Showcase Sunday (2)

Hi, everyone! Hope you all had a great week (in general and with books). This week I got fourteen books, eight of those books being galleys. So, let's get this Showcase Sunday started, shall we?

Galleys

Okay, I got a lot of Galleys this week, probably the most I've ever gotten in one week. I'll start off this Showcase Sunday with a book I've been dying to read for a really long time now, and I thought all hope was lost when Random House didn't respond for a few months. That book is...

Velveteen by Daniel Marks! Like I mentioned above, I've been dying to read this book for a really long time, I'm so happy I was accepted! I mean, come on. A 16 year old girl got killed, so she haunts her murderer to the breaking point. It's going to hopefully be awesome. 

Also in my mailbox this week is Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

I'm really shocked I was accepted for this, because I've heard that Random House was on a decline rampage for this book. I look forward to starting it, even though I'm not much of a fantasy fan, but it still sounds pretty good. "Shadowfell is a captivating tale of peril, courage, romance, and survival.". Shadowfell, don't disappoint. Please. 

Next up for galleys is Touched by Cyn Balog. 

   

I'm not sure about this one, though. I honestly don't even remember requesting it. I'll probably read it, but it hasn't gotten very good reviews. In fact, it got so many bad reviews, that the author, Cyn Balog, made a blog post complaining about the bad reviews (or something of the sort). I wish I could find the original blog post, but sadly, I think Balog deleted it. If anything, I'll read this just to see if it's as bad as so many people say it is. 

The last of the galleys sent to me by Random House this week is Flutter by Gina Linko.

This is a book I also forgot I requested at NetGalley, and it was a pleasant surprise when I checked my email to see that I was accepted! It's gotten pretty good reviews so far, and it also sounds pretty good! 

That's it for galleys sent to me by Random House, but there's still four more galleys I got from other publishers!

I'll start the non Random House galleys I got with Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown. 

When I got the email that I was accepted to read Lies Beneath, I was so happy. It's gotten mixed reviews (mostly positive), but the concept of murderous mermaids in Lake Superior? Hell yes! I plan on starting this really soon, and I can't wait. I'm reading Monstrous Beauty right now, and it's awesome, so if, when I'm done, I'm craving more mermaids, this'll be the book I go to. 

Another book I'm really excited to read that I got this week is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

Code Name Verity has gotten numerous five-star reviews, so when I saw this on NetGalley I requested it immediately! And, to make it better, it's auto-approve! You can possibly be declined, so go! Request it, quickly! This may not last long. (Also, which cover do you like better? The one on the left, or the one on the right?). 

This week I also got A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer. 

I'm not really in a rush to read this, because I'm not in a vampire mood, and I don't think I will be in a vampire mood for a while, but when I am in a vampire mood, this book'll be here. It's gotten pretty mixed reviews from reviewers on Goodreads, but it still sounds interesting. However, I checked out Palmer's other books, and it looks like she writes a series of erotica novels, so I'm just hoping she doesn't incorporate erotica into this book. Although I think there will be some erotica, considering the title has the word "Seduction" in it. 

Lastly, I also got Timepiece by Myra McEntire, which is book two of the Hourglass series.

This is another book that is auto-approve on NetGalley, so snatch it up, quickly! That might not last too long! I got the first book from the library and I plan on starting it soon. I hasn't gotten very good reviews from my friends, so I don't know if I'll like it. It sounds pretty good, but the main character supposedly obsesses over one of the main male love interests a lot, which irritates me. But, on a good note, I'm obsessed with this cover. I am in serious love with it. 

Well, that's it for galleys I got this week, but there's still the library books I got, the books I bought and the book that was gifted to me!

Library Books

I only got two library books this week, and both of them haven't gotten the best reviews. I'll start off the library books I got this week with Hourglass by Myra McEntire. 

Hourglass is book one of the Hourglass series, which is mentioned above. I plan on starting this one pretty soon, so I could get started on Timepiece (if I still want to read Timepiece when I'm done with this. It hasn't gotten the best reviews). Once again, I love this cover. McEntire needs to keep her cover artist, because both the covers of Hourglass and Timepiece are stunning. 

Next up for library books is Wildefire by Karsten Knight. 

I don't know what to think of this. It has gotten mostly negative reviews, and, from the reviews I've read, the main character has some serious anger issues. I don't know if I would be able to relate to a heroine with such anger issues that so many people had to mention it. However, I plan on starting this soon. I'm also in love with this cover, too, as well as it's sequel, Embers and Echoes, which is released on August 28th, 2012. 

Books Bought

I bought two books this week, too, and I can't wait to read them. They both sound extremely awesome, but they both got decent reviews, so I'm hoping I like them!

The first book I bought this week is Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers. 

Grave Mercy has gotten some criticism for being boring at times, but I really couldn't resist the concept of assassin nuns. I look forward to starting it soon, I just hope it's awesome. But come on, how could a story about assassin nuns not be awesome? Exactly, it can't. 

Next up is Glimmer by Pheobe Kitanidis. 

I've read in a lot of reviews that Glimmer starts off great and mysterious, but eventually loses track of the main plot and spirals off into little crazy sub-plots that never get fully answered. I still look forward to reading this, despite all of that. It may be something that takes away from the story, but who knows, I may still like it. Glimmer is described as a young adult version of Pleasantville meets The Stepford Wives. 

Books Gifted to Me

This week, an amazing friend of mine bought me a book I've been dying to read for a really, really long time. Wanna know what that book is? It is... 

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake! I don't know how long I've been waiting to read this book, but I know it's been a while. I can't wait to start this, since I am a huge fan of everything horror, and I've heard this is a really creepy book.

Well, that's it for week two of Showcase Sunday, thanks for reading! What did you get in your mailbox this week? Comment the books you got in the comment section below!

My Character Notes of Monstrous Beauty

Warning: Minor spoilers if you read the notes (for the first 40%). 


Between the many characters and their related histories and backstories, and, added to that the transitioning timelines, I found myself confusing the characters. I wrote these notes in hopes they would help me think straight.

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

I feel very constricted at the moment, because I don’t know what rating to give this. The story itself was pretty good, and the ending was sweet, but it’s just Meghan… I don’t think I can not take stars away from this book because of Meghan… I did some thinking about it, and figured without Meghan, this book probably would have gotten three and a half stars from me. With Meghan, I’ve come to the conclusion that it gets two and a half stars. I don’t know if that’s too much, and I’m being too generous, or if I'm taking too much from the rating, but that was the final rating I decided. Now, let’s get this review started.

Waiting on Wednesday (April 25)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we post upcoming releases we're highly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "cant-wait-to-read" selection is Ten by Gretchen McNeil. Ten's release date is September 18th.

And their doom comes swiftly. 


It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school's most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.


But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. 


Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer close to her than she could ever imagine? 

Doesn't that sound awesome? I'm just hoping it's as awesome as it sounds, but I think it's gonna be as awesome as it sounds, if not more awesome. 

(Awesome, awesome, awesome) 

Book Releases for 4/24

Tomorrow (April 24th) is a pretty big day for book releases, look below for some of the books being released tomorrow!

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Highly recommended, an excellent vampire novel! Check out my review here on Goodreads, and here on my blog. 

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin.
Highly, highly recommended. Check out my review here on Goodreads, and here on my blog. (In fact, I love this book so much I'm buying my friend a copy of this tomorrow morning so she can read it). 

Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday.
Social Suicide is book two of the Deadly Cool series. Find book one here. 

Ascend by Amanda Hocking.
Ascend is book three of the Trylle Trilogy. Find book one here and book two here.

Thumped by Megan McCafferty.
Thumped is book two of the Bumped series. Find book one here. (Sorry the picture for Thumped turned out a bit smaller than the others, I don't know what went wrong). 

The Selection by Kierra Cass.
The Selection is the first in a planned series. It is described as The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor. (Oh yeah, you might want to read this pretty awesome review written by Wendy Darling before buying).

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris.
Check out my review here on Goodreads, and here on my blog. Recommended for fans of science fiction, not recommended for people who aren't fans of science fiction (like me). 

Showcase Sunday (1)

Hi, and welcome to my first week of Showcase Sunday! Considering I don't actually get books physically in the mailbox (I read on my Kindle), this is where I will post the books I've either received from publishers, the library, or books that I've bought in the week.  

Galleys

Let's start the first Showcase Sunday off with a book I'm extremely excited about, Glitch by Heather Anastasiu. 

I've been dying to read this book for a while now, and when I was told that it was on NetGalley, I requested it right away and stalked my email until I was approved. Thank you very much, St. Martin's Press!

Next up is Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard. 

I'm really looking forward to starting this, because it sounds pretty awesome (zombies and steampunk?), and it's gotten an excellent review from a friend of mine (check out her blog!). When I first requested this on Edelweiss, I was sadly rejected, but I tried again and was surprisingly accepted the second time, so I really can't wait to start this. 

Also in my mailbox this week is Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock.

While this has gotten some mixed reviews from friends of mine, I'm still really excited to start this. It sounds like it could be awesome, and the cover is gorgeous (but so are the covers of the other two books I posted). But this cover... I'm in love with it. 

Well, that's it for books from NetGalley and Edelweiss, but there's still the books that I got from the library, and the books that I bought!

Library Books

This week, I got the first two books in the Fallen series by Lauren Kate (Fallen and Torment).

These two books have gotten... Well... They've gotten pretty (okay, really) bad reviews from some Goodreads friends of mine, and I just had to see what was so horrible about it. I'm in no real rush to read these, but eventually I will, and see if it really is as big of a train-wreck as my friends say it is. 

Along with Fallen and Torment, I also got Across the Universe by Beth Revis from the library. 

This has also gotten mixed reviews from Goodreads friends of mine, but most of its reviews were generally favorable, so I'm looking forward to reading it. The only problem I can think of is that I'm not a very big science fiction fan, but I'm hoping that won't take away from my enjoyment in the story. 

Now onto the books I bought. 

Bought Books

I'm really excited to read the two books I bought this week, because they've both gotten really good reviews from friends, and they both sound pretty freaking awesome. 

The first book I bought this week is Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

Cinder has gotten amazing reviews from most of my friends, and, come on. A cyborg Cinderella? That sounds awesome. I plan to start this really soon and I can't wait. 

The second book I bought this week is Incarnate by Jodi Meadows. 

This is another book I can't wait to read. It sounds really awesome (a world where people get reincarnated over and over, except for one girl, so she tries to discover why, and if she'll ever be reincarnated, or die unlike everyone else), so I'm really looking forward to it. This is another cover I'm obsessed with... It's sooo gorgeous. 

Well, that's it for Showcase Sunday #1, thanks for reading! If you're interested in reading more of my Showcase Sundays, I'll try and post them every Sunday (obviously :P). Feel free to comment what books you got in your mailbox this week in the comment section below!

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

4.5 stars

I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to reading The Iron King. I’ve heard of all the hype surrounding it, but was always wary of getting into and actually starting it. I didn’t know if I would like this book, because I haven’t had many encounters with the fey (the only book I can think of that has fey in it that I've read is Summer Knight by Jim Butcher, which, needless to say, is nothing like The Iron King).

But, I read it, and I absolutely loved it. The Iron King starts off with a bang, and was actually pretty creepy, and really mysterious and intriguing. Sadly, though, I discovered the “plot twist” within the first few pages of the book, but that didn’t make the reading experience any less enjoyable (I do, however, wish Kagawa made the twist much less obvious). Despite that, the pacing is spot on, and it remains at the same perfect pace throughout the whole book.

Review: Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Review to come (in May-ish).

Amazing news!

Amazing news #1: Stephen King is working on a new horror novel with amusement park serial killers called Joyland. Yes!!

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/04/10/stephen-king-horror-novel-joyland/
http://www.discordia19.com/main/2012/4/9/neil-gaiman-interviews-stephen-king.html

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. 

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

The Immortal Rules is not for everyone.


Luckily, it was so for me.

The Immortal Rules is a great book, and quite possibly my favorite vampire book (but keep in mind I haven't read many). It's pretty slow to start, and it really didn't have me engaged up until 30% or so, and from that point up until 75%, I thought I was in love. It seems I'm one of the few people who think this way, because from the reviews I’ve read and discussions I've had with people who have read The Immortal Rules, they thought the particular part I loved was the lowest point of the book, and believe it or not, the parts they loved, I believed were the lowest parts in the book.

Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

*sigh*. This is going to be a hard review to write, but here’s my attempt at writing a review for Masque of the Red Death, even though I know it will not do it justice.


I’ll start off with saying this: I. Loved. This. Book. I loved it with a burning passion, I loved it from the first page, all the way to the last. There was honestly not one moment of this book that I didn’t love.

The Immortal Rules: Thoughts on 25-50%

Yes, yes, YES! Finally, I think I might be in love with this book.

Thanks!

Wow, this is just awesome! Over 100 visits/pageviews, and this blog was only created yesterday! Thank you all! Once again, I will say: this is awesome!

The Immortal Rules: Thoughts on the first 25%

Discussion on the first 25% of The Immortal Rules:


and... Go!

Review: The Wolf Gift

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The time is the present.

The place, the rugged coast of northern California. A bluff high above the Pacific. A grand mansion full of beauty and tantalizing history set against a towering redwood forest.

A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer. . . an older woman, welcoming him into her magnificent, historic family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . an idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence. . .The young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing who—what—he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.

As he resists the paradoxical pleasure and enthrallment of his wolfen savagery and delights in the power and (surprising) capacity for good, he is caught up in a strange and dangerous rescue and is desperately hunted as “the Man Wolf,” by authorities, the media and scientists (evidence of DNA threaten to reveal his dual existence). . . As a new and profound love enfolds him, questions emerge that propel him deeper into his mysterious new world: questions of why and how he has been given this gift; of its true nature and the curious but satisfying pull towards goodness; of the profound realization that there are others like him who may be watching—guardian creatures who have existed throughout time and may possess ancient secrets and alchemical knowledge and throughout it all, the search for salvation for a soul tormented by a new realm of temptations, and the fraught, exhilarating journey, still to come, of being and becoming, fully, both wolf and man.

Originally, I gave The Wolf Gift four stars, because I did like its story, and it was fun to read (despite a few boring parts and many infodumps), but there's a reason I'm giving The Wolf Gift three stars, which I will explain later on in this review.

Currently Reading : The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Read-along with Mommaseymour Seymour

We will have a discussion every 25% and I will post our thoughts here.

Review: The Peculiars

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance. On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

*Warning: there will be spoilers in this review, but most are minor. I will mark the major spoilers in spoiler tags*

Hmm… So this is what steampunk is…. It doesn’t seem any different than any other genres, other than the fact that it’s set in the late 1800’s (which I found out a little too late in the book, I believe at around 40%), and it’s time period is at the dawn of inventions, such as the “aerocopter”. It’s upsetting that this book has gotten such a low rating of two stars from me, because it sounded really promising, and to be honest, it started off pretty promising, but after the first 10% or so it all went downhill.

And so begins FBiB.

After being told that I should start a review blog (although I really just started writing reviews), I finally decided to make a review blog. I'm still a newbie at this, so my website will look pretty rookie for a little while (bear with me). Thanks to anyone reading this, because that means you actually visited my blog! Awesome! :D