Thursday, January 30, 2014

Moonglow by Kristen Callihan Review

Moonglow (Darkest London, #2)




Once the seeds of desire are sown . . .

Finally free of her suffocating marriage, widow Daisy Ellis Craigmore is ready to embrace the pleasures of life that have long been denied her. Yet her new-found freedom is short lived. A string of unexplained murders has brought danger to Daisy's door, forcing her to turn to the most unlikely of saviors . . .

Their growing passion knows no bounds . . .

Ian Ranulf, the Marquis of Northrup, has spent lifetimes hiding his primal nature from London society. But now a vicious killer threatens to expose his secrets. Ian must step out of the shadows and protect the beautiful, fearless Daisy, who awakens in him desires he thought long dead. As their quest to unmask the villain draws them closer together, Daisy has no choice but to reveal her own startling secret, and Ian must face the undeniable truth: Losing his heart to Daisy may be the only way to save his soul.


First of all I have to tell you guys that I am obsessed with this series! Obsessed! I am totally fine with that. This book was so refreshing. Callihan's writing is so sophisticated and it transports the reader to the 1800s without being overwhelming. Her writing also makes the reader forget about time and anything that doesn't have to do with the book. Personally the ability to forget everything while reading is one of the characteristics I look forward to in a book.

In the first book,  the two main characters were a bit serious and calm in this book we have two very fun and wild characters. I enjoyed both books equally, but this one was a bit more fun and very fast paced. I liked Ian in book one but now I'm totally in love with him! He has a very dark but lively personality. The reader can only see his internal struggles when reading from his POV. Even then all that darkness and sadness didn't make me feel pity for him. It just made me love him even more. The same goes with Daisy. She has a rough past, but she didn't let that make her weak. She didn't need saving for anyone. Because of that I love her. Also, the chemistry between these two equals HOT!

The plot was equally fantastic. I tried to figure out who was the one behind all the trouble but never got it right. I was very surprised when I found out who it was. There's also a big twist at the end I didn't see coming! This book also gives the readers a glimpse of secondary characters that in the next few books will become main characters! I'm so looking forward to reading the rest of the series.  




Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Pic2Book Wednesday Challenge #84

Guess the Book Title




This is a weekly challenge where you guess the book title just by looking at the pictures. This game is inspired by the game Scene it? and it's one of my favorite challenges in it! If you want to participate and don't want any spoilers don't read the comments. I'll post the answer of this challenge in tomorrow's post.

What's this book's title?




Hints:
     
  • This book will come out on February 11th
  • A.S. are the author's initial
  • The book's cover is very bright 



Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott






Thanks to:  

 
For participating in last week's challenge!!! 
 
 
 

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Archived by Victoria Schwab Review

The Archived (The Archived, #1)



Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

Why did it take me so long to read The Archived? I finished it a few minutes ago, and I want to re-read it again. This book is so different, and the writing was amazing! Ah, I need the sequel in my life right now!
 
The Archived brought out emotions in me that made me put the book aside for a minute just to take a break. This usually happened while McKenzie was in the Narrows. Most of the time the Histories were frightened and that made me feel hopeless for them and for McKenzie. Imagine waking up after you die and not knowing where you are. Imagine having to return these copies of human beings to the place they just tried to escape. I was conflicted. I knew they weren’t humans, but I still felt for them. This part of the book was dark, powerful, and it made me believe this place was real. 
 
  The thing about this book that I loved the most was that I didn’t know what to expect. There were so many things happening in The Archived that I thought I was going to get lost at some point. That never happened. Instead, Victoria Schwab gave us a beautifully written book full of suspense and secrets that you will never see coming. Also, the little bit of romance the book has left me in shock. It was like a surprise kick to the stomach. It hurt, and then it left me breathless and then it hurt a little bit more, but I won't tell you why. I really want to tell you what this is all about, but I hate spoilers!
  
 I connected with McKenzie and the other characters so much that I wasn’t just a reader looking from the outside in, I was them. I put myself in their shoes, and I think that’s why this book made me feel a little bit emotional sometimes. The way Schwab described the Archive, the Narrows and the Coronado, which is where McKenzie moved into, was so vivid and mysterious. I could see these places in my mind. I walked the Coronado's corridors, I went to the Coronado’s roof and touched the gargoyles, and I saw the characters, and I know what they look like. Ah, this book is like a drug. I was addicted to it, and right now I’m having really bad withdrawals. Like I said the sequel needs to be in my hands ASAP because gosh, I need it really bad.



Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan Review & Giveaway!


The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3)
 
(The Heroes of Olympus #3)
 
 


Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare....

I'm kind of surprised that haven't gotten tired of these characters. At least tired of Percy and Annabeth. I just love them so much. This series is very close to my heart. I always thought that I was helpless when it came to Greek Mythology. It always fascinated me but before these books I had a hard time remembering names and places. But Rick Riordan makes you want to learn more. When I read the books, I take twice as long to read them because I'm always googling gods, demigods etc. He takes Greek Mythology and blends it with modern twists, and the result is awesomeness.

The Mark of Athena, like the previous books in the series, was amazing. We have different narrators, and despite popular belief it wasn't hard to follow. Each character has an unique voice, so it was always easy to tell who was narrating when. I also love that each character had its time to shine (except for poor Frank). I also like how the challenges or mini quests were sprinkled throughout the book. Their adventures were so entertaining, at the expense of our poor heroes, but it wouldn't be a Riordan book without a little bit of suffering.

Like always Riordan makes it seem like our heroes won't be able to complete the book's quest. I won't tell you if they made it, or not but this was me the whole book:



 I can't wait to read the next book which is out thank goodness! I don't think I would be able to wait a whole year to continue this series!


I'm giving away 1 clip necklace and 2 Heroes of Olympus pin badge buttons! This giveaway is INT'l and ends 2/6/14. To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!



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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Pic2Book Wednesday Challenge #83

Guess the Book Title




This is a weekly challenge where you guess the book title just by looking at the pictures. This game is inspired by the game Scene it? and it's one of my favorite challenges in it! If you want to participate and don't want any spoilers don't read the comments. I'll post the answer of this challenge in tomorrow's post.

What's this book's title?



Hints:
  • This book will come out on February 25th
  • V.S. are the author's initials
  • This is the first book on the series


Last Challenge's answer: 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer







Thanks to:  


For participating in the last challenge!!! 

Monday, January 20, 2014

Firelight by Kristen Callihan Review

Firelight (Darkest London, #1)



Once the flames are ignited . . .

Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . .

Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.


Before I started reading Firelight, I’ve been on a reading slump for over a month. As soon as I open the book and read the first sentence I thought to myself that maybe a paranormal-historical-romance book wasn’t the best way to get me out of it. To my surprise it worked! I don’t know why I was hesitant about this one. I’ve had good experiences with the historical genre. Well the 2 or 3 books that I’ve read were really good. The only thing with this type of books it’s that I feel like I have to pay extra attention to what I’m reading. But at the end it’s all worth it.

I fell in love with Firelight. This book was my universe for 2 days. I didn’t do anything else but read it. One of the things that made me fall in love with it was the Beauty and the Beast feel to it. Archer hides behind a mask because of something that happened to his face, and Miranda is the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. The sexual tension was fantastic. It keeps building up and building up until they couldn’t deny each other anymore, and it was magical. Oh my goodness it was perfect.

The paranormal aspect of the book was mild but interesting. It wasn’t until further in the book where I realized that there was much more going than the eye can see. I’m on book 3, and I find that book 2 and 3 have a lot more paranormal activity than in book 1. I’m loving this series!

Overall I think this was a fantastic start to an amazing series! The characters are so alive and lovely. The book has everything. It’s funny, scary, hot, classy and everything made of awesome!



Wednesday, January 8, 2014

World After by Susan Ee Review and Giveaway!!!!


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12983100-world-after


In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?




I was so excited for World After to come out that when I got my copy I kissed it. I started reading it right away. I was expecting to get sucked in from page one. What I wasn’t expecting was to feel lost to the point where I had to put the book aside and try to skim-read Angelfall. That helped a lot. After that, I felt more comfortable with the book and enjoyed it a lot.

World After is a great book but Angelfall still is my favorite book in the series. I think what made me feel like this was the fact that Raffe wasn’t as present as he was on Angelfall. Penry's and Raffe's amazing chemistry was one of the aspects that made me fall in love with book one. I only wanted more of him.

Even though my Raffe wasn’t in Worldafter as much as I wanted him to, the book was still a great addition to the series. Penryn was kickass like always, and her sister just broke my heart! I felt a strong connection towards her. This little girl was such a big character in this book. There’s this scene almost at the end of the book where Page does something that gave me chills. Chills!!! And I think I've said this before, but I have to say it again Penry's mom freaks me out! I love her, though.

World After is not a perfect book but it was pretty darn good. There's action, plot twists, heartbreak and hope in every page. I can't wait for book 3. Let's hope it doesn't take too long!



To enter the giveaway just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is INT'l and ends 1/22/14. Good Luck!

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