Saturday, March 31, 2012

On My Wishlist

 

On My Wishlist is a great event that Book Chick City runs every Saturday. It's where you list all of the books that you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. I thought that this was a fantabulous idea so I thought I would join in!
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"Tomorrow, When the War Began" by John Marsden

From Goodreads: "When Ellie and her friends go camping, they have no idea they're leaving their old lives behind forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage and a secret crush or two, everything goes as planned. But a week later, they return home to find their houses empty and their pets starving. Something has gone wrong--horribly wrong. Before long, they realize the country has been invaded, and the entire town has been captured--including their families and all their friends. Ellie and the other survivors face an impossible decision: They can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can fight."

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

"A Stiff Kiss" by Avery Olive

From Goodreads: "Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything?

Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.

But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia's arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?

With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn't realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she's thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia's this time." 


I must admit that going into this book I just expected it to be a fluffy read- a book with a lot of entertainment value, but also a book with little substance (a stereotypical rom-com with a paranormal element). After having finished this book all I can do is shake my head at my earlier stupidity, this book was anything but, yes, it was a paranormal rom-com of sorts, but it was so much more, a story of forgiveness, a story of growth, a story of acceptance and the likes of- it exceeded my expectations by tenfold.

Typically I am on the fence about the chapters of a book being told from alternate perspectives, one from her point of view, the other from his point of view, however I thought that it worked perfectly for the storyline. I thought that the change in P.O.V. allowed us to see a different side of the characters that we otherwise would not have. Avery was able to weave everything together perfectly and this book may very well possess the best change in P.O.V. I have ever encountered before.  

All in all, if Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series,  

Rating: 9/10

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

"After the Snow" by S.D. Crockett

From Goodreads: "Polar conditions engulfed the earth...

... before Willo was born, so the world of ice and snow is the only one he's ever known. At first, he excels at surviving, with his family living on their own in the wilderness without the government's approval. Then one day, he returns home from trapping to find his family gone.

Wary of scavengers, he sets off to find refuge on top of a mountain. There, he will build a shelter and devise a plan to get his family back. But on the way, he discovers a young girl and her brother abandoned and starving. Will he jepardize his chances of survival- and alter the course of his destiny- to save the,? 

Set in the haunting and barren landscape of a new Ice Age, S.D. Crockett's debut novel is a powerful journey of survival, adventure. friendship, and self-discovery."

When I read the synopsis of this book I was intrigued- I thought that this book would be "Article 5" meets "The Day After Tomorrow", a heart-pounding and heartwarming tale (not to mention a tale which kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time while reading it) of a character battling the elements and a corrupt government in the hopes of being reunited with their family. But, alas, this book was anything but.

Within the first couple of sentences I knew that this was a book I was going to struggle to finish- not only was the book written in dialect (which if you have read my review of "Blood Red Road", I do not like. I personally don't feel that dialect *does* anything for a story- it doesn't make it more interesting, it doesn't add depth, and it doesn't make the book more likeable, it's just *there*- unlike for instance, the crossed out lines in Tahereh Mafi's "Shatter Me" which adds layers and layers of depth and emotion to the storyline), but I was also entirely confused (and quite put off) by the main character, Willo, due to the fact that he wears a dog skull on his head and talks to said dog as if it were a person (like the book being written in dialogue I felt that this brought little to the story).

That being said, when the dog aspect of the story played less of a role (after about the first third of the book) I found it to be A LOT more enjoyable. I thought that Jacob, his wife, and Dorothy were all fairly interesting characters and I enjoyed reading of Willo's exploits with them. Additionally, I also thought that the world and the setting that Crockett had created was well crafted and that the ending fit well with the overall feel of the book.

However, despite the few things I did enjoy about this book I can't help but wonder what the point of it was. I think that this book had the potential to be great, but that it did not live up to said potential. That being said, the most pressing complaints I did have about the book (ie. it being told in dialect) are personal preferences, therefore if you do enjoy a book being written in this style and you do like eerie apocalyptic plots then book might be right up your alley!

Rating: 1/5

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.  

CymLowell

Sunday, March 25, 2012

In My Mailbox: HarperCollins Canada Edition


In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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Received for Review
"Defiance" by C.J. Redwine (Thanks to HarperCollins Canada and Shannon!)
 "Illuminate" by Aimee Agretsi (Thanks to Thomas Allen & Son and Anita!)
"Croak" by Gina Damico (Thanks to Thomas Allen & Son and Anita!)
"Loss" by Jackie Morse Kessler (Thanks to Thomas Allen & Son and Anita!)
"Dead is a Battlefied" by Marlene Perez (Thanks to Thomas Allen & Son and Anita!)

Won
"Don't Breathe a Word" by Holly Cupala (Thanks to HarperCollins Canada!)
"Dear Bully" Anthopology (Thanks to HarperCollins Canada!)
"The Whole Truth" by Kit Pearson (Thanks to HarperCollins Canada!)

What did you receive in your mailbox?

Saturday, March 24, 2012

On My Wishlist

 

On My Wishlist is a great event that Book Chick City runs every Saturday. It's where you list all of the books that you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. I thought that this was a fantabulous idea so I thought I would join in!
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"Wanderlove" by Kirsten Hubbard

From Goodreads: "It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story."

Friday, March 23, 2012

"A Stiff Kiss" Blog Tour w/ Giveaway


Today I am super excited to be a part of Avery (Look! Another Avery!) Olive's blog tour for her debut novel "A Stiff Kiss"! I am currently halfway through the book and loving every minute of it (think Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series meets Alex Flinn's "Beastly")! I can't wait to share my review of it with you this upcoming Wednesday (March 28th).

From Goodreads: "Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything?

Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.

But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia's arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?

With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn't realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she's thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia's this time."

Contest Prize Details! 

Included:
  • 1 signed A Stiff Kiss Poster
  • And signed bookmark
  • A collector card

The giveaway is international and will end on Wednesday March 28th. To enter simply leave answer the following question and leave some way to contact you if you win: 

If you could kiss any book character or celebrity and bring them back to life, who would you kiss?

Winners have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. As this prize is coming from a third party (the author) I am not held responsible if the prize is lost in the mail. One entry per person.

"Crossed" by Ally Condie

From Goodreads: "The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever."


Being a fan of Ally's "Matched" I obviously couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I had such high hopes for this book (my main hope being that it would be just as good, if not better than, its predecessor). However, after having finished the book I must admit that it did not live up to those expectations.
  
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be "soft"- which took me by surprise as I had expected it to be chocked full of action and adventure with Cassia and the boys coming to understand exactly far deep the corruption ran in their society and the likes of (think "The Hunger Games" trilogy- especially "Mockingjay"). As this book was quite soft it didn't engage me near as much as "Matched" did. Furthermore, being soft I didn't find that it had much of an "AHA!" moment (AKA a climax)- a moment in which after having read it you either have to pick your jaw up from the ground or run to the nearest bathroom to grab some Kleenex so that you can dab your eyes and blow your nose with due to the fact that you are sobbing so hard- in fact, I don't really feel anything after having finished it.

Furthermore, I was also a bit disappointed by the "secret" surrounding Xander. I personally feel that it completely came out of the left field- as if it were an afterthought added into the story to make Cassia's and Ky's happy ending, well, not so happy. And I was a bit disappointed by the fact that this book is one of *those* books that answer questions with more questions (seriously, what did we learn about The Rising in this book? The Rising only plays a significant role in the last few pages of the book, too little, too late).

Complaints aside, there were a number of things that I enjoyed this book, including Xander's visit to Cassia, I thought that it was super sweet and brought a much needed lightness to the book, ditto Cassia and Ky's reunion. I also did enjoy the introduction of a few new characters- Indie and Eli (though more so Eli as I still do not trust Indie, I question her motives).

All in all, while this book was a bit unsatisfying I am looking forward to the next (and final) book in this trilogy. I have complete faith that the next book will be everything that we are hoping it will be.

Rating: 72/5

Thursday, March 22, 2012

My Plea To You...

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Click on the button to be taken to the voting page.

As I am sure has become evident by now I LOVE Veronica Roth's "Divergent"- whenever I walk by my bookshelf and see it out of the corner of my eye I can't help but feel the need to reread it (despite having reread it in its entirety, or parts of it, a half dozen times since I first read it), it is a book that I know that I will never get sick of reading and a world I will want to get lost in time and time again.

I can't think of a more fitting description for it than what Markus Zusak says:

"Sometimes you read a book so special that you want to carry it around with you for months after you've finished just to stay near it." 

So you may be wondering what my plea to you is? My plea is for you to head over to the HarperCollins Canada March Madness and vote for "Divergent" (basically the HCC March Madness event pits the crème de la crème of its books against one another and as their tagline states: "64 books begin, but only 1 will be crowned champion").

Why do I think that you should vote for "Divergent" over "Bridge to Terabithia"? It's not because I think that "Divergent" is a better book than "Bridge to Terabithia", I love them both for different reasons- I first read "Bridge to Terabithia" when I was in grade six and it was the first book that I ever experienced a physical reaction from (to this day I can still vividly recall the 'punch in the stomach' feeling I experienced when reading about Leslie's fate).

I think that you should vote for "Divergent" is because we all already know that "Bridge to Terabithia" is a classic and I think that it is about time that a new book had a chance in the spotlight- who knows? Maybe one day "Divergent" will become a classic? ;)

And... What is awesome about this event is that anyone can vote- there are no geographical restrictions! AND you can vote every hour! Oh, and if that wasn't enough... One voter will win all 64 books (A PRIZE VALUED AT $1000.00! Also, I looked  into it and: The Contest is open to all residents of Canada, excluding residents of Quebec, who have reached the age of majority in their province of residence," you can find the full rules HERE)!

So what are you waiting for? GO VOTE FOR "DIVERGENT"!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "What's Left of Me"
Author: Kat Zhang
Release Date: September 18th, 2012

From Goodreads: "NEVER LET ME GO meets HIS DARK MATERIALS in a beautiful, haunting YA debut, the first book in The Hybrid Trilogy.

Eva and Addie live in a world where everyone is born with two souls, but where only the dominant one is allowed to survive childhood. Fifteen years old, and closer even than twins, the girls are keeping Eva, the ‘second soul’, a secret. They know that it’s forbidden to be hybrid, but how could they ever be apart?

When a dramatic event reveals what really happens to hybrids if they are discovered, Eva and Addie face a dangerous fight for survival, neither wanting to be the one left behind… "

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

"The Pledge" by Kimberly Derting

From Goodreads: "In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime."


If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be "satisfying". I honest to goodness cannot think of a single complaint about this book. This book had everything going for it- an extremely likeable  heroine, a swoon-worthy boy, one of the sweetest (and totally SQUEE-worthy) relationships that I have read in quite some time, and a unique post-apocalyptic storyline.

I really, really liked Charlie- which I found quite surprising as, as I have made note of time and time again, female characters really don't do that much for me- in the large majority of cases I find them to be quite lacking (in personality, character development, and the likes of), especially when compared to their male counterparts- but I didn't find that with her at all. I thought that she had a strong head on her shoulders, not to mention, she was selfless beyond belief. And if I really, really liked Charlie, then you would be safe to assume that I really, really, REALLY liked Max- he wasn't the typical 'bad boy' who There was one specific thing that he did in the book that totally sold me on him and legitimately took my breath away (if you have read the book, think about the note that he wrote her).

All in all, I highly recommend this book. This book is truly a page-turner and it will very much keep you on the edge of your seat while reading it (I literally finished it in one sitting, within a few hours of starting it). While I would be a-okay with this book being a standalone (it has that sort of feel to it), I admit that I am very excited by the fact that it isn't, as I will be able to learn more about Charlie Max.

Rating: 10/10

Monday, March 19, 2012

Free E-books!

Lately I have come across some really amazing E-books that are currently being offered for FREE on Amazon (though only for a short time)! Therefore I have compiled a list of some of them for y'all! Just click on the cover and it will take you to Amazon. 


***If you decide to pick up some of these books look at the prices to ensure that they are, in fact, still being offered for free as their prices are subject to change quite quickly!***

Sunday, March 18, 2012

In My Mailbox: Werewolves and Shapeshifters Edition


In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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Received for Review 
"Into the Snow" by S.D. Crocket (Thanks to Raincoast and Crystal)
"Fated" by Alison Noel (Thanks to Raincoast and Crystal)

Won 
"Pure" ARC by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Thanks to the wonderful ladies over at YA Sisterhood)
"Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Thanks to the wonderful ladies over at YA Sisterhood)
"Under My Skin" by Charles de Lint (Thanks to the Razorbill community)

Bought
"The Savage Grace" by Bree Despain

What did you get in your mailbox?

Saturday, March 17, 2012

"The Lustre" Launch Party!



From Goodreads: "Hidden within Human society is an entrancing race of beings who look just like us. They are the Akataromai. Originating on Earth, they conceal themselves, blending within the Human population. Though they appear to be Human, mature Akataromai live for centuries and feed upon negative Human emotions. Angelina Quorra is an Akataromai, a Human-looking girl who might never die. But Angelina is unique among her people, absorbing pain as well as emotion and giving anyone who feeds her overwhelming pleasure. This is her story, told by the men who adore her. Her talent is called The Lustre, bringing her great fame, and great trouble." 

What was the inspiration behind The Lustre?
The Lustre actually started out as a vampire story. The way it was written was too salacious for my tastes with the vampire genre, so I shelved it for a long time while I tried to figure out what to do to make it less obscene. One evening my husband and I were discussing it and he came up with the idea for drinking emotions rather than blood. Somewhere in the discussion, we also were talking about how a character’s attributes are often enhanced by the opinions of other characters rather than just a straight description. I was fascinated by this concept and so I changed the voice of the book to reflect the points of view of the male characters. You’ll notice that Angelina never speaks for herself in the story.

I originally was going to release it unedited as a free ebook, but I got scolded so much by my friend Cynthia, who loved the story, that I decided to expand it, edit it, and publish it.

Where did you get the name “Akataromai”?
I was looking for something old-sounding and perhaps an actual or mythical race from ancient times. I didn’t find any in my research that fit the description, so I translated the term “without curse” in Greek (with Google Translator—yes, I’m so very authentic). I based the idea on the book of Genesis where Adam and Eve are cursed because of their sin of disobedience to God. The Akataromai became a race that sprang from creatures that existed alongside Adam and Eve, but didn’t choose to sin and so weren’t cursed. It kind of grew by itself from there.

Do you have plans for more books about Angelina or other Akataromai?
I don’t have any stories in mind, but I am open to them. Friends have have suggested an expanded story about Isa and Idris, or a book about another Akataromai with The Lustre, such as one of Angelina’s children. The chances of another book will depend on how well The Lustre does. 

About the Author:
Kate Policani is a homemaker and compulsive writer from Seattle. She has a wild imagination and an addiction to reading and writing. Her hobby is exploring and analyzing all kinds of stories. She uses them like a literary chemistry set to examine a variety ideas and concepts and to fuel her own writing. The Science Fiction and Fantasy genres are her favorites because the exciting flights of fancy make a thrilling plot. Every day is filled with the stories of those around us, especially in this information age. It is her passion to find what stories inspire her and others, and why they inspire. There are more than 80 stories waiting on her hard drive, incubating and developing for future reading! What will she come up with next?

Where you can find Kate: 

On My Wishlist

 

On My Wishlist is a great event that Book Chick City runs every Saturday. It's where you list all of the books that you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. I thought that this was a fantabulous idea so I thought I would join in!
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 "Sweet Evil" by Wendy Higgins

From Goodreads: "What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

A cross-country trip to meet her father forces Anna to face the reality that hope and love are not options for her kind. When she confronts her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?"

Friday, March 16, 2012

New Release (And a FREE E-book)

As I am sure has become evident from my reviews of "Between the Land and the Sea""The Moon and the Tide", and "The Fate of the Muse", I love Derrolyn Anderson's "Marina's Tales" series, therefore I am excited (though at the same time a bit sad) to announce that the fourth, and last book, in the series (what Derrolyn likes to refer to as a quadrology), "The Turning Tides", has been released.

From Goodreads: "Marina has been through a lot in the past year; she knows what she wants, and she decides to take matters into her own hands to get it. When a twist of fate takes her away from Aptos, she returns to find that her whole world has changed once again. A fortune teller’s ominous prediction seems to be coming true, people around her aren’t who they appear to be, and to top it all off, she’s being followed again. 

Marina and Ethan only want to be together, but find they are being torn apart by their very natures. Can they overcome a final obstacle to build the future they dream of?"

In honour of the release of "The Turning Tides"Derrolyn has been kind enough to make the  first E-book in the series, "Between the Land and the Sea", FREE for everyone! 

You can get your copy by clicking HERE and entering the coupon code # FM28V.

I hope that y'all come to love this series as much as I do (and are just as excited as I am to see what Derrolyn's next project is)!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

ARC Review: "The Marked" (AKA "The Watchers") by Inara Scott

Just in case you were wondering about the name change of this book/ series: Inara's publisher didn't feel like the titles of her books "Delacroix Academy: The Candidates" and "Delacroix Academy: The Watchers" fully conveyed to the reader what the series was about. Therefore they decided to rename "The Candidates" (it is now called "The Talents") and give it a new cover. They also did the same for "The Watchers", this book (it is now called "The Marked"), and it will be released April 3, 2012. 

From Goodreads: "Dancia's back at Delcroix, but this year, everything's different. Danica is Talented, and her powers have earned an invitation to join Delacroix's real raison d'etre- the Program. All Danica ever wanted is to use her powers for good- and now Delacroix is going to give her the training she needs to make it happen.

At least that's what the school says she'll learn do to with her powers. Her cuter-than-cute boyfriend, Cam, insists that it's true, and so do all of the other students. But a little voice inside her wonders, if the Program's so great, why does her friend Jack run away from it rather than join? And why are angry ex-students attacking the school?

Danica's a loyal student... and a loyal girlfriend. But if finding out what's really going on means talking to Jack, well- it's a risk she might just have to take."

As becomes evident in my original review of "The Candidates" by Inara Scott I was very excited to get my hands on this novel, I loved the first book and was so excited to read this book, its sequel. However, after having finished it I must admit that I am a bit disappointed.

The largest problem that I had with this book is that I felt that there was a disconnect between what was going on in the plot of the book and the emotional development surrounding these parts. There was one specific part of the book (chapter 15) where Danica was training in the woods and something that she perceived as being terrible happened but I personally didn't understand why it was such a big deal solely because I don't think that the terror and horror that she was experiencing during it was as developed as it needed to be. The dialogue, of this part especially, felt too robotic and unnatural for my liking.

Furthermore, I was extremely confused by Jack's behaviour in this book (which broke my heart because he MADE the series for me)- I didn't understand why he ran hot one moment (joking around with Danica as if they hadn't been separated by time and their differing circumstances) and cold the next (to well, not joking- doing something far, far serious).

That being said, I did appreciate that the secondary characters of this series- Trevor, Anna, Hennie Esther and Catherine played a larger part (yes, I said CATHERINE- never did I expect to actually like that girl). I thought they helped to liven up the story- whether it be through their humor or seeing their abilities slowly start to develop. I also loved Barrett, the newly introduced male character in this book, I'd have to say that he is my most favourite male character after Jack and Yashir (I like Yashir a lot because he reminds me of Samuel from "The Glee Project").

All in all, while I was a tad disappointed by this installment of the series I WILL continue on with it (with the cliffhanger-ish ending of this book you'd be crazy not to!).

Rating: 7/10

I received this book from the author to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Gilt"
Author: Katherine Longshore
Release Date: May 15, 2012

From Goodreads: "In the Tudor age, ambition, power and charismatic allure are essential and Catherine Howard has plenty of all three. Not to mention her loyal best friend, Kitty Tylney, to help cover her tracks. Kitty, the abandoned youngest daughter of minor aristocracy, owes everything to Cat – where she is, what she is, even who she is. Friend, flirt, and self-proclaimed Queen of Misrule, Cat reigns supreme in a loyal court of girls under the none-too-watchful eye of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk.

When Cat worms her way into the heart of Henry VIII and becomes Queen of England, Kitty is thrown into the intoxicating Tudor Court. It’s a world of glittering jewels and elegant costumes, of gossip and deception. As the Queen’s right-hand-woman, Kitty goes from the girl nobody noticed to being caught between two men – the object of her affection and the object of her desire.

But the atmosphere of the court turns from dazzling to deadly, and Kitty is forced to learn the difference between trust and loyalty, love and lust, secrets and treason. And to accept the consequences when some lessons are learned too late."

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Take Two: "The Talents" (AKA "The Candidates") by Inara Scott




We all do it, we read a book and we make an initial impression of it, whether it is a positive or negative impression it doesn't matter- just the fact that we make one matters. And sometimes the impression that we make can very well be impacted by factors outside of the book (ie. our mood while reading the book, other books we were reading at the time, etc.). We then reread the book (which I don't know about y'all, but I am totally a rereader) and notice things we didn't see the first time around, come to understand those characters who bothered us the first time around or just come away from the book with a totally different idea of how we feel about it. As mentioned, I am a rereader sort of person, whether I reread a book right after my initial time reading it, or months, if not years later, well, I don't think that really matters, what I think matters is that with time something about that book hooks us, reels us in, and forces us to once again pick it up. I thought that it would be interesting if I were to reread some books that I have previously read and/or reviewed to see if my initial impression of the book has changed, hence this new little feature I like to call "Take Two".

Just in case you were wondering about the name change of this book/ series: Inara's publisher didn't feel like the titles of her books "Delacroix Academy: The Candidates" and "Delacroix Academy: The Watchers" fully conveyed to the reader what the series was about. Therefore they decided to rename this book, "The Candidates" (it is now called "The Talents"), and give it a new cover. They also did the same for "The Watchers", it's sequel (it is now called "The Marked"), and it will be released April 3, 2012.

 You can find my original review of "The Candidates" HERE.  

From Goodreads: "Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just … happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to people, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a full scholarship, Dancia fears her days of living under the radar may be over. But Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses — why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make her feel welcome. And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at Delcroix, and he wants Dancia to help him figure out what…But neither Jack or Dancia could have imagined what’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy."

After having reread this book I must admit that there were aspects of it that I didn't enjoy as much as I had the first time (much like in my Take Two of "The Last Sacrifice" by Richelle Mead).

This time around I had a much harder time relating to the vast majority of the characters- I think that it could perhaps be attributed to the fact that I last read this book a year (if not longer ago) which means that I am a year older than the characters (Danica, the main character, is fourteen years old). Therefore we are at totally different points in our lives (these characters are just entering into high school whereas I am graduating university, Danica's biggest worries include such things as whether the school's cutest boy reciprocates her feelings, whereas my biggest concerns include such things as prepping for grad school and being a 'grown-up').

Furthermore, while the first time I read this book I disliked Cam I disliked him even more so in this book. He just reminds me too much of Nash from Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series, he is too 'perfect', too all American, too jocky, too cocky, and the likes of.

That being said,  I feel even harder for Jack in this book. I hadn't comprehended how much time Danica and Jack had spent together and how much of an impact they had on one another. Furthermore, I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book, while in the first time I read the book I didn't feel that they didn't made all that much of an impact upon me. I thought that Esther and Hennie brought a lot of much needed humor to the book.

All in all, while there was most definitely aspects of this book that I didn't enjoy as much the second time around, that isn't to say that it is a bad book by any means, there were also numerous parts that I enjoyed even more so this time. Furthermore, this is a book that I will read time and time again despite my complaints.

Rating: 8/10



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