This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Genre: Apocalyptic YA
Publication Date: June 19, 2012
Pages: 320
Source: Received a copy from the publisher to review

Goodreads Summary:

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. 

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?


My Thoughts:

I loved This is Not a Test! First of all, the title and cover are awesome -- I knew I wanted to read this book just from that.

The thing that stood out to me most about This is Not a Test was the style. It reminded me of a contemporary-literary YA book, with zombies. The main character, Sloane, is going through a lot more than the zombie apocalypse, with all the troubles she had to deal with at home. There would be a story to tell here even without the zombies, and the zombies amped it up to make it more intense. The different levels of this story are what make it unique, and is what made me continue to turn to pages.

This is a zombie book, but it's not full of blood and gore the entire time. (Yes, there is blood and gore, but not for the majority of the book). Because throughout most of the story, it is about five kids inside of a school while the zombie apocalypse goes on outside. I've heard this book described as "Breakfast Club meets Zombies," and that is SO TRUE! Besides Grace and Trace (who are twins), no one else in the school was friends before the zombies happened. They had seen each other around, and they do have small connections, but they would never call each other to hang out on a normal day. One of my favorite things about apocalyptic stories is how people who wouldn't normally be friends are forced to learn about each other and get along, and this book definitely served in that retrospect. I loved seeing the relationships develop throughout the story - especially the relationship between Sloane and Rhys.

And since this is a zombie story, and people are bound to die, I'm happy to say that Courtney Summers is not afraid to kill off characters the reader grows to like throughout the book! Also, each death was unique, and took me by surprise.

Final opinion: This is Not a Test is a unique addition to the zombie genre, with its contemporary-literary flair and the growing relationships through the story. If you're a zombie fan (or even if you've never read a zombie book and want to try one out), this book is for you!

Purchase

[Amazon | Barnes & Noble ]

If you liked This is Not a Test, you will also like:

Mani Monday (2)

Mani Monday is a feature on my blog to show you all the nail polish colors I choose each week!

I was in the mood for a soft pink this week, and picked "Sparrow Me the Drama" from the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection.

Here is what it looks like on my nails:

I love getting soft pinks because it matches pretty much any outfit I'll choose to wear. It looks great and classy, without being distracting!

Buy on Amazon:

Clear Your Shelves Giveaway!

Welcome to the Clear Your Shelves Giveaway, hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer! Visit her blog to see a list of everyone participating in this giveaway.

I will be giving away an ARC of Partials by Dan Wells! I LOVED this book, and you can read my review of it HERE.

I have an extra ARC lying around because first the publisher sent me one to review, then my best friend got one signed for me at a Dan Wells signing she attended and shipped it to me, and then I got a signed hardcover at Book Expo America. This giveaway is for USA only.

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out. 

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic in training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws threaten to launch what’s left of humanity into civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will discover that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there. 

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.

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Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Genre: YA High Fantasy
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Pages: 563
Source: Received a hardcover at Book Expo America

Goodreads Summary:

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.


My Thoughts:

I love the Graceling realm!! Another fantastic addition to this series. I loved Bitterblue -- and the romance in this book was beautiful, even if it doesn't have a happy ending (yet.) Hoping there's more to come in this wonderful series! I also loved the connections between the Graceling Realm and the Dells.

One of my favorite things about this book was that unlike Katsa and Fire, Bitterblue does not have a special power. Katsa and Fire are physically strong women, whereas Bitterblue is small. Bitterblue's strength comes from her mind -- her way of not allowing Leck to control her mind was by doing complicated math problems in her head, and this mental way of overcoming a problem symbolizes Bitterblue's general method of dealing with anything that crosses her path. She is strong, but still vulnerable. Her love for others and determination to do what is right even if it's hard for her is what makes her a great and respected ruler.

And the LOVE STORY is fantastic! It reminds me of the beginning of Aladdin, when Jasmine sneaks out of her palace as a commoner. When Bitterblue is pretending to be "Sparks," the reader gets to see a side of her that we might not have otherwise, a side of her that isn't weighed down by royal obligations and can have fun and have a romantic tryst. This makes her such a three dimensional character. And the royal reveal scene was done so wonderfully! It was heartbreaking to read!

There are also so many great mysteries in this book that are solved through the story. Yes, it's long, but I found myself needing to know what was going to happen next.

I hope Kristin Cashore continues this series, because I want more of the Graceling Realm!

Purchase Online:

[Amazon | Barnes & Noble ]

If you enjoyed Bitterblue, you will also like:

MyGlam Bag June 2012!

Hey everyone! I received my June GlamBag in the mail this week, and was SO happy with what was inside! For those who don't know, MyGlam is a monthly subscription service where you pay $10 a month to get deluxe samples and sometimes even full-sized products! Watch the video for more :)

I tried the Philosophy moisturizing gel this morning and LOVED it! It's so lightweight, and great for summer. But it also doesn't have SPF, which is something to keep in mind.

I tried the Living Proof Styling Cream yesterday, but I didn't blow dry my hair, so I can't give a full review yet. It didn't dry crunchy, which was good!

The NYX lipstick ... I really wish I had gotten pink! The light brown color I received makes my lips look like they're the same color as my skin, and pales out my whole face! I love that they included a full size lipstick in the bag, but I'm crossing my fingers for a color that works better for me next time.

I was SO HAPPY when I saw the Marbella Liquid Eyeliner in my bag! I tried it yesterday (my first time ever applying liquid eyeliner) and was happy with the results. I will definitely be using this, and it's full size, which is great.

CONCLUSION: MyGlam stepped it up this bag, and I loved what I received! I hope their future bags continue to be this level.

Indie Author Giveaway Hop!

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my giveaway for the Indie Author Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer. Visit her page to see everyone who's participating in the hop!

I will be giving away a paperback of my debut novel Remembrance. If you live in the USA I will ship it to you from Amazon, and if you live anywhere else I will ship it from Book Depository.

ABOUT REMEMBRANCE

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

If you love young adult contemporary romance with a pinch of paranormal, then Remembrance is for you!

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Mani Monday (1)

Hey guys! I love trying new colors on my nails, so I'm going to share with you what colors I pick every week! I usually like to pick the new colors at the salon, because it's fun to try the new arrivals :)

This week I used colors from OPI's new Minnie Mouse collection!

The Colors (from left to right):

- Nothin’ Mousie ’bout It

- I’m All Ears

- If You Moust You Moust

- The Color of Minnie

This week I used If You Moust You Moust with Nothin' Mousie 'bout It on top! The big glitter hearts are so much fun :)

Here's how it looks on my nails:

Buy online:

Books & Beauty (6)

Books & Beauty is a weekly feature hosted by myself and Tiffany from For Those About to Read where we talk about the books and beauty items we got that week!

THE PRODUCTS

Glossybox Unboxing May 2012!

Glossybox is a monthly subscription service, where you pay $21 a month to have high-end travel size beauty products delivered straight to your door! This video is of myself unboxing my May 2012 Glossybox.

THE PRODUCTS

REVIEW

Glossybox is about double the price of the other subscription services I use, Birchbox and Glambag. I was super impressed by what I received from Glossybox this month, plus I like the packaging (the box) better than the Birchbox and Glambag. The "big" object of this box was definitely the Burberry lipstick. The color is nice and natural, which I love, and the tube looks great in my collection. The hydragel is nice, and I'm excited to try it out, along with the hydrating hair mask. I'll definitely give the toothpaste a try. The nail polish is a cute color, but since I don't paint my nails myself I'm not sure if I will use it much. (I go to the salon every week and usually switch up my colors). 

The big question = is Glossybox worth the larger price point compared to Birchbox and Glambag? I'm not 100% sure yet. I'm keeping the three of them for three months, and then I will decide.