In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post hosted by Kirsti over at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Going to Borders saddens me every time now. Each time the parking lot and store is just so overcrowded it makes me sick! Short rant today.

Anyways here's what I bought this week:

 Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

Black Night by Christina Henry

Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler

Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

And that was it for me this week! Still not bad, but still sad about Borders! :(

Top 5 Sundays

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

Here's a little info about the meme taken from Larissa's blog:

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 - Fell 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: MOST SWOON-WORTHY COVERS

*in no particular order

Wait for Dusk by Jocelynn Drake

Very nice! Actually had to hide it when I was reading it at my part time job at the time of reading. Didn't want people thinking it was a romance when it was Urban Fantasy!!

 

First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

What cover from Jeaniene hasn't been swoon worthy?! Her spinoff series both had swoon worthy covers and the setbacks of her Night Huntress series are always swoon worthy since Bones is always there!!

 

Dangerous Games by Keri Arthur

In the Riley Jenson series it was covers 2-6 that were all swoon worthy! Those had Riley with a guy who was in the book! I liked this one since there are flames at the bottom along with the wolf!

 

When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason

This is definitely a good cover from the Gardella Vampire Chronicles!! Soooo drool worthy!! Also liked covers 2 and 5!

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

A pretty swoon worthy cover for YA! This is still my fave cover from Rachel's Soul Screamers series. It's swoon worthy in the teenage sort of way!

Cover Art--Jana Oliver

Saw this in the blogosphere and had to share! The third book in Jana Oliver's Demon Trapper's novel. This is the UK version I do believe since it's keeping with the theme.

Forgiven releases February 28, 2012

Review--Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

Whoever said dead men tell no tales obviously never met Alex Craft.

After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, grave witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil thanks to the disappearance of Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews and a shocking “L” word confession from Death himself, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge.

The police hire Alex to consult on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. The strange part: There are no corpses, only fragments of them. A serial killer is potentially on the loose, and Alex has no way to raise a shade without a body, so she’ll have to rely on the magic of others to find leads. But as she begins investigating, a creature born of the darkest magic comes after her. Someone very powerful wants to make sure the only thing she finds is a dead end—her own. 

Kalayna Price's Grave Dance was a great followup to Grave Witch! I couldn't remember all the details from Grave Witch since I read it 100s of books ago, but I was still able to read this one without a problem!

But Alex has plenty of problems to keep her busy this time around. And her love problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Falin, the detective/fae she fell hard for last time has disappeared from her life, while she is still trying to come to grips with Death loving her as well. 

There is trouble brewing heavily in the fae world and in the human world as well. The two always seem to be connected anyway! There's a serial killer loose in the human world and all that turns up is the left foot of the victim and there are a lot of victims. Alex is determined to do what it takes to solve the case and find the killer before he strikes again.

Within the fae world Alex has learned she has a bit of an inheritance there and she needs to establish her claim on it in order for things to be okay with it (Complicated to explain without getting into too many details, but when reading it's totally easy to understand!).

Things start to get really hard on Alex when her friends start to go missing and there are more and more attacks occurring in her world from other fae-like creatures. She's going to need all the help she can get, no matter how awkward it might be working with the two men who are in love with her and her own feelings are ultimately confused.

I really enjoyed this one! We get to learn a little more about the fae world and get a glimmer of an idea of what's in store for Alex next. We also learn more about Alex herself, certain aspects of her life that even she didn't know. The secrets were pretty shocking and are definitely going to lead to potential plot ideas in future books. And the ending had some shockers as well that just leave you wanting to read the next book now!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

Maggie Stiefvater Signing + GIVEAWAY!

Hey all! Last night I was lucky enough to have Maggie Stiefvater come to my local library! Yay! It was really fun too. I left like 3 hours early, which was a little too early, but since Meg Cabot's signing was super packed I thought to leave earlier!

Maggie is very funny! She's very wild and crazy--in the good way, she is an author after all! She talked about her books a little, the writing process, getting published, that whole deal! Basically what authors discuss and it was fascinating! I love hearing their different stories about getting published! It's very inspiring for me!

She told us the story about when she heard that Linger made #1 on the NYT Bestseller's list and how she was on a very small plane that didn't allow any electronics on it, so she had to speak very quietly with her agent when she got the good news!

I was even one of the first people in line to get my books signed! Actually I was the first because I was totally prepared and was in the first line group! Oh yeah! Getting there 3 hours early has its payoff!

She also has an amazingly cool car!! And she did mention that after all her road-tripping she finally had some car troubles! Luckily she was still able to make it here on time!

And now for what you're all waiting for, the GIVEAWAY! In order to go in the signing line I had to buy a book so I bought one for one of my lucky followers. If you haven't read Maggie's books yet, here's your chance to start the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy with a SIGNED copy of Shiver.

Of course if you have read the series you can still have a chance to get a SIGNED copy of Shiver! It's a win-win!!

EDIT: Also I will add in the flashdrive that I got, it has some This is Teen videos on it with Maggie, Meg Cabot and Libba Bray!!

Here are the rules for the giveaway:

Open now til Friday, August 5, 2011 at 11:59 PM (CST)
 

You MUST be a follower--I will check!
 

Open to US & Canada residents only--really sorry! But shipping internationally is too much and I'm still job hunting. But if you have someone in the states who can send it to you I would be more than willing to do it that way!
 

Leave a comment telling me how you came across this series or if you're new to it and why you want to read it!
 

Also please leave your email address so I have a way to contact you!

GOOD LUCK!

Cover Copy Reveal--Nalini Singh

ANGELS' FLIGHT

In Angel’s Wolf a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.

In Angels’ Judgment a hunter must track one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly tests placed in her way by the archangels themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all...

Plus FIRST TIME IN PRINT

In Angels' Pawn a vampire hunter faces off against two rival factions and the angel manipulating them both, and a vampire whose help is not entirely selfless...

And NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED

In Angels’ Dance an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court.

Sooo can't wait for this one!! Got into Nalini's series not too long ago and LOVE it! Can't wait for the short stories to be available in one book!

Angels' Flight releases February 28, 2012

Friday Hops

This blogger hop was created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Here are the rules:

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below (be sure to include how long you've been blogging and what genres you review!). If you post about the Hop on your blog, please link directly to your Hop post (don't forget to answer this week's question - see below!).

2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

3. Post about the Hop on your blog! Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!

4. In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!):

Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!

MY ANSWER: That would have to be a tie between Black Night by Christina Henry and Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler.

Madeline Black is an Agent of death, meaning she escorts the souls of people who have died to the afterlife. Of course, not everyone is happy to see her...

If obstinate dead people were all that Maddy had to worry about, life would be much easier. But the best-laid plans of Agents and fallen angels often go awry. Deaths are occurring contrary to the natural order, Maddy's being stalked by foes inside and outside of her family, and her two loves-her bodyguard, Gabriel, and her doughnut-loving gargoyle, Beezle-have disappeared. But because Maddy is Lucifer's granddaughter, things are expected of her, things like delicate diplomatic missions to other realms.

Nothing says "home" like being attacked by humans with very large guns, as Jane and Anyan discover when they arrive in Rockabill. These are professionals, brought into kill, and they bring Anyan down before either Jane or the barghest can react. Seeing Anyan fall awakens a terrible power within Jane, and she nearly destroys herself taking out their attackers.

Jane wakes, weeks later, to discover that she's not the only thing that's been stirring. Something underneath Rockabill is coming to life: something ancient, something powerful, and something that just might destroy the world.

Jane and her friends must act, striking out on a quest that only Jane can finish. For whatever lurks beneath the Old Sow must be stopped...and Jane's just the halfling for the job.

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: Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you?

MY ANSWER: OOh I love funny t-shirts! I have even had to design a few of my own because I could never find one with the perfect saying!

I have this one, although mine's a little different because I got it at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL when I went to a signing a few years ago!

I really think this one describes me best! When I saw it I squealed with joy since I had never seen one before, which you would've thought I would, but no. They were always eat, sleep, (something sport related). Boring!

And while these don't describe me in a sense, besides the one, I had to get them as well. I actually made the I <3 Vampires one. But that was before the Twilight craze and then I didn't want to wear it much anymore because of it! And my I <3 Vampires t-shirt doesn't look like this one, but still, it just says I <3 Vampires! So because I couldn't wear that one too much I bought this one (botttom) at Hot Topic and totally loved it since it reminded me of the video I have on my sidebar!

I also designed another one at school that they spray painted for me and I had it say Vampires Don't Sparkle! Loved that one too. Really doesn't describe me, along with these two others, but it describes one of my passions which in turn around is about me!!

Random Thursday

Do you remember Beanie Babies?

Sure they're still around but there is no longer a Beanie Baby madness about them! I did fall victim to the lure of Beanie Babies. I was a kid and thought they were cool. I remember scanning all the different Hallmark stores looking for ones I didn't have! And they just kept getting more and more!

Let's not even get started on the Teenie Beanie Madness at McDonald's! That was freaky crazy!

But does anyone remember this guy:

He was The End bear. Originally, I believe at least, it was thought that he was supposed to be the end of the Beanie Babies. Of course that wasn't anywhere close to the truth. But a closer inspection sees that he was a 1999 bear, so maybe it was just The End of the 20th Century.

Anyway, just wanted to share that little tidbit. That we thought the Beanie Babies came to an end at 1999, possibly, but really lasted another few years.

I think its Webkins or something that sounds like that is now the "NEW" Beanie Baby. Of course those are more pricey than what Beanie Babies went for!

Review--Burn the Night by Jocelynn Drake

THE GREAT AWAKENING APPROACHES...

After eons in exile, the naturi have broken their chains and now roam the Earth bent on revenge. It is the sworn duty of Mira, the Fire Starter, to protect the nightwalker race—though even she may be powerless to withstand the horrific onslaught. As Mira and her brave lover, the vampire slayer Danaus, stand ready to do battle, thousands of winged shapeshifters darken the skies. The war of ultimate extermination has begun, and the battleground is Mira's home turf.

The humans don't yet recognize the doom descending upon them. And the nightwalkers will surely perish unless they unite with outcast naturi who claim to want peace. But these unexpected "allies" are the same demons who have long worked for Mira's destruction—and in these darkest of days the lines between friend and foe will blur treacherously before the bloody end of all things.

Jocelynn Drake's Final Dark Days Novel, Burn the Night was extraordinary! The conclusion to the series has finally arrived and while I am saddened for another fave series to end, I am glad it was a good ending!

This time around we have 2 narrators, Mira and Nyx! I totally loved getting info from Nyx's p.o.v. It was very interesting seeing what one of the naturi thought. Being the middle sister between Aurora and Cynnia we get to see what she thinks of everything going on! Rowe also comes back into the picture as well and a new light is shined on him. Cynnia needs to gather as many allies as she can to fight her sister, Aurora in the upcoming war. So she seeks help from Mira and the werewolves as well.

I think I enjoyed some of the chapters with Nyx a little more. Don't get me wrong, still love Mira as she was our main heroine, but getting to know Nyx definitely shined a new light on her as well. She was definitely a relatable character in a way. She was strong and fierce and loyal to her sister--her nice one. I just really enjoyed getting to know her more than I thought I would. And as I said Rowe definitely takes on a role. It was surprising and I actually grew to like him a little bit!

The big battle is only the beginning of Mira's problems, there's still Jarbari to deal with, her mentor who is bent on killing her. That's another tough battle Mira must endure before she even goes up against Aurora and her followers.

Burn the Night was a well paced book, with lots of action and danger. There was a lot of excitement before we even got to the war and then there was still another battle to be had after that. And it all leads up to the big conclusion!

The Dark Days series has been truly wonderful. Fast paced and action packed. The development of Mira and Danaus's relationship was one of my faves. Starting out as reluctant partners and then ending up falling for each other, not that it was a surprise really, but it was still a magnificent development! Totally loved it!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

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.

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure-bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

I sooooo can't wait for this one! It sounds totally amazing! Bummed the release date was pushed back! Still have the prequel to read on my Kindle that I might save for closer to this release!

TITLE: Half-Blood
AUTHOR: Jennifer Armentrout
GENRE: YA Paranormal
RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2011

Review--Viper Moon by Lee Roland

IN THE SMALL TOWN OF DUIVEL, MISSOURI, DARKNESS AWAITS...

Cassandra Archer is the Huntress. She has faithfully served the Earth Mother for years, rescuing kidnapped children from monsters-both human and supernatural-dwelling in the ruins of the Barrows District of Duivel, Missouri.

When Detective Flynn's twelve-year-old sister goes missing, he suspects she was taken to the Barrows, and he goes to Cass for help. The two clash, but Cass still finds herself irresistibly drawn to the tough, no-nonsense cop.

After another child goes missing, all clues point to a cataclysmic event during the next dark moon. Cass and Flynn must race against the clock to save the children and prevent a sacrifice that could destroy the entire town...

Lee Roland's debut Viper Moon was very thrilling! I will admit that I was first drawn to the cover. What more could an urban fantasy reader ask for? Heroine wearing the black leather, carrying her weapon, dark city background and the dark colors and snake just add to the mystic! And also the fact that it takes place in Missouri, albeit a fictional place, I was ready to dive in!

The novel takes off with a bang as we get a glimpse of the life Cass leads. She lives a pretty dangerous life trying to save children that are stolen or lost. There is a bit of world building to the novel but nothing too complex. Even getting the details to Cass's mission and working for the Earth Mother was explained rather nicely.

So far there aren't any typical villainous monsters in the book, like vamps and weres, but there are monsters. Nothing detailed or anything, just monsters that have to be destroyed for they are a part of the kidnapping of children. There's definitely more than one evil in this book and at times Cass must work with the lesser evils to get the job done.

For instance when a criminal's son is kidnapped next, he hires Cass to find him. But strangely Cass doesn't always take the money she's owed. She definitely has a strong moral system which while can be a pinch annoying definitely helps strengthen her character.

The characters were great! I loved the building of Cass and Flynn's relationship. True it happens quickly time wise, but it still develops wonderfully in the book pages. And there's also Michael, owner of the Archangel! Gotta love that. The Archangel is a club and Michael is the owner. His true identity is still a bit of mystery but what's not a mystery is that women love him, except for Cass. She's a challenge for him, so there's definite sexual tension between the two and while Cass admits to feeling a mild attraction, there's not much there for her. Not like there is with Flynn.

Don't want to keep digging into the details there, so I'll cut myself short. Basically this book was just awesome. Some things that were hard to digest--but not incredibly hard--were the concepts of the Earth Mother and what her role in the game plays. There's definitely some loose threads at the end, but nothing major. And there will be a sequel so yay!

If you're looking for a truly stellar UF novel with a kick-a$$ heroine who deals with things other than vampires, than this is definitely a novel you want to check out!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars

Teaser Tuesday

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.

"A delicious tension radiated from his perfect body, but beneath that, I could sense power and energy that went beyond what the eyes could see. How could I not desire him? How could I not also fear him?" p 59-60















TITLE: Viper Moon
AUTHOR: Lee Roland
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2011

Review--Heartless by Gail Carriger

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Gail Carriger's Heartless takes us right back into the thick of things with Alexia and her chaotic life! She is in fact eight months pregnant with the infant-inconvenience as she names it and is having a trying time trying to solve mysteries and helping out poor Biffy the reluctant werewolf (bonus points if you can guess where I snagged that title!)!

Alexia has a lot on her plate, dealing with supernaturals wanting to kill her because of her unborn child and what it might be, trying to figure out who has an out for the queen, and dealing with her crazy sister, it's shocking that's she able to maintain her sanity at all! But alas she does!

Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series is by far one of my most fave steampunk series. It was my first one and I just fell in love with it! Alexia is a very witty character! What made me a little bonkers was the fact that she is strong female heroine of her time and yet she was against the women's suffrage movement, it was just mindboggling!

The pacing was done rather well as we follow Alexia around as she tries to figure out who is trying to kill the queen and the answer is even more shocking than I imagined! I love the characters in this series from Alexia and her smart-mouth wit, to Lord Akeldama's flamboyant attitude to even Conall and his werewolf tendencies! He's a brute at times but a lovable brute!

The ending was surprising as well, although some of it I predicted in a vague sense, but it still wraps things up nicely and leaves you wondering what kind of trouble Alexia will be getting into next!

If you're wanting to get into the steampunk genre but are having a hard time, you should definitely give the Parasol Protectorate series a try for it is definitely one of my faves! Click here if you want to read my review of Soulless.

Overall rating 5/5 stars

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

 

Last Week I Read:

Vanish by Sophie Jordan (review to come at a later date)

Sacrifice by Laura Burns & Melinda Metz (review to come at a later date)

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Currently Reading:

Heartless by Gail Carriger

What I Plan to Read this Week:

Viper Moon by Lee Roland

Burn the Night by Jocelynn Drake

Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

Other Posts of Interest:

Devastating News

Cover Art--Mara Purnhagen

What am I going to Do?

Cover Copy Reveal--Kelly Meding

Cover Copy Reveal--Richelle Mead

Random Thursday--Disney Cameos

Contest Alert

Contest Alert

Okay so I super stoked for Jennifer Armentrout's upcoming release, Half-Blood!! Have the prequel on my Kindle to read as well!

Anyways was at her blog this morning and saw that she had a contest going, not for Half-Blood, but for some awesome swag! And there are some SIGNED bookmarks as well! Enough for a blogger giveaway too!

Head on over today to enter for your chance to win and get a teeny-tiny peek at Half-Blood!

Click here for more info!

Contest ends Sunday, July 31 @ 11:59 EST