In My Mailbox

So since I am still recovering from surgery, my In My Mailbox is only one book this week.  Thank you to my wonderful hubby for running to get it for me!!!

Waiting on Wednesday

So for Waiting on Wednesday today I have the second book from Kimberly Derting.  I am sure that I am not alone in my need to have this book.  Her first book, The Bodyfinder, was an AMAZING supernatural who-done-it.  It kept me guessing through the whole book and didn't leave me feeling like I had known what was going to happen.  I am EAGERLY awaiting Desires of the Dead.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

From GoodReads: Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.
Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

The second book in the Caster Chronicles, Beautiful Darkness lived up to the standard set by the first book in this series.  Full of twists and turns, heart-wrenching emotion, and characters that you just fall for.  In this book, Stohl and Garcia take us for an emotional rollercoaster ride as Lena tries to deal with the loss of Macon and pushes herself away from Ethan.  There were scenes that made me want to cry with the characters.  This book was amazingly written and I look forward to the third installment in this series.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

From GoodReads:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in ...more Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.
Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

I don't even know where to begin reviewing this book, the words to describe it won't come out right. I adored it.  It was creepy, saddening, exciting, heart-poundingly brilliant.  Mackie is so well written that  I found myself feeling everything he was feeling from scene to scene.  The hairs on my arms stood up from the eerie-factor of some of the scenes, especially the ones with the Morrigan in them.  This book was descriptive and detailed in such a way that sometimes you felt like you were actually in the story too.  It was an amazing book that I highly reccommend and will definitely read anything Brenna Yovanoff writes from here on out!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

From GoodReads: Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

So I started this book not really knowing what to think, I had read numerous reviews raving about it, but had to see for myself.  So I started it one evening and by morning I had finished it.  I loved it!  The characters were strong and extremely well written, the story was new and fresh.  I definitely think that if you are into Teen and YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, this is a book for you!  My only complaint about the book, the wait for the next one!!!! I will warn you now that this book ends with a MAJOR cliffhanger that will leave you begging for more!

Misguided Angel by Melissa De La Cruz

From GoodReads: After inheriting the dark Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence with her forbidden love, Jack. Now the two of them must embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the five remaining gates that guard the earth from Lucifer, lord of the Silver Bloods.

Back in New York, Mimi has been elected Regent of a crumbling coven. Struggling with her heartache over the loss of Kingsley and with her overwhelming desire to destroy Jack, she must focus all of her energy on a perilous new threat. Vampires are being abducted and their captors are planning to burn them alive online…for all the world to see. Help arrives in the form of Deming Chen, a Venator from Shanghai, who must untangle the web of deceptions before the killers strike again.
As the young vampires struggle for the survival of the coven, they uncover a deadly secret, a truth first discovered by Schuyler’s mother during the Renaissance but kept buried for centuries. And as the Blue Blood enclave weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler to a terrible choice that will ultimately map the destiny of her heart.

I must start out by saying Melissa De La Cruz, you my dear, are a TEASE!!!!
This book was just a small taste of things to come.  You get to see only bits and pieces of the big picture, ending in yet another of Melissa's, now famous, clif-hangers.  I loved it!  The story jumps from Jack and Schuyler to Mimi and Oliver, to scenes from past lives, to a new character (I won't tell you about her, you'll have to read to find out more!).  As Misguided Angel bounces from storyline to storyline you pick up new pieces to the puzzle, and just when you think you will get some answers, the book is done! So once again, Melissa has hooked me for another book, and, as only Melissa De La Cruz can,  has me counting the days until the next Blue Bloods novel.

Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

From GoodReads: Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.
Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.
Join new and old friends from Camp Half-Blood in this thrilling first audiobook in The Heroes of Olympus series.

If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, then you will LOVE this book! I started this book at 8:30 p.m. one night and, literally, my hubby had to pry it from my hands at 1 a.m. and force me to go to bed! 
In full Rick Riordan fashion, I couldn't put it down!  The characters of Piper, Leo, and Jason were amazingly written, the story was intermixed with Roman and Greek mythology, and the twists and turns were unforseen.  I strongly reccommend everyone check this book out! I promise that you will devour it!

YA SPOOKTACULAR IS HERE!!!

Welcome to the first ever YA Spooktacular event! I am UBER excited to be a part in the YA Spooktacular hosted by onceuponareview.com & frenzyofnoise.blogspot.com. I am proud to present Part 8 of Story 2: A Soul Laid Bare!  You can begin this story at http://www.pageturnersblog.com/ 

  

So, now do you want to know how it works? Well, there are 2 spooky YA stories being told in 13 parts. Each part is written by a different author (some currently published, some aspiring) and posted on a different blog. At the end of each story, you will have a chance to enter to win a prize pack (there is one for each story and a separate one that's open internationally). To be eligible to win that story's prize pack, you must comment on each part of the story. There will also be Trick or Treats along the way for more chances to win! For all the rules, the full rundown of all the goodness as well as a list of all the story stops, go to http://frenzyofnoise.blogspot.com/2010/10/ya-spooktacular-starts-friday_17.html

Good luck and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!



 

A Soul Laid Bare

Part Eight by Saundra Mitchell

Go to http://www.pageturnersblog.com/ to start the story!

Some air. She needed some air.






Shaking off the odd sense of dread that welled in her, Sami cut through the crowd to find the back door already standing open. It made sense— people should have been winding in and out, but for some reason, the wide lawn behind the house was deserted. A thin slice of silver moonlight filtered through the trees. For an awful, flashing moment, it looked like a veil of webs, as if spiders had descended every branch to cocoon the world.


"This is the part where you run away," Sami told herself. And yet, she walked into the cool night. Pulled on hooks and wires made of sensation, Sami swallowed hard when she came to a stop.


Something in that moment felt inevitable. Tremblingly inevitable— like seeing a perfect tower of cards, and knowing that it would fall. Not that it might, that it would, this minute, or in an hour, but there would be no stopping it.


And then, lightning coursed through her.


It struck, pale blue and racing her skin, searing her blood. It was agony, fire piercing her, filling her head full of fire and fury and... then it changed. It filled her, strange power crackling through her. Though she couldn't see her own eyes, she suspected they'd changed— just as Dylan's had, just as Mr. Cooper's had.


Then Mr. Cooper spoke. "Good and evil and undecided finally come together!"


Sami whirled to find him in the dark. Instead, she found Rosie, wound with a ribbon of violet stars. They pulsed around her head, a gothic halo. Her eyes were embers in shadow, glowing from a black depth.


"Well, I guess we know which one I am," she said sarcastically. She opened her hand. A swirling globe of those violet stars turned just above her palm. It pulsed with fire; just the look of it was dangerous.


With an easy flick, Rosie tossed it in the air— and at another point of the lawn, Dylan caught it. The moment he touched it, the stars shifted to scarlet. His eyes had turned, too, his whole body bathed in a crimson mist.


"You have to keep the balance, Sami!" Mr. Cooper cried.


Sami still couldn't see him. She turned, and only when she looked down, did she realize her feet no longer touched the earth. They all floated, just a few feet from the cool ground. Fog rolled beneath them, slowly marking out a triangle in mist. They stood on each point— but Mr. Cooper remained hidden.


Rosie stretched her arms, rippling in her tight costume. She turned her head, dark lashes fluttering as she opened her hands to present two new violet globes. This time, they sparked. And this time, she threw them hard— right at Sami.


Throwing her hands up, Sami screamed. She felt slicked, with sweat or blood, or something...it took her a moment to realize the lighting that swirled around her, soft lavender power, had risen up to block the blow.


Power churned inside her, and Sami trembled— how could Rosie already be so good at this? What awful thing did Dylan have in store? Trying to find some kind of defense in this madness, Sami called out to her friends- her friends.


"You're not evil!" She told Rosie. "You're not undecided. And I'm not good!"


Thunder crashed, a sound caught entirely between them. Sami squeezed her eyes closed, and when she did, she caught a glimpse of Tonya, of the Dark Man— and suddenly she realized there was someone else lurking in that dream, in those visions.


And that someone else was Mr. Cooper.

Need to know more? Can't wait to find out?

Then continue the story at http://thebookscoop.com/  and don't forget to comment here to be entered to win!!

 

Like Saundra Mitchell?  Check out her website!

http://www.saundramitchell.com/

Also, don't forget to check out Story 1: Darkness

which starts at

 http://www.frenzyofnoise.blogspot.com

In My Mailbox

So I know I haven't posted any book reviews lately (oh I will! I have been reading a TON of good books lately!), but I had surgery and have been down on bedrest.  Most of these posts were written and scheduled a head of time.  I did stock up on more books before surgery and In My Mailbox this week were:

White Cat by Holly Black

From GoodReads: Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.


Now I have been a Holly Black fan since Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside, I love her detailing and her ability to bring characters to life.  In White Cat, true to her style, she has done it again.  Cassel makes you feel every emotion as he goes through them, making you want things to go his way.  I adored this book for it's originality and concept.  (Also, I LOVE the fact that this book, unike so many in the Teen and YA genre, is written from a male perspective.)  If you like strange twists and turns, as well as the supernatural, then White Cat is a book for you!

Waiting on Wednesday

So this weeks Waiting on Wednesday is the third book in the Outcast Season series by my boss, Rachel Caine.  I am DYING for this book! Excuse my language, but Cassiel is a total BADASS!!! I am eager to see where this book goes, especially following on the heels of the final Weather Warden book, Total Eclipse.  I have been told by Rachel that Jo, David, nor Louis will appear in Unseen, but will be in the fourth and final Outcast Season book!

Waiting on Wednesday

My Waiting on Wednesday this week is one that I have been waiting for since August of 2009!  Needless to say that wait has not killed me, but it was torture!  Iron Crowned, the third in the Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead.  Now if don't know what I'm talking about, that's ok.  While the Dark Swan series is not as well known as her Vampire Academy series, it does offer the same patented Richelle Mead action and adventure.  However, I have to say, this is NOT a Teen or YA series! This IS AN ADULT SERIES! There is sex, there is swearing, and there is violence.  The characters are strong and outspoken while still managing to capture you in their story.  I for one, cannot WAIT ANY LONGER FOR IRON CROWNED!!

In My Mailbox

So even though I am still reading some of  the books from my last two In My Mailboxes, I got three more in the mail at the library this week that I just had to bring home.  All are books that I have been anxiously awaiting and will devour as soon as possible!

Waiting on Wednesday

My Waiting On Wednesday this week is one that I am DYING to get my hands on. I would sell my soul for and ARC of it!  Deadly Little Games, the third in the Touch Novels, is my agonizingly, long-awaited pick of the week.  I adore this series for it's ability to bamboozle me.  By that I mean, in every book so far I would be like "that's the bad guy! I know it's them!" and everytime I would be wrong.  Laurie Faria Stolarz is the master of unsolveable who-done-its.  And I, for one, am going insane waiting for this book.  If you haven't read this series, CHECK IT OUT! I promise you it will not disappoint you!!

Great Halloween Contests!!

So, while getting in the holiday spirit, I stumbled across some great Halloween contests on some great blogs I follow! So check them out and enter to win!


Ravenous Reader's contest http://www.lushbudgetproduction.com/2010/10/contest-beautiful-darkness-and-swag.html


Courtney's contest http://courtney-allison.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-party-trick-r-treat-giveaway.html


Carol's http://carol-in-print.blogspot.com/2010/09/will-she-ever-stop-giving-away-arcs.html

Jessica's contest http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/2010/10/haunted-halloween-with-nancy-holder-and.html

And last but not least, the one that I myself and helping with... Tales From Under The Grave!!!!! Start at Once Upon A Review and follow the story from blog to blog, author to author! Participate in tricks and treats to win cool stuff! http://onceuponareview.blogspot.com/2010/09/tales-from-under-grave-ya-spooktacular.html

Redecorating

So I admit, this post is completely non book related, but as you can see, Halloween is my FAVORITE time of the year! So in honor of Halloween I have changed the look of the blog a bit, redecorated if you will, but don't worry though, all the content will still be the same, just dressed in a different wrapping. Lol I have already bought my girls and I are costumes and am TOTALLY ready for the 31st to get here already! My oldest is going to be a sorceress and my youngest is a purple bat.  I got a very Victorian dress that I will wear with a little top hat, cane, and stiletto boots, I thinking it's very steam-punk.  Hubby is again going as a Sith Lord this year, though I don't think he ever tires of being someone from Star Wars, but then again, neither would I if there were more girls in it.  Though one year I would really like to be an Ewok..... So, are you ready? I want to hear from each and everyone of you what you are going to be this year!

In My Mailbox

It was another amazing week in library scores for me! I raided two libraries for the books that are  In My Mailbox this week!  Torment came from my library, the Rockwell City Public Library, Tattoos and Tequila I won from a fellow blogger, White Cat and Early To Death, Early To Rise came from the Fort Dodge Public Library. I am eager to dive into this pile of awesome!

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

From GoodReads: Love can be a dangerous thing....
Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Oh My Damn! I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book!!! I devoured it without even realizing it!  I started it at 9p.m. last night in the bathtub and was a total prune at 11p.m. when I finally put it down.  The story was AMAZING, the concept and characters was BRILLIANT, and I was shocked, appalled, amazed, breathless, and completely speachless when I finished it.  I love how Hanna never ceased to make me laugh while also scaring the crap out of me at the same time.  I give a thunderous standing ovation to Dia Reeves for her ability to make me see "the other side of crazy". 

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

From GoodReads: Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

I loved the originality of this story and the attentions to detail that made this book a hit.  The characters really came to life for me and I spent mch of the book with my heart in my throat.  I cannot wait for more books in this series and would highly reccommend everyone check out this AWESOMELY emotional novel.  Bravo Jeri Smith-Ready, bravo.

Tales From Under The Grave

So I get to be a part of an AWESOME Halloween blogger event (Thank you Khelsea and Danielle!) called Tales From Under The Grave!

How it works:
Author 1 will start a paranormal story and it will be posted on blog 1. Then, author 2 will continue the story and be posted on on blog 2 (and so on until it is finished.) Each author will submit 200-600 words (their preference) and we will follow the story from blog-to-blog.
Each blog will have a trick or a treat at the end of the post and all the participants must complete every one to be entered into the Spooktacular contest. The contest will run October 22 and end October 31, with multiple posts added each day.
It’s trick-or-treat in blog form!

So stick around for more information!