Sunday, December 30, 2012

Book review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Onyx (Lux, #2)What can I say? I am in love with this series, and with Daemon. Duh!
Honestly, I like the Lux series more than the Covenant... Greek mythology somehow can't capture my attention all that much. But aliens??? Heck yeah!

So, in this installment, we get to see a lot more of the good side of Deamon. I mean, he has his jerk-o moments, and I love him for those too! But also, there are those sweet moments, when I just wanted to kiss him senseless. Or be kissed senseless, doesn't matter. Not really. LOL

Anyway, Onyx is the turning point of this series, I think. So many things happen, so many fates are changed, that the reader is about to explode! Even though I'd known what was to happen, sort of, I was totally surprised by HOW it happened and WHY. I was left with my mouth hanging open for more when I finished the last page, and gosh! I just couldn't handle to wait and got into Opal right away. Addictive much?

To read full review, please click here.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Morning guys! It's a sunny Thursday over here, so even though I've got a ton of work to do, I thought I'd write a short post and wish you a Merry Christmas! I pray that God watches over you and guides you in all the days of your life! May His force be forever with you! *wink, wink*

Saturday, December 22, 2012

YA Story Teller BLOG BIRTHDAY!!!

Oh my! YA STORY TELLER is celebrating it's first BIRTHDAY!!! YAY!!!


I just wanted to thank all my awesome followers for staying with me through all the

nice times and the hard ones! You've been absolutely

AWESOME!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!




Friday, December 21, 2012

Follow Friday #34

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Follow Me Friday is a book meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read. #FF is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. In order to join in the fun, all you need is well . . . A book blog :)


The question this week is:


What have you learned from book blogging that you didn't know before about the publishing industry?

 
My answer:

Goodness! I learned that no book can have any success in sales if it isn't for the bloggers to say it's good enough to buy! I'm not sure I'd spend any money if I don't see the book's rating and reviews first! So yeah, guys! WE, BOOK BLOGGERS, ARE IMPORTANT!


Well, what's your answer?

Please leave links to your FF's, so I can stop by!! Oh, and if you're a new follower, let me know so I could return the favor!

If you're interested in acquiring a copy of All the Broken Pieces by Cindy Madsen, which by the way is an AWESOME book, please enter this giveaway! Good luck and happy holidays!!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday # 47

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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

My pick this week is:


Title: Scent of Magic
Series: Healer, Book 2
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Release date: December 18th, 2012 by Mira INK

Summary:

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.


 Why I want to read it:

To be honest, I haven't read the first one yet, but I have it, and as soon as I get the time, I'll be on it! Sounds awesome!

So how about you? What amazing book are you waiting on this week?  

FYI: I have a giveaway going on of an e-copy of All the Broken Pieces by Cindy Madsen. If you're interested, visit my Current Giveaways page. Thanks and good luck!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Books I got last week

It's Monday again! And just before Christmas! Aren't you excited? I sooo am! I've decorated the apartment and have been showing it to my baby girl. She smiles every time she sees the Christmas tree and that makes me soo happy!

Anyway, let me show you which books I got last week:


A compelling US debut about family, forgiveness, and hope

Despite having a depressed alcoholic mother and a little brother who’s convinced he’s a dog, fifteen year-old Laurence Roach is trying to live a normal life. But when his mom doesn’t come home after work one night, Laurence is terrified that child services will find out she’s gone and separate him from his brother.

For two weeks, Laurence does whatever he can to keep her disappearance a secret. Spinning a web of complicated lies for friends, neighbors, and the authorities, Laurence even dresses like his mother to convince everyone she’s still around. By following clues, the brothers are finally able to track down their mother’s whereabouts. And that’s when the real trouble begins in this powerful story about what it means to be a family.


I'm pretty excited about this book because i have the feeling it'll be funny. I'll let you know as soon as I know!



Hunted, Killed—Survived?
As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomaniacal K
ing Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confidant, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.
Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet: an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat. War is coming and Avry is alone.Unless she figures out how to do the impossible…again.


Do I even need to say why I want to read Scent of Magic? :)) I hope it's as good as I hope!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Book review: Because of Low by Abbi Glines

Because of Low (Sea Breeze, #2)
I loved Breathe so much, that I just went on and started on Because of Low right away. Guess what? I finished it in less than a day! It was an amazing book! Loved it! And it reminded me so much of Beautiful Disaster that I went on and re-read that too. Weired, huh?

Anyway, I was stricken by Low's story. I mean... Marcus's story is pretty common... a cheating father leaves his family for a younger woman. But Low's story... geezh! What kind of person should you be to leave your own sister on the street with just a suitcase in hand?

To read full review, please click here.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Book review: Breathe by Abbi Glines

Breathe (Sea Breeze, #1)

Breathe was a very quick, interesting read. It got me breezing through the pages, following the story of teenage girl Sadie (who is the grown-up in the family) and Jax (who is a teen rock star). I loved the reality of the story, even though there were some parts that sounded way too fixed to be real.

The way Sadie and Jax's relationship developed was really nice, though at times Jax sounded so bossy I wanted to smack him in the face. And by the end of the book, the relationship between the two had gotten so much like an addiction, neither one could live without the other. I don't know if that's actually healthy, to tell you the truth. There must be passion and love and all that, but not being able to live without the other... seriously?

To read full review, please click here

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Book review: "Covet" by Melissa Darnell

Covet (The Clann, #2)
NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley.

Okay, so I thought that I wouldn't be able to understand whatever happened in the book because I haven't read the prequel. Well, I must say that the author made a pretty good (and sometimes even too much) of a reference to the first book, that I felt like I'd already read it. Still, there were lots of times when I felt like I was missing in on the development of the characters' relationship. I mean, I started off with them already being together and all, and I really love the whole process of the "getting together". In that aspect, I believe one should ALWAYS start a series from book one. Duh.

Anyways, I think that the book was okay on average. It couldn've definitely be shorter. There were large ranges of pages where nothing interesting happened. There was just a constant droning from the POV characters, and that got me irritated and bored. I was flipping through those pages pretty quick, only skimming to see if I had missed anything important. Which I had not.

To read full review, please click here.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #46

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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

My pick this week is:


Title: Going Vintage
Series: None
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Release date: March 26th, 2013

Summary:

In this humorous and heartfelt novel, the key to a broken heart is to go vintage: swear off modern technology and live like it's 1962!
When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn't cheat on you online). She sets out to complete grandma's list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy's cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow.


 Why I want to read it:

First, because it's a contemporary novel and I'm totally in love with those.
Second, because I'd love to see how it works for her to swear off technology.
Third, I'm extremely curious to see how well she manages to stay away from Oliver :)))

So how about you? What amazing book are you waiting on this week?  

FYI: I have a giveaway going on of an e-copy of All the Broken Pieces by Cindy Madsen. If you're interested, visit my Current Giveaways page. Thanks and good luck!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

In her shoes ~35 ~

Every Tuesday I will pick a character I've read about recently, perhaps even the week before, and try putting myself in her shoes. What things would I do differently? What have I learned from her behavior? That kind of thing. You are welcome to participate if you want, just please link back, so we could build a nice community of followers. Thanks!!! :)



Today I have picked to talk of Willow, a.k.a. Low from Abbi Glines' "Because of Low", the second in the Sea Breeze series. I can only say that I read the book in one breath, falling in love with Low and her strong character.

Yeah, she was portrayed as this person who had panic attacks, and needed her best friend to take care of her, but on the inside, Low was super strong and brave. She loved with all of her persone risked everything without much thought to her own self. She was kind and honorable.

For years she'd seen only abandonment. Her father left her. Her mother died. Her sister was this idiot who actually didn't care. The only pillar of strength Low had was Cage, and he wasn't more than a best friend.

So when Marcus came in the picture, throwing those good boy vibes, Low was defeated. She fell in the trap of Marcus's charms, knowing that he might abandon her too. Because the only sure thing in her life was, and had always been Cage.

Until Low decided to take matters in her own hands. She pulled herself out of her cage and found the strength to give her heart away. I'm sure it takes a great amount of courage to risk the known for the unknown, which is why Low has grown on me. I adore brave heroines :)


Whose shoes would you like to step into this week?

The books I got last week

Yeah, I know this should've been my Monday post but... the baby needs someone to take care of her (and that's no small task I assure you), and now I actually caught some stupid cold and I need someone to take care of me! How pathetic is that?


Anyways, here are the two books I got from Netgalley last week:

When Native American Fredericka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.








... and...



In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.


By the way, I want to let you know about a giveaway that I have going on of All the Broken Pieces by Cindy Madsen. Check it out here---> my giveaways

Friday, December 7, 2012

Book review: The Lost Son by Tamra Torero

The Lost Son
I received this book from Netgalley to review.

Wow! What a nice, quick and completely engulfing read!!! The Lost Son is a story about forgiveness, about growing up and second chances. And in the wake of Christmas, it's definitely a notable read.

There were times when I laughed heartily, and times when I felt sad, because the story just felt so extremely realistic. I need to say that the characters made this story what it was - unforgettable.

To read full review, please click here.