Friday, May 31, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #12


 Okay, here is two weeks worth of books because last week I couldn't provide the real pictures on my last STS!

Bought:


I am so excited for Of Triton, I just received it yesterday! Also, I just bought Black Heart!

Won:



Thanks to The Starry-Eyed Revue for the books and
Heidi Garret for the bracelet!


For Review:


My fist two ARCs! Thanks to Firstreads, ARCycling, and Harperteen!


Also, this week I had my first author interview! Please come check it out along with the giveaway!




Thursday, May 30, 2013

Feature and Follow #11


Q: What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.

What a hard question! There are so many wonderful bloggers I would like to meet!

Okay, the blog I always read, even when I wasn't a blogger, is The Starry-Eyed Revue which is hosted by Jen and now Mendy! I always love reading their posts which are fun and shows their great personalities. 

Also, after I began blogging, I found Anahera Reads, which is hosted by Ana, and also Starbucks and Books Obsession, which is hosted by Chelsea! They are both great bloggers! 

There are so many I could name... but these are the top of my list!

I always love to meet more awesome bloggers! So thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Cover Reveal: True Love's First Kiss

True Love's First Kiss by Heidi Garrett


The Queen of the Realm of Faerie is a fairy tale fantasy series that bridges the Mortal and Enchanted worlds. The main character, Melia, is an eighteen-year-old half-faerie, half-mortal. She lives in Illialei, a country in the Enchanted World, with her two sisters and their mother. Melia’s father has been exiled to the Mortal World, and her best friend is a pixie.

When the story opens in the first book, Melia is troubled by her dark moon visions, gossip she overhears about her parents at the local market, and the trauma of living among full-blooded faeries with wings—she doesn’t have any.

As the series unfolds, the historic and mystical forces that shape Melia’s life are revealed. Each step of her journey—to find the place where she belongs—alters her perceptions about herself, deepens her relationships with others, and enlarges her world view. True Love’s First Kiss is a compilation of the first three books in this ongoing series.



About the Author


Heidi GarrettThe product of a verbally gifted family, Heidi Garrett is possibly the least loquacious of them all. While her Uncle John created off-the-cuff characters like King Machi-Machi and her Uncle James turned otherwise ordinary moments into O. Henry stories, she would often sit dazzled and silent, thrilled that these were ‘her people,’ as Grandma would say.
Despite the verbal inadequacy that shadowed Heidi whenever she was in her family’s presence, she never stopped writing in secret. Whether it was angsty teen poetry, the personal journals she has since burned (imagine bonfires), passionate letters to the editor, purgative song lyrics, or simply imagined vignettes, Heidi has played with words all of her life. Bottom line: she loves stories and the people who tell them.


Newbie Blogger Diaries #7


Hi everyone! I know I have been missing in action the last few days, and a bit behind on the posting of The Newbie Blogger Diaries. This was because I have been traveling to see my family with only a small amount of wifi. Anyways, I am nearly back now and I thought I would do this post really quick while I am sitting in the airport.

Today's topic was not what I planned to do this week, but I learned a couple lessons this week while visiting my family!

1) Showing your blog to family members is nice. Even if they don't really read the content (which is sometimes preferred), my relatives were interested in how a blog works and how I interact with the blogging community. This is good for you and your family, as you teach your family about memes, your schedule, HTML, blogging buttons etc., and also you get to get all these things out of your head. I found talking about these things always makes my goals and processes clearer. Also, I brought along an ARC to show them and I talked about how publishers try to create before-the-release buzz with these copies. This was kinda fun.

2) Blogging is kind of like a fun type of work. Even when you are on vacation, you need to try to post as much as possible and with the knowledge you will have a lot of catching up to do once you come home. Of course, everyone needs a blogging break once in a while, just they will need to work a little harder than normal to come back. It is okay to be behind though (as evidence of this post) just as long as you catch up! Also, when you are on vacation, the blogging world doesn't just stop, you may have authors contacting you or events going on at your favorite blog.

So, have you ever had some blogging epiphanies while on vacation? Have you ever showed your blog to a family member or friend?

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Review: The Indigo Spell


The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead


In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought.

 There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.


A week ago I posted my 5 star review of The Golden Lily and got tons of comments urging me to read The Indigo Spell. So, I ordered it from Barnes and Nobles a couple days after. And...you guys were right! The Indigo Spell was so awesome!

In this book there are two major plots, one with Marcus Finch and one with Mrs. T’s sister. Although we could say the Sydney/Adrian brewing romance is a main plot! I love both those characters so much! In the beginning we also get to see Sonya’s wedding which I enjoyed. There are so many little plots I could mention, which I think is one of Richelle Meads charms. There is so much happening in each book, each character had their own story or upcoming drama. 

As mentioned in previous reviews, if I had to pick the one character I was almost just like, it would be Sydney. I mean we are in no way exactly alike but our personalities are generally the same. So, for me, reading in her point of view felt natural and sucked me into the book easily. Sydney definitely had her faults though. By the end of the book, however, she was working through all of her faults and started seeing what really matters.

Adrian, Jill, Eddie and the rest of the cast are as vibrant and interesting as ever! Adrian, and his car, are so awesome throughout the whole book! It is so exhilarating how the broken Adrian we see in the first book grows into a nicer, still sarcastic, more controlled person. Some of my favorites lines came from his mouth whether if the words were sarcastic or sweet.

And Eddie and Jill! Do not get me started. I feel so bad for both of them! Mead is totally making the suffer! Hopefully in the next book they'll get a well deserved break. Speaking of the next book, Squee! I need it in my hands as soon as it releases. Especially after that cliffhanger. Let’s just say I was right about upcoming sister drama. And, I want to know what’s in store for Sydney and Adrian.

I love all the mythical and magical aspects. Vampires, Alchemists, Wizards, spells, Warriors, Moroi, Djamphirs, Strigoi... Mead makes all the fiction seem so vivid I forget none of it is real. Also, I never felt overwhelmed by what was happening and all the fantasy aspects, but was never bored!

All in all, Bloodlines is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. I would recommend this to almost anybody I know!

5/5 bookcases

Stacking the Shelves #11



I got a huge haul this week! Also, I am currently in Texas visiting my family so I might have forgotten some...

Bought (in print):


The 5th Wave
Valkyrie Rising
The School for Good and Evil
The Indigo Spell
School Spirits
The Beautiful and The Cursed



For Review (in print):


Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn
(My first print arc! Thank you Firstreads and Harperteen!)

Freebie (ebook):

I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

Note: I do no know how long this sale is, although I am guessing it ends next week sometime!


Did you add any good books to your pile this week? Link me up to your haul!


And, please check out my 150 follower giveaway, if you get the chance! I think it is ending in about a week and a half!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Holding On and Letting Go Tour: Review + Giveaway


Holding On and Letting Go by Lucy A Kelly


Is there a way to describe the ties that bind us together? What
happens when one of those ties is unexpectedly severed? Caneverything else remain the same? Will the other ties hold strong?

Two years after her little brother's death, sixteen year old Emerson Caulfield returns to a home that she spent the last two years missing. In theory, everything should be the same. Her best friend, Matt,still lives next door. Her house is in the exact same condition asthey left it. The scenery and hallways haven't changed, yet forEmerson, everything is completely different. The place may be the same, but Emerson is most certainly not.

 She returns home hurt,angry, and miles away from the girl she once was.The 60,000 word novel alternates between the perspectives of Emerson,who is struggling to keep breathing on a daily basis, and Matt, whowants to have his old best friend back so badly that he is willing to overlook the fact that she has completely changed.

 Though their friendship and relationship is a major part of the story, it takes backseat to the unique bonds between siblings, what happens when your worst enemy is in fact yourself, and the hardships that come with growing up and changing.
 I am so glad I got the chance to read Holding On and Letting Go. I would recommend this to fans of short and sweet contemporary novels. The title fits the book perfectly, so fans of the title should check this out too!

This was very heartfelt and I found myself either smiling or close to tears at some points. There are so many issues going on that had my heart breaking for the characters. Emerson is feeling a lot of guilt and Matt has a sister who refuses to eat and he is trying to grasp what happened to Emerson after her brother died. Plus, there are parent problems with Emerson. They are not there for her, and just don't understand her. They are rarely brought up but when they are they create a whole new plot to the story.

I felt close to all the characters. The author creates them on such a level that I felt connected, even though I related to none of them. This was pretty cool. The chapters were kind of short, which I thought added to the books charm. This, to me, also made the book more addicting. Just one more chapter... I can finish it quick....

 I especially loved the alternating points of view. I must admit in the beginning I wasn't fond of Matt. He was in his own little world most of the time, and definitely has his faults although I am pretty sure this is how the author meant for him to be portrayed. He doesn't quite understand Emerson. As I delved into the book I began to be fond of Matt's realistic traits and admire the author for creating his character.

 Emerson is also a character I could barely grasp, but I loved her narrations. She seems so real and broken, although we get to see her heal. The points of view got the story across so much better than it would have if there had been only one narrator.

Overall, Holding On and Letting Go is a fast read that toys with your emotion in a good way. Plus, the last couple chapters are amazingly sad and hopeful at the same time.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Cover Reveal: Keeper of the Lost Souls



Keeper of the Lost Souls
Release Date: June 2013

Summary from Goodreads:
Bryn McCaskey is young, naïve, and can talk to ghosts. Like her mother and grandmother, Bryn is part of a breed of witches called The Keepers of the Lost Souls, whose main purpose is to guard those spirits which are permanently or temporarily grounded in the world of the living.

Because Bryn is a witch, she’s fairly comfortable dealing with all sorts of threats, which she does with ease and confidence. Handling supernatural creatures is as easy to her as baking a pie. Dealing with people however, is something she is yet to learn how to handle.



Unfortunately, as her 18th birthday approaches, and the time for her to take on her first assignment finally arrives, Bryn is forced to confront her inability to communicate with others in an effort to save the one soul that can mean the difference between life and death for mankind.

Johnny Shaw is a lost soul with a personal vendetta against witches. A vendetta he has carried on even after death. However, as much as he might hate them, in order to stop a century old threat, he must join forces with one. When fate brings them together, not only will they be forced to learn how to work as a team, but they will have to depend on each other to stop an evil witch carrying a six hundred year grudge. 



About the Author
I’ve always had a passion for writing but never had the opportunity do so until now. After trying out numerous options I realized that writing was what I loved the most so when I found myself with some free time on my hands, I decided to give it a shot. As it turned out, my very active imagination helped me achieve my goals of creating believable plots with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that helped the stories move along in one way or another.

As I keep moving along in achieving my dreams of becoming a published author, I divide my time in between my four children and my very understanding husband.



Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Review: The Faerie Guardian


The Faerie Guardian by Rachel Morgan


Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamor follows her into the Fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the Fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive.


[This novel was originally published in four separate parts. It includes bonus scenes at the end that were not published in the individual parts.] 

This book was addicting and I found myself rarely even looking up from my e-reader! To me the book started out mediocre but by halfway through I was hooked. I immediately started reading the 2nd book, which has a 5 star review coming later this week, after I finished The Faerie Guardian.

The ideas of a faerie world really intrigued me, and as I was reading, really sucked me in! This may even be my favorite faerie book yet. The world is richly imagined and all the unique powers and gadgets and training kept the readers interested and sets this book apart from other less imagined and creative novels. The Guild and Creepy Hollow are very vivid.

To me all the characters were well developed and unique, although I did have some problems with Nate a first. Violet, Ryn, Tora, and all the other characters were amazing from start to finish though. Violet is a Grade A heroine with her epic faeries skills, witty comebacks, and narration.  And Ryn was so awesome, especially as you learn more about him! There are also many realistic feeling and coping methods to grief you see presented in some characters.

The pacing is perfect. I was never bored, not once. There is always action.  In the end of the book especially there was a lot of heart pounding action. And everything happening is explained perfectly and in way the readers are pulled into the world. Plus, all the magical abilities add charm to the novel.

One little problem I had with Nate is that he fell for Violet too quickly. However, at least not for Violet I am not sure about Nate, is that it was just more of a "like" relationship. I didn't even really like Nate in the beginning but he really grows into an interesting and really cool character! Although I am pretty sure I'll always like Ryn better as a unique and vivid character.

The ending of this book has you begging for more. I felt as if with every page I read I became more invested. As I have already read the first two books I am impatiently waiting for the third one! This is a series that could rise to my favorites list, so pick up The Faerie Guardian if you have the chance!


Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would not hesitate to recommend The Faerie Guardian to any of my friends!

4/5 bookcases


And make sure to check out my 150 follower giveaway, it ends in 16 days!

Waiting on Wednesday #10



These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.
Am I the only one stunned speechless by that amazing description and cover? These Broken Stars sounds like it could be my next new favorite series!

So, what are you waiting on?

And make sure to check out my 150 follower giveaway, it ends in 16 days!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers Of Books I've Read


This is a fun list meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. I am totally a person who judges books by their covers (only books though, never people!) And these are some of my favorites...




I have read all of these, and love the covers! Aren't they pretty? Actually, I haven't yet read Another Little Piece but I still wanted to include it because I am reading the arc I got today! My favorite cover out of all of these is either Clockwork Princess or Another Little Piece. What about you?

And don't forget to leave your TTT links!



Also, please, please, please check out my 150 follower giveaway. It ends in about about 17 days!






Sunday, May 19, 2013

Review: Maid of Secrets


Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan


Seventeen-year-old Meg Fellowes is a wry, resourceful thief forced to join an elite group of female spies in Queen Elizabeth’s Court. There she must solve a murder, save the Crown, and resist the one thing that will become her greatest freedom–and her deadliest peril. 

For Meg and her fellow spies are not alone in their pursuit of the murderer who stalks Windsor Castle.

A young, mysterious Spanish courtier, Count Rafe de Martine, appears at every turn in the dark and scandal-filled corridors of the Queen’s summer palace. And though secrets and danger are Meg’s stock-in-trade, she’s never bargained on falling in love…

Maid of Secrets was a lot of fun! I know that based on the description, a lot of people would think it wouldn't be fun. Why not intriguing? Or thrilling? Beautifully written, fast paced or thought provoking?

And the truth is this novel is all of those things. But first and foremost it is fun. And I don't mean in a laugh-out-loud kind of way. I mean in a scary, awesome roller coaster kind of way. There is heart-pounding, action, interesting dialogue, quirky characters make this so enjoyable and not to heavy even though the book has quite a handful of pages! 

Meg was a very good protagonist she had a strong but at the same time unsure voice and developed beautifully throughout the book. She is not quite sure where she belongs, if anywhere, but she has some killer spy traits. (Actual maybe not "killer". That's Jane!) Anyways, Meg can do perfect mimicry. Isn't that insane? This also makes Meg unsure of who she is though.  Is she an independent person or just a copycat that can be anybody but herself?

The other characters all have cool traits to. They are able to see the future, assassins, really smart, or kind of manipulative. Sophia, Jane, Beatrice, Anna , and Meg make a perfect group. Although they were introduced weirdly and untimely. Actually, the whole introduction was kind of off-putting, just whizzing through scene after scene which were months apart in the first 30 pages. That is my only complaint though, so readers, just get through the intro!

The romance in the book was fun, although we didn't dwell on it. Mostly we are talking about conspiracies against the queen. These parts were fun, entertaining and interesting. I definitely loved all the plots and the author's take on how the queen acted. I am still not sure if I like the queen, although I definitely admire her. She has guts! She endures insults, proposals, gossip, plots and still manages the entirety of England on her own. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Maids of Secrets. This is recommended to anyone who wants a fun, interesting read, with memorable characters.

4/5 bookcases



Saturday, May 18, 2013

Newbie Blogger Diaries #6


Okay, I am not sure how I came up with this topic. However, here it is!

Anybody who has read City of Bones would know that epic line Clary has when Jace asks her what Ebay is.

"A magical place of great mythical power."

When I read this though, I don't think of Ebay though, I think of Goodreads. To book lovers all around, Goodreads is pretty darn magical. But, when you become a blogger on Goodreads, the site turns from Hogwarts to the dark, spider filled area of The Forbidden Forest.

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating. In all seriousness though, being a blogger opens up a lot of windows on Goodreads. You just need to know how to get through them.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #6

Check out Tynga's Reviews!

For Review:

The Faerie Prince
The Faerie Guardian
Holding On and Letting Go
Guardian of the Realm
I am so excited to read these!


                                 

Borrowed:

Twin Tastrophe 
 The Bat Pack
Thank you Sadie! We both love these fun books :)


 

Bought:

Lock and Key
Jellicoe Road
Got them used at my local bookstore for a sweet deal!



What did you add to your bookcases this week? Link me up!

(the pile)

And don't forget to check out my 150 followers giveaway, two winners get to choose a book from the pile! Also, stay tuned for one next week...