Contest Alert: Destined by PC&Kristen Cast

Although I haven't started The House of Night series, I know several of you are in love with them, so here are a couple places where you can enter for a chance to win Destined. This is my Halloween Treat for you. And yeah...have a fantastic day partying!

Where: http://jadorehappyendings.blogspot.com/2011/10/destined-by-pccast-kristin-cast.html

Who: Nina from J'adoreHappyEndings

Deets: US/Canada only. Ends NOVEMBER 6th?, so hurry up.

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Where: http://www.readingvacation.net/2011/10/destined-book-trailer-and-giveaway.html

Who: Melina from Reading Vacation

Deets: US/Canada only. Ends Nov. 02 also.

Good luck! And stay tuned because I will be hosting a giveaway soon also in honor of my now 150 followers :)

Re-Read: Shadow Hills

Hey y'all! Lately I've been in nostalgic moods while dusting off my shelves and re-arranging my books. I admire their pretty covers and sigh in contentment about having had the opportunity to review and share them with you.

Most, if not all, the books displayed,I have liked. But then I go back and re-read the summary. Umm...wait what? I don't remember this character. Actually, I don't think I even really liked this book looking back on it now. What was this one even about? And why would I read a book with such a boring synopsis?

This amnesiac feeling makes me sad! Books are my essence! So I've decided to re-read a few of them. Make mini-reviews comparing them to my initial review and see whether maybe my tastes have changed or if I am just in love with those books now as I remember being then. This is a big step since I used to never re-read books. I hope it gives me a new perspective, and even if it doesn't, my books will feel loved :)

Re-Read No 1

Title: Shadow Hills

Author: Anastasia Hopcus

GoodReads Summary: After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills

Mini-Review: (before reading my original review) Shadow Hills is one of the books that I remember loving crazily. Apart from that, the story was kind of a blur, but now that I've read it again, my memory has been triggered.

I like Zach. He sounds sweet. I don't like Trent. What a slimy jerk! Um Phe is okay. Her character is kind of broken at times. In the sense that there are some inconsistencies. Overall, Zach+Phe are pretty cool.

The fights, and descriptions of the powers are awesome and very vivid. Easy to imagine.

The actual story line seems a little weak and predictable, but the vividness of the action really makes this book worth it.

Original Review: http://mixturesbooks.blogspot.com/2010/06/shadow-hills.html

Re-reading my review, I feel the same pretty much about everything. The only thing is what ever happened to Adriana and Brody? Or Graham and Toy? I was really interested in Graham+Toy this time around.

And I still feel bad for the villain and the family.

Do I agree with my first rating of 4? Yep. It isn't mind-blowing, but the scientific mutation versus mythology angle gives it high points for uniqueness. :)

Song It Kinda Sorta Reminds Me Of:

Artist: Blood Red Shoes

Title: Its Getting Boring by the Sea

Language: English

Tiger's Voyage

Author: Colleen Houck

Release Day: November 1st 2011

Source: Publisher

Summary: (goodreads)

Review: This is the third book in the Tiger's Curse series and my favorite so far. The line between the preparation and action of the story was in perfect balance surprising me in how much I still enjoyed the adventure which mostly occurred in the latter half.

How the author can manipulate me into feeling sympathy for Kelsey's emotional situation is beyond me. I'm positive that if it was anyone else, I'd be yelling for them to suck it up and stop being so nit-witted! But I know Kelsey and the circumstances surrounding her flawed decisions that I cannot completely blame her for her actions. Although, I would love to finally just get the ending I want NOW. :)

At 542 pages for the ARC, the fun seemed almost endless and my disappointment at having finished such a wonderful novel was unimaginable. The stories just keep getting better and more wild.

The book was long and the series is supposed to consist of five books total. Series tend not to so well after the first couple of books in my opinion, but these ones definitely are an exception. I think what makes them work so well, is that there was a tale developed from the very beginning where it was obvious that it was going to take a few books to relate the story in its entirety.

This book in particular was also broken up into invisible sections. The preparation side was not passive. There were lots of events that happened which related to the characters themselves and not dealing with the breaking of the curse. The back story developed the characters, allowed them to grow more and set the stage in reality for what was to come. Later, the adventure half was very fantastical bringing me as a reader into a different side of the story. This is the balance I am talking about.

The author grounded her characters in the real world, making them very normal and then sends them off into a magic filled journey. It made the story that much more believable and connected Kishan, Ren and Kelsey as people to their audience. The main characters are amazing. The side characters are strongly portrayed. The monsters are vivid. I just loved it. All of it. Amazing.

Give this series a try if you haven't already!

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Holly Black's White Cat Audio Book Free Download

The first book in the Curse Workers series is being offered for free from Random House :D

I started this book awhile back on-line, but never did get the chance to finish it so I am excited.

Goodreads Summary: 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 facade 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.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

http://www.randomhouse.com/audio/features/boston-summer2011/downloads.php

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Summary: (goodreads) Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Review: Amazing. I haven't been this captivated by a book in such a looooooooooong time! Hearing about it through various different blogs did get me worked up for its release, but I didn't think I was going to purchase it any time soon. I love PulseIt. I saw it was available to be read online, so I decided I could give it a shot. If you don't know already, e-books are so not my thing. Reading endlessly on the computer is awful and tires my eyes out horribly and I honestly didn't think I was going to get all that into it.

As soon as I started it, I sat on my butt for almost four hours straight until the prospect of a blood clot rushing to my heart due to inactivity prompted me to get up. But I was obsessed! All I could think about was Mara's story! The characters are really strong in this book. There is some vulgar language, but really only enough to create a personality. It didn't feel overdone like some other books I've read...or tried to read. Mara is willful. Her emotional strength gets her through the story and although she starts out relying only on herself, Mara learns to ask for help when really needed.

Descriptions of Mara's "episodes" were done in very vivid detail. It was easy to connect to Mara's desperation even though I am not psychotic...or at least I don't think I am. But Mara's way of responding to outside stimuli was realistic. She pushed the thoughts away taking into account that she did have a problem that she needed to deal with. Nothing was overdone or understated. The balance between Mara's conflicting emotions and interactions with the other characters was wonderfully written.

Noah is also a very strong character. He is snark-y, slightly arrogant and distanced until later in the novel. He is very similar to Mara in ways of personality and it shows how they connect in that sense. But at the same time, Noah reveals insecurities that may be more emotionally traumatic than Mara's circumstances. This juxtaposition really shows Mara's ability to overcome, but is still down-to-earth.

The story has some surprising plot turns and I ended up figuring things out along with Mara. I am so amped to read the sequel. The cliff-hanger was devastating to me as a reader. I can't get enough of these characters, but especially the story. A must read.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Waiting on Wednesday 19

Hello and welcome to another edition of WoW which is hosted by Jill at BreakingTheSpine. Check out more WoW posts there!

This Wednesday, I am eagerly awaiting:

Title: Crossed (Matched #2)

Author: Ally Condie

Release Day: November 1st

Summary: (goodreads) In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My Thoughts: Matched was a great novel. This dystopian series really concentrates on the love aspect of society, so it is exciting to read about how things will develop. And the covers! Lovely!

So what are YOU waiting for?

Song: Bilder Mit Katze

Artist: Frittenbude

Language: German

About: Uh...I don't know anything about them, but paraphrasing Wikipedia. They are electro-punk created in 2006. Frittenbude apparently translates to Chip-Shop also. They are known mostly for remixing other songs while adding a slightly humorous and political slant to the lyrics.

I found this song when I looked up 25 Random Songs on emotionalbagcheck.com which I was on through an I Heart Daily e-letter I suscribe to. And must admit I am addicted to the beat! It is just so chill, laid back and mindless. Can't say I know what the song is really about since I don't speak German, but I think I am going to be checking out more material by Frittenbude.

MV:

Waiting on Wednesday 18

Hello and welcome to another edition of WoW which is hosted by Jill at BreakingTheSpine. Check out more WoW posts there!

This Wednesday, I am eagerly awaiting:

Title: Amplified

Author: Tara Kelley

Release Day: October 25th

Summary: (from goodreads) When privileged 17-year-old Jasmine gets kicked out of her house, she takes what is left of her savings and flees to Santa Cruz to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Jasmine finds the ideal room in an oceanfront house, but she needs to convince the three guys living there that she's the perfect roommate and lead guitarist for their band, C-Side. Too bad she has major stage fright and the cute bassist doesn't think a spoiled girl from over the hill can hack it. . . . In this fresh new novel by critically acclaimed author Tara Kelly, Jasmine finds out what happens when her life gets Amplified

My Thoughts: The cover is pretty cool and I like the title too. I like music related stories a bit and this just sounds cute and fun.

What are you waiting for?