In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post by Kirsti over at The Story Siren.

This will also be my Christmas edition IMM for there were a few goodies from Santa that are book related as well!!

First up I got my Tour T-shirt I bought from Kim Harrison's Pale Demon tour! She'll be hitting St. Louis on the stop in March so I had to get a one!

Then I got some swag and a Supernatural Underground button from the authors at the Supernatural Underground

Then I got a SIGNED ARC of Taken by the Others by Jess Haines that I won in a contest at her blog! Thanks again Jess!

Then I went out the day before Christmas eve into Borders madness with everyone doing their last minute shopping before the snow came, it was insane, but TOTALLY worth it because look what I found while I was there and waited in a looong line for:

Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Steal!!! Yay!!

And then from my friend NetGalley I got an E-ARC of Jaye Wells Green Eyed Demon!!!

Then for Christmas from my aunt, I got a copy of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

I also got some Borders gift cards as well to keep me satisfied for a little while this year at least!!

And then the creme de la creme was gift from my sister which I totally wasn't expecting:

A Kobo e-reader! Not the best pic what with Bush on the reader, but it was easier to grab the one from Borders' website! It was a real shocker, because I had been on the fence about the e-reader, but my sister made the decision for me! Might take a little bit for me to get into it really since I have some books already download on my laptop, was going to try to see if they might get on my  Kobo, but not 100%. Have to look into this!

So that was my wonderful Christmas mailbox that I got! LOVED it all!

I also got a Christmas card with some swag from Jami at YA Addict! Thanks Jami! I love getting mail so a Christmas card was much appreciated! Thanks!

Hope everyone had a GREAT holiday if they celebrated with a mailbox filled with everything they wanted! So what did you get in your mailbox this week?

My First Challenge!

I've decided to do a challenge for the year, amidst trying to find a job and working to get myself another step closer in my own writing career, I thought why not make things more difficult for myself?! For the meantime anyway!

I decided to take part in the 2011 YA Debut Challenge created by The Story Siren. I already have a few titles I'm thinking of reading that are from debut YA authors that I'm really excited about and can't wait to get too!

Here is my list so far:

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Angelfire Courtney Allison Moulton

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Haven by Kristi Cook

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Wither by Laruen DeStefano

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

I might have to wait on a few to see if I want to read them, but these are the ones I've heard about and know I want to read! And I have 7/12 right here then!

Head on over to The Story Siren for full details and see if it's something you want to participate in!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Booklover's Christmas Tree

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!

Review--The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she though loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey--ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Julie Kagawa's sequel, The Iron Daughter, totally lives up to The Iron King I think! It was an incredible and amazing read!! I leave behind my world of dark shadows, vampires and werewolves, and enter the Faery world and find myself loving it! There's danger and excitement at every turn!

We start off with Meghan returning to the Winter court as she promised she would to help explain the events that took place since her flight from the party last. But no one believes her story about the Iron fae. And when she turns to Ash for help, he scorn her and mocks her when she tries to plead with him. Meghan is taken aback by his sudden change of heart and wonders if he even really cared for her. She feels totally betrayed.

The adventure doesn't truly begin until the scepter that controls the changing of the seasons is stolen from the Winter court. Mab is infuriated and declares war on Summer, believing it was them who stole the scepter from her court, but Meghan knows the truth and when she tries to explain, she is once again not believed.

After a daring escape Meghan soon finds herself on the run with Ash on a mission to find the scepter, but Ash has different ideas in mind that don't comply with Meghan's. And when Puck suddenly appears healthy and well, things begin to get really intense.

When the journey should begin the following morning, Puck and Meghan find Ash gone, and Meghan is heartbroken, but knows she must move on and find the scepter before the war begins. Finding the scepter is vital, but they will need more help than they realize on this mission.

I will cut off here before I get into a play by play of what happen, because everything was so exciting! While it may have not moved as quickly as I described it was still rather well paced, maybe a bit slow in the beginning, but once the escape begins the pacing becomes really good in my opinion. Even in the somewhat "slower" moments when Meghan and Puck find themselves waiting for the next clue.

And boy were there a few surprises in this one!! First off, as the BOC eludes to, they gain help from an unlikely source, someone we've met before. And no it's not Grim, but the cat does come back! I love him! He reminds me of the Cheshire cat, which I do believe was intentional in some ways.

And I can't really go into the other surprises, but think back to the first book and the memory Meghan had to give up. The one she doesn't know she did. I had a fairly good guess as to what it was and I was right. This memory loss situation thing--hard to name it without naming it!--comes back into play!

The romance was still more romantic tension, although there are a few kisses here and there with Meghan and someone...;)  Yes, the love triangle becomes more noticeable this time around. And because of that, I really won't get into more details about the romance.

The storyline was extremely good! And still mysterious, for now there is a new Iron King, but no one know who he is. Enemies, both old and new come forth and I have a few suspicions about this and that about the mysterious Iron fey, but won't know until I read the next one, The Iron Queen!

Overall I give the book a 4.9/5, and I really won't get too mathematical about these ratings, just that I want to give this one a little better than 4.5, for it was truly magnificent, but the beginning as I said, was just a touch slow, but still rather interesting! This was still by far a GREAT read!! I'm really liking this series!

Review--The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET IDENTITY--ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED...

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school...or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth--that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no farey creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

I didn't know what to think of The Iron Fey series when I first heard about it and may not have read it at all if I hadn't won the first two books in a contest. Which was awesome, because Julie Kagawa's The Iron King was incredible!

I've read books with faeries before, and while the rules are mostly the same, there is still always a different atmosphere and going ons involved that make the faeries vastly different. The faeries here are pretty different from Melissa Marr's as well as some of the other books I've read.

But right down to the nit and gritty some of the basic facts are the same. The fae are mischievous creatures and are never to be trusted. Those rules tend to stay the same. And I was really pleased to see that I recognized some of the fae that made their appearance in the book, for there was quite a variety and some were even new to me!

I loved Meghan, she was the sort of heroine who starts out simple like and just wants the basic things, a boyfriend, love, the usual YA thing, she had a best friend, who's identity became a little obvious as things moved along, but was still an incredible friend to her. Robbie's devotion to protecting his friend was very endearing. And can I just say that I am so glad to be done with high school, Meghan had to suffer through some pretty intense stuff, such as the cruelty of others. It wasn't pretty and Meghan wasn't the type to really stand up for herself in the beginning which kind of annoyed me.

But her character takes on a total change when her brother is kidnapped by the fae and Meghan will do anything to get him back. And she does. Making deals with the fae is never a good thing, their bargains are very tricky with so many loopholes that it's insane and you have to be devious yourself to be willing to deal with them.

Another thing that I'm not sure I totally liked was the somewhat love triangle, true Meghan never clearly states that she loves her best friend Robbie, but you get the feeling that there is something between them. And then comes the dangerous fae prince who Meghan finds herself falling for and loving him is really dangerous for he is her fae father's enemy/arch-rival's son. Yes, we have a Romeo and Juliet spin here as well. The Winter Court and the Summer Court, Meghan comes from Summer and Ash comes from Winter. So that little aspect got an eyeroll from me, but it was still nicely written that I wasn't rolling my eyes the entire time, just the little fact that it has the R&J flavor to it.

Never free, no one died at the end of this book, for as we already know there are 2 more in the series, so Meghan isn't going anywhere!

Overall I have to say the book deserves a good 4.5/5 stars. Really I could get technical and say a 4.9, for it was a really great read. 

Just a few high school-like things annoyed me, but only because it's I don't like how the MC handles the situation. I want to jump in there and tell her what she should do to defend herself. But that was it mostly and the R&J thing was a little annoying as well, but the romance was still written nicely. It was a gradual buildup between the two so it wasn't completely instant like R&J. But that's just my somewhat cynic attitude that likes to pop up when reading YA, the attitude I had back in high school myself for it is tough to survive those 4 years unless you have good friends at your side, and luckily Meghan has just that!

Already immersing myself into The Iron Daughter and loving it!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

My pick this week is one of my most highly anticipated ones so far this year. Really my first HIGHLY HIGHLY anticipated reads: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning!

When you end on a cliffhanger the next book is always HIGHLY HIGHLY anticipated!

In Dreamfever, Karen Marie Moning has left listeners with the most heart-stopping cliff-hanger to date. Shadowfever will answer all the questions fans have been dying to know in the final chapter of MacKayla Lane's shockingly suspenseful and deeply satisfying adventure.

TITLE: Shadowfever
AUTHOR: Karen Marie Moning
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: January 18, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly blog post by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

More love to NetGalley since with their help I'm able to read Kim Harrison's Pale Demon 2 months early!! Loving it so far! A lot of laughs! And it was hard to choose just one teaser, so I have a few!

Teaser Tuesday 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.

 "'You've lost Jack!' I shouted as I pinched his wrist until he let go of the knife, then wrenched his arm up and pressed him into the nearby light pole. 'We've got Jill,' I said as he grunted, 'and no way are you getting that bucket of water in my garden. If you don't relax, I'm going to bust your crown. We clear?'" p 23 (*page number and quote comes from my E-ARC edition and therefore are not final)

"Jenks darted into the car as I got in, taking his usual seat on the rearview mirror. 'You're not going to swear all the bloody Tink-blasted way there, are you?' he asked." p 56 (*see above statement)

"What is wrong with me? I thought as I snatched my bag up from the bed and went out, slamming the door hard enough to shake the windows and let Trent know I left. Jenks had been kidnapped and I was thinking about Trent naked in the shower?" p 121 (*See above statement)

TITLE: Pale Demon
AUTHOR: Kim Harrison
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2011

Review--E-ARC Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

Jane True has become proficient in basic magics, confident in herself and her abilities, and happily rooted in Rockabill. Her life is still divided between her supernatural brethren and her human friends and family, but it’s a division she maintains with very little trouble.

Everything changes, however, when Anyan brings Jane news that will force her to confront her dichotomized existence – supernatural females are being murdered, or have simply disappeared.

Jane and Anyan must embark on a desperate search to find out who is abducting these women, and how Jane can be protected from them. Aiding them is Jane’s former flame, Ryu. But can his stated motivations be trusted? And who are the mysterious figures dogging Jane’s and Anyan’s footsteps if not minions of Jarl?

Eventually, the trio stumble upon a secret so huge that it threatens to disrupt the tenuous traditions keeping humanity safe from the supernatural community that has, up until now, been content to lurk in the shadows.

Will they uncover the truth in time to save Jane’s friends? And just how far will Jarl go to protect his secrets?

NetGalley is the best! I was able to get Nicole Peeler's Tempest's Legacy nearly a month early! I immediately devoured it and absolutely loved it! Of course I still have to buy a copy later to add it to the rest of my collection!

It took me a little bit to get back into the swing of things, for it has been awhile since I read Tracking the Tempest, but after a short little bit I was back into the story! And what a story it was! I barely recognize this Jane True from the Jane I first met in book 1. Jane even knows she's changed, she admits to being a whole new Jane even.

She is now a much stronger character, she's not afraid to speak her mind anymore and do what feels right, even if there are consequences. Something she soon learns all about with her decisions.

Bad stuff starts to happen, as the BOC says and it hits too close to home for Jane to ignore and soon she Anyan, Ryu and the others are on the case.

I'll admit I've been Team Ryu at first. The second book made put me in the middle, and now I totally love Anyan! No question about it! Even with this knowledge there wasn't a whole lot of romance in the book. There was one scene in the beginning, won't say who it involves! And the rest was a lot of romantic tension and sometimes that itself can be very satisfying!

I don't want to get too into the mystery element, because there is sort of a shocker that comes along with it so I have to forgo talking about it. Only that there was quite a shocker to it! And the ending was even more surprising! Like seriously jaw dropping! The bad thing about reading ARCs is that the wait for the next book becomes even longer, but still it's a sacrifice you have to make sometimes!!

I love Nicole Peeler's humor in the books as well. There is definitely a lot of snark in it. She might be influenced by her fellow Leaguers too much, Mark especially! That being said, I hope she keeps it up! Both her and Jane crack me up and Jane's friends are very funny as well and sometimes are the inspiration for Jane's humor.

The Jane True series has everything! Humor, action, mystery and a bit of romance! Everything for the urban fantasy girl like myself! If you have not read this series yet, I highly recommend it! The first book is Tempest Rising followed by Tracking the Tempest.

Overall I give the book 5/5 stars! It doesn't deserve anything less!

I received this E-ARC courtesy of NetGalley!

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 theme is: BEST BOOKS [SERIES] OF 2010!

Wow this one is hard! Of course all the topics that come up each week tend to be hard to answer, because I always have more than 5 to answer for! So these selections will be from books that are in series that released this year, of course the book in the series itself won't necessarily be #1 or the last one!

And naturally they are in no specific order!

13 to Life by Shannon Delany, the first in her debut YA series, which is just titled 13 to Life Series, so far.

Rachel Vincent's Shifter series, this one ended this year with the conclusion to the series, Alpha! I adored this series from beginning to end. Even if Faythe drove me a little crazy sometimes!

Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series is one of my all time faves! I love how there is a different main character for nearly every book and how some characters return to be the MC for more than one, like Elena, Paige, Hope, and now Savannah! Waking the Witch starts Savannah's books, which if I recall is a 3 book situation! Still waiting for the day Cassandra tells her story, just waiting for Cass to tell Kelley!

Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mytsteries, I started this series just earlier this year and fell in love with it right away. It reminded me of Victoria Laurie's mysteries, which have a mystery and a little bit of paranormal into the mix! A Cast-Off Coven was the second book in the series and I can't wait for book 3, Hexes and Hemlines this June!

Nicole Peeler's Jane True series, I'll admit to having been skeptical about this series at first, because the cartoony cover threw me off. But then I picked it up, read the BOC, and then headed for the cash register because the storyline sounded really good! Can only say that I am glad I looked beyond the cartoony cover because this series is awesome! There is so much snark and humor in it that I LOL every time I read these books! And there is still action, mystery, romance and plenty more that make this a must read series! This cover was Tracking the Tempest, book 2 and I already read the third one Tempest's Legacy with help from NetGalley.

 Other notable mentions* 

Maria Snyder's Glass series, this trilogy came to its conclusion, with Spy Glass, this year as well. I liked Opal's story a lot. There were definitely some surprising twists that I wasn't expecting. Still like Yelena's slightly more, but it could just be because it was the first trilogy.

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, this one too came to an end this year with Last Sacrifice. I enjoyed it. Somethings disappointed me because they weren't further explained, but still love the series overall and will miss Rose and her friends, looking forward to the spinoff series like I mentioned earlier!

Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, I started this one this year, a few months ago actually and immediately fell in love with it at the end of Darkfever, book 1! It has a very interesting storyline and the characters are just filled with surprises. My only regret is starting this a tad too soon, because I was 2 months away from Shadowfever, the final conclusion. 1 month down, 1 month to go! 

*Notable meaning I'm cheating and want to mention a few other series that I totally love that had releases this year. Dreamfever was released this year in this paperback format, so it can count! ;)

**Also wanted to add that I would've put Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series up, but since there wasn't a release this year (2010) for that series, I withdrew that one. Although I did enjoy her Night Huntress WORLD series that released this year as well!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post by Kirsti over at The Story Siren.

This is also my birthday edition as I got a few books for my birthday as well!!

First off I started the week off by buying myself a copy of Juliet Blackwell's new series debut If Walls Could Talk

I adored her Witchcraft Mysteries series so I had to check out her new series A Haunted Home Renovation!

Then in the mail came my SIGNED copy of Soulless that I won in a contest over at Candace's Book Blog, I got books 2 & 3 from Gail but since she was out of book 1 Candace mailed me a copy!

Then I downloaded some freebie stories from Amazon that are prequels to some of my fave series! So I had to get those as well, can't pass up something that's free!

First is Jenna Black's Remedial Magic

And then I got Shannon Delany's Beasts and BFF's

Then my good pal, NetGalley finally set me an E-ARC of Pale Demon by Kim Harrison which I'm reading now and loving! Of course I started it Friday and my cold threatened to be worse that day, so I didn't get much of a good start. But still I have it!! And St. Louis has been mentioned several times as that is the first stop Rachel is making on her lovely roadtrip!! And Kim's coming here in March too, so I soooo can't wait! Have to take notes as I read so I'm prepped for that signing!

Then for my birthday I received a real treat that I had to actually order myself and then talk my mom into buying for me ;) Richelle Mead's Succubus series! I have read book 1 but am behind on 2-5, so I ordered those SIGNED from Richelle's local bookstore!! I got Succubus on Top, Succubus Dreams, Succubus Heat, and Succubus Shadows.

Then the last part of my birthday gifts was a copy of Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick! Kept hearing a lot of good things about this one, along with some so-so's and thought I had to give it a try!

And the extra icing on the cake was a $25 gift card to Borders from my aunt! That can get me the majority of the last few books that release this year! Talk about awesome!!

And this actually the one I got!

So I had a wonderful week filled with books!! And my TBR pile has gotten wayyy too tall! It's a disaster! And I LOVE IT!

What did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop

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!):  "What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"

That is a tough question! But like Jen said, first it's the plot on the BOC that grabs me. If that sounds interesting enough that is what motivates me to read the book in the first place. But the book can fall flat if the characters aren't great. So I would say the plot comes first, but then the characters are an up close and personal second! Because both are necessary to make a GREAT read!

Review--Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

ROSE HATHAWAY HAS ALWAYS PLAYED BY HER OWN RULES. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?

I finally finished Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead today and the wait was seriously too long! It had been awhile since I last read Spirit Bound, but it wasn't long before I was completely caught up with what was happening. Queen Tatiana was dead, murdered and Rose was suspect #1 out of 1. Rose has been in trouble before, most of which she has caused, but this one irritates her the most because she didn't do it, even though she and the Queen weren't exactly BFFs.

Rose is stuck in prison for the first few chapters, but that's not where the book takes place. Oh no, for we all know Rose doesn't just sit around and wait to be saved. She has to do something to help save herself, but she is going to need help. Her friends come to her rescue and send her off for her own protection but even that doesn't last long, not with Rose!

This book was just so freaking exciting! The mystery, the action, the suspense, the romance, the humor, just everything was incredible! There were quite a few twists and surprises but all were enjoyable. And there was quite a bit of detective work going on between Rose and Lissa. Lissa wasn't there with Rose too much, but Rose checked in on her in her special way, so we got to see an equal amount of Lissa and her ordeals. For Lissa was in the running to be the next queen/ruler herself. Which was another problem all on its own!

It's hard to go into many details without giving something away, but Rose has two things to accomplish on her task. Find out who the real murderer is and assist Lissa in a major way that might help her chances with becoming queen.

I don't want to get too into the romance parts, because it's spoiler like, but they were definitely good. Nice and sweet, I thought. And like I said plenty of shocking surprises along the way. Such as the identity of the murderer. I figured it out along with Rose once she knew, but we the readers weren't privilege to it yet, I came to my own conclusion and was right!

I am sad to see this series end, but it has been a fun trip! And I must give profound thanks to my friends Cem and Aly for telling me about this series and that I HAD to read it! Best advice ever!

So naturally I have to give the book 5/5 stars because it was just wonderful! Looking forward to Richelle's spinoff series as well to continue the adventures in the same world but with different characters!

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!

Today is my birthday! I turn 23 today and it's hard to believe. Mostly because everyone tells me there's no way I look 23. I really don't know where I got that "look" from! Oh well! Not sure what my plans are today, might have to wait til Saturday to celebrate! But I thought I would have a virtual Disney Princess cake here because Disney just rocks!

My actual cake will likely be this:

A cookie cake from Great American Cookie Co! They are my fave cookie cakes ever! Nice soft chewy chocolate chip cookie and the icing is so sweet and good and the chocolate icing is nice and fudgy like! Yum! I love my birthday, it allows me to eat one of these with no guilt!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

This week my pick is Jenna Black's Shadowspell! I loved Glimmerglass and cannot wait to read the sequel. Things were getting pretty interesting for Dana last I saw her!

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?

TITLE: Shadowspell
AUTHOR: Jenna Black
GENRE: Young Adult (Urban) Fantasy*
RELEASE DATE: January 4, 2011

*Wasn't sure how to classify this one into a genre, the Fae are involved but the setting is still somewhat modern even if it's not our world. So went with a sort of YA UF.

Contest Alert-The Nerd's Wife

There is a major Blogiversary contest going on at The Nerd's Wife, Arena will be giving away quite a few books and mostly all signed ones as well to celebrate her blogiversary! And there will be a GRAND prize winner who will receive an Amazon Kindle!

There are many prizes to be won, so head on over today to become a follow to be one of the lucky winners!

Click here for details.

Contest ends December 31, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly blog post by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

My copy of Last Sacrifice still has not arrived which is really upsetting me, but the time did allow me to go ahead and start Maria V. Snyder's Outside In! She's one of my fave authors and her YA series is extremely different from her two adult trilogies and I enjoyed the first one very much! Expecting the sequel to be just as fab!

Teaser Tuesday 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.

"The Hum meant the power plant was doing its job, producing electricity and heat, keeping us alive.

Silence meant the opposite. Until that moment, I hadn't known true terror." p 23

(Page number comes from my E-galley ARC copy, page number and quote are therefore not final)

TITLE: Outside In
AUTHOR: Maria V. Snyder
GENRE: Futuristic Fantasy YA
RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011