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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sweet Evil Read Along Mini Review, Road Trip Post and a Giveaway!





Hey y’all! Welcome to week one of the Sweet Evil Read Along hosted by Mindy at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads and co-hosted by me here at Two Chicks on Books as well as Rachel from Fiktshun, Tara from Tater’s Tall Tales and Nancy from The Ravenous Reader!

This week we’ll be reading chapters 1-9 and our topic this week is Road Trips. So I got to thinking have I taken any cool road trips? At first I though no, not in a long while but then Mindy reminded me of my Spring Break trip last year to San Diego; which was actually pretty awesome because I had just finished reading Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris and the book was set there. So I went to most of the locations in the book and took pictures which I ended up using for the Unraveling Blog Tour click here if you want to see the post it’s really cool! Oh and I also went to see the Titanic Exhibit which was really awesome I got to touch a part on an iceberg! So that’s it that is my cool road trip stuff and now on to my mini review of chapters one through nine!

Ok so lol this is totes not going to be a review btw it’s going to be a tribute to one single page from all of these chapters. Why you ask? Because without this one single page none of us would be here. I read Sweet Evil before Mindy or Rachel and when I got to page 11 (yes you heard that right page11!) I got on twitter with a photo of a passage from that very page and told them they must drop everything and read this book! And they did and the rest is history! Here is the photo of that page I showed them.


This one page was the beginning of my downward spiral, of my undying love for Kaidan Rowe and my undying love for this series! If you want to see my complete review check here! And come back next Sunday for Chapters ten-sixteen! Oh and if you haven’t signed up for the read along yet it’s not too late just go the Sweet Evil Read Along Page and sign up! And fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour- The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini


Hey y’all I have the awesome Ned Vizzini stopping by today to answer questions about his upcoming book The Other Normals and other stuff like TV show’s he’s writing for and his writing inspirations.  Ned’s a pretty awesome dude btw and has written for Teen Wolf! OMG Derek *dies* ok so haven’t heard about The Other Normals? Take a look….

The Other Normals
Ned Vizzini

Hardcover: 400 pages
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper)
ISBN: 0062079905

Given the chance, fifteen-year-old Peregrine “Perry” Eckert would dedicate every waking moment to Creatures & Caverns, an epic role-playing game rich with magical creatures, spell casting, and deadly weapons. The world of C&C is where he feels most comfortable in his own skin, so when his parents ship him off to summer camp Perry is sure he’s in for the worst summer of his life. Everything changes, however, when Perry gets to camp and stumbles into the World of the Other Normals. Perry’s new otherworldly friends need his help to save their princess and prevent mass violence. As they embark on their quest together, Perry realizes that his nerdy childhood has uniquely prepared him to be a great warrior in this world, and maybe even a hero. Bestselling author Ned Vizzini delivers a compulsively readable and wildly original story about the winding and often hilarious path to manhood.

Now on to our interview :D

Jaime: How was it writing for Teen Wolf's second season? Who was your favorite character to write?

Ned: Writing for Teen Wolf was great. Lots of fun characters, of course, but my favorite to write was Stiles. With him, you can go witty, witty, witty, then heartbreaking – and it really works. Plus there's the physical resemblance. ;)

Stiles from MTV's Teen Wolf (2011) vs Ned Vizzini (2004)


You are both adorable!

Jaime: The Other Normals sounds awesome! Kind of like LARP-ing but for reals! What inspired you to write it? 

Ned: The Other Normals started out as a simple book about a boy and girl who fall in love at summer camp. Then I got this vision of a man with red skin and a tail smoking pebbles out of a pipe – and I couldn't erase this vision from my mind. So I went with it and the book became what it is: the story of a kid at summer camp who falls into a fantasy world. But the love story is still there.

Jaime: Another TV question since this is one of the series I can't wait to watch. What can we expect from Last Resort? The teaser trailers on TV are awesome!

Ned: Last Resort is big, hyper-fast, high-stakes TV drama in the vein of 24. You should expect a lot of stuff to happen in each episode. You know sometimes you get to the end of a TV show and you're like, “What happened?” That won't happen on Last Resort. 

Check out the trailer!!!



Jaime: Do you play RPG games? What's your favorite?

Ned: I do not play RPGs anymore; I don't have time. But my favorite used to be the Dungeons & Dragons “Al-Qadim” game setting. It came out in the early 90s and was based on the world of Arabian Nights. It inspired a lot of The Other Normals.

Jaime: Tell me about some of the authors who inspire you?

Ned: I am inspired and humbled by David Levithan. A lot of people don't realize that in addition to writing all of his books (Every Day; About A Boy, many others) and co-writing lots of books (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist; Will Grayson, Will Grayson), he edited the Hunger Games! If I didn't know him, I would assume he was secretly three people.


Jaime: What's your next project?

Ned: I am co-writing a series of books with Chris Columbus! You might know him as the director of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He also wrote Goonies and Gremlins and directed or produced a lot of the biggest movies of the past 30 years. We have this new fantasy adventure series called House of Secrets coming out in spring 2013. We're going to debut it at New York Comic-Con next month!

I Loved Goonies!!!! "Goonies never say die!!!!!" K dork moment over lol.


Isn't Ned just awesome!!! Make sure to check out his new book and also the new TV show! Thanks so much for stopping by and answering my questions Ned! :)




Friday, September 28, 2012

Exclusive Title Reveal!!!!!! Book 2 in the Tudor Series from Katherine Longshore



Hey y’all! So I’m super, super excited today!!!!! My friend the amazing author Katherine Longshore author of Gilt; and the rocking people at Penguin Teen have asked me here at Two Chicks on Books to be the exclusive website for the title reveal of book 2 of her Tudor Series! Ooh and I also got to ask Katherine some questions about it so we get to know the main character in the book!!! This is sooooooooooooooooo awesome!!! So without further ado here’s the title!

Tarnish

Want to know what Tarnish is about? So did I! And Katherine wrote a blog post called “Five things about book 2….” I looked at the hints in that post and asked my questions from there.

Hint- "It opens at Greenwich Palace in the spring of 1523."

Jaime- 1523 huh? So I'm guessing if my dates are correct that this will be about Mary Boleyn? Anne's sister?

Katherine- Excellent deduction! But no, though Mary features in the book, she is not the main character.  TARNISH is narrated by a young Anne Boleyn and I try to create a character destined to become the queen we know and love.

Hint- "Henry VIII is much younger and much sexier than he was in GILT.  But is he the main love interest?  You'll have to read it to find out."

Jaime- If Henry isn't the main love interest any hints as to who is? Maybe a description of his looks if not a name???

Katherine- If Anne were a modern teenager, her Facebook status would read “It’s Complicated”.  As far as descriptions go, there is a blond, a redhead and a brunette in her life at different points in the novel.  There is also poetry, music and secret assignations…

Hint- "There will be dancing, hunting, kissing, lies, betrayal, gambling, indifference, mistakes and redemption.  But no beheadings."

Jaime- Awww boo lol. Ok no beheadings but are there stays in the Tower? Will there be lots of travel like there was in Gilt? Ooh and will we get to meet Cardinal Wolsey?

Katherine- No trips to the Tower and little travel, but you will get to see a few of Henry’s palaces and Hever – Anne’s childhood home.  In fact, one of my favorite scenes takes place in one of the bedrooms there…

And yes, we get to see Cardinal Wolsey, hear his voice and feel his influence, but it wasn’t usual for a lowly maid to have much interaction with him.

Hint-"Book 2 is one of the most fun, but also the most difficult book I've ever written (and no, GILT was not the first book I wrote!)"

Jaime- How was the writing process different?

Katherine- Because no one knew Anne would one day be queen, there was very little written about her early years at court – though we know she was one of Katherine of Aragon ’s maids in waiting.  I had less actual history to work with than with GILT, but that proved to be very liberating and exciting.  I also had Anne’s voice in my head from the very beginning – the character very much drove this novel.  This made the writing intoxicating and fun, but also surprising when Anne didn’t follow my outline (she fell in love with the wrong guy!)  I think because I felt so attached to her character I got very emotionally involved.  With history as foresight, this was pretty heartbreaking, though as I said before, there are no executions in this novel.

Hint -"It's scheduled to be published next summer.  I wish I didn't have to wait that long to hear what you think!"

Jaime- Oh I am dying to read it!!! Is there a set release date? What about a cover? When will we get to see the cover is it as gorgeous as Gilt???

Katherine- Right now, the release is June 2013..  And the cover?  Well, I’m waiting for it, too…though I’m sure it will be just as gorgeous as GILT’s, if not more so.  The design team is fabulous!

Ok so how excited are you all for this?!?!? I know I am crazy excited!!!!!! I love this time period and I can’t wait to meet the young and it looks like quite boy crazy Anne Boleyn! Thanks so much Katy for asking me to be the exclusive site for the title reveal you are the best! <333333 span="span">

Haven’t read Gilt yet! Here’s the synopsis go get it!


Gilt (The Tudor Series #1)
Katherine Longshore
Hardcover: 416 pages
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Publisher: Viking Juvenile (Penguin)
ISBN: 0670013994
In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free-- and love comes at the highest price of all. When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

About Katherine
I've always been a writer. I've been writing stories since I learned how to hold a pencil, asking my dad how to spell words while I worked under the bar stools at our kitchen counter.
In my teens, I fell in love with theater. I wanted to act. On the stage. I loved the hush of the crowd, the sticky odor of pancake makeup and the dusty resin of wax on the stage floor. I loved to be able to look out over the audience, the flash of glasses reflecting the stage lights. I loved to hear their laughter. But mostly, I loved losing myself in a character made of words. To make that character live and breathe. Now, that is magic.
I played bit parts (including that of a catatonic in a mental institution—my only line was a scream) and grew into bigger roles on the high school stage. I spent five summers spouting Shakespeare beneath stars and redwoods, hoping one day to play Rosalind in As You Like It.
I got an acting scholarship to a good university and went on to study acting and costume design for two years. But then I traveled on the Semester at Sea—a program on which students study on board a ship and travel around the world, visiting ten countries in one hundred days. It changed my life. I realized I didn't want to spend my entire life in a windowless black box (a theater) but in the greater world.
So I created my own major, planning to use it to be a travel writer. I spent two months traveling Europe by train. I worked for nine months for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association on a research boat as a steward (making beds and washing dishes) in order to earn the money to backpack around the world. The ship went to Chile and the Antarctic, and even stopped at Easter Island—one of the most remote locations in the Pacific Ocean. After so long at sea, I needed time on land, so I packed up my sister and her puppy in a beaten-down station wagon and drove across North America.
And then I packed a single bag and flew to Africa. Alone. I spent five months in southern Africa—South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, but primarily Zimbabwe. I saw elephants and rhinos and kudu, was woken up from a dead sleep in a tent by the roar of lions and sat for hours on the banks of the Zambezi watching Victoria Falls. I spent the rest of that year in Southeast Asia—mostly eating coconut curry. After a few restless months at home, I traveled to Australia and New Zealand and completely depleted my travel fund.
And then I went to England, invited by an Englishman I'd met in Zimbabwe. I went for two weeks and stayed for six months—I left the day before my visa expired—and the next year I married him.
I lived in England for five years, in a little town in the county of Kent. I lived within spitting distance of Hever Castle—Anne Boleyn's childhood home. Penshurst Place, once owned by the Duke of Buckingham and Knole House, once owned by King Henry VIII himself were also nearby. I grew to love the English countryside—so different from the forests and volcanic mountains of California. And I came to love English history—so much more violent and colorful and ancient than my own.
In the course of my life, I've worked as a dishwasher, lingerie seller, coffee barista, cake decorator, ship's steward, video rental clerk, freelance journalist, travel agent, waitress, contracts manager, bookseller and Montessori preschool teacher.
But in writing for teens, I've finally found my calling.
And through writing, I am able to encompass all my loves. Becoming a character made of words. Exploring new worlds. And living history.

Where you can find Katherine:

Blog Tour- Promised By Caragh O'Brien and a Giveaway!!



 Ok ya’ll know how much I love music posts! And I think this one may be a favorite of mine! Caragh and I have similar tastes in music and she actually chose one of my all-time favorite songs! Oh and the awesome peeps at Macmillan have given me a whole set of books to give away! Paperback copies of Birthmarked and Prized, and a hardcover copy of Promised! So check out Caragh’s music post and fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

First let me say thanks, Jaime, for inviting me by and asking me about how music plays a role in my writing.  I love music, especially when it’s live. If I don’t have the radio on, it’s playing in my head anyway, so I pretty much always have a soundtrack accompanying my life.  I cantor at my church, and I also sing in the Vernon Chorale where I love trying to blend with the other soprano voices. The rich harmonies of forty people singing together give me chills, and I like rehearsals even more than performances.  Between listening and singing, my tastes range from the classical to Adele, with a bit of country thrown in.
              For music to write by, I usually have Grooveshark or Pandora playing, and I’m drawn to favorites that either release me to somewhere far away or put me in a particular mood. The plaintive melody of Sara Barielles’ “Gravity,” for instance, always makes me lonely, which matches what I sometimes feel on Leon’s behalf.  Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” makes me wistful, and connects to how I feel about Gaia in the wasteland. John Mayer’s “Say” was on the radio all the time in early 2008, when I was writing the first draft of Birthmarked, and whenever I hear it now, I get a sense of excitement and possibility that goes far beyond the simplicity of his lyrics.
            In case you want to listen along, I’ve pulled together a collection of my favorite writing songs in a playlist on Grooveshark .

Promised: The Writing List includes: (I’ll include some of the videos but this is a long list so not all of them)

1. Say, John Mayer




2. Gravity, Sara Bareilles



3. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Lady Antibellum
4. Over the Rainbow, Isreal Kamakawiwo’ole
5. Living It Up, Rickie Lee Jones
6. Dawn, Dario Marianelli
7. More Than Words, Extreme




8. Hide and Seek, Imogen Heep
9. One Step Up, Bruce Springsteen
10. And So It Goes, Billy Joel (Jaime's most favorite song ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)




11. All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
12. Lux Aurumque, Eric Whitacre
13. In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel



14. Silent All These Years, Tori Amos




15. Wanted, Rachel Diggs
16. Why, Annie Lenox (Another of Jaime's Favorites!)




Thanks again, Jaime, for having me by! 

Thank you Caragh! Awesome playlist!!!!! Check out all of her books on Goodreads! Birthmarked, Prized, and Promised!

Make sure to fill out the Rafflecopter and good luck!

Check out the rest of the tour stops!
Promised Blog Tour Schedule

Monday 9/24                     http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/
Tuesday 9/25                     http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/
Wednesday 9/26              http://www.lushbudgetproduction.com/
Friday 9/28                          http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/
Saturday 9/29                    http://www.thebookmonsters.com/
Monday 10/1                     http://www.areadersadventure.com/
Tuesday 10/2                     http://www.startingthenextchapter.com/
Wednesday 10/3              http://birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com/
Thursday 10/4                   http://theninjalibrarian.blogspot.com/
Friday 10/5                          http://www.ibbookblogging.com/

 Also check out all of this cool info:
Fierce Reads
—Caragh M. O’Brien is part of the Fall 2012 Fierce Reads campaign and she will be going on a multi-city and multi-author tour in October. Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/FierceReads/events
—There’s a new Fall Fierce Reads trailer which Promised is included in: 




—A free Fall 2012 Fierce Reads chapter sampler for e-readers is available, which includes Promised http://us.macmillan.com/fiercereadsfall2012chaptersampler/GenniferAlbin

More info about the author and The Birthmarked Trilogy
—Caragh M. O’Brien’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaraghMOBrien
—Author Website: http://www.caraghobrien.com



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Review- Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Deity
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Hardcover: 360 pages
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
ISBN: 1937053148
Source: ARC from the publisher
Rating: Loved
From Goodreads.

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time." Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden. If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

Dear Jennifer, stop writing such awesome books! No really don’t lol

I have had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer and, just like her books she is awesome. I don’t know how she does it. I mean having two very successful series and more books coming out. This woman is like Superwoman or something! And what kills me is her books don’t hit slumps, each one is better than their predecessor. Deity is definitely the best of the Covenant series so far!

This one starts up a little bit after Pure ends and the drama picks up almost immediately. Seth, OMG people! Seth is just shady in this book no way around it. I loved him in Pure, I even thought I may be leaning in a Team Seth direction but, nope he fixed that one in this book. I am totally Team Aiden!!!! Well for Alex that is. For me I’m Team Leon lol and the big guy has a secret in this one. I screamed “I knew it!!!!” when I found out but, it only made me love him more. Oh and don’t fret, along with the drama there are tons of steamy, downright hot, sexy scenes that will make you want to say “how can she get away with this in YA?” and then think “Ya know I don’t really care.” Lol Oh and if you’re a crier you will cry! I bawled in a few places but the crying is so worth it! This story absolutely rocks and the ending?!?!? Trust me you will curse Jenn because that ending is just plain evil and you will be dying to get your hands on Elixr like I am!

I had one heck of a time picking a passage. I wanted to share them all lol. But here goes!

“Look,” Aiden said, his hands rising into the air. “Get mad at me. Hit me. It doesn't change anything.”

I moved toward him, to push him but not actually hit him. “You can’t---“

Aiden caught both of my wrists and hauled me into his lap, switching my wrists to one hand. He sighed. “I didn’t mean for you to actually hit me.”

Too stunned to respond, I just stared at him. Our heads were only inches apart. My legs tangled with his, and then he reached up with his free hand, smoothing the mess of hair back from my face. My breath caught as my heart sped up. Our gazes locked and his eyes turned to quicksilver.

He cupped the nape of my neck. I heard his sharp intake of breath. Then he let go of my wrists and grasped my hips. Before I could blink, I was on my back, and Aiden hovered over me. Using one arm to support himself, he lowered his head and brushed his lips over my swollen cheek.

“How do we always end up like this?” he asked, voice rough as his gaze traveled away from my face and down my body.

“I didn’t do this.” Slowly, I lifted my hands and placed them against his chest. His heart jumped under my palm.

“No this was all me.” The lower half of his body shifted down. Our legs were flush. His eyes searched mine, “It gets harder every time.”

 Pre-order your copy now!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Dying to Read (6)- Dark Triumph by RL LaFevers



Hey y’all thanks for stopping by to see my Dying to Read post and of course as always I have to give credit to the lovely Jill over at Breaking the Spine for the Waiting on Wednesday Meme!

This week the book I’m dying to read is Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers! I love Robin’s first book Grave Mercy and I can’t wait to read the second book and go on a journey with Sybella and a certain someone who can’t be named as of yet (but I  know the secret lol)! 

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)
Robin LaFevers
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN: 0547628382
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for? This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.

So what do you think? Will you be adding this to your pile? What are you dying to read this week?

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Review- Origin by Jessica Khoury


Origin
Jessica Khoury
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Hardcover: 393 pages
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
ISBN: 1595145958
Source: ARC from the publisher
Rating: Liked
From Goodreads.

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life. Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever. Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

I liked Origin! It was a fast read filled with mystery and compelling characters! I had high hopes for this one when I read the synopsis and saw the trailer and knew I had to read it. While most of my hopes were met there was something lacking. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was but, I feel like I needed more. I did really like it though. I’m not going to say I loved this book as there were some parts of this story that I thought were disturbing and possibly could have done without. Although I do understand why they were there, I still didn’t like them.

I really like Pia as a MC she was fascinating and brilliant but also very naïve and I felt myself pulling for this “perfect” girl and her love Eio who I thought was absolutely adorable. I will admit I didn’t fall in love with him or even feel strongly towards him like I do other characters. But I did really like him. I liked this story as a whole but didn’t connect with any of the characters on that level. I am also happy that this is a stand-alone I would read more if this would have been a series but, I was in need of a stand-alone so that was great and the ending, the epilogue was probably one of my favorite parts of the book! So check this out for a fun quick read!

I chose a passage between between Eio and Pia.

“I want you here, Pia. Here. Not locked in a cage. Not surrounded by electric fences and glass walls. Not when you feel like it or when you can manage to sneak away, but every day. All the time. Do you think we can go on like this forever? You sneaking out when you can. Never knowing how long you’ll stay. Never knowing if you’ll even come back at all.”

I stare at him speechlessly.

“Because for me, Pia bird, it’s not a game. I don’t want to be a distraction or a toy. I don’t want to always be waiting for someone who may not even come. I need to know what you want. Do you want to be a ‘scientist’ locked away in there—“he points in the general direction of Little Cam—“or do you want to be free with me? Because you can’t do this forever. You can’t have both.” He takes my hands. “Pia bird, you will have to choose.

“I…don’t know. I don’t know Eio.” I feel tears. I blink them away and try to force words from my lips. “I want both. I want you. I want my immortals. I want…” I want, I want… what do I want?

“I want a place to belong.”

“You could belong in Ai’oa. You could belong with me.”

Make sure to check out the trailer!




Monday, September 24, 2012

Review- Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Cursed
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press 
ISBN: 0983157278
Source: ARC from the publisher
Rating: Really Liked
From Goodreads.

Dying sucks-- and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows. Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't? But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time. I love

I love Jenn’s books! I love her writing style and how she can draw you into a story. She’s really good at that. I mean I read Onyx in 4 hours (even though I was proofreading on a time crunch) but still that was a beast of over 400 pages! And I loved every bit of it! Ok so I did feel this way about Cursed as well although it wasn’t my favorite book of hers The Lux Series and then The Covenant books are in that order. So let me tell you what I didn’t like about Cursed first because the likes definitely outweigh the dislikes. I didn’t like the little sister at all! I thought she was a selfish brat (yeah yeah I know you’re all saying “But Jaime she’s a little kid” too bad!) I also thought the not being able to touch thing was kinda crappy. I actually hated Alyson Noel’s books for doing the same thing.

Ok so onto what I did like. I loved Hayden, besides the fact that he was smoking hot he was one of the nicer love interests Jenn has written and therefore I found myself really caring for the dude. I love Kurt with his cowboy hat and duster and smart ass attitude he rocked! I really liked Ember but she also frustrated the hell out of me. And the story itself was really good! It had the right amount of what I call “Jenn style” heat and mystery. Although I did figure out whom the bad dude was pretty early on. I’m still wondering if Jenn left the ending the way she did because she is intending to write another. I mean it did wrap up but, there’s enough wiggle room there for more. I definitely wouldn’t mind that. I’d like to learn more about Hayden and the rest of the crew with their X-Men like qualities.

So I’ve chosen a passage that was as frustrating as it was hot!

He lowered his eyes. Thick lashes fanned his cheeks. “I know you do, because I wouldn’t want to…to kiss you if you didn’t have a soul.”

I froze. “You…you want to kiss me?”

His gaze lifted as he leaned in, placing his mouth an inch from mine. The air was sucked right out of the room, and I felt dizzy again. “Ever since I first saw you.” He moved so that his mouth was angled with mine.” And right now I want you so badly it hurts. You have no idea, Em. But I don’t want to hurt you.”

My gaze dropped to his parted lips. What would it be like to feel them against my own? Unable to stop myself, I brought my mouth within a hair’s breadth of his. “I want to kiss you, too.”

Hayden made a soft sound in his throat. His breath moved over my lips, and I closed my eyes, imagining the way he would feel, taste. Then his breath warmed my cheek and each of my eyelids before it returned to tease my lips again.

I placed my hands on his chest, curling my fingers into his sweater. “Hayden,” I whispered.

He answered by clasping my hips and pulling me into his lap. I wanted nothing more than to kiss and touch him. I lowered my cheek to his shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut as his caress drifted from my hips to the small of my back. Fine shivers danced over my skin, making me ache for something I could never have.

See frustrating! And really good lol.

Make sure to check out the trailer!


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Review-The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


The Raven Boys
Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0545424925
Source: ARC from the publisher at ALA
Rating: Loved
From Goodreads.

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”        It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

I love Maggie’s books! I love her writing style and how she can draw you into a story with such force you feel as if you’re actually living it! This is how it was for me with The Raven Boys! I fell in love with the story from page one. Oh and peeps this is not a love triangle story! Hell there’s actually not much of a love story either! I mean the MC Blue? She’s not supposed to fall in love she’s been told all her life that she’ll kill the boy she loves with a kiss. No we don’t know if it’s the actual kiss that will kill him but she doesn’t even want to risk that. This story is one of action and adventure. It’s a quest to find a long lost king and the ley lines where he has been hidden. It’s also a story about folklore and psychics and magic. I loved every minute of it!

So onto the characters Blue rocked she was probably one of my favorites of Maggie’s! She was smart and she didn’t take crap from anyone. I loved her name too. Oh the boys I know many of us will disagree whom is our favorite there’s three (I know it says 4 but when you read the book you’ll understand why I only say 3) to choose from. Gansey, the very rich, good-looking scholarly boy is definitely a love of mine but he didn’t steal my heart. Ronan did! Even though he’s a serious badass with a huge chip on his shoulder I fell hard for him with his dark hair, tattoo, secrets, and overall bad boy feel. Yep what can I say I’m a sucker for a bad boy! Oh but there’s this part with a baby bird where he melted my heart I was a goner after that. Then there’s Adam who I know a lot of people liked but I couldn’t stand! His pride and stubbornness made me want to smack the crap out of him! I don’t care how good looking he is he just rubbed me the wrong way.

Ok enough about my love or lack of love for the characters time to share an excerpt. This one is from the beginning of the book and I felt it really started the story in a great way!

He was so real. When it finally happened, when she finally saw him, it didn’t feel like magic at all. It felt like looking into the grave and seeing it look back at her.

“Is that all?” she whispered.

Gansey closed his eyes. “That’s all there is.”

He fell to his knees—a soundless gesture for a boy with no real body. One hand splayed in the dirt, fingers pressed to the ground. Blue saw the blackness of the church more clearly than the curved shape of his shoulder.

“Neeve,” Blue said “Neeve, he’s—dying.”
Neeve had come to stand just behind her. She replied, “Not yet.”

Gansey was nearly gone now, fading into the church, or the church fading into him.

Blue’s voice was breathier than she would have liked. “Why—why can I see him?”

Neeve glanced over her shoulder; either because there were more spirits coming or because there weren’t—Blue couldn’t tell. By the time she looked back, Gansey had vanished entirely. Already Blue felt warmth returning to her skin, but something behind her lungs felt icy. A dangerous, sucking sadness seemed to opening up inside her: grief or regret.

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve, Blue. Either you’re his true love,” Neeve said, “or you killed him.”

Ok peeps so The Raven Boys is out now go get this one you won’t be disappointed!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and check out the trailer! It’s pretty cool Maggie likes her animated trailers J


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