Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (September 1, 2009)
320 pages, paperback
$9.99 (Amazon.com, 09/06/09)
Plot: 5
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 3
Overall: 28/30 = 93% = A
Cover/Title Bonus: 5
I picked this up while at BEA in May. I read it a few months ago. I’ll be giving away my copy of the ARC in the next post.
Summary (Amazon.com):

What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?
Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.
In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

Plot:
Anne dreams about Anastasia being locked inside a hut with an old, ugly woman with a cat. She meets Ethan, a “wicked hot”, blue eyed guy who is pretty much stalking her. Strange things begin to happen. They are pursued by crazy men who want to kill Anne.

I enjoyed the plot immensely. It was full of mystery. The pace was great. I read this pretty fast because I wanted to see how everything merged together.

Setting:
The majority of the story takes place in Chicago where Anne lives. There are the flashes back to Anastasia that’s being held in the strange land where Baba Yaga’s hut is located.

Writing:
This is another book written from multiple POVs. It switches between Anne, Ethan, Anastasia and Anastasia’s letters to her family. It’s pretty cool and I enjoyed being able to understand what was going on in the other characters thoughts. I thought that was a great choice for the writer to do considering the plot was pretty crazy with everything going on.

Originality:
This was a pretty awesome book. I learned a lot about the Russian Romanov family and it was handled with great creativity that just worked my brain like crazy! The story line of Anastasia being captured for all those years by Baga Yaba and the ones that helped capture her was a true piece of work. The detail that Joy put in to make it all work together was awesome.

Characters:
Anne was a pretty average teenager. She had a cool best friend, Tess. Learning about Anne’s family history was pretty cool. It all came together in the end.
Ethan is a cool guy. I enjoyed him in this book. He’s very strong and handsome. He helps Anne work through everything and in the end he realizes all the truths. It’s refreshing. I know I’m being vague, sorry! :) I don’t want to say too much and give it all away.

Passion:
There’s a real attraction between Anne and Ethan. Although it’s really not the point to the book in the least. The mystery behind the dreams is the main focal point. However, it’s another refreshing thing to see their relationship evolve around the huge issue at hand.

Overall:
This book was very interesting. I loved the history element to it. I loved the action. And I enjoyed the underlying romantic element to the story. I’m a huge fan of historical fantasy and this did a wonderful job of keeping me interested.

Cover/Title Bonus:
The cover is what stopped me while roaming the Sourcebook Jabberwocky booth at BEA. I love the slight insert of Ethan’s profile in on the left hand side. It’s very cool. I also like the title. It’s not my preferred title but it works.
This was Joy Preble’s debut novel. She did excellent! I will be following her and seeing what she has in store for future books.

Connect with Joy:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Class of 2K9

What do you think? Have you read it? Did you enjoy it as much as I did?
Giveaway coming up next! Enter to win my copy of the ARC of Dreaming Anastasia!

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Blue Moon (Immortals, Book 2) by Alyson Noel

GIVEAWAY is Closed! Winner Announced HERE!

Blue Moon (Immortals, Book 2) by Alyson Noel

St. Martin’s Griffin (July 7, 2009)

304 pages

$9.99 (Amazon.com, 08/26/09)

I won this signed copy from a contest held by The Book Butterfly. It’s such a nice blog I couldn’t help but enter even though I wasn’t a fan of the first book, Evermore. You can read my review of Evermore HERE. I honestly didn’t think I’d win but I did. I read the book. I wasn’t a fan of Alyson’s first book but since I won the book I was willing to give this series a second chance.

Plot: 1

Setting: 5

Writing: 2

Originality: 4

Characters: 3

Passion: 4

Overall: 19/30 = 63% D

Cover/Title Bonus: 5

Summary (Alyson’s web site):

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever's powers are increasing, Damen's are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.
Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen's past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day...

Read an excerpt on her web site.

Plot:

So Ever has powers and Damen is teaching her how to use them. They are also trying to “get closer”, if you know what I mean. If you read my review of Evermore you might have remembered that I thought this would be addressed in the follow up novel but I was guessing that it wouldn’t. I was right. They do make plans but they run into the issue of Damen’s “illness”. There’s a new guy character who’s shaking things up. It is all so horribly and terribly predictable. I couldn’t wait to get to the end. I almost DNF this book but I wanted to see how Alyson wrapped it all up. Alyson takes the LONG way around a plot line.

Setting:

Summerland is awesome. That I will give to Alyson. She has created a place that I would love to go to for a few hours a day. Damen’s house is another great place. These are two places that I would recognize instantly if I were suddenly dropped into either.

Writing:

It’s final. I can not read another book by Alyson Noel. I gave this one a try because I won it. I had no intention of buying it to read it. The beginning was great. Then we meet Roman and the story goes to shit. The middle of the book is fluff, procrastination, self blame, denial, second guesses and complete rubbish. The end of the book was just terrible! Why even write this book!? It got us no where but back at the beginning but now with a whole new obstacle to overcome. I have no faith in Ever and Damen’s relationship. It’s too sad and I will not wait around while the author drags me through the chaotic mess she’s made of Ever’s life.

Originality:

The Immortal concept is good. The land of Summerland is amazingly original. The new twist that will be the major issue in the next book is a BIG issue and I can just see how that’ll turn out.

Characters:

Ever and Damen are cuter than ever in the beginning. Then they’re introduced to Roman the new kid at school. Roman seems transfixed on Ever. Ever is instantly repelled from Roman either because she’s jealous or because he’s dangerous…..

Damen suffers from his oh so “mysterious” illness. Ever is a complete moron but it’s not her fault. I blame the author. I know I’m mean and I can’t stand that I’m reacting this way to this book but I can NOT help it. The book infuriated me.

MAN! This is the hardest review I’ve written since Evermore! I couldn’t stand Ever in this book. Is she blind? Why is she so slow at solving this not so mysterious mystery? Yes, I’m writing a review with QUESTIONS! Questions that are abundant in this book!

Ever says it nicely on page 278:

“Get to the point,”

Yes! Please, get to the POINT!

Passion:

Yes, there’s passion very early in this book. Ever and Damen want to get it on but Ever is hung up on the fact that Damen is, like OMG 600 years old! And she’s a measly 16 years old with no experience in “that” department.

I freaking couldn’t stand this! Sure if I were her I’d be like “yikes” but I would look beyond that fact and if I truly loved the guy I’d get over it fast. You know, hormones and everything are RAGING at that age.

After watching True Blood and seeing that the vampire Jessica was a virgin before being turned and she loses it with Hoyt but then her hymen grows back because of her healing abilities. Will Ever suffer from the same thing? We probably will NEVER find out so why am I even thinking that far ahead?! Has Alyson thought of this though? Have you?

Overall:

I hated it. I think the concept was good but the outcome was terrible. Am I ruined because I’m older? (26 years old) Or is Alyson’s vision of the fantasy so twisted that she removed her self and didn’t think about how smart her readers are? I was literally skipping entire paragraphs towards the end of this book. I’d had enough of the fluff and wanted results. I was tired of hearing what Ever didn’t know and was questioning herself about. GET A MOVE ON! I honestly think this book should NOT have been written in the first person. A third person point of view would have been a lot better. Or at least trying to make it UNpredictable. You think?

Cover/Title Bonus:

The title and cover are perfect. Although the reasoning for the Blue Moon are still all wrapped around the poorly handled plot.

Other Reviews:

The Book Reader - New Moon copy cat

Ticket to Anywhere - 5 out of 5 stars

Shooting Star Mag - 5/5

Ravenous Reader - YYY 1/2

The Sweet Bookshelf - 3

Blood Bookaholic - 4.5 hearts

Frenetic Reader - 8.5/10

GreenBeanTeenQueen - 5/5 stars

Sarah's Random Musings - 88/100 or B

The Story Siren - 5 stars = It was amazing

The Ladybug Reads - 1.4 out of 5

Trailer:

Heck, don’t bother reading the book! Just watch this trailer!

I know this review was harsh. I apologize to both fans of Alyson and to Alyson too. She must connect with readers because she is selling books. I applaud her for that but I just don’t get it. I know I’m not alone as I’ve had some people comment on my Goodreads status updates agreeing with me.

Did you read this series? Do you agree with me about it being so predictable? Or do you disagree completely? Did you review Blue Moon? Put your link in your comment. I’m interested in other’s reviews.

WANT MY COPY?

There was an embedded form here, before I closed entries!

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Intertwined By Gena Showalter

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

HarlequinTeen (September 1, 2009

448 pages

$10.87 Hardcover (Amazon.com, 08/23/09)

$9.99 Kindle (Amazon.com, 08/23/09)

Plot: 4

Setting: 4

Writing: 5

Originality: 5

Characters: 5

Passion: 4

Overall: 27/30 = 90% - A

Cover/Title Bonus: 4

I picked up a signed ARC of Intertwined while at BEA in May. I read it within a few days of returning home and devoured it very quickly.

Summary (Gena’s website)

There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High…

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.
One can raise the dead. 
One can tell the future.
And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends.  But now, they’re causing him all kinds of trouble.

Like, he’ll blink and suddenly he’s a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he’ll change the future. Or, he’ll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she’s going to die.
He’s so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices.  Well, for as long as he’s with her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He’s a loner; she has friends. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it.  For her sake, he should stay away.  But it’s too late. . .

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own and a vampire princess Aden can’t resist.  Two romances, both forbidden.  .  . doomed.  Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger. . . but not everyone will come out alive. . .

Read an excerpt!

Plot:

Aden has 4 spirits in his head. One of them can raise the dead so he must steer clear of graveyards and such. One can time travel. One can tell the future. And one can possess another human. They prove to be cumbersome yet useful. One day he travels just a few steps too close to a graveyard in his new town, raises some dead people all because he was trying to get closer to a girl. That’s where we meet Mary Ann. They feel something when ever they are in close proximity. Their attraction isn’t sexual attraction but rather brother sisterly attraction, which I was a little upset about but got over that quickly.

Aden lives on a ranch for troubled teens and bunks with a few other boys who are not too friendly.

Mary Ann is being followed by a wolf. She quiets the voices in Aden’s head.

Aden glimpses a hot girl in a line of trees near the ranch. He begins dreaming about her.

Much, much, much more happens to make this story twisted between all characters involved. It unfolds very well but it keeps you on your toes.

Setting:

Crossroads, Oklahoma is the town and Aden lives on the D and M Ranch. Most of Aden’s scenes revolve around the ranch and the surrounding woods. Some takes place in their high school. Mary Ann’s home and bedroom are visited frequently. Nothing extraordinary, except the graveyard and a few time travel expeditions, prove to be anything but a normal town.

Writing:

I love reading Gena’s books. She’s what I call a safe read for me. I know that when I open one of her books I’m going to be thoroughly entertained and finish it smiling. Intertwined did that and more. I loved that there was an abundance of characters. Aden and Mary Ann being the main characters but they each find a love interest. The book is written in third person which allows the reader to grasp a ton of information without losing the connection with each character.

The voices in Aden’s head do tend to get overbearing but they proved to be entertaining.

Originality:

I found this book to be very original. With Aden having all those spirits in his head each with their special power proved to show how creative Gena can be. Mix in a wolf shape shifter and some vampires and we’ve got a wonderful concoction of supernatural awesomeness. I love that this was a YA. It was the first YA book of Gena’s that I’ve read and it has proven to me that she’s very capable to writing both adult and YA. I will be reading her other YA books in the future.

Characters:

I’ve already mentioned a ton about Aden. He has spirits in his head that proved him with some pretty wicked super powers. He uses each of them a few times during the story and they were pretty cool. He matures over the course of the book and that’s always fun to see.

Mary Ann was also very cool. I actually liked her story a bit more than Aden’s and can’t wait to read the next book in the story, which Gena is working on now and the title is Unraveled, to see how the ending of this book is handled. Unraveled will release September 2010.

The two love interests are Victoria the Vampire and Riley the shape shifting wolf protector of Victoria. Victoria is a nice vampire who really shouldn’t be falling for a human. Riley is freaking awesome! He’s the dangerous bad boy some of us just drool over. Some of his lines, which are usually short and to the point, are to die for!

Passion:

This is a YA book so the passion isn’t hot and heavy but true to a teen romance. There’s some minor skinny dipping with Aden and Victoria and Mary Ann and Riley have some pretty deep conversations about their attraction to each other. Each relationship is handled very nicely. Each seems to happen naturally, not pushed what so ever. And I’m actually looking forward to seeing Mary Ann and Riley together more than Aden and Victoria.

Overall:

I loved this book. I was just sitting here flipping through the pages and now I want to reread it! I loved this book for the very reasons why other reviews hated it. I loved the chaos of all the characters. I didn’t find it hard to follow but I can understand how others might find it confusing or overbearing. I loved all the supernatural elements. It was a true paranormal fantasy. And lastly, I loved it because it seemed real, even though it was absolutely crazy it flowed like it really happened.

Cover/Title:

I like this cover. The text font is super cool and the coloring is nice. I don’t like that Aden’s head is cut in half. I just had a conversation with another author about this very thing. Why do that? It works on his cover because I can still see the emotion being played out on Aden’s face but I would have loved to see his ENTIRE face. His clothes depict him as a true teenager: fitted yet comfortable. And I must comment on the size of the book. It’s shorter and just slightly wider than a normal book. I find that very cool and it felt very comfortable.

And Intertwined as the title? It’s perfect. The characters are nothing if not Intertwined.

Other reviews:

Steph Su Reads – 2 out of 5

Babbling About Books, and More – DNF

The Book Smugglers – 8 – Excellent

Ravenous Reader – 3 and 3/4 Y’s

SciFiGuy

Connect with Gena:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

MySpace

Author Talk

I’ve seen Intertwined at Borders as of last week so you might be able to get this early. I also heard that Amazon.com is already shipping too. Here’s Intertwined in action at the local Borders in Hagerstown, MD.

 

I have an extra, brand new ARC of Intertwined. Interested? Look for the next blog post for the contest! :)

Speaking of contests! Are you signing up daily for the Intertwined Sweepstakes!? You must! Entry widget is on my sidebar or visit my blog post about it.

 

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Upcoming Reviews: Showalter, Preble, Fitzpatrick!

I’m trying to catch up on my reviews!

I did a few today and I want to tackle some more tomorrow. I downloaded a new blogging software to help me get these out faster. I’m now using Windows Live Writer. It’s super easy to use and I love that I don’t have to wait for Firefox to catch up to me, which was quite frankly pissing me off!

Anyhow, I hope to get out the following reviews tomorrow:

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Get ready for three awesome YA reviews!

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My Wicked Vampire (Castle of Dark Dreams, # 4) by Nina Bangs

My Wicked Vampire (The Castle of Dark Dreams, Book 4) by Nina Bangs

Leisure Books (September 29, 2009)

336 pages

$7.99 (Amazon.com, 08/22/09)

Plot: 3

Setting: 4

Writing: 5

Originality: 5

Characters: 4

Passion: 5

Overall: 26/30 = 86% - B

Cover/Title Bonus: 2

Dorchester Pub sent this to me a few weeks ago to be reviewed.

Plot:

Cinn is the newly hired attraction at The Castle of Dark Dreams. She has a talent with plants. She doesn’t know what’s she’s gotten herself into, wants to leave but is forced to stay for at least two weeks per her boss: Sparkle Stardust. She’s thrown into the castle managers who turn out to be wizards, demons, cosmic troublemakers, and vampires. Oh, there are also talking cats and plants! :) And because of the plants there’s an angry Goddess after Cinn!

Setting:

The Castle of Dark Dreams is like a theme parks for adults wishing to live “fantasies” that just so happen to be real supernatural beings living amongst each other. A lot of the story takes place in Cinn’s greenhouse, the dungeon, and various rooms of the Castle. There’s a shopping trip to a well known super store chain that is rather adventurous. One character has a talent to make dream fantasies which are pretty cool.

Writing:

This was my first book by Nina Bangs. She did very well at keeping my attention. The detail used in the plants and the castle were very well done. The tone was light yet realistic.

Originality:

The setting made this book incredibly original. The plants were out of this world! I had not read a book with the main character being a botanist or rather a gifted botanist who creatures plants that mature into having feelings, talking telepathically, and even moving!

Characters:

This was the first book I’ve read that a few of the characters were plants! Vince was a not so normal periwinkle. I actually looked at him as a character and not just a plant. How cool is that?

Cinn was a pretty normal girl, besides having the wicked green thumb.

Sparkle was such an overbearing nonsense character. I felt like smacking her a few times.

Dacian is a vampire that suffers from bouts of rage cast onto him by his maker Stephan, who is trying to create an army of vampires loyal to him. Dacian refuses to join forces, which brings all hell down on the occupants of The Castle of Dark Dreams.

Oh, and how exactly do you say his name: Dacian? I was angry by how I could not pronounce his name in my head! I ended up just calling him D. I did NOT like his name!!!

Ganymede is a cat by choice and Sparkle’s other half. He consumes enormous amounts of junk food and has a ton of the troublemaker power. And breaks out into a gorgeous, ass kicking human form at the end of the book.

There are a few other characters that have minor roles and are very cool.

Passion:

Cinn and Dacian are the major characters of the book. They end up bonding because Dacian has the role of protecting Cinn from the plant Goddess. Their relationship does turn sexual and very romantic actually. Dacian is a true gentleman in his own way.

Overall:

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining this book was. I still can’t believe how much fun it was to have plants, cats, vampires, Goddesses, and the troublemakers all thrown together as a big happy family. It was weird yet fascinating at the same time.

Cover/Title:

The title seems to follow the rest of the series with the word wicked being included. The cover image however is being shared with another book that was recently released: The Eternal Kiss.

I like the cover of My Wicked Vampire oh so much better than The Eternal Kiss but it wouldn’t be my first pick for this book. Something with a castle and maybe PLANTS on it would have been entirely more appropriate than a picture of a lady with multiple ear piercings. It shows nothing of what to expect in this book what so ever.

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The Fire King (Dirk & Steele, Book 9) by Marjorie M. Liu

The Fire King (Dirk & Steele, Book 9) by Marjorie M. Liu

Leisure Books (July 28, 2009)

307 pages

$7.99 (Amazon.com, 08/22/09)

Plot: 4

Setting: 5

Writing: 5

Originality: 5

Characters: 5

Passion: 4

Overall: 28/30 = 93%

Cover/Title Bonus: 5

Dorchester Pub sent this wonderful book to me to review a few weeks ago.

Summary (author’s website):

Long ago, shape-shifters were plentiful, soaring through the sky as crows, racing across African veldts as cheetahs, raging furious as dragons atop the Himalayas. Like gods, they reigned supreme. But even gods have laws, and those laws, when broken, destroy.

 

Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. Three words in three very different languages, and yet Soria understands. Like all members of Dirk & Steele, she has a gift, and hers is communication.  When she is chosen to learn the dead language of a shape-shifter resurrected after thousands of years of icy sleep, she discovers a warrior consumed with fury.

 

Strong as a lion, quick as a serpent—Karr is his name, and in his day he was king. But he is a son of strife, a creature of tragedy.  As fire consumed all he loved, so death was to be his atonement. Now, against his will, he has awoken.  Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. In English, the word is despair. But Soria knows the words for love.

 

Read an excerpt on her website as well!

Plot:

Soria, a young woman with a missing arm is forced to return to a day job she’s not fond of doing but she’d rather live so she cooperates. She has a talent for being able to speak any language. No matter what. How cool is that!?

Karr is a mystical shape shifting creature that is awoken from a tomb he was buried alive in many, many years ago. He is captured and imprisoned until someone able to speak his language is found.

Soria is able to speak to Karr and she finds a way to form a bond with the enormous, dangerous creature he houses inside. Together they escape and are on the runs for their lives.

Setting:

Briefly the setting is in the US but it quickly switches to Russia, in Mongolia I remember. There’s a ton of desert walking and flying. A sandstorm scene was pretty intense.

Writing:

Marjorie knows her stuff! Since the main character was a linguist and I did read that Marjorie too studied languages there was a ton of references to those foreign languages. The entire book flowed very well. There was a large portion of this book dedicated to action scenes. The detail shown to the shifters was awesome. And writing the main character as having only one arm? Amazingly done. Finding out the back story to why Soria lost her arm doesn’t happen until a little past half way through the book, which worked well but had me constantly wondering what the hell happened to her arm! It was a major distraction and I wish the reader would have found out about that a bit sooner.

Originality:

This wasn’t my first shape shifter book by a long shot but it was a very awesome one. It was my first book that had a disabled main character but that didn’t stop her from being amazingly strong and actually even more so because she had an extra obstacle to overcome.

The shape shifters in this book were different than others I’ve read though. Karr is a half breed so he’s able to mix and match the shapes that his parents were: dragon and lion, making a pretty intense and beautiful creature.

Characters:

Soria is amazing. I had my doubts in the beginning when I first learned that she was missing an arm. But she doesn’t let it stop her from kicking ass. She’s mentally strong and that is exactly what she needs to get through this difficult time in her life. Her story behind the lose of her arm is horrific. Her ability to speak to Karr was awesome!

Karr is just wow. The fact that no one but Soria can understand his language forces him to ally with her. It was the best decision he makes. They make an awesome team together. Karr is strong, intelligent, and an intense warrior.

Passion:

The attraction between Soria and Karr builds over the course of the book. It is not the reason for the book but rather a subplot and it happens very naturally. I was almost yelling at the author/book because it wasn’t a major topic or rather the characters chose to ignore it just a wee bit too much for my liking. And there’s only one cool scene with them together sexually. It fit for their situation but it could have been so much better. Too sad.

Overall:

I enjoyed this book immensely. Mostly because I saw the attraction between the two main characters and wanted to see them together. Plus, their adventure was very cool. Karr was such a sweet and protective alpha male and Soria was strong but not bitchy or overbearing. They were a perfect couple.

Also, this was my first Dirk & Steele novel. I didn’t feel lost or anything so I’m not sure how the series works. I’m guessing they just cover one Dirk & Steele agent at a time.

Cover/Title:

The cover is AWESOME! The only thing I don’t like is the guy. He’s not strong jawed enough to be Karr. His face is just too round and fleshy. The lion, sand, and the side mountain houses fit perfectly with the subject of the book.

The title? I don’t get it. The FIre King? I don’t remember reading that Karr was a king in his original life. However, after reading the summary on Marjorie’s website he apparently was a king. Interesting.

Connect with Marjorie M. Liu:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Have you read this series before? Are the other books just as good? Better?

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Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater
Flux (Oct. 1, 2008)
325 pages (paperback)
$9.95 (Amazon.com 08/21/09)

Plot: 4
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 4
Overall: 28/30 = 93%

Cover/Title Bonus: 5

I decided to read this because the publisher sent out an email about the second installment of this series, Ballad. I went ahead and ordered it through Amazon.com and started it a few days later. It took me 2 days to finish it.

Summary (Maggie's Website):

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. When a mysterious boy enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of nowhere, Deirdre finds herself infatuated. Trouble is, the enigmatic and conflicted Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin—and Deirdre is meant to be his next mark. Deirdre has to decide if Luke's feelings towards her are real, or only a way to lure her deeper into the world of Faerie.

Read an excerpt.


Plot:
Deirdre befriends Luke in quite the experience: puking in the bathroom before a recital. She's then thrust into the land of the faeries. Finding young love, overcoming family and authority issues, and even death are all obstacles that Deidre experiences all within a very short amount of time. A week maybe? Music plays a huge role in the story.

Setting:
A small town in Virginia with a Dave's Ice store, Deirdre's home, school, a Sticky Pig restaurant, and there's even a trip to Richmond. There are some dreams that take the reader away from reality just a bit and of course the glimpses into the Faerie people. My favorite setting is the ring of mushrooms. It was a very important scene too. Any scene with music was enthralling. I would have loved to listen to each song as it was meant to be heard in the story.

Writing:
This is the second book of Maggie's that I've read. This, however, was her debut novel. I previously read Shiver, which differs drastically from Lament on many levels. Lament is written in first person and it's full of detail, passion, and extensive knowledge. There's an abundance of reference to music, harp and flute, but it's not above the readers head or anything, just them playing. And there are several song lyrics. All of which are truly beautiful. I did take a few minutes to YouTube a video of someone playing a Celtic harp because I was having a hard time visualizing one. I thought they were HUGE but they aren't that big. The writing is light, easy to follow and genuine to the personality of the characters.

Originality:
I've read other books containing faeries so this general topic wasn't new to me. I enjoyed Maggie's version very much. Her faeries are perceived as beings that love music, relish the chance to stir up trouble, love picking on humans or faerie seers, and are curious creatures. There were a few that were very menacing and rude but they were also necessary. I wish we would have been introduced to a few more faerie.

Characters:
The main character is obviously Deirdre. She comes from a family of long time faerie seers. Her mother and her both are able to perfect any talent. She plays the harp and sings like an angel. She has terrible stage fright that requires her to puke before performing. She's 16 and by the middle of this book has had it with the old her and is grasping the new her that doesn't want to be confined or trapped by her mother. She meets Luke in the oddest of places and instantly becomes infatuated with him. And he to her as well.

Luke. Poor Luke. His story is a bit more complex. He's dangerous but so easy to be around. He is captivated by Deirdre.

James is Deirdre's best friend. He helps defend Deirdre against the faeries. I believe he's the main character in the follow up book, Ballad.

I liked all the characters in this book. They were all original and stayed true throughout the story.

Passion:
Deirdre's and Luke's relationship is ever blossoming. It's a true teen romance. It was known pretty early in the book that they would both fall head over heels for each other. It was pure and it was cute.

Overall:
A very cool book indeed. I enjoyed every aspect of this book. I liked how it kept me guessing all the way until the end. I'm really looking forward to reading Ballad. I hope there is some sort of wrap up to Lament in Ballad. It ended not very tightly but well enough to be at peace for now.

Title/Cover:
I love both!

Here's the trailer Maggie made for Ballad. Ballad releases October 1, 2009.

What do you think? Have you read Lament? Did you enjoy it? Planning to read Ballad?

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The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
Leisure Books (August 25, 2009)
320 pages (ARC is showing 324)
$6.99 (Amazon.com, 07/23/09)

Plot: 5
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 5
Overall: 30/30 - 100% - A+!

Cover/Title Bonus: 4

Leanna Renee Hieber contacted me to see if I'd be interested in reviewing her upcoming release The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, a "Gothic Victorian Fantasy". I said sure after checking out her website.

Excerpt (author's website):

From the eternally dim shadows of the Whisper-world a voice resonated like a deep, angry bell tolling three o’clock: “Where. Is. She?”

“I’ve no idea, dear,” replied a softer, feminine voice. “Was I supposed to do something about her? I thought you’ve been looking all this time. While you’ve only just noticed, it’s been eighteen of their years. She could be anywhere. She’s not my responsibility, you know.”

The deep voice grunted. “Do. Something.”

The woman sighed, her fair skin glowing in the moonlight. Placing her hands to her coiled tresses atop her head, she found something sharp. With a hiss, she brought her thumbs back into view; their pricked pads sprouted thick, dark jewels, garnets that began to overflow and weep.

Lifting up her hands, she watched in fascination as the crimson trail spread from her thumbs onto her palms. She turned her hands one direction, then the other. “Hmm,” she said after a long moment.

“Well?” pressed the voice in the shadows.

“London,” she replied.

“Something wicked, then?” the voice gurgled.

The woman turned and smiled, nonchalant. “By all means, let the dog loose.”

There was a grinding of stone. A ferocious growl erupted from the deep, before a barking, snarling, ugly cloud leaped into the sky. It vanished into the shimmering portal opposite the shadows where the woman’s master stood brooding, a portal where now rose the Tower of London.

The voice tolled again from the shadows. “There will be hell to pay.”

I'm not a fan of this particular excerpt. It shows the darkest part of the book, which kinda scared me when I read it. I was afraid it was going to be too dark for my tastes but it's not nearly as dark as this passage makes it out to be. A lighter excerpt that I've chosen shows the true nature of this book, which is to show that true friends can be just as grand as a tight knit family.

Page 58 - 59 of the ARC:

"Something amusing?" he asked.

At the sound of his low, rich voice, the group looked up and shrieked, delighted. Elijah cried out the first notes of Beethoven's Fifth, unable to help himself. This did nothing for the others' composure. In fact, Michael, head thrown back in a wail of laughter, lost balance and fell from his chair. No on bothered to stand and greet their leader properly.

"You really should have your own personal orchestra, Alexi!" Elijah gasped for breath.

"'To be or not to be...!'" Michael wailed from the floor, waving an arm above him grandly.

"An appropriate theme for you, you must admit!" Elijah continued, offering Alexi a sharp-toothed grin.

Rebecca, flushed, stood with an uneven breath and handed Alexi the sherry bottle with its dusty ribbon tied lopsided around the neck. "Professor, your prize. I acquiesce to your eminence and superiority--sir," she stated with a curtsey. There was a hint of a smile as she did so, however, and Josephine masked a sputtering giggle with a cough.

That scene is one of the best of the book.

Here's the book trailer:

Plot:

Wow. This book's plot was perfect. It had a true beginning, middle and end. It was very well planned out with all elements of a story line being touched on perfectly. The story centers around a young women new to the Athens school who is unlike anyone else. She's ghostly pale and covers her eyes with shades and wraps her head and neck in scarves and wears long gloves. There's a group of six that are charged with keeping spirits at ease. They are on a mission to find their seventh member.

Setting:
The setting is grand! Most of the story takes place in Athens Academy located in 1888 London, England. The school is massive with wings named after the different Greek Gods and Goddesses. It's also set around the time when the Ripper murders were going on.

Writing:
Leanna wrote Miss Percy's Tale beautifully, hence the title of the book! I love that it was written in third person point of view. The reader is able to get a much clearer picture of what's going on and that's important with this book because so much is going on. If this were written solely from Percy's POV a lot of this story would have been lost and completely misunderstood. Everything flowed very well in this story and the writing. I did not have any hick ups at all.

Originality:
This story is completely original. Of course I've read stories of people seeing ghosts, a girl in a new school but not anything like this one was written. Percy's story is truly remarkable. It's about finding one's self, over coming obstacles both physically and mentally and of course over coming fear and accepting love.

Characters:
Percy Parker is the main character. She's truly unique seeing as she sees ghosts, has the fairest skin, hair, and eyes ever imagined yet holds remarkable beauty. She's skilled in many languages but horrible in mathematics, which has her in one on one tutoring sessions with none other than the remarkably handsome Professor Alexi Rychmond.

Alexi is the leader of The Guard (I think that's what it was called!), a group of 6 individuals with special powers to police unruly spirits. Their life mission is to find their seventh member to forever rid the world of the war between heaven and hell? Or at least the "Darkness" and the The Guard. The group include: Alexi, Rebecca (Headmisstress of Athen's Academy), Michael, Josephine, Elijah and Jane.

Percy makes friends with a German student named Marianna. There's also another character in the loop and her name is Lucille Linden.

Passion:
Percy is intoxicated by Professor Alexi Rychmond. Percy suffers from visions, basically daydreams, much more often when she's around him and he of course notices in his class. When the tutoring sessions start Percy is overcome with emotions and gratitude that the Professor is willing to help her, one of such fair skin. She thinks she's ghastly and that no one would willingly subject themselves to her any longer than necessary. However, Alexi is drawn to her but he just doesn't realize it! The passion with this couple is remarkable. It's written so gently that towards the end of the book the scenes are so tangible with the passion it's nearly maddening!

I was pleasantly surprised by the love story within this book. It's one of the best aspects of the book and it was handled with great care and detail. Very well done.

Overall:
I loved this book. I've had a very busy week this week but I didn't want to put this book down! I stayed up late last night trying to finish it but alas my eyes did not cooperate and I had to finish it tonight when I got home from my externship. Towards the middle of the book it's nearly nonstop action packed, which is an element of a book that I really enjoy.

Cover/Title:
Eh, I like the title but it is very lengthy, which isn't a huge deal but it's a mouthful! The title fits because I honestly don't know what else to call it! Maybe "The Guard of Miss Percy Parker" or "The Guard of Percy Parker".

The cover is pretty vague though. You can tell it's London and the glowing blue orb is cool, but it's a little mute. I would have loved to have seen the glowing blue feather with the seal of Athen's Academy. And even a ghostly female face somewhere on it would have helped. But with a title as long as this one, the cover is bound to be all font.

Connect with Leanna Renee Hieber:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
MySpace
Blog
Mailing List

Pre-order this book from Amazon.com.

This book is recommended to anyone who loves fantasy. Historical fantasy especially.

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Contest: My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, Book 1) by Rachel Vincent

CONTEST IS CLOSED!
Thanks for all the entries!

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, Book 1) by Rachel Vincent
Harlequin Teen (August 1, 2009)
384 pages (ARC is showing only 282)
$9.99 (Amazon.com, 07/11/09)

Contest!

I have an extra copy of the ARC.

How to Enter:

IMPORTANT! Each entry MUST be a separate comment! Otherwise you forfeit your additional entries! I will be using a random number generator to pick the winner!

1. Post a comment! Any comment will do! Include your email to ensure you receive your winnings!
   
2. Follow my blog! Already follow? Awesome! Let me know!
3. Post this contest on the web! Anywhere is acceptable. Leave the link in your comment. One link per comment. If you Twitter it, @ me! @junklekennedy

You have at least 3 (three) entries available for you to win the ARC of My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent.

• Entries will be accepted until Midnight, July 24th
• Entries are open to US only, sorry. NO P.O. Boxes.
• The winner will be randomly selected via random.org based on the comment number automatically generated when you comment. Random comments WILL be deleted. Sorry.
• The winner will be announced on July 25th (or soon thereafter)
• The winner will have 3 days to email me their shipping info or they will forfeit their winners and a new winner will be selected. Include your email in your comment and I'll email you if you win.

You can pre-order it now if you don't want to wait.

---

Rachel will be featured here in a few weeks to celebrate the release date for My Soul to Take. There will be a contest for a signed copy.

There's an excerpt on Amazon.com but it's really long so click and go read! :)

Rachel released a prequel to her Soul Screamers series called My Soul to Lose. You can download it free at just about any ebook store and even get the Kindle version or you can just read it from her website.

My Soul to Lose for Kindle:

Connect with Rachel:

Twitter
Blogger
LiveJournal
Website
MySpace
Facebook

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My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, Book 1) by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, Book 1) by Rachel Vincent
Harlequin Teen (August 1, 2009)
384 pages (ARC is showing only 282)
$9.99 (Amazon.com, 07/11/09)

Plot: 5
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 4
Overall: 29/30 - 96% - A

Cover/Title Bonus: 5

I picked up MSTT at BEA in May. It was the first book upon my arrival back home that I read. I even picked up a very cute shirt that matches the cover! And the best part? Meeting Rachel! She was signing these at the Harlequin booth. I just wish I could have had a conversation with her but alas, there was a line and I also had to get into Gena Showalter's line for a copy of Intertwined (review coming VERY soon).

Rachel will be featured here in a few weeks to celebrate the release date for My Soul to Take. There will be a contest for a signed copy as well as for an ARC because I just received another copy from the publisher! Maybe I'll start that contest a bit early that way someone will be lucky and get their hands on it before the release date! Stay tuned! On with my review.

There's an excerpt on Amazon.com but it's really long so click and go read! :)

Or you can read the first chapter on HarlequinTeen.com!

Plot:

The plot was great. It mixed together the paranormal element of Kaylee being able to tell when someone was going to die, the angst of just being a teen, and twisted in the mystery behind the teens that are dying. Everything flowed very well together. I was very interested in figuring out how it would all end.

Setting:

It was set in a pretty typical town. Most of it took place in their high school with side scenes in Kaylee's house and Nash's house. Nothing really paranormal about the setting.

Writing:

This was Rachel's first YA novel. I've read all of her previous adult novels. She did very well I thought. I believe it will be a well enjoyed book by both YA and adult readers. It has all the elements of her adult novels just with out intimate scenes and less blood scenes, which is very typical of her adult novels. I thought it ended too soon though, as in too short. I wanted to keep reading. I'm glad there will be more books in this series!

Originality:

Now, this is were Rachel rocked. Soul screamers!?!? Never read a book about them! I did a little research after reading this because I was just like "What?! Where did they come from?". I've heard of banshees, of course, but I didn't understand them like I do now. So by picking this very original topic Rachel not only made it very interesting to read about but it was a teaching session too. Learning IS fun!

Characters:

Kaylee is the main character. She can "see" when someone is about to die. It's actually very sad. I would HATE to have that ability. Luckily she meets Nash. He's a cute guy from her school who helps her through this odd time in her life. He's really a sweetheart and I couldn't have liked him any more than I do.

Emma is Kaylee's best friend. She was cool too. There's also a character named Tod. I can't say much about him but I really enjoyed him in this story and I'm really hoping to see more of him in the next books!

Kaylee lives with her Aunt and Uncle in his book. Her father does make an appearance and I'm thinking he'll be in the next book too. I'd like that too. He seemed genuinely interested in forming a relationship with Kaylee. And Rachel does an amazing job at writing the characters dad very well.

Passion:

Kaylee and Nash do have a budding relationship in this book. It's not a typical teenage relationship because of what's going on but it does have a lot to relate to. Nash is the sweetest. He and Kaylee make a very good pair. I took off a point in passion because I felt it got pushed to the side a bit because of the big mystery going on. Therefore, it's more of a mystery than a romance, so keep that in mind.

Overall:

It was a very good read. Rachel did not disappoint at all. I'm really looking forward to the next installment My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers, Book 2), which is set to release January 1, 2010 (yikes! That's 6 months away!), and can't be pre-ordered yet (WTF!?).

Cover/Title:

The cover is gorgeous. The title is good. I do get them confused though, when I'm trying to think of the prequel and the second book title I usually switch them up.

Rachel released a prequel to her Soul Screamers series called My Soul to Lose. You can download it free at just about any ebook store and even get the Kindle version or you can just read it from her website.

My Soul to Lose for Kindle:

To Rachel:

Thanks for writing a great YA book! You have nothing to worry about with this one. It was perfect and I can't wait to read the next one!

Connect with Rachel:

Twitter
Blogger
LiveJournal
Website
MySpace
Facebook

Check back for information on the contest to win an ARC of MSTT! I have an extra copy and you know you want it! Or you can pre-order it now!

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