Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (42)



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.


Goddess
(Starcrossed #3)

Author: Josephine Angelini

Expected Publication Date: May 28, 2013

GoodReads

Synopsis:

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched..



This series takes star-crossed lovers to an all new extreme - add the Olypian Gods to that mix and an ages-old curse and you have some entertainment. I LOVE this series and all the tension between the two main characters!


***

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Teaser Tuesday (35)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should be Reading 

To Participate you:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

This week's teaser comes from:



Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

GoodReads

Teaser:

"We just.....weren't supposed to hurt people," I say. "I like to think I'm helping them by hating them," she says. "I'm reminding them that they aren't God's gift to humankind."













Yes, I am finally reading Divergent. I feel like one of the last people alive that haven't read this book yet =P. I thought this quote up above was witty and clever, I knew right away I wanted to use it for my teaser haha. So far I'm really enjoying it, and from all I've heard about this book I'm sure I will be in love before the end :).


Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince
(The Iron Fey, Call of the Forgotten)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: October 30th, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Thank you NetGalley and HarlequinTeen for the review copy!

Genre: Urban Fantasy

GoodReads

Synopsis:

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.


My Thoughts: To say I was excited to be approved for The Lost Prince via NetGalley would be an understatement. I was squeeing and jumping in my seat, earning me strange looks from my toddler (don't judge me!). Needless to say, I wasn't at all disappointed in the least. I really don't think that Julie Kagawa can write anything that I won't like. I'm absolutely in love with her Fey series and the Blood of Eden series. The only problem, I have to wait for the new books to come out. I'm glad that I've already ordered a copy of this one, it will look great beside the rest of her books on my shelf. I don't think That I had ever even read a Faery book before these ones. It's going to be terrible, I'm going to be judging everything against these ones. Also, did you see that cover?? *drool*

The Lost Prince has Ethan Chase (You know, Meghan's kid brother who the Fey stole in the first book) as the protagonist. Ethan hates everything Fey, for good reason. They stole him AND Meghan prefers their company over her family's. He resents Meghan for abandoning him, so the last thing he wants is to go asking for her help when his new "friend" Todd, a half phouka, who was kidnapped by a new type of fey he's never seen before. A type of fey that is draining the exiles and half bloods of their glamour. So Ethan once again finds himself in the Nevernever, this time dragging a friend, Kenzie, with him. We get to meet some of our favourite characters again, including a certain snarky cat and trickster. So Ethan has to step up to save a world he despises, but will he do it. The story is fairly fast paced and will keep you wanting more.

I just adore Julie Kagawa's writing. I mean, how did it take me so long to pick up one of her books? They are amazing and she's going to be one of those authors for me that I'll read anything by her, I just know it. Her writing just pulls me in and keeps me there until I finish the book. This book is no different. Once I started it, I had to finish it. Unfortunately, things like sleeping, eating and work got in my way (although I love my job as a mommy!). If you're going to read this one, make sure you have the time to sit and read it, or else you're going to be thinking about it none stop. If you haven't checked out Julie Kagawa's writing yet, what are you waiting for?

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Hallowed Ones Giveaway


Awhile ago, I read this awesome book called The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. It's one of my favourite books of the year, you can check out my review here! I was lucky enough to receive a second copy of The Hallowed ones from Thomas Allen and Son Canada (Thank you!) and will be giving it away!

Sorry to our international followers, the shipping is on me this time and we're having a bit of a rough go at the moment, so I won't be able to ship international. This one is open to US/Can only (we do have an international giveaway going for the YA Mythology hop though!)

Good luck! This one will be ending Friday at midnight!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Owl Post (24)




Owl Post is a weekly feature at Owl Read It where we let you know what new books we got that past week as well as recap what reviews we've posted the past week. It's inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox meme. 

Jenn's Haul
Awesome, awesome books this week!! I FINALLY got my Amazon order for a couple of books I pre-ordered a couple of months ago. So excited! I also got one book for review! Which I've already read and really enjoyed! (please excuse the crappy cell phone picture!)


The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Bloodlines by Michelle Mead
Blind Spot by Laura Ellen
*Thank you Thomas Allen & Son!!*

Meghan's Haul:
I've got 2 books to share this week :)
Bought:
Soooooooo freaking excited for this book, totally in love with this series!

Free:
This is actually the first two books of the series A Girl's Guide. It has both A Girl's Guide to Falling in Love with a Zombie and A Girl's Guide to Breaking up with a Zombie. I am pretty excited about these one. They sound unique and fun :). Yay free books!




Kristal's Haul:

Nothing for me, again, this week guys :(  I should get a pre-order in next week though :D


***

***

What new reads did you get this week?

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Owl Recommend (8)


Owl Recommend is feature at Owl Read It where we try to help you find your next great read! :)


If you are into the Faerie thing, these books should be at the top of your list. And don't forget the recommend works both ways! If you read Lament and liked it then you should try the Iron Fey series. They are both magically incredible and they'll have you addicted and begging for more :)

Books mentioned:

***

Review: Son by Lois Lowry

Son

Author: Lois Lowry

Publication Date: September 1st, 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Genre: Dystopian/YA/Paranormal/Middle-Grade

GoodReads

Synopsis:

They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. That she had become a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive?  She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice. Son thrusts readers once again into the chilling world of the Newbery Medal winning book, The Giver, as well as Gathering Blue and Messenger where a new hero emerges. In this thrilling series finale, the startling and long-awaited conclusion to Lois Lowry’s epic tale culminates in a final clash between good and evil.


My Thoughts: I've really enjoyed this series. It's wonderfully creative, imaginative, and really the possibilities for this world are endless. So it's kind of fun to think of all the things that could be. The only detail I wish was incorporated somewhere, was how the world became to be as it is in this series. With all the divided pocket towns with extremely varying lifestyles. But I guess, that is can be fun too left to the imagination.

I've heard a lot of people say they didn't enjoy the series because they felt it was too loosely connected, and the books didn't relate enough to each other to hold their interest to the characters/story line. And while that may hold true if you've only read the first two, you really shouldn't pass judgement or give up until you've read the whole series. The third book takes a lot from the second, and just a little from the first. The fourth book, being Son, Take a lot from the first, fills you in a ton of awesome details we were missing adds them to what we learned from all the other books and ties them together so nicely. It turns out all the books are actually very connected. That being said, they are all written in such a way that you could read them stand alone. But you will definitely get more from it if you read them all.

As I said above, this ending book was perfect. It tied all the weaving and different story line together so neatly and ended it all on a perfect note. It's probably one of the best books to end a series that I've read. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, that I had a ton of questions. I felt very satisfied and really happy. While those of you who read the other books a while ago may have been waiting a while for this last installment, I would say it was well worth the wait. But I myself just started the series I couple weeks ago and I was lucky enough to be first on the waiting list at my library for a copy of Son so I didn't have much of a wait.

The brand new person we meet in this book is named Claire. Even though we haven't heard of her before she actually plays quite a vital role to the story. From it's very beginning to it all coming together and ending.  Of all the characters I met throughout this series. Claire was definitely my favorite, making this book my favorite one in the series. Claire's determination, bravery, will power and strength was impressive and definitely pulled me towards her.

If you haven't read this series yet, I strongly recommend you do. If you are one of those people who have read the first two and were turned off by it's loose connections, then I really think you should give it another chance! You won't regret it. The way Lowry weaves it all together is really quite brilliant. She is indeed a talented Author and I'm so glad I picked up this series :). If you're a dystopian fan, add this to your must-read list!


Friday, October 26, 2012

T.G.I.F. (18)

Thank Great Illustrators Fridays is a book meme created and hosted by Owl Read It.

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but a lot of the time the cover is what draws you to the book in the first place. This meme is to show appreciation to the artists who put their time and effort into creating the great book covers of our beloved series.

To Participate:
  • Pick a book cover you love (any book will do - released or not)
  • Post the picture of the book along with the author & publisher 
  • Post a brief summary of why you like the cover. 
  • Take the pic above and link back to us :)
This week's TGIF cover:

Sweet Peril
(The Sweet Trilogy #2)

Author: Wendy Higgins

Expected Publication Date: April 30, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Fantasy

GoodReads

Synopsis:

Anna Whitt, daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a claim. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?


I love this series and I loved the first cover. I feel like this one really catches what I feel the theme of this next book in.  The red in this one is ominous and foreboding in the sky, rather than something that pops right out at you like a dress or apple, for instance, but it still makes it's impact.  I can't wait for this one!




Review: Blind Spot by Laura Ellen

Blind Spot

Author: Laura Ellen

Publication Date: October 23rd, 2012

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

Genre: Contemporary / Realistic Fiction

GoodReads

Synopsis:

There’s none so blind as they that won’t see.

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.


My Thoughts: This was such an enjoyable book. I had a really hard time setting it down because I needed to know who did it (even though I thought I knew the whole time, I was wrong!!!!) There were a couple of things that irritated me, but not too badly. I really like Laura Ellen's writing style and you could tell that she knew a lot about Roz's disability (since she has experience with it herself). I felt bad for Roz. Having bad vision myself (not as bad as her) I hate not being able to see things, I will actually get depressed if something happens to my glasses because not being able to see more than a foot in front of your face clearly, sucks. It's no blind spot, but still irritating in it's own way, so I was able to connect with Roz, if not completely understanding her vision issues.

Roz is mostly your typical teenager. She doesn't like to accept help from others regarding her vision problems, and hates the word "disabled". So when she is put into the Special Ed class against her wishes, she does everything she can, and fails, to get out of the class. She meets and somewhat becomes friends with Tricia, and then Tricia goes missing. Roz thinks she just ran away until her body shows up, but she can't remember what happened that night. We follow Roz as she leads up to and after the death of Tricia, as she tries to figure out exactly where she messed up (Roz made a lot of poor decisions) and to figure out the truth.

Alright, so I said there was a couple of things that irritated me, not enough to discourage me from reading obviously. Firstly, just because a girl talks to a guy a lot does NOT mean they are involved. Even if they were once involved with them. Secondly, Mr. Dillian was a bully, there was no excuse for his behaviour and even after all was said and done, I still disliked him for how he treated Roz. I would literally get into rage mode reading about his treatment of her, he was way too harsh. Yes, I realize that was the way he was supposed to be written, but I can still hate on his fictional self.

Overall, Blind Spot  is a fast paced read. If you're someone who enjoys a little mystery with your realistic fiction, you should enjoy this. I will definitely be recommending this one, I think Laura Ellen has made a wonderful debut into the writing world and I hope she will continue! It will keep you on your toes (and the ending isn't as predictable as you'd think!)

Thursday, October 25, 2012

YA Mythology Hop


I love Mythology, so am happy to be giving you the chance to win a YA book with a mythology theme of your choice from TBD ($15 value). This hop is hosted by For Those About to Read and I Am A Reader Not A Writer.

Here are some books that are YA Mythology, just to give you an idea of what to pick. Or if you know of another YA book with mythological roots that you're just dying to have, you can pick it too. As long as it's obvious that it's mythology! Just enter below!


***

a Rafflecopter giveaway
***
Keep hopping!



Review: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publication Date: March 24th, 2009

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance

GoodReads

Synopsis:

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?


My Thoughts: This series just continues to get better and better with each installment.  You probably already know how much I loved the other books based on my previous reviews. So my undying love for this book should come as no surprise.

In this book, pretty much all previous conflict comes to a head and the drama and suspense that I enjoy so much in this series is increased twofold at least. I don't want to tell you what comes to a head because I don't want to tell you which pieces of the puzzle come together. If you've read the series you know there is so much going on at all times. We're always torn by multiple conflicts at once. And I freaking love it. But in  City of Glass we get to see a lot of those things work themselves out, and we get a lot of answers to our questions that have been putting our anxiety through the roof.

I almost make reading these books sound painful haha. But the fact is, there just aren't many books out there that make me feel as intensely as these ones do. Every emotion is brought to it's breaking point and usually sits there for a while taunting us before it ultimately crashes and subsides only to start all over. There I go again making it sound painful. While reading these books might be a little painful, because of what I said above, but they are also extremely enjoyable, incredible, captivating, mesmerizing, and much more.

For me, this book was intensely fulfilling as my largest quandary finally met it's end. I closed this book and I immediately went to the store and bought the next in the series as I only owned the first 3. I was really lucky they even had it, because there isn't much of a selection in my town for books =p.  The nearest book store to me is about an hours drive. How terrible a fate is that? Hence, why I usually buy my books online. Also, it helps me sucker my husband into buying me books every time we do venture into the big city haha :). So anyway, you will be seeing a review for City of Fallen Angels soon!

If you haven't started this series yet, I strongly recommend you get on it, post haste. There are few that I would rank along side these books. They stand in a league of their own. Cassandra has created a series that will have people falling in love for years and years to come, I'm sure!



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (41)



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.


Unravel Me
(Shatter Me #2)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Expected Publication Date: February 5th 201

GoodReads

Synopsis:

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick it's almost time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.


I absolutely loved Shatter Me, it was one of the first books I reviewed on the blog. So I can't wait for this one to see what happens next! I really love the writing style in these books!


***

What are you waiting on?