Waiting on Wednesday [15]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post started by Breaking the Spine, to show books that we are patiently waiting for.  

Summary (via Goodreads): 

 This new trilogy will capture the hearts of readers who adore Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series.

Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she's never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone, when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in "the golden hills of the west" (California).

Along the way she meets Jack a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there's also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

Publication June 26, 2012

Short & Sweet Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor

Genre: Paranormal Young Adult

Hardcover, 432 pages 
Published on September 27, 2011 by Little Brown

Where did I get the book: Bought for pleasure reading

Summary (via Amazon): Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My thoughts: I picked up Daughter of Smoke and Bone because of the interesting synopsis and all the rave reviews that I have seen around the web. Daughter of Smoke and Bone isn’t like any young adult novel that I have ever read before. The concept and the entire world-building are fun and fresh to the YA genre. Taylor has crafted a beautifully written master piece, full of imagination. The story follows blue haired and tattooed Karou, a 17-year old art student. Karou as you can imagine isn’t like any normal student, she was actually raised by chimeras (monster/demon) and runs errand collecting teethes from all over the world. 

I finished this book in one and a half days! I never ever finish a book that fast, let alone a book over 400 pages. Yes! It was that gooood. Karou was an interesting character, funny, caring and a fighter. Karou best friend, Zuzana was a joy to read as well.  At barley 5 feet, Zuzana was full of snark and soul, beside Karou I really love this character, and she stood out from all the other secondary characters. The love interest in the book, the angel Akiva…fell flat for me. He wasn’t interesting and his overall action and dialogue was weak and unmemorable.  

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a great addition to the young adult genre. I look forward to the next book in the series by Mrs. Taylor. The book ended abruptly, but definitely left room for more books in the series. If you are looking for something totally different to read and want a great story, I recommend you picking up this book. This one is going on the keeper shelf!

Cover Spotlight [9]

Book covers found on various blogs and site

 Summary (via Goodreads):

Welcome to the secret wing of County Hospital—where vampires get transfusions, werewolves have silver allergies, and one nurse is in way over her head…

Nursing school prepared Edie Spence for a lot of things. Burn victims? No problem. Severed limbs? Piece of cake. Vampires? No way in hell. But as the newest nurse on Y4, the secret ward hidden in the bowels of County Hospital, Edie has her hands full with every paranormal patient you can imagine—from vamps and were-things to zombies and beyond…

NIGHTSHIFTED

Edie’s just trying to learn the ropes so she can get through her latest shift unscathed. But when a vampire servant turns to dust under her watch, all hell breaks loose. Now she’s haunted by the man’s dying words — Save Anna — and before she knows it, she’s on a mission to rescue some poor girl from the undead. Which involves crashing a vampire den, falling for a zombie, and fighting for her soul. 

Publication date: May 22, 2012  

 Summary (via Goodreads):

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being
bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen
angels in Sweet Evil.

Anna, a tender-hearted southern girl, was born with the sixth
sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of
a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger,
but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring
Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her
will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned
you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

A cross-country trip forces Anna and Kai to face the reality
that hope and love are not options for their kind. When it's
time for Anna to confront her demons, will she choose to embrace
her halo or her horns?

Publication date: May 1, 2012  

 Summary (via Goodreads):

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

  

Publication Date: April 24, 2012  

 Summary (via Goodreads):

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Publication Date: April 24, 2012  

Waiting on Wednesday [14]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post started by Breaking the Spine, to show books that we are patiently waiting for. 

I love the cover and synopsis for this book. Zombies are totally IN right now! :)

 

Summary:

There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

 

[PUBLICATION DATE: July 24, 2012 by HarperTeen] 

 

Would love to see your WoW, leave link in comments! 

Short & Sweet Review: Heart of Darkness by Lauren Dane (ARC)

Title: Heart of Darkness

Author: Lauren Dane

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Bound by Magick #1

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages 
Price: $7.99 
Publication date: November 1, 2011


Where did I get it: Advance reader copy won through Goodreads's first reads giveaway. 

Summary (via Goodreads): Someone is illegally siphoning magic from the font of the Clan. When Meriel Owen, next in line to control the largest organization of witches in the country, discovers that it's the hot owner of a notorious underground club, she strokes an unusual deal that may plunge them all into the heart of darkness.

   

 My thoughts: This is the first book that I have read by Lauren Dane. Heart of Darkness is the first book in a brand new series, and I truly enjoyed it. The book follows our main heroine, Meriel Owen who is the next in line to run the Owen witch clan. The book starts out with Meriel’s mother sending her out to investigate a situation in which someone is steal energy from the clan’s source (called the font).  The investigation leads her to the Heart of Darkness’s club owner, Dominic Bright.  From the moment they lay eyes on one another, it’s an automatic chemistry waiting to explode. 

The book is told in the third person narrative and takes place in the city of Seattle.  The main paranormal in this book as mention before are witches, and some other paranormals mentioned are shifters, fae, and Mages. Meriel is a tough and strong character. She’s not afraid to speak her mind or to take charge of a situation. Dominic was a total alpha male from the start, and as the story progress readers see how protective he becomes of Meriel.  The author does a great job in explaining the magic in the novel without making it seem like a learning session.

My only complaint about the book is that it seemed rushed at the end. The beginning of the book had great pacing, but the end seemed like the author was in a hurry to finish it up. A scene where it was meant to be climatic turn out to be so rushed that I almost missed it because there was barely any action. At one point I had to go back and re-read the scene just to make sure I read it correctly. 

Overall a fun witch novel, if you’re looking for a steamy (a lot of graphic scenes) paranormal romance than pick this book up! The next book will feature a different couple but you will probably see the same characters from the first book. Some of Mrs. Dane other characters from her other novels were also mention in this book.

In My Mailbox [16]

First off, In My Mailbox is a feature that was started over at The Story Siren. Where we share what books we receive in the mail each week.

 

 

What did you get in your IMM this week? Leave link in comments :) 

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop Winners and blog update

The Winners of the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop are:

ElfRenee and Emma Michaels

Please reply to the email within 48 hours or new winners will have to be redrawn.

Thank you to everyone who entered, new giveaway in a couple weeks!

Just wanted to let readers know that I'm sorry that there hasn't been much going on the blog lately. I'm currently having personal problems to deal with and a bunch of midterms and projects that leave me no time to read lately. I will try to get a review up as soon as possible!