Teaser Tuesday #3

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

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share 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! ...............

Title: Thirst
Author: Claire Farrell
Series: Ava Delaney #1

About the book (from GR):

“Ava Delaney calls herself a hybrid - a living, breathing human who happens to have vampire poison running through her veins. The only thing greater than her thirst for human blood is her capacity for guilt. She does her best to avoid the human world, for everyone's sake.

When Ava accidentally enslaves a human while saving him from a vampire, she realises she has to look for help setting him free. Despite her misgivings, she expands her world but finds herself dragged into a possible vampire civil war. With the help of some new friends with ambiguous loyalties, she tries to find a way to keep her human, and herself, alive."

Pictures: Toothless "Vampire" Skeleton Unearthed in Bulgaria

I know this post isn't about the books, but I just came across this and found it really interesting.

Pictures: Toothless "Vampire" Skeleton Unearthed in Bulgaria

Shelf Candy Saturday #3

This meme where the designer, photographer and/or illustrator of a favorite cover is featured is hosted by Five Alarms Book Reviews. I loved the idea since I always want to read a book when the cover is gorgeous. Bad habit, I know!

...............This week I chose the cover of a book I was reading earlier this week.

Title: Grasping at Eternity
Author: Karen Amanda Hopper
Cover Designer: Alexandra Shostak

About her:

"Alexandra Shostak is a 2011 Ohio University graduate with big dreams for her writing. However, her claim to fame as of now is the illustrative work she has done for a new young-adult science fiction book, "Tangled Tides," written by Karen Amanda Hooper."

Source: Athens News <- Click the link to read the rest of the article. Alexandra Shostak's blog
Facebook Page

There's also a blog post which explains the making of the cover: YA Confidential

And here's some of her pre-made book covers.

What do I love about the cover:

The cover is actually very tied to the story. Almost, if not everything, has something to with it. The peacock feathers, the clocks that blend into the background on the top right corner and the bottom left corner, the infinite sign extended from the "Y" and even the the twinkling stars in the title. I also love the colors in it. The very simple white combined colors of the feathers and the font in it.

SIGNED 'Golden Lily' Giveaway! (International)

For a chance to win a signed copy of Golden Lily by Richelle Mead head over to Rotten Apple Reads. The raffle closes today!

Book Trailer Thursday #2

I'm not sure who started this meme, all I know is it wasn't me.If anyone knows please let me know.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

About the book (from Good Reads):

Title: My Soul to Take
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Harlequin Sneak Peek Compilation

Title: Vampires, Banshees and Angels
Author(s):Julie Kagawa, Rachel Vincent, Michelle Rowen, and Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin UK

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. This is a sneak peek compilation of works from four different authors. It's the perfect way to get readers hooked in the stories and their characters. I was already interested in Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Take, but I wanted a taste of the other three before deciding if I wanted to read them or not. Now, I'm very interested in all four books, but The Girl in the Steel Corset piqued my curiosity the most because now I want to know what Griff means when he keeps repeating she could be one of "them".

Review: Grasping at Eternity by K.A. Hooper

Title: Grasping at Eternity
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper

Grasping at Eternity is the first book in the Kindrily series. I'll admit what first drew me to the book was the cover and it was great discovering, as I read the story, everything on it has an actual meaning and it wasn't just there to make it look pretty. Although, it also serves that purpose. Also, the story deals with two themes I've always found interesting, reincarnation and soul mates, which piqued my curiosity further. So, it was not surprising when the book grabbed me from the first chapter and kept its hold until the very end.

Out of all the characters, the one I probably felt the most for was Nathaniel. I thought he was sweet and tragic. It was heartbreaking seeing him gain and loose hope over and over again through out the story. It was, also, very hard not to want to comfort him, especially when the points of view alternated between him and Maryah. I got to know what he was going through first hand and not just because of an observation coming from another character. I'm also curious about that big secret he's hiding from everyone, although I've began forming an idea of what it might be.

I didn't give the book 5 stars because, although it was very engaging, it had the same slow and steady pace almost all the way through it and I would have liked more hints at why Maryah took the decision to erase her memories.

I'm certainly anticipating the second book in the series and getting to know more about the characters and the secrets they keep.

My Rating:

Note: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity.

Waiting on Wednesday #3

Waiting on Wednesday is meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It showcases upcoming releases that you are just dying to sink your teeth into.

This week I'll be featuring:

Title: Lover At Last
Author: J.R. Ward
Expected publication date: March 26, 2013

About the book (from Good Reads):

The eleventh novel in the stunning #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series--the hotly anticipated story that finally unites Blay and Qhuinn...forever.

-------------

If you follow the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, you will know the history behind Blay and Qhuinn and why I'm so eagerly anticipating this book. I'm glad they finally have their chance and I think it was about time. She should have written this before Payne's (that book was a filler in my opinion and not very interesting).

Team Daemon Bookmark!

On Friday, I won a bookmark while supporting Team Aiden, on the YA Crush Tourney which is hosted by The YA Sisterhood, on a twitter giveaway.

It was by coincidence that I won because I didn't know there was one going on. When I received the RT tweet telling me I was a winner, I scratched my head and thought, How did I win?

So, I looked up the tweets and it was when I tweeted the “Cookie scene teaser" incentive which, as soon as I saw it, I felt needed to be shared on every possible account I had, even with friends who haven't read the book, and even with those who don't read...lol Thanks to Valerie over @ Stuck in Books. I love it!

Teaser Tuesday #2

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

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share 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! ...............

Title: Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily Series #1)
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper

Teasers: (Around 4% on Kindle)

*I stared at the black sky and blurry stars, yearning to see the angel’s face again.

*The sensation of floating up into the sky felt nostalgic— like I belonged there.

About the book (From Good Reads):

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories.

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her.

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be.

X-MEN meets MY NAME IS MEMORY in Karen Amanda Hooper’s latest young adult release.

Song of the Day

JYJ- Get Out

Review: Pretty Unlikely by Emily Hodson

I became interested in reading this book because it seemed to deal with a theme (within the paranormal) I had never explored before. But soon after I started reading the book, I began to struggle with it.

For starters, there’s some gender-subject disagreements. The author kept referring to a host, male, in a restaurant as a hostess. And I quote:

-“A tall, dark-haired, handsome hostess came up to us and smiled with his pearly whites and dimples.” (Page 18)
- “The hostess kind of reminded me of Jared Padalecki,…” (Page 18)
- "First, I saw the handsome dark-haired Jared Padalecki look-a-like hostess at Angie's Italian Restaurant." (Page 36)

I could have gladly overlooked that if it wasn’t for the way situations were handled in the book and for the reactions the characters had to those situations. I felt they were either completely blown out of proportion (even for a teenager who just had to move to a new place away from all she knew) or too downplayed (like the too easy acceptance of a creepy looking creature).

The only part of the book which did have me intrigued was finding out what the “tap, tap, tap” thing in the closet was and once the cat was out of the bag, there was little, or nothing, keep my interest since I didn’t find the characters interesting either.

I’ll just say the book was not for me and there might be readers out there who might enjoy despite the fact that I didn’t.

Random quotes:

“I stuffed my face with more spaghetti and I felt like a pig. I had been left too long without food. I liked food, it was good anyways but still, I needed three meals a day at least.” “The kitchen counter was so dirty I nearly puked. There was an old banana peel and bread crumbs scattered all over when I brought the supplies to make a PB&J on the counter.”

“’No Isaiah!’ I yelled in a high whisper.”

“ ‘Doesn't mean you need to strangle him. You have so much to learn you crazy bastard.’ I playfully punched Isaiah in the arm as we slowly opened the front door.”

My Rating:

Note: I received a free copy through Read 2 Review in exchange for an honest review.

Shelf Candy Saturday #2

This meme where the designer, photographer and/or illustrator of a favorite cover is featured is hosted by Five Alarms Book Reviews, I loved the idea since I always want to read a book when the cover is gorgeous. Bad habit, I know!

...............This week I chose a series because I love all the covers.

Book Series: Covenant
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Designer: Kate Kaynak

What I love about the covers:

Well for starters I love flowers. And the flowers on these covers don't look like just another flower, they have an ethereal quality to them, which is enhanced by the tendrils of smoke rising from them. I also like that they are something different from what appears on almost every cover these days; the beautiful girl in a gorgeous gown or a hot guy which is even more tempting to just grab the book without even reading the synopsis (not that I'm complaining...LOL).

I found an interview made by another blogger @A Backward Story <--Click There's actually another cover. It's just as beautiful and keeps the flower and elements theme, this time by representing water, but find myself more mesmerized by the smokey ones. Elixir is a novella in the covenant series: Covenant #3.5

YA Crush Tourney Incentive

I've been waiting all day just for this! *Swoon*

Cookie Scene in film (special feature from Onyx)
Source: Jennifer Armentrout's Blog

For the rest of the incentives for Team Aiden check out the author's blog!

Review: Fifty Shames of Earl Grey

Title: Fifty Shames of Earl Grey
Author: Andrew Shaffer
Publisher: Perseus Books Group (Da Capo Press)
Note: This is NOT a YA book.

“Oh, not another one of those books..."
Those were my initial thoughts when I saw the cover of Fifty Shames of Earl Grey, before I even read the title (and the author's name). I had thought the book was from the “original" series. Honest mistake, “my bad..."

I won't go into details about the plot of the book because I think everyone knows what FSoG is about, but I will say FSoEG is the fun version of that plot.

The author kept the essence of the source it mocks, but it was better because I knew this was meant to be a comedy. Everything was there: the absurdity of the dialogue, the cheesy double entendre, even the over repetition of words and phrases that nearly drove me to the brink of insanity in FSoG, but simply made me howl with laughter in this book.

While reading we revisit some of the well known scenes, like the “tampon" one, which was of course hilarious and has a few twists (or maybe tricks) of its own. But as funny as that was remade, I have to say my favorite one was the first sex scene, I couldn't stop laughing when I realized what he was going to do.

This book is a must read, if you have a sense humor. But if you think FSoG is the greatest series that has ever been written since the beginning of time and take offense easily, you might not find it as funny as I did. At the end of the book, the author also attaches a list of Earl Grey's fifty shames, which is the icing on the cake.

Although I did love and thoroughly enjoyed the book, I felt it dragged a little in some parts and maybe it would have been better if it was a bit shorter.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating:

Godfrey Gao, Lena Headey and Jared Harris in City of Bones!

City of Bones has new cast members and I'm quite happy with the choices!

Godfrey Gao as Magnus Bane

Lena Headey as Jocelyn Fray

Jared Harris as Hodge.

Mini Review

Title: Shadow Days (Nightshade, #0.5)
Author: Andrea Cremer

I'm thinking of starting the series soon, so I decided to read this first.

I like the way Andrea Cremer writes and, at the beginning, the narration of the story through Shay's PoV (who doesn't seem to be very well liked by some of the other readers and now I want to know why because he seems likable enough in this) pulled me in.

At some point, the story becomes too rushed and that kind of broke the spell I was in. This can be especially seen in the last part of it. I didn't feel a sense of urgency because of the immediate danger he was in or desperation, not even the shock he mentions while trying to get away.


Rating: 3.5

Book Trailer Thursday #1

I'm not sure who started this meme, all I know is it wasn't me.If anyone knows please let me know.

I chose this because it's one of the books I will be starting as soon as I finish reading the ones I need to review. Also, the trailer looks awesome, almost like a movie trailer which is really tempting me to start the book, like right now.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Book Trailer:


About the book:

From Good Reads:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday is meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It showcases upcoming releases that you are just dying to sink your teeth into.

This week I'll be featuring:

Title: Onyx
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: August 14, 2012

From GR:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarre connection. I’ve sworn him off even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But against all common sense, I’m falling for him. Hard.

Our relationship issues aren’t out biggest problem…

The Department of Defense is here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And when a new boy shows up a school with a secret of his own, things get complicated fast. I need to choose between my own instincts and Daemon’s.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. Daemon’s never going to stop searching until gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies.
...............
I loved the first book in this series and I can't wait to know what road the story is going head down on.

Teaser Tuesday #1

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

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share 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! ...............

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie

Somewhere in Chapter 2:
-The tiny feeling of loss deep within my heart surprises me.
-I should know better than to use such an archaic, inaccurate term.

Song of the Day

SPICA- Painkiller

They are one of the very few K-pop girl groups I like.

Reading Playlist:

You know how some authors have a writing playlist, well I have my own reading playlist. Each Monday I will choose either a random or book I liked the most the week before.

This week I chose to post the list of songs I listened to while reading Veronica Roth's Divergent. I just finished it and I loved it!

Songs:

1. Daughtry - Crawling Back To You
2. Lifehouse - Halfway Gone
3.James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado- Broken Strings
4. MBLAQ- Can't Come Back
5. Thirty Seconds to Mars- The Kill
6. MBLAQ- Run
7. Wu Vanness- Is This All?

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

“Why hadn't I read this before?" That was the first thought that entered my mind as soon as I finished the book. I loved the adventured filled world Veronica Roth created in Divergent. It's definitely one of my favorites this year.

I liked Tris. I didn't love her, but she sincerely made me like her and that's not something every YA “heroine" manages to do. But as much as I liked her, I would have liked to see her struggle a bit more throughout the story in terms of her initiation. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Four. Sometimes I loved him and the things he did and others he just seemed bland and unexciting. But at the end, I decided I just loved him, even with all his flaws.

The story was fast paced and adventure filled (but I've already mentioned that before). When I'm reading a book, more times that I'd care to admit, even when I end up loving the it, there's a moment when I always think “Something happen... Now... Soon... Please?". That did not happen with Divergent since there isn't an idle moment in it.

Yes, I do realize the book is not perfect. Like sometimes I felt some of the characters where too uni-dimensional and I could care less what happened with them. But the thing is, I wasn't looking for perfection. I was looking for entertainment and this book gave it to me.

My Rating

Mini Review

My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

I downloaded this for free here on GR.

This is the first story I have read from this author and I have to say that she has a way with words. The way she writes seems to make everything come to life right before my eyes while I read. I couldn't help but feel like I was one of those people in Sears watching Kaylee go into her screaming fit.

This prequel piece is the perfect way to start the series. And I definitely enjoyed it and was intrigued enough to want to read the first book. I hope the rest of the series is just as good.

My Rating:

Song of the Day

Linkin Park- Burn It Down

Review: Any Love But Mine by Debbie Davies

Title: Any Love But Mine
Author: Debbie Davies

.............I usually love everything related to mythology, especially Greek mythology, but possibly because of the writing style I wasn’t able to become fully immersed in the story, even though the plot was interesting at times and I found it had potential.

The story’s abrupt start was kind of confusing, but the reason behind that might be Acacia’s own abrupt “coming to be” and confusion. I liked the way her Erosian powers are explained and, I have to say, I liked the way the twining of auras worked.

For me, the story starts to get more interesting when Josh appears. Also, the unveiling of who he is doesn’t come as a surprise at all, since all the signs were there from the moment he appeared and Acacia seemed to be the only one who hadn’t realized anything yet.

I found that the love story didn’t really pull me. It felt a little shallow and, then, fickle when Acacia’s feelings seemed to have changed in a too small amount of time, which is when the story also gets a little bit weird, when Acacia arrives to the Underworld. It felt like too much wanted to be fit into one book and this part of the story would have worked better in a sequel. Maybe it would have even given me time to fall a little for Luca.

I found the characters were superficial, especially Acacia. She has less control over her own feelings than the mortals she pairs up.

I also found quite a bit of grammatical mistakes.

I rated this two stars, possibly two and a half, since I did enjoy a few parts of the story.

My Rating:

P.S. I love the cover of the book.

Thanks to the Shut Up and Read Group and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Shelf Candy Saturday #1

This meme where the designer, photographer and/or illustrator of a favorite cover is featured is hosted by Five Alarms Book Reviews, I loved the idea since I always want to read a book when the cover is gorgeous. Bad habit, I know!

This week the cover I chose is from one of the books I added this week to my TR list.

Book: Betrayal
Author: Mayandree Michel
Designer: Samantha Oyola

I loved the cover because, besides it being beautiful, it reflects its themes: fantasy and Greek mythology, see the Parthenon on the top left side of the cover? I also love the beautiful dress the model is wearing. It blends nicely with the background, yet it grabs your attention.

Song of the Day

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

You might notice I'm a Kelly Clarkson fan...:D

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Waiting on Wednesday is meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It showcases upcoming releases that you are just dying to sink your teeth into.

This week I'll be featuring:

ICED
by Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever World #1/ Dani O'Malley #1
Publication Date: October 30th

From Amazon:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.\

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

----------------------
The Fever Series is one of my most favorite book series and I can't wait to read more about the Fever World. I'm also hoping for a Barrons cameo <3 (He's my #1 "book boyfriend")...