Book Review (81).

Winter's Shadow (Winter Saga #1)

by M.J. Hearle

Publication: 1st June 2011

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Pages: 424

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Blake Duchamp...

He's all that Winter Adams can think of. Ever since their fateful meeting at Pilgrim's Lament. Ever since he looked at her with those emerald eyes. Ever since he saved her life.

But Blake isn't all that he seems. There is a strangeness about him, something dark and otherworldly. Something dangerous. In his attic is a secret he would kill to defend, but Winter seems to have a special ability to make him forget his duty. And he is her only protection against the gathering darkness.

The only problem is, to protect Winter, Blake must risk exposing her to an even greater danger. Himself.

My Thoughts.

I absolutely loved this book, the concept isn't something that I've particularly read about before and that's what made this a quick and easy read that I simply did not want to put down, unfortunately things like work and sleep got in the way.

I loved that the author had you waiting till around about the halfway point of the book till you discovered who and what Blake was, and I was surprised it was an original idea that I've never come across in all the time that I've been reading this particular genre of books, and that's the genius of this book you don't want to put it down until you find out what's going on and kudos to the author for this.

Winter our heroine is taking photos in a rundown church for the school newspaper when she catches sight of a boy outside standing at a grave, after he notices her staring at him he disappears next thing Winter knows the roof starts to collapse and when she wakes up she finds herself outside with the the mysterious boy with the vivid green eyes.

He introduces himself as Blake and after giving her a lift home after her bike wouldn't start she finds out that he's just moved into town, into the house known as the most haunted house in all of Hagan's Bluff, mysterious as he is Winter can't stop thinking about him even days after, her best friend Jasmine tries to encourage her to go to his house and ask him out but is knocked back especially after he finds her inside his house when he wasn't there (Winter has the ability to open any locks just by touch), she finds a box of old diaries from the 1800's and a family portrait of a woman and her two children from the turn of the century, the boy in the portrait looks familiar but Winter can't quite put her finger on it.

I loved the glimpses into the past it added a bit more to the story and was really interesting, and you definitely are wanting Winter and Blake to get together in this book I love them as a couple, Jasmine is a lot of fun and we get introduced to a new boy at school Sam who at the mention of Blake really wants to meet him, and we find that Sam has a lot of secrets of his own.

The ending of this book was heartbreaking, the secret that Blake was keeping, the real reason that Sam was in Hagan's Bluff and the sacrifice at the end that was so sad that it just makes you want to get stuck into the next book straight away.

I give this 4.5/5.

Feature And Follow Friday (26).

Q: What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

Dear Stephenie Meyer,

I would be your slave for life if you would only finish writing and release Midnight Sun (Twilight from Edward's Point Of View) I understand that you were upset that a friend leaked part of the draft but you would be doing all of your Twilight fans a huge favour and make us all incredibly happy!

Kindest regards Sarah. (Team Edward all the way).

Book Review (80).

Dark Flame (The Immortals #4)

by Alyson Noel 

Publication: 22nd June 2010
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Pages: 320
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Young Adult


*Warning Contains Spoilers From Previous Books In The Series*
Ever is trying to help Haven transition into life as an immortal.  But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat—exposing their secret world to the outside.  As Ever struggles to keep the Immortals hidden, it only propels Haven closer to the enemy—Roman and his evil companions

At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman’s power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who’s hell-bent on her destruction. Now there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can’t stop thinking about Roman—and longing for his touch.  As she struggles to resist the fiery attraction threatening to consume her, Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state…and Ever edges closer and closer to surrender.

Frantic to break the spell before its too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself—and her future with Damen …

My Thoughts.
So we're up to the fourth book in the series and Ever and Damen still can't touch, ever since the end of the second book and I have to say it's getting pretty old, it's making me wonder whether this will continue until the sixth and last book in the series.
After the spell that Ever cast at the end of the previous book backfired she now finds herself sexually attracted to Roman and spends a lot of the book trying to sleep with him.
Roman is also all she thinks about so we don't see much of Damen not that Ever seems to care, it's only when she is in Summerland that she's back to normal but after a while Damen has enough and tells her to work it out before they can be together again.
And that's the problem I had with this book and the last couple of books in the series the lack of time that Ever and Damen spend together which is one of the reasons that I loved the first book so much.
Haven is another thing I didn't like, I've never really been a fan of hers anyway but in this book she really made me dislike her even more, I don't even know why Ever continues to try and be friends with her and after what happened at the end of this book it's going to be war between these two.
I still love Jude and he finds out about his past lives with Ever after he visits Summerland with her and lets her know his feelings for her and his actions at the end destroys the only chance that Damen and Ever have of ever being able to touch each other again.
We find out that Ava is the reincarnated Aunt of the twins Romy and Rayne and they subsequently moved in with her and Ever and Ava renew their friendship.
I will proceed to read the last two books in the series because I don't like to not finish a series I've started but I'm hoping that they improve from the last few but unfortunately my hopes aren't that high for that to be the case.
I give this 3.5/5.

Waiting On Wednesday.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on....

Reaper

by L.S. Murphy 

7th January 2013 By J. Taylor Publishing

There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe ... just maybe ... that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Fangirl

by Laurie Boyle Crompton

January 2013 By Sourcebooks Fire

Laurie Boyle Crompton’s debut is about a comic-obsessed girl who gets into an online war after her first major crush dumps her supervillain-style.

Falling For You

by Lisa Schroeder

2013 By Simon Pulse

Rae's always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her...and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous.

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU. Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves.

The Farm

by Emily McKay 

4th December 2012 By Berkley Trade

Life was different in the Before: before the Ticks began devouring humans in a deadly swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined “for their own protection.” These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race..

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

When You Were Mine

by Rebecca Serle

Australian.

American.


I can't decide between the two!
I'll just call it a tie.

In My Mailbox (25).

In My Mailbox Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By Kristi The Story Siren

Review.

When You Were Mine - Rebecca Serle (Simon And Schuster Australia)

Brought.

Masque Of The Red Death (Masque Of The Red Death #1) - Bethany Griffin

The Selection (The Selection #1) - Kiera Cass

Thumped (Bumped #2) - Megan McCafferty

The Last Echo (The Body Finder #3) - Kimberly Derting

Numbers Book 3: Infinity (Numbers #3) - Rachel Ward

Hush, Hush (The Graphic Novel #1) - Becca Fitzpatrick

Fifty Shades Of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) - E.L James

Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades #2) - E.L James

Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades #3) - E.L James

Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares - Rachel Cohn And David Levithan

The Lying Game (The Lying Game #1) - Sara Shepard

Vampire Crush - A.M Robinson

The Girl Of Fire And Thorns (Fire And Thorns #1) - Rae Carson

The Fine Art Of Truth Or Dare - Melissa Jensen

Big Bad Beast (Pride #6) - Shelly Laurenston

The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

Red Riding Hood - Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Love Story - Jennifer Echols

Crossroads (Crossroads Saga #1) - Mary Ting

Between (Crossroads Saga #2) - Mary Ting

Book Review (79).

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)

by Julie Kagawa

Publication: 1st May 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Books Australia www.harlequinbooks.com.au

Pages: 451

Genre: Paranormal/Dystopian

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Price: Book Stores Nationally RRP: AU $19.99/NZ $22.99

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. 


Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

My Thoughts.

This book has been on my radar for quite a while now, what struck me first was the concept so original and fresh and then when the cover was released, well let me just say that it got me even more excited.

I loved the mesh of paranormal and dystopian it made this such an exciting and addictive read.

Definitely plan on having some sleepless nights, because you wont be able to put this book down!

We start off with Allison 'Allie' an unregistered flying under the radar trying not to attract attention to herself and her gang from the Prince Vampire head of her city New Covington and the Master vampires under his rule.

The vampires rule and humans are their blood cattle, but not only are they trying to stay away from them but also the rabids who attack anything and can turn you into one of them with just one bite.

Food is scarce and the days are spent trying to track down any kind of food source, and it's one day while Allie is searching she finds a hidden cellar filled with canned foods, after coming back with the rest of her gang and loading up with supplies they are set upon by a bunch of rabids and Allie is bitten, close to death a vampire finds her and asks her whether she wants to die or become a vampire herself, although she loathes them she agrees to be turned, and after waking up she's introduced to the world of the vampires by her sire Kanin.

I have to say I love Kanin I was hoping a relationship would develop between him and Allie, I loved their banter and I think although he didn't show it that he might have developed feelings for her especially after he made sure she got away when he was attacked, please, please, please let there be more of him in the next book.

After wandering around for a while she comes across a lost boy Caleb in a deserted city and while trying to find his sister comes across not only her but a boy named Zeke who along with his adoptive father Jeb help run a group of people hoping to find Eden a place that Jeb believes exists.

So while hiding who she is she joins the group and ends up growing closer to Zeke who develops feelings for her, but what happens when he finds out just what she is?

 I did really like Zeke but my heart is stuck on a Allie and Kanin relationship, so I'm going to put it out there right now Team Kanin!

Loved this book, I cannot wait for the next, one of my favourite books so far this year.

I give this 5/5.

A Big Thanks To Jess @ Morey Media.

Book Review (78).

Shadowland (The Immortals #3)

by Alyson Noel 

Publication: 17th November 2009

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 339

Genre: Fantasy

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

*Warning Contains Spoilers From Previous Books In The Series*

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world’s darkest enemies—so they could be together forever.  But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything.  Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into the Shadowland.   Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar.  Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past.  She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true.  But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…

My Thoughts.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and while it only took a day to read each one this one took me longer.

While the plot twist at the end of the last book was different and made me think ok this could go somewhere and make this series really interesting, and then it was never resolved in this book and was instead carried on to the next one with another problem added to it all because Ever continues to act irrationally and trusts the wrong person again, never mind that Damen who's her soulmate (and yes she feels the need to keep reminding us of that fact in every single book and now it's just annoying) keeps telling her the right thing but she ignores him and does the complete opposite.

One thing I did really like was Jude, I wish more attention was paid to their past and their relationships together and I was kind of hoping they'd end up together, I figure she can't touch Damen and he was so busy making sure that the twins Romy and Rayne who were now living with him got whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. 

I also have taken a disliking to ever's best friend Haven I can't say I was a big fan before but now she just annoys the crap out of me and let's just say what happened to her at the end of the book had gone the other way, it wouldn't have bothered me at all.

Most of this book is spent with Ever trying to find ways to convince Roman to give her the antidote to the  problem they have, and then after her plan of using dark magic (dark magic people that should be the hint right there to not attempt it) backfires and instead she finds herself physically attracted to Roman which leads to her feeling the need to sleep with him whenever she's drawn to him (which is a lot).

I'm still hoping this will get back on track although I have said in a previous review of a book in this series that a lot of people don't like the rest of the books in this series I will persevere because once I've started a series I like to finish it, regardless of whether or not the books are no longer good.

I give this 3.5/5.

Feature And Follow Friday (25).

Q: Have you had a character that disappointed you? One that you fell in love with and then “broke up” with later on in either the series or a stand-alone book? Tell us about him or her.

This has never happened to me but I used to hate Jacob in the Twilight books but thanks to Taylor Lautner in the movies, I quite like him now, so yeah I've had the opposite happen.

Waiting On Wednesday.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on....

Sacred

                 by Elana K. Arnold 

13th November 2012 By Random House Children's Books

Growing up on Catalina Island, off the California coast, Scarlett Wenderoth has led a fairly isolated life. After her brother dies, her isolation deepens as she withdraws into herself, shutting out her friends and boyfriend. Her parents, shattered by their own sorrow, fail to notice Scarlett's pain and sudden alarming thinness. Scarlett finds pleasure only on her horse, escaping to the heart of the island on long, solitary rides. One day, as she races around a bend, Scarlett is startled by a boy who raises his hand in warning and says one word: "Stop."

The boy—intense, beautiful—is Will Cohen, a newcomer to the island. For reasons he can't or won't explain, he's drawn to Scarlett and feels compelled to keep her safe. To keep her from wasting away. His meddling irritates Scarlett, though she can't deny her attraction to him. As their relationship blossoms into love, Scarlett's body slowly awakens at Will's touch. But just when her grief begins to ebb, she makes a startling discovery about Will, a discovery he's been grappling with himself. A discovery that threatens to force them apart. And if it does, Scarlett fears she will unravel all over again.

Marionette

by Jamie Dougherty

November 2012 By Jamie Dougherty

"I gazed upon him from behind glass eyes. My mouth wouldn’t move, I couldn’t tell him the words I had longed for him to hear. He had always taken such care when he placed me away into my cedar box but if he only knew that I screamed inside. I screamed to be released from the wooden cell I had been cursed to long ago..." ~Chastity

League of Strays  by L.B. Schulman

1st October 2012 By Amulet

When Charlotte Brody, a lonely 17-year-old student at a new school, receives an invitation to join The League of Strays, she's intrigued by the group's promise of "instant friendship." The League does provide companionship--and even a love interest--but Charlotte grows increasingly uncomfortable with its sinister mission to seek revenge against the bullies of Kennedy High. When escalating acts of vengeance threaten to hurl her down a path of remorse, Charlotte must choose between her new friends and the direction of a future she's never fully considered

Freakling (Freakling #1)

by Lana Krumwiede

9th October 2012 By Candlewick Press

A thrilling, fast-paced dystopian novel about the dangers of unchecked power and the dilemmas facing a boy torn between two ways of life.

In twelve-year-old Taemon’s city, everyone has a power called psi — the ability to move and manipulate objects with their minds. When Taemon loses his psi in a traumatic accident, he must hide his lack of power by any means possible. But a humiliating incident at a sports tournament exposes his disability, and Taemon is exiled to the powerless colony. The "dud farm" is not what Taemon expected, though: people are kind and open, and they actually seem to enjoy using their hands to work and play and even comfort their children. Taemon adjusts to his new life quickly, making friends and finding unconditional acceptance. But gradually he discovers that for all its openness, there are mysteries at the colony, too — dangerous secrets that would give unchecked power to psi wielders if discovered. When Taemon unwittingly leaks one of these secrets, will he have the courage to repair the damage — even if it means returning to the city and facing the very people who exiled him?

The Innocents (The Innocents #1)

by Lili Peloquin

October 2012 Razorbill

Two sisters fight to belong in a town built on secrets and lies in this romantic new YA series.

Nothing ever came between sisters Alice and
Charlie.
Friends didn’t.
Boys couldn’t.
Their family falling apart never would.
Until they get to Serenity Point.

The Innocents is the first in a new series of young adult novels that weaves a saga of nail-biting drama, breathless romance, and gothic mystery.

Falling to Ash (Moth)

by Karen Mahoney

September 2012 By Random House

You can't choose your family ...living or dead.

Trapped between two very different worlds, newly made vampire Moth is struggling to find her place in either. Not only does she have to answer to her strict Irish-Catholic Dad, but her over-protective maker, Theo, is intent on making her the star attraction in his powerful Boston vampire clan. Moth will have to pull off the double-act of the century to please both of them...

Adding to her problems is the dangerously attractive Jason Murdoch, a trainee vampire hunter who loves to play cat and mouse in his spare time (Jace = cat; Moth = mouse). But when the teenagers of Boston's wealthiest families start to disappear, it forces Moth and Jace into an uneasy truce. Will they be able to solve the mystery behind the disappearances - before someone winds up undead?