Jaime's Review of Masque of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Masque of The Red Death

Bethany Griffin

Hardcover:  336 pages

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (Harper Collins)

Release Date: April 24, 2012

ISBN: 0062107798

Source: ARC from the publisher

Rating: Loved

From Goodreads.
Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

I adored this book!!!!!! First let me say I love Poe so when I heard of another retelling of one of his stories I was a bit afraid to read it. There was a very popular book that everyone raved about that I did not like at all. So with that being said I went into this with an open mind but, a little leery. I had no reason to be Bethany took this story and made it her own! It was an excellent mix of post-apocalyptic dystopian and steampunk with an evil tyrant, a scary plague, killer crocodiles, two hot boys, and a heroine that is heartbreakingly real!

I immediately felt a connection to the main character Araby with her twin brother dead and her world collapsing all she wants to do is forget by any means necessary and because of a vow to her dead brother she refuses to fall in love. Enter two of the best written male characters I have read in a long time! In fact they are so well written that I have not chosen a side (yes me who always picks one boy over the other) I just can’t. Will is charming, sexy, tall, dark, caring, tattooed, and has a soft side. Elliott the complete opposite is light haired, sarcastic, arrogant, scary at times, has a fierce protective side, brilliant, and is surprisingly romantic. See why I can’t choose???

On to the story I loved how Bethany wasn’t afraid to push the limits with the plague there are some pretty yucky scenes describing it but I loved it. I don’t scare easily though. Also the descriptions of the Debauchery Club and the other locations she wrote about are so detailed I felt like I was there! 

The ending of the story was just wow and had me itching for book 2 and yes there is a book 2 and I can’t wait for it!

Ok so like I said I couldn’t choose a boy so instead of one passage you guys get 2 ;) First Will!

I have so many things to say to him, but it is almost dark. I know he has to go. So I don’t say anything. He’s the one who breaks the silence. “And thank you for telling me about your brother.”

When he pulls me close, there is no flirtation, no suggestion of anything except comfort. My heart beats faster anyway.

“I’m sorry that you lost him. And that you’ve chosen to punish yourself because of it.”

It was my fault. But there is no point in arguing. We are almost to the end of the alley, and I know he must leave me in just a few steps.

“Be careful,” he says. “If you aren’t, I won’t get a chance to convince you that you are wrong.”

And now here’s Elliott’s passage.

“Hideous isn’t it?” Elliott pulls his steam carriage through a final stone archway and stops.”Be cautious. Do not tell my uncle anything about either of your parents, and don’t give him any indication that we aren’t madly in love.”

“We aren’t madly in love?”

“You scorn me. But I am infatuated with you.”

“You’re a better liar than I thought,” I say lightly.

“I’m a fabulous liar.” He swings down from the carriage and walks around to lift me down. He pulls me close and says quietly, “And you need to be too.”

Again I loved this book!!!!!!!! Oh and make sure to come back here on April the 16th when Bethany will be here answering our questions as a part of the blog tour and we'll have a signed ARC to give away!!!

Add it to your Goodreads shelves.

Pre-order your copy now!

Cover Reveal and an Excerpt My Super Sweet 16th Century

Hey All! We have another amazing cover to share from Entangled Publishing and author Rachel Harris!! The Book is My Super Sweet 16th Century and here's the synopsis. 

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

And here's the gorgeous cover!

We're also stoked to be able to share an excerpt with you!

Alessandra jerks back like I just suggested she prance around the square naked or something. “No! I believe I understand your meaning, and Lorenzo is certainly not my suitor. He is like a brother to me—the three of us grew up together.”

She resumes walking and I fall in step beside her, understanding there has to be more to the story. And as we near the end of the row, I finally ask, “If you’re not into the guy, then what’s the problem?”

At that same moment, a rich, deep chuckle hits my ears. My stomach involuntarily clenches and my gaze sharpens on the back of this mysterious Lorenzo.

Alessandra sighs. “That is the problem.” She places her hand on my arm and solemnly looks me in the eyes. “You must be careful. Lorenzo is beautiful, and it is not uncommon for a girl to walk away from meeting him with a piece of her heart left behind. But he is just eighteen, and not yet ready for marriage.”

I roll my eyes and laugh, then realize she’s serious. “Yeah, I assure you, there’s no danger on my end. I’m not exactly looking for marriage myself.” Because that would be crazy-town.

Alessandra wrinkles her nose as if she doesn’t believe me, but she removes her hand. We close the distance and Cipriano flashes me an open, honest to goodness, lighthearted smile.

“Lorenzo, this is the cousin I was telling you about.”

Slowly the guy turns and I fall head first into the richest chocolate-brown eyes I’ve ever seen. He blinks and long, luscious lashes feather across his bronzed cheeks. I can feel myself gawking, but I physically can’t drag my eyes away. Lorenzo doesn’t smirk or act all conceited, either. He simply stares back, his eyes casually skimming over me, causing my skin to warm and break out in a whole body tingle.

Time seems to stop, and the sounds of the market mute. Alessandra was right. This boy is beautiful.

And he’s looking at me.

My Super Sweet 16th Century releases September 11, 2012 so make sure to add it to your Goodreads shelves and Pre-order your copy today!

Enter to win a finished copy of Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules and a Q&A

Hey everyone! Thanks to Harlequin and Julie’s publicist we’re excited to share a Q&A with the awesome Julie Kagawa! We also have a finished copy of The Immortal Rules to give away to one lucky person. They’ll receive their copy after the release date on April 24^th! So sit back relax and enjoy the Q&A then fill out the rafflecopter form for a chance to win your very own copy of this amazing book! Also if you’re not convinced that you need this book check out Jaime’s review here then come back!

A Q&A with

New York Times Best Selling Author Julie Kagawa

After writing the Iron Fey series for so many years, how difficult was it to immerse yourself in a futuristic world filled with vampires, rabids and an enslaved human race?

            It was...very different.  I think the hardest thing for me was the fact that this story does take place in the real world -- a futuristic, vampire-infested world, but the real world nonetheless.  Things had to make sense, for example: how far can a large group walk in a single day if there were no roads, they were going through thick woods, and there were children in the group?  I had to have logical reasons for everything; I couldn't just make something work "because of faery magic," lol.

Just like Meghan Chase in the Iron Fey series, the main character in The Immortal Rules, Allison Sekemoto, is a “take charge and kick butt” kind of girl.  Is this intentional? What woman – real or fictional, alive or deceased – do you look up to or admire?

            Yes, Allison comes from a very different world than Meghan Chase.  Meghan's upbringing was pretty normal; Allison grew up among vampires and monsters, where every day was a fight to live, so she couldn't afford to be weak.  While Meghan had to learn to "take charge and kick butt," Allison's first impulse is stab first, talk later.  

            As for female role models, the first that comes to mind--when it comes to kicking vampire butt, anyway -- is Buffy Summers.  Thank you, Joss Whedon, for making me love feisty, snarky, heroines who can dust all sorts of nasties but who also look good in a cheerleading outfit. ;) 

You mention in your acknowledgements in The Immortal Rules that at the beginning of your writing career you promised yourself you wouldn’t write a vampire book.  What changed your mind?

            Well, there were already so many really good books about our favorite bloodsuckers, so many stories and ideas, I thought I didn't have anything new to add to the masses.  I was actually toying with a post-apocalyptic YA novel when my agent mentioned I might want to try writing a vampire series.  I wasn't intrigued with the idea at first, but then I thought about combining vampires with the post-apocalyptic novel and then rest sort of fell into place.   

Allison claims she hates vampires and believes they are monsters yet when faced with a choice of die or become one, she becomes a vampire.  Would you have made that same decision? 

            Me personally?  No.  I'm like Zeke in the belief that there is something better waiting for me beyond this life, and I just have to do my best until it’s time for me to go.  Besides, I love pizza and Mountain Dew too much to give it up.

Who do you think the most complex character is in The Immortal Rules?

            Probably Kanin, Allie's sire.  He's a vampire who has made his peace about being a monster, yet chooses to live by his own set of moral rules.  He warns Allison about getting too close to humans, yet he does not kill unless he absolutely has to.  He is tormented about something in his past that he refuses to share with anyone.  He is certainly the most mysterious of all the characters, if not the most complex.

How many books will be in the Blood of Eden series?  When will the next book be coming out?

            At the moment, there are three books planned, with the second coming out sometime next spring, after the release of the new Iron Fey series this fall.

Before you starting writing full time you were a professional dog trainer.  Do the professions share any similarities?

            Lol, well you have to think on your feet a lot.  And some of the small dogs could be compared to tiny snapping goblins, but writing requires less dodging skills, though perhaps the same amount of creativity and problem solving.

When starting a new series, like Blood of Eden, do you have the entire series mapped out in detail or do you let the story develop book by book?

            I have a high point that I write toward in each story; I know this and this has to happen, but getting from point A to point B usually develops as I go along.

And for the speed round:

What book have you read and re-read, and read yet again?

            Any of the Harry Potter books.

Favorite song to play when writing a fight scene?

            My "favorites" change daily.  Right now its "Awake and Alive" by Skillet.

Worst job?

            Working a kiosk in the mall during Christmas.  It sold glass figurines, and the maneuvering space around the hundreds of very breakable merchandise was quite small.  I was like a bull in a china shop.

Best vacation spot?

            Walt Disney World

Sweets or salty?

            Sweet.

One thing most people don’t know about you – and would never guess!

            I used to play the flute when I was a kid.  I was really good at it too, but my instructor stopped teaching to have a family, and I never went back to it.           

 Isn’t Julie awesome???? We know you’re excited to read it aren’t you???? Well fill out the form and good luck! The giveaway is only open to US and Canada residents.

Destined ARC Giveaway

Hi y'all Jaime here!!!! Ok peeps who's excited for the final book in the Wings series??? I'm reading it right now and it awesome! But guess what? The lovely and generous people at Harper Teen sent me two so I'm having a giveaway all you have to do to enter is fill out the rafflecopter form below and good luck!!! And as always I'll send some swag with the book :D

Jaime's Review of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules

Julie Kagawa

Hardcover:  512 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: April 24, 2012

ISBN: 0373210515

Source: ARC from the publisher

Rating: Obsessed

From Goodreads.
You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

This book was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was like a mix of Mad Max, Escape from New York, and The Walking Dead with vampires! Ok young-uns you’re probably saying Mad who? Escape what? Just trust me and watch the movies in all of their cheesy goodness ;) I mean it was everything I love about Paranormal and Dystopian all in one book! I knew when I heard about Immortal Rules months ago I had to read it Julie is an author that I love I she’s on my auto-buy list and always will be. Plus I have an undying love for vampires lol no pun intended. Also her Iron Fey series is still one of my all time favorites!

Ok so this story was brilliantly written and I loved how Julie split it up into parts. Human, Vampire, Monster, and Wanderer. It was so cool to see the evolution of Allison she was a tough human and even more of a badass as a vampire! What I loved was that she never hid from her “monster” as she called it she knew what she was and instead of ignoring it and trying to act human she acknowledged it and turned it into an asset; all the while trying to reign in the hunger and not hurt the ones she cared about. I really wanted to be her! I fell in love with her maker Kanin with the first word he spoke; he was eerily calm and had this strange sense of dry humor that I really liked. Then there’s the human boy Zeke he’s blonde haired and blue eyed which I normally don’t go for but he was just sooooo damned nice, and caring, and generous it was hard not to fall for him. There were a few other characters that I really liked and some I hated with such vehemence I wished for their deaths lol. Yes at a whopping 485 pages I know this one look intimidating but I finished it in 3 nights once I picked it up I found it hard to put it down!

I had a really hard time picking a passage to share there were sooooo many good ones but I think my favorite was right after Alison has turned and her and Kanin are searching for an appropriate weapon for her to use…..

A chuckle interrupted me. Kanin stood a few yards away, arms crossed, shaking his head. His mouth was pulled into a resigned grin.

“I should have known,” he said, coming forward. “I should have known you would be drawn to that. It’s very fitting, actually.”

“It’s perfect,” I said, holding up the sword. “What is it, anyway?”

Kanin regarded me in amusement. “What you’re holding is called a katana. Long ago, a race of warriors known as samurai carried them. The sword was more than a weapon—to the samurai, their blades were an extension of their souls. It was the symbol of their culture and their most prized possession.”

I didn’t really need the history lesson, but it was pretty cool to think that there was an entire race of people who’d carried these, once. “What happened to them?” I asked, sheathing the sword carefully. 

“Did they all die out?”

Kanin’s grin grew wider, as if he was enjoying his own private joke. “No, Allison Sekemoto. I would say not.”

The Immortal Rules comes out on April 24^th so make sure to pre-order your copy now! Make sure to add it to your Goodreads lists too! Also add Julie’s blog to your reader for all her awesome news!

Thanks soooo much to Harlequin Teen for the advanced readers copy you are awesome as always!

You know you want this book so go here and pre-order it now!!!!!!!

Jaime's Review of The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection

Kiera Cass

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publication Date: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Harper Teen

ISBN: 0062059939

Source: ARC from the publisher

Rating: Liked

From Goodreads.
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

I’ve seen The Selection compared to The Hunger Games and quite frankly that bothers me because all Dystopian novels are not like The Hunger Games; just like vampire books are not all like Twilight! That being said I can see where a small part of this book could be compared; there’s a TV show in the story with an enigmatic host who interviews the girls but, that is where the comparisons end in my opinion.

I liked this book I wouldn’t say it’s a favorite but the story is really cute and I enjoyed the characters. I’ll admit I wasn’t a big fan of the MC’s name but I liked her characteristics so I could overlook it. I really loved both the male leads Aspen and Maxon they were both genuine good people and as hard as the situation was they tried to make the best of it. I did enjoy the Bachelor aspect to it I’m not a fan of the TV show but I think Kiera created a version that incorporated the TV show in a fairy tale way that made it work.

I decided on a passage between Maxon and Mer (I prefer her nickname lol) that I found quite funny.

His expression was affectionate but guarded. “I’ve met nearly every woman in this room, and I can’t think of one who would make a better friend. I’d be glad to have you stay.”

My relief was inexpressible.

“Do you think,” Maxon asked, “that I could still call you ‘my dear’?”

“Not a chance,” I whispered.

“I’ll keep trying. I don’t have it in me to give up.” And I believed him. It was annoying to think he’d press that issue.

“Did you call all of them that?” I nodded my head toward the rest of the room.

“Yes, and they all seemed to like it.”

“That is the exact reason why I don’t.” And I stood.

Maxon was chuckling as he rose with me. I would have scowled, but it actually was kind of funny. He bowed, I curtsied, and I went back to my seat.

Add The Selection to your Goodreads shelves.

Pre- order your copy here!

Divergent games on Facebook

Just a quick post to tell you all about some cool games on the Divergent page on Facebook! There's two you can tell your facebook friends which faction you think they should be in and there's also a quiz to see what faction you belong to. Jaime took the quiz and got Dauntless yay!!!!! :) Patricia also took the quiz and she, too, got Dauntless...cuz that's how we roll...lol! ;) 


 Here's the links to both and also we'll have the link to the Choosing Ceremony in our sidebar.


Choosing Ceremony- 
http://www.facebook.com/DivergentSeries?sk=app_161995987251488


Faction Quiz- http://www.facebook.com/DivergentSeries?sk=app_203946119628644