Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black, Justine Larbalestier

Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black, Justine Larbalestier
Publication Date: September 21, 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Versions: hardcover, audio
Received from: publisher

Summary (from goodreads):
It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths-for good and evil-of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?


Team Unicorn: edited by Holly Black: Meg Cabot, Kathleen Duey, Margo Lanagan, Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Diana Peterfreund


Team Zombie: edited by Justine Larbalestier: Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Aleya Dawn Johnson, Maureen Johnson, Carrie Ryan, Scott Westerfeld


I know a lot of people are anxiously awaiting the release date of this book. After all, the premise is amazing and unique and there are so many great authors that take a part in this book. Zombies vs. Unicorns is stuffed with short stories featuring a lot of famous writers to debate which is better: the Zombie or the Unicorn. Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier battle it out at the beginning and before each short story-sharing their opinion. And in the middle are lots of fun, scary, and silly short stories that are either about zombies eating brains, falling in love, unicorns being held captive, trying to steal virginities and powerful horns.

I loved reading most of the short stories, and I most of all loved reading Holly's and Justine's banter which was pretty funny and insightful. Even though I am a Unicorn fan, the zombie stories were a little more interesting and held my attention longer. That being said-Carrie Ryan's story was one of my favorites. It was about zombie pirates and had a very great plot line.

Will I reread it?
Probably not, but I did enjoy it. This book is for any paranormal fan or lover of short stories. And the cover is pretty great if you ask me.

Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles (ARC)
Publication Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Flux
Versions: paperback
Received from: Star Book Tours


Summary (from goodreads):
Maggie and Caleb just went through the worst year of their lives. Hit by a car and starting life over with a limp, Maggie never thought she would forgive Caleb. But she did-and fell in love. What they shared was real. But Caleb wanted to be free from the past-a terrible secret: he wasn't the one who hit Maggie. So he left Paradise-and Maggie-forever.


When Maggie and Caleb run into each other in a different town, they can't deny their true feelings. Will Maggie leg Caleb get away again? Or will Caleb face the truth and return to Paradise?


For those of you who have read the first book in this series (titled Leaving Paradise) then you were probably mad about the ending which contained a huge cliff hanger. But in the sequel, Return to Paradise, Simone Elkeles clears up everything and more. It starts off with Caleb getting in trouble again for staying with drug dealers, and he either has to go to jail or join a group that goes around trying to persuade people not to drink and drive. But what's more surprising is that Maggie happens to be in the same group, and they reunite after not seeing each other for eight whole months. The whole time they fight their attraction for each other, but will it be enough to bring Caleb back to Paradise?


I really enjoyed this book, and devoured it in one sitting. I loved every minute when Caleb and Maggie were in the same scene, whether they were fighting, kissing, talking or touching. All of those scenes melted my heart and I never wanted the book to end. Unfortunately it did, and Simone Elkeles left me thinking it will be the end of Caleb and Maggie's story. Hopefully, she will continue on with this series though and maybe make a book just about Leah.


Will I reread it?
Yes, I loved this book and thought it had the perfect beginning, middle, and end after the disappointing ending of the first book. If you haven't yet read this series, I highly recommend you do so and when and if you do, you won't regret it!

Winner of the Re-Create Hunger Games Series Cover

I had all of you vote on which cover you liked the best (which was one of the challenges for today). I just added up all the votes, and there was a tie:

So Congratulation #3 and #4 which were the winners.

You will each receive an extra ten entries to win the prizes for today and don't worry about doing anything different in the form, I will add them myself. Congrats again and make sure everyone fills out the form for today.

Mockingjay Countdown Form (Day 3)

This event is officially over and I have had a lot of fun hosting it. I hope you all had fun participating in it and I hope it swirls up some emotions of why you love The Hunger Games so much. Here is the form for the last and final day of the Mockingjay Countdown. Remember that you have to fill it out by midnight tonight (August 27th) to be entered to win the prizes for today.

HERE IS THE FORM FOR DAY 3:


If the form for whatever reason is not working, please email me here: smittenwithbooks (at) hotmail (dot) com   or if you have any questions. I hope you had fun today and will read Mockingjay (if you haven't already) as soon as you can!

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (Day 3)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For the fifth and last challenge, I want you guys to state the one thing you love most about Katniss. I know everyone has a special spot in their heart for the character, and I want to know why. Please explain your answer. You can leave a comment below or you can create your own blog post with pictures and then leave a link in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (Day 3)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will add an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For the fourth challenge, I want you to state which one of the hunger games books you liked the most. All you need to do is put the title of the book (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, or Mockingjay). Please don't explain why because we don't want any spoilers or any giveaways for those who haven't read one or the other books yet, especially Mockingjay. You can leave a comment below with your answer or you can create your own blog post and leave a link in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (Day 3)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For the third mini challenge of the day, I want you to name your favorite Hunger Games character and why you like them or admire them the best. Like always, you can leave a comment with your answer or you can create your own blog post, add pictures, and leave a link in the comments below.