Friday, November 30, 2012

Cover Reveal: The summer I became a nerd

My dearest followers, Entangled Publishing has been awesome sending me the cover and snippet of this fabulous book:

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.


And here's more information about the author, Leah Rae Miller:

Born and raised in northern Louisiana, Leah Rae Miller still lives there on a windy hill with her husband and kids. She loves comic books, lava lamps, fuzzy socks, and Cherry Coke. She spends most of her days reading things she likes and writing things she hopes other people will like.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #45

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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: The Gypsy King
Series: None so far
Author: Maureen Fergus
Release date: January 11th, 2013

Summary:

A runaway slave with a shadowy past, sixteen-year-old Persephone has spent four long years toiling beneath the leering gaze of her despised owner and dreaming of a life where she is free to shape her own destiny. Then, one night, a chance encounter with a handsome chicken thief named Azriel changes her life forever.

Sold to him for a small bag of gold coins, Persephone soon discovers what she already suspected: namely, that Azriel is not what he seems. And when she realizes that he believes Persephone has a special destiny—she is determined to escape him and his impossibly broad shoulders.

But things are no longer as simple as they once were.

Torn between her longing for freedom and her undeniable feelings for the handsome thief with the fast hands and the slow smile, Persephone faces the hardest choice she will ever have to make.

And no one—least of all her—could have imagined the shocking truth her decision will reveal.


 Why I want to read it:

I saw this title on Netgalley, and it grabbed my attention. The cover is gorgeous - castle, a girl in a pretty dress, and a dagger... That's exactly to my taste. I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

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

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

In her shoes ~ 34 ~




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!!! :)





I read The Lost Son last week and enjoyed it very much. Haven't written my review yet, but I'm planning to do so on Thursday.

So, anyway, the girl featured in this stand alone novel is called Corrine. In a couple of weeks she goes through the huge change of losing her best friend Cody (who she is also in love with) in a horrible car accident, only to end up having to help the juvenile who caused the crash in the first place.

Yeah, sounds pretty bad already. But check this out, the juvie, a.k.a. Jacob turns out not to be this big looser Corrine imagined him to be. Sure he had attitudinal problems, and she sure punched the heck out of him as a 'Hello', but that didn't seem to stop her heart from slipping in his general direction.

Can you imagine how huge a heart Corrine must have if she was able to forgive Jacob for what he did to Cody, and actually give him a chance to handle her heart? She was a really brave and straight forward girl, and I liked her for it.


Whose shoes would you like to step into this week?

Monday, November 26, 2012

My Monday gets!

Happy new week, people! How are you enjoying the lovely Monday? I do hope and pray that my UK followers aren't figuring out how to live underwater.. Anyway, so let me share which books I got last week. Actually, as I think of it, it's just been one book.


Summary from GoodReads:

Just who is Halíka Dacomé?

To Roswith her grandmother. She enjoys meeting new friends and catching up with old ones from her childhood holidays — except now she must hide a precious secret from everyone, a gift from birth that defies modern day science. 

Her dreams become riddled with a warrior woman called Halíka Dacomé, but are they visions or messages from the future? She starts her own investigation but encounters more questions than answers. Living right on the edge of Warminster in Wiltshire doesn’t help with its folklore and myths about strange lights in the sky and ghost stories of the Salisbury Plain

Not only that, her troubles really take hold one night when the mysterious Aiden Deverill with his alluring smile, his gorgeous dark looks and hypnotising blue eyes, saves her from a freak fire. Or did he?

For Rose, her new life is beginning but she soon realises that despite assurances people are not always what they seem. What she always believed to be a happy family and a friendly town soon turns on its head when she discovers that her family secret, Aiden Deverill and the truth behind Halíka Dacomé is at the heart of the whole conspiracy.


I got the book from Netgalley. It was first published in 2011, and is about to be published again. So I thought, why not? I've seen both positive and negative reviews of it, so I"m curious on where I'd stand :)



Saturday, November 24, 2012

Book review: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Hanging by a Thread

NOTE: I received this title from Netgalley to review.

I just finished reading the book, and thought I should go ahead and write the review right away, while the story and characters are still fresh in my mind.

So, here's what I have to say: The story was original, as in I haven't read anything like it before. It was a unique concept, where the heroine had this special ability to read people's thoughts, memories etc. by simply touching their clothes. I thought that was pretty cool skill, though I confess it could turn cumbersome.

Anyway, I really liked the story, because it wasn't at all obvious. I mean, I had no idea what was going on until the very last moment. I also liked that it wasn't all that long, and it was a quick read.

To see full review, please click here.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Follow Friday #33

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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 blog are you thankful for?

 
My answer:

Oh, that's a Thanksgiving question......... umm... okay, let's see..

I think I'm thankful for 

*Alison can read - because the FF has brought many awesome followers my way ;)

*Breaking the Spine - because I've found a ton of amazing books and blogging friends through it
*All my follower's blogs - because they're just stupendous! :)

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!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Book review: Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

Soul's Gate
NOTE: I received the book from Netgalley.

One word: POWERFUL!!!

Technically, Soul's Gate isn't considered a YA book. However, there's absolutely nothing adult in it, except the characters, so it's perfectly safe (and I even recommend it) for teens to read. It was a very very powerful book, that shattered me from the inside out and built me back again. It was INCREDIBLE!

In fact, let me share something with you - there were moments when my skin was crawling with goosebumps while I read. The power of the Spirit was so strong, it was dripping from each and every page. And when I finished the book, it felt like it had been I who'd gone on the journey inside a person's soul. I can't describe the feeling, but it was absolutely amazing! I'm sure going to reread it!

To read full review, please click here.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #44

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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: HURT
Series: The Solitary Tales, Book 4 (finale)
Author: Travis Thrasher
Release date: January 1st, 2013

Summary:

His Rebellion Will Soon Turn to Hope.
When Chris Buckley first encountered the mysteries of creepy Solitary, North Carolina, he had little idea how far he would fall into the town’s shadows. After losing the love of his life, Chris tried to do things his way. He hunted answers. Then he gave up trying to find them. But now Chris comes back to Solitary knowing there’s a purpose for his being there. As he watches his place in a twisted and evil bloodline become clear, Chris waits for the last battle—and wonders who will be left when he finally makes his stand. The fourth and final book in the Solitary Tales shines light into deep darkness as Chris’s journey to Solitary comes to a dramatic close.

 Why I want to read it:

You can't believe how long I've waited for this book to come out!!! And I finally got it on Netgalley!!!! I'm so SUPER EXCITED, you can't believe it!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED The Solitary Tales. There's mystery, love, hurt... all the drama and then some!

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

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

In her shoes ~33~




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!!! :)





Technically, the book I'm going to tell you about today isn't considered YA. However, there's absolutely nothing adult in it, except the characters, so it's perfectly safe (and I even recommend it) for teens to read. It was a very very powerful book, that shattered me from the inside and built me back again. It was INCREDIBLE!

Now, since this isn't technically my review, let me share with you a character, whose special ability to lead people into the heart of hardship and back out struck me as amazing.

Her name is Dana, and she's a radio station financial manager. She's also a Christian, though she never had an idea what real faith meant until she was called by the Spirit to spend a week with a bunch of dudes at some secluded resort. The days she spent there changed her life forever, as what she learned from the Bible and her own experience shattered any understanding she'd previously had on life and the world.

Instead of returning to ordinary life, Dana had entered the world of spiritual warfare, where demons fought God's people on a daily basis. And she'd just become one of those people. Demons attack her physically and spiritually, but through the power of Jesus and the faith He gave her, she was able to fight back bravely.

I honestly thought that at one point she'd give in to the threats of the demons, but thanks to her group of warriors, and the Spirit, she got back her courage and decided that fighting the enemy back was worth it.

I loved that girl, how real she was, how incredibly smart and logic her thinking was. And I loved her desire to let faith rule her life. I truly want to be like her.


Whose shoes would you like to step into this week?

Monday, November 19, 2012

My Monday gets!

Happy Monday morning ya'll! Was the weekend good for you? It sure was for me, since I knocked down one of my exams. Just one more to go! YAY!!!

So here are the books I got last week:


Most dads love their daughters, but they're uncertain how they can show that love in a way their daughters understand...or figure out what their girls really need from them.

Jay Payleitner has given thousands of dads great, man-friendly advice in his bestselling 52 Things Kids Need from a Dad. Now Jay guides his readers into what is unexplored territory for many of them--girl land--giving them ways to...

do things with their daughters, not just for them lecture less and listen more be on the lookout for "hero moments" and take advantage of them realize that their daughters are females...and tailor their actions and responses accordingly give their daughters a positive view of the male sex
Dads will feel respected and encouraged--not made to feel guilty--and they'll gain confidence to initiate activities that build lifelong positives into their girls. Great gift or men's group resource.


Okay, I know you'll probably look at this first title and say "Huh, she must be kidding! Why'd she want to read that book?" Well, then answer is simple, I want my hubby to be informed about these things. And even though our daughteris just a little over a month old, it's never too early to start preparing for these things. :)


My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.




These are my last week's gets, what are yours?

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Book Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)

NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley and MiraINK in exchange for my honest review. Thanks!

The last book I read of the Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight, was a huge (and I can't stress enough how huge that is) a disappointment. Until that book I'd loved Ash and Puck and Meghan. The Iron Knight made me dislike them.

So, when I requested The Lost Prince, I was a little biased. I wondered whether it would be more like the first three books, or like the fourth one. Turns out it was different from both.

To read full review, please click here.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Follow Friday #32

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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:


Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around.What movie would make a great book?

 
My answer:

Tam-ta-dam-tam. Let me think it through, okay?

*thinking....*


*thinking....*


*apple falls on head*

Dude, duh! I'd love to read a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN novel! :) 

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!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Book revies: The Paladin Prophesy by Mark Frost

The Paladin Prophecy (The Paladin Prophecy, #1)

NOTE: I received this book upon request from Netgalley.

I absolutely loved this book. While I was reading it, I felt the same excitement and anticipation I usually feel when reading Harry Potter, so that must say a lot. The story, I think, was unique and captivating, and the storytelling was done masterfully.

To be honest, I had a completely different notion on this book before I sat down to read it. For one, I thought it would be a high fantasy novel (paladin, duh!), and two, I believed it would be a story of magic. It was neither. Sure, it had paranormal elements, but nothing of the fantasy sort, and there was absolutely no magic.

To read full review, please click here.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #43

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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: Crimson Frost
Series: Mythos Academy, Book 4
Author: Jennifer Estep 
Release date: December 24th, 2012

Summary:
For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.

I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself…


 Why I want to read it:

I've wanted to start on this series for a while, but I just can't get to it. Sad, I know. But I have book one waiting for me on the shelf, and Crimson Frost was given to me to review by Netgalley, so I'm feeling lucky :) I might actually get to read it soon :))

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

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

In her shoes ~ 32 ~

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!!! :)


The last book I got to read was The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa. In fact, I just finished it last night, and I can say it was amazing. I still need to write my review though.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you the character of Kenzie (MacKenzie) St. James, who happened to stumble upon the world of Ethan Chase, the Iron Queen (Meghan Chase's) brother. Ever since Kenzie made it her business to get to know Ethan better, her world turned by 180 degrees.

The normal world that she was used to living in was replaced by the world of the fey. In the beginning, it appeared that Kenzie wasn't at all shocked by the strangeness, that she took everything normally. But truth was, she was terrified, even if curious and ready to explore at the same time. Still though, she didn't show her freight, she didn't show her inner fears.

Kenzie was brave and ready to risk her own life for the good of others. Even if those others had hurt her, she still did her best to help out and put herself out there for them. I was simply impressed by her openness and generous nature and love for the beautiful things in the world.

Whose shoes would you like to step into this week?

MiraINK blog competition

I suppose I'm very much behind on this info, but I'd rather share it late than never. Since I don't have time or ability to participate, I'd like to spread the word about it, so whoever's interested could go ahead and win herself some nice prizes. 

So here are the rules:


MIRA Ink is launching a very exciting competition to find the next big star of the blogging world, and as one of our highly valued and esteemed bloggers, we wanted you to be amongst the first to know! We’re offering one incredible prize, a twelve month paid contract as our in-house book reviewing blogger AND a top of the range laptop or iPad.
‘How can I get Involved?’ you may be asking… Well, it all begins tomorrow when round one opens for entries. We’d LOVE you to enter and here’s how you do it:
1.       Write a blog about a topic of your choice, as long as it’s no longer than 500 words and somehow related to books (it doesn’t have to be a straightforward review though)
2.       Submit it via our Facebook App by the 25th November
Visit our Facebook app for the full competition details http://www.facebook.com/#!/miraink/app_465730946803270 (you won’t be able to enter until the competition officially launches tomorrow though).
A top 10 will be announced on the 29th November – these people will go through to round 2 where they’ll be asked to make a 60 second video convincing us that they should be the BlogINK winner. (If you get through to round 2, we’ll tell you everything you need to know).
If you don’t think the competition is for you, don’t worry, you can still get involved by talking about the competition and helping us spread the word in the blogging community.
·         Follow us on Twitter @MIRAInk using the competition hash tag #blogINK
·         Read and comment on the entries which will be posted on our Tumblr page www.miraink.tumblr.com
·         Keep checking our Facebook page www.facebook.com/MIRAInk for the latest competition news
·         We’d LOVE you to publicise the competition on your own blog - Just tell us if you need any more information.

I I hope one of you guys gets to win the prize! If you do, don't forget to let me know so I could feature you on YA Story Teller!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

In her shoes ~31~

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!!! :)


The Paladin Prophesy is the last book I read. The narration was done from a male POV, and since this is a girl-related MEME, I thought I would skip this week's post. However, I remembered this character, Elise, who was super cool and just plain awesome and I thought I should give her some praise.

True, Elise was not a main character. She wasn't even the main character's girlfriend. But she was a devoted - even if brooding - friend and I really loved her.

In the beginning, Elise was forbidding and distant. She didn't trust the new arrival to the Center - a.k.a. Will West. But that was only on the outside. In her heart she knew he was someone special, and she was just waiting for him to AWAKEN to who he was. She stood by his side and helped even at the cost of her own health.

How could you not love her? Her quiet love and suffering at the loss of her boyfriend, which she carried with great dignity and bravery were like a crown to her character.

Elise is my pick this week, who's shoes would you like to step into this week?

Monday, November 5, 2012

My Monday gets!

I had been waiting for a while for a couple of books to arrive in my mailbox. And guess what I got this Saturday???? The books! The amazing, super cool books, courtesy to Mira INK. Thank you very much Elise for sending me those ARCs!


And, as you can see, I've already started on The Lost Prince. It captivated me from the very beginning, and I can't wait to get into it!!

So how about you? What did you get this week?