Triple Digits!

 YAY! 100 Followers!

Thank you to all my wonderful long-time followers and my new followers for reading my ramblings, giving your feedback and allowing me to share these amazing books with you! And the little girl up there? Yeah, that's pretty much what I look like. My pigtails are much better otherwise the resemblance is uncanny!

I wish I could do a giveaway for you guys to show my appreciation; however I'd still like to share some book news in hopes of keeping everyone on the same page (hehe, get it?) because there is nothing I hate more than the thought of amazing books that I might be missing out on!

The cover for Hades, the sequel to Halo by Alexandra Adornetto has been revealed! It is set to be released August 30, 2011!

Whoa, right? I haven't read Halo yet, but if these covers say anything about the story it encompasses, it HAS to be good!!

This is a book I found thanks to Bella at Cheezyfeet Books. 

DIE FOR ME is the first of three books about Kate, a sixteen-year-old American who moves to Paris after the death of her parents. It introduces a new version of the undead with revenants, beings who are fated to sacrifice themselves over and over again to save others’ lives. Kate finds herself falling for Vincent, who she discovers is not the typical French teenager he appears: he is something else entirely.

DIE FOR ME presents a new supernatural mythology presented in a city where dreams are sometimes the same as reality. 

Not telling your audience what type of supernatural they're in store for is downright torture! Yet great way to pull us in! I really like the sound of this book.

If you would like to have a chance at receiving books for review, go to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Kathy there just cannot say yes to all the books she gets asked to review so she is putting together a list of bloggers interested in reviewing. Check her site for more details and to fill out the form to add your name!

Thanks again for supporting my blog! Love you guys!

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created by Breaking The Spine to highlight upcoming books that readers are dying to get their hands on!

Here's one I'm really looking forward to...

Blessed (Tantalize #3) by Cynthia Leitich Smith will bring together characters from the first  and second books, Tantalize and Eternal. Quincie, Kieren, Miranda and Zachary. I can't wait to see all of them again. For some I hope for change, for others, I hope they've stayed the same! Either way, things are bound to be interesting!

Better still? A FOURTH installment!! All about ZACHARY!! Just what this series needed - more Zachary!

Graphic Novels are also in the works! Visuals!

Go to Cynthia Leitich Smith's Website for more info on the whole series and some great Qs and As!

Better Late Than Never

Here are some books that I either bought myself, received for review or gotten as a gift in the last month...or so.

Torment (Fallen, #2) by Lauren Kate, Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani and The Collected Poems of Sara Teasdale by Sara Teasdale were given to me by a very good friend. He even had the Mayor sign his book for me! Not only that but he searched high and low for the collected poems of my favorite poet...of all time!

Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark was given to my aunt who then gave it to me. It's not my cup of hot chocolate (I don't drink coffee and tea is only good when you're sick) but she knows I never turn down a free book. Ever.

The Star Crossed Series was sent to me for review. Aries Rising, Taurus Eyes and Gemini Night are all the titles in the series so far. I hope Cancer is next - that's me! A copy of Gemini Night is currently up for grabs from my first GIVEAWAY! Ends November 20th!

I picked up Blood Song (Bloodsinger, #1) by Cat Adams and Nightshade (Nightshade, #1) by Andrea Cremer, which you can see I am currently reading now and is really good so far...I just started.

Shadow Riders by B.J. Bayle and Wild Spirits by Rosa Jordan were sent to me for review and to find reviewers for it. They are still available for review if you are interested. I would have to confirm their shipping limits but please email me at bloggerful_1@yahoo.com if you are interested.

Playing Catch Up

Hello my lovelies! I've always wanted to use that! Anyway, some of you might know that I am currently without internet in my house, so it's hard for me to blog as much as I would like. So I've decided to do a catch-up post while I can.

First, here are some books I received from their authors. Henry Melton contacted me on the YA Blogosphere seeking reviewers for his books shown below:

I know the titles are hard to see so here's what you're looking at: Emperor Dad, Lighter Than Air, Roswell or Bust, Extreme Makeover, Falling BAKward, Golden Girl, Pixie Dust, and his newest release, Follow That Mouse. They're all sci-fi kind of books (which is a little out of my norm) but they look really good and I can't wait to get into one! If you're interested in any of these, feel free to contact me.

Next, I was also contacted by Erin McCahan, author of I Now Pronounce You Someone Else. She sent me a copy of her book and guess what? She'll be stopping by my blog on October 12th during her blog tour! That's one month from today so be sure to come back and check it out!

Last but definitely not least, I went to Borders yesterday and picked up three very amazing books! Clockwork Angel, The Eternal Ones and Halo. Now seriously, I don't think I should have to mention the authors of these books. You really ought to know them by now! If not, just click the links I've so graciously provided. I can't tell you how happy I am to finally have these books on my shelves! How will I ever decide which one to read first? Pfft! Who am I kidding? Clockwork Angel is first!

Infinite Fallen Souls

The Fallen 2: Aerie and Reckoning (The Fallen, #3-4) by Thomas E. Sniegoski. This is the sequel to, well, The Fallen 1, obviously, which I started a couple weeks ago. I didn't finish it because something else came up, but what little bit I did read was really good and funny and I fully intend to pick it back up.

In the first one: Aaron turns 18 and starts hearing voices. Strange things start happening to him and around him every day. He meets a man who knows what's happening to him and reveals to Aaron his true heritage - half-human, half-angel! Then he gets charged with the responsibility of redeeming the Fallen. That's all I know, so far. Like I said, I had to put it down.

7 Souls by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando. You should get the full synopsis by clicking on the link but I'll tell you why it caught my attention.

It's about a girl who wakes up dead on the day of her 17th birthday. Murdered. So she has to relive the day she died over and over through the eyes of 7 people who hated her enough to want her dead. Ooooo, sounds spooky!

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick, #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The gist of this book reminded me of The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare (click here for its synopsis and right here for my review of it!) 

Nick Gautier, 14, thinks he knows everything. He gets the surprise of his life when he finds out that it's all just an illusion. His best friends try to kill him and the girl he's crushing on, is a vampire hunter by night! Now his classmates are turning into flesh-eating zombies and he has to fight them off all while trying not to draw any attention from his parents and the school!

Is that not a great looking cover? I've been seeing this book on the shelves for months without ever picking it up. But it's this cover that kept grabbing my attention and building my curiosity. 

So these three books were acquired on my latest trip to Borders. I buy everything I can in hardcover, if it's available. I don't like to wait for editions to be released but I don't enjoy the feel of a paperback as much. I'm always too aware of how I'm holding the book so I'm always worried about what shape it's gonna be in by the time I finish it. You ever lend a hardcover out to someone and when it comes back to you, it's all floppy because they cracked the spine so much? I HATE that! You just know that person was laying it down on its pages a lot. I'll stop there before I rant into all my quirky pet peeves!

Look What I Found

Thanks to a new blogger friend Jess at The Tales Compendium, I found out about a great looking book titled Halo by Alexandra Adornetto coming out September 14, 2010.  First of all, the cover is gorgeous and if that doesn't grab your attention right away, then the storyline should. Check it out:

Three angels are sent down to bring food to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will be not be strong enough to save anyone - especially herself from the Dark Forces.

Is love a great enough power against evil?

If you want to know a little more about it, you should check out Jess' review at thetalescompendium.blogspot.com.

Reviews of Tantalize and Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

TANTALIZE (Tantalize #1)Written by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Title in Series: Tantalize, Eternal, and Blessed to be released in 2011
Publication Date: February 13, 2007
Released in Paperback and Hardcover

2 stars
Synopsis: Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to leave her forever. And just as she and her uncle are about to unveil Austin's first vampire-themed restaurant, their chef's brutal murder leaves Quincie scrambling to transform fresh-faced Henry Johnson into a culinary Dark Lord in time for opening night. But there's more than meets the eye to this new hire, and Quincie is about to learn a whole lot about love...and blood.

How I Came to Read This: I remember seeing this on the shelf, reading the back and thinking that it didn't sound like that great of a story. However, when I read that the characters would be making "appearances" in the sequel Eternal, which did sound good, I decided I would read this one first if I had to.

My Review: Well, I can't exactly say I enjoyed this book. I honestly didn't. It focused a lot on the restaurant business that Quincie has and it bored me to tears! There wasn't enough paranormal in it for me either. It was kind of like the main course was the restaurant and the vampires were the side dish. I feel bad because I almost always enjoy every book I read and this one just didn't do anything for me. And the love story aspect was definitely lacking. I hardly felt a deep enough connection between Quincie and...and the wolf. What was his name again?

[Quickie:] I wouldn't want anyone else to fall into the same trap I did; thinking that in order to read Eternal, you have to read Tantalize first. Well, you don't. There is no connection to each other. It's not a continuation of the same story or of the same characters. There is a third installment to this series titled Blessed (2011) and unless the characters all come together here, I don't see any reason to read them in order.

Who Should Read This: Unfortunately, this is not a book I would really recommend. There wasn't anything special about it. Too light on the vamps for my taste!

ETERNAL (Tantalize #2)
Written by: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Publication date: February 10, 2009
Released in Paperback and Hardcover

5 stars

Synopsis: Classified Ads: WANTED: Personal assistant to her Royal Highness. Duties: Whatever asked without hesitation, including but not limited to secretarial/administrative, household, defense, blood donation, driving, companionship, prey disposal, and love slavery.

At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated and adopted by none other than the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracul, Miranda goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous royal fiend overnight. Her reckless and adoring guardian angel, meanwhile - fighting in human guise as the princess's personal assistant - has his work cut out for him with the Master's Death Day gala fast approaching. Can Zachary save his girl's soul and redeem himself before all hell arrives, quite literally, on their doorstep?

How I Came to Read This: I saw the cover, which right away said to me - angels! It's not often you get a story about them, let alone a guardian angel! The whole vampire/guardian angel thing could have only turned out one of two ways: disastrous or awesomeness!

My Review: The result, you ask? AWESOMENESS!!! This book was different, funny and exciting. Having just been turned into a vampire - a royal one, at that - Miranda fumbles with etiquette and the way things are done in her new life. She does so in a very comical way that makes it easy to imagine yourself in that situation. Trying hard to fit in while trying to make it look natural at the same time. Zachary is truly the comic relief in this story, though. He is quick-witted and for an angel, he doesn't take any crap! Although I really enjoyed everything about this book, he was the highlight for me.

If you read my previous review of Tantalize, it wasn't very pretty. When I read Eternal, I felt like I was reading an entirely different author. You just have to read it for yourself! You won't be sorry.

Who Should Read This: Eternal was different than your average vampire story. It was a love story, yes. But not mushy or heartbreaking either. It was just fun to read.