Friday Reads: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor!!

This week's second Friday Reads is a book that's in two of my challenges for this year, the 2014 series challenge on Read Sleep Repeat and the 2014 TBR pile challenge on Bookish, and for that one it's also the Read-Along book for January!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An absolutely amazing book! I have let this book settle in my mind for a while in the hope that time would allow me to write a more coherent review for this book, but I'm quite afraid that won't be as easy...

I loved this book, I really really loved this book, and read in January it's and will be one of my absolute favourite books of the whole year. I had been postponing reading it and now I feel like kicking myself for it, except that when I think the final book of this trilogy comes out this year, I think the wait was worth to save me long waits between books!

The first thing about this book that grabbed me from the first page was the writing. It is absolutely beautiful and can be lyrical and creepy and so vivid that you feel like you're walking the pages with the characters.

When I went into the book I wasn't very sure what the book was about, I had read a gorgeous novella "Night of Cake and Puppets" on the same world, but I didn't have a clue about what the plot was about, only that Karou could use a sort of magic & wishes. And wow... that is just but a grain of sand compared to what the book really packs! At some point I feared all would end up into a very trite Angels vs Demons rehash, but I should not have doubted Laini Taylor in the least because what she did was simply fantastic.

You really don't know what to expect page after page, and even though you get hints here and there, I must confess though I suspected quite a bit, I wasn't entirely sure I was right and some of the revelations did really manage to surprise me.

The book has two very distinct halves, one where we are introduced to the world, to Karou and her life and we get little glimpses of another world beyond ours, with the wishes, and Karou's blue hair and how she tries to be an art student in Prague and do the errands in search for teeth all over the world. Then winged Akiva appears and the game changes. We start getting some more flashbacks and the final part of the story is Karou trying to find what was really going on and finding out who or what she really is.

The character development was fantastic, I already was madly in love with Zuzana, the rabid fairy and Mik, the violing boy, but properly meeting Karou and going on this journey with her was fantastic and heartbreaking. Akiva was perfect kind of intriguing, dangerous, brooding and conflicted kind of character that Karou needed to push her along.

I just cannot say anymore without risking some spoilers and I don't wanna do that at all, this book is one that is going to be brilliant either way, but I feel that discovering every little nuance of it as it comes up will make it even better!

Now I must go and read the next book, even if it means I'll have the long 3 month wait till the final book comes out!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a fantastic book, one that I can't recommend enough and that deserves 5 stars (and a few more added to it!).



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Friday Reads: Evertrue by Brodi Ashton!!

I'm starting this week's Friday Reads with a book that was a very awaited one, that I preordered as soon as it was available for it on my Kindle app. It's another one of those final books in a series/trilogy and had that very bittersweet feeling to it.


Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As with every final book in a series, there's a bittersweet feeling for me reading Evertrue. I had preordered it so I had it download onto my Kindle app right on release day but I knew that I wasn't at the right emotional place to read it.

Finally a week later, I felt ready for it and dived right into it. I read it in one sitting at night and as expected, it was full of feelings and not quite what I expected. Since it's the final book of the trilogy, do expect some spoilers for previous books, but I will do my best to keep it spoiler free for Evertrue itself.

We start quite right where we were left on Everbound. With Nikki and Jack back, and Nikki reeling from Cole's treachery and her new (and unwanted) situation. Nikki decides that since she doesn't want to do what Cole wants her to do, she's gonna bring down the entire system.

Nikki was in a very bad place in this book for a different reason than on previous books, she's got a clearer head, she's got Jack with her, and then she got an unexpected ally in Cole, because there's a twist there that left me reeling and I just wasn't expecting at all. Jack is changed by his experience in the tunnels, emotionally and physically but he still does his best job at being Nikki's anchor. Cole... goodness, I don't even know what to say about him without spoiling anything, except that I'm pretty sure you won't see it coming...

Evertrue happens half in the surface and half in the Everneath, plotting & regrouping happens up and all the fighting and action happens down. There's a lot of digging for information, a lot of team work and sacrifices made by everyone, one way or another. And for those who ever wondered at the possible love triangle, it is very definitively resolved. I wasn't expecting it to be solved quite that way, I'm not sure what I wanted or expected (except for Nikki and Jack to finally find a way to heal together) but NOT what happened for sure!

That's probably what made me not give this book a higher rating even if I really enjoyed it and loved the Jack & Nikki moments, and the humour and many other things. How everything got resolved was so unexpected and I was still so confused as to why what happened had happened and why Cole was in that position that despite not being keen about Cole at all in the previous books, I was taken aback and felt a bit cheated.

All in all, a final book on a very unique series that I'd still recommend. 3.5 to 4 stars for this one.



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Xpresso Book Tours Blog Tour for The Secret of Isobel Key by Jen McConnel!!

Hey there everyone! Today I'm taking part in the Blog Tour for The Secret of Isobel Key by Jen McConnel, organized by Xpresso Book Tours!

I will be sharing my review, so click HERE for the full tour schedule! But before that, let's get you some more information about the book & author, shall we?

The Secret of Isobel Key by Jen McConnel

Published by: Bloomsbury Spark
Publication date: December 19th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, New Adult

Synopsis:

Lou is in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. Fresh out of college, she’s unemployed and unsure of herself. But when she gets the chance to escape to Scotland with her best friend, it could be the answer to her quest for self-discovery. The trip is not at all what she expected, especially when her tour guide turns out to be the dreamy historian Brian, and together they embark on a hunt for information about Isobel Key, a woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

They set out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but Lou isn’t prepared for the knowledge that awaits her. She must face her own demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past. Flashing between the seventeenth century and modern day Scotland, The Secret of Isobel Key is a mystery that will please readers of all ages.

Goodreads | Amazon |  Barnes & Noble

About the author:

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn’t crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches college writing composition and yoga. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.  She is the author of The Secret of Isobel Key (NA 2013) and Daughter of Chaos (YA 2014).


Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

My Review

The Secret of Isobel Key really intrigued me because of its focus on Scotland and the witch trials there. And despite our rocky beginning, I'm quite glad that I read this book.

The narrative alternates between the present time and the story of Louisa and her trip with her best friend Tammy to Scotland, and the 17th century and the story of Isobel Key, midwife and accused of witchcraft.

I have to say at first I really disliked Lou, she seemed a wee bit too much of a pushover for me. Too worried, too unsure of herself, and she can't even tell her best friend when she disagrees with her? And Tammy, the best friend, just seemed too oblivious to care about what her allegedly best friend really feels like? But, once Lou finds something she really cares about, she finally starts coming out of her shell and turns into a much more interesting character. Having the cute and adorable Scotsman, Brian the red-haired lad, around seemed also good motivation for Lou to stop being so sillily shy, blushing every 5 seconds!

The best part of the narrative in my opinion was the one about Isobel Key, I feel like the author would do a fantastic job writing historical fiction! Everything seemed so relatable, so real, so well researched!

The mix of both stories was not exactly a shock, but was explained well enough, and for once I was very satisfied with the ending. A reasonable one, showing Lou having a proper head on her shoulders, but I would have loved an epilogue with a bit more of a HEA too!

All in all, despite our rocky beginning, deserving of 3 to 3.5 stars!

Waiting On Wednesday #27!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!


What book am I about-to-have-a-heart-attack waiting for this week? Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi!

Goodreads Summary:


The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.




Why am I eagerly awaiting Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi? This is another one of my favourite series that ends this year, and would you look at that cover?? Shatter Me totally captured me with the amazing writing and the story of Juliette and Unravel Me managed to impress me even more! Now I can't wait to see how this story will end, but I'm scared... very scared of how Tahereh will end it! I fear for the characters!


What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?

Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Alienated by Melissa Landers!!

For this week's first review for Mark This Book Monday I have an ARC review of a book I can't wait to re-read again as soon as my preorder hardcover arrives, hopefully close to the release date of February 4th!
I won this ARC on a Twitter giveaway that author Ashley Elston did, thank you so much for making it open internationally! A fun bit of trivia, this was my very first paper ARC too!



Alienated by Melissa Landers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had wanted to read this since I found out about the book on Twitter and read the blurb here, and when I got a chance to read the ARC I was so stoked! You know that feeling of not knowing if that long awaited book will disappoint you? Well, this one didn't!

On Alienated we meet Cara, a high school valedictorian, overachiever extraordinaire that is given the chance of a lifetime to be part of a student exchange, the first student exchange with aliens! The L'eirh made contact with humankind a pair of years back and now they want to stablish better human-L'eirh relationships. Cara will get the responsability of being a human ambassador, but it can also be her ticket to the college of her dreams!

Aelyx is not happy about the exchange, nor are other two fellow students going to France and China, and they have a plan that won't make neither humans nor L'eirhs happy.

At first Cara's attitude and outlook didn't endear her to me too much, and neither did Aelyx attitude, even if he got more of a dispensation being an alien with hidden motives.

But the story and the way the relationship between the characters started developing really got me hooked. I really didn't expect the focus of the book to be so much on showing big issues through the story, issues like unhealthy relationships, xenophobia, bullying, and modern witch hunting! Cara and her family have to face so much hate because of hosting Aelyx, and they never cave in and keep on trying to do the right thing. Cara proves that she is trying to make it easier for Aelyx not just out of a sense of obligation and to get her rewards, but cause it's the right thing (and of course, cause she seems to be building a massive crush on him!).

Aelyx starts with a horrible attitude towards the inferior race of humans, even if he tries to remain civil, but little by little he decides to stop focusing only on the bad and gives a chance to what's good in humankind, in Cara and her family.

The way the romance progresses worked really well for me, and since I have no issues with interspecies/alien romances, I was rooting for it as soon as Aelyx started questioning his attitude towards Cara and his actions following his original plan. There was some very swooning moments in there, and I loved them!

All in all, this is a book about two teens that fall in love despite and probably because of their differences, and a book about how humans (and aliens) can be capable of the best and worst. Some big issues are addressed in this book, but there's still enough lightness to it to make sure it doesn't come along as preachy.

The ending doesn't have a huge cliffhanger, but it sure leaves you waiting eagerly for the sequel!

Very well deserved 4 stars!



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Cover Reveal: Evil Red by Nikki Jefford!!

Hello everyone! Today I'm back with another cover reveal for a book, more exactly a novelette, for the Aurora Sky series. This is one vampire series I've really got into recently, and I can't wait for more! So far I'm awaiting a novella, this novelette and a third book!

This cover reveal is organized by the ladies behind The Ginger Pimps! (Seriously, ain't that name awesome?).

Now, before you get to see the cover, I'm gonna give you some info on the book, just to make it a bit more interesting.


Evil Red by Nikki Jefford
(An Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Novelette)
Publication Date: February 2014
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

L.A. is one tough city, especially while sharing a trailer with four thieving sisters.

Valerie’s plans for a better life and Hollywood grandeur are interrupted after a fateful stabbing lands her in Anchorage, Alaska where government agents expect her to play the role of a vampire hunting La Femme Nikita.

The redheaded vixen is back in her own Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter novelette.

**Novella is approximately 18,000 words**

 Ready to see the cover?? Here we go!!

 

 

Add to Goodreads

This one is quite different from the rest of the covers, but I think it is quite fitting with our girl Valerie before she left Cali!

Nikki is the author of the bestselling SPELLBOUND trilogy and AURORA SKY:VAMPIRE HUNTER. She's a third generation Alaskan who now lives in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands (WA) where she is, once more, neighbors with Canada in a town without a single traffic light.


Website | Facebook | Twitter

Showcase Sunday #23!!

Showcase Sunday is a weekly feature hosted by Vicky of Books, Biscuits, and Tea where all book lovers can share with others what bookish goodness we got this week, be it purchased (physical or eBook), won, gifted or for review!

Purchased (via Kindle app)

Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

What Kills Me by Wynne Channing


For Review (via NetGalley)

This was one heck of a surprise, and one I'm super grateful for, I requested it and was approved for it in a matter of hours! So thanks a lot, Tanglewood Press!! And Harlequin Teen are always very nice to me!

Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Grim - A compilation of various authors

Friday Reads: ARC Review of Perfect Lies by Kiersten White!

For this week's Friday Reads I'm having an ARC review, and a bit of an surprise when I was approved for it on NetGalley!

It is also yet another book part of my Review Pile Reading Challenge! I think from all the challenges for this year, this is the one I'm doing better at so far!

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I finished (and loved) Mind Games last year, I just couldn't wait till Perfect Lies came out, and any of you that might have read it will understand what I mean about that ending!

So when I got approved for Perfect Lies on NetGalley by Harper Collins UK, I was so excited!

Mind Games and Perfect Lies are written in a very different way from most books. With alternating dual POV's from Annie and Fia and different countdowns from each POV to an unknown event, it is both compelling and confusing, intriguing and unsettling.

I spent the first half of the book confused but that was really nothing new, it's always hard to figure where the story is going at first with the way the story is told, and you are kept guessing about what the countdown will lead to.

Fia and Annie both are trying to find their path and to protect each other. There's a lot of uncertainity about who each one of the girls can trust, and Fia starts doubting even her perfect instincts or wrong and right. Annie is more confused than ever without Fia and she starts trying to become her own person and stop complaining about feeling dependent on others and weak and start working on learning to use her gift and stand on her own two feet.

Allies and foes keep getting mixed up, and nothing is clear until the very final part of the book, and even then you wonder if the vision will come to pass and what version of it will be.

The ending was quite unexpected and at the same time satisfying, even if I might have hoped for a little bit more happiness for Fia, but she got right and hope, and that's more than she was hoping for.

All in all, despite my initial confusion a 3.5 to 4 stars fitting ending for a very different duology!




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Waiting On Wednesday #26!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!


What book am I totally dying to read this week? Cress by Marissa Meyer!!

Goodreads Summary:


"Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can."




Why am I eagerly awaiting Cress by Marissa Meyer? Since I discovered Cinder I'm completely in love with this series! Each book is somewhat of a retelling of a well known fairy tale that still is somehow seamlessly fiting into the fantastic science-fiction & dystopian story that The Lunar Chronicles are. After the ending of Scarlet and all the little teasers for Cress and reading the first chapter online... I just cannot wait!!


What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?

Release Day for Avalon by Mindee Arnett! And a Giveaway!!

Hello everyone! Welcome to the celebration of one of my "uber awaited" books of the year!

Avalon by Mindee Arnett
Release Date: Today 21st Jan 2014!

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth—and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

With pulse-pounding action, a captivating mystery, and even a bit of romance, Avalon is the perfect read for hard-core sci-fi fans and non–sci-fi fans alike.

Amazon

B&N

Books-a-million

IndieBound

Google Play

Kobo

iTunes

 

About the author: 

 

Mindee Arnett is the author of one other book for teens,The Nightmare Affair. She lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. Her dream home, though, is aboard a spaceship.

Website: http://www.mindeearnett.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mindeearnett

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Mindee-Arnett/215046761888669

Tumblr: http://mindeearnett.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5145808.Mindee_Arnett

 

The Shiny Giveaway!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7511d06/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now excuse me while I'm gonna go see if my preorder has arrived in the mail! Happy Shiny Avalon Day guys!

Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Infinite by Jodi Meadows!!!

To start this week's Mark This Book Monday, I have the first final book for a trilogy that I love of the year. There are quite a few trilogies ending this year, so it's all gonna be quite bittersweet, saying goodbye to characters I love but finally getting all the answers and knowing what happens!

I won an ARC of Infinite on a giveaway on the author's blog and got it the day after Xmas, read it in a day, but waited closer to release date to post my review on the blog.


Infinite by Jodi Meadows

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was so tremendously lucky to win a signed copy of Infinite via Jodi's blog, and I have to thank the rafflecopter gods for picking my name!

That said, none of that has had any influence on my opinion of this book, giving it 5 stars and thinking it is the best possible ending for this trilogy is all due to what's inside the pages!

Since it's the last book of the trilogy I'm to try my best to refrain from talking about everything I'd love to talk about to avoid spoilers as much as I can but there will be spoilers for Incarnate and Asunder.

Infinite starts quite right Asunder left us, and from the very first pages there's danger at fear at every turn. Ana & Sam wake up to a massive earthquake for the start of the Year of Souls and the risk of the caldera of Range exploding is not the only danger they have to suffer before even leaving Heart for Ana's exile.

Loyalties are tested, Ana has an extremely tough journey to go on, one with her friends trying to find a way to make sure Janan doesn't ascend and an inner journey of growth and discovery that she has to do on her own.

Ana is the one leading her friends and trying to make plans for stopping Janan, but she is still trying to deal with new discoveries and trying to find information to know how to fight better. They journey up north and find out more about the phoenixes and the dragons, and some very emotional revelations come to the front, which cause some really heartbreaking moments between Ana and Sam.

Ana and Sam, oh how I love them together! They are a fantastic couple with a romance that grows from friendship to love and that has to learn to trust each other, to support each other, to know how to let the other one make their own choices and that are simply perfect for each other. In Infinite they made me cry, for many reasons, but I'm so happy to say most were happy tears!

The other characters are so well done too! Secondary characters like Stef or Sarit have you rooting for them and feeling like smacking them ocasionally, but you never really have them getting mixed up in the background.

We get all the answers we could have wanted here, even if I still have some questions and theories I'd love to discuss here, but I can't because they are very much full of all sort of spoilers! I'm very happy to report I had guessed right about the sylph even if I hadn't got all the details of it right. Some of those answers were quite unexpected, and the most unexpected of them all has to do with Sam and the dragons!

The ending was one I wasn't really expecting at all, but I have to say I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. There's a battle, there are dragons and it's pretty epic. Ana has to face Janan and it is done in such a poetic way! Ana's choices have more weight than she could have ever imagined and the ending is quite final but the final paragraphs will leave the door open to imagining the future you'd want.

Infinite is a proper epic fantasy book, even if Asunder, Phoenix Overture and this one itself also gives us enough proof that it could also be considered dystopian.

Did I mention there are dragons?

5 stars without a doubt for this one.



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Showcase Sunday #22!!

Showcase Sunday is a weekly feature hosted by Vicky of Books, Biscuits, and Tea where all book lovers can share with others what bookish goodness we got this week, be it purchased (physical or eBook), won, gifted or for review!

This week I got approved for a few very cool books on NetGalley and to my big surprise, I have been approved for another book on Edelweiss by Penguin!! I really wasn't expecting that! It also made me feel better until I got denied for all the Harper Teen titles I had requested, bummer!

Purchased (via Kindle app)

Tempest I got after reading the reviews for the entire series on Giselle's XpressoReads, The Mist on Bronte Moor was free this week (thanks Ula!) and had been on the TBR for a while and The Darkness of Light I discovered via Jamie Grey's blog and I'm a sucker for everything Irish!

Tempest by Julie Cross

The Mist on Brontë Moor by Aviva Orr

The Darkness of Light by Tammy Farrell

For Review (via NetGalley)

Lockstep by Karl Schroeder

The Forever Watch by David Ramirez

For Review (via Edelweiss)

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

What all did you guys get this week? Any unexpected awesomeness in the mail?

Friday Reads: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon!!

Hello everyone! This week's Friday Reads is a book that was pushed (nicely) on me by some of my fellow bloggers, those whose opinion I always check before picking a book, and that was also in my TBR list since last year! So thank you to Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction and Maja from The Nocturnal Library for telling me I really HAD to read this one!

This book is also part of my 2014 TBR Pile challenge, so far I'm doing fairly decently on two of my 4 challenges! I really need to get cracking on the other two!

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I arrived a bit late to the phenomenon that The Bone Season was on 2013, but after two of my trusted bloggers highly recommeneded it (it was part of their fave books of 2013 lists) I decided that I just had to get it!

And clearly, I had been missing out. The Bone Season is one fantastic first book in a very promising series. I can also understand how the pacing and the world building can seem slow for some people, but since I tend to gobble up all the information and world building than authors would throw at me, I never really minded all the explanations I got.

This world really is a different one, with a heavy focus on the paranormal because it is what defines it. There are people with gifts that are the clairvoyants and people without them, and the later are the ones in charge. Being a voyant is a danger and unless you belong with one of the syndicates of organized crime, you risk death or imprisonment. The syndicates aren't exactly a walk in the part either, but they keep the voyants safe from the government (the Scion).

Paige Mahoney is one of those voyants part of a syndicate, she's one of the Seven Dials and is called the Pale Dreamer. Her boss treats her like a comodity and a treasure both, but she feels like she belongs there. That changes the night she's captured for trying to escape detection via the Scion police and when she discovers that her gift, dreamwalking, can be used as a weapon too.

She's taken to Sheol I, previously known as Oxford, a prison city for voyants ruled by a race of non-human beings called the Rephaim. She ends up being under the care & training of Warden, the consort of the Rephaite ruler.

The details about past and present, with memories from Paige, the vivid descriptions of how London is in this new world and how Sheol I works, all makes up a fantastic world that you just can't wait to get more details about. About the Rephaim, about how the Scion came to power, about the different types of voyants... And everything with a writing that you can enjoy reading!

There's a lot of depth to the characters we encounter in this pages, not only the main ones, but also all the secondary ones. There is so much richness of detail to all the different relationships, from alliances, to mistrust, to unrequited love.

Paige is a fantastic heroine, determined and a survivor, with a headstrong tendency that gets her to never give up and never surrender even when facing unknown dangers and not-so-good odds. She is a fighter, but she also has a lot of compassion and that is what rounds her up so well.

Warden is a very enigmatic character at first, with quite unclear motives, and I felt that my attitude towards him took a very similar path to the one that Paige followed, even if I think I found myself hoping Paige trusted him earlier than she did.

Their relationship progresses in a very slow and quite realistic way. From mistrust and certain hatred, to a tentative truce and collaboration, to trust and acknowledgement of mutual attraction. I really liked how the interactions between these two started to change and progress and seeing them become allies.

This book wraps up one storyline, but leaves so many open doors and unanswered questions, and such a long fight ahead. That ending really did tug at some heartstrings, and I cannot wait to see what the next book will bring!

It was an excellent debut and first book, some of the unanswered questions that we got hinted at bothered me, cause it felt a bit like left too obviously hanging till the next book. Still, I cannot wait to read more about this world and these characters. A bit undecided between 4 and 4.5 stars, but I'd definitely recommend everyone to read this one!




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Xpresso Book Tours Blog Tour for Witch Fall by Amber Argyle!

 Hey there everyone! Today I'm taking part in the Blog Tour for Witch Fall by Amber Argyle , organized by Xpresso Book Tours!

I will be sharing by review & a Blog Tour wide giveaway, so click HERE for the full tour schedule! But before that, let's get you some more information about the book & author, shall we?

 Witch Fall by Amber Argyle

(Witch Song #3 (Prequel))
Publication date: October 24th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

All things fall.

Even Witches.

Supreme in their dominion over seasons, storms, and sea, the Witches have forgotten the unmatched destructiveness of mankind. And among the weapons men seek are the magical songs of the Witches.

Lilette is one of the few who see the decadence and decay weakening the Witches. As an outsider amid her own kind, can she help them survive the coming war?

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15829923-witch-fall?ac=1

Purchase: 

--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Fall-Song-3-ebook/dp/B00H9MJL48/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1389014427&sr=8-3&keywords=amber+argyle

--Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witch-fall-amber-argyle/1117953686?ean=2940149096534

Since Witch Fall is book 3 but also a prequel, you might want to check out book 1, Witch Song, that is FREE on Amazon to celebrate Witch Fall's release!

 http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Song-Amber-Argyle-ebook/dp/B00E8MFVG4/ref=pd_sim_kstore_4 

 About the author:

Amber Argyle is the author of Witch Song and Fairy Queen trilogies. She grew up with three brothers on a cattle ranch in the Rocky Mountains. She spent hours riding horses, roaming the mountains, and playing in her family’s creepy barn. This environment fueled her imagination for writing high fantasy. She has worked as a short order cook, janitor, and staff member in a mental institution. All of which has given her great insight into the human condition and has made for some unique characters. She received her bachelor’s degree in English and Physical Education from Utah State University. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and three small children.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

 My Review

I'm not usually a big fan of witches books, they usually end up full of a few too many cliches. But after loving Amber Argyle's Winter Queen, I knew I needed to give a chance to her Witch Song series.

Witch Fall is the third book but it's actually a prequel, so reading it before Witch Song and Witch Born makes sense chronologically, though it might have spoiled me a bit for Brusenna's journey, since I already know a history she might have to learn from scratch through the books.

Lilette's story is not an easy one to read, not because it is not beautifully told or because it's boring. It is cause it's full of too many losses and a neverending fight to do what's right. She might just be the most powerful witch that ever was and the quest for that power is what starts a chain of events that lead to a lot of destruction and death. Witches have the power of creation and life, and they can control the elements with their signing, and despite their best intentions such a power can be corrupted.

This book has a bit of everything, from the intimate of the wonderful relationships between the different characters, to the grand scheme of things full of power plays, politics and a fantastic world building. There's friendship, romance, betrayal, epic battles and emotional scences.

Lilette was a wonderful main character, a survivor despite all odds, always trying to find a way out of bad situations, never surrendering herself to fate, and always fighting to do what's write. Even when I didn't fully agree with her choices I still liked her strenght and her determination. A strong female character that I loved rooting for!

If you love stories about witches, you really need to read this series, and if you aren't so sure about them, give this one a try, it might make a convert out of you!

Very well deserved 4 stars!

The Giveaway

US only

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251308/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting On Wednesday #25!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!


What book am I biting my nails waiting desperatedly to get my hands on this week? Into The Still Blue by Veronica Rossi!

Goodreads Summary:

"The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Times bestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close."



Why am I eagerly awaiting Into The Still Blue by Veronica Rossi? Are you kidding me? It is the final book in another trilogy that I'm in love with, and I just cannot wait to see how everything plays out! There are quite a few favourite series ending this year, and it's gonna be a very bittersweet feeling, cause I'll finally know what happens, but I'll also have to say goodbye to the characters, and I'm not gonna like saying bye to Aria and Perry at all!


What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?

Mark This Book Monday: Review of Solstice by P.J. Hoover!

Even if it's a bit later than usual, I have a review up for this week's Mark This Book Monday, and it is the first book read for the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge!

This copy of Solstice I won in a giveaway, it was US only but they allowed you providing a US address even if you didn't live there, so I asked my sis-in-law if she didn't mind getting the book shipped to her, and she agreed. The book was sent to her, then the bf's mom brought it along to her to India since I was gonna be visiting in Delhi in October. So Solstice has taken a nice trip, from US to India to Spain!


Solstice by P.J. Hoover

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I won Solstice a while back on a giveaway, and after a few thousands of miles, we finally made it back to Spain in November. It sounds very intriguing with the combination of Greek mythology and dystopian aspects, even if now that I'm done it's can't be defined as dystopian, but purely a different rework of Greek myths.

Piper lives in Austin with her overprotective mom, and boy when I say overprotective I mean insanely so. The world has changed in the last 18 years and it's like climate change on steroids. Massive heat with life dying left, right and centre. Piper has been too sheltered all her life and she is ready to rebel, like any other teenager but in her case from an even more extreme situation.

At first that's what it seemed, a dystopian setting, a teenager trying to rebel against her mother's oppresive care, with a best friend that supports the rebelling, and two guys vying for her attention. And there were the signs of the dreaded love triangle. It wasn't too bad since it was understandable that she wanted to meet and date the guys since she was attracted to both but somehow Piper's behaviour had me shaking my head, she didn't seem to be rebelling as much as being too naive!

It all changed for the better when the Greek myths started to become apparent, and given that I am a huge fan of Greek mythology I really enjoyed it! I of course slapped myself for not seeing before what was quite obvious from the beginning, but of course I guessed it way before Piper herself did. Still I couldn't wait to see how everything would tie with the original myths once Piper figured out things.

Piper did grow into herself during the book, quite literally. And despite some times I shook my head at her early attitude, I really liked how she was hellbent on making her own choices and not having other people made them for her.

Despite a bit of rocky beginning, I ended up enjoying this book, and reading a stand alone is always a nice change of pace, with a story wrapped up in full. 3.5 stars.



View all my reviews

Showcase Sunday #21!

Showcase Sunday is a weekly feature hosted by Vicky of Books, Biscuits, and Tea where all book lovers can share with others what bookish goodness we got this week, be it purchased (physical or eBook), won, gifted or for review!

This week I got a fair bunch of books, and quite a mix of purchased and for review, with some very cool approvals on NetGalley this week!

Purchased (via The Book Depository)

I wanted to get all the Cahill Witches books in paperback so I'd have the matching covers, and the first one arrived this week!

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Purchased (via Kindle app)

Spring Fevers (An Anthology) edited by Matt Sinclair

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The War Inside by M Kircher

Howling For You by Chloe Neill

For Review (via Xpresso Book Tours)

A rather bad photo, but I got the ARC for the second book in the Hidden series and since the cover has not been revealed I didn't want to risk the final cover being similar to the one that the ARC has!

Broken Bargain by Clare Davidson

For Review (via NetGalley)

I want to say a big big THANK YOU to Strange Chemistry for its auto-approval on NetGalley, again! And a big THANK YOU too to Entangled Publishing!

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by M.G. Buehrlen

Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout

What all did you guys get this week?

Friday Reads: Mini Review: Howling For You by Chloe Neill!

Hello everyone!

This week I've been in a bit of a reading slump and I've been recovering by watching loads of Arrow! I read an anthology of fantastic short stories and this novella that is gonna be a Mini Review for Friday Reads!


Howling For You by Chloe Neill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love the Chicagoland Vampire series, and it's one of my three adult series & Urban Fantasy at that, that I'm still following devoutly and cannot wait for the next installment!

Howling For You is a novella that takes place between the events of Biting Bad and the upcoming Wild Things, and instead of following Merit, Ethan and their vampires, it's all about Fallon, Jeff and the Pack!

I was very happy to read more about the Keenes and about Jeff & Fallon story that had been alluded at in previous books. Jeff is one of my fave characters, and I've always wanted to know a bit more about Gabriel, his family and the NAC Pack.

I guess because of the cover I was expecting this novella to be from Jeff's POV but instead it is from Fallon's. Fallon is quite a great character, and I really like that in the Pack she had been groomed as next in line for leadership following the birth order, gender not being an issue.

This novella is all about Fallon and Jeff and how they cannot be together due to Pack tradition and responsability and Fallon feeling like she must put Pack before herself. Jeff is ready to ignore everything and give them a chance.

There's romantic tension, betrayal, Pack politics and plenty of adorable interactions between Fallon and Jeff! 4 stars for this one!

And to make it even better we also got the first two chapters of the next book, Wild Things! Cannot wait till Feb 4th!



View all my reviews

Cover Reveal with Xpresso Book Tours: Bad Blood by Nikki Jefford!!

Hi guys! Today I have a cover reveal for the third book of a vampire series that I've recently fallen in love with! I was luck enough to take part of the blog tour for book 1 & 2 of the Aurora Sky series and I was more than happy to also be part of the cover reveal organized by Xpresso Book Tours for book 3!

Before you get to see the absolutely gorgeous cover designed by Phatpuppy Art, I'm gonna tell you a bit more about the book.


Bad Blood by Nikki Jefford 
(Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #3)
Publication date: May 2014
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy


Aurora Returns Spring 2014!

BAD IS THE NEW GOOD

Aurora returns from boot camp to a new assignment, an unwelcome roommate, and the increasingly amorous attentions of a certain vampire hunter.

College is starting, and so is Aurora’s undercover work at a network of swanky parties known as “Tastings” for high rolling vampires who like their blood laced with fine wine. But Aurora’s not the only one on the prowl. An underground investigation is under way to find out who killed one of Anchorage’s most prominent vampires… and Aurora is a prime suspect.


Ready to see the stunning cover? Here you go!!

 

***Don’t miss STAKEOUT, Vol. 2.5, a 53,000 word novella featuring Noel Harper and the entire Aurora Sky gang. Releasing January 2014.***

Goodreads 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19075697-bad-blood?ac=1

 

 Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? It matches the covers for book 1 & 2 but this time we see only Aurora, in what I suppose must be one of her party outfits, and I adore the look of that fabric!

 Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands (Wash.) where she is once more neighbors with Canada in a town without a single traffic light. She loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt.

When she's not reading, writing, working, or out on a nature walk, she's out riding her Suzuki DRZ400SM.


Website |  Goodreads |  Facebook | Twitter  

Waiting On Wednesday #24!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!


What book am I very eagerly awaiting this week? The Star Thief by Jamie Grey!

Goodreads summary:

"She might only be twenty-three, but Renna Carrizal is the most notorious thief in the galaxy. There’s just one problem – all she wants is to get the frak out of the business.

But when Renna rescues an injured boy from the warehouse she’s casing, she finds herself on the run from the mob instead of enjoying retirement on a garden world. Turns out, the kid was a plant to lead her to MYTH, a top-secret galactic protection agency.

MYTH needs Renna’s special skills, and they make her an offer she can’t refuse – unless she'd like to spend the rest of her life on a prison ship. To make sure she does her job they shackle her with a MYTH watchdog, the handsome but arrogant Captain Finn.

A former mercenary-turned-galactic-hero, Finn happens to have his own dirty secrets. Secrets that Renna wouldn’t mind uncovering for herself. Together, they discover an experiment to develop illegal cybernetics that will create an unstoppable army. The intended target? The human star fleet.

Now Renna must use her skills as the Star Thief to pull off the biggest job of her career – saving the galaxy. And herself."

Why am I eagerly awaiting The Star Thief by Jamie Grey? Well, it is science fiction and I am a huge science fiction lover! It's also NA and I think it'll be a great idea to read this one to read more NA. And frankly, after reading Jamie's debut (Ultraviolet Catastrophe) I'm quite excited to read anything by her!


What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?