tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84413566769838658612022-08-21T04:23:32.413-04:00Ladybug LiteratureDanielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-50488633464580653692013-10-25T08:00:00.001-04:002015-02-13T03:38:51.423-05:00Review: The Darkness of Shadows by Chris Little @NetGalley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cHrVP1AGND4/Ug6KIF84wiI/AAAAAAAADNo/YxfFcnxdo58/s1600/18300059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cHrVP1AGND4/Ug6KIF84wiI/AAAAAAAADNo/YxfFcnxdo58/s320/18300059.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div><b>Title: </b>The Darkness of Shadows<br /><br /><b>Author: </b>Chris Little<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>August 2nd, 2013<br /><br /><b>ISBN: </b>9780989562904<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br />Natalie's parents weren't the nurturing type--and she has the physical and emotional wounds to prove it. For sixteen years she's hidden behind a wall of sarcasm and decadent desserts, but now her father is back, and she has only one thought: to kill him before he can hurt the family that took her in.<br /><br />But there's more to his darkness than even his own daughter can understand, and a gun is no defense against magic that can raise the dead.<br /><br />It turns out those scars he left on Natalie's back were more than just a sadistic hobby. Now her father demands that she finish a ritual so ancient, so terrifying, that even the vampires and werewolves are nervous.<br /><br />Can anyone protect her?<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />As is customary for me, I scoured NetGalley for new reads and stumbled across this little gem. I loved the cracked and creepy cover as well as the seemingly horrific synopsis. I had my fingers crossed, a lucky rabbit's foot clutched in my hand, and a wish on a star that I would find this book to be everything the appearance made it out to be.<br /><br />Natalie's story begins with her determination to leave the safety of her adopted family to search out and destroy her abusive father that has thrust himself back into her life. She has the limp and the scars to prove that her father is a very dangerous man and to protect the people that she loves she knows she must draw him away from them and kill him once and for all.<br /><br />Naturally things don't go as planned. Her father has no desire to wait until she is safely out of town before he comes after her. It is this little problem that causes her to have to come clean to her best friend and adopted sister about her father and his odd obsession with her. Her sister decides that Natalie cannot do this alone and she will help her rid her life of the fiend who haunts her dreams.<br /><br />That is all that I managed to get into the book. I am a firm believer in always finishing what you begin. I swore to myself that I would never start a book and not finish it. Especially not if it was only 200-something pages. That is such a short read I should have been able to finish it despite not liking it. Unfortunately, after nearly two weeks of only being able to read a page of two at a time, I finally had to resign myself to having to write my first DNF (did not finish) review. It is disheartening that something I hoped would be so wonderful turned out to not be able to draw me in in the slightest.<br /><br />The book's writing was a little off kilter. In the beginning I had no idea who was talking. Since it was in first person narrative, I had no pronouns such as 'he' or 'she' to go off. I had to go back to the synopsis to figure out whether the protagonist was a female or male. That was my first issue.<br /><br />The next was in Natalie as a character. Natalie as a character has a lot of baggage, naturally. She seemed to always be the wounded victim and that may be possibly why I couldn't finish the book. I like my characters to have a few scars but be able to power through it and come out the other side. Perhaps if I kept reading Natalie would have rallied but after making it 50% through and still not being able to continue without gritting my teeth, I had to throw in the towel.<br /><br />Would I be willing to try out another of Chris Little's books? Perhaps, but not very likely.<br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18300059-the-darkness-of-shadows?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18300059-the-darkness-of-shadows?from_search=true" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Darkness-of-Shadows-ebook/dp/B00EBGF04A/ref=la_B00EBRVGLK_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382661591&sr=1-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Darkness-of-Shadows-ebook/dp/B00EBGF04A/ref=la_B00EBRVGLK_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382661591&sr=1-1" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0BGphGcxNo/Umm-jbvOS-I/AAAAAAAAE6Q/XNY2ckdp1GM/s1600/DNF2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0BGphGcxNo/Umm-jbvOS-I/AAAAAAAAE6Q/XNY2ckdp1GM/s1600/DNF2.png" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-56701502435992253752013-10-12T08:00:00.001-04:002013-10-16T22:37:29.724-04:00Review: Found by Stacey Wallace Benefiel @NetGalley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GB_PyO3w5YE/Uk9JfI2FnGI/AAAAAAAAEs4/P6VfeorwJvM/s1600/15749110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GB_PyO3w5YE/Uk9JfI2FnGI/AAAAAAAAEs4/P6VfeorwJvM/s1600/15749110.jpg" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Found<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Stacey Wallace Benefiel<br /><br /><b>Series:</b> Penny Black #1<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>February 24th, 2013<br /><br /><b>ISBN:</b> 9781301860401<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br />From Stacey Wallace Benefiel, the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy, comes a New Adult trilogy set in the Society world.<br /><br />Penny Black hasn't had it easy. Just about everything you'd expect to happen to a harassed foster-kid turned junkie has happened to Penny. Add in the mysterious power to rewind time, conducting events around her, and it's a wonder she held up on the streets for so many years. Now, at seventeen, the New Society has found her. Finally, Penny is where she belongs. But that doesn't stop the visions, or the need to protect the victims shown to her.<br /><br />Wyatt Adams is excited and intrigued when his sister Melody assigns her to be Penny's Lookout. Being the youngest, and hopelessly ordinary in the family that created the New Society, has left Wyatt feeling like he has a lot to prove--and Penny is a big deal. She's got abilities that surpass any he's seen before... and pretty much every quality he looks for in a girlfriend, but no one needs to know about that, especially Penny.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />This is yet another book that I read that seems to be a spin-off of another series. I found out the book I recently read <i>Bad Kitty</i> was also a spin-off of another trilogy. <i>Found</i> seems to be a spin-off of the Zellie Wells trilogy. As much as that causes the perfectionist in my to scream in agony, I still decided to read the book and see what I thought of it in the end. I hoped that the fact that it was set in an already established futuristic world wouldn't cause any problems for me.<br /><br />Penny is a street urchin of a girl. She has been running from unknown forces since she was a young girl. After witnessing her parents' deaths and being placed into abusive foster homes, she had no choice but to try to make it on the streets. What she didn't count on was having an odd ability that causes her to "dream" tragic occurrences and then "sleepwalk" into rewinding them so the events never happened. This strange talent has the unfortunate drawback of causing her to pass out at random places leaving her vulnerable to animals and bad people in a weakened state.<br /><br />It is only after Penny comes face-to-face with the leaders of New Society that she is transported into a world of teenagers with talents very similar to her own. In this world she meets her new Lookout (essentially powerless sidekick), Wyatt, who she is instantly attracted to. Wyatt is determined to be the best Lookout Penny could ask for. He is determined to prove himself to his family of powerful individuals. Both Penny and Wyatt have motivation to prove themselves and a hunger for acceptance.<br /><br />I could not nail down how I felt about this book. One minute something would happen and I would be completely enamored with the world I was being introduced to and the next I would be rolling my eyes and checking the percentage on my Kindle Fire to see how much more I had to suffer through.<br /><br />One thing I liked was the uniqueness of the world. Sure, we have read or see movies about time travelers and people who could move through time, but this was a big different since it was essentially a complete society of these types of people and not just random mutants.<br /><br />One thing I did not dig about <i>Found</i> was the use of some of the slang. Maybe it's something that was established in the foundation series (this is why reading a spin-off is sometimes detrimental to the reader), but I just found it annoying. I could understand if they used "bueno" or "chido" in character speech, but it was also being used when the characters were NOT talking. That irked me a bit. Especially since both of those words are Spanish and the main characters are, as far as I know, Caucasian. Odd.<br /><br />Basically... this book was all over the place for me.<br /><br />I will say this...<br /><br /><i>Found</i> is a book that lovers of such movies as X-Men and Jumper will find to be literary gold.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available At:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18524822-found" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18524822-found" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/Found-Penny-Black-1-ebook/dp/B00BKTF5AK/ref=la_B003L8MMH2_1_3_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381568470&sr=1-3" href="http://www.amazon.com/Found-Penny-Black-1-ebook/dp/B00BKTF5AK/ref=la_B003L8MMH2_1_3_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381568470&sr=1-3" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/found-stacey-wallace-benefiel/1114699586?ean=9781490379616" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/found-stacey-wallace-benefiel/1114699586?ean=9781490379616" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Found-Stacey-Wallace-Benefiel/9781490379616" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Found-Stacey-Wallace-Benefiel/9781490379616" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/found-penny-black-1-1" href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/found-penny-black-1-1" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BrWIF2f-imk/UZnlL49N_2I/AAAAAAAAAkM/q3BlhCewTIw/s1600/2ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BrWIF2f-imk/UZnlL49N_2I/AAAAAAAAAkM/q3BlhCewTIw/s1600/2ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-23510066256539994342013-10-10T08:00:00.000-04:002013-10-19T17:00:32.881-04:00Review: Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan @NetGalley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fZMKDrWrC9U/UgWSTQ8U6xI/AAAAAAAAC_I/AkRvK8r7qMo/s1600/13568136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fZMKDrWrC9U/UgWSTQ8U6xI/AAAAAAAAC_I/AkRvK8r7qMo/s320/13568136.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Gift<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Andrea J. Buchanan<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>March 27th, 2012<br /><br /><b>ISBN:</b>9781453219614<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br /><b>Daisy has an electrifying secret that could save her life--or kill her.</b><br /><b><br /></b>High school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn't help that she's the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn't even own a cell phone. But there's a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power--one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about. Despite her "gift" (or is it a curse?), Daisy's doing a good job of fitting in, and a gorgeous senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she's always tried to hide, before it's too late?<br /><br />Extra features include:<br /><br />- A short graphic novel telling Vivi's story.<br />- Danielle's journal, revealing her deepest thoughts.<br />- Lyrics and video links for Kevin's music (songs composed by Fredrik Larsson, otherwise known as YouTube sensation FreddeGredde)<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I received an e-copy from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />Another one of my NetGalley impulse reads. I had read a few reviews from other bloggers that I follow who were quasi-impressed with the book. I was curious whether this shortie (155 pages) would live up to the praises. I actually thought this was going to be more of a witchy-type of book instead of being about a ghost. When you think of gifts that is what you think of naturally, right? When I started to realize while reading that it wasn't what I thought, I had to completely go into it blind. I didn't reread the premise to refresh my memory on what it was about after my misunderstanding. I simply kept going to see how I would feel about it without any refresher course.<br /><br />This story starts with Daisy finding Vivi in a bathroom after taking a fair amount of pills. She quickly finds out that Vivi was attempting to reconnect with her ghost boyfriend that she claims is her soulmate. Daisy, always the skeptic despite her own otherworldly attributes, doesn't quite believe Vivi but she is willing to listen anyway due to an overwhelming draw to her. She feels like Vivi and her are supposed to be friends and she wants to know why.<br /><br />Not long after that, Daisy's best friend, Danielle, is dragged into things. Danielle and Daisy start sharing an interesting psychic connection that they never had experienced before. They chalk it up to the physical body challenged friend of Vivi's. Eventually their world just completely gets consumed by the paranormal to the point where they start having to delve into the past to understand their present. Along the way, Daisy inadvertently draws in the handsome, odd, senior Kevin. There are, quite literal, sparks from the moment they meet and she confides in him rather easily.<br /><br />Now it is up to Vivi, Danielle, Daisy, and Kevin to figure out how to help Vivi's ghost friend, but what do they truly know about him and what is his connection to all of them?<br /><br />This book kind of read like it would fit more into the middle grade genre than the young adult. Some of the situations seemed a bit more like a PBS special than anything. The overall theme of the book seemed more a lesson in "don't talk to strangers" than any real spooky ghost story. I did, however, like the back story of how the girls have been connected in the past. That was the book's saving grace as far as I was concerned. The rest of it was just... not there for me. The conversations between the characters were supposed to be funny but it was that comedy that, once again, younger individuals would relate to or find humorous. I just kept wincing and hoping they get past it fast to get back to the meat of the story. I had to muscle my way through the book because I really wanted to set it down and read something else for a while. I am never one to start something I don't plan to finish and so... I did finish... reluctantly.<br /><br /><i>Gift</i> is a book that would appeal to the younger generation of the young adult genre.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13568136-gift" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13568136-gift" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/Gift-ebook/dp/B006X7ZU2C/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-7&qid=1381380447" href="http://www.amazon.com/Gift-ebook/dp/B006X7ZU2C/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-7&qid=1381380447" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gift-andrea-j-buchanan/1108820250?ean=9781453219614" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gift-andrea-j-buchanan/1108820250?ean=9781453219614" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Gift-Andrea-J-Buchanan/9781453220238" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Gift-Andrea-J-Buchanan/9781453220238" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/gift-1" href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/gift-1" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCoFWyV-VBw/UZGtdsG35kI/AAAAAAAAAeI/7PEGP5KC150/s1600/2ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCoFWyV-VBw/UZGtdsG35kI/AAAAAAAAAeI/7PEGP5KC150/s1600/2ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-91129275480821335032013-09-25T08:00:00.002-04:002013-10-03T13:34:54.640-04:00Review: Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves @NetGalley @DuttonBooks @tgarvisgraves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C8juZe_FOos/Uf2omadWc6I/AAAAAAAACrk/Y21NIiSp-RQ/s1600/13481759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C8juZe_FOos/Uf2omadWc6I/AAAAAAAACrk/Y21NIiSp-RQ/s320/13481759.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Covet<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Tracey Garvis-Graves<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>September 17th, 2013<br /><br /><b>ISBN:</b> 9780525954071<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br />From the author of the New York Times bestseller On the Island.<br /><br />What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?<br /><br />Chris and Claire Canton's marriage is on life support. Downsizing during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he's offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire's concern their time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can't weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.<br /><br />Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they're spending hours together.<br /><br />Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and they way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire's marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn't take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she'll never cross.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />I have been attempting to branch out in the types of books I choose to read. A paranormal lover to the core, I didn't know how I would feel about a book that's main focus was the struggle to remain faithful in a failing marriage performed by a suburban house wife and the token sexy police officer. I am not the type of person who generally goes for those types of books, but I was drawn in by the eppervesent cover and the question of whether the tempted soccer mom goes through with her torrid affair or if she shows restraint that most women in her situation would be physically, mentally, and, above all, sexually unable to do so.<br /><br />The love triangle of Chris, Claire, and Daniel starts with the presentation of a marriage that has seen happier days. Chris is a workaholic with no work to speak of after being laid off for a year from his job as a software sales manager. Despite having the picture perfect family, Chris is unable to find the happiness he needs to enjoy his life. Bills are piling up and the recession has put a hurtin' on the job market. Chris takes the first job in his field that comes along. The drawback? He is to be spend almost all of his time traveling without seeing his wife or his children. Chris's philosophy is to do what needs to be done to provide for his family and fix the emotional ramifications once they are back in the black financially. What he doesn't count on is the fact that his family may not be satisfied with "hold on a little longer".<br /><br />Claire, the lonely and forgotten housewife, finds her way into a friendship with a police officer that pulls her over one day for a broken taillight. The "ridiculously good-lookin' officer" quickly starts plaguing her thoughts and her bruised heart. She reluctantly enters into a comfortable friendship with the man, telling herself that it will not go any further than just that. What she doesn't count on is how quickly and easily Daniel starts to take the place of absentee Chris. Staying away from Daniel is starting to become harder and harder. Can she continue to resist the officer who has his own loneliness and abandonment to deal with? Can two kindred spirits find solace in each other while not finding their way into a scorching hot affair?<br /><br />I am absolutely and completely against cheating. It's something I am as passionate about as most people are about religion and politics. It is simply my belief system. With the premise of this book, I was so worried it was going to become something I just couldn't deal with. I even made grumble that I knew I was going to have to rate this book poorly once it came to reviewing it. Surprisingly, I found myself completely consumed by this absolutely plausible read. I felt for Claire, Chris, and Daniel alike. There was not one that I couldn't understand their point of view and feel exactly how they were feeling.<br /><br /><i>Covet</i> is an all-American read of temptation, romance, family, and the resilience of love. Garvis-Graves has a way with words that causes the reader to feel exactly what the characters themselves are feeling at any given point in the story. It's a skill not many authors have been able to accomplish. This is a contemporary work of masterful fiction that even hardcore paranormal buffs like myself could enjoy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13481759-covet?from_search=true" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13481759-covet?from_search=true" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/Covet-ebook/dp/B00A6WOSSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1380090217" href="http://www.amazon.com/Covet-ebook/dp/B00A6WOSSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1380090217" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/covet-tracey-garvis-graves/1113799200?ean=9781101627419" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/covet-tracey-garvis-graves/1113799200?ean=9781101627419" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Covet-Tracey-Garvis-Graves/9780525954071" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Covet-Tracey-Garvis-Graves/9780525954071" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/covet-5" href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/covet-5" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1MLtT4lPZU/UaRrD_ni2YI/AAAAAAAAArw/0knsZkLnB3E/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1MLtT4lPZU/UaRrD_ni2YI/AAAAAAAAArw/0knsZkLnB3E/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-79556632019906339102013-09-02T08:00:00.001-04:002013-09-06T23:05:08.253-04:00ARC Review: Cain's Blood by Geoffrey Girard @Geoffrey_Girard @TouchstoneBooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_sRdZAzcao0/UhvOG2c0rBI/AAAAAAAADiU/urSbhD5pio4/s1600/16130318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_sRdZAzcao0/UhvOG2c0rBI/AAAAAAAADiU/urSbhD5pio4/s320/16130318.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Cain's Blood<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Geoffrey Girard<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>September 3rd, 2013<br /><br /><b>ISBN:</b> 9781476704043<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br /><b>Ted Bundy. The Son of Sam. The Boston Strangler. Albert Fish. Henry Lee Lucas.</b><br /><b><br /></b>The DNA of the world's most notorious serial killers has been cloned by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a new breed of bioweapon. Now in Phase Three, the program includes dozens of young men who have no clue as to their evil heritage. Playing a twisted game of nature vs. nurture, scientists raise some of the clones with loving families and others in abusive circumstances. But everything changes when the most dangerous boys are set free by their creator. A man with demons of his own, former black ops soldier Shawn Castillo is hot on their trail. But Castillo didn't count on the quiet young man he finds hiding in an abandoned house--a boy who has just learned he is the clone of Jeffrey Dahmer. As Jeffrey and Castillo race across the country on the trail of the rampaging teens, Castillo must protect the boy who is the embodiment of his biggest fears--and who may also be his last hope.<br /><br />Melding all-too-plausible science and ripped-from-the-headlines horror, <i>Cain's Blood</i> is a stunning debut about the potential for good and evil in us all.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />When I received this book, I was so anxious to dive right into it. As I read I just became more and more enamored with the story and the overall general story line. I started discussing it with various family members and describing as much as possible without giving away EVERYTHING (we don't take kindly to spoilers in this household), and actually got quite a few people interested. Sadly, I had no way of loaning them my copy since it was an e-copy. Low and behold, I actually found a physical copy of the <i>Cain's Blood/Project Cain</i> ARC in one of my local used bookstores. Now I have a copy to loan out!<br /><br />This book is a thriller the likes of which you have never imagined. Cloning, after the success over a cloned sheep named Dolly, has become a full-blown obsession for the U.S. government. The government and a biotechnological company called DSTI takes cloning a bit further and starts cloning children out of serial killer DNA in order to isolate the "anger gene" in a macabre experiment of nature vs. nurture. Taking some of the child subjects and placing them into loving homes as well as abusive homes they study the roll of a pre-dispositioned serial killer in their different environments.<br /><br />The creator of the program is unsatisfied with how the overall project is going decides to free some of his creations on the world. The clones of Albert Fish, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, Henry Lee Lucas, and Dennis Rader are allowed to give into their murderous desires and run a muck. In comes the problem solver, black ops soldier, Shawn Castillo. He is set to capture and/or kill the teenagers as soon as humanly possibly. Despite being trained to do as he is told, Castillo buckles under the idea of having to kill teenagers, even if they are criminally insane teenagers.<br /><br />While on the trail of the escaped subjects he comes across a cowering boy in an abandoned house and finds out he is yet another clone of Jeffrey Dahmer. Having no idea what else to do and hoping Jeffrey may have some insight he wouldn't normally have he takes the boy along on his journey, always weary of the fact that the innocent boy sitting beside him in the car could flip a switch at any moment and become one of the most notorious serial killers of all time.<br /><br />I have been reading a lot of paranormal books recently and was glad to take a break from all that and get into something a little more realistic. This was a scary read. Not scary like, crazy zombie monsters, but scary in the fact that it is entirely possible for this to truly happen. Genetic testing and experimentation are alive and very much well in the United States. It is not a stretch for the government to use it to understand some of the most fearsome killers of all time. This book was so, so, <u>so</u> good! The adult version <i>Cain's Blood</i> opposed to <i>Project Cain</i> is very graphic and has some material that I would definitely not recommend for a younger audience. For the younger ones, stick to <i>Project Cain</i>.<br /><br /><i>Cain's Blood</i> is a realistic read that sheds light on the human condition. It explores the ever debatable question of nature vs. nurture and gives it teeth. Why are we the way we are? Is it where we grew up or how we are designed genetically? Is a clone of Jeffrey Dahmer destined to be the nightmare his genetic host was, or is there a chance that good or bad, violent killer or innocent victim, that it all comes down to conscious choice?<br /><br />Explore <i>Cain's Blood</i>'s work of literary horror and thrills, that will have you flinching in shock but begging for more.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16130318-cain-s-blood" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16130318-cain-s-blood" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/Cains-Blood-Novel-Geoffrey-Girard/dp/147670404X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1377834028&sr=8-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Cains-Blood-Novel-Geoffrey-Girard/dp/147670404X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1377834028&sr=8-1" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cains-blood-geoffrey-girard/1113741804?ean=9781476704043" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cains-blood-geoffrey-girard/1113741804?ean=9781476704043" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Cains-Blood-Geoffrey-Girard/9781476704043" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Cains-Blood-Geoffrey-Girard/9781476704043" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cain-s-blood" href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cain-s-blood" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSt6B36v3Fw/UYHAEOPuDAI/AAAAAAAAAVs/0APtfD-4WFk/s1600/5ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSt6B36v3Fw/UYHAEOPuDAI/AAAAAAAAAVs/0APtfD-4WFk/s320/5ladybugs-nowords.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-2544332359034760762013-09-02T08:00:00.000-04:002013-09-05T02:22:32.921-04:00ARC Review: The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond @Gwenda @strangechem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3_ANyULex4/Uet-kZ10iBI/AAAAAAAACHY/i8Bd9V-DLMw/s1600/16120126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3_ANyULex4/Uet-kZ10iBI/AAAAAAAACHY/i8Bd9V-DLMw/s320/16120126.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> The Woken Gods<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Gwenda Bond<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>September 3rd, 2013<br /><br /><b>ISBN: </b>9781908844255<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br />The more things change...<br /><br />Five years ago, the gods of ancient mythology awoke all around the world.<br /><br />The more things stay the same...<br /><br />This morning, Kyra Locke is late for school because of an argument with her father.<br /><br />Seventeen-year-old Kyra lives in a transformed Washington, D.C., dominated by the embassies of divine pantheons and watched over by the mysterious Society of the Sun that governs mankind's relations with the gods. But when rebellious Kyra encounters two trickster gods on her way home, one offering a threat and the other a warning, it turns out her life isn't what it seems. She escapes with the aid of Osborne "Oz" Spencer, a young Society field operative, only to discover that her scholar father has disappeared with a dangerous Egyptian relic. The Society needs the item back, and they aren't interested in her protests that she knows nothing about it or her father's secrets.<br /><br />Now Kyra must depend on her wits and the suspect help of scary Sumerian gods, her estranged oracle mother, and, of course, Oz--whose first allegiance is to the Society. She has no choice if she's going to recover the missing relic and save her father. And if she doesn't? Well, that may just mean the end of the world as she knows it. From the author of <i>Blackwood </i>comes a fresh, thrilling urban fantasy that will appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman, Cassandra Clare, and Rick Riordan.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I received this book from Strange Chemistry in return for an honest review.<br /><br />I had been wanting to dig into this book for quite a while but with classes starting up and other review books taking priority I didn't get into it until now. Boy am I sorry I wasted so much time when I could be reading this book. It seems everything I have gotten from Strange Chemistry seems to be a really good read.<br /><br />Imagine, if you will, a world in which magic is not just possible but a comfortable familiarity. Magic surges that cause electronics such as electricity, cars, and the like to go on the fritz and sometimes die completely is a common occurrence in Kyra's world. For some unknown reason, the gods of myth and legend are awake after an extremely long siesta. They come back with a vengeance and it is only the dutiful work of the Society of the Sun that keeps them in check. The Society makes an example of a single god by showing that the relics they had collected even before the gods awoke can not just wound them but send them into the Afterlife permanently. The immortal gods are no more it would see.<br /><br />Kyra knows her father works as a library for the Society and that because of that his duties as a parent have become extremely lacking. Add to that a crazy mother who keeps her distance from her only daughter out of vision-driven madness. Kyra is utterly alone in her life, except for her close friends Bree and Tam.<br /><br />She was accepting of her life and her mission to gain her father's attention, even if it is to be negative attention, comes to end abruptly when she is confronted by gods she has only ever seen on TV. Thankfully a ruggedly handsome Society operative, Oz, comes to her rescue. Kyra soon finds out that Oz's appearance was not as simple as a happy coincidence. He was sent to fetch her and bring her back to the Society. There Kyra learns of her father's thief of a powerful relic and his subsequent disappearance. Kyra feels she must get to the bottom of this mystery and find her father. With the help of Oz, Bree, and Tam she sets forth on a journey that will bring her face-to-face with horrific gods she never thought possible.<br /><br />This book was easy to fall in love with from the start. Any book about mythology seems to intrigue me and draw me in. I found Kyra melancholy feelings toward the importance of her own life to be frustrating. I understand that with her parents never being there for her she has learned to be self-reliant but did she also have to learn to be so self-loathing as well. She was constantly blaming herself for everything, even sweating the small stuff that didn't matter in the end. She was a hard character to like. Fortunately, she had Oz to counter-balance her. Oz's faith in Kyra and the way he felt about her made me step away from her deputy downer personality and see her a little differently. I think that is artfully done for an author to take a slightly less appealing character and show them in a different light with the help of a well liked character. The book as a whole, dragged me into a world I want to read more of. I want to know what happens next. Sequel, please!<br /><br /><i>The Woken Gods</i> will make it's readers wonder about the validity of such a world. Are there truly gods in reality? Are they just sleeping? Is there a chance they could awaken some day?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16120126-the-woken-gods" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16120126-the-woken-gods" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Woken-Gods-Gwenda-Bond/dp/1908844256/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1377487399&sr=8-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Woken-Gods-Gwenda-Bond/dp/1908844256/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1377487399&sr=8-1" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/woken-gods-gwenda-bond/1114193014?ean=9781908844255" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/woken-gods-gwenda-bond/1114193014?ean=9781908844255" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Woken-Gods-Gwenda-Bond/9781908844255" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Woken-Gods-Gwenda-Bond/9781908844255" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-BEjgFGuT4/UYxNJliMx3I/AAAAAAAAAYs/qveZnBXYngA/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-BEjgFGuT4/UYxNJliMx3I/AAAAAAAAAYs/qveZnBXYngA/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-42089125674599923222013-08-31T08:00:00.000-04:002015-02-14T14:42:47.786-05:00ARC Review: The Returned by Jason Mott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qt038c0Wry0/UfMcC9-8TkI/AAAAAAAACZo/DhS9-PtRIvI/s1600/17182421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qt038c0Wry0/UfMcC9-8TkI/AAAAAAAACZo/DhS9-PtRIvI/s320/17182421.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> The Returned<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Jason Mott<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>August 27th, 2013<br /><br /><b>ISBN: </b>9780778315339<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br /><i>Jacob was time out of sync, time more perfect than it had been. He was life the way it was supposed to be all those years ago. That's what all the Returned were.</i><br /><i><br /></i>Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time... Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep--flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old.<br /><br />All over the world people's loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end. Not even Harold and Lucille can agree on whether the boy is real or a wondrous imitation, but one thing they know for sure: he's their son. As chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited Hargrave family finds itself at the center of a community on the brink of collapse, forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human.<br /><br />With spare, elegant prose and searing emotional depth, award-winning poet Jason Mott explores timeless questions of faith and morality, love and responsibility. A spellbinding and stunning debut, <i>The Returned</i> is an unforgettable story that marks the arrival of an important new voice in contemporary fiction.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I received an e-copy of <i>The Returned</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />When scouring the listings on NetGalley for some books that were fresh and new and had gotten a lot of buzz, <i>The Returned</i> was at the top. I immediately requested it and waiting to hear if I had gotten it. Meanwhile, my boyfriend had entered a giveaway and won a paperback ARC of the book. I glared at him for his luck and was almost coming to the realization that I'd have to borrow his copy if I were going to read it when the approval e-mail came. I was so excited and dived right into the book.<br /><br />This book opens on a world where dead loved ones are started to return. They are not digging out of their graves like mindless zombies, they are being placed in random areas all over the world and set to journey back to their families by any means necessary. The government, seeing the sudden rise of dead people being reported returning, set forth to start collecting the Returned and getting them to their families.<br /><br />One such story of this occurrence is with the Hargrave family who suffered a loss nearly fifty years ago, of their one and only, eight-year-old son. Much to their shock, and in the case of Harold mistrust, Jacob is returned to them after being found wandering the shores of China. Lucille, like most other grieving mothers, takes Jacob in no questions asked. Harold is a bit more resistant and keeps their Returned son at arm's length.<br /><br />Eventually, the government notices more and more Returned are coming back and the population is swelling. Unsure what this means for their world, they start forming concentration camps (essentially) for the Returned. Harold and his son wind up in just such a camp as their small town is slowly swallowed up by the imprisoned Returned camp.<br /><br />It is only a matter of time before one side breaks. The living, sick of sharing their world with those who had died, or the Returned, who are mistreated out of fear and confusion. What will remain of the world once these two groups of people start to wage war between each other?<br /><br />While reading this book, I made the mistake of skimming a fellow book blogger's review. I was curious what I was in store for while reading it and I found her statement that "this book is slow so if you like a lot of action quickly in a story, it may not be for you" to be emphatically true. I am the type who likes things to happen proto. The slow build just drives me insane and causes me to lose focus quickly. It is probably why it too me so long to read this book when normally it takes me no time at all to consume a fine work of literature.<br /><br />While this book was not particularly to my liking, there are some fine points. The writing itself is an overwhelming example of the author being a poet. The environmental and emotional descriptions were lyrical and melodious. They made me want to close my eyes and see the world he created for his characters in vivid color. The plot overall was another fine attribute. Who would have even thought about this sort of premise without it evolving into something religious? Surely not me.<br /><br />Jason Mott put his poetic skills to use in the heart-wrenching symphony of <i>The Returned</i>. It is meant to feel like a slow, deep breath that is held in the chest until the very end, where in a gust, it all spills out of one's body and we are left feeling the ache of our own loved ones who will never return.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17182421-the-returned" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17182421-the-returned" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Returned-Jason-Mott/dp/0778315339/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1377312154&sr=8-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Returned-Jason-Mott/dp/0778315339/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1377312154&sr=8-1" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-returned-jason-mott/1114035042?ean=9780778315339" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-returned-jason-mott/1114035042?ean=9780778315339" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Returned-Jason-Mott/9780778315339" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Returned-Jason-Mott/9780778315339" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-returned-2" href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-returned-2" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCoFWyV-VBw/UZGtdsG35kI/AAAAAAAAAeI/7PEGP5KC150/s1600/2ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCoFWyV-VBw/UZGtdsG35kI/AAAAAAAAAeI/7PEGP5KC150/s1600/2ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-22140941425163189162013-08-25T08:00:00.000-04:002013-08-27T18:13:40.524-04:00Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout @JLArmentrout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXObOWridGU/Uf8II2-F3-I/AAAAAAAACxg/c-2d2s5EZX4/s1600/13362536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXObOWridGU/Uf8II2-F3-I/AAAAAAAACxg/c-2d2s5EZX4/s320/13362536.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Opal<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Jennifer L. Armentrout<br /><br /><b>Series: </b>Lux #3<br /><br /><b>Publication date:</b> December 11th, 2012<br /><br /><b>ISBN:</b> 9781620610091<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br /><i>No one is like Daemon Black.</i><br /><i><br /></i>When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn't fooling around. Doubting him isn't something I'll do again, and now that we've made it through the rough patches, well... There's a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.<br /><br /><i>But even he can't protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.</i><br /><i><br /></i>After everything, I'm no longer the same Katy. I'm different... And I'm not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I'm capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won't turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.<br /><br /><i>Together we're stronger... and they know it.</i><br /><i><br /></i><b>Review:</b><br />Oh my goodness. How I have waiting to dig into this book. I requested it not long after I finished <i>Onyx</i> and have been waiting patiently for the library to fill my request so I could find out what happened with Katy and Daemon. As I also read<i> Shadows</i> around the same time that I read this book, it gave me a unique perspective on Dawson and his love for Beth. I was giddy with anticipation as I opened the book and started to read.<br /><br />When we left off in <i>Onyx</i>, Dawson had just come home after a particularly fearful encounter with the splinter organization of the Department of Defense, Daedalus. Of course, there was to be expected some changes in Dawson's character. He was no longer the happy-go-lucky boy that he once was. He no longer mirrored Dee's thirst for interaction with humans. He was moody, morose, and uneasily quiet. The only time he did speak was in his declaration to free Beth from her captors. This idea was met with resistance, what with Katy's recent entrapment in their facility. Dawson was not to be swayed. The family had to make a choice. Follow and aid Dawson in is task or let him do it on his own and risk losing him again, this time permanently.<br /><br />A couple of fiends from their past resurface and the Luxens and Katy must decide who they can trust and how to handle the delicate positions these people have in their lives. They can't just run around flashing people with their deadly beams of light without the possibility of consequences resurfacing, right?<br /><br />As with all the books in the Lux series, there are always consequences for every single action they take. Mostly, their lives consist of trying to hammer out a normal life while keeping their less than human identities a secret and keeping themselves together. We always seem to lose someone important in one fashion or another in each of the Lux series books. Tragedy seems to follow Daemon and Katy no matter what they do.<br /><br />I absolutely love this series. I have never read anything so unique and awe-inspiring. From the moment I read <i>Obsidian</i>, I knew I would be hooked. Now that I have completed <i>Opal</i> and have to await the release of <i>Origin</i>, I somewhat wish I had waited until the newest book was out before diving into the series. I hate the wait! I am a strong believer in instant gratification, so waiting for a book in one of my favorite alien romance series is sheer torture! What more can I say about <i>Opal</i> besides the obvious praises of it being yet another great installment in the series?<br /><br /><i>Opal</i> continues the trials and tribulations of a charismatic alien and a introverted quasi-human. It breaks hearts with every page turn and addicts its reader to the a fictitious story that almost seems real. <i>Opal</i> is the third book in a series that everybody should read before the Department of Defense deems it classified material and banishes it to the bowels of Area 51. Hey... who says aliens are all that fictitious?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13362536-opal" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13362536-opal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/Opal-Lux-Novel-Jennifer-Armentrout/dp/1620610094/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376879482&sr=8-2" href="http://www.amazon.com/Opal-Lux-Novel-Jennifer-Armentrout/dp/1620610094/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376879482&sr=8-2" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/opal-jennifer-l-armentrout/1111306819?ean=9781620610091" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/opal-jennifer-l-armentrout/1111306819?ean=9781620610091" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Opal-Jennifer-Armentrout/9781620610091" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Opal-Jennifer-Armentrout/9781620610091" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/opal-3" href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/opal-3" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSt6B36v3Fw/UYHAEOPuDAI/AAAAAAAAAVs/0APtfD-4WFk/s1600/5ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSt6B36v3Fw/UYHAEOPuDAI/AAAAAAAAAVs/0APtfD-4WFk/s320/5ladybugs-nowords.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-61603963326779638652013-08-22T19:14:00.000-04:002013-08-22T20:31:09.964-04:00Review: Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout @JLArmentrout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jal4fuEDlOE/Ug1asDOxidI/AAAAAAAADJs/0iRp9X8Ow6A/s1600/13183957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jal4fuEDlOE/Ug1asDOxidI/AAAAAAAADJs/0iRp9X8Ow6A/s320/13183957.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Shadows<br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Jennifer L. Armentrout<br /><br /><b>Series: </b>Lux #0 (Prequel)<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>February 21st, 2012<br /><b><br /></b><b>ISBN:</b> 9781620610084<br /><b><br /></b><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br />The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are... well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.<br /><br /><i>Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.</i><br /><i><br /></i>Bethany can't deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren't a complication she wants, she can't stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she's drawn in.<br /><br /><i>Captivated. Lured. Loved.</i><br /><i><br /></i>Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence... and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can't stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I read this book at the second most perfect time one could. Of course, the obvious best time is at the very beginning before diving into the other books of the series. I knew it was about Daemon's brother and I honestly didn't see Dawson playing more of a roll than just some back story. I figured I would just read it once I finished with the series as a fun side story. Well, <i>Opal</i> features a LOT about Dawson and I chose to read <i>Shadows</i> right before I jumped into <i>Opal</i>. Wise choice, really. A wiser choice would have been to stay with <i>Shadows</i> and go through the books in order but... I digress.<br /><br /><i>Shadows</i> starts with Dawson and Bethany meeting and falling in love. Their relationship almost seems too easy when you compare it to the relationship between Kat and Daemon. I almost like the teasing insults between Kat and Daemon to the confessions of love and devotion from Dawson and Bethany. Bethany is the first human to form a relationship with the mysterious Luxen people. Her relationship with Dawson causes the Luxen to be completely up in arms and resentful of Dawson rocking the boat, so to speak. Why can't he just fall for a nice Luxen girl, they demand, instead of essentially mixed species dating?<br /><br />I see Daemon's hatred of humans in <i>Shadows</i> and it really makes me want to go back through the first two books I have read and watch how his opinion slowly changes. How ALL the Luxen change due to Dawson's romance with Bethany. Do they become more accepting? More resentful? More cautious? I seem to remember some of these changes when they were made obvious but not with the same fine-toothed comb analysis that I could possibly do after reading this prequel.<br /><br />Of course, I liked <i>Shadows</i>. Was there any doubt? While it didn't feature my favorite book blogger character, Kat, it still had some Daemon snippets and I got to acquaint myself with a new book boyfriend, Dawson. It was very similar to <i>Obsidian </i>but Kat and Daemon definitely have more fire between them that is irresistible. There were some sexual innuendo in the book that made me choke on my drink once or twice. All in all, another A+ for Jennifer L. Armentrout's witty and robust writing.<br /><br /><i>Shadows</i> is the perfect beginning to a perfect series. It sheds light on situations in the sequential novels that the reader may not have gotten without it. It features a less than prominent character and shows how significant his appearance in the books truly was. Masterful.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13183957-shadows" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13183957-shadows" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-A-Lux-Novella-ebook/dp/B007BJ9EBO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376608086&sr=8-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-A-Lux-Novella-ebook/dp/B007BJ9EBO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376608086&sr=8-1" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-jennifer-l-armentrout/1108375522?ean=2940013965201" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-jennifer-l-armentrout/1108375522?ean=2940013965201" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3meZFwEjwg/UZS6Zc53RwI/AAAAAAAAAgI/tVcMrJdqrR8/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3meZFwEjwg/UZS6Zc53RwI/AAAAAAAAAgI/tVcMrJdqrR8/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-71303568985189506902013-08-18T08:00:00.000-04:002013-08-22T20:25:07.078-04:00Review: Demon by Kristina Douglas <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xlqQFkhLnKc/UgiM1b1V-SI/AAAAAAAADGE/vFkC7WohVQo/s1600/9411628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xlqQFkhLnKc/UgiM1b1V-SI/AAAAAAAADGE/vFkC7WohVQo/s320/9411628.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Demon<br /><br /><b>Author: </b>Kristina Douglas<br /><br /><b>Series: </b>The Fallen #2<br /><br /><b>Publication date: </b>May 31st, 2011<br /><br /><b>ISBN:</b> 9781439191934<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br /><b>Once the Fallen's fearless ruler, a grieving Azazel must find the legendary siren meant to take his lost lover's place... and kill her.</b><br /><b><br /></b>He's a devil of an angel.<br /><br />Azazel should have extinguished the deadly Lilith when he had the chance. Now, faced with a prophecy that will force him to betray the memory of his one true love and wed the Demon Queen, he cannot end her life until she leads him to Lucifer. Finding the First is the Fallen's only hope for protecting mankind from Uriel's destruction, but Azazel knows that ignoring his simmering desire for the Lilith will be almost as impossible.<br /><br />She's an angel of a demon.<br /><br />Rachel Fitzpatrick wonders how Azazel could confuse <i>her</i> with an evil seductress. She's never even been interested in sex! At least not before she set eyes on her breathtaking captor. And now she can't think about anything else--besides escape.<br /><br />Angels and demons don't mix.<br /><br />Rachel stirs a carnal need in Azazel that he never thought he'd feel again. Falling for a demon--even if she has no idea she's the Lilith--means surrendering his very soul. But if he lets her go, he risks abandoning his heart, his dangerous lover, and possibly all of humanity, to Uriel's deadly wrath.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />I read the first book in this series on a whim. I read the second book in this series out of desperation. I absolutely loved the first book in the series and had to get my hands on the second pronto. I submitted my request to my local library moments after closing the cover of the first book. I waited with bated breath for the website to tell me I had it waiting to be picked up. Apparently no one else had requested the book in some time because it had gotten lost in the stacks. Eventually it told me it was available for pick-up and I left the house moments after reading the status. I had to know what had happened to my fallen angels. I had to see how the tough-as-nails Azazel who had lost his love in the first book, handled falling for another.<br /><br />The story opens on Azazel tracking Rachel/Lilith. Rachel has no idea why she has a sudden stalker since she is anything but extraordinary. She only knows that whenever he gets too close, she must run and run fast. She has done just that for seven years until finally Azazel grows tired of the cat and mouse game and takes her. Azazel plans to rid the world of the alluring Lilith and in doing so foil the prophecy that has him marrying the demon. At the last moment, Azazel can't kill her. He frees her and leaves once more.<br /><br />Rachel starts over as she has done for years, until Azazel is given the order to take Rachel to a group of torturers to get the information about Lucifer's whereabouts out of her one way or another. This was supposed to be a simple task for Azazel. Grab Rachel, take her to the Truth Breakers, and find out what they needed to know even at the cost of the girl's life. Along the way, Azazel's frozen heart starts to thaw and he starts to wonder if the girl is truly the demon between the two of them.<br /><br />This book was unfathomably amazing. While the entire time I wanted to reach through the pages and slap Azazel around or sob tears that Rachel was unable to shed, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think there are several books out there that you absolutely adore who have characters you absolutely loathe. Such is the case in this book. I am so not a fan of Azazel's. Wasn't in the first book, and definitely am not in the second. Rachel's character made up for it and kept me drawn into the story. Rachel, the demon, was the story's saving grace.<br /><br /><i>Demon</i> is the sequel in a series that is just heavenly. It takes various members of the Fallen and shows their strength and passion for humanity. It gives us, lowly humans, faith in humanity, as well.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Available at:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9411628-demon" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9411628-demon" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.amazon.com/Demon-The-Fallen-Kristina-Douglas/dp/143919193X/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376436801&sr=8-2" href="http://www.amazon.com/Demon-The-Fallen-Kristina-Douglas/dp/143919193X/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1376436801&sr=8-2" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/demon-kristina-douglas/1100481854?ean=9781439191934" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/demon-kristina-douglas/1100481854?ean=9781439191934" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Demon-Kristina-Douglas/9781439191934" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Demon-Kristina-Douglas/9781439191934" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/gallery.mailchimp.com/3c46be723ce1fdc018c5f5545/images/book_depo_icon.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a><a data-cke-saved-href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/demon-1" href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/demon-1" target="_blank"><img align="none" alt=" photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" border="0" data-cke-saved-src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" height="45" src="https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 45px; width: 45px;" width="45" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3meZFwEjwg/UZS6Zc53RwI/AAAAAAAAAgI/tVcMrJdqrR8/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3meZFwEjwg/UZS6Zc53RwI/AAAAAAAAAgI/tVcMrJdqrR8/s1600/4ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-84113905561722450672013-07-17T12:00:00.000-04:002013-07-17T20:43:50.106-04:00Review: Raziel by Kristina Douglas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLOuCCYgbKU/Ud5uYG2xuxI/AAAAAAAAB7I/TlJufnWpm5M/s1600/Raziel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLOuCCYgbKU/Ud5uYG2xuxI/AAAAAAAAB7I/TlJufnWpm5M/s320/Raziel.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><b>Title: </b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8379305-raziel">Raziel</a><br /><br /><b>Author:</b> Kristina Douglas<br /><br /><b>Series: </b>The Fallen #1<br /><br /><b>ISBN:</b> 9781439191927<br /><br /><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br /><b>Kristina Douglas's sexy new series introduces a realm of fallen angels and ruthless demons, where an eternal rebellion is brewing... and one unsuspecting woman can change the fate of the Fallen forever. She was just an ordinary mortal...</b><br /><b><br /></b>"You're dead" is <i>so</i> not what Allie Watson wants to hear. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like the dark, angelically handsome man who ferried her to this strange, hidden land. The last thing she remembers is stepping off a curb in front of a crosstown bus. Now she's surrounded by gorgeous fallen angels with an unsettling taste for blood--and they really don't want her around. Not exactly how she pictured heaven.<br /><br /><b>...until death catapulted her into a seductive world she never imagined.</b><br /><b><br /></b>Raziel is unsure why he rescued Allie from hellfire against Uriel's orders, but she stirs in him a longing he hasn't felt in centuries. Now the Fallen are bracing for the divine wrath brought by his disobedience, and they blame Allie for the ferocious Nephilim clawing at the kingdom's shrouded gates. Facing impossible odds at every turn, the two must work together to survive. Raziel will do anything to defend his spirited lover against the forces of darkness--because Allie may be the Fallen's only salvation.<br /><br /><b>Review:</b><br />It has happened again. And with a book, I picked up at the library simply on cover value alone (I mean, look at that... yum, right?) I had my first book binge in a while. I sat down with the book expecting to read a few chapters and ended up devouring every last detail, word, and imagery painted by the masterful Kristina Douglas in a matter of hours. Why was I so intrigued?<br /><br /><i>Raziel</i> is unlike many of the angel books out there today, most of which are young adults. This is completely an ADULT read. This story is weaved from biblical studies and turned into this complete fantasy world that doesn't come off too preachy (hard to do with most biblical based books). In Douglas's world, the Fallen are not the demons that most religions deem them as, instead they are merely angels who fell in love with human women and fell from grace because they followed their heart. Instead of heaven being ruled by a mighty but forgiving God, God has handed the reins down to a patsy named Uriel, who has twisted all the lessons and teachings of the mighty ruler into a corruption. Everyone, even those with meager sins, are hell bound for their grievances. The tale as old as time of power corrupting even the seemingly incorruptible.<br /><br />Enter Allie. Allie an Old Testament murder mystery writer is killed and then sentenced to hell. Raziel is the Fallen angel presented with the task to transport her to her eternal resting place, so to speak. Upon realizing that Allie was to be sent to hell and not heaven, Raziel risks his own life to save her. This is the catalyst that starts the whole downward spiral of the Fallen.<br /><br />Allie is brought back to the Fallen's compound to await judgment on what to do with her and in her time there she must face the realization that all the things she wrote in her fictional writings was more true than she would have thought. Also, she struggles to fight a confusing and intense connection with the dark and brooding Raziel. In many instances, Raziel was almost too harsh with Allie. Instances where Allie rallied behind anger and stubbornness, I would have curled up in a ball sobbing and asking "why are you being so mean to me?!" I actually found myself crying at certain things Raziel said to Allie in his resistance of her.<br /><br />The tug-and-pull of their relationship coupled with the impending Nephilim attacks and the evil Uriel biding his time and spinning his wheels to bring an end to the Fallen, <i>Raziel</i> was a whirl wind of action, romance, wit, and even some comedy. It was a surprise to me, how elegantly written it was and how well the biblical facts flowed with the fantasy world. I could not put this book down and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel even though I have a feeling it will be a love story of a different Fallen (as so many paranormal romance series are) instead of a continuation of Allie and Raziel's complicated relationship. Either way, I have my coffee poured, the pillows of my reading area fluffed, and I am ready to dive into the fantastical world of the Fallen once more!<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Purchase: </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Raziel-Fallen-Pocket-Kristina-Douglas/dp/1439191921/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1373533516&sr=8-1">Amazon</a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">»</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/raziel-kristina-douglas/1022596139?ean=9781439191927">Barnes & Noble</a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">»</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Raziel-Kristina-Douglas/9781439191927">Book Depository</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0HwIP0JJRgU/UYA0bzTY8MI/AAAAAAAAAUE/IQNb7FFYN-k/s1600/5ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0HwIP0JJRgU/UYA0bzTY8MI/AAAAAAAAAUE/IQNb7FFYN-k/s320/5ladybugs-nowords.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441356676983865861.post-48802061778765767102013-07-10T20:28:00.000-04:002013-07-10T20:44:39.333-04:00Review: Cursed by Monica Wolfson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vvlFLNAp9aI/UaqKtUudeAI/AAAAAAAAAy8/Oz2MhrLZMKk/s475/17925344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vvlFLNAp9aI/UaqKtUudeAI/AAAAAAAAAy8/Oz2MhrLZMKk/s320/17925344.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b>Title: </b>Cursed<br /><br /><b>Author: </b>Monica Wolfson<br /><br /><b>Series: </b>Tysseland Chronicles #1<br /><b><br /></b><b>ISBN: </b>n/a<br /><b><br /></b><b>Synopsis (according to Goodreads):</b><br />When 17-year-old Sasha orders her latte at a local cafe, she hardly expected to get robbed. Strangely, the men don't want money from the register. Instead they are interested in the necklace she is wearing that her mother gave her years ago.<br /><br />Sasha can't understand why the men would want the worthless piece of stained glass that hangs around her neck from a leather cord. It's not worth anything or is it? She comes to realize not all value is measured in dollars and cents.<br /><br />This is the night she meets Evan, who saves her life by distracting the robbers as the couple dodge flying bullets. It takes days for Sasha to acknowledge that her burgeoning magic abilities helped keep them safe. She's adamant in keeping the secret from Evan. She doesn't want him to know she's a freak.<br /><br />Cursed is a thrilling romantic and exhilarating read. Monica Wolfson takes readers to a fantasy world they won't want to leave.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Review:</b><br />I received an e-book copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />I include that line with all the books (electronic or physical), but it has never held as much weight as it does now. I fell in love with the cover of this book and fangirled so heavily that the author gave me a copy of the third book (not yet published) to compare it to. It too was gorgeous, by the way. So, when I first started reading I was absolutely positive that I would love the story. While in some aspects I was correct, others I was not.<br /><br />The story opens with Sasha, a young college student who frequents a less populated cafe due to its homey feel and comfortable fireplace to read or study beside. One evening, while avoiding going home, she stops in and meets Evan. The same night they are held at gunpoint by a couple of masked thugs. They escape, barely, with the help of Evan's quick thinking and Sasha's budding magical abilities. After that it is a tale of evil queens, magical worlds, a growing romance, and Sasha's struggle to simply stay alive and find answers to who she is, where she comes from, and why she's being hunted.<br /><br />Sounds interesting, right? To an extent, yes, it was. The story line of Sasha and the world of Tysseland was all in all well thought out and something that would spurn many a fantasy lover into intrigue. However, a lot of it was poorly executed. There were boundaries the protagonists encountered that made me wonder how they were going to figure a way out of it, but then the problem just seems to disappear with no rhyme or reason. One minute, I'm on the edge of my seat with bated breath, trying to play out the different scenerios that could save the heroine and her love interest, the next it gets fixed with no explanation as to how. It's like slowly chugging up a steep hill on a rollercoaster, excitement and thrill is almost palpable and then once you reach the top they stop the ride and tell you to get off because that's it.<br /><br />Another aspect I struggled with was the romance. As an example of the rollercoaster metaphor, Evan tells Sasha he can't be with her because he's not in an place in his life where he can handle a relationship (heard that before, so... that's real), then all of a sudden he is ready. No interactions between the characters occurred to cause this sudden change of heart, no death-defying antics, and no reason for it to happen out of the blue. After that, the connect between Sasha and Evan just never resonated with me. I didn't feel emotionally involved with them so their confessions of love or romantic interludes were met with a sad sigh that I wasn't closer to them so I could almost feel what Sasha or Evan were.<br /><br />Now, I don't want you to think the entire book was a flop. It was not. The fantasy aspects of the story were fantastic. The different world with its many facets? The evil, remorseless queen? The questions of Sasha's magical abilities? Those were all the things that kept me reading and kept me involved. The people of Tysseland and their stories would make for fun interludes in Sasha's story (I need to know more about Deal!)<br /><br />I think that despite some of the flaws I found personally in the execution of the story, <i>Cursed</i> was okay.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Purchase: </span></b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Tysseland-Chronicles-Volume-1/dp/1484915003/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1372983960&sr=8-1"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Amazon</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">»</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cursed-monica-wolfson/1115449580?ean=2940016676517"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">»</span></b></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Book Depository</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BrWIF2f-imk/UZnlL49N_2I/AAAAAAAAAkM/q3BlhCewTIw/s170/2ladybugs-nowords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BrWIF2f-imk/UZnlL49N_2I/AAAAAAAAAkM/q3BlhCewTIw/s170/2ladybugs-nowords.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu174/Ardarel_Slytherin/Signature_zps5d144839.png" style="width: NaN%;" /></div>Danielle Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632191907487845993noreply@blogger.com0