Showcase Sunday #17!!

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 some books for my Kindle app, I got thoroughly disappointed with The Book Depository and Royal Mail when my preordered harcover of These Broken Stars failed to arrive in the mail on release week but it all got better in the end when I got my ARC of The Star Thief!

Purchased (via Kindle app)

Witch Rising (Witch Song 2.5) by Amber Argyle

One & Only by Viv Daniels

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

For Review (via the author)

The Star Thief by Jamie Grey! A New Adult Science Fiction that doesn't have a cover yet but I'm so excited to start reading it now!

Nothing approved on NetGalley or Edelweiss this week, I got another two refusals from Harper Collins on Edelweiss, I guess it must be my non-US-ness!

What all did you guys get this week?

Friday Reads: Review of Northern Bites by Nikki Jefford!

This week's Friday Reads is a review for a very recently discovered vampire series with enough different characteristics that I'm really enjoying reading!


Northern Bites by Nikki Jefford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Northern Bites is the second book in the Aurora Sky series and I got it from the author in exchange for an honest review, since I was part of the Blog Tour.

Northern Bites starts pretty much where we are left at the end of Aurora Sky and dealing with all the changes that Aurora has to deal with. New high school, her relationship with Fane broken and recovering from a rather gruesome battle.

One of the agents has been killed and Aurora is paired with Valerie and the Agency's recruiter, a very creepy guy called Jared, to hunt down the vampires responsible for it. Things won't be easy for Aurora working with a creep and her nemesis, and she'll discover quite a few unexpected truths about the Agency and herself.

Aurora has definitely grown during book 1 and she continues to do so in book 2, and thankfully she stopped annoying me almost completely. She was dealing pretty well with all the things she kept on getting thrown at her, even with the usual lack of information the Agency gave her for her missions. She even manages to find some sort of truce to work with Valerie, despite their differences. She still acts a lil stupidly on occasion, but hey she's still a teenager.

There's plenty of action with loads of revelations and even some unexpected betrayals (or are they really?). I love how Aurora keeps on wondering to what extent she's a vampire and what is the serum really doing to her and if it might not be malfunctioning. We also get quite a bit of family time with her mom and we meet her grandma, a very quirky and bossy old lady.

The romance is obviously still present, and it seems to be turning a bit more into a love triangle with Fane and Dante. But neither angle is really resolved here, since Aurora seems to be a bit more attracted to Dante than in book 1, but she still has feelings for Fane, though the situation there is more than complicated! I think so far I'm still shipping Aurora and Fane and I'm not being annoyed about the love triangle, since it's more background than foreground.

The book doesn't end in an obvious cliffhanger, but we're left with quite a good number of unresolved issues and Aurora in a position she really wasn't expecting to be. I'm quite looking forward to see how the next book will play out!

With a less annoying Aurora and the stakes getting a little higher, this one was a super fast read and I'm debating between 3.5 and 4 stars!



View all my reviews

Xpresso Book Tours Blog Tour: Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter by Nikki Jefford!!

Hello everyone! Today I'm very pleased to be part of the Blog Tour for the Aurora Sky series by Nikki Jefford organized by Xpresso Book Tours!

You can check out the rest of the book tour HERE, so go check every other stop in the tour, you can get more reviews, excepts and guest post from the author!

As my stop in the tour, I will be sharing my review of book 1, but first let me introduce you to the series and author!

BOOK ONE:

Aurora Sky by Nikki Jefford
(Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #1)
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

Her blood is toxic to vampires.

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it's to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn't hurt either.

Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora's life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter in Alaska. Basically she's a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job...by hand.

Now Aurora's only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire.

(Mature YA/New Adult series. Contains mild language, violence, sexual situations . . . and blood sucking.)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17061189-aurora-sky

Purchase: 

--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Sky-Vampire-Nikki-Jefford-ebook/dp/B00AEGD5XY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

--Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/aurora-sky-nikki-jefford/1113946626?ean=2940044354777

About the author: 

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.

 

 

Author links:

http://www.nikkijefford.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5424286.Nikki_Jefford

https://www.facebook.com/authornikkijefford?ref=ts&fref=ts

https://twitter.com/NikkiJefford

 

 

My review for Aurora Sky book 1, also called Transfusion.

Since I've always a soft spot for vampire stories I really felt intrigued when I heard about the Aurora Sky series, so when I was given a chance to get some copies of the books for review I jumped at it!

Aurora lives in Anchorhead, Alaska and it's a senior in high school that can't wait to leave for her dream collage, Notre Dame. Her life is not perfect since her dad is never home and her best friend really doesn't seem to deserve that name but it all changes even more the day she has a car accident and wakes up all changed in a military/government base. She was brought back from the dead, turned into something not exactly human and now she has to be a vampire hunter. No choices for her unless it's do what the government wants or be eliminated. Yep, harsh and quite angst inducing.

Aurora goes into an angsty and rebellious phase that although understandable (who would like to be told she should be grateful she's a chosen one for a greater good and to leave behind all their plans when they're 17? Not me that for sure!) it did annoy me a little bit. Then she blindly goes into a relationship with a guy cause he looks tempting and dangerous but doesn't suspect him of being something else? Crazy Aurora annoyed me, but at least she managed to get herself in check eventually and even during her crazy stupid phase she could kick arse.

I really liked the take on vampires, informants and vampire hunters and how it all was explained with reference to the actual illnesses that we now think might have given birth to the myth of the vampire, like rabies and pellagra. Aurora does get enough character development and progression during the book to not get stuck in the irritating angsty one. Some of the secondary characters were also loads of fun to read about like Dante. He's very much like a big child at heart and even if isn't the most reliable partner, he seems to be there for Aurora to help her see her situation from another angle. Then we get Noel and Valerie, one a friend for Aurora to share her hidden life and the other the nemesis to help make it a little more complicated.

Aurora's family life made me feel awful for her, with a dad that is not only absent but that actively decides to abandon her and her mother due to terribly selfish reasons and a mother that is an even bigger emotional mess than Aurora is... not a lot of support for her there.

What I'm really happy about was how the Dante and Fane situation never turned into a love triangle, even if it seemed to add some tension to Aurora & Fane's relationship. But their issues seemed to be bigger than just a case of jealousy over another guy. Lack of communication creates quite a few issues and then we get the "break up for selfless reasons". I'm quite interested to see where all this will be taken to in book 2.

I'd say it really is a fresh enough addition to the Vampire genre and well deserving of 3.5 stars. 

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday #20!!

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's very much awaited, is-it-out-yet book? is Avalon by Mindee Arnett!!

Goodreads summary:

"A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy in this fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi adventure from author Mindee Arnett.

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.

Avalon is the perfect fit for teens new to sci-fi as well as seasoned sci-fi readers looking for more books in the YA space-and a great match for fans of Joss Whedon's cult hit show Firefly."


Why am I eagerly awaiting Avalon? I am a huge science fiction fan so I was quite excited when Mindee Arnett announced her new series, and even more when she pitched it as Firefly but with teens! (Yes, huge Firefly fan here!) And when she said that her main character was like a young Han Solo? Squee!! (Yes, also huge Star Wars fan here!!). So, all in all this book is shaping up to be a massive geekgasm for me!

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

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge!!

You might be thinking I've gone nuts now, since this is my 4th challenge for next year, but this is one challenge that really was missing in all the ones I've signed up for now. I'm still trying to get my review copies pile under control and I think a yearly challenge would help me keeping a lil bit more under control!

The 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge is hosted by Fiktshun and Phantasmic Reads. They have different levels for your challenge, and you can go up levels during the year but not down, so I'm planning to start at the Journeyman level (11-20 books) but hopefully I'll get to the Master level by the end of the year.

This challenge is for any books we get for review, any length or format, from authors, for tours, from NetGalley, Edelweiss... as long as you got it for review, it counts!

Check the sign up post HERE and join in!

Mark This Book Monday: Mini Review for The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett!

This week I'm starting Mark This Book Monday with a mini review for a small book in size but big in content and enjoyment!


The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book really is a little gem. The bf found it during one of our bookstore expeditions and I claimed it to read first.

It is a short book, so it is a quick read but it is not a book you read flying through the pages. It is more of a slow read, smiling here and there and enjoying the critiques and satire here and there even if it falls to some stereotypes on occasion with the choices of books and what defines them as good or bad or even mored readable or not. That could also be part of the intention of the book, but was the one cliche that I wasn't too happy about.

Recommended for everyone, but more in particular to all those bookworms out there that get odd looks for keeping their noses in a book.



View all my reviews

Showcase Sunday #16!!

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!

The last Showcase Sunday I did was back in October before leaving for my trip to India, and since I came back I have been so busy with work, reading, reviewing, trying to have some social life that everytime I got to think about doing a Showcase Sunday about all the books I had got since the last one felt too overwhelming, so I ended up giving up before I started.

So, this week I've decided I'm gonna jump back into the SS bandwagon but I'm only gonna show off the physical books I got since I left for India, some of them signed, that made me the happiest. And also because it was another super happy moment for me this week, my first approval on Edelweiss!! *does happy dance*


Let's start with my Edelweiss approval! I got approved for The Falconer by Elizabeth May!!
This is one book I'm super excited about, and can't wait to get to it in my review reads list!

Now let's start with the physical copies that I got!

This little pile I brought with me from India, except for Solstice, all the other were purchased at one of our fave bookstores in Goa, called Literati! What a brilliant place! Not only it is a house turned into bookstore so you browse books through rooms, but they also have an adorable Lab called Frida!

I was extremely lucky and won a giveaway of all the books in the Mephisto Covenant series so far signed by the author! My copy of The Mephisto Mark is even more unique now since they changed the cover and title!

I needed physical copies of these two, Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins and The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater!

The bf fell in love with this Penguin edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four so I got it from The Book Depository. It's a really cool & unique edition (a lil reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange too.)

Solstice by P.J. Hoover, I won this one in a giveaway (YAY!) and it was sent to my SIL's address (the giveaway needed a US address) and then it flew to India with my MIL (who read it during her flight!!) and then it finally arrived with me back to Spain. A very well travelled book this one!

My new matte SIGNED copies of Solving For Ex, One & Two by LeighAnn Kopans! I was so happy when I saw I could get signed paperbacks from her website!! These are so so SO PRETTY!!!

This non-fiction book about India's history & geography called to me in one of the airport's bookstores, and I spent my last rupees on it! Loved it! Full of information and told in a very entertaining narrative voice! So happy I bought it, since I read it on my flight back home!

So these are all the books I wanted to showcase this week! Hopefully from now on, I will return to more regularly scheduled posts with my weekly hauls!

 What all did you guys get this week?

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge!!

Yep, I am indeed joining yet another challenge!! This one will be a breeze in all probability since it'll overlap with my other two challenges for next year: the Dystopian reads and the Series Challenge.

What is the 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge? Well, it is a challenge to help us tackle our TBR pile of books we've got and still haven't got around to read yet. And yep, I have a lot of those! For this challenge only books relased in 2013 or before count, so no new releases in 2014. If you want to learn more about and join in, check out the info in the blog post at Bookish!

There are a few levels to aim for and I'm gonna start myself easy and not add any pressure, but depending on how I do I might aim higher. But for now I'm gonna go for the First Kiss level of between 21 to 30 books.




There will also be giveaways and mini-challenges to keep it more entertaining and fun, so I'm really looking forward to this challenge!