Feature & Follow [6]

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

If you can't follow via GFC, then please follow via NetworkedBlogs or e-mail! :)

Q: What is the first thing you would do if you woke up to find yourself in your favorite book?

This is a hard one, cause I have a couple where I am just not sure how exactly I would be fitting in. So I'm gonna pick that I'll be waking up in the world of The Lore and be a kick ass Valkyrie and I'll be hopping around all hyped up and make some mischief with my fellow Valks :)

Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Title: Slated

Series: Slated #1

Author: Teri Terry

Publication Date: May 3, 2012

Rating: 3 Stars
Amazon - Goodreads - Shelfari

Book Blurb

Kyla’s memory has been erased,

her personality wiped blank,

her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

My Thoughts

Not quite sure what to rate this. On the one hand it was well written and I liked the plot, would have still liked it to be more fleshed out but I'm guessing we'll get that in the second one with how things were left. 

I liked the MC for the most part as well. She is smart, clever and can put things together, yet at the same time she was kinda slow at some parts. The spy thing, Phoebe, her 'Dad'. It was all so obvious but she didn't connect the dots. Yet when it came to reading people and knowing their intentions she was pretty spot on. She could read between the lines really well. I'm hoping the smart yet dumb act is because of the Levo, cause if not, I'm not going to like the second book very much. 

My main problem with this book was the pacing and the length. It was entirely too long and the pacing was so slow, but fast enough to keep you interested. Like a trail of breadcrumbs really space apart. You just keep hoping the next one is coming soon, and it does, but at the same time it takes so long just to get there. 

On to the so called romance. I don't like Ben. I don't know if it's because of the Slating and then afterwards the Happy Pills, but I just didn't like the guy. Yeah he was susceptible, but he was also incredibly stupid. He said he could think by himself while being on the Happy Pills, well let me just say that leaves something to be desired.

The way their romance developed was slow yet at the same time it just felt wrong somehow. I just felt no real connection between them. Specially cause the only time they spent together was either running or very short conversations about what was going on. At this point I might even like Nico more, and that says a lot LOL. 

Character wise I liked how it was done. All the major players are very complex characters all with their own secrets and hidden agendas. should be interesting to see how it all plays out. This book has a lot of potential, and I really hope that now that the Slating and Levo business is done with (concerning Kyla) and the potential is met, cause I can see this turning into quite the series.

WWW - Wednesday Jan. 30

WWW Wednesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

My answers...

What are you currently reading?

The Last Keeper's Daughter by Rebecca Trogner. This is part of a book tour I'll be taking part in, but that's not going to happen for another couple of months, but this really intrigued me so I'm just going to read it now :P

What did you recently finish reading?

Slated (Slated #1) by Teri Terry. This book has so much potential and I'm expecting a mind-blowing sequel. (Review)

The Twelfth Keeper (Keepers #1) by Belle Malory. This is another one where I'm expecting more out of the sequel. This book was really just a set up for the plot, which there wasn't much of in this one. (Review)

Ever After (The Hollows #11) by Kim Harrison. Sigh...This was an awesome read. Best Hollows book so far. There was a lot of Trent and I am more than happy about that =D (Review to come)

Big Bad Bite (Big Bad Bite #1) by Jessie Lane. Let me just say that this book right here is the reason why I don't read shifter books anymore. Shame cause it had an amazing MC. (Review)

Novellas

Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves story by Ally Carter. I love Gallagher Girls and I enjoyed Heist Society (Read: I loved Hale) So reading a story where their worlds crashed was awesome, it was done seamlessly. If you love Ally Carter's books or want an intro into their world this would be the perfect opportunity, it's a FREE novella!

Mourning Cloak by Rabia Gale. The world in this book was way too complicated for it to just be a novella. I was so lost most of the time, till I basically just gave up and ignored the strange names. But at least I understood the point of the story so there is that.

The Fire Wall (Bloomfire #1) by Dane Ruby. In the case of this novella, I still don't get what was the point of it. I don't get their world, their rules and the author kept pointing out that the MC was brave, stood up for herself, but honestly instead of stumbling into things this chick just ran straight into them and then didn't know what to do.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Crimson Groves (Crimson #1) by Ashley Robertson. Been wanting to read this one for a while and I'm in the mood for bloody vampires.

Review: Big Bad Bite by Jessie Lane

Title: Big Bad Bite

Series: Big Bad Bite #1

Author: Jessie Lane

Publication Date: January 28, 2013

Rating: 2.5 Stars
Amazon - Goodreads - Shelfari

Book Blurb

What would it be like to live in a world where you are considered abnormal to those who are above the norm?

Jenna O’ Conner has been taught her whole life to hide from everyone. Never to let anyone to close enough to know that she would prefer a shotgun for her birthday over of a bouquet of roses. She’s been smothered by her over protective family so that no one learns what she truly is. Which is not human. Nor, is she considered the norm for the supernatural Other community that is benevolent enough to share this world with the humans.

In a desperate attempt to live her own life away from the small town she was raised in, Jenna obtains her dream job as the newest member on the Wilmington Police Department’s SWAT Team. What she didn’t predict was that she would run into trouble her first day on the job, in the form of a deadly, mouthwatering man named Adam McPhee. Who is also not human, but more like a wolf walking around in human skin. He’s determined to figure out exactly what Jenna is, which unbeknownst to him, could very well put her life in danger. He’s also determined to have her all to himself. 

As if that wasn’t enough for Jenna to deal with, bad news blows into town. A group of extremist Shifters who think humans are cattle and factions of Others worldwide should stay within their own species - never to intermingle. Chaos ensues. Jenna has to find a way to shut them down, but in the process of trying to do that, discovers things about herself that even she never thought was possible. 

Who said the wolf was what you had to worry about?

Welcome to the real world.

My Thoughts

This was disappointing in so many levels...I had been so excited, thought this book was going to be different from the rest of the shifter books out there and I would actually like it. Sadly that wasn't completely the case. 

This book had a very strong start. It was awesome, I loved the MC her smart ass remarks, and how she could kick ass and chew bubble gum...at the same time. Don't get me wrong, she didn't change that much in that aspect, my problem was in the romance and the romantic interest.

This is were shifter books always fail for me, and I'm sad to say that this was no different. In someways I would have to say it was actually kind of worse. 

The romantic interest Adam was just way too perfect for her. I understand they are supposed to be mates but it was just a bit nauseating once they got all lovey-dovey with each other. I'm supposed to swooning and sighing over their romance, but instead I was skipping over it cause honestly I'd be making the gagging sounds in the background at those parts.

The speed in which it happened was astounding, and not only that, but the MC, Jenna, which I had come to admire for her independence, would be reduced to a puddle of goo at his mere smell! SMELL. I don't care if they are wolves, I get the whole pheromones crap, but it's just the whole 180 turn that Jenna made that was pathetic. 

Moving on from the romance, I'll give the author props for the interesting take on how the different supernatural species come about and their interactions between each other. 

The plot hadn't become a problem till the end when I realized that the plot ended up being third in line to the romance and sexing that was going on throughout the book. At the start of the book there is a ransom situation and the perps were shifters from another pack. This was the conflict of the whole book. Finding out what the hell was going on and why they were intruding into their territory, so on and so forth. All good so far. 

My problem comes in when all they do is go to some club follow some chicks they already knew had the info, save her and get her to spill. That was it. That was the whole shebang. We have to get to the epilogue to even know what the chick said, and you know what? We found out NOTHING NEW. There was absolutely no new information as to what was going on. The only thing resolved was the romance between Jenna and Adam which I didn't care about by then.

To say the least, I was not a happy camper. This book had such a strong promise and an awesome MC but there was no substance to it and that just killed it for me.

Teaser Tuesday - Big Bad Bite

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~| So, here is the teaser for this week! |~

“Touch me with so much as one of those claws you freaky albino Garfield and I will make sure I knock you out, file those suckers down to a flat non-lethal edge, paint them red, and then write “Mr. Fluffy needs love too” all over your face in permanent marker. Don’t mess with the big dogs when they can chew your ass up and spit you out.”-Loc. 3895. Kindle Format. Big Bad Bite by Jessie Lane.

Review: The Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory

Title: The Twelfth Keeper

Series: Keepers #1

Author: Belle Malory

Publishing Date: January 22, 2013

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Amazon - Goodreads - Shelfari

Book Blurb

When sixteen-year-old Kennedy Mitchell is proclaimed the world’s last keeper, she thinks it’s a cruel joke. Come on- her? Impossible. She’s no warrior. She isn’t wise beyond her years, or more importantly, capable of keeping Earth safe.

Except...no one will listen. And since all evidence says otherwise, the job is hers whether she likes it or not.

During the highly demanding training regime that follows, Kennedy struggles to fit in with Earth’s renowned protectors. Especially Phoenix Jorgensen, who openly despises her. Problem is, he may be the only one she can trust. The keepers have big secrets surrounding them. Secrets Kennedy isn’t comfortable knowing, much less being apart of. With Phoenix’s help, she’ll have to find a way out.

Either that, or die trying.

My Thoughts

So many mixed feelings about this book. I loved the concept of this one. Kids who were born from the spirit of one of the 12 constellations and carry elemental powers to help keep the world safe. That's pretty awesome. With that said I have quite few problems with the book.

First is the setting. I had no idea what the hell was going on till about halfway through. They had cars that drove themselves, bracers and fancy hospitals. I had no clue what year it is, and still don't for that matter. I don't know if I'm supposed to be thinking that it's the same Earth only in the future or just a completely different world. 

Then we have the 'conflict' cause it wasn't really a conflict till the end of the book. They just basically mentioned the warring alien race in like 2 scenes and that's it. The book was really about Kennedy coming to terms with who she is and who she is becoming. Which I don't have a problem with. My problem stems from the fact that they kept calling them Keepers and I didn't know what they were keeping till halfway through the book. I didn't even know there were aliens involved till they finally said that DOE was the Defense of Extraterrestrials. Then I was like OHHH. But yeah...

As I mentioned before this was really about Kennedy coming to terms with who she is and boy let me tell you that took foreverrr. They girl has the closest relationship with denial I have ever seen. Now usually this would have pissed me off enough that I would have stopped reading. What kept me reading was that even though she was in denial she still went through the motions and at least had an open mind when it came down to it. If she had just stuck her head in the sand I wouldn't have been bothered with the rest of the book. Once she finally realized who she was she started getting things done. She showed real progress, and I really liked that.

The romance...this is a hard one. It was a bit of fate mixed in with free will, and yeah it started out with the whole connection and the guy not talking to her but somehow it was ok with me. Probably cause he got to see his PoV so we knew what he was going through. But it didn't last very long and then their relationship just went from there and I actually enjoyed it.

I'm hoping we get answers, some actual background, and some real action involving that alien race.

Releases of the Week [10]

Here are the releases for the week of Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, 2013

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013

Friday, Jan.  31, 2013

Friday, Feb.  1, 2013

No Covers:

• The Anaswitch by Angie Baron

Unravel Me Excerpt Challenge

Haper Teen is conducting an Excerpt Challenge for Tahereh Mafi's Unravel Me. The more likes they get they closer we get to unlocking another excerpt. So far we are up to Chapter 5, and I must say that I'm dying to read this. Reading those excerpts just made me that more anxious to get my hands on this book. 

In case you haven't read Shatter Me yet (how could you not have read it already? What are you waiting for!) here is the info:

Goodreads | Shelfari | Amazon

Blurb

I have a curse.

I have a gift.

I'm a monster. 

I'm more than human.

My touch is lethal.

My touch is power.

I am their weapon.

I will fight back.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.

Goodreads | Shelfari | Amazon

Blurb

tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

it's almost

time for war

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

Review: Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Title: Fool Moon

Series: The Dresden Files #2

Author: Jim Butcher

Publishing Date: July 1, 2008

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Amazon - Goodreads - Shelfari

Book Blurb

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work—magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses —and the first two don't count...

My Thoughts

This is going to be a pretty short review because there is basically nothing new to add from the first book.

I gave the first book 3, because it was the first one, so I was giving it the benefit of the doubt. Nothing much changed here. Harry is still slow on the uptake and doesn't make any connections till it's staring at him in the face. Murphy is still being an idiot and getting in the way (Read: Still don't like her). 

At the moment I'm debating whether to keep going with this series. Only reason why I'm thinking about it is because of the little tidbits of information we got regarding Harry's parentage. It will get interesting I'm sure eventually. I just don't think I'll get there.

Feature & Follow [5]

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

If you can't follow via GFC, then please follow via NetworkedBlogs or e-mail! :)

Q: What is the last book that kept you up late into the night just to finish it?

Well, I have been reading in the late hours of the night lately, not because the book was that good, just because that's my reading time. But the last book that had me staying up that late and on a school night was The Evolution of Mara Dyer. I love those books. Just had to know what the hell was going on. They all have such beautiful covers too :)

Review: The Silken Cord by Leigh Bale

Title: The Silken Cord

Author: Leigh Bale

Publishing Date: January 4, 2013

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Amazon - Goodreads - Shelfari

Book Blurb

Convicted of treason, Wulfgar, Earl of Glyndwr, was once a favored Norman knight of King William the Conqueror. Sold into slavery for his crimes, Wulfgar is determined to have his honor restored and vows revenge on those who conspired for his downfall. But once Wulfgar belongs to Ariana, he finds there is nothing he will not do to protect her. She holds his heart in her hands and this silken cord is stronger than any chains.

Once his betrothed, Princess Ariana of Wales has come to the slave auction to buy Wulfgar, a man she believes betrayed his king. Only Wulfgar knows how to free her young brother from the cruel ruler who has taken Wulfgar's place at Castle Cynan. But she is unprepared for the darkly handsome warrior who kindles a passion within her that threatens the lives of her people and her own soul.

My Thoughts

This was such a nice book. Had a lot of fun reading it. Loved the action. My problem was with the romance. It was just a bit too insta-love for my liking. I know they had some history but in my opinion, not enough to warrant such fast declaration of feelings.

Even though everything was resolved perfectly, it fit the story just fine, so I didn't mind. I liked both Wulfgar and Ariana. She knew what she wanted and what had to be done to get it done, and she sees it through. She may not have the physical strength to fight but she was touch were it counted.

I really liked Wulfgar. Even though it's the medieval age, he doesn't act like a total ass at all. He is all about honor and fairness, even when it came to Ariana. He didn't treat her like a simpering idiot just for being a girl nor because he loved her. 

Unlike Jenkins! Since he was introduced I didn't like the guy, and the way he treated her grated on my last nerve. I'm kinda glad he died when he did. Not that he was entirely bad, but he really needed to go.

As I mentioned before I really liked the action in this one. There was always some kind of battle or fight going on. My favorite one was while Wulfgar was chained, did some beautiful acrobatics to kick Edwin's ass. Loved it! xD

Since this is a medieval romance I just can't give it a higher rating cause the I just couldn't agree with how it developed, nonetheless it's a good book.

WWW Wednesday Jan. 23

WWW Wednesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

My answers...

What are you currently reading?

Into The Woods by Kim Harrison. This is a collection of all of Kim's short stories and novellas. Haven't finished all of them but did read Trent's Elf quest. All I have to say is I love Trent even more now.

Ever After (Hollows #11) by Kim Harrison. I love this series and I really really hope she ends up with Trent. It would just be messed up if she didn't xD

What did you recently finish reading?

Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) by Jim Butcher. I am sad to say that this series just isn't doing it for me. I'm not sure if to give the 3rd one a try.

Gates of Paradise (Blue Bloods #7) by Melissa de la Cruz. I am so sad that this series finished! I love Jack so much, going to miss him D: But that ending with Oliver just doesn't sit right with me..(Review)

The Ice Captain's Daughter by S.G. Rogers. Wanted to read a little romance, but this one didn't really do it for me. It was all a little too perfect how everything ended up.

Blackbird by Nicole Salmon. This could have been a really dark book, but I appreciate how the author didn't try to emotionally milk it in that regard. I liked their romance and the growth that Nate shows, but it was bit too unrealistic at times, still liked it though :)

The Silken Cord by Leigh Bale. God the pacing and action in this one were great! Sadly the romance not so much, but still a good read.

Play With Me by Piper Shelly. This was a really nice short, fun read. If you are looking for a cute romance I recommend this one.

A Game Worth Watching by Samantha Gudger. This book made me cry. Multiple times. And I'm not even a crier when it comes to books. Even though the MC annoyed me at times, still liked this one quite a bit.

Would you look at that? I had a romance/contemporary kick last week and hadn't even noticed LOL.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Kindred of the Fallen by Isis Rushdan. Gorgeous cover right? Blurb was interesting too xD