Shadowlands by Kate Brian

Shadowlands (Shadowlands #1) By Kate Brian

Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: January 8th 2013
Pages: 336
Type: Hardcover
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What It's About!

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

 (For some reason I'm having trouble with the pink dotted border! >:(  -Just in case anyone was wondering haha)

 

Review

Shadow Lands was a GREAT book, it's so full of mystery it'll make your head spin! I hadn't even read the description for this book before buying and reading it. I just knew by the cover and the author that I HAD to read it!

For the most part, the book was really well paced, loaded with mystery that got my heart pumping and my blood flowing and kept making me try to predict what would happen but making me fail miserably. It started out with this Steven Nell guy who tries to kidnap the main character, so I figured it was going to be a thriller-type book, but it turned out to be a thriller/mystery, and more. I hated Steven Nell. He was creepy as hell, especially since he was supposed to be a high school teacher! Most of the characters, like the main one, Rory, her sister and her father, were all pretty flat. By the time I finished the book, I didn't feel any closer to knowing who Rory was. Her sister Darcy was probably the flattest of all, being a total cliche, shallow, materialistic bitch who only cares about herself-even in times of danger, when her and Rory would be a lot better off sticking together. Darcy got on my nerves something bad. If it wasn't for the amazing plots and events I probably would have thrown this book out the window.

Even though Steven Nell was creepy as hell, he did help make the story a little bit. He was really only in the very beginning and very end of the book that Rory could see, but it seemed like he was always around, leaving clues here and there. It really added to the mystery of the book, because as Rory thinks she's going crazy, so did I. It was like he was there...but was he really?... CREEPY!

This is probably the best mystery/thriller-type book I have ever read. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was so wrong. Especially the ending, I SO didn't see it coming. AT ALL. My first thought after that last sentence was: What a rude cliffhanger ending!!! HOW COULD THE AUTHOR LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THIS?! It's the father of all cliffhanger endings. But then later, I was like wow, how freaking smart of Kate Brian, now whoever reads the first book is for sure going to have to read the second book, no questions asked. I strongly suggest that if you haven't read this yet, but plan to, wait until the second book comes out, or you'll be as sorry as I am right now lol.

 Rating

Wings of Tavea Expresso Book Tour

Wings of Tavea (Solus #2) by Devri Walls

Publisher: Stonehouse Ink
Release Date: December 11th/2012
Pages: 450
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What It's About!

Kiora is rapidly learning that evil and lies come in shades of black and white and swirling greys, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of leaving Meros.
Kiora and her protector Emane step through the pass into a world they never knew existed but were always meant to save, only to find it far worse than they could have ever imagined. Good has been forced into hiding for its own survival, while the rest of the land bows to the Shadow, a force that pushes any remaining thoughts of Dralazar from Kiora’s mind. This land is full of new creatures, each more dangerous than the last. Her visions have taken on a deadly twist, and magic, or what comes of it, was never so real. And then there is Alcander: a Tavean, their guide, and an entirely different kind of trouble.

Wings of Arian (Solus #1) by Devri Walls

Publisher: Stonehouse Ink 

Release Date: April 24th/2012

Pages: 462

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What It's About!

Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.

However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.

And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.

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About The Author

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Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.

Shatter Me Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) Tahereh Mafi

Publisher: Harper
Release Date: November 15th/2011
Pages: 338
Type: Paperback
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What It's About!

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Review

If I could marry this book, I would. I can finally say that I fully understand why people have been SO obsessed over this book, it's completely off the grid amazing! I bought Shatter Me when it first came out but was afraid I wouldn't like it for my expectations were so high, what with everyone non-stop buzzing about it, but then I didn't read it because I didn't wanna have to wait for the second book to come out in case I DID love it as much as I wanted to. And I did, love it just as much as I'd hoped and thank god I waited until the second book came out so now I don't have to wait!

I had heard so many people talk about Tahereh Mafi's unique, poet, etc. writing style, so I wasn't completely sure what to expect going in, but actually I really loved her writing style. It was so easy to feel like you really got into Juliette's mind set. At first she did kinda seem like she was off her rocker, but slowly, as SHE realizes she's not crazy, so do you without even realizing it. I felt like I grew right along with her, as she discovered herself and realized there was more in the world than she thought.

This whole book was such a roller-coaster journey. It swept me up from the first chapter, right until the very end, and very few books can do that to me! I really liked how it started off as such a plain, black and white world (Juliette's and the actual world) but as I got further and further into the book, more secrets were uncovered, people were not who they originally pretended to be, and just so many things happening. One of my favorite things had to be Adam, Juliette's knight in shining armor. He was SO yum, there's just no other word for it. If you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about, and if not you'll for sure have to read Shatter Me otherwise your missing out BIG TIME :D 

Rating 

 

Cover Reveal: Double Feature

Teardrop (Teardrop #1) by Lauren Kate

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers 
Release Date: October 22nd/2013 
Pages: 472 
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What It's About!

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

Deception (Defiance #2) by C.J. Redwine

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 

Release Date:  August 27th/2013

Pages: 400

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What It's About!

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.



But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

 

Giveaway

♥Win a signed copy of Fields of Elysium by A.B.Whelan♥

How can love mend a heart full of hate?

Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers. While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly's life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings.

Would you fight to be with the one you truly love? What cost would you be willing to sacrifice for that love?

Fields of Elysium is a suspenseful romantic tale full of forbidden secrets, unimaginable danger, deception, and the never-ending fight for true love.

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Gates of Paradise by Melissa De La Cruz

Gates of Paradise (Blue Bloods #7) by Melissa De La Cruz

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 
Release Date: January 15th/2013
Pages: 355
Type: Hardcover
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 What It's About!

Schuyler Van Alen is running out of time. The Dark Prince of Hell is storming the Gates of Paradise, intent on winning the heavenly throne for good. This time he has his greatest angels by his side, Abbadon and Azrael—Jack and Mimi Force, as they are known in the Coven.

Or so he thinks. Even as Lucifer assigns Jack and Mimi the tasks of killing their true loves, the Force twins secretly vow to defeat the Dark Prince once and for all. But how far will Mimi and Jack go to conceal their real loyalties?

Meanwhile, former vampire Bliss Llewellyn has joined forces with Lawson, the greatest wolf of the underworld, to free his people from their imprisonment in Hell. As they struggle against impossible odds, an ancient message, woven into the very fabric of time, reveals just how much depends on the success of their mission.

Lucifer seeks the key to the Gate of Promise, and when Schuyler is taken captive and delivered straight to Hell, she must make an unthinkable choice—the same one the archangel Michael was forced to make during the Crisis in Rome. Will Schuyler find the strength to do what he could not?

The epic, heartbreaking Blue Bloods series comes to a close with this final novel about staggering courage, unbearable sacrifice, and the immortality of true love.

Review

"You made a sacrifice and Heaven rewarded you."-Gates of Paradise

I literally just put this book down and even though I loved it, I've been left a little unsatisfied and confused. Really Melissa De La Cruz, THIS is the LAST bluebloods book?!

Though many things came together, I was still left with questions and a big gaping hole.

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS BELOW*

First off, near the end of the "big battle", Oliver showed up all bloodied and wounded with a sword in his hand, Schyuler goes all "omg he's gonna die, he's only human, what is he doing here?". And that, my friends, is an excellent question that was never answered. I kept reading expecting to get some explanation as to what he was doing there and why he was all bloodied and carrying a sword, but it never came. It's the last book. Yes, I'm a bit miffed >:( Secondly, at the VERY END OF THE BOOK, Oliver is apparently now a freaking vampire. When. did. this. HAPPEN?! Seriously, this 'final book' better be a joke. There is no way any sane person can leave it at that with nothing else in a final book. Unless I completely missed something?!

I also felt like Melissa De La Cruz set up another possible story for Schyuler and Jack, it was probably supposed to be an end, but it sounded more like a beginning. So MAYBE Melissa plans on writing some sort of spin-off series with these three particular characters? I sure hope so. Then there was the "Great Battle". There was all this build up throughout the book about it, but it was only a few pages long, it was so rushed, I feel like it wasn't written with the care it should have been. I also would have liked to know more about what happened with the wolves during and after the battle, but maybe that will be in the second 'Wolfpact' book? Again, it was rushed, but mostly just the last half of the book.

Other than those points, I actually really enjoyed Gates of Paradise. The last few books have been okay, but this book really went back to it's original roots, having the same feel as the first 3 books, which were my favorites. The other books between the first 3 and this one felt more like filler books than anything. Overall I LOVE the Bluebloods series and I'm super sad that this is (supposedly?) the last and final book in this series. I really enjoyed how Melissa wrote about the wolves in this book, especially since I had read 'Wolfpact' a while ago, so I already felt like I knew these new wolf characters, and liked how they emerged into an already familiar world that Melissa had created with the Bluebloods series years ago.

Ugh, I'm just not ready to let this series go!

Rating 

Pivot Point by Kasie West

  ♥Cover Candie of the Month♥

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: February 12th/2013

Pages: 352

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What It's About!

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.