Destined (House of Night #9) Review

Rating: ♥♥♥

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: October 25th/2011

Pages: 325

Goodreads

What It's About!

Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet—which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx’s gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together—if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father’s shadow...

But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia’s handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there’s the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more—or possibly less—than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there’s something strangely familiar about him...

Will Neferet’s true nature be revealed before she succeeds in silencing them all? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox’s humanity in time to protect him—and everyone—from his own fate? Find out what’s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

Review

 I've been a fan of this series from the beginning, and while the last few books haven't been the best, this 9th book in the series feels like its back on track like the first few. I couldn't give it a full 4 or 5 stars because of the fact it wasn't very eventful. So it's more of a 3.5/5. The most that happens is at the very end, and no, Heath technically hasn't come back. Yet. After I skimmed through some other people's reviews, I kept expecting him to pop up, but he didn't until the very end and it technically isn't really him.

I liked the fact that almost everyone, outside of Zoey's group, is really starting to see Neferet for what she truly is, and how bad she has become. Especially when one of the high council members finally seen it for herself. Naturally, the next 2 books will probably be the build up for the war that's going to happen between Neferet and everybody else, with the last book concluding the war and the series as a whole. I'm actually looking forward to the last few books.

Zoey was the same as she's been since book 1, same with Damian, but there were some unexpected changes between some of the characters. I even started to really like Rephaim and maybe even Kalona. I've always liked Stark but he felt different to me in this book for some reason.

I wish there had been more things actually happening in this 9th installment, but overall it's pretty enjoyable, if not a little slow at times. I definitely recommend it to any House of Night fans!

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Book Reveal!

Book Reveal: Starstruck (Fame Game #2) by Lauren Conrad

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: October 30th/2012

Pages: N/A

Goodreads

What It's About!

As the drama surrounding Madison, Carmen, Gaby, and Kate is played out in front of the cameras and the relentless paparazzi, the girls quickly discover that fame comes at a price. Featuring hot new characters and old favorites from the #1 New York Times bestselling series L.A. Candy, the second Fame Game novel chronicles the rise and fall of Hollywood’s newest reality stars.

Anyone who has ever wondered what it is like to make it in Hollywood will love this fun, addictive series written by someone who has seen—and lived—it all. Full of dishy details about young Hollywood that only an insider can reveal, bestselling author, fashion designer, and television star Lauren Conrad shows that the real drama happens behind the scenes.

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Cover Reveal!

Cover Reveal: Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: Jan. 22nd/2013

Pages: 320

Goodreads

What It's About!

No description yet! :(

My Thoughts:

I am SSOOO freaking IN LOVE with this cover!! It's even more gorgeous than the first 2 and I am a HUGE fan of the Unearthly series! I can't believe we have to wait until January!!!!

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Blog Tour: Interview With Elisabeth Wheatley

The Secrets of the Vanmars by Elisabeth Wheatley

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What It's About!

After her adventures with the Key of Amatahns, sixteen-year-old Janir Caersynn Argetallam returns home to find Brevia on the brink of war with a neighboring country, Stlaven. Her foster-father and even Saoven—a brave young elf warrior—think it will be safe at the castle where Janir grew up. However, while trying to unravel a looming mystery, Karile—self-taught wizard and Janir’s self-appointed best friend—becomes certain that there is danger in the mountains surrounding Janir’s childhood home and that it has something to do with Stlaven’s most powerful family, the Vanmars…

 Author Interview with Elisabeth Wheatley

Did you always want to be a writer?

No. When I was little, I wanted to be a fairy princess, then a veterinarian and then an environmental engineer like my dad. I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was about eleven, then changed my mind. Up until about three years ago I wanted to be a veterinarian, but a fainting experience involving blood, needles, a hospital trip, and an ambulance promptly cured me of that ambition. (It was nothing serious, it just served to freak me out.)

What is your favorite scene in The Secrets of the Vanmars?

Favorite scene...favorite scene..... There’s a scene in the beginning where Karile sneaks into Janir’s bedroom to talk to her and she thinks he’s someone sent to kill her. I had a lot of fun with that one, still there are a few that I like just as much. But if I were to tell you what they are, that would fall too dangerously near the realm of SPOILER, so...

                  

What was the most challenging part of writing The Secrets of the Vanmars?

Figuring out what was actually going to happen. I have to have a blue print or a general idea before I start writing and though I had a few elements worked out, I still had to draft up the plotline. It took me a few months to get that sorted out and once I did, everything else fell into place pretty easily. But believe me, the plotline was challenging enough to make up for everything else!

In your books, you have the elves speak Latin as their native language. Why did you select Latin?

Because Latin fascinates me, it has the right feel to it, and if people want to, they can go look up the translation for things that I purposely don’t translate. I like languages, but I’m too busy (lazy) and I don’t like them enough (lazy) to do what Tolkien or Paolini did and invent my own. : )

What is your writing process?

Come up with idea, come up with first scene, come up with plotline, write story, re-write story, obsess over typos, re-write story, drive family crazy, finish story.

You mentioned you have three brothers, have they influenced your stories?

Oh, yes. The Gideon Mountains and the river Zebulun are each named after one of my brothers and I took my description of Karile, with his stick-thin frame and spiky red hair, from my third brother. My brothers aren’t my biggest fans, but that lets them be honest. Very honest.

What are three things on your “Bucket List”?

Compete in a jousting tournament (No,seriously! You don’t need a time machine anymore), horseback ride in the Redwood forests, and see Stonehenge.

If you could meet any living person, who would it be?

Geez...as I think about this question I’m realizing that the vast majority of my heroes don’t qualify as my answer must be “living.” Can I pick a writer? Am I allowed to do that? Okay, then I’ll say Gail Carson Levine. I love her writing, particularly her book Ever and her new fairy-tale detective story,  A Tale of Two Castles.

Elisabeth Wheatley is a 16-year-old YA Fantasy author. She is a newly published author of an amazing new series. You can find out more about her books here and check out her Goodreads page. You can also check out the video for The Secrets of the Vanmars here.

 

Rapture Review

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: June 12th/2012

Pages: 448

Goodreads

What It's About!

The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

Review

I cried when I reached the ending of Rapture because it was just so PERFECT. I fell in love with the Fallen series since the very first book so I was sad for it to end.

The very VERY ending took me a little by surprise, I wasn't expecting that. But the close-to-the-end is what I was hoping, probably since the 2nd book, would happen. I purposely tried not to devour this book in one sitting because it's THE LAST BOOK *sad face inserted here* Rapture is my favourite book out of the whole series. Daniel and Luce are trying to stop Lucifer's angel fall (whatever you want to call it), so as they are trying to find the items to find out how to stop him, they are always on the run from someone or something trying to come after them. It had all the emotion, action and heart-tugging that the other books may not have had.

One thing I thought was really missing though, was there was no big romantic boom between Daniel and Luce like there should have been. Since book one Lauren Kate has been building this big, passionate love between them, only to have it not get to its full potential. They kiss and touch, but there's no big passionate romantic love scene. I was so disappointed. I still really loved the book though.

Rapture is the perfect ending for the series, I couldn't have wanted better (besides the romance, of course!). It almost puts all 3 previous books to shame, it's so good. Why couldn't all 3 books have been just as freaking amazing as this one?! Even if you didn't quite like the first three books, I think Rapture is definitely worth buying, it is so amazingly written and so many things come together, so many questions answered. We finally get to see where Daniel and Luce first fell in love and how it all came to be.

 

HUGE Cover Reveal!

I just seen these brand new covers for these upcoming books! My jaw dropped in excitement as soon as my eyes landed on these!! I know the House of Night novels have been a drag the last few books, but I'm still a huge fan and I LOOVEE the newest cover!!! It's especially gorgeous after the last few covers have been, well, bleh. Also, the third book in the Darkness Rising trilogy fits perfectly with the first two books, I absolutely LOVE this cover and the series! The third cover is a brand new novel by Christine Johnson (author of the Claire De Lune series). Unfortunately, I don't have the captions for all of these amazing covers, so keep checking back on goodreads :)  Hope you guys love these new covers just as much as I do!

House of Night #10 

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: October 16th/2012
Pages: 320

Goodreads

In the must-read tenth installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling vampyre series, Darkness won’t stay hidden for long… “Move over Stephenie Meyer.” –People

The House of Night series is an international phenomenon, reaching #1 on U.S., German, and UK bestseller lists, and remaining a fixture on the New York Times Children’s Series bestseller list for more than 140 weeks and counting. With nearly 12 million copies in print, rights sold in thirty-eight countries to date, and relatable, addictive characters, this series is unstoppable. Now in Hidden, the tenth installment of the series, the stakes are higher than ever before.

Neferet’s true nature has been revealed to the Vampyre High Council, so Zoey and the gang might finally get some help in defending themselves and their beloved school against a gathering evil that grows stronger every day. And they’ll need it, because Neferet’s not going down without a fight. Chaos reigns at the House of Night.

Darkness Rising #3

Release Date: April 9th/2013

Goodreads

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: February 12th/2013

Pages: 352

Goodreads

What It's About!

Keira’s hallucinating. First it’s a door hovering above the road; then it’s a tree in her living room. But with her parents fighting and her best friend not speaking to her, Keira can’t tell anyone about her breakdown. Until she meets Walker. They have an electric connection—and somehow it’s as if he can see the same shadowy images.

The more Keira slowly confides in Walker, the more intense—and frightening—her visions become. Trusting him may be more dangerous than Keira could have ever imagined. Because Walker is not what he appears to be—and neither are her visions.

Order Them Now: Book Depository|Amazon 

Cover Reveal!

Cover Reveal: All The Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

Release Date: December 11th/2013

Pages: N/A

Goodreads

What It's About!

What if your life wasn't your own?

Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.

Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?

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League Of Strays Review

Rating: ♥♥

Publisher: Amulet

Release Date: October 1st/2012

Pages: 288

Goodreads

What It's About!

When Charlotte Brody, a lonely 17-year-old student at a new school, receives an invitation to join The League of Strays, she's intrigued by the group's promise of "instant friendship." The League does provide companionship--and even a love interest--but Charlotte grows increasingly uncomfortable with its sinister mission to seek revenge against the bullies of Kennedy High. When escalating acts of vengeance threaten to hurl her down a path of remorse, Charlotte must choose between her new friends and the direction of a future she's never fully considered.

                              

Review

It took me forever to actually finish this book. I couldn't wait to dive into it, but once I did, it wasn't as good as I was hoping. The beginning sucked me in for a while, what with the mysterious notes a few people got for a meeting with someone they didn't know, and didn't know why. It never really explains why either, until later on.

Charlotte was a really flat character with nothing to connect to her with and I could never really understand her, or why she felt she had to lie about little things. Then there's Kade, who's basically the group leader. He's this mysterious good looking guy that Charlotte pretty much instantly has the hots for. He drove me crazy, he was so hot and cold and never really liked actually explaining anything, especially in the beginning. All the other characters were your basic stereotypes, the snobs, wannabes, etc. It didn't feel like they had any originality or depth to them.

Even though the book is really well written and easy to read, I could never fully get into it. It just didn't seem to have an actual point leading up to what was going on and some stuff felt pointless, like why have it in there at all. I think the characters and the story could have had a bit more depth and point to them. I ended up just skimming the last half or so of the book just to see what ends up happening.

I think a younger audience would like it, but not if your looking for a good read to sink your teeth into. 

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Author Interview & Giveaway with E.K. Henry

E.K. Henry is the author of Freak, a YA paranormal novel with dystopian elements. 

Interview with E.K. Henry

1. Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that it?  

Juniper is a 16-year-old humans living in a world ran by vampires.  It has been drilled into her ever since she can remember that vampires rule, humans suck, and she can only amount to becoming a blood donor.  The entire human race is oppressed, and Juniper can't stand it.  When her father signs the family up to take part in a reality show called The Secret Lives of Humans, Juniper hopes it will give her the edge to become accepted and to shed her freak label.  

She learns quickly that vampires aren't that accepting.  

When she can no longer live in her own personal hell any longer, she joins up with a group of underground vampire hunters and joins the human revolution.

She quickly learns that friends might not be who she thinks they are, that she's just a pawn in the government's game, and that the world might not be as black and white as she always thought.

I came up with the idea for Freak while reading a story about a Mormon family that was getting their own reality television show.  Most of the family seemed thrilled about the idea, but one child in particular wasn't.  They didn't want the world to see how different their family was from mainstream society.  This story got me thinking about what it would be like to be forced to participate in a show that was meant to spotlight how different you are than everybody else.  I tried to imagine the worst scenario that I would hate to be put in myself, and that is how Freak was born.

2. How did you get interested in writing this particular genre?

As a teen, I always read Adult books.  Stephen King was and still is my idol.  I devoured his books.  There wasn't really a young adult genre so to speak until quite recently.  When I discovered it, I was enthralled with the stories I found there.  Since, then I have always hit the young adult shelves first whenever I walk into a bookstore.  I began writing young adult, because I knew there was a huge fan base that would accept my love for the paranormal.  It just came naturally and I've been writing YA ever since then.

3. What is the hardest part of writing for you?

EDITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's such a love hate relationship.  I love seeing my books become better and better, but revising and editing takes up soooo much time.  I can draft a book in a month when I am really into it but revising is a whole different game.  It can take months and months.

4. What’s the best thing about being an author?

Seeing reviews of my book, answering interviews, and getting emails from fans.  It's such an amazing feeling to know that someone else likes my work.  Whenever I see a review or email from a fan, I am on cloud nine for days.  It's such a rewarding feeling.

5. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

My number one advice is to sit down and write.  Even if what you feel like you're writing is crap just keep writing.  My first two books were trunked, but I learned so much from them.  If I wouldn't have kept going, I never would have become a published author.

My number two advice is to find a group of writing buddies.  I cannot tell you how many times my online writing buddies have pointed out things that I would have never seen myself, pulled me off of the "I quit" ledge, and been an amazing source of encouragement.  I have been working with these amazing ladies at all stages in the publishing business for three years now, and I can honestly say that I consider them to be some of my closest friends.

6. Where can fans find you?

I love to talk with my readers.  You can find me at the following places:

Twitter:  @ek_henry

Website:  www.ekhenry.com

Email:  ek_henry(at)yahoo(dot)com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832143.E_K_Henry

Giveaway! 

The author is kindly willing to give away 2 ebook copies of her novel Freak and 5 AUTOGRAPHED bookmarks to some lucky readers! 

Just leave a comment below and the winners will be selected randomly.
*Contest Closed*

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Stacking The Shelves

 Meme hosted and created by Tynga's Reviews

 Here are the books I have bought in the last month.

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Destined (House of Night #9) by P.C. + Krstin Cast

Lost Voices Review

Rating: ♥♥♥

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Release Date: July 4th 2011

Pages: 291

Goodreads

What It's About!

Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce possesses an extraordinary singing talent, which makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder? The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Review

Lost Voices was my first mermaid novel, and I'm not sure if it really opened the door for me with the mermaid genre. The first few chapters were really weird and disturbing. Girls who have been abused badly (or sometimes not so badly) generally turn into a mermaid, and live out the rest of their lives in the sea with other mermaids with dark human pasts.

Luce is the main character in this novel. In the first few chapters she becomes a mermaid because of the fact that her uncle abused her and basically left her to die on a cliff. She's so miserable she "melts" into a liquid, falls off the cliff, and gets rescued by a mermaid queen who helps explain the fact that Luce is now a mermaid.

In the novel's description, it says something about Luce being welcomed into the mermaid tribe, but to me they weren't very welcoming at all. Most of them were snobby and stuck up and the Queen mermaid kept treating Luce like she should just know what being a mermaid is all about. As the story went on, most of the other mermaids started being a bit more nicer to Luce, but a few were still just plain mean. Especially after a new mermaid joins their tribe and turns everyone against Luce, including the Queen. I don't understand why Luce didn't just leave the tribe since they were being such bitches.

One of the things that bothered me, besides the beginning, was the baby mermaids, which they call "larvae", that swim around close to the tribe, but the older mermaids don't even try to look after them, other than Luce. I found it a bit disturbing. The reason there are baby mermaids is from people abusing their baby girls, making them change. Plus the fact that the older mermaids treat them horribly and let them get eaten by orcas and whatever else!

Other than a few bothersome points, the book in generally was pretty good and is very nicely written. It was pretty half and half for me though. Half of me really liked it but the other half didn't really care for it. So it's more of a 2.5 instead of a whole 3 stars.

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Ascend Review

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: April 24th 2012

Pages: 326

Goodreads 

What It's About! 

Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself.  If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe.  But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?
The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end. 
 

Everything has been leading to this moment.  The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it.

Review

Ascend is my favorite book out of the whole trilogy. Whatever we didn't get in the first two books, (for me there were a few things, especially in Torn) this book definitely makes up for it. The whole book had a good flow of never-ending events that kept me reading almost non-stop once I finally started it.

There are a few surprising things, we lose a character or two, but they are pretty much expected. Some are almost lost and I was ssooo glad when we didn't totally lose them in the end! Speaking of the end, I really love the way the trilogy ended. It ended perfectly, with a few unexpected turns. I love who Wendy ended up with and that she ended up being with who she truly loved.

In Ascend, Wendy was a lot less annoying and bratty. She has grown SO much as a character since being introduced to her in the first book, Switched. She finally fully came into her role as Princess, then eventually, as Queen. I also came to really like Loki and Tove, too.

What I didn't really understand though, was the fact that there was almost no Rhys or Riannon. They were just never mentioned except for once or twice, then at the end we find out what where they were headed next. I don't know if Hocking just forgot about them totally, with everything else that happens, or if she purposely left them out.

Other than that, I completely loved Ascend. I almost didn't want to finish it, it's that amazing!

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Cover Reveal!

Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)by Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington

Release Date: December 24th/2012

Pages: 384

Goodreads

What It's About!

For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes — the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki — the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming. I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison — and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself …

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