Ink and Paper

MV Reading Challenge 2012: May Link-Up

2012-05-01T21:46:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone! Here is your post to link up your May reviews for the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012 and enter to win prizes! For the sign-up post, go here. Firstly, the winners for the April link-up are:

US: Nobody entered, so the prizes roll over to this month Even though there were two UK prize bundles, there was only one entrant, so the winner is.. UK: MorganvilleVampiresFan#1 Congratulations! The winner has already been contacted, and her prizes will be on their way to her shortly. As there are two book bundles set aside for May, the left over bundle will be held back for another month.

Please go and read Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge Info page, which will explain how and why prizes are given as they are. For this month, the prizes are as follows.

US: Bite Club, Last Breath and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and the Immortal Anthology

UK Bundle 1: Black Dawn and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and Love Inc by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

UK Bundle 2: Ill Wind and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and Love Inc by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

US entrants will be entering to win a copy of Bite Club, Last Breath and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine from Penguin US, and the Immortal Anthology from Smart Pop Books. UK entrants will be entering to win bundle 1 which includes Black Dawn and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and Love Inc by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout, MV temporary tattoos, Weather Warden temporary tattoos, and an MV canvas bag, and bundle 2 which includes Ill Wind and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and Love Inc by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout, MV temporary tattoos, Weather Warden temporary tattoos, from Allison and Busby. Thank you to both Allison and Busby, Penguin US and Smart Pop Books for sponsoring the challenge with these prizes.

Please note: You must fill in the forms linked in the next paragraph to be entered to win. Links in the comments aren't entries, they are simply to share your reviews with everyone else. You have to fill in the form again for each review - do not leave the URLs to all your reviews together, that will count as just one entry, where as, if filled in properly, for each review, you will have same amount of entries as you do reviews.

For UK readers to enter for the UK prizes, please fill in this form. For US readers to enter for the US prizes, please fill in this form. For further details on the Challenge contest, check out the challenge info page. And now, to submit your reviews! Everyone, no matter where you're from, can submit their reviews from April in the comments below, so we can see everyone's progress and how we're liking the books! Please link directly to your review, NOT your blog home page.

MV Reading Challenge 2012: April Link-Up

2012-04-01T23:35:00.002+01:00

Hey everyone!

Here is your post to link up your April reviews for the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012 and enter to win prizes! For the sign-up post, go here.

Firstly, the winners for the March link-up are:

US: Nobody entered, so the prizes roll over to this month Even though there were two UK prize bundles, there was only one entrant, so the winner is.. UK: Darryl L
Congratulations! Darryl, if you go back to the March Link-Up post and chose which bundle you would like, I'll email my contact and get your chosen bundle sent to you. The extra bundle will roll over to this month. I'll edit this post with the second bundle once Darryl has chosen.

Please go and read Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge Info page, which will explain how and why prizes are given as they are.

For this month, the prizes are as follows.

US: Bite Club, Last Breath and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and the Immortal Anthology

UK Bundle 1: Last Breath and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberley Derting

ETA: UK Bundle 2: Carpe Corpus and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberley Derting

US entrants will be entering to win a copy of Bite Club, Last Breath and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine from Penguin US, and the Immortal Anthology from Smart Pop Books. UK entrants will be entering to win bundle 1 which includes Last Breath and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting, MV temporary tattoos, Weather Warden temporary tattoos, and an MV canvas bag, and bundle 2 which includes Carpe Corpus and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting,
MV temporary tattoos, Weather Warden temporary tattoos, from Allison and Busby.

Thank you to both Allison and Busby, Penguin US and Smart Pop Books for sponsoring the challenge with these prizes.

Please note: You must fill in the forms linked in the next paragraph to be entered to win. Links in the comments aren't entries, they are simply to share your reviews with everyone else.
You have to fill in the form again for each review - do not leave the URLs to all your reviews together, that will count as just one entry, where as, if filled in properly, for each review, you will have same amount of entries as you do reviews.

For UK readers to enter for the UK prizes, please fill in this form. For US readers to enter for the US prizes, please fill in this form. For further details on the Challenge contest, check out the challenge info page.

And now, to submit your reviews! Everyone, no matter where you're from, can submit their reviews from April in the comments below, so we can see everyone's progress and how we're liking the books! Please link directly to your review, NOT your blog home page.

MV Reading Challenge 2012: March Link-Up

2012-03-01T19:25:00.000Z

Hey everyone!

Here is your post to link up your March reviews for the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012 and enter to win prizes! For the sign-up post, go here.

Firstly, the winners for the February link-up are:

US: Nobody entered for February, so the prizes will roll over.

UK Bundle: MorganvilleVampireFan#1

MorganvilleVampireFan#1 already has a copy of Working Stiff, so has kindly said I can pick another winner for it...

Winner of Working Stiff: Darryl L

Congratulations! Your details have been passed on to my contacts, and you'll be receiving your prizes soon.

Please go and read Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge Info page, which will explain how and why prizes are given as they are.

For this month, the prizes are as follows.

US: Bite Club and Last Breath by Rachel Caine, and the Immortal Anthology

UK Bundle 1: Carpe Corpus and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberley Derting

UK Bundle 2: Ghost Town and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberley Derting

US entrants will be entering to win a copy of Bite Club and Last Breath by Rachel Caine from Penguin US, and the Immortal Anthology from Smart Pop Books. UK entrants will be entering to win bundle 1, which includes Carpe Corpus and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting, MV temporary tattoos and Weather Warden temporary tattoos, and bundle 2, which includes Ghost Town and Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting, MV temporary tattoos and Weather Warden temporary tattoos from Allison and Busby.

Thank you to both Allison and Busby and Penguin US for sponsoring the challenge with these prizes.

Please note: You must fill in the forms linked in the next paragraph to be entered to win. Links in the comments aren't entries, they are simply to share your reviews with everyone else.
You have to fill in the form again for each review - do not leave the URLs to all your reviews together, that will count as just one entry, where as, if filled in properly, for each review, you will haveth same amount of entries as you do reviews.

For UK readers to enter for book bundles 1 and 2, please fill in this form. For US readers to enter for a copy of Last Breath, please fill in this form. For further details on the Challenge contest, check out the challenge info page.

And now, to submit your reviews! Everyone, no matter where you're from, can submit their reviews from March in the comments below, so we can see everyone's progress and how we're liking the books! Please link directly to your review, NOT your blog home page.

I Shall No Longer Be Reviewing on Ink and Paper

2012-02-24T17:24:00.001Z

From today, 24th February 2012, I will no longer be reviewing on Ink and Paper. Once Upon a Bookcase is now my sole book blog.

I originally had two book blogs; Ink and Paper, where I reviewed fantasy and Once Upon a Bookcase, my YA book blog. Whenever I reviewed a YA fantasy/sci-fi novel, I would always cross post it from OUaB to Ink and Paper. I have decided to save myself time, I will review all books I read from this point forward on OUaB.

All reviews, whether they be of adult fantasy novels or YA fantasy I reviewed on Ink and Paper before I set up Once Upon a Bookcase, have all been transferred the other blog. You may check out Once Upon a Bookcase's Reviews List to see the reviews from that blog that you may have missed.

So as it will get pretty quiet on this blog when it comes to reviews, you now know why. Any book I read, whatever the genre or target audience, shall now be reviewed on OUaB.

For any authors or publicists reading, please check out my updated Review Policy OUaB.

For those who are taking part in the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge, Ink and Paper will still be up and running for the duration of the challenge, I simply won't review here anymore.

Thank you for reading.

Review: Fated by Sarah Alderson

2012-02-20T19:12:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Fated by Sarah Alderson (review copy) - What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it?

When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight.

But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.

If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it? From Amazon UK

After finishing Hunting Lila, I dived right into Fated, knowing I needed more of Alderson's brilliant writing, knowing Fated would be just as amazing! I wasn't disappointed!

Fated is dual-narrative novel, so we get to see the points of view of both Evie, as she finds out who she really is and starts to learn, and Lucas, half-Shadow Warrior, as he falls for the girl he's sworn to kill. Evie, who believed she was a normal girl, suddenly finds out while grief-stricken that she is a Hunter, those who defend the earth from demons. Not only that, but she is pivotal to a prophecy, and has zero choice in the matter. It's fight or die. As a member of the Brotherhood, Lucas' purpose in life is to rid the world of Hunters, those who are defending our world from the Unhumans - modern, PC term for demons. However, Lucas hasn't signed up because he believes in the cause, his reasons for wanting to kill Hunters are more personal. But then he lays his eyes on Evie, and things shift.

With the dual-narrative, Fated was kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Hellboy, with Evie's training and learning being Buffy-esque towards the beginning, and the group of Unhumans that make up the Brotherhood being like the group in Hellboy. That may sound surprising - why would I compare those on Hellboy, who were good, with a group of Unhuman assassins? Well, with Lucas' point of view, we get to know the Unhuman characters. Despite their Unhuman-ness, they're just teenagers really; flirting, arguing, taking the mick out of each other. I found some of them really interesting and intriguing characters, despite being "bad", and would have liked to have seen a little more of them, see more of their personalities outside of fighting, but I guess it's not their story.

The romance in Fated is a slow burner; Lucas and Evie don't actually spend much time together, chatting, getting to know each other. It's not insta-love though. It's physical attraction, that they bothry to ignore for their own reasons - how can Lucas be attracted to the girl he has to kill? How can Ev even think about guys when she has to go around killing Unhumans? They both really fight it... they just can't. Have you seen the title of this book? They really can't fight it. And once they stop, woah! Alderson sure knows how to write a steamy kiss! Seriously hot - and they're only kissing! Not a bed in sight! Alderson really is the Queen of Sexual Tension!

She's also the Queen of Twists! The twist that came at the end of this novel was shocking! It pretty much turned everything Evie knew, what she had learned, upside down! I was just so frustrated and mad for her! How that girl is able to trust anyone by the end of the book is beyond me! But it makes for a very interesting ending, and I have no idea where the sequel could possibly go next! I loved it! My mind has been made up. Another author to add to my favourites list!

On a side note, I need to add that Sarah Alderson is British. Yes, you read that right, British! But she writes in such a way that her books feel like they're writen by US authors - not just because they're set there, but because they fit in with the other US YA urban fantasies out there, you wouldn't know the difference. This surprises me and makes me quite proud! Would be interesting to see if Alderson writes a novel set entirely in the UK - I just can't imagine anything fantastical happening around here.

Brilliant novel, and I cannot wait to read whatever Alderson releases next! You must read this book!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the review copy.

Published: 5th January 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Buy on Amazon US
Sarah Alderson's Website

Other reviews:
Eleusinian Mysteries
Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

2012-02-19T15:40:00.005Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson (review copy) - 17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them... From Amazon UK

Until very recently, I had heard very little about Hunting Lila. I may possibly have been living under a rock, because at publishing events, people wouldtalk about how good it is, but I'd not seen much talk of it online. I didn't even have a copy on my TBR pile, I'd heard so little about it. But recently I've been stalking the blogs run by Brodie and Lisa, Eleusinian Mysteries and Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me, who have featured several posts about Sarah Alderson's novels in their joint February Valentine's Event. The deleted scenes and character Q&As - as well as the ladies' enthusiam for Alderson's novels - covinced me I had to read them, so I picked up Hunting Lila. It was fantastic! This book is just so awesome, I'm not really sure where to start, so much to talk about!

With the first half of the book, I was surprised with how contemporary it seemed, despite Lila's ability. She keeps her strange ability a secret, and makes up excuses as to why she's suddenly visiting her brother Jack, and Jack and Alex are quite secretive about what it is The Unit does. Although Lila wants to find out because of strange things that have been happening - why on earth are there SUVs guarding the house? - the fantasy element is kept underwraps for a good while, so we get to the characters as normal people. Which is just awesome, because hello, Alex! Lila has been in love wih him for pretty much her whole life, and it's not hard to see why - the boy is hot! He's protective, strong, sweet, and just absolutely lovely, with the physicique that comes with being in the military! Alderson is just fantastic at writing hot guys, because the pages just sizzle whenever Lila is with him, even though he's completely oblivious. The effect he has on Lila - and us readers - i just... wow. I want me some Alex!

Then the fantasy element hits with full force. Jack and Alex are trying to catch Lila and Jack's mother's murderer, Demos, and oooh, he's a bad man. And he has an ability too. One, it seems, that make him unbeatable. Even before we see him, we're scared of him, simply because of the way everyone who knows about him talks about him. He is Dangerous - yes, with a capital D. Throughout reading Hunting Lila, I was constantly reminded of the American TV show, Heroes.There are bad people with abilities, and there is an organisation set up to stop them. Hunting Lila is just as fast paced and just as exciting as Heroes, if not more so. Even though they have different abilities, Demos is just as freaky as Sylar.

But just when you're thinking "oh my god, can things get any worse?" BAM! Alderson chucks in a twist! I did not see it coming at all! The excitement level is hitched up a notch, and you're worrying for completely different reasons! Your emotions are turned up on their head, and you don't know what to feel or who to trust, and you're scared for the one's Lila loves, because oh dear god, things get dangerous! And then BAM! Another twist! The biggest twist ever! You're thrown back against your seat with the wind knocked out of you! And then a cliffhanger that leaves you dying for more! And yes, I am using far too many exclaimation makrs, but that's because I am just so in love with this book!

If you haven't read this book yet, you seriously need to go out and get it right now, because Hunting Lila goes above and beyond amazing! I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the reveiw copy.

Published: 4th August 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Buy on Amazon US
Sarah Alderson's Website

Other reviews:
Eleusinian Mysteries
Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent (Re-read)

2012-02-08T18:48:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent - Being a teenager just got much more complicated. There is something very wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh: she senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next. From Amazon UK

WARNING! This is a re-read review for the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge. Although this is the first book in the series, I will be discussing it in relation to my first read and the later books in the series. There will be major spoilers for ALL books! You may read my original, spoiler-free review of My Soul to Take, but do not read any further if you don't want this series spoiled for you.

As regular readers of my blog will know, I have recently fallen completely head over heels in love with Rachel Vincen't Soul Screamers series. However, I wasn't the biggest fan originally; I was a little disappointed, having read Vincent's Shifter novels, that My Soul to Take wasn't as fast-paced and exciting. My original review is pretty positive, because I didn't want to mention my minor disappointment through comparing, and even end the review telling people that My Soul to Take isn't like the Shifters series so people don't compare. However, everything postive I say in my original review was the truth, not a lie - I did really enjoy the book then, and I did now.

Re-reading My Soul to Take, I can kind of see other reasons why I was a tiny bit disappointed. Compared to the later books in the series, My Soul to Take is slower. In comparison, there are conversations that take a while to tell us the info we need, it takes a while to figure things out, and there is also no real villian that we get to see until the end. In later books, we always have someone to dislike - a hellion, a mara, a incubus - but in My Soul to Take, being the first book, the villian is mostly unknown as Kaylee has to find everything out about who she is, right from the very beginning, which makes it harder for her to work out what's going on - because she simply has no idea. In later books, she knows more, she's a more experienced bean sidhe, and is able to theorise what the problem is, and how to attempt to fix things. Because of eveything she has to learn, I think it's inevitable that the first book would be a little slow.

However, what was very cool with this re-read is the fact that I have read it before and all the other books. Let me explain. I already knew that is was Kaylee's Aunt Val who made a deal with a hellion via a reaper. Knowing this, I could see her behaviour for what it really was - more like guilt and regret - rather than what Kaylee thought her behaviour was about - grief.

It was also really, really strange yet interesting to see the beginning's of Kaylee's and Nash's relationsip again. After reading My Soul to Keep, I've been pretty anti-Nash because of what we find out about what he does under the influnce of Demon's Breath. However, I like him in this book! Which was really odd, but really cool - he is a nice, good guy, and things were so good between him and Kaylee! He just loses his way when he is accidentally introduced to the drug. Which was Kaylee's fault. Through this re-read, my opinion has changed. I still think it's probably good that Kaylee and Nash broke up, but not so much because Nash hurt Kaylee beyond repair, but because Kaylee was the cause of everything going wrong for him. I finally see exactly where Tod is coming from when he says that they're not good for each other. It's best that they heal separately, and Sabine will do anything for Nash, and is ultimately better for him.

I loved meeting Tod again for the first time too! Oh, to see the change in him, even in this book. His interest is obvious! Maybe that's because I know where ther books lead, but he clearly likes Kaylee. Even in that first meeting. It's just wonderful to see him being anti-helping, but how Kaylee convincs him to, and that's it. You can pretty much see the moment it happens. And although she and Nash just got together and are happy right now, it's great to see the beginning of what I believe is going to be a brilliant relationship between those two. Oooh, happy happy!

I absolutely loved re-reading this book! Though I still thought it was a little slow, it was great to rediscover everyone and pick up on things in relation to what happens in later books. I highly recommend a re-read!

My original review.

Published: 1st January 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews of the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)
My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers Book 4)
Niederwald (Soul Screamers short story from Enthralled)
If I Die (Soul Screamers Book 5)

Review: Enthralled - Niederwald by Rachel Vincent

2012-02-04T21:01:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Enthralled: Paranormal Divisions Anthology - WARNING! I cannot review this short story without spoiling the books in the series it comes from. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

A collection of fourteen original teen paranormal short stories from some of today’s bestselling YA talent, united with the common theme of road trips, and edited by bestselling authors Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

Contributors include:
Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong
Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, Rachel Caine, Carrie Ryan, Jessica Verday, Rachel Vincent, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jerri Smith-Ready, Sarah Rees Brennan, Kimberley Derting, Jackson Pearce, Ally Condie. From Amazon UK

Niederwald by Rachel Vincent - Set between My Soul to Steal and If I Die,

I read this short story for the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge. The story follows a road trip back from a cultural fair that Emma and Sabine had to go on for extra credit for school. However, the only reason Sabine went was to make a stop on the way back - at Niederwald. She wants to talk to Syrie, an oracle that lives at Niederwald, guarded by a group of harpies.

I LOVED this short story. Why? Because Sabine is the narrator and I love her! It's great to get inside her head a little and to be reminded that she's not all bad, and she does care for those other than herself and Nash.

I'm so glad I waited until after reading If I Die to read it, because I know Sabine's visit to Niederwald would have put ideas into my head and ruined some of the surprises in If I Die - at least it would have for me. I wouldn't want to make guesses on what happens in a book by the short story set before it. However, It's still cool to know now what happened with Sabine in this story and how it relates to If I Die - sorry, I'm trying not to spoil this story or If I Die.

It was great to read about the Harpies and Syrie too. Harpies seem really creepy, and I think they'd be a great cause for conflict in a full length novel, some how. Syrie, it would be good to find out more about her too. I don't know if she's human or not. I'd like to know more about her story.

Over all a very cool and intriguing short story, and it will be cool to see if the events of this story come up again in future books.

Thanks to Harper Collins Children's Books for sending me a review copy.

Published: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books UK
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)
My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers Book 4)
If I Die (Soul Screamers Book 5)

If I Die by Rachel Vincent Published Today!

2012-02-03T09:00:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

If I Die, the fifth book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, is released today!

If I Die by Rachel Vincent - NO ONE WANTS TO BE THIS TEACHER’S PET . . .

Everyone else is talking about Eastlake High’s gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck, but Kaylee Cavanaugh has bigger things on her mind. Kaylee’s a banshee—her scream is a portent of death.

But the next scream might hit too close to home. Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline has almost run out.

Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself from her own problems, Kaylee is determined to defend her school against the latest supernatural threat. That hot new teacher is really an incubus, who feeds from the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s delinquent ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human either.

But Kaylee’s running out of time, and those who love her will do anything to save her life.

ANYTHING. From RachelVincent.com

This book is absolutely incredible, and not one you want to miss! Need more convincing? Read my review. And then get buying!

Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

2012-02-02T21:03:00.003Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg (ARC) - If I'd known right then that this was the kid who would grow up to break my heart beyond repair, maybe I would've stayed upstairs on the phone with Tess.

Maybe I would've gone to bed early. Maybe I would've begged my parents to take me with them - even though those doctor dinners are pretty much the boringest things ever.

But I didn't know. Couldn't know. So instead I shrugged and said something really genius like "Um, whatever." And proceeded to fall totally, madly, crazy in love. From Puffin.co.uk

After reading the blurb and title, I picked up this book thinking I was in for a nice romantic love story that went wrong, and how I would get to read about the whole romance from start to finish, and how she dealt with it after. That sounds like the type of book it would be, right? It isn't. It's absolutely nothing like it. It's a story of a girl who dies of a broken heart, literally. Her boyfriend dumps her, and her heart literally severs in two. This isn't a spoiler, this is found out from the very beginning. Then we follow Brie as she tries to come to terms with her death, in her "slice of heaven".

So I picked up a book that was telling a completely different story from the one I was expecting, down to a not so brilliant blurb - the blurb is actually an excerpt from the book, but it doesn't really explain what this story is about, or that Brie is dead. So I was a little annoyed that I was reading a different book, but I ecided to put that aside and give it a go. And it was enjoyable, but now as good as I hoped.

It didn't hook me in much. It took me a long time to read because I wasn't desperate to find out what happened next. I wasn't the biggest fan of Brie, the main character. When she was raging at the world and everyone in it, although I understood, I got annoyed with her. It went on a little bit too much for me. I really liked Patrick, he was really sweet and funny, but there wasn't enough of him; he was Brie's friend and companion in her slice of heaven, but she was completely focussed on her own issues, that I didn't think he had enough page time or that I got to now him enough.

I also thought the story was a bit slow. Brie has to come to terms with her death, and in doing so has to go through the five stages of grief, but as she does, there didn't seem to be much point to the story - until very close to the end. It didn't seem to really be going anywhere. It was only in the last third/last quarter of the book that things looked up; questions I didn't know to ask were answered, and things started making a little more sense. Once all that started happening, I could appreciate how clever the plot is, be extremely wowed by the title, and thinking that the book was becoming quite cool with the new exciting twist. I even thought that maybe this was the first book in the series, because things were working themselves out towards the end rather than finding more out earlier on, but then the book ended, and I realised it's a stand alone. I also found the ending a little bit confusing. So after the plot dragging a little for a while, then finally starting to make sense, but then ending as it did, I was a little bit "what?"

It wasn't all bad. The story of what happened to those left behind was really sad, and there were some serious issues covered. It was really, really upsetting to see how the lives of her friends, her ex-boyfriend, and her family were turned upside down and started crumbling. And it was surprising to see that things weren't entirely what they seemed. As I said I really liked Patrick, and the twist that came up around the end was really pretty genius. It's just with everything else, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted. It was ok. Thought I'm sure some of this is half down to originally being annoyed by the misleading blurb. If I read it again knowing to expect the type of story I got, I might have enjoyed it more. I just don't think I was in the mood for this time of story.

A fairly good story over all, one I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy, but just not really for me right at this moment in time. Hopefully I'll find more enjoyment in it next time.

Thank you to Razorbill UK for sending me a review copy.

Published: 2nd February 2012
Publisher: Razorbill UK
Buy on Amazon US
Jess Rothenberg's Website

Stacia Kane's Downside Ghosts Series and News

2012-02-01T22:11:00.000Z

I have some news to share with you! They're both about the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane, but apart from my review of Unholy Ghosts, (which is the first in the series, I'm quite a bit behind!) I haven't mentioned much about the books on the blog. So I thought I'd give you a quick intro with book covers and Product Descriptions.

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane - The first book in a compelling new urban fantasy series, The Downside Ghosts.
Murderous spirits and ruthless drug dealers combine to create serious problems for fiercely independent heroine, Chess, in these fast-paced, sexy and addictive novels – fitting for a witch with a serious drug problem.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit.

Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She's got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she's keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that's landed her in hot and dangerous water.

Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump's ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah. From Amazon UK

Check out my review of Unholy Ghosts. I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series with...

Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane - The second book in this edgy urban fantasy trilogy.

Chess is a fiercely independent witch and talented Debunker - working for the Church of Real Truth to exorcise ghosts and expose human liars. But she has a dark little secret that is causing her a lot of problems… a drug addiction.

Trying to catch a spectral serial killer with a fondness for his victims’ eyes is distracting Chess from her day job, and her growing attraction to Terrible is making things worse.

Life is getting too complicated and Chess must break the rules to keep her head above water. From Amazon UK

City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane - The third book in this gritty, sexy, urban fantasy trilogy.

Rogue spirits and psychopomps are terrorising people, and now someone is planning to open the gates to the City of Ghosts and unleash the dead on humanity.

Faced with her greatest challenge yet, Chess has to travel to the spirit city to finally lay all her ghosts to rest… From Amazon UK

Phew! How awesome does this series sound?! Now we're all caught up, on to the news! The fourth book in the series, Sacrificial Magic, is being released in the US on 27th March, and on 29th March in the UK! There isn't a cover for the UK edition yet, but below is the US cover and the product description.

- The fourth book in Stacia Kane’s fantastic DOWNSIDE GHOSTS series.

Life is going surprisingly well for Chess Putnam. Her bank balance is healthy, she’s pretty sure she can call Terrible her “boyfriend”, and the last few months have been devoid of anyone trying to kill her. So when Chess is ordered by an infamous crime boss – who also happens to be her drug dealer – to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she is unsurprised; she knew the recent calm wouldn’t last. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Chess’ ex lover Lex, son of a rival crime lord, is trying to re-ignite the sparks between them.

Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’ real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth; investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice. From Amazon UK

And finally, the US cover for Chasing Magic, the fifth book in the series, which is out later in the year.

Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane US cover - A DEADLY HIGH

Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.

As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living. From Amazon UK

So, who's joining me in ordering some new books?

MV Reading Challenge 2012: February Link-Up

2012-02-01T18:17:00.003Z

Hey everyone!

Here is your post to link up your February reviews for the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012 and enter to win prizes! For the sign-up post, go here.

Firstly, the winners for the January link-up are:

US: Nobody entered for January, so the prize will roll over.

UK Bundle 1: Aishah W

UK Bundle 2: Sarah

Congratulations! Your details have been passed on to my contacts, and you'll be receiving your prizes soon.

Please go and read Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge Info page, which will explain how and why prizes are given as they are.

For this month, the prizes are as follows.

US: Bite Club by Rachel Caine and Immortal Anthology

UK: Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, Flying Blind and Winging It Deborah Cooke

US entrants will be entering to win a copy of Bite Club by Rachel Caine from Penguin US and the Immortal Anthology from Smart Pop Books.. UK entrants will be entering to win Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, Flying Blind and Winging It by Deborah Cooke, the first two books in The Dragon Diaries series, MV temporary tattoos and Weather Warden temporary tattoos from Allison and Busby.

Thank you to both Allison and Busby and Penguin US for sponsoring the challenge with these prizes.

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.
And now, to submit your reviews! Everyone, no matter where you're from, can submit their reviews from February in the comments below, so we can see everyone's progress and how we're liking the books! Please link directly to your review, NOT your blog home page.

Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

2012-01-22T19:26:00.003Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine - WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE. JUST DON'T STAY OUT AFTER DARK.

Morganville is a small town filled with unusual characters -- when the sun goes down, the bad come out. In Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows -- one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

For Claire Danvers, high school was hell, but college may be murder. It was bad enough that she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the school's mean girls, but now she's got three new roommates, who all have secrets of their own. And the biggest secret of all isn't really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires, and they are hungry for fresh blood... From Amazon UK

I've read Glass Houses before, before I ever started blogging, and so I'm writing a proper review for it. It's been quite a while since I last read Glass Houses, that I couldn't quite remember the story. I remembered Claire left her dorm at uni to go live with Michael, Eve and Shane after being attacked by Monica, I remembered her finding out about the vampires, and I remembered a search for the book, but there was quite a lot I didn't remember, which made the reread pretty exciting!

Some of the things I didn't remember. Claire has had black hair since when?! I've always imagined her as a blonde! Probably because of the cover of my edition (above). I'd forgotten just how psycho Monica is - who I have always imagined to look like Megan Fox; Monica is a psychotic version of Megan Fox's character, Carla in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen - and how she actually wants Claire dead! She's a cow throughout the series, but I forgot just how bad she is in this book. I also forgot the introduction of certain characters in this, I didn't think they were introduced until several books into the series! And I forgot how this book ended! I thought something that happens in a later book ended this one! It got all confusing! But almost like a completely different, unread book, as I wasn't sure what was happening! It was fun! And I didn't realise the "will they? won't they?" romance between Claire and Shane even started simmering in this book! I thought it happened later on! So that was a lovely surprise and really fun to rediscover! Ohhh, it's so sweet! I do love those guys.

The story itself is exciting! The vampires are scary, and it's sitll easy to get freaked out right along with Claire even though I've read all the other books. It's so cool to have a series were the vampires are scary, there don't seem to be many of them any more. The action is still edge-of-your-seat good as I had forgotten the specifics. However, having read all the other books, despite Glass Houses being brilliant, it's very much a first book in the series, because so much more seems to happen in the other novels. But still a great start to the series! I love it, and I'm looking forward to rereading the others!

We can't seem to buy Glass Houses as an actual book at the moment, so I have the following is for the first omnibus that includes Glass Houses

Published: 2008
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's Website

Review: If I Die by Rachel Vincent

2012-01-17T15:37:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

If I Die by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

NO ONE WANTS TO BE THIS TEACHER’S PET . . .

Everyone else is talking about Eastlake High’s gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck, but Kaylee Cavanaugh has bigger things on her mind. Kaylee’s a banshee—her scream is a portent of death.

But the next scream might hit too close to home. Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline has almost run out.

Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself from her own problems, Kaylee is determined to defend her school against the latest supernatural threat. That hot new teacher is really an incubus, who feeds from the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s delinquent ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human either.

But Kaylee’s running out of time, and those who love her will do anything to save her life.

ANYTHING. From RachelVincent.com

Just to warn you, this review is likely to be quite long, and you may not survive the tsunami of love that will spill out from it.

I'm going to start this review by saying something outrageous. Who nees family or friends, hell, who needs food when you can lock yourself in a room and immerse yourself in the wonders that are the Soul Screamers series? I'm exaggerating, of course, but that should give you some idea as to how much I really mean my love knows no bounds when it comes to this series. No review I could ever write would ever come close to expressing how much I adore this series, and specifically this book (but I'm going to try!). If I Die surpasses My Soul to Steal, and I thought that was brilliant! I'm going to say something now I never, ever thought I would say. Are you ready? Ok, here goes. I love this series more than I love the Shifters series. I know! The Shifters series was absolutely phenomenal, and I didn't think Vincent could ever write anything that came close to how amazing it is, because how can you beat perfection?! Guess what? The Soul Screamers series is better!

Should I get on with the specifics now? Yes? Ok...

That's going to be hard actually, because there's so much that happens in this book that is major important, and it leaves very little I can talk about. I would say this is probably the most important book in respects to Kaylee's life so far. It's a turning point in the biggest way possible. Everything's changed. Everything. And it's brilliant!

As we learned much earlier in the series, Kaylee was supposed to die when she was three. However, her mother took her place, and Kaylee has been living on borrowed-time since then; she's been living the time her mother would have had had she not died, and now that line will be coming to an end in a few days. And there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to save her. As if that's not enough to deal with - having to face the fact she will die, trying to make sure everyone will be ok when she's gone, and decide what she wants to do with the little time she has left - she finds out there is an Incubus posing as the school's new Maths teacher, and has the sweet, young things he teaches in his sights - specifically Emma, Kaylee's best friend. Kaylee can't die, she doesn't have time to die! There is a freaking incubus attempting to impregnate half the student body! So, as you can imagine, Kaylee's fit to burst with everything she has to deal with and how very little time she has to deal in. It's enough to drive anyone mad, and perhaps make a few mistakes...

That's what's just so fantastic about Vincent; she doesn't shy away from putting her characters of her readers through hell. In all kinds of ways. And not one person, not one, comes out the other side unscathed, be it mentally or physically. If I Die is absolutely hellish on it's characters, it's terrifying and unbelievably sad, and yet it's also so, so beautiful. There were tears in my eyes as I closed the book because of more emotions than I could possibly name. But mostly, I was in complete and utter awe.

I have to mention Tod. My love for this boy has grown and grown with each book, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. He's just the most amazing, brave and selfless guy - and one of the funniest. He is just so completely wonderful, and I want one of my own. Sabine is still very much Sabine, and so I'm still loving her. That girl has serious spunk, and despite the way she can treat Kaylee sometimes, I love her for it. I am so looking forward to more of her. And I'm so glad I finally got an answer to a question I've been wondering about ever since reading the prequel novella, My Soul To Lose. Just shows how brilliantly talented Vincent is, If I Die is the fifth book in! She has had this book in head in some form since the very beginning. It blows me away.

I am so happy there has been a change when it comes to the titles! If I Die makes perfect sense, and I'll remember which book it is, but I'm always having to look up the others when I want to talk about them, because I can never remember whether it's MSTTake, Save, Keep or Steal. So I'm liking the chnge! I also love the cover - I love all the UK covers for this series - but it doesn't link to the story whatsoever that I can see, I have no idea of the significance of the dragonfly. So for this book, I think the US cover says a lot more about the story, it really works.

This is not a book anyone can miss. You have to read this book. Pre-order this book now, right now, because you simply cannot not read this book. It's absolutely amazing! Rachel Vincent, you are beyond amazing, and I cannot thank you enough for the joy I get through readin your books. You're a gift to readers. Now I just need Mira Ink to publish the eBook novellas Reaper and Never to Sleep in the UK so I can read them, and I will be an extremely happy girl.

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 3rd February 2012
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)
My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers Book 4)

Review: Lost Christmas by David Logan

2012-01-13T16:14:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Lost Christmas by David Logan - "Give him your hand Frank. Let him tell you what you've lost. Old lady's lost a bangle, he knows I've lost a dog, well you've lost something too. Let him tell you what."

Eleven-year old Goose is lost. It's Christmas, his parents are dead and now his dog Mutt has gone missing. Those round him aren't doing much better: his Uncle Frank's wife has walked out on him and his nan is losing her mind.

But then Anthony appears: a man who seems to know everything about those he touches by nothing at all about himself...

Who is he, how does he know so much, and can he help Goose?

So begins a dramatic journey through love, loss and the quest for home. From the blurb

I received Lost Christmas as a Christmas pressie from my Mum and Dad. I originally planned to keep it until December of this year, so I would be reading a Christmassy book around Christmas, but had to pick it up on my Mum's insistence. Why? Well, she wants to watch the film Lost Christmas which we recorded when it was on last month. She's not the type of person who can watch movies based on a book or movies where a book version has been writen (as is the case with Lost Christmas) without reading the book first, so I let her borrow it. Once she finished, she said I HAD to read the book before we watched the movie because it was brilliant, and as she wanted to watch the movie soon, I had to read the book, like, yesterday. Obviously, my Mum didn't say those exact words, but you get the idea. She was right, the book is brilliant.

I picked Lost Christmas up thinking it was a children's book, but I would say it's more a pre-teen/early teen novel, with cross over appeal. The loss of Goose's parents has had a huge, huge impact on Goose's life. He's gone a bit off the rails because he hasn't dealt with things properly, and his Nan, who is his guardian now, has Alzheimer's that's steadily getting worse. His life doesn't look good. And the lives of various other people in the book have lives that are less than perfect. Lost Christmas reminds of movies like Love, Actually, as there are a lot of characters with their own individual stories, but they're all linked. It was quite a novelty to see something like this in a book; instead of just one or maybe two narrators like I'm used to, there were a whole number of them - though some had only very small parts, it really doesn't get confusing at all. The main narrator is Goose and it's his story that is the main focus. There's such a wealth of characters, but each of them have experienced loss in some form.

Which leads on to my next point. Lost Christmas is sad. There are some very light, amusing moments, but there are a number of moments that are just incredibly sad. There's one excruciating moment where I came so close to tears, because it's one of those rare moments where you know what's going to happen - you actually know, it's not a theory or a prediction, you know - and it's nothing good, and reading it is just awful! It's drawn out over several pages, and I just wanted to put the book down. It's excruciating! Really, there are some terribly upsetting moments.

I was so surprised by the ending! All the way through I was trying to work out who Anthony was, I had various theories that were based on nothing but guesses. They were discarded and another thought up, and then brought back, but never guessed what his story was, or how he knew everything about everyone else. It's so clever! And the actual ending of the book was just so good! Oh, it was just lovely! I loved.

The cover for Lost Christmas is really beautiful, but other than the snow, I have absolutely no idea how it relates to the story. I have no clue about the tree, and it looks like the shortest figure is a girl, which makes no sense to me. I am at a lost. But it is gorgeous!
A really sweet but also sad novel that's just wonderful and brilliant and all things good! I highly recommend Lost Christmas, it's fantastic!

Published: Quercus
Publisher: 27th October 2011
Buy as an eBook on Amazon US
David Logan's Website

MV Reading Challenge 2012: January Link-Up UPDATED

2012-01-01T09:00:00.006Z

Happy New Year, everyone!

Here is your post to link up your January reviews for the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012! For the sign-up post, go here.

Due to conversations I've had with publishers regarding prizes, the way I'm going to have people enter for the prizes is going to be a little different to what you see on other blogs. People will have to opt in to enter, rather than just submitting a review.

Unfortunately, the publishers I have contacted are only able to send prizes to their own countries - the UK and the US - so there won't be one prize pack everyone can enter to win. Those outside The UK and the US won't be able to enter - I'm sorry, but I have no control over where the publishers send the prizes, I'm afraid. Hopefully you'll still continue with the challenge anyway.

However, for those who are from the UK and the US, I'm going to make this as fair as I can. There will be two forms to fill in to enter for the various prizes when possible.

Please go and read Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge Info page as there have been some updates regarding prizes - which explains why there is one prize for the US and two bundle prizes for the UK. Also, I have heard from Allison & Busby that book 13 in the Morganville Vampires series may not be released in the UK until 2013. If this is the case, I'll still count up to book 12, Black Dawn, for the levels of Myrnin and Bishop.
For this month, the prizes are as follows.

US: Immortal

UK Bundle 1:
Morganville Vampires Omnibus 1, Morganville Vampires Omnibus 2 & Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

UK Bundle 2: Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke, Winging It by Deborah Cooke & Enthralled Anthology

US entrants will be entering to win a copy of the Immortal Anthology from Smart Pop Books. UK entrants will be entering to win either bundle, which include a copy of the Morganville Vampires Omnibus 1 and Morganville Vampires Omnibus 2, Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, MV temporary tattoos, Weather Warden temporary tattoos and a MV canvas bag from Allison and Busby, or Flying Blind and Winging It by Deborah Cooke, the first two books in The Dragon Diaries series, MV temporary tattoos and Weather Warden temporary tattoos from Allison and Busby and Enthralled Anthology from HarperCollins UK. Each anthology contains a short story written by Rachel Caine in the Morganville Vampires universe. Thank you to both Allison and Busby, HarperCollins UK an Smart Pop Books for sponsoring the challenge with these prizes.

CONTESTS ARE NOW CLOSED!

ETA: I've been having issues with Mister Linky, so reviews will be submitted from now on in the comments.
And now, to submit your reviews! Everyone, no matter where you're from, can submit their reviews from January in the comments below, so we can see everyone's progress and how we're liking the books! Please link directly to your review, NOT your blog home page.

Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

2011-12-30T15:05:00.006Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Fury by Elizabeth Miles (review copy) - Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen. From Amazon US

I thought this book sounded like it would be pretty good, but I had no idea how amazing it was going to be! I absolutely loved it!

This book is creepy and freaky, but not in the usual way. This book has been classed as paranormal horror, but it didn't scare me like a horror would. I had no problems reading it at night, it didn't give me nightmares, I wasn't jumping at every little noise - though there were definitely scary parts in it, what with random girls suddenly showing up in windows. No, this book scared me because I didn't know what was going to happen. Furires punish the wrong do-ers, but what they consider "wrong" isn't set in stone - for a completely unrelated to the book example, the furies would punish you just as harshly for dropping litter as they would for kidnapping. Not oly is the definition of wrong very loose, the punishment, what they consider "justice" for what you did isn't predictable either. For the litter example, going arond wearing a bright jacket picking up other people's litter isn't as likely as you being "dropped" in some way, but what could "dropped" mean? There are hundreds of possibilities. You just don't know what the furies are going to decide you deserve. And that's what I found scary, not being able to work out, or even make a guess, at what would happen, or when. With every turn of the page, I was on edge, waiting for god knows what, just something bad. Yet having to read on because it is so exciting!

As I said, Fury didn't scare me in the traditional horror sense, but I was definitely freaked out by some of the furies behaviour. As readers, we know these mysterious, beautiful girls are furies - blurbs, descriptions, even reviews tell us so. Yet the characters in the book don't get any kind of inkling of something not-quite-human until quite a ways into the book. So the behaviour of the Furies, the things some of the characters see, not knowing that Furies exist, believing them to be human... the torment is freaky, and I was empathetically freaked out.

Yet I kind of loved them, like villians you love to hate. It sounds kind of right to have something that goes around fixing wrongs, something that dishes out karma. I'm sure plenty of us have wanted bad things to happen to bad people - I think it's natural with some of the things we see on the news. And these ladies are making sure those bad things happen. When said like that, I did feel there was a strange kind of "rightness" to them. But then you read on and see how messed up they are and things start to change. What if the furies were real? What mistakes have you made? What would they think you need to be punished for? And how? It's freaky and creepy, but all kinds of briliant!

When it comes to urban fantasy, there's a certain progression that I expect. By the time I put the book down, no matter what the story, or if it's in a series, I just expect a certain kind of ending. There tends to be a lot of action in urban fantasy, and the constant threat of danger to our main characters and narrators. There are fights, people get hurt, and you're excited, and sitting on your edge seat in suspence. But eventually, the book will still have that ending, even if there's a cliff hanger. The main characters are a little bruised and roughed up, and plan to try and kick some paranormal butt the next time when book two comes along, or at least try to live a normal life until paranormal butt comes a-knocking again. You expect certain things to go a certain way simply because that's how these thing go. It's like urban fantasy law or something. However, a little over half way through Fury I realised that the ending I expected - without even realising I expected it, because you don't expect the moon to come after the sun, it just does - wasn't what I was going to get. On a second read of this book, I would probably react differently, but the first time round, there was just complete shock. I was shaken. Miles tore up the urban fantasy law book, slapped me in the face and left me reeling. I believe my thoughts were along the lines of "WHAT?! But that can't happen!" I read on for a little while in a daze, sure there was a mistake, or some sort of joke, and things were going to change and sort themselves out. They didn't. Which makes me SUPER excited to read more of Miles books, because not only do you not know what to expect from the furies, but you don't know what to expect from Miles' writing either! I was completely blown away!

If I had any kind of criticism, at some points, some of the characters just seemed a little too young for their age, a little too naive, but it's a very small thing, and can easily go unnoticed in all the excitement. Also, on it's own, I really like the cover, but I don't think it says much about the book, except that the girl is like smoke. I guess that's true, furies can disappear like smoke, but it doesn't really say "fuies" to me, but I'm not sure what would. With the US cover, at least you know it's Ty, one of the furies, on the cover, because of the hair colour. I generally prefer the US cover.

Fury is a phenomenal debut novel, absolutely brilliant, and I cannot wait to read book two, Envy, when it's released next year. It's going to be incredible. If you haven't read Fury yet, you need to read it now!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the review copy.

Published: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on Amazon UK
Elizabeth Miles' Website

Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-01T23:08:00.010Z

There was recently news that there will be an extra three books released in the series Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine! Hurrah! To celebrate, I decide to set myself the challenge to re-read the past 11 books, and read book 12, Black Dawn, and the as yet unnamed 13th book, which are both being released next year. I know there are a lot of other MV fans, and I some people who have wanted to try them, so I thought I'd share the challenge with you!

The Details:

Anyone, from anywhere, can sign up, whether you have a blog of not - you just need somewhere to post your reviews, like Goodreads. If you do have a blog, you're welcome to write a sign-up post. Although it's not brilliant (sorry!), feel free to use the button above - just right click and save it to your computer first. Then fill your details into the linky below.

When? The challenge will run from 1st January 2012 until 31st December 2012.

Formats? All formats count - books, e-books or audiobooks!

Levels
There are levels! Pick the one you would like to complete. The levels are characters from the books in the order of their creepiness! So who are you going to be?

Sam Glass: Books 1-3
Oliver: Books 1-6
Amelie: Books 1-9
Myrnin: Books 1-13

And a final level for those hardcore fans...

Bishop: Books 1-13, plus all short stories (in anthologies or otherwise).

For information on all the books, omnibuses and short stories, head on over to the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012 Book Info page.

Monthly Link-Up
Each month I will post a link up for everyone to link to their reviews, and we can all see what we all thought. There will be prizes! What they are and how many contests there will be is yet to be decided, but I will keep you posted.

If there are any questions, please ask! This is the first challenge I've hosted, so there may be somthing I've forgotten, so just let me know!

So to sign up for the challenge just fill in your details in the linky below. Sign-up will close on 31st May 2012.

2012 Reading Challenges

2011-11-27T23:59:00.010Z

To follow my progress of the challenges throughout the year, click the 2012 Reading Challenges page link on the left sidebar

Speculative Reading Challenge 2012

Adventures of 2.0 is hosting the Speculative Reading Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read the number of speculative fiction books from your chosen level. I'm going for In Nirvana, which is to read 24 books, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

2012 Paranormal Reading Challenge

Tales From the Crypt is hosting the 2012 Paranormal Reading Challenge, where the aim is to read the number of paranormal books - bar vampire novels - from your chosen level. I'm going for Level 4, which is to read 21+ books, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

2012 Vampire Reading Challenge

Tales From the Crypt is hosting the 2012 Vampire Reading Challenge, where the aim is to read the number of vampire novels from your chosen level. I'm going for Level 2, which is to read 6-10 books, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2012

Book Chick City is hosting the Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read the number of horror and urban fantasy novels from your chosen level. I'm going for Level 1, which is to read 48 books. For more info, see the link above.

Speculative Romance Challenge 2012

Book Chick City is hosting the Speculative Romance Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read the number of horror and urban fantasy novels from your chosen level. I'm going for the Four Sexy Archangels level, which is to read 24 books. For more info, see the link above.

Review: My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

2011-11-27T16:23:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

SOMETIMES DREAMS DO COME TRUE...AND THAT'S THE LAST THING KAYLEE NEEDS.
Working things out with Nash - her maybe boyfriend - is hard for Kaylee. She's already coping with being a teenage banshee. Worse, Nash's gorgeous ex-girlfriend just transferred to their school. Sabine's no ordinary girl. She's a mara, a real-life walking nightmare. Draining people's energy through their darkest dreams sustains Sabine...and makes her Kaylee's top suspect in a cluster of super-creepy deaths. To win back Nash, Kaylee's determined to unearth the truth. But Sabine knows the deathly secrets of Kaylee's subconscious - and she's not afraid to use them to get whatever and whoever she wants... From Amazon UK

After finishing My Soul to Keep, I immediately picked up My Soul to Steal, desperately needing to read more of this story I am now hooked on. And it didn't disappoint!

With the introduction of a Mara, a creature that reads your darkest fears and creates nightmares for you to have while sleeping so they can feed from your fear, MSTSteal knocks the creep-factor up a level. What makes it slightly worse is that the Mara in this story, Sabine, is Nash's ex-girlfriend, and he is absolutely certain she is not behind the seriously bad things that happen in the book - which means that what she does might not be because of some evil scheme, but because she simply wants to torment Kaylee. To me, the possibility of her not actually being the one who is killing these people, but just sending Kaylee nightmares through jealousy makes her creepier, because if she's not the villain, how can you get rid of her?

I love how amidst all the urban fantasy, Vincent can still give us a human element, or more specifically, in the Soul Screamers, the teenage human element. In the last book it was teens using drugs, in this book, it's boyfriend stealing. Kaylee and Nash are on a break after she discovered, while he was addicted to Demon's Breath, he let Avari, a Hellion in the Netherworld, possess Kaylee's body, and never told her about it. Although she still loves him, she doesn't trust him, and is still hurting from the betrayal. Then along comes Sabine. As I said, Sabine is Nash's ex-girlfriend, and she is determined to get him back. She complicates everything for Kaylee, because although she doesn't want to lose him, she can't be with him right now, where Sabine is quite happy to accept he's done some bad things and love him anyway - and give him things Kaylee is not yet ready to give. Kaylee can't deny that Sabine and Nash obviously have a strong bond, and is terrified Nash will turn to her if she doesn't take him back soon, but how can she take him back so soon when she's still struggling with her trust issues? Add to this that Sabine is happy to play dirty by tormenting Kaylee with seriously freaky nightmares among other things, and you will have yourself one seriously stressed out bean sidhe!

As creepy as she is, I actually really liked Sabine. Sure, she goes about trying to get Nash back completely the wrong way (though frankly, I think she shouldn't have just accepted he loves Kaylee and gave it up), I have to admire her determination, and was impressed, along with sometimes shocked and angry, at how far she was willing to go to get what she wants. She is unbelievable! But I empathise with Sabine too, even if I can't relate to her. She has had such a tough life, and for all her tough front, she just seems so insecure and, well, desperate. Nash may belong to someone else, but he is all she has in the world, and she really does need him. And beyond Nash, Kaylee has absolutely everything Sabine doesn't - a family, friends, people who care about her, and a generally good life. Sabine is just a really complicated character, and I feel sorry for her. And I also think she's going to make make future books that little bit more interesting!

What I've discovered from reading MSTKeep and MSTSteal is that what appears to be the main conflict for the story, despite how big a deal it seems at first, it's nothing compared to what is around the corner - and there's always, always something. And the magnitude of these somethings is just beyond anything you can imagine! There is so much more going on in this book than the freaky events surrounding the Kaylee-Nash-Sabine love triangle, so much more, but I can't say anything about it! It's one of the things I love about the Soul Screamers Series, the mix of urban fantasy - Kaylee and friends in our world, and high fantasy - all the goings on in the Netherworld, which is completely made up by Vincent, so you never know what's going to come next! I love it! It's always big, and scary, and freaking awesome!

And, if I'm reading things right, I believe the current love triangle might actually become a love diamond (sounds much better than a square or rectangle, don't you think?)! There might just be a certain someone who also has feelings for our little bean sidhe, and I think I might possibly be rooting for him! Another incredible book, and I cannot wait for If I Die! I think the Soul Screamers might just be, dare I say it... possibly a little bit better than the Shifters series! I am addicted to these books!

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 21st October 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)

Review: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

2011-11-25T14:56:00.002Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them. Until something does.

Demon’s breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow, the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked. And when the epidemic hits too close to home, Kaylee will have to risk everything to save those she loves. From RachelVincent.com

Oh my god. In my previous reviews of the Soul Screamers series, I have always said how much I enjoyed them, which was and is true. However, as much as I enjoyed them, I did feel they weren't as exciting as Rachel Vincent's Shifters series, which I was reading at the time. I enjoyed them, but there was no urgent desire to read the next ones, I'd just read them when I read them. I was recently sent My Soul to Keep and My Soul to Steal by Mira Ink, and during a lull in my reading where I didn't know what I fancied, I decided to pick MSTKeep up. And WOW! I have said I loved the previous books in previous reviews, but that love comes no where near the love I have for this book! Now this is on par with the Shifters series!

Before I continue with my review, there's something I have big issues with. It's not the contents of the book, it's with the outside: the blurb. Above you will see I used the description from Rachel Vincent's own website. The description on the Amazon US isn't too bad, and was usable, but on Amazon UK, and on the actual UK edition of the book, there is what I believe to be a major spoiler. I highly suggest that if you plan on reading this book, do not read the back of the UK book or read the description on Amazon UK. As you can see from the description above, you're told enough. There is an extra detail that is on the UK blurb that is simply not needed, and without, would have made a major part of the book that much better for me if I didn't already know it was coming. It is such a big deal to the whole story of the book, and in one sentence in the blurb, they've taken the shock and surprise away from you. It's not fair, and it's really frustrating. Rant over.

Oh, my love for this book knows no bounds! It's creepy! Really! I actually found myself getting fairly freaked out at some points in the book. I am anti-drugs with a passion, and so this book really played to that side of me, and although Demon's Breath doesn't actually exist, the things it did and just how dangerous it was scared me on a normal, real-life level - this drug may not exist, but drugs are dangerous, and the effects they have on people... it scares me! But add on top of that the creepy urban fantasy element, and it's really warped.

What I absolutely loved, though, was how, unbelievably, the fact that Kaylee's school friends are getting high off a Netherworld narcotic ends up seeming so... almost trivial when other events unfold. And they just keep on and on unfolding, until you're on the verge of a heart attack with all the tension and anxiety for these characters and all the stuff that happens. But it's all genius! And the action! It is literally one of those moments when you can't see any good outcome, or any way out of the trouble their in. It's serious edge-of-your-seat, nail biting excitement! And I am liking Tod. I know in previous reviews I've been all about Nash, but I'm changing my mind. Tod, for all his jokes and annoying behaviour, he's actually a really nice guy, and when lives are in danger, or people are being treated badly, he steps up to the plate and he really surprised and impressed me. He's really cool!

Vincent is one of those authors whose mind I'd quite like to take a tour of, because just how she manages to write stories like this that flow so seemlessly and so believably I'll never know. I am just left in complete and utter awe! Incredible book! This is a brilliant, brilliant story, and I've already started the fourth book in the series, My Soul to Steal. If the series carries on like this, I believe I've just found myself another favourite series! Oh, how I love Rachel Vincent!

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 15th April 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the Soul Screamers series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)

Review: Last Breath by Rachel Caine

2011-11-11T17:40:00.002Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Last Breath by Rachel Caine (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Claire Danvers is concerned when three vampires vanish from Morganville without a trace. The last person seen with them is someone new to town - a mysterious individual named Magnus. Claire is convinced creepy Magnus isn't human ...but is he a vampire, or something else entirely? Claire's hunt for answers leads her to solving another mystery that's long been puzzling her: why do vampires live so far out in a sunny desert when they're sensitive to sunlight? The answer has nothing to do with sunlight, but with water - and an ancient enemy who has finally found a way to invade the vampires' landlocked community. Vampires aren't the top predator on earth. There's something worse that preys on them ...something much worse. Which means if Claire, and Morganville, want to live, they will have to fight on to the last breath... From Amazon UK

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Rachel Caine is a genius! With every book she writes, she brings us something new, unique, unpredictable and completely engrossing! And Last Breath is no different!

As weird as this may sound to fellow Morganville Vampires fans, considering all the weird stuff that happens in previous books, I think this might just be the creepiest of all the whole series so far! Seriously! These new creatures that prey on vampires... well, if you thought the vamps in these books could be bad, you've read nothing that. I was Freaked Out. Yes, with capital letters. These new beasties gave me the heebie-jeebies. Not necessarily for what they do or how they do them, but for what they are. You know how mean and evil Caine's vamps can be, seriously creeptastic! Yet this new creature scares them! They're nasty and they're.. ohh, they're just not right. For a lot of the novel it seems like there isn't any mythical creature that we know of that they're actually like, until they started doing one thing, and I actually said outloud, "Oh, they're like them!", except "them" was actually the creature I was thinking of, but I'm not going to spoil it for you. Them, but 100 times worse!

If these weird creatures weren't bad enough, we get some serious jaw-dropping moments in this book where you're just like "what the hell?!" Readers, once you get to this point, you'll know what I'm talking about. Because you know what that means! And you know it's going to change absolutely everything for Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael in massive ways! Yet, do you know? Caine is just so good at this writing thing that she's throwing you curve balls left, right and centre so you don't know which way is up let alone trying to come up with any kind of theory on where this book is going to go. She takes everything we think we know, and then BAM! turns it on it's head, in a completely believable way for the world she's writing - there's no "that can't happen, because she said XYZ before!" It all makes sense, you just never would have believed it before. No, believed it is wrong, you wouldn't even have thought of it. Caine's brain must be the size of a planet, because she thinks of absolutely everything - and this isn't her only series!

I loved how Caine carried on with adding other characters' points of view that she started in Fight Club. It's all mostly Claire still, but as well as her and Shane, we also get Michael, Eve and Amelie too. Yes, Amelie! And oooh, I want more of being in her head! She thinks like someone from centuries past, very proper and formal, with a lot of "one" instead of "I" going on. And she's just fascinating! This scary ice queen that rules with an iron fist isn't as strong as we all think. It's just wonderful to see all these different points of view! And things happen in this book where it's absolutely necessary to see through other people's eyes. No, I won't say more than that!

And the ending! Oh my god, the ending! I actually didn't know it was the end until I turned the page expecting the next chapter, and found Caine's playlist for the book. This is not a stand alone story! I don't know how many books it will cover, but this story is not completely wrapped up in this book, and there's so much more to find out, and EEEEI, I am so excited that we've got another story that carries on, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book, Black Dawn, which is out in May 2012! MV fans, you have to buy this book immediately! This is not one to miss! Incredible!

Thank you to Allison and Busby for sending me a review copy.

Published: 28th October 2011
Publisher: Allison and Busby
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's Website

Other reviews from the Morganville Vampires series:
Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires Book 6)
Fade Out (Morganville Vampires Book 7)
Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires Book 8)
Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires Book 9)
Bite Club (Morganville Vampires Book 10)

News: Cover Reveal for The Shifting Price of Prey by Suzanne McLeod

2011-11-07T20:40:00.003Z

Some lovely news! The cover for Suzanne McLeod's The Shifting Price of Prey has been released!

The Shifting Price of Prey by Suzanne McLeod - Sometimes a bit of magical help might cost more than you bargained for...

London is hosting the Carnival Fantastique, and Genny's job has never been busier or more fulfilling. Only not everyone is so happy. The fae are in trouble again and Genny learns the mysterious Emperor may have the solution they need – if Genny can find him.

Genny needs help. She turns to the vampire, Malik al-Khan, only to find he’s wrestling with his own demons. Genny’s own problems are about to multiply too. An old flame arrives with a tragic situation, just as the police request her urgent assistance with a magical kidnap. Is it all unconnected, or can the Emperor help her solve more than the fae’s troubles? From Suzanne McLeod's Blog.

I love the cover! And how good does this book sound?! I am so excited to read it! I can't wait for it to come out in February 2012!

Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire Series Omnibuses

2011-11-02T16:51:00.002Z

You may or may not know what a huge fan I am of Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series. Massive fan! I love this series! This is one of those series where, even if I have a huge TBR pile, I will buy the next book, even if I don't have much money, I will go without something else - chocolate, coke, etc - so I can buy a copy. This is a series I can't wait for. As soon as it's released, I am getting me the latest book.

So loving this series as much as I do, and with Christmas not too far away, I thought I'd let you know about the Morganville Vampires Series Ombinbuses for those who think they'll be an ideal gift for people they know or an early gift for yourself if you've not yet started them.

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine Omnibus 1 (released 4th October 2010) - The New York Times bestselling series following Claire and her friends as they survive in the town of Morganville, run by vampires.

A chance for fans to own a stunning hardback edition of the first three books in the bestselling Morganville Vampire series: Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance and Midnight Alley. From AllisonandBusby.com. Buy from Amazon UK.

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine Omnibus 2 (released 31st October 2011) - In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans have learnt to coexist in relative peace. Then comes Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead and let chaos rule - and Claire and here friends are the only ones who stand in his way...

Comprising of books four to six in the series - Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule and Carpe Corpus - this beautiful edition is a must for old and new fans of the chart-topping Morganville Vampires series. From AllisonandBusby.com. Buy from Amazon UK.

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

2011-10-23T18:35:00.001+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Abandon by Meg Cabot (ARC) - Last year, Pierce died - just for a moment. And when she was in the space between life and death, she met John: tall dark and terrifying, it’s his job to usher souls from one realm to the next.

There’s a fierce attraction between them, but Pierce knows that if she allows herself to fall for John she will be doomed to a life of shadows and loneliness in the underworld. But now things are getting dangerous for her, and her only hope is to do exactly what John says... From Amazon UK

I hadn't read any Meg Cabot before picking up this novel, but as it sounded right up my street, I thought I'd give a go and see why people love her novels so much. I was expecting to be wowed, I was expecting to be blown away. The truth is, I didn't get any of those things. I was hugely disappointed.

Nothing happened in this book until half way through. The first half was mostly showing Pierce feelings over now living in Isla Huesos, and all these different events that happened in the past, like what happened when she died, and various other big events. This wouldn't be so bad if we were told everything at once, but we aren't. We're given dribbles and trickles, never fully finding out what happened at each event until you reach the middle, and in my opinion, it wasted a lot of pages and time. It wasn't as exciting, because we already knew it was all in the past, so she didn't die permanently, or end up seriously injured, so there was no suspence, it was just finding out what happened, and it took so long.

Then things finally get moving... except, they don't really. It's full of things that you think will be subplots - a banned high school tradition, animosity between Pierce's cousin, Alex, and the popular kids - but they never amount to anything. They may be continued in the next book, but I don't see any point as they're so inconsequential to the main story. All that's really interesting is a conversation Pierce has with a cemetary Sexton, where you finally start finding things out, but nothing major really happens until the last 20 pages.

The whole story just dragged for me, unfortunately. It was very much the first book in a series, just setting everything up - but I've since been told by a Cabot fan that that's what all her fisrt books are pretty much like, so I guess die-hard Cabot fans will still enjoy it. But I have to say I was bored quite a lot of the way through, and in my opinion, a lot of it could be cut out, and it would be snappier and more interesting as a novella. There is potential for it to get better though, and I'm undecided on whether or not I will read the sequel, Underworld, when it's released next year. We'll see.

Thank you to Macmillan for sending me a review copy.

Published: 2nd September 2011
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Buy on Amazon US
Meg Cabot's Website