Saturday 31 July 2010

On My Wishlist (#1)


On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

So I've decided to take part in Book Chick City's 'on my wishlist' meme; I thought that maybe it would give you guys a little insight into what kind of books I like to read and how I choose them. Without further ado, here's what's on my wishlist this week!
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I have to say, this is one of the best book covers I have seen in a while. Can anyone say AMAZING?

Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1)
Harper Teen


Summary:  


Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. 


Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and she wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens. 








 Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.


Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.





Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.


But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost - regardless of her plans or desires.





     Suddenly, none of the rules that kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; everything. 

Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.  





                                                                                    


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The summary of this next book appealed to me a great deal.




                                                                                               



The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1)


Random House




Summary: 
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know how or why they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they've closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark.

The Gladers were expecting Thomas's arrival. But the next day, a girl arrives in the lift - the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might be able to find their way home...wherever that may be. But it's looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable. And something about the girl's arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers - if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets lost within his own mind.  

                                                                        



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Last but by no means least......




                



The Dark Divine (The Dark Divine #1)
Egmont USA

Summary:
A prodigal son.

A dangerous love.

A deadly secret.

Grace Divine - daughter of the local pastor - always new something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother. 

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the one she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.



        





Monday 26 July 2010

Glass Houses Review

Summary:
Welcome to Morganville. Just don't stay out after dark...

Morganville is a small town filled with unusual characters - when the sun goes down, the bad come out. In Morganville there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows - one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

For Claire Danvers, high school was hell, but college may be murder. It was bad enough that she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the school's mean girls, but now she's got three new roommates, who all have secrets of their own. And the biggest secret of all isn't really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires, and they are hungry for fresh blood...

After being almost killed by mean girl Monica Morrel, Claire Danvers decides she has had enough of her traumatic dorm situation and heads off campus to look for a room.

However, the old house she finds (Gone with the Wind meets The Munsters) may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show any signs of life, but they come out fighting when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood...

What I loved most about this book was the characters. The vampires could have been a bit more on the creepy side but the heroes were so fun to read about and get to know that it leaves you begging for more.

This book deals with everything; teenage issues, first kisses, going to college, making new friends...fighting vampires. You name it.

The plot line is full of twists and turns that have you on the edge of your seat and steadily reading faster and faster in excitement (it did me!).

A word of warning though; at the end of this book is the mother-of-all cliffhangers so I recommend buying the next book in the series before you finish this one!

All in all, Glass Houses is a definite must read that can be enjoyed by teens and adults alike. I certainly can't wait to move on to the next in the series ' The Dead Girls' Dance'.

Rating: 9/10                                                                           

Check out the author (Rachel Caine) here!


Buy this book at Amazon!




Sunday 25 July 2010

Saturday 24 July 2010

Stray Review




Summary:

I look like an all-American grad student. But I'm a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a stray attacked.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back...for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever and whoever -- I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays -- 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them...

Faythe Sanders is not your average graduate student; she can shape-shift into a giant black cat.

After a stray attacks her on campus and another tabby cat goes missing, Faythe is forced to return home for her own protection. There she must fight to assert her independence in a world where a women's role is giving birth to ensure the survival of the species. Faythe must fight to prove she is worth more than her uterus, and as the danger moves closer and closer to home, prove to herself that she can save her won life.

I'm a big fan of urban fantasy and shapeshifter romances so when a friend recommended this book, I was quick to rush out and get it.

It's told in the fist person narrative which gives the book a personal feel to it. But the fist person narrative is no good if the character telling the story isn't very likeable.

There were times when I found Faythe Saunders to be selfish, controlling and inconsiderate. Faythe is supposed to be 23 years old and yet she acts like a child for most of the book.

It would have been great if Faythe admitted to her faults, developed and improved towards the end of the book. But she didn't.

Quite a few of the rest of the characters were somewhat two dimensional. After a while they seemed to sort of blend together and I would be stuck trying to figure out who was who. It's not that there were too many characters but no development; no description of their appearance, characteristics...nothing.

To keep from rambling on about how much I didn't like this book, here's what I did like.

The fist chapter of the book delved straight into a little bit of action. It did get a little slow after that but the last third of the book was great. There was action, romance, torture...you name it.

There were also a few little surprises that were completely unexpected and are well worth mentioning in this review. Surprises are always a good thing right?

Even though I didn't particularly enjoy this book completely, I am going to give the rest of the series (Shifters) a chance. I do have a few unanswered questions to figure out and you never know...maybe Faythe Sanders will improve over the next few books.

Rating: 5/10                                                            
                                         
Visit the author here

Publisher: Mira Books

Buy this book at Amazon                        


Thursday 22 July 2010

Paranormal Pre-order Contest

Check out this amazing contest being held by Books Obsession
Some of the books on offer will make you drool a little! (or maybe not)

Check it out HERE

Monday 19 July 2010

Hush Hush Review

Hush, Hush

Amazon Summary:


A sacred oath, a fallen angel, a forbidden love...

This darkly romantic story features our heroine, Nora Grey, a seemingly normal teenage girl with her own shadowy connection to the Nephilim, and a super-alluring bad boy, Patch, now her desk mate in Biology class.

Together they find themselves at the centre of a centuries-old feud between a fallen angel and a Nephilim...

Forced to sit next to Patch in science class, Nora attempts to resist his flirting, though gradually falls for him against her better judgement.

Meanwhile, creepy things are going on with a mysterious stalker following her car, breaking into her house, and attacking her best friend, Vi. Nora suspects Patch, but there are other suspects too.

Love certainly is dangerous... and someone is going to have to make the ultimate sacrifice for it.

After finding a lot of reviews and comments (both good and bad) regarding Hush Hush, I decided to give it a go.

What's surprising to me is that this book is actually really hard for me to review given the fact that I found myself enjoying it for the most part, so forgive me if it's a little 'all over the place'.

Hush, Hush was not at all what I was expecting. After reading the summary I thought the plot line would be along the lines of a war that Nora Grey somehow gets into the middle of. But that wasn't the case.

It was a little slow to start off with but Hush Hush is a book filled with mystery, action and (I found) quite a bit of humour.

I read the whole book in just one sitting it was that entertaining but after I started to think about what to write in a review, I found myself with so many questions unanswered and dissatisfied with character's roles in the story somewhat.

There was a lack of descriptive writing in some places that could have answered the questions roaming around in my mind. The story would have had a better flow to it if that were the case, as at parts, I felt that the story just jumped from one huge drama to another without any development or build up in between.

Be that as it may, I still found said drama to be particularly engaging which led to Hush Hush being a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

My Rating:                                                              
8/10








CymLowell

Friday 16 July 2010

Sisters Red Review

Sisters RedAmazon summary:

The story of Scarlett and March, two highly-skilled sisters who have been hunting Fenris (werewolves) - who prey on teen girls - since Scarlett lost her eye years ago while defending Rosie in an attack. Scarlett lives to destroy the Fenris, and she and Rosie lure them in with red cloaks (a colour the wolves can't resist), though Rosie hunts more out of debt to her sister than drive.

But things seem to be changing. The wolves are getting stronger and harder to fight, and there has been a rash of news reports about countless teenage girls being brutally murdered in the city. Scarlett and Rosie soon discover the truth.

Meanwhile Rosie finds herself drawn to Silas and the bond they share not only drives the sisters apart, but could destroy all they've worked for.




Apart from the great summary, what attracted me to Sisters Red was initially the cover. Everyone knows not to 'judge a book by it's cover' but I just couldn't help myself. I mean, look at it; I'd be amazed if not one person in my local Waterstones didn't glance at it as they walked by. I love the bold colours and the haunting red eyes, but what's also great about it is what it represents. After reading the book I realised that there is a deeper meaning to the cover (or maybe I just read into things too much).

I have to say, this was the best werewolf-based story I've read in a while. The fact that the werewolves in the book were portrayed as bloodthirsty beasts with no souls - right until the end - re-awakened my dormant love of werewolf fiction.

Sisters Red is loosely based on the well-known fairytale 'Little Red Riding Hood' with a slightly darker, gothic touch to it. It's completely devoid of damsels-in-distress but rather filled with characters that can take care of themselves to say the least. What readers get is an action-packed, unputdownable story that - for the most part - keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Speaking of which, one thing that really got me on the edge of my seat, and at times tears in my eyes, were the relationships between the protagonists of the story. Scarlett and Rosie have an incomparable bond which is made known throughout the story in the most perfect of ways.
The love between Scarlett, Rosie and most times Silas is absolutely breathtaking. It's what makes Sisters Red one of those memorable reads.

Having said all that, at times the fight scenes become just a tad repetitive. After the trio of hunters move to the city to take advantage of the increasing number of Fenris (werewolves) residing there, more and more similar fight scenes occur, making the story drag a little bit.

Nevertheless, the last third of the book more than made up for it with a sneaky plot-twist and a really clever and wonderful ending. (Seriously, the ending nearly made me cry).

My Rating: 8/10                                            



Wednesday 14 July 2010

Books Glorious Books

I know what you're thinking; cheesy name huh? Well, deal with it because it's not going anywhere!

As I have mentioned before (if you have read my personal info.) I am a passionate reader. I started this blog so that I can share my personal opinions (of books) with anyone who wishes to read them.

As my first post I just wanted to say welcome! I hope you enjoy future reviews I post and find them to your liking. If so, then please come again. Comments are appreciated.