Wednesday 26 October 2011

Waiting On Wednesday


Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking The Spine!



Title: Infamous (Chronicles of Nick #3)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publication Date: February 1, 2012
Published By: St. Martin's Griffin

Summary
The world has fallen in love with Nick Gautier and the Dark-Hunters. Now Nick’s saga continues in the next eagerly anticipated volume... 

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him. 
He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is. 
And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known. 
Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.

I just love Nick and Can't wait to get my hands on this!


Author: Marta Acosta
Publication Date: June 2012
Published By: Tor/Macmillan

Summary
When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove. 
Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother. 
The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member. 
Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

A girl, in a pretty dress, with a creepy background? Yes, I AM that easily won over.

Leave me a link so I can see what your waiting on ;)

Monday 24 October 2011

Savor Review and Giveaway



Author: Megan Duncan
Publication Date:  October 1, 2011
Format: Paperback, 394 pages

*This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review

Summary
When Claire Miller turned eighteen all she wanted to do was celebrate her birthday, but after a night on the town with her best friend she awakes to a visitor she never expected. The rulers of her region, a vampire royal family, have chosen her to be turned as their new heir and vampire princess. Claire quickly discovers the royal family is not what they seem and that she has secrets in her past, she never knew existed.

My Thoughts
Savor was a quick easy read, that has great mythology and the elements for a great series. The book starts with a bang and ends with one but has a bit of a lull in the middle. Claire gets chosen to become a part of the royal vampire family which sets a good pace at first, but once she's turned things start to get a bit slow. The middle of the story is mostly occupied by conflicting feelings and mistrust. Claire doesn't act on any of her feelings or suspicions, instead she just lets everything play out around her like a "pawn", which she aptly describes herself as. It was really frustrating, Claire knew she was a gamepiece but continued to play the game without so much as a peep. For someone who adores a good strong female lead you can understand my irritation. The ending however was fantastic, all kinds of secrets get revealed that change the whole direction of the story and the romance gets seriously amped up. I charged through the last 50 pages completely absorbed. I also quickly fell in love with Claire's bloodmate, who shall remain nameless to keep it spoiler free. Overall great beginning, great ending with the potential for an even better second installment, that I'm definitely looking forward to. 4 out of 5.



About The Author
 Megan Duncan is a lover of all things paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi and anything just out of the ordinary. She is continually fighting her addiction to chocolate and living in her overactive imagination.
She has two series in the works, Agents of Evil and Warm Delicacy. You can visit her blog @ meganduncan.blogspot.com or Facebook.


Giveaway

Now for the fun, I am giving away my signed copy of Savor as well as two bookmarks for Released. 
*Giveaway is open only to Canadian residents (keep shipping costs down)
*Giveaway ends October 31, 2011
*Must be 13 yrs. or older to enter
*Reads With Wreckless Abandon is not responsible for items lost, stolen, or damaged in the mail.

To enter all I ask is leave a comment with your e-mail in longhand, and if you want an extra entry tweet the giveaway.  Good Luck!






IMM #13


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

It's late but here it is! This week I got a few books, nothin too crazy. Don't forget to leave a link so I can check out your new books!

Books I bought this week

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith
Carrier Of The Mark  (Carrier Trilogy #1) by Leigh Fallon
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
Hearts At Stake (Drake Chronicles #1) by Alyxandra Harvey
The Body Finder (The Body Finder #1) by Kimberly Derting
Covet (The Fallen Angels #1) by J.R. Ward
Crave (The Fallen Angels #2) by J.R. Ward

I bought these at the used bookstore, each one was less than 5 bucks ;)

The Prophecy of The Sisters (Prophecy of The sisters #1) by Michelle Zink
Blood Feud (Drake Chronicles #2) by Alyxandra Harvey
The Darkest Night (Lords of The Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of The Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter
Dime Store Magic (Women of The Otherworld #3) by Kelley Armstrong


Saturday 22 October 2011

Silence Review


Title: Silence (Hush Hush #3) 
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Published By: Simon and Schuster
Format: Hardcover, 438 pages

*This book was purchased by me

Summary
The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

My Thoughts
Silence is by far the best book in the series.  There is way more action and romance, overall it was just a lot more exciting to read. Nora has amnesia which I thought was going to make the book a bit repetitive, you know meeting Patch again re-learning crap we already know about, but that wasn't the case. Nora starts to catch on to what's going on around her pretty quickly, and she was also more headstrong and insistent when it came to everyone keeping secrets, I was so used to her just going a long for the ride before she kind of surprised me with her decisions.
Getting to learn more about the Black Hand and his evil mastermind plans was totally satisfying, I found the first two books just barely touched on this issue and it it's the basis for almost everything that has happened.
Patch was his usual bad-ass, sexy, fallen angel self but he was more open and forth coming with his feelings for Nora, not as much with the "I'm leaving you to protect you" crap, although there was a little. He seems to finally be excepting the fact that they are better when they work together instead of trying to make it alone. Which as we've seen doesn't have the greatest outcome.
Silence was awesome and I'm that much more in love with the series as a whole now. It gets 5 out of 5.


Friday 21 October 2011

Follow Friday


If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee and Alison @ Alison Can Read

This weeks Question is:
What superhero is your Alter-ego?

I don't really know if it's me alter-ego but Poison Ivy has always been one of my fav's ever since Uma Thurman played her in Batman Forever. Although maybe she is an alter ego I can't say I've never used my charm and assets to get something I want lol, but I promise I've never poisoned anyone ;)

Leave me a comment with a link to your FF post so I can check out your alter ego. Happy FF everyone!

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Teaser Tuesday


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB ofShould Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! 
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Title: Alyxandra Harvey
Author: Hearts At Stake (Drake Chronicles #1)

My Teaser
 "The exhilaration of controlling my limbs again was sweeter than any chocolate. Nicholas possibly didn't agree. "You have got to stop breaking my nose!""

(-Hearts At Stake, pg.48)







Monday 17 October 2011

Blood Red Road Review


Title: Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1)
Author: Moira Young
Publication Date: June 7, 2011
Published By: Margaret K. McElderry books
Format: Hardcover, 459 pages

*I purchased this book

Summary
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried up wasteland savaged by constant sandstorms. The wrecker civilization has long since been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the ugly, lawless world outside of Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself; she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

My Thoughts
I cannot stress enough how much everyone should read this book. Hands down my favorite read this year. 
Saba is a fierce heroine any girl can be proud of and admire, she goes from one unimaginable situation to the next and just keeps on going, a definite force to be reckoned with. In one part of the book she even acquires the nickname Angel Of Death. The rest of the characters are just as fantastic. The baddies are as repulsive as the good guys are awesome. 
The world building in Blood Red Road is so vivid you're instantly transported into Saba's story with ease. The strangest thing about this is the writing is extremely simple, Saba narrates the story with the words of someone sheltered and uneducated, pronouncing words like afraid as "afeared". I thought this would make it harder for the author to present everything clearly since Saba has a limited dialogue but it didn't inhibit at all, if anything it enhanced.
The plot is quickly paced and filled with triumphs and losses. This story really has something for everyone, it has drama, action, adventure and romance. This book gets my most enthusiastic 5 out of 5 this year!




Sunday 16 October 2011

In My Mailbox #12


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

My IMM is huge this week because I haven't blogged much in the last two months but I have been buying books, so this is from way more than one week. Leave a comment and a link to your IMM so I can check out your books too ;)

These books were sent to me from Thomas Allen and Son, Thanks again!

Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Dark Of The Moon by Tracy Barrett
The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

These are all books I've bought, Thanks to me!

Strange Angels (Strange Angels #1) by Lili St.Crow
Betrayals (Strange Angels #2) by Lili St.Crow
Jealousy (Strange Angels #3) by Lili St.Crow
Defiance (Strange Angels #4) by Lili St.Crow
Once A Witch (Witch #1) by Carolyn McCullough 
Daughter Of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor
White is For Magic (Blue is For Nightmares #2) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Silver Is For Secrets (Blue Is For Nightmares #3) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Soul Thief (The Demon Trappers #2) by Jana Oliver
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Mercy (Mercy #1) by Rebecca Lim
Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa
If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent
Deadly Little Games (Touch #3) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
The Demon's Covenant (The Demon's Lexicon #2) by Sarah Reese Brennan
Blood Bound (Unbound #1) by Rachel Vincent
After Obsession  by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel


Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel #1) by Richelle Mead, Leigh Dragoon and Emma Veiceli
Claire de Lune (Claire de Lune #1) by Christine Johnson
Nocturne (Claire de Lune #2) by Christine Johnson
Wildefire (Wildefire #1) by Karsten Knight
Guardian of The Dead by Karen Healey
Eyes of Crow (Aspect of Crow #1) by Jeri Smith Ready
Voice of Crow (Aspect of Crow #2) by Jeri Smith Ready
The Reawakened (Aspect of Crow #3) by Jeri Smith Ready
Illusions (Wings #3) by Aprilynne Pike
If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman
Halfway To The Grave (Night Huntress #1) by Jeaniene Frost
One Foot In The Grave (Night Huntress #2) by Jeaniene Frost
At Grave's End (Night Huntress #3) by Jeaniene Frost
Destined For an Early Grave (Night Huntress #4) by Jeaniene Frost
Undone (Outcast Season #1) by Rachel Caine
Unknown (Outcast Season #2) by Rachel Caine
Unseen (Outcast Season #3) by Rachel Caine

*All links will take to the corresponding book page



Thursday 13 October 2011

The Poisoned House Review


Author: Michael Ford
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Published By: Albert Whitman and Company
Format: Hardcover, 328 pages

*This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary
Life can be cruel for a servant girl in 1850's London. Fifteen-year-old Abi is a Scullery maid in Greave Hall, an elegant but troubled household. The widowed master f the house is slowly slipping into madness, and the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs. Cotton, puishes Abi without Mercy. But there is something else going on in Greave Hall too. An otherworldly presence is making itself know and a deadly secret will reveal itself--a secret that will shatter everything Abi knows.

My Thoughts
I'm not huge on Historical Fiction but I will read it if it has a paranormal element to keep me interested, I find them stuffy with a lot of unneeded detail that you get lost in. The poisoned House was surprisingly easy to read with a steady plot and great characters.
This was a great classic ghost story I easily got lost in and the mystery kept me guessing right to the very end. The author gives you important breadcrumbs throughout the story to keep you involved but not so much you figure it all out, lose interest and end up thinking the  protagonist is a total airhead for not grasping the situation sooner.
Abi is instantly likable, she is strong willed and believes in herself despite having zero social standing and having only the other workers in the house to lean on for support. 
If you like a good ghost/mystery The Poisoned House is a quick easy read and completely entertaining. I give it 4 out of 5.

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly book meme hosted @Breaking The Spine!

 I didn't even know about this book until yesterday, I thought there were only supposed to be 3 books in the Tantalize series but I was wrong, and I'm glad because they were all awesome!


Title: Diabolical (Tantalize #4)
Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Publication Date: February 14, 2012
Published by: Candlewick Press

Summary
When "slipped" angel Zachary and his werewolf pal Kieran are summoned under suspicious circumstances to a mysterious New England boarding school, they quickly find themselves in a hellish lock-down with an intriguing assortment of secretive "hand-picked" students. Plagued by demon dogs, hallucinatory wall decor, a sadistic instructor and a legendary fire breathing monster, will they somehow manage to escape? Or will the devil have his due? 
Best selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith unites heroes from the previous three novels in the Tantalize series- including Zachary's girl, Miranda, and Kieran's girl, Quincie-along with a fascinating cast of all-new characters for a suspenseful, action packed clash between the forces of Heaven and Hell.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

If I Die Review





Title: If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Publication Date: September 27, 2011
Published By: Harlequin Teen
Format: Paperback, 342 pages

*I purchased this book

Summary
The entire school is talking about the gorgeous the math teacher Mr. Beck, Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh, after all Kaylee is no ordinary high school junior. She's a Banshee-she screams when someone dies.
But the next scream might be for Kaylee.

Yeah, it's a shock to her too, so to distract herself she is going to save every girl in school. Because that ht new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine,  her boyfriends needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck ...before he discovers they aren't quite human either.

But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing it's end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her.


My Thoughts
I know with every new book in the Soul Screamers series I always say the newest one is the best one and I'm not changing my ways now.
If I die isn't titled without the usual My Soul To... , until I read the book I couldn't figure out why, now I know, this book is the game changer. Everything you've become comfortable with in the series was just pulled out from under you, but in a good way. This along with the countdown to Kaylee's end is more than enough to keep you page turning. I didn't set this book down once from the moment I started reading it, it just wasn't possible. The characters are the same we know and love, or love to hate (Sabine) with a few small additions but this story sticks pretty close to home. That is about as far as I can go on this one and still keep it spoiler-free. It's emotional, suspenseful and my new fav in the series. 5 out of 5!

I'm Back!

 I moved in to my new house in August and we are renovating EVERYTHING, so I haven't been blogging much because of a serious lack of time and energy, but I'm back. I've missed my blog and the whole book blogger world so much! I'm going to spend a big chunk of time time today writing up some reviews and some other blog posts. I just wanted to put a post to let you know the standstill here is over, YAY! So i'm off to get some reviews done, wish me luck ;)