YA Book Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Release Date: 22 May 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & friends
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk.

My Thoughts...

2012 TBR Pile Challenge

So, this is probably one of the last challenges that I'm going to sign up for for 2012! (I think...unless something else fits in with the other things I already plan on reading!)  This one funs for all of 2012 and the goal is to read those books that we all have sitting on our shelves patiently waiting their turn to be read and enjoyed!

Challenge guidelines: 

• This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012. As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter.  
• Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed! 
• You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you. 
• When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!) 
• You can move up levels, but no moving down. 
• Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year. 
• At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. 
• For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. 
• For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL. You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways! 

The Levels:

• 1-10 - A Firm Handshake 
• 11-20 - A Friendly Hug 
• 21-30 - A Sweet Kiss 
• 31-40 - Love At First Sight 
• 41-50 - Married With Children 

The Hosts: 

• Evie from Bookish - @SeoEvie 
• Nicole from All I Ever Read - @Nicoleabouttown 
• Bonnie from Hands and Home -  @HandsHomeBlog 
• Donna from Book Passion For Life -  @BookPforLife 
• Caitlin from WatchYA Reading -  @caitlingss 
• Rie from Mission To Read - @missiontoread 
• Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea - @alouetteuette  
• Christa from Hooked On Books -  @ChristasBooks 
• Jenna from Fans Of Fiction -  @fansoffiction 
• Angel from Mermaids Vision -  @mermaidvisions

So, instead of putting a list of potential books here, I've actually put together a Goodreads list of books that I own and haven't read! You can see it HERE if you are interested in some of  the books that I hope to read next year. I'm going to join at the "A Friendly Hug" level with a goal of reading one TBR book per month! I have lofty goals for 2012 in terms of reading and blogging so we'll see how it goes!

2012 Sophomore Reading Challenge

Yet another reading challenge! When I saw Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit putting this together on Twitter, I knew immediately that I was probably going to sign up. :) It goes practically hand-in-hand with some of my "Sensational Seconds" challenge books. (Which you should totally sign up for, just sayin')  you can sign-up for this challenge HERE.

The goal for this one is to read 10 sophomore novels during 2012. For this challenge, I want to include some of the sophomore novels that don't fit with my other challenge, so here's my preliminary list of books for the challenge:

1. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
2. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
3. The Archived by Victoria Schwab
4. Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard
5. Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
6. In Honor by Jessi Kirby
7. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
8. New Girl by Paige Harbison
9. Surrender by Elana Johnson
10. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

(Okay, so the last two are total overlaps with the other challenge, but I'm so EXCITED about them that they deserved to be on both lists!!)

2012 Debut Author Challenge

It's time to get ready for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren! If you click on the above picture, it will take you directly to the information page that Kristi was awesome enough to create and from there you can find tons more information!

I'm super excited to sign up to participate in this challenge this year because it was the first challenge that I stumbled upon when I was new to the blogging world back in February/March, but it was  too late to sign up when I discovered it!

Next year I have big reading plans that might be in a little over my head considering what I have going on  with school in 2012, but I'm going to go for it anyway.  This post is basically to record for all to see one of my goals for 2012, which is to complete the DAC! (I'll have other forthcoming posts about some of my other goals, including the sequels challenge that I'm putting together)

So, the goal for the DAC is to read and review at least twelve 2012 debut young adult or middle grade books during the course of the year.  Considering how many fabulous books are on the debut list for next year, that shouldn't be a problem at all!  So, without further ado, here's my (preliminary) list!

1. The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg
2. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
3. Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig
4. The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats
5. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
6. Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo
7. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
8. Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear
9. Auracle by Gina Rosati
10. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
11. Time Between Us by Tamara Stone
12. Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

January 2012 Harper Imprint Challenge

Chelsy @ Starry Sky Books is once again hosting the Harper Imprint Challenge this coming January! Sounds like a great way to start the year, right? I participated back in July and managed to knock 6 HarperCollins books off of my TBR list (but only got 5 of the reviews posted in July).

So, in July, I signed up for the "Medium" level challenge of 5-8 books and managed to get to 6 of them.  While I would like to think I could sign up for the "Hard" level and read 9 of the HC titles that I own, I think I would be kidding myself! So, I'm going to sign up for the "Medium" level once again.  Here are the books that I either own or already have from NetGalley* that I will be choosing from (at this point--the list might change by January!):

1. Stargazer, Hourglass, Afterlife by Claudia Gray
2. Fateful by Claudia Gray
3. The Body Finder, Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
4. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
5. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
6. Possess by Gretchen McNeil
7. Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber
8. The Invisible Tower by Nils Johnson-Shelton*
9. Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig*
10. Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik
11. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi*
12. Everneath by Brodi Ashton*
13. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows*
14. Unearthly & Hallowed* by Cynthia Hand
15. Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
16. Mercy by Rebecca Lim
17. Wildwood by Colin Meloy
18. Mistwood & Nightspell by Leah Cypess

Do you have a bunch of HaperCollins books on your TBR list/pile? Consider joining in the challenge HERE!

2012 Sensational Seconds Challenge

I now that it may surprise some of you, but I've decided to participate in the 2012 Sensational Sequels Challenge hosted...HERE!  As the creator, how could I not, right? :-)  I'm super excited about many of the sequels coming out in 2012, so without further ado, here's what I'm hoping to accomplish for this challenge next year!

Participation Level:

• Level 4 (Crazy): 13+ sequels

My "Top 13" Sequels to Read in 2012:

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
2. Until I Die by Amy Plum
3. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
4. Arise by Tara Hudson
5. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
6. Fever by Lauren Destefano
7. Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
8. Outpost by Anne Aguirre
9. The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge
10. Perception by Kim Harrington
11. The Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
12. Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick
13. Surrender by Elana Johnson

That is by no means the definitive list of the sequels that I plan on reading in 2012.  There are simply way too many fabulous books coming out for me to even begin listing! I think I started listing them all and got to 25 before I realized it was a bit silly to do so.

So...are you participating? Be sure to write up your own post and sign-up HERE. :-)

2012 Sensational Seconds Challenge - Sign-Ups!

This is the first time I've ever hosted a challenge so I hope you'll stick with me throughout the year! It's going to be a learning process for sure.  I fell in love with so many debut authors and series this past year that I just couldn't get the idea for this challenge out of my head! I'm hoping that it works out and I can keep it up in future years. :-)

The Books:

• This challenge is specifically focused on YA and MG "seconds" being published between Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2012. This includes sequels (the second book in a series only) and companion novels!(If you want a "bonus" challenge that pairs well with this, be sure to check out Shanyn @ Chick Loves Lit's Sophomore Reading Challenge!)
• I've started a Goodreads list HERE that can help you keep up with some of the upcoming sequels/companions (there are 95 books on the list so far!).  Be aware that this list is not necessarily comprehensive, although I've been trying my best to keep it updated.
  
• This list is just the US sequels being released in 2012.  I'll openly admit that I don't keep up with foreign releases.  If you live in another country, feel free to post reviews for newly released sequels in your country!
• The books must be read between January 1 and December 21, 2012 to count towards the challenge.  I know some people have been lucky enough to read some sequels prior to 2012, but those won't be counted towards this challenge.

The Challenge:

• The goal of the SSC will be to read sequels/companion novels! *duh* There are four different levels that you can choose to participate at:
• Level 1 (Beginner): 1-4 books
• Level 2 (Intermediate): 5-8 books
• Level 3 (Advanced): 8-12 books
• Level 4 (Crazy): 13+ books
• Anyone can join! You don't have to be a blogger specifically, but you do need to review the sequels that you read somewhere (such as Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, etc.) in English
• There will occasionally be giveaways! (Still TBD...but they'll be for participants only)
• You can join anytime! Just set your goal and get started!

I'd love it immensely if you could write up a brief post on your blog (if you're a blogger) saying that you're going to join in the challenge (but you don't have to and I'll still <3 you for signing up).  If you don't have a blog, link up to your profile where you will post reviews (Goodreads, etc.). Feel free to include the button from above (or make your own brand new one to share)!