Friday, November 30, 2012
The Summer I Became a Nerd: Cover Reveal
So, today's the day that the cover The Summer I Became a Nerd comes out! And it's very pretty!
The Reward Challenge Update 62 Part 2
OK, so I already had 38 counts, and I read The Sixth Percept which counts twice as a reward challenge, Fury's Kiss, Reunion, The Evolution of Mara Dyer which counts 3 times as a Sophomore Challenge Book and a WoW Book, Bloodfever, Faefever, Envy which counts twice as a Sophomore Challenge Book, The Unnaturalists which counts 3 times as a DAC Book and a YAHFC Book, Temptation which counts 3 times as a DAC book and a NetGalley book, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone which counts twice as a DAC Book, Damaged, How to Tempt a Duke which counts twice as a WTC Book, Ashen Winter which counts 3 times as a 2012 Dystopian book, NetGalley Book.
For my reward, I'm getting Sleep No More by Iris Johansen!
Ashen Winter also counts as a Sophomore Challenge Book, and WoW Book, The Goddess Inheritance which counts twice as a NetGalley Book, Flip, The Rise of Nine which counts twice as a LLFL Book, False Memory which counts twice as a DAC Book, Survive which counts twice as a DAC book, What's Left of Me which counts 3 times as a 2012 Dystopian Book and a DAC book, Hidden which counted twice as a WTC Book, Blind Spot which counted twice as a DAC Book. So I have 18 counts total for next week.
Last Letter, First Letter Reading Challenge Update 33
OK, so I have I've been doing some more reading, and I read The Rise of Nine.
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!
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!
Follow Friday #56, November 30th
Q: Activity! Who is your to-die-for book crush? What do you think they look like? Add an image to make us all happy.
A: I don't have crushes. Seriously. Not a one. I guess that I'm weird like that, I can see pretty in book covers, but beauty in a human person? Nope. I can see physical perfection or flaws, and I don't understand personalities, so yeah, books are my thing. What about you guys? Happy reading!
First Lines Friday #73, November 30th
First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. We encourage all of our fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!
"Addie and I were born into the same body, our souls' ghostly fingers entwined before we gasped our very first breath. Our earliest years together were also our happiest. Then came the worries-the tightness around our parents' mouths, the frowns lining our kindergarten teacher's forehead, the question everyone whispered when they thought we couldn't here." -What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang
This world, I want to know more more about it, and about these characters! What about you guys? Happy reading!
-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!
This world, I want to know more more about it, and about these characters! What about you guys? Happy reading!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Random Reads #53, November 29th
Third Sentence Thursday #68, November 29th
Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to watch fireworks especially while eating a cookie!
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 Words I Write Crazy (This Blog)
4) Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentences!
"We need to sit down and talk, we need to make a plan!" -The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore, page 83.
Yeah, things need to happen! Plans are important!
What are your guy's 3rd lines? Link up below!
"We need to sit down and talk, we need to make a plan!" -The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore, page 83.
Yeah, things need to happen! Plans are important!
What are your guy's 3rd lines? Link up below!
Will the Time Come #78, November 29th
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
How to tempt a duke? By refusing to be tempted at all...
He'd returned from war a duke. Now Rafael Daughtry was battling a force more terrifying than Napoleon's army—his family. Thankfully, his childhood friend Charlotte Seavers had agreed—reluctantly—to a bargain. While Rafe would provide her with the home she'd lost, Charlotte would provide him with a chaperone for his unruly twin sisters.
But who would chaperone Rafe? For the feisty young girl he remembered had blossomed into a sensual woman—a woman whose haunting beauty and deeply kept secrets drew him like no other. Charlotte had good reason to mistrust men—yet could Rafe's sizzling seduction convince her to give in to temptation?
He'd returned from war a duke. Now Rafael Daughtry was battling a force more terrifying than Napoleon's army—his family. Thankfully, his childhood friend Charlotte Seavers had agreed—reluctantly—to a bargain. While Rafe would provide her with the home she'd lost, Charlotte would provide him with a chaperone for his unruly twin sisters.
But who would chaperone Rafe? For the feisty young girl he remembered had blossomed into a sensual woman—a woman whose haunting beauty and deeply kept secrets drew him like no other. Charlotte had good reason to mistrust men—yet could Rafe's sizzling seduction convince her to give in to temptation?
Why the time hasn't come yet...
I wanted to read her other series before I tackled this one, but I've gotten as far as I'm going to get, so now to read this one! What about you guys? Happy reading!
I wanted to read her other series before I tackled this one, but I've gotten as far as I'm going to get, so now to read this one! What about you guys? Happy reading!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Sixth Percept: Guest Post and Review
Today, I'd like to welcome over Larry , author of The Sixth Percept, over for a guest post!
STARTING OUT AS A WRITER - 5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
When I began to seriously write genre fiction thirty years ago, I was confident I was going to take the science fiction and fantasy worlds by storm. I was going to be the next Andre Norton or Robert Silverberg.
That still hasn't happened. But, I got a good education along the way, learned some important (if painful) lessons and have been able to apply those experiences to my writing and publishing endeavors in positive ways.
Here's a list of five things I didn't really know or expect when I started to write. These may seem simplistic or obvious but I talk to fellow writers who are still hobbled by some, if not all, of these points:
Not everyone is going to like your work.
I don't mean just the editor or publisher of the market you've submitted to. This goes for friends and family as well. And, if you're in a writing/critique group, you better develop a thick skin and, really, this is all for the good. You need to be able to listen to the criticism that's directed toward your work, not take it seriously if it's negative (and some of it will be!), and make the story better as a result.
A lot of writing and submitting your work is a waiting game.
You've got to learn to be patient. Some markets won't get back to you for weeks, sometimes months. And, every once in a while, a particular market may not reply at all (On the other hand, some will reply within a day or two, usually with a rejection--see my first point). It's perfectly all right to inquire on a submission's status but, in the meantime, when you're anxiously awaiting the results, work on something else. Write another story and send that one out!
Be prepared to be rejected multiple times.
Again--see my first point. This can happen to a really good piece even after it's been a contest winner--that's been my own personal experience. It may seem like a cliché but the work may be rejected because it isn't a “good fit” for the magazine, not because it's badly written. The important thing is to not allow a rejection to get you down. It's Ok to mourn but briefly--shake it off and move on. Send the rejected story out to another market immediately! Keep circulating it. Sooner or later, there'll be an editor who will like it and buy it. Any sale, especially early on in your career, is a real confidence-booster. All of us need a shot-in-the-arm periodically.
Follow the market guidelines.
This is important particularly with format and story length. Don't just assume because you've sent out a good story that it'll even be read let alone accepted if it's obvious you didn't read that market's guidelines. There are exceptions to this, of course, but as a rule, make sure your story is formatted as the market dictates. It'll make it that much easier for the piece to be looked at.
Don't resend a rejected story back after revising it unless the editor asks.
I made this mistake early on a couple of times. You probably won't get a response at all if you send back the same story, no matter if it has been rewritten. As I pointed out in my “rejection point,” send it somewhere else.
Since the many, many, many, many rejections I've received since beginning my writer's life, I have sold several short stories and a debut novel. I still get rejected (being a published writer doesn't guarantee you'll always sell your next story) but I follow my points outlined in this post, which gives me a roadmap to attaining my writing and publishing goals.
It's not always easy and sometimes the efforts will get you down. But perseverance does pay off! Don't give up. Take the writing world by storm!
From Goodreads:
In 16th century medieval Japan, Yoshima Mitsu, who is gifted with psychic powers, uses her prescient abilities to send her young attendant, Shioko, into the future. There, Mitsu belives Shioko will be safe from the purges of the maniacal warlord Omori Kadanamora, his warrior monks, and his half-human, half-bestial Shadow Trackers.
In present-day Pittsburgh, police lieutenant Kim Yoshima is attacked by a creature out of someone's twisted nightmare. In the aftermath of the terrifying struggle, Kin finds a young Japanese girl named Shioko, lost, confused, and calling Kim "Mitsu" and her monstrous attacker a "Shadow Tracker."
Wayne Brewster dreams of a costumed hero, ArcNight. But more than that, he feels bizarrely connected to the fictional crime fighter as if ArcNight and his comic book world are real. And in all of his dreams, Wayne sees one constant, one face repeated over and over--the face of Kim Yoshima.
Using her powers, Kim, accompanied by Shioko and Wayne, travels by means of a temporal rift to feudal Japan. There they must assume different personas to fight Omori and creatures of Japan's mythological world to fulfill ancient prophesy and modern historical fact.
If they fail, history will be altered and the world will be forever changed.
My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book! There were all these elements, from the different characters and their circumstances, and when they all came together, well, yeah, it was really great! And since it's a stand alone book, well, not going to happen again, so that made it even more worth it!
So a book that has time travel, and these various powers, well, it was really interesting and different, and I loved reading about it! And feudal Japan monsters? Yeah, those were really incredible to read about, and so unique!
Then there were these characters! From Kim, who looks like a mediaeval lady, to Wayne, with his dreams, and of the both of them going back to the past, to Mitsu, who went to the future, to get the others to come to the past!
I really enjoyed how it ended! Sure, they did take some losses, but in battles like this, well, it's pretty much inevitable that they would. It sucks, but they did win in the end, and that's the big thing that matters! History thanks them quietly!
Really enjoyable book, and yeah, I really liked it!
Author: Larry Ivkovich
Read: December 1st, 2012
Source: Virtual Book Tour Cafe Review Copy
Reason Why: Sounded like a great book!
Publisher: Ifwg Publishing Incorporated
Published: October 19th 2011
STARTING OUT AS A WRITER - 5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
When I began to seriously write genre fiction thirty years ago, I was confident I was going to take the science fiction and fantasy worlds by storm. I was going to be the next Andre Norton or Robert Silverberg.
That still hasn't happened. But, I got a good education along the way, learned some important (if painful) lessons and have been able to apply those experiences to my writing and publishing endeavors in positive ways.
Here's a list of five things I didn't really know or expect when I started to write. These may seem simplistic or obvious but I talk to fellow writers who are still hobbled by some, if not all, of these points:
Not everyone is going to like your work.
I don't mean just the editor or publisher of the market you've submitted to. This goes for friends and family as well. And, if you're in a writing/critique group, you better develop a thick skin and, really, this is all for the good. You need to be able to listen to the criticism that's directed toward your work, not take it seriously if it's negative (and some of it will be!), and make the story better as a result.
A lot of writing and submitting your work is a waiting game.
You've got to learn to be patient. Some markets won't get back to you for weeks, sometimes months. And, every once in a while, a particular market may not reply at all (On the other hand, some will reply within a day or two, usually with a rejection--see my first point). It's perfectly all right to inquire on a submission's status but, in the meantime, when you're anxiously awaiting the results, work on something else. Write another story and send that one out!
Be prepared to be rejected multiple times.
Again--see my first point. This can happen to a really good piece even after it's been a contest winner--that's been my own personal experience. It may seem like a cliché but the work may be rejected because it isn't a “good fit” for the magazine, not because it's badly written. The important thing is to not allow a rejection to get you down. It's Ok to mourn but briefly--shake it off and move on. Send the rejected story out to another market immediately! Keep circulating it. Sooner or later, there'll be an editor who will like it and buy it. Any sale, especially early on in your career, is a real confidence-booster. All of us need a shot-in-the-arm periodically.
Follow the market guidelines.
This is important particularly with format and story length. Don't just assume because you've sent out a good story that it'll even be read let alone accepted if it's obvious you didn't read that market's guidelines. There are exceptions to this, of course, but as a rule, make sure your story is formatted as the market dictates. It'll make it that much easier for the piece to be looked at.
Don't resend a rejected story back after revising it unless the editor asks.
I made this mistake early on a couple of times. You probably won't get a response at all if you send back the same story, no matter if it has been rewritten. As I pointed out in my “rejection point,” send it somewhere else.
Since the many, many, many, many rejections I've received since beginning my writer's life, I have sold several short stories and a debut novel. I still get rejected (being a published writer doesn't guarantee you'll always sell your next story) but I follow my points outlined in this post, which gives me a roadmap to attaining my writing and publishing goals.
It's not always easy and sometimes the efforts will get you down. But perseverance does pay off! Don't give up. Take the writing world by storm!
In 16th century medieval Japan, Yoshima Mitsu, who is gifted with psychic powers, uses her prescient abilities to send her young attendant, Shioko, into the future. There, Mitsu belives Shioko will be safe from the purges of the maniacal warlord Omori Kadanamora, his warrior monks, and his half-human, half-bestial Shadow Trackers.
In present-day Pittsburgh, police lieutenant Kim Yoshima is attacked by a creature out of someone's twisted nightmare. In the aftermath of the terrifying struggle, Kin finds a young Japanese girl named Shioko, lost, confused, and calling Kim "Mitsu" and her monstrous attacker a "Shadow Tracker."
Wayne Brewster dreams of a costumed hero, ArcNight. But more than that, he feels bizarrely connected to the fictional crime fighter as if ArcNight and his comic book world are real. And in all of his dreams, Wayne sees one constant, one face repeated over and over--the face of Kim Yoshima.
Using her powers, Kim, accompanied by Shioko and Wayne, travels by means of a temporal rift to feudal Japan. There they must assume different personas to fight Omori and creatures of Japan's mythological world to fulfill ancient prophesy and modern historical fact.
If they fail, history will be altered and the world will be forever changed.
My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book! There were all these elements, from the different characters and their circumstances, and when they all came together, well, yeah, it was really great! And since it's a stand alone book, well, not going to happen again, so that made it even more worth it!
So a book that has time travel, and these various powers, well, it was really interesting and different, and I loved reading about it! And feudal Japan monsters? Yeah, those were really incredible to read about, and so unique!
Then there were these characters! From Kim, who looks like a mediaeval lady, to Wayne, with his dreams, and of the both of them going back to the past, to Mitsu, who went to the future, to get the others to come to the past!
I really enjoyed how it ended! Sure, they did take some losses, but in battles like this, well, it's pretty much inevitable that they would. It sucks, but they did win in the end, and that's the big thing that matters! History thanks them quietly!
Really enjoyable book, and yeah, I really liked it!
Author: Larry Ivkovich
Read: December 1st, 2012
Source: Virtual Book Tour Cafe Review Copy
Reason Why: Sounded like a great book!
Publisher: Ifwg Publishing Incorporated
Published: October 19th 2011
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 4.5/5 Books |
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| 4.5/5 Stars |
Bio:
Larry Ivkovich is an IT professional and the author of several science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories and novellas, published online and in various print publications and anthologies including M-Brane SF, Afterburn SF, Penumbra, Twisted Cat Tales, Abaculus III, Raw Terror, Triangulations, Shelter of Daylight and SQ Magazine. He has also been a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest and was the 2010 recipient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for fiction. His debut urban fantasy novel, THE SIXTH PRECEPT, is now available from IFWG Publishing, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. He is a member of two local writing/critique groups, the Pittsburgh Southwrites and the Pittsburgh Worldrights, and lives in Coraopolis, PA with his wife Martha and cats Trixie and Milo.
Contact and Buy AKA Links:
Stops on the Tour:
November 5 - Introduction at VBT Cafe' Blog
November 7 - Guest Blogging at Marketing Cafe'
November 12 - Guest Blogging at Off The Page
November 14 - Book Feature & Excerpt at The Official Blog-Zine of Terra Little
November 16 - Book Feature & Excerpt at My Paranormal Book Review
November 19 - Interviewed at Mass Musings
November 20 - Guest Blogging at Monique Morgan's Blog
November 21 - Guest Blogging at AZ Publishing Services
November 24 - Interviewed at MK McClintock's Blog attached
November 26 - Interviewed at Immortality and Beyond attached
November 28 - Review & Guest Blogging at Words I Write Crazy
November 30 - Review & Guest Blogging at huithiang!
December 3 - Review & Interview at Bookalicious
December 5 - Reviewed at Fiction Predictions
December 7 - Guest Blogging at Wise Words
December 10 - Interviewed at Unnecessary Musings
December 12 - Guest Blogging at Lori's Reading Corner
December 14 - Review & Character Interview at Always A Booklover
December 17 - Review & Interview at Central Bargain Giveaways
December 19 - Interviewed at Angels & Warriors Radio dawntevy@yahoo.com
December 21 - Review & Guest Blogging at A Book Lover's Library
WWW Wednesday #86, November 28th
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 currently reading How to Tempt a Duke, and yeah, it's really great!
I read Damaged, and yeah, it was a really great book! I enjoyed it a ton!
I'm going to be reading Ashen Winter, and I can't wait, I loved the first book, and I'm really excited to read this book!
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 #82, November 28th
Expected Publication: February 12th 2013
From Goodreads:
Aoife Grayson must face death to win back Dean—the love who was ripped from the Iron Lands of the living when he was shot in the arctic north. But getting to the Deadlands is something that Aoife can't do on her own. And if she can find a way there, Tremaine would surely never allow it. He has sworn to keep her in the Thorn Lands, the fairie home of her mother, Nerissa. But Aoife is determined to find her way out. And she has no trouble if that means she has to kill Tremain and his queen to do it.
This is going to be a fantastic book! It sounds incredible, and with how things left off in The Nightmare Garden, well, I want to read it now! What are you guy's picks? Happy reading!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Teaser Tuesday #86, November 27th
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 Echo by Alyson Noel, page 51.
"And now they're absorbing me. Tugging on my soul."
Well, that doesn't sound good! Can't wait to read more! What are your guy's teasers? 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 Echo by Alyson Noel, page 51.
"And now they're absorbing me. Tugging on my soul."
Well, that doesn't sound good! Can't wait to read more! What are your guy's teasers? Happy reading!
Monday, November 26, 2012
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #77, November 26th
What happened in the past week:
Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #76
Teaser Tuesday #85
WWW Wednesday #85
WOW #81
Will the Time Come #77
Third Sentence Thursday #68
Random Reads #52
First Lines Friday #73
The Reward Challenge Round 63 Part 1
Follow Friday #55
Last Letter, First Letter Reading Challenge Update 32
In My Mailbox #77
Week 47 Reviews:
Dead in the Family
Dead Reckoning
Deadlocked
Poison Princess
6 Killer Bodies
You Suck
Hand of Fate
Playing Hurt
The Opposite of Hallalujah
Hidden
Adaptation
The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Darkfever
Romeo Redeemed
Ice
Dark Companion
Ninth Key
The Last Princess
Tours:
His Black Wings: Promo
A Kiss for Emily: Review and Giveaway
Random:
2013 E-Book Challenge Sign Up
Sophomore Reading Challenge 2013 Sign Up and Goals
OK, so I got 32 posts in 7 days, and man, were there some really good books here! And a pretty busy week, all in all. Can't wait for next week, though! What about you guys? Happy reading!
So this week I want to read Fury's Kiss, Reunion, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, Bloodfever, Echo, Temptation, Envy, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, Damaged, Second Chance Summer, How to Tempt a Duke, Flip, The Shack, Tempest Unleashed, The Rise of Nine, False Memory, Survive, What's Left of Me, Hidden, Revived, Blind Spot, When Snow Falls, Once Ever Never, and Linger.
Currently Listening To: Let Me Down by Kelly Clarkson
Currently Reading: The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent
Currently Watching: My Weekly Shows!
Dory is used to fighting hard and nasty. So when she wakes up in a strange scientific lab with a strange man standing over her, her first instinct is to take his head off. Luckily, the man is actually the master vampire Louis-Cesare, so he’s not an easy kill.
It turns out that Dory had been working with a Vampire Senate task force on the smuggling of magical items and weaponry out of Faerie when she was captured and brought to the lab. But when Louis-Cesare rescues her, she has no memory of what happened to her.
To find out what was done to her—and who is behind it—Dory will have to face off with fallen angels, the maddest of mad scientists, and a new breed of vampires that are far worse than undead…
As Suze desperately fends off each attempt on Michael's life, she finds she can relate to the Angels' fury. Because their deaths turn out not to have been accidental at all. And their killer is only too willing to strike again.
She can’t.
She used to think her problems were all in her head.
They aren’t.
She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.
She’s wrong.
In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?
In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.
For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.
There’s still so much Daire Santos has to learn about being the last Soul Seeker….and about herself. As her magical training becomes more intense, so does her relationship with Dace. But when she learns that his connection to the evil Richter family goes far deeper than she ever imagined, she begins to question if love really can conquer all.
Dace is painfully aware that he wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the Richters’ dark magic—and now his brother Cade is determined to use his love for Daire against him. Dace is willing to sacrifice anything to protect the girl he loves —including his own life. But will Daire allow it? And what if defeating Cade costs not only his life, but his soul too?
Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.
Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.
Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .
I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.
But so are they.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.
Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy—especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving.
Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter... when there may not be a future.
Jane and Paul scale icy slopes and huddle together for warmth at night, forging an intense emotional bond. But the wilderness is a vast and lethal force, and only one of them will survive.
Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .
For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.
With the seeds of distrust sown and Darkness breeding chaos at the House of Night, everyone must band together -- but that's proving to be more difficult than ever before. The twins are barely speaking and the House of Night's former enemy, Kalona, has now become their warrior, pushing their trust to the limit. To top it off, Zoey is pretty darn sure she might be losing her mind. She saw something when she looked at Aurox through the Seer Stone that she can hardly explain to herself, let alone her friends. Is it possible that Heath has come back in a different form? Is that why Zoey's so intrigued by Aurox, when it's so obvious that he's dangerous? And who would believe her if she told them? Zoey knows that following her instinct about Aurox might be just what they need to defeat evil . . . but if she's wrong, it could cause the destruction of those closest to her.
With the tension at a breaking point and friendships on the line, can the nerd herd come together to stop the spread of Darkness before it's too late?
Daisy Appleby was a little girl when it happened, and she barely remembers the accident or being brought back to life. At that moment, though, she became one of the first subjects in a covert government program that tests a drug called Revive.
Now fifteen, Daisy has died and been Revived five times. Each death means a new name, a new city, a new identity. The only constant in Daisy's life is constant change.
Then Daisy meets Matt and Audrey McKean, charismatic siblings who quickly become her first real friends. But if she's ever to have a normal life, Daisy must escape from an experiment that's much larger--and more sinister--than she ever imagined.
From its striking first chapter to its emotionally charged ending, Cat Patrick's Revived is a riveting story about what happens when life and death collide.
Seventeen-year-old Tricia Farni’s body floated to the surface of Alaska’s Birch River six months after the night she disappeared. The night Roz Hart had a fight with her. The night Roz can’t remember. Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration, is used to assembling fragments to make sense of the world around her. But this time it’s her memory that needs piecing together—to clear her name . . . to find a murderer.
This unflinchingly emotional novel is written in the powerful first-person voice of a legally blind teen who just wants to be like everyone else.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sophomore Reading Challenge 2013 Sign Up and Goals
What books count towards the SRC?
Any second YA or MG book published by an author in 2013 counts – it can be the second in a series, a new series, or a standalone. The only requirement is that it is the SECOND book the author has published in the YA or MG realm (and it must publish in 2013 in your home country)! There is a Goodreads group for the challenge, which includes a selection of books that would count for the challenge – as you can see, there are probably many many books on that list you are planning on reading already :)
The list will be updated as I’m able, but please feel free to read ANY Sophomore book! It does not have to be the second book in a series, just the second YA/MG book the author has published, period.
When does the challenge run?
Books read before January 2014 count for this challenge. This includes books you may have access to now in ARC form!
Why should I join this challenge?
Reading debut novels is AWESOME. It is by far my favorite challenge – it allows me to find many new authors that I love. What better way to support these authors than to read their next published book?
What are the guidelines of the challenge?
Your challenge is to read 10 sophomore YA/MG novels in 2013. To officially participate, you need a Goodreads account or blog where you post reviews in English.
What should I do if I’m an author coming out with a sophomore novel?
I would love to feature you on my blog! Please e-mail me (shanynlee at gmail.com) and let me know if you’d like to be interviewed, featured, would like to offer a giveaway, etc.
How do I join?
Link your blog or Goodreads account here, and make a list of the sophomore novels you’re looking forward to :)
Ok, so I'll be signing up to read at least 10 Sophomore books in 2013, though I would like to at least have double that number! Some of the ones that I'm looking forward to are
-Everbound by Brodi Ashton
-Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
-Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
-Asunder by Jodi Meadows
-Dark Triumph by R.L. LaFevers
-Fragments by Dan Wells
-Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
-Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons
-Prodigy by Marie Lu
-Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown
Yeah, there's some really fantastic books coming out in 2013 that are sophomore books (Probably because there were such fantastic debuts this year :) ) and I can't wait for them to come out! What about you guys? Happy reading!
2013 Ebook Challenge Sign Up
Challenge Guidelines:
This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 – Dec 31, 2013.
Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.
When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
Levels:
Floppy disk – 5 ebooks
CD – 10 ebooks
DVD – 25 ebooks
Memory stick – 50 ebooks
Hard drive – 75 ebooks
Server – 100 ebooks
Human brain – 150 ebooks
And I'm going to sign up for Server, just in case, thought I'm pretty sure I can make Human Brain, I don't want to overguess, because that never really ends well. Yep. Hope you guys check this challenge out, it's lots of fun!
In My Mailbox #77, November 25th-November 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:
Still? Bad, bad, bad me! What about you guys? Happy reading!
So I got:
Still? Bad, bad, bad me! What about you guys? Happy reading!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Week 47 Review: The Last Princess
A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless. When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year old Princess Eliza manages to escape. Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope-and love-once more. Now she must risk everything to ensure that she does not become... The Last Princess.
My Review:
This was a really fantastic debut book! I enjoyed it a ton, it was really interesting, and I just had to read it! I really enjoyed reading about Eliza, she was such a great character to read about! If she'd been in a regular world, she might've been different, but she was in this violent world!
I don't know what the borders of this England were, because I can see England being cut off from the rest of the world, it is an island, after all, albeit a bit one! But my question is, what about Scotland? My memories of this book are a bit blurry!
I really enjoyed this dystopian world, it was really dark, and I could see it happening, all of it, it did feel real. And that, that was just a bit scary! But a bit thrilling, too, because it's a book, so while it could happen, it most likely won't. And that's a good thing!
That was a very victorious ending! Beating the bad guy, getting the guy, and maybe making some peace for her country! That was a really great ending, and just really fantastic to read! I enjoyed it a ton! Very happy for her, but it is a series, so more conflict is coming!
But yeah for the series, because that means more, yeah!
Author: Galaxy Craze
Series: Last Princess #1
Read: November 23rd, 2012
Source: Library
Reason Why: Sounded good, and it's a DAC Book, and a 2012 Dystopian Book!
Publisher: Poppy
Published: May 1st 2012
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 3/5 Books |
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| 3/5 Stars |
Week 47 Review: Ninth Key
Everything is going great for Suze. Her new life in California is a whirlwind of parties and excellent hair days. Tad Beaumont, the hottest boy in town, has even asked Suze out on her very first date. Suze is so excited that she's willing to ignore her misgivings about Tad... particularly the fact that he's not Jesse, whose ghostly status--not to mention apparent disinterest in her--make him unattainable.
What Suze can't ignore, however, is the ghost of a murdered woman whose death seems directly connected to dark secrets hidden in none other than Tad Beaumont's past.
My Review:
Ah! This book of mistaken ghost identity, of poison ivy, and so much more! This was such a great book, and I enjoyed reading it so much! Such a great instalment in this series, and know that more is going to happen, well, yeah, I just really enjoyed it!
It was really great to have her dad in this book, because hey, just because he's dead, doesn't meant that he is out of her life! After all, she's a mediator, and seeing ghosts is just something that she does! So that was really fantastic!
How everything worked out, that Tad's dad was pretty crazy, and pretty much the whole family was, and that scene with Jesse and the fish, that was pretty hilarious, though it was a bit life threatening. But so great tor ead!
I forgot who the ghost was. But near the end, when Suze knows who the ghost isn't, I remembered who she was, and yeah, that was just so touching! Doc is my favourite step-brother, just like he is for Suze. Not that it's a hard contest!
Such a fantastic series, and I just need to reread more!
Author: Meg Cabot
Series: Mediator #2
Read: November 23rd, 2012
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Need to reread all my Meg Cabot Books!
Publisher: Avon Books
Published: February 1st 2001
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
Week 47 Review: Dark Companion
Orphaned at the age of six, Jane Williams has grown up in a series of foster homes, learning to survive in the shadows of life. Through hard work and determination, she manages to win a scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy. There, for the first time, Jane finds herself accepted by a group of friends. She even starts tutoring the headmistress's gorgeous son, Lucien. Things seem too good to be true.
They are.
The more she learns about Birch Grove's recent past, the more Jane comes to suspect that there is something sinister going on. Why did the wife of a popular teacher kill herself? What happened to the former scholarship student, whose place Jane took? Why does Lucien's brother, Jack, seem to dislike her so much?
As Jane begins to piece together the answers to the puzzle, she must find out why she was brought to Birch Grove—and what she would risk to stay there….
My Review:
So I'm really conflicted on my feelings about this book. I enjoyed it a lot, reading it was really fantastic. But then, it doesn't feel like a book I really should buy, or want to read again. I mean, I might reread it again, but it's not a priority. And I don't know why I feel that way!
I loved the mystery in this book, though, and how this book lives up to it's name, it's dark, and companion is a word that comes up in connection with everything. And yeah, it was just a great mystery, with all these things, and how they're connected, is just the best! (Though there are bad things because of it!)
And then when we get answers, well, yeah, those were different, and kinda similar, at the same time! Because the terms were different, that there were terms, that it was more structured, yeah, all these sorts of things!
I come from a family, so I don't understand why she chose what she chose, to be a companion. Sure, not with the guy that she originally was going to, but with the brother, and yeah, it made for a pretty good ending! But I still don't understand.
This was a pretty great book, and I enjoyed it!
Author: Marta Acosta
Read: November 22nd, 2021
Source: Library
Reason Why: Sounded good, and it's a DAC book!
Publisher: Tor Teen
Published: July 3rd 2012
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 2.5/5 Books |
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| 3/5 Stars |
Week 47 Review: Ice
When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.
Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back — if Cassie will agree to be his bride.
That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her — until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.
My Review:
I loved reading this book so much! It was so fantastic, and this world, and this writing, just oh, everything about it! I loved it, and I would love a sequel, or a companion book, oh, just anything, so I could spend more time in this world!
The story of her mom, she maybe knew a few details. But then she's affected by it, brought into it, and the adventure begins, and it was so incredible to do this! It was written so beautifully, and I wanted so much more time there!
So what Cassie discovers, well, that was really awesome, because it helps both sides. It helps those that had been dying out, because they weren't getting the souls. And then there was the other side, the souls, who wanted more then what they were! So fantastic!
One thing that I really wish we could've had, is more time for her reunion with Bear. They'd been separated for so long, and now they were back together, and I wish that we'd gotten more time there! Oh, and that we could've had her and her parents after this all happened, too, would've been fantastic!
I just loved this book so much, and now I need to read the last Sarah Beth Durst book that's out that I haven't already read, because her writing is just magnificent!
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Read: November 22nd, 2012
Source: Library
Reason Why: Sounded good! And it's a WTC book!
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: September 27th 2009
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |