Cover Crazy (1)

Cover Crazy, hosted by The Book Worms, is a completely shallow meme where we get to gawk at those gorgeous cover arts for upcoming novels. We all not to judge a book by its cover, but we all do it.

This week I'm crazy about ...

Where It Began by Anne Redisch Stampler

I love the simplicity of this cover. It's very straight-forward with minimal graphics. It focuses a lot on lighting and angles.

Gabby Gardiner wakes up in a hospital bed looking like a cautionary ad for drunk driving and lacking a single memory of the accident that landed her there. What she can remember, in frank and sardonic detail, is the year leading up to the accident.

Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched

Author: Amanda Hocking

Publisher:  St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: 1.3.12

Pages: 293

Genre: Paranormal

Series: Yes (Trylle #1)

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: A-

Summary (from Goodreads):

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

Review:

If you haven’t heard of Amanda Hocking, you have clearly been living under a rock the last year. She is the ultimate self-publisher. Her books have been blowing up the suggestion page of my Nook since I first got it, and it’s no wonder she was granted a publishing deal. My only question is: What the heck took so long? How did people pass by this amazing writer’s talent for so long?! Her world building skills alone are top notch, but add to it great characters and original ideas, and you have the perfect storm for success.

Switched is the first book in the Trylle trilogy, and I love that Hocking breaks from the “normal” paranormal genre and introduced us to trolls. I can’t commend her enough for taking on such an original idea. It always makes me giddy when a writer taps into an unexplored idea, especially in the paranormal sphere. I mean, you can only read/write so many vampire, faery, or werewolf novels before they start to overlap.

The story follows Wendy, who is nearly killed by her mother at age six. For some reason, it took me a little time to connect with Wendy. She’s a very sympathetic character and enjoyable, but sometimes I found her a bit on the plain side. I thought she got a lot more interesting when Finn showed up, though, and watching their relationship bloom and flourish was wonderful.

I still cannot figure out why this book wasn’t given an immediate deal. Hocking is a terrific writer with a ton of raw talent. I can’t wait to see how the series ends, and what she has coming out in the future for me to enjoy.

Buy: Amazon

Follow Friday (10)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme where bloggers follower other blogger in the hope of increasing your follower count, hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee.

This weeks question:

Go count the number of unread books sitting on your shelf. How many?

Let's see ... 1, 2, 3 ... 32!

But you did just say shelf, right? We're not counting the two six-foot high stacks I have in the corner of my room? Or the three under-the-bed boxes? Or the other bookshelves I have holding all my ARCs? What about my Nook? Does that count?

Because then I'm gonna need a calculator. And possibly a therapist.

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Title: Incarnate

Author: Jodi Meadows

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Publication Date: 1.31.12

Pages: 384

Genre: Fantasy, SciFi

Series: Yes (Incarnate #1)

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Review:

Not going to lie: It took me (what seemed like) forever to get into this book. I don’t know if it was my headspace or something else, but I just could not connect with this book for the first seven or so chapters. I would put it down and come back over and over, but finally around chapter 8 I felt like I hit a turning point and there was no going back. After that? I was well and truly hooked.

Let’s just address the obvious first, OK? The cover. It is, hands down, the prettiest cover I have seen in years. It’s just stunning.

Second, I was so completely intrigued by the plot line that Jodi Meadows came up with. Reincarnation isn’t a new idea, but the idea of a society built upon it where everyone has known each other for thousands of years? That is epic and a fantastic idea.

The world building in this novel blew my mind, as did the idea of how time was kept and years marked. I love the way each block of time is given a name based on what happened then. And all the creatures that Meadows created! Talk about incredible! There was so much going on in this novel—action, romance, drama … You name it and Jodi Meadows delivered it.

There is something about Ana that I just adore. Maybe it’s because she’s so new and fresh and such an outsider, that I feel like she needs to be protected (even if Ana doesn’t share my opinions of herself). I loved her interactions with Sam. They, to me, really drove the entire story. I loved their scenes and interactions. I also love that their love built up over time and wasn’t the formulaic insta-romance that seems to be everywhere.

Incarnate is a breathtaking, inspiring read. Meadows takes you on this incredible journey, and I was grateful to be along for the ride. I can’t wait to see what the next book in this series will bring.

Buy: Amazon

Review: Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer

Title: Arcadia Awakens

Author: Kai Meyer

Publisher:  Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: 2.14.12

Pages: 464

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Yes (Arkadien #1)

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: B-

Summary (from Goodreads):

To Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic and wholly unknown. But when her life in Brooklyn begins to fall apart, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where centuries of family secrets await her.

Once there, Rosa falls head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both fascinate and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

Hidden caves, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a history of familial bloodlust mean that Rosa can’t trust anyone. Torn between loyalty to her family and love for their mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love…or run as far and as fast as she can.

Review:

I had honestly never heard of this book before it was sent to me, but one look at that shiver-inducing cover and I was game. I mean, combine that with mafia, Italy, and a romance? It had all the makings of something I would love forever. Unfortunately, the story fell kind of flat for me.

The first problem I had was Rosa. Right off the bat this girl irritated me with her snarkiness (bordering on bitchy) and the way she casually stole random things. Thankfully she got progressively better, but I felt it started the book on a sour note and I don’t know that I ever fully embraced Rosa. Alessandro was better: I enjoyed reading about him and the way he interacted with Rosa is what made me warm up to her. He was definitely the highlight of this book for me, but even still there were moments in their relationship that had me shaking my head.  

The book started off slow, but thankfully picked up speed by the mid-way point and I was glad I stuck with it. It did get better, but there was this constant start-stall that bogged down the story. Some parts were exciting and thrilling, but then the next chapter lagged in momentum. There was a lot of cover in this debut book of the series, so I felt that Kai Meyer should be cut some slack for that.

There really is a good story buried in here. I just takes a little digging to find it. Hopefully book 2 is better.

Buy: Amazon

Teaser Tuesday (11)

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading 

Grab your current read 

Open to a random page 

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

This week I'm reading...

 

 

Vampire's Kiss by Veronica Wolff

 

"Alcantara let his hand linger, his fingertips gently pressing down on the soft swell of my flesh. My skin always felt cool in his presence, but this time flames licked up my legs, dancing into my very core." pg. 20

 

Vampire's Kiss will be available 3.6.12 from NAL
*Quote taken from Advance Reader Copy and may not be the correct page in the finished copy*

Book Deal Alert!

If you've been craving a fun, exciting paranormal romance to warm you up on these cold winter nights, I highly recommend you check out:

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

by: Beth Fantaskey

Right now you can download a copy to your Nook or Kindle for FREE. Even if you lack an eReader, most smart phones can download a free app from Amazon or B&N so you can read books on the go, too!

Pick your poison: Nook or Kindle

Barnes and Noble also has the paperback on sale for $1.99!

Book Blogger Confessions (1)

This is a shiny, new blogger meme co-hosted by Tiger from Tiger's All Consuming Books and Karen at For What It's Worth Reviews. It's time to open up and share (and vent) about our blogging experiences!

Our first question is:

January 2nd: How has the "job" of book blogging changed your reading habits? Both pro and con.

Blogging has become a huge part of my world. The good part of it is that it has exposed me to new books I probably wouldn't have heard of, and it has also given me a way to converse with authors. I have also met some incredible people (bloggers) and formed friendships with them. That part was an unexpected blessing; making friends with people who share one of my biggest passions.

The worst part is I sometimes feel like I no longer read for fun. I've spent the first year of my blogging career (is that the right word?) trying to establish myself. I have contacted authors and publicists and publishers, trying to form a working relationship with them and I have found that because of that, I have little time to read what I want unless I luck out and a publisher sends it to me for review. I have also found myself overwhelmed by the amount of books I have gotten (look at this week's IMM - I got 30+ books!).

One last pro, because it's always good to end on a positive, is BEA (Book Expo America). I had never heard of this amazing event before June of this past year. Now I'm planning on going this year (I even have my hotel room booked and all!). I can't wait to interact with authors, publishers, and bloggers on a one-on-one level, instead of with a computer screen.

2011 - A Year In Review

2011 was a big year for me - namely because I actually started this blog. It was started in February, and here's what I learned in a little less than a year:

-Blogging is hard work.
 I went into blogging think this would be a piece of cake. I love reading, I love books, so why not start a blog to talk about that? I must admit that the added allure of those ever ellusive ARCs and review copies was a hige temptation.
  About 3 months in, I got tired of the work. I lagged and I put things off, but then around the beginning of June, I finally got into a more solid rhythm, which seems to have been working the last 6 months.

-I hit the 1,000 follower mark!
  I swear I never, ever thought I would get there and now the number keeps on climbing! Hitting that number was a huge vote of confidence for me, and I wish I could have done something to commemorate it, but I hit it right in the middle of the holiday crunch and had zero time to pull something together. Sigh. Maybe a 1,100 follower party/giveaway?

-I learned how to use Twitter!
 I was a total Twidiot before starting my blog. Now, not only do I use Twitter (OK, not that frequently), but I know how it works!

-Bloggers really are awesome people
  I have met some crazy cool people I never would've met unless I started blogging. Here's my biggest piece of advice to new bloggers/aspiring bloggers: MAKE CONNECTIONS. 90% of bloggers genuinely want to help other bloggers succeed, so ask if you are unsure about something! Don't be afraid to email us or start a conversation!

What to expect in 2012...

1. More reviews!
2. Full BEA coverage in June - not only will I be going, but I will be taking my camera and documenting it all for those who can't go this year.
3. More author interviews!
4. Challenges!
5. Giveaways!

In My Mailbox (14)

Hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren, this is a great way to share the reads I got this week by purchasing, trading/swapping, or for review.

I honestly think this may be my most epic IMM to date. I only do a montly IMM now, and this one is HUGE.

 

For Review:

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Switched by Amanda Hocking
Tempest by Julie Cross
Vampire's Kiss by Veronica Wolff
Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan
Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Christmas Presents:

Faking Faith by Josie Bloss
Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
Breathless by Jessica Warman
Destined by Jessie Harrell
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Purchased:

Last Breath by Rachel Caine
You Against Me by Jenny Downham
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Legend by Marie Lu
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Crossed by Ally Condie

Swapped/Traded:

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Possession by Elana Johnson
Clarity by Kim Harrington
The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch
Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly
Heartbreak River by Tricia Mills
Crave by Melissa Darnell
The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky
Wildcat Fireflies by Amber Kizer

What did you get? Comment so I can stop by your blog!