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.

image from: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Twilight-Prophecy/book-PSsKPzSYdUSdObZ5gxRhdw/page1.html

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!

image from: http://www.tower.com/red-hot-fury-kasey-mackenzie-paperback/wapi/114141703

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.

image from: http://laurenkatebooks.net/fallen

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 :(

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!

image courtesy of: http://www.tower.com/fallen-lauren-kate-book/wapi/113557247

In My Mailbox 4

Hello, I'm back again with another In My Mailbox, which is hosted by Kristi @thestorysiren. This week, I went a little crazy and got a whole bunch of books. Four of them are from the library, four I bought at Walmart, and the rest I got at my favorite bookstore, Edward McKay's Used Books and More. So, check out the video below (sorry it's so long)...

 Books in List Order:

1. Snow White and Rose Red BY: Patricia C. Wrede
2. Prophecy of the Sisters BY: Michelle Zink (Book 1 in the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy)
3. Intertwined BY: Gena Showalter (really excited about this one!)
4. Before I Go To Sleep BY: S.J. Watson
5. If I Stay BY: Gayle Forman
6. Where She Went BY: Gayle Forman (sequel to If I Stay)
7. Chime BY: Franny Billingsley (Throw her in the river! If she floats, she's a WITCH. If she drowns, then we're very sorry for your loss)
8. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children BY: Ransom Riggs (I'm sooooo excited for this one. It looks simply awesome!)
9. Divine By Blood BY: P.C. Cast (Book 3 of The Partholon series)
10. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist BY: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
11. Fringe Girl BY: Valerie Frankel
12. Stormwalker BY: Allyson James
13. Here Lies Bridget BY: Paige Harbison
14. La Vida Vampire BY: Nancy Haddock
15. Murder In Vein BY: Sue Ann Jaffarian
16. Are You Going To Kiss Me Now? BY: Sloane Tanen
17. Hearts at Stake BY: Alyxandra Harvey

That's it, all 17 of them *looks shamefully at the floor* It seems I might have a little bit of a book purchasing problem. So, that being the case, expect more IMM's/Book Hauls in the near future. YAYY!

HAPPY READING!

Review of: Red Hot Fury, By: Kasey Mackenzie

Yes, Yet Another Adult Book For You To Enjoy!

Title: Red Hot Fury

Author: Kasey Mackenzie

Publisher: Ace Books by Penguin Group

Released: 2010

Summary: Marissa Holloway is a Fury, she's also Boston's Chief Magical Investigator. Marissa gets called to the scene of a crime to discover the arcane (supernatural, magical) body of her best friend Vanessa, who has been missing for three years. Upon closer inspection, Riss realizes the body is actually a very powerful disguise and not the corpse of her best friend and sister fury. After announcing her suspicions, Riss is suspended from her job and someone tries to kill her. She needs protection and a chance to figure out what's going on, so she turns to her ex-lover and Warhound Scott Murphy. Riss realizes she has uncovered a bigger mystery than suspected, involving arcanes and mundanes. Riss has to work fast to uncover the secrets of what's really going on and what really happened to Vanessa.

My Thoughts: I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was full of action, supernatural beings, and a love story. All around great Urban Fantasy with a supernatural kick rarely seen before, a Fury heroine!

One thing that drew me in right away was the cover. The second thing was the subject matter, Furies. I've never read a book before where the main character was a Fury. The author just did a great job of mixing Greek supernatural beings with giants, goblins, sidhes, and Egyptian Hounds of Anubis. Just very cool and very original.

The action was nonstop and extremely enjoyable. The love story alternated between sweet and steamy and made this reader wish for a warm and loyal warhound of her very own.

Riss as the heroine was fantastic. She was tough and loyal to those around her and could definitely hold her own in a fight.

The ending was a complete surprise and the reveal of it was fantastic.

I just really, really, really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next in the series, which is called Green Eyed Envy, A Shades of Fury Novel.  One thing I will say is that this book is for adults or older teens. There are some steamy scenes that might not be mom or dad approved.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 5/5

Note to self, never piss off a Fury.

image came courtesy of: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Red-Hot-Fury/book-j0SgCmpvm06CmKVCUH_GEQ/page1.html

In My Mailbox 3

Hello, I'm back again with another In My Mailbox which is a meme hosted by Kristi @ the story siren, where book lovers show what they got for the week in books. I've got another bunch of awesome books that will be shown in my video below...

The Books I got this week in list form:

1. The Big Empty BY J.B. Stephens
2. Paradise City BY J.B. Stephens (The Big Empty Book 2)
3. Desolation Angels BY J.B. Stephens (The Big Empty Book 3)
4. No Exit BY J.B. Stephens (The Big Empty Book 4)
5. Ruined BY Paula Morris (looks soooo good. GHOSTS!)
6. Touch of Frost BY Jennifer Estep (Mythos Academy 1)
7. The Dark Elite BY Chloe Neill (Bindup of first two books in the Dark Elite novels, FIRESPELL and HEXBOUND)
8. Inside BY Maria V. Snyder (Bindup of the Inside series with INSIDE OUT and OUTSIDE IN)

Well, that's all the books I got this week. They all look super fantastic and I can't wait to read them. That's it for now so...

HAPPY READING!

Review of Twilight Prophecy, By:Maggie Shayne

Avast! Adult Book on the Horizon!

Title: Twilight Prophecy

Author: Maggie Shayne

Publisher: MIRA Books

Released: 2011

Summary: The fight for vampire survival has begun. Dr. Lucy Lanfair has just finished a translation on an ancient Sumerian tablet that foretells the fate of the vampiric race rests in the hands of the mongrel twins. Lucy is asked as a guest on a popular talk show to reveal her findings. In the guestroom, she meets the guest who is to go before her. The guest is a former government DPI who has just released a tell-all book about the existence of true vampires in the world. As Lucy watches in the greenroom, the guest she had written off as crazy gets assassinated on live television. She runs, and is rescued by the two "mongrel" vampire twins James and Brigit. James has the power to heal, while Brigit has the power to destroy. Lucy feels an instant attraction to James and joins him in the battle to save the vampire race from certain annihilation.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It did the job it was supposed to do, entertain! I was a little disappointed to learn that it was the 17th book in the series, which I was unaware of before picking it up. The book had lots of action, some adult romance, and a good story. The characters of James and Lucy were solid and their love story was sweet. I liked the way the vampires were portrayed. I will say Brigit's character was the most interesting because it made me think, does being given the power to destroy with a glance make one evil? I thought this was an interesting proposition and Brigit's struggle with her true nature was the most interesting thing to witness.

Some problems I did have in the book were just the attitude vampires exhibited toward humans. Most specifically, James leaves his vampire relatives to go do good in the human world but then when he gets called back in, he's very dismissive and superior to the human race as a whole. Lucy's attitude towards humans also becomes this way. I guess it just irked me because all vampires were human at one time, so how can these characters have such contempt for what they once were.

James also got a little big headed as the novel progressed. Just because he had the power to heal and restore life doesn't mean he always should. He got a little bit of a God complex, which made him a tad annoying.

In short, this was just a fun, entertaining novel to read!

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Did someone say vampire apocalypse? 

In My Mailbox 2

Sorry my blog has been idle for a week. School and graduation stress have kept me super busy. I have a lot of assignments and readings due so my reading for fun has suffered as a consequence. I'm going to try to be better at this and post more, which I should definitely be able to do once school is over.
I did get time to buy some books this week and film an In My Mailbox in order to show them off. I think this video is a lot better than my last one, but tell me your opinion on it. Before I forget, In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ thestorysiren.com
I got some pretty awesome books this week. I'll list the titles and authors below.

Books I got in no particular order:

1. Goddess Interrupted, By: Aimee Carter (A Goddess Test Novel #2)
2. Awake At Dawn, By: C.C. Hunter (Shadow Falls Book 2)
3. Taken At Dusk, By: C.C. Hunter (Shadow Falls Book 3)
4. The Dead Tossed Waves, By: Carrie Ryan (a companion novel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth) ZOMBIES!!!
5. Thirteen Reasons Why, By: Jay Asher
6. Once a Witch, By: Carolyn MacCullough
7. Sunshine, By: Robin McKinley
8. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, By: Rachel Cohn and David Levithon
9. Pretty Little Devils, By: Nancy Holder
10. The Road of the Dead, By: Kevin Brooks
11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, (hardback and gorgeous) By: J.K. Rowling

side note: I was so excited to hear the announcement for J.K. Rowling's adult book 'The Casual Vacancy' can't wait for that one!

Well that's all the books I got this week. I didn't realize that I got so many of them haha. I should be back next week with another haul. Books are my drug. If you like what you see then subscribe to my channel or follow my blog, it would be much appreciated. See you later!

HAPPY READING!