Saturday, January 31, 2015

Stacking the Shelves #1

I was originally starting Stacking the Shelves a couple of months ago but never did so now I'm starting with my first ever Stacking the Shelves out here in California! I'm going to post everything that I've gotten since I arrived out here 3 weeks ago. Before I forget to give credit where it is due Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga over at Tygna's Reviews. 

Without further ado my books since I've arrived:




Won:
Joyride ARC - Thank you Anna Banks!
Gifts:
Ensnared - A.G. Howard (Thank you Renae!)
Purchased: 
The Madman's Daughter - Madman's Daughter Series #1- Megan Shepherd
Her Dark Curiosity - Madman's Daughter Series #2
A Cold Legacy - Madman's Daughter Series #3
The School for Good and Evil - #1- Soman Chainani
Unbreakable - Legion Series #1 - Kami Garcia
Maid of Secrets - Maids of Honor #1 - Jennifer McGowan
The Glass Sentence - S.E. Grove
Mistborn - Mistborn Trilogy #1 - Brandon Sanderson
*All courtesy of the Book Loft in Solvang*
 
Wideacre - Wideacre Trilogy #1 - Philippa Gregory
The Favored Child - Wideacre Trilogy #2 - Philippa Gregory
Meridon - Wideacre Trilogy #3 - Philippa Gregory
*Courtesy of Martin's Used Books in Solvang*

The Selection - Selection Series #1 - Kiera Cass
*Thrift store find*

Thursday, January 29, 2015

To Judge a Cover - Daughter of Smoke and Bone

So we've all heard it before. Never judge a book by its cover. A lot of us are also equally guilty of doing just that. I know that I do (a lot), so that's what I'm going to do. I'm choosing a book and judging the cover; and whether or not I would buy the book based on the cover alone. So I'm judging this book's cover right here:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor 

 Breaking this down: I LOVE the mask! It's the only spot of color on the cover and it just drew my attention straight to the book the first time I saw it. The shade of blue is also how I imagined Karou's hair to look in the book. The rest of the cover being black and white, I feel gives it a mysterious vibe as to what lays beneath. Next that font; oh that font! It's both classy and rugged looking; in a way that it shows; I feel; that the book has many themes to it which is what I loved to begin with.

Final Decision: Yes I would buy this book for the cover alone. Thankfully I read it first and knew I liked it but even if I hadn't I would have bought it for the cover.

So what are your thoughts on the cover? Would you buy it based solely on the cover? Leave a comment below.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

ARC Review - Stone Faced Angel

Title: Stone Faced Angel
Author: Marie McKean
Publication: February 1, 2015
Format: e-ARC
Stone Faces Series #1

 

*I received an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Thank you Netgalley and Marie McKean. 

"There are some things I know for sure:
1. I died . . . a long time ago
2. Even in death I was always aware of him.
3. Love has a way of making even angels choose to leave their heaven above."

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Unhinged

Title: Unhinged
Author: AG Howard
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: January 7, 2014

"Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole. She was crowned Queen of the Red Court and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the boy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly appealing Morpheus. Now all she has to do is graduate high school.
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.
Could she leave Jeb and her parents behind again, for the sake of a man she knows has manipulated her before? Will her mother and Jeb trust her to do what’s right? Readers will swoon over the satisfying return to Howard’s bold, sensual reimagining of Carroll’s classic."
What I liked: Making a second trip back down the rabbit hole is something I will enjoy for quite a while. Alyssa is back and living a somewhat normal life again until Morpheus shows up in the human world. Which I enjoyed because it meant we would be going back to Wonderland, to see the consequences of what Alyssa left behind when she chose to leave Wonderland since she is a Queen. Wonderland has changed in her time away. What continued to help captivate me is it wasn't the same problems as before and now since Alyssa is a Netherling she has to ultimately decide which world will be hers.

Plus with the return of everyone from the first book returning, this time with the addition of Alison being let out of the asylum it added to the adventure. We got to go back and look at Alison and what she was doing for Wonderland when she was younger. Alyssa's art has taken a new look but is still as dark as before which was an added bonus hearing about her art and how it had changed.

What I didn't: The stinking love triangle, shape mess is still in play. On one hand Alyssa has Jeb, mortal and lives in the human world, on the other we have Morpheus who has been known to manipulate her but he grew up with her and like her is a Netherling. We get it, she has to pick between the two but so much conflict when they are in play together.Sorry love triangles aren't my thing.

Overall rating: 4/5

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Angel Killer - Release Date Blitz and a Giveaway!


We are super excited to celebrate the release of Lisa Voisin's THE ANGEL KILLER, the second book in The Watcher Saga, with an awesome excerpt from the book and a giveaway!

And if you haven't yet heard about this exciting series, there's also some information on the first book, THE WATCHER, along with its book trailer, a bit further down in this post.

First up, here's some information about THE ANGEL KILLER.

THE ANGEL KILLER


Title & Series: THE ANGEL KILLER (The Watcher Saga #2)
Author: Lisa Voisin
Release date: January 5, 2015
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Pages: 286
Formats: Paperback

Description

Now that she’s found him again, all Mia Crawford wants is some downtime with her fallen angel boyfriend, Michael. But the call of duty keeps him away—from school and from her—with more demons to smite than ever.

When Michael is mortally wounded by a cursed sword, Mia must perform an ancient blood ritual to save him. But the spell exacts a price. Haunted by visions of war, torture, and despair, Mia discovers the world is in more danger than she ever imagined. Behind the scenes, an evil adversary pulls all the strings.

After redemption, there’s Hell to pay.

About Lisa Voisin


A Canadian-born author, Lisa Voisin spent her childhood daydreaming and making up stories, but it was her love of reading and writing in her teens that drew her to Young Adult fiction.

Lisa is also a technical writer, a meditation teacher, and the leader of the Young Writer’s Club, a local writing group for teens in her home town. A self-proclaimed coffee lover, she can usually be found writing in a local cafĂ©. When she's not writing, you'll find her meditating or hiking in the mountains to counteract the side effects of drinking too much caffeine!

Though she’s lived in several cities across Canada, she currently lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her fiancĂ© and their two cats.


The Excerpt

I found Michael waiting on the stone path outside his basement suite. He greeted me with a brush of his lips, lacing his fingers through mine, and led me into a large back yard, bordered by evergreens. The center of the soft, moist grass featured a rocky pond, complete with a trickling stone fountain and two Adirondack chairs. Though the yard was well kept, leaves from a giant maple lay strewn about like reddish-brown confetti, glistening with raindrops in the late afternoon sun.

Michael tugged off his old, gray hoodie and slung it over one of the chairs. Underneath was the white tank top he normally wore flying. Goose bumps raced along the length of his bare arms. Turning to face me, he shook out his shoulders, the muscles rolling as he gave them a shrug.

“Ready?” he asked.

“For?”

“Combat training.” He stretched an arm across his chest and cracked his neck as though he were warming up. Was he expecting a workout?

“Combat training? Don’t you think that sounds a bit intense?” I swallowed. My voice sounded tight and high. “Violent, even?”

“What did you expect? Origami?” Stretching his other arm now, he cocked an eyebrow at me. “You wanted me to teach you, right?”

“No—yes.” I cleared my throat. “I mean no, I didn’t expect origami and yes, I want to learn.”

“Good.” He smiled. Was he enjoying my awkwardness? I tuned into his energy, attempting to get a feeling off him, but hit a wall. Was he blocking me? His expression became neutral too.

Above our heads, flyers hovered at the edges of the sigils that surrounded the yard, circling a constant threat, like giant vultures. I motioned to the sky. “Can’t they see us?”

“Not really. They can’t see or hear anything inside the protected space.” Changing the subject, he turned to me and winked. “Ready for your origami lesson? I thought we’d start with escapes.”

I folded my arms across my chest. The idea of fighting Michael felt like a joke—a David and Goliath joke. “Escapes?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna start with the basics. Teach you how to get out of that stranglehold the soldier demon had you in yesterday.” His feet shoulder-width apart, he motioned for me to come closer. “But we can’t do it if you’re all the way over there.”

I took a hesitant step toward him. Though I’d asked for this, the reality of it sounded painful. “Combat training,” I muttered disdainfully.

“I won’t hurt you.”

“I know,” I said, but I wasn’t so sure.

The Giveaway

The release day blast includes an awesome giveaway to ONE WINNER for a print copy of THE WATCHER (US/CA/UK) OR THE ANGEL KILLER (US/CA/UK) AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Watcher

Series: The Watcher Saga #1
Release date: March 4, 2013
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Pages: 556
Formats: Paperback, eBook

DESCRIPTION

Millennia ago, he fell from heaven for her.

Can he face her without falling again?
Fascinated with ancient civilizations, seventeen-year-old Mia Crawford dreams of becoming an archaeologist. She also dreams of wings—soft and silent like snow—and somebody trying to steal them.
When a horrible creature appears out of thin air and attacks her, she knows Michael Fontaine is involved, though he claims to know nothing about it. Secretive and aloof, Michael evokes feelings in Mia that she doesn’t understand. Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.
In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both? Ancient history is only the beginning.



The Trailer