Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Review: Demon Dance (A Sundancer Novel #1) by Brian Freyermuth


Published: 
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review
Goodreads Summary

You can run all you want, but the game's in your blood. And blood never forgets…

Nick St. James was born different. His extraordinary gifts have saved him time and time again, but they couldn't save the one thing he loved most: his wife.

Now he just wants to forget his old life, but more importantly, he wants to forget the magical underworld that lives beneath the "real" world. A place where a man's faith can determine the very fabric of reality. Where ancient forgotten gods walk hidden among us, and angels and demons fight for our very souls. 

But nothing stays hidden forever. Nick's peaceful world is ripped apart when a demon slaughters his ex-partner and marks him for death. Now he must use all his gifts to find the one who summoned the nightmarish creature, but more importantly, he needs to find the one thing he lost long ago.

Himself.

Demon Dance (A Sundancer Novel #1) by Brian Freyermuth

“I wish. Spending my hard-earned cash on dancers and cheesy shows sounds like paradise compared to the mess I’m in.” The minivan swerved to miss a slow-moving Honda, and my ribs began a riotous argument with my stomach. I gasped.

“Compared to the crap you’re always in,” Jake grumbled. “I thought you retired.”

“I keep trying to tell the monsters that. They won’t listen.”


The Good


Nick St. James is my type of hero. He’s far from perfect, isn’t all powerful yet he knows how to win.  He’s the guy you root for just wanting something to go right and not blow up in his face. I personally really enjoy the detective style books involving the super natural. Plus there is plenty of action to go along with an entertaining story.

The Bad


The bad for me would be lots of interesting characters popping up throughout the book that I would love to get to know better. But if this leads to follow up books where I get to learn more about them count me in.

The Romance


While the romantic overtones are there between our hero and a young woman named Thelma, Nick is still haunted by the death of his true love Ann.

Conclusion


If you enjoy action and supernatural with an imperfect hero, then you will love this book. The main demon Nick fights with is new and interesting. I had little problem breezing through this one. It’s really a hard book to put down.


Excerpts

I slowly put the dragon scale in the pocket of my jacket. The wind picked up again, sending a chill deep into my bones. Rain was coming. The blond woman was nowhere in sight. I wasn’t sure she had ever existed. When one as powerful as Coyote takes notice of you, the fabric of the reality tends to bend a bit. He told me a storm was coming, and looking at the sky I believed it. Now, if it was only the weather I had to worry about.


“Hey, Jake’s on his way over. You have help this time. This isn’t Boston.” 
I patted her hand and put the croquet ball down on the table. The cheerful red paint mocked me. “I know. We’re the three Ghostbusters, except the marshmallow man’s from Hell.”

“Some say they’re Illuminati, some say Masons,” I explained to her, “but no one knows. They constantly work to keep normal people innocent of the whole supernatural world, and they have the power to do it.” 
“So they’re the good guys?” 
I laughed without humor. “It depends on your definition. They’re only interested in keeping the status quo. They don’t care about fairness or who’s in the wrong.”

My smile disappeared as I stood up. “I’ve seen things you couldn’t imagine. Ghosts, legends come to life, demons, and angels. But I don’t have faith in any of it. Life is all chance, and it’s just our job to muddle through it.” 
She stood with me, leaned forward, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Once again the smell of jasmine washed over me, but this time the Pain drowned it all out. “And yet you still fight,” she whispered with a smile. “That’s courage.”

The girl walked up to me as I looked at the picture. “You squashed the bad man,” she whispered. “Are you an angel?” 
I looked at her. “Me? I’m no angel. Just…kinda like a superhero. My power is the power of sarcasm. The word is mightier than the spur…” I stopped. “And you have no idea what I’m talking about.” She giggled again. “But thank you for the picture.”

Demon Dance (A Sundancer Novel #1) by Brian Freyermuth

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Review: The Queen of Zombie Hearts (The White Rabbit Chronicles #3) by Gena Showalter


Published: September 30, 2014 Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA, Paranormal Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing-and turning-Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima-even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

Getting shot makes us cranky, I see.


Catching Butterflies


Ali Bell has gone through a ton in this series, and it didn't stop in Queen of Zombie Hearts. She's gotten so strong over time that she is a true force to be reckoned with which makes it even better that she's so often taken for granted since she looks like she stepped right out of a children's fairy tale book. This one starts off with an ambush that leads to a full-on war and the slayers are fighting two separate enemies (a horde of soul-eating zombies and the mad scientist group Anima). There are a lot of deaths which get harder with each book since I love every single character in this series.


The Blood Soaked Road


Text-speak gets annoying sometimes, but thankfully it's not used too much.

Gooey Center


Finally Cole and Ali have patched things up, but this one is in no way easy on their relationship. Ali finds out one of her relatives is responsible for Cole's mother's death. Much drama ensues. There are a couple of moments where Ali seems like that young girl idealizing love that you want to shake, but she corrects herself after a few chapters which is refreshing.


We Won


The concepts are unique, the story is very character-driven, and the plot just gets more intriguing. Each book is filled with more new characters to love, a ton of action and sass. Definitely recommended.




Excerpts

My darling Kat meant it in the nicest way possible, of course. She simply had no filter. she always spoke her mind, always stood up for what she believed - that her way was the best way - and lived by the motto I'm On Board the Awesome Train and You Can Hop On or Get Run Over.

"You're practically glowing with happiness." Mackenzie pretended to gag. "Tell me you're still capable of killing zombies and that you're not considering spraying them with rainbow dust." As if I'd waste rainbow dust on zombies.

I leaned over her, looking for any change. Her color was returning, pink flooding into her cheeks, and the dark circles under her eyes were fading. That. Quickly. A lady never smirks. Since when have I ever been a lady? I smirked.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Fandom Mashups [1]




Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
An evil King has taken up the mantle and declared that he is the supreme ruler of all. Who's going to help you overthrow him?


There are so many ways I can go with this one, but I'm going to mix it up quite a bit.

1) Gandalf - Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit



What isn't great about Gandalf? He doesn't get tempted by the evil side, but staunchly stays on the side of good so the evil King can't get him to switch sides. He's incredibly intelligent and would most likely be the one I'd want drawing up the plans. He walks and labors for miles and miles with no complaint. He's able to get all kinds of help for all the favors he's bestowed. Plus, MAGIC!

2) Tinkerbell - Peter Pan



Why Tinkerbell? She's tiny and can do a good deal of sneakery work. She can also pass on the ability to fly and I wouldn't turn that down anytime, much less when trying to take down an evil King. 

3) Groot - The Guardians of the Galaxy


Groot would be the muscle. Not only would I enjoy having him as a companion on this adventure, but he can kick some major butt. Also, he's resistant to fire which would be a huge help.

4) Piper Mclean - The Heroes of Olympus


She is the daughter of Aphrodite and has the ability to charmspeak. Charmspeak is an incredible weapon that can make people do anything on command. Eventually the charmspeak wears off and the person has no memory of what they did or why they did it.

5) Arthur Pendragon - The Sword and the Stone



He's trained by Merlin. He's kind, polite, and humble. We'll need someone to take over when the evil King is dethroned.

Who would be on your dream team this week?

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Sunday Cover Scramble [137]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.




Thursday, September 24, 2015

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [82]


This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows.The idea is to share a favorite moment, magical item, character, spell, quote, object from the books, films or J.K.Rowling herself! Click the links to the blogs to see how to join up &  upcoming topics.

Which books would you recommend to Harry?



From the Potterverse, I'm going to go with:

  • Merpeople: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Language and Customs by Dylan Marwood
  • Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland
  • Guide to Advanced Occlumency
I believe the first two may have helped him out with the tasks in the Triwizard Tournament. It would've been helpful to get a little background information on what he was dealing with. Even though he got great marks for rescuing the others under the lake, it's possible he would've come in first place if he would've known more about the merpeople. As for the third, Guide to Advanced Occlumency, he should've had Hermione read and tutor him on what she learned. Even though he ended up wanting to know what Voldemort was thinking and feeling, it probably would've been nice to turn it on and off at will. I would have included Hogwarts, A History but we all know Hermione could quote it from heart so there was no real need.

I couldn't think of any titles from our world so I'm going to make up some that he should definitely read:

  • Ways to Avoid Becoming Obsessive and Impulsive
  • How to Deal with Obnoxiously Foul Parent-Figures
  • So that Evil Teacher Hates You...Tips and Tricks to Pay Them Back
  • Idiot's Guide to Wooing Witches
  • Why Women Love Scars
  • When That Nagging Villain Won't Let You Be


What books would you recommend to Harry?


Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Review: Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas


Published: September 1, 2015 Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary

Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series reaches new heights in this sweeping fourth volume.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire-for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past...

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena's epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena's story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

She was a whirling cloud of death, a queen of shadows, and these men were already carrion.


*Beware of spoilers if you have not read the entire series

The Good


This book! It's so good I feel like there's no possible way my review can do it justice, but I'll try.

Aelin Galynthinius is on a mission to take down 2 men and rescue 2 more. She has taken a long look at herself and her flaws and forgiven herself, fully embracing and loving who she now is. So much happens in this one. It's almost as if every act comes back full circle with karma responding. Every kindness repaid, every cruelty punished. I love how all the characters are brought back together with some new faces adding excitement to the mix. I LOVE these characters!! Every single character means a lot to me. There are "good" characters, those so flawed in-between characters, and those that are beyond easy to hate. So much action. So many changes.

It has that 'watch over here' while the characters are working on their plans, and I'm trying to figure out how they will possibly get out of the situations they find themselves in. I love the little surprises and pieces of plans that I don't find out until they happen (sort of like watching the Oceans 11 - 13 movies). This series gives me all the feels. I laughed out loud numerous times, got tears in my eyes others. Queen of Shadows is an amazing journey that revs things up and brings all the pieces together.

The Bad


Not one thing can be criticized by me in this one.

The Romance


I want me a Rowan please. If anyone knows a place to order one, let me know. Everything that came before pales in comparison. She didn't fully love or know herself yet so she couldn't offer that to someone else, but she's found her place in the world and her self-love so she's fully ready to share it with that worthy person.

Conclusion


I honestly can't believe everything that went down in Queen of Shadows and I already want to go back and read it again. In honesty, it was so epic that it felt like a gratifying finale to the series, and we still have two more to go! I devoured it in two sittings. Absolutely, 100% recommended!


Excerpts



“Actually, I believe the title our esteemed friends in the empire now like to use is 'fire-breathing bitch-queen.'"

At last she met his stare, with eyes that were too old, too sad and tired to be nineteen. It has been a mistake to ever call her a girl - and there were indeed moments when Rowan forgot how young she truly was. The woman before him shouldered burdens that would break the spine of someone three times her age. "If you're a monster, I'm a monster," he said with a grin broad enough to show off his elongated canines.

But Rowan didn't dare grab for Aelin's hand to see the ring. She didn't move; she didn't speak. She just sat there and stared at the wall of the carriage. A perfect, broken, obedient doll.

Aelin made to slip out, but Arobynn said, "Aren't you the least bit curious where we buried Sam?"

Monday, September 21, 2015

Review: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas


Published: September 2, 2014 Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.” 


*Beware of spoilers if you have not read the series

The Good


There is an entirely new setting for the book and a bunch of new characters. It's great to see this fortress for demi-fae to live and the different powers some of them possess. Celaena goes by about 3 different names and none of them seem to fit her until the end.

In the beginning, she's broken. She doesn't want to feel anything, just wants to complete her promise. She finally works through the grief and emptiness and emerges even more badass than she was before. Her other friends from the first two that are still alive, we get to follow what transpires for them as well. We swing back and forth watching different characters in their own situations.

I feel like the story keeps building and building. Each book is entirely separate yet a full piece of the puzzle. I'm so invested in the characters, especially Celaena, and really want to see her succeed.

The Bad


I was a little bored with the parts that followed Manon around, but I have faith that she serves a large purpose in the story so I'm happy to take it all in.

The Romance


There is no romance for Celaena in this one to speak of, though I've got to say I adore Rowan. I'm very much hoping something comes of this pair. Their bickering in the beginning turns into a solid understand and acceptance of each other as well as that feeling of being worthy. Everything that I couldn't see working out with the other two, I'm praying for with him.

Conclusion


Each book just builds and builds. While I'm reading, I'm right there with her, clenching my fists, and praying that she makes it through. The characters keep growing and mysteries keep coming up and getting solved only to have more mysteries revealed. Heir of Fire ends on both a heart-breaking and hope-filled note. If you haven't started this series, you absolutely should!



Excerpts



“Because I am lost," she whispered onto the earth. "And I do not know the way.” 

“The people you love are just weapons that will be used against you.” 

“As for Celaena," he said again, "you do not have the right to wish she were not what she is. The only thing you have a right to do is decide whether you are her enemy or her friend.” 


“It would not take a monster to destroy a monster - but light, light to drive out darkness.” 

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sunday Cover Scramble [136]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.



Saturday, September 19, 2015

Wonderland (Intergalactic Fairy Tales, #1) by Robert McKay


Published: August 20th 2015 by McKay Manor Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review
Goodreads Summary

Teenage Alice didn’t mean to end up on Wonderland, but the living spaceship she commandeered had other plans, and he was very late.

Abandoned on an unfamiliar planet, Alice’s first day as a space pirate has fallen into madness. Caterpillars? Mad hatters? A Jabberwock? A queen known for chopping off heads? Alice must face all Wonderland can throw at her if she’s to take back possession of The White Rabbit and leave Wonderland in one piece.

Buy Wonderland (Intergalactic Fairy Tales, #1) by Robert McKay today at Amazon

“You are thirteen years old, Alice. You are entirely too old to be playing silly games like this on the living room furniture.” Her mother shooed her off her forecastle chair so that she could put it back in its proper place. “Right, James?” 

“Right,” said Alice’s father, sitting up straight in his seat and putting on his stern face. “Pickle, you’re getting older now, it’s time to put away childish games like playing pirate.” 

“And no more silly nicknames either,” said her mother, stepping over and taking the stick Alice had been using as her sword. She threw it casually into the lit fireplace. Alice watched it burn forlornly. “Right, you’ll be an adult soon enough, P— Alice. It’s time to learn how to behave like one.”


The Good


Retelling a fairy tale is really hit or miss for me. I really love most the originals so to change one drastically you really have to do a good job for me to enjoy. Wonderland did just that. Alice is a fantastic protagonist. She has that amazing childlike imagination while at the same time being naive to sarcasm. The story has a good pace with some fun action scenes. I love how the original Wonderland secondary characters were represented in this sci fi setting.

The Bad


While I enjoyed the overall pace of the story, there were a few scene's that felt a bit rushed. But it's a small gripe if you wish to even call it a gripe.

Conclusion


If you like Alice in wonderland and sci-fi books then you will love this book. If you like one or the other you'll still enjoy it as it really fits with both fandoms. The characters are amazing, the adventure is quite the ride and if you want a new hero from the normal adult male or female Alice is for you. I found myself laughing at times and even at one point quite heart broken. I can't wait for book two.



Excerpts

Now Rabbit was speaking plain nonsense. “I think you may have gone a bit mad, Rabbit,” said Alice, shaking her head. 
“Oh, I’m certain of it, as has all of Wonderland. If you point out everything that’s mad on Wonderland, you’ll never do anything else.”


“Just over that way, my dear,” said the caterpillar, gesturing vaguely off to Alice’s right. “But I really don’t think you ought to go there. Today is the big croquet match. Nothing gets her majesty in a heads-will-roll mood like a game of croquet.” 
“Croquet? Really? I do so love a good game of croquet,” said Alice. 
“All right, off you go then, I’ve got business to attend to, and you’ve got your funeral to get to. We shouldn’t keep each other from our appointments.”


"I don't enjoy cutting hands off," said Alice, the bright spray of scarlet gushing from Karl's stump flashing before her eyes. 
"Well, then whatever did you do it for?" asked Seamus, just then injecting a tone of disapproval, as if cutting hands off were a perfectly fine hobby, but a deplorable thing to do if you weren't enjoying it. 
"He was trying to take me somewhere," said Alice, her body shuttering involuntarily. 
"Note to self," said the hatter seriously. "Avoid taking Alice places unless you want to lose a hand."


"But most of those are things that just happened. They don't really make me rare or special." 
"Life just happens, Alice. What makes us special is how we react to it."


"I think that whatever it is, it can't be good," said Dum, sighing. Alice urged him to continue. "The queen loves a good beheading, so if she's not going to do that, what she has planned is going to be much worse." 
"I don't think it could get much worse than beheading," said Alice. Her whole body shivered at the thought. 
"Oh, there's plenty worse than beheading," said Dee, sleep still heavy in his voice. Lyla glared at him, but his eyes were still half closed and she was so tiny that he didn't notice. "There's flaying, boiling, dismemberment, eating alive--"

Buy Wonderland (Intergalactic Fairy Tales, #1) by Robert McKay today at Amazon

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [81]


This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows.The idea is to share a favorite moment, magical item, character, spell, quote, object from the books, films or J.K.Rowling herself! Click the links to the blogs to see how to join up &  upcoming topics.

Which one of the 5 trials the trio faced in Sorcerer's Stone would have been your downfall? (Flitwick's flying keys, Sprout's plants, Snape's potion riddle, McGonagall's chess match or Dumbledore's Mirror/Stone trick)


Hmmm well I feel like Fluffy would be pretty easy since they knew the trick to get past him. Then the plant part would be fine because they learned it in class, and I'm pretty much like Hermione student-wise with paying attention and remembering. I'm going to go with the assumption that I would be muggle born and say that while I love the idea of flying, most likely I would be as bad at it at first as Hermione. Granted, I would practice a lot, but first years can't play Quidditch so there wouldn't be a lot of time at school to practice flying. I'm going to assume then that Flitwick's flying keys would be the hardest for me to accomplish. I'm not too sure about the riddle or the chess game either. While I am extremely logical, riddles have either been very easy or very hard for me. Chess is a very fun game, but I haven't played in years and don't know how good I'd be at it. I'm going to stick with the flying keys though and say that I'd also probably have trouble with Snape's riddle and McGonagall's chess match.




Which would you choose?





Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Review: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas


Published: August 27, 2013 Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

“But death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.”  


The Good


The story line is a bit different since Celaena isn't in a competition anymore. I adore getting to see her being a "good" assassin. Working for a man she despises, she dives into trying to find out whatever plans the King has up his sleeves. I have to say, the King is such a great villain. He absolutely makes my skin crawl. I just thought he was evil before, but as time goes by he just gets more and more sinister and capable of anything. Celaena caused the characters around her to change in Throne of Glass, and this is the one where you can see the impact of the other characters on her. By the end, she's gone through a tumult of change and a roller-coaster of emotions. You don't want to get on her bad side.

The Bad


The beginning is definitely slower than the rest. However, when it gets rolling, it doesn't stop.

The Romance


I'm usually fed up with the 2nd book in the series and how they constantly have to be the 'conflict' book to move characters along on their journey especially with regards to romance. This series isn't driven by couples for me. At this moment, it's more on the definite changes that Celaena has made on Choal's and Dorian's lives and the effect they've both had on her as well as she discovers more about who exactly she wants to be. There is a choice made between the two of Dorian and Choal, but...things happen. Don't want to get too spoilerly there.

Conclusion


Such a great follow-up to Throne of Glass! The story keeps moving in a deeper direction and I'm loving the excitement it causes and the wonder about what more can happen. This series is highly addicting!




Excerpts


“I don't think you realize who you're dealing with."
The man clicked his tongue, "If you were that good, you would be more than just Captain of the Guard."
Chaol let out a low, breathy laugh. "I wasn't talking about me." 
"She's just one girl."
Though his guts were twisting at the thought of her in this place, with these people, though he was considering every possible way to get himself and Celaena out of here alive, he gave the man a grin. "Then you're really in for a big surprise.”

“Then Celaena and the King of Adarlan smiled at each other, and it was the most terrifying thing Dorian had ever seen.”

“Enough! We have enough enemies as it is! There are worse things out there to face!"

Celaena slowly turned to him, her face splattered with blood and eyes blazing bright. "No, there aren't," she said. "Because I'm here now.”  


Monday, September 14, 2015

Review: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas


Published: May 7, 2013 Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

She stood not ten feet from the King of Adarlan. Freedom or death lay at this table. Her past and future were seated on a glass throne.


The Good


When we first meet 18-year old Celaena Sardothien, she is a prisoner, haggard and bitter. She's forgotten what true comfort feels like and her beauty has diminished. She's known as Adarlan's Assassin and the Prince of Adarlan makes her an offer she can't refuse - fight for the title of King's Champion in a competition and be free after four year's service, or rot and die there in the prison in Endovier. Celaena is a lot of fun to read about. She's full of contradictions that make her entertaining. As Choal notes, she can kill you with whatever is handy, yet she's kind-hearted. She's arrogant and tough-as-nails yet a girly-girl that loves shopping and gorgeous dresses. She's intelligent and doesn't trust easily but appears to put her trust in the wrong people. She greatly embodies the assassin, yet at the same time I can tell she has so much more below the surface than an incredibly adept killer. I also really enjoy the character of Nehemia, a princess of Eyllwe also staying at the castle that is pure spunk.

The world is so easy to understand and even though I thought I'd have trouble pronouncing some of the names and places, they start rolling off the tongue. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat as I waited to find out the outcome. I really liked the different thieves, assassins, and criminals that Celaena is pinned against in the competition. I also was greatly surprised at all that was beneath the surface, since I was basically just expecting a great book about an assassin in a competition for the King. There is so much more going on to keep the story moving.


The Bad and The Romance


My only complaint about the story is the romance. There are two main men in Throne of Glass, the Prince Dorian and the Captain of the Guard Choal Westfall. I love both characters for different reasons and it's plain to see they care for Celaena. They have both been changed by her presence. My problem here is that the romance took away from what I loved about Celaena. It doesn't feel like a love triangle to me so it wasn't that. I can't honestly see her with either men so it's not a book based in romance to me. I guess I really wanted her to realize that she couldn't have a relationship pan out with either guy so she could get her mind back on more important things like winning the competition and staying alive.



Conclusion


This is an amazing start to a series. The end leaves me begging for more and excited about where the story can go from here. There are so many mysteries that kept me guessing the entire time, political intrigue, and fantastic characters. I'm hooked!




Excerpts

"I can survive well enough on my own - if given proper reading material."

"You bear many names, and so I shall name you as well." Her hand rose to Celaena's forehead and she drew an invisible mark. "I name you Elentiya." She kissed the assassin's brow. "I give you this name to use with honor, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, 'Spirit That Could Not Be Broken.'"

Her legs gave out and Celaena collapsed. Her eyelids became heavy, so she closed them. Why did her heart beat so slowly?

The ridderak stalked back and forth on its four long, spidery limbs, sniffing at her, and Celaena paused. Why didn't it attack immediately? It sniffed at her again, and swiped at the ground with a clawed hand - striking deep enough to take out a chunk of stone.


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sunday Cover Scramble [135]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.





Friday, September 11, 2015

The Torrent (The New Agenda #4) by Simone Pond


Published: July 7th 2015 by Ktown Waters
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review
Goodreads Summary

Grace has survived Chief Morray’s attempt to keep her trapped inside the mainframe, but at a terrible cost: leaving her mother behind. Giving up training at the academy in order to wait for Ava’s return. Grace wants to do the right thing, but it’s never that simple. While Ava struggles against Morray in the virtual reality, Grace is left alone in the real world to fight her own battles. There’s a new corrupt authority figure. A regional council to sway. A war to stop. And a promise to keep to a precious young soul. How can Grace save everyone, including herself?


Buy The Torrent (The New Agenda #4) by Simone Pond today at Amazon

“This place feels so real. Even more today than yesterday,” she said. 

“There is no today. There was no yesterday.” “Nothing but this moment, and this moment is nothing.” Morray laughed. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“It’s hard not to be. I keep missing out on my life, and the common denominator is always you,” she spat.


The Good


So I really enjoy this series. Each book in the series has felt new to me, while each book fits perfectly into the series itself. Ava and her Daughter work really well as mother and daughter. You can feel their connection and yet at the same time see why they argue so much. This time we get a plenty of reasons to still hate Morray while at the same time learn to despise two new individuals. I love how this book shows the way some people will cling to what they know even if it's horrible, while just as many people are will to strive for something better even if it's the unknown.

The Bad


The ending of this one was pretty abrupt. It has an in your face ending with plenty of twist's along the way. But it's like BAM possible end to one problem and that's a wrap. Another thing that bug's me is this is the last book in the series.

The Romance


Can Morray finally get the girl? Will Grace get to raise baby she took with Lucas? Can Ava make it back to Joseph? All this and more are waiting for you in The Torrent.

Conclusion


A little sad to come to the end of a series I truly enjoyed. But at least I got a few answer's I've wanted for a while. I love how Simone wrapped this one up while leaving just enough out there for you to decide what's next. I'll miss the wonderful characters except when I have the chance to refer this series to friends and fellow sci-fi fans.



Excerpts

“Until you face them, the demons will keep chasing you.” 
“But what if I can’t stop them?” 
Adyar kissed her cheek and peered at her with wise old eyes. “The only thing stopping Grace is Grace.”

“Please, Ruth. I only took him because I didn’t want Faraday to put him in that soldier program. He deserves a choice. Don’t you think? I’m not ready to face the council yet. I need a little time to build my case.” 
“You’ve had plenty of time.” Ruth sneered. 
Blythe stepped up. “Easy there, Nurse Lady. You both want the same thing: To protect the kid from that jerk-bag Faraday. Right?” Grace and Ruth looked at each other and nodded.

“You’d be nothing if it weren’t for me.”
“That’s not going to work either. You can try to take credit for my existence to give yourself the upper hand, but there was something before you. Before everything. You’re just a fleck in the larger spectrum.” 
“So you’re planning on leaving me in here?” 
“I’m not sure what will happen to you. I do know that I have a body out there waiting. A family and friends. You don’t have anything.”

Buy The Torrent (The New Agenda #4) by Simone Pond today at Amazon

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [80]


This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows.The idea is to share a favorite moment, magical item, character, spell, quote, object from the books, films or J.K.Rowling herself! Click the links to the blogs to see how to join up &  upcoming topics.

Which magical creature would you like living in your house?


Well it would be amazing to have a house elf for sure, but like Hermione I can't abide with the slavery involved in that so it would have to be a willing friend like Dobby that just helped out whenever he so desired.

The main magical creature I've been obsessed with is Fawkes. I would LOVE having a phoenix. Besides just being beautiful and amazing creatures (they are reborn in their own ashes!!), I'm extremely accident-proned so it'd be nice to have a creature around with healing tears. Then there comes the point again, that they are reborn in their own ashes. Every pet owner knows that losing that loved one is so incredibly hard, so I think the added benefit of not having it die would be so amazing.





Which would you choose?





Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Excerpt: Forgotten Ones by Brian McGilloway


Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Little Girl Lost comes a brand-new thriller featuring Lucy Black—a twisting, gripping story of secrets and lies, perfect for fans of Louise Penny and Tana French.

The body of an elderly man is hauled out of the rushing water of the River Foyle, cold dead. Detective Lucy Black is called in to investigate when it becomes evident that this was not a suicide: the man's body was embalmed before it ever entered the water.

Confounded and exhausted, Lucy heads home to review the case in quiet; but there will be no rest for her tonight. She's barely in the front door when a neighbor knocks because his wife's sister has been attacked and they need her help.

As a string of strange crimes is unspooled throughout the city, Lucy is pulled in countless different directions… until she realizes there may be something dark and dangerous connecting everything.

Soulful and suspenseful, featuring one of the most appealing characters in suspense fiction, The Forgotten Ones is a novel to take your breath away.


Excerpt:



The bruising extended from his temple, around the curve of the eye socket and down almost to where the fold of his laughter line curled round to meet his lip.

Lucy gently touched the purpled skin with the tips of her fingers, afraid that too much pressure might cause him to wake. She moved back slightly and traced down along his neck to where she saw a second shadow on the skin, this time the injury aged and yellowed around the edges, just visible above the collar of his vest. Wisps of gray hair curled over the material, rising and falling lightly with each breath.

She drew back the blanket from him, seeing for the first time the leather strap that encircled the safety bar at the side of his bed, its other end fastened around her father’s wrist.

“Dad?” she whispered, tapping him lightly on the arm in an attempt to rouse him. “Dad, what happened?”

For a moment, his eyelids fluttered, his face inclining toward hers. Then he settled back on the bed again, his head barely denting the pillow. His brow shone with perspiration, despite the presence of a portable fan in the room.

She pushed back from the bed, opened the door, and went out into the corridor. Seeing no staff, she moved up toward the main workstation on the ward. Just as she approached, an orderly came around the corner.

“DS Black? Just the person.”

“What happened to my father?” Lucy demanded. “His face? What happened?”

The man raised his hands in placation. “I’m sorry, Miss Black. I thought you’d been … He became aggressive with some of the other patients and took a fall,” he said.

“He’s chained to the bed,” Lucy said.

“He’s not chain—” he said, seemingly swallowing back his protest at her comment. “We had to restrain him to stop it happening again; he was uncontrollable.”

“He has a bruise on his chest, too.”

“I don’t know—it … it may have been when he was being subdued. Look, I understand you’re annoyed. And I know you’re off duty, but … well, we think there’s a body in the river.”



Author Brian McGilloway


Brian McGilloway was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. After studying English at Queen’s University, Belfast, he took up a teaching position in St Columb’s College in Derry, where he was Head of English. His first novel, Borderlands, published by Macmillan New Writing, was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2007 and was hailed by The Times as “one of (2007’s) most impressive debuts.” The second novel in the series, Gallows Lane, was shortlisted for the 2009 Irish Book Awards/Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year. The third Devlin, Bleed a River Deep, was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of their Best Books of 2010. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling Lucy Black series, all to be published by Witness. Brian lives near the Irish borderlands with his wife and their four children.


Find the Author:
Goodreads |  Website | Harper Collins

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Sunday Cover Scramble [134]



Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.