Book Review / Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

As this is book 2 in a series, below is the description for book 1.  For more information on book 2, please click on the Goodreads link in the post below.

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.


Published:     20th July 2010
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Author Website:  Click here
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 2, The Wolves of Mercy Falls
Source:  Bought
Review:   1000000000000000000 out of 10


MY REVIEW


What I loved about this story...   
What can I say, I am absolutely loving this trilogy so far.  With this book 2, it takes the story to the next level.  I still love the romance element of this story.  This book continues to introduce me to even more about the Wolves of Mercy Falls.  I thought I had learned a lot in the first book (Shiver) but apparently I hadn't leaned enough!  There are a lot of obstacles and questions in this book that I am hoping will get answered in the final book in this trilogy.   I cannot wait to find out so much that as soon as I have finished writing this review I am going straight back and reading the final book!  

What I was not fond of with this story...
In this story there are a couple of characters who have really started to irritate me and they are Grace's parents.  In book 1 they are 'absent' parents.  Never around and when they are Grace is really the one who is the parent, even cooking for the family every day.  In this story they seem to want to get more protective and want to tell Grace what to do.  For me, that just doesn't seem right for them to play the parent card when they have been absent for so long.  We'll see what the final book does to deal with that situation, I hope it is not ignored as I would love to see some kind of resolution in the relationship between Grace and her parents. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


 New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

Waiting on Wednesday / Famous Last Words by Katie Alender

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.

Expected Release Date: 30th September 2014
(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.

Hollywood history, mystery, murder, mayhem, and delicious romance collide in this unputdownable thriller from master storyteller Katie Alender.

Willa is freaking out. It seems like she's seeing things. Like a dead body in her swimming pool. Frantic messages on her walls. A reflection that is not her own. It's almost as if someone -- or something -- is trying to send her a message.

Meanwhile, a killer is stalking Los Angeles -- a killer who reenacts famous movie murder scenes. Could Willa's strange visions have to do with these unsolved murders? Or is she going crazy? And who can she confide in? There's Marnie, her new friend who may not be totally trustworthy. And there's Reed, who's ridiculously handsome and seems to get Willa. There's also Wyatt, who's super smart but unhealthily obsessed with the Hollywood Killer.

All Willa knows is, she has to confront the possible-ghost in her house, or she just might lose her mind . . . or her life.

Acclaimed author Katie Alender puts an unforgettable twist on this spine-chilling tale of murder, mystery, mayhem -- and the movies.

Book Review / Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.


Published:     5th October 2009
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Author Website:  Click here
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 1, The Wolves of Mercy Falls
Source:  Bought
Review:   1000000000000000000 out of 10



MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...
OMG, why has it taken me so long to read this book?  As I mentioned in a previous review post, I made the goal this year that I would start reading the books that are actually on my shelf rather than the shiny brand new ones that I may buy or may want to buy.  This is one of those trilogies that I had on my list that I needed to read.  At the time of its release, there was a really big buzz about this book/trilogy that I just had to pick them up and why would I not - just look at the incredibly cover....

This book was incredible, amazing, wonderful and so many other words that I could use but it would make this review pages and pages long.    If I had to pick one thing that made this book amazing, it would have to be the love story element of this book.  For me, the heart of this book is the love story between Sam and Grace.  Watching them meet, time and time again, and watching their relationship throughout the story.    

Of course, you have the central story of the Wolves of Mercy Falls who lives in the forest by the humans.  I felt that this story really did go into great detail of their way of life and also how they interacted with each other.  I have to admit that I have not read that many wolf stories but this has definitely won me over completely and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

Stacking the Shelves / 22nd June 2014

Book Review / The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

So as not to spoil the story as this is book 2, below is the description of book 1 in the series.  There is a link below to the Goodreads page for this book two...

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel. 


Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing.

 There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order.

The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

Published:     26th December 2007
Publisher:  Delacorte
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 3, Gemma Doyle Trilogy
Source:  Bought



My Review   5 out of 5


What I loved about this story...

This trilogy has become one of my favourites of the year by a long way.  As this is book 3, there is a lot of plot line etc that I won't go into.  The plot continued to be fun and suspenseful and following Gemma Doyle and her friends through what they need to do still kept me at the edge of my seat.

I loved this trilogy and would definitely re-read it over and over again in a heartbeat!


What I was not fond of with this story...

This third book in the series was over 800 pages long.  Although I enjoyed the fact that there was more story to enjoy before the end of the trilogy, I did feel that it dragged in places and could have easily been a 500 or so page book rather than 800 pages.  

That being said, I loved the trilogy in its entirety and would recommend it to everyone!

About the Author

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room floor. I could tell you the facts–I lived in Texas for most of my life; I live in New York City with my husband and six-year-old son now; I have freckles and a lopsided smile; I'm allergic to penicillin.

But that doesn't really give you much insight into me. That doesn't tell you that I stuck a bead up my nose while watching TV when I was four and thought I'd have to go to the ER and have it cut out. Or that I once sang a punk version of "Que Sera Sera" onstage in New York City. Or that I made everyone call me "Bert" in ninth grade for no reason that I can think of. See what I mean?

Waiting on Wednesday / The Bodies we Wear by Jeyn Roberts

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.

Expected Release Date: 23rd September 2014

(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.

A streetwise girl trains to take on a gang of drug dealers and avenge her best friend’s death in this thriller for fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander.

People say when you take Heam, your body momentarily dies and you catch a glimpse of heaven. Faye was only eleven when dealers forced Heam on her and her best friend, Christian. But Faye didn’t glimpse heaven—she saw hell. And Christian died.

Now Faye spends her days hiding her secret from the kids at school, and her nights training to take revenge on the men who destroyed her life and murdered her best friend. But life never goes according to plan. When a mysterious young man named Chael appears, Faye’s life suddenly gets a lot more complicated. Love and death. Will Faye overcome her desires or will revenge consume her?

Stacking the Shelves / 14th June 2014

Waiting on Wednesday / Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.

Expected Release Date: 16th September 2014
(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.

When Cate Benson was twelve, her sister died.

Two hours after the funeral, they picked up Violet’s replacement, and it was like nothing had ever happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to grant their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth. So this new Violet has the same smile. The same laugh. That same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

Or at least, that’s what the paparazzi and crazy anti-cloning protesters want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that, though. She’s used to standing up for her sister too, and she’s determined to prove her innocence now—at whatever the cost. But the deeper she digs for the truth, the further Cate's carefully-constructed life begins to unravel, unveiling a world filled with copies and lies, where nothing and no one—not even her sister— is completely what they seem.

In a pulse pounding debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

Book Review / Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

So as not to spoil the story as this is book 2, below is the description of book 1 in the series.  There is a link below to the Goodreads page for this book two...

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel. 


Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing.

 There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order.

The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

Published:     26th December 2006
Publisher:  Ember
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 2, Gemma Doyle Trilogy
Source:  Bought



MY REVIEW    (5 out of 5)

What I loved about this story...

As this is book 2 in a series there is a lot that I can't say here about the story, what I will say is that the plot was just as fun and suspenseful as book one and definitely kept me hanging on the edge of my seat right the way through until the very end of the story.  The character of Gemma Doyle just has so many layers to her that even more are revealed throughout.

A really great book two in a trilogy.  I was completely addicted to this series after reading the first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty.  Now after reading this second book, my addiction to this series has seriously gone up to possible obsession level! 


What I was not fond of this story...

Loving this series to near the point of obsession, can't wait to read the next one!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room floor. I could tell you the facts–I lived in Texas for most of my life; I live in New York City with my husband and six-year-old son now; I have freckles and a lopsided smile; I'm allergic to penicillin.

But that doesn't really give you much insight into me. That doesn't tell you that I stuck a bead up my nose while watching TV when I was four and thought I'd have to go to the ER and have it cut out. Or that I once sang a punk version of "Que Sera Sera" onstage in New York City. Or that I made everyone call me "Bert" in ninth grade for no reason that I can think of. See what I mean?

Waiting on Wednesday / The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.

Expected Release Date: 5th August 2014
(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

May Reading Wrap Up and June TBR Pile (2014)

Book Review / A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

 Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true.

Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions.

Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order.

The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order.

Published:     9th December 2003
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 1, Gemma Doyle Trilogy
Source:  Bought



MY REVIEW       (5 out of 5)


What I loved about this story...

Now this is one of those books that I have had on my shelf for absolutely ages.  I actually bought this just after I first started blogging, which was in 2010 and I can't believe I have waited this long to read it.  This book was amazing.

Firstly, let's talk about the historical element to this story.  This story is set in an era where the women were second class in the community, the man came first.  It was an era where the women went to boarding school to become ladies, make the most of themselves so that they are the best catch for marriage.  Spence school is one of those places.  The ladies at Spence are expected exactly to be that, ladies.  They are meant to be proper and reserved.  That is until Gemma Doyle comes in.  There is something about her that is different.

Next, let's talk about the plot.  This first book in the series has such a great suspense build up I could not put this book down and if I had to for some reason I immediately returned to it as soon as possible.  There's something different at Spence Academy and there is something different about Gemma Doyle, figuring out what was going on is only half the story!

What am amazing read, I can't wait to get on with the rest of the trilogy.     

What I was not fond of with this story...

I loved every part of this first book in the trilogy, can't wait to read on!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(From Goodreads)

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room floor. I could tell you the facts–I lived in Texas for most of my life; I live in New York City with my husband and six-year-old son now; I have freckles and a lopsided smile; I'm allergic to penicillin.

But that doesn't really give you much insight into me. That doesn't tell you that I stuck a bead up my nose while watching TV when I was four and thought I'd have to go to the ER and have it cut out. Or that I once sang a punk version of "Que Sera Sera" onstage in New York City. Or that I made everyone call me "Bert" in ninth grade for no reason that I can think of. See what I mean?

Book Review / The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.

Published:     7th September 2013
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Not part of a series
Source:  Bought

My Review   (5 out of 5)

What I loved about this story...

As with every single Nicholas Sparks book I have every read (and that's all of them!), this latest book from him definitely did not disappoint.  This book was full of emotion, tragedy and happiness - all rolled into one!

One half of the story, you have the story of Ira who is trapped in his car after having a car accident on a lonely road.  He starts hallucinating and sees his wife Ruth, who died many years ago.  Along the story, we see Ira remember bits and pieces of his life including meeting Ruth and how they built a very precious collection of paintings.  I found this part of the story very heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time.

The other half of the story is with Sophia and Luke.  Sophia attending college and trying to forget my ex and Luke who is a bull rider with a death wish.  For this part of the story, I really loved the way that these two characters met, the way that they both have issues that they need to work through and loved following them throughout the story trying to deal with those issues and interact with each other as well.

As usual with a Nicholas Sparks book, he saves a 'big reveal' until the end, which I won't spoil, but it definitely did not disappoint.  I was completely gripped into this story from the start right until the very last word.

What was not fond of with this story...

Loved this book completely, I couldn't possibly think of anything that I didn't like!


About the Author

As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually.

Author Website:  http://nicholassparks.com/

Best wishes

Debs :-)

Book Review / Goddess by Laura Powell

Strikes. Starvation. Riots. Britain is at breaking-point and Aura is blind to it all. The Cult of Artemis is the only home she’s ever known. 

Enclosed in its luxury lifestyle, the unrest gripping the country seems to belong to a distant world. Her dream is to serve the Goddess and taking a vow of chastity and obedience seems a small price to pay. 

But days before Aura is due to be initiated as a Priestess, she meets Aiden, the rebellious son of a cult insider, whose radical ideas and unsettling charm force Aura to question everything – and everyone – she knows.


Published:     10th April 2014
Publisher:  Bloomsbury
Goodreads :  Click here
Author Website: Click Here
Series:  Not part of a series
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher



MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...

I was really excited about this book, firstly because of the author Laura Powell.  Last year I had read Burn Mark by her and really enjoyed her writing style.  When I heard that she had written something new I was very excited to see what it was all about.

I really enjoyed the secrets aspect of this story.  You have the main character Aura who we see at the start following what she has always known and following the rule book.  She then meets Aiden and from then everything in her life changes.  Aura's journey through discovering herself, discovering secrets from her family and discovering possible conspiracies made me want to keep turning the pages until the very last.

What I was not fond of with this story...

If I had to be honest, the topic of gods and goddesses is a very touch and go area for me.  Depending on the story and how the topic is covered depends on whether I get on with it or not.  

With this story, there were aspects that I didn't follow but that was probably purely because I am not too familiar with gods and goddesses etc but please do not let that influence you in any way.  It is a really great story with great twists and turns. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Powell grew up in rural Wales and now lives in West London. 

She wrote her first book while studying Classics at Oxford and worked in publishing for five years before leaving to concentrate on her writing.

Waiting on Wednesday - Bleed Like Me by C Desir

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.


Expected Release Date:   7th October 2014
(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.


Seventeen-year old Amelia Gannon (just "Gannon" to her friends) is invisible to almost everyone in her life. To her parents, to her teachers--even her best friend is more interested in bumming cigarettes than bonding. Some days, the only way Gannon knows she’s real is by carving bloody lines into the flesh of her stomach.

Then she meets Michael Brooks, and for the first time, she feels seen to the core of her being. Obnoxious, controlling, damaged and addicting, he inserts himself into her life until all her scars are exposed. Each moment she's with him is a passionate, painful relief.

But as the relationship deepens, Gannon starts to feel as if she's standing at the foot of a dam about to burst. She's given up everything and everyone in her life for him, but somehow nothing is enough for Brooks--until the ultimate test.

A piercing, intimate portrayal of the danger of love so obsessive it becomes its own biggest threat.

Book Review / The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

Published:     1st March 2004
Publisher:  Corgi Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 2,  Robert Langdon
Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW    (5 out of 5)

What I loved about this story...

I had watched the movie of this story, with Tom Hanks in it, so many times I thought it was about time I read the book and I was glad that I did.  It definitely did not disappoint both in respect of being better than the movie and in respect of giving me newly found respect for the movie now that I had read the book.

The story in the books is virtually the same as the story in the movie so there were no hidden surprises, what I had expected to happen did and the 'grand reveal' at the end was just as good in both the movie and the book.

By far the best aspect of this book is the suspense and build up.  You have this scene at the beginning where the curator has been murdered and the way that he chose to deliver his final message before death, which starts the book off with a piece of a massive puzzle that gradually comes together, piece after piece, as the story goes on. 

What I was not fond of this story...

I have to be honest and say that there is absolutely nothing I could say under this heading, I loved this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best selling novels of all time as well as the subject of intellectual debate among readers and scholars. Brown’s novels are published in 52 languages around the world with 200 million copies in print.


In 2005, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine, whose editors credited him with “keeping the publishing industry afloat; renewed interest in Leonardo da Vinci and early Christian history; spiking tourism to Paris and Rome; a growing membership in secret societies; the ire of Cardinals in Rome; eight books denying the claims of the novel and seven guides to read along with it; a flood of historical thrillers; and a major motion picture franchise.”

The son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist, Brown was raised on a prep school campus where he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion. These themes eventually formed the backdrop for his books. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he later returned to teach English before focusing his attention full time to writing.
Brown is currently at work on a new book as well as the Columbia Pictures film version of his most recent novel.

Author Website:  http://www.danbrown.com/

Waiting on Wednesday - Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.


Expected Release Date: 5th August 2014
(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.

There are whispers of a ghost in the slaughterhouse where sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic—a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. When one of the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor, humiliates Wen, she makes an impulsive wish of her own, and the Ghost grants it. Brutally.

Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including their outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the Ghost and learns he has been watching her … for a very long time.

As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen must confront her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen’s, and her need to appease the Ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat—real or imagined. She must decide whom she can trust, because as her heart is torn, the factory is exploding around her … and she might go down with it.

●● Waiting on Wednesday - Servants of the Storm by Delilah S Dawson ●●

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.


Expected Release Date: 5th August 2014
(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.

A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.

But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real ... including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.

As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.

Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly ... and everything to do with Dovey herself.

Book Review / The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe

So many secrets for such a small island. From the moment Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy, a boarding school for the world’s wealthiest teens, the hushed truths of this strange, unfamiliar land begin calling to her—sometimes as lulling drumbeats in the night, sometimes as piercing shrieks.

One by one, unanswered questions rise. No one will tell her why a line is painted across the island or why she is forbidden to cross it. Her every move—even her performance at the school dance—is graded as part of a competition to become valedictorian, a title that brings rewards no one will talk about. And Anne discovers that the parents of her peers surrender million-dollar possessions to enroll their kids in Cania Christy, leaving her to wonder what her lowly funeral director father could have paid to get her in… and why.

As a beautiful senior struggles to help Anne make sense of this cloak-and-dagger world without breaking the rules that bind him, she must summon the courage to face the impossible truth—and change it—before she and everyone she loves is destroyed by it.

Published:     14th January 2014
Publisher:  BenBella Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 1, The V Trilogy
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

My Review    (4 out of 5)

What I loved about this book...

I was definitely intrigued when reading the blurb (above) to this book.  I have to admit that I have a weakness for stories about family secrets and this one just screamed out to have a lot of them.   First off, let's just talk about the cover.  It is so spooky and the way that the girl is walking towards what I can only guess is Cania Christy and seeing a single light on in the top window.  Spooky to say the least.  I have always found that to draw me into reading a book the first place I look is obviously the blurb which tells you about the story but the second is always the cover.

This is one of those books that has a lot of build up at the beginning that leads to a 'big reveal' nearer the end of the book.  The big reveal in this book did not disappoint.  I spent a lot of the book up to nearer the end point wondering where this story was going but when it came to that big reveal, I did have to take a moment to sit back appreciate it in all its glory.  It was definitely one of those wow moments for me as I definitely did not see that coming.  

What I was not fond of with this book..

As I mentioned, there is a lot of build up in this book towards the 'big reveal' and I have to be honest and say that I did get a little bit bored with the build up at times and did wish for something else to come along and surprise me,  but unfortunately for me it didn't.

Summary...

A really great read with a fantastic twist near the end.  A lot of build up at the beginning but the ending is definitely worth the wait!


About the Author

Joanna Wiebe is represented by literary agent Jason Anthony of Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant - the first installment in the V Trilogy - is published by BenBella Books.

Author Website:   http://joannawiebefiction.com/

Best wishes

Debs :-)

Book Review / A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Sun, sex, and ... step-brothers.

Another sizzling story from Hamilton High.

Whitley Johnson's dream summer of shopping, partying and tanning on the beach has just turned into a nightmare. Because Dad didn't tell her he doesn't live by the beach anymore, or that he's no longer a bachelor. He's picked up and moved to a tiny, lame town called Hamilton and gotten himself a fiance. A fiance whose son just happens to be what's-his-name from last week's drunken graduation party one night stand. Just freakin' great.

As if the summer couldn't get worse, Dad seems to forget Whitley's even there. She doesn't fit in with his perfect new country club family, and Whitley does what any kid lucky enough to go all summer unsupervised does: she parties. Hard.

So hard that she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a younger future step-sister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't 'do friends') and a smoking hot, sweet guy who isn't her step brother (yet) and who actually seems to care for her. It will take all three of them to convince her that they're not phoneys, and to get Whitley to get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Published:     6th February 2014
Publisher:  Hodder
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Not part of a series
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

My Review  (5 out of 5)

What I loved about this book...

Wow and I mean WOW!  This book was so amazing I really don't know where to start.   

Ok, let's go.  First let's talk about the main character.  Whitley is so out of control at the beginning of the story and I really can't blame her given her situation at that time.  The way she reacts to situations throughout the book are both emotional and funny (and believe me sometimes at the same time).  I loved the way that her character progresses through the book and watch how she deals with things that are thrown into her path.  

What made this book great for me was the relationships between each of the characters, including Whitley, and how they develop throughout the book.  The people that I thought would have been not very nice turned out to be the opposite and one character, in particular, really surprised me but I won't say who as I don't want to spoil the story for you. 

 
What I was not fond of with this book...

I'm only adding this point here as it was a negative point to a character but was not necessarily a negative point against the story as a whole.  I really did not like Whitley's Dad.  His personality was one that seemed to just change when he met someone new, treating Whitley completely different to what he had done in the past and completely disregarding their relationship in its entirety, choosing just to go to work and let others deal with his child.  Grr..... 

In summary...

A hilariously fantastic read with great emotional depth in most of the characters... Add this book to your shelf now..... :-)


About the Author

"I always felt like the 'ugly girl' in high school, so when I was introduced to the word during my senior year, I knew I was the Duff. The idea of writing a book with DUFF as the title started as a joke, but when I realized that my friends felt like Duffs, too, I knew I had to write this story!"
   —Kody Keplinger on her inspiration for THE DUFF, her debut novel
 
Kody Keplinger was born and raised in rural western Kentucky. She always enjoyed writing and began working on "novels" when she was eleven. She wrote her first published work, THE DUFF, during her senior year of high school. Since then, Kody has written two other novels, SHUT OUT and A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE.

Kody currently lives in NYC and writes full time. She enjoys Thai food, Converse tennis shoes, and way too much television.

Kodya writes for YA Highway, a blog devoted to the young adult publishing industry. She is also a featured writer for Poptimal.com, a popular pop culture blog, where she reviews TV shows and movies.

Author Website :  http://kodykeplinger.com

Best wishes

Debs :-)

Book Review / A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

The deeper the water, the darker the secrets

There were so many times I thought about telling you the truth, Eva. What stopped me was always the same thing…

When Eva’s husband Jackson tragically drowns, she longs to meet his estranged family. The journey takes her to Jackson’s brother’s doorstep on a remote Tasmanian island. 

As strange details about her husband’s past begin to emerge, memories of the man she married start slipping through her fingers like sand, as everything she ever knew and loved about him is thrown into question. Now she’s no longer sure whether it was Jackson she fell in love with – or someone else entirely…

The truth is, it was all a lie . . .

Published:     27th March 2014
Publisher:  Harper
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Not part of a series
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher



My Review  (10 out of 10)

What I loved about this story...

I have to say that Lucy Clarke is fast becoming one of my favourite authors of all time.  Her first book, the Sea Sisters (check out my review here - click here) was a phenomenal read for me.  

First of all, I love the way that Lucy Clarke structures this story.  There are quite a lot of characters in this story and usually I do find it hard to keep up with characters if there are loads in the story but the way that this story is structured and the descriptions of each characters and their particular circumstances made it so easy to remember each character and their story, alongside the main story of this book.  

Not many books really surprise me with plot twists.  This book completely pulled the wool over my eyes until very near the end with its plot twist.

I absolutely loved the main character of this story, Eva.  You see her at the beginning of this story sad that her husband had tragically drowned and her grieving process.  When she decides to meet her husband's estranged family and she learns new details, that for me was when I really saw her character change and from then on for the rest of the story I loved to watch her process these new details and see how she deals with them.  


What I was not fond of with this story...

I loved this book and there was absolutely nothing that I disliked.

About the Author

Lucy Clarke has a first class degree in English Literature, and is a passionate traveller and diarist. 

She has worked as a presenter of social enterprise events and a creative writing workshop leader. Lucy is now a full-time novelist.

Her debut novel, The Sea Sisters (UK), was a Richard and Judy Summer 2013 Book Club choice, and was published in ten countries.
Lucy is married to James Cox, a professional windsurfer, and together they spend their winters travelling and their summers at their home on the south coast of England.



Author Website:  http://www.lucy-clarke.com/


Best wishes

Debs :-)

●● Waiting on Wednesday - My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal ●●

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog.


Expected Release Date: 10th June 2014
(Release date obtained from Goodreads)

Goodreads link is here.

What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss—the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died—is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made—good and bad—that led to her last kiss.

Series Review: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden & The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

From the bestselling author of The Secret of Ella and Micha comes a mesmerizing novel of fate, friendship, and the healing power of love . . .

THE COINCIDENCE OF CALLIE AND KAYDEN

For Kayden, suffering in silence was the only way to survive. If he was lucky, he could keep his head down, do as he was told, and make it through the day. But one night it seemed like his luck-and his life-might finally end . . . until an angel named Callie appeared just in time to rescue him.

Callie has never believed in luck. Not since her twelfth birthday when everything was taken from her. After the worst was over, she locked up her feelings and vowed never to tell anyone what happened. Now, six years later, she continues to struggle with the painful secret that threatens to consume her.

When fate lands Kayden and Callie at the same college, Kayden is determined to get to know the beautiful girl who changed his destiny. Quiet and reserved, Callie still fears letting anyone else into her world. But Kayden is certain that Callie has come back into his life for a reason. And the more he tries to be a part of her life, the more he realizes that, this time, it's Callie who needs to be saved . . .

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (Book 1)
Published:     19th March 2013
Publisher:  Sphere
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 1, The Coincidence
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden (Book 2)
Published:     6th August 2013
Publisher:  Sphere
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  Book 1, The Coincidence
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

My Review         (7 out of 10)

I really enjoyed this series, so far.  I have to be honest from the start and say that this is not normally the type of book that I would pick up.   One of my things I do not normally like in a book is too much sex and not enough story.  Just from the cover of these books, I had the initial impression that this book would be one of those stories. 

What I loved about these books...

These books completely surprised me.  Yes they did contain some elements of 'sexiness' but the story had a great mix of drama and enough suspense to keep me reading until the very end.  What I loved the most was the characters, especially the main characters and how they progressed through the story.  Callie, in particular, was my favourite character to follow.  A lot of emotional turmoil between the two characters and individually, which gave the story so much depth for me and made me enjoy it even more as the story progressed. 


What I was not fond of with these books...

I wasn't fond of the 'sexiness' in this book but don't let that dissuade you from reading this book if that is something you like.  Sexiness in books is not really my thing but for my reading goals for 2014 I am trying to branch out and try new things and revisit old genres etc that I haven't been fond of in the past to see whether I have a change of heart.  These were books that I wanted to try because I liked the sound of the story (and did enjoy that part of these books) but sexiness is not really my thing. 
 

About the Author

Jessica Sorensen is the author of The New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers, The Secret of Ella and Micha, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden, and Breaking Nova, which are New Adult Contemporary novels.  She also writes Paranormal series, including the Fallen Star Series, Shattered Promises, Darkness Falls, and the Death Collectors. 

She loves writing and reading and is an avid watcher of TV series The Vampire Diaries and Modern Family.  An immense music lover,  Jessica immerses herself in her music as she writes.  She has a broad taste in music, and a list of favorite songs that goes on for miles!  

A few of her current favorite bands are Chevelle, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Flight 409, and Nirvana.  Some of Jessica’s favorite “watch it over, and over again” movies include Anywhere but Here, Juno, Pride and Prejudice, The Hangover, and Bad Teacher.

Author Website:  http://jessicasorensen.com/about-jessica/

Best wishes

Debs :-)

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