Title: The Naughty List
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Razorbill, 272 Pages (February 4, 2010)
From: Publisher

Review: 4 Stars - Cheerleaders by day, Spies on the look out for cheating boyfriends by night.

Tessa, along with her fellow cheerleaders have been trying to help the teenage girl community around them for 2 years. Hunting secretly for cheaters by night, with SOS - the Society of Smitten Kittens on the case, girls can find out if their boyfriends are cheating.

Tessa's boyfriend, Aiden makes us all remember that there are still some great guys out there in the world. However, as Tessa starts to get suspicious of her own boyfriend and if he is in fact cheating on her, her emotions go into over drive. She has tried to be the perfect cheerleader, girlfriend, daughter, friend, student that the author portrays the cracks that start to form in Tessa's own perfection well.

Tess is quirky and sometimes a bit over the top with her little sayings or random expressions instead of swearing, however that didn't take away from the story. In the end I thought that it was a easy, fast paced read others would enjoy as well.

Title: Gone
Author: Michael Grant
Publisher: Katherine Teagan Books, 576 Pages (April 28, 2009)
From: Purchased from Amazon

Synopsis: In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.


Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

Review:  4 Stars - This story was a good one... to say the least. The idea behind it intrigued me and at the end of the last page left me wanting more. It was creepy and I found myself gasping out loud throughout the book. I felt for the kids and at one point didn't even know if I'd be able to finish the story. It was heartbreaking with a touch of edge of your seat thriller that had me on an emotional rollercoaster ride that I couldn't get off. It's been a long time since I've read something that affected me this way. Wonderfully written Sci-Fi with just enough angst and torment that pulled everything together nicely.

The characters had to grow up fast and learn to live together if they are going to survive. Well, most of them figured that out and almost to late. At the end you were left wondering if the bullies would win or the hero and his band of rag-tag cohorts would prevail. It was a great thing to see the kids band together and take care of the little ones. To be faced with such a new world where so much has changed literally in the blink of an eye AND to have to learn to fend for yourself and those around you takes guts. We have many of those characters throughout the book that just make your heart hurt.

Over all this book was a great read that did leave me wanting more. I will in fact be reading Hunger to see what happens next. I can't wait to see just how strange the world within the FAYZ and the kids who are developing powers will end up next. And that leaves the question of.... will all the kids without powers develop some of their own powers as well?

Title: Intertwined
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 448 Pages (September 1, 2009)
From: Purchased from Amazon


Synopsis: There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads 
High . . .

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.

One can raise the dead.

One can tell the future.

And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now they're causing him all kinds of trouble. Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die. He's so over it. All he wants is peace. And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, as long as he's near her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite.

He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late.... Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist. Two romances, both forbidden. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger but not everyone will come out alive....


Review: 3 Stars - Somewhat confusing, with the many different story arc's but still a good read once you wade through the layers of the main and subplots of the book. Sadly, all the layers seem to only take away the ease of reading and relating to the main characters - let alone the four souls trapped in Adens head. It just makes it all little hard to follow with so much going on and so many mythical creatures popping up in what felt like every turn of the page.


The biggest let down for me by far, was that the story was sold to me on the fact that the it was about a person with 4 souls trapped inside of him and that each one had a different ability. Seeing the future, Possessing another, Waking the Dead and Time Travel - which was amazing to read when it finally happened throughout the book. I just wished there were more interaction with the trapped souls. In my eyes with the
whole mix of the many different things going on in this world that Gena Showalter has written, the main plot as I saw it (the four souls) had somewhat fallen to the wayside. In the end things were tied up with the souls a little bit to quickly for what I was expecting and left me with questions that I will only hope to see the answers for in the books to follow.


As a whole it was far from bad, just a little jumbled and confusing. Those few flaws wouldn't and won't prevent me from purchasing the next in the series as I look forward to learning more in the future and to find out just where the author will take us and her characters next.

Just finished reading Intertwined by Gena Showalter and am working on a review. Look for it here sometime today if time doesn't get away from me.

I was sent 2 arc's and have moved those up to the top of my reading list. I started the first one: The Naughty List By: Suzanne Young. The other is: The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped By: Yxta Maya Murray.

As soon as I finish reading Gone, which is taking me longer to read then it should because of things still being crazy all around me and I can say that Gone is a great book. I'm totally into it, even with how much it's making me gasp and is bothering me. It's great none the less. So, as soon as I finish reading this one I'll be able to start on The Good Girl's Guide....

 Much going on around here and I can't wait to post a picture here to show you just what I'm working on. Might be a couple of weeks yet until I can post the pic, but I can't wait and I'm going to keep working on it and pushing until it's done.

Have a great weekend and a review will follow.

Reading, reviewing and my blog are something that I more then enjoy in my spare time. I love passing on suggestions to anyone who will listen when it comes to a great story, characters or author. My reviews will always be honest and fair. If you have a book you would like me to review or promote, please contact me at - alifeboundbybooks@hotmail.com

Reviews: I'm willing to review books that are young adult, "New Adult", paranormal, romance, fantasy, supernatural, social issues, humor and more. I try to make sure that I only accept books that I feel would be a good fit with what I enjoy reading. If you have a specific date you would like your book read and reviewed by, please be sure to let me know.

Interviews, Guest Posts and Giveaways: If you would like to be interviewed, write a guest post or collaborate in hosting in giveaway - again, please contact me as I'm always looking for new and exciting people to work with and great books and authors to help promote.

eBooks: I am currently AM accepting eBooks for review. As with all titles this is subject to if the book would be a good fit for me and the readers of my blog. If you have any questions, feel free to email and I would be happy to discuss any and all options on being featured on A Life Bound By Books

My Reviews: Other then my blog, I post reviews on Good Reads and Amazon. Reviews posted here will include, but is not limited to: Title, Author Name, Publisher, Page count, Release date, synopsis, my rating and review. If you have specific information that you would like included, please feel free to let me know and I'll be sure to try my hardest to accommodate you.

Rating: My rating system is from 1 to 5 stars, 5 being the highest, 1 being the lowest.

To My Readers

Everyone loves comments and interaction from their readers. Comments help make the blogging world go round - so please leave comments to help keep it spinning! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

Privacy Policy:

Privacy is important here at A Life Bound By Books and because of that we take it seriously for everyone, including our younger readers. Blogs and the web in general can be fun and full of new and interesting things. It's a great place to learn about everything far and wide, however everyone needs to act responsibly when sharing any personal information.

For children and their parents, please scroll down for some link's to great places to find further information.

Information Collected here at A Life Bound By Books and Use:

Any and all personal information collected here is not collected for any type of personal use. I can not promise that others might take email or any other information left in the comments area here on this blog. To help keep your or your child further safe I would stress the use of a Google ID or using a Blogger to better control anything you might deem personal online.

Should anyone enter and win a contest on this site, I will need a physical address to send the prize. However, if you are under the age of 13, I have to ask that your parent provide the mailing address. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to check and confirm your age, so I am expecting everyone to be honest in this area please. Any address collected for winning prizes will NOT be shared, given out, sold or otherwise used other then to send the prize won. I will not be keeping anything on file, and the information will be deleted or destroyed after the shipment of any and all prizes to each winner.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to email: alifeboundbybooks AT hotmail DOT com


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A Huge thanks goes out to Kristi over at the Story Siren for giving all us bloggers out there tips for blogging. :o)


Contest Policy and Rules:


I thought it was a good idea to let everyone know right away some important information including rules so no one has to question anything or possibly be confused.

Each person who enters will need to supply a current and correct email address. I need to be able to reach the winner, so a current and correct email address will always be required.

Each contest will always have the possibility to be a little different then the last, so be sure to read all instructions carefully to get the most out of not only how many entries you might be able to get, but also if there's more to it then just a normal contest.

Winner(s) will be emailed soon after a contest has ended. It's also wise to check the blog postings to find out you've won. If after the 48/72 hour time period is up, and there’s been no contact, another winner(s) will be drawn. (I'll let entrants know ahead of time in the rules for each contest how much time they will have to respond to claim their prize.)

Winner(s) will have 48/72 to contact me via email at: alifeboundbybooks AT hotmail DOT com or, again a new winner(s) will be drawn.

Be sure to not only keep an eye out for contest deadlines, but follow them. ANY AND ALL entries posted after the deadline date will not count at all in the contest. I also have the right to close a contest sooner then the deadline date listed, or extend it.

In each contest the winner(s) will be chosen by random draw using random.org, unless otherwise stated.

Shipment will be made within two to three days after I receive the winner(s) mailing address - unless otherwise informed or stated OR if the prize is shipped from the author or publisher, I have no control over when they sent out contest wins. If the winner would like to know when it's been shipped, be sure to let me know when you provide me your mailing address.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have NO control over the Postal Service. I usually ship, when possible via Media Mail because I pay for anything I ship from here out of my own pocket. I use boxes when needed and padded envelopes to ship any and all items. I will not be held responsible should your package be damaged or lost or even stolen, that is beyond my control and out of my hands. Sorry.

Some important info to to keep in mind and remember:


-Always check the deadline dates.

-Not all contests will be international, so be sure to check who it's open to.

-All rules subject to change. As I have contests I’m sure I’ll have to make some slight changes to the rules. I will post when any updates are made to this section of the site.

-And last but not least, please follow instructions within each contest. Any entry that doesn't follow any and all instructions or rules will not be eligible to win.

Most importantly, have FUN and Good Luck!!!

Contest Policy and Rules:

I know I'm just starting out in holding contests here at A Life Bound By Books, however I thought it was a good idea to let everyone know right away some important information including rules so no one has to question anything or possibly be confused.

Each person who enters will need to supply a current and correct email address via comments or sending me an email if you feel more comfortable that way.

Each contest will always have the possibility to be a little different then the last, so be sure to read all instructions carefully to get the most out of not only how many entries you might be able to get, but also if there's more to it then just a normal contest.

Winner(s) will be emailed within a day or two of announcing the winner(s). If nothing has been provided for me to contact you... it's up to you to check the blog postings to find out you've won. If after the two day time period is up, and there’s been on contact, another winner(s) will be drawn.

Winner(s) will have 3 days to contact me via email at: alifeboundbybooks@hotmail.com or, again a new winner(s) will be drawn.

Be sure to not only keep an eye out for contest deadlines, but follow them. ANY AND ALL entries posted after the deadline date will not count at all in the contest. I also have the right to close a contest sooner then the deadline date listed, or extend it.

In each contest the winner(s) will be chosen by random draw using random.org.

Shipment will be made within two to three days after I receive the winner(s) mailing address. If the winner would like to know when it's been shipped, be sure to let me know when you provide me your mailing address.

Some important info to to keep in mind and remember:

-Always check the deadline dates.

-Not all contests will be international, so be sure to check who it's open to.

-All rules subject to change. As I have contests I’m sure I’ll have to make some slight changes to the rules. I will post when any updates are made to this section of the site.

-And last but not least, please follow instructions within each contest. Any entry that doesn't follow any and all instructions or rules will not be eligible to win.

Most importantly, have FUN and Good Luck!!!