tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094Wed, 06 Nov 2024 02:54:41 +0000Formerly Paranormal Book Fanhttp://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))Blogger363125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-3274795951834494839Fri, 19 Jul 2013 12:04:00 +00002013-07-19T13:04:00.330+01:00<span style="font-size: large;">Hey guys, some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted on the blog in a while? Well, I've decided that for the time being, I'm going to give it up. I want to read what I want to read, when I want, and review only if I want to, and not feel under pressure to be getting certain books read and reviewed. So, obviously, I'll also be giving up requesting titles.&nbsp;</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">But I'll still be around. I'll be on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5952567-suzanne-paranormal-pages">Goodreads</a>&nbsp;of course. And I've made a new Facebook page where I plan to write reviews (if I feel like it), and post other bookish stuff, so if you want to stop by and like the page it's called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ParanormalPages">Paranormal Pages</a>. And I'm still on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ParanormalPgs">Twitter</a>&nbsp;:)</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Look forward to seeing you guys around elsewhere.&nbsp;</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Take care :D</span>http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/07/farewell-for-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-7132224037187764525Wed, 03 Jul 2013 18:16:00 +00002013-07-03T19:23:00.825+01:00<span style="font-size: large;">It's finally here......</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Angel of Mercy (Cambion, #3)" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357834488l/15785263.jpg" /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15785263-angel-of-mercy">Goodreads</a></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I got a copy in my hands today and I'm up to chapter 20 and loving it!!</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span> <span style="font-size: large;">And because I want to spread the word about these books, I'm going to give away a copy. The winner can choose any book from the series, Beg for Mercy, Waiting for Mercy or if you're up to date with them, then a copy of Angel of Mercy. The giveaway is international so long as you can receive an ebook from Amazon or Barnes &amp; Noble.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span> <span style="font-size: large;">All I ask, is that if you enjoy the book, you post a review, even just a few lines, to Amazon and B&amp;N.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/25cd9126/" id="rc-25cd9126" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script></span>http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/07/spotlight-and-giveaway-angel-of-mercy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-5579302370955114213Tue, 02 Jul 2013 19:56:00 +00002013-07-02T20:56:19.314+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15819003-breathless" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Breathless (Elemental, #2.5)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358178247m/15819003.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15819003-breathless">Breathless</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4629194.Brigid_Kemmerer">Brigid Kemmerer</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 30th April 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Kensington Teen</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Netgalley</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/520443947">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Nick is the quiet, sensible, intelligent one of the twins. A likeable guy, although we haven't got to know a lot about him so far.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Nick's story here is really sweet. While he's never had really strong feelings or emotions for a girl, I don't think he had thought he could have them for a guy. I loved seeing his reactions to Adam. Something so new and yet, seemingly, so strong. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I don't honestly remember too much about Quinn at this point, or how I felt about her in previous books. And even with seeing all her problems now, when I should have felt sorry for her, she really didn't appeal to me. Though I am interested in seeing how things go with them and their planned secret, which I just discovered is the name of book four and I can't wait for it. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I'm really looking forward to seeing how Nick's family will deal with this, and I'm hoping it won't be as bad as Nick thinks it will. Also, Adam is a cute guy that I'd like to get to know better. I'm also wondering if Matt, the guy from the beach, is going to make a reappearance.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15819003-breathless">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/breathless-brigid-kemmerer/1114307180?ean=9780758285539">B&amp;N</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breathless-Elemental-ebook/dp/B00B1UVSAY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1372794484&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=breathless+brigid+kemmerer">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/07/mini-review-breathless-elementals-25-by.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-7958753083896204222Sat, 29 Jun 2013 10:49:00 +00002013-06-29T11:49:11.188+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17733861-a-shade-of-blood" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A Shade of Blood (A Shade of Vampire, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365199807m/17733861.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 8th April 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Self Published</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Purchased</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/582775392">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Back on the beach at Cancun, the same place they were both taken from months ago, Sofia and Ben aren't ready to go home yet. And having missed it for so long, they find themselves trying to soak up as much sun as they can. Having been left with a large quantity of money, they book themselves into the villa they had been staying in previously. After a few days, they feel the time has come to call Ben's parents. When they arrive, they don't tell them where they were and when questioned by the police, they say they just ran away. They say nothing about where Ben got the scars all over his body from his torture at the hands of Claudia, and at Sofia's request, there's no mention of the vampires or The Shade.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Ben has a name and number for the hunters, given to him by a hunter who tried to save him on the island, but ended up being killed herself when they were caught. Knowing that his life will never be the same again, and having the need for vengeance and retribution, he plans to contact them. He tells Sofia that he'll give her some time, but that then, with or without her, he'll be making that call. He needs to take his revenge on the vampires, especially Claudia. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">But Sofia can't seem to forget Derek and The Shade, and when Ben wants to become more than friends, something that she herself had wanted for a long time, she finds that she can't give herself wholly to him. Part of her still belongs to Derek. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">And without Sofia there, the darkness is overtaking Derek. He's a completely different character than the Derek we met in A Shade of Vampire, and it was interesting seeing this other side to him. But it was also nice to see the effect that Sofia had on him when she returned, to find him in a compromising position with Ashley. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Lucas is not in this book too much, though we do get his POV a couple of times. He's on the run from Derek who will kill him for what he did to Sofia. But if he wasn't obsessed with her before, having tasted her blood, he can't stop thinking about her, and won't rest until she is his. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Things are getting tough in the Shade. Derek is struggling to keep everyone under control and try to keep Sofia happy at the same time. The vampires are not happy that Sofia, a human slave, is being put before them. But Sofia is not happy with the way things are currently done. She wants the humans who live in the Shade to be treated better and not treated like slaves or food which is exactly how the vampires see them. Sofia has learned a lot about how things are run in the Shade and has read it's history, and it doesn't sit well with her. There are going to be tough times ahead, and revelations throughout this books make for what should be a really interesting third book in this series. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I'm also looking forward to learning more about the prophecy made by Cora, the witch, over four hundred years ago, and what it means to Derek and Sofia, and to the Shade. Derek seems to be going to have quite the fight on his hands if he's going to manage to hold onto Sofia.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17733861-a-shade-of-blood">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C8324IS?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00C8324IS&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon UK</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C8324IS?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00C8324IS&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon US</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-shade-of-blood-by-bella-forrest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-1096991004357914346Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:10:00 +00002013-06-26T10:10:04.130+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17409124-the-pirate-s-wish" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361590736m/17409124.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 4th June 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Strange Chemistry</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Netgalley</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/430672366">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I really enjoyed this second instalment in the The Assassin's Curse duology. I'd really liked Ananna and Naji in the first book, and I was hoping things were going to turn out a certain way. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Adding a manticore into the mix here surprised me somewhat but worked quite well, and I really liked her. She added something to this book for me and I was slightly disappointed when they dropped her off. I enjoyed the relationship that was built between her and Ananna. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Part of me felt though, and this could just have been my bad memory, but that Naji and Ananna's characters had changed somewhat from the first book. While in The Assasin's Curse I enjoyed the dangerous, mysterious and broody guy that was Naji, I felt he acted more 'little boy lost' in this book and seemed to sulk or something. When he doesn't return Ananna's feelings towards him, she's just really mean to him all the time, so he just tries to stay out of her way. I found this annoying on both of their parts. And I never would have guessed his feelings for her, he gave absolutely nothing away. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the antagonistic relationship between the two of them, I did. But I'd been hoping that they would get together, knowing Ananna had feelings for Naji and just hoping they would be reciprocated. But when they did eventually get together, there was nothing. No sparks, no swooning. It just didn't fulfil my expectations at all which was slightly disappointing. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">And something that only came to mind sometime after finishing this book, was that, for three apparently, impossible tasks, they weren't that hard to accomplish. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">So, to reiterate, as this seems quite negative lol. I did really enjoy The Pirate's Wish and I would recommend this series. The plot is decent and I enjoyed the characters.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17409124-the-pirate-s-wish">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Pirates-Wish-Cassandra-Rose-Clarke/9781908844279">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pirates-Wish-Cassandra-Clarke/dp/1908844280/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1372237699&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=The+Pirate%27s+Wish">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-pirates-wish-assassins-curse-2-by.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-1672197972550986544Fri, 21 Jun 2013 20:50:00 +00002013-06-21T21:57:09.174+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17372887-dare-you-to" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360807667m/17372887.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17372887-dare-you-to">Dare You To</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4575371.Katie_McGarry">Katie McGarry</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 28th May 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Harlequin Teen/Mira Ink</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Netgalley</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/390484167">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, Dare you To, for me, was just like any other contemporary romance out there. Great for those who favour this genre, but it just didn't wow me. Pushing the Limits had that something extra special that gave it that extra oomph that I just didn't feel with Dare You To. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I didn't like Beth in Pushing the Limits, and maybe that should have been enough to make me lose interest in this before I even started, but because I enjoyed Pushing the Limits so much, I wanted to give this one a go too, and having read the first chapter, I was quite intrigued about Ryan. They were so completely different that I was interested in seeing how they were going to be brought together. Beth did grow on me a little through the course of the book, but I know she won't be memorable, not like Echo and Noah. And Ryan, while he was a likeable guy, was just a similar mould to every other hot, jock guy I read about. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">We're already aware that Beth has had a hard life. She was staying in her aunts basement with Noah and Isaiah, but we learn a lot more about her problems, and the ugly truth that has made Beth the person we know now. And I did pity her, it'd be hard not to. She feels unloveable and finds it hard to trust. But for someone who was so messed up, I felt that Ryan got through her barriers a little too quickly.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">She is taken in by her uncle Scott, who moves her about a half hour away from Louisville, to Grovetown, where she lived until she was eight years old. He forbids her to see her alcoholic mother, and also tells her to cut ties with her old friends and her old life. But she really struggles with this and feels a need to protect her mother from her violent and abusive boyfriend. But her mother doesn't want to be saved, and it hurts Beth more everytime she tries to do something good for her. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Scott is one of the only commendable adults in this book. While Ryan appears to come from a good family, they are really just small minded, small town snobs. I especially disliked Ryan's dad, who I felt wanted to live his life through Ryan, trying to force him to do what he wanted with no regard for Ryan's feelings, and who had abandoned, and forced his family to abandon, his older son Mark, because he was gay. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">In all honesty, by halfway through I was quite bored and just wanted to be done with it. Contemporary romance has to have that extra something for me to enjoy it, and Dare You To just wasn't it for me. I'm not sure I'll read Isaiah's story. He wasn't a character I was overfond of either. Though I did feel sorry for him in this one so it's nice to know he gets his happy ending too.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17372887-dare-you-to">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dare-You-Katie-Mcgarry/9781848452282">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dare-You-author-Pushing-Limits/dp/1848452284/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1371847652&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=dare+you+to+katie+mcgarry">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/dare-you-to-by-katie-mcgarry-published.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-4235985354575389483Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:29:00 +00002013-06-18T20:29:33.576+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17167251-charm-strange" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Charm &amp; Strange" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363252305m/17167251.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 11th June 2011</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: St. Martin's Griffin</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Netgalley</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/536819183">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I don't quite know how to review this book. I went into it expecting something completely different than what I actually got, so I'd recommend going into this book blind. Don't read the blurb, and definitely don't pay any attention to the tags on Goodreads. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">It took me a while to figure out that I wasn't going to get what I thought with this one, which made me feel that it was quite weird in the beginning, and I was wondering when we were going to get to the pinnacle of the story, the werewolves, as was my understanding. And I was close to the home run before things finally clicked into place for me.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This book is written from the perspective of Andrew, the ten year old boy of 'before', and Win, 'after', who's now sixteen. In the past, we learn about his relationship with his family. His older brother Keith, who does his best to protect and care for Andrew, even though he's only four years older than him. His younger sister Siobhan, who's three years younger, and who he adores. He's remembering one summer when he went to stay with his grandparents, and his three cousins were there. Andrew doesn't seem to have much relationship with anyone other than his siblings. He's quite odd, and everyone was just generally mean to him. And all the while, his mother is at home in bed apparently suffering from depression. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Win, has many problems. He thinks there's a wolf inside of him, just waiting to be released. When things finally come to a head one night, and Win eventually cracks, thankfully, he has friends with him who are looking out for him. They immediately get him the help he needs. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This is not the type of book I regularly read. That's not to say I haven't read this type of book, but I like to be prepared if I'm going to. When I finished this book I just cried. And the horrible feelings that this book brought out in me, stayed with me over the next couple of days. I'm aware of the animals that live alongside us. I have my own children, it's something I'm constantly vigilant of. But in reading, I like escapism. If I'm going to be left with lingering feelings over a book, I like them to be happy, giddy ones. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">On the whole though, when I looked back on this book after realising what was actually going on, it was an exceptionally well written book. Had I actually known what I was going to be reading and was clued in from the start, this would have had a higher rating, as I'm not sure I've ever read a book with such a complex way of telling it's story. Stephanie Kuehn is an extremely talented author and deserves a lot of praise for her execution of Charm &amp; Strange. And while I wouldn't have read it had I known it's content, I'm glad I did, just to experience this authors work. I will be interested in reading more of her work in the future.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17167251-charm-strange">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Charm-Strange-Stephanie-Kuehn/9781405267847">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Charm-and-Strange-ebook/dp/B00CXOASK8/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1371583232&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=charm+%26+strange">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/charm-strange-by-stephanie-kuehn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-1402484922802797987Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:22:00 +00002013-06-16T18:22:13.016+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMXSRy_OSRTvJnh5KfJp3SOFH0houCRKH6xj-b-A5rUdT1DpXFzb-IYJROEaSseLWbqTr509AiAvYv3j2tvFayIbWLVJHZ2zCgyb8x83KoxL8G8Douu0Uthr83g8FPnem4F74M0ibtoZ9/s400/pizap.com10.0021192193962633611366281129830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMXSRy_OSRTvJnh5KfJp3SOFH0houCRKH6xj-b-A5rUdT1DpXFzb-IYJROEaSseLWbqTr509AiAvYv3j2tvFayIbWLVJHZ2zCgyb8x83KoxL8G8Douu0Uthr83g8FPnem4F74M0ibtoZ9/s320/pizap.com10.0021192193962633611366281129830.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">So the books from Netgalley/Edelweiss that I managed to read this month are below. Unfortunately, I only managed to read a total of 7.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Unbreakable (Unravelling, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358967431l/16114843.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Breathless (Elemental, #2.5)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358178247l/15819003.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Spirit (Elemental, #3)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329824066l/13494365.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360807667l/17372887.jpg" width="132" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Charm &amp; Strange" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363252305l/17167251.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361590736l/17409124.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Ink" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364495225l/17699266.jpg" width="132" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;">You can read my review of Ink&nbsp;<a href="http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.ie/2013/06/ink-by-amanda-sun-published-5th-july.html">here</a>, reviews for the others will appear on the blog over the next couple of weeks. I can tell you now though, that I enjoyed every one of these books :)</span>http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/netgalleyedelweiss-month.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-1991217470087989957Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:27:00 +00002013-06-12T21:28:47.705+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17699266-ink" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Ink" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364495225m/17699266.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17699266-ink">Ink</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4649677.Amanda_Sun">Amanda Sun</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 5th July 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Mira Ink</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Netgalley</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/573224028">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">With a mixed bag of reviews for Ink, I did head into it with some hesitation, only to be pleasantly surprised. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">After Katie's mom dies, she has to move to Japan to live with her aunt Diane. She's out of her depth. She doesn't know much about Japanese culture and she's struggling with the language. She would have much preferred to have been sent to Canada to stay with her grandparents.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">When she accidentally eavesdrops on the break up of Tomohiro Yuu and his soon to be ex-girlfriend, and sees one of his sketches move, her life is about to take a very unexpected turn. Tomohiro is rude, mean and dangerous, with a bad reputation and secrets in his past. But after what Katie has seen, she just can't forget it. And does become a little obsessed about it. She wants to know where he sneaks off to everyday and did he really cheat on Myu and get another girl pregnant? I admit that Katie's obsession and actions around this point were a bit over the top. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I really enjoyed Ink though. With the mysterious Tomohiro, a twist of Japanese mythology, involvement with the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia, and also the Kami, who plan to take over and rule Japan, there was a lot going on, and after getting over a few glitches in the beginning, I was thoroughly entertained throughout. I also found that the romance was really sweet and I enjoyed it a lot, with some nice little moments.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Katie, while a likeable character, I felt had the potential to be an awesome character. But some of the things that she says/thinks are just really stupid and I felt should have been edited, as they didn't seem to fit with the character that the author was trying to create. These were mostly at the beginning of the book so it wasn't as annoying as the story continued. Katie was mostly a tough, strong character who was snarky at times but maybe just a bit too inquisitive. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I really liked Tomohiro. He was a really enjoyable character who lives under a facade, to prevent people from becoming close to him and being harmed by the monster that he feels is within him. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Katie makes some friends in Japan, Yuki and Tanaka, but they play very little part. They seem to be only brought into the story to serve another purpose. They're not well fleshed out and I didn't' build an opinion of them either way. But Katie makes another friend, with a guy she meets at the station, Jun. He is a mysterious character who I wondered about but liked, and who played an interesting part.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, this book is not for everyone. In most reviews I've read, people didn't like that it had a lot of the usual cliches. Maybe it's that I haven't read enough of them yet, but they don't bother me or hinder my enjoyment. I really enjoyed this book and found that I didn't want to put it down. But if the cliches would prevent you from enjoying a book, then this one probably isn't for you.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17699266-ink">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ink-Paper-Gods-Book-ebook/dp/B00CMOXVM6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1371068632&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=9781472010599">Amazon</a>/<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Ink-Amanda-Sun/9780373210718">The Book Depository</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/ink-by-amanda-sun-published-5th-july.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-5684393299773617257Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:40:00 +00002013-06-10T10:40:01.114+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15768191-sweet-peril" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351223157m/15768191.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15768191-sweet-peril">Sweet Peril</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4279785.Wendy_Higgins">Wendy Higgins</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 30th April 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Harper Teen</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Purchased</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/526975661">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I've come to the conclusion that Kaidan Rowe is a lot of the reason that I love this series. As he's trying to stay away from Anna to keep her safe from the Dukes, he's missing for most of the first half of this sequel and it did impact my enjoyment of it. Anna is travelling with Kope to visit some of the Nephilim who they think will be on their side when the time comes to fulfil a prophecy spoken by Sister Ruth, the nun who was present at Anna's birth. Anna thinks Kaidan is no longer interested in her, and I was really hoping she wasn't going to turn to Kope for comfort.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">At long last, Anna's dad gives her permission to travel to LA to speak with Kaidan and Blake. From this point on, my interest was peaked one hundred fold. I just couldn't put it down from here on out. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Anna and Kaidan are brilliant together. Whether they're arguing or making out, it's really enjoyable being with them. And things do get quite steamy. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I really like Anna. She's tough, but also really sweet, caring and extremely loving, and now that she's been trained to fight, she's kick ass too. And she can cook, a fact which manages to turn Kaidan on.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I enjoy the English slang in this series. It's something that's completely familiar to me in everyday life, but in the books that I usually read, it's quite unusual so I thought it was a nice change. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This series has some great secondary characters too. The twins Marna and Ginger, Blake, Patti and Anna's best friend Jay. For some reason, I never took to Kope, though it could have been that I always feared there was a chance that he'd get with Anna, even in the first book, Sweet Evil, they seemed to get a little cosy. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The Dukes are completely depraved and unremorseful. The way they treat the Neph is despicable, they have no regard for them whatsoever, not even their own off spring. And with threats they've made against Anna, Kaidan was right to be staying away from her. Now it seems things may be about to get even more dangerous for her. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I'm really looking forward to the third and final book in this series, Sweet Reckoning. It just can't come soon enough.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15768191-sweet-peril">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Sweet-Peril-Wendy-Higgins/9780062265944">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009NGHNOI/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img">Amazon</a></span></div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> </div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/sweet-peril-by-wendy-higgins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-7134725461854585667Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:49:00 +00002013-06-08T12:49:07.234+01:00<br /> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx8Vj-ml_Z-PeC2IRWZSwM4SYmenX6WSqL35zzFBcIkWsC_SumVoAF5oCOLVCRBUanCB1eDGJ_kw79eCMNd0ChXW3bPKK2wAde39DvIXMndflsGUICZQ2kz_RjROkgAm-q-t7KsgP5X8/?imgmax=800" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx8Vj-ml_Z-PeC2IRWZSwM4SYmenX6WSqL35zzFBcIkWsC_SumVoAF5oCOLVCRBUanCB1eDGJ_kw79eCMNd0ChXW3bPKK2wAde39DvIXMndflsGUICZQ2kz_RjROkgAm-q-t7KsgP5X8/?imgmax=800" width="320" /></a></div> </div> <br /> <span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle)&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reviews</a></span></span><br /> <div> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;"><br /> </span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;">My last STS post was on the 5th May, and since then, I do seem to have amassed quite a lot of books, especially since I'm supposed to be trying to cut down. I don't seem to have been too successful over the last few weeks. I may need to impose a book buying ban, but not sure I could cope with that with all the really awesome books that are coming out this year.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Bought:</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Pure (Covenant, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1296780419l/9761771.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Deity (Covenant, #3)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323658176l/9761778.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Elixir (Covenant, #3.5)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336124504l/13605727.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Apollyon (Covenant, #4)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350101819l/9897164.jpg" width="133" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842l/16101128.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351223157l/15768191.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Fall of Night (Morganville Vampires, #14)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359844993l/17315547.jpg" width="131" />&nbsp;<img alt="Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339533695l/10194157.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="A Shade of Blood (A Shade of Vampire, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365199807l/17733861.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Vampire Kisses: The Beginning (Vampire Kisses, #1-3)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348946825l/5489684.jpg" width="129" />&nbsp;<img alt="Fallen Angel (Fallen Angel, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1277830199l/8487365.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341040322l/7719245.jpg" width="131" />&nbsp;<img alt="Clarity (Clarity, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334842641l/13582404.jpg" width="130" />&nbsp;</span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I've read the four books in the Covenant series and really enjoyed them. I can't wait for the release of Sentinel. I'd already read The 5th Wave and Shadow and Bone but bought these copies to have on my shelf and for Mal's Lost Letter. And I've also read Sweet Peril and Fall of Night. I bought Vampire Kisses, Fallen Angel and Paranormalcy second hand from Better World Books.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Physical books for review:</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="All Our Yesterdays" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362065865l/17451105.jpg" width="130" />&nbsp;<img alt="Goddess (Starcrossed, #3)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351415040l/7849034.jpg" width="137" />&nbsp;<img alt="The Fall (The Glimpse, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364068307l/16029783.jpg" width="127" />&nbsp;<img alt="PODs" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327645122l/13425802.jpg" width="133" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;">Ebooks for review</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368691251l/17209276.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="The Bone Season (Scion, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359659137l/13636400.jpg" width="130" />&nbsp;<img alt="Spartan Frost (Mythos Academy, #4.5)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365889434l/17367954.jpg" width="133" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Won:</span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360669053l/17283039.jpg" width="129" /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">From Donna over at&nbsp;<a href="http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.ie/">Book Passion for Life</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /></div> <div> <div> </div> </div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/stacking-shelves-30.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-4146332712857420134Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:16:00 +00002013-06-06T20:16:49.113+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17315547-fall-of-night" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Fall of Night (Morganville Vampires, #14)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359844993m/17315547.jpg" width="131" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 2nd May 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Allison &amp; Busby</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Purchased</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/368606197">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The last 166 pages brought this to a 4, before then, we were looking at a 3.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The Morganville Vampire series has always been one of my favourites, but Bitterblood just wasn't up to scratch. So when I started Fall of Night, for the first time ever, I was going into one of these books with little enthusiasm. And for the first 277 pages, it unfortunately lived up to my expectations.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">But enter Oliver and Myrnin and this book took a turn for the better. The pace was faster, the action picked up and I didn't want to put it down. The way a Morganville book should be. It's just a pity it took so long to get to this point. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Claire has moved to Boston to attend MIT and study under Professor Irene Anderson, a previous assistant of Myrnin's, and a character I never warmed up to. But Claire thought she'd left the vampires behind in Morganville, she was wrong. And so we meet Jesse, otherwise known as Lady Grey (Does that name ring any bells with anyone from previous books? I thought it sounded familiar?). She is quite the awesome character and I really liked her. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">But the vampires weren't the only thing to follow Claire to Boston. Shane does too. Even though part of the reason she felt the need to leave Morganville and distance herself from him was to distance herself from him and his trust issues and to experience some self growth out on her own. I really didn't like this stalkerish side to Shane. He gets a job and a room, finds out where she lives, and regularly passes by! No, I didn't like it! But I was even more surprised by Claire's reaction to it. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I've loved all these characters all through the series, Shane, Claire, Eve, Michael and Myrnin. And even Oliver and Amelie because without them, it just wouldn't be the same. And I know that the release of the next and final book in the series, Daylighters, will be bitter sweet. But because I didn't enjoy Bitter Blood too much, and this one was so slow to take off, I wasn't holding out much hope for it, but the ending of this one has really lifted my expectations. Now I just have to decide who I want to win, the humans or the vampires?</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17315547-fall-of-night">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fall-Night-Rachel-Caine/9780749012663">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?keywords=9780749012663&amp;index=books&amp;linkCode=qs&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/fall-of-night-morganville-vampires-14.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-5876695538933849687Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:41:00 +00002013-06-03T13:41:37.439+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12637460-the-gathering-dark" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Gathering Dark (The Grisha, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331418940m/12637460.jpg" width="124" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 7th June 2012</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Indigo</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Library copy</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/545791184">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The Gathering Dark (Shadow and Bone) is a book that almost passed me by. The Shadow and Bone cover didn't attract my attention and the blurb didn't appeal to &nbsp;me at all. But when great review after great review kept coming, I began to wonder what I was missing out on. And I was missing out. This is a fantastic fantasy story.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Alina and Mal grew up together in an orphanage and are best friends, but lately, Alina's been starting to feel something more. Mal is a tracker in the first army and Alina is a cartographer or map maker. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">When, after saving Mal's life, she finds herself being brought in front of the Darkling, the most powerful Grisha in Ravka, life as she knows it is about to change. She is ordered to the Little Palace under armed guard, without getting a chance to say goodbye to Mal.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">She discovers she has powers she wasn't aware of. When she was only eight years old, so that she wouldn't be taken away from Mal. But now, it has opened up a whole new world for her. She's part of the Grisha. And she may be the answer to Ravka's biggest problem, The Shadow Fold, a patch of complete darkness, where the volcra lurk, waiting to feed on the human flesh of those trying to travel to West Ravka. She is their salvation, but she is also in danger of having her power abused.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Alina and Mal belong together, that much is obvious, but she seems to be drawn to the Darkling, the most powerful man in Ravka, and probably, the most feared and dangerous too. And as much as I loved Mal, I was also drawn to the Darkling. He's beautiful, powerful and mysterious, a very charming villain.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Alina is a tough character. Having grown up in an orphanage, and never feeling as though she belonged, has prepared her for when she finds herself among the Grisha, still not feeling like she belongs and finding herself acquiring the attentions of the Darkling. I loved the way she spoke to him, seemingly unable to hold her tongue despite any fear she might feel towards him.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">We see two sides of Mal. The before Alina was taken away, a fun, humourous boy who was a bit of a ladies man. And after, he's hardened and more serious, circumstances of the last five months having taken effect. But, I felt we started to see a lighter side to Mal again towards the end.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">At the beginning, I felt there was a lot to take in, with the different names and skills/ranks of the Grisha. But I used post its along the way and that kept me clued in. And after I'd finished reading the book, and checked out <a href="http://realmoffiction.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/review-gathering-dark-by-leigh-bardugo.html" rel="nofollow">Sam's review</a>, I discovered this <a href="http://www.leighbardugo.com/speakravkan/" rel="nofollow">pronunciation guide to Ravkan</a> which would have come in handy while reading. Also, I couldn't get my head around the descriptions of the Kefta, so I went online to see what they looked like and discovered this awesome guest post over at <a href="http://www.karinsbooknook.com/2012/06/16/shadow-and-bone-by-leigh-bardugo-giveaway/" rel="nofollow">Karin's Book Nook</a> describing them perfectly. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I'm really glad that I eventually picked up this book as I really enjoyed the characters and the world that Leigh has created. If you haven't read it yet, do your best to pick it up soon. Book 2, Siege and Storm releases on the 4th June. I can't wait!</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12637460-the-gathering-dark">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Gathering-Dark-Leigh-Bardugo/9781780621104">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780621108?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1780621108&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></span></div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> </div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-gathering-dark-by-leigh-bardugo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-7202094193911365225Thu, 30 May 2013 14:30:00 +00002013-05-30T15:30:40.803+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9897164-apollyon" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Apollyon (Covenant, #4)" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350101819m/9897164.jpg" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 4th April 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Spencer Hill Press</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Purchased</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/615473128">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Apollyon, the penultimate book in the Covenant series wasn't quite as exciting for me as the previous ones. Alex has connected with Seth, which has angered the gods, who are now destroying the earth, and killing thousands, maybe millions. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Seth and Lucian are power mad and are making their way to the Catskills in New York. Whoever is seated on the New York throne, is considered the ruler. But, it appears they're strings are being pulled by someone higher up, a rogue god, who wants Seth to become the god killer, so that he can be used as a weapon against the other gods, leaving one to rule Olympus and the mortal world. I definitely felt a darker, more sombre tone to this book. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Alex has to try to fight and win back control of herself, so she can disconnect with Seth. While connected to him, she wants what he wants, wants to be with him, and hurt Aiden and the people she's with. Then she needs to figure out how to kill Seth. The answer may lie with Solaris, the last Apollyon born as a second. And to get close enough to Seth, they'll need to build their own army and fight their way through. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This book was a lot more about plotting and planning than action. But the ending certainly made up for that. It was exciting, scary, traumatic..... and just left me crying out for Sentinel, and making me glad that I was so late to this party and don't have quite as long a wait as some.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I'm so scared about how this series is going to end. I really like Seth, and hate the thought that he will have to die for things to work out. I see him as the lost little boy who has never known love, and now someone is showing him affection and he's just lapping it up. He's drugged up on power now, but somewhere inside I think is the Seth that I came to love at the start of this series.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This book has many fantastic characters, and it's sad that we've already had to lose some of them. I fervently hope that no one else is going to die. Deacon's personality came through a lot more in this book and I really like him. I'm glad to see things are working out between him and Luke. And I've finally come to terms with it. I'm happy to see Alex and Aiden enjoying their relationship and being so public about it. I hope when all this is over, they can continue like this and the Breed Law be changed. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">We meet more of the gods, good and bad this time around and I'm really enjoying this aspect of this series. There's a lot of mention of Alex's dad and I'm excited to see where that particular plot line is going to go. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a happy ending to this series.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9897164-apollyon">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Apollyon-Jennifer-Armentrout/9781937053161">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1937053164?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1937053164&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/apollyon-covenant-4-by-jennifer-l.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-3685076752494986415Tue, 28 May 2013 09:20:00 +00002013-05-28T10:20:18.863+01:00<br /> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13543570-pure" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Pure (Covenant, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331802198m/13543570.jpg" width="134" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13543570-pure">Pure</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout">Jennifer L. Armentrout</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 3rd April 2012</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Spencer Hill Press</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Bought</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9761771-pure">Goodreads</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0983157227?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0983157227&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a>/<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Pure-Jennifer-Armentrout/9780983157229">The Book Depository</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: 4.5 stars</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">For me, this book outshone Half Blood by miles. Alex has left all Rose's idiosyncrasies behind and I've really warmed to her. Her and Seth spend a lot of time together, and I just came to love him. He's hot, he's fun and he's dangerous. My kind of fictional guy. My favourite parts of this book were when they were together, with one scene that I especially enjoyed.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Aiden is quite the stand up guy, but he kept making little comments to Alex, leading her on, but yet saying, 'no, I can't be with you!'. This annoyed me and was very unfair to Alex. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">And Caleb, such an awesome guy. Why? Just why?</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I love how Aiden and Seth are both really protective of Alex and enjoyed the little spats they have with each other, over her.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Armentrout has created a very harsh world for half bloods. No marriage, no children, fight the daimons or become a drugged up slave. I couldn't help but wonder why the pure's would have children who would have to live this life. I felt the same way about guardian's in Vampire Academy. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Overall, this was a fantastic sequel and I'm looking forward to continuing on with this series.</span><br /> <br /> <a name='more'></a><br /> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16128535-deity" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Deity (Covenant, #3)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352248102m/16128535.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16128535-deity">Deity</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout">Jennifer L. Armentrout</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 31st October 2012</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Spencer Hill Press</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Bought</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16128535-deity">Goodreads</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009ZN6GZ6?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B009ZN6GZ6&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a>/<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Deity-Jennifer-Armentrout/9781937053147">The Book Depository</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/612887055">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Each one better than it's predecessor so far. Do I see a pattern here? I hope so! I just couldn't put this one down.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">After the attack on the Catskills in New York, Alex's defeat of the Furies and the death of a pure blood at her hands, she's back on Deity Island, fearing for herself and Aidan if anyone finds out the truth. And with the Order of Thanatus out to kill her before she Awakens on her eighteenth birthday, to prevent Seth from draining her power and becoming the god killer, it's hard for her to know who she can trust. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Seth heads off to New York with Lucian so we don't see too much of him in this book, and I missed him, the fun and humour that he brought to these books. When he returns, he's like a different person. He's high on power and working to the command of Lucian, who's had hidden plans all along. Quite scary plans. I kept expecting him to snap out of it. I still find it hard to believe that it has all been an act on Seth's part, and I want to believe that under it all, he really cares for Alex.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">While Seth is away, Alex is free to spend more time with Aiden and their relationship starts to take a different turn. Her uncle Marcus also starts to warm up to her, and shows that he really cares about her. It was more a case of tough love. This was really nice.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">There's a lot of action and excitement in Deity and I just drank it all in. There's a lot going on and there was never a dull moment. With the solution that seems to have presented itself as the only way to prevent Seth from being able to control Alex when she Awakens and stop Seth from draining her power, I'm nervous to continue on with this series. But I don't think I could stop myself if I tried. I can't wait to read Apollyon.</span>http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/mini-reviews-pure-and-deity-by-jennifer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-7343378940667781811Fri, 24 May 2013 17:16:00 +00002013-05-24T18:20:45.657+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9680718-half-blood" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311865840m/9680718.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 18th October 2011</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Spencer Hill Press</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Won</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: 3.5 stars</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I went into Half Blood expecting to be blown away. The reviews for this are overwhelmingly good, but it took me some time to warm up to it. While I was already aware that there were similarities to Vampire Academy, and there were a lot, I don't think I was prepared for how like Rose, Alex is. And I don't like Rose. In fact, by the end of the Vampire Academy series, I hated her. So meeting her clone at the outset of this book really didn't help any.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">But, eventually, as I continued reading, Alex's character took a turn for the better and seemed to leave Rose's personality behind. Once I lost the urge to punch her, it was much easier to enjoy this book. Though part of me felt like throwing the towel at this in the beginning, I'm glad I didn't because there's a great plot here and a really enjoyable set of secondary characters, that more than made up for the Rose behaviour. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The attraction between Alex and Aiden didn't make much sense to me, especially at the beginning. He seems like such a stickler for the rules that someone like Alex would really annoy him, and as I could see nothing attractive about Alex, besides how she may look, I couldn't see why a pure would take the risk of being with a half blood. But, then it seems most of the risk was actually Alex's. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Caleb is Alex's best friend. He was a really sweet and likeable guy. I also really liked Seth, the Appolyon, and would have liked to see more of him. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Despite my slow start into this book, by the end, this story had ensnared me. I'm intrigued by the Appolyon theory, Seth's plans and training ideas and the part that Lucian and the Council plan to play in Alex's life now. I'm also curious, as otherwise it was odd, as to the reason why Leon spoke up in Alex's defence back in Marcus's office at the start of the book. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">At this point, something I would like not to happen, but think it most likely will, I'd prefer for Alex and Aidan not to end up together. Don't ask me why, I don't think I can put my finger on it, I just don't think they're suited and I don't enjoy them together. For the record, I felt the same way about Rose and Dimitri.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9680718-half-blood">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase Links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0983157200?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0983157200&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a>/<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Half-Blood-Jennifer-Armentrout/9780983157205">The Book Depository</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/half-blood-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-6857296429630298177Wed, 22 May 2013 19:50:00 +00002013-05-22T20:50:13.788+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17328635-with-all-my-soul" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="With All My Soul (Soul Screamers, #7)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360233190m/17328635.jpg" width="127" /></span></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 5th April 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Mira Ink</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Copy from Publisher</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/532845202">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I have to applaud Rachel Vincent on how she ended this series. For me, it was just perfect. I finished this book with a big smile on my face, but then remembered it was all over and wasn't quite so happy then. I truly enjoyed this series from start to finish and it's one I'll definitely look forward to reading again in the future. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Avari is back, and once again threatening the people that Kaylee loves. When he takes someone close to her, she realises that he's never going to stop until he gets hold of her immortal soul. And maybe it's time for her to make the ultimate sacrifice. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This series is a firm favourite for me now, especially as the ending was something that I was extremely happy with. Many series that I had enjoyed throughout, were ruined for me by events in the last book and how the series was ended, ensuring that it was a series that I would be unlikely to pick up again, or to recommend.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I love the characters in these books. The way they interact with each other, the sarcasm, the humour, the bickering and especially, the awesome swoonworthy moments all endear these books to me. And no matter what happens, or what they go through, they're all there for each other 100 per cent. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The Soul Screamers series has many ups and downs, sad moments as well as happy. I actually changed Teams about halfway through, something I don't think I've ever done before or since, but Nash lost his appeal for me when he was addicted to demon's breath, whereas this was around the same time that Tod seemed to capture my attention more. And Kaylees too. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Kaylee has been a constant favourite protag of mine and Emma, one of my favourite best friend characters. What she goes through in this series really broke my heart and only endeared her to me even more, especially in this book. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This is truly a fantastic series that I would definitely recommend to paranormal readers, and I'm really sad that it has come &nbsp;to an end. Bean sidhes were an original idea for me when I started this series, and I've yet to come across a book with anything similar. I'll definitely be making it my business to read Rachel Vincent's other series now.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17328635-with-all-my-soul">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/With-All-My-Soul-Rachel-Vincent/9781848451827">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1848451822?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1848451822&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/with-all-my-soul-soul-screamers-7-by.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-6086845590062287960Mon, 20 May 2013 09:22:00 +00002013-05-20T10:22:34.386+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455782-shatter-me" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338924054m/13455782.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 2nd October 2012</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Harper Collins</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Purchased copy</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/214918747">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Shatter Me was a book that hadn't reached my radar until the wonderful reviews for Unravel Me started to flood in and I decided I needed to see what all the fuss was about. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, this book didn't appeal to me in the same way it did to others. First off, the writing style. I felt it was long winded, drawn out and sometimes just ridiculous. It made Juliette's inner monologue quite tedious, and hindered my building a real likeness for her character. I didn't completely dislike her either. She didn't really bring any strong emotion out in me, except for times when I wanted to shake her. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">While I liked Adam, the romance was uninteresting. It just didn't excite me, no goosebumps or chills up my spine. Unfortunately, no swoonworthy moments over Adam. Warner was a lot more passionate a character than Adam.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">But, Warner wasn't without fault either. While it was plain that he was an evil guy, it just didn't come through enough with Juliette. His attraction to her was immediate, there was no tension between them. He was mostly nice to her. While he made her use her touch a couple of times against her will, other than that, he was kind of sweet to her. I felt a few mean, aggressive scenes would have worked well here, (yeah, I'm a bit twisted like that lol) and slower build up to him falling all over Juliette would have made things more interesting for me.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Kenji, in my opinion, was the star of this book. A light hearted character who brought some humour to an otherwise bland read. It always surprises me how one character can completely change the dynamics of a book. But with Kenji, came some fun and banter, which up to this point, was sorely missing. And my interest in this book increased in folds once Kenji took them to his 'safe place'. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Despite my negativity about this book, I do feel there's an underlying good plot. I plan to pick up Destroy Me soon as I feel Warner's head might be an interesting place to be. And then, Unravel Me. I'm interested in seeing what other gifts people are going to have and finding out some other things that I was left wondering about. One being Adam and his brother. Maybe I can block out this dreadful writing style somehow and just get to the roots of the story. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I've had Shatter Me on my shelf for a while now and chose now to pick it up as part of a challenge I'm taking part in with the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/51477-never-too-old-for-y-a-books">NTOFYAB</a> group on Goodreads. If it wasn't for this, I doubt I would have finished this book as I felt it really waned in the middle and I had really little interest in reading it. I had to force myself to pick it up.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455782-shatter-me">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Purchase links:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Shatter-Me-Tahereh-Mafi/9780062085504">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0062085506?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0062085506&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/shatter-me-by-tahereh-mafi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-4998564598795041580Fri, 17 May 2013 09:40:00 +00002013-05-22T07:30:36.908+01:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17789310-angelfall" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365602221m/17789310.jpg" width="129" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 23rd May 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Hodder &amp; Stoughton</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Publisher</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/603563856">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Angelfall is an angel book like no other. Six weeks ago, the angels arrived and earth as we know it has been destroyed. The angel who led them here was shot on arrival, now none of them seem to know why they're there, or what's going to happen next. Gangs now roam the streets during daylight hours, looting stores, houses and anywhere else they can find food and supplies. There's a danger of being killed by a gang member by day, and at night, even the gangs are scared to venture out to the streets. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Penryn decides to avoid the gangs and take a change with whatever's out there at night as she makes a break for it with her schizophrenic mother and disabled sister Paige, leaving their home in search for somewhere safer. When they come across an angel being attacked and having his wings cut off, and one of the attackers flies off, taking Paige with him, Penryn has to ally herself with the injured angel in order to get her back. If he takes her to Aerie to save Paige, she'll help him getting there by foot, something entirely new to him now that he can no longer fly, but hopes that someone there can fix his wings.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Penryn is a tough girl, having looked after her mother and sister since their father left them. And after being enrolled in every form of self defence lesson possible, for protection against her mother, Penryn is putting them to good use and herself and Raffe save each other several times on their journey to San Francisco. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Raffe, the angel, doesn't see himself as evil, or the enemy, though he doesn't seem to have very much interest in humans. He doesn't volunteer too much information about himself as they travel, though we do get some hints to more once he reaches Aerie. I'm looking forward to finding out more about him in the sequel. The interactions between Raffe and Penryn were fantastic, I found myself reading some pages twice just to absorb it fully. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">There's already been so many fantastic reviews written for this book that I feel there's little more that I can add. I found excitement on every page, and didn't want to leave it out of my hands. There's no cliffhanger and no love triangle, just fantastic writing and a brilliant story that'll keep you glued to the pages. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">So, what are you waiting for? If you haven't already done so, then read this now!!! If you don't love it, I'll eat my hat lol.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17789310-angelfall">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Buy:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Angelfall-Susan-Ee/9781444778519">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angelfall-Penryn-Days-Book-ebook/dp/B008ELHBAO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1368782964&amp;sr=1-1">Amazon UK</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/angelfall-by-susan-ee.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-8475733010756395114Wed, 15 May 2013 18:16:00 +00002013-05-15T19:17:40.081+01:00<div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" height="263" id="Image4_img" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMXSRy_OSRTvJnh5KfJp3SOFH0houCRKH6xj-b-A5rUdT1DpXFzb-IYJROEaSseLWbqTr509AiAvYv3j2tvFayIbWLVJHZ2zCgyb8x83KoxL8G8Douu0Uthr83g8FPnem4F74M0ibtoZ9/s400/pizap.com10.0021192193962633611366281129830.jpg" style="visibility: visible;" width="350" /></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I decided to take part in this Netgalley/Edelweiss month because I have so many review books to get through and this would give me a little bit of a kick. I still have books from 2012 so I'm really behind. I'm also taking part in a challenge for the month of May with a "Villains we Love to Hate" theme. I would love to be able to combine these two but I'm not sure if any of the review books I have would qualify, and I don't want to read reviews and risk spoiling any of them. So, I'm going to ask you, my lovely readers, for some help. If you have an extra minute, could you please look at my list of books below, and if you've read them, let me know if they'll fit with my challenge. I thank you all so much :)</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5952567-suzanne-paranormal-pages?shelf=netgalley-edelweiss"><span style="font-size: large;">Netgalley/Edelweiss Shelf</span></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">So, anyway, here are a list of books that I definitely plan to read</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Charm &amp; Strange" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363712741l/16045088.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354200468l/13561164.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="This Girl (Slammed, #3)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364326075l/15784909.jpg" width="129" />&nbsp;<img alt="Unbreakable (Unravelling, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358967431l/16114843.jpg" width="132" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Breathless (Elemental, #2.5)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358178247l/15819003.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Spirit (Elemental, #3)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329824066l/13494365.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352903412l/15714476.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Elemental: The First (Primord, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325301520l/12249184.jpg" width="131" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;">I'm looking forward to each of these books a lot.&nbsp;</span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Are you taking part? If you are, leave me a comment to your post/shelf so I can see what books you plan to read this month.</span>http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/netgalleyedelweiss-month-with-book.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-3048961459827163033Mon, 13 May 2013 09:36:00 +00002013-05-13T10:36:36.724+01:00<br /> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14742334-through-the-ever-night" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346924853m/14742334.jpg" width="126" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 8th January 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Atom</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Gifted</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: 4.5 stars</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Through the Ever Night is a fantastic sequel to Under the Never Sky. Aria and Perry have spent some months apart, and we see them reunited. Perry takes Aria back to the Tides, of which he's now the Bloodlord. While hoping that his people will accept Aria, he's doubtful. But I don't think he has any idea how bad it'll actually be. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">We learn more about the cause of the devastation of the world. About three hundred years before, a solar flare corrupted the earth's magnetosphere, causing the aether storms, and bringing about the Unity, where through a form of lottery, people were brought onto the pods, the rest being left to fend for themselves outside. But now, with an increase in the storms, which sees them occur more frequently, even in summer, not even the pods are safe anymore. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Farms and woodlands are being destroyed cutting off the food source, and the ocean is not much safer for the fishermen. Things are very difficult for Perry, and with the Tides perceiving him to have chosen Aria over them, Perry knows he needs to find a safe place for what remains of his tribe. Being Bloodlord is a lot harder than he expected. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">There's a race on for the Still Blue. A rumoured place with blue skies and no aether storms. Outsiders and dwellers alike want to find it. But it seems only the lucky ones will make it, the rest are being left behind. An awesome rescue sees the two groups having to come together and I can't wait to see the results. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">At times I was anxious read this book. Perry and Aria are separated again and I worried a love triangle was on the cards, in the form of another girl for Perry. If this had been the case, I honestly don't think I could have continued on with this book, it would have been too frustrating. I had to stop reading and look to Goodreads friends for confirmation, and thankfully, no love triangle forms. Sometimes, I can enjoy a love triangle, but this most definitely wouldn't have been one of those times. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Soren, who we hadn't seen since the beginning of Under the Never Sky makes a reappearance in this book, and I found him quite enjoyable. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in the future, he has great potential as a guy I'll love to hate lol.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This series has become a firm favourite for me. I love the world that Veronica has developed and I love the characters that she's brought to life. I'm already looking forward to reading these books again.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14742334-through-the-ever-night">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Buy:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Through-Ever-Night-Veronica-Rossi/9781907411069">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1907411062?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1907411062&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/through-ever-night-under-never-sky-2-by.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-566602518317340452Thu, 09 May 2013 08:40:00 +00002013-05-09T09:41:04.516+01:00<br /> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17843305-the-5th-wave" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366801951m/17843305.jpg" width="128" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 7th May 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Penguin UK</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Publisher</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: 5+ stars</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">How can I describe a book with words, when there are no words to describe how fantastic this book was. From the first time I read the blurb of The 5th Wave, I wanted it. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The earth has been visited by aliens, and they don't come in peace. And it's not like in the movies, where prominent cities are destroyed but we fight back with nuclear weapons and then we win, no the humans are losing. 7 billion of us are already dead, we're extremely close to becoming extinct, which is apparently, the plan. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The 1st wave hit 11 days after the ship appeared above. After a 2nd, 3rd and 4th wave, the few humans who are left, are waiting on a 5th wave, with no idea what it's going to be. They've turned us against each other. The aliens are now in the guise of humans. There's one rule; trust no one!</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Cassie believes she may be the last human left on the planet. She's alone in the woods, believing her father and brother to be dead, her mother having been killed by the 3rd wave, an airborne virus, The Red Death. But a promise made to her brother keeps her going. With his teddy bear in hand, she won't give up until she finds him. Through flash backs into Cassie's past, we glimpse how she was affected by the previous waves. Sitting in school when the 1st wave came, not realising it would be the last time she'd ever see her best friend, her mother's death, leaving home with her father to search for other survivors, and maybe a safer place to survive.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">This book isn't just told from the POV of Cassie, though her's is the main voice, we also have the POV from Ben Parish, who was once Cassie's crush, but who has now been taken to an army barracks and trained to fight. And the POV of little Sammy, Cassie's five year old brother, who has been taken to the same place as Ben. There's also an interesting POV from a Silencer, the 4th wave, a silent killer, named Evan Walker. I enjoyed each and every one of these perspectives, but I always looked forward to coming back to Cassie. She is tough, she is snarky and sarcastic, adding a touch of humour to an otherwise dismal narrative. These characters are all doing what they can to survive this hopeless situation, but they aren't very optimistic that they will survive for too much longer.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Yancey built the world around these characters flawlessly, easily going from past to the present, and voice to voice without affecting the flow of the story. I don't usually enjoy books that dip into the past and back again, but it really worked for me here. I loved how he effortlessly brought all these characters together at the end. Myself, I found the ending to be quite traumatic, and as I finished up reading this book, I was left with a feeling of despair. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">To say I loved this book is probably an understatement, if you haven't picked it up already, you really need to. It's my favourite book of 2013, so far.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17843305-the-5th-wave">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Buy:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/5th-Wave-Rick-Yancey/9780141345833">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-5th-Wave-ebook/dp/B00BLVO8JQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1368088505&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+5th+wave">Amazon </a></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1267926830p5/3377941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1267926830p5/3377941.jpg" /></span></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>About this author</b><br />aka Richard Yancey<br /><br />Rick is a native Floridian and a graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago. He earned a B.A. in English which he put to use as a field officer for the Internal Revenue Service. Inspired and encouraged by his wife, he decided his degree might also be useful in writing books and in 2004 he began writing full-time.<br /><br />Since then he has launched two critically acclaimed series: The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, for young readers, and The Highly Effective Detective, for adults. Both books are set in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Rick lived for ten years before returning to Florida. </span><br /> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rickyancey.com/">Website</a>/<a href="http://www.twitter.com/RickYancey">Twitter</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/published-7th-may-2013-by-penguin-uk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-3965282385192468107Tue, 07 May 2013 23:01:00 +00002013-05-08T00:01:00.609+01:00<br /> <div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="Day After (The 19th Year, #2)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350909583l/13348331.jpg" width="209" /></div> <span style="font-size: large;">Published: 6th May 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: J. Taylor Publishing</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Series: The 19th Year (Book #2)</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-size: large;">Demon crypts. Vampire lairs. Glowing angels. Sexy sirens. The stuff of fiction.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Or so Winn Thomas always thought.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Since being accepted into the fold of the supernatural, he knows better. None of what he imagined is true, but everything he feared is, and binding himself to his Changeling girlfriend until her nineteenth birthday will give him an education far beyond what he’d get at his human high school.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Luckily, Winn’s not giving up, he won’t back down, and he definitely isn’t going to run away with his tail between his legs. After all, only werewolves have tails. Right?</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">In this, the second of the 19th Year trilogy, Winn’s facing the challenge of one lifetime. If he doesn’t learn the truth about mythological creatures, his girlfriend Mac Thorne won’t either. That means, in six months, when she chooses her final form, she won’t know what to pick.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Winn, though, has his own ideas about Mac’s final selection—plans she knows nothing of.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">He intends to have her pick human.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Whether she can or not.</span></blockquote> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;">Excerpt</span><br /> <i><span style="font-size: large;">Sitting in front of the twelve most powerful non-humans on the earth would have shaken a lesser guy. In my case, I’d almost thrown up. Twice. <br /> <br /> ‘Don’t worry,’ Mackenzie Thorne, my girlfriend, had said. ’'It’s just a formality. <br /> <br /> She hadn’t known I’d have to go alone. <br /> <br /> Only the intake and exhalation of air in the room made any sound. Eerie light flickered from the tips of candles mounted along dark, oak-paneled walls. <br /> <br /> I refused to look anywhere but ahead of me. To the long, wooden, medieval-length table. <br /> <br /> Waiting. <br /> <br /> Watching. <br /> <br /> Holding my own breath. <br /> <br /> For a moment, it seemed the walls began to close in on me. <br /> <br /> At almost midnight on the first day of the year, I prepared to accept a fate no other human had ever taken on, been given or even offered. In response, sweat pooled under my armpits as alternating cold and hot ran through me. <br /> <br /> The scratch of wood against wood had heads turning. Mine included. <br /> <br /> Nahir, the oldest of the twelve, rose from his chair. “Winford Richmond Thomas, please rise.” His voice had a gravelly, hoarse sound. <br /> <br /> I did as requested, my knees pressing against each other. <br /> <br /> Nahir moved closer to me, his grandfatherly, human form disappearing under protruding scales of deep green. His arms lengthened into dinosaur-like paws and hit the rock floor, making the room around us shake. Thick wings extended from his body, and a tail lashed out against the wall behind him, rattling the candles. <br /> <br /> A dragon, in the color of tropical ocean water, stood before me, huffing air from horse-sized nostrils. <br /> <br /> Oh. God. I’m going to die. <br /> <br /> Not going to die. It’s part of the test. Remember, you have to see them all. Mac’s words flowed through my mind. <br /> <br /> Keep breathing. <br /> <br /> “Master Thomas.” Josie, a siren and one of the most beautiful women I’d ever met, rose, her long flowing gown matching the color of her reddish-gold hair. I couldn’t help but stare at her. “You’ve been asked by our current changeling, Miss Maya Mackenzie Thorne, to be her teacher. Have you willingly agreed to take on this duty?” As Josie talked, she stalked forward, shimmering, shifting, the already-pretty woman becoming deadly man-hunting female—according to the legends I’d read. <br /> <br /> Vibes ebbed from her like the rocking tide. If she sang, throwing up would be the least of my worries. I’d be dead by sexual self-implosion. <br /> <br /> With a rough cough, I gathered my wits. “Yes. I have accepted. Willingly.” Every nerve ending in my body urged me to go to Josie, to let her take me and do with me whatever she wanted. A groan built in my throat, tension straining my limbs, most particularly, my crotch. Not now! The need to shift what grew sent heat to my cheeks even as Mac’s words played through again. Force yourself not to react to any of them. They’ll think you’re stronger than you are since you’re only human. <br /> <br /> Only human. Problem number one. </span></i><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <b><span style="font-size: large;">So, let me know what you think :)</span></b><br /> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13348331-day-after">Goodreads</a></span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Buy:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1937744248?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1937744248&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a>/<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Day-After-Emi-Gayle/9781937744243">The Book Depository</a></span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div> <b><span style="font-size: large;">And a Giveaway :)</span></b><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, the rafflecopter code wouldn't work for me so for the moment, you can enter the giveaway&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/beb90461/">HERE</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1325451018p5/5421861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1325451018p5/5421861.jpg" /></span></a></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>About the author:</b></span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;">Emi Gayle just wants to be young again. She lives vicariously through her youthful characters, while simultaneously acting as chief-Mom to her teenaged son and searching for a way to keep her two daughters from ever reaching the dreaded teen years.<br /><br />Ironically, those years were some of Emi's favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she's still in love with him to this day. She'll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.emigayle.com/">Website</a>/<a href="http://www.twitter.com/emijgayle">Twitter</a>/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/EmiGayle">Facebook</a></span></div> </div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/blog-tour-day-after-by-emi-gayle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-3628104057721904385Sun, 05 May 2013 10:36:00 +00002013-05-05T11:36:26.603+01:00<br /> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx8Vj-ml_Z-PeC2IRWZSwM4SYmenX6WSqL35zzFBcIkWsC_SumVoAF5oCOLVCRBUanCB1eDGJ_kw79eCMNd0ChXW3bPKK2wAde39DvIXMndflsGUICZQ2kz_RjROkgAm-q-t7KsgP5X8/?imgmax=800" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx8Vj-ml_Z-PeC2IRWZSwM4SYmenX6WSqL35zzFBcIkWsC_SumVoAF5oCOLVCRBUanCB1eDGJ_kw79eCMNd0ChXW3bPKK2wAde39DvIXMndflsGUICZQ2kz_RjROkgAm-q-t7KsgP5X8/?imgmax=800" width="320" /></a></div> </div> <br /> <span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle)&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reviews</a></span></span><br /> <div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Hi guys. Hope you're all doing well. It's been a month since I last did a STS post, so I've quite a few books to show you.&nbsp;</span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;">You can click the book title for more information :)</span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Bought:&nbsp;</span></div> </div> <div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="The Hallowed Ones (The Hallowed Ones, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347728440l/13018514.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345739181l/15745371.jpg" width="133" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13018514-the-hallowed-ones"><span style="font-size: large;">The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745371-chosen-at-nightfall"><span style="font-size: large;">Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;">For review:</span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Charm &amp; Strange" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363712741l/16045088.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt=" In the After " height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351415769l/12157407.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Unbreakable (Unraveling, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351469081l/14743784.jpg" width="129" />&nbsp;<img alt="Nowhere" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360683336l/17369312.jpg" width="133" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16045088-charm-strange"><span style="font-size: large;">Charm &amp; Strange by Stephanie Kuehn</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12157407-in-the-after"><span style="font-size: large;">In the After by Demitria Lunetta</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14743784-unbreakable?ac=1"><span style="font-size: large;">Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17369312-nowhere"><span style="font-size: large;">Nowhere by Jon Robinson</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="This Girl (Slammed, #3)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364326075l/15784909.jpg" width="129" />&nbsp;<img alt="Blood and Snow: The Complete Set" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361466743l/17405755.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="Shadow Embraced (Haven, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365998546l/17664919.jpg" width="133" />&nbsp;<img alt="The Oathbreaker's Shadow (The Knots Sequence, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366279483l/13643064.jpg" width="124" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15784909-this-girl"><span style="font-size: large;">This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17405755-blood-and-snow"><span style="font-size: large;">Blood and Snow (1-12) by RaShelle Workman</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17664919-shadow-embraced"><span style="font-size: large;">Shadow Embraced by Cheree Smith</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13643064-the-oathbreaker-s-shadow"><span style="font-size: large;">The Oathbreaker's Shadow by Amy McCulloch</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="The Testing (The Testing, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364816551l/17711954.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="Angelfall (Penryn &amp; the End of Days, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319887835l/11500217.jpg" width="132" />&nbsp;<img alt="The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842l/16101128.jpg" width="133" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17711954-the-testing"><span style="font-size: large;">The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11500217-angelfall?ac=1"><span style="font-size: large;">Angelfall by Susan Ee</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101128-the-5th-wave?ac=1"><span style="font-size: large;">The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Gifted:</span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, #2)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346924853l/14742334.jpg" width="126" />&nbsp;<img alt="Alliance (Alliance #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361129829l/17380720.jpg" width="128" /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14742334-through-the-ever-night"><span style="font-size: large;">Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi</span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17380720-alliance?ac=1">Alliance by Shannon Dermott and Danyele Johnson</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;">I've already read, and loved, Through the Ever Night, The Fifth Wave and Angelfall. They are three awesome books!&nbsp;</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">So, what goodies are on your shelf this week? Leave me your link so I can stop by and check them out.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, Random House, Templar Publishing, Hodder, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5121644.Shannon_Dermott">Shannon Dermott</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5268000-eleanor">Eleanor</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/stacking-shelves-29.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873342173518121094.post-9202254237869729962Fri, 03 May 2013 10:56:00 +00002013-05-03T11:56:17.107+01:00<br /> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16128429-under-the-never-sky" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Under The Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352070325m/16128429.jpg" width="127" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">This edition published: 8th January 2013</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Atom</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Source: Library</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/487592762">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Under the Never Sky is an enticing dystopian written from the dual POV of Aria and Peregrine, more commonly known as Perry. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Aria is a dweller (or mole), who lives in a pod underground, and has a life that is basically, fake, experiencing life through computer generated realms with the use of a smart eye. They have to live this way, as with a population of 6,000 people in Aria's pod, known as Reverie, there's just no room for them to experience anything real. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Perry is an outsider. The dwellers call them savages. They are tanned and wrinkled in comparison to the dwellers pale, smooth skin. They're the ancestors of the people who were left on the outside to suffer and try to live through the aether storms that were ravaging the earth, while the wealthy and influential were able to move into these protected pods. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">While I enjoyed Aria's story straight away, it did take me a little longer to get into Perry's, which I found a little boring to begin with. But once Perry and Aria were together, things took off with a bang and I didn't look back. Aria believes she's only days from dying because dwellers aren't supposed to be able to survive on the outside. Perry blames Aria for the sorry situation that he has found himself in and likewise, she blames him for hers. If he hadn't entered the pod, none of them would be here right now. So when Perry tells her he knows someone who might be able to fix her smarteye, allowing her to contact her mother, and Perry to rescue his nephew, she takes off on a two week trek with him, hoping to still be alive at the end of it. Perry allows Aria to make this journey with him, knowing she'll probably slow him down, because he thinks only she can use the smart eye. They're from different world's, and that's the way they both want it to stay. But for now, they're allies, and Perry must do his best to keep her alive for the journey. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I loved Perry and Aria's characters. There's a lot of tension and action over the course of their travels, only adding to the excitement of this book. By the time they reach their destination, there are four of them. Having been met by Perry's childhood friend Roar, and also picking up an odd child of about twelve years of age, along the way. We meet more interesting secondary characters when they enter Delphi, and get to work on the smart eye. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The romance in this book worked perfectly for me, it's my favourite kind, when pure loathing turns to love. Over the course of the book, Aria's character has a complete overhaul and by the end, she's a much tougher, stronger character, who will do anything to survive. We also learn a lot more about Perry as he warms to Aria and opens up to her, only adding to his character. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I was left a bit cut up about the ending of this book, but thanks to the fantastic <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5268000-eleanor">Eleanor</a>, I had Through the Ever Night on hand to continue on straight away.</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Add to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16128429-under-the-never-sky">Goodreads</a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Buy:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Under-Never-Sky-Veronica-Rossi/9780349001487">The Book Depository</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0349001480?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0349001480&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></span></div> http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/2013/05/under-never-sky-by-veronica-rossi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Suzanne (Parabooklover))10