Sunday, September 30, 2012

Monthly Round Up + Book of the Month: September 2012 + 'Otherkin' Giveaway Winner + Showcase Sunday (#20) + FREE e-book

I decided to do ALL my posts in this long one...so just bear with me ;)


I think September was a very productive reading month for me :) Let's take a look at the 8 books I read this month:


Poseidon: Earth Shaker (Olympians #5) by George O'Connor [reviewed this month]
Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard [reviewed this month]
Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft (Audrey's Guides #1) by Jody Gehrman
Wicked (Pretty Little Liars #5) by Sara Shepard


Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
Eve Hallows and the Book of Shadows (Nightmare #2) by Robert Gray [reviewed this month]
Killer (Pretty Little Liars #6) by Sara Shepard
Myth Weaver David J. Normoyle [reviewed this month]

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"Book of the Month" is a monthly event hosted by Book Whales YA ReviewsThis is done to highlight one of the books that you have read in the previous month.
 This will enable us to comment from one blog to another. Books you recommend for others to read. Hope you guys will join us. We would love to see your favorite book of the month!

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As for my favorite book this month...oh, I don't know. This part is always soo hard for me! I read so many great books! But if I had to choose...I'd go with...

Eve Hallows and the Book of Shadows (Nightmare #2) by Robert Gray

It was just AMAZING! Great sequel, and I cannot wait to read more of this series! (Feel free to read my review...click on link below)

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Books reviewed this month:


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Other posts:


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Current Giveaways:

US and Canada: 1 e-book + 1 colorful necklace;
International: 1 e-book
3 international winners, e-books

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And the giveaway winner for Otherkin is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats!

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Showcase Sunday (#20) + FREE e-book


Welcome to Showcase Sunday, hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea. The aim of this event is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed form the libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. For more information about how this feature works and to join in, click here.

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Again, I didn't get much this week, but I was super excited for what I did get! check it out!

The first book was just AMAZING and totally hilarious! Can't wait to read this one!

Kimberly Derting was awesome enough to provide some SIGNED bookmarks to give away...so stay tuned!

And even though I already own a hardcover copy of this one, I got an e-book too! Why, you ask? IT'S FREE ON AMAZON!!! Check it out! We don't know how long it will be free for!



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Okay, that's all, lol.

So, tell me about your monthly update, favorite book of the month, and/or the bookish things you got this week!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Review: Myth Weaver by David J. Normoyle

Title: Myth Weaver

Author: David J. Normoyle

Publication date: July 2012

Published by: David J. Normoyle

Source: review e-copy from Goodreads group Making Connections YA Edition and author (Thank you!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Relive Greek and Norse myths as never before.

Eighteen-year-old Jagger is addicted to his imagination. He scorns the real world and lives inside his own head. He is happy to withdraw completely until his daydream world becomes a battleground for Odin and Zeus. When Jagger actually feels his skin burning from Zeus’s thunderbolt, the edges of reality blur even further.


A contest of myths is formed where Greek is pitted against Norse. Under Loki and Prometheus’s guidance, Jagger acts as judge. He is Perseus as he cuts off Medusa’s head and Loki as he schemes against the other gods. He sees Odin face the frost giants at Ragnarok and Achilles set sail for Troy.


Inspired by his mythological heroes, he starts working for a newspaper where his investigations lead him into real danger. Prometheus tries to help Jagger, but getting aid from Loki, the trickster, could be double-edged. Will ancient truths help Jagger in the modern world? And can Jagger judge the contest of myths without further enraging the warring gods?

My rating: ★★★★★

I was so very happy when I came across this book! What can I say, I'm a HUGE mythology fan! To tell the truth, though, I didn't know what to expect from this book. But, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Review: Earth Angel (Falling Angels Saga #2) by E. Van Lowe

Title: Earth Angel

Series: Falling Angels Saga #2

Previous book in this series: Boyfriend From Hell

Author: E. Van Lowe

Publication date: December 2011

Published by: White Whisker Books

Source: e-copy from author (thank you!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Just because Megan Barnett recently defeated Satan, has a fantastic new best friend, and has won the love of deliciously
handsome, Guy Matson, doesn’t mean her troubles are over. Far from it. For Megan doesn’t realize it, but in her possession is a powerful weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels and demons and everything in between. They will do ANYTHING to get it.

In E. Van Lowe’s humorous, romantic and thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan winds up in a gripping life or death battle to save herself, the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

My rating: ★★★★★

I loved, loved, LOVED it! It was awesome and had shocking twists I did not see coming! The ending...Oh my gods! I want more! I need more! I sooo cannot wait for book 3!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Review - Cursed: Wickedly Fun Stories by Susan Abel Sullivan

Title: Cursed: Wickedly Fun Stories

Author: Susan Abel Sullivan

Publication date: March 2012

Published by: World Weaver Press

Source: review e-copy from publisher (thank you!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Wickedly fun short stories featuring witches, werewolves, limericks that can change fate, and a sinister vine bent on murder and the destruction of Alabama! Inside quirky settings with creepy plots, characters discover new and unsettling powers as their worst fears manifest.

Let these stories draw you in with their lighthearted tone -- then delight you with their wickedly sly sense of humor. You’ll laugh, you’ll shudder, you’ll think twice about taking a deal from a bucktoothed woman.


Featuring pieces previously published in such magazines as Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Beyond Centauri, and AlienSkin, as well as a never before published short.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I was really looking forward to reading this, but it was not what I expected. The title says "Wickedly Fun," but most stories ended on a rather depressing note...while others were just plain odd. I suppose the stories were just not my cup of tea, you know? Don't get me wrong, some of the stories were quite entertaining and funny (and sometimes even shocking)!

The short stories were well written with some very descriptive and interesting scenes. I thought the characters were intriguing, yet I couldn't really connect with them.

This book, I would say, was an in-between book--a book I neither loved nor hated. Overall, it was entertaining and a quick read with some supernatural aspects, which I always love in a book.


Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a comment! :)

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Showcase Sunday (#19)


Welcome to Showcase Sunday, hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea. The aim of this event is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed form the libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. For more information about how this feature works and to join in, click here.

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Sadly, I didn't get much this week :( This one I borrowed from the library (it was AMAZING!):


Killer (Pretty Little Liars #6) by Sara Shepard

And, well, that's all! Sad, I know lol. And because this post would be totally lame if I didn't add more than one book, I'd like to share the mountain (literally!) of textbooks I have gotten over the past few weeks for nursing school:

*eyes mountain of texts nervously*

That's 15 books (plus one that will be coming in this Tuesday)! And as you can kinda see, they wont even fit on my bookshelf! I'd be worried if I didn't know this pile was for both my two years at nursing school. And you don't even want to know how much all this cost! Speaking of nursing school...I'll be starting tomorrow *gulps* I am very excited yet nervous! It's going to be such a great experience, I know it! And because I'll be starting school tomorrow, I wont be blogging as usual...or at least, I'll try not to. I get distracted waaaay too easily, but I'm hoping to be spending most of my time studying and not being distracted by the internet.

Well, wish me luck!

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What bookish things did you get this week??

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Review: The White Oak (Imperfect Darkness #1) by Kim White

Title: The White Oak

Series: Imperfect Darkness #1

Author: Kim White

Publication date: April 2012

Published by: Story Machine Studio

Source: review e-copy from the publishers via Netgalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

In The White Oak, the first book in the Imperfect Darkness series, Cora Alexander is pulled through a sinkhole and enters the underworld still alive. Her living presence threatens the tyrannical rule of Minos and the Infernal Judges who have hijacked the afterlife and rebuilt it, trapping human souls in a mechanical, computer-controlled city that lies at the core of the earth. To survive, Cora must rely on her untrustworthy guide, Minotaur, an artificial intelligence. She is helped by a mysterious voice, and by Sybil, underworld librarian and author of each person’s book of life. When Cora’s own book is destroyed, Sybil gives her a golden pen and sends her into the City to begin writing her own destiny. Along the way, she reunites with the ghost of her dead brother, Lucas, a genius programmer who alone is capable of finding the chink in Minos armor. This fast-paced adventure begins, and ends, in the middle of the action; introducing the characters, themes, and mysteries that find their resolution later in the series.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I LOVE Greek mythology, and I had high hopes for this book because of that love, so I really wanted to like this book...but I just couldn't. Don't get me wrong! I didn't hate it either! It was just one of those in-between books.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Review: Pandora's Key (The Key Trilogy #1) by Nancy Richardson Fischer

Pandora's Key (The Key Trilogy, #1)
Title: Pandora's Key

Series: The Key Trilogy #1

Author: Nancy Richardson Fischer

Publication date: November 2011

Published by: Nancy Richardson Fischer

Source: review e-copy from author (Thanks!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository | Smashwords

Synopsis:

When everything you believed about yourself is a lie, how do you unlock the truth…

Evangeline Theopolis has nightmares about the violent deaths of women she has never met. Her single mother, Olivia, suffers delusions she can’t hide. And Malledy, a brilliant young man, may have a disease that will leave him paralyzed and insane. Their lives are about to collide.

On Evangeline’s 16th birthday her mother gives her a necklace with an antique key charm—a family heirloom, though no one knows what the key unlocks.

Everything changes. Her mom is hospitalized. Her godmother attempts murder. An ancient Order tries to kill Evangeline, and a lethal sect to kidnap her.

Nothing makes sense—especially Evangeline’s own face, which has morphed from geeky to eerily stunning; the ancient key that feels strangely alive against her skin; and the magical abilities she begins to possess.

Evangeline must use her wits and supernatural powers to fight her deadly adversaries and discover her true identity. But can she accept who she really is and save the world?

My rating: ★★★★☆

I don't need to mention (again) that I love Greek mythology, right? Of course I do! I LOVE it! And I really liked Pandora's Key! I though it was a very interesting take on Pandora's myth, which I liked!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Review: Soul Bound (Blood Coven Vampire #7) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Soul Bound

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #7

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4) | Night School (#5) | Blood Ties (#6)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: March 2012

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Sunny McDonald and her vampire boyfriend, Magnus, are on the run-accused of treason and wanted alive...or undead. And her twin is the slayer sent to track them down.

Rayne would do anything to save her twin sister, Sunny, from the Vampire Consortium dictator who wants her dead. Instead, she's been commissioned by Slayer Inc. to find Sunny and Magnus and deliver them to the Consortium...which Rayne knows means certain death. She also knows that if she and her boyfriend, Jareth, disobey orders, they are signing not only their own death warrants, but also those of every vampire in the Blood Coven.


As a rival slayer with a personal vendetta moves in, Rayne and Jareth must do something to stop her. So they embark on their most dangerous journey yet, deep beneath the streets of New York City and through the Gates of the Underworld. But when a greedy god demands the ultimate sacrifice, will Rayne be forced to choose between her sister...and the vampire she loves?

My rating: ★★★★★

Rayne, the vampire slayer, might actually get paid for this job she was just offered! The catch is, the vampire she has to bring down and turn in to vamp authorities is none other than Magnus! But that's not all, she has to turn in he own sister, Sunny, too! Dun, dun, dun! *cue dramatic music*

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Review: Eve Hallows and the Book of Shadows (The Nightmare Series #2) by Robert Gray

Title: Eve Hallows and the Book of Shadows

Series: The Nightmare Series #2

Previous book in this series: Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks

Author: Robert Gray

Publication date: September 16, 2012

Published by: Robert Gray

Source: e-book from author (thank you!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Ever since encountering The Source and its minions on Halloween, Eve Hallows has found life surprisingly quiet … not to mention adorably boring! So when Dad receives a Ouija message that she must return to Gravesville, Eve couldn't be happier—at least until she discovers the Director of URNS, also known as the Grim Reaper, has a special job for Eve … one that will lead her to New York City and to the true identity of The Source.

With The Book of Shrieks offering zero help and a new URNS agent driving the school boys—and Eve!—crazy, Eve's beginning to realize this whole saving-the-world nonsense isn't what it's cracked up to be.


All this and she still has to find The Book of Shadows....

My rating: ★★★★★

This book was perfectly horrible! Horrible meaning amazingly awesome, of course. Eve's world once again sucked me in and would not let go until this part of Eve's story was finished!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Review: Blood Ties (Blood Coven Vampire #6) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Blood Ties

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #6

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4) | Night School (#5)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: August 2011

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

The final battle is brewing between Vampires and Slayers. But for Sunny McDonald, the true war is being fought over her heart.

Though now officially back in the arms of her vampire boyfriend Magnus, Sunny finds she still can't forget the gentle mortal Jayden who once saved her life. And when the darkness threatens to steal his humanity, Sunny finds herself with a choice. Stay true to Magnus and the Blood Coven or defy them in a desperate attempt to save Jayden’s soul.


Meanwhile, the Blood Coven is gearing up for its toughest fight yet--going head to head with a splinter group of Slayer Inc who's regrouping in Tokyo, Japan, still determined to take over the world. In dark blood bars and hidden temples, it'll be Vampires vs. Slayers in a showdown that could cost Sunny not only her heart...but also her very life.

My rating: ★★★★★

In Blood Ties, Jayden's mortality is in danger. You remember him? Super sweet guy from Vegas who saved Sunny's life?? Well, now it's Sunny's turn to help Jayden. If they only knew this was the least of their problems. You see, evil fairy-vampire slayers threaten to rise and take over the world! Okay, that might be a slightly bit dramatic on my part, but you get what I'm saying ;) So it's up to the McDonald sisters and their vampire BFs to stop them and their evil plans.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Cover Reveal - Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter by Nikki Jefford


Guess what? Today is the day! We finally get to see the cover for Nikki Jefford's new YA paranormal book, Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, book 1 in the Transfusion series! Yay! So exciting!
*drum roll*

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I give you, Aurora Sky!



Isn't it gorgeous? And the book itself sounds awesome too! Check out the blurb:

Her blood is toxic to vampires.

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it’s to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn’t hurt either.

Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Secret agents step in and save Aurora’s life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter. In Alaska.

Basically she’s a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job… by hand.

Aurora is alienating friends at school while attracting attention from the last person she wants noticing her – the dark prince of temptation himself: Fane Donado. And that can’t lead to anything good.

And an awesome book trailer...



Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter is set to be released this coming Winter, so stay tuned!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Showcase Sunday (#18) + FREE e-book


Welcome to Showcase Sunday, hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea. The aim of this event is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed form the libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. For more information about how this feature works and to join in, click here.

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This first one I received from the author...and I cannot tell you how excited I was to receive it! The first book was just amazing and really fun! I cant wait to start it!


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And this next one I got FREE from Amazon, check it out!



What bookish things did you get this week?

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

Slide (Slide, #1)
Title: Slide

Series: Slide #1

Author: Jill Hathaway

Publication date: March 27, 2012

Published by: HarperCollins, Balzer + Bray

Source: the publishers via Netgalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

My rating: ★★★★★

I really enjoyed this book...I thought it was amazing! Supernatural abilities like this fascinate me! And I think Vee's is totally cool! Except, you know, for the part where she passes out, lol.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Review: Never To Sleep (Soul Screamers #5.5) by Rachel Vincent

Title: Never To Sleep

Series: Soul Screamers #5.5

Previous Books in this series: Fearless (#0.4) | My Soul to Lose (#0.5) | My Soul to Take (#1) | My Soul to Save (#2) | My Soul to Keep (#3) | Reaper (#3.5) | My Soul to Steal (#4) | Niederwald (#4.5) | If I Die (#5)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publication date: January 2012

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Source: RAK gifted (thanksies!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Don't Close Your Eyes.

Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream--and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever.


Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family...?

My rating: ★★★★★

I seriously loved this novella! I don't know how many times I've said it before, but Rachel is just AMAZING! She makes me feel sympathetic even toward the characters I don't like! Yes, I'm talking about Sophie.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Review: If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent

If I Die (Soul Screamers, #5)
Title: If I Die

Series: Soul Screamers #5

Previous Books in this series: Fearless (#0.4) | My Soul to Lose (#0.5) | My Soul to Take (#1) | My Soul to Save (#2) | My Soul to Keep (#3) | Reaper (#3.5) | My Soul to Steal (#4) | Niederwald (#4.5)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publication date: September 2011

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's 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, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's 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 its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.


Anything.

My rating: ★★★★★

In this installment of the Soul Screamers, Kaylee finds out her expiration date is coming up...much too soon for her liking. She also discovers that the new, hot, young teacher is really an incubus, looking for more than just a little fun with the female students. Kaylee decides to try to get rid of this incubus posing as a teacher, not only to get her mind off her coming death, but also to save her best friend, Emma, from the clutches of the incubus. Impending death, incubus at school...will Kaylee be able to get out of this one?