The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

ARC Review: Cold Cereal

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Cold Cereal (Cold Cereal, 1) by Adam Rex, February 7, 2012. 432 pages. Published by Balzer + Bray. Source: Publisher for review (unsolicited).

Scottish Play Doe-aka Scott-is used to being a little different, and not just because of his name. Sometimes he hallucinates things that no one else can see: Mermaids. Unicorns. A talking rabbit-man in tweed pants.
But then one of these hallucinations tries to steal Scott's backpack, and he comes face-to-face with an honest-to-goodness leprechaun inn a tiny red tracksuit. Mick not only claims that Scott must be part faerie but desperately needs his help-Mick's on the run from, of all things, the Goodco Cereal Company.
With the help of his friends Erno and Emily (who have their own weird connection to Goodco) and their enormous and suspiciously hairy housekeeper, Biggs, Scott and Mick uncover Goodco's sinister plans-and take the first steps in saving the world from the evil cereal company. (from back of ARC)

First Sentence (ARC):

In the busy airport, baggage turned slowly on a carousel.

After recently finishing my first Adam Rex book, The True Meaning of Smekday, I thought there was no way Cold Cereal was going to beat it. I was wrong. Cold Cereal was brilliant and could barely peel my eyes from the page-even considered missing sleep just to finish it.

Part of what makes Cold Cereal such a win in my book is that it has both an element of mystery and fantasy in the storyline, and that it is a quick and fun read. I loved how Mr. Rex blended the fantastic (leprechauns, faeries, and unicats) and evil plotting of Goodco Cereal Company to make one addictive read that had my eyes glued to the page. Yes, it was that good.

One thing I am definitely looking forward to in the next book is finding out more about Goodco;'s scheme and what Scott and friends are going to do to stop them. Also looking forward to seeing how some of the unanswered questions from Cold Cereal are going to be answered, like, maybe a little more about Erno and Emily and their past and how they came to be in the care of Goodco. What am I saying! I just cannot wait for book two because I want more Scottish and just more of the world and characters.

Okay, I admit it, I loved Scottish Play Doe (and the story behind his name). I thought it was kind of interesting that in the beginning of the book Scott did not realize that what he took for hallucinations were actually there...only problem, must people could not see what he could. Scott was just a great character and I cannot wait to read about his next adventures and where it will take him and the story.
Erno and Emily, were definitely an odd pair. There actually so much I would like to say about the two of them, but sadly everything I want to say would be one humongous spoiler. All I will say about them is that I have a feeling that the next book will have the two for them playing an even bigger role in things to come.
Ah, the baddies of Cold Cereal all I am saying is that Mr. Rex out did himself in this book because the villain(s) of this book are pretty crooked and I do not think that we've seen the tip of their crazy iceberg.

If I had to name one point as my favorite from Cold Cereal it would have to be how well Mr. Rex's writing is able to pull the reader in from the very beginning. His writing managed to blow me away yet again in his latest book, plus I totally loved the characters, story, and setting in this book-fun, thrilling and full of adventure. This just ended up being the perfect read when I was under the weather and not feeling up to much. Will definitely have to get my hands on a finsihed copy of Cold Cereal when it comes out.

Having read an ARC of Cold Cereal, my only complaint would have to be that a lot of the art shown throughout the book was either not final or not there at all, and that was kind of disappointing because the ones that are shown are absolutely stunning. I would have definitely liked to have seen all of the artwork for this book.

Final Verdict: Cold Cereal brilliantly funny, and filled with action and awesomeness.

Cold Cereal earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

YA Historical Fiction Challenge 2012

2012-01-29T21:13:00.002-05:00

I actually meant to sign up for the YA Historical Fiction Challenge at the start, but as usual I forgot. Good thing you can still enter.

I'm really excited about this challenge because somewhere between six and ten historical fiction books on my TBR that I really want to read. Thanks to Sab of YA Bliss for putting together and hosting this challenge.

I am going to go for "Level 1" and try am going to try to read 5 books for this challenge.

Books read:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

In My Mailbox (115) Some Shiny Bargin Books

2012-01-28T15:56:00.001-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

A huge thanks to all the bloggers, authors, and publishers for the awesomeness this week.

Bought:

Fatality by Caroline B. Cooney, 2001. Published by Scholastic.

Meet the Austins (Austin Family, 1) by Madeline L'Engle, 1960. Published by Laurel Leaf Books.

Nobody's Princess (Nobody's Princess, 1) by Esther Friesner, 2007. Published by Random House.

Nobody's Prize (Nobody's Princess, 2) by Esther Frisener, 2008. Published by Random House.

The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories by Agatha Christie, 1997. Published by Putnam.

Review:

Vesper (Deviants, 1) by Jeff Sampson, 2011. Published by Balzer & Bray.

Havoc (Deviants, 2) by Jeff Sampson, 2012. Published by Balzer and Bray.

Undone Deeds (Conner Grey, 6) by Mark del Franco, 2012. Published by Ace.

Ya'll, I could not believe my luck when I found, not only, Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle, Fatality by Caroline B. Cooney, and The Harlequin Tea Set by Agatha Christie. These are, like, three of my all-time favorite authors and to be able to find a book by each of them that I was missing from collections absolutely made my day. Also excited about the two Esther Frisener books because I've been wanting to read them for ages.

Was also really surprised when both Vesper and Havoc came in the post. I was also excited because Vesper had been on my wish list and I totally was not expecting it (thanks, Harper).

Cannot wait to see what everyone else got this week. =)

Audiobook Review: The Probability of Miracles

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder, read by Emma Galvin, 2011. 8 discs (approx. 8 hours). Pubished by Penguin Audio. Source: Publisher for review.

Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

Story:

Usually I avoid books like The Probability of Miracles since I do not like sad books, but the premise of this one surprisingly enough caught my attention. It was good, but I kind of have mixed feelings about it.

While the story its self had me hooked, I did have some reservations about Cam herself and her lack faith in anything. Although I did really enjoy the Ms. Wunder's writing style and how vividly she captured the pain and heartbreak of watching someone you love be affected by cancer. Even though she did such a great job with this book, I do not see myself re-reading or listening to it because I have hit my limit for the year (or a very long time) on sad depressing reads.

On a whole, I am no sure how I feel about the main character, Cam. At some points I thought she was an interesting character, but at others I was completely annoyed by how negative she was throughout the majority of the book. Even so, what made this such an absorbing listen was how well the various emotions that Cam experienced were written; that is what made this book for me.
The one character I really liked was Cam's mom. I thought that Ms. Wunder did a fantastic job on her and how she would do anything to try and save her daughter. It was very refreshing to read a book were the parent(s) visibly cared for their child/children.
What I really liked about The Probability for Miracles would have to be how Ms. Wunder was able to perfectly capture the various emotions that Cam, her mother and sister went through throughout the entire book-from their high's as things start to look up, to the low's that they went through. That is the one thing that I absolutely loved about this book while I was listening to it, it just did an excellent job of evoking the feelings that were so apparent in it.

While I generally enjoyed this book, the one thing that bothered me the most about The Probability of Miracles was that Cam just seemed to have lost all hope in life. It was kind of depressing to listen to because she did not believe in anything at the beginning of the book, but I liked that as the book progressed she began to lose a little of the sarcastic edge that she used to keep herself from feeling anything.

Content (will contain spoilers; highlight to see):
[Mercy me, I was not expecting nor prepared for some of the content in The Probability of Miracles. I was also a little disappointed with Cam at certain points throughout the book by the choices that she made (as well as her "Flamingo List [bucket]" (i.e. lose virginity at keg party or something like that).

The nitty-gritty: Let's see, Cam tries and fails to not have sex with a French exchange student at a party; and then winds up sleeping with her new boyfriend. While the scenes weren't graphic (they kind of snuck up on me while I was writing posts), I was quite disappointed in Cam.

There is a fair amount of swearing in TPoM, although not nearly as frequently a couple of books that I have read/listened to.]

Narration:

While I am a little conflicted on my thoughts on the story, one thing I am sure of is that Emma Galvin did a terrific job narrating The Probability of Miracles. Her reading of this book and Cam-as well as the Cam's family-really brought the pain of the story to life. I think she did an excellent job of capturing the dry, sarcastic personality that was Cam in her reading.

TPoM is the first time I had ever listened to a book narrated by Ms. Galvin, and I was quite impressed with the way that she handled the various emotions that Cam and her family went through in the book. She did a great job making you feel what the characters were going through; although, if it had not been written with as much emotion as it was I probably would would not have been so caught up in the book. We'll just leave it at both the writing and narration of TPoM complemented each other quite nicely.

Final Verdict: The Probability of Miracles one emotional ride full of ups and downs.

The Probability of Miracles earns between 3.5 to 4 of 5 pineapples.

Winner(s): Seventh Star Press Singles Giveaway

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

Only a couple days late, but here are the three lucky winners of the Seventh Star Press Singles giveaway....

Robin Blankenship

Vinni V

BN100

Congrats ya'll. I will be emailing you shortly (so be sure to check your spam folder...just to be safe).
A huge thank you to Stephen Zimmer for his awesome answers for the interview, to Seventh Star Press for the lovely prize, and finally to you my followers for entering. Hope ya'll will love the short stories.

Wish List Wednesday (83)

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Article 5 (Article 5, 1) by Kristen Simmons, January 13, 2012. Published by Tor Teens.

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Why: Because this one sounds like it could be a chilling read, and an absolute page turner. Need.

Teaser Tuesday ARC Edition (76)

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To participate, simply do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This week my teaser is from the fabulous Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen. Enjoy.

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen:

"He's going to make it worse. He'll kill people. He'll gouge their hearts out to get what he wants." page 88

ARC Review: Scarlet

2012-01-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, February 14, 2012. 304 pages. Published by Walker & co (J) . Source: Published (requested).

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

First Sentence (ARC):

No one really knows 'bout me.

When I first heard about Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen I knew that I would have to read it. Mainly because it sounded like something I would absolutely love, and boy was I right in my guessing because I could not put Scarlet down until I had read every last page.

I really loved that the sense of action and adventure was present in Scarlet from the very beginning, and did not let up until the end. This book had me on the edge of my seat as Scarlet, Robin, and the rest of the cast tried to assist the residents of Nottinghamshire survive the Sheriff, as well as keep out of the clutches of the vile Thief Taker, Lord Gisbourne.
I thought that the author did an excellent job of balancing out the different aspects of the book-the action/adventure mixed with the secrets that the characters kept as well as adding an emotional element to the book. I thought that it was all handled quite well and done in such a way that it just blended nicely together.

One of the things that really pulls this book together, at least for me, was that it was not a walk in the park. It was dark, a little gruesome at points, but pretty much nothing was held back or softened and that just made it such an addictive read. On the other hand, I liked that there was minimal swearing and nothing that left me wanting/needing to skip paragraphs or pages.

Scarlet has to be one of my favorite characters of late. One of the things that made me like her so was that she was a force to be reckoned with. One of the things that drew me to Scarlet's character was that she was not the damsel in distress and that she could pretty much hold her own (and some time surpass) the male characters in the book. I also liked how as the book progressed you began to see that there was more to her story then you see at first glance, as well, as the way that her story unfolded throughout the book.
The Thief Taker, may just be the most vile villain to cross my reading; as well as the Sheriff. I loved that the villains of Scarlet were ones that truly deserved the title of "villain" and that there was no gray area where they were involved. While they both made for great adversaries for the heroes of the book, Lord Gisbourne took the cake. I thought it was intriguing that he and Scarlet had had a few run-ins before he showed up in Nottinghamshire, it definitely added something to the plot when he made his first appearance.
I liked that Robin's told was more of a secondary character and that he did not end up stealing the show. I also liked how there was a little more story behind his actions and that he came across as a pretty stand-up kind of guy (even when he tried to be cruel I still liked him).

What made Scarlet such a great read is that it grabbed me from the very beginning with the superb writing and story-telling of A.C. Gaughen, and kept me reading late into the night even though I had to be up early the next day. It was just one fantastic re-imagining of the classic Robin Hood story...you just have to read it for yourself because words cannot describe how good it is.

While this book was absolutely brilliant, I do have just one itsy-bitsy complaint...the end. While the end of the book was good, it left off were Scarlet could be a stand-alone but also left room for the story to continue in another book and I need to now if this is the end of Scarlet's tale or if there will be another book about her. So the end, good, but I was left with a few unanswered questions that I would like to see answered (will have to see if this is truly the end).
Final Verdict: Scarlet one incredible re-imagining of the classic tale of Robin Hood. A must read.
Scarlet earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

In My Mailbox (114) All These Lovely Covers

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

A ginormous thank you to all the lovelies (bloggers, authors, and publishers) for the awesome sounding books in my mailbox.

Won:

Thanks to Cheryl Rainfield-
Hunted *signed* by Cheryl Rainfield, 2011. Published by Westside Books. Along with YA Saves sticker, and Hunted and Scars bonus postcard story.

Thanks to Random Buzzers-
Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chonicles, 1) *ARC* by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, 2011. Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Bought (from RandomBuzzers):

Sphinx's Princess (Sphinx's Princess, 1) by Esther Friesner, 2009. Published by Random House.

Sphinx's Queen (Sphinx's Princess, 2) by Esther Friesner, 2010. Published by Random House.

The Other Countess (The Lacy Chronicles, 1) by Eve Edwards, 2011. Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Review:

Thanks to Seventh Star Press-
Angelkiller by H. David Blalock, 2011. Published by Seventh Star Press.

Thanks to Disney Hyperion-
Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, 2) by Ally Carter, 2011. Published by Hyperion Book CH.

So many awesome titles this week (okay, some of them are not from the past week, but have been in a stack).
Realy xcited about all the titles this, especially the historical fiction titles.

Audiobook Review: The Iliad

2012-01-20T11:41:00.000-05:00

The Iliad by Homer and translated by Stephen Mitchell, read by Alfred Molina, 2011. 15 discs (approx. 18 hours). Published by Simon and Schuster Audio. Source: Audiobook Jukebox/Publisher for review.

An Iliad for the twenty-first century, this magnificent new translation by Stephen Mitchell sets the highest standards for beauty, accuracy, and aliveness.The power and the beauty of The Iliad resound again across 2,700 years in Stephen Mitchell’s exciting new translation, as if the lifeblood of its heroes Achilles and Patroclus, Hector and Priam flowed in every word. And we are there with them amid the horror and ecstasy of war, carried along by a poetry that lifts even the most devastating human events into the realm of the beautiful.
Based on the recent, superb M.L. West edition of the Greek, this Iliad is more accessible and moving than any previous version. Whether it is his exciting recent version of Gilgamesh, with more than 150,000 copies sold, or his unmatched translation of the poet Rilke, still the standard after twenty-nine years, or his Tao Te Ching, which has sold more than 900,000 copies and itself been translated into six languages, Stephen Mitchell’s books are international sensations. Now, thanks to his scholarship and poetic power, which re-creates the energy and simplicity, the speed, grace, and continual thrust and pull of the original, The Iliad ’s ancient story bursts vividly into new life and will reach an even larger audience of listeners.

Story:

I've actually read The Iliad once before-made it my summer camping at the beach read one year. Admittedly, I thought it was good but not "Oh my gosh, this book is awesome" good.
The actual story of the Trojan War is what makes this such an interesting book, but most especially, the way that it is written as an account of who was there and and their ties to the fighting. I like that fact that Homer gives such detail to the characters of the book and their personal histories. Usually I do not like books to have a lot of character history, but it is done so well in The Iliad and necessary that one can not help but be drawn in.

The Iliad is definitely one of the most epic books I have ever read, as well, as one of the bloodiest books because Homer does not hold anything back from his descriptions of the pains of war and all the mess involved in one. While the descriptions of the battle could be graphic at times-with the death wounds dealt-the story does not linger on those scenes. Rather it is more of a dry report of how a certain character died, yet still perhaps a little too violent for some.

The Iliad is one of those books were the characters are not ones that I could necessarily love. While I may not think to fondly of the characters and their actions, I do think that each of their stories are quite captivating as they struggle for what they want in their world against the "gods" who meddle in day to day life.
The characters for me, are just that...characters. The one thing that really made them interesting was that they were all extremely flawed, from Paris and his cowardice, to Achilles and his refusal to fight because he was offended by the loss of his prize (a girl); as for the gods themselves, I really cannot think of anything good to say about them. For me, they were an annoyance in their pettiness, but ya'll can see more of why I don't like them below.

The one thing that really sticks out in my mind when I think back on The Iliad would have to be-well, at least this translation of it-is that I found myself thinking differently about a certain character which surprised me. After listening to the introduction by Stephen Mitchell, I found myself looking beyond my initial thoughts about Helen and the situation that she found herself in. And this time, I actually felt bad for her instead on contempt because while she did mess up in running off with Paris she tried near the end to gain back some of the her lost dignity by refusing him.
The first time through I just got hung-up on the whole she ran off with another man-not her husband- and caused the beginning of a war that lasted ten years.

The one thing I still do not like about The Iliad would have to be the gods and goddess of Olympus. My biggest gripe against the gods would have to be that they are selfish, petty, self-serving, manipulative, and a bunch of babies. Yeah, I do not think to highly of their characters in the book and that is most likely to never change. I could seriously go on and on about how annoyed they made me, but I am pretty sure that would get boring real fast for ya'll.

Narration:

While I was really interested in listening to the audio version of The Iliad, I was not all too sure that any one would be able to breath enough life into the book that would hold ones attention, Which is why I am happy to say that Alfred Molina did a fantastic job reading The Iliad. He absolutely astounded me with his ability to capture the story and the characters so perfectly.

What really made this a great listen was the reader, Alfred Molina. So if you think The Iliad is maybe not something you would be interested in reading, I would recommend listening to the audio because it will absolutely pull you in and leave you listening long after you should be asleep.

The only drawback to the audio, besides the length of time, would have to be the introduction. Its not the the information was not good-and useful for the book-it was just kind of dull...especially the way it was read. I am not trying to be mean, but the author, while doing an excellent job of adding depth the story, did not exactly have the best reading voice.
Final Verdict: The Iliad, definitely one epic listen or read.

The Iliad earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

You can also see my thoughts on W.H.D. Rouse's translation of Homer's The Iliad.

Wish List Wednesday (82)

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Pretty Crooked (Pretty Crooked, 1) by Elisa Ludwig, March 13, 2012. Published by Katherine Tegen Books.

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her: evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

Why: This sounds like a fun read, with the Robin Hood thievery and I cannot wait for this one to come out.

Teaser Tuesday (75)

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser is taken from Angelina's Secret by Lisa Rogers. Hope ya'll enjoy it.

Angelina's Secret by Lisa Rogers:

She slumped back in her chair. "Thanks to her so-called 'gift,' she's got people in three different counties convinced she's crazy-so crazy she'll probably never be on her own again." page 132

ARC Review: Angelina's Secret

2012-01-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

Angelina's Secret by Lisa Rogers, February 1, 2012. 260 pages. Published by Spencer Hill Press. Source. Publisher (requested).

As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn't real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn't imaginary after all.
Now Angelina has to accept she's either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can't help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.
When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn't, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home.span>

First Sentence (ARC):

The premonitions always made her feel this way-weak, disoriented, scared.

I almost did not get past the first two chapters of Angelina's Secret, and it was not because ti was poorly written or the story was not fascinating, it was because I felt like I had been dropped in the middle of the story...

While the beginning very nearly lost me because I felt like the book started not at the beginning of Angelina's story, but as the story came began to come together I find myself quickly forgetting about my earlier confusion as I had to know what was going to happen next and if Angelina would find some one to believe her or if she would be forever branded insane.

Angelina's Secret was one of those books that once it pulls you in, you will not want to put it down till you have read the very last page. That is how I felt after I got past the first couple of chapters because I needed to know how things were going to play out for Angelina, and if she was actually crazy or not.

Angelina, was a pretty likable character. I admit, that at first I did not care too much for her, but when faced with the choice of hurting her mother by letting her think that she was trying to punish her for something she did, which would have gotten her released from the "nut house" or sticking with her story and staying there indefinitely. I find myself liking her more and more based on the choice she made, and also because it was interesting to see how long she would stick with the truth.
Besides, Angelina, I really liked Kobi-can't tell you much about her without giving too much away and Sam, her brother.

Surprisingly enough, my favorite thing about Angelina's Secret would have to be Angelina herself. I thought she was a great leading character and just wanted her to succeed and for her to find someone to believe that she should see the dead and was not in fact crazy. Ms. Rogers' did a fantastic job of crafting her MC.
Even though I found this to be an enjoyable read, there are two things that I did not like about this book. My first problem-and biggest-problem with Angelina's Secret would have to be how every one called her 'Angel', to me it just did not fit in with her actual name and drove me crazy. I know, this probably seems like an odd thing to be irritated with, but irritate me it did.

Final Verdict: Angelina's Secret a great character driven read.

Angelina's Secret earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Book(s) to Trade

2012-01-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Alright, every now and again I do clean out my books. And when I do I like to make sure that the books that do not make the cut are given a good home.

This time around I have one book that is in need of a new home....

Bullet (Anita Black, Vampire Hunter, 19) by Laurell K. Hamilton. It is a signed hardback, never read.

I do not think this series is for me, and probably will not have the time to find/read the previous 18 books in the series.

Right now, I can only ship within the US.

What I am looking for (open to any finished YA?MG offers)-
Young adult or Mid-grade
No ARCs please

Genres-
fantasy
dystopian
mystery

Trading will be open till the 18th of January (I'll return all trade offer emails on the 19th).

If you are interested in trading, please, email me at hauntingorchid (at) aol (dot) com

I may update this post at some point if I come across any other books that need new homes.

In My Mailbox (113) IT IS HERE

2012-01-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

This weeks IMM is loaded full of awesome. While I am very excited about all of them, there is one that I cannot wait to dive into...
A huge thank you to all the authors, bloggers, and publishers that have supplied this week's IMM. As Well as my lovely library.

Review

Thanks to Alyssa
Demons at Deadnight (Divinicus Nex Chronicles, 1) by A&E Kirk, 2012.
I am so excited about this one and cannot wait to read it. They also sent a awesome swag box, but I don't want to spoil the contents for those who may still be waiting on there's. Thanks A&E.

Thanks to Harper Collins
The Cabinet of Earths *ARC* by Anne Nesbit, 2012. Published by HarperCollins.

Thanks to Bloomsbury/Walker
Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey, January 17, 2012. Published by Walker Childrens.

Scarlet *ARC* by A.C. Gaughen, February 14, 2012. Published by Walker and Co. (J).

Library

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, 2007. Published by Hyperion.

Won

Thanks to Penguin Paperbacks
Persuasion by Jane Austen, 2011. Published by Penguin Classics.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, 2011. Published by Penguin Classics.
Surprisingly enough, I have only ever read ONE Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey. Hoping that I'll enjoy Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility as much as I enjoyes Northanger Abbey.
On a non-book note, I am finally starting to get over the cold that has plagued me all week, and am hoping to catch up on everyone's blogs and finish some upcoming posts for the next month or so. Definitely excited to dive into each of the books mentioned this week...except for The True Meaning of Smekday since I've already read and returned it (it was awesome).

Be sure to enter to win an ebook of Stephen Zimmer's short stories by visiting my interview with him.

Hope ya'll have a great weekend.

The True Meaning of Smekday

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, 2007. 423 pages. Published by Hyperion. Source: Borrowed from Library.

It all starts with a school essay.

When twelve-year-old Gratuity (“Tip”) Tucci is assigned to write five pages on “The True Meaning of Smekday” for the National Time Capsule contest, she’s not sure where to begin. When her mom started telling everyone about the messages aliens were sending through a mole on the back of her neck? Maybe on Christmas Eve, when huge, bizarre spaceships descended on the Earth and the aliens - called Boov - abducted her mother? Or when the Boov declared Earth a colony, renamed it “Smekland” (in honor of glorious Captain Smek), and forced all Americans to relocate to Florida via rocketpod?
In any case, Gratuity’s story is much, much bigger than the assignment. It involves her unlikely friendship with a renegade Boov mechanic named J.Lo.; a futile journey south to find Gratuity’s mother at the Happy Mouse Kingdom; a cross-country road trip in a hovercar called Slushious; and an outrageous plan to save the Earth from yet another alien invasion.

Fully illustrated with “photos,” drawings, newspaper clippings, and comics sequences, this is a hilarious, perceptive, genre-bending novel by a remarkable new talent.

First Sentence:

It was moving day.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Adam Rex's upcoming book, and thought that before I delved into it that I would check out one of his previous books to see what his writing style was like. So after checking my library I decided upon reading The True Meaning of Smekday and find it to be quite enjoyable-am now working my way through his newest book.

One of the things that makes The True Meaning Smekday such an original read is the way it's told. I loved the fact that the story is written from Gratuity's POV and as essay for her school (to potentially be placed in time-capsule for future residents of earth). I thought it was pretty genius to tell it that way because it definitely pulls you into the story and the struggle that Gratuity faced during the double invasion of earth.

As for the aliens that invaded, I found the Boov to be quite odd, and it was very surprising that they even managed to fully take over the earth. Why, because at the first sign of opposition from their nemesis they pretty much began to call it quits. The other group, were kind of hilarious in their grotesqueness and they way they talked (if you saw my Teaser Tuesday you'd understand). I thought each group brought an interesting slant to the story with the way the humans reacted to them.

Gratuity was an absolutely joy to read about. I loved how she could go from sassing some one to trying to charm her way out of the trouble she found herself in. Attitude aside, I really thought Gratuity was an interesting character, and I loved how her narration of the story came across and that at times she would apologize for something she said (like, cursing or taking the Lord's name in vain).
Ah, J.Lo, what can I say. He was odd cookie and that's not even taking into account the name he picked while on ~~Earth~~ Smekland. His sense of humour is kind of hard to describe, but funny nontheless.

Easily, my favorite thing about The True Meaning of Smekday would have to be Gratuity "Tip" Tucci. She was, like, the perfect mix of sass and wit, and had me either laughing at some of things she got herself into or hitting my head as got herself into one pickle after another. She was just one of those characters that I can't help but like, and for that one reason I will most likely be adding this book to my ever-growing collection one day.
While The True Meaning of Smekday was one of the funniest and most entertaining books I have read in a while, there was one thing that kept it from being a five pineapple read. My main complaint against this book has nothing to do with the writing, the story, or even the characters in the book, what really annoyed me though was apparent lack of proper chapters and stopping points. I just wanted to read straight through this book but had to put it down at points t accomplish things, so the lack of chapters was a bit irritating because I felt like I was always stopping in the middle of something important. Other than that, this is one incredibly good read.

Final Verdict: The True Meaning of Smekday was a barrel of laughs with a witty, and funny leading character.

The True Meaning of Smekday earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Interview: Stephen Zimmer (author of The Rising Dawn Saga) + Give@way

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am excited to welcome Stephen Zimmer back to the blog. This time Mr. Zimmer has graciously taken the time answer a couple questions regarding a set of short stories published by Seventh Star Press set in the worlds of two of his series.

Born in Denver, Colorado, Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning fantasy author and filmmaker based out of Lexington, Kentucky.
Stephen has two series being published through Seventh Star Press. One is the epic fantasy Fires in Eden Series, which was launched with Crown of Vengeance (winner of the 2010 Pluto Award for Best Novel). Book 2, Dream of Legends, was released in January of 2011. The other is the epic urban fantasy series The Rising Dawn Saga. The Rising Dawn Saga launched in spring of 2009 with The Exodus Gate (nominated for a 2009 Pluto Award). The next step was taken in June of 2010 with The Storm Guardians. Highly prolific, Stephen is adhering to a release schedule that sees a new book approximately every seven months! (Bio taken from author's website)

1. In Temples Rising, the short story set in the world ofThe Rising Dawn, how would you say it plays into the series?

Temples Rising is a really fun one as it goes deep into thepre-Flood world introduced in the Rising Dawn Saga. Where the Rising Dawn Saga's portrayal of thepre-Flood world takes place in a Sumerian-like region, Temples Rising is rootedin an ancient Celtic environment.

It shows the kind of world that the Fallen Avatars and theNephilim are establishing, including some of the more horrific aspects. I can't say too much without giving spoilers,but there are some things in this story that will have a part to play in thenovel series as well.

This particular story shows the potential of the shortstory series as well, as it allows me to go anywhere within the Rising DawnSaga's world and history to tell a story.

2. What was the hardest part about writing a short storyset in an already established world? Easiest?

The easiest part is that the ideas just leap out atyou. I have a trove of notes, sketches,and treatments covering the world that the Rising Dawn Saga is set in and itshistory. From the pre-Flood age, throughthe genesis of the Convergence and its advance across the course of humanhistory, to the events depicted in the Rising Dawn Saga, there is a wealth ofbackground material. This is fertileground for story ideas, as I just need to think for a moment about somecharacter, place, object, or aspect I would like to expound upon, and the storylargely tells itself.

The hardest part is making sure I don't give too much awayin relation to the book series. I dowant to have some connections that readers of the novels will recognize, but Ialso don't want to essentially create major “spoilers” for the novelreaders. There are times I may leavesome subtle hints or foreshadowing in relation to the novel series, but thesewill be done in such a way that they will only be clear in hindsight, afterreading the novels.

3. Will the short stories, Temple Raising or Into GloryRide, feature characters that readers are familiar with, or will they befollowing different characters?

Largely, the short stories involve new characters, or onesthat have been only mentioned, or very briefly encountered, in the novelseries. There may come a time when Imight want to do a few stories about a main character in the novel series, suchas a Godral or Sargor story set in the pre-Flood age, in the Annals of theRising Dawn collection, but for now the casts are largely new or expanding uponreferences from the novels.

4. Are there any scenes (that you can tell us withoutspoilers) that you had the most fun writing while working on the shortstories?

In Temples Rising, I have to say a particular scene wherethe Raven Queen is given a vision into another world by a Fallen Avatar was anabsolute blast to write. I got to reallyplay with Celtic lore, especially in relation to the origin of a certain kindof spirit. That won't make much senseuntil you read it, but when you read the story you will know exactly what Imean.

In Into Glory Ride, a particular battle scene has beenbouncing around my head for a long time, and I mean a long time, as the novelseries has been in active development since the mid-1990's. When Marragesh goes into the fight, you willknow the scene I am talking about! I love writing stories and threads involvingthe Trogens, and apparently the Trogens are a big favorite of the readers of myseries. When you meet them in Crown ofVengeance, you may have one impression. This short story presents a few more facets of them.

With Lion Heart, a scene by a lake involving Wizards was myfavorite. I really grew to love theSigananda and Mawa characters as I did this story. You can expect to see them again in the future. Sigananda would fit into the Sword andSorcery genre as well, as he is one of those larger-than-life type ofwarriors.

As far as Land of Shadow goes, a certain kind of creatureis revealed later in the story that will have a strong presence in the novelseries. This particular creature I havebeen burning to do something with, as well as another kind of creatureencountered at the beginning of the story. I feel much more relieved now that Ihave been able to do a story with both of these unique races.

It is hard to talk about these favorite scenes without thedanger of spoilers, so the above descriptions might be a bit vague, but inhindsight they will be perfectly clear to readers.

5. If you had to recommend only one of the shorts that youthink readers

need to read, which would it be and why? I know, such ahard question to ask an author.

As far as an introduction goes, I would say Into GloryRide, as it shows how I take some conventional fantasy elements, like Elves,and apply new twists. It also shows theside involving inventive elements, like the Trogens, and Trogen culture. I think people will really get a kick out ofwhat Trogens use for steeds in mountainous areas, as well as the Harraks. I think this story is a good example of how Ibalance some iconic fantasy elements with more original ones.

The runner up might be Temples Rising, as it shows how Iblend mythical elements and cultural traditions and put my own spin on them inthe Rising Dawn Saga.

Thank you for hosting me for this interview! Great questions, and I promise to work veryhard to bring you the best books and short stories I can within theseworlds.

Thanks, Stephen, for the great answers.

Want to see my thoughts on the The Exodus Gate and see why I recommend this series.

You can haunt Stephen Zimmer-

Website| Blog | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter

Thanks to Seventh Star Press, I have three sets of the ebook short stories to giveaway on the blog. Winners can choose between Nook and Kindle, ot epub formats. Giveaway is international.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wish List Wednesday (81)

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, 1) by Veronica Rossi, January 3, 2012. Published by HarperCollins.

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.
As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

Why: I am kind of intrigued by the whole virtual enviroment where Aria starts out and amd extremely curious about what will happen once she's out in the real world. Plus I have heard pretty good things about this one.

Teaser Tuesday (74)

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This week's teasers are from The Silent Oligarch by Chris Morgan Jones and The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Hope ya'll will enjoy them.
The Silent Oligarch by Chris Morgan Jones:

Every morning she came downstairs and stood slient by his side of the bed until something in his subconscious told him she was there. It was a slightly disconcerting way to greet the world. page 24.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex (review coming soon):

"I AM PRINCIPAL ANGER COORDINATOR ASSOCIATE-OF-THE-MONTH GORG FOUR-GORG! HUMANS WILL GIVE ME BAD INFORMATION AT THEIR PERIL!" page 279

The Silent Oligarch

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Silent Oligarch by Chris Morgan Jones, January 23, 2012. 336 pages. Published by The Peguin Press. Source: Published for review.

A London intelligence agent pursues a money launderer to expose the dealings of a shadowy Russian oligarch.
In a world where national borders shrink to insignificance in the face of colossal wealth and corporate power, The Silent Oligarch offers a new kind of hero to combat a new kind of crime. Drawing on his decade of experience at the world's largest corporate intelligence firm-where the wealthy buy the justice they want and the silence they need-Chris Morgan Jones leads us down into the unvarnished realities of our time in the grand tradition of John le Carré. Bearing news from a world hidden behind closed doors, The Silent Oligarch effortlessly creates a new genre in its wake.
Deep in the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources sits a nondescript bureaucrat named Konstantin Malin. He draws a nominal government salary but from his shabby office controls half the nation's oil industry, making him one of the most wealthy and feared men in Russia. His public face is Richard Lock, a hapless money launderer bound to Malin by marriage, complacency, and greed. Lock takes the proceeds of his master's corruption, washes them abroad, and invests them back in Russia in a secret business empire. He knows little about Malin's true affairs, but still he knows too much.

First Sentence:

High in the air Webster watches the unbroken desert flow past, a deep copper red in the dawn, the sand ridged like waves rolling down toward the south.

What me to want to read The Silent Oligarch was the premise of a good old-fashion mystery/thriller. Did it make the cut, in that respect yes it did.
I loved for once reading a book that did not have a single damsel in distress or one with content that left me skipping pages left and right.
Admittedly, the first page of The Silent Oligarch did not interest me and left me feeling a little worried over how the rest of the book was going to go. Even so, I kept reading and the story and Mr. Jones' writing really picked up and began to pull me into the story and the lives of the two main characters. The more I read the more invested in the outcome I became.

While the mystery of who was pulling the strings was kind of vague-up until the very end- I had my personal theories, and I must say that I nearly spot on. I would tell you what my theory was and the conclusion, but then the whole entire outcome would be exposed and that is the last things I want to do to ya'll. I'll just say this, it was well written from beginning to end and kind of stressful at times as both characters very nearly met their end at one point or another throughout the book.

I really liked how all the details slowly painted the full picture of corruption in Russia-in the book-and how the big the scope of Malin's empire was. I was also intrigues to see how exactly Lock fit into the whole scheme and what his role was. While the plot and story building were really good, what really makes this book is Lock and Webster and the changes that are wrought in the both of them as their stories progress.

At first I did not care for either Lock or Webster, the two main characters of the book. I thought that Lock was a weak willed character with absolutely no chance of breaking out of the life that he had come to be a part of. I know that probably sounds mean, but it's the truth. I did not think that he would ever get the nerve to try and walk a better path, so I pleasantly surprised when he started to evolve and get a backbone.
As for why I did not care for Webster in the beginning, well, let's just put it down to he was not very likable at first. But as the story progressed and you saw how what he did affected him and the way he thought I could not help but start to warm up to him. I loved the fact the he had doubts as to whether what he did was actually helping or hurting those that he got involved with.
In short, both characters go from being kind of meh, to ones you want to see survive the ordeal that they currently found themselves in.

What I really liked best about The Silent Oligarch would have to be how the tension slowly built through out the book. By the time I hit the half-way point in the book I did not want to sit it aside because I needed to know how things were going to turn out for both Lock and Webster, which meant that I was not much company on New Year's Eve because I wanted to finish the book before the year ended.
While I really did enjoy reading The Silent Oligarch there are two things that very nearly made me throw the book across the room in disgust. My first and biggest problem with this book would have to be how the Lord's name was taken in vain. A LOT. I was really enjoying the story and then the characters started throwing around the Lord's name left in right and not in a reverent manner. This irks me to no end while reading.
The other thing I did not like was there was bit more language then I had originally thought there was going to be, though it was not nearly as bad as my first complaint. These two reasons are why this is not a five pineapple read.

Final Verdict: The Silent Oligarch

The Silent Oligarch earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Audiobook Review: The Outcasts

2012-01-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles, 1) by John Flangan read by John Keating, 2011. 12 hr 18 min. Published by Penguin Group. Source: Publisher (digital download).

First in a nautical spinoff trilogy from the Ranger’s Apprentice books.

They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills. And courage - which they will need every ounce of to do battle at sea against the other bands, the Wolves and the Sharks, in the ultimate race. The icy waters make for a treacherous playing field . . . especially when not everyone thinks of it as playing.

Story:

So far I have only read one book by John Flanagan, The Ruins of Gorlan, even so, I really wanted to listen to the first book in the spin-off series The Brotherband Chronicles. Was it worth it, absolutely.

One of the things that helped to make The Outcasts so good was that it started with a little bit of backstory-before you even meet the MC, Hal. I really enjoyed that it started out that way because it helped to set the scene for what was to come and introduce you to the world in which the characters live without giving the whole book away. Although, I warn you that the beginning was a little bit sad.

I think the most thrilling part of the book would have to be when Hal and the other Skandian boys begin there training with their brotherbands as they learn the ways of seafaring and fighting, all while competing against the other brotherbands for honor of taking first place in the competitions

I thought that Mr. Flanagan did an excellent job of writing the conflict and camaraderie between all the boys, as well as the interactions between the boys and the teachers.

Hal, was actually a pretty interesting character. what I liked about him be..st was that he knew he was talented, yet he did not go out of his why to rub it (sure who could design a better ship then the ones that the Skandians favored). The other reason I liked him as much as I did was that when given the a role that required him to take command of a situation he did not-well at least when he accepted it-shun his duties and try to get out of his new position.

Stig, I loved the fact that every now and again he would have to remind Hal of something he most likely forgot...like something concerning safety and the ship.

I cannot remember the twins names, but gosh they had me cracking up with the way they kept switching names and arguing. They kind of reminded me of the twins from Ouran High.

What I liked best about The Outcasts was that there was never a dull moment, and characters-mainly Hal and the crew of the Heron-were some of my favorites. I loved that the pace of the book held a pretty fast pace from the beginning, where you meet Hal's father Mikkle, all the way to the end, when Hal and crew are at their lowest ebb with nothing left to lose. Bet ya'll are all wondering what went down in this book by what I loved about it. Am evil.

My only real problem with The Outcasts has more to do with part of the audio, which you see below in my thoughts on the narration. But other then what I mention below, I really cannot think of anything bad to say about this book.

Narration:

When I first started listening to The Outcasts I knew I was going to love John Keating's reading of the book. Even though this was the first audiobook I have listened to with John Keating as the narrator, I was immediately pulled into his narration of this book. It might have been the slight accent that drew me in.

What I liked most about his reading of The Outcasts was that he absolutely brought the story of like among the Skandians to life, especially the parts were Hal and his friends were participating in Brotherband-their training period before being deemed "men" among the Skandians.

At times, his reading of the training scenes left me wondering whether or not Hal and his team would survive till the end; partly because Hal was considered to be a bit of an underdog and not entirely worthy to be training with the other Skandian boys.

This is actually one of the few audiobooks where I cannot think of anything about the narration that I did not like. It was just done really well and completely absorbing. On second thought, there is one thing I did not like...the length of the tracks. I would have liked them to be a little shorter, so that I wouldn't not have had to leave off in the middle of a track.

Final Verdict: The Outcasts was thrilling and I cannot wait for book two, especially after the way it ended.

The Outcasts earns 4.5. of 5 pineapples.

Wish List Wednesday (80)

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Small Medium at Large by Joanne Levy, July 3, 2012. Published by Bloomsbury.

Lilah Bloom hears dead people. And boy, are they annoying!

After she's hit by lightning at a wedding, twelve-year-old Lilah Bloom develops a new talent: she hears dead people. Among them, there's her over-opinionated bubby Dora; a comically prissy fashion designer; and an approval-seeking clown who livens up a seance. With Bubby Dora leading the way, these and other sweetly imperfect ghosts haunt Lilah through seventh grade, and help her face her one fear: talking to and possibly going to the seventh-grade dance with her big crush, Andrew Finkel.

Why: Because Small Medium at Large sounds like a fun read, and we all need more books like that.

Aqua 1 by Kozue Amano, 2007. Published by Tokyopop.

After 150 years of terraforming, Aqua, the planet formerly known as Mars, now has over 90 percent of its surface covered in water. A young girl named Akari Mizunashi arrives at the city of Neo-Venezia, an exact replica of the old Italian city of Venice, hoping to become an Undine, the most coveted job on Aqua. Follow Akari's adventures as she discovers the wonders of Aria in this prequel to the popular Aria anime and manga series.

Why: I think iot sounds interesting, and its been on my wishlist for ages.

Teaser Tuesday (73)

2012-01-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My first teaser of the year is taken from The Meerkat Wars by H.S. Toshack. Hope ya'll will enjoy it.

The Meerkat War by H.S. Toshack (my review):

It was impossible to tell which meerkats had been hurt in this first encounter, or even if it had been an encounter between meerkat and meerkat or meerkat and quill. page 88

YA/MG Fantasy Challenge 2012

2012-01-02T21:24:00.000-05:00

Was catching up on my Google reader when I came across this challenge, and I had to sign-up for it. while I love fantasy books, I found that I haven't been reading very many of them lately, but I am plan on changing that this year.

Challenge runs from January 1-Dec 31 2012, and is hosted by Erica of The Book Cellar (you can sign-up HERE). The goal is to read ten YA/MG fantasy books released this year. I'll be posting my list of books read below on this post.

Books Read:
1. A Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbit (review coming soon)
2. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (review coming soon)
3.

The Meerkat Wars

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Meerkat Wars (Paka Mdogo, 3) by H.S. Toshack, 2011. 244 pages. Published by Paka Mdogo. Source: The Cadence Group for review.

It's all very well helping a young meerkat who's been poisoned by a scorpion. But when you've made friends with the whole Duwara tribe of meerkats, and you discover that they're at war with the Utongo, you may find yourself involved in that too, even if you're only a little black-and-white cat. And when you realize that the two tribes are fighting because each one believes it lives under The One True Sun, then you may have to undertake a very dangerous journey to help them see things differently. You may have to go through The Gorge.

First Sentence:

She was already thirsty.

In my experience, books with animals as the protagonist can be a little hit and miss, so I was nervous to accept The Meerkat Wars for review. I ended up worrying pretty much for nothing because this was a delightful read full of adventure and a very likable character.

The Meerkat Wars was a fun, yet action packed book about one little cat (Sheena) and her adventure with the Duwara and Utongo meerkat tribes in the Baragandiri National Park.
I really was not expecting this book to have a lot of action and adventure, or scenes that left me wondering if Sheena was going to survive long enough to make it back to her family. So I was pleasantly surprised while reading that all of those elements were there, and there in abundance. While the sense of adventure with a dash of danger was strong in this book, I thought that the author did a very nice job of writing the scenes-mainly because he had me completely worried about the fate of the main character for the majority of the book.

Sheena, was definitely one interesting character. What I liked best about her was that she was always scheming and making plans that would supposedly help those who she had befriended. Sometimes they and other times her ideas just made everything worse.
The author definitely did an excellent job forming the personality, and cockiness that makes up a felines unique outlook on the way things work.
As for the meerkats of the Duwara and Utongo tribes, they were at times hilarious, between their similarities and the way they feuded over things like territory and whose Sun was the true one, and infuriating because they could be a bit dense.

Seriously, my favorite thing about this book would have to be Sheena, the little cat, it was just so hilarious to see how she thought and how she referred to her family. Plus her mentality totally reminded me of the little kitty that hangs around our house.
While I really did enjoy reading The Meerkat Wars and enjoyed the writing, I did at points find that some of the sentence structure to be a little odd, like, maybe it was not originally written in English. I am not sure if it was or was not originally written in English (could not find anything out by searching). Even with that minor complaint, I still really enjoyed this book
Final Verdict: The Meerkat Wars a fascinating tale of courage.

The Meerkat Wars earns 3.5 of 5 pineapples.

Marvelous Middle Grade Read-A-Thon

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

While I love readathons, I am very much excited to participate Deb's first ever Marvelous Middle Grade Readathon. The readathon runs from January 2-8 of 2012 and you can sign-up by going here.
I have even been setting aside MG books just for this, as well as ordering a couple from the library.
My TBR:
Cold Cereal by Adam Rex
Secrets of the Crown by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson

Read:
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
Neversink Barry Wolverton

Vintage Reads: Books for the Voting 2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the new year, everyone. Hope ya'll had a fantastic and safe holiday.

As I was preparing the first post of the year for Vintage Reads I came to the realization that themes are incredible hard to come up with, especially to keep them from getting stale. So in order to keep this feature from being repetitive I have deiced that there will no longer be any themed months...okay except for leading into Halloween because it so deserves a special set of books to choose from.

So for now on, I will just randomly select three to four books from my personal collection, and ya'll can vote and choose which one you would like to see reviewed on the blog. I also may have to make this an every other month feature just so I can have time to read and review the winning book.

Now that I have probably bored you to tears, lets get down to why we are all here. To pick an older YA book to be reviewed on ye olde blog. I've already read all three of the books-just not in a long time- so I'll be excited by which ever book ya'll pick out.

This months book selection is-

A Wrinkle in Time (Time quartet, 1) by Madeleine L'Engle, 1962.

Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted and that her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are also saying that their father has run off and left their brilliant scientist mother. Spurred on by these rumors, Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their new friend Calvin, embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father. In doing so they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at a time.

The Wind Singer (Wind on Fire, 1) by William Nicholson, 1990.

After Kestrel Hath rebels against the stifling rules of Amaranth society and is forced to flee, she, along with her twin brother and a tagalong classmate, follow an ancient map in quest of the legendary silver voice of the wind singer, in an attempt to heal Amaranth and its people.

Inside the Shadow City (Kiki Strike, 1) by Kirsten Miller, 2006.

Life will never be the same for Ananka Fishbein after she ventures into an enormous sinkhole near her New York City apartment. A million rats, delinquent Girl Scouts out for revenge, and a secret city below the streets of Manhattan combine in this remarkable novel about a darker side of New York City you have only just begun to know about…

Since I probably should have posted this in December, ya'll have till January 31st to vote. Winning book will be read in February.

->VOTE HERE<-

In My Mailbox (112) Audiobook Round-Up

2011-12-31T17:11:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

A huge thank you goes out to all the awesome bloggers, authors and publishers that I have received books from. Ya'll are all awesome!

All audio book mentioned are from the last few weeks (maybe last month or two).

Review:

from Audiobook Jukebox & Simon and Schuster & AudioGo -
The Iliad by Homer, translated by Stephen Mitchell and read by Alfred Molina, 2011. Published by Simon Audio.
Superman on Trial by Dirk Miggs; full cast, 2010. Published by BBC Audio. My review of Superman on Trial.

The Thin Man & The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, read by William Dufris, 2011. Published by AudioGo.

from Macmillan Audio-
Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, 1) by Marissa Meyer, 2012. Published by Macmillan Audio.

from Simon Audio-
Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices, 2) by Cassandra Clare, read by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind, 2011. Published by Simon Audio.

from AudioGo-
The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg, 1) by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis, read by Katherine Kellgren, 2012. Published by AudioGo. My review of The Boy in the Suitcase.

from Penguin Audio-
The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles, 1) by John Flanagan, 2011. Published by Penguin Group. *digital download* My review of The Outcasts is coming soon.

Crossed (Matched, 2) by Ally Condie, read by Kate Simses and Jack Riccobono, 2011. Published by Penguin Audio. *digital download* Am hoping that soon I will (finally) find time to read Matched, so that I can listen to Crossed.

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder, read by Emma Galvin, 2011. Published by Penguin Audio.

Usually I listen to two audio books at a time, but my old ipod (the one I use mainly for audio books) was recalled and is now gone for the time. So it is going to take me a smidge longer than usual to get through all of these, especially since some of them are really, really long (one is 18 hours).
Really looking forward to trying each of these that are still left on my TBL list. I am slowly making my way through the list.

Hope ya'll have safe an dhappy New Year. See ya'll in 2012. =)

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

2011-12-30T23:17:00.000-05:00

Since I was already planning on doing a TBR challenge (see here), I decided that it would not hurt for me to join another TBR challenge. Maybe this way I will stick with my goal of clearing off some of my TBR books.

Thanks to the awesome Evie of Bookish for putting this together. You can enter the challenge by going ->HERE<-.

At the moment, I am going for the level: 1-10 - A Firm Handshake. I'll update this list as I read them because I have not the slightest idea which books I'll read.

My ten books:
1. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
2. The Shifter by Janice Hardy
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Its My Birthday

2011-12-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

You guessed it, today is birthday and this is all I felt like posting. I will see you guys tomorrow because I have plans to make my entire family watch the movies I want to see (i.e. no lame chick-flicks or comedies with humor that is not funny to me).

Wishing ya'll the best.

Wish List Wednesday (79)

2011-12-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls, 5) by Ally Carter, March 13, 2012. Published by Hyperion Books CH.

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

Why: Because the Gallagher Girls series is one of my absolute favorite, which just gets all the more addictive with each passing book. I totally need to know what will happen next. Love this series.

The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbit, January 3. Published by HarperCollins.

All Maya really wants is for her mother to be well again. But when her baby brother James goes missing, 12-year-old Maya has to take on the magical underworld of Paris, in which houses have bronze salamanders for door handles, the most beautiful people are all hooked on the sweet-smelling “anbar,” and a shimmering glass Cabinet of Earths has chosen Maya to be its next keeper. With the Cabinet’s help, Maya may be able to do for her mother what doctors cannot: save her from death, once and for all. But now that the clock is ticking for James, the price the Cabinet demands may be too high.

Why: Because I have wanted this one since I first spotted it while browsing for upcoming MG books to read. Plus it sounds like a really good read.

Teaser Tuesday (72)

2011-12-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This week's teaser totally gave me the giggles when I read it. I hope ya'll be as amused by it as I was.

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon (my review):

"Now, don't take this the wrong way and get all freaky mad, O very scary one, but you have seen prettier days. Your face is a mess, and those burns on your hands look reall painful." He winced. page 331

Clear That Shelf Readathon

2011-12-26T13:02:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know I am already participating in another end of year readathon but how could I possibly resist this one.
Thanks to the awesome Kai of Fiction State of Mind for putting together another great readathon. You can sign-up here.

Readathon runs from today (December 26 to the 31).

I haven't decided upon what I'll read yet, but will post it as I do.

Reading/Listening Now:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
The Iliad by Homer, translated by Stephen Mitchell

Read:
The Meerkat Wars by H.S. Toshack
The Outcats by John Flanagan
The Silent Oligarch by Christopher Morgan Jones

Last update. It is 11:30 on New Year's Eve and I am calling it. I finished two books and one audiobook and am quite pleased because they were all for review that I hadn't had a hcance to get to yet. Not my best number wise, but still happy.

Carrier of the Mark

2011-12-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

Carrier of the Mark (Carrier, 1) by Leigh Fallon, 2011. 342 pages. Published by Harper Teen. Source: Publisher for review (unsolicited).

Their love was meant to be.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

First Sentence:

Flames engulfed the boat, and my lungs ached as dark, noxious smoke filled the air.

There are so many, nice, things I would like to say about Carrier of the Mark, but I have a feeling that I'll either give something away or babble on endlessly because I enjoyed this book so much. In which case, I shall try to keep this short and non-spoiler filled.

So Carrier of the Mark was one debut book that I had been looking forward to for ages, so when it showed up by post-total suprise- I was ecstatic, but also extremely nervous since it was one I really wanted to read. Loved this book!
One of the things that pulled me in was the beginning of the book. I thought that it was a great way to hook the reader and pull them into the Carrier of the Mark; I know I loved it because I had to know if Megan was going to survive and how it would play into the rest of the story.

One of the things I really liked about Carrier of the Mark would have to be the story behind the origin of the carriers and marked, and most especially how there was one-whose name I'll not sure- who went power crazy. I liked how the the history of those marked and the carriers was slowly revealed throughout the book and the role that the order played in preserving the line...even if they were a tad on the creepy possessive side (pretty sure they've been in control a little too long and maybe a little corrupt now).

As for the powers of the marked and each of them were based on the elements. I also liked how different each of them were and that each power brought both its benefits and pitfalls. while I thought their powers were interesting, I really enjoyed seeing how having said power affected the lives of the characters, especially Rian's since his was the most destructive.

Megan, I liked her pretty much from the get-go...except for when she started to fall for Adam. While I thought she was a great character, I would have liked to see maybe a little less swoon-edg over Adam. Why, because she seemed to lose a little bit of herself and what made her interesting when ever he came into the picture. Although, some of the things she did while trying to find out more about him was quite funny. On a whole, I liked her and cannot to see where her story will lead next.
Adam, I am afraid that the verdict is still out on him (generally I don't decide whether I like the guy or not till the second book). While I am still tryig to figure out whether or not I like him, I found him to be interesting. What I liked about him was that, well, he seemed like he was a nice guy. Although, he did kind of make me mad at times, like, when he went off to search for an answer to his and Megan's problem and just basically fell off the grid.

So, the one thing that really made this book for me would have to be Ms. Fallon's writing. I thought her writing perfectly matched the tone and pace of Carrier of the Mark and absolutely pulled me in from the very beginning. I am definitely looking forward to reading more books by her...especially the next Carrier book, which I need now.
While I really, really liked Carrier of the Mark there are just one thing- that kept me from giving it 5 pineapples. The biggest thing, and this is important to me, is that I did not like- in the least bit- that the characters in the book tended to use the Lord's name in vain. It just rubs me the wrong way when things like that happen in the books I read. While I did not like that one aspect of the book, the rest of it was absolutely addictive and I read the entire book in just a matter of hours.

Content (may contain spoilers; highlight to see):
Other than taking the Lord's name in vain. swearing is pretty minimal in Carrier of the Mark. As for violence there's some, but nothing to worse then what one might see in a PG-13 movie. Another bonus, there are no sex scenes in this book. Huzzah.

Final Verdict: Carrier of the Mark need more...like the having the second book now would be awesome.

Carrier of the Mark earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Audiobook Review: Superman on Trail

2011-12-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

Superman on Trial by Dirk Miggs, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Schuster narrated by full cast, 2010. 1 disc (1 hr). Published by BBC Audiobooks. Source: Audiobook Jukebox/AudioGo.

This exclusive special edition of the BBC Radio full-cast drama with never-before-heard scenes features Adam West, Jenette Kahn (President, DC Comics) and Dave Gibbons (Co-creator, "Watchmen"). This long-awaited release features Stuart Milligan as Superman, Shelley Thompson as Lois Lane, William Hootkins as Lex Luthor and Bob Sessions as The Batman and was written to celebrate Superman's 50th birthday. Accused of crimes against humanity, the Last Son of Krypton stands powerless before a court dominated by Lex Luthor - criminal genius turned Prosecutor. Has Superman really corrupted our children? Can he justify his continued interference in world affairs? Do we know the truth about his powers? Can Lois Lane defend '50 years of the Man of Steel'? Packed with spectacular sound effects and a thrilling orchestral score, mixed in cinematic Dolby Surround, this specially-extended and unedited recording can now be heard as writer/producer Dirk Maggs originally intended, remastered and with a new background sleeve note. Guest appearances include Adam West (TV's Batman), Jenette Kahn (President, DC Comics) and Dave Gibbons (DC Comics artist/Co-creator, "Watchmen").

Story:
Generally I am not the biggest fan of Clark Kent/Superman-for some reason his perfection and boy scout-ness annoys me. So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I had enjoyed listening to Superman on Trial.

Superman on Trial is definitely more of a plot driven story, rather than a character driven one. Usually I prefer my books to be an even match of plot and character action, but I thought that things went quite well the way the story was told in this one. I really enjoyed just being pulled into the story and wondering how it would end and whether or not Superman would be let off ten hook...although the way it ended was really no surprise at all.
Did I mention that a certain caped crusader makes an appearance. Just thought I'd throw that out to all the fans of his. I thought it was definitely interesting that they pulled Batman into the story, plus excited since because I like it when he pops into other characters stories.

Surprisingly enough, the characters that really stole the show were Lois Lane and Lex Luther; mainly because Superman's role actually was not all the big. He spent must of the time kinda catatonic do to a nasty trick of Luthers that kept him from speaking up on his behalf.
One of the reasons Lois Lane came across as such an interesting character in Superman on Trial is how passionately she defended him and how she believed that his presence was a benefit to mankind.
On the flip-side I enjoyed listening to Luther try and sway the judge with his smooth talking and lies that the best thing for humankind would be to send Superman to the phantom zone for eternity.
What I really liked about Superman on Trial would have to be the plot. I loved how the plot centered around whether or not Superman had committed crimes against humanity. I sight this as my favorite plot point because it does bring up an interesting question, is, Superman a help or hindrance to humanity. Not only is it an interesting question, but I liked the way the story dealt with it and how Superman was willing to be banished to the phantom zone if he was found guilty.
If I had to name just one thing I did not like about the story, it would have to be this: why on earth was Lois Lane (reporter) standing as Superman's defence attorney???? I was extremely confused over this-and that was putting it mildly. While that did throw me off a bit, I thought it actually worked out quite well since she probably knows him better then most others.

Narration:
As for the readers of Superman on Trial I thought that did an excellent job, especially the ones for Lois Lane and Lex Luther-I really enjoyed listening to them both argue their respective points on whether or not Superman was interfering too much with the way things worked. I thought that both of their readers nailed the personalities and perfectly captured what made them tick.

The one thing I did not like about this audio book would have to be that there was a lot of back round noise-even though it played into the story- it kind of distracted me. It also did not help that when I was trying to listen to this one everyone was being loud and making it impossible to hear what was happening. I would have liked to have had the voices of those arguing in the back round tone down just a little bit. Other than that Superman on Trial was quite good.

Final Verdict: Superman on Trial very, very good. So good in fact that it has changed my opinion of Superman.
Superman on Trial earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Three for One: Tackling My TBR Pile(s) in 2012

2011-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

After organizing my TBR piles yet again, I have come to the conclusion that I need to make more time to read all the books that I have bought, won, or traded for in the last year or two. So In order to achieve this and stay on top of my review pile I have decided to do a three for one.

What does that involve, well, for every three review books I either listen to or read I will read one book of my TBR that has absolutely no obligation attached to it (i.e. I don't have to review it unless I want to).
While this is more of a personal challenge, ya'll are more than welcome to join in and beat back your own TBR pile-just link back here if you want to join.
My hope is that by the end of the year I will have taken a considerable chunk out of my personal TBR stacks that are currently blocking my shelves. I am only coun ting ones that I have never read before, so if I bought but have already read it, it will not make the list.

My TBR Pile Stands At:
144

Number of Books I've Read So Far:

Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon

2011-12-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

Good thing I check Twitter, because tomorrow is the kick-off of Remarkable Reads' Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon (it runs from December 22 until January 1).
You can follow all the Twitter action by using this hashtag: #WU2011R

I'll be adding whatever books I manage to read in this post. So be sure to check back and see what I have
read.

Currently Reading/Listening:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
The Iliad by Homer, translated by Stephen Mitchell

Finished:
Fullmetal Alchemist 5 by Hiromu Arakawa
The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
The Meerkat Wars by H.S. Toshack
The Outcats by John Flanagan
The Silent Oligarch by Christopher Morgan Jones

Winners: Mistwood/Nightspell Bookmarks & The Boy in the Suitcase audiobooks

2011-12-21T20:35:00.000-05:00

After the epic fail of announcing winners for the last two giveaways, I am putting off everything else to get the winners for both of the last contests announced early.

So without further dithering, I give you the 3 winners of the Mistwood/Nightspell bookmarks:
Melissa @ Mel's Books and Info
Rhiannon @ Fivezenses of Reading
Amy H.

And the two winners of The Boy in the Suitcase audiobooks are:
Kara D.
Rhonda L.

Congrats ya'll. I will be emailing you later this evening.

Winners have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is picked.

Wish List Wednesday (78)

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

Divergent (Divergent, 1) by Veronica Roth (@VeronicaRoth) , 2011. Published by Harper Collins.

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Why: Because Divergent looks like a fascinating addition to the dystopian genre. Plus it sounds like it will be pretty intense and epic, which are two very important qualities in a book.

Laddertop 1 by Orson Scott Card, Emily Janice Card, and Honoel A. Ibardolaza, 2011. Published by Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC.

Twenty-five years ago, the alien Givers came to Earth. They gave the human race the greatest technology ever seen— four giant towers known as Ladders that rise 36,000 miles into space and culminate in space stations that power the entire planet. Then, for reasons unknown, the Givers disappeared. Due to the unique alien construction of the Laddertop space stations, only a skilled crew of children can perform the maintenance necessary to keep the stations up and running.
Back on Earth, competition is fierce to enter Laddertop Academy. It is an honor few students will achieve. Robbi and Azure, two eleven-year-old girls who are the best of friends, are candidates for the Academy. They will become entangled in a dangerous mystery that may help them solve the riddle of the Givers...if it doesn’t destroy the Earth first!

Why: Mainly because it sounds fascinating, and I'm really curious to see what a Orson Scott Card manga looks like.

Re-Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-20T14:53:00.002-05:00

As much as I love reading new books, there's something about delving into an old favorite that always excites me. I love being able to reexplore some of my favorite books and seeing what I will notice about the story that did not catch my eye the last time through. Besides, we could all you a perfect excuse to share our reading love with an old favorite that we maybe haven't visit in a while, so I am extremely excited to be joining in Scribing Shadows Re-Reading Challenge for 2012.

As much as I would love to go for a higher level, I am going to start out on Cinders. Which will allow me to attempt to reread 1-6 books. If all goes well, I may bump things up a notch and shoot to reread more books.

Hope ya'll will join in this awesome challenge and reread a favorite. You can join in the challenge ->HERE<-.

My Re-Reads (will post them here):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Teaser Tuesday (71)

2011-12-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Okay, I absolutely loved this teaser from Elemental Reality by Cesya Cuono, so much so, that I knew it would be my teaser that moment I read it. Enjoy.

Elemental Reality by Cesya Cuono (my review):

Why couldn't we go all Hermoine Granger and research this in some Faerie Library? Did they even have a library? page 171

Elemental Reality

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Elemental Reality (Elemental, 1) by Cesya Cuono, 2011. 251 pages. Published by Revolution Publishing. Source; Publisher for review.

When Callie Pierce was ten, her mother disappeared without a trace. On the eve of her disappearance twelve years later, the earth seemingly comes alive. The elements speak to Callie, and that's only the beginning. Everything she has ever known was a twisted fabrication to protect her. Now the truth is set free. Callie and her sister are more powerful than any Faerie ever born. Now they have to use their powers to save their mother and family from the evil hands of fate that threaten to tear them apart. Welcome to her elemental reality.

First Sentence:

Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who loved each other unconditionally.

I must admit that I was quite surprised by the age of the main character, Callie. I totally was not expecting her to be in her early twenties, but I thought that it was a nice touch and definitely gave the story a different perspective. Especially given some of the places she went-like a bar.

Once I got past the first fifty pages of Elemental Reality, I became so swept up in the story and characters that Ms. Cuono created that I did not want to put it down. At all.
What really impressedme while reading Elemental Reality was her writing, it was vivid and her characters were very real in the emotions and the way that they handled the dangerous situations that they found themsleves. What also made my day while reading it was that when the Callie and Lola found out that everything they knew was a lie, that they did not immediately accept it. In fact, Callie, pretty much went off when she found out the truth.

Callie, at first I was not very fond of her. Mainly because when she was first introduced she was moping- sure it was sad that her mother disappeared on her birthday, but I have a tendency to not like characters who are mopey from the beginning of the book.
That being said, I liked how as the book progress and she came up against some pretty tight situations she begin to show what she was made of.
I have a feeling that if I told anything about my thoughts on Callie's sister, Lola, I would give away the vast majority of the book. All I am willing to say is that I was so right about her.
At first I did not care for Oliver very much-blame the insta-attraction between him and Callie- but as I read more about his character I came to like him.

Gosh, favorite part...well that would have to be when Callie finally learned what she was-a fairy. I liked this part most because you could really feel Callie's joy over discovering what she was capable of. I also liked this part because she started to see that she was stronger than she thought and that she could handle things herself.
My one true complaint about Elemental Reality would have to be the first fifty or so pages. I found them to be extremely slow and I had the hardest time liking Caallie during those pages. I also did not really care for the insta-attraction between Callie and Oliver since I am not big on love at first sight- because you cannot love a person without knowing them.
While the first fifty pages were-to me- agonizingly slow, I further thought I thought that it did a great job of setting the scene for the rest of the book when things start to get quite exciting.

Content rating (may contain spoilers; highlight to see):
The language was realitively minimal in Elemental Reality. It was there, but was mainly only used as an expression of anger, fear, or whatnot and was not used derogatively.
While there was no sex in this book, it was hinted at the Callie and Oliver wanted to-a lot- have sex with each other.
Violence was pretty at times and at others pretty mild.

Final Verdict: Elemental Reality was a little slow out of the gate, but picked up quite nicely.

Elemental Reality earns 4 out of 5 pineapples

YA Story Scavenger Hunt 2

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Guess what, I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt! Go forth and see if ya'll can correctly answer today's question...which I have not the slightest idea since I haven't read the book yet.

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

Question #37: What is Zuzana’s nickname?

Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

In My Mailbox (111) Some Great Sounding Titles

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

First off, a big thank you to all the lovely bloggers, authors and publishers that I was lucky enough to either win a book from or to receive one for review. Thank you!
Secondly, an apology to those who I've won a book from and am only just now IMM-I kind of stacked them up...and forgot. Sorry.

Won:

from Kai of Fiction State of Mind-
Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles, 1) by Kevin Hearne, 2011. Published by Del Rey.

Germline (The Subterrene War, 1) *ARC* by T.C. McCarthy, 2011. Published by Orbit.

Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chronicles, 1) *ARC* by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, 2011. Published by Delacorte Press.

from Paper Lantern Lit-
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy, 2011. Published by Putnam Juvenile.

from Sarah-
Legend (Legend, 1) *ARC* by Marie Lu, 2011. Published by Putnam Juvenile.

from Matt de la Peña-
Guys Read: Thriller *ARC* edited by Jon Scieszka, 2011. Published by Walden Pond Press.
Guess what, Ihave two copies of this one, which means one day I'll be giving away the second one.

from RandomBuzzers (if you want an invite to RB just fill out my contact form and I'll send the link your way)-
The Project *ARC* by Brian Falkner, 2011. Published by Random House Books for Young Readers.

Review:

from Tor/Forge-
The Temple Mount Code (Thomas Lourds, 3) by Charles Brokaw, 2011. Published by Forge Books. *Unsolicited*

from Walden Pond Press-
Neversink by Barry Wolverton, March 27, 2012. Published by Walden Pond Press.

from Harper-
Cold Cereal (Cold Cereal, 1) *ARC* by Adam Rex, February 7, 2012. Published by Balzer + Bray. *Unsolicited*

Definitely looking forward to delving into all of these titles.

ARC Review: Clockwork Prince

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, 2) by Cassandra Clare, 2011. 497 pages. Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books. Source: Publisher (requested).

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

First Sentence:

The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight.

I had heard from other bloggers that Clockwork Prince was doozy, and made quite a few people cry. Now, while I may not have cried or teared up while reading it, it did leave me feeling more emotion then most books because I absolutely love the three main characters and want them all to be happy.

Clockwork Prince picks up pretty much where Clockwork Angel left off, which is a good thing. I liked how the story just kinda flowed from the first book to the second without any time huge gaps.
I think one of the most interesting aspects to the plot of book two would have to be how there is more to the story of the Magister's hatred of the Shadowhunters and how complex, as well as how long he's been planning, the destruction of the Clave. I also thought it was interesting to see the ripple effect that ensued when Will, Jem, and Tessa found out how far reaching the plan and those involved in it reached.

Honestly, I did not think that I could love Clockwork Prince more than I loved Clockwork Angel, but it turns out that I was wrong because I could not, did not want to put it down for nothing. And now I am on pins-and-needles waiting to see how the story will conclude in Clockwork Princess, especially since the truth of Tessa's origins have yet to be revealed and need to know her history. Like now.

Ah, Will, his story was the most captivating in the second book of the Infernal Devices. While I was not surprised at the revelation concerning the run in with a demon he had in his past, I did think that Ms. Clare did a fantastic job with how it was handled. By the time the book was over and done with, I felt quite badly for him and the way things played for him.
Jem, I cannot help but like him. I think he is one of the nicest characters, and his story is one of my favorites. Apparently, even I sometimes like the character with a tragic past. If you take away his past and what happened to him, what makes Jem such a good character is his personality and the way him and Will play off of each other.
Tessa, managed to surprise me yet again in Clockwork Prince. While I did not enjoying how she waffled between her affection for both Will and Jem, I liked how-at least as of how the book ended-she was sticking with her decision and trying, even if choosing between them meant hurting both herself and one of the guys. I also thought that she acquitted herself quite nicely in the fighting department and the search for answers.

My favorite thing about Clockwork Prince-easily-would have to be the characters. I am just stunned by the characters in CP, they are so vibrant and their back stories are some of the most intriguing. She did a great job bringing Victorian England to life, and with the added in mystery concerning the various characters in Clockwork Prince made this an absolutely impossible book to put down. There are just too many good things to say about this book.
While I absolutely loved this book, I do have just one negative thing to say about Clockwork Prince...why, oh why, did there have to be a love triangle. I am generally not a fan of love triangles in books-mostly I find them silly-but Ms. Clare created two of her best male characters and leading lady, and I just want them each to find happiness, but that is going to be absolutely impossible with the way things are shaping up. While I may have been disappointed in the triangle, I do think that Ms. Clare did an excellent job and absolutely made me both happy and sad for those involved int he triangle.

Content (most likely WILL contain spoilers; highlight to see):
While there is some swearing in Clockwork Prince, it is not that bad...or at least not as bad as some books.
There are a few passionate scenes of kissing between Tessa and Will, and Tessa and Jem that very nearly go too far.

Final Verdict: Clockwork Prince was a brilliantly happy and bittersweet read. The Poor characters, I hurt for them so.

Clockwork Prince earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

The Infernal Devices:
Clockwork Angel
Clockwork Prince
Clockwork Princess

YA Story Scavenger Hunt 2011

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Morning lovelies, I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Passion by Lauren Kate.

Question #32: What was Daniel’s name in Jerusalem?

Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

Wish List Wednesday (77)

2011-12-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Deadly Cool (Deadly Cool, 1) by Gemma Halliday, 2011. Published by HarperTeen.

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

Why: Will keep the simple: I love murder mysteries and Deadly Cool sounds like an excellent read.
Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vol. 1 by Masami Tsuda, 2003. Published by Tokyopop.

Straight As, athlete and overall "Ms. Popularity," Yukino, is the perfect student. Or at least that"s how she appears to the outside world. But when the curtains are drawn, a lazy young egomaniac lurks who will do anything and everything to be the top student in her school. Yukino finds her resolve put to the test as after years as the Idol of her class a threat emerges in the MORE perfect Soiichiro. A good-natured, studious and athletic boy he is her equal in every way but one ;that behind the act is a genuine heart driven to succeed. Yukino is desperate to regain her status anyway she can, but through embarrassing flub-ups at every turn, Soiichiro remains untouched even as they find respect for one another, and maybe, after all the dust has cleared, something more.

Why: Kare Kano just sounds like something I would love.

Teaser Tuesday (70) Infernal Devices Edition

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
In celebration of the release of book two in the Infernal devices last week, both of my teasers will be from Clockwork Angel & Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Hope Ya'll will enjoy the teasers and check out my reviews for both books.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (my review):

If there was one thing Tessa hated, it was being told that there were things she couldn't understand. Because she was young, because she was a girl-for any of a thousand reasons that never seemed to make any real sense. page 96

Clockwork Prince *ARC* by Cassandra Clare (my review coming Friday):

Then that, too, was gone, and she saw, again and again, the face of the girl from the portrait on the stairwell-the child with the fair hair and stubburn expression-saw her riding a small pony, her face set determinedly, saw her hair blowing in the wind off the moors-saw her screaming and writhing in pain as a stele was set to her skin and black Marks stained its whiteness. page 156

Audiobook Review/Blog Tour: The Boy in the Suitcase + Giveaway

2011-12-13T00:05:00.000-05:00

The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg, 1) by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friss, read by Katherine Kellgren, 2011. 8 hr 41 min (7 discs). Published by AudioGo. Source: Publisher for Review.

Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can't say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy, naked and drugged, but alive. Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy's are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down.

First Sentence:

Holding the glass door open with her hip, she dragged the suitcase into the stairwell leading down to the underground parking lot.

Story:

Goodness, this has to be one of the best thrillers I have read in a LONG time. I was literally holding my breath at certain points throughout The Boy in the Suitcase because things were absolutely stressful and just so good.

One of the things that made The Boy in the Suitcase so good, besides the reader, would have to be the writing and the many webbed story in it. I was immediately drawn in the the story because from pretty much the beginning of the book you you are lead on a wild ride across various countries that left me breathless throughout the majority of the book as the dire situation that Nina got involved in became even more intense.
The only draw back I had while listening to this one was that for the longest time I could not remember any of the male characters names-or differentiate between them-or what their role was in the book. While that was a minor frustrating, it didn't take away any of my enjoyment of the book and the story therein.

The end was absolutely brilliantly done. I loved the fact that everything was resolved and nothing was left wide open. I also thought it ended just the way it needed to and that it set up for more 'adventures' for Nina to be a part of.

Okay, since The Boy in the Suitcase was the audio version, I do not have the slightest idea how to spell some of the characters names.That being said, I think the three main female characters were some of the best written characters that I have read in an adult novel in a very long time. I loved the ferociousness of the mother of the kidnapped boy, and how she refused to give up the search for her son. I thought she was by far the strongest of the three because she had the most to lose and not many people were willing to assist her in her search.
As for Nina, the protagonist of the series, I thought she was interesting in that she could not resist helping others, but was at times unable to deal with the chaos that was her own family. I liked her because it was nice to see such a flawed character.
The Boy in the Suitcase has one of the best-or should I say worst- baddies ever.The main antagonist of the book was truly frightful, especially since you did not find out his true identity until close to the end of the book. He was pretty much straight out of a nightmare scary.

Favorite part, well, that would have to be the mystery of why the boy was in the suitcase and how the whole thing came to be. Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis definitely spun one seriously complex spider-web of a plot line into The Boy in the Suitcase, and the fact that they brought about the conclusion in what seemed like an effortless fashion was just incredible. For once, I had not the slightest idea who was behind the plot and what the motive was, and for that alone I am seriously impressed. Because it isn't often that I cannot unravel the plot of a book. Nicely done.
While I did love The Boy in the Suitcase, there are a couple of points that I did not like (and that's just because I do not care to read/listen to books with it). The language and sexual content was a bit much for me int his book. I've explained below in my content rating the what and why, so if you would like to see that you'll understand what to expect content wise in this book.

Narration:

I have just found another favorite reader, Katherine Kellgren. She did a phenomenal job on the entire audiobook; she absolutely blew me away with all the various accents and languages that she portrayed while reading for The Boy in the Suitcase.

That book was one of the most thrilling I have read in ages, but had the reader been unable to capture the essence of the various characters and their respective difference in language and outlook the audio version mayn't have been as engrossing it was.

I think that Ms. Kellgren was an absolute perfect fit and would definitely listen to another book featuring her as the reader. In short, I cannot say enough good things about her reading.

Content (will contain spoilers; highlight to see):
While The Boy in the Suitcase is one incredible audiobook, the content was pretty severe at certain points and actually had me turning down the volume and checking back to see if certain parts had ended.
Language-wise- The language on this one was kinda of like listening to an R rated movie. Lots of use of f***, s**t, d***, b***H and the like. Kind of made my ears burn from all the profanity, especially since a lot of time it was directed at someone and not used in a exclamatory fashion.
Sexual content- There were a few tracks that I turned the volume all the way down and just let it run on because I did NOT want to hear what was going on.
All in all, I would recommend-based on content-that only those over, say, seventeen listen/read this one.

Final Verdict: The Boy in the Suitcase is definitely one book that you NEED to listen to. So good.

The Boy in the Suitcase earns 4.5 out of 5 pineapples.
More stops on the tour can be found:

12/12/11 – Reflections of a Book Addict http://lifeand100books.com/

12/13/11 – The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia http://hauntedorchid.blogspot.com/
12/14/11 - Teresa's Reading Corner http://teresasreadingcorner.com/
12/15/11 - The Literate Housewife http://literatehousewife.com/
12/16/11 - Devourer of Books http://www.jensbookthoughts.com/

Thanks to the awesome people at AudioGo I have two copies of The Boy in the Suitcase audiobook to giveaway. There was supposed to be an audio clip, but I couldn't get it onto my blog (Tech Fail on my part).

Want to hear a clip from The Boy in the Suitcase, well, you are in luck. AudioGo has posted an audio clip on their FB page. You can listen to it ->HERE<- and trust you do want to hear it.

Rules:
Can be found at the bottom of the form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clockwork Angel

2011-12-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices, 1) by Cassandra Clare, 2010. 476 pages. Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books. Source: Won

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between

saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

First Sentence:

The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.

I have been putting off reading Clockwork Angel for a year because I tend to get so caught up in the world and characters that Ms. Clare creates that I hate having to wait for the next installment of the series. Clockwork Angel was no exception- even though it took me a couple of days to read- because I now need to know what Tessa, Will, and Jem will have to face in the next book.

I know that Ms. Clare is a wildly popular author-where some absolutely love her work and others not so much. While I really loved the TMI books, I felt that Clockwork Angel was by far better and had more depth to both the characters and the actual plot.
With that in mind, what really makes Clockwork Angel so good is the way all the little details come together. I loved how there were multiple plot points, as well as the way that they all came together in the end.
I honestly did not think that Tessa, Will and Jem would be such memorable characters. Boy was I wrong. I did not want to stop reading because I needed to know more about the past of both Will and Jem and what happened to both of them that left them wards in the Institute. And Tessa's, mysterious powers and what she truly is. Those points, mixed with the vibrant setting of Victoian London, and Ms. Clare's writing had me turning the pages as quick as possible and wishing I had had more time to read.

I absolutely loved the mystery concerning the Magister, although I was not surprised who it ended up being. I thought it was done quite nicely in that one was, almost, never sure if they were on the right track as to who had set the events in motion. What made it so good, was with each discovery that the charcters made-that supossedly brought them closer to the truth- another problem/angle appeared adding more layers to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Tessa's brother, and her importance to the Magister.

Another reason I enjoyed Clockwork Angel as much as I did, would ahve to be the interactions between Will and Jem. Their odd bantering relationship, as well as the their differences and similarities are one of my favorite aspects of the book. I thought it was quite interesting the way that kind of kept the other in check. As you can tell, I do not have a favorite and probably would not be able to choose between the two of them.
I liked Tessa considerably more than I liked Clary from TMI. I found her to be both fiercer, and less of an irritating of a character then Clary, which made her easier to like and root for. It also does not hurt that she was a big reader and could quote lines from classics-also enjoyed how Will and Tessa bantered with quotes from books.

When the book started, I was not expecting Tessa to be a very strong character. I was prepared for her to be a simpering bell that depended on others to rescue her. What I got instead was one who- against her better judgment- decided to fight to control her destiny.

While there were similarities between Will and Jace, I thought that Will was the better of the two characters. Moreover, while I may not always agree with the way he acted, I thought he was less harsh then Jace, even when he does purposely say cruel things to Tessa in order to protect himself from being hurt.

The one thing I liked most about Clockwork Angel would have to be the setting, and the way that Ms. Clare brought Victorian England to life. I really enjoyed how closely she kept things- mannerisms and expectations of the past- to what they would have been liked; oh, and the way she blended the supernatural into the era. I thought it was done quite nicely.

While Clockwork Angel was a fantastic read, I do have one complaint about it. The first few pages started out with a bang, but then slowed down considerably for a chapter or two. The snappy beginning that led into a really slow section kind of threw me off while reading because it left me wondering if the rest of the book was going to be as slow as that and hoping that it would pick up its pace quickly.

Final Verdict: Clockwork Angel was a fantastic blend of Victorian England and the supernatural. As well as a thrilling read, that I did not want to put down.

Clockwork Angel earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Cover Reveal: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ya'll, I am super excited to be one of the blogs revealing the cover for Deity, the third book Jennifer L. Armentrout's covenant series.

While Pure is so far my favorite of the three covers, I think ya'll will love the cover of Deity as much as I do.

So, if ya'll read my review of Half-Blood, then you probably know how much I enjoyed this book and Alex the main character, who definitely kicks-butt. Go on, go check out my review and see if Alex is the heroine that you would like to see win the YA Heroine's Tournament hosted by The YA Sisterhood.

Did I mention that today is her first match.

Okay, so without further ado and rambling on my part, I give you the cover of Deity.

You can haunt Jennifer L. Armentrout at-

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Website | FB

In My Mailbox (110) To Excited for Words

2011-12-10T20:39:00.001-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

I am so excited to share this week's set of books that I have acquired-for review, bought, and gifted.

All of these books are making me want to do a -> *happy book dance* <- see why below.

A huge thank you to all the lovely people that I have received books from this past week, and weeks.

Review:

Thanks to Spencer Hill Press-

Angelina's Secret *ARC* by Lisa Rogers, Febraury 1, 2012.

Pure (Covenant, 2) *ARC* by Jennifer L. Armentrout, April 3, 2012.
See my review of Half-Blood, which is one awesome book.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster-

Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices, 2) *ARC* by Cassandra Clare, 2011. Review to come later this week.

Thanks to Penguin-

The Silent Oligarch *ARC* by Christopher Morgan Jones, January 19, 2012.

Acquainted with the Night by Piper Maitland, 2011. Check out Piper's guest post -> HERE <-.

Oh my gosh, there is almost too much awesomeness in this weeks review books. CP was so good, and I cannot believe that I have a copy of Pure. I cannot wait to read all of these books. *Where to start*

Bought:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean, 2008. Published by HarperCollins.
See my review of The Graveyard Book.

Blood Red Road (Dustlands, 1) by Moira Young, 2011. Published by Margaret K. McElderry.
See my review of the audiobook of Blood Red Road.

City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments, 4) by Cassandra Clare, 2011. Published by Margaret K. McElderry.

So a couple Saturdays a month I volunteer at a thrift-store, where the proceeds go to minstry outreach programs, and I work in the book section and could not believe my luck when I came across these three books (over a couple weeks). Best part, they are pristine hardbacks. *score*

Random Acts of Kindness (Nov-Dec)

2011-12-09T22:43:00.001-05:00

I received a very awesome RAK surprise last month, which absolutely made my day-especially when I saw what book she had picked out for me.
Maybe I can find a home for a book or two from the stacks by my TV...otherwise known as the books in need of a good home stack.

So a big THANK YOU to Damaris of Good Choice Reading for sending me-

Thank so much, Damaris!!!

To find out more about RAK and sign-up, visit Book ♥ Soulmates.

The top three books I am wishing for this month:

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Chime by Frannie Billingsley

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Psst, my birthday's later this month. lol

Wish List Wednesday (76)

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Shattered Dreams (Midnight Dragonfly, 1) by Ellie James, December 6, 2011. Published by St. Martin's Griffin.

Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn’t as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She is special. She sees visions, and for those she’s seen, it’s already too late.

Trinity arrives on her aunt's doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she's seen.

But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica's disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She is kind-of dating Jessica's ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario.

Nothing prepares Trinity for the dark odyssey that ensues while searching for Jessica, including the surprising romance she finds with Chase, or the shocking truths she learns, not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her.

Why: Okay, I am definitely intrigued by the synopsis for Shattered Dreams. Besides, I love books where the main character has some kind of mystery surrounding them and seeing how it will play into their everyday life in the book.

You can haunt Ellie James at-
Website | Facebook

Teaser Tuesday (69)

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This week my teasers are from The Lens and the Looker & The Bronze and the Brimstone by Lory S. Kaufman.
Hope ya'll will enjoy them.

The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman (my review):

"But this, my young friend, you must understand. To do a job well for some days or weeks, a month even, that is one thing. But for a family to be successful, for a business to flourish, one must be prepared to work well for years. page 180.

The Bronze and the Brimstone by Lory S. Kaufman (my review):

Hansum borrowed one of the poleaxes and waved it with long sweeps three times. The soldier down in the field repeated the gesture with his poleaxe. page 203

Blog Tour Review: The Bronze and the Brimstone

2011-12-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Bronze and the Brimstone (Verona, 2) by Lory S. Kaufman, 2011. 336 pages. Published by Fiction Studio. Source: Pumped Up Your Book Tours/Author.

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th-century, are trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They’ve survived many deadly experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is the telescope, which brought them to the attention to the rich and powerful.
But standing out can get you into unexpected and dangerous situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people are watching Hansum’s every move.
Meanwhile, artistic genius Shamira has fallen for a Florentine artist with bloody and disasterous consequences. Lincoln, considered an incompetent back home in the 24th-century, has blossomed – at least until he’s shot in the head with an arrow. And Hansum, after secretly marrying his new master’s beautiful daughter, Guilietta, is offered the hand in marriage of lady Beatrice, daughter of the ruler of Verona. To refuse could mean calamity for all the teens.
Amazingly, none of this is their biggest challenge. Because a rash illness is spreading across Verona – and it is threatening to consume everyone.

First Sentence:

"Why don't I feel any pain?"

First off, I just want to say that the characters were much improved in the second installment of the Verona trilogy. Definitely liked them me in this one and found them to be less annoying then before.

One thing I was glad to see in The Bronze and the Brimstone was that the majority unanswered questions from the previous book were resolved, like, why they were actually sent to the past and if they were ever going to get back to their own time- especially since Arimus was no longer there.

While I really liked the majority of the second book, one of the things that really made this such a good read was when everything started to fall apart for Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln. I thought that Mr. Kaufman did an excellent job there, especially when the Black Plague reared its ugly head and made things even worse for them. When the plague hit I could not put the book down at all because I wanted/ need to know how things would play out for the three, plus it affected not only them, but those that they came to love and respect in the della Cappa household.
With the way things ended, I am definitely looking forward to seeing how everything will be resolve the final book. Mostly because I am looking forward to seeing how they will prove themselves in the struggle that they are surely to find themselves in.

I was really excited about how much the characters grew from the first book- The Lens and the Looks- to this one. I really enjoyed that they progressed from being pretty useless and spoiled to contributing members of their new household; plus, I really enjoyed how each their respective story lines gave the book a fuller look into various aspects of the world (or time) in which the book takes place.
The character that showed the most improvement- and oddly enough became my favorite character- was Lincoln. If ya'll saw my thoughts on him in the first book you would be surprised too. What made him so much better in this book was that he finally stopped acting like a pretty little kid and working towards being a valuable and reliable person. I did not actually think that he would ever show improvement, so I was excited to be proved wrong on that account. I also liked that as he was given more responsibilities- like keeping the books and mentoring younger apprentices- you could see the difference it wrought in him.
Hansum, had started to change in the first book, and well, he kind of back slided a little in the second book when he began to think that he could play with the "big-dogs".

What I really liked the most about the second book of Verona, The Bronze and the Brimstone, was that the story seemed to flow better and that things were a little more put together than in the first one. While the first one was good, it felt more like a set-up for the next two books, so I was quite excited to see the story line evolve a little more throughout this one and that most of my questions from the first book were answered.
The one thing I did not like about The Bronze and the Brimstone was the beginning, which recapped what happened in the previous book. I usually like recaps, but the way that the recap was done made it feel more like the story was rewound to the last few chapters of The Lens and the Looker and told in a different- something that I can't put my finger on. I felt like the recap was maybe a skosh too long and that it kind of bogged down the beginning of the book.
Content (may contain spoilers; highlight to see):
The Bronze and the Brimstone was cleaner- and yet in one part not- then the previous book. I was definitely glad that there was less mention of toilet usage.
The only semi-questionable scene in the book would have to be when Hansum and Guilietta married in secret and the bluntly mention of them sleeping together (nothing graphic or anything). Oh, and the mention of them being spied upon (creepy old, greedy man).

Verona:
The Lens and the Looker
The Bronze and the Brimstone

Final Verdict: The Bronze and the Brimstone was absolutely thrilling.

The Bronze and the Brimstone earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Blog Tour/Review: The Lens and the Looker

2011-12-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Lens and the Looker (Verona, 1) by Lory S. Kaufman, 2011. 336 pages. Published by The Fiction Studio. Source: Pump Up Your Book Tours/Author.

There's hope for the future, but what about the past?

It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s) have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradations. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.

These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.

First Sentence:

One of Hansun's earliest memories was of his mother telling him he was just like his name sounded in the old English, handsome.

A few pages into The Lens and the Looker and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish reading it. It wasn't that it was a poorly written, I just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters...especially Lincoln who I seriously wanted to shake and yell at him to grow up and stop being an idiot. With the rocky beginning I was surprised by how much I came to really enjoy the story that Mr. Kaufman laid out.
One of the things that I found to be the most interesting about The Lens and the Looker was when Arimus showed up. At first I wasn't to sure what to make of him, but he definitely livened up the story when he transported the kids to ancient Verona after their failed stunt to get kicked out of History Camp. while the History Camps were interesting I really liked begin to truly like this book after they wound up in the 1th century because I thought the author did a really nice job of describing the setting and how things were then compared to now.
At first glance, neither of the three leading characters, Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln, really present you with personalities that would leave you rooting for them. which is pretty much how they got themselves sent to History Camp, where one is to learn how to work hard and better appreciate the things that they have. While I may not have liked them in the beginning they did manage to grow on me as the story progressed and they slowly began to change for the better and accept their new situation.
     Hansum, would be what most would call a "charmer"; able to talk his way out of just about anything (even sweet talking A.I. units into doing what he wanted). It was kind of funny how his schemes were the cause of them winding up in the actual 14th century Verona (yes, I snickered).
     Shamira, was by far the least irritating of the characters. I thought she was also by far the most interesting to read about, and I even didn't mind the fact that she was an artist- especially since I usually don't like characters that are artists (I don't know why they just usually drive me mad).
       Lincoln, was very nearly the reason I was questioning whether or not to finish The Lens and the Looker. What made him such an impossible character to like in the beginning is that he was spoiled, pampered, and just a general pain. Given that I pretty much despised his character in the start of the book, he did quite a bit of changing so that by time the end rolled around he wasn't too bad.

One of my favorite things about The Lens and the Looker was the History Camps. I thought it was an interesting way to teach delinquents, or in the case of Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln to better appreciate privileges and the things that they have in the 24th century that they live in. The only thing that kind of didn't work out with these camps was that they were not exactly as rough as the time in which they were supposed to be modeled after; even so, it was definitely interesting.
     While I enjoyed reading The Lens and the Looker there were a couple of things that kept me from completely loving it, but mainly one that really made me almost give up on reading it. And that would namely be all the mentions of a certain character's, Ugilino, use of a chamber pot...can you say over share. I so did NOT need - nor want- to know what he did with it or what Mrs. della Cappa did with hers. I can understand wanting to add a little more realism by not avoiding throwing in characters use of the bathroom, but thought that maybe it was taken a bit far.

Content (will contain spoilers; highlight to see):
I was kinda shocked by the amount of swearing in The Lens and the Looker. When I first got it it liked like it was going to be fairly clean in the language department, but there was a fair sprinkling of the c*r*, sh** and the like.
As for sexual content, there was mention of how a certain prince was wont to seek his pleasure with the ladies, and how he wanted to "have" Guilietta against her will.

Final Verdict: The Lens and the Looker was and was not exactly what I was expecting, and took me a bit to get into.

The Lens and the Looker earns 3.5 out of 5 pineapples.

Winner(s): Frightful Fall Reviewers Challenge (Super Late) & Dark Eden Goodies

2011-12-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have failed in announcing the winners for my last two giveaways. To all who entered, I am so sorry.
November and December are two of my busiest months with church activities and I completely spaced on picking and announcing the winners.
So without further ado, the winners. I will try to email all of ya'll later today....of you can email me or fill out my contact form.
The two winners of a Sweet Venom and First Kill (each) bookmarks are:

Sophia of Sophia's Book Blog

S. Leighanne of Leighanne's Lit

The grand prize winner of an ARC of Frost by Marianna Baer, and Sweet Venom & First Kill bookmarks is:

Jess of BookGeeksRule

And the winners of the Dark Eden Goddies are-

The nine runner's up:

kayla m.
Liza
Nikki A.

Mary DeBorde [M.A.D.]
Kelly M.
Lyssa Anne
Kamerin R.
Nicole
Rabiah

Grand prize winner:
Aurora T.

Since this took so long, ya'll can have an entire week to either email me/fill out my contact form or respond to my email.

Guest Post: Leah Cypress (Author of Mistwood and Nightspell) + Giveaway

2011-12-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

I am excited to have Leah Cypress on the blog today as part of her blog tour. You can see the full list of stops and dates ->HERE<

About Leah Cypress:

I wrote my first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, I wrote my first book, about a girl who gets shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies, very impressive).
*taken from authors blog*

I first discovered critique groups in law school. Until then, I wrote my stories and/or books, read them over several times myself, occasionally had my sister read them, and then sent them off to editors.

*shudders at the memory*

Apparently, this wasn’t all that terrible – I did get a few non-critiqued short stories published, and even got my first encouraging rejections letters (the ones with a scribbled "send me more" at the top). But once I discovered critique groups, I could never go back. All it took was once instance of seven different readers thinking my main male character was female, or mentioning that I had forgotten to mention a crucial plot point, to make me swear by them.
But while I’m solidly behind the critique group concept, I’m also aware of the dangers. Critique groups can be a crutch; you can have something critiqued over and over again, trying to make it everything to everyone, and scrub out your own unique vision. The worst mistake you can make, when going through critique, is thinking you have to get everyone in your group to love your manuscript.
When I sent one of the earlier drafts of Mistwood to my critique group, one critiquer wrote to me to say that she was going to have to withdraw because she couldn’t finish the manuscript; she disliked my main character too much. Needless to say, this was a confidence-shattering moment for me, especially since the critiques I’d been getting until then were all glowing. But now that the book has been published, I realize that she wasn’t wrong; she represented a sample of readers who do dislike Isabel. No character is going to be universally liked, just as no person in real life is universally liked. No story is for everyone. It is really important to winnow out the critiques from people who are simply not the story’s audience, and – not to put too fine a point on it – ignore everything they say. They’re not bad or wrong, they’re just not useful.
Sometimes you have to ignore the critiquers and follow your own muse; it’s important to distinguish "I didn’t get this concept across on the page" from "these critiquers are in disagreement with the concept." You also have to guard against laziness; sometimes, it’s easier to throw your manuscript out to the wolves than to figure out what’s wrong with it yourself. Books are not written by committee.
I know some writers who gave up on critique groups after getting published; deadline pressure makes it a lot harder to work in time for that process, and in the end, the best critiques will come from your editor. But for me, they are a necessary part of my revising process, and I don’t see myself going it alone any time soon.
Nightspell (Mistwood, 2) by Leah Cypress, 2011. Published by HarperCollins.
Open to residents of the US (sorry international followers, but I can only ship within the US).

A stand-alone companion novel to the much-acclaimed MISTWOOD. When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own. In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

Okay, the Raffl;ecopter form is now working. =)

Giveaway Rules:
December 19 (the end of the tour).
Winners will have 48 hours after being contacted to reply.
Fill Out Rafflecopter form to enter.

In My Mailbox (109)The Time I Went to Three Different Library Sales

2011-12-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

As I am sure ya'll know, I love the library. I love borrowing books from them and even buying some when they have their annual sales. This year-okay, this fall- I was lucky enough to go to three different library sales.
I also found quite a few interesting titles that I have yet to share with ya'll.

I am warning ya'll now, there is quite the hodge-podge of books this week.

Library(the first):

Resident Evil: Extinction by Keith R.A. DeCandidio, 2007. Published by Pocket Star
The Tower Treasure (Hardy Boys, 1) by Franklin W. Dixon, 1987. Published by Grosset & Dunlap.
The Wish List by Eion Colfer, 2003. Published by Miramax.
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, 2008. Published by Little, Brown Young Readers.
Dungeon, Fire, and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades by John J. Robinson, 2003. Published by Barnes & Nobles Books.
Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere by A. Westbrook and O. Ratti, 1994. Published by Tuttle Publishing.

Library (the second):

The Legend of Huma (Heroes, 1) by Richard A. Knaak, 1988. Published by TSR, Inc.
Stella Stands Alone by A. LaFaye, 2008. Published by Simon and Schuster Children.
Taking Terri Mueller by Norma Fox Mazer, 1981. Published by Harper Trophy.
Homecoming (Tillerman, 1) by Cynthis Voigt, 1987. Published by Fawcett.
The Pilgrims of Rayne (Pendragon, 8) by D.J. MacHale, 2007. Published by Simon and Schuster Children.
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern (Pern: Dragonriders of Pern, 7) by Anne McCaffrey, 1983. Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell.

A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea, 1) by Ursula K. Le Guin, 1984. Published by Spectra.
Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 2007. Published by Scholastic. My review.

Library (the third):

Tune in Anytime by Caroline B. Cooney,
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, 2007. Published by Little, Brown and Company. My review
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart, 2009. Published by Little, Brown and company.
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson, 4) by Rick Riordan, 2008. Published by Hyperion Books for Children.
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson, 5) by Rick Riordan, 2009. Published by Hyperion Books for Children.

Scary the amount of books I can find at a sale in under ten minutes. No need to worry though, I only spent around ten dollars on all of them total up.

I am definitely excited about finding copies of some of the books that I have already read, and some that I have been wanting to read for ages. All in all, a great set of library sale finds this year.

Audiobook DNF Review: Glow

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Glow (Sky Chasers, 1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan, read by Ilyana Kadushan and Matthew Brown, 2011. Runtime: 9 hr 59 min (8 discs). Published by Macmillan Audio. Source: Publisher (unsolicited).

If a violent battle destroyed the only world you’ve ever known, would you be brave enough to save who was left? Would love be strong enough to survive the fight? Either way, there’s no turning back.
The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the handsome captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. Everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Still, there’s a part of Waverly that wants more from life than marriage, and she is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
Suddenly, Waverly’s dreams are interrupted by the inconceivable – a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon. The New Horizon’s leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls. In one pivotal moment, Waverly and Kieran are separated, and find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions, where every move has potentially devastating consequences, and decisions of the heart may lead to disaster.

First Sentence:

The other ship hung in the sky like a pendant, silver in the ether light cast by the nebula.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish listening to Glow. The concept was interesting, but the execution left me feeling not to invested in the outcome of the characters. I will try my hardest to convey why it did not work out for me.

While Glow may not have worked for me, I do encourage you to decide whether or not it is for you since not everyone has the same views or tastes in books.

Story:
Usually, I am a big fan of sci-fi books, so I was quite disappointed when I did not find myself enjoying Glow. I thought that it had a lot of promise, but just did not quite hit the mark. While it is sad, not every book/audiobook is going to be for every- or me.

As I mention in my least favorite part of the book- found below- I felt that the story needed to have a little more clarifaction and distinction between the two differentbeliefs of the two ships; and also Kieran could have used a lot more personality. I felt like the two ships should have been more different then how they appeared.

One of the things that usually keeps me reading a book, is when I care about what happens to the characters and whether or not they are going to make it throuever ordeal they are facing. And that was one of the elements that just did not feel while listening to Glow. I did not feel the least bit inclined to see whether Waverly would either be rescued or save herself from her captives, without out that I just could not bring myself see things through to the end.

Waverly, was not a bad character, in fact she was my second favorite character out of the of the ones mentioned. I liked her because- as far as I read- she was not ready to give up and let the situation she found herself in get her down. And I really liked that about her, because I do not like it when- typically it's the female character- a character finds themself in a dangerous situation and they just give up and wait for someone to come and rescue them.
Kieran, he drove me bananas with how naive he was; and that he always took everything at face value. Not exactly the characteristics that make for an interesting lead character- be they male or female. Besides being naive, what really drove me crazy was the just him...he annoyned me. He frankly reminded me of paper, plain white paper.

While Glow not for me, I did enjoy one aspect of the story. I thought that Ms. Ryan did an excellent job when it came to describing the world in which her characters and story takes place. I thought that they way she had written certain scenes, like when Waveryly and the girls were kidnapped, as well as the battle the ensued, was done quite nicely. You could definitely picture- and imagine- the terror of the moment.
What really kept me from enjoying Glow, was that the storyline just did not flow very well to me. To me, the story felt a little too conflicted and that the main bases of the plot line was too murky- on one hand (or ship) you had a more secular lifestyle, that was also more male dominated; on ther other you had a slightly skewed religious lifestyle, I say it was skewed because Pastor Mather was insane especially the way she went about things. What really bothered me about the set up of the two ships was that neither one of them was in the right, they were both a little out there, which meant that there was little to no contrast between the two pertaining to right and wrong. I think had the differences been a little more polar between the two groups it would have brought a new direction that would have benefited the plot and kept things moving.

Narration:

While Glow did not exactly pan out for me, I did enjoy Ilyana Kudushins portrayal of Waverly. I thought she did an excellent job voicing her and bringing out both the characters strengths and weaknesses; her reading was also the main reason I gave this book as long as I did before calling it quits.

As for Matthew Brown's reading of Kieran's character. Umm, Let's just say that Kieran was one of the most boring characters I have ever read about, and I do not think that anyobdy could have made him seem intersting. Mr. Brown's portrayal was pretty spot-on for Keiran, but as a whole the character just could not pull me in.

Final Verdict: The story was just to conflicted and did not mesh into a whole very well. Glow was sadly not for me.

Holiday Readathon

2011-12-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

Yep, it is that time again...readathon time that is. I am quite excited to take part in Liza Wiemer's Holiday Readathon again this year (had such a blast last year for it).
I will be adding all my updates- and if need be challenge entries- here in this post. I don;t want to clog up everyone's feeds with a million posts over the next couple of days.

Click on the button for moer information about the Readathon.

I am currently working on my ARC of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare and listening to The Boy in the Suitcase.

Wish List Wednesday (75)

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Partners in Crime (Slueth or Dare, 1) by Kim Harrington, May 1, 2012. Published by Scholastic.

Whodunit?
When best friends Darcy and Norah have to create a fake business for a school assignment, they come up with a great idea: a detective agency! Darcy loves mysteries, and Norah likes helping people, so it's a perfect fit.
But then their pretend agency gets a real case. Someone is missing, and it's up to Darcy and Norah to take on the search. Unfortunately, there's someone else out there who doesn't want the two detectives stirring up any trouble. . . .
With the help of hidden clues, spy gadgets, and trusted friends, can Darcy and Norah crack the case in time?

Why: Mid-grade slueths, need I say more. I love whodunits, and the fact that it is also a MG read has totally grabbed my attention.
Special A 1 by Maki Minami, 2007. Published by Viz Media.

Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima--at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy...somehow!

At age 6 Hikari lost to Kei in an impromptu wrestling match. Now, at 15, Hikari joins "Special A," a group of the top seven students at a private academy, for the opportunity to trounce the guy who made her suffer her first defeat.

Why: Special A just sounds like one of those books that leave you giggling your head off...most likely in public.

Teaser Tuesday (68)

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This weeks teaser is taken from The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann. Hope ya'll will enjoy the teaser I picked out.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (my review):

"And my father must have reall wanted to get rid of me." She shrugged off the hurt. "what about? Do you think about your parents or brother?" page 218

Guest Post: Piper Maitland (Author of Acquainted with the Night)

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I am happy to have Piper Maitland stopping by the blog. She'll be talking about the vampires in her latest book, Acquainted with the Night).

About Piper Maitland: Piper lives on a small farm in Tennessee with her family. She still watches old Dracula movies—minus the garlic around her neck—and she’s constantly thinking of ways to give the original myths a scientific basis. Right now, she is working on a sequel, A Requiem for Daylight, to be published by Berkley.

A Different Look at the Mythology of Vampirism
When I was a tiny girl, I watched Dracula on The Late, Late Show, and I got so scared, I slept with a crucifix and garlic pods. I’m not kidding. I felt safe in daylight, but I kept a stash of holy water in my bedroom drawer, just in case I ran into an immortal. For years, until I discovered boys, I thought vampires might exist, and I wasn’t taking chances.
Years later, when I was working on Acquainted With the Night, I wanted to address the myths—the blood drinking, the aversion to crosses, shape-shifting, and the inability to walk in sunlight—and give them a biological foundation.
The main character in AWTN, Caro Clifford, didn’t believe in vampires until her beloved uncle was murdered at an archeological dig site in southern Bulgaria:

One week ago, Caro’s biggest problem had been juggling her tour guiding job. Now her uncle was dead, the Kardzhali police thought she’d murdered a man, and she was stuck in a town with (maybe, possibly) vampires and a mad (but mortal) scientist named Jude.
"Isn’t there another explanation for the blood drinking?" she asked. "Like porphyria?"
"No, it’s vampirism," Jude said.
"I’ve been bitten once," Caro said. "In horror movies, it takes three bites, and that’s it, you become a vampire. So I’ve got two more bites to go, and I’ll turn into a ghoul?"
"It’s not the number of bites. It’s the number of stem cells that pass from the vampire’s body into yours. And how your immune system reacts."
Caro shuddered. Best-case scenario: Somebody was making people act like vampires, and a crazy man was trying to protect her from them.

My vampires can venture outside on overcast days, but they must wear sunblock and protective gear—and they can’t stay outside for extended periods. Their immune systems are hyperactive. Their ketonin is sensitive to ultra-violet rays, and any direct exposure to the sun will cause second and third degree burns. Also, light affects the eyes; it causes corneal abrasions—even blindness.
I have a BS in nursing. Years ago, I was a chemotherapy nurse. Now, I write full time, and I’ve lost my medical edge. Fortunately, I live with two scientists—a physician and a biochemist. Our dinner table conversations center around cloning, stem cells, MRSA, and H1N1. When we’re around our medical friends, the talk often turns to the future of science—and also the history of diseases. For a writer, this is great fodder for a paranormal novel.
Early on, I decided that I wanted to honor the myths, but I also wanted to give them a twist. Like most predators, the vamps in AWTN have a biological edge. They are physically attractive. Their brains are more developed than a human’s—some are quite gifted with telepathy. They are physically superior. They run faster, never become ill, and heal at an extraordinary rate.
Jude Barrett is a biochemist—a book nerd and vampire hunter. He’d worked at a pharmaceutical company in Yorkshire:
"I harvested stem cells from mouse embryos," he said. "The marrow is a rich site for hematopoietic stem cells. I made them grow into anything I wanted—skin, muscles, nervous tissues, livers I also induced mutations, which corrupted the genetic code. The mutated mice grew into adults. They were aggressive. Sensitive to light. Wouldn’t eat or drink—except they craved blood. The mutated mice bit the normal ones. Within hours, the bitten mice became like the others. I thought it was a virus. So I sedated the mice and took biopsies from various organs. I examined the tissues under the microscope. Nothing seemed out of order, except the specimens were loaded with stem cells."
But that’s not all. Every part of a vampire’s physiology is significant. They possess a unique hidrosis, which is the Greek word for perspiration. They emit an odor—some smell of ketones and others smell like menthol. It’s not a pheromone, but it mimics one. The odor affects a human’s brain chemistry, relaxing their muscles and generating a sense of calmness. It also has a bit of an aphrodisiac effect. This is, of course, helps them subdue their prey.
Here, Jude explains it to Caro:
"It’s similar to a terpene," Jude said. "I’m sure you’ve heard of Nepetalactone?"
"Catnip?" Father Aeneas asked.
Jude nodded.
"That would explain the aphrodisiac effect," Father Aeneas said.
"But my tabby was immune to catnip," Caro said. "Uncle Nigel was always setting out little herb-filled toys for Dinah. She ignored them."
Jude touched his nose. "Perhaps she lacked the olfactory receptor. Some felines have it, some don’t. It’s genetic."
Caro smiled. "What does bat-nip do to humans?"
Jude’s face went slack, as if he was offended by the comment. "It depends on the concentration," he said. "In large quantities, the molecule causes sedation and numbness, followed by euphoria and hypersensitivity."
"But I thought a vampire’s saliva had a toxin—one that caused paralysis in its prey." Caro wiggled her fingers, remembering how they had gone numb after she’d been bitten. "Surely I wasn’t anesthetized from breathing these souped-up ketones."
"I agree with Caroline," Father Aeneas said. "If the catnip theory is true, then people would faint whenever they got near a vampire. Sidewalks and train stations would be filled with paralyzed humans."
Jude lowered his eyebrows, flashing his I’m-Not-Good-at-Explanations look. "When the chemical is excreted by a vampire’s sweat glands, it evaporates and diffuses into the air and becomes less potent," he said, his clipped, controlled voice barely containing his passion for science. "If humans inhale it, they feel relaxed. But it’s fleeting. A high concentration of this molecule is found in a vampire’s blood and saliva. That’s why Caro was temporarily paralyzed. She was prey. And predators are made for survival. They stalk, pounce, restrain, and feed."
"Why don’t vampires succumb to their own chemical?" Caro asked. "Why doesn’t it paralyze them?"
"Is a spider killed by its own venom? Jude lifted one eyebrow. "An effective predator isn’t harmed by its own methods of predation."

Of course, I added more to the mythology. I wanted to explain why vampires are so attractive to prey. As an example, I compared them to cone shells (Conidae are very beautiful, but they’re also toothed and impale their prey, infusing them with venom). I also explain the origin of vampirism by comparing it to the emergence of Methicillin-resistent Staphylococcus Aurea—better known as MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant bug.

"I’ve been thinking of ways to explain the science of vampirism," Jude told Caro.
A shy grin flitted across his lips, as if he were giving her a bouquet of wildflowers instead of simplified information about stem cells. She hid her smile by taking a sip of tea..
"To create a strain, all you need is a petri dish filled with staphylococcus," Jude said. "Add penicillin. It will kill ninety-nine percent of the staph. Take the surviving one percent and culture them. You now have bacteria that are resistant to penicillin. Actually, the bacterium’s resistance is a defense mechanism. If you put the penicillin-resistant strain into a petri dish and apply erythromycin, the antibiotic will kill a majority of the bacteria. Culture the survivors, and you have an organism that’s resistant to penicillin and erythromycin. If you repeat this process ad infinitum, adding various antibiotics, you will eventually create a superior organism—one that’s resistant to all antibiotics. And it’s indestructible."
"You’re saying vampirism evolved like MRSA?" Caro set down her teacup harder than she’d intended and it clapped against the saucer.
"It’s evolution. Survival of the fittest. Vampires began in small numbers and multiplied. They’re adaptive. Strong, hard to kill. And they destroy the competing organism. Also, they’re still evolving."
"Into what?"
"We’ll have to wait and see. If we’re still around."

Acquainted with the Night by Piper Maitland, 2011. Publushed by Berkley.

The pages of history are written in the blood of the undead…

A woman’s quest for the truth…
A medieval icon that holds the clues…
An ancient book with the power to shake Christianity—and humanity itself…

Caroline Clifford’s bland life as a London tour guide flips upside down when her beloved uncle is brutally murdered at a Bulgarian archeological site. While traveling to recover his remains, she meets a man who corresponded with her uncle. Jude Barrett is a biochemist on a mission—to eradicate the world of vampires…

At first, Caro is dismissive of Jude’s beliefs, but she can’t ignore the signs around her—the human bites on her uncle, the strange men following her, the anguished cries after sundown. Strange anagrams on her uncle’s passport lead her and Jude to a cliff-top monastery in Greece, where a shattering revelation connects a relic Caro inherited from her parents to an age-old text on immortality—and an enigmatic prophecy that pits the forces of darkness and light in a showdown that could destroy them all…
Acquainted with evil…

You can haunt Piper at:
Twitter | Website | Blog | FB |

Audiobook Review: The Unwanteds

2011-11-28T10:00:00.002-05:00

definitely left me wondering wThe Unwanteds (The Unwanteds, 1) by Lisa McMann read by Simon Jones, 2011. 7 discs ( ). Published by Simon and Schuster Audio. Source: Publisher for review.

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.
Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret—behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.
In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.
But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

First Sentence:

There was a hint of wind coming over the top of the stone walls and through the barbed-wire sky on the day Alexander Stowe was to be Purged.

Story:

The Unwanteds is only the second book/audiobook of Lisa McMann's that I have had the pleasure of consuming. And I must say, that I think I enjoyed it more than Cryer's Cross.

One of the things that sticks out most in my mind when I think back on The Unwanteds, is the parallels between certain characters in the story. While some of them I guessed pretty early on in the book, I still found it interesting to see how Ms. McMann would pull those elements into the story...did you really think I was going to elaborate on that (I cannot because it would give away the ending).

As for the characters, there were times when I liked them a lot; and times when a few of them I just wanted to tell them to get over there problems.
For the most part I liked Alex, the main character, except for when he was pouting over being the last of his group to begin learning Battle Magic. While he may have been a bit of a pill at times, I liked that in the end he tried to fix the messes that he created by trying to...
As for the other Unwanteds that befriended ALex, I really liked them all, especially Lani.What really made Lani such an interesting character was that she was emotionally all over the place: seeking revenge against those that deemed her an unwanted, as well as mercilessly teasing Alex, and that she was devious yet brilliant when it came to fighting.
While the ending definitely left room for a sequel, The Unwanteds could very well stand all on its lonesome. What I am looking forward to most if (or when) there is a second book is finding out what happens now that everything has changed, and what is in store for both Alex and Aaron now that they have truly gone there seperate ways.

Hmm, favorite part/thing about The Unwanteds would have to be the final showdown between the Wanteds and Unwanteds. I thought it was interesting to see how things got to the point where the two opposing sides were forced to face off against one another; I also liked the fact that neither side escaped the confrontation unscathed.
The only thing I did not like about The Unwanteds would have to be the term "Battle Magic" ( I can't remember if that's the right name for it, but I did listen to it while I had a bit of a fever). I am not exactly sure why...maybe because it seemed like a better name/term for magic that the residents of Artime used for fighting could not have been found. Either way, it just kind of made me think of Pokemon (or something like that) every time it was mentioned.

Narration:

One of the things I liked most about The Unwanteds was Simon Jones' narration, it was definitely one of the highlights of listening to rather than reading this book. While this was my first audiobook with Mr. Jones as the read, I thought that he did an excellent job of capturing the essence of The Unwanteds.
I was mildly worried at first thought, my fear was that he would be able to properly portray the characters of this book since most of them would be quite young (like thirteen years old). While I was worried, I am happy to say that he did a right fine job with the young cast of characters in this book.
The only character that I felt could have used a little work was his portrayal of Justine. His reading of her character just didn't strike the right chord of evil disdain that I felt she should have had.
I would definitely listen to another book featuring him as the reader, which in my opinion, is a sure sign that the reader was a good one.

Final Verdict: The Unwanteds left me wanting know what will/could happen next.

The Unwanteds (audiobook) earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

In My Mailbox (108) More Pretties Than I Know What to do With

2011-11-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

Last week I went on such a reading binge that I completely forgot all about writing up an IMM post. Yes, I know I would put off writing them again, but the books were so good that I couldn't pull my nose out of them long enough to write one up.

This weeks IMM has- a ton- of books that have been stacked up either in my closet or in front of my bookcases that I have forgotten to mention. I will also- FINALLY- get around to picking winners for the two contests that have ended recently this week. To participants: I am super sorry about the lateness of announcing winners, but I have been super busy lately and completely forgot. :(

Hope ya'll will enjoy the awesome that is this weeks IMM.

A huge thank you to all the bloggers, authors and publishers for all these pretties.

Won

Thanks to AwesomeSauce Book Club-

Lockdown (Escape from Furnace, 1) by Alexander Gordon Smith, 2009. Published by Square Fish.

Thanks to Evie of Bookish-

The Last Archangel by Michael D. Young, 2011. Published by Bonneville Books.

Thanks to Jessica of Total Bookaholic-

Dark Passage (Dark Mirror, 2) by M.J. Putney, 2011. Published by St. Martin's Griffin.

Midnight Howl (A Poison Apple book) by Clare Hutton, 2011. Published by Scholastic Paperbacks.

Thanks to Valerie of Stuck in Books-

A Beautiful Dark *signed* by Jocelyn Davies, 2011. Published by HarperTeen.

Thanks to Quirk Books-

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies *graphic novel* by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith, 2010. Published by Del Rey.

PPZ posters.

Thanks to Recorded Books (@RecordedBooks)-
Twilight (Mediator, 6) by Meg Cabot, 2005. Published by Recorded Books.

Thanks to Del Rey (@DelReySepctra)-

The Talisman 0 *signed* by Stephen King & Peter Straub, 2009. Published by Del Rey Comics.

Thanks to Flux Books (@FluxBooks)-
*All Signed*

Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz, 2003.

White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz, 2004. Published by Flux.

Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz, 2005. Published by Flux.

Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz, 2005. Published by Flux.

Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz, 2009. Published by Flux.

RAK

Thanks to Alexa of Pages of Forbidden Love.

The Unwanteds *ARC* by Lisa McMann, 2011. Published by Aladdin.

Audiobook Review: Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome

2011-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome by Dirk Miggs read by Michael Gough, Garrick Hagon and Bob Sessions, 2010. 1 Disc (44 minutes). Published by AudioGo LTD. Source: Audiobook Jukebox/Publisher for review.

Michael Gough, Garrick Hagon and Bob Sessions star in this thrilling radio drama featuring the Batman.
'This is the Batman. Treat what you are about to hear in the strictest confidence - my associates must be protected at all costs. By night in Gotham City you knew me as the Batman. What you never knew was....'
The Batman is dead. Police Commissioner Gordon has received a recording by the Batman that reveals his real identity. But who is the occupant of Wayne Manor? It soon becomes a desperate journey into the background of Gotham City's famous vigilante to find out who killed the Dark Knight.

Story:

I so knew from the very beginning what had really happened, and how it was going to end. How, because a comic world without Batman is just plain wrong (you can probably guess that I'm a fan of Batman).

I thought it was interesting how Batman/Bruce Wayne, even the story was about him, was not actually in the story that long (could partly be because it is such a short audiobook). It was interesting because while the story focused on him, and the revelation that he, Bruce Wayne, was in fact the Batman the story was equally about those whose his disappearance/death would effect most (the citizens of Gotham, the police, and those whom he had worked with).

While it may not have been the hardest plotline to unravel, I did enjoy listening to the way things unfolded. Especially the beginning where Gordon receives a tape exposing the truth behind Batman and who he really was, I thought it was pretty genius to start there because your like he did not just let the cat out of the bag. I also really liked there choice of villain, mostly because I enjoyed that it was not the Joker who seems to be the fallback villain for the Batman franchise (if I told you then there would not be any mystery left).

The absolute best thing about Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome would have to be narration. I was absolutely in awe of the cast that did the reading because they were brilliant, especially the voices of Batman and Barbara Gorden and Commissioner Gordon. They are what made this audiobook.
If I had to put my finger on one thing that I did not like about Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome, it would have to be that there was little mystery to what had actually happened and whether or not Batman was truly dead. I thought that had there been a little more length to the story, they most likely would have been able to veil the mystery more than it was, which would have made it a little more interesting and worth of being about Batman.

Narration:

Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome is only my second- if you count all of the Shakespeare as one- full cast audiobook, and while I thought the readers did an excellent job I was a smidge disappointed in this one.

Since there were entirely too many cast members to list, I'll just give a run-down on what I thought about the readers on whole.
I thought they did a bang-up job on the various characters, especially the readers for Batman/Bruce Wayne and Batgirl/Barbara Gordon and Commissioner Gordon, and that you could almost believe that that was how each of the them were supposed to sound.

While it may not have been one that I absolutely feel in love with, I thought that all the effects they added, like for the fight scenes, were pretty awesome in that it absolutely made you feel like you were in a comic book.
Even though I enjoyed the effects, the one thing I did not like even though it was done really well, was the literal sounds of when the characters would fight; think along the lines of "bam" and what not.

Final Verdict: Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome was good, but definitely not my favorite Batman related thing.

Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome earns 3.5 out of 5 pineapples.

Fullmetal Alchemist 3

2011-11-24T14:30:00.000-05:00

Fullmetal Alchemist 3 by Hiromu Arakawa, 2005. 192 pages. Published by Viz Media. Source: Borrowed.

Accompanied by their bodyguard, Alex Louis Armstrong, our heroes seek out their closest childhood friend, mechanic Winry Rockbell, to fix their battered "auto-mail" bodyparts. Soon their quest for the Philosopher's Stone takes them to the great central library, where the Stone's formula may be hidden...if the mysterious figure named Lust doesn't get there first! But the secret of the Philosopher's Stone may be even more frightening than the beings who guard it...

First Sentence:

There, all done.

Story: Volume three of Fullmetal Alchemist was slower then the previous volumes, but riveting nonetheless as you found at more about Ed and Al's past with the introduction of Winry (she may have made an unofficial appearance in a previous volume as well).

The best scene in volume three- at least I am pretty sure it's this volume- would have to be when Ed and Roy square off to see who is more powerful. The reason I picked this as my favorite part is because it is absolute fun to see the two of them go toe-to-toe; and the destruction they caused (thankfully they weren't near any thing).
I also liked that with this volume you had things getting back on track to the main storyline of the series- Ed and Al's search to find the Philosopher's Stone and returning their bodies to normal. I was actually starting to wonder when things would get back on track, so it was nice to see things begin to move forward once more.
Character(s):
I liked how in this volume you got to see beneath the shell of bravado that Ed always wears. It definitely helped to make him even more likable then previous volumes. One of the things that makes him such a fascinating character, for me, to read about is that while he make act like nothing gets to him, he is actually probably one of the most caring characters in the series. Now, that's not to say that he isn't tough; but I love the fact that he cares so much about his brother and friends.

Al, I like him, but sometimes he almost seems to mature for his age, which can kind of drive me crazy. Although I do enjoy when he has to talk Ed out of doing something dangerous...or making sure he gives himself time to recover.

Artwork:
Gosh, I do not know what to say about the art work for this volume. I mean, it was just as good as the previous volumes and I really do not want to end up repeating myself...I loved it!!! Can we just leave it at that????

Final Verdict: Give me more Fullmetal Alchemist!!!

Fullmetal Alchemist 3 earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

Wish List Wednesday (74)

2011-11-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid, July 10, 2012. Published by Katherine Tegen Books.

IT'S WORLD WAR III.
THE ENEMY IS WINNING.
WHAT IF THE GOVERNMENT'S SECRET WEAPON IS YOU?

More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.

Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible—a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test, and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War Three. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted—friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters—but what will it cost him?

Why: Because it sounds absolutely thrilling! It also does not hurt that cover is so awesome and would make a nice addition to my collection.

Loveless 1 by Yun Kouga, 2006. Published by Tokyopop.

When 12-year-old Ritsuka discovers a posthumous message from his brother Seimei indicating he was murdered, he becomes involed ina shadowy world of spell battles and secret names. Togheter with the mysteirous Soubi, the serach to find Seimei's killer and uncover the truth begins!

But in a world where mere words have unbelievable power, how can you find true friendship and happiness when your very name is Loveless?

Why: I really enjoy fantasy type manga, and Loveless sounds like it could be a pretty fascination read.

Teaser Tuesday (67) Inheritance Cycle Edition

2011-11-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Just because I felt like it, this weeks teasers will be taken from Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. Since I can think of many teasers from each book, I may just put at least two from each (or as is more likely to happen, I'll go teaser crazy).

I hope ya'll will enjoy the teasers that have I selected from each book. =)

Eragon by Christopher Paolini:

"Don't insult me," Eragon muttered, "The only reason I'm free is because of you. I'm not going to abandon you to the empire, Poor thanks that would be!"
Murtagh bowed his head. "Your words hearten me." page 317

Remember what you said in the Spine? How you reminded me of my duty as a dragon, and I returned with you despite the urging of my instinct? So, too, must you control yourself. page 92.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini:

"I don't think," said Baldor, "that the Ra'zac are human. You've never seen them up close, but their breath is foul, and they always cover their faces with black scarves, Their backs are humped and twisted, and they speak to each other with clicks. Even their men seem to fear them." page 86-87

"You betrayed us! I was mourning you, and you betrayed us!"
"I had no choice." page 647

Eragon, he thought. Eragon! BY the blood I've spilled and the gore on my hands, I swear upon my father's grave I'll have you atone for what you've done by storming Helgrind with me. If you created this mess, then I'll have you clean it up. page 499

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini:

"My answer would have been the same then as it is now: trickery is dishonerable. I had to win the trial without deceit so no one can question my leadership in the future. pagr 109

How many soliers were left, it was impossible to tell in the throng of flailing bodies, but Roran couls see that they still outnumbered the scant twenty-five or so of the remaining Varden. They could tear us to pieces with their bare hands while we try to hack them apart, he realized. page 430

There is a shadow in the world, she thought. That is what has upset me. Something is wrong with Eragon. He is in danger, or he was in danger recently. And I cannot help him. page 459

Jacob Have I Loved

2011-11-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson, 1980. 244 pages. Published by Scholastic. Source: Bought.

"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated . . ." With her grandmother's taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.
Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.
Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore tas her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright.

First Sentence:

As soon as the snow melts, I will go to Rass and fetch my mother.

I bought Jacob Have I Loved because I thought I had read it a few years ago, turns out I had only contemplated reading it...a lot.

While Louise's narration is one of the highlights of Jacob Have I Loved, what I really enjoyed was Ms. Paterson's writing and how well she described the setting in which the book took place, a coastal fishing village off the shores of Maryland.
Now, I don't usually get into books were fishing is the main occupation of the inhabitants - it frankly bores me - I did enjoy the picture that she painted of the struggles that those of Rass faced and how it impacted the lives of Louise and Caroline.

What really drew me to wanting to read Jacob Have I Loved, other than the thought that I'd read it before, was the premise of the story which is kind of like the story of Jacob and Esau and how the younger one stole the others birthright, while in this one this book it more like the other one, Caroline, is presented with more opportunities in which to pursue her dreams while the other, Louise, is pretty much destined to push and scrap for every little thing that she wants.
Do I wish that there had been some reconciliation between Louise and Caroline, yes. would it have made sense in context to the story, not at all. Because by the time the book draws to a close neither is the same as they were in the beginning.

Jacob Have I Loved pulled me in pretty much from page one as Louise's story was told. I like the from the very first page you were presented with a character that was extremely flawed, and that she even realized that she was not perfect. I thought it was interesting to see how Louise's view of herself was so clear, and that she could recognize that her dislike- bordering on hate- of her sister Caroline was not something to be admired and that she tried- and mostly failed- to be a better person even when she felt slighted.

What really made Jacob Have I Loved such a great read for me was the brutal honesty in which Louise's voice shone through. I felt that the author did an excellent job of capturing the varying moods that she shifted through; her insecurity of the way she looked; how she felt that her parents did care for her like they did Caroline; and finally how she broke free and learned to live for herself. Her portrait of Louise is what makes this book such an unforgettable read.

While I really loved this book there were a couple points in the book when the story just didn't feel like it was progressing in the least bit as Louise would bemoan the unfairness that is her life. Yes she had a difficult childhood, but at points it felt like the same arguments were made by her without anything new actually happening or whatnot.

Final Verdict: Jacob Have I Loved beautifully and honestly written.

Jacob have I Loved earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Cover Reveal: Battle Scars by Cesya Cuono

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Morning lovelies. I am super excited to be able to reveal here on the blog the cover for the Battle Scars, the sequel to Elemental Reality, by Cesya Cuono.

Thanks to Jennifer at Revolution Publishing for the chance to show Cesya's new cover.

Battle Scars (Elemental Reality, 2) by Cesya Marae Cuono, 2012. Published by Revolution Publishing.

How do you carry on fighting for your family when you’re left scarred and broken? When your dreams are plagued by nightmares, how do you strengthen the armor needed to protect yourself again? Callie’s been defeated by the loss of her entire family. With the help of old and new friends, will she build her battle armor up and fight the evil hands of the Demons who threaten to destroy her new home? Or will her battle scars leave her too broken and empty to fight?

Persoanlly, I really like the cover for Battle Scars, especially after just finishing up Elemental Reality. which you can look for my review to come in December. =)

Wish List Wednesday (73)

2011-11-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, Febuary 14, 2012. Published by Walker Children's.

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Why: A girl posing as Robin Hood, with a mysterious past sign me up. I definitely cannot wait to get my hands of a copy of Scarlet because it sounds exactly like somethingt I would love.

Janes in Love (Plain Janes, 2) by Cecil Castellucci , illustrated by Jim Rugg, 2008. Published by Vertigo.

The second volume of the critically acclaimed series finds a group of high school girls each named Jane, who are anything but ordinary, playing cupid. Plus P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods) goes global once the girl gang procures a spot in Metro City Museum of Modern Art contest.

Why: Plain Janes was one fo the first graphic novels that I read, and I really enjoyed it. Plus I absolutely cannot wait to see what all the Janes' will get up to next.

Teaser Tuesday (66)

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To participate, simply do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This week teaser is brought to you by Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson. I hope ya'll will enjoy this weeks teaser. =)

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (my review):

I suppose I knew that there was no future for me on Rass. How could I face a lifetime of passive waiting? page 43

True Grime by Natasha Deen (my review):

"I live Grime."
He cracked a smile.
A teeny, tiny one, but I saw it, and it made me feel better." page 78

Blog Tour Review: True Grime

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

True Grime by Natasha Deen, 2011. 276 pages. Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Mystery. Published by Blueberry Hill. Source: Parterners in Crime Tours/Publisher for review.

Grime cop and teen fairy Pepper Powder lives for one thing: protecting the human species from magical zealots who seek to eradicate them with Violent Illness of Unusual Resistance and Strength (humans call them “viruses,” but their mistake is understandable. The very young often get their words wrong.). When a terrorist leader releases a necrophage bomb, it not only decimates Grime headquarters, it turns Pepper into the magical world’s first fairy amputee—but she’s not going to let a little thing like a missing leg stop her. To catch her criminal, and prevent him from unleashing a VIURS in one of the human world’s biggest shopping centers, West Edmonton Mall, she goes undercover as a human. But once Pepper's theories of humanity collide with the reality of bullies, cliques, and environmental destruction, will she still believe humanity's worth saving?

First Sentence:

In The City, crime never slept.

I tend to either love or hate books with faeries, with no room for a middle ground feeling concerning them. True Grime hit the nail on the head with an original take on faeries, having them be protectors of the human race with the bonus of including some pretty funny bantering between Pepper and Harley (partners as Grime cops).
     True Grime is the first book I have read were the faeries are the main focus of the story, and where humans take a very backseat role. Given that, I was definitely impressed with how things played out and with how well the story flowed and the interactions between the characters (like the "relationship" of Pepper and Harley).

One of the things I liked most about True Grime was the build up to the confrontation with Claude, and that the ending of the book was just as good as the beginning and did not fizzle out. By far one of the better fairy books I have read.
I also (really) liked how even the MC weren't spared from being maimed in the line of duty. Why, because it seems like in most books/shows the main characters get hurt but then few minutes later they are all fine-and-dandy again, so I was very impressed with how Ms. Deen added in the very real fact that people (or fairies in the case of True Grime) get hurt. It definitely gave the characters a little more humanity.

Pepper, definitely one interesting and slightly crazy in an orderly way characters I've read about in a while. The one personality trait of hers, that endeared her as a character to me, would have to be that as a Grime cop she did things by the book. I thought that one trait made her interesting since most cop characters in books (or shows) tend to be...unorthodox.
I loved Pepper, she made me laugh and managed to even catch me off guard (see my favorite scene to find out how she shocked me).
      Even though his name, Claude, does not exactly strike fear at the ringing of his name I thought that he made for an interesting adversary for Pepper and Harley. While his deeds and how he planned on accomplishing it, trying to wipe out the human population out, was pretty well thought out and realistic. I thought what truly made him a worthy foe for Pepper and Harley was the fact that there was history between them (the deaths of both of their fathers at his hands) made it all the more absorbing because they were both willing to do anything to put an end to his schemes.

Picking my favorite scene for True Grime was definitely one of the easiest ones I've done in a while. The best scene was when Pepper did something extremely out of character, like, go completely against the rules of a Grime, especially since Pepper always does things by the book. What made this the best scene of True Grime was that it was so very convincing and left me completely agog (I was like did she just do that!!!).
      The one draw back to True Grime that I came across while reading it was that it was just a tad slow on taking off and pulling me into the story. But once it did get going I was absolutely enthralled by the this book

Final Verdict: True Grime a fascinating spin on fairies.

True Grime earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.

About: Natasha Deen-

When I was little, there was only one thing I wanted to be: a superhero. But there came a day when my dreams were broken, and that was the day I realized that being a klutz was not, in fact, a super power, and my super weakness for anything bright and shiny meant a magpie with self-control could easily defeat me in a battle of wills. I turned to writing as a way to sharpen my mental super-hero skills. I don’t get to orbit the earth in a space station (and thank God, because I get sick on merry go round), but I do get to say things like: “Stand aside! This is a job for Writing Girl!!”

You can haunt Natasha on-
Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Website

The Next Stop:
November 15-Just One More Paragraph (Review, Interview, Giveaway)

Purchase Links:
Amazon | BarnesAndNoble

Angel Sanctuary 2

2011-11-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Angel Sanctuary 2 by Kaori Yuki, 2004 (originally published in 2000). 192 pages. Published by Viz Media. Source: Borrowed.

The most insane creatures in the nine planes of heaven and nine planes of hell are all telling messed-up teenager, Setsuna, that he is the reincarnation of an angel. That wouldn't be so bad except that some of these beings are trying to kill him and others want him to lead them in a revolt against God! All Setsuna wants to do is keep a sister he loves away from the dangerous creatures that are trying to harm her. Unfortunately some of the worst harm can come from Setsuna's love, which threatens to bloom into full-blown incest! How can he protect her from himself?!

First Sentence:

Hey!

I may have rambled just a wee bit in this review. o_O

Story:

I really thought that by the second volume of Angel Sanctuary I would have a better feel for both the storyline, characters, and just overall plot of the series; sadly, that is not the case. If anything, everything seems to be more muddled than before.

One of the things that is driving me crazy while reading this is that it seems like every chapter a new character is added, and that so much time is spent introducing them that nothing is getting ironed out and explained.

I did however like that this volume had more action and less of the Setsuna/Sara thing, as well as the conclusion to the storyline envolving Sara's friend.

What I am hoping will be covered more throughly in the next installment is the return to the mystery concerning the Angel Sanctuary game since that is what originally drew me into reading and continuing to read this series.

The one thing I did really enjoy about this volume of Angel Sanctuary was that you got to learn a little more about the mysterious Kira, the immortal guy who befriended Setsuna and kind of helps keep him alive. Even though I do not car for him much, I am finding that his role in the story is by far the most interesting.

Well, what I like least about this manga can be found in my thoughts on the characters, just below.

Character(s):

What is really preventing me from fully enjoying this manga is the twisted relationship between Setsuna and Sara...his sister. Now this would not bother me so much if one of them were adopted, but that they are blood siblings is just flat wrong and disturbing.

My other, main, problem with the characters is that there does not seem to be much in the way of character development. I mean, you have the same thing going round and round between Setsuna and Sara, and neither one seems to be capable of more than "I love him/her, but shouldn't because it's wrong".

Artwork:

While I may not be sold on the characters of Angel Sanctuary I am really enjoying Kaori Yuki's art work.
I really enjoy how with each of the panels you can feel the intensity of the feelings captured in the moment, from the violent fight scenes as both the angels and demons fought to either kill him or sway him to there side; as well...just all the panels. Truthfully the art of this manga is why I'm still reading this series.

Final Verdict: Angel Sanctuary 2 still not exactly sure how I feel about this series. *goes to ponder it some more*

Angel Sanctuary earns 3.5 out of 5 pineapples.

The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

ARC Review: Cold Cereal

YA Historical Fiction Challenge 2012

In My Mailbox (115) Some Shiny Bargin Books

Audiobook Review: The Probability of Miracles

Winner(s): Seventh Star Press Singles Giveaway

Wish List Wednesday (83)

Teaser Tuesday *ARC Edition* (76)

ARC Review: Scarlet

In My Mailbox (114) All These Lovely Covers

Audiobook Review: The Iliad

Wish List Wednesday (82)

Teaser Tuesday (75)

ARC Review: Angelina's Secret

Book(s) to Trade

In My Mailbox (113) IT IS HERE

The True Meaning of Smekday

Interview: Stephen Zimmer (author of The Rising Dawn Saga) + Give@way

Wish List Wednesday (81)

Teaser Tuesday (74)

The Silent Oligarch

Audiobook Review: The Outcasts

Wish List Wednesday (80)

Teaser Tuesday (73)

YA/MG Fantasy Challenge 2012

The Meerkat Wars

Marvelous Middle Grade Read-A-Thon

Vintage Reads: Books for the Voting 2012

In My Mailbox (112) Audiobook Round-Up

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Its My Birthday

Wish List Wednesday (79)

Teaser Tuesday (72)

Clear That Shelf Readathon

Carrier of the Mark

Audiobook Review: Superman on Trail

Three for One: Tackling My TBR Pile(s) in 2012

Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon

Winners: Mistwood/Nightspell Bookmarks & The Boy in the Suitcase audiobooks

Wish List Wednesday (78)

Re-Reading Challenge 2012

Teaser Tuesday (71)

Elemental Reality

YA Story Scavenger Hunt 2

In My Mailbox (111) Some Great Sounding Titles

ARC Review: Clockwork Prince

YA Story Scavenger Hunt 2011

Wish List Wednesday (77)

Teaser Tuesday (70) Infernal Devices Edition

Audiobook Review/Blog Tour: The Boy in the Suitcase + Giveaway

Clockwork Angel

Cover Reveal: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

In My Mailbox (110) To Excited for Words

Random Acts of Kindness (Nov-Dec)

Wish List Wednesday (76)

Teaser Tuesday (69)

Blog Tour Review: The Bronze and the Brimstone

Blog Tour/Review: The Lens and the Looker

Winner(s): Frightful Fall Reviewers Challenge (Super Late) & Dark Eden Goodies

Guest Post: Leah Cypress (Author of Mistwood and Nightspell) + Giveaway

In My Mailbox (109)The Time I Went to Three Different Library Sales

Audiobook DNF Review: Glow

Holiday Readathon

Wish List Wednesday (75)

Teaser Tuesday (68)

Guest Post: Piper Maitland (Author of Acquainted with the Night)

Audiobook Review: The Unwanteds

In My Mailbox (108) More Pretties Than I Know What to do With

Audiobook Review: Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome

Fullmetal Alchemist 3

Wish List Wednesday (74)

Teaser Tuesday (67) Inheritance Cycle Edition

Jacob Have I Loved

Cover Reveal: Battle Scars by Cesya Cuono

Wish List Wednesday (73)

Teaser Tuesday (66)

Blog Tour Review: True Grime

Angel Sanctuary 2

Teaser Tuesday ARC Edition (76)