Supernaturally Cover Reveal!

I'm so, so, so excited right now! I've just seen the cover for Kiersten White's Supernaturally - the sequel to Paranormalcy - and it's absolutely stunning! Here, take a look:

Isn't it gorgeous?! I'm impressed. I wasn't expecting it to match up to the standards set by Paranormalcy, but I think it's even better. 

And here's the whole jacket. Oh my gosh, there's lightening! I never thought I'd see the day that I'd drool over a book cover (Disclaimer: This statement may, or may not be true.) but... Wow!


You can read Kiersten's thoughts on the cover on her blog - follow the link!

The Iron King Blog Tour - Part Two: Review!

As promised, here is some more Iron Fey goodness! Firstly, there's my review (which I definitely recommend reading, despite the length and standard ramble.) and then I'm also giving you information on where you get snag yourself a free copy of The Iron King e-book!


Visit Part 1 of the blog tour to read Julie Kagawa's post on the love triangle in The Iron King! 

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart. - Visit The Iron King's GoodReads page.

As you can see from the GoodReads summary, this novel is a classic case of normal girl finding out she’s not really entirely human. However, it is also so much more than that. Meghan Chase travels to a completely different world which is parallel to our own in search of her brother, meeting cruel and evil beings (which are all described wonderfully, FYI) along the way.

The world building is what made me fall in love with this book. While the Fey aspect of the novel is certainly nothing new, the world that Julie Kagawa created is truly breathtaking. Julie has done an amazing job with that! It's one of the main draws of the novel, and I wanted to find out as much as I could about this fascinating place.

The pacing of the story was quick enough to grab and hold my interest, and the story literally flew by for me. I was done before I knew it, and now I can’t wait to read book two!

What didn’t particularly work too well for me is the fact that I do feel that certain romances happened far too quickly. This is a series, after all. I feel that more development was needed between the characters, and this could have been built up throughout the first couple of books, but instead it felt rushed. I'll let you read the book and figure out which characters I am talking about - I don't want to ruin the book for you in this review!

Meghan as a main character was interesting, and it was fun watching her character develop - but she slowly became quite annoying. She seemed silly and almost naïve at times, as she continued to run into various situations without thinking, and then she had to be saved by one of the other characters. I thought she would have learnt from her mistakes, but I guess not. That being said, this is what makes her character more realistic. She’s a teenage girl who’s just had her world turned upside down. I suppose she needs to be cut some slack. 

As for Puck…  I loved Puck! He was mischievous and funny, and he obviously cared deeply for Meghan, and greatly favoured their relationship. I just wish he had been in it more. His character was a star, and I fell in love with him from the word go. He's definitely the side I favour in this love triangle. I want a real life Puck! *swoon*

I don’t feel I’ve seen enough of Ash to actually analyse his character, but from what I’ve seen so far, he seems perfectly alright. Although I still prefer Puck, Ash is the strong, heroic warrior type who would rather fight with a sword than with magic. I can certainly see the attraction there! *wink wink, nudge nudge*

I especially loved Grim, the talking cat. I thought he was an amazing character - yes, he is much more than an ordinary house cat! - and I hope to see him in future books! His funny comments were the best, and the way he kept wandering off and then reappearing was kind of creepy.

Overall, I give The Iron King a rating of 5/5 for being so incredible. The positives more than make up for the negatives, and this book truly exceeded my expectations. 

For more information on the Iron King and to find out about forthcoming releases from Mira Ink visit their wonderful website: www.miraink.co.uk 

Amazon US | Book Depository | Amazon UK

Series: Iron Fey #1

Published on 21 Jan, 2011 (UK) by Mira Books

Paperback edition; 384 pages

Giveaway time!

So if you decided to read through my review, or you just scrolled down to here - skipping the most important part of the post, I might add! - I'm going to tell you about a giveaway that's currently being held over at The Sunday Express website. They're giving away 1000 free copies of The Iron King e-book. So now's your chance to go and win one! Go, go, go!

ETA: Apparently all of the copies had already been claimed a while ago. Sorry guys! No one told me they were already gone. :(

The Iron King Blog Tour - Part One: Guest Post from Julie Kagawa

Hi all. Today I have a post of epic proportions for you all to enjoy. I have welcomed Julie Kagawa (Yes, THE Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series) to my blog. She has written a guest post on the complicated relationship between the characters in the first book in the series - The Iron King. Enjoy!
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Source: GoodReads

Hello, I’m Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series. Since Valentine’s Day just went by, I thought I would examine the love triangle between the character’s in The Iron King, specifically the two boys: Ash and Puck. We’ll take a look at their flaws and virtues, and try to decide which one is the better choice. First up on the list is:


Puck: The eternal trickster. Playful, snarky, sarcastic, and mischievous. Puck was appointed Meghan’s guardian by her father, King Oberon, and rarely left her side in the mortal world. A formidable bodyguard, Puck is known by another name: Robin Goodfellow, an ancient, legendary faery whose appearance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream has made him infamous. Puck is light-hearted, cheerful, and completely loyal to his princess; he would do anything to protect her and keep her safe.


Unfortunately, those same virtues could also be Puck’s downfall. He is rarely serious, hiding all deeper emotions behind an endless stream of jokes and sarcastic remarks. If he harbours feelings for Meghan, he never shows them, which can lead to confusion about his true intentions. If Puck is to have a chance with Meghan’s heart, he must shake off his flippant nature long enough to show her how he really feels. Or risk losing her to someone else. 


Which brings us to:
Ash: The Unseelie Prince. The youngest son of Queen Mab, Ash is the embodiment of a Winter noble: dark, beautiful, and deadly. At first glance, Ash appears arrogant and cold, but dig a little deeper and his true self begins to emerge, one that is brave and honourable and surprisingly gentle. His icy barrier hides a dark past, but those who try to see past it might find a completely different person behind the cold facade. One who would give his all without hesitation.


Of course, Ash’s flaws are many, and Meghan may find that the odds stacked against them are too much. Raised in the Unseelie Court, the Winter Prince is no stranger to cruelty and violence. By all accounts, the daughter of the Summer Lord is his enemy, and Ash’s loyalty to his queen runs deep. If they are to have a chance at love, Ash must turn his back on his court, his queen, and everything that he knows. Can he and the Summer princess stand against all odds and make it work? Or will Meghan finally realize Puck was the better choice all along?


What are your thoughts? Who do you think is the better choice? Cheerful, light-hearted Puck? Or honourable, brooding Ash? Meghan’s tangled love life continues in The Iron Daughter, where she realizes just how deep Unseelie loyalty runs, and how far a certain Summer prankster would go to protect her.
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Thank you for stopping by, Julie, and for writing that brilliant post! I loved reading it. So, fellow readers, who do you choose? Do you even have a preference? I definitely know who I'm leaning toward! See if you can guess before reading my review.


If you would like to read my review on The Iron King, then go visit Part 2 of The Iron King blog tour!

Alice from The Reader Room Shares Her Top 5 YA Crushes

The second part of my guest post posting spree! 


Welcome to my blog, Alice! I asked Alice to come up with a list of five, and she picked the same type of list as Cicely did - although with different men/boys. So without further ado, let's see who Alice picked, shall we?
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1. Alex from Perfect Chemistry
Why? Um can anyone say sexy? He is a God. I was reading that book and swooning like bad. I may have slightly hyperventilated a few times. You know...as you do *looks around* Yeah. Anyway. He is just a sexy beast and I would not mind having him as my chemistry teacher ;) Enough of the sexiness. He is a sweetie pie too which is super important. A bad boy too. HEAVEN. [ITA. He is definitely a God. Why can't there be an Alex Fuentes in my Chemistry class? *pouts*]

2. Ezra Fitz from Pretty Little Liars
I love him. He is so intellectual and smart and cute and sexy all rolled into one. I love smart guys. Definitely a positive for me. I will admit that the show may have swayed me slightly because he is so damn not. Vain I know. He has a fabulous personality in addition though so it is all round yumminess. [I've never read the books, but I do rather like the actor who plays Ezra in the TV show! *swoon*]


3. Eli from Along For The Ride
A brooding mysterious boy. Say no more. He is so deep and meaningful and just all round amazing. I could have picked every one of Sarah Dessen’s love interests as they are all so great. They all make fab boyfriends.

4. Dash from Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares
So intellectual. Can you tell I like my super smart (super edgy) boys? He is so mysterious and I love that. I’m definitely crushing on him.

5. Michael from Some Girls Are
I think he is great. Not because he is especially sweet or intelligent or wonderful. Just because he is so real. Him and Regina’s relationship was perfect yet flawed. He is definitely someone I would like because of his honesty and his realness.
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Great list, Alice! Alex Fuentes is a popular choice today, isn't he? I'm over the moon! *happy dance* I love Alex. I've never actually read any of the other books, so can't share my opinions on them. But I think Alice told us enough about them! I must say, though, I do love the sound of Eli. 


Thanks for your list, Alice! It's definitely made me interested in reading more of Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, as well as Along For The Ride! Yet more books to add to my wishlist (I see you're returning the favour this time, haha).

I hope you all enjoyed Alice's list as much as I did. Make sure you go over to The Reader Room and look through Alice's blog posts!

Cicely from Cicely Loves Books Shares Her Top 5 YA Crushes

As it's Valentine's Week (I don't just restrict myself to one day, you see) I've decided to make some love themed posts. I was planning on writing a discussion post for yesterday, but as some of you may know, my laptop completely died on me. But it's back now, so don't fret! I'll just post the discussion on Saturday instead!

Today, I welcome Cicely from Cicely Loves Books to my blog. She wanted to share her top five YA crushes with you wonderful folk. Be warned - it's a rather long post. But I'm sure y'all don't mind. Take it away, Cicely:

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Hello there, lovely followers of Books of Amber! It is me, Cicely, and I’m here today to discuss some of my literary crushes (no, not crushes. My appreciation of these boys goes beyond that of a mere crush! They are feelings of PURE LOVE. Don’t judge me. ;P)

So, let’s see my top 5 literary LOVES:

    1. Jace from The Mortal Instruments series (which, if you have not read already, I will personally buy and send you copies of all three books. Maybe. If I wasn’t broke.) Why, you may be asking. Well, if you have read the books, then you will know! Jace has THE BEST HAIR. (Which is fairly typical of me. I ALWAYS fall for the one with the nice hair.) Also, he is just gorgeous, and funny, and sarcastic, and has emotions, and can kick butt, and the list goes on… [I think a lot of people will agree with you there, Cicely. Even if they haven't read the books, just look at Alex over there <<]

     2.  Will from Angelfire. Angelfire is one of my favourite recently released books, and Will is probably fifty percent of the reason why. He has these piercing green eyes that you can’t just help but swoon over, and he’s just amazing. *goes to get lost in his eyes* ;p

3. Alex from Perfect Chemistry. I instantly fall in love with ANY Fuentes brother, but Alex has to be my favourite. He’s a typical bad boy at first (and who can’t resist a bit of a bad boy? ;P) and then he goes and turns into a lovely man which we see plenty more if in Rules of Attraction and I think your brain might be slightly broken if you don’t have a thing for him. [Jay Hernandez would make a wonderful Alex, imo. *drool* >>]

4.  Alex from Delirium. Delirium is *currently* my favourite book ever, and Alex is just… *sighs*  Not only is he gorgeous, and has good hair, but he is such a great person too! Oh, and how the ending broke my heart… He was just beautiful.

5.  Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss (possibly my *current* second favourite book of all time) Etienne officially (or in my imagination) has the bestest-even-better-then-Jace hair out of all of the above people. He is sweet, funny, short (so I wouldn’t feel like a dwarf standing next to him) British (we would be so British together! It would be amazing!) And all in all just brilliant! If only it weren’t for his fear of change, then maybe he’d break up with Anna and come be with me like we all know he should…

So, those were my top five literary loves. Thank you for having me Amber! Now excuse me while I sit in the corner and lament the fact that none of them actually exist…

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Thanks Cicely! While I haven't read Anna and the French Kiss or Angelfire (yet), I can say that any list that includes Alex Fuentes and Jace Wayland is just made of win! What do you guys think? Share your thoughts below, while I sit here and swoon over that Jay Hernandez picture.


Stay tuned for part two.. A second blog post from a second blogger!