Tuesday 5 November 2013

Cover Reveal: The Collection (The Registry #2) - Shannon Stoker

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Monday 4 November 2013

(ARC) Book Review (268): These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner.


These Broken Stars (Starbound #1)

Publication: 10th December 2013 (U.S) & 20th November 2013 (Australia)
Publisher: Disney Hyperion (U.S) & Allen & Unwin (Australia)
Pages: 384
Genre: Science-Fiction
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

--

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.
My Thoughts.
These Broken Stars is the first book in the Starbound Trilogy, a collaboration between two authors, Amie Kaufman (Australian) and Meagan Spooner (American).
This book was the most amazing love story that's out of this world!
Loved it, loved it, loved it, I knew as soon as we had the first interaction between our two main characters Lilac and Tarver that this book was going to be fantastic, and boy was I right!
I don't generally read a whole lot of science-fiction books, but out of the few that I've read, These Broken Stars trumps them all.
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2013 and I'm so glad that it lived up to it's hype and more.
This book has been compared as 'Titanic In Space' and I can certainly see how it received that tag, the rich girl/poor boy situation where the rich girl falls in love with a boy below her station in life and will go against everything she's been brought up to believe to take a chance on that once in a lifetime love that doesn't matter how poor he is.
After the crash of Icarus and their escape pod landing on an abandoned planet Lilac and Tarver take a trek across the planet to find the wreckage and hopefully be able to send out a signal so they can be rescued, of course their travels aren't exactly easygoing and the comments and remarks between these two had me laughing out loud quite a few times.
There's nothing about this book that I didn't like, from one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen, to the incredible plot, the dialoge and to the extremely well written characters there's so much to love in this story.
I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in this trilogy, I can't wait to see what these two fabulous authors come up with next.
I give this a well deserved 5/5 Stars.


 Amie Kaufman is the co-author of the These Broken Stars, the first in the Starbound trilogy, and writes science fiction and fantasy for teens. Amie had the good fortune to be raised just one block from her local library, and took full advantage of that fact growing up. She and her sister spent their childhood summers re-creating their favourite books by camping in the back yard, mapping their neighbourhood, climbing trees, stepping through magical doors and sailing the local seas. Raised in Australia and Ireland, she has kissed the Blarney stone six times, thoroughly cementing her gift of the gab.
As she grew older (but not up), she continued her education, and graduated with honors degrees in history, literature and law, and a master’s degree in conflict resolution. These days she combines writing with work as a mediator, as well as regular travel throughout the US, Europe and Asia. A few of her top travel moments include camping in the Sahara overnight, climbing a mountain in Vietnam, standing on the Great Wall of China and cycling the Loire Valley, but she has a huge list left to cover.
Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and their very quirky rescue dog, Jack. She’s a huge fan of chocolate and naps, has an enormous music collection, and an entire room of her house is devoted to her library. She still sails, and though she climbs fewer trees, she remains partial to investigating the occasional magical door.



+Meagan Spooner grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day, while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, an astronaut. She graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a degree in playwriting, and has spent several years since then living in Australia. She's traveled with her family all over the world to places like Egypt, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and there's a bit of every trip in every story she writes.

She currently lives and writes in Northern Virginia, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there's no telling how long she'll stay there. 

In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads.

Website: http://www.meaganspooner.com

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Sunday 3 November 2013

(ARC) Book Review (267): More Than This - Patrick Ness.


More Than This

Publication: 10th September 2013
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 480
Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life — or perhaps afterlife — of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world.

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .
My Thoughts.
More Than This is a new book from Patrick Ness, the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy which I still need to read and that I've heard great things about.
I'm unsure exactly how to write this review, after sleeping on it I still don't know whether I liked it or disliked it or whether or not I actually understood it at all, add in the ending which I thought ended at the wrong point for a book which as far as I'm aware is a stand-alone, I wanted to know what happened at the end with Seth, I don't like using my imagination to come up with my own version of an ending, I'd rather the author does it because isn't that what we're reading the book for? To tell us what happened not the other way around.
The plot is initially what drew me in to wanting to pick this book up, it sounded like a really intriguing dystopian (which I love), and it started of that way and I was really into it and then it changed genres, into what I'm not exactly sure and that's when the confusion started.
I don't know if I can really write what I'm wandering about with the twist without completely wrecking the story, I'll guess it'll be something I'll be left pondering, unfortunately for me I was left with a few unanswered questions that may never be answered.
Although I did like the supporting characters introduced later on in the book, I felt that Seth was dealt a raw deal in life and it was just depressing, all he wanted in life was to feel wanted which after the tragedy that happened to his family while traumatic, it was like his family just ignored his existence and he was nothing but an afterthought, add in the whole Gudmann relationship and I can understand why and how he ended up where he did at the start of the book.
I wish that I enjoyed this book as much as I thought I would, but for me I think I built it up in my head and it didn't quite get there.
I give this 3/5 Stars.




Patrick Ness, an award-winning novelist, has written for England’s Radio 4 and Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for The Guardian. He has written many books, including the Chaos Walking Trilogy,The Crash of Hennington, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and A Monster Calls. 

He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London.

Website: http://www.patrickness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricknessfanpage?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Patrick_Ness
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/370361.Patrick_Ness

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Thursday 31 October 2013

Book Review (266): Dead Set - Richard Kadrey.


Dead Set: A Novel

Publication: 29th October 2013
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Pages: 320
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble The Book Depository 
After her father’s funeral, Zoe and her mother moved to the Big City to start over. But life’s not so easy, the money is tight, and a new school brings trials. Fortunately, she has an escape: her dreams. A world of freedom and solace removed from the loneliness and anxieties of real life, Zoe's dreamscape offers another, more precious, gift: It is the only place where she can spend time with her closest companion — her lost brother Valentine.

Yet something is very wrong. An unfamliar — and univited — presence has entered her private realm to threaten Zoe and Valentine, a disturbing turn of events that is compounded by an impossible discovery. A chance encounter at a used record store where the grooves of the vinyl discs hold not music, but lost souls, has opened up a portal to the world of the restless dead. Now, the shop’s strange proprietor is offering Zoe the chance to commune with the father whose passing took a piece of her heart. The price? A lock of hair. Then a tooth. Then...

How far into this eerie world will Zoe go to discover what she truly needs? And once she does, will there be enough left of her to come back?
My Thoughts.
Dead Set is Richard's first foray into the YA genre, and what a fantastic debut it is, full of intrigue and nail-biting tension that will have you on the edge of your seat as you travel along with Zoe on her journey.

 Richard has crafted an originally fresh and exciting read, which culminates in this story all being fit into a stand alone novel which seems to be rare these days.

 Zoe and her Mother have moved to a new town after the death of her Father, money is very tight and Zoe and her Mother aren't getting along at all.
One day while skipping  school, Zoe finds herself at a store that sells vinyl records, but these aren't normal records, each has the soul of a deceased person stuck in them and one of them has the soul of her Father.

 To constantly keep visiting her Father, Emmett the store owner as payment requests first a lock of hair, then a tooth, some of Zoe's blood etc.
When she finds herself in Iphigene the place where lost souls end up including  Zoe's Father and brother Valentine she discovers that it's ruled by Hecate  (from Egyptian mythology) and she uses the souls to feed her children (her snakes and dogs)  and has also stolen the sun which has left Iphigene in total darkness 24/7.

 But when Hecate discovers the presence of a living girl she'll stop at nothing to catch Zoe and set in motion her nefarious plans, it ends up becoming a race against time for Zoe to find her way home, and keep her Father and brother safe in the process.

 A great mix of paranormal and Egyptian mythology creates an intriguing story that you will find hard to put down once you immerse yourself in this world that Richard has created.

 I give this 4/5 Stars.



Richard Kadrey is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. He is the author of dozens of stories, plus ten novels, including Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, Aloha from Hell, Devil Said Bang, Kill City Blues, Metrophage and Butcher Bird. His Wired magazine cover story, Carbon Copy, was made into one of the worst movies of 2001. It starred Bridget Fonda. Sorry, Bridget.
He has been immortalized as an action figure. “Kadray [sic]: The Invincible Wizard” was a villain in an episode of the Blackstar animated TV series.
Kadrey created and wrote the Vertigo comics mini-series ACCELERATE, which was illustrated by the Pander Brothers. He plans to do more comic work in the near future.
He has written and spoken about art, culture and technology for Wired, The San Francisco Chronicle, Discovery Online, The Site, SXSW and Wired For Sex on the G4 cable network.
Richard has no qualifications for anything he does.

You can also find Richard online here:

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Monday 28 October 2013

Book Review (265): Captive: The Forbidden Side Of Nightshade - A.D Robertson.


Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade

Publication: 22nd October 2013
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Pages: 320
Genre: Paranormal/Erotica
Age Appropriate: Adult
The first adult novel set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Nightshade series, Captive delivers a steamy, forbidden romance between sworn enemies drawn together by an irrepressible desire.

Twenty-five-year-old Tristan Doran enjoys a life of incredible power and privilege. As a direct descendant of the Keepers—witches who have embraced dark magic—he defers to no one but his overlord, Lord Bosque Mar. For most of his life, Tristan has been kept out of the centuries-old Witches War, his bloodline too valuable to risk in battle.

But when a beautiful, young human Searcher named Sarah is captured and made a prisoner in his Irish castle, Tristan’s infatuation with her flings him headlong into the fray. Captive and captor, unable to contain their longing, embark on a passionate, forbidden romance together—only to learn that their love is at the heart of a prophecy predicting the downfall of the Keepers’ ages-old reign.

Captive explores the darker side of the richly imagined Nightshade universe, a fantasy world of powerful dark witches, shape-shifting wolf warriors, and fascinating history. The first of three erotic novels, Captive delves deeply into the fiery, illicit romance of two young lovers whose very desires invite their doom.
My Thoughts.
Captive: The Forbidden Side Of Nightshade, is the first book in A.D Robertson's (aka: Andrea Cremer's) adult trilogy version of her YA series Nightshade.
Full of steaminess that is too mature for her teenage audiences, this is the book that A.D wanted Nightshade to be.
A.D has crafted an incredibly scorching, steamy and hot read that will appeal to readers that enjoy their romances with a bit of spice.
Being a big fan of the Nightshade series (except the last book Bloodrose which left me bitterly disappointed) any spin-off or prequel series is welcomed and appreciated.
Held against her will by Tristan who's castle she was attempting to break into to gather information, Sarah is caught and left naked and chained to Tristan's bed, of course with them both being on opposite sides of war, Tristan as a Keeper and Sarah as a Searcher they don't expect the instant attraction and chemistry they share for one another, to spend more time with her Tristan devises a different challenge every day, winner gets to ask the loser questions and it's from these tasks that their feelings for one another grow.
But when the evil dark Lord Bosque Mar discovers the presence of a Searcher at the castle Sarah is far from safe and it's up to Tristan to figure out what he's willing to sacrifice to save the woman he loves.
I really loved this book and the addition to the Nightshade series that this is, this story relates as well to an adult version as it did told in a YA perspective and I cannot wait for the following two books.
I give this 4/5 Stars.


About This Author

A.D. Robertson is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author. Prior to becoming a full-time novelist, Robertson was a professor of early modern history at Macalester College, giving her a background that informs her books' compelling blend of mythology, history, and lore. She grew up in northern Wisconsin and now lives in New York City.

A.D. Robertson is a pen name for Andrea Cremer, author of the New York Times bestselling Nightshade series.

Website: http://forbiddennightshade.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrwrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoradrobertson?ref=ts&fref=ts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7014878.A_D_Robertson


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Tuesday 22 October 2013

Book Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway: Homecoming (Cloaked Devices #0.5) - Cecilia Robert.


Welcome To The Book Blitz For Homecoming (Cloaked Devices #0.5) - Cecilia Robert.
Hosted By:
Visit the Homecoming blitz page for a list of participating blogs and to to learn more about the book.



Title: Homecoming
Author: Cecilia Robert
Series: A Cloaked Devices short story
Expected release date: October 25th, 2013
Category: New Adult (NA)
Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR) with Steampunk elements

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.
Five years ago, twenty-three-year-old panther shifter Sera Czedar left her home and her newly mated groom in a humiliating position after a mating ceremony gone wrong. She built a new life for herself in Varselles, the City of Outcasts where shifters exiled from their clans in the Seven Kingdoms can go for sanctuary. 

Five years ago, panther shifter Levian Grayson was abandoned on the bonding bed by his bride, Sera. After years of tracking her, he arrives in Varselles, intent on staking his claim on her once and for all, even if it means hauling her over his shoulder just to make sure that happens. 

Sera has always known her homecoming would eventually catch up with her one day. The one thing she can’t bear to do is hurt Levian, which will happen as soon as he finds out the reason she left him. Is she ready to take that path? Most of all, will Levian still want her when the truth comes out?

Excerpt..
“Levian.”
At least she didn’t squeal. She sounded confident. Not her heart, though. The poor organ was beating wildly, threatening to kill her before her seething mate got his large hands around her neck.
“Please, come in.” Her mind grappled with her predicament, searching for another escape route. None came to mind. His feet were planted firmly on the floorboards, his shoulders blocking anything beyond her line of sight. Whatever scrap of hope to escape she’d had diminished like a lit candle plunged in water.
He tilted his head gracefully to the side, watching her. “I see you are in good health.” His voice was low and soft and lethal.
Levian took a step forwards; she took one back. He took another and she followed suit, and it became a dance of sorts until she felt something dig into her tailbone. She’d hit the farthest shelf in the deepest part of the bookshop. Panic became a living thing.
During the first year after she’d arrived in Varselles, she’d nearly driven herself to destruction looking over her shoulder every time she heard a sound. One year later, she’d stopped worrying. She’d succeeded in hiding well. She’d never bothered with a contingency plan. Staring into those glowing green eyes, she wondered at her stupidity.
She eyed him as he halted, slowly slid the leather gloves from his hands as if he had all the time in the world, then shoved them into his coat pocket. He flexed his fingers, his gaze roving her face, then settled for staring into her eyes. A series of emotions played across his face. What was he thinking? Other than probably strangling the daylights out of her? His eyes dropped to her mouth and his nostrils flared, eyes dilating. Well, now she knew what he was thinking about. Her tongue snuck out to wet her lips and she struggled for words—any words—to keep the tension that was now a living, breathing thing from swallowing her whole.
The past few years she’d dreamed of the day he’d look at her like this again—minus the fury simmering in his eyes. But now, with everything just hanging in the air….
He swallowed the inch of space between them, and she tensed, and at the same time, swam in his scent: leather and that special soap he was fond of with its citrusy smell, and unique Levian. His smell was rooted inside every little crevice in her body.
“You’re not about to run off again, are you, Sera?”
Hearing her name spoken in that voice by those lips had her stomach clenching and heating up at the same time. Damn it! Why was her tongue stuck on the roof of her mouth? She was the Storm. She wasn’t famous for being scared easily. Now she was treading in unknown territory, and it made her want to flee, and at the same time, fling herself onto the hard body of her mate and just let nature take its course.
Her cat purred in agreement. At least on the last part.
Calloused hands gripped her upper arms.
She tensed but her feet were stuck on the spot. She let the warmth and touch she’d missed so much seep into her skin. “We have to talk.”
He cocked a brow at her. “You don’t say.” He brushed her cheek with his knuckles. Flames licked her skin as his fingertips traced her throat, and when they skated over the dented spot on her nose—a souvenir from her first fight in the Rings four years ago—she wasn’t sure she was breathing anymore. His hand slid lower to unhook her bag from her shoulder, and he tossed it on the closest table, where it landed with a big thud.
Without warning, he cupped her neck firmly, and his fingers worked out the leather band holding her hair. It tumbled around her shoulders in waves.
“Much better,” he said, playing with a few strands between his fingers, and then he leaned down and buried his face against her neck, sniffing long and hard until she felt as if he’d breathed in every trace of her scent into his body. “You still have my scent. Deep in your veins.” His sounded smug, satisfied.


Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18072494-homecoming<

Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Homecoming-Cloaked-Devices-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B00FZ9UE2U/
Amazon (DE): http://www.amazon.de/Homecoming-Cloaked-Devices-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B00FZ9UE2U/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author bio:
Cecilia Robert lives in Vienna with her two children and has an incurable obsession with books, anything romantic, and medieval architecture. When not working in her full time job, she dons her supermom cape or, in most cases, finds herself trapped between the pages of a book in search of a hero who will make her swoon with just a look or a word. She believe there is always a happy ever after, no matter how long it takes for the characters to get there.

 Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | Goodreads



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Sunday 20 October 2013

December 2013 Book Releases I'm Dying To Get My Hands On.


These Broken Stars (Starbound #1)


Control (Control #1)

by 

Snakeroot (Nightshade Legacy #1)

Fans asked for it, and now they've got it! Andrea Cremer is continuing the story she began in in her internationally bestselling trilogy: Nightshade, Wolfsbane and Bloodrose. In this new installment, Bosque Mar haunts the dreams of both Adne and Logan, trying to escape for the Nether, where Calla, Shay and the other Guardians trapped him in the final battle in the War of All Against All. Will he turn Adne to the dark side? Will Logan reclaim his birthright? And will darkness take over our world? In a novel filled with magic, romance and breakneck action, master storytelling Andrea Cremer's newest installment will not disappoint!
Expected publication: December 10th 2013 by Philomel

Perfect Lie


Ashes to Ashes

If I Stay meets the movie Ghost in this first book in a teen duology about a teenage-girl-turned-ghost who must cling to the echoes of her former life to save the people she left behind.

Ashes to Ashes is author Melissa Walker's sweeping, romantic, and emotionally rich story about the things that torment and tempt us, even from the Great Beyond. This book is perfect for fans of Die for Me andImaginary Girls, and its breathtaking ending will leave readers anxiously awaiting the series conclusion, Dust to Dust.

When Callie's life is cut short by a tragic accident, she expects to find nothingness, or maybe some version of heaven.

Instead, her spirit travels to the Prism, an ethereal plane populated by the ghosts she thought were fictional. Here she meets a striking and mysterious ghost named Thatcher, who is meant to guide her as she learns to haunt and bring peace to the loved ones she left behind.

However, Callie uncovers a dark secret about the spirit world: The angry souls who always populate ghost stories are real, dangerous, and willing to do whatever it takes to stay on Earth, threatening the existence of everyone she ever cared about.

As she fights to save them, Callie will learn that while it may no longer beat, her heart can still love-and break.
Expected publication: December 23rd 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books

Lost Without You (Haven #1)

by 

Switched

by 

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