Stork

Wendy Delsol

He was working himself into a lather, which I hoped he’d at least use to clean the grime from under his fingernails.

This is the story of Katla LeBlanc.  It starts off with her moving back to her mother’s hometown in Minnesota after a divorce from her father.  While working at her grandfather’s –affectionately named afi– store, she meets Jack Snjosson, who swears that they have met before and she should know him.  Katla learns about the Stork Society and what it means for the members.  She attends high school and makes some friends/enemies there.  There is some mystery in this tale and it is hard to determine at times who the good people are and who the bad are.  There are many twists and turns in the plot to where you cannot guess what is going to happen.  At the Homecoming Dance, when everything is revealed, I would not have guessed the ending.

Uh, excuse me ma’am, but you smell like dried unicorn dung, so I’m going to beam a hovering soul into you.  It’s a girl, by the way.  She’s going to like butterflies and be lactose-intolerant.  Congratulations!

The Goodreads synopsis:

Family secrets. Lost memories. And the arrival of an ancient magical ability that will reveal everything.

Sixteen-year-old Katla LeBlanc has just moved from Los Angeles to Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, Katla soon finds out that she’s a Stork, a member of a mysterious order of women tasked with a very unique duty. But Katla’s biggest challenge may be finding her flock at a new school. Between being ignored by Wade, the arrogant jock she stupidly fooled around with, and constantly arguing with gorgeous farm boy and editor-in-chief Jack, Katla is relieved when her assignment as the school paper’s fashion columnist brings with it some much-needed friendship. But as Homecoming approaches, Katla uncovers a shocking secret about her past — a secret that binds her fate to Jack’s in a way neither could have ever anticipated. With a nod to Hans Christian Andersen and inspired by Norse lore, Wendy Delsol’s debut novel introduces a hip and witty heroine who finds herself tail-feathers deep in small-town life.

Only sold in twos?  What, do they have a bouncer at the door checking?  Couples’ police?  Ark Patrol?  This was one boat that definitely needed rocking.

This story made me laugh so many times.  There are so many more quotes that I wanted to put on here, but I had to restrain myself.  Wendy Delsol definitely played up the humor in this book.  It makes the book flow more evenly.  When “abnormal” things happen to “normal” people, humor is a good way to deal with the pressure.  I love how you get the sense of what Kat is saying and what she is thinking at the same time.  This gives her more depth as a character, you can understand some of the things she does and makes her appear more of a high-school aged person.

My paranoia of the cold, was, I discovered, transferable: frigiphobia by proxy.

When things get bad, the bad go to bed.

Passion

Lauren Kate

"I'll always choose you." Yes that was the word. "Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have always chosen me. Forever."

In this third installment of the Fallen series, Luce travels back to her former lives to gain a better understanding of her previous lives and determine if she can find a resolution for the curse that haunts her and Daniel which prevents them from having a future and romance.  Daniel is going back and is trying to find her without altering the previous existences in which he encountered and fell in love with Luce.  I have to say that this book was hard to get through…until the last 100 pages or so.  I actually read three books while I was trying to finish this one and Lauren Kate is one of my favorite authors.

I’ll love you with all my heart, in every life, through every death. I
will not be bound by anything but my love for you.

 The Goodreads synopsis:

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

"I don’t know how you can stand it. Over and over again, the same sadness—”
He lifted her up. “The same ecstasy—”
“The same fire that kills everything—”
“The same passion that ignites it all again. You don’t know. You can’t remember how wonderful—”
“I’ve seen it. I do know."

 In the beginning, it is Luce experiencing her past lives over and over trying to glean information on the love between her and Daniel.   Every life that she encounters, she learns something new about their history.  Maybe it was the way it was written because this book is about Luce’s previous lives and happens before Fallen and Torment.  The last 1/3 of this story made up for the parts of this book that were difficult to get through and really drew me into the story.  Even though the book was a little tiring to get through, I now know the important history behind their story.  I’m now excited to read the final book in this Series, Rapture, which is due out in the spring of 2012.

"And Daniel?" She asked.
"Daniel was a player-"
"Hey!"
"That's what they called the actors." Bill rolled his eyes.

Ultraviolet

R. J. Anderson

 This book is to be released on 01 September 2011

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

In this story, Alison wakes up to find that she is in a mental hospital and then she is sent to Pine Hill aka “Fine Pills” for her recovery.  She is unsure of the events that brought her there but as her memory starts returning, is convinced that she murdered the most popular girl in school, Tori.  Alison is different and has spent most of her life hiding those differences.  It is at Pine Hill where she discovers that her differences are not indicative of a mental illness, as she had previously believed, and finds a friend in Sebastian Faraday.   Sebastian is the one who helps Alison to figure out what really happened the day that Tori and she fought and how to remedy it.  It is hard to go into more detail without giving away the plot.

Dark chocolate, poured over velvet: that was how his voice tasted. I wanted him to follow me around and narrate the rest of my life.

This is the Goodreads synopsis: 

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

"Everybody has a story, Alison," he said. "Everybody has things they need to hide--sometimes even from themselves."

In Ultraviolet, the twists and turns of this plot are what keep you interested.  As soon as you think you have things figured out, something else happens.  It was easy to keep up with, but hard to predict.    I love the way this book delves into the world of mental illness and mingles it with science fiction but doesn’t come across as a cheesy book.  It made me cry in some spots.  It is well worth the read.  The cover, I’m not too sure about.  This is one of those times where you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

But there were worse things than disappointment, and I'd lived through several of them already.

The Taming of the Rake

Kasey Michaels

I am writing this review on behalf on netgalley.com  This book comes out on 26 July 2011.

I don’t usually read Harlequin books because in my mind Harlequin=trashy novels.  When I saw that this book was on netgalley.com, I thought it sounded interesting and I would give it a try in the hopes that they would prove my opinion to be false.  I must say, this book has changed my mind about Harlequin novels.  I loved this book.  I couldn’t put it down.  I was in the middle of reading another book by one of my favorite authors and had to stop that one so I could finish this book.  It was nowhere near  “trashy” as I had previously thought.

In this book, we are introduced to the three bastard sons of a daughter-of-the-local-squire-turned-actress and the Marquess of Blackthorn – Don John Blackthorn aka “Jack” or “Black Jack,” Oliver Le Beau Blackthorn aka “Beau,” and Robin Goodfellow Blackthorn aka “Puck.”  This first book in the trilogy is about Beau and his encounters with the Mills-Beckman family.  It tells of the hatred between Beau and the eldest son, Thomas Mills-Beckman.  After what was affectionately termed, “the incident,” Beau left London for seven years.  Upon his return, he is once again thrown in with this family.  The “pernicious brat,” Lady Chelsea Mills-Beckman, asks for Beau’s assistance to prevent the marriage of her to Francis Flotley and thereby getting the ultimate revenge on his enemy, Thomas. The story is about their journey to Gretna Green all while trying to keep one step ahead of Thomas, Madelyn Mills-Beckman (Chelsea’s older sister) and Reverend Flotley.  This book keeps you intrigued as it not only tell of the journeys of Beau and Chelsea, but realistic things also happen to the main characters.  These twists and turns keep you wanting to turn the pages.  I must say that I was disappointed when I finished the book, only because I would have to wait to read more on the Blackthorn sons.

Goodreads synopsis:

Meet the Blackthorn brothers— Three unrepentant scoundrels infamous for being mad, bad and perilous to love

 

Charming, wealthy and wickedly handsome, Oliver "Beau" Blackthorn has it all…except revenge on the enemy he can't forget. Now the opportunity for retribution has fallen into his hands. But his success hinges on Lady Chelsea Mills–Beckman—the one woman with the power to distract him from his quest.

Desperate to escape her family's control, Lady Chelsea seizes the chance to run off with the notorious eldest Blackthorn brother, knowing she's only a pawn in his game. But as Beau draws her deep into a world of intrigue, danger and explosive passion, does she dare hope he'll choose love over vengeance?

The colloquialisms used in this book are sometimes difficult to understand.  I found myself having to re-read some passages and research various terminologies to fully comprehend what was happening.  You can read the book and fully understand it without research, but I wanted to understand the nuances of that time period.  At first, the jargon makes the book difficult to understand, but it doesn’t take long before you figure out the meanings behind their terminology.  I will admit that I had to look up on dictionary.com to figure out the meaning of the title.  It is thoroughly a good book that will keep you thinking and wondering what is going to happen next.

Follow Friday

I haven't posted recently because I have been working a lot and moving, so I have had little time for reading.  :(  Parajunkie does this follow friday and I really like this one, so I thought I would do it again.  This week's question is:

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

 

I haven't read a lot of books about fae.  The only ones I've read are The Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead and the Wings series by Aprilynne Pike.  I must say that I liked both of them and because of that I am interested to read more books about fae.  Anyone have any recommendations?

I also thought I would post some of my favorite websites as that is what this is all about.  I love to read the reveiws on these sites on a regular basis.

Bibliophile's Corner

A Book A Day

Contests, contests, contests

There is another contest going on over on Victoria Schwab's website.  Her book, The Near Witch comes out August 2nd.

Parajunkie is holding a contest for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente.

Bloody Bookaholic is giving away an ARC of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater.

Little shelf is giving away a signed Shadowland novel by Alyson Noel.

My World of Books is giving away a signed UK version of Evermore.

My Bookish Ways is giving away and ARC of Shimmer. 

Follow Friday

Parajunkie hosts a weekly meme called Follow Friday.  This is a good way to meet other book lovers.  They always have a question each week.  This week's question is:

Q:  Genre Wars!  What's your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite?

I have found it difficult to narrow my favorites down to one specific genre.  I love them all.  Diversity is the spice of life!!  Different books catch my eye depending on what mood I'm in.

Angelfire

That’s the point of believing in something. There’s so much doubt and tribulation during your journey that you’ve got to hang on to something, or else you’ll fall.

Courtney Allison Moulton

The main character, Ellie, thinks that she is a normal teenager. Then she sees the "mysterious boy" (Will) that she feels like she has known forever. In this book, Ellie learns who she really is and how to deal with the powers that she possess. It is not an easy process. She rejects what Will tells her until memories start returning to her. Together, they then must fight the epic battle between good and evil while Ellie tries to maintain some sense of normalcy and discern what type of relationship she has with Will.

Life is going to test you in ways it never has before. Don't let your future change the good person that you are or make forget who you are.

It is captivating and Courtney Allison Moulton really draws you in with the the way she tells the story. It has the right amount of drama, action, humor and romance. I laughed so many times while reading. It is a book that will keep you intrigued while keeping things realistic and believable.

Goodreads synopsis:

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

I scowled and stabbed begrudginly at the stack before scooping up a bite with my fork, but it toppled over and plopped into my lap. I groaned and banged my head on the counter.
Mom frowned, 'You have to be smarter than the pancakes, Ellie.'

Vampire Kisses

"Go in and get us a shrunken head!"

Ellen Schreiber

Raven is a vampire-obsessed goth girl who is unpopular in school, has two hippies turned yuppies for parents and has a younger brother who is affectionately nick-named "nerd boy." Everything changes when the Sterling family, who are rumored to be vampires, moves into the haunted mansion on Raven's 16th birthday.

“Raven?'
Yes?'
What do you believe in?'
I believe in - finding out!”

During her attempt to find out the validity of the town gossip, Raven is caught up in an ongoing battle with her nemesis, goes on her first date and finds romance. This story is so poignant that you will want to read Kissing Coffins just to find out what happens with Raven and Alexander.

Goodreads synopsis:

In her small town, dubbed "Dullsville," sixteen-year-old Raven — a vampire-crazed goth-girl — is an outcast. But not for long...

The intriguing and rumored-to-be haunted mansion on top of Benson Hill has stood vacant and boarded-up for years. That is, until its mysteriously strange new occupants move in. Who are these creepy people — especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town prattle actually ring true? Are they vampires? Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth.

Ellen Schreiber's spooky and stirring romance tells the story of two outsiders who fall in love in a town where conformity reigns, and ends with a shocking surprise.

"You seem a lot like me," he said. "You don't gawk at me like I'm a freak."

"I'll kick anyone who does."

"I think you already did. Or at least smacked him with a tennis racket."

New books this week

I was anxiously awaiting the UPS driver to come to my house and say “I have another book for you.” He was late today. Anyway, this is what I've been waiting for:







I thought I would re-read Fallen and Torment to prepare myself for this. There is supposed to be a fourth novel in this series called Rapture.






I also bought Everlasting by Alyson Noël for my iPad. I buy most of my books through there. I will have to re-read Evermore, Blue Moon, Shadowland, Dark Flame and Night Star. I'm not positive, but I think this is the last book of the Immortal series. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Some other books (or e-books) I bought  are:













I have a lot of work ahead of me. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Contests, contests, contests

There are so many contests for the summer that I thought I would point out a few of them.

Josephine Angeline has a contest to win Helen's necklace











Paperback dolls has a contest to win the ARC copy of Forever and The Demon Trapper's Daughter and Brand NEW copies of Morganville volume #3 and Divergent

Jennifer Lynn Barnes has a contest to win some books. Her new book, Trial by Fire is coming out on June 14.  Trial by Fire--chapter trail

I will post more when I find them.

Wings

There's always someone who secretly believes in myths and legends; or at least parts of them. Those are the people who will look beyond the obvious and see things in this world that are truly wonderful... But they won't say anything, even if they do. Because the rest of us who view the world as logical and scientific wouldn't see the truth if it was posted up on a billboard.

Aprilynne Pike

In this book, Laurel discovers that what she knew about who she is and who people appear to be are false.  She recently moved from the cabin that she spent most of her life at, after being adopted, so her father could follow his dream of owning a bookstore.  She must now enter the public school system for the first time after being home schooled.  This presents new challenges and stressors along with the other things that are happening in her life.  There she met David, her first love interest.

“So there's magic? Real magic? It's not just all scientific like David says?"
Tamani rolled his eyes. "David again?"
Laurel bristled. "He's my friend. My best friend."
"Not your boyfriend?"
"No. I mean...no."
Tamani stared at her for several seconds. "So the position's still open?"
Laurel rolled her eyes. "We are so not having this conversation.'”

Goodreads synopsis:

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.



When she returns to the cabin for a visit, she meets Tamani, another boy who is interested in her.  David helps her through the trials of high school and Tamani helps her through the trials of her new-found life.  The romance triangle between these two boys and the adventures the three of them go through keeps you turning the pages.  It is a book that is hard to put down.

"It's your call," he said softly, "but whatever you decide, I'll help you." He placed a soft, warm hand at the back of her neck and Laurel's breath caught in her chest. "Whatever you need, I'll be. If you need the science geek to give you answers from a textbook, I'm your guy; if you just want a friend to sit by you in bio and help you feel better when you're sad, I'm still your guy." His thumb slowly stroked across her earlobe and down her cheek. "And if you need someone to hold you and protect you from anyone in the world who might want to hurt you, then I am definitely your guy." His pale-blue eyes bore into hers, and for a second she couldn't breath. "But it's all up to you," he whispered.

Divergent

We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.

Veronica Roth

This book kept readers wondering what was going to happen next.  It is set in a society that have five factions.  They are: Abnegation, Candor, Amity, Erudite and Dauntless.  Each faction represents a different virtue.  Because of this, there are expectations on which faction people will choose when they reach sixteen.  They will be in the faction they choose for life, so this isn't a decision to be made lightly.

“Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now.”

The story revolves around Beatrice, the events leading up to her choice, her initiation into her chosen faction, her discovery of who she is and a little romance.  The competition aspect is what will lure you into this story.  Not everyone who chooses a faction will make it through initiation.  The ones who don't, become homeless.  The way this book is written captivates you as though you are right there next to the main character and experiencing the transformation that Beatrice goes through.  A must read for anyone who likes dystopian fantasies.

Goodreads synopsis:

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong."

He leans his face close to mine and wraps his fingers around my chin. His hand smells like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife? My skin tingles at the point of contact, like he's transmitting electricity through his skin.

"My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press." he says, his fingers squeezing at the word break. My body tenses at the edge in his voice, so I am coiled as tight as a spring, and I forget to breathe.

His dark eyes lifting to mine, he adds, "But I resist it."

"Why..." I swallow hard. "Why is that your first instinct?"

"Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating." He releases me but doesn't pull away, his hand grazing my jaw, my neck. "Sometimes I just want to see it again. Want to see you awake."

Starcrossed

Josephine Angelini

What the holy hand grenade was that?

I really enjoyed this book.  It is set in a small town setting where everyone knows each other.  I love the tie-in to Greek mythology.  It has the perfect balance of history, mystery and adventure.  The main character, Helen, is a "normal" teenager in which abnormal things start to happen to her.  When she meets Lucas, Helen's world as she knows it begins to change.  There is a whirl-wind romance that leaves you wanting to read more.

She looked so cute when she was apologizing that Helen couldn't even pick up a grudge, let alone carry one.

Goodreads synopsis:

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.


As with most mythological tales, there is a struggle between right and wrong.  Helen and Lucas have difficulty determining which are the right choices.  Should they make the choice that is right for them or the one that is right for humanity?  I found this book to be unpredictable.  What I thought would happen, didn't and because of this, it kept my attention.  I finished this book in one day.  That is how intriguing this story is.  I would definitely recommend it to any reader.

So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard your choice turns out to be, at least you can find comfort in knowing you're avoiding something even worse.

Dark Days of Supernatural book signing

My family and I went to a book signing today in Lansing. It was the Dark Days Supernatural Tour. The authors there were: Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses), Aprilynne Pike (Wings), Veronica Roth (Divergent) and Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed). I read all their books in preparation for the signing and in honor of that, I will be reviewing those books first.

Aprilynne Pike and Ellen Schreiber

Josephine Angelini and Veronica Roth