Jan 31, 2015

Top 5 Sundays

Top 5 Sundays is a weekly blog meme created by Larissa at Larissa and Friends' Bookish Life.

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Feel free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)



This week's topic is: FAVORITE VILLAINS! (Movies, TV, Books)


*in no particular order 
**Since it was a tie when I last checked, I decided to just go with this topic! As there weren't many series finales that I loved. Mostly just liked and some I was left upset about things.


UMBRIDGE
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Seriously, I think Umbridge could've gave Voldemort a run for his money! In a previous activity this month, I chose Voldemort, but then someone else picked Umbridge and was like oooomg, she was scarier than Voldemort in a way! This woman was just downright vile!! I loathed her! Thank goodness for Fred and George in giving her a good shakedown! LOL!


ANARA
Weird Girls Series by Cecy Robson

Anara was one downright nasty villain! I hated him! I wanted to see him die a most painful death! I wouldn't say I loved to hate him, because I truly truly hated the b*st*rd! He was vicious and just pure evil!! 


CROWLEY
Supernatural TV Series

Crowley started out as much more sinister demon/villain I think. Just when you think this twisted demon was in it to help the Winchesters he takes over as King of Hell! He's one dastardly villain I have to say! But it seems lately, in our current season at least...he's growing a little more human! Or he was at the beginning of the season! He's a fun villain to say the least!


MALONE
Shifters Series by Rachel Vincent

If you've read this series, then you know how physically impossible it is not to hate Malone with a fiery passion! Pretty much hated this guy since he started making Faythe's life hell back in Pride! He is one dastardly villain and I hate hate hate HATE him!!!


GASTON
Beauty and the Beast

Had to throw in a movie villain! Gaston was definitely one of those villains I loved to hate as a kid! I mean, he was so vapid and conceded...why he wanted Belle when he had three blondes who practically drooled over him! But he was fun too in a sense with his delusions of marrying Belle and her quite obvious disgust!!

As a kid, when Le Fou starts singing the song "Gaston" to put Gaston in a better mood after Belle turned down his "oh so wonderful" marriage proposal and he sings the line "...You're EVERYONE'S favorite guy" I would cheerfully add, "Not mine!" before the next line! LOL!





 

Jan 29, 2015

Follow Friday

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list  
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!


This week's question is: Hard print (real thing) or Kindle/Nook, which is your favorite? 


MY ANSWER: Oh this is an easy one! The REAL thing baby!! Though I do read some Kindle books, my favorite is, always has been, always will be...the REAL book! :)











 

RELEASE DAY BLITZ--Seduction's Kiss by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Seductions Kiss RDL Banner

 

Holy crow! We are so excited to bring you all the Release Day launch for Alyssa Rose Ivy's SEDUCTION'S KISS! SEDUCTION’S KISS is a prequel novella to LURE, a novel in her The Allure Chronicles Series. This novella is seriously fantastic! Go grab your copy today!!

 

Seductions Kiss
 

 

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes ** GooglePlay ** Kobo


About SEDUCTION’S KISS: 

*Prequel novella to Lure (The Allure Chronicles #1)* 

Never agree to a road trip to New Orleans with your roommate. At least not when your roommate is dragging you along while she reconnects with an ex-boyfriend. 

Possible consequences of failing to take my advice: 

1) Unknowingly going out with a vampire stripper 
2) Getting kidnapped by said vampire's nest mates 
3) Falling head over heels for your winged hero 

Believe it or not number 3 is the worst one, especially when no one believes you that he exists.   


EXCERPT:

Someone’s hand was on my breast. Not just on my breast, but cupping it. My eyes flew open. Where was I? As I felt something hard poking my back I remembered. I screamed and jumped out of bed. 

“What the hell?”

“Hey, Daisy. Didn’t want to wait up for me?” Shaun’s voice was level like we were talking casually, but he’d said my name which meant he’d known it was me. That ruled out any possibility of him being drunk and forgetting who I was.

I stumbled around looking for the light. I didn’t bother with the lamp. Instead I went for the overhead light.

“Fuck.” Shaun cursed as the light blinded us both.

“What were you doing?”

“I was enjoying the beautiful girl in my bed, what did you think I was doing?”

“You told me I could sleep here.” I wrapped my arms around my chest. Even though my t-shirt provided good coverage, I wasn’t wearing a bra.

“Yes, I did.” He grinned.

“And that offer implied you weren’t sleeping here.”

“No, it didn’t. I’d never agree to sleep on that couch.” His face wrinkled up in disgust.

“I thought of that. I assumed you had somewhere else to sleep.”

“Somewhere else?” Understanding crossed his face. “Oh, no. I wasn’t planning on crashing anywhere else.”

“You somehow got the impression that I wanted to sleep in the same bed as you?”

“You want exactly what I do.” He arched an eyebrow.

“No, I don’t. That’s why I jumped out of bed.”

“You were surprised—that was the point. Now why don’t you come back to bed so we can get things started.” He pulled away the blanket and sheet revealing what I already knew. He was completely naked. And completely aroused.

“Oh god.” I grabbed my stuff as I headed for the door. My clothes from the day slipped off the top of the duffel, so I bent to pick them up where they landed right next to his bed. As I reached for my shirt I came face to face with a picture of a half-naked woman, and from the looks of the rolled-up posters beside it, there were more like it. Of course. This perv had planned this all along. What a creep. I stood up, and did one quick look around for the rest of my stuff. I wouldn’t be stepping foot into his room again. I’d rather sleep on the floor or outside.

I turned the doorknob, and it took an extra turn. “You locked the door?” I said mostly to myself as I opened the door.

“I figured you wouldn’t want anyone walking in on us.” Shaun’s voice came from right behind me.

I didn’t turn around. What if he was still naked? “I’m sleeping on the couch. Stay far away from me.”

Alyssa Rose Ivy- Author Photo


About Alyssa Rose Ivy: 

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.         
 

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Pinterest ** Novel Goodreads **Author Goodreads

  






 

Random Thursday--It's My 6th BLOGOVERSARY!!

It's my blogoversary! Hurray!!!! As of today, I have been blogging for 6 years!! And it's been an incredibly fun and wonderful 6 years!! I've made sooooo many friends...read sooooo many books...seriously, blogging is just the best! 

Sadly, as I write this I have not found a job. So I am postponing my Blogoversary Giveaway until I get one. I have to save my money in order to get myself through this unknown amount of time. But I swear once I get a job and the paychecks start coming in, I will have a GREAT giveaway! And it will be INTERNATIONAL too! I am so sorry my most recent ones have been US only, but it couldn't really be helped. But I haven't forgotten about you guys...I plan for some great giveaways! I have books I want to buy for you all and I will have the traditional you pick the book ones too!


In the past 6 years, I have written 3365 posts--total! Not all have been posted yet!

As of 1/28/15 I have 1720 GFC Followers, 131 Linky Followers, 403 Bloglovin followers, 771 Twitter followers, 85 Instagram Followers

As of 1/28/15 I've had 540,876 pageviews--so that number's likely a little higher by now even!

The majority of my followers are from the US, but the second most popular country my followers come from is Russia! Followed by China, Czech Republic, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Australia, and Canada!

The greater majority of people have viewed my blog from Firefox too!

Lots of fun little numbers to find once you go digging through the stats page! LOL!


And one final tidbit of the day...it's the 56th Anniversary for Disney's Sleeping Beauty!!


This was my favorite Disney movie up until 1991! For that's when Beauty and the Beast released!!










Jan 28, 2015

COVER COPY REVEALS--Aguirre, Blake, Armstrong, Arthur, Neil, Carlson, & Estep

In Book 2 of the Immortal Game trilogy, Edie must learn the rules of the game . . . and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.

Because of her boyfriend Kian's sacrifice, she's operating under the mysterious Harbinger's aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she's terrified over the deal Kian made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot soldiers--mercenary monsters committed to her destruction--she's not the one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months...unless Edie can save him. And this is a game she can't bear to lose.


Fell soooo hard for this series! Cannot wait to read this one!!

Public Enemies releases August 4, 2015 




Just a pretty cover so far for this one! Still need to read the second book!


Ungodly releases September 22, 2015



The next Otherworld anthology from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong

More than a decade after Kelley Armstrong first opened the doors to the Otherworld, fans are still clamoring for more. In response to their demands—and to coincide with the Syfy Network show based on the series—Plume has signed up three Otherworld anthologies, each of which revolves around a different theme. The second in the trilogy, Otherworld Secrets, features fan-favorites such as Cassandra, Savannah, and Adam in rare and neverbefore- published short stories—plus a brand new novella. Fans old and new will flock to this mystery-themed volume to discover the deepest secrets of this captivating world.




Love Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series and so love these anthology collections! Helps me get those few that I didn't have, plus a new one!

Otherworld Secrets releases August 25, 2015 



Keri Arthur, New York Times bestselling author of Fireborn, presents the thrilling new Souls of Fire Novel featuring Emberly Pearson, a phoenix that can transform into a human—and is haunted by the ability to foresee death....

Crimson Death, the plague like virus spawned from a failed government experiment to isolate the enzymes that make vampires immortal, continues to spread. Emberly and her partner, Jackson Miller, are desperately seeking the stolen research for a cure before the virus becomes a pandemic.

But their mission is jeopardized by another threat uncovered in Emberly’s prophetic dreams. A creature of ash and shadow has been unleashed on a murdering spree. Now Emberly must summon all her gifts and investigative knowledge to put an end to this entity’s brutal rampage—even if it means placing herself in harm’s way...


Love it! Love Keri's books! This is a must have asap!!

Wicked Embers releases July 7, 2015 



Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…


A new series from Chloe Neill!! YAY!

The Veil releases August 4, 2015



The fifth Jessica McClain novel—a fast-paced and irresistibly sexy urban fantasy series reminiscent of Kelley Armstrong.

Jessica arrives back from the Underworld to find her father embroiled in a battle against the Made wolves. She and her crew drop everything to join them.

Once she arrives, the threat is after her. Jessica is lured into danger when her adversary takes something precious from her. With help from an unlikely source, Jessica goes up against her creator in a battle that will decide the path of everyone involved. She must war against a new set of foes, ones who could not only steal her power, but could take her soul as well.


 
This series is so fun!

Pure Blooded releases June 16, 2015 


There Be Monsters Here. . .

It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her...


I'm curious to read this one! Love the cover too! Simple, yet amazing! Especially the colors! I still need to read her previous YA series as well!

Cold Burn of Magic releases April 28, 2015 





 

Review--Ensnared by A.G. Howard

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world—-a parallel dimension filled with mutated and sadistic netherling outcasts.

In the final installment of the Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But even if everyone succeeds and comes out alive, can they all truly have their happily ever after?








This trilogy has been quite a ride! It's wild and chaotic...just like Wonderland is! A.G. Howard concludes Alyssa's story in Ensnared, and...I finally get it. I've seen quite a few reviews where people were mad or upset with the way of things, and I get it! It's going to be hard not to mention my feels over it or what I think about said turnout, but I'll remain mum about it all.


We pretty much pickup where we left off, Alyssa and her father want to return to Wonderland and rescue her mother, Jeb and Morpheus, though the boys are trapped in AnyElsewhere, a different place entirely from what I was able to gather, since the gates to Wonderland are completely closed off. But first, Alyssa wants to help her father get his memories back, and that is their first task.

Their journey then takes them to AnyElsewhere where they do find Jeb and Morpheus, but Jeb has changed. He's been affected greatly by the prom ordeal and it's left him forever changed--to say the least. Worse yet, he wants nothing to do with Alyssa anymore. Morpheus is more than happy to see Alyssa again and will welcome her into his arms, if only she'd take that first step.

It seems for the entire novel, Alyssa debates with herself who she should be with; rule Wonderland--once they rescue it and rid themselves of Red--with Morpheus at her side or return to the human world and live her days out with Jeb? She can't decide, she wants both lives because she truly loves both guys. And this is where she irritates me. I guess I'm just a fan of monogamy. I don't believe a person can love two people and want to be with those two people. One or the other has to mean something more to you. But then, Alyssa isn't quite normal herself. She has always had two sides to herself; the human side who grew to love Jeb and the side that has been won over by Wonderland which in turns loves Morpheus.

It's truly a tangled web. While I get that she has two sides to herself, I still don't like her indecisiveness. It's just likely a personal thing I have with the story.

I was also expecting maybe a bit more with the ending. Something to just jump right off the pages and have my heart racing. While things were intense, I felt like the resolution just kind of came about with a snap. There's still conflict and all that, but the resolution just came along too easily for me.

The pacing to the story was great though! There's several steps into this journey and getting to a happy ending is going to take work and time. Though, it's hard to say what this ending is. I mean, I could use adjectives, but then I feel like I might lead you to think spoilery thoughts! Though I have to say, I could see the ending coming. I was hoping to be wrong, I usually am in most things, but leave it to fate that I'd be right about something I hoped to be wrong about!

Howard has created quite the magical world here! I loved how she took a beloved classic and totally twisted it around and around! You don't see much of the Alice in Wonderland tale here precisely, you have to look deep between the words in order for it to be there! But even then, we see things that we never knew possible! I loved how magical this series has been and exciting! There were some down sides to it as well, but it was a most remarkable read!


Overall Rating 3.75/5 stars--I just can quite call it a 4 star read, but it's definitely better than a 3.5. Hence I must use the ever awkward fraction star review! 





Final Giveaway to the Countdown to Blogoversary!

And the final giveaway of the lead up to my blogoversary (possible giveaway then, but not likely as of time of writing post! Gotta find a job first folks! But I will have a belated blogoversary giveaway if anything!) is the creme de la creme!

Or at least I think so!


I have here the ORIGINAL hardcover copy of Maria V. Snyder's Magic Study! The second book in her Study series! This was a most beautiful cover and I have the original hardcover for myself already, but when I saw this beauty at HPB, I thought...GIVEAWAY! I must have it...simply to give it away! It's soooo gorgeous! I debated about leaving it for another fan, but...I thought...I really want to give it away! This is the ORIGINAL HARDCOVER!!! EEP! It's just beautiful! This is how I stumbled upon Maria's books in the beginning, Amazon recommended this beauty to me and I was intrigued...only to have to backtrack to the first book, but still gotta give the Amazon rec's props!

Now onto the giveaway! 24 hours, US only, go!


a Rafflecopter giveaway









Waiting on Wednesday

I hate waiting...
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.


Once two souls are joined...

When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled—and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone...

Their hearts will beat together forever...

No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted—by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken...


One of those rare series I took a second chance with and have not regretted since! I am addicted to this series now! LOVE IT! Cannot wait for this next book!


TITLE: Soulbound
AUTHOR: Kristen Callihan
PUBLISHER: Forever
GENRE: Paranormal Historical Romance

RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2015



Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of Sleeping Beauty and what happens after happily ever after.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept.

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.


I was super excited for this one but lately the reviews I've been reading have been making me worried! I might try getting this one from the library eventually, just to be safe.


TITLE: A Wicked Thing
AUTHOR: Rhiannon Thomas
PUBLISHER: Harper Teen
GENRE: Fantasy YA

RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2015  





  

Jan 27, 2015

8th Giveaway to Countdown to Blogoversary

For the eight day of giveaway paloozas I will gift one lucky US reader my ARC of Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott! I LOVED this one! It was amazing and awesome! I'm on the blog tour so my review will be up the Tuesday before it releases.

And since the ARC does NOT have the pretty cover, I decided I would gift my ARC to one of you instead!


Once again, 24 hours, US residents only.



a Rafflecopter giveaway






Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/
Here are the rules:
 
1. Grab your current read      
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc



"I reach for him, but something jerks his shoulder from the shadows behind. The dagger falls from his grasp and hits the floor with a clang. 'Run, Allie!' he yelps as he's dragged away out of my sight.

Terror ices my spine. 'Dad!' p. 124



*  *  *  *  *


"'You're wrong, Al,' Jeb mumbles against me, as if the red glow brought him to his senses. 'Everything has changed.'" p. 145





TITLE: Ensnared
AUTHOR: A.G. Howard
PUBLISHER: Harry N. Abrams
GENRE: Fantasy YA

RELEASE DATE: January 6, 2015





Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.



This week's topic is: Ten Books I'd Love to Read If I Had A Book Club who Like Paranormal Reads



*in no particular order



YA READS:

1. Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead--the series that brought me back to YA! For so many years I strived to find Paranormal YA books, after many years I gave up. Then friends recommended this series to me, telling me it wasn't at all YA dramatic or such things...that it was awesome! And it was!
2. Anna Dressed in Blood Duology by Kendare Blake--what's a paranormal book club without a ghost read? Especially one as dark and creepy as Anna's story!! 
3. The Dispossed Trilogy by Page Morgan--and to add some fun to the mix...GARGOYLES!


NEW ADULT READS:

4. The Broken Destiny Series by Jeaniene Frost--it's off to an epic start! It finally seems like Paranormal NA is on the rise!!
5.Wicked Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout--what's a book club without Jennifer L. Armentrout! And Wicked fits nicely into my NA category too!
6. The Dire Wolves Chronicles by Alyssa Rose Ivy--my first Paranormal NA author! Or close to first, possibly second, but definitely one of my all time faves!! Her most recent trilogy with Dires is making me absolutely gaga! I love wolves!



ADULT READS:

7. The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison--one of my first adult reads and faves!! So close to starting the final book, and I'm not sure I can handle it!
8. Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost--and for kicks, let's add in the Night Huntress World books too! And Night Prince! The entire works of Jeaniene Frost because these paranormal reads are freaking awesome!!!
9. Chicagoland Vampires Series by Chloe Neill--what's a paranormal book club without a snark vampire? Merit's definitely got the snark down! Plus I like how she's a newbie vamp and has to learn all the tricks of the trade!



BECAUSE PICK...

10. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling--because this is my dream bookclub, I'm throwing Harry Potter into the mix! It's still paranormal, because MAGIC! Witches, wizards, trolls, wolves, evil...what's not to love about this epic series?!






Jan 26, 2015

ARC Review--Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Horror has a new name: introducing Courtney Alameda.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week. 


I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review. 


I expected great things from Courtney Alameda's Shutter! Something that would terrify and delight me..unfortunately I didn't get that. While in part, there were some pretty scary, intense moments, it was the rest of the story that kept me from being a happy reader.

I think what started me off on the wrong foot was getting the explanations done in a way that totally confused me. Science was and is my worst subject. Once we start talking "intelligent" like and trying to explain things, I totally get confused! Granted I can kinda grasp some meaning, but not enough to make it easy going or likable. In fact, I was staggering in these first couple of pages trying  figure out what the heck Micheline was trying to tell me. The "science" talk was geared towards approaching the paranormal in ways that involved cameras and then getting into the science of how the camera effected the ghosts and all the electromagnetic type talk...it was befuddling to say the least.

Micheline and her friends are ghost hunters of a sort. Being a descendant of the Van Helsing line makes Micheline one of the best. Though she pales in comparison to her father. There are daddy issues there. Of course Micheline has her own tragic backstory to that even. So basically, issues all around. When trying to prove herself with her friends that they could take down a nasty spirit, they find out how wrong they are. They are soon infected by ghostlight--another thing that kind of confused me and basically have a week to find themselves a cure-all or basically killing the ghost that infected them and killing it.

Micheline's friends, Oliver, Jude and Ryder; these guys were pretty cool! Oliver's the smart one, Jude is the smartass and Ryder naturally is the crush. Though romance is forbidden with him because Micheline is the last of her line and in order to keep her line strong she has to marry and "breed" with an apt hunter--so her father puts it. And there are a few romantic moments with Ryder because naturally, dad's word isn't always law.

Despite the whole science of the book, it wasn't too bad of a read. Though the pacing was sometimes hit or miss. There's a time limit obviously, but the book happens in four days, and each chapter is a time. Which kind of makes things more dire, but then Micheline's day wouldn't really start until that evening, so it kind of wonks with my literal brain in wondering where we are in the scheme of things in getting cured before time is up! I mean we start the day at Friday night and then during the course of the action it moves on to Saturday! For someone like me with OCD tendencies it kind of irked me a bit! LOL

There was an interesting twist to the puzzle in this one that once revealed was pretty shocking. But it's also prior to this point that I was getting bored with the story and started skimming pages, I did slow down at this reveal. I can't understand why I wasn't enjoying this story so much. It was good, just not the exciting, terrifying kind of read I was expecting. I can't say I would continue this series--if it turns into one, though it also works well as a standalone--but I might be willing to try another novel by this author if the story fits.

Shutter was an interesting read with promise, but the pacing and overly scientific way of things was my downfall in the end.


Overall Rating 2.5/5 stars--fyi, that means "an okay read" but not quite "a good read"


Shutter releases February 3, 2015