Popluar Theme - Love Triangles!

What is it about a good love triangle that just keeps us turning the pages, picking "teams" and falling in love with one and admonishing the other? It's because they're just so juicy, aren't they? We love debating why we picked who we picked and why the other sucks and doesn't deserve the girl (or guy).

I've noticed that there are love triangles in just about every book I read. Sometimes they're subtle; like the one in the middle doesn't even have feelings for the third wheel. Other times, we watch a character go back and forth and fight with their feelings for two people.

I thought it'd be fun to take a look at a few well known love-triangle threesomes!

1. Let's get the obvious one out of the way - Twilight.This triangle worked so well because Bella had genuine feelings for Jacob even though she was in love with Edward. She knew Jacob had a place in her life, she just didn't know where he fit. Plus, Edward and Jacob are both totally loveable so as readers, it's even hard for us to pick a side!



2. Peter Pan - Wendy - Tinkerbell.
This one is a little tricky. Peter Pan and Tink have been together, well, always, but then he finds Wendy and brings her home! Naturally, Tink ain't having that so she plots against them with Captain Hook to get rid of Wendy. Hey, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"; am I right?! =]



3. Vampire Diaries
Now this one is my favorite! I've always liked Stefan but due to recent events; such as his "Ripper" days coming back to haunt him and his loss of humanity, I'm really feeling Elena being with Damon. Now, I know it will never happen but I also know she loves them both! And all those little moments she has with Damon - especially their kiss - are just so damn delicious, I can't bear to miss a second!

4. True Blood
Okay, this threesome gets me all kinds of crazy! I simply love Sookie and Eric together but in the show, the way she holds on to her feelings for Bill and keeps Eric at arms length drives me absolutely nuts!! I want the show to go exactly as the book did so each episode I end up holding my breath til the very end!




Here are some other love triangles that I just love:

5. Seth, Aislinn and Keenan from Wicked Lovely. It didn't turn out the way I had hoped but I still loved every minute of it!

6. Sonny, Kelley and The Fennrys Wolf from Wondrous Strange. This one wasn't a hard decision but there was that moment when I think we all thought she might be persuaded to go in another direction!

7. Adrian, Rose and Dimitri from Vampire Academy. For me, this was a no-brainer but Rose really had us going for while there, didn't she? I'm just glad she came to her senses; and so did Dimitri! Phew!

8. Ash, Meghan and Puck from The Iron Fey. This was such a sweet love story although I did feel pretty bad for Puck. Waiting around all that time and then she falls in love with someone else! Man, that's messed up! The only thing that bugged me was that Meghan and Ash fell in love in a matter of days with very little romance. But hey, it all worked out I guess. Well, maybe with the exception of Puck ending up alone!

9. Last but certainly not least, Tamani, Laurel and  David from Wings. This story isn't over yet so Laurel still hasn't picked her man. But I tell you this, if she doesn't pick Tam I will be HIGHLY disappointed! Okay, that might be an understatement - I'll be PISSED!!! I finally got my BFF to read this series and she is Team Tam all the way!! I can not wait for Destined May 1st, 2012 to find out what happens! It's too far away!

I know there are a ton of great love triangles out there, so feel free to comment with some of your faves!

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created by Breaking The Spine to highlight upcoming books that readers are dying to get their hands on! And just like last weeks WOW, this book I'm waiting on is serious.

(A small tidbit of information from Charlaine's blog)

Sookie gets kidnapped and a character (a man) that Charlaine thought was dead, isn't. 

Are you kidding me?? That little teaser is enough to drive me crazy with curiosity! I've been reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels for a few years now and I love them. Sometimes I can be turned off from a series that has a lot of books like this one (this is the 12th book) but for some reason, I can't get enough; I never want them to end. Okay, it's not just for some reason, it's lots of reasons! Abundance of vampires, werewolves and every other kind of supernatural; tons of Eric - which if you read yesterday's review, you'd know I'm Team Eric; and action action action! These books are non-stop, never a dull moment, amazing! I can't wait!!

 

Tuesday Review Day!

Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1)

Written by Melissa Marr

Publication date:

Released in Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle & ebook

328 pages

4 stars 

Synopsis: All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends' obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What's a 21st-century girl to do when she's stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? A debut fantasy romance for the ages; superlative summer read.

My Review: I wish the beginning was a little easier to understand. It's one of those stories that you come into the middle of things already happening. Almost halfway through, and I still didn't really understand how the whole staff thing worked with the Summer King and Queen. Touch the staff, don't touch the staff; take the cold, don't take the cold. Being with Keenan is a good thing or a bad thing? I don't know! But I'm on an Iron Fey high so I'm craving some faeries and this felt close enough.

Their names? Don't get me started. The only one I like is Seth and I was never a big fan of that name before. But this guy Seth, BFF/hottie-potential-love-interest, is something else! He's totally hot and totally the perfect guy! He says the most perfect thing at the right moment and doesn't try to be too macho when Aislinn takes control but he's not a wimp either. Now Aislinn, or Ash as she is nicknamed in the book - which confuses me with Ash from the Iron Fey is a pretty cool character. I like how she handles being able to see the fey and having to pretend that she can't. She has a lot of self-discipline and will power and is more capable of resisting temptation than any woman I know! Speaking of temptation, back to Seth. Melissa Marr knows how to write some serious romance. It took, like, no time at all for me to fall in love with him! 

QUESTION:
HAS TWILIGHT SET A PRECEDENT FOR ALL LOVE TRIANGLES NOW? 
WILL THERE ALWAYS BE TEAMS?

Because if that's the case, I'm TEAM SETH all the way!

Here's a list of other teams I am a long time member of:

Team Damon - Vampire Diaries

Team Shay - Nightshade

Team Eric - True Blood
Team Dimitri - Vampire Academy

Team Jace - City of Bones

Team Ash - Iron Fey

Team Tam - Wings

Team Edward (in the books) Team Jacob (in the movies)-if that makes any sense

Anyway, Seth is romantic, in subtle ways; dropping hints and whispering sweet nothings. And what girl doesn't love a tight squeeze?? No one I know. A quarter of the book to go and I was really not liking the direction of the book. There was no Seth for like, two or three chapters and that was not cool.

As for the faeries, I don't blame Aislinn for avoiding them like the plague. I wouldn't be comfortable with that many "invisible" "people" walking around either. Then to be stalked by one? A royal one that is not likely to let her go now that he's found her? That's something completely different! Keenan is far more difficult to read. It's hard to tell what his intentions and his motives really are. But early on when Ash drops a bomb on him about having competition (Seth) and the fact that Keenan is left speechless is hilarious! I guess it is if you're Team Seth! LOL. Keenan can be such a jerk and at other times, kind of sweet. You start to feel a tug-o-war when it comes to him. You want him to be happy, to find what he's been searching for...just not with Aislinn.

Donia is the Winter Girl (wtf is a Donia??), and Beira (again, wtf?) is the Winter Queen. Maybe I'm not pronouncing these names correctly and that is why they sound so terrible, but these names made it a little hard to read for me. Although I know Donia is supposed to be an important character in the story, I don't really feel anything about her. I don't like her but I don't hate her either. I do feel sorry for Donia though, she sounds miserable and desperate to be free of the cold she holds within her. Problem is that she, like all others, is under the Queen's thumb. I'm sure the Winter Queen is quite the bitch to deal with seeing as how she's so powerful and all, but honestly, I didn't see a whole lot of displays of the power that had everyone so scared of her. It was hard to view her as a true villain when all I had was the notion that she was truly evil.

Melissa Marr's vocabulary is undoubtedly extensive. It did not make for a breezy read, but one that kept you curiously wanting more. The tone, the conversations between characters was so seamless and fluid. I mean, the characters actually interrupt each other which sounds weird for it to be a good thing but it makes things realistic - the visual is without interruption and easier to play out in your head. It took a little getting used to at first because a lot of other books can feel so scripted - perfectly set-up - snapshots of moments. I don't care either way, I just love a good story. Marr is also a genius with metaphors; for example:

"Seth slid a hand around her waist and kissed her like she was the air,

and he was suffocating." (pg.131)

Isn't that beautiful??

Overall: The cover is infinitely more awesome once you know the meaning behind it. Slow progress. A lot of things happening but not a lot of wow moments. The twist at the end was something I had suspected for a while. It wasn't a surprise but still, it's always nice when a book ends the way you think it will. It wasn't a book I was in love with afterwards. I didn't crave more. With one exception, Seth...delish!

Tuesday Review Day - Graphic Novels!!

Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel #1

Written by: Richelle Mead, Leigh Dragoon and Illustrated by Emma Vieceli

Publication date:  August 23, 2011 by Razorbill

Released in Paperback

144 pages

3 stars

Synopsis: After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger - and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.

My Review: I won't exactly be reviewing the story, more so my overall enjoyment of the book.

Here are a few characters I picked out to tell you how I felt about them:

1. Lissa Dragomir: I HATE the way Lissa looks. She's so plain and not as pretty as I had imagined. she doesn't have that royal or queen-like appearance Rose always talked about - how when Lissa was around other people she stood out and drew people to her.

2. Christian Ozera: I don't think I quite pictured Christian exactly the way he looks in the novel, but he's still very cute!

3. Rose Hathaway: I'm not happy with her look. I don't think she's tall enough but the rest is fine. Everything but her face. I don't know how I pictured her in my head but the face just isn't right for me.

4. Dimitri Belikov: I also don't care for Dimitri's look either. He's too wide. His head is huge! He look gigantic in a pro-wrestler kind of way. Half-naked Dimitri is the best look in the book!

5. Mia: She is definitely good at making you hate her all over again. I forgot how evil she was in the beginning of the story.

6. Victor Dashkov: He's older than I thought he was. Thinner, too. I thought he was a little more robust. Natalie was not at all what I thought.

I just hope they don't base the movie cast off of these drawings. Not that they aren't beautifully drawn, they just don't match the characters as well as I imagined. That's just my opinion.

There are a lot of panels on each page so there is plenty of story. For those of you that don't know, graphic novels are not something you read in place of the original, like, "Oh, I'll just read the graphic novel and know what the book is about." It doesn't work that way. It' touches on the key points in the book but, you're still missing a lot. Just like Twilight. You can't watch the movies and think you know the story. You don't.

There was one thing in the GN I don't r3emember happening in the novel. Christian was attacked by psi-hounds trying to protect Lissa and he was seriously hurt. He looked like he was dead, but then Lissa healed him or brought him back, but wouldn't that make him shadow-kissed? I'm confused.

The ending was a little awkward, kind of abrupt.

Overall: The graphic novel definitely gets you in the mood to read the novels all over again. It was fun to see all the memorable moments drawn out.

True Blood: Volume 1 All Together Now

Written by: Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner and David Messina

Publication date: February 16, 2011 by IDW Publishing

Released in Hardcover

160 pages

3 stars 

Synopsis: Blood and sex mix on a hot rainy night at Merlotte's, when Sookie and her friends are trapped by a vengeful spirit who feeds on shame. People die and dirty secrets are revealed as Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Tara, Jason, and Lafayette and are all coerced to dig deep and tell painful memories from their past-those things we all have locked within us that we never tell another living soul! Bon Temps, Louisiana has never been stranger, or more twisted, in a story co-plotted by TRUE BLOOD series creator Alan Ball, with a script by David Tischman (Bite Club) and Mariah Huehner, and lush art by David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown).

My Review: At first I was very confused. There's this "Doc Oc" looking creature right in the beginning that really through me off. I thought it was supposed to be related to either the book series or the TV series but it was a completely unrelated story. I should have read the preface by Alan Ball where he explains this.

Still, even though the beginning was a little weird, I started to get into it more and more. The characters don't exactly have the same face as the TV characters that I'm used to but they do sound the same, so it was easy to get into the flow of things.

Because this creature feeds off of people's shame, we get to hear all the main characters deepest, darkest secrets. It gives us a look on the inside of them that we don't always get from the tv show, or even the books. Juicy stuff!

The ending was a little weird, with Sookie telling this shame-sucking thing to hit the road and never come back. I love how Sookie is this tiny little human and she talks so big. Miss Bad Ass.

Overall: Fun and entertaining.

Book Blogger Hop #6

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs they  never knew existed!

Each week, participating blogs are asked questions to post and answer on their websites.

This week's question

 "If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

My Answer: I would have to go with the Sookie Stackhouse or True Blood series. Even though it can be dangerous from time to time, the world knows of the existence of vampires and supernaturals and I think it would be cool to live among the creatures we read about so much.

 

I've said it before and I'm happy to say it again, if you haven't read these books and/or you are not watching the show on HBO, what...what are you doing with yourself? Seriously.

Just Release it Already/Covers Revealed

I am splitting this post between 'Just Release It Already', a meme hosted over at Books with Bite to share what books you just cannot wait for any longer and two covers that have been revealed.

The book I am very anxiously awaiting is this one right here:

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11) by Charlaine Harris is said to be released May 26,2011 and I just cannot possibly wait that long! The cover and the synopsis only make the book more mysterious!

The other cover that has been released is Circle of Fire (Prophecy of the Sisters #3) by Michelle Zink. Now I personally have not read this series, though I do have the first book. But for those of you that are waiting for its release, sit back and relax, you've got a long way to go - August 1, 2011. Sorry guys. But here is the beautiful cover in the meantime.

A BDay Wish

So, today is my birthday and let's just say I'm closer to 30 than I'd like to be. The wrong side of 20! So, to lift my spirits, I decided I wanted to talk about some of my favorite books and books I can't wait to read! Now, I'm not providing any links or pictures in this post for the simple fact that, well, it's my birthday and I don't wanna work that hard! Hmph.

The first book I need to mention (because I'm afraid people won't read the whole thing and I'd at least like people to hear about this book) is BLEEDING VIOLET by Dia Reeves! She created my most favorite character ever - Hannah! There are many names for people like Hannah: crazy, psycho, out of her flippin mind. Just to name a few. But to me? She's just funny as hell! She whacks her aunt on the head with a rolling pin and runs away to find her estranged mom. Well, mommy dearest lives in the craziest town - even Hannah's crazy mind couldn't imagine! I heart this book A LOT!

I just read HEARTS AT STAKE by Alyxandra Harvey and JESSICA'S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE by Beth Fantaskey - both were REALLY awesome. Two really romantic, funny, vampire books; they're a quick-read so they were perfect for reading back to back. Now I can't wait to read their sequels BLOOD FEUD and THE WEDDING OF ANTANASIA JESSICA PACKWOOD AND LUCIUS VALERIU VLADESCU (that's a mouthful)!

 I started reading THE FALLEN by Thomas E. Sniegoski and it was good, really good. But then I went to Borders and quite unexpectedly saw LINGER (by Maggie Stiefvater) on the shelf! I thought the release date was July 20th? Not that I'm upset about it finally being in my hands - just upset that I keep getting incorrect dates from Goodreads. Does anyone else have that problem? Anyway, I had to put the first book down to read LINGER - we've waited long enough.

I really can't wait for AFTERLIFE, the 4th book in the EVERNIGHT SERIES by Claudia Gray. These books are amazing! Young vampire-human love, fighting and beheading, surviving and sacrificing. The ultimate struggle to be with the one you love. Oh, and a spin-off series - BALTHAZAR - a great character from the all the other books. LAST SACRIFICE by Richelle Mead. Seriously, who isn't waiting for this book? CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS, the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. I fell so hard in love with the first 3 books, I talked about them for weeks to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, I wasn't blogging then.

I really want to read this book WHAT WAS I THINKING? 58 BAD BOYFRIEND STORIES by Barbara Davilman. It's not YA, I know, but it looks like it might give me a few laugh-out-loud moments! I've got my own bad boyfriend stories, might be nice to laugh at someone elses!

ONCE DEAD, TWICE SHY and its sequel by Kim Harrison look good GLIMMERGLASS by Jenna Black. I'm really curious to read BLESSED by Cynthia Leitich Smith because I honestly don't care for TANTALIZE ( the 1st in the so-far trilogy) but I loved sequel ETERNAL! They were two totally different books so I wonder where BLESSED goes from there.

I'm gonna wrap this up with 99 COFFINS (David Wellington), WHISPER (Pheobe Kitanidis, BLOOD OATH by Christopher Farnsworth was awesome, THIRST 1&2 by Christopher Pike were beautifully written, great books and I'm anxiously waiting No. 3. I love the Sookie Stackhouse Series and the written TWILIGHT SAGA is flawless in my eyes! By the way, last time I counted, there are 60 books on my bookcase that I haven't read yet! I can't stop buying them! I'm addicted. And I'm pretty sure that after my birthday, I'll add a few more to that number!  Happy Birthday to ME!

I Should Have Known!

After I read Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris, I was happy, yet...not happy. You can find my review here. I was afraid that there wasn't another one to follow. I really thought that Dead in the Family was the last in the series, so how happy was I when I found out that #11 in the series is going to be released May 26, 2011! I know, I know...How could they make us wait so long??!!?? It's so unfair! The book doesn't have a title or a cover yet, but I can't wait to find out what they are!

Dead in the Family Review

DEAD IN THE FAMILY
Written by: Charlaine Harris
Publication date: May 4, 2010
Released in Hardcover

4 stars

Synopsis: A Fae War has left the supernatural community of Bon Temps, Louisiana, in chaos - and waitress Sookie Stackhouse mentally and physically drained. And still, the peace and quiet she so desperately craves is hard to come by....

Even with the blood of two vampires in her system, Sookie is having trouble healing from the terrible torture she endured at the hands of her great-grandfather's enemies during the brief but deadly Fae War. Worse are the emotional wounds - especially over the loss of her own personal fairy godmother and the near death of her first love.

Sookie is hurt and she's mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life - besides the fact that she is, after all, still alive - is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman, who is under scrutiny by the new vampire king because of their relationship.

As the political implications of the shifters' coming-out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to one particular Were draws her into the dangerous debate. And, unknown to her, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side - and one of them is very angry at Sookie. Very, very angry.

My Review: It was so nice being in Bon Temps again, catching up with old friends. Over the last year, I had completely forgotten that Sookie and Eric were "married"!!

My favorite thing about this series is that, if you've been reading them from the start, you can never get lost. How long have we waited for this book? Right, a long time and Charlaine Harris in each one, always recaps for us. A character's name is mentioned and Sookie explains exactly who they - with a little history, too.

I do love Sookie's narrating. I love the way she interprets things, and getting to know what she hears in other people's heads. And I LOVE her relationship with Eric. He's so in love with her, he's gone completely soft!

Dead in the Family wasn't as action packed as most of the others were. A lot of passing time. Something would happen and then it would take a while before it was resolved; or a while before it was mentioned again. I guess, looking through Sookie's eyes, we only see what happens when she's around.

I would think vampires and Weres would be able to come up with better terms for themselves and humans other than "oneys" and "twoeys". I don't quite remember those terms being used in any of the earlier books, but it has been a while. I just felt like the terms were a little immature. It was very hard trying to picture some of the characters - like bad-ass Alcide or Eric - saying these words!

Overall, the book was kind of slow paced yet I had no problem keeping my interest up. I was hoping for the book to end with a bang - but it didn't. Not really. There were still a lot of loose ends, such as: what happens with the whole Eric and Victor thing? Do Bill and Judith stay together? What happened in the Long Tooth Pack regarding Annabelle, Patricia and Ham? Are the Weres going to have to register and if not, are the Vampires going to rebel? And most importantly, do Eric and Sookie stay together? She was pretty indecisive about how she really felt about him?

Does Dead in the Family being released in hardcover mean that this is the end? Is this really how the series finishes? I REALLY hope not. I think one more book could answer all our questions - then I'd be happy! Believe you me, I will be checking for a next one!

Who Should Read This: If you've read all the others, I believe you should follow through to the end.