Drum Roll, please!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Cover Reveal: The Collector
So here's something that I bet you want to see, the just released cover for the drool-worthy book coming out March 2013, The Collector by Victoria Scott!
Drum Roll, please!
Drum Roll, please!
May RAK Wrap Up
So May was my birthday month (go being an adult at 18!) and I got/am getting 2 RAK's! The first from Amanda @ The Vintage Bookworm, and if you've been to my blog before, well, there's a new background/an actual header, and buttons! So I got a blog design as a birthday RAK, and I love it! So thank you, Amanda! Check out her blog design blog @ Vintage Bookworm Designs!
I also am getting a RAK from Mary @ Sweeping Me, of a bolded book from my wish list, while it hasn't come in yet, I'm hoping that it'll be coming in sometime next week, hopefully Monday! I can't wait to see it, and then I can plan what I'm going to buy with birthday money. Yep.
So what's your RAK? Check out the other May RAK Wrap Up posts at Book Soulmates!
Random Reads #27, May 31th
Third Sentence Thursday #42, May 31st
1) Take the book you are currently reading and open it to a random page. Share the third full sentence on that page. (If there isn't a third one – like at the end of a chapter or a blank page – you can share the third sentence of the book or just choose another random page.) Feel free to share more than one sentence, if you feel the need to do so.
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence at Proud Book Nerd, host of this wonderful meme! Well, for this month while Proud Book Nerd is hosting a month-long event, I'll be hosting Third Sentence Thursday.
4) Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentences!
"So I agree." -Insurgent by Veronica Roth, page 32.
That's a very short 3rd line! So go on, guess who is agreeing and to what!
And since I'm the host this week, here's the link upage below!
Will the Time Come #52, May 31th
Every Thursday I am going to list a book which I really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! Thanks to Jodie from Books for Company for this meme!
Want to Join?
-Pick a book you have been meaning to read
-Do a post telling us about the book
-Link the post up in the linky
-Visit the other blogs
Eden Black walks among humans, protecting them from the murderous evil of other-worlders who abduct and enslave. And though she appears to be human herself, Eden is an alien, a Raka, distinguished by her golden hair and skin, and gifted with the ominous ability to kill without remorse -- and with total accuracy. That is, until the fateful night she has one shot to eliminate her target, a human slaver -- and misses.
"Failure" is not in Eden's vocabulary. Neither is "partner" -- but that's what she is forcibly assigned after recovering from her disastrous mission. A sexy, steely-nerved human agent, Lucius Adaire enjoys nothing more than sparking the fury -- and rousing the desire -- of the fiery female assassin too proud to admit defeat. Locked in an assignment they cannot afford to lose, Lucius and Eden find themselves bound in two high-stakes, heart-pounding games: the sensual web of kill or be killed, and the erotic dance of seduction.
"Failure" is not in Eden's vocabulary. Neither is "partner" -- but that's what she is forcibly assigned after recovering from her disastrous mission. A sexy, steely-nerved human agent, Lucius Adaire enjoys nothing more than sparking the fury -- and rousing the desire -- of the fiery female assassin too proud to admit defeat. Locked in an assignment they cannot afford to lose, Lucius and Eden find themselves bound in two high-stakes, heart-pounding games: the sensual web of kill or be killed, and the erotic dance of seduction.
Why the time hasn't come yet...
I've only just had time to request it from my library, and it's in, and I hope to read it tomorrow! I love Gena Showalter's writing, must read more of this series beyond the first one which is one of the only 3 Gena Showalter books my library has. Oh, well, I own a lot more! What about you guys? Happy reading!
I've only just had time to request it from my library, and it's in, and I hope to read it tomorrow! I love Gena Showalter's writing, must read more of this series beyond the first one which is one of the only 3 Gena Showalter books my library has. Oh, well, I own a lot more! What about you guys? Happy reading!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
WWW Wednesday #60, May 30th
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?
Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing for starting and hosting this meme!
I'm still reading Against the Night, it's really great, and I'm really enjoying it!
I'm also reading Above, which while the narrator has a very strange way of phrasing things that makes it hard to understand him, I'm enjoying the story!
I finally got around to reading I Am J yesterday, and I finished, and yeah, great book, really enjoyed it!
I want to read No Safety in Numbers next, it looks really great!
What about you guys? Happy reading!
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?
Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing for starting and hosting this meme!
What about you guys? Happy reading!
Waiting on Wednesday #56, May 30th
Expected Publication: August 28th 2012
From Goodreads:
Ashline Wilde is about to discover that when you’re the reincarnation of a Polynesian volcano goddess, “new beginnings” are just a myth.
Leaving the fiery ruins of her sophomore year behind her, Ash travels to the sizzling beaches of Miami, hot on the trail of the little sister she’s only seen in visions. But her happy family reunion isn’t all palm trees and paradise. A cult of evil gods-on-earth, known as the Four Seasons, has kidnapped her sister to use in its terrifying new religion. Soon, the streets of Miami erupt in chaos and violence…and Ash gets caught right in the tropical crossfire
Ash isn’t without help, however. Unexpected romance arrives in the form of Wes, an Aztec god of night with his own vendetta against the Four Seasons. As memories of Ash’s previous life begin to flicker into her dreams, the boundaries between ally and enemy, life and death, and love and hate all bleed together. And when a mysterious trickster from her past reappears to derail her new quest, Ash must choose between the echoes of a once-forgotten yesterday and the embers of an uncertain future.
Because when old flames return from the dead, even a volcano goddess can get burned.
I loved Wildefire, and I can't wait for this one to come out! What about you guys? Happy reading!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Dead Meat: Review
The city of River's Edge has been quarantined due to a rodent borne rabies outbreak. But it quickly becomes clear to the citizens that the infection is something much, much worse than rabies...
The townsfolk are attacked and fed upon by packs of the living dead. Labeling the infected residents "bees" for their tendency to travel in swarms, Gavin and Benny attempt to survive the chaos in River's Edge while making their way north in search of sanctuary. No one knows what waits outside the quarantined zone, but Gavin and Benny know that to survive, they must escape.
My Review:
This was an awesome, chill-thrill book, heart-pounding, and terror filled novel. The characters were strong and weak during parts of the novel, when things got too hard, and they still kept going-survival is the name of the game, or in this case, the job, thought it's most definitely not a regular 9 to 5 job!
I didn't like Benny at first, he swears almost every 3rd word, and while they are in a apocalypse with zombies that are pretty darn hard to kill, he didn't really need to. So that was a bit annoying, but balanced with Gavin, who was a bit calmer throughout the disaster, it evened out the book, and added contrast between the 2 guys.
I really enjoyed the zombies, I haven't read any zombie books besides The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, so I don't know how they are in most other books, but the simple indestructible nature, of how hard it was to destroy them, and how they kept coming back, and didn't seem to feel any pain, well, that was just great! Loved reading that, and it really made the action scenes more intense, that they'd been human, and that they'd just keep coming and coming. It was awesome! Love the blood and gore!
This was an awesome book, and yeah, really enjoyed it, all the bone smashing, zombie-killing, survival. Yep.
Authors: Chris and Patrick Williams
Read: May 28th, 2012
Source: Innovative Online Book Tours Review Copy
Reason Why: Sounded like a great read! And it's a 2012 Dystopian book!
Publisher: Permuted Press
Published: March 12th 2012
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| 4/5 Hearts |
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| 3.5/5 Books |
 |
| 4/5 Stars |
My name’s Chris… and I like to party. To be honest those days are mostly over. I’m growing up and not liking it. I miss my childhood. The days where I could spend all day watching cartoons, playing with legos and of course watching movies. My favorites were horror. Time flew by as I got older and more into movies. My tastes opened up to include all sorts of movies; foreign, indie, blockbusters, cult classics and whatever genre Bill & Teds Bogus Journey fits into.
Enter the Chris of now. Browsing the intertubes I came upon a video, Red vs. Blue: Zombie Plans. Afterwards I thought, “what would my zombie plan be?" Thus was the beginning of Dead Meat.
Patrick's Bio:
Patrick here, and I like to party. Actually, we're done with the Hot Rod quotes. On a serious note, I'm an English instructor at a community college and University of Phoenix. I have a passion for poetry, fiction (mostly grotesque stuff), an undying devotion for speculative fiction. Zombies and B horror films were a pivotal element of our childhood, and we felt we could make a contribution to the literary zombie niche. My brother and I started collaborating on online comics, and eventually, the ideas rolled into Dead Meat as a graphic novel. Since we didn't have the time and couldn't come to a particular artistic style for the graphics, we just made it into a book. Enjoy.
Contact and Buy AKA Links:
Stops on the Tour:
May 27, 2012 - Storm Goddess book Reviews & More -Review and Giveaway
May 27, 2012 - Just Heard, Just Read, Just Seen -Review and Giveaway
May 28, 2012 - Wonderland Reviews -Review and Giveaway
May 29, 2012 - Words I Write Crazy -Review and Giveaway
May 30, 2012 - Tea and Book -Review and Giveaway
May 31, 2012 - My Cozie Corner -Review and Giveaway
May 31, 2012 - The Lucky Ladybug -Review and Giveaway
June 1, 2012 - Wickedly Bookish -Review and Giveaway
June 2, 2012 - All Things Writing -Review and Giveaway
June 2, 2012 - Adventures of a Frugal Mom -Review and Giveaway
Teaser Tuesday #60, May 29th
Teaser Tuesday 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!
Today's teaser comes from I Am J by Cris Beam, page 3.
"He wouldn't go so far as to actually think of himself as male any more; he had let that dream go at puberty. Now he tried not to think about gender at all, except when the world outside his brain barged in and force him to."
Interesting. Poor J, a boy's soul born in a girl's body. Really enjoying the book! What about you guys? Happy reading!
•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!
Today's teaser comes from I Am J by Cris Beam, page 3.
"He wouldn't go so far as to actually think of himself as male any more; he had let that dream go at puberty. Now he tried not to think about gender at all, except when the world outside his brain barged in and force him to."
Interesting. Poor J, a boy's soul born in a girl's body. Really enjoying the book! What about you guys? Happy reading!
Monday, May 28, 2012
There's a Bee in My Room
No, seriously, right now, at the time that I'm writing this post, there's a bee buzzing around my room, and yeah, I am not liking this fact. First because that meant that I had to listen to the buzzing from what I thought was outside my window, and then when it grew louder, I saw that it was in my room. Which meant that I had to get myself, my computer, and my book out of there. Well, first I got myself out of there to tell my parents, then I went back in for the laptop and book. And I really don't like moving slow. Not fun at all. It was very creepy to have to walk across my room, gather my stuff, and walk back, open the door, and get the heck out of there. And now I'm hoping that my dad gets home soon, to get the bug out, and that it doesn't do something to my room like I don't know, but if it hurts my books, it's a dead bug! Yep. So that's a random tidbit of my life right now.
The Third Fate: Review and Giveaway
~ 'One Fate be granted mortal man, used for evil or good as the inner voice directs. Alas, the divine spark draws the eyes of the Fates, the Second Fate sparingly gifted by their hands. Be warned offspring of the gods; guard your gifting well. For if the Third Fate be unleashed, the soul lays bare before one so touched by the gods.' ~
Cautious and quiet by nature, Paige Kinnell watches life unfold from the sidelines, maintaining her simple existence as a shield to hide behind. But underneath her shy, careful ways, Paige senses a disconnect with the world around her, indulging instead her ever curious interest in the legend and lore of time nearly forgotten.
One chance encounter with an ancient of the undead begins an unraveling of reality as Paige knows it, leaving her to sort through dreams and enchantments, discovering along the way that one's Fate can be mere illusion, and that the consequences of opening her heart to another may cost dearly.
Cael Maccinnis, the handsome Highlander she's met, seems the answer to every unspoken longing of her heart, even as he awakens dark, secret desires buried within her soul. As strange and unnerving changes begin occurring in her mind and body, Paige has no choice but to face her life's unnatural turn and confront the frightening implications. For within Paige's past a secret lay dormant, hidden even from her. This truth, guarded well and wielded by the Fates themselves, becomes the catalyst invoking the power of The Third Fate.
My Review:
This was an awesome book! Very complex, from the whole "Fate" set up, and how it was introduced, well, loved that, and to the problems in the vampire hierarchy, well, they were understandable to what I could understand, political tactics that are carried out by our own governments as far as spy novels and political novels have lead me to believe!
The characters were believable from mousy Paige growing into herself, and strong and confidant Cael with a great, if sometimes hard to understand Scottish accent. They had their strengths and their weaknesses, they weren't perfect, but they worked together for the important parts, and fought against the unwelcome parts. And all the conflict was delicious!
The plot had its twists and turns, from characters manipulating each other, and plots and plans, overheard conversations, and uncontrollable feelings. The characters, like the bad guys, acted in their best interests, and the good guys acted in the interests of all, and the clash was explosive, and rocked the conditions of the vampire world.
I would've liked to know more about the Third Fate, and what it was really about, I know what Paige could do with it, but more of the background, well, that would've been nice to know, like what's the difference between the 3 fates, what makes the 3rd fate so dangerous, and so rare, well, that'd be interesting to know, especially since it's a driving plot factor, and the title of the book!
Other then that, the book was excellent! Great characters and romance, great plot, and yeah, just check out this book!! It was really enjoyable!
Author: Nadja Notariani
Read: May 27th, 2012
Source: Innovative Online Book Tours Review Copy
Published: March 30th 2012
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| 4/5 Hearts |
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| 4/5 Books |
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| 4/5 Stars |
Giveaway:
I'm hosting a giveaway of this book, The Third Fate. It'll be a ebook copy, and so it'll be International as long as you can receive an e-book from amazon (I don't know how amazon works, but it's at least US/Can/EU). I'll pick a winner via random.org on May 31st so you have till the end of the tour 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
Nadja Notariani was born in Rochester, Pennsylvania. Her upbringing included very diverse environments, affording wide and varied richness of ethnic and religious tradition. Raised in both an Italian/Mediterranean American home and a traditional German household, Nadja gleaned the unique benefits of viewing the world through two widely different lenses.
Nadja resides in Northeastern Pennsylvania, ever embracing new adventures with her three sons and faithful German Shepherd. She also boasts two grown daughters, who have flown the nest to pursue their own adventures.
Within her titles, readers can find romance and adventure, from contemporary to paranormal to historical, always with a happily-ever-after. Nadja enjoys hearing from readers and can be found at her website, on Facebook, Goodreads, and at Romance Novel Center. Readers are welcome to contact her via email.
nadja.notariani@gmail.com
Contact and Buy AKA Links:
Stops on the Tour:
May 21st- Red Headed Bookworm - Review
May 23rd - Book Lovin' Mamas - 1st Chapter
May 24th - Books,Books,and More Books - Review
May 25th - My Cozie Corner - 1st Chapter
May 28th - Words I Write Crazy -Review & Giveaway
May 30th - Eternally Books - Review & Giveaway
May 31st - Reading,Writing and More - 1st Chapter
June 1st - Always a Booklover - Review
June 1st - The Lucky Ladybug - 1st Chapter & Giveaway
May 21st- Red Headed Bookworm - Review
May 23rd - Book Lovin' Mamas - 1st Chapter
May 24th - Books,Books,and More Books - Review
May 25th - My Cozie Corner - 1st Chapter
May 28th - Words I Write Crazy -Review & Giveaway
May 30th - Eternally Books - Review & Giveaway
May 31st - Reading,Writing and More - 1st Chapter
June 1st - Always a Booklover - Review
June 1st - The Lucky Ladybug - 1st Chapter & Giveaway
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #51, May 28th
What happened in the past week:
Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #50
Teaser Tuesday #59
WWW Wednesday #59
WOW #55
Will the Time Come #51
Third Sentence Thursday #41
Random Reads #26
First Lines Friday #47
Follow that Blurb Reading Challenge Update 48
A-Z Book Challenge Update 21
The Reward Challenge Round 43
Follow Friday #29
Last Letter First Letter Reading Challenge Update 9
Wrote that Review Update 2
2012 Dystopian Reading Challenge Update 19
YA Historical Reading Challenge Update 13
In My Mailbox #50
I Have An Update #49
Week 21 Reviews:
Heart of Ice
A Storm of Swords
The Darkening Dream
Sleeping Tigers
Spectra
Tours:
The Third Fate: Review and Giveaway
Random:
Shadow Bound's Book Birthday
Masters of the Veil by Daniel Cohen: Book Blast Giveaway
Happy Birthday to Me
OK, so I got 26 posts in 7 days, which is pretty darn good, had my birthday, which is always good, and I'm writing this post on a new laptop that was paid mostly with birthday money! And it's a really good computer, though it's a bit of an adjustment-my main computer the 7 key wasn't working, and now this one does! So I'm really liking it! Yep.
So this week I want to read The Last Plea Bargain, The Goddess Legacy, Dead Meat, Above, I Am Jay, No Safety in Numbers, and Enslave Me Sweetly.
Currently Listening To: Poker Face by Lady GaGa
Currently Reading: Dead Meat
Currently Watching: Awake! Last few episodes to catch up on!
Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness...
Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal...
Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another...
James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before...
Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope...
Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.
The townsfolk are attacked and fed upon by packs of the living dead. Labeling the infected residents “bees” for their tendency to travel in swarms, Gavin and Benny attempt to survive the chaos in River’s Edge while making their way north in search of sanctuary. No one knows what waits outside the quarantined zone, but Gavin and Benny know that to survive, they must escape.
"Failure" is not in Eden's vocabulary. Neither is "partner" -- but that's what she is forcibly assigned after recovering from her disastrous mission. A sexy, steely-nerved human agent, Lucius Adaire enjoys nothing more than sparking the fury -- and rousing the desire -- of the fiery female assassin too proud to admit defeat. Locked in an assignment they cannot afford to lose, Lucius and Eden find themselves bound in two high-stakes, heart-pounding games: the sensual web of kill or be killed, and the erotic dance of seduction.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
I Have an Update! #49, May 27th
Planning On Reads: Just to catch up on what I've wanted to read, and have thought I was going to read, like The Last Plea Bargain, Above, ext, and books on tour, like The Third Fate and Dead Meat. Yep. Happy reading!
In My Mailbox #50, May 27th-May Week 4
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 I got:
For Review:
Shadow Visions
Telesa
Library:
Enslave Me Sweetly
Savor Me Slowly
Seduce the Darkness
Ecstasy in Darkness
Dark Taste of Rapture
Red-Handed
Blacklisted
Wild Fire
If I Tell
I'm Not Her
Damned
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
You Are My Only
Fear
Unwind
The Star of Kazan
Touch of Frost
Betrayals
Treachery in Death
Gimme A Call
NetGalley:
Shadow Bound
The Goddess Legacy
One Breath Away
The Siren
Firefox
Demon Eyes
Improper Relations
BEA Buzz Books
Hell or High Water
The Secret Keeper
Oh, I got some amazing books! I've already read The Goddess Legacy, and it was so good! Can't wait to read more!
So I got:
For Review:
Shadow Visions
Telesa
Library:
Enslave Me Sweetly
Savor Me Slowly
Seduce the Darkness
Ecstasy in Darkness
Dark Taste of Rapture
Red-Handed
Blacklisted
Wild Fire
If I Tell
I'm Not Her
Damned
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
You Are My Only
Fear
Unwind
The Star of Kazan
Touch of Frost
Betrayals
Treachery in Death
Gimme A Call
NetGalley:
Shadow Bound
The Goddess Legacy
One Breath Away
The Siren
Firefox
Demon Eyes
Improper Relations
BEA Buzz Books
Hell or High Water
The Secret Keeper
Oh, I got some amazing books! I've already read The Goddess Legacy, and it was so good! Can't wait to read more!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Week 21 Review: Spectra
Light years away from Earth a mining exploration crew makes an amazing discovery...intelligent life comprised entirely of energy. This living energy is so pure and unique, it could provide proof of the existence of the human soul. Those exposed to the entities gain unimaginable cognitive abilities but at a terrible cost.A rogue scientific group will do anything to maintain their mind-enhancing gifts, even if it leads to the destruction of the peaceful beings. Only two people stand in their way, and they will sacrifice everything to end the slaughter. Could the quest for the secrets of life lead to the creation of true evil; one so dark it threatens to tear down the walls of sanity and redefine our very existence?
My Review:
Well, this was a fantastic book. The characters had a fight that was hard to overcome, the bad guys had all the cards, and only luck and smarts helped them fight back. You just had to root for them, from Dean losing his ex-wife, and having to take the blame, and having to face his best friend-his ex-wife's brother-and have said friend want to kill you, well, you just wanted to throttle the bad guys!
The entities were really amazing, that they could do what they did, but it came at a cost of their lives, so what the bad guys did, and the blasting them, well, it was inhuman, that they would do that. Combined with the science of what life might have evolved from, well, it was very interesting, and excellent to read!
The characters, having to face what the bad guys were throwing at them, just because the bad guys wanted power and more power, well, it was heartbreaking to read, and argh, I just wish that I could've hurt them! Dean did not deserve to have that done to him, from the frame job, to the whole way they tried to kill him, with the bugs...that was horrible. But he outsmarted them, and good for him! Loved that!
Romance-wise, it was very sweet, and developed very quickly, after all, going through what they did, it's kinda like a regular couple in a normal situation having 50 dates or so. And they were really good together, and deserved each other after all they went through. And at least they're going to a bit of happiness before the next book!
This was an excellent book, and I can't wait to read the next one!
Author: Joanne Elder
Read: May 25th, 2012
Source: NetGalley/Author for Review
Reason Why: Sounded like a fantastic book! And it's a 2012 Dystopian novel!
Publisher: Museitup Publishing
Published: June 27th 2011
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 4/5 Books |
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| 4/5 Stars |
Week 21 Review: Sleeping Tigers
Jordan O'Malley has everything she ever wanted: a job she loves, a beautiful home, and a dependable boyfriend. When her life unravels after a breast cancer scare, Jordan decides to join her wildest childhood friend in San Francisco and track down her drifter brother, Cam, who harbors secrets of his own.
When Cam suddenly flees the country, Jordan follows, determined to bring him home. Her journey takes her to the farthest reaches of majestic Nepal, where she encounters tests—and truths—about love and family that she never could have imagined.
Funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful, Sleeping Tigers reminds us all that sometimes it's better to follow your heart instead of a plan.
My Review:
This was a very wonderful novel! Great characters, a moving plot, and a discovering what makes life good, and a find yourself theme, too, what with a group of characters going to Nepal to help people because they want to get away from the bad influences in their life.
Jordan had a pretty good life, one that she was content with, and then when it's discovered she has cancer, well, it shocks her, and she realizes that she has a few things that she isn't content with, like she hasn't had a lot of contact with her younger brother. So she starts on a quest to find Cam, and it throws quite a curve ball into her life, and she questions whether she'll be around to help her new responsibilities, if you've you read the book, then you know what I'm talking about, but if you haven't, I'll give the clue of "Paris" and let you think about what that means.
This is a story about finding yourself, finding the strength to live the life you want to, of getting out of a life that isn't wanted, that's not good for you, and there were some stumbles along the way, some humour, like the whole stolen car, mother worrying that it could've happen, and having it confirmed, that was very funny! There were some serious parts where life was on the line, or something equal important, a view of life, and the changes to their lives that the characters make, well, yeah, it added to the novel!
This was a really excellent book, a quick read at that, and it just was really good. Plus you get to go to Nepal!
Author: Holly Robinson
Read: May 24th, 2012
Source: Author for Review
Reason Why: Sounded like a great book!
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: December 28th 2011
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| 4/5 Hearts |
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| 4/5 Books |
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| 4/5 Stars |
Week 21 Review: The Darkening Dream
The Darkening Dream is the chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.
Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.
1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.
With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?
No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.
My Review:
This was a fantastic book. Just fantastic, the characters were smart, the plot had so many twists and turns, and we got to learn a few things, from life during 1913, religion, and language, and that was just incredible to read!
Sarah is smart, strong, and a bit headstrong, especially when things go wrong, like when they were trying to help the twin's younger sister. And again, she's really smart, she knows a lot of languages, and history, I don't know how she keeps it all in her head! And she was real, she had her friends, and she developed a love interest in Alex.
Alex, well, he's had a bit of a tough life, his parents dying young, and leaving him in the care of his Grandfather, who is very peculiar, and he's just moved to another country, and he hasn't really made any friends until he meets up with Sarah's group. And then everything goes to hell in a hand basket, with a dead boy, and a every increasing mystery on what to do to stop the bad guys, whom they know by sight and name, to varying degrees.
The action in this book was astounding, considering that the guns weren't really automatic ones, like with Alex, his horse, and the vampire, trying to get to safety, that was an amazing scene, even if there was hurt and loss, it was extremely important, in that it was the first big show of power against them.
And we got to see bits and pieces from the bad guys perspectives, perspectives that were interesting, and kinda understandable, if not acceptable, from power, to knowledge, and force.Combine that with all the different elements in this book, like mentioned, a vampire hunter, 3 Egyptian gods, and Vampires, all mixed together, it was a fantastic read!
Yeah, this was just so great to read, very enjoyable, very fast, and the way it ended, well, I really want a sequel, because there will definitely be consequences to what happened at the end, something that I really, really want to read about! Yep, so check this book out!
Author: Andy Gavin
Read: May 23rd, 2012
Source: Author for Review
Reason Why: It sounded really amazing, the cover's so pretty, he's the creator of Jak and Daxter, my favourite PS2 game series, and it's a YAHFC book, and a WTC book!
Publisher: Mascherato Publishing
Published: December 22nd 2011
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 4.5/5 Books |
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| 4.5/5 Stars |
Week 21 Review: A Storm of Swords
Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world...
But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...
My Review:
This was such a freaking good novel! And a huge one at that, at 1100 pages! And there was a lot of death, from characters we loved, like a new one, to ones we hated, or just tolerated, well, there was over 5 deaths of characters we knew. And while that was really sad at parts, it just added to the greatness of this novel, with excellent plotting and characters!
I really enjoyed the Jon and Sam parts more this book, they were more interesting, and Jon was the only one besides Bran who had his direwolf, at lest for around half of this book. And a lot of important stuff was going on then, and yeah, that was in part why I enjoyed them more. There was love, and there was loss, and the whole "stuff clothing with straw and use them as an image to have more people then they really had" and then naming them after dead brothers, that was totally funny! And the wagering on who got the most arrows, that was the very best!
As to no surprise of mine, I loved the Dany parts, as she goes from town to town, freeing slaves, and yeah,that was really great! And in her parts, we got to learn more about the history of places, and I really want to know what part of the map is this Valyria? or something that they talk about about Aemon and his sisters came from to conquer Westeros. And we got to learn a bit about her family, and her family history. Along side that is the perspective of Jamie, and that whole part, well, we got to really understand his actions like pretty much any other, why killing was better then capturing, even if it made him an "oath-breaker" he should protect the people more then a single person. What would the king rule over if there's no people, and how would he eat, and he wouldn't like doing everything himself! But he was mad most of the time, so I guess that's expected.
We did loss a lot of people in this one, and they really added to the plot, and all the various things that happened, when things weren't really going the characters ways. But it just adds to such a great book! Loved it! Must read more! I don't think I'll be able to read A Feast for Crows without having A Dance of Dragon's right there so I can just dive into it! A Dance of Dragon's going to have all my favourite characters! I can't wait to see them!
This was a great book, and I can't wait to read more! Check it and the TV show out if you haven't, they're really good!
Author: George R. R. Martin
Series: A Song of Fire and Ice #3
Read: May 19th-22nd, 2012
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Must read this series! And it's a TBR Pile book, and a WTC book!
Publisher: Spectra
Published: March 4th 2003
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
Week 21 Review: Heart of Ice
The Triple Threat women have faced intense situations before, but never such a cunningly cold-blooded murderer as Elizabeth Avery. She ingeniously manipulates everyone who crosses her path to do exactly as she wishes--from crime reporter Cassidy Shaw to a shy young man Elizabeth persuades to kill for her.
My Review:
This was a really fantastic novel! The mystery-even thought we were told the bad guy pretty much right from the get-go-was insidious, the lies, and the people-watching it required, well, it was well crafted, and such a wonderful book! Loved it!
The characters all have their various issues going on at the start, like a sister who's made a lot of bad choices, to a lump, to volunteer who doesn't do her own work in making her path, she just takes Cassidy's path and tries to run her over. And as the book goes on, the conflicts rise and rise along with the plot, adding a more personal level to the book, seeing what they're dealing with in their personal lives, and what they're dealing with in their professional lives, and how in some cases, those 2 lives intertwine.
The plot, and the way she planned everything, well, Elizabeth was very smart, and conniving, and the thing that made me hate her as a person, was that she thought that she deserved the money and attention instead of a 5 year old boy. That she deserved to take money from a tip at a restaurant, from a collection of money to buy a baby stroller. Well, she certainly deserved what she she got in the end!
Yeah, this was a really great book! Check it out, it has great writing, characters, and a plot!
Authors: Lis Wiehl and April Henry
Series: A Triple Threat #3
Read: May 19th, 2012
Source: BookMooch
Reason Why: Sounded like a great book!
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Published: April 5th 2011
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| 4/5 Hearts |
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| 4/5 Books |
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| 4/5 Stars |
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wrote that Review Update 2
The bribes are inspired/ideas borrowed from The Reward Challenge hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, and the way of linking up reviews are borrowed from Red House Books NetGalley challenge.
OK, rules.
1. Read a book, then write a review! And because you do this, you reward yourself with another book to read, and you can decide how many reviews you have to write to earn 1 book, like 1 review, 1 book, to 100 reviews, 1 book.
2. Link up on the 1st linky below your post (like this one) talking about your reviews you motivate yourself, and comment on other posts like yours and they'll comment back! Put your name @ Your Blog, or at least your blog in the name, so to cut confusion.
3. When your reviews are posted, they can be added to the 2nd linky below, 1 review for free, and you can trade comments on other linked up reviews for more reviews linked up on the linky. For the title, put your blog - Title of the book you reviewed.
So hopefully this sounds like fun! And the more reviews you write, the better you feel, because once they're wrote, then people can see them, and see your work, and the author's work, and isn't that a great feeling?
Now for my personal part of this post. I motivated myself to write my review of Heart of Ice, A Storm of Swords, The Third Fate, so that's 13 reviews written. Must write more!
And this week, I want to review the rest of Week 21, Week 20, Week 19, Week 51, and Week 52. So about 32 reviews to write. Must get to them!
OK, now tell your stories below in comments and blog posts!
The Reward Challenge Round 43
I read 21 counts for this round last week, and this week I read Heart of Ice which counts 3 as a booksneeze book and a review book, A Storm of Swords which counts 3 times as a TBR pile book and a WTC book, The Darkening Dream which counts 5 times as a review book, YAHFC book, WTC book, and LLFL book, Sleeping Tigers which counts 3 times as a review book and a LLFL book, Spectra which counts 3 times as a review book, and a NetGalley book, The Third Fate which counts twice as a review book, and Dead Meat which counts 3 times as a review book and 2012 Dystopian novel! My reward is Thumped by Megan McCafferty!
Last Letter, First Letter Reading Challenge Update 9
OK, so I have I've been doing some more reading, and I read The Darkening Dream, and Sleeping Tigers. Yep. Happy reading!
Here's the link to the original post with my journey.
What it is:
You pick a book, read it. Then you look at the last letter of the title, for example, "The Adventures of Tom Saywer." Then you take that last letter, and search you TBR piles for a book starting with the last letter, so continuing the example, someone could read "Rotters" next, and then a title that starts with "s."
Rules:
1. Have fun!
2. Read!
3. The last letter of the book you read must be the first letter of the next book you read.
4. Words like "the," "a," "and," and those such don't count as the first letter.
5. If a letter becomes overused, like d, e, l, w, ext, and you run out of books that you really want to read for this challenge, cycle in letters that don't often get used like a, b, i, k, p, ext, and note what you cycle in, where!
Here's the link to the original post with my journey.
What it is:
You pick a book, read it. Then you look at the last letter of the title, for example, "The Adventures of Tom Saywer." Then you take that last letter, and search you TBR piles for a book starting with the last letter, so continuing the example, someone could read "Rotters" next, and then a title that starts with "s."
Rules:
1. Have fun!
2. Read!
3. The last letter of the book you read must be the first letter of the next book you read.
4. Words like "the," "a," "and," and those such don't count as the first letter.
5. If a letter becomes overused, like d, e, l, w, ext, and you run out of books that you really want to read for this challenge, cycle in letters that don't often get used like a, b, i, k, p, ext, and note what you cycle in, where!
A-Z Book Challenge Update 21
26 of 59 books read thus far! A-Z Book Challenge is hosted by Babies, Books, and Signs! Here's my start up post!