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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

#WaitingOnWednesday: Ensnared by A.G. Howard @aghowardwrites #Ensnared @ABRAMSbooks

Hi, everyone!


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

Here is this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection:

TITLE: Ensnared
SERIES: Splintered, Book #3
AUTHOR: A.G. Howard 
PUBLISHER: Amulet Books
EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: January 13, 2015
FORMAT: Hardcover, 416 pages
GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy
ISBN: 9781419712296



After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world—-a parallel dimension filled with mutated and sadistic netherling outcasts.

In the final installment of the Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But even if everyone succeeds and comes out alive, can they all truly have their happily ever after?



I really enjoyed Splintered, and I already bought the audiobook for the second book in the series, Unhinged. I better get caught up on the series before this one is released in January 2015!


  

What are you waiting on? Please leave a comment in the section below. If you participate in this meme, please leave a link so I can visit your blog!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

#WaitingOnWednesday: Cursed by Fire by Jacquelyn Frank @JacquelynFrank @randomhouse #BallantineBooks

Hi, everyone!


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

Here is this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection:

TITLE: Cursed by Fire
SERIES: Immortal Brothers, Book #1
AUTHOR: Jacquelyn Frank 
PUBLISHER: Ballantine Books
EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: February 24, 2015
FORMAT: Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9780345534934



From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes the scorching hot first book in a thrilling new series featuring four warrior brothers who have the power—and the curse—of immortality.

For centuries, Dethan has been trapped in a fiery inferno for defying the gods and snatching the power of immortality. Condemned to have his battle-hardened body licked by flames only to regenerate and be consumed all over again, Dethan has lost all hope—until the Goddess of Conflict appears. She will release him from torment—if he’ll use his power and strength as a warrior to raise an army and defeat a fierce enemy faction of gods.

Free to live as a man once again, Dethan meets Selinda—heir to the throne of Hexis—and his thoughts quickly turn from the conquest of cities to the conquest of this headstrong beauty. Betrothed to a cruel, calculating powermonger, Selinda needs a champion, and so Dethan enters into another bargain: If she will share her bed—and her body—with him, Dethan will save her city from destructive forces within and without. As the lovers ignite a searing passion, Dethan will risk all—even the wrath of the Goddess of Conflict—for a chance to make Selinda his forever.




A new series from Jacquelyn Frank? I know, I know...I still need to read her Nightwalkers series that was highly recommended to me <hangs head in shame>

I'm adding this series to my TBR list as well!

  

What are you waiting on? Please leave a comment in the section below. If you participate in this meme, please leave a link so I can visit your blog!

Friday, October 17, 2014

Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon: Starting Line #WWReadathon


The Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon has begun!


I'm Reading:

(The Farm, Book #2)
by Emily McKay
[reading]


A Million Suns
(Across the Universe, Book #2)
by Beth Revis
[reading]
This one is a re-read, to refresh my memory before moving on to this:


(Across the Universe, Book #3)
by Beth Revis
[on my iPod]



I hate doing daily updates, so I'll just do a wrap-up post at the end of the read-a-thon.

Thanks again to April & Kat at My Shelf Confessions for hosting!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

#WaitingOnWednesday: Reawakened by Colleen Houck @ColleenHouck #DelacortePress

Hi, everyone!


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

Here is this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection:

TITLE: Reawakened
SERIES: Untitled Series, Book #1
AUTHOR: Colleen Houck 
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: August 2015
GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy



When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.


I am a fan of mythology, and anything and everything having to do with Egypt! This one sounds really good!!

  

What are you waiting on? Please leave a comment in the section below. If you participate in this meme, please leave a link so I can visit your blog!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Six Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit


This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers will answer. Everyone is welcome to join!

Today's list is:


1. I so love the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. I want to live in Caldwell, New York with the Brothers at their mansion!! Who wouldn't want to live with all those alpha males?


2. HOGWARTS! Seriously, wouldn't that be the best place to go to school?


3. SCOTLAND: And absolutely in 1743 to meet those Scottish warriors in kilts!!


4. JAPAN: I've always been intrigued by the geisha way and traditions and would love to visit Japan, especially when the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom!


5. NARNIA! It would be so cool to be with animals that talk and to see magical creatures!


6. THE ISLAND OF GUERNSEY: I so loved this book and fell in love with the Island of Guernsey and the time period!


So, what places have books made you want to visit? Please let me know in the comments, or leave me a link to your blog post if you are also participating in the meme!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

#Book #Review: 3/5 stars for The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson @PenguinClassics #ripix

TITLE: The Haunting of Hill House 
AUTHOR: Shirley Jackson 
PUBLISHER: Penguin Classics
PUBLICATION DATE: November 28, 2006 (first published 1959)
FORMAT: Paperback, 182 pages
GENRE: Classics, Gothic, Horror
ISBN: 9780143039983

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

MY REVIEW: 

Because I have always wanted to read this gothic classic, I joined The Haunting of Hill House Readalong hosted by The Estella Society.

Dr. John Montague, a doctor of philosophy with a degree an anthropology, has a keen interest in supernatural manifestations. He rents Hill House for three months because of its reputation of being haunted. He handpicks a group of assistants who have had some past involvement with what can only be described as paranormal occurrences and invites them to spend the summer at Hill House. Out of the dozen people that were invited, only two take him up on his offer: 32 year-old Eleanor Vance and another woman named Theodora ("Theo"). It was also recommended to Dr. Montague to take along a member of the family who owned the house, and the owner's nephew (Luke Sanderson) joined the trio.

While I did enjoy the story, it was not as scary as I hoped that it would be. I was hoping for the same level of psychological creepiness as Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger but, for me, it did not deliver the same chills. The best part of the book was the ending, and I give props to Jackson for that! It was a five-star ending, and I only wish that the rest of the book could have achieved that level of enthrallment!

I intend to watch both film adaptations, both called The Haunting: the original 1963 version and the re-make from 1999. I will come back later to edit my review to add in my thoughts regarding the movies!

MY RATING:

3 stars!! It was good, and I enjoyed it!

This book qualifies as: 
#4 for my 2014 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
#4 for my 2014 Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge: Book Level
#3 for my 2014 Quick Fix Challenge       
#2 for my 2014 Women Challenge
#3 for my New Author Challenge 2014
#3 for my 2014 Reading Challenge: First-Reads   
#4 for my I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014 
#3 for my 2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge 
#2 for my The Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014
#1 for my 2014 Reading Outside The Box Book Challenge
#1 for my 2014 Horror Reading Challenge
#1 for my The Classics Reading Challenge 2014
#1 for my Back to the Classics Challenge 2014
#1 for my 2014 Book to Movie Challenge
#4 for my 2014 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
#2 for my 2014 Monthly Key Word Challenge
#3 for my 2014 Monthly Motif Challenge
#2 for my Retreat's Reading Bingo Challenge 2014

View all my reviews

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

#WaitingOnWednesday: Oblivion by Kelly Creagh @Kelly_Creagh @simonteen

Hi, everyone!


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

Here is this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection:

TITLE: Oblivion
SERIES: Nevermore, Book #3
AUTHOR: Kelly Creagh 
PUBLISHER: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: July 28, 2015
FORMAT: Hardcover, 448 pages
GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy
ISBN: 9781442436275










Still no synopsis! First, this was due to be released in Summer 2014. Now it's July 2015! I really enjoyed Book #1 of this series, Nevermore! And I could hardly wait to dig into Book #2, Enshadowed! By the time Book #3 is released, I will have forgotten all the finer details of the story line! Hope there won't be any more delays!

  

What are you waiting on? Please leave a comment in the section below. If you participate in this meme, please leave a link so I can visit your blog!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Five Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels


This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers will answer. Everyone is welcome to join!

Today's list is:


Here are my five:

1. LOVER ETERNAL: One of my favourite books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Rhage is the most attractive member of the BDB, and I envision him looking like this:

Yup, Eric Northman from True Blood. See what I mean? Rhage transforms from bad boy womanizer to romantic hero. A sexy alpha male for lovers of paranormal romances!

2. ADRENALINE: Sam Capra is a CIA agent. He's brilliant and a bit of a smart-ass, which just makes me love him even more!

3. CRY WOLF: The whole Alpha & Omega series is amazing! Anna is an amazing protagonist who overcomes so much. She's a strong survivor. Briggs creates such complex characters, like Asil (another favourite) and Walter (a soldier who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder). And let's not forget Anna's love interest, Charles! I highly recommend this series for fans of urban fantasy!

4. A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY: I still think about this book, two years after I read it!! Owen Meany is the runt of the classroom who is always picked on. He's not afraid to speak his mind or what people think of him. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, because narrator Joe Barrett totally brought Owen to life!

5. OUTLANDER: Two words - Jamie Fraser. Totally swoon-worthy! An 18th century Scotsman in a kilt, who is a warrior to boot? Oh, yeah!!


So, what books are on your Top Ten list for readers who like character driven novels? Please let me know in the comments, or leave me a link to your blog post if you are also participating in the meme!

Monday, October 6, 2014

FrightFall Read-a-Thon: Wrap-up Post #FrightFall


This is my Wrap-up Post for the FrightFall Read-a-Thon!

I didn't finish any books, so I'm still reading:

(The Farm, Book #2)
by Emily McKay
[reading]

(Otherworld Assassin, Book #2)
by Gena Showalter
[listening]


Here are the final tallies for the read-a-thon:

Total books finished: 0
Total pages read: 62 pages
Total time listened: 3 hours, 50 minutes, 43 seconds

I'm a little bummed that I wasn't able to squeeze in more bedtime reading, but I had a lot going on this week! I did pretty good with my audiobook, though. I'm nearly finished with it!

Thanks again to Michelle at Seasons of Reading for hosting! 

Thursday, October 2, 2014

#Book #Review: 4/5 stars for The Farm by @Emily_Mc_Kay @BerkleyRomance

TITLE: The Farm 
SERIES: The Farm, Book #1
AUTHOR: Emily McKay 
PUBLISHER: Berkley Trade
PUBLICATION DATE: December 4, 2012
FORMAT: Paperback, 420 pages
GENRE: Young Adult, Science Fiction/Dystopia
ISBN: 9780425257807

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...
MY REVIEW: 

This is a great dystopian novel with paranormal elements! It won the 2013 RITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Best Young Adult Romance.

The story revolves around Lily and Mel Price, twins who are high school seniors. At the outset of the book, the sisters are living at The Farm which was formerly a private college just south of the Oklahoma-Texas border. The government convinced parents that the only safe place for their teenagers were these "farms" which were strongholds that protected them from Ticks, who are ravenous vampires that destroy everyone and everything they come across. The Ticks are said to prefer the blood of teenagers due to their raging hormones. However, at The Farm, the teens feel anything but safe. Parents were told that their children would be released once they turned 18 years of age, but Lily feels that they are no better than livestock being fattened up for slaughter! She believes that they will not be released to be free but, instead, fed to the Ticks. She plans to escape and will do anything to protect her autistic sister.

Ticks are not your ordinary vampires. Their behaviour is more zombie-like and frightening! They have no self-control, behaving like pack animals. They are mutants, and they exist along with the regular vamps. 

McKay had me hooked with the fast pace of the story and the non-stop action! I also really enjoyed how McKay told the story from more than one perspective, which I feel adds dimension to both the characters and the story. Each chapter is told either in Lily's voice or Mel's voice, and later a third voice is introduced as Lily's bad-boy crush from The Before (pre-Tick infestation). Lily is a total kick-ass character, and I love that! She's a great heroine, and I love her protective nature and devotion towards her sister. I found the chapters told in Mel's voice very interesting. With the chapters told from Lily's point of view, we see Mel's autistic mannerisms. However, I really enjoyed getting inside Mel's head and seeing the world through her eyes with the chapters told from her point of view. My impression of her certainly changed as the story unfolded. The character that I was most intrigued with is Sebastian, and I hope that we learn more about him as the series progresses.

The ending of this book has me very eager to read the next installment, The Lair! I can't wait to find out what happens next!!

The book has a very cool "government" website called National Pandemic Disease Control Organization, where you can read a copy of the official letter to all U.S. citizens and the Farm Plan. It's a neat addition to the book!

MY RATING:

#1 for my R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril IX

View all my reviews

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

#WaitingOnWednesday: Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop @AceRocBooks

Hi, everyone!


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

Here is this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection:

TITLE: Vision in Silver
SERIES: The Others, Book #3
AUTHOR: Anne Bishop 
PUBLISHER: Roc
EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: March 3, 2015
FORMAT: Hardcover, 368 pages
GENRE: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9780451465276



The Others freed the cassandra sangue to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before—both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep…


I absolutely loved Book #1 of this series, Written in Red! I have Book #2, Murder of Crows, in audio format, and I better get caught up in this series before March!

  

What are you waiting on? Please leave a comment in the section below. If you participate in this meme, please leave a link so I can visit your blog!
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