Friday, August 31, 2012

Book of the Month: August 2012


"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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Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks (Nightmare #1) by Robert Gray

I LOVED this book! It was sooo cute, entertaining, funny, and MONSTERS! Yeah! Monsters FTW!

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What was your favorite book this month??

Monthly Round Up: August 2012 + Giveaway Winner!


I had another not-very-productive reading month :( I think it may be because I'm stressing over getting all this stuff done before nursing school starts next month. It hasn't even started yet and I'm already freaking out! *takes deep breath*

Here is what I read for the month of August:


Existence (Existence Trilogy #1) by Abbi Glines
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Goddess Legacy (Goddess Test #2.5) by Aimee Carter



Poltergeeks (Poltergeeks #1) by Sean Cummings
Girl of Nightmares (Anna #2) by Kendare Blake
Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks (Nightmare #1) by Robert Gray


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Books reviewed this month:


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And lastly, the winner of the giveaway is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Kendra!

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Well, that's it for me. What bookish goals did you accomplish this month??

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Showcase Sunday (#15) + FREE e-books


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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Kindle e-books this week! They were all FREE so check them out!


That's it for me this week (unless you count all the very expensive textbooks I bought for nursing school, lol). What bookish things did you get this week??

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Cover Reveal and Teaser: Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) by Jessica Therrien


Hey all! Today is the day where we FINALLY get to see the cover for Uprising, book two in Jessica Therrien's Children of the Gods series! Are you guys excited? I am!

Are you guys ready to see the cover of Uprising and all it gorgeousness??

*drum roll*

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Are you sure you're ready? ;)

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Ta-da!


So pretty! Wouldn't you agree? We don't have a blurb yet, but we do have a teaser!

We left everything but the weapons. Clothes, food, toothpaste. There wasn’t time for things that weren’t essential to escape. The five of us went on foot in a direction that was meaningless to me. I had never seen what was outside of the edges of the safe haven, not since I’d been here.
When Mac stopped abruptly after our fifteen-minute trek into the woods, we all froze at once, bodies poised and ready to attack, eyes searching for threats.
“We’re here,” Mac announced. “What should we expect Marcus?”
I had never heard Dr. Nickel called by his first name, and it made me realize he wasn’t as untouchable as I had imagined. Just because he was here, didn’t mean we were safe.
            “I don’t know,” he answered. “Maybe an army, maybe nothing. Depends on where they are.”
            “Everyone best get down on the ground just in case,” Mac decided with a nod. “Weapons ready.”
            As I lay belly down in the dirt, I noticed Dr. Nickel pull a gun from his belt, and my stomach gave a heave.
“When I remove the haven walls, there will be a van. Everyone get in back. If anything goes wrong…” Mac paused, uncomfortable at the thought. “It’s been nice knowin’ ya.”

The book is set to be released February 19, 2013 by ZOVA Books in both Paperback and E-book.

About book one:

Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than the average person, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for the prophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded by violence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning--and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.

About the author:

Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult paranormal fiction series Children of the Gods. Book one in the series,Oppression, was published by ZOVA Books in February of 2012 and became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release. The second book in the series, Uprising, will be available in February of 2013.

Aside from her 
Children of the Gods series, Jessica’s work can also be found in a published collection of flash fiction stories called Campaigner Challenges 2011Out of over 350 submissions her story,The Soulless, won first place for people’s choice and fourth place in the judging round of Rachael Harrie’s Writing Campaign Challenge. Her story, Savedis also available as part of the anthology.

Jessica spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no street lights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language.

In 2003, Jessica attended California State University Long Beach where her passion for language found her studying Chinese, and in 2005 she moved to Taiwan to study abroad. From 2005 to 2006 Jessica was fully immersed in the Chinese language as she attended National Taiwan University, and in 2008 she graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude.

Jessica currently lives in Chula Vista with her husband and is working on book three in her Children of the Gods series.


Sunday, August 19, 2012

Showcase Sunday (#14)


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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Here is what I got this week (mom tells me a need to stop buying so many books...that I need to save my $$ for all the nursing school costs. My reply: Don't you think I would if I could?? lol):


Bought: The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan
Borrowing from library: Before I Wake (Soul Screamers #6) by Rachel Vincent and
The Vision (The Mark #2) by Jen Nadol

And I also bought this one for my Kindle:


Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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What bookish things did you get this week??

Friday, August 17, 2012

JLA Blog Tour: Review of Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)
Title: Half-Blood

Series: Covenant #1

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: YA, Greek mythology, paranormal

Publication date: October 2011

Published by: Spencer Hill Press

Source: Own e-book

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1: Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.


Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden.


And that would kind of suck.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I don't know how many times I've said this, and I don't get tired of saying it, but I LOVE mythology! And my fave, of course, is Greek!

This was a very different yet interesting take on Greek mythology. I especially liked these creatures, the daimons. Nowhere in my research of Greek mythology have I come across creatures like this. Now, because I like my mythology to be super accurate, this would normally bother me. But not in this case! I really liked how the author took these Greek myths and made them her own...very unique! :)

Monday, August 13, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (#14)


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

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Right now I'm reading:


The Goddess Legacy (Goddess Test #2.5) by Aimee Carter
Girl of Nightmares (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake

And today I'm also going to start:


Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm not sure what I'll be reading next...August has been a very busy month for me, so I haven't been doing as much reading as I'd like to. Nursing school doesn't start till the end of next month, and it's already kicking my butt! There is so much stuff to do: immunizations, doctor visits, paperwork...oh the paperwork. I hate it! But I'm almost done! I just need to get my background check results back, my CPR recertification, flu shot, buy medical insurance, and I have my orientation on Friday...whew! Hopefully after this week I'll be much less stressed and get some reading done. Wish me luck!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Showcase Sunday (#13)


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 post is worth 2 weeks of books, 'cause last week I didn't post...bad me, I know.

What I bought:


Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Necromancer #1) by Lish McBride
Shade (Shade #1) by Jeri Smith-Ready
Banished (Banished #1) by Sophie Littlefield
Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake
Girl of Nightmares (Anna #2) by Kendare Blake

Books I got for review:

 

Poseidon: Earth Shaker (Olympians #5) by George O'Connor (from Netgalley...thanks!)
Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft (Audrey's Guides #1) by Jody Gehrman (from the author herself...thank you!)

Borrowing from the library:


Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton

I also got a few goodies (books included) to giveaway ;) I'm not saying what so it can be a surprise...but stay tuned for next months monthly giveaway!

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I got quite of few books...what bookish things did you get this week??

Monday, August 6, 2012

Review: Dark Passage by Griffin Hayes

Dark Passage
Title: Dark Passage

Author: Griffin Hayes

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: March 2012

Published by: Trebor Books

Source: review copy from author (Thanks!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

When Tyson Barrett closes his eyes, nightmares torture him—visions from a traumatic childhood so horrifying he hasn’t slept in months. He's already lost his wife and their young son and now his business is on the verge of collapse. A last ditch effort to end Tyson's nightmares and cure his insomnia results in what appears to be a miracle cure; one that promises to solve both his medical and personal problems.

But this miracle cure has a dark side. Now, whenever Tyson dreams something unspeakable follows him back from that other place, an abomination born from the darkest depths of his psyche...and it isn't working alone. There's something else waiting to come out. An evil more terrifying than Tyson could ever have imagined and now it wants his son.


Some dreams were never meant to come true.

My rating: ★★★★☆

This book was seriously creepy! And that's a good thing 'cause I LOVE horror novels! At one point it was soooo creepy (and more than a bit gruesome) that I had to stop eating my snack. Is that a good thing? Well, if it was trying to creep the heck out of me, then yes! Mission accomplished, lol!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Review: Duplicity (Spellbound #2) by Nikki Jefford

Duplicity (Spellbound, #2)
Title: Duplicity

Series: Spellbound #2

Previous book in this series: Entangled

Author: Nikki Jefford

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: May 2012

Published by: Nikki Jefford

Source: review copy from author (thanks!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository | Smashwords

Synopsis:

If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adrian Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his.

Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper.

If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.

My rating: ★★★★★

Ten months after the occurrences in Entangled, Graylee (now known as Lee) is still trying to settle into her new life as Stacey Morehouse. However, a few days before her death anniversary, a second Gray shows up in Charlene's body. My reaction: O.O WTF?? Is that even possible? Well, apparently it is. But this second Graylee (who goes by Gray) does not have the memories of those last ten months. For her, it's only been days after her death. Everyone is confused with the two Graylee's and they don't know what to do. But Mom's "Contact" (who looks A LOT like the freakin' Grim Reaper...creepy) seems to know exactly what to do with Gray...and let's just say that it's not a good thing for her.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Giveaway: Queen of the Dead (The Ghost and the Goth #2) by Stacey Kade


This blog has been running for over a year now, and I still haven't held a giveaway! Shocking, I know. So, I thought, what better way to start August than have a giveaway? This will be a month-long giveaway. On the last day of the month I will announce the winner.

For this very first monthly giveaway, I am giving away a hardcover copy of Queen of the Dead, book 2 in the Ghost and the Goth series!



Goodreads blurb: After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Is it international? What the heck, why not! The giveaway will run from August 1st-August 31st, and all you have to do to enter is fill out the following form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Make sure you read the Terms and Conditions*


Good luck to everyone who enters!