Monday, October 31, 2011

About Poisons


Poisons. We’ve all heard of them, in murder mysteries, they are what could be a woman’s weapon of choice. Because that’s the stereotype. But you guys know that I got a RAK of Poison Study, and how much I loved it that I instantly fell in love with Maria V. Snyder’s writing, and am currently collecting the 4 books of hers that I don’t have. Plus I  can’t wait till Touch of Power comes out! And there’s a chance to get an ARC if you email her the answers for Outside In on her website!  

Anyway, poisons. They can kill, maim, harm, and are pretty much no good. Well, for the one that is receiving them. For the one that is using them, poisons can be seen as good. But they aren’t good-they’re killing or hurting someone. And that’s bad.

But there is a pretty neat history behind poisoning. Assassins used them to kill people that were wanted killed, and didn’t want there to be a trace to link back to them, and their employers. Especially in the times of Ancient Rome.
 Poisoning started over 4500 years, so it’s been around, and it’s been used in some pretty interesting ways, like this plant, the origin of poisons, it’s been believed, called in it’s Latin name, Strychnos toxifera, was used for darts and the like for killing. But it looks pretty harmless to me! Guess looks are deceiving! But aren’t there a lot of good-looking bad guys in our YA novels that we love to read? Like in Poison Study, Reyad was good looking, but that masked a rotten core.

A poison is anything that can harm someone if it is 1) used in the wrong way, 2) used by the wrong person, or 3) used in the wrong amount. Some poisons may be harmful if they come into direct contact with your eyes or skin. Others may be toxic if you breathe them or swallow them.

Some types of poisons are carbon dioxide, the plant believed to be the origin of poisons, can come in many forms, like solids as pills, liquids as cleaners like bleach, sprays like air fresheners, and gases, like carbon monoxide. But even water, salt and oxygen, things that are pretty much required to live, can be poisons, maybe deadly, in high enough concentrations.
Some more examples of poisons are:
  • Alcohol   
  • Carbon monoxide (CO) gas 
  • Medicines, such as prescription (painkillers, iron pills), over-the-counter (cough and cold medicines), and illegal drugs (cocaine, heroin)
  • Food supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbal products
  • Personal care products, such as nail polish and nail polish remover, cologne, aftershave, deodorant, mouthwash, hydrogen peroxide, makeup, soap, contact lens solution, lotion, baby oil, and diaper rash products
  • Household and automotive chemicals or products, including bleach, laundry or dish detergent, furniture polish, cleanser, drain and toilet bowl cleaner, antifreeze, gasoline, paint, varnish, bug and weed killers
  • Other household items (batteries, lighter fluid, alcohol, cigarettes)
  • Plants, including many house plants, outdoor plants, and mushrooms
  • Bites and stings, including scorpion, wasp, and bee stings, as well as snake and spider bites
  • Hazardous chemicals at work and in the environment
Some “how they can be” types of poison, acute and chronic:
Acute poisoning is being in contact to a poison on one occasion or during a short period of time. Symptoms develop in a short time after exposure to the poison. Absorption of a poison is necessary for systemic poisoning. Though some substances can act like poisons, they aren’t, like they destroy tissue but do not absorb, such as lye, are known as “corrosives” instead of poisons. Also, many common household medications aren’t labeled with skull and crossbones label of poison up there, although they can cause severe illness or even death. Medically speaking, poisoning can be caused by less dangerous substances than those receiving the legal classification of "poison" simply because they are harmful to people.

Chronic poisoning is long-term repeated or continuous exposure to a poison where symptoms do not occur immediately or after each exposure. The person exposed slowly becomes ill, or it takes a while for the symptoms to show. Chronic poisoning most commonly occurs following exposure to poisons that are in the sky, or are magnified because of the greenhouse gas effect, like as mercury and lead.

Then there’s toxicity and some other things that makes you think of poisons.
The words "toxic" and "poisonous" are similar, and yet, toxic doesn’t cover killings, because it’s natural, or if it’s man-made, it wasn’t made for the purpose  of killing. Or was it? Some symptoms and some information would be:

 “If the toxin was recently ingested, absorption of the substance may be able to be decreased through gastric decontamination. This may be achieved using activated charcoal, gastric lavage, whole bowel irrigation, or nasogastric aspiration. Routine use of emetics (syrup of Ipecac), cathartics or laxatives are no longer recommended.
Activated charcoal is the treatment of choice to prevent absorption of the poison. It is usually administered when the patient is in the emergency room or by a trained emergency healthcare provider such as a Paramedic or EMT. However, charcoal is ineffective against metals such as sodium, potassium, and lithium, and alcohols and glycols; it is also not recommended for ingestion of corrosive chemicals such as acids and alkalis.
Whole bowel irrigation cleanses the bowel, this is achieved by giving the patient large amounts of a polyethylene glycol solution. The osmotically balanced polyethylene glycol solution is not absorbed into the body, having the effect of flushing out the entire gastrointestinal tract. Its major uses are following ingestion of sustained release drugs, toxins that are not absorbed by activated charcoal (i.e. lithium, iron), and for the removal of ingested packets of drugs (body packing/smuggling).
Gastric lavage, commonly known as a stomach pump, is the insertion of a tube into the stomach, followed by administration of water or saline down the tube. The liquid is then removed along with the contents of the stomach. Lavage has been used for many years as a common treatment for poisoned patients. However, a recent review of the procedure in poisonings suggests no benefit. It is still sometimes used if it can be performed within 1 hour of ingestion and the exposure is potentially life threatening.
 Nasogastric aspiration involves the placement of a tube via the nose down into the stomach, the stomach contents are then removed via suction. This procedure is mainly used for liquid ingestions where activated charcoal is ineffective, e.g. ethylene glycol poisoning.
 Emesis (i.e. induced by ipecac) is no longer recommended in poisoning situations, because vomiting is ineffective at removing poison”

I have no clue what those things mean, but they looked interesting! And harmful!

I think that poisons are pretty bad, and that unless it’s for a person in the hospital for lethal injections at prisons for the death row prisoners, or for people who are dying and would like it painless in hospitals and hospices. And bugs, but they’re kinda not important, and as long as it doesn’t affect the ecosystem or do any other harm then killing the bugs. But that they shouldn’t be used to murder someone, or hurt them, or harm them. That’s just really bad! So I guess Valek would kinda be out of a job, huh?

The Quiz:

*Hint, follow the links!*


It's Monday! What Are You Reading #21, October 31th


It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #20
Teaser Tuesday #29
WWW Wednesday #29
WOW #25
Will the Time Come #22
Third Sentence Thursday #12

First Lines Friday #16
A-Z Reading Challenge Update #17
Follow that Blurb Reading Challenge Update #18

The Reward Challenge Round 8
Book Bloggger Hop #12
In My Mailbox #21

I Have An Update #19

Week 43 Reviews:
The Gathering
The Way We Fall
White Heat
Body Heat
Once a Witch
Always a Witch
The Juliet Spell
The Butterfly Clues
How to Be Popular
Ink Exchange
Fragile Eternity
Radiant Shadows
Darkest Mercy
Dragon Aster
Deviant

Tours:
Whatnots & Doodads; Review and Giveaway
Write-a-Thon; Guest Post
Jack Ranis and the Book of Labi; Review and Giveaway

Bout of Books:
Update 1
Update 2
Update 3
Update 4
Update 5
Update 6
Update 7
Update 8
Update 9
Update 10
Update 11
Update 12
Update 13
Update 14

OK, lot's of posts! 40 posts in 7 days, so yeah, happy with that. I definitely blame the Bout of Books read-a-thon for those 14 posts this week. That's almost like posting once a day for 2 weeks. So very happy with that!

So this week, I want to read The Undertaker, Tempest, Bridger, Jack Ranis and the Book of Labi, Image, The Accidental Activist, Lord of RageLord of the Woflyn, and Brightwing. Plus nanos, review books, netgalley books, PDFs. At least I'm cover almost all in here, because nanos I won't review on here, because that'd be in violation of their trust letting me read and review their books. Yep.

Happy Halloween! Hope you that trick or treat have some really scary and/or creeky costumes!

Currently Listening To: More Love by Dixie Chicks
Currently Reading: Image
Currently Watching: True Blood

Curiosity can kill more than cats, but when Pete Talbott found himself at the wrong end of Gino Parini's .45 reading his own obituary, it was a mystery he couldn't leave alone. From the cornfields of Ohio to the gritty slums of Chicago, a bloody kitchen in a Back Bay townhouse, New York's Washington Square, and the nation's Capitol itself, the hunt is on. Someone with a penchant for sharp scalpels and embalming tables is planting bodies under other people's names, and if Talbott doesn't stop them, he and his quirky new girlfriend Sandy Kasmarek will be next on the Undertaker's list. 
The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide
how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Ashlyn McVean doesn't believe in fairy tales. That is, until Ashlyn is thrown into the crosshairs of grudges her grandmother created long ago. After finding out she is one of two people able to cross between faerie realms, Ashlyn is faced with trying to understand her abilities, along with navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend, Liam. As if being on a centuries old hit list and dealing with crazed pixies isn't enough, her new abilities mean trouble for Liam. Knowing her new life puts everyone she loves in danger, Ashlyn must decide what's most important in her life between friends, family, love, and ultimately, realms.
Jack Ranis is a fifteen year old orphan who feels out of place in the only home he has ever known. When an accident nearly takes his life, he discovers a stranger from his past that takes him into a world he never imagined, a world where a magical land holds all the answers to his life story and reveals his true destiny.

After many years of war, the land of Brighton is finally at peace, but it is a peace that was never meant to last. Following in the footsteps of his father, Jack, with the aid of his friends, will risk everything to destroy the Book of the Labi and save the lives of all those he holds dear.


*there's going to be a new cover for Image, so I'll add it then*here is an ominous darkness, one that that is so dense and mind numbing that you can feel the chills race across your skin as the energy of the hatred behind it hovers near you. They thought that it was over…that he was dead….they never imagined that he was more powerful dead than he ever was alive. 

A war is on the brink of erupting in the dark dimension of Esterious, the victory Willow had a few days ago was nothing less than vague memory. With each thought she has she fights the images of Drake’s dark eyes, his words… his promises. Doubt seeps into her soul as she stares forward and what could only be the hardest battle she has faced thus far. 

Venus is meant to be the planet of love and peace….but when it falls into retrograde its influence changes. Matters of past relationships will surface; choices will be made with the mind and not the heart. Gateways to an evil that cannot be fathomed will open. Willow and Landen’s only defense is to hide their family away, and lock themselves in the palace that was once ruled by Donalt. The energy is heavy and dark within these walls…there is a presence that lingers and strikes at will. Cruel illusions are placed before Willow, but that is not even hardest part…what is hard is standing in room with Drake and Landen and listening to others tell you of lives that you cannot recall…for them to tell when and how you are going to die. 


Every prediction and theory is about to be proven wrong…and the choice before Willow’s heart holds the lives of millions at stake. The question is will be she be able to see through the illusions before her and make a choice…she can live with?

David meets Goliath in the law courts of England in the 1990's. The advent of the Internet is leveling the playing field as a multinational corporation tries to silence two young political activists in a riveting court case that captivates the political and business world's attention.

Princess Breena had been dreaming of her warrior lover when she was ripped from her Elden castle and thrown into a strange, dangerous realm. Lost and alone, she prayed for survival and vengeance for her stolen kingdom. She found both in a woodland cottage…in a dark bear of a man.

The golden-haired beauty had eaten his food and slept in his bed when Osborn found her. Though he wanted to awaken his virgin princess to carnal pleasures, Breena wanted more—including his warrior skills. Skills the once-legendary mercenary had long buried. Now Osborn had a choice—risk his life or deny his princess her fairy-tale ending.

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden.

To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance.

Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

For practical Reda Weston, nothing could explain how reading a sexy version of "Little Red Riding Hood" catapulted her into another realm—face-to-fang with the legendary wolf-creature who seduced women. A wolf who transformed into a dark, virile man….

Dayn cursed the Sorcerer that turned him wolfyn and damned him to a lonely fate. As a beast, he mated with women to gain strength.

Strength he needed to rescue his royal parents. But as a man, he craved Reda's heated, sizzling touch. With little time left, Dayn had to either embrace his wolf to save his kingdom…or fight it to save his woman.

Edgar and Mallory Battle are on the run after a spectacularly violent escape. Now, with a trail of bodies behind them, they need a hostage against the inevitable standoff with the police. Their first doesn't last long, thanks to sociopathic Mallory. Edgar has been hiding his brother's crimes since they were kids. Now he's torn between family loyalty and self-preservation.

They carjack Lucy Brightwing, a criminal fresh from her own heist, with a fortune of uncut gems hidden in her vehicle. She could escape - but she won't abandon her millions. She could kill the Battle brothers, but she has to be careful. For one thing, if the law investigates, they'll find her ill-gotten loot. For another, her own life is sacred. She's the last member of a Florida paleoindian tribe thought to be extinct - the Tequesta. With her share of the money she plans to buy, bribe and blackmail her way into her own ancestral tribal lands in the heart of the Everglades: a Tequesta nation.

Lucy leads the brothers into her beloved swamp, determined to kill them. But when she falls for Edgar she must decide whether to risk her heritage and the future of her tribe to save the doomed brothers.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Jack Ranis and the Book of Labi: Review and Giveaway

Jack Ranis is a fifteen year old orphan who feels out of place in the only home he has ever known. When an accident nearly takes his life, he discovers a stranger from his past that takes him into a world he never imagined, a world where a magical land holds all the answers to his life story and reveals his true destiny.

After many years of war, the land of Brighton is finally at peace, but it is a peace that was never meant to last. Following in the footsteps of his father, Jack, with the aid of his friends, will risk everything to destroy the Book of the Labi and save the lives of all those he holds dear.


My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book! It was funny, and Jack was pretty enthusiastic about some things of his world. And I really liked the powers and the idea of the different worlds! Really neat!

I really enjoyed Jack, as he discovers who his parents are, and how that affects him, and all the troubles he gets into, like when he first got to his world. And how he is with fighting, at least, in the beginning, it was fun to see him that way. Especially after seeing him at the beginning when he was play fighting.

The tiger-like creature on the cover? Love him? So cute, and so cool! I'd love to have a relationship like Jack has with him! That'd be just awesome!

I loved this book, so why don't you check out the giveaway below?

Author: Ryan Collins
Read: October 30th, 2011
Source: Review copy for tour
Reason Why: Sounded like an interesting!
Published: May 29th 2011
4/5 Hearts
3.5/5 Books
4/5 Stars









Giveaway:
I hosting a giveaway of this book, Jack Ranis and the Book of Labi. It'll be a ebook copy, and so it'll be International. I'll pick a winner via random.org on November 7th so you have till the end of the tour for you guys to enter.

To Enter:

In the comments, tell me something that you think you'd like about this book and your email.

For Bonus Entries, 1 each, (and if you've already done them for a previous giveaway, say that)

-follow this blog by GFC
-follow this blog by email
-follow me on twitter
-add this book on Goodreads


Bio:
Ryan Collins lives in Boise, Idaho with his two children Kaylee and Kasin, his dog Stewie, his cat Rosebud, and the love of his life, Brooke.

Contact and Buy AKA Links:
September 24 - Meet & Greet at The Virtual Book Tour Cafe
September 25 - Spotlight & Giveaway at http://giveawayblogdom.blogspot.com
September 28 - Guest Blogging at http://rhodesreview.com
September 30 - Guest Blogging & Giveaway at www.lorisreadingcorner.com
October 5 - Guest Blogging at http://www.madmoosemama.blogspot.com
October 6 - Author Interviewed at http://lisahaseltonsinterviewsandreviews.blogspot.com
October 7 - Guest Blogging & Giveaway at http://hotgossiphotreviews.blogspot.com
October 11 - Author Interviewed at http://riftwatcher.blogspot.com
October 13 - Author Spotlight at www.assistingauthors.com
October 17 - Guest Blogging at http://louisewise.blogspot.com
October 19 - Author Interviewed at http://margaret-paranormalromanceauthor.blogspot.com
October 21 - Guest Blogging at A-Z Publishing Services
October 23 - Guest Blogging at http://hmweasley-blog.blogspot.com
October 28 - Guest Blogging & Review at http://ink-puddle.blogspot.com
October 31 - Jack Ranis Review & Giveaway at Words I Write Crazy
November 2 - Guest Blogging at http://bookreaderaddictsgiveaways.blogspot.com

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of The Virtual Book Tour Cafe' and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by The Virtual Book Tour Cafe', no payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Update 14

Finished Deviant! Really good, glad that I'm never going to a school like it, and yeah. Good book!

My Progress Thus Far:

Body Heat by Brenda Novak:
Started on: page 40
Pages Read: (441-40) 401
Finished: October 25th 12:10 am

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Started on: page 32
Pages Read: (314-32)=282
Finished: October 24th 8:40 pm

The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees
Pages Read: 267
Finished: October 25th 2:10 pm

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Pages Read: 292
Finished: October 25th 12:30 pm

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Pages Read: 276
Finished: October 25th 5:40 pm

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Pages Read: 330
Finished: October 27th 6:00 pm

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 325
Finished: October 26th 4:30 pm

How to be Popular by Meg Cabot
Pages Read: 288
Finished: October 27th 11:50 pm

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 389
Finished: October 28th 3:50 pm

Deviant by Adrian McKinty
Pages Read: 362
Finished: October 30th 7:30 pm

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 340
Finished: October 28th 8:40 pm

Dragon Aster by S. J. Wist
Pages Read: 198
Finished: October 29th 9:20 am

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 327
Finished: October 29th 6:40 pm

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Pages Read: 470
Finished: October 30th 5:50 pm

Total Pages Read: 4517
Total Books Read: 14
What I'm Reading Next: Tempest

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Update 13

Read Before I Fall, really great book, loved it, want to read more (and I have Delirium on request from the library, and it's coming to me!) Yep. And I hope to have at least 1 more update before this is done!

My Progress Thus Far:

Body Heat by Brenda Novak:
Started on: page 40
Pages Read: (441-40) 401
Finished: October 25th 12:10 am

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Started on: page 32
Pages Read: (314-32)=282
Finished: October 24th 8:40 pm

The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees
Pages Read: 267
Finished: October 25th 2:10 pm

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Pages Read: 292
Finished: October 25th 12:30 pm

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Pages Read: 276
Finished: October 25th 5:40 pm

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Pages Read: 330
Finished: October 27th 6:00 pm

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 325
Finished: October 26th 4:30 pm

How to be Popular by Meg Cabot
Pages Read: 288
Finished: October 27th 11:50 pm

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 389
Finished: October 28th 3:50 pm

Deviant by Adrian McKinty
Currently On: page 180 of 362

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 340
Finished: October 28th 8:40 pm

Dragon Aster by S. J. Wist
Pages Read: 198
Finished: October 29th 9:20 am

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 327
Finished: October 29th 6:40 pm

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Pages Read: 470
Finished: October 30th 5:50 pm

Total Pages Read: 4335
Total Books Read: 13
What I'm Reading Next: Living Dead in Dallas

In My Mailbox #20, October 30th-October Week 5

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren to talk about the books we got in the mailbox or inbox as the case may be!

So this week I got (a lot):

For Review:
Image

Library:
Before I Fall
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
The Dead Tossed Waves
The Dark and Hollow Places
Glow
Where She Went
Quinn
The Scorch Trials
Enclave

NetGalley:
Seraphina

I Have an Update! #19, October 30th

New Titles: Speak Out

New Plots:
This Mad Situation: Everybody’s gone mad. It was because of the new fuel, and the air from a new planet. And everything has shut down. Can we contact some of the other colonies before it’s too late and there’s no one left?
The Aesthetic of Suffering: Artists are known for being a bit eccentric, like the one who cut off his ear. Then an artist requited a few others to document their pain, and showcase it to the world. When all end up dead, what will happen?
Those Who Don't Mind Don't Matter...At Least That's What I Keep Telling Myself: Shay likes making fun of people, it’s almost her job as queen bee of the popular girls. But when one remark ends up with a girl dead, she realizes that she should stop. But can she give up her position and her popularity?
Rip the Lies that Bind: Lies have become a currency, the more you lie, and the more it’s believed, the more money you have. Will the mystery between Joy-Anne Truth and Joy-Anne Lie ever be solved?  
Speak Out: Some aliens come to earth, and they enslave humanity, and they get 2 girls who are pretty good at fighting, and they fight until they’re overpowered, and are taken to the ship to be taken to the alien’s home world, and they have a plan, and cause all sorts of disruptions.

Monthly Word Count: 267 327. Could've been better, but oh, well.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Update 12

Finished Darkest Mercy! So good! Loved it!!!

My Progress Thus Far:

Body Heat by Brenda Novak:
Started on: page 40
Pages Read: (441-40) 401
Finished: October 25th 12:10 am

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Started on: page 32
Pages Read: (314-32)=282
Finished: October 24th 8:40 pm

The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees
Pages Read: 267
Finished: October 25th 2:10 pm

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Pages Read: 292
Finished: October 25th 12:30 pm

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Pages Read: 276
Finished: October 25th 5:40 pm

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Pages Read: 330
Finished: October 27th 6:00 pm

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 325
Finished: October 26th 4:30 pm

How to be Popular by Meg Cabot
Pages Read: 288
Finished: October 27th 11:50 pm

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 389
Finished: October 28th 3:50 pm

Deviant by Adrian McKinty
Currently On: page 180 of 362

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 340
Finished: October 28th 8:40 pm

Dragon Aster by S. J. Wist
Pages Read: 198
Finished: October 29th 9:20 am

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Pages Read: 327
Finished: October 29th 6:40 pm

Total Pages Read: 3865
Total Books Read: 12
What I'm Reading Next: The Accidental Activist

Week 43 Review: Deviant

From Goodreads:
Danny Lopez is new in town. He made a mistake back home in Las Vegas, and now he has landed at an experimental school in Colorado for "tough cases." At the Cobalt Charter School, everything is scripted—what the teachers say, what the students reply—and no other speaking is allowed. This supercontrolled environment gives kids a second chance to make something of themselves. But with few freedoms, the students become sitting ducks for a killer determined to "clean up" Colorado Springs.

My Review:
I really hope that I don't ever have to go to a school like CJHCS, with the no-talking, the scripted lessons, "triangulation," uniforms with gloves, and the such. That would be a kind of hell, I think. But I like all the reading they do! Because I love reading. But you guys know that.

The mystery in this book was really good! I kinda figured out some things before the end, but the ending? Didn't figure that out at all! Just amazing! I love mystery, and I love YA, and so that was pretty good that this book had both! Really liked that!

The relationship I was a bit iffy on, because it just was hardly there, and there were a lot of slights, and it wasn't the conflict that I enjoy in the relationships in my books. But there was some conflict that I did like, so it all balanced out.

Really liked this book, so check it out if you can!

Author: Adrian McKinty
Read: October 27th-30th, 2011
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded like a good book!
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: October 1st 2011
4/5 Hearts
3/5 Books
3/5 Stars

Week 43 Review: Dragon Aster

From Goodreads:
Sybl has endured the first years of being a teenager both unloved and forgotten. When an Awl takes her from Earth to the realm of Aster, she will discover a place where fantasy is the reality. A world of dragons. But that will not be all that she finds.

Still distraught from having lost his best friend, Cirrus has tried to move on with his life. His world is falling apart, and it is a fight the High Guard cannot win. All that remains is a Prophecy from the ghostly memories of those he loved. A Prophecy that a Fay would return to Aster, restoring the balance of life and death. For without her, his kind will side with the forces of war. An onslaught of destruction would follow, and he is a dragon tired of death.

When he finds Sybl, he takes it on himself to become her protector. Within her memories, she holds one from the friend he lost. She may be the last hope that the Prophecy has yet to come about. But he will have to outfly the shadows from his past first, for the demon who is after them does not fear a death it can weave.

Wake to a world tangled in the Threads of Fate.

Dream back the memories that can save it.


My Review:
Really good book! I wish that there'd been a glossary of people and terms, and a family tree so some things would make sense, but I got it about halfway through. Well, most of it. The near end really helped with understanding. It just might've been helpful to have some of it ahead of time. Yep.

Loved the characters, there were a lot of funny parts, and Sybl has a lot of "guys" and I use the term loosely, since there were a few species that found her attractive, and yeah, she wasn't used to that. But that just made her stronger. Plus, she was really funny!

I have a few questions about her back, but I think they might be linked to why she was where she was in the beginning. And that just might make sense. Yep.

Loved the ending! So good! Such a cliffhanger! We don't know if it's going to have a good ending or not, it's just paused, and nothing is going to happen until the next book (whenever it comes out, hopefully soon, though) comes out and I read it!! Want to now, though!!!

Such a great book once you understand what some words mean, and yeah. Read it!!!!

Author: S. J. Wist
Series: Dragon Aster Trilogy #1
Read: September 6th-October 29th, 2011
Source: Author for review
Reason Why: Loved the sound of it! Wanted to read more!
Publisher: Infinity Dreamt
Published: September 4th 2011
4/5 Hearts
4/5 Books
4/5 Stars

Week 43 Reviews: Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity, Radiant Shadows, Darkest Mercy




From Goodreads:
To 17-year-old Leslie, the tattoo is a thing of indescribable beauty, a captivating mark that she must make her own. But this subtle web of eyes and wings brings with it a transformation that no sweet young girl would ever imagine or welcome. Like its predecessor, this stand-alone sequel to Wicked Lovely plunges its youthful heroine into a faery world of almost constant peril. A tantalizing urban fantasy that won't let go.

From Goodreads:
Aislinn never expected to rule in Faerie--but that was before Keenan stole her mortality to make her a monarch. Now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever dreamed of.

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone--but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he's ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on a new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.

From Goodreads:
Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death.

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

From Goodreads:
The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . .
and some will lose everything.

My Review: 
Wow. Just wow. I LOVED these books! Of the Wicked Lovely series, I love the stories of Wicked Lovely, and Radiant Shadows the best, because the first, the beginning, and a pretty happy ending. Radiant Shadows, because so many things happen that were really fun to read about. Which is kinda funny, because the cover I like least is Radiant Shadows because something feels a bit off. Anyways.

A lot happens in these books, lots of developments that were just amazing to read, and I know that it's just the perfect ending, all that should be happy, are. Though I wish we got a bit more of the Fey world and some of the people there then what we got, so we could see everybody happy. Oh, well.

Reading Fragile Eternity, I was a bit confused, because it seemed like something was going on between 2 characters, and then I realized that there was, but is was because of me not reading the 2.5 book, which I can't really, because it has to be bought as an e-book as far as I know. And I hope that Leslie is brought back. Because I really liked her, and don't want her just out of the series. Yep.

These were awesome, amazing, incredible, heart-breaking, heart-creating books that you just have to read!

Author: Melissa Marr
Series: Wicked Lovely #2, 3, 4, 5
Read: October 25th-26th, 26th-28th, 28th, 28th-29th, 2011
Source: Library
Reason Why: I really enjoyed Wicked Lovely, it was so fantastic, so I had to read the rest of the series!
Publisher: HarperTeen, HarperCollins
Published: May 1st 2008, May 28th 2009, April 20th 2010, February 22nd 2011

Ink Exchange: 
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








Fragile Eternity:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








Radiant Shadows:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








Darkest Mercy: 
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars