: Anna, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Hardcover (Finished Copy)
Source: Borrowed – Thanks Riya @ The Teen Book Guru!
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ◆ Website

Read my review of Anna Dressed in Blood HERE.

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.
Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.
Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Ever since reading Blake's debut, Anna Dressed in Blood, I've been pining endlessly for the series. When the opportunity presented itself where I got the chance to read the book (thanks Riya!), I just couldn't say no.
I have to say, I didn't know what to expect when reading this book. And yes, I thought in the end that it didn't live up to the first book, but it was definitely a fascinating read, one which had me curious for more with every turning of the page.

I will be honest now, Anna doesn't make an appearance too much in this book. Most of the book revolves around Cas trying to figure out how to save Anna as well as some character developments. I was a little confused and dizzy around some bits, but I think it's quite a satisfying conclusion to the series. Not exactly how I imagined it would end, but still a good ending. Love the old characters, love the (few) new characters, and definitely enjoyed characters which were mentioned but we didn't get to meet in the first book.

Some parts of this book absolutely chilled me to the bone. The images conjured up in my head by Blake's beautifully horrifying descriptions were pretty gruesome and haunted me. I was freaked by that dramatic climax near the end and had my eyes glued to the pages, mouth agape, grasping to find out what happens next.

Sorry for the short review, but you should definitely pick up Girl of Nightmares if you've read the first book. If you haven't, shame on you! Kendare Blake is amazing at her craft, with male POVs, frickin' scary images that will keep you up all night, and a gorgeous love story.

If you like this, try...

• Hereafter by Tara Hudson ◆ Goodreads
• Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard ◆ Goodreads

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Waiting on Wednesday – Week 70

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight on upcoming books which I'm DYING to get my hands on.

This week's WoW is:

All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin

With my eyes closed and Alex's core friends all around me, it was like I'd become my big sister, or something just as good. And so who cared if they were calling it Alex's party? One thing I knew: it would be remembered as mine.

Alex has it all—brains, beauty, popularity, and a dangerously hot boyfriend. Her little sister Thea wants it all, and she's stepped up her game to get it. Even if it means spinning the truth to win the attention she deserves. Even if it means uncovering a shocking secret her older sister never wanted to share. Even if it means crying wolf.

Told in the alternating voices of Alex and Thea, Adele Griffin's mesmerizing new novel is the story of a sibling rivalry on speed.

Goodreads ◆ October 9, 2012

First off, YAY 70 WEEKS OF WAITING ON WEDNESDAY!! *confetti cannons launch*. :D and of course, back to the main point of this meme (and sorry I have not-too-good a cover picture). I have Griffin's book sitting on my shelf, BEGGING to be read and yes, I will be definitely getting to that soon. The cover looks dark, the blurb promises shock and that's good enough for me! Can't wait :)

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday – Week 38

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the bloggers over at The Broke and the Bookish. Today's top ten is:

Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR List

WOW. It's been a very very long time since the last Top Ten Tuesday post. Oh well. There are a TON of books I'm dying to get my hands on this fall!

1. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian ◆ September 18, 2012. Jenny Han is AMAZING. Never read anything by Vivian, but I've heard some pretty good stuff about her books. Thank goodness, and very lucky for me, one of my good blogging friends Riya @ The Teen Book Guru is going to lend this one to me (love you!!). Can't wait to get started.

2. Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Catherine Applegate ◆ October 2, 2012. I HAD (past tense: had) the eGalley for this one, but suddenly it disappeared making me very very sad. Especially since the publishing date is October 2nd, so it makes no sense. Anyway, this one's by Michael Grant, definitely gonna read it.

3. The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa ◆ October 23, 2012. How could I NOT put this on the list? Julie Kagawa is like one of my author gods. I want need to read everything she writes. GENIUS. Have an eGalley for this one, so can't wait to get started!!

4. Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick ◆ October 23, 2012. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW IT ENDS. But of course, it'll be sad to see Patch go :'(.

5. Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver ◆ October 23, 2012. Likewise with Finale, I can't wait to see how this whole story wraps up. I'm dying to know!!

6. The Lies That Bind by Lisa & Laura Roecker ◆ November 6, 2012. Love, love, LOVE The Liar Society. It's hilarious, it's mysterious, it's just plain fabulous. The Lies That Bind should be interesting... especially with the whole premise... getting chills!

7. Black City by Elizabeth Richards ◆ November 13, 2012. Love the cover, definitely will read it (that's my motto! haha, not really :P).

8. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill ◆ November 12, 2012. Look at all the rainbow colors in the background! This sounds like a fabulous contemporary, the author is a total sweetheart, and I can't wait to get to this one... when it comes out.

9. Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black ◆ November 27, 2012. Hbaja...shmasha...tha-tha-that COVER is– *faints from the pure awesomeness radiating off it*.

10. Never Let You Go by Emma Carlson Berne ◆ December 4, 2012. Creepy cover, and I'm TOTALLY intrigued. Love the sound of this one, and the glare... okay, I'm gonna have nightmares.

These are only 10 of the many MANY books that I'm eagerly waiting on this fall. So tell me,

What's your top ten?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Release Date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed – thanks Ippy!
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ◆ Website

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

This book made me do something which hundreds of others couldn't. 
It made me cry.

The Fault in Our Stars was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I don't think there are so many words which can describe this magnificent book. It has completely rendered me speechless. These very words which you are reading now do not do justice to this book. It was striking, and I gloriously devoured this novel in one sitting. It made me laugh, till I could giggle and chuckle no more, full of wit and sarcasm that made me smile like a maniac at the words on the page. It also made me ache inside, my heart pounding so loud that it was the only thing I could hear, unable to grasp the deafening conclusion which melted me into a puddle of tears and sadness. This book is not like any other.

Unlike Green's previous books (well, the ones I've read anyway) this one features a female narrator and main character. He's captured her perfectly. Flawlessly, the author has managed to make this girl come alive, her emotions screaming out on every page, forcing the reader to empathize against their own will. Hazel is a character like no other: sarcastic, charismatic, outspoken, headstrong, and yet completely like a normal teen.
Augustus (also known as Gus) electrified my soul. I gnawed on his words, hungry for more. He was so sweet, and funny, and optimistic about everything that you can't help but fall in love with him like Hazel does. I'm still getting that warm, bubbly, tingly feeling when I think about him. Despite his disability, he still comes out as very, very hot, and made me swoon with every crooked smile and goofy grin.
One thing that made me love the book even more: the supporting characters. I honestly did not find one character which I hated. From the hysterically hilarious Isaac, to Hazel's sweet and concerned mother, all of them have such original personalities that you can't help connect with each of them, despite minor flaws and all.

What is this heart-shattering conclusion which I keep talking about? Well you'll obviously have to find out for yourselves. I didn't want to finish the book at the end of Chapter 19 (do not look ahead. I repeat, DO NOT READ THE END OF THAT CHAPTER) because I knew what was going to happen and I just felt so depressed after that, that I nearly put the book down, wishing for a happier ending. But when it comes down to it, I think John Green ended it impeccably.
The language which Green uses is gorgeous. The words seem so simple, but it's so profound! It flows so well, and really seems to come from the voice and thoughts of a teenager. I really loved some passages, such as this one:

❝I was quite sure I'd never seen him before. Long and leanly muscular, he dwarfed the molded plastic elementary school chair he was sitting in. Mahogany hair, straight and short. He looked my age, maybe a year older, and he sat with his tailbone against the edge of the chair, his posture aggressively poor, one hand half in a pocket of dark jeans.❞

Like I said, simple sentences but once you take a closer look, rich diction is bleeding from the pages in buckets.

There is no really good way to ever end a review. Especially for a book such as this. Think of the highest that you can expect this book to be. I'll let you know that it will soar far beyond that. The Fault in Our Stars deserves to become literature now and for future generations. I have never been so in love with a book, so enraptured that I couldn't think about anything else except it. I wish I hadn't gone into it so fast, because now I'll have to try to hold onto what I can, because I know that there will be (for now) very few books which can compare to John Green's masterpiece. 

❝The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.❞

If you like this, try...

• The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder ◆ Goodreads
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews ◆ Goodreads

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TBR Intervention ❘ Week 4

The TBR Intervention is hosted by Books4Juliet, Whatever You Can Still Betray, and Refracted Light.

This challenge is to help us, as well as fellow bloggers and readers, take down those towering TBR piles which are constantly growing.

School has probably been the most tiring thing since it started again 3 weeks ago. In in the 11th grade now, so I've entered the IB program, and I will not kid you, it is STRESSFUL. I haven't been able to blog and read as much as I'd have wanted to, and homework and presentations keep piling up and so does *surprise* my TBR pile. Which may be a good thing. Need to still catch up on a LOT of reviews right now. I also haven't been posting so many TBR Intervention posts (which is a shame because this meme/challenge is brilliant), so there's kind of a large amount of books read than I normally would if I did this meme every week or so.

1. Book(s) I've committed to reading last week

Well, "last week" (more like a month ago!) I said I would read The Girl is Murder and The Girl is Trouble by Kathryn Miller Haines, and Deadly by Julie Chibbaro. I did read Deadly and The Girl is Murder, but sadly The Girl is Trouble eGalley expired and I wasn't able to get to it. Oh well, at least I've discovered a fabulous new author!!

And no reviews for these books sadly :(

Like I mentioned, I haven't been doing so many reviews lately (because of darn school D:) and it's really annoying me because the review pile just gets bigger and bigger. Here are the rest of books I read since the last TBR Intervention post:

Read my review of Counting Backwards by Laura Lascarso HERE.

Read my review of The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer HERE.

2. Book(s) I plan on reading this week.

Here's the general breakdown–

eGALLEY: Music from Beyond the Moon by Augusta Trobaugh and The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross (FINALLY!).
PHYSICAL BOOKS: Belles by Jen Calonita.
FOR FUN: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (*SQUEEE!!*)

SO, my lovelies, that is it!! Hopefully, I should have my In My Mailbox post up tomorrow (fingers crossed!) cause it's seriously been so long and I've missed you all. Hope you had a great week (and will have one as well) and Happy Reading