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

Bitter Frost (Frost #1)

by Kailin Gow

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

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

Untouched (Denazen #1.5)

by Jus Accardo

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)

by Jus Accardo

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)

by Rachel Hawkins

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as theNew York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

Expected publication: May 14th 2013 by Disney-Hyperion

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!

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Betwixt - Melissa Pearl

Betwixt

by Melissa Pearl

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:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5314516.Melissa_Pearl

http://www.amazon.com/Betwixt-ebook/dp/B00A1M5NK4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353937300&sr=1-1&keywords=betwixt

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betwixt-melissa-pearl/1113732806?ean=9781479165919

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/melissapearl

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:

Facebook

Website

Twitter: @MelissaPearlG

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)

by A.L. Laster

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

by Keshia Swaim

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)

by Kelley Armstrong 

Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.

But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.

Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.

Aided by her mother’s former lawyer, Gabriel Walsh, Olivia focuses on the Larsens’ last crime, the one her birth mother swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel start investigating the case, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. Because there are darker secrets behind her new home, and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her.

Expected publication: August 20th 2013 by Sphere

Parallel

by Lauren Miller

Abby Barnes had a plan. Get into a great college, major in journalism, and land a dream job at a major newspaper. But on the eve of her 18th birthday, she is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she’s in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. A cosmic collision of parallel universes has left Abby living a new reality every time parallel Abby makes a decision. Now Abby must race against time to take control of her fate without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that’s finally in reach.

Expected publication: May 14th 2013 by HarperTeen

The Fifth Wave (The Fifth Wave #1)

by Rick Yancey

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother–or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Expected publication: May 7th 2013 by Putnam Children's

The Testing

by Joelle Charbonneau

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same? 

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career. 
Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one. 
But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children