11/29/11

Fledgling (Tri-Realms Saga Book #2) Book Review

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 336 KB

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Language: English

Source: K.C. King (In exchange of an honest review)

Genre: Paranormal Romance YA

ASIN: B0061FP4UY




Amazon Synopsis:

“Something deep within my core told me that my encounters with Hannah were more than random acts of chance: There was a higher purpose – a reason – that we were repeatedly being drawn together, and it was up to me to determine exactly what that was without risking her welfare. However, my greatest challenge to this rested with three of the most powerful guardians in the Tri-Realms. And they currently headed up the tree-lined drive towards me.”

When Bree Spencer fell in love with Sebastian Templeton, her life changed forever – and now she’s beginning to realise just how much. Caught between the demands of two, often contrary, worlds and the guidance of a most reluctant mentor, life as a fledgling is far more complicated than she ever could have imagined.

And it’s about to get a whole lot worse.

When Bree meets Hannah, she once again finds herself torn between what her temporal nature dictates and her ethereal vows demand. Only this time, her decision triggers a raft of consequences that will strike at the heart of everything she has ever known – including her relationships with the Scions who will one day reign supreme.

My Review:
 
 
The second installment on the Tri-Realms Saga is everything it promised to be and then some. We follow Bree and experience through her eyes how her world changed since Anomaly (Tri-Realms Saga Book #1) ended.
After reading the first book on this series, I was captivated by the new world K.C King gloriously created and I honestly thought that the second book was going to be epic, guess what? I was 100% right.
The plot is simply flawless, and the rhythm of the book is perfectly well balanced. The Way almost all the Characters develop is incredible.
I need to say I fell in love with Alaik, and even though he seems to have a hidden agenda and a dark nature, to me he´s simply alluring and at some point my view of him changed from an open dislike of him to an attraction that can only be described as the Bad Boy Syndrome, *fan myself and sight*
Sebastian is the only character that keeps the same through both books; his love or fascination for Bree simply exists, without any real reason at least to me. Don’t get me wrong I like the guy I just feel he is flat and at some points boring, but hey his hotness can still go a long way with me lol!!!
Note to self: reading the paragraphs above I realized I’m totally Team Alaik lol!!! Anyway…
The originality of this series is the reason I’m officially a fan of K.C. King, her way with words and her vivid imagination brought to life a very powerful story about love, betrayals, past errors and life changing decisions that is sure to have Paranormal Romance fans glued to their seats.
 

11/25/11

The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles #1) BOOK REVIEW

             
      
Format: Kindle Edition File Size: 344 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, Paranormal Romance
ASIN: B005Z26DWM
Source: R2R at Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics
                        
                                                            
   
About the Author:

Krystle Jones was born and raised in the small, southern town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Reading and writing have been lifelong passions of hers. In addition to being a novelist, she is also an award-winning flutist, and moonlights as a voice actress. Her voice can be heard in the popular online game, Alice is Dead 3.


Goodreads Synopsis:

After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.

When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister’s twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn’t dead, and vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will, and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life. But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. The city is harboring a devastating secret, one that could change the tide of the war and threaten to destroy everything Sloane has come to believe in.

My Review

I want to thank the mods. at Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics for the amazing work they do at the R2R (Read to Review).
Thanks to that work ,Indie Authors have a space where they can share their books.
That is the case with The Scarlet Dagger.
We meet Sloane a 17 year old girl, who lost part of her family a year back, in a series of unfortunate events. Her twin Orion is presumed dead, killed by Vampires on hallows eve; she starts a quest that will change her life forever.
This book as a whole has a lot of potential, the plot is good but still has some weak spots here and there, the description of the characters is amazing, but sometimes it doesn´t agrees with what the characters actually do. The side characters are likeable but aren´t explored enough.
The prose is good and the plot is very entertaining and even though the general concept of the book has been done any number of times, Krystle´s has uniqueness.
Other thing I found is that at times the author tells instead of shows information, but this issue can also be fixed and even though it´s somewhat distracting it doesn´t lessen the overall impact of the story.
I loved the fact that Slone isn´t the damsel in distress type, she is certainly able to fend for herself, but still accepts the fact that she can´t do everything on her own. She is a strong character and some of her comeback lines are simply amazing.
Aden is still kind of an unknown to me, he is the male lead on this book, and I feel he could have been developed a little further; but still is quite endearing; he has this kind of man/boy feel to him that is quite catching. Between you and me, sometimes I even drooled a little over him, lol!!!
The best part of this book is the villain, I definitively didn´t see that one coming, the fact that the author managed to go through the story without leaving so much of a hint of who he is, was astonishing.
All in all this is a very interesting book, that just needs a little polishing here and there but it certainly has the basis for an epic series.


11/24/11

Dirty Little Secret # 5


Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday they get to know other bloggers and readers more intimately by asking a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. !

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: I want to hear from you as well!!! Let me know your answer in the comments!

I hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

"You are a kick ass chick, ready to face the night 
and kill some nasty vampires. 
You have your leathers on, your sidekick is ready... 
What is your weapon of choice?"
I would pick a long sword and a gun, a sort of mix between Prince of Persia and Lara Croft.
That way I can Swiss Cheese them with the gun and chop their head of with my oh so cool blade plus my outfit would be totally wicked!!!!!

11/22/11

Anomaly(Tri-Realms Saga: Book One) by K.C. King BOOK REVIEW

Format: Kindle Edition 
File Size: 431 KB

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Language: English

Genre: Paranormal Romance

ASIN: B005ZVBFK8



About the Author:


K.C. King's love affair with books began with Charlotte's Web when she was eight. A true Aquarian, she's a dreamer whose John Grisham obsession resulted in her choice to study linguistics and law. When she's not travelling or enjoying cappuccinos in kangaroo cups, you'll probably find her in her own world: Somewhere between Metropolis and Austen's 19th Century England


Amazon Synopsis

“I was transfixed as I watched him; his skin was simply luminous in the sunlight, yet not a bead of sweat sheened his face. I could have remained entranced by him for hours, for in this state he was simply magnificent, almost – supernatural.”

22-year-old Bree Spencer hates prejudice of all kinds – especially the blatant elitism she is subjected to as a resident staffer at her aunt’s exclusive estate, Blackall Manor. So when Bree nearly winds up as road-kill on account of the wealthy Sebastian Templeton, she struggles to reconcile her inexplicable attraction to him. On the surface Sebastian epitomises all that Bree usually despises, yet her draw to him is irrefutable.

Events become decidedly more unusual upon Sebastian’s arrival as a guest at Blackall Manor. Despite her reservations, Bree finds Sebastian intriguing; but his insistence to get to know her triggers a raft of niggling suspicions – heightened by a series of strange dreams and phenomena – until eventually, she learns the truth.

Sebastian is a guardian, a powerful descendant of a sacred ethereal line; and Bree’s uncanny gift has prompted him to find her. But while an anomaly inspired their connection, an ancient prophecy and ethereal lore forbid it. And with Sebastian’s purist brother determined to honour both at any cost, an epic battle with unthinkable stakes could be Bree’s only chance at survival.

My Review

When we talk about paranormal romance the beings that come to mind are usually Vampires, Werewolves, Angels, ghosts and even zombies. When I heard that this book was indeed Paranormal Romance but none of those where present my first thought was “How does K.C. King is going to pull this off?”  
Guess what, she introduced Guardians, Ethereals and Elementals. What do they do? You may ask, well, they are in charge of keeping the balance among all living forces and are the hottest, cutest, most charming and interesting beings I’ve read about.
Through the book we follow Bree a young woman who lives with her Aunt due to tragic circumstances and ends up working at Blackall Manor, where she gets the chance to get to know Sebastian after he almost ran her over and suddenly her world is turned upside down.
K.C. King has an extraordinary eye for detail, so much that you can practically feel the wind and smell the ocean with the turn of a page.
This book had me glued to my sofa until 2 am, I swear the author is a walking thesaurus; the way this book is written is like reading Emily Dickinson but with supernatural beings parading through the pages, simply astonishing.
The plot is magnificent; it has the perfect rhythm and the romantic web she weaves traps you as soon as it starts.
The female character is strong and confident and doesn´t fear to take matters into her on hands, Sebastian is chivalrous and at the same time understands and supports Bree´s need to be independent and self-sufficient.
I loved this book, it left me wishing the book was longer or having the second installment so I could keep reading nonstop.
This is the kind of book that makes knees go weak and hearts beating irregularly.
But please guys don’t take my word for it, go and read it I swear you won’t be disappointed.
This is the easiest 5 start plus rate I’ve done, if I could give this book a million stars rating I would it´s definitively that good.



11/20/11

Give Thanks for Good Books


so we are almost at the end of 2011 and with the holidays rushing in i wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks to all of my followers  here at Book Addict and to all my friends and almost family at Goodreads.
Especially to this amazing friends and bloggers.


thanks so much guys for al your support and for the privilege of getting to know you.
we might live thousands of miles away but our love for books glued us together.


Now whats the book i´m most thankfull for?
Well actually is a series, im thankfull for Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, the emptiness i felt when i finished was what compelled me to look for more books and eventualy lead me to Goodreads to met a bunch of people that i have now the rivilege to call friends, this people are the ones that inspired me to have my Book Review Blog, so there...

if it weren´t for Vampire Academy i wouldn´t be here in the first place so my outmost thank you goes to Richelle Mead who wrote an amazing series that left me eager for more.

To find out more about this spectacular giveaway and for a chance to win this HUGE prize, go to Beth Book Review  blog. All you have to do it create a post of a book that you are gratful for and in return you may win an awesome prize.

11/19/11

Dirty Littler Secret #4



Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday they get to know other bloggers and readers more intimately by asking a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. !

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: I want to hear from you as well!!! Let me know your answer in the comments!

I hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

"Which paranormal creature do you wish would "come out of the closet" and reveal themselves to the real world?"


I know i´m a Vamp chick but i would really like for the shifters to come out of the closet, there´s something super sexy about all that raw power, that makes my knees go weak.
I swear i would have no selfcontrol if one came anywhere near me lol!!!

11/12/11

The Amazing Wolf Boy by Roxanne Smolen BOOK REVIEW

Edition: Paperback

Pages: 320

Publisher: L & L Dreamspell (October 5, 2011)

Source: Roxanne Smolen (in Exchange for an honest review)

Language: English

Genre: Young Adult

ISBN-10: 1603184139

ISBN-13: 978-1603184137


About the Author:
 I am the author of nine books ranging from science fiction romance to horror. I'm a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I'm also blind. Let me clarify that. I see shapes and shadows but no detail. For instance, I can see where my face is in a mirror, but I cannot see my lips to put on lipstick. This may seem a trite problem, but my husband keeps introducing me as Ronald McDonald.

Writing blind can be challenging. Typing is not a problem—typos are. My computer helps solve this. Computers offer new abilities to sight-impaired people. Screen brightness, color contrast, and font size can be manipulated to meet special needs, opening a world previously inaccessible to anyone with visual impairment. Verbose computer programs can read aloud everything from web pages to email—even regular mail if you have a scanner.

When I first began writing, I used a word recognition program with playback capabilities. This is not a foolproof solution. Word recognition is at best 90% accurate, which means that nine out of ten words will be right. That's fine for a sighted person, but all I could hope for was that the word that was wrong was not a really important one. And if I was tired and slurred my words, I ended up with sentences like hatchet fizz in the goop bandana.

Today I use a computer program that echoes the keys I press and reads the screen to me. The robotic voice took a little getting used to, but I've come to rely upon it. My computer is a frustrating and essential partner. It does more than help me write. It helps me research and promote—and it connects me to other writers.

Amazon Synopsis
Cody Forester plans to become a doctor. Instead, he becomes a werewolf. The first time Cody shows fang and fur, his parents ship him off to podunkville to live with his black sheep uncle. His revised career choice is social hermit. As the new kid, he makes more enemies than friends. His high school teachers label him a troublemaker. The whole town hates him. Except Brittany. She's beautiful, with her eyes painted black and her lips dark purple. When Brittany discovers his secret, she tries to cure him using crystals, candles, and magic potions. Cody falls head-over-tails in love-but he can never tell her. Girls like her aren't for him. He's the amazing wolf boy. Astound your family and mystify your friends. While Cody moons over Brittany, a murderous pack of lycanthropes howl into town. They want Cody to join them. When he refuses, they kidnap Brittany and threaten to kill her at moonrise. Cody must master his untried superpowers or the girl he loves dies. Can he defeat the pack and save both their lives
 
My Review
This book is really something, it the cutes, loveliest and endearing book I’ve read.
The story is about Cody a 16 year old boy, who discovers he´s a werewolf, in the scariest way possible and then his parent decide to ship him off to Florida to a place called Loxahatchee to live with his uncle; there is where the story truly begins.
Labeled a trouble maker, he feels the odd man out until he meets Brittany, a strange girl, that changes hair color as easily as I change socks; she has a bubbling personality and she the most beautiful thing he´s ever seen.
I absolutely loved this book, is sweet and it has a lot of meaning hidden on the pages.
This book is about conquering fear, believing in yourself, accepting differences but most important is about never giving up; no matter what life throws at you, there´s always a solution.
What I like the most about this book, is that is really easy to read, it has a great rhythm, action, romance and information just flow around the pages, so much that you can´t stop reading.
Guys you really need to take a look at this book, it a great read for kids, but is funny, romantic and interesting enough to catch the attention of an adult as well.
The Amazing Wolf Boy goes straight to my Favorite books list.

Check out this book guys you wont regret it

 

11/10/11

Dirty Little Secret # 3


Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday they get to know other bloggers and readers more intimately by asking a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. !

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: I want to hear from you as well!!! Let me know your answer in the comments!

I hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!
"What supernatural power would you NOT want to have?"

Definitely, not to Sparkle under the soon lol!!!! but that´s not a supernatural power lol!!, I think I would hate to fly, I hate heights, I go Nauseous and have Vertigo so that would def. be a no,no for me lol!!.
But I think i would be more afraid of knowing the future,  to have the knowledge of all the bad things that will happen but not being able to do a ting about them, is an horrific thought.

11/7/11

Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport BOOK REVIEW AND AUTHOR INTERVIEW



Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 255 KB  

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Emily Devenport (in exchange for an honest review)

Language: English

ASIN: B0055F5P46



About the Author:

I'm a writer -- Emily Devenport, Maggy Thomas and Lee Hogan are the pen names I used when I wrote my novels. I've been published in the U.S., the U.K., Italy, and Israel. My novels are SHADE, LARISSA, SCORPIANNE, EGGHEADS, THE KRONOS CONDITION, GODHEADS, BROKEN TIME (which was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award), BELARUS, and ENEMIES. Look for my new novels, THE NIGHT SHIFTERS and SPIRITS OF GLORY, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Apple, and Smashwords.

A few days back I was contacted by Emily Devenport who asked me if I wanted to review Spirits of Glory as you guys can see I agreed and she also agreed to have a small interview with me.

Here is the Interview


When and why did you begin writing?
I was about 23 years old, and the urge to write came over me like a mental illness. I'm not trying to be a wise guy, I think there are actually a lot of similarities between the need to write and obsessive-compulsive disorder. You are haunted by thoughts about people who don't exist, and you feel compelled to make up stories about them and relate them to others. If you don't manage to be entertaining, people think you're crazy. And they're sort of right.

What inspired you to write your first book?
Most of my books are inspired by the same thing -- a really compelling dream that seems so real, I can't stop thinking about it. When I wake up, I wonder about the characters in the dream, why they did what they did, and what they might do next. I've had many dreams that never turned into a book, and many others that took years to finally gel into something interesting. I've also had dreams so inspiring, I ended up writing a 100-page treatment the very next day.

Do you have a specific writing style?
 I try to be straight-forward with my style, not too flowery. I think clarity is the most important thing a writer can accomplish. I also feel compelled to inject humor into writing, if I can. Sometimes the humor is black ad ironic, sometimes it's kind of slapstick. It depends on the story. I think I do this because I can't help looking at things from many angles, and if you do that long enough, things can start to look humorous.

How did you come up with the titles?
My titles that were published by NAL/Roc were often changed by editors. My book, BROKEN TIME, was originally called THE TENNESSEE WALTZ, because the heroine of the story loses her sweetheart the same way as the gal in the song (someone literally waltzes off with him). My publisher felt the title made the novel sound too girlie -- they were afraid it would limit the audience. Likewise, THE KRONOS CONDITION was originally titled THE KRONOS KID, but the publisher was afraid it would seem too YA. This was before YA turned out to be such a popular genre -- these days they would probably want to promote it as a YA book.
When I name a book these days, there's no one to second-guess me. I just think about it until I come up with something that feels right.

Is there a message in your books that you want readers to grasp?
I don't think I have a particular message. But I do think the themes in my books are pretty strong. I write about odd people with talents, people who overcome hardships and terrors. I think courage means trying to keep going even though you're scared, and hurt, and very imperfect.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
There are so many writers who inspired and entertained me over the years. They mostly wrote SF, Fantasy, and/or Mysteries. Like a lot of readers, I was pretty voracious when I first started reading. I went through a period when I read everything I could find about Asia. I discovered SF and Fantasy when I was about 12. I loved vampires, monsters, ghost stories, adventure. If I had to list a few whose style I find instructive, the list might include Agatha Christie, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Raymond Chandler, and Octavia Butler. But a complete list would be too long to read!.

 What are your current projects?
 I just finished recording an audiobook version of my Urban Fantasy novel, THE NIGHT SHIFTERS, that will be distributed by Amazon's Audible company. I'll be publishing one of my backlist titles, BELARUS, early next year, as well as a YA thriller I co-wrote with my husband, Ernest Hogan, titled THE TERRIBLE TWELVES. And I'm writing two YA fantasies, THE ORDER OF THE DRAGON and LORD MONKEY. Plus I'm trying to get a degree in Geology, so college is eating my brain.

 Till now how many books have you written?
 I've written 15 books, including the books I co-wrote with my husband.

Which of your books was the easiest/hardest to write?
 BROKEN TIME was the easiest to write -- it just seemed to flow without much effort. The hardest book to write was BELARUS, because it actually wasn't the original book I intended to write. When I pitched ENEMIES to my publisher, I told them some of the backstory, and they decided they wanted 2 novels instead of one. I said, "Sure, no problem!" But when I sat down to write the first book, BELARUS, I realized I had written two wars into the backstory. OMG!!

 Which of your books is your favourite?
 My favorite book is usually the one I'm working on at the time. But in retrospect, BROKEN TIME and SPIRITS OF GLORY are probably my all-time favorites.

 Talking about Spirits of Glory , How long was the writing process of Spirits of Glory?
SPIRITS took about a year to write, because I had to write it on my lunch hour. This is kind of contrary to what a lot of writers will tell you about the creative process: that you have to do it several hours a day. Several hours a day are great, if you have them -- I had 1 hour a day. I had just purchased a laptop, and I found it wonderfully helpful in my writing process. So every day at lunch I sat down and buried myself in the story. On my days off I was sometimes able to write for a few hours too, so I slowly got it done.

Why name your Leading character Amber Rodriguez but use Hawkeye through the story?
Rodriguez is her family name, and Amber is what her mom named her because of the color of her eyes. But Hawkeye is who she really is. She has very keen eyesight, like a hawk -- but she is also extremely perceptive. She spends a lot of time puzzling stuff out in her head. She sees stuff, then ponders what it really means. That's why the Northern gods advised the Neighbors that they should take her along to the Forbidden Cities. They said, "Hawkeye sees farther."


Time Fractures are the most important events on the book, how did they came to be?
My novels are often inspired by dreams. The first thing I dreamed about SPIRITS OF GLORY was a time fracture. It happened during a rain storm -- I actually describe it in the book. As to why the fractures are happening, it's because of things the Northern and Southern gods are doing, things so weird and complex, humans probably wouldn't understand it if it were explained to them.
Humans, Neighbors, scavengers, Ghosts, Gen altered animals and Gods, how did this conglomeration of beings came to life in a single book?
I think it's because of the way my mind is wired. I don't think in a linear fashion, and I'm often juggling several tasks and concepts at once. I try to make sense of it all, and over the years I've gotten pretty good a weaving what you might think of as "weird tapestries."

For me Bertie was, a representation of all the fears Hawkeye has through the book, what was he for you?
He was Mr. Wrong, and he taught her a lot. Being involved with him forced her to be more strong and independent, and taught her caution -- but it also wounded her heart. She has that experience in common with be a hermit and retreat from the world. Being Hawkeye, eventually she has to see that.

 If you had to describe this book in one sentence, what would that sentence be?
"One morning the People in the North woke up and the people in the South were gone." I like that sentence, because when you read it, you can't help but wonder, "Why?"

Thank you so much Emily for a wonderfull interview.

MY REVIEW

When I started this book, I did so without any expectation, Science Fiction is not usually the type of book that I would pick for a read, but when I was offered the chance to read this books, I knew if I said no, I was going to make the biggest mistake ever; you know what? I was right!!!!!!!

Spirits of Glory is a magnificent piece of art.

Through the whole book we accompany Hawkeye on a journey she wasn´t prepared to take, we watch her grow comfortable under her own skin. What I liked the most about this book was the strength the female character has; it´s something very unusual in YA literature. Hawkeye is an intellectual, caring compassionate woman, whose thirst of knowledge drives her to take part on a trip that will change her life forever.

This book is an unusual ride into a unique science Fiction YA, the intricate plot makes you thought everything at least twice before continuing reading cause every sentence has significance, every words is full with symbolism, every single detail counts.

I´m usually very good at figuring where the story is going and even thou I took several guesses at where this book was headed I got to say that half my suspicions where wrong and when the truth of truths was finally on display it was so obvious; Emily Devenport made a flawless job at webbing this story with so intricate detail that even thou all the signs where there, cause she did left signs as to where the story was headed ; you are so absorbed on the story that you can´t help but to miss them.

I loved this book is one of the best reads I’ve had on 2011, you guys should be looking this book ASAP.

Actually i´m going to make it easy for you here is the link


Now Go guys BUY, BUY, BUY!!!!!

11/5/11

Coexist: Keegan´s Chronicles by Julia Crane BOOK REVIEW


Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 340 KB
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Valknut Press (June 10, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
About the Author:
Julia crane is the author of the Coexist: Keegan's Chronicles. She has a bachelors degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination. Although she's spent most of her life on the US east coast, she currently lives in Dubai with her husband and three children.
Amazon Synopsis:Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends--she's an elf, descended from a long line of elves that live in secrecy alongside humans.

In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen. Against tradition, Keegan's brother Thaddeus told her Rourk's name because his visions warned him she'd need Rourk's protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan's side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known. 
An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan's family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle...without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?

My Review
I´m going to try a different approach on this review cause truly I’m not quite sure if I liked the book or not.
PROS.
1.       All the Characters are believable well balanced and can stand out on their own.
2.       The plot is really really good.
3.       The book keeps a steady rhythm.
4.       The main couple is really cute and endearing.
5.       The Elf world depicted on the book is very interesting.
6.       It left me curious as to where the story is going.
CONS.
1.       The way the main conflict on the story got solved seemed too easy.
2.       Some of the characters lacked of background.
3.       The twist at the end of the story left me feeling unsettled.
4.       I was left with lots of unanswered questions.
As you guys can see there are a lot more of pros. than cons. To this story, I´m not saying is a bad book, I’m just saying that it left me conflicted but curious at the same time.
I adored Rourk and the whole premise of having a chosen one, which you know no matter what will make you happy, is attractive to say the least. At the same time I felt Rourk was being tortured practically the whole book and when he found solace he was tortured once again; but then again that could be a mayor plot from the author and maybe just maybe she´s planning some grand outcome for him.
I can´t say a thing about Donald, cause I don´t know a thing about him, see what I mean with the background missing on some chars.? But I guess those things are going to be clarified on the next book, which I’ll def. be buying.
Keegan I loved, she is cute and funny and normal, well as normal as an Elf living among humans can be. She has a loving family and an endless support system with family and friends.
I really enjoyed the Narrative of the book it was an easy and relaxing read.
All in all I liked the book I just wasn´t trapped by it, but I’ll be checking for the next one on the series, that´s for sure.


11/4/11

Beg For Mercy by Shannon Dermott BOOK REVIEW

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 614 KB

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Genre: Paranormal Young Adult

Language: English

ASIN: B005GGMC3G

Source: Shannon Dermott (in exchange of an honest review)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars



About the Author:

Shannon first love was reading, diving into other realities to explore and brave new worlds. To share her writing is the best experience of all. Her first series explores the life and trials of being Mercy Moore, a teenage cambion. When Shannon isn't writing she loves to shop and watch horror movies that make turning out the lights seem like a stupid idea. You can explore more about her at her website www.shannondermott.com. She can also be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Amazon Synopsis:

Everyone dreams of that first kiss. Of that magic moment when your lips finally meet those of that special person you've waited your whole life for. A little awkward, a little scary, a little hot and every bit amazing. We speculate that the whole world will shake and time will just stop. No one, however, ever imagines that kiss to bring Death himself knocking.

Sixteen year old Mercy Moore's life just got more complicated. The kiss that originally could have meant she would finally have a boyfriend now was the kiss that could have very nearly ended his life. A small detail her mother conveniently never told her will take her life for an abrupt u-turn. Dating, no love, was now completely and utterly impossible. And the boy well, that boy would never be the same.

But life, however cruel, goes on. Far too soon for her taste, Mercy finds herself at a senior party with the elite students of her school and her best friend. And of all things, playing a stupid game that could very well mean the death of someone in that small room. If it were not for her best friend, the hottest guys in school, and a small need to fit in, she may have been able to escape the disaster that was to come. Her worst nightmare, her personal curse, her very life, only gets dangerously worse.

My Review
I can’t summarize how much this book got to me for starters I have to say that Shannon Dermott knows what she is doing.
How would you feel if you had a life sucking demonic power trapped inside you that most certainly will kill any boy that dares to kiss you but at the same time compels you to reach for that nearness?
I´ve read a ton of books where the main character is very friendly towards a lot of boys and I always found myself saying, heck I don´t want my niece to read this. That did not happened with this book, I felt sorry for Mercy and her struggle most of the book, being a teenager is hard on itself raging hormones an all, but adding to that she´s half succubus. That screamed disaster in so many levels, that I fell in love with Mercy.
What happens around Mercy and the way boys around her act is perfectly understandable and a huge part of the story.
Luke is an adorable loving and caring boy that is head over hills for Mercy, I won’t say he is perfect far from it, actually all the characters in the book are very believable he has both good and bad quality’s to him, like all of us do.
Flynn is my favorite character in the book, he´s the classic popular, flirty wham bam thank you mam kind of guy, but deep within him you can see he is actually a good friend, with good feelings despite his nature and a person that cares deeply about others; but can´t actually help himself so he just do what needs to be done.
The only character I had a problem with was Mercy´s mom, what an infuriating woman she is; she keeps her daughter completely on the dark on so many levels and there´s no mother daughter bond what so ever. She lives her life without so much of a thought on how Mercy feels or what she needs so much that I actually thought that she doesn´t even cares for her.
The book is told in first person perspective, and even thou she is 16 she has a mature quality to her that I liked, she does make an enormous amount of bad decisions but I find myself blaming her succubus side rather than her.
What I liked the most about the story was that there was no girl meets boy and they are meant to be, soul mates, and can´t live apart, no the story is all about choices and the outcome of those regardless of the paranormal aspect of it.
I enjoyed this book very much that´s why it earned a much deserved

Bound by Blood by P.A. Lupton Giveaway WINNER!!!!!


I want to thank you all for participating and my outmost apreciation and respect to P.A.Lupton who kindly offer to have this giveaway.

The winner has been selected

as always it has 48 hrs. to replay

or another winner will be chosen.




Jen from At Random


I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did Jen thx so much fo being a part of Book Addict.

11/2/11

El Dia de los Muertos Mexican Tradition

Hi guys as you may have noticed this post has nothing to do with books but still being on the middle of holidays here in Mexico I wanted to let u guys know a little of the way we Celebrate the Day of the Death...


Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality of a National Holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration takes place on November 1–2, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.


 
In most regions of Mexico, November 1 honors children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1 mainly as Día de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") but also as Día de los Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels") and November 2 as Día de los Muertos ("Day of the Dead")

Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period, families usually clean and decorate graves;] most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas (offerings), which often include orange Mexican marigolds. These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.


 
Toys are brought for dead children, and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), and sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased. Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site as well.



 
Those with a distinctive talent for writing sometimes create short poems, called calaveras ("skulls"), mocking epitaphs of friends, describing interesting habits and attitudes or funny anecdotes. This custom originated in the 18th or 19th century, after a newspaper published a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future, "and all of us were dead", proceeding to "read" the tombstones.


The traditions and activities that take place in celebration of the Day of the Dead are not universal and often vary from town to town.


Hope u guys enjoyed this is  tiny bit of my culture and traditions, but a very important one, hope to hear your thoughts on this and I would love for u guys to tell me traditions of your country too!!!

11/1/11

Bound by Blood by P.A. Lupton BOOK REVIEW AND INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY!!

Hi guys I have a treat for you all, a Giveaway of the best book I´ve had my hands on this year.
lets going to play this real quick. the first 15 people to comment and leave an email on this post are going to enter for the chance to win a PAPERBACK edition if the winner is from USA/CAN or a EBOOK if the winner is from anywhere else.

P.A. Lupton herself is offering this amazing giveaway and she´ll be the one sending out the price.


From the author:
Ever since I can remember I’ve had an addiction to books, and from the moment I picked up my first Anne Rice novel, I was hooked on the paranormal. The compelling lure of the paranormal world is irresistible. It is a world where anything and everything is possible, and the boundaries of humanity need not apply. A world in which life spans are measured by centuries and millennia, rather than decades, and a woman can possess inhuman strengths and kick major ass, yet still retain her innate femininity.

                                                                    
   Kindle Edition
        File Size: 759 KB
        Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0987749307
       Publisher: P.A. Lupton; 1 edition (July 21, 2011)
        Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
       Language: English
         ASIN: B005E0KYNE





Synpsis from www.palupton.com
FBI agent and psychic, Brianna Reece, descends from an ancient and powerful bloodline of witches, only she doesn’t know it. But now that legacy has come back to bite her—literally.
In the shadows of night in Denver Colorado, a serial killer is hunting women, and FBI agent Brianna Reece is hunting the killer. Unlike any case she’s worked before, Brianna can’t ignore the prickling at the back of her neck when she glimpses the resemblance she shares with the victims. The investigation begins to touch even closer to home when it is revealed that all of the victims were also psychic.
Complicating matters further, Brianna is captivated by the FBI’s prime suspect Nathan Donovan. Though she senses he is hiding something from her, the attraction she feels for him is compelling, and unlike anything she’s ever experienced. Through a chance twist of fate, Nathan learns of Brianna’s ancestry and is forced to divulge secrets to Brianna that will change her life forever.
When she learns that the killer is an evil vampire, and he’s now set his sights on her, Nathan alone holds the key to awakening her dormant powers. Now he must race to teach her how to control her emergent gifts before she becomes the next victim.
My Review
I have to be very honest, I first learned about this book through Goodreads, and since the moment I read the synopsis I was dying to get my hands on this book; I also realized that I had bought like 8 books that week and couldn´t buy it until a much much later time, and just when I had that feeling of “I´m missing out on something good” guess what? P.A. Lupton herself contacted me and asked me if I wanted to review her book, and I being very cool said “but of course” all the while I was jumping up and down on my couch.
Now for the review I absolutely need to say that I’m very pleasantly surprised, with the care and work P.A. Lupton put in this book. Plot aside this book has practically no errors I think I found maybe two missing words and that was that, other than that it´s grammar perfection, It´s the first time I’ve encounter a book this well written.
The rhythm of the book is perfect, P.A.Lupton give us the perfect time to assimilate all the information required to understand what’s going on, it has peaks and valleys and I absolutely adored the timing.
Brianna is a strong independent woman who believes she can and will protect herself in any circumstance, she believes in herself and feels empowered just by being a woman, skills and magic aside.
Nathan makes an impression upon arrival, he´s also a very powerful character and the dynamics of their relation being both of them so strong and independent, is brilliant, they trust each other the love each other but their no codependency just love and acceptance as individuals and as a couple.
The love story develops as it should and the love scenes that are described through the book where a needed step in the relationship and where tasteful and very well written.
The suspense is great and I can certainly say that I guessed a lot about who the murderer was and when I found out, I was shocked that the only option I didn´t think about, was the right one.
This book kept me on my toes almost since page one, it´s a wonderful read.
I gave this book a 5 star plus cause it´s so good that I simply don´t care that there where maybe and I stretch the maybe two missing words.
You should totally check this book out!!!!
Now REMEMBER THE GIVEAWAY so comments, comments!!!!!