I will for sure be going to Kimberly Derting's event on Saturday the 28th.
Jennifer Shaw Wolf's Breaking Beautiful Debut Launch Party is on Tuesday the 24th, but I might be up on Cameo Island taking my cousin's senior portraits
Stephanie Perkins, Gayle Forman & Nina LaCour have an event on Thursday the 26th. I haven't decided on this event either. I attempted listening to Anna and the French Kiss, but I wasn't really digging it. I do own the 1st book of Forman, but I haven't read that one either. This all depends on what my plans end of being for the day.
Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.
As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.
In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.
What I Loved
Romance
Vincent and Kate are so perfect for each other. Their devotion and passion for one another is epic and touching.
I usually don't add quotes, but this one was so touching and displays the essence of their love I had to add it. "Watching him was enough. but after a moment he spoke. 'Kate, I've spent a lifetime waiting for you. Before I saw you, I hadn't cared for anyone for... well, for a god part of a century, and it felt like my heart had been permanently disconnected. I wasn't even looking anymore. And without expecting anything...without any hope at all, suddenly you were here.'" Characters
Kate: She impressed me immensely in Die For Me and she keeps on impressing me in Until I Die. She is learning to fight so she can protect herself, how freaking cool it that! I would love to be in her shoes and learning all the fight/defensive techniques. She continues to be rational when other characters are completely irrational.
Vincent: He is still himself and I still love his character. Story
Betrayal within the house, a curious absence of numa attacks, searching for a painless way for Kate and Vincent to be together without him having to suffer and an ending that rendered me speechless and it total shock. A never ending fight for love, the only thing in the world to fight for.
Killing Me
Oh my goodness I can't believe it ended like that. I think all authors like to torture their readers for the last book before the concluding book. I was so close to tears, I really need next year to get here now so I can have If I Should Die in my hands right now.
In keeping with the theme of my last post and choosing a song for the book. I also choose a song by the same band Within Temptation (they are awesome) the song is All I Need and I think it fits well with Kate and Vincent.
Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.
What I Loved
Apocalypse Book
The world is ending and only a few select people know it. A mysterious countdown that no one can stop, people melting due to radiation, and major weather disasters are just the beginning. The book literately counts down and you can't help but read and devour as the minutes tick by. Elizabeth isn't afraid to hold back and nothing and no one is truly safe. The book is filled with excitement till the very end.
Characters
Janelle: Another female character that I really enjoyed reading. She is the provider for her brother and caretaker for her mom so her dad doesn't have to do any of it. Janelle was forced to play parent and responsible adult at a young age causing her to mature and become very dependable. She is able to deal with bad situations with a level head and she doesn't loose it like a whiny little girl.
Ben: What a surprise he turned out to be. I at first wasn't sure about him and his obsessive tendencies, but as Janelle spent more time with him I came to really enjoy and love him.
Side of Romance
I enjoyed reading the budding romance, this push and pull, yes and no, want but shouldn't romance makes for a very interesting and frustrating read.
Didn't Like
The ending was killer. I can't believe, well yes I can believe it, that is ended that way. I can't wait for the next book to come out!
Cicely Waters had always through she was simply one of the magic-born-a witch who can control the wind-but recently she discovered she's also one of the shifting Fae. Now she must perfect her gift. Because Cicely and her friends may have escaped from Myst and her Shadow Hunters, but Myst has managed to capture the Fae Prince who holds Cicely's heart.
What I Loved
Opinion Change
At the beginning of the book I had my character likes and dislikes and I was hoping a particular character would be killed. By the end of the book there was so many crazy betrayals, uncovered plots and hidden secret agendas that my character likes and dislikes changed. I'm still reeling from all the stuff that happened on every page of the book.
Character Cicely: Another great kick ass female character, with her own vulnerabilities and strengths. We get to learn who her father is in and more about her past life in this book.
Grieve: I really liked him more in this book, like with Cicely we get to learn a little more about him as well. I'm so looking forward to the next book and learning even more about him. Sexual Tension
The first book didn't have a huge amount of sex in the book, but this one steps it up a notch and adds a bit more. Yasmine's books definitely not for the faint of heart, you have got to be able to handle the rougher side especially with the book having brother and sister vampire lovers.
Didn't Like
What is there not to like about Yasmine's work, she isn't afraid to push any boundaries and I love that about her books.
Recommendation
A series definitely for the adult audience, a lot of mature and steamy content.
Information
Indigo Court series 1) Night Myst my review 2) Night Veil 3) Night Seeker July 3, 2012 4) Night Vision July 2013 5) Night's End TBA
Bookography is a fun new way to share the beauty of books with photography. Take a picture with the book being the focus or inspiration and share the picture(s) you have created for the week.
Book
Death Sentence by Alexander Gordon Smith
Death Sentence
This picture was taken for another prompt for the dpreview.com photo challenges. The challenge is "Evil Book" and I thought this book looks very evil, lots of evil creatures and bad things keep happening to the innocent Alex. I used my new 50mm lens with a very shallow depth of field of f/1.8, so there is a little strip of focus and everything else it out of focus and I think it adds to the gritty feel of the book.
If you would like to participate please do. I will post my Bookography post each week on Wednesdays. I would love if you would link back to my blog and share your own link in the comments.
To see my previous weeks pictures check out my Bookography tab
This meme is created by The Broke and the Bookish, anyone can participle telling about their top 10 topic items are.
1) Almost enjoy reading, it is the reason you started the blog
2) Don't worry about not getting ARCs, eventually the book will be published
3) Manage your reading pile well, read the review books but also mix in your fun choice reads
4) You don't have to review everything you read
5) Be picky about what you accept to review, you can say "No"
6) You don't need to post every day
7) Pick a few memes to participate it, they are fun do to, but don't do them every day
8) Create your own personal review style
9) Make genuine connections with other bloggers, they are a good support group
10) Have fun blogging, don't let it stress you out or take over your life
Many of these are my own goals I have for myself. I want to blog for fun and enjoy the whole blogging experience. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of ARCs and forgot that I have 100+ other books waiting on my shelves to be read and I don't need to add to my huge piles.
What is your tips for new blogger or old bloggers to remember?
At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans. When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.
The New Book Trailer
There are 2 different excerpt reveals (and a 3rd excerpt w/a hidden link in the post), I decided to reveal excerpt #2
Taste Excerpt 2
I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue? My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts. I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.
“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with, which made me wonder who the boy was.
He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.
I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue ice stared back at me.
“Human,” he whispered.
He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered.
Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.
“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.
He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.
Footsteps retreated behind me.
Luka reached out again.
It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.
“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.
I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.”
“The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
My cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection frightened me.
From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t come back to finish me off.
Demitri’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense muscles vibrated into me.
“What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.
I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed.
“Phoenix.”
I flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster.
“I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”
“I don’t think so.”
Ignoring my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?”
“I wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said. “Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone.”
There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.
“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.
Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”
Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.
Okay, weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before him? I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living on a different planet or something?
“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.
Without letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has been obeyed,” he said formally.
Luka nodded once.
Demitri stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.
