Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Alexandra Adornetto's HADES Trailer & Giveaway



Heaven Help Her.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times-bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.



Macmillan Children's Publishing Group has provided one copy for me to give away!

Rules For Entry:

- US and Canadian mailing addresses ONLY.
- Contest ends: September 9, 2011 12AM EST.
- Fill out the FORM below to enter.





Forever by Maggie Stiefvater {Mini Review}


Forever:
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.










This is going to be a very short review, I loved the book, but I am kind of at a loss as to what to say. Maggie Stiefvater is an amazingly gifted writer, her words are poetic and her books flow with a lyrical beauty. Although my general consensus of the book is positive, I did find that this book to be very slow paced, there were times that I found the story to be 'stalled'. It took a long time for the story to get moving, and watching the characters grow and overcome obstacles in their lives was wonderful to see. There was resolution for events and conflicts that happened in the first two books, but the ending (although it does work for this book) left me wanting more; I'm not going to say anymore because I don't want to give anything away for those who have not finished Forever yet.






My Book Boyfriend (33)


My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, in which we swoon over boys in books!
(I--as in me, Amy--don't like to use commercial photos, I like to use the authors' descriptions and my imagination.)




Darius
Book: Dark Fire by Christine Feehan
Series: Dark/Carpathians

Long black hair that is shaggy and untamed, tall and sinewy, broad shoulders and eyes that are black as night. His mouth holds a sultry, moody kind of sexiness that is hard to resist. He is a Carpathian, a blood-drinking, alpha male and centuries old, leader and guardian of the Dark Troubadours; modern-day traveling musicians. He has an Old World, old fashioned manner that can be considered nothing less than sexy.






Quotes:


Darius reached out and tipped up her chin with two fingers so that he could stare directly into her green eyes. Two fingers. That was all. But it felt as if he had put chains on her, bound them together in some inexplicable manner. She felt the impact of his gaze burning into her, branding her as his.


"I need you."

He said the words so quietly that she barely heard them. He made the statement starkly, utterly without embellishment. There was no mental push, no other form of persuasion. Still, the way he said it was like an arrow piercing her heart. She had no defense against those three words. No way to combat the truth of them. The truth she heard in his voice.



Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Guest Blogger: Rachel of Parajunkee's View



Today I welcome Rachel from Parajunkee's View! Put down your bags, pull up a chair and tell me a story!



A Junkee's Take on Dystopian



I just wanted to give a big thank you to Amy for having me on her blog today. She might have put her reputation in question by letting me take over. Joking, nothing outlandish today, we are going to be discussing one of my favorite genres – one that I've just recently come back to: Dystopian.


Do me a favor. Walk up to, let's say a co-worker, and say “I just read this great dystopian book yesterday!” Watch the expression on their face. The one that usually greeted me was: “Huh?” After this happened with family members, co-workers and even other book bloggers, I tried to think back on when I first heard that term, coined in reference to a book or movie. Had my teacher called BRAVE NEW WORLD and 1984 a dystopian in my Advanced English Lit class in high school? I'm pretty sure she did, the term has been around since the 1800s, but for me it was just there. The opposite of utopian. But, really, outside of the literary word, it is greatly unknown, even though most people have read a dystopian book in their lifetime or at least watched a movie in the genre. Books like FAHRENHEIGT 451, which is usually on most English reading lists, see you've read a dystopian. Didn't have the pleasure? Read or even watched the movie A CLOCKWORK ORANGE? Dystopian. Still haven't caught you? Ok, how about a movie: IDIOCRACY? Dystopian. They don't have to be serious.


In the 80s and 90s there was very little produced in the dystopian genre, a few notables like THE HANDMAID'S TALE (1985) by Margaret Atwood and THE GIVER (1993) by Lois Lowry came out, but the genre sat as a one great book a decade type of genre. Yet, with the transition into a new century and a shift in peoples reading tastes – the genre exploded. The amount of good books in the genre quadrupled and then by the end of the first decade came THE HUNGER GAMES and everything exploded further. There had already been some greats releases like UGLIES (2005) by Scott Westerfeld and GONE (2008) by Michael Grant but when the giant of the dystopian world, THE HUNGER GAMES released, the series did for dystopian what TWILIGHT did for YA paranormal romance. It breathed new life into the genre. Now there is so many great dystopians being released or have already been released. If I thought the first decade of the 21st Century had a lot of dystopian releases, the 10s are just getting started and have almost caught up! With some phenomenal works also, mostly centered in young adult universes. People can't get enough of this genre and if you haven't had the pleasure, what are you waiting for?






Granted, these works of fiction aren't exactly the lightest fare. If you are reader that likes to read about rainbows, romance and just happy fares, I might not recommend dystopian. It is a dark road. They are stories about oppression and the darker side of the world and government. Most dystopians are based on the fact that our government has gone terribly wrong or an outside force, such as an alien race has oppressed the human race. This new government might be disguised as utopian – working for the good of the people, but on closer inspection there are nefarious forces at work. But, while dark and sometimes quite tragic, they have this central character that usually makes other literary characters pale in comparison. These characters have to be strong, in general they are pitted against the forces that oppress them. Whether forced upon them, or by choice these characters have an uphill battle, they have to change things or they will perish, be crushed or watch their friends and family crumble. Dystopian is a focus on human nature. The dark side and the triumphant side. It speaks to us on a base level, tells us that we can make a difference. Gives us hope and in a world that may seem like it could slide into a dystopian landscape at any moment...we need a little bit of this hope. This is why I love dystopians. I want to make a difference and not because I fell in love with someone, or became some paranormal creature, but because of my actions and the gifts that I was given as a human being.





Feel up to a dystopian challenge? Give the genre a try, you might fall in love. I recommend starting with the cr̬me de la cr̬me as a starter. Put THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy at the top of your list. You'll fall in love with Katniss and her struggles. A girl that sacrifices herself for her younger sister in a quelling of the children, to fight in an arena for the entertainment of a nation and the reminder of the governments power. Children are pitted against each other in a fight to the death, called The Hunger Games. The last one standing goes free after killing everyone around them. Soon to be a very MAJOR motion picture, THG is the epitome of the great young adult dystopians that have come out in the last few years. Once you've devoured that series, lighter more psychological dystopians might call to you, novels like WITHER by Lauren DeStephano and DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver are not to be missed. Craving more action? Don't pass up DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth and ENCLAVE by Ann Aguirre. These novels don't just live within the dystopian genre Рthey define it. You should be suitably hooked after reading those...when you're done, stop on by parajunkee.com or tweet me @parajunkee and let me know what you thought. I'm always up for discussing a good book, especially those mentioned above.



Thank you so much for stopping by today, Rachel! I hope everyone enjoyed sharing your love of the Distopian genre! I think I just might have to give it another try!



Monday, August 29, 2011

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (66)


This is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.



Books I read last week:
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian
The Paladin by Ken Newman



The book I’m reading now:
Forever:
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.









Books that spark my interest this week:
Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen



Saturday, August 27, 2011

On My Wishlist (66)


On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - a linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.




Angel's Flight by Nalini Singh:
In Angel’s Wolf a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.

In Angels’ Judgment a hunter must track one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly tests placed in her way by the archangels themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all...

Plus FIRST TIME IN PRINT

In Angels' Pawn a vampire hunter faces off against two rival factions and the angel manipulating them both, and a vampire whose help is not entirely selfless...

And NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED

In Angels’ Dance an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court.




The Deepest Cut by J.A. Templeton:
Sixteen-year-old Riley Williams has been able to see ghosts since the car crash that took her mother's life and shattered her family. Guilt-ridden over the belief that she's somehow responsible for her mom's death, Riley is desperate to see her mother's elusive spirit to gain her forgiveness.

When her father moves the family to Scotland so they can all start over, Riley believes her life couldn't get worse––that is until the ghost of nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon catches her purposely cutting herself. An uneasy truce quickly turns into friendship, and soon Riley's falling hard for Ian.

Riley believes her gift could help Ian end the curse that has kept him tied to the land for centuries, but that would mean letting him go forever and she's not sure she is strong enough to do that. As if her life wasn't complicated enough, the spirit of the woman who killed Ian returns and she'll stop at nothing to keep Riley from helping Ian find eternal peace.




Fateful by Claudia Gray:
It's about a servant girl named Tess in 1912, who wants to escape from the house where she works, and most particularly the lecherous young lord of the manor. But that's not her biggest problem. While on a voyage to America, where she plans to escape and start a new life, she meets Alec, who's ruggedly handsome, fabulously wealthy, intelligent and yet so clearly troubled that she'd rather not fall for him, but she does. That also is not her biggest problem. Alec, it turns out, is a werewolf ... one cursed to change every night, unless and until he surrenders his independence and joins the Brotherhood, a pack of violently misogynistic werewolves who have been tracking him for months. You'd think that would be their biggest problem, wouldn't you?

But no. Their biggest problem -- though they don't know it yet -- is that they're aboard the RMS Titanic.




Friday, August 26, 2011

Love That Line (16)

Love That Line is hosted by Jessica Rabbit's Corner, it's a little thing where we post a favorite quote or two from the book(s) currently on our night stands.


Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick


"As it turns out, I'm in need of a healthy female sacrifice. I'd planned on luring her into trusting me first, but if you're ready now..."



"Say 'provoking' again. Your mouth looks provocative when you do."



"Full disclosure," he repeated with a sly grin. "Does that have anything to do with the promise you made to expose me? What exactly are we talking about here?"








Thursday, August 25, 2011

Theme Thursday (27)


Theme Thursdays

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:
  • A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
  • Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
  • Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
  • It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
    Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.


This week's theme is - TREES (Plants/Greenery)

It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.


Twilight by Stephenie Meyer



Wednesday, August 24, 2011

My Book Boyfriend (32)


My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, in which we swoon over boys in books!
(I--as in me, Amy--don't like to use commercial photos, I like to use the authors' descriptions and my imagination.)





Clayton Danvers
Book: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld

A werewolf who is the protector of the Alpha. He has a Ph.D. in anthropology and model-perfect good looks: slim hips, a broad chest and sculpted biceps. He has a Deep Southern drawl, close-cropped blond curls and blue eyes. He's rough around the edges and has a reputation that would frighten anyone with half a brain out of misbehaving, but underneath that hardened exterior he loves fully and with all his heart, and is a caring father and faithful husband.







Quotes:


Clay grinned. "You forget, darling. I am the local psychopath."


"Sparing you?" Clay gave a harsh laugh. "You know what I am, Elena. If I pretended otherwise, you'd accuse me of trying to deceive you. I don't want you to come back to me because you think I've changed. I want you to come back because you accept what I am. If I could change, don't you think I'd have done it for you by now? I want you back. Not for a night or a few weeks or even a couple of months. I want you back for good. I'm miserable when you're not here--"

"You're miserable because you don't have what you want. Not because you want me."

"Goddamn it!" Clay swung his fist out, knocking a brass penholder off the desk. "You won't listen! You won't listen and you won't see. You know I love you, that I want you. Damn it, Elena, if I just wanted a partner, any partner, do you think I'd have spent ten years trying to get you back? Why haven't I just given up and found someone else?"