Book Review: Dividing Eden, by Joelle Charbonneau

I ended up enjoying Dividing Eden, but boy, it took awhile!

Carys and Andreus are twins.  They are a princess and a prince, but they don't have to worry about taking over the throne, because their older brother will do that.  Until their father, the king, and their brother are murdered. Then the queen loses her mind. Everything changes.

The elders don't know which twin is the rightful heir. To avoid the elders' scheme to take over the country, the twins agree to go through the Trials of Succession, to prove which one of them is worthy.

Now, they have secrets.  Andreus has a curse, and because the queen has asked, Carys has always protected him so no one is aware. He has asthma -- and if anyone knew, they would banish him.  Carys has her own little secret.  She's addicted to opium. So these trials, some of which are physical, are going to be a challenge.  Carys and Andreus both agree that Andreus should be the king, so Carys will protect him, and make sure he does better than she does.

There are a lot of secrets that are slowly revealed.  Carys and Andreus stop communicating, and Andreus has decided Carys is out to get the crown.  The trials get more and more intense, as there are murder plots, and many other issues that are keeping both of them from succeeding.

This book takes a really long time to get going.  The assassinations don't even take place until about 40% through. I really almost quit on Dividing Eden, but I've been doing that a lot lately, so I made myself stick it out.  The whole premise of the Trials is a bit weak, but that's what the plot hinges upon, and once the trials get going, so does the pace.

Dividing Eden is exciting to the very end, and this is the first in a series, so we need to wait to find out the ultimate outcome.  I think I'm becoming a bit battle worn over so many fantasies about royal families and fighting for kingdoms and crowns.  I think I need a break.  But I also think my teens will enjoy Dividing Eden.

Published by HarperTeen, June 6, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
336 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Signup! 2016 EBook Reading Challenge

Time to clean up those e-readers! Welcome to the sign up page for the 2016 EBook Reading Challenge!

Challenge Guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2016 – Dec 31, 2016.

Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).

Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.

You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.

When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.

Sign-ups will be open throughout 2016, so feel free to join at any time during the year.

Levels:

1. Bits – 5 ebooks
2. Bytes – 10 ebooks
3. Megabytes – 25 ebooks
4. Gigabytes – 50 ebooks
5. Terabytes – 75 ebooks
6. Empty the Cloud – 100 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. The linky will remain open for the remainder of the year, so if you forget, feel free go back and add them when you remember.


Sign up for the 2016 Ebook Challenge below. Please use the direct URL to the post where you join the challenge and declare your level.

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My 2014 Reading Challenges!

I'm signing up for four reading challenges for 2014. Three have to do with how MUCH I'm reading. I don't like to sign up for things that LIMIT which books I can read.

Here's a link to my Challenge Page, where I'll keep track.

You Read How Many Books? is hosted by Book Dragon's Lair.  I'm going for Level 2: 150 at Least! I've read over 160 books in 2013, so hopefully I can do this in 2014.

 I love eBooks. The 2014 Ebook Reading Challenge is hosted by Workadayreads. 

I read 66 eBooks in 2012, so I didn't quite make my goal of 75. I'm going to push myself again and go for Level 5 - "Hard Drive" - 75 ebooks. Wish me luck!

The I Love Library Books Challenge is hosted by Book Dragon's Lair.  My goal for 2013 was 24 library books and I read 50! So for 2014, I'm going for the highest level, 50!

And, of course there's my own challenge:

There's a link to the challenge page on the sidebar also. I'm going for Level 2 again - 25 books. Here's a link to the list I've started. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for books I can read in a day.

Hope you find something interesting here that you might want to participate in!

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Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2014 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Books You Can Read in a Day - July Update

Happy August! It's time to see how we're doing on our Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge! You can see my entire year's progress here. My goal for the year was to read 25 books. I've almost made my goal -- but not quite.

For July here's what I added:

20. Choke, by Diana Lopez
21. Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman
22. Rikers High by Paul Volponi
23. The Fault in our Stars,by John Green

How about you? Have you read any books in ONE DAY? Give me some suggestions.

If you would like to join us, it's not too late! There's a link to the challenge page on the sidebar.

If you are participating, please leave a link to your post, or just list your books in the comments. Hope you are having fun with these "little gems."

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Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2012 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge - March Progress

You can see my entire year's progress here.


For March, here's what I added:


7. A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness
8. Wonder, by R. J. Palacio
9.  Song of the Sparrow, by Lisa Ann Sandell
10. Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, by Antony John
11. Cross My Heart, by Sasha Gould
12. Gamble on Engagement, by Rachel Astor

If you would like to join us, it's not too late! There's a link to the challenge page on the sidebar.

If you are participating, please leave a link to your post, or just list your books in the comments. Hope you are having fun with these "little gems."

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Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2012 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

TGIF: Reading Goals & 2012 Challenges

Ginger @ GReads! asks:


Reading Resolutions: What are some of your reading goals for the new year?

I read 180 books in 2011, and I don't think I can really top that. I hope I can at least do that much again. Other than that, I want to just read what I want. I don't really like to challenge myself to certain kinds of books, or my TBR pile because that just makes reading stressful.

I did, however, join a few challenges this year that fit my "reading personality" therefore, I don't think I'll be stressing about them.


Two have to do with how MUCH I'm reading. I don't like to sign up for things that LIMIT the type of books I can read, but I did sign up for the Serial Killers Challenge, just because I know I will read some of those books this year!

This is the page where I will keep track of my progress for these challenges.

This one's hosted by My Overstuffed Bookshelf.  I've read almost 180 books this year, so hopefully I can do this in 2012!

I will keep track of this one on my 2012 Review Archives Page.

This one is hosted by Abducted By Books. Since I've read over 55,000 pages this year, I think I can do this one easily!

The actual "keeping track" for this one will be on my 2012 Review Archives Page.

Over at Tea Time with Marce, you can join this one.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.


And, of course there's my own challenge:

There's a link to the challenge page on the sidebar also.

1. Skellig, by David Almond (audiobook, but I listened to it in one day!)
2.
3.
4.
5.

This is the actual link to my 2012 Book Challenges Page. It's also on the tab at the top of my blog.

Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting. Looking forward to your answers to TGIF for this week!

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Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2012 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

2012 Serial Killers Reading Challenge

I've decided to join this challenge. I don't know how many serial killer books I will read, but I do love these kinds of books, and I figured I will get some great suggestions from others who are participating.

So, go over to Tea Time with Marce and sign up with me!

While you are at it, check out my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge. Maybe there are some serial killer books you can read in a day?

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Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2011 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

IMM - Thankfully small...

I'm feeling good about conquering a bit of my TBR pile, so the slow pace of incoming books isn't a bad thing!  Here's what I've obtained for the past couple of weeks:

For Review:

Drowning Instinct, by Ilsa J. Bick, from NetGalley

Love this author, can't wait to read this. Publishing Feb. 1, 2012

From the Library:

Devil's Kiss, by Sarwat Chadda

Sweetly, by Jackson Pearce

So, what did you all get this week? I'd like to thank The Story Siren once again for hosting IMM each week. It's great fun!

Also, I'd like to invite you to join my first ever book challenge! Do you have some short books on your TBR that you could finish off in a day? This might be the challenge for you. Check out all the information at my Books You Can Read in a Day post.

As always, have a great week, and Happy Reading!

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Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2011 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

2012 "Books You Can Read in a Day" Reading Challenge

You can grab this button for your post. If you want to link back to this post, copy the code from the button on the sidebar.

Lately I seem to have a lot of little, short books that are being added to my TBR. And there are also some old classics that are short that I still haven't found time to read. So....I got to thinking....I should challenge myself. And, so of course, I'm going to offer the challenge to you too.

What can you read in a day? Well, that's kind of up to you to decide. I don't want to be too rigid about this -- it's supposed to be fun. Most of the books I've chosen are less than 200 pages. However, if it's a novel in verse, it could be longer. Any size graphic novel will probably work. And, if you don't make it in a day, don't beat yourself up. You can still count it if it takes a little longer (not, of course, if it takes several days, though.)

P.S. If anyone wants to help me out with some better buttons for this contest, feel free! 

Rules:

You don't need a blog to participate. But you probably need a Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing account. Someplace you keep track. 

Audio (if you can listen in a day) and ebooks are OK. 

Books must be adult, YA, or middle school books. No children's or picture books allowed.

No re-reads, however you can count books read for this challenge towards other challenges in which you are participating

Copy the button, create a sign up post and post the link below.

Not required, but very helpful if you would follow my blog. That way, when I do update posts, you will be aware so you can link to them.

Please post at least a few books that you intend to read for this challenge (that my help others add to their lists), but feel free to update your list as the year goes on.

Challenge goes from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

Levels:

Level 1 - Read 15 books

Level 2 - Read 25 books

Level 3 - Read 35 books

Level 4 - Read 50+ books

I am going for Level 2, but I need another book. I'm hoping I'll get some ideas from all of you. These are in no particular order. (update: I found a 25th book!)

1.  Animal Farm by Orwell
2. Locomotion by Woodson
3.  And then There Were None by Christie
4.  From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by Konigsburg
5. The Alchemist by Coehlo
6.  This is What I Did by Ellis
7.  Fallout by Hopkins
8.  The Giver by Lowry
9.  Sean Griswold's Head by Leavitt
10. Blank Confession by Hautman
11. If I Grew Up by Strasser
12. Fall For Anything by Summers
13. How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Standiford
14. Jumped by Williams-Garcia
15.  Beetle Meets Destiny by Williams
16. Chasing Brooklyn by Schroeder
17. Scars by Ranfield
18. Things a Brother Knows by Reinhardt
19. Prince of Mist by Ruiz-Zafon
20. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Schroeder
21. Skellig by Almond
22. Tighter by Griffin
23. Trapped by Northrop
24. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde
25. A Monster Calls by Ness

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Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2011 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

End of Year Survey and Tope 10 of '10!

Jamie, the Perpetual Page Turner, has created this end of year survey.  Go check out all the responses!  Here' the best I can do:

1. Best book of 2010? This is hard. I’m going to go for two:  The Help by Katheryn Stockett and Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly. I’m mostly a YA girl, and these are both adult books (but appropriate for YA, so I guess that’s OK.)

2. Worst book of 2010? I don’t really have a worst – some books I didn’t like, but there were several of those, and I don’t know which was “worst.”

3. Most Disappointing Book of 2010? I had heard so many good things about The Girls from Ames, and really couldn’t even finish that book.  Just not my type of book.

4. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2010? Maybe Red Glass by Laura Resau.  This book sat on my library shelves for a long time, and I didn’t even consider reading it until a blogger reviewed it.  I really enjoyed that book!

5. Book you recommended to people most in 2010? True Colors by Kristin Hannah.  Since I’m the “librarian” in the family, I always bring lots of books to our family vacation.  Everyone read this, even my 83-year-old mom who probably hasn’t read a novel in 20 years!

6. Best series you discovered in 2010? Stiefvater-Shiver, Linger, etc. and also Skinned by Wasserman (haven’t read the sequel yet, though.)

7. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2010? Lauren Oliver, holy crap.  What great stuff from her so far….

8. Most hilarious read of 2010? The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. I don’t know why, but that precocious little girl had me laughing out loud!

9. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2010?  Delirium, by Lauren Oliver.  My heart was a poundin’!

10. Book you most anticipated in 2010? Can I say the Kindle III? I waited until the new version came out to get one, and it was a long wait!

11. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2010? I love The Luxe series covers, and since I read Splendor this year, I will say that one. I also love Fallen  and Torment by I haven’t read those yet. Oh.. and Hush, Hush! (It was a good year for covers!)

12. Most memorable character in 2010? Flavia De Luce (from #8.) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Lisbeth), the narrator of The Lacuna (Harrison Shepherd).

13. Most beautifully written book in 2010? I don’t know this one. Too many to choose from.

14. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2010? Little Bee, The China Study,  Sarah’s Key

15. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2010 to finally read? To Kill a Mockingbird.

 Book Blogging in 2010 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2010? I have lots of favorites.  I just started blogging a few months ago, and I like different things about a lot of blogs and bloggers.

 2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2010? I don’t know this one either.


3. Best discussion you had on your blog? I did a post on being a “Bad Reader” because I only like mostly junk, and not non-fiction very much.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else's blog? A couple of bloggers have talked about negative reviews and I found those interesting. Also, the discussions about e-readers.

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I like Follow Friday, Book Blogger Hop, and In My Mailbox.  I’m currently participating in a Holiday Break Reading Challenge that has been lots of fun.  Oh, and of course, Book Blogger’s Secret Santa!  That was awesome.

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2010? Getting those first 10 or 20 followers!  I really couldn’t believe anyone would be interested.

7. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? My KINDLE!!!! Yea!!! And then, NetGalley, to put FREE books on my Kindle. Also, book blogging in general.  I had no idea what was out there and how much fun this would be.  It’s been a great year!

Karin, from the Holiday Break Reading Challenge, has asked us to post our Top 10 Books fo 2010 for today's challenge.  There's also a linky list at Chick Loves Lit, so check out all those too!



So, what I'm going to do I list ALL of the books I've read this year.  I'm not sure you all care, but I wanted to have the list on my blog somewhere.  I'm going to do a better job of archiving my reviews on my blog next year.  I just need to figure out how to do that. So for now, I'm just going to give you the entire list, basically in reverse order that they were read.  My TOP 10 are listed in RED.

1.                               Private by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

2.                The Last Full Measure, by Ann Rinaldi

3.                Marcello in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork

4.                Firelight, by Sophie Jordan

5.                Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly

6.                A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

7.                Unearthly, by Cynthia Hand

8.                Night Road, by Kristin Hannah

9.                Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, by Cohn & Levithan

10.              Folly, by Marthe Jocelyn

11.              The Vespertine, by Saundra Mitchell

12.              Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A. S. King

13.              Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris

14.              Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool

15.              The Second Half of Life, by Sionna Cailey

16.              Drought, by Pam Bachorz

17.              Red Glass, by Laura Resau

18.              I Will Save You, by Matt de la Pena

19.              The Mermaid’s Mirror, by L. K. Madigan

20.              If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

21.              The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery, by Alan Bradley

22.              Avalanche Dance, by Ellen Schwartz

23.              The Lying Game, by Sara Shepard

24.              The Passage, by Justin Cronin

25.              Choker, by Elizabeth Woods

26.              Delirium, by Lauren Oliver

27.              The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver

28.              Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick

29.              Bongo Fishing, by Thacher Hurd

30.              Dissolution, by C. J. Sansom

31.              Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver

32.              Twenty Boy Summer, by Sarah Ockler

33.              Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay

34.              Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld

35.              Hamlet (the Novel), by John Marsden

36.              Flash Burnout, by L.K. Madigan

37.              Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

38.              The Fetch, by Laura Whitcomb

39.              Once Was Lost, by Sara Zarr

40.              The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

41.              Written In Blood, by John Wilson

42.              Willow, by Julia Hoban

43.              Drive, by Daniel H. Pink

44.              April Fool, by William Deverell

45.              Shiver, by Maggie Stifevater

46.              The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters

47.              Dirty Little Secrets, by C. J. Omololu

48.              Haunted Ground, by Erin Hart

49.              Death Benefits, by Sarah N. Harvey

50.              Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher

51.              Ten Cents a Dance, by Christine Fletcher

52.              Skinned, by Robin Wasserman

53.              The Aniversary Man, by R.J. Ellory

54.              The Brutal Telling, by Louise Penny

55.              Freefall, by Ariela Anhalt

56.              Raven Summer, by David Almond

57.              The Spectacular Now, by Tim Tharp

58.              Lips Touch:  Three Times, by Laini Taylor. 

59.              The Forever War, by Dexter Filkins

60.              Vanishing Acts, by Jodi Picoult

61.              I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson

62.              To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

63.              Silver Phoenix, by Cindy Pon

64.              The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson

65.              Lament, by Maggie Stiefvater

66.              Death of an Expert Witness, by P. D. James

67.              Moment of Truth, by Lisa Scottoline

68.              Wild Orchids, by Jude Deveraux

69.              Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger

70.              Cross Country, by James Patterson

71.              Hail to the Chef, by Julie Hyzy

72.              Firehouse, by David Halberstam

73.              The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey

74.              Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan

75.              Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith

76.              Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See

77.              True Colors, by Kristen Hannah

78.              Fresh Disasters, by Stuart Woods

79.              Drowning Ruth, by Kristina Schwarz

80.              Love is a Four-Legged Word, by Kandy Shepherd

81.              North of Beautiful, by Justina Chen Headley

82.              Absolute Brightness, by James Lecesne

83.              The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

84.              A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby

85.              Double Cross, by James Patterson

86.              The Orange Houses, by Paul Griffin

87.              Rucker Park Setup, by Paul Volponi

88.              Jerk, California, by Jonathan Friesen

89.              Spanking Shakespeare, by Jake Wizner

90.              Artichoke's Heart, by Suzanne Supplee

91.              Sacred Hearts, by Sarah Dunant

92.              Scrambled Eggs at Midnight, by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler

93.              The Minotaur, by Barbara Vine

94.              House Rules, by Rachel Sontag

95.              Unwind, by Neal Shusterman

96.              Wake, by Lisa McMann

97.              Right Behind You, by Gail Giles

98.              Little Bee, by Chris Cleave

99.              What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman

100.           The Smile, by Donna Jo Napoli

101.           Born to Rock, by Gordon Korman

102.           Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles

103.           Deadline, by Chris Crutcher

104.          Game, by Walter Dean Myers

105.          Evermore, by Alyson Noel

106.          The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewksi

107.          The Queen's Fool, by Philippa Gregory

108.          Hold Tight, by Harlan Coben

109.          Gentlemen, by Michael Northrop

110.          Epic, by Conor Kostick

111.          The China Study:  The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted, by T. Colin     Campbell, and Thomas M. Campbell II

112.          The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary Pearson

113.          Splendor, by Anna Godbersen

114.          Before I Die, by Jenny Downham

115.          The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows