Guest Posting at The Unread Reader

Just a quick note: I've been invited to guest post today for Missie's When I'm Not Reading feature. So head on over to The Unread Reader and check out what I do when I'm not reading.

Quick Recap of the Sarah Dessen Signing and Word on The Street

Last week was a busy week in terms of events that were being held in Toronto. On Wednesday, September 21, Sarah Dessen was in town to promote her novel What Happened to Goodbye. Since she’s one of my all-time favourite authors, I’d been hoping (after Jenny from Dreaming of Books told me in the summer that Sarah would be coming to T.O.) that Penguin Canada would schedule her on a day that I’d be able to see her.

Sarah, after I moved up to take a picture. Liz is in the left corner.

Luckily, Penguin Canada did; and so after class, I made my way over to Indigo Eaton Centre where there was already a huge line of people waiting to be seated. The seating space wasn’t large enough to hold everybody and so most of us (including me) ended up being stuck between the stacks and having to see Sarah from there. Still, we did get to meet her; and years from now, I’ll remember that experience much better than the fact that I wasn’t entirely happy with where I was standing.

Pic courtesy of Liz from Midnight Bloom Reads

Sarah arrived slightly after 7:00 PM, having been delayed because of a strike at Air Canada. She quickly read from What Happened to Goodbye and after, got a little bit of time to answer some questions.

Things I Remember Sarah Telling Us:

• While Sarah doesn’t have a favourite book from the ones she has written because to her it almost feels like picking a favourite child, the novel she enjoyed writing the most was This Lullaby.
• Someone Like You was inspired by the death of a popular guy from Sarah’s high school after he was killed in a motorcycle accident. It was the first time that she realized someone her age could die and it was shocking to her.
• The mothers at Sarah’s daughter’s preschool have no idea that she is a writer! They only know that she works from home.

Sarah signing while I waited in lin

Then, it was time to get our books signed. Sarah was super nice, and after noticing that I was also holding a social psychology textbook, she told me that she used to carry a textbook around everywhere too when she was in college.

Anyway, a big thanks to Sarah for making two stops in Toronto and to Penguin Canada for bringing her here. Thanks also to Indigo Eaton Centre for hosting Sarah. 

For a full recap of Sarah Dessen's stop at Indigo Eaton Centre, check out Liz's post here.  

..................................................................................................

Then on Sunday, September 25, I went to Word on The Street for the first time. On my way over to Queen’s Park, I was actually able to ride the TTC’s new subway trains and liked them so much better. They look new (duh!) and have more space, but I’m wondering how (especially short) people are going to stop themselves from bumping into each other without poles to hang onto.

At noon, I went to see Kenneth Oppel at the Scotiabank Giller Prize Bestseller’s Stage. He read from his latest book, This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, before answering questions from Matt Galloway, the host, and the audience.

Things I Remember Kenneth Telling Us:  

• Kenneth’s favourite book to write was Half-Brother because it’s unlike any of his other novels.
• As a child, his favourite book was Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. He now reads it to his children.

Peter Rabbit in front of the Penguin Canada booth

Kelley signing books

After that, I wandered around for a bit and then at 2:15, I went to The Remarkable Reads Tent to see Kelley Armstrong. While waiting for Kelley, I met Ashley from Book Labyrinth and her mom and we chatted for a bit. Soon enough, Kelley arrived and read from The Gathering. Then we had some time to ask her questions and for her to ask us some questions. Those who answered Kelley correctly were able to get prizes like Derek, Tori and Chloe mugs, ARCs of The Calling, etc. that she had brought along with her.

Things I Remember Kelley Telling Us: 

• Kelley doesn’t usually put pets in her novels because she tends to forget about them. For example, they get locked into garages and then conveniently appear in scenes when they’re needed.
• She wrote her YA books when her daughter was a teenager so that her daughter had something to read. Now that Kelley’s and Melissa Marr’s sons are both in middle grade, they’re collaborating on an MG series based on Norse mythology. I'm already excited about that series! 

Kelley then signed books, and everyone who came to see her got cupcakes that were decorated based on The Gathering. 

Alyxandra Harvey on a panel with Lesley Anne Cowan, Teresa Toten and Heather J. Wood

The very crowded HarperCollins Canada booth

From there, Ashley, her mom, and I managed to catch a bit of what Alyxandra Harvey said. I heard something about ghosts and friends not wanting to visit her house. 

I went to HarperCollins Canada’s booth after getting Alyxandra to sign my copy of Haunting Violet and though it was still pretty crowded, I managed to find and buy Arthur Slade’s Empire of Ruins.  

Catherine Austen talking about reading and writing dystopians

Lesley and Robert signing their books

I got back to the This Is Not The Shakespeare Stage in time to hear a bit from Catherine Austen about her novel All Good Children before Robert Sawyer and Lesley Livingston went on stage for their chat about fantasy and sci-fi. After Robert read from his newest book, Wonder, and Lesley read from Once Every Never, they told us that the main difference between fantasy and sci-fi is that fantasy attempts to make the implausible sound possible whereas sci-fi tries to make what might be possible work according to the laws of physics. Robert also told us that rather than subscribing to the two theories about time-travel, he chooses to believe that changing time creates a parallel reality (I think!) whereas Lesley hasn’t fully decided which theory she supports. Clare, her character who can travel through time by touching certain artifacts, doesn’t care much about how her actions will change time, but it seems that at the end of Once Every Never, something might have been altered.

After getting Lesley to sign my copy of Once Every Never, I went home, tired but happy about getting to see so many Canadian authors in one day.

Winners

The winner of my Blogoversary Giveaway #1 is Zoe from The Rain House. She has already responded and chosen to get copies of Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber and Bloodlines by Richelle Mead. Congratulations, Zoe!

 

The winner of my Blogoversary Giveaway #2 is Emilie from Emilie's Book World. She actually guessed all of the book covers correctly and has already responded that she'd like to get a copy of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Congratulations, Emilie! 

 

..................................................................................................

 

Also, for those who were curious,  here are the answers to the book covers:

 

1) Die For Me by Amy Plum

2) Possess by Gretchen McNeil

3) Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

4) Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

5) Frost by Marianna Baer

6) Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

7) Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

8) Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

9) Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

10) The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

11) Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

12) The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Review: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

From Goodreads: When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved. Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him - and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart. 

My Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey is a standalone book that I thought was on the lighter side of paranormal. If it wasn’t for the fact that Garvey made Wren a witch who uses her powers to bring her boyfriend back from the dead, Cold Kiss might have been a contemporary novel about a girl dealing with issues like love and grief. 

Wren, the protagonist, is a character whose actions are easy to understand. When Danny dies, she chooses to resurrect him, only thinking of how much she misses him and how good it would be to have him back. I liked that when Wren slowly realizes that the Danny she brings back isn’t the same, she is willing to accept her mistake and figure out how to let Danny go once and for all.

While I liked the (living) Danny that I read about from Wren’s flashbacks, I thought Danny the zombie was relatively boring. He was really clingy in the first part of the book, and in the second part, whenever he appeared to have trouble controlling his temper, Wren would make him fall asleep.

Of course there’s a love triangle because our living narrator needs a guy who is alive to be interested in her too. That role goes to Gabriel, someone I would have liked better had he no abilities of his own. To me, it felt like he was only present in Cold Kiss so that Wren had somebody to lean on since she refused to tell her mother what she did or ask for her help. Speaking of Wren’s mother, she barely pried into Wren’s business even though Wren was sneaking out at night and looked like she was falling apart. 

Cold Kiss was released by HarperTeen on September 20, 2011. 

Comments About the Cover: With the focus on the lips and the use of colours that remind me of winter and its chill, I think the picture on the cover represents the title pretty well. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via NetGalley. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Dearly, Departed

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Jill at Breaking the Spine to feature upcoming books that we can't wait to get our hands on. 

Title: Dearly, Departed

Author: Lia Habel
Publisher: Del Ray Books
Date of Release: October 18, 2011 

Goodreads Description: The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria - a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune, and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible - until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead - and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble ... and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

Why am I waiting? When I hear about novels involving zombies, my usual reaction is meh. But I've pretty much been waiting a year for Dearly, Departed to come out and the wait is almost over! Dearly, Departed seems like it'll be full of adventure, and it has elements of steampunk - a genre I'm hoping more YA authors will venture into. I'm also curious to see whether Habel can make me forget that Bram is dead and root for the romance between him and Nora.

Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

From Goodreads: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king - a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of the chosen do.

My Rating: 4 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: One of the first YA series I ever read and promptly fell in love with was Tamora Pierce’s The Song of the Lioness. Along with Harry Potter, it instilled in me a lifelong love for fantasy; and so even though I don’t read as much of the genre these days as I should, I still try to squeeze in a fantasy now and then. Therefore, when I saw a blurb from Pierce at the top of the cover of Rae Carson’s The Girl of Fire and Thorns, it was pretty much a sure bet that I’d be reading it with huge expectations. Fortunately, Carson doesn’t disappoint.

The world building in The Girl of Fire and Thorns is fantastic, and presented carefully in a rich and detailed manner throughout the story so as to not overwhelm the reader. What’s even better about Carson’s fantasy world is that the society appears diverse and isn’t composed primarily of White characters. Also, I applaud Carson for the way she made religion play such an integral part of the storyline and the culture without it becoming uncomfortable or bothersome.

As well, it was refreshing that the focus in The Girl of Fire and Thorns wasn’t on romance. I appreciate a good romance, but sometimes it’s nice to have a story where I’m not forced to be a Team Something or read about an instant love relationship. While there is some romance, the focus is rather on Elisa and her transformation from a pampered (but not spoiled) princess who has reservations about herself and gorges on food – oh, the food! – in order to make herself feel better to that of a girl who is confident in herself and capable of becoming a worthy leader.

With the spotlight on Elisa though, I felt like I only got to know most of the other characters superficially and so couldn’t really miss those who died. Since The Girl of Fire and Thorns is the first book in a planned trilogy however, there’s still time for Carson to make me fall in love with the characters I’m starting to like.

A book deserving of Pierce’s blurb, The Girl of Fire and Thorns will be released by Greenwillow Books on September 20, 2011. 

Comments About the Cover: The original ARC cover is pretty, but the model in no way resembles Elisa who isn’t thin and describes herself as “brown.” 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via NetGalley. 

Review: The Shattering by Karen Healey

From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Keri likes to plan for every possibility. She knows what to do if you break an arm, or get caught in an earthquake or fire. But she wasn't prepared for her brother's suicide, and his death has left her shattered with grief. When her childhood friend Janna tells her it was murder, not suicide, Keri wants to believe her. After all, Janna's brother died under similar circumstances years ago, and Janna insists a visiting tourist, Sione, who also lost a brother to apparent suicide that year, has helped her find some answers. As the three dig deeper, disturbing facts begin to pile up: one boy killed every year; all older brothers; all had spent New Year's Eve in the idyllic town of Summerton. But when their search for the serial killer takes an unexpected turn, suspicion is cast on those they trust the most. As secrets shatter around them, can they save the next victim? Or will they become victims themselves?

My Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: The Shattering by Karen Healey is an interesting blend of mystery and paranormal, which I wasn’t expecting. I requested it thinking that there would be a murder mystery to solve, but halfway through the book, the story entered into the realm of paranormal. Unfortunately, that’s when the plot became less compelling; and in the end, my initial hunch about Jake’s death proved to be correct.

There were some positives about The Shattering though. It is the first book I’ve ever read that is set in New Zealand and Healey manages to successfully convey the country’s beauty. As well, the group of characters in The Shattering is diverse and they’re created well enough so that they won’t become reduced to stereotypic labels like “the rich kid.” The alternating perspectives from Keri, Janna and Sione also allow the reader to understand each character better and know what is going on when they aren’t together.

The Shattering was released by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 5, 2011.

Comments About the Cover: I didn’t realize initially that the purple in the background made a face, but once I did, the cover just became oddly creepy to me. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) for free via NetGalley.

Guest Posting at A Tapestry of Words

Just a quick note: I've been invited to guest post today for Danya's month long Psychtember event. So head on over to A Tapestry of Words and check out my thoughts on OCD and how I think it is portrayed in Terry Spencer Hesser's Kissing Doorknobs.

Review: Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

From Goodreads: Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire ...  fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil ... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops. Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast - as the entrees. The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends - especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache - to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

My Rating: 4 hearts  

Thoughts on the Novel: What happens when a heartless teenage vampire girl gets stabbed by a unicorn and ends up developing a conscience? Well, you get Sarah Beth Durst’s Drink, Slay, Love: a book with a fun plot and one that manages to be original despite revolving around the theme of vampires.

The main character, Pearl, is snarky and perfectly capable of kicking anyone’s butt, human or vampire. Looking at things through her perspective was really interesting and entertaining. For example, on her first day of school, Pearl tells her teacher that she’s not afraid to speak up in class because she’s superior to him. Her change from viewing her classmates as potential prey to friends was gradual and believable.

The other characters in Drink, Slay, Love were also enjoyable. Evan’s hero complex was sweet and even though I guessed his mysterious secret early on, it was still fun waiting for Pearl to try and figure it out. Matt and Zeke were amusing every time they showed up, and the popular girls in Drink, Slay, Love turned out to be as human as everyone else, which I really liked. As for Pearl’s family, in spite of how violent they were – hey, they are vampires! – there were incidents when they made me laugh too. Cousin Antoinette, for instance, teaches Pearl about school using Molly Ringwald movies as examples.

The thing that I found really great about Drink, Slay, Love was the way Durst set up all the different relationships. Pearl’s eventual romance with one of her classmates took time to develop and began only once the two got to know each other sufficiently well. Likewise, there were people Pearl hung out with at school that she doesn’t consider friends until much later. In real life, you can click with some people right away but establishing an actual friendship takes time and effort.

There is also a nice contrast between Pearl’s biological family and Evan’s adopted family. Just because you’re born into a family doesn’t mean that being around those people is healthy, and sometimes you need to move away or create a new family in order to get the freedom to be able to make your own choices.

A novel that’s guaranteed to make you giggle, but one that still has some serious undertones, Drink, Slay, Love will be released on September 13, 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books.  

Comments About the Cover: I love the cover! It clearly shows off that it’s about vampires but does so in a fantastically creative and cute way. The cover is a little misleading however because the vampires in Drink, Slay, Love don’t like drinking blood out of bottles or bags. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Simon and Schuster) for free via Galley Grab.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Faerie Ring

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Jill at Breaking the Spine to feature upcoming books that we can't wait to get our hands on. 

Title: The Faerie Ring

Author: Kiki Hamilton
Publisher: Tor Teen
Date of Release: September 27, 2011 

Goodreads Description: The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood - Tiki’s blood. Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched - and protected - by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist. Prince, pauper, and thief - all must work together to secure the treaty ...

Why am I waiting? I love the Victorian era, and because I still haven't read many books about faeries, I'm really glad that this one offers both. Plus, when you have thieves involved, you know there's bound to be danger and adventure.

Review: Witch Song by Amber Argyle

From Goodreads: The world is changing. Once, Witch Song controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons - but not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by a traitor. All but Brusenna. As the echo of their songs fade, the traitor grows stronger. Now she is coming for Brusenna. Her guardian has sworn to protect her, but even he can't stop the Dark Witch. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find the traitor. Fight her. Defeat her. Because if Brusenna doesn't, there won't be anything left to save. 

My Rating: 4 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Amber Argyle’s debut novel, Witch Song, is a story that I found myself easily becoming engrossed with in the midst of a reading slump. The plot was pretty solid and I thought the concept of witches using their voice through songs to control nature rather than something like wands to be quite unique. As well, with her descriptive writing, Argyle made the setting and characters really easy to visualize.

In the beginning of Witch Song, Brusenna (aka Senna) hardly knows much about her heritage because her mother is intent on keeping Senna safe and hidden from the Dark Witch. After her mother leaves to fight the Dark Witch though, Senna decides that she is done with being scared. Over time, she learns to trust others, discovers what it means to be a Witch and develops leadership qualities. While I liked Senna for the most part, I found her actions to be puzzling at times. For example, I could understand her unwillingness to let anybody close since everyone she loves tends to (involuntarily) leave her, but that is a risk I would take were I in her place if it meant help on my quest.

My favourite character in Witch Song was Joshen, Senna’s Guardian. He was brave, protective and extremely loyal, choosing to stay close to Haven even after Senna forced him to leave. It was nice to see that their romance developed slowly and wasn’t based on instant love.

My only real criticism against Witch Song was that the big duel between Senna and the Dark Witch was sort of anti-climatic. Also, the true villain in the story appeared a little too late for my liking and seemed crazy instead of scary.

A lighter fantasy, Witch Song was released on September 1, 2011 by Rhemalda Publishing.

Comments About the Cover: The cover is very pretty and to me, it kind of gives off this medieval vibe which I really like. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Rhemalda Publishing) for free.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fateful and The Night Circus

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Jill at Breaking the Spine to feature upcoming books that we can't wait to get our hands on. 

Title: Fateful

Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Date of Release: September 13, 2011 

Goodreads Description: It's about a servant girl named Tess in 1912, who wants to escape from the house where she works, and most particularly the lecherous young lord of the manor. But that's not her biggest problem. While on a voyage to America, where she plans to escape and start a new life, she meets Alec, who's ruggedly handsome, fabulously wealthy, intelligent and yet so clearly troubled that she'd rather not fall for him, but she does. That also is not her biggest problem. Alec, it turns out, is a werewolf ... one cursed to change every night, unless and until he surrenders his independence and joins the Brotherhood, a pack of violently misogynistic werewolves who have been tracking him for months. You'd think that would be their biggest problem, wouldn't you? But no. Their biggest problem - though they don't know it yet - is that they're aboard the RMS Titanic

Why am I waiting? I liked Gray's Evernight series which had vampires. This one has werewolves, which I'm less of a fan of, but it's also got the Titanic. It's worth at least checking out.

Title: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Publisher: Doubleday

Date of Release: September 13, 2011 

Goodreads Description: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Why am I waiting? Since it revolves around a circus, this one seems pretty unique. Add in a forbidden romance and some magic, and you've got me somewhat curious.

Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

From Goodreads: An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human ... Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the Changed, Alex meets up with Tom - a young army veteran - and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to survive. 

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick is the first post-apocalyptic book I’ve ever read, and I learned quickly that this is a genre I’m probably going to stay away from in the future simply because I tend to avoid stories that are really violent. With a large amount of people becoming feral and happily munching on entrails and such, Ashes made me a little nauseous; but if that’s something you can handle, then it is full of it.

That said, I kind of felt like Ashes was almost two books put together into a really long one. The first part was action-packed and intense as Alex, Ellie and Tom tried to avoid any zombie-like teen who craved their flesh (i.e. one of the Changed) and figure out what had happened and what to do. While I liked Tom, and Ellie ended up growing on me despite the fact that it was harder for Tom and Alex to survive with her than without her, I couldn’t really connect with Alex and thought that her character was slightly unbelievable. I don’t know many seventeen-year-olds who seem perfectly capable of surviving by themselves, but with Alex’s knowledge about camping, various gadgets, guns and medical aid as well as her ability to shoot well, it turns out nicely that she ended up being Spared. Expect me to not last very long if an apocalyptic event ever occurs!

Then something happens and the story randomly skips forward by three days. Huh?! The characters you’ve become familiar with disappear and the pacing slows to a crawl once Alex settles in the town of Rule. Bick soon introduces a new romantic interest, but because he and Alex don’t spend tons of time together, I felt like I barely knew him and couldn’t figure out why they liked each other. Things in Rule however aren’t what they appear to be. Just as secrets start to get revealed though and the stakes rise again, a cliffhanger leaves you high and dry.  

So, upon further reflection, I lied. Since Ashes turned out to be better than I thought it would be, I probably will read another post-apocalyptic book in the future – just one with less gore.

Ashes will be released on September 6, 2011 by Egmont USA.

Comments About the Cover: You should know by now that I gravitate towards gorgeous covers and there is nothing pretty about Ashes’, which is good considering its contents. Rather, the cover of Ashes freaks me out and in no way makes me want to pick up the book. Zombie fans should be happy with this one though.

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Egmont USA) for free via NetGalley.

Sweet Venom 2 Title Hunt

Hi, guys! If you're here for the Sweet Venom 2 Title Hunt, my letter is ...

W

For all the details about the hunt, go to Tera Lynn Child's blog which contains the entry form, an explanation of how to do the hunt and the links for where you can find the other letters. The Sweet Venom 2 Title Hunt is open internationally and up for grabs are five signed copies of Sweet Venom and a grand prize that is a $50 bookstore gift card.

Happy hunting, everybody!

.................................................................................................

Here's more about Sweet Venom, the first book in the Medusa Girls series 

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster. Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though. Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters. These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Blogoversary Giveaway #2

Since I’m hopelessly behind in everything blog-related - yes, this post is late too - I’m going to keep this post short and sweet. I just wanted to say a huge thank you to HarperCollinsCanada for all their support and as a way of showing my appreciation, I’m going to give one person the chance to win one HarperCollins title released in 2011. So, this means that you could win something like Kiersten White’s Supernaturally (check out my review here) which has already been released or a highly anticipated upcoming title like Claudia Gray’s Fateful or Leigh Fallon's Carrier of The Mark. The catch is this: You must correctly guess at least one of the covers below to be entered.

 

I’m always keeping an eye out for books with gorgeous covers so I’m hoping this giveaway will be easy for most people. In case you need a hint though, they are all 2011 titles from HarperCollins.   

Here are the rules:

1. This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to your country. Click here to see the list of countries to which shipping is available. 
2. You must be over the age of 13.  
3. Following is appreciated but not necessary.
4. This giveaway will end on September 22 at 11:59 PM EST.
5. To enter, you must guess at least one cover right. Each correct guess leads to one entry.

Blogoversary Giveaway #1

Guess what?! Today my blog turned one!

A year ago, if anyone had told me I’d be blogging for this long, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. A) because while I love reading, writing things down has always been a challenge, regardless of whether it’s an essay or a note to myself (the thought of even picking up a pen makes my mind go blank!) and B) because I didn’t think anyone would care about what I had to say.

So a huge thank you to everyone who has seen my ramblings, taken the time to leave comments, emails or Tweets for me to read and welcomed me on Twitter after I solemnly vowed to myself that I wouldn’t ever join a social networking site (I’ve been immensely pressured to join Facebook by my friends but I haven’t caved to that yet – go me!). As well, I’d like to say a massive thanks to all the authors and publishers who have provided me with books to review, answered interview questions or written a guest post.

Anyway, here's the part you really care about. I'm going to give one person the chance to pick two books from the following:  

 

Waterfall (River of Time #1) by Lisa T. Bergren (check out my review)
Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1) by Leanna Renee Hieber
All These Things I've Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin
Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1) by Richelle Mead
Isle of Night (The Watchers #1) by Veronica Wolff
Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson
As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

Read the rules before filling out this FORM: 

1. This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to your country. Click here to see the list of countries to which shipping is available. 
2. You must be over the age of 13.  
3. You have to be a follower to enter.
4. This giveaway will end on September 22 at 11:59 PM EST.
5. Extra entries are available so check out the form to find out how to increase your chances of winning.
6. Tally up your entries correctly or I will disqualify you.

Review: Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren

From Back Cover: Gabi knows she's left her heart in the fourteenth century, and she persuades Lia to help her return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, months have passed, and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence - while their enemies will go to great lengths to see them dead. Even in the midst of the battles, Gabi's heart is increasingly drawn to Marcello, just as Lia's is to Luca. In medieval Italy, the sisters discover things inside themselves that they couldn't seem to find in the present - connection with their mom, courage within, and the understanding that a life well lived often means encountering sacrifice. But in a world long past, many things still keep Gabi from giving Marcello her heart forever ... and one thing in particular calls all three of the Betarrinis home. 

My Rating: 5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: It’s rare for me to like a sequel just as much as the first book in a series, and with trilogies, I tend to find that the middle books lag a bit. Lisa T. Bergren’s Cascade however was just as awesome as Waterfall!

At the end of Waterfall, Gabi and Lia had returned to the twenty-first century out of sheer necessity. In Cascade then, they appear in their medieval dresses in the Etruscan tomb and quickly get into trouble for entering the archaeological site without being authorized to do so. After Gabi and Lia explain to their mother what happened to them, Mrs. Betarrini decides to humour her daughters and they all end up going back to the tomb. Of course, Gabi and Lia aren’t lying and the two soon find themselves in fourteenth century Italy with their mother. This time though Gabi and Lia are clearly aware of how dangerous life is in medieval Italy.

So not only does Cascade reunite us with Gabi and Lia who are mentally tougher now, but it continues to be action-packed and full of romance. While Gabi and Marcello are still deeply in love, the relationship between Luca and Lia is heating up as well. Also, though there wasn’t a lot of Fortino, we’re introduced to the mysterious Lord Greco who may or may not be a villain. Since Luca seems like he’s going to be off the market soon, I’d like to thank Bergren for adding another hot Italian knight to the mix. I love morally ambiguous characters and there better be a lot of Lord Greco in Torrent!

Cascade ends with a huge twist that will have you pining for Torrent, the final book in the River of Time trilogy. Since I’m now dying to see the ramifications of the Betarrini ladies’ actions, it’s a good thing that the wait for Torrent – it comes out September 1, 2011 – isn’t long.

Cascade was released in June 2011 by David C. Cook. 

Comments About the Cover: I want a cover that captures your eye and shows off how amazing the River of Time series is. This cover does neither and makes me wonder why the model looks like she is asleep (seriously, that’s one of the two ways I lie when trying to go to sleep). Alternatively, I think that she is praying and that makes me want to avoid picking up the book. Oh well, it least matches Waterfall’s cover.  

Review: The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

From Goodreads: Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy. Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss - a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways. 

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: I’ve always been interested in books dealing with hard subjects like grief, abuse, etc. So when I heard that Jennifer Castle’s The Beginning of After was available on NetGalley, I requested it immediately.

Unfortunately, The Beginning of After wasn’t what I expected. Rather than finding myself in tears, I struggled to finish the book because I felt emotionally detached from the characters. It’s not that the writing was bad, but since Laurel’s family is killed right in the beginning of the novel and she doesn’t reflect about them that much, I felt like I barely knew them and couldn’t really mourn their loss. In fact, Laurel tends to avoid her emotions, dealing with her grief by remaining stoic for the most part – she does break down occasionally – and rarely thinking about her family. While I didn’t expect her to stop living, things like prom and dating probably wouldn’t be really high concerns for me if I had lost my entire family.

Speaking of dating, neither of the guys in The Beginning of After appealed to me. Joe was kind of boring – the one remarkable thing about him was that he drew people as comic book characters – and it seemed like the only reason Laurel was interested in him was because he provided her with a shot at normalcy. David on the other hand was a jerk. Sure he seemed to understand Laurel in a way that nobody else could and has a history with her that we only get glimpses of; but after Mr. Kaufman becomes comatose, David stays in the hospital for a bit and then shirks all his responsibilities by hitting the road so that he can be anonymous. I understood his urge to get away from everything, but trying to abandon his dog didn’t make David a great guy in my eyes.

If you’re in the mood for a novel like The Beginning of After, I’d highly recommend reading Gayle Forman’s If I Stay and its sequel Where She Went instead.

The Beginning of After will be released by HarperTeen on September 6, 2011. 

Comments About the Cover: It’s very pretty! The girl looks closed off and appears as if she’s thinking about something serious. Now if only Laurel had contemplated about her family that much, I’d be happy.

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (HarperTeen) for free via NetGalley.

Waiting on Wednesday: Sweet Venom and Isle of Night

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Jill at Breaking the Spine to feature upcoming books that we can't wait to get our hands on. 

Title: Sweet Venom

Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Date of Release: September 6, 2011 

Goodreads Description: Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster. Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though. Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters. These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Why am I waiting? I love Greek mythology and having read Childs' Oh. My. Gods series, I know I like her writing. Also, Jenny from Supernatural Snark reviewed Sweet Venom and since she enjoyed it, I'm sure I will too because we have similar tastes. 

Title: Isle of Night

Author: Veronica Wolff

Publisher: NAL Trade

Date of Release: September 6, 2011 

Goodreads Description: When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life - if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher - girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she's determined to do so, because to fail doesn't mean dishonor - it means death.

Why am I waiting? This one promises tons of action and sort of reminds me of Vampire Academy, a series I thoroughly loved. I'm hoping it's just as good.

Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron

From Goodreads: Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: After repeatedly trying to type up a review for Misfit by Jon Skovron, I’ve finally given up and figured I might as well just write down what I liked and disliked about the book. So here it goes:

Pros: 

• I liked seeing the relationship develop between Jael and Paul, her father, as he went from being someone who is distant to someone who learns to accept and see his daughter for who she is.

• Reading about Paul’s past was interesting because it allows you to see him as much more than just Jael’s father.
• Normally I tend to avoid books with a huge amount of religion, but Misfit wasn’t preachy. Instead, Catholicism provides a framework by which to view demons, and allows Jael and others to question their beliefs rather than to take them at face value. 

Cons:

• The pacing kept throwing me off since the book would switch from Jael’s present to Paul’s past without any warning.
• While I can understand Jael’s unwillingness to move again and sympathize with her situation, her stubbornness and dumb decisions made me dislike her. Her story couldn’t really hold my attention and portions about Paul’s past became a welcome reprieve.
• Jael’s best friend, Britt, appears selfish and obsessed with boys early on. I hate characters like that and being told that she goes down on a guy just for dinner didn’t win her any points. It was a little too late for me to like Britt by the time I found out she was broken.
• Though I liked Rob, the romance felt forced to me. A completely platonic relationship would have been much better.
• After getting her butt kicked the first time, the second confrontation between Jael and the demons hunting her just didn’t seem that epic to me. 

Misfit was released by Amulet Books on August 1, 2011. 

Comments About the Cover: I like the simplicity and darkness of the cover. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (ABRAMS) for free via NetGalley.