Wednesday 27 November 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #29: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

8709524
 
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: I haven't read The Fiery Heart yet but after reading some comments on it I'm pretty sure that I want this book as soon as I finish reading The Fiery Heart.
 
Publication date: July 29th 2014
 
What are you waiting for this week? Let me know below or link me up!

 

El

 

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Review: Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1) by Aimee Carter

Synopsis
10838787YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Previously titled Masked.


- Goodreads -


Opinion
These days there are so many dystopian novels and roughly they all have the same plotline: a corrupt government system and some people that want to overthrow it and a main character that doesn’t know at the beginning of the book that that’s exactly what she wants to do. So not many dystopian books stand out anymore, but Pawn managed to stand out. Maybe it was ‘cause we got to see the see the story from an insider within the palace instead of an outsider. I don’t know. All I can say is that I loved this book.

I loved how the world was build, in some ways their ranking system made sense to me. But of course there were to many flaws and some things were just twisted. That way the world Kitty lived in was dark, controlled and interesting.  The plot itself was rather fast paced which kept me interested in this book the whole time. Let’s say that it was quiet impossible for me to put this book down. This book was full of surprises, secrets and betrayals that it kept me on the edge of my seat.  
The characters were also great. Kitty was strong, okay she made some stupid mistakes certainly in the beginning of the book. But in the end she did what she thought was best for everyone. Then we got Lila’s fiancé, which was later Kitty’s fiancé (confusing I know right). I did really like Knox, he was determined to set the things he did wrong right and he was also protective of the persons he cared for. Yes he didn’t always tell the truth immediately, but just like Kitty he did what he thought was best for the others.

There is little, to no romance in this book. The focus was more the rebellion instead, which I liked. A lot of books actually focus too hard on the romance part and that way a lot of good aspects of the story get pushed to the background. But not in this book.
The only minor point in this book was the beginning. They just drop you into the world of Pawn without little introduction. So you have to find out on your own how their world works and that was confusing at times.

Pawn was a great YA dystopia. And I would recommend it to everyone who’s looking for a good dystopian read. I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series.


Extra
Title: Pawn
Author: Aimee Carter
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Publication date: November 26th 2013
Pages: 352 (paperback)
Other books:
  • Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2) (Expected publication 2014)

El


Monday 25 November 2013

Cover Reveal: Draw Me In by Megan Squires

 
Synopsis
He’s a young, up and coming businessman with the keys to his family’s Italian wine enterprise.
I’m a fine arts student, navigating life in the Big Apple, my pencil and sketchpad in hand.
We meet. We fall in love.
But it’s not that story.
Sometimes, by a rare gift of fate, two lives cross paths. And hey, if that happens to occur when staring at Michelangelo’s naked masterpiece, even better. We can tell our future children how a seventeen-foot tall marble guy named David brought us together.
But there’s always more to a relationship than its beginning and ever after. In life, there’s a whole lot of backstory. There are ex-fiancés and hot roommates and family members whose advice continues, even beyond the grave.
When you say you love someone, it’s never just that one person you’re saying it to. And it’s never just that one moment that sets everything in motion.
There is always more that draws you in.

- Goodreads -

Author bio
Megan Squires lives with her husband and two children just outside of Sacramento, California. A graduate from the University of California, Davis, Megan is now a full-time mother, wife, and dreamer—though her characters don’t often give her much opportunity to sleep.
Visit www.theoutlierchronicles.com to learn more about her latest young adult series.

Extra
Title: Draw Me In
Author: Megan Squires
Publication date: December 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Links:

El

Sunday 24 November 2013

Stacking The Shelves #21

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:
Bought:
11512595
This one was the last one missing in my collection, so happy that I finally got it!
What did you add to your shelf this week? Let me know below or link me up!

El

Saturday 23 November 2013

Vampire Academy Blood Sisters (The movie)

Just wanted to share the official theatrical  of Vampire Academy Blood Sisters with you. And after seeing this trailer, I am pretty sure I'll like this movie.

 
Who else is going to see it on 14th February 2014?
 

El

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #28: Independent Study (The Testing #2) by Joelle Charbonneau

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

17165932
 
In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: I've read the first books in this series a few months ago and I really liked it. And know I'm curious about what will happen to Cia and the others.
 
Publication date: January 7th 2014
 

El

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Teaser Tuesday #12: Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:
- Grab your current read- Open to a random page
- Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

Fireblood
by Trisha Wolfe
 
15841140
 
 
"His gaze is disarming. I turn my back to him and search my conscience, seeing Sebastian's golden eyes twinkle as he spoke to me in the square. Finally, I face him. "I do."" (PG 175)
 

El

Sunday 17 November 2013

Stacking The Shelves #20

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

Bought:

17208924

Netgalley:
17725214 15841140 18039069
What did you get this week? Let me know below or link me up!

El

Saturday 16 November 2013

Divergent the movie

I just saw the trailer today and I have to admit that it looks pretty good. What do you think? Are just as excited as my for this movie or not?


El

Friday 15 November 2013

Review: Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry

Synopsis
17233800From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.


- Goodreads -

Opinion
Before I even started to read this book I knew I was going to love it and I couldn’t have been more right. Isaiah has been one of my favorite characters since Pushing The Limits and he can pull you closer without you even noticing it. So I was glad to finally read his story.

Isaiah got the looks off a badass, and he can be one if needed, but at the same time he got the kindest heart and a gentle soul. And after reading Crash Into You I definitely fell even more in love with him.  We finally got to see his story and the reason why he has a hard time letting people in. He created a shield around himself to protect himself and to scare people of. Because life is easier when you let nobody in, that way nobody can let you down. But once you’re in his life, you’re in it for good. Isaiah is one of the most loyal  and generous guy that I’ve ever met in my life.  Crash Into You also shows the problem of kids aging out of the foster care system. What do they have to do after they turn eighteen when there’s no one there anymore to help them?
Rachel was Isaiah complete opposite. She comes from a rich family, goes to a private school, the good-girl type. That is till she decided to drag race illegal, which gets her in some major trouble. Rachel is innocent, and most of the time that would annoy me in other books but not in this one. Rachel gives this book so much heart and most importantly she gives Isaiah balance. Besides it’s impossible not to like her, the girl loves cars! And I have always got a weak spot for girls who know cars or computers.  But Rachel also got her own secrets, she looks perfect on the outside but she isn’t. She is just pretending to be someone just like Isaiah is. And to top it off she had something extra to hand to the table, namely four amazing brothers. Each one of them had his own personality and they were all very intriguing.

We also got to see some characters of the previous books. Noah and Echo made some appearances and they were pretty important in this book. We even got to see Beth for a bit. And I’m glad that she and Isaiah didn’t end up together, they are great as friends but in a relationship they would eventually have destroyed each other. They need people like Ryan and Rachel in their lives to balance them out. With Rachel and Isaiah I could feel the chemistry between them and I could see the sparks that flew between them. And they were steady from the beginning in comparison to Ryan’s and Beth’s hot and cold relationship in Dare You To. So I truly loved this book and I probably could keep gushing about it for hours, but I think I’ve said enough to convince you that I loved this book!
 
 
Extra
Title: Crash into You
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: November 26th
Pages: 474 (Hardback)
Other books:

El


Thursday 14 November 2013

Review: Indelible (The Twixt #1) by Dawn Metcalf

Synopsis

12411687Some things are permanent.

Indelible.

And they cannot be changed back.

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

THE TWIXT


Opinion
After all the mixed reviews I read about this book I was a little hesitant to pick it up. But I’m glad I did read this book, I loved it. True at first I did find it a bit difficult to get into the story since I’m not used to read in the third person and it took me a while to figure out what the Twixt was. But after that the book read like a train.

The concept of the story was very original. I love fantastic creatures, but nowadays a lot of them lack originality. But that wasn’t the case in Indelible. Indelible had a lot of fantastic creatures who were invisible to most people, only Joy was an exception. And the ones I loved the most were Ink and Inq, I know confusing right? They were nothing like I had seen before, it’s impossible to define what they are, they are just them. They were created out of nothing, they created each other and they can mold themselves in any form they want which is kind of nice.
I liked the characters in this book. Joy started off as a person who needs to be saved from every horrible thing that happens to her. But in the end she was the one who helped the others and herself. She began to trust in herself. Ink was a dark, brooding guy and it seemed like he didn’t possess emotions in the beginning but we saw him grow as well throughout the book.  And then of course we got all the other fantastic creatures, some were good some weren’t. But I liked how they were portrayed in this book and  I can’t wait to meet them again in the next book.

So I’m pretty sure that I will like the second book in this series even more than this one, since I’m now used to the author’s writing style and I understand the setting of the books. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great fantastic books with great twists and turns and captivating characters.
 
ExtraTitle: Indelible
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Series: The Twixt
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: July 30th 2013
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
Other books:
  • Invisible (The Twixt #2) (Publication date: April 29th 2014)

El


Wednesday 13 November 2013

Book Blitz: Drawn by Cecilia Gray + Giveaway

 
 
Synopsis

Take a journey into the gritty world of political espionage through the eyes – and lies – of one extraordinary girl. A wholly original tale of friendship and betrayal from the author of The Jane Austen Academy series….

Sasha has a secret – that she can make you spill your secret with nothing more than a question. Her strange gift makes her a burden to her foster family and a total freak of nature. Not that Sasha cares. Why should she when no one cares about her?

Then the CIA knocks on her door. They want to give Sasha a new identity and drop her into a foreign country to infiltrate a ring of zealous graffiti terrorists. They want to give Sasha something to care about.

To survive a world where no one is who they seem, Sasha needs to make people trust her. But when that trust blossoms into love, Sasha is forced to decide between duty and friendship, between her mind and her heart, and whether to tell the truth or keep her secrets.

- Goodreads -

Giveaway
50 $ Gift Card to book retailer of their choice (open internationally):
a Rafflecopter giveaway

ebook of Drawn (open internationally):
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Excerpt

All alone in a foreign country, Sasha isn't sure what to do so she hits the streets, trying to get her bearings…

Brussels, Belgium

I tighten my scarf, shove my hands in my pockets, and quicken my pace.
I challenge myself to make it downtown without peeking at the map. The residential townhouses give way to a bustling business district with dimly lit storefronts. Pockets of bundled pedestrians lazily stroll by.
It's unreal to clop down a cobblestone street in a foreign city like a real spy. Since getting wind of the new assignment, I've watched countless espionage movies and read an endless supply of intrigue books—about other people.
Now, this is me. These are my sneakers squeaking against stone damp from tonight's rain. My breath fogging the chilly air. My adventure in full swing.
Who needs boring dinner conversation when I have this?
When the suit first laid out the CIA reassignment, I'd assumed I'd be based in Baghdad or London. I wasn't psyched when I got Brussels. I kept thinking, how am I supposed to flex my mojo in the city of Brussels when nine times out of ten, Brussels makes you think of sprouts? The city's claim to fame is a statue of a naked kid pissing into a fountain. Seriously. And a comic strip about tiny blue creatures who live in 'shrooms. Again—seriously.
But then I learned Brussels is home to the European Union. Headquarters for Europe's political shenanigans.
If I play my cards right, Brussels could be home. My own apartment. One door instead of the revolving door of well-meaning foster parents, overeager research scientists, and partners who would rather not double as a babysitter. It's all led here.
This will make it worth it.

~~~~~

Stella Artois Restaurant and Bar, Brussels, Belgium
 
The wooden door swings into a smoky tavern with a wall-length bar backed by hundreds of colorful bottles stacked to the ceiling. Clinking glass and hushed conversation muffles a peppy rock beat. Cigarette smoke cloaks the room and settles into the fibers of my clothes and hair. A shiver of excitement rocks through my body. My new life, my awesome mission, and now my first bar, thanks to Belgium's low drinking age. Chelsea would freak if she knew.
The bartender doesn't seem old enough to drink beer in America, either. He wears a white V-neck tee that sets off a deep tan and a head of close-cropped black curls. He wipes down the counter in slow circles.
Exit—the porthole door behind him that likely leads to a kitchen with an alley door. Weapon—any of the glass bottles behind the bartender, broken in half.
He glances up—chiseled jaw, pronounced nose—and holds my gaze from across the bar with dark eyes that scrutinize the newcomer. I amble up to the counter and take a seat on a red stool.
 
Q & A


You've also written The Jane Austen Academy series of lighthearted romance-heavy contemporary novels but DRAWN is a dark spy thriller – why the change?

I love stories about girlfriends and girl dynamics, so while The Jane Austen Academy series is romantic contemporary and Drawn is a spy thriller, both stories deal with complicated female relationships and navigating girl dynamics where you aren't sure how much of yourself to share or how much to trust new friends.

What kind of research did you do to prepare for DRAWN?
In Drawn, Sasha is assigned to find local graffiti artists and convince them do jobs for her so I took a how-to-graffiti class. It was taught by a real graffiti artist Jeremy Novy who does the coi fish sidewalk graffiti in San Francisco.
He taught negative stencil graffiti which finds the picture by spraying its negative space. So for example, if you want to stencil a donut, you would do it by painting what is NOT the donut. It's kind of a mind boggling thing for me because I'm a terrible artist and can barely draw what I want to draw, much less not draw what it is I want to draw.
It was also great to get a sense of the teaher's political feelings and priorities which came out a bit during class and that led me to read up on graffiti artists and watch a few documentaries. While Sasha isn't a graffiti artist, she interacts with some in the book and I wanted to represent their commitment to this way of life and self-expression.
It was also kind of fun, if nerve racking, to be incognito with a can of spray paint.
Drawn also takes place mostly in Brussels, Belgium and I lived there for a few years when I was the same age as Sasha. A lot of the culture shock she goes through is stolen straight from my life.

Is there a sequel to Drawn? What's next for you?
Drawn was imagined and written as a standalone, and I really like where I left Sasha at the end of the book, but I have had some grumblings for more stories in this universe so I could see doing a spin-off although I haven't planned one.

My next release will be the final two books in The Jane Austen Academy series and I'm also working on a dark contemporary thriller for 2015, which thankfully feels like an eternity away.

Author Bio
Cecilia Gray lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where she reads, writes and breaks for food. She also pens her biographies in the third person. Like this. As if to trick you into thinking someone else wrote it because she is important. Alas, this is not the case.

Cecilia has been praised for “instilling a warmth and weight into her characters” (Romancing The Book Reviews) and her books have been praised for being “well-written, original, realistic and witty” (Quills & Zebras Reviews).

Her latest series of young-adult contemporary Jane Austen retellings was named a What’s Hot pick (RT Book Reviews magazine) and is a Best of 2012 pick (Kirkus Reviews) where it was praised for being a “unique twist on a classic” and offering “a compelling mix of action, drama and love.”

She’s rather enamored of being contacted by readers and hopes you’ll oblige.

Extra
Title: Drawn
Author: Cecilia Gray
Publication date: November 13th 2013
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Links:

El

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Liebster Award

 
There seem to be many variations of the rules for receiving the Liebster Award but I'm just going with what my nominator posted.
 
Rules for accepting the award:
1. Link back to the blog that nominated you.
2. Answer the questions they set for the blogs nominated.
3. Nominate 10 blogs ofer your own, and be sure to let them know, with a link to your post!
4. Ask 10 questions for the blogs you nominate to answer in thier post.
5. If you do accept please send me a link to your post!
 
 
Questions from my nominator, Jen:
 
1. When did you first begin blogging?
     I started blogging in 2012 but back than I had a Dutch bookblog and since July 2012 I've
     got this one. I neglected it a bit till the beginning of this year but know I try to post as
     often as possible.
 
2. What kind of blog do you have?
     I've got a bookblog. All my posts concern bookrelated stuff.
 
3. Favortie book genres?
    I mainly read YA books, but recently I also started to read NA books. I read every
    possible genre in this two groups: contemporary, paranormal, dystopian,... . But I'm also
    a huge fan of the classics, I've read all the books by Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters...
 
4.Favorite books/series/authors?
    There are so many great authors, but my all time favourites are Richelle Mead, Simone
    Elkeles, Miranda Kenneally, Katie McGarry and Jane Austen. I would read anything these
    girls have written.
   
5. Favorite pastimes outside of reading?
    I love to write so if I got any spare time that's what I do. And I wished I got more time for
    it.
 
6. Book you're most looking forward to in 2014
    That's a tough one, there are so many great books that will come out next year. So I pick
    out a few of them: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead, Take Me On by Katie McGarry,
    Breath, Annie, Breat by Miranda Kenneally and Rain by Amanda Sun.
 
7. Favorite book from this past year?
     Definitely The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It had such a huge impact on me that
    even after a couple of months I still keep thinking about it.
 
8. Favorite music (genre/groups/artists)?
     Another tough one. I like all kinds of music, depending on what mood I'm in . But here
     are some of my favorite groups and artists: You Me At Six, Mayday Parade, Gabrielle
     Aplin, Birdy, The Civil Wars, Imagine Dragons, Matt Corby and Sleeping With Sirens.
 
9. Favorite book to movie adaption?
    I really love the Lord of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, true they didn't Always stick to
    the story but the end result is great. And I also love the Harry Potter series.
 
10. Thanksgiving plans?
        We don't celebrate thanksgiving in Belgium, so just a day like any other day for me.
 
My 10 blog nominations:

 
My 10 questions for my nominees:
1.  Why did decide to start a bookblog?
2.  Which book character would be your ideal boyfriend/girlfriend?
3.  If you could live in any book of your choice which one would it be?
4.  What's your favorite book from when you were little?
5.  What do you like to do in you free time besides reading?
6.  What's the worst book you've ever read?
7.  Dogs or cats person?
8.  What's your favorite food?
9.  What do you hope Santa will bring you this year?
10. If you could make one wish what would it be?
 

El

Sunday 10 November 2013

Stacking The Shelves #9

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

Netgalley:

13617556

El

Friday 8 November 2013

Releases in November

It's November and it's getting colder and colder. So what else can we do than grab some nice books and make ourselfs a hot chocolate?

Some amazing books that will come out this month:
 
9833184 10838787 17233800
 
 
Angel Fever (Angel, #3) 15841140 17374029
 
 

El