Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Teaser Tuesday #2- Just Listen by Sarah Dessen



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share one or two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~My Teaser~~~~~~~~





I shot him a look. "You know," I said. "this is your first time, so for full effect, you really need to recline."

"Recline."

"It adds to the experience." I told him. "Trust me."
             -(Page 242)




Sunday, August 28, 2011

Witches of East End - Melissa de la Cruz

Rating: 4/5


From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches.

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melissa de la Cruz is better known for her bestselling series, Blue Bloods, which I love. This was her first adult novel. It was nice that the main focus wasn't on vampires because as much as I love to read about them, I'm getting rather tired of them as well. Blood Blues fans will also like to know that certain characters from the series make appearances in this book. If you haven't read the series, then it's alright; you don't need to know who they are to understand what's going on. I just thought it was pretty cool how she did that. 

I'm going to admit, I was going to give this book a slightly lower rating (possibly a 3) because for the first hundred or so pages, I felt like not much was going on. Of course, there was the small things that would lead up to the bigger events, but I didn't know that at the time. All I saw was a girl having an affair with her fiance's brother and lots of sex (sometimes very graphic). So I thought, "Okay, now I know why it's an adult novel. But where's the story? Is this ALL it is?" Luckily, it wasn't. It got really good, the last 100 or so pages. So good, in fact, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. So I did, and loved it! 

The Beauchamp family consists of Joanna, and her two daughters Freya and Ingrid. They all live in quiet New Hampton, New York. Centuries ago, they got into some trouble in Salem, so they're not allowed to use their powers, orders from the Council. Ingrid is the quiet, book type. Always in her library. She can see the future and heal people with her knots. Freya works in the bar and is the complete opposite of Ingrid. She's able to solve any love quarrel with a love potion. Joanna can resurrect the dead...but it doesn't always work out the way she wants it to. And, she can't bring back the people she loves. For the most part, they've been able to avoid using their magic, but soon things go bad. People are getting sick, disappearing, or being found dead. No one knows why. Now, the witches decide to test the restriction and do what they can to help. 

I liked how each chapter was told by a different witch. You get a better understanding of who the characters really are, and get inside of their heads. All the characters were interesting and unique; fun. There's magic, steamy romance, mystery, secrecy, mythology, zombies, vampires and even a love affair. There's a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy. Just beware of the graphic sex scenes. Remember, this is an adult novel. You've been warned ;) 

The ending was the best part. It's where all the little bits and pieces mentioned along the way get put together, like a puzzle, and start making sense. There were a lot of surprises, some I saw coming, and others I did not. It also ends on a cliffhanger. 

So if someone were to ask if I recommend this book, I would say yes. There really wasn't anything I didn't like. I found the beginning slow, but others might not. I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series. Can't wait to find out what happens next!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Teaser Tuesday #1- Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz




Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share one or two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~My Teaser~~~~~~~~




Ingrid looked at her sideways. "I felt it."
"Ew! Don't tell me how! You had one of your creepy dreams?"
"Creepy doesn't cut it." Ingrid shuddered, remembering the cold hands around her neck and the way his body felt on hers. She shook her head.
 --page 191

Share your Teasers below! :)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Hereafter - Tara Hudson

Rating: 5/5



Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.
Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I haven't read many ghost stories, but in a world currently being over run by vampires and werewolves, it was refreshing to read something different.

Amelia doesn't know much about herself, but she knows she's dead. However, she doesn't know how. Wandering lost in the hereafter, Amelia keeps having this reoccurring dream where she is drowning in the river under the High Bridge. But one day, she hears the THUD of a heart beat. Obviously it can't be hers, instead, it belongs to Joshua; a boy who appears to be suffering the same fate as Amelia. No matter how she tries, she can't save him. But, in a shocking instant, he opens his eyes and sees her. Amelia can't believe it. All the years she's been wandering the High Bridge, not one human had ever been able to see her. She quickly takes advantage of this and urges him to swim up.

And as you can probably guess, the two fall in love. But, as always, there's a twist. Yeah she's dead, but that's not what I'm talking about. Joshua's family has a hidden talent: they're Seers. Basically, they're ghost hunters. However, Joshua was not intune with his talents until his brush with death. His grandmother, on the other hand, is very serious when it comes to exterminating ghosts and has the intent to exorcise Amelia the moment she lays eyes on her. Joshua, naturally, won't allow any harm to come to his ghostly love, which is kind of hard when you take into account his psycho grandmother and Eli. Oh right, Eli...haven't mentioned him yet have I?

Eli, well he's the dark, moody, evil bad boy and when I say evil, I mean evil. Most fictional bad boys are usually very attractive I suppose, but he is just plain nuts. What role does he play in this story? I could tell you, but then I'd be telling too much. Better to leave you all in suspense :P

Overall, this book was written beautifully. It was very descriptive and most of the time, I felt like I was with Amelia, along for the, beautiful yet terrifying ride. It leaves you with questions you'll want answered, but will unfortunately have to wait for. I also loved Amelia and Joshua together, even if it was a cliched forbidden romance.

I for one am very excited for the next book, Arise, to be released (sometime in 2012). 



Friday, August 19, 2011

The Faerie Ring Book Trailer


Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger. 

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…



Check Out the Official Book Trailer Below!

Like what you saw? Check out Kiki's official blog here.
She currently has a Goodreads Book Giveaway going on. Interested? Then head on over and enter to win! Enter Giveaway

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Introducing...Teaser Tuesday!



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share one or two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


So since Tuesday already passed for this week, Teaser Tuesday will start next Tuesday, 8/23.
 
Hope you all decide to participate

Friday, August 12, 2011

What I'm Reading


Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Very excited to start reading this book! I've heard good things about it. I do apologize, however, that it might take a while for me to read it. School starts in 10 days and, silly me!, I still have tons of summer assignments and school shopping to do, so I'm going to have to put off read until everything is done :(

So just keep checking back for any updates. Thank you! 

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma

Rating: 5/5


Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.



My Thoughts:
Wow. I'm sure what to give this book. It was beautiful, tragic, emotional, wrong, heart-wrenching...the list goes on.

This book is written on a very touchy topic. I first saw this book on Goodreads. I looked at the description and read the reviews so I knew what it was about, but neither of those things could even begin to describe the devastating story between a brother and sister.

Brothers and sister are allowed to have a rather close relationship, but there is a line; one that is only very rarely, if ever, crossed. They can share a bedroom, even a bed if one is scared, share each other's deep, dark secrets. But what happens when you cross that line?

Here's the part of the story I'm unsure of: was Lochan and Maya's love real, or some psychological problem? I was rooting for the first, I wanted to believe they really loved each other, but their whole situation kept leaning me towards the latter. Lochan is very, very, VERY shy. He cannot talk, or even look at, anyone who isn't in his family. So he's never had a relationship of any kind because of his social anxiety. He confines in Maya; his best friend. To make matters worse, neither Lochan or Maya was given much of a childhood. With their father leaving them at a young age and their drunken mother always out with her boyfriend, the two had grown to depend on no one else but each other in order to take care of their younger siblings. So in a way, they're surrogate parents. It's no wonder that the line between brother and sister became blurry when they act like parents all the time.

Some parts of this book gave me mixed feelings. The intimate parts. The whole time I read this book, I was fully aware that they were brother and sister, but somehow, it didn't bother me as much as it probably should have. However, whenever they got physical with each other, a big, loud alarm went off in my head say, "This is wrong!" But I kept reading anyway. No matter how wrong it seemed, I did want the two of them to find some way to be together because their whole world revolved around one another and I'm not sure what either of them would have done without the other. Especially Lochan.

The end...pretty much broke my heart. It was so emotional; I had so many thoughts running through my mind and it makes me mad that I can't say much without spoiling it. But that's when I realized, they really did love each other.

All in all, this was a beautifully written book on a very touchy subject. I, however, think it's better for the older ages. Even though it's YA, the intimate scenes might be a little too much. And, I suppose you have to be a little open minded when reading this. I know lots of people loved this book, but I can't help thinking how much would they love it if it was real. Would they still jump on the Lochan/Maya band wagon, or would they suddenly find it sick? Anywayy, I give it a 5 because of the beautiful way it was written and because it kept me intrigued the whole time. If you can get past the incest, then you should definitely read this book. After all, 
"The forbidden fruit taste the sweetest." In this case, maybe too sweet...

Friday, August 5, 2011

Coming Soon...

Hey everybody! Curious to see what I'll be reading next? Well, here's a list of books you should expect to see a review for within the next few weeks :)



Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right.
 As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.
Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even thinkabout kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.
Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.
Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Angel - Cliff Mcnish

*Rating*: 2/5 Stars




Freya's intense passion for angels led her into years of mental illness. Now, just when she's starting to believe she's normal again, a dark angel starts to follow her. Soon she learns a stunning truth: She is an angel herself. And an angel's job is nothing like she imagined it would be... 










My Thoughts:
I wanted to like this book, I really did. But I cou;dn't get into it. For one thing, it bothered me, probably more than it should have, that I couldn't tell where the story was taking place. I just assumed England or some place in the UK by the way they talked, but sometimes is sounded like they were from somewhere else. Anyway, it was confusing. 

Another thing, I didn't like the main character all too much. Freya...she just...I don't know...it wasn't even the whole angel obsession thing that bothered me, it was just her in general. She was too obsessed with being cool. That always irks me. Why do they feel they always have to be one of the "cool" kids? Especially, like in this case, the cool kids are a bunch of snobby brats? What really wanted me was the way she treated everyone. If she was trying to be one of the "cool" kids, she succeeded, because she was a snob. There was a moment when she was thinking about standing up for Stephanie (a homeschooled girl obsessed with angels; everyone finds weird) that I actually sort of liked her, but that's just it; she thought it. She didn't do anything. She let Any (the queen of her little pack) go up and mock her and tease her, for no reason, just because she was new. It bothered me, because Freya was the girl...at least she was until she dyed her hair blonde, put on make up, and bought expensive clothes. I get she had been through a lot, but still, there is a way you handle things. Just the way these 14 year girls acted really made me mad (as you can see) 

I much preferred Freya's brother Luke. I was kind of down because he wasn't in there much more. At least HE stood up for someone who needed help :P 

Anyway, in the end, Freya does come through for Stephanie (after crushing the poor girl's feelings). It was sort of predictable. Stephanie weirded me out a bit with her obsession with Freya, but she just wanted a friend and Freya was the only one who didn't think she was nuts, so I got it. In a nut shell, the book wasn't the worst book in the world, but I don't think I'd recommend it.

Darkness Becomes Her - Kelly Keaton

*Rating*: 5/5 Stars


Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.





My Thoughts:
I was initially drawn in to this book by its cover. It's dark and mysterious; an immediate plus for me ;)
Reading the description, I was intrigued. It didn't sound like all the other supernatural books out on the market now. Silver hair and teal eyes? I found myself constantly wondering, What could she be? 'Course, there was a whole slew of supernatural creatures crawling around in New 2 (aka New Orleans). You had your vampires, shapeshifters, witches, etc., but it was refreshing not to have them dominate the story. 

What I really enjoyed about this book was how I didn't find it as predictable as many other novels. I honestly didn't see any of what happened coming because I hadn't expected all the different twists. This book was part paranormal romance, part dystopian, mythology, mystery, urban fantasy: the list goes on. Keaton found a way to make all these genres come together and flow in such a tantalizing way that keeps you hooked throughout the whole novel.

Aria was also a strong heroine. She wasn't one of those annoying, whiny, or awkward characters that you sometimes just want to punch in the face for being an idiot. She was independent, determined, and held her ground. And then there was Sebastian. I was actually surprised they hit it off so fast, I mean, one minute Aria passes out, the next, she making out with Sebastian. Alittle much, but hey, I'm a sucker for that stuff and I loved them together. Wished you could have seen a bit more of their romance though.

Violet: ha, now she's a character. A strange, strange little girl with sharp pointed teeth who always wore mardi gras/masquerade masks. Yeah, she was one of my favorite characters. I found her amusing and lovable...in a freakish kinda way :) The rest of the kids in their group sort of made me think of the Flock (from James Patterson's Maximum Ride books) and the Lost Boys of Peter Pan, only supernatural.

The end: CLIFF-HANGER!! The ending, don't get me wrong, it was great. But it leaves you hanging and dying for a sequel.
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