Lies Beneath- Anne Greenwood Brown

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 17•12

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother’s death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family’s homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock’s daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there’s more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him. -Goodreads

Review: I don’t read a lot of mermaid books, in fact I’m not entirely sure I had read any before Lies Beneath. I have to say that I’m a little disappointed. It’s possibly my own fault and that this was never a good fit for me, I saw mermaids and thought “why not?” before realizing that this sounds a little silly.

For me, Lies Beneath was somewhat predictable with more than a dash of the dreaded insta-love. I think this kind of story is becoming harder and harder to look past for most of us. Choosing between the love of your life and any sort of obligation never ends well, but it always seems to end pretty much the same.

Not to say that it was in any way all bad. I thought the world building was especially cool, and it would be hard to go wrong with killer mermaids (although, my brain automatically goes to sirens, even though they aren’t the same thing). While all of the mermaids were distinct individuals, there was also an animalistic element to them which is part of why I tend to enjoy reading werewolves. There was also a darker undertone in this book that makes sense with soul destroying mermaids but is always a little refreshing in the type of YA I tend to pick.

If you’re looking for a new take on mermaids, then by all means check out Lies Beneath which came out this week.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Supernatural Snark
@Birdbrain Book Blog
@So Many Books, So Little Time

Posted in Young Adult Books , , | No Comments »

IMM BEA Favorites Part 1 & 2

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 15•12

The beautiful, beautiful BEA book haul. Originally I was planning on doing my first ever video blog but I quickly realized that I can’t say nearly as much as I want to about each book without putting together a two hour production, so I’m going to break things down into a few regular posts.

Part 1- The books I HAD to have
Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent
This is probably my favorite ongoing series right now. Shadow Bound came out a week or so before BEA and it was torture not to just go out and buy it, but for my patience I got a signed copy and a brief chance to say hello to one of my top four all time favorite authors. Love, love, love! I am currently rereading Blood Bound so that I can go into book 2 with the highest possible level of appreciation.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
I didn’t even realize Bitterblue was going to be at BEA. I feel like a horrible book person. Once I found out though, I was on top of things. This is the only solo book I waited in a significant line for. An hour and twenty minutes, two free books and some cool new blogger friends later I got my signed copy and was doing a mental happy dance (at BEA we play things cool. Book professionals don’t happy dance… but they should). Part of me can’t wait to read this and part of me really isn’t ready for this fantastic series to be over yet. I have a strong urge to go hug this book.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
I had only just read this book in April but I fell head over heels in love. I borrowed someones copy and taken it to Cuba with me and knew I needed to get a copy of my own. I’m not sure if I’ll be reading the preview of book 2, it would probably be a little too much like torture, knowing I can’t have the rest but needless to say I’m super happy to have a copy of this book. Big thanks to the wonderful people at the Little, Brown booth who put up with my hovering.

Part 2- The books everyone is talking about

Venom by Fiona Paul
Two of my roommates were lucky enough to get themselves over to a Penguin party where they heard a lot of great things about Fiona Paul’s debut, Venom. It is apparently the penguin YA title to read this year. Once I heard that and that that the book is set in Venice (heh, cool word play) I had to take my chance to get a copy. This was probably my last big find of the entire week and we ended up forming the front of the line for the final Penguin YA book drop because we were all tired and ready to put our feet up for awhile. Read Venom!

Skinny by Donna Cooner
I was lucky enough to get a seat in the BEA YA Editor’s Buzz panel which is where I first heard about Skinny. This is the story of the voice inside many of our heads, always present and telling us how we’re just not good enough. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy which I’ll probably be reading right away as I know I have more than a few others I’ll want to share this title with.

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
On Wednesday morning I attended to the Children’s author breakfast which was really fantastic. While Lois Lowery was an absolute tear-jerker, the big thrill for me was seeing Chris Colfer up close and personal. Very funny and charming guy. Apparently, he had been putting The Land of Stories together in his head for years now and it was very cool how he showed us the process of turning his childhood drawings into a reality. I’m sure most debut authors don’t get the same kind of pull in the design phase, but like he said… he’s that kid from Glee! Either way, I’m looking forward to reading this one and loving my new Land of Stories tote bag.

Stay tuned for more BEA book posts including Non-Fiction titles, exciting YA titles and a little bit of everything else.

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , , | No Comments »

Fair Game- Patricia Briggs

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 14•12

Synopsis: They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.
Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can’t afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father’s dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.
Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack’s help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer’s sights… -Goodreads

Review: Gotta love Patricia Briggs! While I am missing having a new Mercy book this year Anna and Charles make for a really sweet read. Three books in but they are still a very new couple and are still learning the in’s and out’s of their partner, both being more unsure about themselves than they are about the other person.

Inn Fair Game, our two favorite lovebirds (err, lovewolves) are called upon to solve a series of murders happening in the Boston area, and as someone who has been known to watch an episode or two of Criminal Minds I really enjoyed how the story was written. There were a few moments where it actually felt like I was following along with the clues rather than just hanging on for dear life and hoping no characters I like managed to get themselves hurt.

There was also an additional twist that was set up right from the beginning of the book using one of the supporting characters from Boston. I wont go into too much detail but you will find yourself wondering how that element will come into play. Overall, a great mix of mystery solving and a style of magic that only Patricia Briggs can deliver.

My one complaint for this book (which I’m pretty sure is the same as my one complaint for the last book in this series) is that I really want to see more of the important people in Anna and Charles’ lives. They keep getting thrown into different cities with new characters and I’m dying to see more of Bran or Anna reunited with her family. The pack element is part of why I love the Mercy Thompson series (the books these books spin-off of) so much, and I do feel like I’m missing out a little when I’m with Anna and Charles.

Either way, I will obviously be picking up the next book in this series when it comes out, eons from now. Until then, maybe there is a Mercy reread in my future to stop my whining.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Readaholics Anonymous
@Story Treasury
@Greyt Thoughts

Posted in Urban Fantasy Books , , | 1 Comment »

Emerald City Dreamer- Luna Lindsey

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 13•12

Jina and Sandy survived the unthinkable. Now they’ve set up a secret Order in Seattle to fight the impossible – fairytale creatures born of human nightmares and nourished on dreams.
Their tools: iron, lore, science, glamour, and support groups. As beginners, without access to the ancient societies of faerie hunters, they must rediscover how to protect themselves. And in order to fight the fiends of the world, Sandy must take control her inner ghosts.
As a dreamer in a rock band, Jina unknowingly feeds the fae and attracts unseen enemies at every turn. Now, they’re finally on the tail of at least one dark monster bent on evil. She is a dreamer, so she must follow her heart – but which way does it lead?
Jett is an elf who only wants to protect her hodge-podge clan of faeries from the encroaching world of science and religion – which have systematically slaughtered her kind and the beliefs that gave birth to her people. True dreamers are rare beings, and when she finds them, she does everything she can to protect them and claim them as her own.
Ezra is a teenager who never feels comfortable in his own skin. Most people like him well enough, but when he looks in the mirror, he sees a demon. He has been taken in by the Garbage Eaters, who expect obedience and purity. Before long, he suffers a crisis of faith that may lead him into real danger. Delve into this deeply developed, internally consistent world of the fae, and meet beings who are simultaneously alien, elegant, and terrifying, fueled by dreams and the creative energy of artists.
Glimpse the secret world of Tir Nan Og through the eyes of fully fledged four-dimensional characters living in a Seattle that is just a bit weirder than you think.
This is a story with psychological depth, a page-turner with unexpected twists and turns.
When prey hunts, who will lead the chase, and who will run?
Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos, Urban Fantasy Books , , | No Comments »

Touch of Frost- Jennifer Estep

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 13•12

Synopsis: My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . . -Goodreads

Review: I’ve been eager to read the Mythos Academy series for some time now but was a little hesitant after reading a book with a very similar idea that I didn’t enjoy AT ALL last year but I finally came around and decided to give Touch of Frost a fair shot, and I’m glad I did. This was a really fun (and fairly quick) read that I would recommend to any mythology buffs out there.

Right away I liked the main character, Gwen. Not only did she actually remind me a little of a supernatural Veronica Mars but later on she even through in a V. Mars reference along with a few others. While I understand why too many pop culture references can be the downfall of a book (House of Night), I always get a thrill when characters love the same things I do.

Anyways, Gwen is new at Mythos Academy and not really enjoying her time when she finds herself thrown into a murder mystery that no one else seems to bat an eyelash at. In the world these characters live in death is so common place that no one stops to mourn a lost student as there is just too many more important things going on. Definitely made me wonder if you become desensitized to losing people but that’s a post for a whole different blog.

It was an interesting ride watching Gwen work her way through this new world, make some friends and ultimately find a place where she feels comfortable. I will undoubtedly be picking up the next book in this series and soon.

Buy the book: @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Candace’s Book Blog
@Esther’s Ever After
@Stalking The Bookshelves

Posted in Young Adult Books , , | No Comments »

Home from BEA 2012

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 12•12

I’m hommmeeee! It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks from Toronto to Philly to New York City and back again. While I had so much fun at the Wizard World Comic Con in Philly with some pretty fantastic people, if you’re here odds are your looking for details on BEA.

I arrived in New York at about 5:30 in the morning, walked twelve blocks in the wrong direction and eventually ended up at my hotel where I met one of my roommates, Cindy from Cindy’s Love of Books. I then took off for BBC even though I was running on only one hour of sleep. Ugh, bad plan Kellie. Really. So, here is me after what feels like three straight years of riding on buses. Joy.

At the author breakfast I met Kim (On the Wings of Books) and Kate (Midnight Book Girl). Kim and I actually ended up at the same table, along with Kaye, The Paper Reader whose blog I lurrvveee.

The BBC was great and I met some truly wonderful people who love reading as much as I do. It was pretty mind blowing to be in a room full of people who were passionate about exactly the same thing that I am. Hard to beat that.

The rest of BEA was equally incredible, if not exhausting. I didn’t go in looking for many specific titles (I got Shadow Bound & Bitterblue, I can now die happy) so I was really blown away by the titles that were popping up all over the Javits Center. I have so many books that I want to be my next read, even now it’s a little overwhelming.

I also met some really fantastic authors. The entire group over at Spencer Hill Press was so nice and I got a chance to talk to Rachel Vincent’s editor who was also amazingly cool. I had no idea Harlequin is based on Toronto!

I will go into more depth about the books I picked up at BEA, but for now here is the initial group photo of all the books after they made it safely home to Canada (thankfully, I didn’t have to ship which would have probably doubled my entire cost for the week).

 

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos | 2 Comments »

The Trouble With Demons- Lisa Shearin

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 04•12

Synopsis: For seeker Raine Benares, a demon infestation on the Isle of Mid couldn’t come at a worse time. Already fighting the influence of the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone, Raine discovers she is also magically bonded to a dark mage and a white knight, two dangerous and powerful men on opposing sides.

Turns out, the demons want the key to unlock the Saghred. As a seeker, Raine should be able to find it first. As the axis of light and dark powers, she’s a magical cataclysm waiting to happen. -Goodreads

Review: On a random recommendation I purchased the first four books in this series a few years ago. I read through the entire first two books even though I couldn’t really get into them. They were alright, just never really managed to draw me in. Anyways, as part of Bout of Books I picked up book number three and really enjoyed it. Sometimes sticking with a series pays off. Not usually, but it does happen.

There is a lot of action in this book and Raine wastes absolutely no time before jumping right into things. At the beginning of the book she’s shopping for new clothes and then BAM, demons and the book basically follows things from there. This is one of those books where everything happens in the span of just a few days so there is a lot going on. The characters never get a chance to catch their breath which adds to the urgent feeling of whatever they are trying to accomplish at any given moment.

The storyline and world building are pretty standard for fantasy, but I am still really enjoying how the additions of goblins as a major race. They’re silver, and pretty and more than a little underhanded most of the time. Raine’s goblin love interest Tam is so much fun to read and I would love to see more of his relationship with Talon as the series progresses.

One pet peeve of mine with this book is that there seems to be a lot of repetition and inability to assume readers will remember things on their own. There are way too many references to the Benares family reputation, etc. etc. I did appreciate the occasional reminder about some of the plot points (especially as some of the background characters are hard to keep separate in my mind since they all have standard, unpronounceable fantasy names) but the book might have benefited from a few reminders less… per chapter.

Overall, while I liked this book more than the other books in this series and will even willingly start book four, I’m still not in love with the Raine Benares books. That being said, it’s pretty obvious that there are a lot of people that disagree with me so as usual, check out the second opinions list down below.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@The Books Smugglers
@Lurv a la Mode
@Tempting Persephone

Posted in Fantasy Books , , | No Comments »

(DNF) Crossed- Ally Condie

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 02•12

Synopsis: Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky–taken by the Society to his sure death–only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of a rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices every thing to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.
Narrated from both Cassia’s and Ky’s point of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever. -Goodreads

Review: I tried, and tried but I just couldn’t get into this book and ultimately had to decide I didn’t want to keep trying to get through it. I think this is my first ever DNF post, definitely the first one this year.

I recently read something where another blogger (unfortunately, I don’t remember who… I want to say it was The Story Siren, but I’m not 100% sure) was talking about Second Book Syndrome, where the second book in a story suffers because the primary couple has been separated for plots sake. This is exactly what my problem is with Crossed. Bah!

Obviously, I can’t get too far into anything as I didn’t finish this book and it wouldn’t really be fair to comment but it wasn’t for me. Now more than ever, be sure to check out the second opinion reviews below as a lot of people loved this book, so if it’s one you’ve been dying to read, don’t let me scare you off.

Second Opinions:
@Between the Covers
@The YA Reader
@Should Be Reading

Posted in Young Adult Books , , , | No Comments »

Hunting Ground- Patricia Briggs

Written By: Kellie - Jun• 01•12

Synopsis: Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son — and enforcer — of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either…

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan — and it seems like someone else might be too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all — or risk losing everything… -Goodreads

Review: Love, love, love Patricia Briggs! She never disappoints. Hunting Ground is the next chapter in the Mercy Thompson spin off series which follows Anna and Charles as they deal with the wild, wild word of werewolf politics.

The politics that are involved with admitting the existence of werewolves were actually really well thought out and in depth which played a big part of why I enjoyed this book even more than the last in this series. So, much fun! I especially loved how everyone instinctively wanting to protect Anna played into the story line. Patricia Briggs knows her wolves very well and that shows in each character and all of their interactions. There is a reason why so many people love her books.

Obviously, the relationship between Anna and Charles was once again a big part of the book (as it’s the central storyline of the series) and it was nice to see them get more comfortable with each other and really relax into having someone else in their lives. They both need to learn to be a little more comfortable with themselves, but we’ll get there.

I would have loved to see more of Charle’s father Bran in this book and I hope he’ll become part of the story somewhere down the line as he is still this mysterious figure in all of the books in this world. We know about his history, his relationships etc. but I still don’t feel like I really get his character besides all of the awesomness.

Overall, another great addition to a wonderful series that I can’t wait to read more of.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Christie’s Book Reviews
@104 Reviews
@Darlene’s Book Nook

Posted in Urban Fantasy Books , , | 1 Comment »

Fire- Kristin Cashore

Written By: Kellie - May• 30•12

Synopsis: It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her. -Goodreads

Review: I think I loved this book even more in reading it for the second time. Such a great read. If you’ve only read Graceling so far, this is the same world but different. There are no Graced in The Dells, but instead there are Monsters everywhere, and they are insanely cool. I mean it, you should read this book.

Fire is a fantastic character that it is so easy to get behind. Her father played an important (albeit negative) roll in her countries history so she grew up privileged despite her being a Monster (literally- stunningly beautiful) but is determined to do things for herself. The story really starts when Fire is given the chance to redeem her family by using her abilities to help the political situation.

I think it is the combination of cool characters, unusual magic systems and politics that makes Kristin Cashore’s books so addicting. One person can have an important role to play in changing things without needing to be any kind of chosen one. Love it!

One thing I thought was really interesting, is that there is actually some controversy around this book that I had no idea about. In reading some of the other reviews on Goodreads, a lot of people found it offensive that what they considered “casual” sex was included in a YA title. First off, Kristin Cashore wrote a great book, where the publishers, bookstores etc. decided to put the book isn’t on her. At all. Secondly, who cares. Fire was hardly sleeping around by any stretch of the imagination. She took precautions not to get pregnant and I didn’t think there were any negative messages about sex in this story. Those that disagree should just skip this one, or not let their children read it. This book isn’t for you. Getting angry that this book exists and mentions you disagree with is just silly. I realize I am waaaayy too late to chime in on this, but I wanted to say it anyways. Needless to say, I think this book is great!

I haven’t read Bitterblue yet, but I can’t wait. Ahh! I wish there were more series like this (and am open to recommendations) where the world building stays the same, more or less, but each story is complete in its own right. Everything we love about standalone novels without ever really having to leave a world that we love. Perfect!

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Strange Horizons
@The Book Smugglers
@The Compulsive Reader

Posted in Fantasy Books, Young Adult Books , , | 2 Comments »
<<2829303132>>