Giveaway: Destined

Hi Inklings! Thanks to the awesome folks over at Zeitghost Media, I have yet another great giveaway for you this week: A copy of Destined (House of Night, #9) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

 

Destined by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

"...Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet – which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow…"

Here's the awesome trailer for this book:

 Please note that this contest is for US/Canada followers only and ends on November 5th, 2011. If you are interested, please use the rafflecopter widget below to enter!

In My Mailbox (13)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where you will find the most recent books I have received for review, purchased, etc. Enjoy and start participating if you are not already!

Print Books

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody * The City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4) by Cassandra Clare The Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Kindle ebookS

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel * The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

* These books were provided in exchange for an unbiased review.

Monday Deals 10/24/11

Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

kindle (Amazon)

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon.com.

$0.99	$0.99	$0.99	$0.99

$1.99	$2.99	$3.89	$3.99

Sorry, but I don't have any deals on print books this week!!

*Book prices are only guaranteed on date of post. Please double check pricing before purchase*

Review: City of Ashes

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2) by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464
Source: Purchased 
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
★★★★★

A murderer is loose in New York City ...

... and the victims are Downworlder children. Clary Fray and her fellow Shadowhunters have a strong suspicion that Valentine, Clary's father, may be behind the killings. But if he is the murderer, then what's his true motive? To make matters worse, the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, has been stolen, and the mysterious Inquisitor has arrived to investigate, with his eyes vigilantly targeted on Clary's brother, Jace.

Clary will need to face some terrifying demons and even more terrifying family decisions. No one said that the life of a Shadowhunter would be easy.

There is something about this series that keeps me coming back. It could be the mystery, the tension, the great world building or any of the other wonderful elements present in this story. The more I read this series, the more intrigued I become. City of Bones was a bit slow for me, but City of Ashes was an unexpectedly fast, gripping read: an extremely hard book to put down.

I really loved the mystery aspect of this book. There were so many unknowns, so many truths to uncover, and so many plot twists; Many of which still remained unsolved at the conclusion of this book. The pacing was great! Never once was I bored with a scene or felt the need to skip pages. There was more than enough action to keep me interested!

City of Ashes allowed me to feel a much needed connection with the characters. It provided what City of Bones, was missing for me. In this book, I could see that Clare's characters are flawed. Flaws are what make characters real for me. They allow me to feel a connection and relate to the characters. I was happy that they all weren't perfect. I also liked the fact that Clary was not some helpless girl. There are so many young adult books with helpless damsels in distress. What happened to the badass chicks? While Clary was definitely unsure of herself at times, it was refreshing to see a girl who isn't afraid to try to do things herself.

I'm beginning to see why so much hype surrounds this series... I'll admit that I was disappointed in the first book, but City of Ashes was a definite page turner.

Monday Deals 10/17/11

Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

kindle (Amazon)

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon.com.

$0.99	$0.99	$1.99 Adult Content	$2.99

$2.99	$2.99	$3.99	$3.99

Sorry, but I don't have any deals on print books this week!!

*Book prices are only guaranteed on date of post. Please double check pricing before purchase*

Giveaway: The Dead-Tossed Waves

Hey Inklings!

Some of you may already know the story behind this but… I was at Borders during their sale and bought a paperback copy of  ‘The Dead-Tossed Waves’ and was super excited for it. Because I’m a book buying addict I went back a week later and found a SIGNED HARDBACK COPY of the same book. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t let that opportunity pass so I bought that one as well. Now I have an extra paperback copy and nothing to do with it. So what better time than this to give away my spare copy to YOU. We can’t just let a good book like that sit on a shelf its whole life now can we!?
I do however want to note that ‘The Dead-Tossed Waves’ is the second book in The Forest of Hands and Teeth series. This contest is open to US/Canada entries only and will end at midnight on October 30th. Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! Good luck!

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where you will find the most recent books I have received for review, purchased, etc. Enjoy and start participating if you are not already!

Kindle ebookS

Delirium (Delirium, #1) by Lauren Oliver The Demon King (Seven Realms, #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

Very small haul this week! Gives me a chance to play catch-up :) What did you guys get in your mailboxes this week?

Review: The Initiation

The Initiation (The Secret Circle, #1) by L.J. Smith
Publisher: HarperPrism
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Source: Purchased 
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
★★★☆☆

The author of the bestselling The Vampire Diaries presents a suspenseful new trilogy. Seduced by the Secret Circle, Cassie is initiated into the mysterious "in-crowd, " a coven of young witches whose power has controlled New Salem for 300 years--and risks falling prey to the dark powers in order to have the coven leader's boyfriend.

After seeing the TV show, The Secret Circle, I had to give this series a try. I really enjoyed the characters and tension from the show. Sadly, The Initiation was quite different from the TV series. It was a super quick read for me but I found it lacking substance and plot. I really loved the concept of this book, but it really failed for me in the delivery department. When I look back... not much happened throughout the course of the book. I feel like there were things that could have been expanded on that weren’t.

I would have liked to see much more in the way of character development as well. Watch out if you aren’t a fan of insta-love because it is really terrible in this book. As in: this is the third time I’ve met you but “I love you..” I just don’t understand why Smith would have the characters commited in that way so early. Why not give the tension some time to develop? Why not give some mystery to the reader or doubt in the character's minds? Not only is there insta-love with the guy, there is also friendly insta-love between Cassie and her newfound best friend Diana.They meet and are like sisters immediately.

What kept me moving through the bad relationship development and cheesy lines was the great writing style. L.J. Smith’s words flow seamlessly. I believe most readers can definitely appreciate that. This was my first encounter with her writing, and I will definitely be continuing this series for this reason. I truly think that there is potential for this series to turn into something good! If you are looking for a quick, mildly entertaining read then I would suggest checking this out. If you are like me and looking for something to complement the TV series, don't get your hopes up.

Monday Deals (7)

Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

kindle (Amazon)

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon.com.

FREE	FREE	$0.99	$0.99

$0.99	$2.99	$4.49	$4.69

Sorry, but I don't have any deals on print books this week!!

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where you will find the most recent books I have received for review, purchased, etc. Enjoy and start participating if you are not already!

Print Books

The Initiation (The Secret Circle, #1) by L.J. Smith The Captive (The Secret Circle, #2) by L.J. Smith The Power (The Secret Circle, #3) by L.J. Smith The Uglies (Uglies, #1) by Scott Westerfeld Hades (Halo, #2) by Alexandra Adornetto*   All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin* A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber * Far From The War by Jeffrey David Payne*

Kindle ebookS

The Gathering (Darkness Rising, #1) by Kelley Armstrong Entwined by Heather Dixon The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles, #1) by Cinda Williams Chima* Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder*

* These books were given to me in exchange for an unbiased review.

Review: Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura, #1) by Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Format: Hardcover 
Pages: 458
Source: Purchased 
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
★★★★★

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

After reading Maberry’s Patient Zero earlier this year, I knew I would love Rot & Ruin. Once again, he did not disappoint. He has such a great writing style and true talent for keeping readers’ eyes on the page. It was incredibly hard not to finish this in one sitting..

At the start, I found the main character, Benny, to be naïve, ignorant, and a bit obnoxious. He frustrated me so much initially… But I later found that the beauty of this book was seeing Benny grow from that ignorant child into someone to be respected and proud of. I really enjoyed watching the change in the relationship between Benny and his brother Tom as well. Benny had originally thought Tom was a coward, but slowly learned that he was actually quite the opposite! Tom was easily my favorite character in Rot & Ruin. His wisdom and compassion were awe-inspiring. I personally think that the character and relationship development in this book is what truly makes it shine. There is so much emotional substance to this story.

Rot & Ruin is not your everyday zombie book! It is an action packed read that will make you reflect on what it is to be human. I cannot wait to get started on Dust & Decay to see where this adventure leads next!

Review: Linger

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Format: Audiobook
Narrator(s): Dan Bittner, Pierce Cravens, Emma Galvin, Jenna Lamia
Length: 10 hrs 43 min 
Source: Audible
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
★★★★★

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

Linger, the second installment of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, was simply amazing! All of the voice actors were cast so well that I can’t imagine actually reading it. I wouldn’t want to read this… Listening to their narration brought so much dimension to an already great story. Believe me… this audiobook is worth every penny. The thing I really loved about Linger was that not only do you get Sam and Grace’s point-of-views but also Isabelle and Cole’s. They each have their own little side stories that really add to the mix.

Speaking of Cole, at first I didn’t like his character. I found him to be selfish and annoying. But I must say that he really grew on me. If you are looking for some amazing, to-die-for male lead characters then you MUST read this. Sam was great as usual, but what I really enjoyed was the opportunity to learn more about Cole and explore his dark past.

Things really blow up in this book and get very intense in Linger. I was on edge for much of the time… Not only was there the desperation and love between Sam and Grace, but there was also murder, secrets revealed, parental issues, and more. There was so much tension that lets just say I didn’t want to get out of my car to go to work…

I cannot express how great the voice-acting is in this audiobook…. All of the narrators were cast to perfection. I honestly cannot imagine a better team. Even if you are not interested in this series, this audiobook exemplifies excellent voice-acting. I cannot wait to see what else comes from this narration team in the future! Linger is an unstoppable force with its top of the line narration and beautiful love story.

Review: Thin Air

Thin Air (Thin Air, #1) by Lynn Seresin
Publisher: Self Published 
Format: Kindle Ebook 
Pages: 452
Source: Author 
Amazon | Goodreads
★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars) 

Alice Ayre is no ordinary teenager. She took her first name from a statue in Central Park, pulled her last name out of the air (literally), and she’s actually almost a thousand years old. In fact, the only “ordinary” thing about Alice is that she’s in love.

Alice was a sylphid—a winged air spirit—when she spotted Daniel Field camping in the Adirondacks and lost her heart to the handsome NYU student. Intangible to the human senses, her only hope of winning his heart resides in becoming mortal, even though transmutation is forbidden by Paralda, ruler of the air. Risking punishment, however, seems a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness.

This is one of those indie books that makes me wonder why it hasn’t already been picked up by a publisher. I feel that with further editing and a few other changes, This Air could be a young adult hit!

The elemental world was fleshed out  so well in Thin Air! I was hooked on the beautiful descriptions from the start. Seresin has a poetic writing style that I absolutely fell in love with. This style really showed through when she was writing about emotion and love. For example, I think she did a wonderful job expressing Aeris’ desperate longing for Daniel. Seresin managed to make Aeris’ love for Daniel believable, even if initially seemed out of place.

As far as the plot goes, I found it to be quite predictable. Being predictable however, did not take away from my enjoyment of the story and of the writing. I found that the story’s strongest points were the beginning and the end. In the beginning, I just loved reading about the naiveté and innocence that Aeris possessed once she became human. Seresin did a great job making Aeris’ transformation to a human realistic.  It was reminiscent of the 1984 mermaid film, Splash, starring Tom Hanks. Unfortunately, Thin Air did hit some dry spells in the middle for me. During that time, some circumstances and events seemed forced to push the story along. Overall I found the story to be enjoyable, but predictable.

I found the romance between Alice (Aeris’ human name) and Daniel to be cute and sultry (if that makes sense). They had some great chemistry from the start. Despite my love for Daniel, I secretly hoped for a love triangle between Alice, Daniel, and Terra. I would like to see Terra make an appearance in the second book! *crosses fingers*

It’s not often that you see books about elementals. This would be my first, but I don’t think it will be my last. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the second installment in the Thin Air Saga! Thin Air had a strong ending and left me wanting to find out what happens next!

---

This review is featured as part of the Thin Air Book Tour

 

Goodreads | Lulu | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Facebook

As a grand prize, Lynn's giving away a signed paperback copy of Thin Air, and a gorgeous pair of earrings to one lucky, randomly chosen entrant! Here's how you can enter for this amazing prize: Visit the blogs listed on the main tour site and collect all of the letters. The letters are only featured on some of the blogs, not all of them. Once you have collected the letters, they should form two words that you can enter in THIS FORM to win!

Next Tour Stop (10/5): Everything To Do With Books (Giveaway)

Review: Wanderlove

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard 
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: Kindle Ebook 
Pages: 335
Source: NetGalley 
Release Date: March 13, 2012 
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
★★★★☆

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.
But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story

Wanderlove is easily one of the most funny and adventurous stories I have had the privilege of reading this year. Three things in particular stood out about this book to me: (1) Kristen Hubbard’s writing style=hilarious, (2) The characters are so relatable and realistic, (3) There is a ton of wisdom packed into this quick read.

As far as writing styles go, Kirsten Hubbard has one of the most funny ones that I have ever seen! I was constantly giggling and smiling. If you read Wanderlove, expect to be thoroughly entertained from page one!

“At last, a woman excuses herself from the group and approaches me. She’s got knobby knuckles and pearly, lacquered nails. She reminds me of a velociraptor.” – Wanderlove

Bria, the main character of this story, is extremely easy to relate to. Describing herself as an “introverted hanger-back,” all I was thinking was “THAT’S SO ME!” I felt like I was on this journey with her, growing and learning. The newness and wonder of it all was beautiful to me.

As far as scenery goes, I’ve never been to the places in the book, but they sure seemed authentic to me. I’ll admit I even looked up Laughingbird Caye, and guess what!? It’s real! It is clear that Hubbard did some research (maybe even first hand?) for this one. Authenticity in travel fiction is a must!

The ending was left open, but very satisfying. Quite honestly, it was exactly how I wanted it to end. Wanderlove is a simple, yet beautiful adventure of self-discovery, love, and healing. Think Eat, Pray, Love for teenagers! I fell in love with this book from page one.

Giveaway: My Life Undecided

Hi Inklings! Thanks to the awesome folks over at Zeitghost Media, I have yet another great giveaway for you this week: A copy of My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody.

 

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Goodreads | Jessica Brody

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. And whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it. Read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

Here's the awesome trailer for this book:  Please note that this contest is for US/Canada followers only and ends on October 16, 2011. If you are interested, please use the rafflecopter widget below to enter!

Monday Deals (7)

Let's admit it: Mondays can be a little... draining on the soul. So what works better for lifting the spirit than finding some great books for cheap!?

Here are my featured deals for the week:

kindle (Amazon)

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings on Amazon.com.

$0.99	$2.99	$2.99	$2.99

$2.99	$3.99	$4.69	$5.59

Sorry, but I don't have any deals on print books this week!!