Sunday 9 December 2012

Blog Tour: The Twisted Tragedy Of Miss Natalie Stewart (Magic Most Foul #2) - Leanna Renee Hieber, Book Review (181).


The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart(Magic Most Foul #2)

Publication: 1st November 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 332
Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
I'm coming for you.

The whispers haunt her dreams and fill her waking hours with dread. Something odd is happening. Something...unnatural.

Possession of the living. Resurrection of the dead. And Natalie Stewart is caught right in the middle. Jonathon, the one person she thought she could trust, has become a double agent for the dark side. But he plays the part so well, Natalie has to wonder just how much he's really acting.

She can't even see what it is she's fighting. But the cost of losing her heart, her sanity...her soul.
My Thoughts...
So going into this book I was pretty excited, I loved the characters of Natalie and Jonathan 'Lord Denbury' in the previous book and I was interested to see where this book would take them on their journey to defeat the evil that we met in the first book 'Darker Still'.
This book starts off straight after the ending in the debut book in the series, Natalie and Jonathan are on a train to meet up with an old friend of his, when they arrive they discover that the Majesty Society who were in cahoots with the demon who actually imprisoned him in the painting are immersing themselves into his friends lives, they are also experimenting in 're-animation' of the dead, but they aren't exactly aware that the demon is no longer possessing Jonathan's body and so he acts the part to find out information as to what they are up to and becomes a double agent for both sides.
He plays the part so well that Natalie sometimes wonders whether it is an act, and with her prophetic dreams playing a part in all the madness, she knows something bad is coming!
As in the first book I loved how the story is told through Natalie's diary entries and letters, it's something different but really enjoyable as well.
Add in a couple of new characters to help in their fight: Rachel who was Natalie's best-friend in the asylum and who is a psychic and Reverend Blessing a friend of Mrs Northe and they have a well developed 'team' I guess you could call it.
And alas like all books in a series there is always something that happens at the end that makes you anxious to get your hands on the next book, and after the note I'm desperate for the next book.
I highly recommend this series to those who like gothic, dark fiction.
I give this 4/5.

Guest Post...
· Triple Talent:  It’s no secret that bestselling author Leanna acts, writes, and even combines the two to create a play.  Leanna describes what it’s like to be a working actress while also making a bestseller book.
I wear many different hats. And I don’t just mean cute little Victorian hats, though I do have quite a collection. I’ve always been a Jack of All Trades and it’s my varying interests that have kept me busy, employed in the arts and happy in always having a project or two to work on. The trick to doing anything well is time and discipline, it’s very hard to juggle theatrical pursuits and writing and promoting your books full time. I have to pick and choose and shift focus. While I was a full time professional actress on stage in various regional theatre productions around the country, my writing took a back seat. Today my writing is at the foreground and I do theatrical and/or film projects sporadically. The ability to shift focus from one priority to another depending on deadlines is a skill I’ve been trying to sharpen forever. The biggest challenge is self-discipline of one’s own time. It’s something I struggle with day in and day out. Storytelling is at the core of all my interests, and while I’m very selective now about the stories I tell and the mediums I use to tell them, I’m blessed to have several different avenues to pursue the stories that intrigue me. One of the most fascinating ways that my worlds have blended is in adapting my first novel into a musical theatre production with Broadway talent on board. My time as an actress and brief stints as a playwright made it easier for the production company behind the musical adaptation of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker to approach me to be on the collaboration team. I’m uniquely suited as having experience in all these fields to weave a story together in an entirely new medium, a show. And it’s that process of adaptation and collaboration that then allows me to have fresh insights and new tricks to make an engaging story come to life when I return to my novels, such as THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART.



About this author

Author, actress and playwright, Leanna grew up in rural Ohio, graduated with a BFA in Theatre, a focus in the Victorian Era and a scholarship to study in London. She adapted 19th Century literature for the stage and her one-act plays have been produced around the country. She is a 4 time Prism Award winner for excellence in Futuristic, Fantasy, or Paranormal Romance. Her debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, first in the "Strangely Beautiful" saga of Gothic Victorian Fantasy novels (Barnes & Noble Bestseller) won two 2010 Prism Awards (Best Fantasy, Best First Book) and is currently in development as a musical theatre production. DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul, begins a Gothic paranormal saga set in 1880 New York City, named an INDIE NEXT title; a recommended buy by the American Book Association, a Scholastic book fairs "Highly Recommended" title and is a finalist in the 2012 Daphne du Maurier awards for excellence in Mystery/Romantic Suspense. The sequel, THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART, has recently released and she is currently working on her new Gaslamp Fantasy saga for Tor/Macmillan, THE ETERNA FILES, coming 2014. A character from THE ETERNA FILES is featured in her short story included in QUEEN VICTORIA'S BOOK OF SPELLS (Tor, 3/13).

Leanna is a proud member of member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers. She is a proud co-founder of Lady Jane's Salon Reading Series in New York City. A member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, Leanna works often in television and film. She is playing the role of Deputy Kellion in Auror's Tale web-series. When not writing or on set, she loves a good Goth club, adventuring about her adopted hometown of New York City, where she resides with her real-life hero and their beloved rescued lab rabbit.


website

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Saturday 8 December 2012

Book Review (180): Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1) - Leanna Renee Hieber



Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1)

Publication: 8th November 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 317
Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
I was obsessed.

It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I'd ever seen--everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable...utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I've crossed over into his world within the painting, and I've seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked--bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.
My Thoughts...
This dark and gothic tale had me turning the pages as quickly as I could, so absorbed in the story that I was instantly captivated and awed by this world Hieber created in the 1880's.
I've never read The Picture Of Dorian Gray which was the inspiration behind this book and series but I've always known what the gist of it was about, so when I first heard that this book was similiar to it I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy.
Natalie is mute, she's been that way since the age of four when she witnessed the death of her mother, so hoping that she regains her voice her father sends her to an asylum for the mute and the deaf.
Finally home her father who works at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art is discussing a new painting one day, and Natalie becomes fascinated by it, a portrait of a Lord Denbury whom supposedly committed suicide after the death of his parents, but what nobody knows is that he never died and instead has been trapped in the picture, and only Natalie can get him out.
With the help of Mrs Northe, a wealthy widow from high society who purchased the portrait and a clairvoyant to boot, helps Natalie to free Denbury from his prison and to defeat the evil that imprisoned him there.
I really liked this book and I can't wait to see what else is in store for us in the rest of the series.
I give this 4/5.

Blog Tour: Bitter Frost (Frost #1) - Kailin Gow, Book Review (179).



Bitter Frost (Frost #1)

Publication: 1st June 2010
Publisher: The Edge
Pages: 235
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon   Barnes And Noble
All her life, Breena had always dreamed about fairies as though she lived among them...beautiful fairies living among mortals and living in Feyland.

In her dreams, he was always there the breathtakingly handsome but dangerous Winter Prince, Kian, who is her intended. When Breena turns sixteen, she begins seeing fairies and other creatures mortals don't see. Her best friend Logan suddenly acts very protective.

Then she sees Kian, who seems intent on finding her and carrying her off to Feyland. That's fine and all, but for the fact that humans rarely survive a trip to Feyland, a kiss from a fairy generally means death to the human unless that human has fairy blood in them or is very strong, and although Kian seemed to be her intended, he seems to hate her and wants her dead.
My Thoughts...
I've yet to find a book by Kailin I don't like and from her track record so far I don't think that's going to happen.
Bitter Frost is the first book in the Frost series, a fast paced, entertaining read, which is a great debut to what seems to be a great series.
Pretty much right from the start we're into the action, Breena wakes up on her sixteenth birthday and from that point forward life will never be the same.
After an incident at her home after school she discovers that Logan her best and only friend is not exactly human and neither is she.
And those dreams that she's been having for as long as she can remember about a boy named Kian and his sister Shasta , she has dreamed of them since they were children, they were both promised to each other to marry, but a war between the Summer Court and the Winter Court (where Kian is Prince has nullified their marriage promise) she finds that they're real and he saves her and takes her into Feyland, where he acts cold and indifferent towards her.
She discovers that there is a warrant with her name on it and Kian has arrested her to take her to the Winter Court to be seen by the Queen.
And so their adventure begins through Feyland and constant attacks and kidnappings, which only add to the drama and excitement that this book delivers.
I can't wait to continue on with this series and see where Breena, Kian and Logan's adventures take them, and after the ending in this book I'm eager to find out how the ending resolves itself.
A great read and one I suggest everybody checks out.
I give this 4/5.



Author Bio

Kailin Gow uses her author platform to bring awareness to issues affecting young adult and women. She has appeared on national radio as a regular guest on topics such as body image, self-esteem, dating and sexual relationships, bullying, and more; often brought up in her fiction books for young adults and women. She has won multiple awards from the International Book Awards and the Green Book Festival. Selling over half a million books, Kailin Gow has been a bestselling author of over 100 distinct books which includes the Desire Series, PULSE, Wicked Woods, and the Frost Series. She has been professionally published since 2001. She was one of the first authors for young readers to write books for girls with supernatural elements. Her first book series about extraordinary girls guided by an angel in 2001, was a success, selling thousands of print copies in days, and inspiring girl book clubs around the U.S. In 2003, she came out with more series, including The Fairy Rose Chronicles, about fairies in Feyland. Her books have been recommended by PBS Kids, US Mental Health Association, the PTA, and homeschooling associations in the United States.


Links:
Website: www.KailinGowBooks.com
Blog: http://KailinGow.Wordpress.com
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/KailinGow
Facebook: http://Facebook.com/KailinGowBooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/KailinGow

Friday 7 December 2012

Book Review (178): Untouched (Denazen #1.5) - Jus Accardo


Untouched (Denazen #1.5)

Publication: 27th March 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 82
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Until he met Dez, Kale’s days were filled with violence and death. He was used as a weapon of destruction by the power hungry men of Denazen. He’s a Six. A person with an abnormal ability. Some people call them gifts, but not Kale. Kale’s touch means instant death.

But now there’s Dez, the girl he can touch, and they’re hunting down Sixes and warning them about Denazen. Kale is learning about the world outside captivity and trying to put his dark past behind him. But they underestimated how badly Denazen wanted him back.

When Dez sacrifices herself to save the new Six they’d rescued from falling into the corp’s hands, Kale is lost. Denazen has brought out its best to get the job done. Samsen, a nightmare from Kale’s past—the only person he’s ever truly feared—has come for them, and it soon becomes obvious he has his own twisted agenda.

Kale will need all his training to get Dez back and ensure they make it out, free—and alive. But will it be enough?
My Thoughts...
This was a short but very entertaining novella set between the events of the first book Touch and the second book Toxic.
After the events in Touch, Dez and Kale are chasing down other Sixes that were on a list that was given to them, and they want to get to them before the Denazen Corporation does and they come across a Six named Kiernan whom they have to convince to go with them which results in the day at a fun park a place that Kale has never been in his life and is excited to explore.
But things don't go according to plan and what starts out as an extremely fun day ends up with the three being chased by agents from Denazen, and they've brought a big bad by the name of Samsen who is well accquainted with Kale and the only person that Kale has ever been scared of, but he's going to need to confront his fears if he's going to get Dez, Kiernan and himself out alive.
What I loved so much about this novella is that it's told from Kale's pov and I loved being in his head so to speak, and to know what makes him tick, I wish there was more in upcoming books from his pov, I found it extremely interesting.
This only makes me want to get to the second book even faster because I'm definitely finding myself desperate to find out what's going to happen next.
I give this 5/5.

Book Review (177): Touch (Denazen #1) - Jus Accardo


Touch (Denazen #1)

Publication: 1st November 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Pages: 251
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.
My Thoughts...
I've wanted to read this book for the longest time, and I was excited to finally get around to it, and I'm happy to say I was not disappointed!
Deznee 'Dez' is a party girl and adrenaline junkie, doing anything and everything she can think of to piss off her Father, on her way home after another night of revelry she is surprised when a boy her age practically falls at her feet, Kale is on the run and with a bunch of men with guns after him, she hides him and helps him escape of course the only thought going through her head is to take him home and to annoy her Father even more.

But Kale acts like he's never seen normal everyday things like dvds and vases and even has a shower with his shoes on, but when her Dad arrives home and pulls out a gun aiming it at Kale, Dez realises that maybe her Dad is not a Lawyer after all, and that he may just be working at the organization that Kale is so desperately trying to escape.

You see Kale is a Six which means he has a power, his power is deadly, with just one touch he can kill and so has spent his life never knowing the touch of another human or living entity, and it's this one thing he wants more than anything.

I loved the characters especially Kale, yes he may have killed multiple people and is trained to protect himself at all costs but out in the real world he is so naive in the ways of the world and the comments that come out of his mouth had me laughing out loud, Dez was so upfront and has no trouble speaking her mind, and some of their earlier conversations are hilarious.

I really liked the world building in this book and I can't wait to continue on with this fantastic world that Accardo has created.

I give this 5/5.


Cover Reveal: School Spirits (Hex Hall Spin-Off #1) - Rachel Hawkins


School Spirits (Hex Hall Spin-Off #1)

Thursday 6 December 2012

Feature And Follow Friday.


Q: Activity! Who do you want to be? If you could choose any character from a book. What do you think that character looks like and what do you have in common?


I would have to say Bella Swan from Twilight, (yes I'm a Twilight fanatic, and proud of it)!
We have a couple of things in common we both like to read and we both think that Edward Cullen is gorgeous!
Oh but I would make sure to smile just a little bit more than she does, I don't know what she needs to be so grumpy looking for!



Wednesday 5 December 2012

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Betwixt - Melissa Pearl


Betwixt


Beautiful, wild-child Nicole Tepper is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well. 

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it's too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car, beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?

Links to find/buy book:

Blog Tour Dates And Stops.
http://atomrbookblogtours.com/2012/08/21/arc-tour-betwixt-by-melissa-pearl/

Excerpt 3: "O.M.G. you guys, check this out." Penny grabs Amber's arm. "I just got a text from Milly." Everyone gives her a blank stare. "You know, the slightly chubby one who works in the office sometimes." Penny frowns. "I don't know how she managed to get out of class to score such a cruisy gig, but anyways." I move behind my friends in order to avoid an onslaught of human traffic as we weave through the narrow corridor and out into the quad. "Listen to this..." Penny holds the phone closer to her face. "Just heard convo. Nicole not at school. Mom thinks she's AWOL." The girls gasp and my chest tightens with hope. Okay girls, start piecing it together. I hold my breath.

Giveaways: 10 Ebooks, 1 signed copy, bookmarks (INT)a Rafflecopter giveaway



Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November, 2011. Since then she has produced three more books with her fifth novel, Betwixt, due out in November 2012.

"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love."

Social Media links:
Twitter: @MelissaPearlG

Tuesday 4 December 2012

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....

Shades and Shadows (The Divine Sins #1)

The world is not painted in black and white…there's much more hiding within the grays.

After moving to the small town of Uncertain, sixteen-year-old Marian Jones learns that her new home is haunted by a handsome Victorian ghost. His name is Samael Lowood, and he isn't the first ghost she's ever met. He wants Ari to find something called a Nanorian, one of three powerful objects hidden long ago.

But Reid, a tousle-haired boy with a knack for spilling demon's blood, wants the Nanorian too.

Pulled into a the search when her father is kidnapped, Ari discovers a world where Shades—vampires, witches, shifters, and those called the Cruxim—exist in disgrace. And when she learns the Nanorian is actually an ancient demon's heart, disastrous in the wrong hands, she realizes she needs to choose carefully.
Expected publication: September 28th 2013

Blood Bound

Starting college a year early is hard. Starting fae college and learning to protect the world from the Unseelie is harder.

Brielle Reed has always been an over-achiever, but this time she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Between her crash course in fae politics, struggles to control her new mind-reading ability, training sessions with the demanding Dr. Schwartz, and discoveries about the father who is still a mystery to her, Brielle finds herself longing for a chance at a normal life.

But she may not get that chance. Or chance at a life at all, for that matter.
Expected publication: September 10th 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

Omens (Cainsville #1)

Monday 3 December 2012

Cover Reveal: The Girl With The Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles #3) - Kady Cross


The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles #3)

Finley Jayne, Griffin and their crew are stunned when one of their own is kidnapped. Emily has a way with machines—she can literally talk to them. But the automatons who abducted her aren’t ordinary machines. They’re almost human—and they want Emily to do something as horrifying as it seems possible.

To save Emily, Finley must contact the highly unsettling Jack Dandy and face her feelings for two vastly different men, even as Griffin’s nightmares threaten to turn into a reality that might just end them all.
Expected publication: May 21st 2013 by Harlequin TEEN

Cover Reveal: Antigoddess (Antigoddess #1) - Kendare Blake


Antigoddess (Antigoddess #1)

Back Cover Reveal And Blurb: Apollyon (Covenant #4) - Jennifer L. Armentrout


Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.
 
Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.
 
The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.
 
Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.
Apollyon releases April 9th, 2013