Hourglass by Myra McEntire (ARC)

TITLE: Hourglass

AUTHOR: Myra McEntire

PUBLISHER: Egmont USA

PAGES: 397

MY RATING: 4/5

BACK COVER BLURB: Since the age of fourteen, Emerson Cole has seen strange things -- dead things -- swooning Souther Belles, soldiers, and other eerie apparitions of the past. She's tried everything to get rid of the visions: medication, counseling, asylums. Nothing's worked.

So when Emerson's well-meaning brothercalls in yet another consultant from a mysterious organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to give it one last try.

Michael Weaver is no ordinary consultant. He's barely older than she is, he listens like no one she's ever met before, and he doesn't make her feel the least bit crazy. As Emerson ventures deeper into the world of the Hourglass, she begins to learn the truth about her past, her future -- and her very life.

A seductive time-slip novel that merges the very best of the paranormal and science fiction genres, Myra McEntire's Hourglass is a stunning debut from an author to watch.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: It's hard to say much about this book without giving anything away, so I will keep this brief. This book was amazing. I loved every minute of it and I am so glad that I had to opportunity to read it. The book has a great story line with a wonderful plot full of twists and turns that made me want to keep on reading to see what McEntire would come up with next.

CHARACTERS: The main character is Emerson (Em) and she is a great character. She is very strong willed and able to fend for herself. Her love interest is Michael, the man hired by Emerson's brother to help Emerson deal with her gift of seeing ghosts from the past. He is also a good character, but the instant love connection between the two bothers me. I am the kind of girl who does not believe in love at first sight, and I like it better when the romance develops over time in a story.

COVER: I adore the cover of this book. It creeps me out, but it also draws me in . I can't stop looking at it.

*I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine.

Jane Jones: Worst Vampire Ever (ARC)

 TITLE: Jane Jones: Worst Vampire Ever

AUTHOR: Caissie St. Onge

PUBLISHER: Random House Children's Books

PAGES: 240

MY RATING: 4/5 
 
SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS: For Jane Jones, being a vampire is nothing like you read about in books. In fact, it kind of sucks. She's not beautiful, she's not rich, and she doesn't "sparkle." She's just an average, slightly nerdy girl from an ordinary suburban family (who happens to be vampires.) Jane's from the wrong side of the tracks (not to mention stuck in the world's longest awkward phase), so she doesn't fit in with the cool vampire kids at school or with the humans kids. To top it all off, she's battling an overprotective mom, a clique of high school mean girls (the kind who really do have fangs), and the most embarrassing allergy in the history of the undead, she's blood intolerant. So no one's more surprised than Jane when for the first time in her life, things start to heat up (as much as they can for a walking corpse, anyway) with not one, but two boys. Eli's a geeky, but cute real-live boy in her history class, and Timothy is a beautiful, brooding bloodsucker, who might just hold the key to a possible "cure" for vampirism. Facing an eternity of high school pressure, fumbling first dates, or a mere lifetime together with Timothy, what's a 90-something year-old teen vampire to do?

Fans of the Vladmir Tod Chronicles, You are So Undead to Me, and Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side will feast on this deliciously readable, smart, and fantastically funny debut.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a cute book. I was afraid that it was going to be a little too cutesy with too much high school drama, but that wasn't the case at all. The book has the typical story line of the girl desperately wanting to fit in with the 'cool' crowd, but there's a twist that vampires are involved. I think this book is great for anyone who wants to read a quick book that is actually a good book as well.

CHARACTERS: The main character of the book is Jane. She is a vampire, but she has a rare disease that she is blood-intolerant. She uses humor to overcome her problems and insecurities and it works for her. She was enjoyable to read about. One of my favorite characters in the book is Zachary. Zachary is Jane's younger brother and he is the perfect little brother. The siblings get in spats from time to time, but they seem to get along really well. Zachary is even trying to help out his sister by trying to create a cure for Jane's blood intolerance. There are two main male characters in the story--Eli, the human geeky type that Jane gets paired up with for a project in school, and Timothy, the cool vampire that Jane has had a crush on. Between the two character, I prefer Eli. It just seems like him and Jane click better and work very well together.

COVER: The cover of the book is very simple, but I like it. It conveys the overall feeling of the book. It's cute, but not over the top cute.

**I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program.

Jamba Juice Energy Drink Review

PRODUCT: Jamba Juice Energy Drink, Crisp Apple


MY RATING: 3 Stars

DESCRIPTION (From Amazon.com): All Natural Nestle Jamba Energy Drinks deliver great benefits. All Natural (No artificial ingredients, no taurine, no glucuronolactone). Great Taste (made with 70% Fruit Juice). Sustained Energy (80mg of natural caffeine per can). Lower calories and sugar per serving than Red Bull.

MY REVIEW: I only had the opportunity to try one of these, so I wish I had been able to try one or two more to get a better assessment of the product. But overall it was okay. I was apprehensive about the taste because most energy drinks leave behind an unpleasant aftertaste, but this product didn't have it. I actually enjoyed the taste; it was refreshing with just the right amount of carbonation.

I work the overnight shift, and I drank this about halfway through my shift to help give me some extra energy, but it didn't feel very effective. I didn't feel any more energized once I had drank it.

I like the fact that this drink is better for you than other energy drinks, but it doesn't seem worth it if it doesn't help energize me.

Overall, great taste but don't expect to feel energized.

*I received this product from the Amazon Vine Reviewer's program.

Post-It Craft Paper Review

PRODUCT: Post-it 8-1/2 by 12-Inch Craft Paper, 6-Sheet/Pack

MY RATING: 4/5

DESCRIPTION (From Amazon.com): Fast, Easy, No Mess! Simply cut, peel and stick Post-it(R) Craft Paper to a variety of surfaces. The paper is incredibly versatile - try it with your favorite supplies and techniques. Stamp it, chalk it, print it, punch it, layer it, emboss it, embellish it. Great for scrapbooking, card making, school projects and so much more.

MY REVIEW: I enjoyed this product. I make a lot of cards and this paper was really helpful. I really liked that the product is sticky on the entire back of the sheet. This is great for small cutouts that are hard to put adhesive on. I used a basic shape punch on this paper first. It was a little bit hard to punch all the way through the paper because of the thickness, but with a little extra force it wasn't too bad. This paper also works great in the cricut machine. There are instructions right on the back of the package that tell you what settings to use on your machine in order to kiss cut the paper (cut through just the top layer so you can just peel off the color paper).

The only problem I have with this paper is that it is a little on the expensive side because you only get six sheets. It would be better if there were two or three sheets of each color in the package instead of just one. If the paper ever goes on sale it will be well worth buying a pack or two.

Changes

Hi Everyone.

I've decided to make a change to my blog. I enjoy reviewing the books that I've read, but I don't review every single book that I read because it's just too time consuming. I do like reviewing other products on other websites as well, so I figured that I would just combine everything here and post all of my reviews of different products here. I will still be posting book reviews as well as reviews for products I have used and a few parties I have hosted.

I hope this does not become an inconvenience for anyone, and I hope that you continue to follow me and read my reviews.

Thanks!