Waiting On Wednesday (8)

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 

My Pick This Week

* Click book to go to Goodreads page. *

Description

When Link joined his best friend, Ethan Wate, on a quest through a mysterious network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, he knew the journey would be dangerous. But returning home to Gatlin, South Carolina was just the beginning...

Wounded during a climactic battle, Link discovers that tending his injuries won't be as simple as visiting a doctor and that healing his arm should be the least of his worries. For being bitten by a Supernatural does more than break the skin -- it changes a person, inside and out, turning Link into someone more and more like the dark creature who injured him.

In this never-before-seen short story by New York Times bestselling authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, readers witness Link's heart-racing transformation. Dream Dark is set before the much-anticipated third Beautiful Creatures novel, Beautiful Chaos, and as a special bonus includes an exclusive sneak peek at the first five chapters. (Goodreads)

Book Details

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 5 KB

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

To Publish: August 2, 2011

Sold by: Hachette Book Group 

ASIN: B0054LDAZ2

Why I’m Waiting

I am a HUGE fan of The Caster Chronicles and when I found out that Link was going to get his own short story, I just  happened to be on the phone with Kelly and I started yelling in her ear about it. We are both from South Carolina so having some of the places we know pop up is a lot of fun. Also all of these books are beautifully written and keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

What are you waiting on?

~Rebecca

Review: Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1) by Amanda Hocking

Description

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of. (Goodreads)

Book Details

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 354 KB

Print Length: 330 pages

ISBN: 1453688935 

ASIN: B003VD1GBA

Source: Self Bought

Author’s Website

Review

Amanda Hocking is self-published and you can get this book for .99 on Amazon.com, however it is worth more than a dollar. There are errors throughout the book, it could have used one more edit for grammar, but it didn’t bother me that much and I am all for supporting good indie authors.

 

Wendy should have had everything she wanted or needed, but her mother tries to kill her on her sixth birthday, guess she shouldn’t have complained about the cake, and ends up in a mental institution. She is raised by her brother Matt and Aunt Maggie, who are very protective and try to make up for having a suck-tastic mother. They move around a lot, because Wendy has trouble fitting in pretty much everywhere. Then in her newest school, she notices the even newer kid staring at her all the time, which would be Finn; tall, dark and handsome. After her first school dance, which didn’t go well, Finn shows up outside her bedroom window to tell her…she is a ….Troll.

 

Trolls live in a secluded area in Minnesota and prefer to be called Trylle. They look like normal people, but they have frizzy, hard- to- manage hair, are very intelligent, have quick tempers and don’t like wearing shoes (I fit that description, maybe I’m a troll). They are also very picky eaters, they only like natural food and seem to be some kind of vegetarians. Wendy mentions eating like a vegan, but I have a hard time imagining trolls that don’t eat any type of animal or using any animal products. Which is something I had a hard time with in the book… when I think trolls, I think Shrek; green, big feet , bad teeth and all that. It was hard to re-imagine the troll image, but hopefully this series can give a different side to trolls…um Trylle.

 

Things don’t get any better once Wendy ends up in Forening, the Trylle town, because she clashes with their way of life and whole system of hierarchy, which is bad, seeing as she is the Princess.

 

I liked the book and found the story engaging, but I didn’t really care for Wendy. I thought she was wimpy and self-involved, but she is a teenager and I was pretty self-involved when I was her age. The supporting cast of characters (Matt, Rhys, Willa) made up for Wendy’s flaws. I loved Tove and I can’t wait to see how his abilities work out in the story. I liked Tove so much that I want him to be Wendy’s love interest. I am going to read the rest of the series, because I’ve got to know what happens to everyone. Even with flaws it was a good book and I will be keeping my eye on Amanda Hocking.

 

Happy Endings,

Kelly

 

4 moons: I loved it. It's reread worthy.

 

Recommended For

Teens and Adults: Some cussing and over use of the word “foxy”.

Other Books in this Series

In My Mailbox (3)

This quick vlog post shows the books we received this week. Enjoy!

               

The books mentioned in this post are below. Click on the Book image to go to there Goodreads page for more info. The reviews for these books should be posted in two to four weeks by Kelly, or I.

Ward Against Death by Melanie Card   

Luck of The Devil by Patricia Eimer

Paradise 21 by Aubrie Dionne

Darkness Falling by Peter Crowther

(No Cover At This Time)

Out in Blue by Sarah Gilman

Napier’s Bones by Derryl Murphy

That’s it for us. So what books did you get this week?

~Rebecca and Kelly

Follow Friday (7)

 

Welcome to Follow Friday Hosted By Parajunkee.com

This weeks question:

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

This is an easy one for me. The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. They are all so well written you can read them again and again. Ok, so maybe it helps that the characters are super hot! Anyway if you have not read this series you should give it a try. I loved them!

That’s my answer this week. What’s yours?

Happy Friday,

~Rebecca

Review: Dead Wrong by Wendy L Callahan

Description

A vampire with a past she prefers to forget meets up with a remnant of the life she once knew. The desire for a revenge she had given up on getting resurfaces as her past comes back to haunt her new life. (Goodreads)

  Book Details

 

                                            Genre: Urban Fantasy

                                            Format: Kindle Edition
                                            File Size: 161 KB
                                            Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
                                            Publisher: Damnation Books LLC 
                                            Published: June 1, 2011
                                            ASIN: B00538A1FS
                                            Source: Author

Authors Website

Review

Dead Wrong is a short, dark Urban Fantasy that surprisingly, when you’re finished reading, feels as though you have read a full novel. My biggest problem with the story almost had me pass it up from the start. It happened within the first four pages, the main character Shiva has sex out in the open for pretty much no other reason then to blow off steam. Now this is just my opinion but for me it would have made more sense for there to have been a fight scene between the two main characters to start with and have a little longer beginning than a meaningless sex scene to jumpstart the book. But I am glad that I continued reading.

The dark world that the author created was definitely something you could see as you read, and one I could see being built up if Ms. Callahan decided to turn this into a series. Shiva (the main character) was a great character to read about. She was tough, yet still vulnerable when needed.  The author does a great job at creating Shiva’s past, present, and then colliding the two worlds together. As a whole I enjoyed this one.

Happy Reading,

Rebecca

3 moons: I liked it

Recommended For

Adults: Multiple sex scenes and language.

Waiting On Wednesday (7)

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My Pick This Week

Description

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart. (Goodreads)

Book Details

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Hardcover: 528 pages

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

To Publish: December 6, 2011

ISBN-10: 1416975888

ISBN-13: 978-1416975885

Why I’m Waiting

I love the characters in this series! I can’t wait to see how the love story progresses. It’s the first love triangle in forever that I have read were I equally liked both guys involved, and the girl is not Bella like. 

What are you waiting on?

~Kelly

Early Review: Eat Slay Love (Living with the Dead #3) by Jesse Petersen

Description

Sarah and David have survived the zombie apocalypse. They stood side by side and fought the undead, mad scientists, and even bionic monsters until the unthinkable happened. A zombie bite. But not even that could stop them. Now, with a possible cure in hand, they're headed east, looking for a safe zone behind the rumored "Wall." They're feeling pretty optimistic.
That is until Dave stops sleeping and starts lifting huge objects.
Eat. Slay. Love.
Because they haven't got a prayer. (Goodreads)

Book Details

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Zombies

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: Orbit

To Publish: June 28, 2011

ISBN-10: 031610292X

ISBN-13: 978-0316102926

Source: Publisher (NetGalley)

Author’s Website

Review

I don’t usually read novels that include zombies, but I LOVED this book! I loved the idea of a normal married couple surviving in a zombie apocalypse.  This is actually the third in the Living with the Dead series.  In the first novel, Married with Zombies, Sarah and Dave are on their way to couples therapy when the zombie outbreak takes place in Seattle, WA. They don’t notice until they walk in on their therapist eating the couple that has the appointment before them and have to kill her. Thus begins the rebirth of Sarah and Dave’s marriage, nothing like a zombie apocalypse to bring you together. By the second book, Flip this Zombie, they have the zombie killing down to an art, so they start a zombie extermination business. Yep, zombie extermination.
In Eat, Slay, Love; Dave and Sarah pick up an entertainment journalist who insists on filming everything that happens to them and a strung out lead singer of a British rock band who was in rehab when the apocalypse started.  Together they escape zombies (of course) and other survivors that have joined together to form crazy cults all on the way to the “Wall”.

 

I love the combination of Sarah-I-don’t-trust-anyone and Dave, who is totally loveable. You can tell that they had problems in the past, but really love each other and it never gets sappy.

 

How great is this book? I smiled the entire time I was reading it...so great that I AM GOING TO BUY IT AND RE-READ IT AGAIN AND AGAIN!!! 

 

So, if you have a dry sense of humor and enjoy humorous, fast-paced zombie novels or really loved the movie Zombieland; stop whatever you are doing and go read this book.  Now.  Yes, right now. 

 

Happy Endings,

Kelly

 

5 moons: I absolutely loved it, and will be looking into everything this author writes.

 

Recommended For

Adults: Mentions sex and sex acts, profanity, violence.

Other Books in this Series

In My Mailbox (2)

This quick vlog post shows the books we received this week. Enjoy!

The books mentioned in this post are below. Click on the Book image to go to there Goodreads page for more info. The reviews for these books should be posted in two to four weeks by Kelly, or I.

Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Miss peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

So what books did you get this week?

~Rebecca

Follow Friday (6)

Welcome to Follow Friday Hosted By Parajunkee.com

This weeks question:

Q. Genre Wars! What's your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite?

Oh this is a hard one. I will have to say Urban Fantasy because it opened the world of so much book love to me. The book that started that was Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.

So that’s my pick what's yours ?

~Rebecca

Early Review: Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Description

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.
This is not her story.
Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right? (Goodreads)

Book Details

     Genre: YA, Science Fiction

Hardcover: 264 pages

          Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

          To Publish: September 2011 

ISBN-10: 0761374086

      ISBN-13: 978-0761374084

                                                   Source: NetGalley

                     Authors Website: http://www.rj-anderson.com/

Review

Ultraviolet is one of those books you see, read the description and think huh, well this could be interesting…. Then you start to read it and it’s like someone has put a present in your hands.

Alison wakes up to find herself in a mental hospital. She has no memory of what she has done to land herself in this predicament. As the story moves forward it’s reviled that the police believe Alison’s breakdown is due to her involvement in the disappearance of a girl named Tori, A girl Alison has known was not quite right from the moment she first sat near  her in class. As Alison starts to remember what truly happened to Tory she also starts to question her own sanity. What if she is a threat to everyone around her?

As Alison starts new sessions with a new doctor to learn more about her actual disorder witch is Synesthesia the cause of her breakbown comes to light. Alison can taste colors, letters have emotional ties. I don’t think I have ever read anything so well described before. It was in all honesty beautiful and I am saying that about something that is supposed to be a disorder. But at the same time she can get very overwhelmed if to many things happen at one time.

I want to say so much more but I don’t want to give any spoilers. If you like Science Fiction even a little then I don’t see how you wouldn’t like this one. I loved it. Now I have to go stalk  R.J. Anderson Goodreads page to see what else she has written.

Happy Reading,

Rebecca

5 moons: I absolutely loved it, and will be looking into everything this author writes

Recommended For

  

Teen and up: This was a clean read. I think anyone would enjoy it.

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My Pick this Week

Description

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal. (Goodreads)

 

Book Details

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: HarperTeen 

To Publish: July 26, 2011

ISBN-10: 0061985864

ISBN-13: 978-0061985867

Why I’m Waiting

The last book in this series was an extremely exciting roller-coaster ride that I am ready to get back on. Paranormalcy had me laughing, crying, but was also packed with action. I am expecting much of the same for Supernaturally.

Other Books in this Series

Early Review: The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

Description

Life can be cruel for a servant girl in 1850s London. Fifteen-year-old Abi is a scullery maid in Greave Hall, an elegant but troubled household. The widowed master of the house is slowly slipping into madness, and the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs.Cotton, punishes Abi without mercy. But there's something else going on in Greave Hall, too. An otherworldly presence is making itself known, and a deadly secret will reveal itself—-a secret that will shatter everything Abi knows. (Goodreads)

   

Book Details 

                                  Genre: YA, Paranormal

                                            Hardcover: 328 pages
                                            Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
                                           To Be Published: August 1, 2001
                                           ISBN-10: 080756589X
                                           ISBN-13: 978-0807565896
                                           Source: Net Galley

Review

I love a haunted house story, so I was really excited to find this on NetGalley. It did not disappoint, this is the sort of book you stay up late to finish, even though you have a pretty good idea of how it will end. Michael Ford builds the story with the right amount of horror. Abigail is a spunky heroine who is grieving for her mother, overworked by the harsh Mrs. Cotton and ready to risk running away to find something better. When Mrs. Cotton brings a strange visitor to the house, Abi and Mrs. Cotton are the only ones present when he is possessed by the spirit of Abi’s mother. Abi has to figure out what her mother is trying to tell her through all the strange happenings around the house. How did Abi’s mother die? What really happened to her father? Only Abi can figure it out.  The novel wraps everything up with just the right ending.  A wonderfully creepy read, perfect for the beach.

Happy Endings,
Kelly

5 moons: I absolutely loved it, and will be looking into everything this author writes.

Recommended For

Young Teen and up: One of the characters has pre-martial sex and ends up pregnant, very clean read.

Review: Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling#10) by Nalini Singh

Description

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh's exhilarating world of shapeshifters and psychics is "paranormal romance at its best" (Publishers Weekly). Now comes the story of an alpha wolf named Hawke used to getting exactly what he wants--and of the only woman who dares tangle with him.

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would've been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other's secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna's darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat… (Goodreads)

   Book Details

         Genre: Paranormal Romance

Hardcover: 432 pages

           Publisher: Berkley Hardcover

    Published: May 31, 2011

ISBN-10: 0425242099

       ISBN-13: 978-0425242094

Authors Website: http://www.nalinisingh.com/

Review

For those of you who have no idea what this Psy/changeling series is or who have just never taken the time to try it, well now is your time to get caught up! You will have ten books to feast on. Trust me they are such a delicious read.

Throughout other books we have gotten a taste of who Hawke is but in this book we find out about his past. I loved reading about why his wolf is so close to the surface and the reason he became alpha at fifteen. Even though the story was sad it was necessary for he and Sienna to fit together. After reading Kiss Of Snow I see Hawke in a whole new light. Is it wrong to be jealous of Sienna when she’s not a real person?

Sienna had for some reason always come across as snotty to me. I could not have been more wrong! Being taken away at five, going silent by age nine, and  the things Ming did to her as a child. It made my heart break for her as she finally broke down and told her story. Sienna is an amazing woman, I knew she was an X-Psy but I honestly had no idea what that would mean. How tormented her life was by that designation. 

Most of the story is spent with Hawke and Sienna. I was worried at how she would work out the age difference, but it was handled beautifully. Even though Sienna is nineteen she has had to be an adult for some time. After Hawke caught up with reality no one has a problem with the age gap. I really enjoyed the fact that Nalini Singh wrote their love out slowly, allowing Hawke and Sienna to get to know each other on a different level since he has been her alpha for so long. I loved that they played games because Sienna had never played as a child. There dance was beautiful.

There were a few side stories going on as well. Lukas and Sasha have their baby. As the characters from the first book you always want to know what is happening in their world. Also Walker (Sienna’s uncle) and Lauren (the SnowDancer  healer) have a very sweet romance going that end in their own mating Dance.

Through all of this the war that has been brewing between the Changelings and the Psy has begun. Thus the action in this book is high as well. There were just no low points for me.

If you can’t tell I loved it!

Happy Reading,

Rebecca

5 moons: I absolutely loved it, and will be looking into everything this author writes.

Recommended For

Adults: Graphic sex and battle scenes in this one.

Other books in this Series