Teaser Tuesday #19

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
• Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

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My current read: Sanctus by Simon Toyne

Random Page: #341

Teaser:

The Abbot looked up, suddenly aware of the silence. On the laptop a progress bar edged its way to one hundred per cent then vanished. ‘Has it all been wiped away?’

‘Yes,’ the Informer said. ‘It’s gone.’

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Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Paranormal YA

Publication date: 06/01/2011

Publisher: Harper Collins

Format: Paperback – 335 pages

Series: Book #1 in the Paranormalcy series

My Rating: 10/10

Buy the book

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Summary:

Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter and she’s the only person who can see through paranormal’s glamour's, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying and Evie’s dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She begins to suspect there is a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths, and even worse, that she is at the centre of a dark prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

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My thoughts:

I fell in love with this book from the first page. Actually I should say I fell in love with the main character from the first page; Evie is such a bubbly, funny, down to earth character that it’s pretty hard not to like her if not impossible.

The two guys in Evie’s life were fantastic! I loved them both for different reasons. Lend was just a cutie-pie and had a great story and personality. While Reth – the slightly insane – faery was kind of a jerk but still endearing.

The plot was brilliant. It had me feeling sympathetic, angry and upset in exactly the right places. It kept me on the edge of my seat, reading and turning the pages as fast as I could, just to find out what happens as soon as possible. It is definitely one of those books that’s hard to put down.

This is definitely a must read; it leaves you breathless with laughter at times, breathless with anticipation and tired from all the hours of sleep lost due to staying up most of the night reading it!

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Great quotes:

"Yes, I have a driver's license"
I leaned back against the wall, sighing. "Man, that must be so cool."
"It ranks right up there with lockers. In fact, sometimes I put my license inside my locker, and it's so cool I worry that the whole thing might explode with the sheer coolness of it all."

"Lish tried to swear--which is always funny, because the computer won't translate it. It went something like this: "Bleep stupid bleep bleep faeries and their bleep bleep bleep obsessions. He had better stop bleep bleep bleep the bleep bleep rules or I will bleep bleep bleep the little bleeeeeeeeeeep."

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About the author:

Hi! I'm the New York Times best-selling author of Paranormalcy. I also give the most awkward hugs in the world. You should probably opt for one of my books over one of my hugs, but then again, maybe you like awkward hugs.

As for me, I like writing flirting scenes, and fighting scenes, and sometimes I write scenes that fall somewhere in between the two, but only if I can't avoid it.

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In My Mailbox #11

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi with The Story Siren.

So this week I bought:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The Fallen 1: The Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas E. Sniegoski
• Need by Carrie Jones
• Captivate by Carrie Jones
• Entice by Carrie Jones

Happy reading everyone!

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On My Wishlist #17

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 want but haven't 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 to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

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The High Regent has called members of each royal vampire family to council. Katrina Von Dracek wonders what this will mean to her.
Does the council really intend to start a new covern in the Americans or is there something else?

All Katrina's vampire senses tell her evil is a

round them and that she will be the one called upon to save them all.

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Allison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody Bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET). It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison’s blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.

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Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she's the best—but she doesn't know if she's good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option...even if the task is impossible.
Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn't destroy her, succumbing to Raphael's seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break…

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Harper Madison isn't like other girls. She has extraordinary powers, but her inability to control them has gotten her kicked from so many foster homes she's lost count. Shadowford Home is her last chance, and she hopes Peachville High will be the fresh start she needs. But when evidence ties her to the gruesome murder of a Demons cheerleader, Harper discovers this small town has a big secret.

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Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

So that’s what’s on my wishlist this week. What’s on yours?

Early Review: Possession by Elana Johnson

Title: Possession

Author: Elana Johnson

Imprint: Simon Pulse

Publication date: 6/7/2011

My rating: 5/10

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Summary:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

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My thoughts:

This is a hard one to review mainly because it was one of those books that just don’t agree with me and I find hard to really get into for no distinguishable reason.

I did like quite a lot of aspects of the book. I loved the snarky main character who doesn’t take no for an answer and works for what she wants. I loved the tone she used when presenting the story. It had a sort of sarcastic sense of humour which is what I really love.

So it wasn’t really the characters that I didn’t like. It wasn’t the story line itself either. It was a nice idea; a world with advanced technology that essentially rules everybody’s lives and a life filled with rules that are just made to be broken.

I just think that the story didn’t flow very well and it sort of stopped and started again like an old car trying to start. It started very well to the point of me thinking that this could potentially turn out to be an amazing story, but then it just ran out of steam. It was really disappointing when everything started to become predictable and clichéd at points.

Also, in parts of the story a relationship between two of the characters started to develop. That’s fine and all but not when it just comes out of nowhere. I felt that the characters falling in love just happened with no development in between or any sort of beginning to the relationship. It just turned straight into the ‘I love you’ phase….that’s not realistic, not at all, so I was extremely put off. The story just didn’t develop enough for me. It’s a shame really.

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About the author:

 (I just have to mention how much I looooove Elana’s hair!!)

My debut novel, POSSESSION, will be published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster) on 6/7/11.

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Review: Debugging Tori Redding by Jason Ancona

Title: Debugging Tori Redding

Author: Jason Ancona

Publication date: 20/12/2010

Rating: 6/10

Buy the book

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Summary:

Fed up with her peers and their loose morals, Tori starts a new school program, the Not So Fast club, a group dedicated to keeping teens from doing everything they want to do--drink, have sex, and rush to grow up.
A severe toothache interrupts her plan, sending her to the dentist, where she's given an emergency root canal. During the surgery, she's electrocuted and ends up blacking out. When she awakes, her brain has the ability to function like a computer.
Tori uses her new skills and aggressive personality to charge up the club.

Hated by the entire school, she discovers that NSF now stands for: Narcs Suck Farts. Game on. Tori memorizes every school rule, issuing tickets for every little infraction.

After a serious crime occurs, Tori must use her talents to save a life, all while trying to free herself from her mind.

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My thoughts:

Tori is one tough character. Full of attitude, she doesn’t care what others think of her and starts her own club with a great message. She represents every teenager trying to get along in school. Why should we be forced to grow up just because everybody else is doing the same thing? We should be free to make our own pace and not be criticised for it.

Tori is such a relatable character even if she can be seen to be pretty cattish to put it nicely. She reminds me a lot of me actually. Someone who bites back at criticism that can’t be taken lightly. I do have the tendency to be pretty nasty when I get defensive. But that’s just it, it’s a defence mechanism – we all do it, it’s just that some do it more than others.

I did think that the story could have flowed a little better and could have been brought to a close a bit less abruptly.

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About the author:

Freakishly nerdy in high school, Jason became a certifiable weakling when he lost an arm-wrestling match to a female cheerleader in class.

Never a participant in school activities, he fantasized about being someone else -- an athlete, a secret agent, or whatever character he created in the latest role-playing game.

His imaginary worlds didn't help in the dating department, but they sure were fun to explore.

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Review: The Limit by Kristen Landon

Title: The Limit

Author: Kristen Landon

Publication date: 07/09/2010

Rating: 5/10

Buy the book

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Summary:

An eighth grade girl was taken today . . . With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

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My thoughts:

I loved the truth behind the story of this book.

The main character, Matt, and his family have to be careful in how much money they spend a month in case they go over their monthly limit of debt.

Nowadays, all lot of people, especially the younger generations, have the attitude of needing instant gratification. The attitude that if we want something, we get it straight away instead of waiting for it, even if it’s something we can most definitely afford. We are all guilty of it I think, one way or another.

Doesn’t it feel better though, to wait for a little while? So that when we do get what we want, it feels like a bigger deal because we have been patient and saved that bit more money. Like me waiting for a month to buy any books. I save that bit more money, it feels great when I do buy some books like it’s a sort of reward for being patient and I get to catch up on my reading pile in the meantime!

This book gets that message across perfectly. If Matt doesn’t save money in the smallest – or not so small – of ways to get his family back under ‘The Limit’ then he doesn’t get to see his family again. Getting back to his family is the ultimate reward.

However, I couldn’t really get into the book as much as I wished to. I appreciated some of the humour in it and the message and all but at times the book just…dragged. Nothing really exciting happened, or nothing that had any real consequence at least. The story ran out of steam after a while until the ending came.

The ending was….okay. It could have been a whole lot better. But it wasn’t, because nothing happened. Again. It was just the same problem, over and over.

Overall though, it was okay and the message behind the story was great.

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About the author:

Kristen Landon always thought it would be nice to live in a place where winter never gets too cold. Besides one lovely winter in California, she has spent her life bouncing back and forth between Michigan and Utah – both great places in the spring, summer, and fall. She now lives with her husband and four children in a home with fabulous views of Utah’s beautiful mountains out every window.

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