31 October 2012

Monthly Wrap Up: October 2012

October was another bad month for me. I started off the month with a terrible cold, which turned into a bad cough. I spent an awesome week at a friend's house and then I returned home to find I couldn't read anything. It took me two weeks to finish reading Outpost, and it didn't help that it was a boring book. Then I was in ANOTHER reading funk because of that, so it took me a while to get back into things. I'm fine now, though I have a throat infection, and I have lots of books to review and posts to write.

Books Read in October:

1. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (Essential)
2. Outpost by Ann Aguirre (Bland)
3. Poison Princess by Kresley Cole (All Time Favourite)
4. Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (Essential)
5. Velveteen by Daniel Marks (Enjoyable)
6. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (All Time Favourite)
7. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (Enjoyable)


I'm also in the middle of reading Scent of Magic by Maria V Snyder, so I will hopefully finish that by tonight! 

Book of the Month:


Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Yes, I cheated and picked two books. They were both AMAZING. I read the first book in the Mara Dyer series in February and fell in love, so I just had to read this straight away when my friend brought it home. I was sent Poison Princess by the publisher, and I wasn't sure if I would like it but once I started reading I just couldn't put it down. Both of these reads were so much fun, and I am in love. So I guess October was a good reading month after all!

Reviews:
How was your month? And what was the best book you read in October? Let me know in the comments! Also, is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo? If you are, then let me know and feel free to add me as a writing buddy. My username is Amber Winchester! I've been spending the past couple of weeks planning like crazy, so I hope I can actually win this year. Third time lucky!

30 October 2012

Velveteen by Daniel Marks



Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Velveteen #1
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Netgalley
Rating: Enjoyable



Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days. 

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her. - Goodreads

Much like Anna Dressed in Blood, this is a tricky book to review. To try to get past that, I've broken this review up into two easy-to-read sections, just like I did in my review of ADiB. Can you let me know what you think of this format? I received some positive feedback on that first review, and if enough people like reading my reviews like this then I'll do it more often.


Things I Liked:

  • Velvet. She was snarky, bitchy and a little hot-headed and I loved her for it. 
  • The original setting. The whole purgatory thing was intriguing, and I loved the idea of their being a place for all the 'rejected' souls to go. I wish we had been able to explore it a bit more, though.
  • Daniel Marks's writing style. I'm not sure if I need to elaborate or not, but I will anyway. The writing style was sophisticated, engrossing, and pretty much totally awesome. I wasn't a MASSIVE fan of this book, in the sense that I'm not going around fangirling about it, but I will definitely be picking up other things that Danny comes out with because his writing was something that I loved.
  • Third person point of view. I get sick of first person quite easily, since I read so much of it in YA nowadays. While I think Velvet's voice would have been great in first, third person really worked with the story and Danny's writing style. Fabulous.

Things I Didn't Like:

  • The unexpected lack of focus on Bonesaw. I wanted more mass murderers and less ghostly antics, to be honest. I know, what was I expecting in a book about purgatory, right? But I admit I don't like reading synopses about books I'm going to read, and so I honestly thought there would be more torturing and evilness, like there is in Kimberly Derting's Body Finder series. 
  • Nick and the romance in general. He was boring, and the romance was a little instantaneous. That said, I liked Velvet's approach to it. Again, Velvet is awesome.
  • Confusing beginning. This may have been because I haven't been getting enough sleep/I'm sick/there's been family drama, but the beginning of the novel really confused me and I don't know why. I just had no idea what was going on, and this makes me feel really stupid, but it's true.

Overall, it was a good book. Nothing amazing, and the only things that stood out to me were the main character, Velvet *swoons*, and the writing. I'm undecided on whether or not I'll be reading the sequels. Time will tell. But lots of other people loved it, so give it a go if it sounds like your kind of thing. Especially as it's Halloween tomorrow!


29 October 2012

New Releases: October 30 - November 5, 2012


All links go to Goodreads!


This is about a girl who has died three times and ends up in the afterlife again. It sounds very interesting!

While I thought that Blood Red Road could have been an awesome standalone, I CANNOT wait for this one! Blood Red Road was awesome once I got past the fact that there are no speech marks.
 

This is set on a futuristic Earth that has been conquered by aliens! That's all I think I need to say about this!

This is an historical set in Renaissance Venice. There are murders, killers, secret societies and all that good stuff!


This is about a girl who has finally become popular, and who can't help but steal things. One day she dies. This isn't at the top of my list, but it sounds interesting enough to consider!

This was actually published last week and I missed it, so I'm including it here! This is about a popular girl who gets acid splashed on her face, and the quiet loner guy who decides to find out who did it. This sounds SO. GOOD.


This is the sequel to Ruby Red.

This is about a Changeling girl and it sounds GREAT. I love shapeshifters and Changelings!


I read this book last year when it came out in the UK. It's quite good, although I wasn't a fan of the main character.

I feel like I'm the only person who hasn't read these books.


This is another one that I missed, because I suck at this! This is about alternate worlds and such, and it sounds AMAZING so I had to put it in here. Sorry for missing it out!

This sounds a lot like I Know What You Did Last Summer but.. without them actually murdering anyone. I'm interested!

What are you looking forward to? Have you read any of these already? Burning Blue and The Shadow Society are my top picks for this week!

26 October 2012

Stacking the Shelves (5)


It's been a while since I did one of these, so I have a bunch of things to show you!


Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen

I got this ebook for free from Amazon UK!

From Netgalley I got these:


Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell


Undeadly by Michele Vail


Splintered by A. G. Howard


Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder (This is the UK cover, which I LOOOOOVE)

And I bought Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse


What did you get recently? Let me know in the comments below, or leave your link! Have you read any of these already? I've only read Percy Jackson so far, but I cannot wait to read the rest! EEP! I'm also totally out of my reading funk, my throat is getting better and I'm hoping to wrap up this family stuff soon. So I'm almost back in business!

24 October 2012

Outpost by Ann Aguirre




Outpost by Ann Aguirre
Razorlands #2
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Borrowed
Rating: Bland


Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide. - Goodreads


I read Enclave last year and really, really enjoyed it. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this sequel, because I was looking forward to more mutants, more fight scenes and more badassery from Deuce, the main protagonist.

Hmph, was I disappointed!

Warning: I rant a bit. I tried to tone it down, but I didn't do a very good job of it.

The pace was slow (read: BORING) and the plot was almost non-existent. The first half of the book is spent talking about the town, Salvation, and the people in it. I don't care about Deuce's schooling, I want more fighting! The second half wasn't much fun either, because not much happened! *grumbles something about second book syndrome*

We got a little background and some theories on the disaster that led to the mutants being created/turned. But not as much as I would have liked.

Deuce has turned into a whiner. She complains about everything and everyone. I love that she still wanted to be a Huntress, but for God's sake, stop whining and DO SOMETHING. I don't think I would have had much of a problem with this if the pacing had been better, because then she would have gotten shit done faster. In addition to being a whiner, she's also an idiot. WHY ARE YOU ATTRACTED TO STALKER AND WHY ARE YOU STICKING UP FOR HIM?!

Fade was also bloody boring. He did next to nothing in this book, and towards the end he turned into a broody, suffering, self-loathing mess. He goes from ignoring Deuce to being in a relationship with her and then back to ignoring her again because of the whole "I'm not good enough for you" thing. Go away, Stefan Salvatore, no one likes you!

I bloody hate this love triangle. It's as bad as the one in Twilight, if not worse, because one third of it is an 'ex-rapist'. I knew it was coming, and I still wasn't prepared for the fuckery that went on in this book. No. Just NO. Stalker is NOT someone I want to read about, nor do I want the other characters understanding him or his actions. For God's sake, this guy is a violent rapist! WHY ARE YOU LUSTING OVER HIM?! I don't care if he's all about protecting Deuce, HE RAPED AND HIT GIRLS. *FUMING*

ARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I was initially in two minds about reading the next book because I did want to know more about the mutants and the history there. If it had just been the pacing I had an issue with then I could have chalked it up to second book sydrome. But you know what? I'm not going to read the third book. THANK YOU, for ruining my reading experience with a DISGUSTING love interest that should be maimed and killed.

23 October 2012

Top Ten Books to Get in the Halloween Spirit

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I haven't done one of these in a while, but I'm currently in a huge reading funk and don't want to just let me blog go empty until I sort my reading out. So, I decided to join in with TTT this week!

Books to Get in the Halloween Spirit

22 October 2012

New Releases: October 23 - 29, 2012


All links go to Goodreads!


This is the third book in the Legacy series, which I haven't read so I can't summarise it!

I'm sure you all know about this one. It's the fourth book in the Caster Chronicles. I haven't started this series yet but I MUST before the the movie comes out!


I really don't like this series... but this is book number twelve or something.

This is a murder mystery told from the perspective of a legally blind teenager. It sounds really interesting!


This is about a girl whose mother is a superhero who fights evil beings. IT SOUNDS AMAZING SOMEONE GET ME THIS BOOK.

I haven't started the Seven Realms series yet, but I plan on doing so at least by the end of the year.


This is a series that I love! Yes, the love interest was an abusive dick in the beginning, and it's not the most well written novel but a) it's fiction and I'm not impressionable and b) it's interesting. And this blog is about me and my books, so EEP. I can't wait for this.

YOU GUYS YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I NEED THIS BOOK!!!!!11!!!1 I read the first book back in February/March, and adored it and OH MY GOSH this is coming out tomorrow and I'm so excited I cannot contain myself. WHO ELSE IS BUYING IT?!

What books are you planning on reading? MARA DYER, Y/Y??

16 October 2012

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole


Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
The Arcana Chronicles #1
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Publisher
Rating: All Time Favourite


She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can’t do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side…. - Goodreads
It's been a while since I read a book that completely sucked me in from the first page. Even Unwind, which I adored, took some effort. But with Poison Princess it was effortless and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I stayed up all night reading it, and then I went on to have a dream about it because that's what happens when I experience awesome.


Poison Princess is set up slightly differently than one would think. We start with a prologue which is told from another character's point of view. In this prologue, we meet Evie, the main protagonist, through the eyes of this other character. Then Evie goes on to tell her story to this character, and that's when we get to see how Evie arrived at this point. I LOVED IT. It was such a great way to set it out, and it made everything several times more intriguing and suspenseful. It flowed flawlessly, and I don't think I need to comment on Kresley Cole's writing style.

I loved the characters. Like Evie, it took me a while to actually like Jackson, but that was AWESOME because that meant character development and growth and all that good stuff that should come with every book. And guys, Jackson is HOT. He's got a sexy Cajun accent, he's tall, dark and he speaks French.

Evie was awesome right from the start, and much like Jackson, she went through a hell of a lot in just this first book. I can't wait to see where the next book(s) in the series take her, because she still has a lot to do. Judging by the ending of this one, her journey is gonna be AWESOME.

I am so upset about the ending! And totally hooked on these characters and this story. Have any of you read this book? I desperately need someone to discuss with.

I want to reread this again and again. Starting right this minute! Please, please check this one out. It's definitely one of the best books I have read this year. I don't know how I am going to stand the wait for the next one, especially as a sequel hasn't even been announced yet.

My thoughts, in summary: ASDHSOITHWSIHTKHSFKBSDG *KEYBOARD SMASH*


15 October 2012

New Releases: October 16 - 22, 2012


All links go to Goodreads!


Rachel's brother goes missing and she feels responsible. She and her brother's best friend, Tyler, go looking for Micah. This one doesn't really grab me, but it's on my list anyway because, hey, it's a book!

This is about a girl who can 'weave time with matter'. It sounds freakin' awesome, and the cover is STUNNING, as you can see. I can't wait to read this one! GIMME!


This is book number ~50 in the House of Night series. I stopped reading after book two, so I won't be reading this.

This is the sequel to The Fame Game.


There was an event that caused everyone to be able to see the dead. Instead of fading away in the aftermath, the ghosts are actually growing stronger, and Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate. Sounds awesome!

I read Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and hated it, but I'm giving this a go because a) it has a nice cover and b) it's about a girl who was created in a lab.

Which books are you looking forward to? Have you read any of these already? Let me know in the comments below!

11 October 2012

Cover Reveal: Fractured by Teri Terry


Isn't it pretty? I love the colours that were used, and I ADORE the model's green eyes. Green eyes are my downfall, seriously. 

Release Date: 2nd May 2013


I read Slated when I received it for review a while back, and thought it was fantastic. It was also set in a location that's about fifteen minutes up the road from me, which never EVER happens. I kind of freaked out. I can't wait for this to come out!

Here's the cover for Slated, in case you wanted to do a comparison.


Have any of you read Slated? What did you think? Are you planning on reading Fractured?

09 October 2012

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin



Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin
Ashfall #2
Release Date: October 16, 2012
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Source: Netgalley
Rating: Essential

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive. - Goodreads

It's hard to pull off a sequel when the first book is so brilliant, but Mike Mullin pretty much did it. I didn't enjoy Ashen Winter quite as much as Ashfall, but I definitely still loved it. 

The main draw for this book is the post apocalyptic setting. Everyone is still struggling to survive after the super volcano has erupted, and food is getting scarce in some places. Alex, the main character, finally leaves the farm to search for his parents, who left to look for him in the previous book. Alex and Darla travel around the state, and that means that the reader gets to read about how other towns are coping, and also what gangs have formed. 

Darla isn't in this book as much, which was a little disappointing. She was my favourite character in Ashfall, so it's a shame we don't get to see more of her in this. I'm kind of hoping for a novella so that I can read about what she got up to when she wasn't with Alex, and how she managed to survive. 

I must applaud Mike Mullin on his ability to make me feel extremely uncomfortable. There are not many writers that can do that, and still have me love their work. I mentioned in my review of Ashfall that some scenes were hard to read, but they were nothing compared with the scenes in this book. There is a lot of talk of prostitution and sex slaves that made a great story and provided some really great scenes (which sounds totally weird now I've put it like that, but I didn't mean it that way, I promise!) but like I said some parts made me very uneasy.

The ending was absolutely epic. Action packed, fast paced and gripping. I may have shed some tears for certain characters, who I won't name, despite seeing their fate coming from a mile away. It was so sad. And then there was the VERY end, which I also won't spoil (obviously), but it's left me wanting more. I cannot wait for book three! 

The Ashfall Trilogy: 
1. Ashfall
2. Ashen Winter
3. Untitled (2013)

08 October 2012

New Releases: October 9 - 15, 2012


I'm back! I hope you all had a great week, because I certainly did. I missed blogging and discussing books, though. And reading, because I haven't been able to read properly since Tuesday!
All links go to Goodreads.


This is a book about time travel and it sounds AWESOME.

All I know about this one is that it's about mythological warriors. EEP!


This is the sequel to Juliet Immortal.

I have a copy of this! I'm so excited to read it, it sounds great. There's magic, feuds and all that good stuff!


This sounds really interesting. It's about a girl whose older sister moves back into the family home and the older sister acts like a total stranger. Lots of sibling rivalry and mystery!

This is a sequel.


This is the sequel to Belles, which came out a little while ago. And I still haven't read it. Oops!

EEEEEEP! I read and adored Ashfall a couple of months ago, and this is the sequel to that. I've read it already and LOVED it. It's so well written, and has some really uncomfortable moments which, to be honest, I love. My review is coming up tomorrow, so look out for that!

Let me know which books you're looking forward to this week! Have you read any of the prequels to these releases?

02 October 2012

I'm Off to London...

... to stay with some friends. I doubt there will be any posts from me until Monday. I was trying to schedule some things, but then I got distracted by the amount of things I need to sort out before I leave. Sorry about that.

But here, have this picture of shirtless Dylan as a temporary parting gift. See you next week!


01 October 2012

New Releases: October 2 - 8, 2012


Disclaimer: I got the dates from Goodreads, so I can't be sure how accurate they are. Hopefully I got them right, though! 


I haven't read Variant yet, but a couple of my friends have loved it!  Now that the second book is out, I might buy them both together.

I first heard of this a while back, and while it didn't really intrigue me then, it certainly does now! It's about parallel worlds, which is a concept that I ADORE. 
 

This is set in high school, is slightly paranormal and is written in verse. I'm not planning on checking it out immediately, but it's definitely on my list!

I read this a couple of weeks ago and loved it! I thought it was a bit cliché in regards to the plot, but the world and the writing were A+. 


This is the sweuel to The Faerie Ring which I have been wanting since it first came out!

I haven't read Lauren's MG books yet, but I need to get a move on. She's one of my favourite authors!


OHHHH MY GOD!!!!!11

I have a review copy of this and I must get onto it ASAP! I think it sounds pretty awesome, and I'm looking forward to a darker fey novel.


I kind of just want this for the cover and because of Michael Grant.

I've been told that Kresley Cole is a fantastic author, so I can't wait to read my copy of this!


Never heard of this one before, but the cover's kind of pretty.

This is the sequel to The Marbury Lens which I have been wanting to read ever since it came out. *Makes a note to buy it IMMEDIATELY*


This is another series I haven't started yet. I have the first book, though, so I'm planning on it!

I NEEEEED to read the novel so I can get onto this! I love graphic novels!

Let me know in the comments below which books you're most looking forward to! THE MARK OF ATHENA, ANYONE?!