Tuesday, December 18, 2012

"Waiting On" Wednesday(#11):Dance of Shadows


"Waiting on Wednesday" is a meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine that features books yet to be released that we're really looking forward to. This week my book is "Dance of Shadows".
Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows, #1)
Title:Dance of Shadows
Author:Yelena Black
Released:February 12, 2013
Publisher:Bloomsbury

From Goodreads:
Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed .


Thoughts:
The cover is just...."blank stare"...I can't tell you how much I LOVE this cover. If the description didn't convinve me I NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT AWAY, then the cover sure did! Just...LOOK at it for a minute. OMG! OMG! It just makes me want to jump up and down. This cover is my official favorite cover of the year!
Leave a comment below!

Monday, December 17, 2012

#MissFortuneCookieTour: Review + Giveaway

Miss Fortune Cookie
Summary:
Meet Erin. Smart student, great daughter, better friend. Secretly the mastermind behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. Totally unaware that her carefully constructed life is about to get crazy.

It all begins when her ex-best friend sends a letter to her blog— and then acts on her advice. Erin’s efforts to undo the mess will plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance.

What’s a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like: You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life. 

Review:
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. From the first page, I was captured by the book!
The characters were all so hilarious and they were a big part of why I enjoyed this book so much! The author did a splendid job on creating the characters and making sure that you would notice them! So, yes, I loved all the characters and they weaved the book to create a masterpiece!
The plot, for me, was at first, slow. I just thought that it should have been maybe a little sped up, so we could get to the interesting parts! The descriptions, however, were great and made me almost forget about the slowness. Thankfully, it did grow in pace, and I was soon devouring the pages!
Overall, very well done! The descriptions of everything was so realistic, most of the pacing was perfect, and the characters were hilarious!
About the author

Lauren Bjorkman
Lauren Bjorkman is the author of the award- winning young adult novel My Invented Life, Henry Holt, 2009.

She grew up on a sailboat, sharing the tiny forecastle with her sister and the sail bags. The voyage started in California and ended in Argentina. During that time, she kept up with school through a program called Calvert out of Maryland. Her dad read stories to her and her sister at night by the light of a kerosene lamp.

She now lives in Taos, New Mexico with her husband and two sons.



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Top Ten Tuesday: Top books I read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday-It is a meme created by aime at The Broke and the Bookish where you create a list of your top ten favorite of any given category. This week we are creating a list of our favorite books that we read this year!

1.The Iron Queen
The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, #3)
2.Unspoken
Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy, #1)
3.Cinder
Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1)
4.Under the Never Sky
Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1)
5.Anna and the French Kiss
Anna and the French Kiss
6.Eona
Eona (Eon, #2)
7.Demonglass
Demonglass (Hex Hall, #2)
8.Hemlock
Hemlock
9.Sweet Evil
Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy, #1)
10.The Selection
The Selection (The Selection, #1)
There is my list in no particular order! They all made me become so attached to them! Since I also believe most of these are part of series, I'm so excited for them to become released next year!
Leave a link below and I'll check out your top ten tuesday!

Friday, December 14, 2012

#SurrenderBookTour: PROMO

Tours
Surrender (The Ferryman and the Flame #1)About the Book:

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.





Rhiannon PailleAbout the Author:

I was never a normal girl. My life was an urban fantasy wrapped in a paranormal romance and served with a side of horror. To escape my everyday weirdness I began writing fantasy. I studied at U of Sedona and MIMT, obtaining a PhD in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology. I'm married to a chef/comic book shop owner and I have a fondness for architecture. I frequent twitter and facebook, but if you really want to get to know me you should visit my site: www.yafantasyauthor.com

Find Rhiannon Paille





Follow The Tour!
Dec. 11
1. K is for Kechell http://kechell-j.blogspot.com
2. All in One Place http://www.kvlovesbooks.blogspt.co.uk
3. JennReneeRead http://www.jennreneeread.blogspot.com

Dec. 12
1. The Cover Contessa http://thecovercontessa.blogspot.com
2. SnifferWalk http://www.snifferwalk.org



Dec. 13
1. 3PsinaPod http://www.3psinapod.org
2. The BookWorm http://pinkngreenbookworm.blogspot.com



Dec. 14
1. All About YA Novels http://allaboutyanovels.blogspot.com/
2. Reader Girls http://www.readergirlsblog.com
3. YA Book Addict http://youngadultbookaddict.blogspot.com.au/

Dec.15
1. Reads and Thoughts http://karlaamaemaglaoy.wordpress.com/
2. Bossy Book Babes http://bossybookbabes.blogspot.com


Dec. 17
1. Aspired Writer http://lynelleclarkaspiredwriter.blogspot.com/


Dec. 18
1. Broad-Minded Books http://broad-mindedbooks.blogspot.com/
2. Andi's Young Adult Books http://andisyoungadult.blogspot.com
3. Doctor's Notes http://doctorsnotes-shy.blogspot.com

Dec. 19
1. Cherie Reads http://cheriereads.blogspot.com
2. Overflowing Bookshelves http://overflowingbookshelves.com/
3. Crossroad Reviews http://www.crossroadreviews.com

Dec. 20
1. Fiction Predictions http://fictionpredictions.blogspot.com


Dec. 21
1. Little Library Muse http://littlelibrarymuse.blogspot.com/
2. Hey Wanna See My Indies? http://heywannaseemyindies.blogspot.com




Dec. 24
1. ***QWERTY*** http://zue-leysza.blogspot.com.au/
2. WTF are you reading? http://www.wtfareyoureading.com



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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Review:Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Page Number:404
Publisher:Bloomsbury
Source:Bought

Description:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Review:
This book met my incredibly high expectations, due to all the raving reviews and complements it was generating. So, I'm happy to announce that it WAS incredible like all those readers, reviewers, bloggers, and publishers said it would be. Here goes my RAVING review!

 It seemed to me that it was SO long, even though it was only 404 pages, but then again I AM a slow reader and perhaps that is why it seemed to take forever to read. So, yes, this book took me about 5 days to read. Although, I did stop reading in the middle of it to start another book, but then I continued on with it and finished it! And ended up falling in love with it!

For me, the beginning was slightly slower paced, but all the descriptions were so well written that I didn't even notice until I looked backed and realized not that many days had passed. But, when you continue on with the story, it picks up speed. Also another thing that I noted while reading it was that, sometimes it would just skip ahead a couple days later(or weeks) and that slightly bothered me because I thought maybe something important could have happened in those missed days. I understand, though, that she had to cram about 6 months into the spansion of the book. So, all is forgiven and quickly forgotten as I was swept up into the world of Throne of Glass!

The plot of the story, was what had me loving it SO quickly and made me eager to read more. Everything, you could tell, was so planned out until the very last detail and made the bigger picture just WHAM you in the face when it came. The murder mystery was intriguing, to say the least. It kept me guessing, and although I guessed who the murderer was from the start( and guessed correctly!), I was still slightly shocked that IT ACTUALLY was the person who I thought it would be. Usually I NEVER guess correctly, AND definitely not in murder cases. So even though it may appear to be obvious...I guess just keep reading to find out if you're right? I guess?

The romance was actually kind of invisible during the story. You knew it was there, but it wasn't very distintive. I really liked how the romance was though...very slow and realistic. They didn't rush head long into a forbidden romance. There was actually a love triangle( and I'm definitely team Chaol!), but it was, surprisingly, a love triangle that I liked. I couldn't decided who she liked better: Dorian or Chaol and it kept me guessing throughout the novel! I can sense that there will be some drama in the sequel between Dorian and Celaena!

Overall, this book was such a fantastic read! I would recommend it espicially for high fantasy readers, but I'm sure every reader would end up loving it! Though, it wasn't a cliffhanger book, I will desperately be looking out for the sequel to find out what happens next!

4.5/5

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Interview with Victoria Schwab

Here is a short interview with Victoria Schwab, the author of The Near Witch and The Archived coming out in January 2013! Hope you enjoy!

What is your favorite author of all time?
 
--Neil Gaiman. Not only for his stories, but for his kindness and ability to be genuine and grounded despite his fame.
What is your favorite actor/actress?
 
--Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hiddleston, and Scarlet Johansson
Do you prefer dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
 
--Dark chocolate! I won't touch the milk stuff.
Do you have any pets? If so, what animal is it?
 
--Haha, I have five. Six if you count the dog I'm fostering. If you don't count him, there are three dogs, and two cats.
What is the farthest place you've ever been?
 
--The Loire valley in France is probably the farthest geographically (I lived in northern England for a few months while writing THE ARCHIVED).
What is the most exciting part of being an author?
 
--It's a tie between seeing your story in book-form (there's nothing like holding a finished copy), and getting to talk to readers and fans.
 
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
 
--I am actually an only child.
Are you an early riser or night owl?
 
--Unfortunately for sleep, a bit of both.
What is your favorite book this year that you have read?
 
--I loved loved loved a book called DEATHLESS by Cat Valente.
 
What is your hobby?( besides writing)
 
--I'm a bit of an exercise addict. I have to be, to make up for the hours spent sitting at the computer and the dark chocolate, but truth be told, for me, exercise = sanity.
 
 
 
Victoria SchwabAbout the author
Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."

She also tells stories.

She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.
 

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012

Top Ten Tuesday-It is a meme created by aime at The Broke and the Bookish where you create a list of your top ten favorite of any given category.  This week we are creating a list of our favorite new authors from 2012! I'll list the first book that I read by them that made me fall in love with them!

1.Fiona Paul-I just recently read her debut book and absolutely loved it! Go check it out! I dare you to...
Venom (Secrets of the Eternal Rose, #1)
2.Julie Kagawa-I know this probably comes to a surprise for some of you, but I actually just started reading her books back in January and have just loved all of her stories from The Immortal Rules to The Lost Prince.
The Iron King (The Iron Fey, #1)
3.Andrea Cremer-I loved Nightshade so....OF COURSE I have to list her!
Nightshade (Nightshade, #1)
4.Marissa Meyer-Cinder was such a creative and interesting twist on Cinderalla that I fell in love with it right away!
Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1)
5.Veronica Rossi-Under the Never Sky was just...I'm speechless really.
Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1)
6.Kathleen Peacock-I usually don't enjoy werewolve books very much, but Hemlock was not one of those corny love stories and was written very well! I enjoyed it immensely!
Hemlock (Hemlock, #1)
7.Sarah Rees Brennan-Do I even have to explain? If you haven't read this, then you haven't LIVED.
Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy, #1)
8.Alison Goodman-Her books were so complex and descriptive...I mean, just WOW.
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon, #1)
9.Cassandra Clare-I know this is EXTREMELY surprsing, you know, since City of Bones is becoming a MOVIE, but I just started reading her books somewhere around February or Marchish area.
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
10.Rachel Hawkins-Even though, this series were, at some points SO cheesy, I loved it all the same. It was one of those easy series to like(at least for me!) and talk about.
Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1)

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Review: Scarlet

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Page Number:464
Publisher:Feiwel & Friends
Source:Won

Description:
Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.


Review:
I was absolutely stunned when I finished this book. Somehow, Marissa Meyer has got me to love this book even more than Cinder, and that is saying alot. Cinder was probably within my top 5 books of 2012, and man, Scarlet is probably going to BE the top pick of 2013, unless some other book SOMEHOW manages to blow be away even more than Scarlet did.

It starts off right after Cinder ended, except you have a different main character: Scarlet. Now, Cinder is still pretty important( I mean, of course she is, since she's the freakin' key to EVERYTHING!), but you only get to see her viewpoint about 40%. There are also different characters viewpoint's thrown in there, pretty much at random, like Thorne, Wolf, and EVEN Queen Levena! Yes, that was a pretty interesting chapter. I really liked being able to see in different people view's, since it let me inside their heads and undertand their feelings and emotions. So, that was just ONE small detail that I loved. Unfortunately for you, my dear readers, I still have many other things to talk about and fangirl over!

Back to the story, so Cinder is on the run and Scarlet( your new main character, hence the name of the book!) is trying to find her grandmother, since the police decided to stop looking due to the lack of evidence and because her grandmother left without a trace. Scarlet runs into a person at a bar/restaraunt with a tattoo on his elbow. She later realizes that that tattoo happens to be the key to finding her grandmother. So, of course she asks for his help( ERM...not exactly ASKED for helped, but you get the point) and she goes on her journey with Wolf to find her grandmother.
 Yeah, that is a very shortened up version, and it sounds much lamer than it actually is. Trust me though when I type this! IT BLEW MY MIND AWAY! There was so many surprises and the plot and characters were all amazing! And now I will continue on to tell about the new and old characters.

Cinder-She was as awesome as ever, except she is now on the run and desperately trying to get her powers under control. I seriously, love Cinder. How could you not? She is a kick-ass heroine and is a cyborg! So, don't worry people! Just because there is another heroine in the book doesn't mean that Cinder doesn't have her fair share of time in the book!

Scarlet-Ahh, the other kick-ass heroine in the book. I really loved her from start to finish. She was strong, intelligent, and had red hair! I did think that she may have been a little too impulsive, but her other characteristics made up for it. Overall, I thought she was a great new addition in this series, and hope to see her in the next two books!

Wolf-He was a very quiet and mysterious person at first. He was big and dangerous looking, but shy all the same. I'm not quite sure what to say about him. I liked him alot, but I guess I didn't love him in the beginning. I just thought he was an important character in the story. Later though, I started understanding him and ended up LOVING him for who he truly was.

Kai-What dissapointed me most about this book was that you don't get to see alot of Kai. I seriously loved Kai in Cinder, and it saddened me to find out that there couldn't be any romance between Cinder and Kai, because they are supposed to appear as rivals to the people. Kai is supposed to care about his country more than Cinder, and I do understand that, but it doesn't make me any less sadder.

Thorne- My first thought about him was that he was a moron, and I still think that. All the same, he was a hilarious new addition in the book! He always made horrible circumstances funny, and just had a fun vibe to him.

Ok, I know there are MANY other characters in the book, but it would take me forever to put my emotions for them into words, so without further ado I will talk about the plot.
Wow, Marissa Meyer did it again with her magical writing powers. The plot was intense, fast-paced, and kept me reading until the very last page. There were so many unanswered questions from the previous book and I was reading furiously to find them out! The plot was probably my most favorite thing about this story!

The ending, THANK GOD, was not a cliffhanger. At least, not in my opinion.
There are still many unanswered questions, but it isn't what you would call a cliffhanger. Nonetheless, I will be watching like a hawk for the third book! And there was still a thrill of excitement left in my veins that had me acting all gushy inside...even though I should be sad, since I WON'T get to read Cress, for more than a year!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

"Waiting On" Wednesday(#10): Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea


"Waiting on Wednesday" is a meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine that features books yet to be released that we're really looking forward to. This week my book is "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea."
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between, #1)
Title:Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Author:April Genevieve Tucholke
Released:August 20, 2013
Publisher:Dial

From Goodreads:
You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.


Thoughts:
This book is quite popular ALREADY! And it doesn't even release for the next...good 8 months! That is a LONG time! But, I can see why everyone is getting hyped! This sounds BRILLIANT! But, alas, it doesn't release for a long time( which is already mentioned above!)

Leave a comment below if you'd like!



Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me

Top Ten Tuesday-It is a meme created by aime at The Broke and the Bookish where you create a list of your top ten favorite of any given category.

1.The Name of the Star (Shades of London, #1)

2.Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2)

3.Rebel Heart (Dust Lands, #2)

4.Breathe (Breathe, #1)

5.Crewel (Crewel World, #1)

6.Dark Star

7.Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles, #1)

8.Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles, #1)

9.Silver (Bandia, #1)

10.Velveteen (Velveteen, #1)

AND there you have it!! My wishlist for Christmas! Most are new releases, but I think one or two are ones that I have been waiting to read FOREVER!

Comments? Concerns? Questions? Leave it below!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Cover Reveal: Hover


First reactions:
Stunning! I think I may even like this cover better than Gravity!

Here is the description: (this doesn't have an official description yet!)
Book two in the heart-stopping new series by Melissa West. The follow-up to the acclaimed Gravity, Hover is another thrilling dystopian romance and is perfect for fans of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, Veronica Roth's Divergent, and Marie Lu's Legend.

Random thoughts:
I haven't yet had the chance to read Gravity, but I'm planning on to soon, since I bought it for myself this Christmas. :D Also this cover is so, so detailed! Well done to the creators!

Pre-order a copy:
About the author

Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L'Engle.

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.


Find her at these places:





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