Waterfall (Review)

Title: Waterfall (The River of Time Series)

Author(s): Lisa T. Bergren
Edition: Paperback, 352 pages

Publisher: David C. Cook

Publication Date: February 1, 2011

Source: Part of a blog tour from Books with Bite

Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

The Summary

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American teenagers Gabi and Lia Betarrini accidentally find themselves in Fourteenth-Century Italy . . .
 

Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties.
Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the Fourteenth Century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another.
What will happen to these two girls thrown out of time?  Find out in Lisa Bergren's Waterfall.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

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I was lucky enough to be a part of the book tour, from Books with Bite, of Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren.  This book was amazing, and I was engrossed from page one.  That surprised me, as I usually don't enjoy many historical fictions.  But the story of Gabi and Marcello was a true star-crossed love, and even I can't resist that.

My favorite part has to be the characterization of Gabi, Marcello, Luca, and Lia.  Each was an important character within the book, and were written as such.  Not one of them were static; each contained a roundness usually only seen in the protagonist.  I applaud Bergren's ability to do this, as many authors cannot.  The reader experiences this ability in the case of Lia's characterization, in particular.  She is really only seen within the last quarter of the book, but in that short space the reader learns a lot about her personality.  But the character I love the most (besides Marcello, who I wish was my boyfriend) is Gabi. She is such a strong female, even in the face of some scary situations.  Also, she never forgets about her sister, even through everyhting: the intense battles, the snotty women, and, especially, the hunky men.  I can relate to this part of Gabi's personality because I am also a fierce protector of my family.

Oh, did I mention that this is considered "Christian" fiction?  No?  Well, it is, but it doesn't matter because this book is NOT preachy at all.  I tend to stay away from Christian fiction, because of the high sense of evangelism, but Bergren effortlessly combines God and fiction to round out the book.  Of course the setting is perfect for a little Christianity, considering the girls fall into 14th century Tuscany, Italy.  I just want to say, don't let the fact is has reference to God in it to scare you away, because this book is worth the read; it has plenty of romance and action within its pages.

I can't wait to read the next two books in the series, Torrent and Cascade.  If they are anywhere near as good as Waterfall, I'll be very happy.  Don't forget to check out the book trailer below to wet your appetite even more, and happy reading!

Extras
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I LOVE this trailer.  The music is gorgeous!

Final Rating

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Book Cover: 4.5/5

Book Title: 4/5

Plot: 9.5/10

Characters: 9/10

Writing: 9.5/10

Ending: 9/10

Overall: 45.5/50: A-

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Teaser Tuesday (18)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following!

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share a few teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• MAKE SURE NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (you don't want to give too much away and ruin the book for other readers)
• Share the title and author too, so that other readers can add your book to their TBR list if they like your teaser!
  
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  Delirium by Lauren Oliver
  
  
  
  
       The second time my world exploded, it was also because of a word.  A word that worked its way out of my throat and danced onto and out of my lips before I could think about it, or stop it.
  
  

       The question was: Will you meet me tomorrow?

  
       And the word was: Yes. 
  

  
  (Page. 146) 

  
  
  
  
  

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  I am loving this book so far (I'm almost done!).  I especially love the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter; they add so much to the history of this world.

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NOOK Bargains (5)

I have a nook color, which I love!  But whenever I see e-books on sale, they're always for the Kindle. 

So I thought I might start my own round-up of sales on e-books that are for the nook to help my fellow nookers (yes I've just made that word up).

The catch is that some of these books are on-sale for a limited time, so get 'em while they're hot!

 Hush Money (Talent Chronicles 1) by Susan Biscoff - $.99

Heroes 'Till Curfew (Talent Chronicles 2) by Susan Biscoff - $2.99

Impulse Control: A Talent Chronicles Short by Susan Biscoff - FREE

Feed by M. T. Anderson - $1.99

The Luxe (Luxe Series 1) by Anna Godbersen - $2.99

Avalon: The Warlock Diaries (Warlock Diaries 1) by Rachel Roberts - $1.99

Avalon: The Warlock Diaries (Warlock Diaries 2) by Rachel Roberts - $1.99

Avalon: the Warlok Diaries (Warlock Diaries 3) by Rachel Roberts - $1.99

The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time 1) by Robert Jordan - $2.99

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100 Most Popular YA Books

I found this list over at Hooked to Books and  it seemed interesting to look over what books are the Top 100.  I also decided to see how many I've read, and what I haven't!

If you did this, leave a link in the comments!

The ones I own, but haven't read are in GREEN

The ones I have read are in PURPLE

1. Alex Finn – Beastly

2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones

3. Ally Carter – Callagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)

4. Ally Condie – Matched

5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills

7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)

9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)

10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)

12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)

13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret

15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)

16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)

17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3)

18. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)

19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)

20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)

21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3)

22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse

23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply

25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)

26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere

27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest

28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)

29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)

31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why

33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)

34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines

37. John Green – Looking for Alaska

38. John Green – Paper Towns

39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)

40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)

41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)

42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)

43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)

44. Lemony Snicket - Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)

46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)

47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

48. M.T. Anderson – Feed

49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)

50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)

52. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief

53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger

54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

55. Mary Ting – Crossroads

56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)

57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)

58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

60. Meg Rosoff – How I Live Now

61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)

63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road

64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)

67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion

68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind

69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline

70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust

71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book

72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 )

73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)

74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks

79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4) 

80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip

81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride

82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key

83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever

84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

85. Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan (1, 2)

86. Scott Westerfeld - Uglies (1, 2, 3, 4)

87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days

88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy

89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)

90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)

92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host

93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)

94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees

95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)

96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)

97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)

99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)

100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

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LAST DAY TO ENTER!!

LAUREN DESTEFANO'S FEVER JACKET GIVEAWAY!

Now you might be wondering why the heck would you want an enpty book jacket?  Well here's the reason straight from Lauren herself:

Because, my lovely readers, this is your chance to own something that will soon fade from existence. These jackets are only proofs, which means that the finished jackets you see in stores on February 2012 will probably have changed. The colors will be adjusted and the exact image on these jackets here will not be the same. Also, in addition to the cool stuff I just mentioned, here’s MORE:1.) I will have hugged this jacket. I’ll have hugged it really tight, because I adore you.2.) I will have signed this jacket.3.) Each jacket will have a specially selected sentence right out of the pages of FEVER, hand-written BY ME on the back. This means that I will lovingly flip through the pages of FEVER and choose a sentence to write on the back of the jacket just for you. Each jacket will have a different sentence, making every single jacket one of a kind, friends. One of a kind! Just like you.

How AWESOME is that?  To enter just head to her BLOG and tweet, facebook, or blog about the giveaway.  But do it fast as this is the LAST day (as you can see I am late to the game!)

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In My Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by one of her friends, Alea of Pop Culture Junkie where we get to post about the books we receive each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests won, and libraries.

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What's in your mailbox?

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Trailer Thursday: Fateful

Fateful by Claudia Gray

I own Claudia's Evernight series, and I loved the first book so far.  And Fateful looks even better!  Can't wait!

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Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we seriously can’t wait for.

 Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait for:

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

To be published: June 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

I love me a good zombie book!  The cover reminds me a little of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, which is another great zombie book.  I also like this book for the mystery of Sloane.  What has happened to this girl that she wants to be bitten by a zombie?  Can't wait until next year when it comes out!

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Teaser Tuesday (17)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following!

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share a few teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• MAKE SURE NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (you don't want to give too much away and ruin the book for other readers)
• Share the title and author too, so that other readers can add your book to their TBR list if they like your teaser!
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The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder

     In front of the Rowtie, Speke, driven to a fury by the exposure of the shameful flaw in his character, strode into the melee, raised his Dean and Adams revolver, pressed its muzzle against the chest of the man who'd downed Burton, and pulled the trigger.

     The gun jammed.

     "Blast it!" said Speke.

     The tribesman, a massive warrior, looked down at him, smiled, and punched him over the heart.

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Book Blogger Appreciation Week - Interview with Helen from Helen's Book Blog

With Helen from Helen's Book Blog!

This is Book Blogger Appreciation Week and I was lucky enough to be paired up with the fabulous Helen.  She has such a good blog, with a really awesome Reading Challenge going on right now!

After you read the interview, head over to her blog and show her some appreciation!!

1.  I see that you are hosting a Middle East Reading Challenge.  What made you focus on this region of the world for your book challenge?

My ex-husband’s family lives in Oman so I have visited there a number of times, staying with family and getting to know “real” Arabs/Muslims and not just the culture that is portrayed in the media. I realized that what we learn about the region tends to come from sensationalized TV and news reports and we could all stand to learn and enjoy another side. Actually, I think this is true for all countries outside our own, I guess that’s why I was a World History teacher and why I read so many books set in countries outside the US.

2.  You read a bunch of different genres.  Is there any specific quality that a book has which draws you in?

That’s funny, I guess I don’t really have a specific genre that I stick to, though I am not a great reader of fantasy or paranormal books. I just want a plot that will pull me in from the beginning and part of that is characters that I can believe in and care about.

3.  As a former teacher and now as a librarian, how do you feel books impact students’ lives?

Ah, the big question! On the surface reading improves vocabulary and grammar. I know that students of all ages who read more tend to do much better on standardized tests and classroom assessments. However, reading provides so much more such as awareness of issues, other cultures, and ideas that we may not have heard about from our family and friends. I love it when I finish a book and feel like I’ve been exposed to something “outside” myself, that’s what makes us able to empathize with others and become true citizens of the world.

4.  Many of the book challenges you participate in seem to have a multi-national slant.  Is this due to your love of travel or do you have a more specific reason?

As a child my family traveled a lot, including three months through east Africa and various Asian countries and I think these experiences definitely made me interested in people, countries and cultures outside my own. I am trying to give my daughter the same sense of belonging to a greater community. I definitely lean toward books and ideas that will introduce me to a wider world and I guess that shows in my choice of challenges!

5.  You seem like a super busy person, being a single mom and having a full time job.  How do you fit in book blogging to your already packed schedule?

How do I fit blogging in? My daughter will tell you that I am on the computer too much, but I am lucky that reading fits with my job as a high school Teacher Librarian; I can always say that I am “working” when really I am reading and blogging. I also have a blog for my school library where I post my YA reviews. And, I have summer vacation when I can read and blog a ton, things definitely slow down for me during the school year when I only read one or two books a week. I also get up at 5:15am so that I have an hour each day with no one else in the house awake!

Go check out the other awesome interviews at the BBAW site, and participate in BBAW if you can.  It is, after all, a whole week in appreciation of us!!

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