FF (184)

Follow Friday is an opportunity to discover and follow other book related blogs! Want to join? Check it out at Parajunkee or Alison Can Read

 

This week's question feature is Musings on Fantasia

Create an ad listing all the qualities and qualifications of your perfect co-blogger. 
via Girl of 1000 Wonders

My Answer: ooh, that's tricky. I'm a bit picky and quite a perfectionist so I'm not sure I could have a co-blogger, i think we would end up irritating each other and falling out. But here goes anyway:

Wanted

the perfect co-blogger

Must LOVE to read

(mostly YA and fantasy)

must be totally HYPER and CRAZY

May be required to post at all hours, when I remember or whenever I feel like it.

Must be able to cope with my moods and ditzy behaviour.

Must be able to read my mind

or at least my planner

although I forget to put things on my planner - so yeah

read my mind!

Not sure anyone could cope with me, or I with them. LOL

Happy Hopping and Blogging!  

Book Tour - The Soul Thief

The Soul Thief (The Angel of Death Series #1)

by Majanka Verstraete

Publisher: Booktrope

Published: November 11, 2014

Genre: YA, Paranormal

When sixteen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death.

Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them.

Goodreads

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

“Let’s vote,” the man who’d touched me proposed. “Who is in favor of executing the Halfling?”

That was the moment when it actually fully hit me. They might execute me. Kill me. My knees gave way and if Diane hadn’t grabbed my arm just then, I would’ve fallen. “Stand up straight,” she hissed at me. “You’re an Angel, not a coward.”

So I did, even though exhaustion swept over me as if I’d worked for seven days in a row without any sleep. Sweat dripped down my forehead and a fever wrapped itself around me.

A lot of Council members raised their hands at the giant’s question. I started hyperventilating. “That’s more than half.” I gripped Diane’s arm with all my strength. If I hurt her, she didn’t let it show. A light blush rose on her cheeks though and she bit her lip as if she felt guilty but wanted to act tough.

“It has been decided,” the leader-guy said. “She shall be executed.” Before I had time to faint, scream, or do something else dramatic, the silver-haired woman rose from her seat. Her hood slipped off, and my breath got stuck in my throat.

She had the kind of face painters would dream to eternalize on canvas. From the color of her hair, I’d anticipated her being old, but she appeared in her twenties. Large, silver eyes stared at me. Her skin was the color of porcelain, without any blemish, as if she was made of wax. “I, Seraphyn,” she said, “call in my veto.” 

About the Author

Majanka Verstraete begged her Mom to teach her how to read while she was still in kindergarten. By the time she finished fifth grade, she had read through the entire children’s section of her hometown library.

She wrote her first story when she was seven years old, and hasn’t stopped writing since. With an imagination that never sleeps, and hundreds of possible book characters screaming for her attention, writing is more than a passion for her.

She writes about all things supernatural for children of all ages. She’s tried to write contemporary novels before, but something paranormal always manages to crawl in.

Majanka is currently studying for her Master of Laws degree, and hopes one day to be able to combine her passions for law and writing. When she’s not writing, reading or studying, she likes watching “The Vampire Diaries” and “Game of Thrones,” spending time with her friends, or playing “World of Warcraft.”

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Top Ten Post!!!

Top 10 Favorite Heroes/Heroines

1. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (from the books and the TV series)

2. Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead)

3. Sydney (Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead) 

4. Cate Cahill (from the Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood)

5. Katniss (from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) 

6. Tessa Gray (from The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare)

7. Mel (from The Farm series by Emily McKay)

8. Harry Potter (I’m sure you know the series, heh)

9. Meghan Chase (from the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa)

10. Allison Sekemoto (from the Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa)

Tour Schedule

November 12

Write Away Bliss - Schedule / Excerpt

The Musings of a Book Addict - Review

Suzy Turner, Author - Author Interview

The Best Books Ever - Character Bio, Dreamcast, Excerpt

November 13

Country Book Bumpkin - Review, Soundtrack, Excerpt

Reese's Reviews - Review, Character Bio, Dreamcast

Pinky's Favorite Reads - Top Ten, Excerpt

November 14

Indy Book Fairy - Review, Excerpt

Kimber Leigh Writes - Top Ten, Excerpt

Here is What I Read - Author Interview, Dreamcast, Soundtrack, Excerpt

Writing Belle - Character Bios

November 15

A Book Paradise - Author Interview, Soundtrack, Excerpt

Endless Reading - Review, Excerpt

The Literary Melting Pot - Review

November 16

Roxy's Reviews - Review, Character Bios, Top Ten

Real Talk, Book Talk - Dreamcast, Excerpt

Becca Anne's Book Reviews - Review, Character Bio, Dreamcast

Nerd Girl Official - Excerpt

November 17

Deal Sharing Aunt - Author Interview, Top Ten, Excerpt

Star Shadow Blog - Character Bio, Dreamcast, Soundtrack

Dystopia Capitol - Review

November 18

Kristy Centro - Character Bios

Whispered Thoughts - Character Bios, Excerpt, Soundtrack

Little Hyuts Reviews - Dreamcast

November 19

Step Into Fiction - Review, Excerpt

Behind the Pages - Author Interview, Dreamcast, Excerpt

This Redhead Loves Books - Review, Excerpt

The Avid Reader - Soundtrack, Character Bios

November 20

Tracy's Nook - Review, Character Interview

The Pleasure of Reading - Excerpt

Bex n Books - Character Bios

Becky's Barmy Book Blog - Top Ten, Excerpt

November 21

Relaxed Reads - Dreamcast

Renee Entress's Blog - Review

Books and Friendz - Character Bio, Excerpt

Pretty in Fiction - Top Ten, Excerpt

Kat's Book Promotions - Dreamcast

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review - Lailah

Title: Lailah
Author: Nikki Kelly
Series: The Styclar Saga (Book 1)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: 20 Oct 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1250051516

Synopsis
The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.
On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.
In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?
Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.

My Review
One of my colleagues at work told me about this book, she was really excited for it's upcoming release and had heard really good things about it. She ordered a copy and showed me it online. I agreed that it looked and sounded quite cool so I put a request in too. 
The request came in for her but as she hasn't been in for a few days I thought I might as well read it first, I had just finished another book so knew I had time to fit it in. 
Lailah isn't human but she doesn't know what she is, she can't truly die - each time she comes back and starts again only retaining odd memories of her lives before. The one constant between each life is Gabriel, a face she sees in her mind and that warms her heart, she doesn't know who or what he is but she knows he is everything she needs. 
Then she meets Jonah, a vampire in need and she helps rescue him, but ends up deep within his world and in danger. There is a war coming between the higher vampires and the second generation that goes deeper than anything you could imagine, and now Lailah is in the middle of it. It turns out that Jonah is working with Gabriel, so Lailah finally gets to meet him and suddenly everything feels right, but secrets and dark plots emerge and Lailah must decide for herself who she can really trust and find out once and for all just what she really is.
I wanted to love this book, I was quite excited for it - I had caught my friends buzz but to be honest the book fell a little bit flat. Don't get me wrong, it is still a good book but it did have it faults for me.
There seemed to be an awful lot of backstory and padding, it took a while to get to the point, there was just a little bit too much detail that I felt could have been condensed to let it all flow that little bit better, and for a while it was a bit repetitive - Lailah would be 'rescued' by Jonah and Gabriel etc, realise she was bringing danger to them or that she was in danger from them so she would run away, she would then get attacked by something and be rescued by Gabriel etc. Then the cycle would repeat. She kept trying to run and ending up in more danger, yes it was a slightly different reason each time but I wanted to shout at her and tell her to just stay put for once.
However there were also some very good parts that got me reading faster and wanting more, some very good battle scenes and the character development of Jonah, Brooke and Lailah herself was great to  read. And I liked the way the author described the angels and their link to light and darkness (Heaven and Hell), it was very well set up and clear that a lot of thought had gone into making the world of the book.
This was the sort of book that when I did pick it up I would read 100-150 pages at a time and make good progress but when I put it down I wasn't desperate to pick it back up. I would find something else to do, but when I did pick it up again I did fairly enjoy it. It just didn't have that 'must have' quality to it.
There are some very well written and exciting action scenes and I liked the sense of mystery and intrigue throughout, I did enjoy it but it isn't something I would rush to read again. I'm torn as to whether to read book 2 when it comes out, I'm not sure how curious I am about what happens to them all, although the ending of this one was very good.

If you are into Paranormal fantasy then you may love this book and it's worth giving it a try, but it didn't quite hit the mark with me.

My Rating
This was a hard choice, Average seemed a bit harsh but I didn't Really Enjoy It so in the end I had to go with the lower grade but it was tough.

  
    

Book Review - The Trouble With Flying

Title: The Trouble With Flying
Author: Rachel Morgan
Release Date: 20th June 2014
ASIN: B00L8A3BMK
ISBN13: 9780992233914

Synopsis
When nineteen-year-old introvert Sarah boards a plane to fly home after an overseas holiday, the last thing she expects is Aiden, the guy sitting next to her who’s never flown anywhere before and refuses to shut up. Hours of random conversation later, they part ways. Sarah can’t stop thinking about Aiden, though, and wondering if she made a terrible mistake letting him go. Should she abandon her safe, predictable life and go in search of him, or would she be chasing a happily ever after that could never exist in real life? 

My Review
I was offered the chance to review this and was sent a copy in exchange for an honest review. Although not my typical read I do like the odd contemporary romance and light read so I agreed and at only 256 pages I thought it was worth a shot.
Sarah lives in Africa but has been in the UK visiting her sister, all she wants now is a quiet journey home. She's very shy and introverted and prays the seat next to her stays empty so she doesn't have to talk to anyone, so when Aiden sits down and begins a long conversation she's frustrated. Aiden has never flown before and has a terrible fear of flying, so he gets Sarah to distract him, talk to him, keep him calm. Although uncomfortable at first Sarah begins to enjoy herself and she feels a connection to him. But when the plane lands they must go their separate ways, after all Africa is a big place - right!?
This book was slightly predictable, it was obvious to me that they would meet up again - otherwise what would be the point of their meeting! But saying that, I enjoyed the inevitability of it and once they did find each other again I enjoyed the development of both of their characters individually and coming together. They both have pasts - we all do, and finding out about theirs was interesting and added a bit of a twist in places.
I really liked Sarah as a character, shy and quiet but willing to try for the right thing and change her life for the positive. In a way she reminded me of myself and I was rooting for her to stand up and take control. She definitely develops throughout the story and I love the character she becomes too.
Aiden is one of those characters you can't help but like right from the start, he may be a bit annoying but he has a cheeky personality with an obvious caring side that you just have to like him. 
The imagery of the book was fabulous, I could picture everything as I read, especially the climb up the mountains, I could almost fool myself that I was there.
So although a very simple book, it was very well written and ended up being a very enjoyable read, I read it all in about 2 hours non stop and it flew by.

My Rating

       

Cover Reveal - Destiny Disrupted

Book Cover Reveal

Today author, Sherry Soule has some exciting news to share with us! The next book in the epic Spellbound series, DESTINY DISRUPTED (older YA paranormal romance) will be published in November 2014.

To help promote these thrilling serial novels, Sherry is doing this guest post to share the news with fellow booklovers.

For information on the Spellbound Series visit: www.thespellboundseries.blogspot.com

Hunting Demons is One Thing…Dating Them is Another.

Life sucks for Shiloh Trudell. And being a demon hunter who’s in love with a cocky half-demon makes things even suckier.

Especially when she discovers that Trent, her sinfully hot boyfriend, is hiding a few dangerous secrets. Like the fact that he’s losing his humanity.

To complicate matters, witches from the local coven are mysteriously turning up dead, and as Shiloh searches for answers, she confronts her worst nightmare…Trent is being blackmailed into becoming the next leader of the Underworld.

But Shiloh is still convinced that she can save him, even after the impossibly gorgeous, fallen angel Raze tells her that a relationship with Trent is forbidden now. Warned to stay away from the only boy she’s ever loved, she can’t ignore the sizzling attraction that ignites whenever they’re around one another. Especially after a swoon-inducing night of stolen passion.

As Shiloh’s world begins to unravel around her, it soon becomes obvious that her destiny lies in one of two choices: vanquish Trent or join him in the Underworld.

DESTINY DISRUPTED (book 5) ASIN: B00OJQHU5O

Pre-Order your copy today and get it delivered to your reading device on November 28th! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJQHU5O

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/destiny-disrupted-1

Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id930482995

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1120565438?ean=2940046330205&itm=1&usri=2940046330205

Please “mark to read” on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13570561-destiny-disrupted

Book Blast - Spell for Sophia

Spell for Sophia

Sophia Perez-Hidalgo’s survival depends upon her mastering magic and the supernatural before her lawless parents and their vengeful boss catch up to her. How far must she flee to escape them forever? Sophia runs until she’s out of stolen money, then…Fate delivers her into the arms of Louisiana teen Shiloh Breaux Martine, and his grand-mère, a voodoo priestess living deep in the bayou.

Breaux knows Sophia is trouble — but he’ll travel through time, battle zombies, and risk his bright future to protect her. While Ainslie, best friend extraordinaire, will jeopardize her sanity to find and aid Sophia. When friendship, magic, and love are not enough, Sophia will have to save herself. But first, she must believe she’s worth saving.
Sometimes the worst scars are the ones you cannot see.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * Kobo

Book Trailer:






The Teen Wytche Saga by Ariella Moon

Think magic will solve your problems?

Bring you love? Cure you? Protect you? Help you find someone who is lost?

Think again.

Magic tests friendships. It hisses, chirps, stinks up the room, backfires, and explodes. Magic forces you to make tough decisions. Shatter limitations. Discover your true self. When you use magic, expect results in the ultimate triple-un—unpredictable, uncontrollable, and so undeniable.

And you thought navigating high school was tough.

Watch for the upcoming blog tour hosted by I Am A Reader

Blog Tour Schedule

Author Ariella Moon

Ariella Moon is the author of the Teen Wytche Saga, a sweet Young Adult paranormal series. Ariella writes about magic, friendship, high school, secrets, and love in Spell Check, Spell Struck, and Spell Fire from Astraea Press.

Ariella spent her childhood searching for a magical wardrobe that would transport her to Narnia. Extreme math anxiety, and taller students who mistook her for a leaning post, marred her youth. Despite these horrors, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Davis. Ariella is a Reiki Master, author, and shaman. She lives a nearly normal life with her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and an enormous dragon.





Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/23/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz - The Soul Thief

The Soul Thief (The Angel of Death Series #1)

by Majanka Verstraete

Publisher: Booktrope

Genre: YA, Paranormal

When sixteen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death.

Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them.

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soul-thief-majanka-verstraete/1120726556?ean=2940150529212

 

Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Thief-Angel-Death-Book-ebook/dp/B00PGUMLB0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415720086&sr=8-1&keywords=majanka+verstraete+soul+thief

Excerpt

About the Author

Majanka Verstraete begged her Mom to teach her how to read while she was still in kindergarten. By the time she finished fifth grade, she had read through the entire children’s section of her hometown library.

She wrote her first story when she was seven years old, and hasn’t stopped writing since. With an imagination that never sleeps, and hundreds of possible book characters screaming for her attention, writing is more than a passion for her.

She writes about all things supernatural for children of all ages. She’s tried to write contemporary novels before, but something paranormal always manages to crawl in.

Majanka is currently studying for her Master of Laws degree, and hopes one day to be able to combine her passions for law and writing. When she’s not writing, reading or studying, she likes watching “The Vampire Diaries” and “Game of Thrones,” spending time with her friends, or playing “World of Warcraft.”

Book Review - Sleep of Death

Title: Sleep of Death
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Series: Charlotte Westing Chronicles (Book 2)
Publisher: Imaginary Properties LLC
Release Date: 8 Jun 2014
ASIN: B00KV6LGRO

Synopsis
Oracles can see the future, but are sworn to never interfere. Charlotte Westing learned this lesson the hard way--but after a series of murders in her small town, she's beginning to wonder if she learned too well. Are there some futures Charlotte as a responsibility to change?

When a new girl with strange powers shows up at school on the same day Charlotte has a vision of a grisly double homicide, Charlotte must decide whether the time has come to free herself from the rules of the Sisters of Delphi once and for all. But what will be the price?

My Review
After finishing book 1 and discovering that there was another one to follow I knew I had to download it - it's only currently available on Kindle.
Charlotte is still trying to get over the murders of her classmates and the discovery that she was being used by John. A lesson she had to learn the hard way, but even so she still wants to try and help people, but she has to decide whether to follow the rules and resist her visions or if she should let them come and try to change the future. Then she sees a vision of a grisly double homicide and things start getting complicated, especially when the new girl at school finds out about Charlotte's powers and reveals some unusual gifts of her own.
As the girls dig further into the future and try to figure out just who is behind the murders things start to get more and more complicated and soon one of them may be in just as much trouble.
Again these books are not my usual taste in books, the mere mention of a homicide let alone a gruesome one would have me running a mile, but I love Pike's writing and wanted to know what happened to Charlotte next so I got stuck in.
It was quite gory in places and very violent, in fact I jumped in my seat a few times but I did figure out who was responsible as soon as the character was introduced - it was so obvious to me, so instead of being surprised by the revelation I was still waiting for them to attack again, I knew more would come and man I was not wrong. This took a seriously creepy turn but yet I still had to keep reading. 
I have to admit that after reading this book I did have nightmares that night but I am a wimp so it's only to be expected I suppose. I'm still glad I read it, as it was such a gripping read, Pike does it so well, a true horror master - if you can get someone so involved they physically can't turn away from the story!

I am even hoping that there will be a third book in the series, I can't help it - I want more. (I think I'm mad) :)

My Rating

     

FF (183)

Follow Friday is an opportunity to discover and follow other book related blogs! Want to join? Check it out at Parajunkee or Alison Can Read

 

This week's question feature is Boarding with Books

Craziest thing you’d be willing to do for an ARC you are dying to read (aka what would you doooo-ooo for that ARC you want? *think of the Klondike Bar music*)
via A Great Read

My Answer: I don't tend to do anything for ARC's, I know that no amount of begging, pleading, bribery or violence will get me one so I don't really do anything. Publishers have lists of people they use and if you are lucky there will be extras so at most I send an email asking or would consider making a youtube video if they asked for it, but overall I wouldn't do anything extreme. Maybe I have become jaded over my years as a blogger, but sometimes you have to know when you are beaten.


Happy Hopping and Blogging!

Book Review - Dystopia

Title: Dystopia
Author: Anthony Ergo
Series: Dystopia (Book 1)
Release Date: 7 July 2014
ASIN: B00LMAWUYG
ISBN-13: 978-0956121318

Synopsis
It's Friday the Thirteenth and it's Sasha Hunter's birthday. It's also the anniversary of Dystopia day; a catastrophic world-wide blackout, and the day Sasha's mother disappeared. Three years on, the world has started to recover. But for Sasha, everything is falling apart... 

My Review
I picked this book up in the Summer at the London Film and Comic Con- they had a massive author festival alongside it and Anthony Ergo was there. This book looked good and I had a quick chat with him, then decided to give this book a try. But I've been manic busy ever since so only just got round to reading it.
Sasha is very superstitious and she hates the number 13, this isn't helped by the fact that there was a world wide disaster on the 13th three years ago, a disaster that caused her mother to disappear and the world to go mad. 
But now Sasha's life is going to change again, she finds herself in a world she could never have imagined, facing things she never thought she would have to face.
I wasn't really sure about the book when I first started it, but soon found myself wanting to know more and racing through the pages, I found myself liking Sasha and enjoying her narrative, she's got a good sense of humour and is quite down to earth. 
The story took a few twists and turns that I didn't expect but each time it pulled me deeper into the story. Although I have to admit that I sussed out the bad guy pretty quickly, he was the perfect villain presented as a good guy. Maybe it was supposed to be that easy to work out but it meant that there wasn't really a surprise, although the side-kick did become more than i expected.
I really liked Sasha's companions, Zara and Aaron they made a great team and broadened out the world. They all work really well together but like any teenagers still have the odd fights and make some mistakes.

There is a real mystery element to the book and it's quite creepy in places but I really enjoyed it, the atmosphere of the book really draws you in and helps set the scene. And in the end I have to say I really enjoyed the book. The second one in the series 'Hysteria' has just come out and I have downloaded it on my kindle app ready to read, I want to know where Sasha ends up next.

My Rating

 
   

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop Winner

5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

October 15th to 31st

 

This hop is run by Kathy at 'I Am A Reader, Not A Writer'

 

The prize on offer is your choice of one of these books from the Book Depository:

- Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

- Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy 

- The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith  

 

There were 327 entries to the Giveaway in total which is awesome!
So now it's time to pick the lucky winner

Using Rafflecopter's 'Select a Random Winner' button :-

'Chrystina W' 
has been selected as the winner

She has been emailed and has 3 days to reply.

Thanks to everyone that entered.