I’m Not Dead!

Hey guys! Wow, it has been a very long time since I had the chance to update the blog! If you can remember back to the middle of June I had started an internship and was working on some Summer Classes, so quality reading time was kind of hard to come by. Who knew that quality blogging time would be so tough to find too!
Well, anyway! My internship has finally ended and I passed my summer course with flying colors. Now, it will be back to campus around this time next week and then starting back to school. I know my time will become much easier to come by in the following weeks, but please continue to be patient with me as I make the big move back to my University.
Thank you so much for your ongoing love and patience!

Waiting on Wednesday #17

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Incarnation by Emma Cornwall

Release Date: September 18th, 2012

Lucy Weston tracks down the novelist Bram Stoker in her search to reveal the dark force who made her a vampire--and regain her humanity in the process.In the steampunk world of Victorian London, Lucy Weston, a character in "Dracula," seeks out Bram Stoker to discover why he deliberately lied about her in his popular novel. With Stoker's reluctant help, she tracks the creature who transformed her from the sensual underworld where humans vie to become vampires to a hidden cell beneath a temple to madness and finally into the glittering Crystal Palace where death reigns supreme. Haunted by fragmentary memories of her lost life and love, Lucy battles her thirst for blood as she struggles to stop a catastrophic war that will doom vampires and humans alike. Ultimately, she makes a choice that illuminates for her--and for us--the true nature of what it means to be human.

EEEEEEKK!! Excuse me for a second I am majorly fangirling right now. I read the first sentence of this synopsis, "Lucy Weston tracks down the novelist Bram Stoker in her search to reveal the dark force who made her a vampire--and regain her humanity in the process.” and I was all like OMG! OMG! I KNOW HER! I KNOW HER! Dracula is definitely my favorite classic tale and this steampunk story about Lucy Weston has totally got me jonesing for fall! Why must September be 2 months away! 


What are you waiting on?

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Title: Nightshade

Author: Andrea Cremer

Pages: 452

Release: October 19^th, 2010

Synopsis:

(from Goodreads) Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything - including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

My Thoughts:

Nightshade is my first werewolf book! Can you believe it? All these years of reading and I have never actually read a werewolf book before. However, while I am pleased to say the genre was something that caught my interest, this book was a little rough in places and had a few things that I didn’t care for.

I think my favorite part about Nightshade is the concept of these werewolves. They are basically super hardcore teenagers who are so powerful, they can even overrun the school. It’s awesome on the surface, but then there is this terrible other side where the wolves are like property of the “Keepers” and they are mated and treated like animals. No free will. I loved this concept and was fascinated to see how they would handle everything that came their way. It was very unique and I loved that.

I did not care for the male character, Shay. I thought he acted very idiotic at times and unfortunately he never grew on me, which is unfortunate because he’s a major male interest. I also found the ending to be terribly confusing. So much was crammed into that last chapter that it was hard to visualize and became jumbled. So, while this book was an awesome concept, I wasn’t completely thrilled with it’s execution. I can still say though, that it is a good read and worth a shot.

In Short:

Rating: 4/5

Purchase or Check Out?: Check Out

Would I read it again?: No

Waiting on Wednesday #16

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Redemption by Veronique Launier

Release Date: September 8, 2012

Guillaume: For five hundred years I've existed as a gargoyle. Perched atop an old Montreal church, I've watched idly as humanity wanders by. With the witch Marguerite gone, there is no one left to protect, nothing to care about. I never planned to feel again. But then a girl released me from my stone restraints, allowing me to return as a seventeen-year-old human boy. I must find out all I can about this girl's power . . .

Aude: Getting attacked twice in as many days is strange in itself, but even stranger is the intriguing guy I keep running into. There's something so familiar about him, like a primal drum rhythm from my dreams. But spending time together only raises more questions--about my heritage, a native Mohawk prophecy . . . and an unearthly magic threatening our city..

I saw this on NetGalley not too long ago and I thought it was such a cool concept. It sounds really interesting and I also find the cover to be kinda cool, too! Such a shame it’s release isn’t until September. I guess I’ll have to wait a few more months before making my own opinions about it.

What are you Waiting On?

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead Until Dark

Author: Charlaine Harris

Pages: 292

Release: May 1^st, 2001

Synopsis:

(from Goodreads)Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out.... Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

My Thoughts:

I don’t know how familiar any of you guys are with the HBO show, True Blood, but it is a television show based off of these books, The Sookie Stackhouse series. Well, I absolutely adore the television show so with it’s popularity rising, the mass market paperbacks were in walmart and pretty cheap, so I figured, why not? The first book was just as great as the show and I look forward to reading more in the series.

The most challenging part about writing a review for a book that’s story I am already familiar with is that it’s very difficult to judge the quality without a comparison happening. So, I will get this out of the way by saying that the book was very similar to the first season of the show. Not indentical, but similar in numerous ways which I am sure impressed many of the long-time book fans. The differences I noticed were there was no Tara (whose a main character in the show) and Lafayette wasn’t nearly fabulous enough.

Now speaking strictly about the book, I really loved Sookie and getting to hear things in her head. I also was surprised to find that I didn’t really like Sam’s character. The plot was still so intense that even knowing what to expect, I was flipping pages like crazy and holding my breath without paying attention. Fans of the tv show like myself, should definitely check out these awesome paranormal mystery books.

In Short:

Rating: 4/5

Purchase or Check Out?: Purchase

Would I read it again?: Yes

Waiting on Wednesday #15

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Delusion by Laura L. Sullivan

Release Date: January 8th, 2013

When two beautiful teenage stage magicians in World War II England meet a pair of handsome men who can do real magic, sparks fly. But is it illusion, or delusion? Opening-night jitters are nothing new for Phil and Fee Albion, who come from a long line of stage illusionists. The girls love to dazzle London audiences, but in the aftermath of the Blitz they're bundled off to the countryside, where they're safe from bombs and Nazis--and bored to pieces. Phil, always the passionate one, discovers a hidden college of real magicians led by the devastatingly handsome Arden. If only Phil can persuade these unworldly magicians to help England win the war! Daredevil that she is, she'll risk anything to give her country a fighting chance, even if it means losing her heart . . . or her life.

I am loving the idea of this historical, paranormal YA coming out next winter. We have quite a few months ahead before this comes out, but I find the storyline to be really interesting and I think that cover is brilliant (love redheads wearing green!), so I will have to wait and find out more as the release date approaches. 

What are you waiting on?

Technical Difficulties!

Hey guys!
I hope you don’t think I have vanished! I have actually been having a couple of technical difficulties with posting over the past couple weeks and between starting my internship and trying to do summer classes, I have been too preoccupied to focus on figuring out the problems. However, I think everything is okay now and regular posts should resume shortly.
Thank you for your patience.
Darlene