Friday Reads: ARC Review of Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike!

And as the final Friday Reads of the week, I'm having another NetGalley ARC review, trying to clean up my list properly before the New Year!


Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was lucky enough to get a copy of Earthbound for review on NetGalley a while back, but I didn't get to read it till now.

I am a bit torn about Earthbound, cause the premise is quite interesting and the story itself and the writing weren't bad. I found the paranormal aspect of it very intriguing and refreshing, since it was a different take on myths and none of the usual paranormal creatures are involved.

I felt like Tavia was written well enough and her injuries and recovery and her healing process was believable enough. And her running away and trying to find answers and being a bit stupid on occasion also made sense. What really didn't sit all that well with me was the mess that the emotional triangle became. Tavia was horribly torn, she couldn't make up her mind and once she did it was just to have her heart broken messily. I've never been a fan of love triangles and this one was annoying me. Also all the "for your own good" explanations and witholding of information were something that didn't work for me. It made the book seemed like a contemporary tale in the beginning to turn into paranormal halfway into it, all with a heavy dose of romance.

I still managed to enjoy the book, more the final part of it since it had more action, we found out quite a bit more of information and there was a bit of resolution to the love triangle, even if I'm not sure if I'm happy with the way it was solved.

I'll probably be checking out the next book, hoping for more world building on the Earthbounds and more revelations, and hopefully avoiding dragging the love triangle in again?

3 stars for this one.





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Friday Reads: Mini Reviews: Proxy and Annie and Fia!

I'm gonna start this week's Friday Reads with a pair of Mini Reviews for two novellas that released this week.



Annie and Fia by Kiersten White

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Annie and Fia is a short novella that can be considered a prequel to Mind Games. It is told in the same way that Mind Games was, jumping through time in each chapter and alternating between Fia and Annie's POVs.

We get a look at some of the events that shaped the Annie and Fia that we met in Mind Games, some of the events that seemed to have been the turning point for both of them. We get to see Annie's first vision and we get to see how she had to deal with people being cruel to her. And we see Fia losing her innocence and getting herself tangled more and more in the darker side of the "school" and how she keeps on putting Annie before her every time.

Might be cause of its short length or maybe cause we've already heard about some of the events that happen, or we already see the sisters changed in Mind Games, this one didn't seem to add that much to the overall story for me, maybe a bit more understanding to the way Annie clings to the only happiness she had in the school and how Fia seems to sacrifice everything to keep Annie happy.

All in all, 3 stars for me.




Proxy by Mindee Arnett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Proxy is a prequel novella for the new science fiction series by Mindee Arnett.

In Proxy we meet all the main characters that we will be following in Avalon, the first book in the series, Jeth and the rest of the Shades. We are introduced to them and what they do for a living. We're thrown right away into the action and we get to know the characters by the way they act.

I was quite excited about Proxy cause it is an introduction to the world of Avalon and I'm happy to report that I'm already in love with Jeth and his band of smart misfits! I am a lover of science fiction and if Avalon is like Proxy, it is quite promising! Full of action, with enough development to make you care for them and look forward to read more about them. There were no hints at a romance at all, and I wouldn't be upset if there was none in Avalon. Not that I don't appreciate a well done romance, but I feel like I need a bit of a break and reading some adventures in space without romance taking over the plot sounds great.

There's also the first chapter of Avalon at the end of Proxy and damn, does it leave you wanting more!

4 well deserved stars to this introduction to the Avalon world.



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Book Blitz: Across The Wire by Stella Telleria! Guest post and giveaway!

 Across the Wire by Stella Telleria

Publication date: November 2013

Genres: Adult, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

When Mia Mitchell, a hardcore but lonely former Marine, steps into an alley to pull some thugs off an unlucky foreigner, she walks into a fight she expects. What she doesn’t see coming is the foreigner making her a job offer any sane person would refuse. So, she takes it. She thinks she’s headed for some third-world country; instead she’s mysteriously transported to an Earth-like parallel world. That’s a mad left-hook.

Mia discovers a matriarchal dystopia where freedom doesn’t exist and fighting for it means execution. Lethal force bends all to the law; women fear for their families and un-wed men suffer slavery. Mia’s job is to train an underground syndicate of male freedom-fighters for a violent revolution. However, the guys don’t want a pair of X chromosomes showing them the way.
Eben, an escaped slave, is encouraged by Mia to become a leader among the men. But when he turns his quiet determination on her, it spells F.U.B.A.R. for cynical Mia. Their unexpected connection threatens more than her exit strategy; it threatens the power struggle festering with in the syndicate.
Haunted by nightmares and post-traumatic stress, unsure who to trust or how to get home, Mia struggles to stay alive as she realizes all is not what it seems.

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18752667-across-the-wire?ac=1

Purchase:

—Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Across-Wire-The-Male-Amendment-ebook/dp/B00GEUMY0E/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1383603440&sr=8-22&keywords=across+the+wire

—Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374686

—Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/books/Across-the-Wire/MLkkgY2PS0yPGzgUSiqGYw

 About the author:

All my life I’ve dreamed of stories or have had my nose buried in one. I live in Edmonton, Canada with my husband and my weird sense of humor.

I love old war movies, dystopian fiction, and any story with action, a good plot, and characters I'd get into a fight at the pub for. Not that I'm a brawler or anything. Unless you think that out-of-print book or vintage piece at the thrift shop is going home with you instead of me. Then, my friend, the gloves are off.

Author links:

http://www.stellatelleria.com/

https://twitter.com/Stellatelleria

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stella-Telleria/618003478260798

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7373984.Stella_Telleria

Guest post by Stella Telleria: Creating the Book Cover! 

 

 I know a lot of authors who cringe at the thought of creating a cover for their novel. This creative process is different than the writing process, but I’ve always met it with anticipation as it signifies the book reaching completion. Being a self-pub author, I had full control over the cover which made it an exciting and scary experience.


While I’ve helped design covers or given feedback to authors on this topic, I’m no expert. But as an avid reader I know what I like and don’t like when it comes to covers.


What I do caution other self-pub writers against is the idea that the cover must accurately convey the story. I have a writer friend who is quite an accomplished painter and he has hopes of using his art as his cover. Instead of either of these two goals I suggest the author realize the cover is not about you or the story. Yes, it should relate to the story in some way, but realize that the cover is for your reader, not you.


Things to think long and hard about:


Who is your target audience?
What other novels/genres will the readers who read your novel pick up?
What do other covers in your genre tend to look like?
Is your reader male or female?
What’s the reader’s age bracket?
Would this image make you stop and pick up this novel in a bookstore?


These are the only things you should be concerned about and you should always get as many opinions as you can. One stock photo may alienate a gender, or embarrass a business man or mother, or not appeal to a younger generation. I also prefer to stay away from having faces on covers. I, as a reader, don’t like to be told what the characters look like. I prefer to imagine them myself. It’s okay if there are people on the cover if I can’t see their faces.

And now for the giveaway!!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251281/ " rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting On Wednesday #19!!

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!

This week the book I'm biting-my-nails-while-waiting-for-release-day is Unhinged by A.G. Howard!

Goodreads summary:

"Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head."


Why am I eagerly awaiting Unhinged? Well, aside from the obvious cover lust, I absolutely loved Splintered as a creepy and stunning retelling of Alice In Wonderland and I was beyond delighted when I heard that there was more to the story! I just can't wait to read more about Alyssa, Jeb & Morpheus... and even more after reading The Moth & The Mirror!

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

Release Day for Proxy by Mindee Arnett! Excerpt and Giveaway!

 

 

Proxy by Mindee Arnett.

If you need something stolen from any star system in the Confederation, you need look no further than the Shades. Jeth Seagrave and his band of teenage mercenaries have been making a name for themselves for being able to steal anything—and for disappearing before anyone is the wiser.

Their latest job, a jewel heist on Grakkus, should be no different. But when Jeth's boss replaces a key member of his crew just before takeoff, and Jeth discovers a betrayal within his own ranks, he begins to suspect that not everyone is going to be coming back from his job alive.

Proxy is an action-packed introduction to a world like nothing readers have seen before.


About the author:

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares. She's the YA author of The Nightmare Affair (Tor Teen), an urban fantasy series about a girl who is literally a nightmare and must use her skills to solve a murder, and the forthcoming science fiction series, Avalon (B+B, 1/21/2014), where Jeth and his teenage mercenaries need to pull off one last big job in order to earn their freedom.

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/

I am super excited to read Proxy, the prequel to Avalon, and if you guys are as excited as I am, here's an excerpt for your reading pleasure!:

"The thrill of the job never got old. Jeth Seagrave lived for it. For the way the anticipation sent electricity pulsing through his veins, making his blood burn hotter, his heart beat harder, and sharpening his senses until he felt like something more than human. A superhero from one of the ancient myths of First Earth, perhaps. 

You’re no hero. The automatic thought skidded through his mind, barely registering. No, he wasn’t. He was a thief. One of the best. 

And that was all that mattered. Never mind that he was only sixteen. Never mind that most of his crew was even younger. Together they were an unstoppable force, a gang of teenage thieves their adult marks never saw coming. The thrill pulsed harder inside him, and with an effort he focused on the nav monitor in front of him. They would be entering the patrolled zone around the planet Grakkus soon. 

To his left, Celeste piloted the Debonair forward, her hands steady on the control column. Jeth would’ve preferred to pilot this job—he would prefer to pilot every job—but he and Celeste took turns. All of the members of the Malleus Shades held specific roles that played to their strengths. Celeste’s forte was counterintelligence, particularly the art of distracting marks. Jeth’s was strategy, and he typically took point on every job. But when it came to piloting, he and Celeste were equally matched. 

Jeth drew a breath, still struggling to focus. He couldn’t help it. The upcoming job was the most challenging, complicated one they’d taken on yet. The target was located in a vault at the top of a tower only accessible through the emperor of Grakkus’s personal bedchambers—not some insignificant politician or petty crime lord, but an emperor. Pulling it off would be like flying a spaceship through a solar storm without getting fried.
A grin threatened to break on his face. The job was going to be fun, and with a payout well worth the risk. 

At last the nav computer flashed an indicator that they were heading into the patrolled zone.
Celeste glanced at him, her dark eyes narrowing. Straight black hair hung in a blunt cut down to her shoulders. “Are you going to turn on the stealth drive or what?”
“I’m thinking about it.” A part of him didn’t want to. The so-called stealth drive was brand new and untested, at least by the Shades. If it didn’t work, things were going to get a whole lot more interesting real quick. And if it did work, well, then things weren’t going to get interesting. He couldn’t decide which he preferred. 

In the end, Celeste made the decision for him, reaching over to a switch on a sleek new section of the control panel. Jeth sighed. It was the right thing to do, of course, and there would be plenty of risks to be had once they landed. 

Or it might not work properly, he thought, examining the nav monitor once more. Best not to blindly trust some newfangled technology. Within minutes he spotted a blimp on the monitor, a patrol to their starboard. The ship was far off, but within range to scan them. 

“What should I do?” A hint of panic colored Celeste’s voice. They had never before flown so boldly through a patrolled area.
“Hold course,” Jeth said, not taking his eyes off the blimp. So far the patrol ship hadn’t given any sign that it had spotted them.
“You sure you’re right?”
“Aren’t I always?”
Celeste snorted. “Do you want an honest answer?”
“Nope. I prefer my own version of the truth.”
“Right.” Celeste tightened her grip on the controls. According to the instructions they’d received from their employer, who owned the Debonair, the stealth drive worked best when the ship maintained a constant speed and course. Any sharp turns or drastic acceleration or deceleration could turn up on a system scanning for thruster signatures, stealth drive or no. 

Maybe it was for the best that Celeste was piloting, Jeth realized. He would’ve been tempted to test the theory of what constituted “drastic.” 

They passed out of range of the patrol a few minutes later, and Jeth sat back in the copilot’s chair, folding his arms across his chest as he tried to ignore his disappointment. They flew within range of three more patrols but moved past them without incident, finally breaching Grakkus’s atmosphere.
Once through, Celeste headed for their rendezvous point, an isolated forested area a few hundred kilometers outside of the capital city. Beyond the bridge’s main windows, the first rays of sunlight were breasting the horizon, heralded by a swath of purple, pink, and vermillion. 

At last Celeste set the Debonair down on a large stretch of tall grass the color of seaweed. She powered off the engines and turned on the auxiliary, which would keep the shipboard systems running, including the stealth drive. It wasn’t likely that anyone would spot them out here—the place was well off the main thoroughfares, not to mention how inhospitable the swamp surrounding them was—but Jeth decided not to point that out. 

Celeste stood and stretched, the movement languid as if she were part cat. The dark, fitted clothing she wore aided the illusion. “So, what now?”

Jeth checked his watch, which he’d synced to Grakkus time. “I say breakfast or lunch, whichever works, and then a couple hours’ R and R. The setup man’s not due to arrive until fourteen hundred.” They’d had to get here early to avoid being detected during landing. The stealth drive hid them from sight, but it couldn’t disguise the sound of the engines or the wind raised by the thrusters.
“Think I’m going to shower again, before—” Celeste broke off as a voice echoed over the ship’s comm system. 

“Um, Boss? We sorta have a situation. You might want to get down to the common room.”
Jeth blinked, all his disappointment from their unadventurous journey vanishing in the space of a single breath. It wasn’t often that Will Shady sounded nervous. 

Wondering if maybe the ship was on fire, Jeth turned and headed off the bridge with Celeste quick on his heels. They arrived in the common room on the deck below moments later. Jeth stopped in the doorway, surveying the scene. There wasn’t a fire. There wasn’t anything amiss at all, as far as he could tell. Shady was sitting on one of the sofas, his attention focused on the 3D projection from his portable gaming system, a wave of bloodthirsty robots coming at him, each one falling to his simulated gunfire. The comm unit he’d used to radio the bridge sat discarded on the sofa beside him, in danger of being swallowed by a cushion. 

Jeth approached him. “What are you doing?”
“Practicing,” Shady said, not looking up. The scowl on his face as he let off a triple blast, drilling a robot right between its bulbous black eyes, made his features look distinctly leonine, the appearance aided by his shaggy mane of blond hair. Shady’s assigned role in the Malleus Shades was ordnance officer.
Jeth put his hands on his hips. “We’re not going to be shooting anybody on this job. And please tell me this wasn’t the thing I needed to see.”
Shady shook his head. “Nope. It’s in that storage locker.” He pointed to the row of lockers along the wall across from them. “The one in the middle.”
Jeth arched an eyebrow. He considered pressing Shady for more, but knew there wasn’t much point. All the crew dealt with prejob nerves in different ways, and once engrossed in his ritual video game, it was hard to get Shady to concern himself with anything else.
Jeth crossed the floor to the locker in question, wondering where the Debonair had been last. Their employer used the ship for lots of different jobs, and it was possible it had been parked planetside somewhere a wild animal could’ve gotten in. An image of something furry and clawed and with teeth the size of fingers flashed through Jeth’s mind. He wasn’t wearing a gun, and he briefly considered getting one before finding out what had Shady so nervous, but then he shrugged and pulled the door open. 

There was something alive in there all right, but it wasn’t a wild animal. Even still, it took Jeth several moments to come to grip with what it was. Who it was."

 Aaaaaand, there's also a giveaway!! Click to enter the rafflecopter giveaway!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7511d04/

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2014 at Blog of Erised!!

Yep, I am signing up for another challenge for next year. You might be wondering if I am not biting more than I can chew, but lemme tell you this challenge will complement my other challenge for 2014. Since I read a lot of dystopian books anyways cause it's one of my favourite genres to read (along with science fiction) I thought that joining the Dystopia Reading Challenge 2014 organized by Blog of Erised would be a good idea to keep track of all the dystopian books I read!

Since I already have a few dystopian series in my goals list for the  2014 Series Challenge and a few dystopian series that end next year that are in my most awaited list, I think I will be ok, and will manage to reach the 24 books challenge goal!




If you want to join in the challenge, check out Ula's blog post, grab the button and add yourself to the sign-in linky!

Mark This Book Monday: Mini Reviews for Bitter Sweet Love and What to Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything!

Hey guys! I'm starting the week with another edition of Mark This Book Monday's mini reviews for a pair of novellas.


What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This installment in the Bane Chronicles has to be my favourite so far. Not only it is contemporary with TMI, but also gives us a glimpse of what's happening outside of Clary & Jace's perspective. Not only that, it also gets into the more personal side of Magnus, the one that show us his human part more than his flamboyant warlock side.

Magnus is hired to summon a demon on Alec's birthday, and while he waits for the client to return, he analizes his relationship with Alec, relives a few memories, makes a pair of calls for help and manages to find the perfect gift for Alec.

Getting to see their relationship from a first person POV made me care even more for these two's relationship, and I'm so hoping they'll survive the last TMI book! To use the proper phrase for this... I so ship these two!



Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bitter Sweet Love is our introduction to the new series by Jennifer L Armentrout about gargoyles, which made me quite excited since the books about gargoyles aren't really all that common!

This novella is our first introduction to the world of the Wardens, gargoyles that have a very patriarchal structure (that bothered me a bit) and their purpose is to fight demons to keep humanity safe.

All of that we find out through the story of Jasmine and Dez, two childhood inseparable friends that were going to be "mated" (get officially together according to Wardens' law) before Dez suddenly left and stayed away for 3 years. Then he returns and tries to win Jasmine back. We also get a peek at the main characters for White Hot Kiss, the first book proper on The Dark Elements series. I'm also hoping we'll get to see Jasmine and Dez again as the series progresses.

Bitter Sweet Love was a very much entertaining and sexy read, with the trademark swoons and humour I've come to expect from JLA, so I think this new series will be another I'll be following. A 3.5 to 4 stars read.



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NetGalley November: Time's Up!

NetGalley November was a challenge organized by K-Books, Bookish Treasures & A Daydreamer's Thoughts to tackle our TBR list of books for review that we got from NetGalley.

I had originally aimed to read between 11-15 eARCs but I have massively failed at it! I did manage to improve my ratio a little bit, and I do plan to continue with the catching up during December, to try and start the New Year closer or on the 80% recommended ratio there!

What all did I manage to read?

- Covenant From Hell by Priscilla Royal
- Cracked by Eliza Crewel
- The Pentrals by Crystal Mack
- Pawn by Aimee Carter
- Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
- The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

So 6 books total puts me in the Medium range of the challenge, and though I improved my ratio a lil bit, I'm still a while away from 80%, since right now I'm at 58%!