Thursday, May 31, 2012

IN MY MAILBOX 7

Yep, I'm back with another one. In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi @ thestorysiren.com. I got 4 books from Walmart this week. My biggest purchase was a Kindle Touch, yayyy it's awesome. So, I also have one review copy from Netgalley and then I went a tad crazy with free e-books off of Amazon. I fear this might become a trend. So check out the video below...

Okay, now for the books in list form. I'll start off with my Walmart purchases and then move on to e-books.
  1. Last Breath BY Rachel Caine (Book 11 in the Morganville Vampires Series)
  2. Eon BY Alison Goodman (Reminds me of Mulan)
  3. Eona BY Alison Goodman (The sequel To Eon and end of the dualogy)
  4. Tiger's Curse BY Colleen Houk (so pretty, I love the tiger on the cover!)
  5. Hollowland BY Amanda Hocking (The Hollows 1 zombies. Was free on Amazon when I got it.)
  6. Summer's Crossing BY Julie Kagawa (An Iron Fey Novella FREE)
  7. Read Me Dead BY Emerald Barnes (FREE)
  8. My Zombie Dog BY Charmaine Clancy (FREE)
  9. Hereafter BY Tara Hudson (0.99 on Amazon)
  10. Starcrossed BY Josephine Angelini (0.99 on Amazon)
  11. Turned BY Morgan Rice (Book 1 in the Vampire Journals FREE)
  12. The Demon Underground Series: Bite Me, Try Me, and Fang Me BY Parker Blue (thanks Netgalley and Bell Bridge Books!)
Well that's it for the books I got this week. I'm loving my Kindle Touch and have a feeling it will be filled with all sorts of free or cheap books in the near future. Hope your week was as great as mine and as always...
HAPPY READING!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Review of Green-Eyed Envy: A Shades of Fury Novel BY: Kasey Mackenzie

Title: Green-Eyed Fury: A Shades of Fury Novel
Author: Kasey Mackenzie
Published By: The Berkley Publishing Group, By Penguin Group. An Ace Book
Released: July 2011
Summary: Marissa Holloway is back in full Fury form! She's had a couple of months to relax since her last adventure. Marissa's been promoted to Chief Magical Investigator of Boston, things are going well in her love life with Warhound Scott Murphy, and she's been able to reconnect with her mother and just discovered younger brother. Riss's peace is shattered when a killer targets the Bastai, an arcane race that shapeshift into cats. Three cats have been murdered so far and the only connection they have in common is that they had all previously been in a relationship with FBI Agent and new friend of Riss, Harper Cruz. Riss must uncover who the serial killer is as Harper gets ready to embark on an cross-species marriage to Penn Banoub, a union of Hound and Cat. Riss is also worried about her own hound who had a brief fling with Harper. Riss must uncover the truth and help those she loves before it becomes too late.
My Thoughts: I loved the first book in this series, Red Hot Fury and Green-Eyed Envy didn't quite live up to the greatness of the first. I still liked the book. Riss is still a kick-butt, no nonsense heroine. The immersion of Egyptian mythology of the Bastai and Hounds of Anubis was super interesting. And, my favorite Warhound Scott Murphy was there to protect his lady fury and still be his most dashing self.
Kasey Mackenzie is a darn good writer. Her world building and character development are very skilled and her stories are always fast paced and compulsively readable. Mackenzie also excels at the who-done-it aspect. The reader is never quite sure until the last couple chapters.
My only issue with the book was that there were too many things going on. There was the hunt for a serial killer and something involving Fury politics causing Riss's relatives to go into hiding. I would have liked it better if just the serial killer aspect was focused on and had the Fury politics beginnings saved for the next book.
Green-Eyed Envy was good, but just not as great as the first book. I could have had too high of expectations. I definitely say go pick up Red Hot Fury because it is fantastic and also continue reading the series. Mackenzie is a great writer and it's fun to be immersed in the world she has created.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.25/5
Furytastic!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

In My Mailbox 6

Welcome back to another exciting In My Mailbox/Book Haul. In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @thestorysiren.com
This haul is made up of the second half of my bargain books and some Netgalley books. You can check out my video below...
I was very excited to get approved for the Netgalley titles and would like to thank Netgalley.com and all the publishers who approved my requests.
Here's the books I got in list form, starting with the bargains and ending with the netgalleys.
  1. Bunco Babes Tell All BY Maria Geraci (Chick-lit is usually always fun :] )
  2. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict BY Laurie Viera Rigler (looks good and supposed to be funny)
  3. Promises to Keep BY Jane Green
  4. The Carrie Diaries BY Candace Bushnell
  5. Remarkable Creatures BY Tracy Chevalier (Yayy Fossils! )
  6. Horns BY Joe Hill (creepy time. This book reminds me that I really need to read some Stephen King.)
  7. The Moonstone Series BY Marilee Brothers (1. Moonstone, 2. Moonrise, 3.Moonspun, 4. Shadow Moon from Bell Bridge Books)
  8. The White Oak BY Kim White (from Story Machine Studio)
  9. Samantha Moon BY J.R. Rain (Vampire for Hire Novels: 1. Moon Dance 2. Vampire Moon 3. American Vampire 4. Moon Child. From BenBella Books)
  10. The Shapeshifter's Secret BY Heather Ostler (from Cedar Fort imprint Sweetwater)
  11. Semi-Charmed Life BY Nora Zelevansky (from St. Martin's Press imprint St. Martin's Griffin)
  12. Glitch BY Heather Anastasiu (from St. Martin's Griffin)
  13. Blackwood BY Gwenda Bond (from Angry Robot imprint Strange Chemistry)
  14. Shift BY Kim Curran (from Angry Robot imprint Strange Chemistry)
  15. Case #01: The Haunting of Apartment 101 BY Megan Atwood (from Lerner Publishing Group imprint Darby Creek)
That's it, that's all 15 (gulp!) Sometimes I get a little too excited. I want to thank Netgalley.com and all the publishers that approved me one more time. Expect reviews on all the Netgalley books and maybe I'll get a little more for next time, fingers crossed. Well that's it for this week so...
HAPPY READING!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Review of Fated BY Alyson Noel

my first ever arc! Woo hoo!
Title: Fated
Author: Alyson Noel
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin by St. Martin's Press
Released: May 22, 2012
Summary: Daire Santos has always been plagued by visions where time seems to stop and odd glowing people beckon to her. She has always been able to block out the chaos while traveling around the world with her renowned movie make-up artist mother. Then, one day while on a set in Morocco, the vision becomes too strong, severed heads on poles surround her, talking to her and Daire loses it. She is put in a heavily medicated state and there is the imminent threat of her being committed or put away. While her mother is struggling with what to do, she gets a call from Daire's grandmother who had vanished during Daire's father's funeral. Daire now begins the journey to Enchantment, New Mexico where she finds out she is the last in a long line of Soul Seekers. Daire must learn the art from her grandmother and learn how to seek the truth and traverse between the Upper, Middle, and Lower worlds. Daire must also protect her heart from a set of handsome twins, one good and the other bad. The more Daire learns of her destiny, the more important it becomes to save the town of Enchantment from the evil Coyotes as the Dia de los Muertos draws closer. Come join Daire on her quest to find herself and save her town in Fated, the first book in the all new Soul Seekers Series from Alyson Noel.
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book. Before reading this, I had read the first book in Noel's Immortals series, Evermore. Comparing the two, Fated comes out on top as a more enjoyable book. The setting and Native American and Mexican influence portrayed in the book added another layer to the story. I also really liked the twin aspect, and having them so attractive made it all the better. This book is an enjoyable read and a solid start to the series.
I did have some problems with the book. They were mostly issues of personal annoyance. I didn't like how Daire called her mom by her first name throughout the entire novel. She did offer an explanation of why she did, but I felt the explanation was weak. I also had a real problem with the names Noel chose for the characters. They were just too weird and out there. I was okay with Daire, but then I was pummeled with the names Jennika, Paloma, Django, Xotichl, Dace, and Chepi. Just too many odd names, everybody in the book had an odd sounding name. For me, I can handle one or two characters with an odd name, but not the whole cast of them. I needed some normal names sprinkled in.
Another issue I had was that Daire's destiny was to be a Soul Seeker, but the story never really explained what a Seeker really was or does. The novel leaves a lot of questions unanswered, like with the glowing people Daire sees in her visions, they just disappear from the story altogether.
This novel is a nice introduction to the series, but that's all it really is. Just a set up for the next book.
I'm not saying this book wasn't good, it was. It just had some issues that made it less great. This book was an enjoyable, good read. If you're already a fan of Alyson Noel, then this book is for you. If you've never read Noel, you'll still really like this book. Fated offers up a good, solid read and great intro to the Soul Seeker's Series.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5
Seeking a great book, try Fated!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Review of Demon Angel By: Meljean Brook

Adult Book on the Horizon!
Title: Demon Angel
Author: Meljean Brook
Published By: The Berkley Publishing Group by Penguin Group
Released: 2007
Summary: The year is 1217 and a knight named Hugh is heading for his lady's castle. Along the way, a disturbance occurs and Hugh goes to investigate, entering into an abandoned building. This becomes the first encounter of many with the halfling demon Lilith. Lilith's role in life is to tempt humans into sins or into committing suicide in order to gain souls for her father Lucifer. Lilith tempts Hugh, but Lilith also feels something for Hugh. Hugh makes a mistake and is killed for it, but at the last second is transformed into a Guardian. Fast forward to 2007, San Francisco. Hugh has killed Lilith and has fallen from his role as Guardian. He now teaches at a college, then his students start to disappear and Hugh is the main suspect. He is interviewed by detectives and an Agent Milton who turns out to be Lilith. Lilith has made a bargain with Lucifer to kill Hugh in order to save her soul from eternal damnation. Lilith and Hugh's relationship swerves to the romantic and they must find a way to foil Lucifer and save themselves.
My Thoughts: This was a very strange book. It wasn't my favorite thing on Earth to read. It was almost like filler, it was there and so I read it.
One problem I had with the book was that the world of Guardians and demons wasn't fully explained. There were just surface details given, and I as a reader didn't really understand the world I was in.
I also disliked Part 1 of the book. It jumped around in years to different events and I was just confused by it all.
The characters also weren't my favorite. I just felt a sense of apathy for Hugh and Lilith. Their relationship was also very strange. They were a little too sexual for my tastes. I just didn't really like them.
Another thing I had trouble with was that I didn't understand a lot of the rituals or plans the characters embarked in. I just felt that things weren't explained well enough to make sense.
This is just a trivial thing, but I also didn't like the magical cache of objects that Lilith would root through when she needed a weapon. It would've been much more cool to just have her weapon materialize and leave it at that.
This book had potential, but I felt it never really lived up to it. The world and characters could've been cool, but it just never happened, maybe because of the weird writing style. All this is just my opinion, so I strongly encourage you to read it for yourself.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 2.33/5

Sunday, May 13, 2012

In My Mailbox 5

Sorry this is so late in going up. I've had a pretty busy week, so I just never got around to doing this. But, I'm back with my fifth In My Mailbox, hosted by Kristi @the story siren. None of these books came through the mail, so this is strictly a book haul. I was caught by the bargain bin at Wal-mart and picked up a couple books from the library. So this is what I got...
Now for the books in list form. I'll start off with the three library books first.

  1. The Hidden Child BY: Camilla Lackberg (SWEDISH CRIME! What could be better than that.)
  2. The Ninth Wife BY: Amy Stolls
  3. The Red Pryamid BY: Rick Riordan (Book 1 in the Kane Chronicles. Yayy for Egyptian mythology)
  4. Infamous BY: Cecily Von Ziegesar (Book 7 in the It Girl Novels)
  5. Take A Chance On Me BY: Cecily Von Ziegesar (Book 3 in the Carlyles Series)
  6. Love The One You're With BY: Cecily Von Ziegesar (Book 4 in the Carlyles Series)
  7. Alphas BY: Lisi Harrison (Book 1 in the Alphas Series)
  8. Night School BY: Mari Mancusi (Book 5 in the Blood Coven Vampire Novels)
  9. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma BY: Trenton Lee Stewart (Book 3 in the series. Cool illustrations!)
  10. Ghost Town BY: Rachel Caine (Book 9 in The Morganville Vampires Series)
  11. Love Bites BY: Ellen Schreiber (Book 7 in The Vampire Kisses Novels)
  12. Secrets of a Shoe Addict BY: Beth Harbison (a good dose of chicklit, which is always fun :D)
Well that's it for this haul. My next IMM (the one for this actual week) might be a little late in going up, but be on the watch for it. Yayy books and as always...
HAPPY READING!

Friday, May 11, 2012

April Favorites!

 Sorry this is so behind, but here it is anyway. I had a horrible reading month for April. I blame college for my lack of fun time reading. I am now finished with my lingering essay and exams, so I hope to have a better month in May. I only managed to finish four books in April and one of them was complete crap. I picked my favorites out of the bunch and recommend them to other readers, like you!
Title: Twilight Prophecy
Author: Maggie Shayne
This one was just a plain good vampire read. It was full of action and pretty cool characters. Just be warned that it's 17th in a series, which I was unaware of, but I still really enjoyed it. Also this is an adult book so there's some adult content in it. The vampires were cool and the twin aspect was extremely interesting.

Title: Red Hot Fury
Author: Kasey Mackenzie
I LOVED THIS BOOK! A great adult urban fantasy for sure. The heroine was tough, the guy was dreamy, and the action was nonstop! Also I loved how the author chose supernatural subjects that don't get enough attention in supernatural fiction as a whole. Furies, warhounds, sidhe, and harpies were just such cool creatures to read about. I highly recommend this book! (But not to younger readers because there are some adult scenes) So what are you doing just sitting there? Go pick it up and read it!

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
This book was better than I expected it to be. The cover is simply gorgeous and the story wasn't half bad either. The love triangle was top notch, both boys fought for my affection (and Luce's) admirably. The feeling of the book was a little dark and gloomy which suited it well. The reform school Luce went to was suitably depressing. The last 100 pages were pretty darn good. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to YA book lovers.
Well, those are my favorites for the month of April. Hopefully May will be a better reading month and I'll be able to finish more books. My 2012 Goodreads book challenge is really suffering :(

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Review of Fallen, By: Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Delacorte Press, imprint of Random House
Released: 2009
Summary: Ever since she can remember, she has been plagued and followed by dark shadows. Her parents fear for her sanity and shuffle her from one psychiatrist to another. After years of taking the prescribed medication, Luce is convinced that she's not crazy, that the shadows are real, and she convinces her parents to stop making her take the medication. Luce finally feels like her life is back on track. Then one night, she sneaks off from a party with a boy named Trevor. What seems like an innocent rendezvous ends with Trevor dead and Luce in a fog over what really happened. Luce is sent off to a reform school in Georgia called the Sword & Cross, where everything isn't exactly as it seems. While there, Luce makes friends and develops an interest in two boys. As her stay at Sword & Cross lengthens, Luce must figure out the meaning of the shadows, choose between Cam and Daniel, and figure out the truth of her past.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed Lauren Kate's novel Fallen. I thought the setting of a reform school and Luce's mysterious and deadly incident with Trevor added just the right dark highlight to the story. The subject matter, when it was finally revealed was also interesting.
The setting of a swampy and humid Georgia added a nice touch to the overall mysterious, slightly sinister feeling of the novel.
Kate's characters are also well formed and believable, although they didn't seem like super bad kids to be in a reform school.
The last 100 pages brought everything in the novel together. Kate showed real writing talent in revealing the secrets and truths about Luce, her past, and the other students.
One problem that I did have with the book was that there were sections of it that lagged and really didn't contain a lot of action. I also thought that Luce was just a little too slow on the uptake and didn't really show a whole lot of maturity.
Overall, I really enjoyed Fallen. The love story/ love triangle was engaging, the supernatural element was intriguing, and the secret reveal was fantastic.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5
Recommended Reading for all YA Book Lovers!