All's Fair in Vanities War (The Seer's Seven Deadly Fairy Tales)
by
Elizabeth Marx
ebook Edition
Published October 24th 2011
Review copy from author
Summary from Goodreads:
Salem’s always held sinister secrets. No one understands this better than a sixteen-year-old girl who dies on Halloween night and is reborn a Seer.
The Seer can’t imagine anything worse than being an invisible teenager with enormous black wings. Until she finds out she’s been sacrificed to watch over Locke’s new flame.
Locke Cavanaugh is a Druid, and part of the Order, a clandestine organization entrusted with keeping its members cloaked in the Ordinary world. Physically scarred from the accident that took his girlfriends life, Locke is searching for the OtherWorldly magic that damaged him, because only those without blemish can rule the Order. And once at the helm of the Order he has every intention of finding those responsible for her death.
On the West Coast, Keleigh Flaherty witnesses her parents’ murder by beasts that should only exist in nightmares. She is whisked off to the safety of Salem, where she learns how potent and dangerous her concealed Vate talents are. Keleigh wants to be Ordinary, but when her mother reaches out from the OtherWorld, and implores her to find a forgotten relic she’ll have to use all her ExtraOrdinary powers to locate it.
As Locke and Keleigh join forces, they unravel the Order’s involvement in the witch hysteria and murmurs of a Celtic prophecy. While Locke’s affection for Keleigh blooms, The Seer is torn between her duty to protect Keleigh, and her desire to stop Locke from making the ultimate sacrifice in order to earn Keleigh’s love . . .
But if they don’t find the witches bottle before the
ShiningOnes do, someone stalking Keleigh from the shadows will take her instead and plunge all worlds into chaos.
Thoughts:
What drew me first to this wonderful book is the cover. It's like so mysterious and beautiful! I'm guessing that's Keleigh on the cover what with her strawberry blonde hair. Ops..I'm getting ahead of myself. Sorry.
Let me just say, the book literally starts with a bang. A girl gets thrown out of her boyfriend's car and died instantly on the way to a party only to discover that her afterlife existence is already mapped out and planned by the powers that be. She was chosen to be a Seer; a recorder of events of sorts and is assigned to watch over a young ExtraOrdinary girl destined for great things. Apparently the young girl; Keleigh will eventually entangled herself with that cute boyfriend; Locke who survived the crash which does complicate matters a bit.
Locke is disgruntled and blamed Keleigh for the death of her girlfriend and their hostile encounters at first was really interesting to watch. As times passed, Locke and Keleigh are thrown together again and they must fight the evil presence that lurks to threatened the ExtraOrdinary community.
The Seer is a mystery to me. Her living history are told through flashes and her name was never mentioned in the beginning chapters so it left me wondering who she really is before her death and all. The book is told from her unique POV and you can feel the pain when she's witnessing that her old boyfriend is falling for Keleigh. For an invisible Seer forced to be in the sidelines, she has quite the rebellious streak and I'm rooting for her.
The story is rich in Celtic elements but unfortunately some parts are just a bit confusing for me. Nevertheless the story indeed capture my heart and the magical mayhem, dilemma and battles are intriguing enough to keep me entertained.
Recommended for: fans of YA & urban fantasy
Verdict: 3 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
The author is kind enough to offer an e-book copy of this wonderful book. Yay! The giveaway is International and will end on February 29th.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Leap into Books Giveaway Hop
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Review: Legend
by Marie Lu
Paperback
262 pages
Published November 29th 2011
by Razorbill
Thoughts:
Legend is such a crazy ride from the start to the finish. It is chock full of non stop action, military intrigue and political agenda that is somewhat reminiscent of the era of Sylvester Stallone's movie Judge Dredd. Too bad it came out after Divergent and The Hunger Games or else it would certainly be ground breaking stuff. Yes it is hard to find an original YA read without comparing it to the other books that is in the same genre.
We have June; the prodigal genius who attained a perfect score during her Trials. An event that is compulsory to every child who reached 10 years old. And then we have Day; the young rebel with a cause who failed his Trials. Thankfully, for once we are spared from the tribulations of instant love or any love triangle.
Likes
I love both of the main characters and their interactions with each other and eventhough I have an inkling of what's really going on and who really did kill June's older brother earlier on, the story is pretty engrossing in itself. And since according to the writer the story is based on Les Miserables there are certainly a lot of heartbreaking moments and characters dying here and there.
Dislikes
The Trials remind me a lot of Divergent, Matched and even The Hunger Games. It seems that these books can't get away from having a mandatory exams or some sort of ritual that the character has to go through when they reached a certain age.
The ending just blows my mind and I'm left wondering what will happened next. This is certainly one of the better dystopian out there.
Recommend for: fans of dystopian and kick-ass chicks
Verdict: 4 stars
Available on: Amazon
Monday, February 27, 2012
Dystopian Week
And on Wednesday which is a leap day, I'll be having a giveaway where you guys can tell me your favourite dystopian and win a dystopian book of your choice. Yay! Stay tuned!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Review: Darkness Becomes Her
Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters #1)
by Kelly Keaton
Paperback,
273 pages
Published January 3rd 2012
by Simon Pulse (first published February 22nd 2011)
Thoughts:
Finally a book with Greek mythology elements that I really enjoyed! Why haven't I heard of this book before? It has all the right ingredients; kick-ass female character, brooding mysterious hero, Southern setting and a host of peculiar and magical freaks. I love them all!
The New Orleans setting brings a dark and sinister air to the story and I think that the colourful characters that inhabited the New 2 makes the story much more compelling. Add in Ari's mysterious past and her quest in finding her birth mother and the surprising revelation behind it. Well the story is just perfect!
I especially love the kids in the House of Misfits. Crank and her gadget prowess, little Violet with her mysterious fangs, Dub the grave digger and of course gorgeous Sebastian; the half-vampire half-witch. Seriously even without the Greek elements the story is so darn good! Even the goddess Athena made an appearance towards the end of the story.
A Beautiful Evil; the second book in the series is already out so don't forget to check that out as well.
Recommended for: fans of Southern paranormals and Greek mythology
Verdict: 5 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Available on : Amazon
Friday, February 24, 2012
Follow Friday #4
Hi, everyone! It's my fourth time doing FF Friday. Although I wanted to do this every week but my schedule is pretty crazy so I'll try to do this once a month or maybe every fortnightly or so.
Q: Acitivity!!! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most...
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Review: Hallowed
Hallowed (Unearthly #2)
by Cynthia Hand
Paperback
403 pages
Published January 2nd 2012
by Egmont Books Ltd
For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.
Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.
Thoughts:
Bloody amazing! I have always wondered how the hell Cynthia Hand will be able to topped off Unearthly because it was quite frankly an amazing read save for a few slow parts here and there in the beginning but truly the second in the series quite literally blew me away! I mean seriously, as much as I love cowboy cutie Tucker in the first book, I am slowly being enticed by the very hot you-are-my destiny Christian. He's just so...dreamy! (Somebody please just whack me in the head for my bouts of insanity).
Okay..so I've read a lot of reviews before reading this just because I'm so curious how this will turned up but none of them mentioned the abundance of revelations and surprises in store. I love spoilers so it's hard for me not to say this but oh..there's so many other angel bloods that were featured in this other than Clara and her family. And we get to know more about her heritage, history and her dad. Absolutely freaking wonderful!
So between making out with Tucker, making doe-eyed glances at Christian and dodging evil Black Wings, our girl Clara certainly has her hands full. And did I mentioned that she also applied and got accepted to Stanford? Ah..the perks of being an angel blood. If all those twists does not get to you then the heart breaking ending would. I nearly cried. So I'd better stop this review before it turned into a massive spoiler filled one instead.
Recommended for: everyone (even for those who did not enjoy the Fallen series)
Verdict: 5 stars.
Available on: Amazon
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Mini reviews: Greek Myth
But first of all let me just say that I love Greek myths and I've always jumped at the chance of reading a book that have an element of Greek myth/folklore in them. I guess Percy Jackson just make the whole Greek thing cool again, yeah? But since I'm not a teen anymore, I tend to be a wee bit particular on my reads.
Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls #1)
by Tera Lynn Childs
ebook
352 pages
Published September 6th 2011
by HarperCollins
Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it's also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.
Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.
Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.
These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful Gorgon maligned in myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.
It could have been a great read what with Medusa heir, kick-ass chicks and triplets galore but it's just feel so-so to me. The multiple POV made my head spin and I'm not too inclined to read a teenage girl swooning on and on about the cute guy who happens to be his brother's new best friend. Gretchen does most of the kick-ass thing, Grace is sweet but boring and Greer is a self-absorbed witch. So one third of them are pretty cool and the rest..well you get the idea.
by Aimee Carter
304 pages
Published March 27th 2012
Thoughts:
by Jessie Harrell
Thoughts:
Yay for stand alones but goodness me. I really don't know what to say other than this is just not for me. I really wanted to like it but I don't really care for the characters and I feel so weird reading medieval Greek characters talking in such modern slang. It just felt all wrong for me.
I am left wondering is there any great Greek myth/retelling out there? If anyone have any suggestion on a great Greek myth/fantasy YA read, I'm all ears!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Review & Giveaway: All's Fair in Vanities War
by Elizabeth Marx
ebook Edition
Published October 24th 2011
Review copy from author
Thoughts:
What drew me first to this wonderful book is the cover. It's like so mysterious and beautiful! I'm guessing that's Keleigh on the cover what with her strawberry blonde hair. Ops..I'm getting ahead of myself. Sorry.
Let me just say, the book literally starts with a bang. A girl gets thrown out of her boyfriend's car and died instantly on the way to a party only to discover that her afterlife existence is already mapped out and planned by the powers that be. She was chosen to be a Seer; a recorder of events of sorts and is assigned to watch over a young ExtraOrdinary girl destined for great things. Apparently the young girl; Keleigh will eventually entangled herself with that cute boyfriend; Locke who survived the crash which does complicate matters a bit.
Locke is disgruntled and blamed Keleigh for the death of her girlfriend and their hostile encounters at first was really interesting to watch. As times passed, Locke and Keleigh are thrown together again and they must fight the evil presence that lurks to threatened the ExtraOrdinary community.
The Seer is a mystery to me. Her living history are told through flashes and her name was never mentioned in the beginning chapters so it left me wondering who she really is before her death and all. The book is told from her unique POV and you can feel the pain when she's witnessing that her old boyfriend is falling for Keleigh. For an invisible Seer forced to be in the sidelines, she has quite the rebellious streak and I'm rooting for her.
The story is rich in Celtic elements but unfortunately some parts are just a bit confusing for me. Nevertheless the story indeed capture my heart and the magical mayhem, dilemma and battles are intriguing enough to keep me entertained.
Recommended for: fans of YA & urban fantasy
Verdict: 3 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
The author is kind enough to offer an e-book copy of this wonderful book. Yay! The giveaway is International and will end on February 29th.
Review: Exogene
by T.C. McCarthy
Mass Market Paperback
352 pages
March 1st 2012 by Orbit
ARC from Netgalley
Exogene (n.): factor or agent (as a disease-producing organism) from outside the organism or system. Also: classified Russian program to merge proto-humanoids with powered armor systems (slang).
Catherine is a soldier. Fast, strong, lethal, she is the ultimate in military technology. She's a monster in the body of an eighteen year old girl. Bred by scientists, grown in vats, indoctrinated by the government, she and her sisters will win this war, no matter the cost.
And the costs are high. Their life span is short; as they age they become unstable and they undergo a process called the spoiling. On their eighteenth birthday they are discharged. Lined up and shot like cattle.
But the truth is, Catherine and her sisters may not be strictly human, but they're not animals. They can twist their genomes and indoctrinate them to follow the principles of Faith and Death, but they can't shut off the part of them that wants more than war. Catherine may have only known death, but she dreams of life and she will get it at any cost.
Thoughts:
For once, the humans are portrayed as the evil villain who will stop at nothing in order to win the war. I mean teenage girls as soldiers are pretty scary, even if they're cloned. Readers looking for romance parts will be disappointed but Catherine relationship with her sisters are heartbreaking and touching.
Without giving out any spoilers, Catherine's plight to escape the horrors of war to the refuge of Bangkok left me quite breathless with anticipation at times. The story is compelling as it is complex for a reader yearning for a lighter read. In other words, I guess this is not YA in the least but more towards military Sci-Fi. But as a part of a series this is a good enough stand alone book.
Recommended for: fans of Sci-Fi
Verdict: 4 stars.
Available on: Amazon
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Saturday Musings & Winner: Follower Love Giveaway Hop
So anyway, the winner for my Follower Love Giveaway Hop is
Congrats!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Review: Dragonswood
by Janet Lee Carey
Hardcover
Published January 5th 2012
Recommended for: fans of epic & medieval fantasy
Verdict: 4 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Review: Wake
by Abria Mattina
ebook
727 pages
Published September 22nd 2011
by Primrose Publications
Review copy from author
Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.
Thoughts:
Wake is a heart warming story of two teens trying to find their place in this world. Willa is coping with the lost of her sister while Jem is slowly healing from the effects of cancer. Both of them did not take a shine to each other and were quite hostile at first but gradually they learn to accept and enjoy each other’s company.
It is quite an eye opening look into the life of a cancer survivor and I love how real the story is. The characters’ dialogue and interactions with each other is described in great detail and we really get into what they’re actually feeling. Honestly, this book really touched my heart and made me feel so grateful for what I have.
The raw emotions potrayed by the characters are astounding. All I can say is that the writer truly has a gift of delving into other people’s sufferings and showing the best in them. Yes, the book is a bit long and the cover is not exactly eye-catching but it is THE book to read this year. Give it a try and you might be surprised by the feelings that it gave you. The effect of the book will last quite some time in your heart.
Recommended for: everyone who has a heart
Verdict: 5 stars.
Available on: Amazon
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Guest Post : Abria Mattina author of Wake
Five Random Things About Me
1.I’m addicted to Quaker Dipp’s peanut butter granola bars.
2.I was a fan of The Delta State during its brief run on YTV.
4.I changed my major three times while at university.
5.Despite number 4, I still graduated on time.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Review: Bewitching
by Alex Flinn
Hardcover
Expected publication: February 14th 2012
by HarperTeen
Recommended for: fans of YA fantasy & fairy tale retellings
Verdict: 5 stars.
In my Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Review: Just Like Heaven
by Julia Quinn
Published June 2011 by Piatkus
Honoria Smythe-Smith, the youngest daughter of the eldest son of the Earl of Winstead, plays the violin in the annual musicale performed by the Smythe-Smith quartet. She's well aware that they are dreadful but she's the sort who figures that nothing good will come of being mortified, so she puts on a good show and laughs about it.Marcus Holroyd is the best friend of Honoria's brother Daniel, who lives in exile. Marcus has promised to watch out for Honoria, but he faces a challenge when she sets off for Cambridge determined to marry by the end of the season. She's got her eye on the only unmarried Bridgerton, who's a bit wet behind the ears. When her advances are spurned, can Marcus swoop in and steal her heart in time for the musicale?
Thoughts:
Yes, it is undeniable that happy endings are guaranteed in a historical romance but I read them for the endearing characters and the witty banter between the two leads. So I really can’t help but smile and giggle all through reading this. Seriously, they’re so funny.
This is indeed the perfect book to make you believe in love all over again or just to ease the boredom of everyday life. Happy Valentine’s!
Recommended for: fans of funny historical romance
Verdict: 4 stars.
In my TBR Pile & Dusty Bookshelf Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
Friday, February 10, 2012
Follow Friday #3
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Wishlist Wednesday #13
by Alex Flinn
Hardcover
Expected publication: February 14th 2012 by HarperTeen
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Review: Become
by Ali Cross
340 pages
Published November 11th 2011
Thoughts:
I love it when I found that rare Indie book that's way better than their mainstream over-hyped counterpart. And Become is that rare gem. The editing is superb and the font and everything is done professionally that sometimes I don't really realised that I'm reading a self-published work because I'm always expecting that an Indie book has some errors here and there. But none here.
And the writing yes..Ali Cross is an artist. I love it when she seamlessly change the setting from Hell to Earth. Desolation is indeed a character that I'll root for from the very beginning. She can be vulnerable and frightening at the same time and her friendship with Miri and Lucy is heartwarming.
Dislikes
I would really love it if Ali would have given her readers more background on Desolation/Desi's mother. I mean she is Lucifer's daughter and all but her humane traits were inherited from her dead mother. So who is her mother? We only get a glimpse of her before she died. (Ops..is that a spoiler? Someone please whack me in the head).
Likes
Kudos to Ali for creating characters that we can actually care and not just one dimensional villains and good guys who bore us to death. Even the demon are interesting in this story. A demon with depth. I really like that. And a devil who looks like Hugh Jackman? Oooh swoon..
Recommended for: fans of a darker YA fantasy
In my TBR Pile, Dusty Bookshelf & Self Published Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon and Smashwords
Monday, February 6, 2012
Follower Love Giveaway Hop
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Review: Katana
by Cole Gibsen
March 8th 2012 by Flux
Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline gave her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn’t explain her dreams of fifteenth century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings. While worrying that she’s going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she’s harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.
Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that’s also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she’s always been and embracing the warrior inside her.
Recommended for: fans of kick-ass heroines who whines a lot
Verdict: 2 stars
In my Debut Author Reading Challenge
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Winners: Monthly Giveaway & Book Bully
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Wishlist Wednesday # 12
by Amy Carol Reeves
Paperback
360 pages
Expected publication: April 8th 2012 by Flux
Babble:
Oooh I love a good mystery thriller and it has one of my favourite historical setting. London! This might be a good Jack the Ripper mystery that I could sink my teeth into. Very curious about that 'humanitarian' thing.
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