Mundie Moms

Monday, October 31, 2011

Book Review: The Slayer Chronicles, First Kill by Heather Brewer


Released on: September 20th, 2011
Source: ARC from the publisher to review
4 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

You've heard Vlad's side of the story . . . now, it’s Joss’s turn.

With over a million copies already in print, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is still sinking its fangs into new readers every day. Now, bestselling author Heather Brewer brings us the other side of the story, from the perspective of Vlad’s former friend turned mortal enemy: vampire slayer Joss Macmillan. In five books that can be read alongside Vlad Tod or entirely on their own, Joss discovers his powers as the youngest, strongest slayer in history. And just in time, too: with all the vampires running rampant, he’s going to need all the help he can get. This action-packed series will quench the thirst of even the hungriest veteran minions -quoted from Goodreads

There's two sides to every story and Heather Brewer does a fabulous job at giving us our first dose of Joss Macmillan's story. Fans of Vladimir Tod will remember Joss as the one time friend, and now enemy of Vlad's. In First Kill, Heather gives us a completely different side of Joss, and it wasn't hard for me to not only like Joss, but sympathize with him and all he endures in this story.

Joss is a very strong willed, determined kid who is set on making right something horrible that happens to his family. What he quickly learns is that the odds are stacked against him and he has a lot to prove in order to become the youngest vampire slayer, something that seems nearly impossible. What I admired about Joss was inability to just give up and walk away, something he was given the chance to do a few times through out his ordeal. Some of the stuff he had to endure is brutal, but it's something that started to shape the character he becomes. Having seen this, and the reasoning behind why he went through all this, made it easier for me to like and sympathize with him as a character. I should say I was more understanding of why he does the things he does.

I thought Heather did a great job at setting up the series and the rest of Joss's story with First Kill. The setting made the story that much more exciting, as much of it is set out in the woods where Joss's Uncle lives. I liked meeting the other slayers who lived there and seeing their different personalities. Heather ends the series with a great little twist. I knew something was up, but I didn't except this one character to be the one that betrays the group. First Kill is a fast paced, quick, exciting read. There's plenty of action, heart break, suspense and even a betrayal that will keep Vlad fans hooked with this exciting companion series. If you're a Vlad fan, I highly recommend picking this book up!

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 20: Chapter 19 BOADICEA


It's day 20 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 19. Things really start to unravel in this chapter. There's casualties from the attack, Tessa learns who her father is (well sort of), we learn that Mortmain went to great lengths to create Tessa and we see just how strong of a character Tessa really is.

* Mortmain is a sick, deranged man and now everything about him and his whole plan makes sense. He's plotted from the get go to get Tessa, but Tessa has a surprise of her own. Did Tessa's character surprise you at all with what she does to save everyone? When I first read CA, I thought she had truly made the ultimate sacrifice. She definitely out smarted Mortmain.

* Do you think the being that Mortmain wanted her to change into was her father? Everyone keeps telling her she's a warlock, but there's something she is that no one is telling her. What do you think that is?

* What do you think of Will's reaction towards Tessa at the end of this chapter? Where do you think that will leave them?

Mundane Monday #108

Happy Mundane Monday! Hopefully a sweet Jace moment will make your Monday mornings much more pleasant ;)


Clary show him an irritated look. "Thanks, but I'm not really a thigh sheath kid of girl," She slid the dagger into the outside pocket on her backpack.

She looked up from closing it to find Jace watching her through hooded eyes. "And one last thing," he said. He reached over and pulled the sparkling pins out of her hair, so that it fell in warm and heavy curls down her neck. The sensation of hair tickling her bare skin was unfamiliar and oddly pleasant.

"Much better," he said, and she thought this time that maybe his voice was slightly uneven too.

- City of Bones, page 214, image found here

Happy Halloween!


We want to wish everyone a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Be safe & have a wonderful time today and this evening.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 19: Chapter 18 Thirty Pieces of Silver


It's day 19 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 18. The cat's out of the bag now! The plot twists have been revealed (of course not all of them) and more twists keep on coming. NO freaking way! Nate! How could you!?! Those were my first thoughts when I first read this chapter! I can't believe he sold his sister out. At least we know his true colors now. We also know who the Magister is..... aka Mr Mortmain, and we've learned more about his twisted plans. What a lovely set up, don't you think? Cassie did a great job this betrayal from Nate. We also meet Church for the first time and find out what Mrs. Dark really is.

* I seriously don't even know what to ask. There's so much that just happened, I don't even know where to start. So much about Nate has now been revealed. Did you guys except this from Nate? It's a bit of a shocker isn't it? I completely despise him! To think he sold his sister out for money.

* I'd say Mr Mortmain did a great job at staging this entire attack. How in the world do you think he's able to control/get De Quincey and the Dark Sisters to work for him? Mortmain is obviously an intelligent person, and I'd assume he has a back up plan just in case something doesn't go his way. What are your predictions for what's going to happen next?

* I can't even imagine what Tessa is thinking right now. If you were Tessa, what would your next move be? Would you fight to save your brother or would you stand with the Shadowhunters and fight against him?

Giveaway Winners!!!


CONGRATULATIONS to the following winners:

#4 Britney W

1st winner (copy of Smokeless) #131- Carina
2nd winner (ebook of Smokeless fire) #175- Lora
3rd winner (ebook of Smokeless fire) #146- Giulia

#47- Kiera B


All winners have been notified via email and have 48 hrs to reply, or new winners will be chosen.

Don't forget to enter our other giveaways listed on the right side hand bar under CURRENT GIVEAWAYS. We have giveaways for The Scorpio Races, Crossed, The Iron Knight, Eve, Nightshade and Croak going on.

Cover Reveal: BETRAYED by Ednah Walters

I'm so excited to share Ednah Walter's new cover reveal for her sequel in the Guardian Series, BETRAYED! BETRAYED has a whole new look along with a whole new publisher, Spencer Hill Press, and will be released in June 2012!


Published by: Spencer Hill Press
To Be Released on: June 2011
Originally Released on: July 4th, 2011 via Firetrail Publishing
2nd in: The Guardian Series
Pre-Order from: I can't find the book w/ the new cover via either store yet. I'll update the links when I do.

Lil isn't just an average teenager. She's one of the Nephilim--the descendants of humans and angels--which gives her some serious psi skills and a mission for redemption. Just when Lil thinks she's found a balance between her normal life with human friends and her training to become a Guardian, she's warned that someone close to her will betray her. When the boy she loves starts acting strangely and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability, Lil begins to realize that someone is manipulating the people she loves... and won't stop until she's been lured to the dark side.

I'm loving this new look. I think it's very fitting for the book and the series, and looks much more professional than the last cover did. What do you guys think?

Saturday, October 29, 2011

In My Mailbox #95 & Weekly Feature

Happy Saturday! I can't believe this coming week will be our wrap up for our Clockwork Angel Read Along. It has been so much fun talking about the book and reading everyone's comments. THANK YOU to everyone who's been apart of the read along.

Next weekend our Clockwork Prince 31 Day Celebration kicks off! I am SO EXCITED about this! We're kicking off the giveaway with an AWESOME, must have item from Habel Designs. Wait till you see it. I'll be posting the picture of it on the 6th, when


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers post about the goodies they've received in the mail the previous week for review, bought, won, were gifted etc. Here's the goodies that arrived this week...

For Review:

* The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, published by Scholastic, released on , already reviewed and loved it! Read my review here

* Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Alison Moulton, published by Harper Teen, to be released on February 14th, 2012

* After the Snow by S.D. Crockett, published by MacMillan Children's Books, to be released in 2012

* Unison Spark by Andy Marion, published by MacMillan Children's Books, to be released on November 8th, 2011

* Frost Wolf, Wolves of the Beyond #4 by Kathryn Lasky, published by Scholastic, to be released on December 1st, 2011

* My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, released on June 7th, 2011


Bought:

* The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
I LOVED this book. You can read my review here. Guess what!?! We're quoted in it!! I can't even tell you guys how excited we are at this awesome surprise.


Gifted:

For my upcoming birthday Sophie sent me these fabulous little goodies!

I can not wait to watch this movie!! I totally love the bookmarks. They made me laugh. I may include some of these with a few giveaways. THANK YOU so much Sophie. You already know this, but you're in so much trouble. I'll send Jem right over to handle that ;) *snickers*


Thank you to Scholastic, Courtney Allison Moulton, MacMillan and Sophie for this week's awesome goodies! What did you receive this week?

Cover Reveal: CROAK by Gina Damico

We're excited to be revealing the cover for debut author Gina Damico's upcoming YA release for CROAK. Along with the cover reveal, we're also hosting a giveaway for two ARCs of CROAK! First, here's the cover and a little bit about the book:

Published by: Graphia/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
To Be Released on: March 20, 2012
Pre-Order the book at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound


Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.
He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.
Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.
Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

What do you guys think? I think the cover matches the synopsis perfectly. I'm looking forward to finding out more about Lex's story this coming spring.

Just in case you're not able to make out what the quote on the book says, author Adam Rex said, "Go ahead and die laughing, knowing that the safe transport of your mortal soul will be the summer job of a sweetheart teen with a godlike power and discipline problems. A lot of books make me wish I could live within their pages, but I wouldn't mind dying in this one."

To learn more about CROAK, be sure to visit Gina on her Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

The Giveaway: Thank you to Gina, we're giving away 2 *signed* ARC's of CROAK along with two scythe pendants!!

To enter, please leave us a comment letting us know what you think about the cover, along with your email address. US residents only (please). This giveaway will end on November 22nd, 2011. I'll announce the two winners the following day.

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 18: Chapter 17 Call The Darkness Down


It's day 18 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 17. Well, this just became a bit more interesting. Charlotte and Henry are off, Will and Jem leave and find Mrs Dark (I didn't realize until now that is was Mrs & not Ms.... hmm wonder who she's married to), and the automatons are attacking the institute. OH, and Mrs Dark reveals that De Quincey is not the Magister.

* This plot line just became a bit more twisted and now we know who the Magister really is, since Mrs Dark said it was joke that Will & Jem thought De Quincey was him. Who do you think the Magister is?

* Someone must have known precisely when everyone was going to leave the institute for the automatons to attack right as Will and Jem, Charlotte and Henry have left. Who do you think is watching the Institute?

* I've read CA a couple times now and I just realized that Mrs Dark is a Mrs and not a Ms. Any thoughts on who she could be married to?

Friday, October 28, 2011

Meet Us At The Crossroads 2 Hour Author Chat

We are so thrilled to be hosting this years Crossroads Blog Tour Chat! Tonight at 8 pm - 10 pm CST here on the blog we will be chatting with authors:

Judith Graves
Angie Frazier
Amanda Ashby
Joy Preble
Carrie Harris
Dawn Dalton
Shannon Delany
Jackie Kessler
Jeri Smith-Ready
Kiki Hamilton
Kitty Keswick
Linda Joy Singleton
Lucienne Diver
Rachel Vincent
Stacey Kade

Come join the fun! You'll get to talk to some of your favorite authors and enter to win some awesome prizes!

Here's what we're giving away:

1st Hour-
- SIGNED copy of Under My Skin
- SIGNED copy of Bad Taste in Boys
- 1 grab bag of Crossroads Tour author swag

2nd Hour-
- SIGNED copy of The Faerie Ring
- SIGNED copy of The Eternal Sea
- 1 grab bag of Crossroads Tour author swag

See at the Crossroads!



*Our chat will start at 8 pm CST/ 9 pm EST. To join, hit join and enter a screen name.

*We do our best to make sure all comments are published, but not all the questions may be answered in the hour time frame of the chat. Even if your questions and comments are not published, we and our guest can still read them.

* The reason why we moderate our chats is to allow our guest(s) to be able to come on and chat with their fans with out feeling overwhelmed by everyone talking to them at the same time.

*In respect to our guest's time, we will only publish comments that pertain to their current writings, and book.

* We often times have other author guests who join out chats, but we only publish questions pertaining to the author who is chatting with us tonight.

*We will not post any personal questions or comments.

* Any rude, disrespectful, or spam like comments will not be published.

* Please do NOT include any attachments to your comments. They're very distracting and the pictures come in huge. Any comments with attachments will not be posted.

*Thank you and we look forward to chatting with everyone tonight!

**No part of this chat is allowed to be used with out our permission**

*** this chat post will be moved the night of the chat to be at the top of our blog.

Obsidian Mini Blog Tour: Book Review & Interview


We're thrilled to be the last stop in the mini blog tour for Obsidian, by Jennifer Armentrout. This book is a sizzling package of out of this world awesomeness! Today along with my "mini" (I tried to keep it mini) review, is my interview with Dee, one my favorite characters from the book.

Published by: Entangled Publishing
To Be Released on: December 6th, 2011
4.5 stars: Go Pick It Up
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.


The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is -quoted from Goodreads

Take some really hot, sizzling character chemistry, two stubborn love interests who know how to push each other's buttons, and add in some awesome out of this world characters and you've got the makings for one fabulously written story. Jennifer Armentrout never fails to make me fall head over heals in love with her writing. How could I not? Her sizzling character chemistry, well written characters, and action packed books always leaving wanting more. Obsidian definitely has all that and more.

Talk about a refreshing, Obsidian will give readers a whole new take on aliens. What Jennifer did with this story was absolutely awesome! You do not need to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy it. Believe me, there's plenty of sparks and snarky come backs flying back and forth between Kat and Daemon, that fans of romance will love it. I loved the whole "boy next door" thing that happens between Kat and Daemon. Who ever thought you could live next door to an extremely hot alien? Certainly not Kat, and boy did I love every moment of her getting to know Daemon. If you guys loved Jace in City of Bones, just wait till you meet Daemon.

As a new comer to a small town Kat's in for a eye opening experience when she moves next door and meets Daemon, becomes best friends with his sister Dee, whom I completely loved and inadvertently gets mixed up into their world. What I love about Kat is that girl not only holds her own, she can dish it right back to Daemon. She's a stubborn, independent, resilient, character who doesn't take crap from anyone, and she can hold her own in some of the fabulous action packed scenes. Plus she's snarky and I love that. To match her is Daemon who takes everything up a notch and completely ruffles Kat's feathers, to say the least. If Daemon and Jace where to battle it out, it would be a close call on which character would win. They both have a way for getting under the main characters skin as well as the readers, and yet you can't help but loving them. Then there's the fabulous Dee, who's such an awesome down to earth girl. She's completely opposite of her brother. It's hard not to love her.

There's so much more I have to say about this fabulous upcoming release, but I'll save the rest of my thoughts when I post my full review closer to the release date. If you've not already, go pre-order or add Obsidian to your list of must have books! There is some sizzling chemistry which leads to a hot little scene and there is mild language through out the book.
___________________________

Visit Jennifer on her Blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads
_____________________________

I'm so EXCITED I have the pleasure of introducing you guys to Dee, Daemon's brother and Kat's best friend.

Hi Dee! Welcome to Mundie Moms & thank you so much for joining us today. I'm excited to introduce you to everyone. How would you describe yourself in three words or less?

"Hi!" She waves. "Three words or less? I don't think I can describe anything in three words. Daemon- my brother- says I have a tendency to ramble. But anyway, three words? Um, I know what Daemon would say. "Dee is hyper."

What was your first impression of Kat?
She pops up. "Oh, my God, I love her! As soon as Daemon told me she stopped by for directions, I got so, so excited! When I saw her, I thought she was so pretty and looked nice. You know, like she'd be friendly. So I had to talk about her. And she was really nice, which says a lot, because she'd just talked to my brother, and well, he sort of ruins my friends."

What's one word you would choose to describe Obsidian?
Deadly.

How would you describe what you and your brother are?
Dee sits a back, eyes narrowing. "We are no different than you."

What's something you like about being on earth? Do you miss your home?
"I like everything about here. Probably because I don't remember anything but this. This is my home."

What's been the best thing that's happened to you and your brother this year?
"He'd be reluctant to admit this, but it's a person." Dee grins. "She lives next door."

Inquiring minds would like to know, what's one thing you can tell us about your brother that no one else would know?

A grin spreads across her face. "Daemon is pretty brunt, but what people don't know is that he's actually really caring and protective. I know that sounds crazy, but people don't know him like I do. They don't know the limits he'd go to help someone. If he had to throw his life away to save someone, he would. He's my hero."




Thank you so much Dee!! Don't miss the rest of the tour stops here:

Monday, 10/24: Books Complete Me
Tuesday, 10/25: Reading Angel
Wednesday, 10/26: Good Choice Reading
Thursday, 10/27: Between the Pages
Friday, 10/28: Mundie Moms

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 17: Chapter 16 The Binding Spell


It's day 17 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 16. I have so many issues with Nate, that I'm finding it hard to be objective about this chapter. We learn from Nate that he was kept by de Quincy and that he forced Nate to write the letters that brought Tessa to London, and we also learn why he did it. Nate also reveals that their had parent's ties to Mortmain, and that de Quincy knew them as well.

* Nate acknowledges that he knows what Tessa is. What do you think he meant when he said, "It ought to have been me." Do you think he's always known Tessa was different or do you think he only learned about Tessa's ability from de Quincy?

* Nate not only reveals why he wrote the letters, but he gave us the connection between de Quincy, Mortmain and Tessa. Since she wasn't born when her parents fled London, how would de Quincy know Tessa was something special, especially if Nate never told him anything about her?

* This story just got a little bit more exciting. It also looks as though darker things are about to happen. Why would de Quincy want to have an automation army? He's a vampire after all and a pretty powerful one at that.

Freebie Friday: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Happy Friday!!! Enter to win a copy of one my favorite reads this year, The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa. You can read my 5 star review here.


Published by: Harlequin Teen
Released on: October 25th, 2011

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn.

I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl… quoted from Goodreads

Thank you to Harlequin Teen, we have one copy to giveaway. To Enter, please fill out the form below.
- This is open to residents in the US only
- 1 entry per person, more than one will result in all your entries being deleted
- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter
- This giveaway will end on November 11th, 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Chat with The River of Time Series author, Lisa T Bergren


We are such huge fans of this series and we're so excited to have Lisa on Mundie Moms for a live author chat on TONIGHT, October 27th. If you haven't picked up this series yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. We will be discussing all three books in the series, and yes spoilers will be discussed during the second half of the chat.

Tonight we've got some awesome GIVEAWAYS for the chat! In order to be entered to win, all you have to do is join the chat & be present to win, as well as LIKE The River of Time Series facebook page and the Mundie Moms/Mundie Kids facebook page.

Giveaways are:

- 3 prizes: A River book for your friend, and another Bergren book for you (any River of Time book)

- 1 pair of earrings Lisa picked up in Venice

- 2 prizes: A River Tribe t-shirt

There's 6 giveaways in all and one will happen every 10 mins on the chat!!




*Our chat will start at 8 pm CST/ 9 pm EST. To join, hit join and enter a screen name.

*We do our best to make sure all comments are published, but not all the questions may be answered in the hour time frame of the chat. Even if your questions and comments are not published, we and our guest can still read them.

* The reason why we moderate our chats is to allow our guest(s) to be able to come on and chat with their fans with out feeling overwhelmed by everyone talking to them at the same time.

*In respect to our guest's time, we will only publish comments that pertain to their current writings, and book.

* We often times have other author guests who join out chats, but we only publish questions pertaining to the author who is chatting with us tonight.

*We will not post any personal questions or comments.

* Any rude, disrespectful, or spam like comments will not be published.

*Thank you and we look forward to chatting with everyone tonight!

**No part of this chat is allowed to be used with out our permission**

*** this chat post will moved the night of the chat to be at the top of our blog.

Hourglass Movie News & Timepiece by Myra McEntire




I love it when fabulous things happen for friends of mine, especially when that exciting news makes me scream and dance around like a little girl. We are beyond excited for our dear friend Myra McEntire who has announced that HOURGLASS has been acquired by Fox & producer John Davis!!! *throws confetti*

It's been so awesome seeing Hourglass go from manuscript, to published book and now to movie rights! Myra, we could not be any happier! Enjoy this awesome day and if we were closer we'd have already picked you up and taken you out to celebrate! I can't wait to see Kaleb, I mean the movie on the big screen!

You can read more about this exciting news on Myra's site, Deadline.com, and Variety.

Oohh and speaking of books, we were waiting for a big reveal in March 2012, but since the cover has already been leaked, we're so excited to post the FREAKING AWESOME cover to Myra's sequel, Timepiece!


This will be out on June 12th, 2012. Go add it to your list on Goodreads I just want to pet this fabulous cover! I love what they've done with Myra's covers.

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 16: Chapter 15 Foreign Mud


It's day 16 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 15. We hear Jem's heart breaking story, and learn why he looks silvery. There's much talk about the deadly automatons. War is on the horizon, and Nate's gone missing.


* There's so much to discuss about Jem. His story is so heartbreaking. I felt so bad for him hearing him recount what happened to him when he was eleven, but I admire him even more for trusting Tessa enough to tell her his story. I can also see why Will's been so protective of him. In keeping today's questions simple, I want to ask, If you were in Jem's shoes would you have made the same choice he did? No matter what he chooses it will kill him. Would you continue to take the drug to prolong your life, even it was slowly killing you, like it is Jem?

* Binding spells, demons, de Quincy and war. What in the heck is going on? Why would de Quincy want to make automatons and two, why would he use them to fight against the Shadowhunters? Why not just get an army of demons?

* Nate's gone missing. How does Nate tie into all this? Do you think he ran away?

Book Review: Out of Breath


By: Blair Richmond
Published by: Ashland Creek Press
Released on: October 11, 2011
Source: book from publisher to review
2.5 stars: I wanted to like it more than I did
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

Deep in the hills of Lithia brews an epic battle between evil and nature...

Nineteen-year-old Kat Jones has been a competitive runner since she was a young girl, but after her mother’s death, the path her life was supposed to take begins to crumble around her -- until one day, she finds herself on the run in a literal sense, this time in a race for her very life…

Kat’s journey takes her to the Pacific Northwest town of Lithia, the place of her last good memories, of the days when her mother was still alive. But soon after her arrival, strange things begin to happen in Lithia -- and when one of her new friends disappears under mysterious circumstances, Kat begins to realize that Lithia’s inhabitants are not all of this world. Worst of all, she is falling in love with one of these otherworldly locals, and the friend who hopes to save her has secrets of his own…

As Kat tries to rebuild her life, she is also training for a race that will turn out to be her biggest challenge yet, as she must outrun not only the demons of her past but the demons of the here and now, who threaten her very existence and that of the entire town…

At once a paranormal love story and an environmental allegory, Out of Breath offers an exciting new voice in young adult fiction. -quoted from the publisher's site

Out of Breath is a quick paranormal read with a beautifully captivating Northwest setting, has a few vampires, a love triangle and a little element of mystery to it that kept me turning the pages. I really liked the concept of this story and I of course loved the setting! I'm a sucker for an outdoor, specifically one that takes place in the Northwest like this book does. I think this setting worked great for this story and I liked that Blair was able to blend the way of life in the Pacific Northwest, which is very outdoor driven, heath conscious and eco-friendly, and the quiet little town feel into his book well. All of these things are both a big part of this story, and the character's life. The only thing that bothered was how often being a vegan is mentioned in the story. After the first few times I felt it was completely distracting to the story line to have it brought up as often as it was.

I liked that Kat, the main character turned to running as a way of healing from her past and what she's running from. I found her story was a bit fascinating and from the get go I wondered how she was able to go just "get by" the way she was. She's definitely one of those resilient characters who just makes do, and makes things work for her, and I admired that about her. Unfortunately, as the story went I found that's all I was able to like about Kat. It's not that she's not likable per say, but I really needed to have some sort of connection with her to like her the way I had excepted to, and I didn't get that. I adored Alex, one of the first guys in town that Kat meets, but what irritated me about their relationship is how quickly they went from really just meeting to all the sudden he becomes overly protective of her, and has this need to warn her about the other love interest Roman. Roman was a very hard character for me to like.

I'm the type of reader who needs character connection and a believable love story. As much as I wanted that from Out of Breath, I didn't get that with Kat, Alex or Roman. I felt like there was something missing with their character development that kept me from feeling that connection to them. I did however really enjoy the relationship between Kat, Stacey and her boyfriend David have. I liked that Stacey and Kat hit it off from the moment Kat comes to town and meets her. That relationship played well into the turn of events that happen in Lithia, and leave Kat questioning whether the impossible is really possible in this small town. The paranormal element with the vampires, the outdoors and Kat's history was a bit unique and I liked the elements that Blair uses to tell his story.

I'm a little torn on where I stand with this book, because there were times I liked it and other times I thought it was just okay, which is due to my feelings through out the story. For me, there were times I felt like either the plot line was missing something or it felt a little flat and there were others times I liked the little elements of surprise that Blair added to the story. Though I loved the setting and the way it wrapped into the story, overall I felt like too many little things were missing from the plot and the main characters for me to really like the book/connect with it, like I had hoped to. I can certainly see why others would love it, but it just wasn't a book that connected with me. Though I didn't like it as much as I wanted to, this is a book I'd recommend to older YA readers who enjoy paranormal reads.

Don't miss the Halloween book launch Ashland Creek Press is hosting on Halloween, Monday October 31st, 2011. Please go here to find all the details.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 15: Chapter 14 Blackfriars Bridge


It's day 15 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 14. I adore Jem and Tessa's moments together. We learn a bit more about Will, and we also learn a little more about the Clave. Jem and Tessa get attacked.

* I adore Jem and Tessa's scenes together. I love that he tells her she's human in all the ways that matter. Jem always seems to say the right words and he's so even tempered and nice to everyone. Do you think Jem is just being nice to Tessa or do you think he's starting to like her?

* Tessa talks to Jem about Will, specifically when he acted like he's drunk when clearly he hadn't had a drink. Jem confides in her that he has followed Will before and all he did was wonder the streets of London. Why do you think Will is 1) wondering the streets and 2) why would he lie about it? What do you think changed that would make Will all the sudden want to join the Shadowhunters?

* The Coachman comes for Tessa when she's with Jem and says she belongs to the Magister. How do you think Tessa belongs to the Magister/de Quincy? What do you make of the attack on the Shadowhunters? Do you think there's more to come?

Book Review: Eve (Eve #1) by Anna Carey


Published by: Harper Teen
Released on: October 4th, 2011
Source: ARC from Deb Shapiro & Company
4 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound


Where do you go when nowhere is safe?

Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

In this epic new series, Anna Carey imagines a future that is both beautiful and terrifying. Readers will revel in Eve’s timeless story of forbidden love and extraordinary adventure. -quoted from Goodreads

I finally know what all the hype surrounding Eve is all about. This was such a fun, fast paced, exciting read that left me wanting more. It didn't take me long to get sucked right into Eve's world. Eve's setting is one that mixes together standard dystopian elements, as well as a few new ones. The world has lost most all of it's population from a plague caused by vaccinations, keeps it's small group of boys and girls completely separate (as in different parts of the now untamed country), has resistant groups dotted through out the country, an inhumane government controls what everyone does, as well as feeds it's citizens lies, and the country itself is ruled by an equally inhumane King, known as the King of New America. Oh wait, I left out that all kids become orphans at least in Eve's school and the school raises the kids and preps them aka "nurtures" them to how they see fit. Did I mention the school and the government work together? This story wouldn't be complete without a character journey, and Eve's journey is one that is eye opening and starts to change the way she views the world around her.

Eve herself is one of those fabulously written characters who's independent, extremely intelligent, beautiful, and I loved that she embraces her femininity, something that's rarely seen with dystopian heroines. While there's still much to learn about Eve and her world, I enjoyed taking her journey with her. She grew from someone who questioned what she was brought learning and what she was now being told by someone she didn't quite trust in the beginning of the book, to uncovering secrets and lies that were kept from her. She become someone who was able to take charge and she found the courage she needed to fall in love, trust in others, choose her own path, defend her honor and when all else felt lost, she found the strength to carry on. Above all, she made the choice to choose her freedom vs embrace the civic duty her was raised to carry out, which she learned more about right before she escaped.

This story also includes a love story that leaves me wanting more. I loved the way the relationship between Eve and Caleb is written. Eve was raised to think boys were bad. Her school taught her that all men are extremely dangerous, as they have no self control. So when Eve meets her knight and shinning armor, who rescues her from a bear attacking her, she struggles with realizing that this guy is not like the guys she was taught about. The first thing she says to him is absolutely hysterical. I won't spoil it for you guys. Their forbidden love story made the story that much more exciting for me. They're both fugitives on the run and while harboring Eve puts Caleb in more danger, he doesn't wavier on his loyalty to her and I loved that about him. I like that they both learn to trust each other.

The ending leaves me wishing I already had the sequel in my hands. I'm eager to learn more about Eve, her world, her friends and those that get left behind. Anna did a great job at introducing me to Eve and the world around her without giving me everything I wanted to know. Being the first book in the series I understand why she didn't give everything way. I think this is a world that will continue to be built upon as the series continues. Which I like, because that keeps me invested with the storyline and has me wanting to read more. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in Eve's series. Eve for me was a really fun, engaging read and it's one I'd recommend to reads 13 years and older.
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Want to win an ARC of Eve? Thank you to Deb Shapiro & Company I have an ARC I'm giving away. Since I have this ARC in my hands, I'm going to open this giveaway up internationally. International giveaway rules do apply :)

To enter:
- Please fill out the form below
- One entry per person (duplicate entries will be result in all your entries being deleted)
- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter (or have your parent/guardian's permission to enter)
- This giveaway will end on November 18th, 2011

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