FOLLOW FRIDAY: #7

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

My favorite story that revolves around the fae would have to be Tithe by Holly Black. I read it back in middle school and it was the first novel (not including fairy tales) I read that didn't portray fairies as these cute things with wings! 

How about you?

Giveaway Winner! True Blood DVD Set

Congratulations to Ai_Luv_Love! You won Season 1 of True Blood on DVD! I’ll send you an e-mail soon so I can get the DVDs out to you asap! Thanks to everyone else for entering!
 

Winner selected by random.org

FOLLOW FRIDAY: #6

Q. Genre Wars! What's your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite? 

I would have to agree with Parajunkee on this one and say YA Dystopians. I love The Hunger Games (which I'm reading right now) but the real clincher was when I read Divergent. That book is amazing, beautiful, and heartbreaking. I loved every second of it.

How about you? What's your favorite genre?

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: #3 - Eve by Anna Carey

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating! 

This week my selection is: EVE by Anna Carey

Publication Date: October 4, 2011 

 

From Goodreads: The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

What are you eagerly anticipating?

BOOK REVIEW: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

I can’t help the huge smile that is plastered on my face right now after turning the last page in SPELLBOUND. To say I enjoyed SPELLBOUND would be an understatement. I know I always say this but I didn’t know what to expect with SPELLBOUND. I didn’t expect to find myself grinning from ear to ear after I turned page after page. This book was not only funny, filled with mush, and sarcastic remarks, it was also able to balance the lighthearted with some pretty dark situations. Here’s the synopsis from Goodreads:

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

Emma was not only funny; she was strong headed and stood up for herself. She was an easy character to relate to, her sense of humor made her endearing, her need to stand up for the ones she loved made her admirable, and her past made her seem that much stronger as a person. I related to her on all different levels and it was great to see her character change and grow.

Her love interest, Brendan, was a knight in shining armor; he was strong, smart, and would do anything to protect Emma. I fell in love with him just as much as Emma did. The chemistry between Brendan and Emma was perfect.

Once I started, I couldn’t put the book down. SPELLBOUND kept me riveted, even though I wanted more Witch-tastic-ness (because I found that really fascinating and I want more Witch books out there!)  there was just enough to hold my attention and leave me wanting more. This book is a must-read with enough love to keep you satisfied, enough humor to keep you grinning, and enough tension to keep you on the edge of your seat. You should definitely pick it up when it comes out on June 28^th!

Karsten Knight: Author Video

Check out Karsten Knight, author of WILDEFIRE in this video from Simon & Schuster. I thought this was pretty hilarious!

FOLLOW FRIDAY: #5

Q. The magic book fairy pops out of your cereal box and says "you and your favorite character (from a book of course) can switch places!" Who are you going to switch with?

Umm... I don't know! I think I would switch places with the obvious answer, Hermione Granger. She's smart, she doesn't take crap from anyone, and she's powerful! If I picked a non-magical person I think it would have to be... Tris from Divergent or Ginny from The Only Alien on the Planet, both are strong female leads and I love that about them. Can you tell how indecisive I am?  

Who would you pick? 

Check out my 200 Follower Giveaway! ;)

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: #2 - Supernaturally by Kiersten White & Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating! 

This week my selection is: SUPERNATURALLY by Kiersten White

Publication Date: July 26, 2011

I have been waiting for this book since I finished the last page in PARANORMALCY so I'm super psyched for SUPERNATURALLY to come out.

From Goodreads: Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees. 

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal. 

My second selection is: ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake

Publication Date: August 30, 2011

From Goodreads: Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.
 

What are you eagerly anticipating?

Mini RANT: The McDouble

How hard is it to fully cook a burger??

I know, my rants tend to be focused on Fast Food places, specifically the McDonald’s down the street from me. But is it really that hard to cook a burger so that it’s not pink and gray inside? This has happened to me the past threeeeee times I’ve been there. Each time that much worse.

I’m all for people wanting their burgers rare, medium rare, raw! But when it comes to my processed, packed, meat patty; I would like it to be well done. I would like to order a burger that doesn’t taste like chewing gum in my mouth and that doesn’t have dead lettuce clutching onto the ketchup for dear life. That my friends, is not a good burger. And that is the end of my mini RANT. Thank you for taking the time to listen.

200 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY

***Contest Closed***
Hey guys! Since I've made it to 200 followers I thought I should do another giveaway to thank you guys for being such great followers and blogging buddies! There will be three winners: Winner #1 gets their first choice of which book they want, Winner #2 second choice, Winner #3 third choice.

Here are the super awesome books up for grabs:

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Almost To Die For by Tate Hallaway

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Look Both Ways by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley ARC

Plain Kate by Erin Bow ARC

Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda ARC

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

Rules:

You must be a follower (That's it!)

To earn extra entries you can:

Follow me on Twitter @lo_chase

Become my friend on Goodreads

Post my giveaway button on your blog (Can be found at the top on the left sidebar)

Blog about this giveaway

Tweet about this giveaway

Good luck! And thank you so much to all of my followers for being so great! 

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, it makes them way easier to count!

This is open INTERNATIONALLY

This giveaway ends July 17th @ Midnight
Please leave your e-mail in the comments. If you don't I'll just contact you through your blog or Google Connect.

IN MY MAILBOX: #4

In My Mailbox is this great meme hosted by Kristi @The Story Siren where you get to showcase the books you've received that week.You get to see the books people have bought, borrowed, or received for review. This week I totally caved and went crazy... My bank account hates me. I also took pictures this time! Let me know what you guys think! Pictures I take or Web book cover pics? Here they are:

 

 BOUGHT:

 

 

KINDLE: 

  

FOR REVIEW: Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams

 

WON: Thanks to Tiger Holland @ All-Consuming Books

 

What did you guys get?

BOOK REVIEW: Evernight by Claudia Gray

I’m not quite sure what to say about EVERNIGHT. I have to admit I’d been avoiding this book because of the cover but finally decided to read it when another blogger recommended it. When I started EVERNIGHT I knew I was going to love it, the first pages pulled me in right away and I knew I would be hooked. What I wasn’t expecting was the story to lull for awhile; making me put the book down more than once. 

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

While I could relate to Bianca’s character, her swooning over Lucas left me feeling a little woozy. She fell so hard so quickly that I didn’t have enough time to fall in love with Lucas myself which left me feeling a bit off balance when I hardly even knew the guy. The one character I did fall in love with was Balthazar; he was a gentlemen, he was confident, smart, and he genuinely cared about Bianca. (I was quietly rooting for him throughout the entire book).

What I think a lot of people have felt deceived about was the twist in the second half of the book, which I already knew about due to some spoiler-filled reviews. But the twist, even knowing it, didn’t bother me in the least, although I think some things should have panned out differently, Gray knowingly put the pieces together so that it wouldn’t be such a shock when the reader finally got to that twist.

By the end, the story had picked up and I couldn’t put the book down. I was turning page after page trying to figure out what was going to happen next. The tension is definitely in the second half of the book. So if you haven’t picked up EVERNIGHT yet you definitely should.

BLOGGER HOP: #2

"Share your favorite post from the last month and tell us why it’s close to your heart!”

One of my favorite posts would have to be my review of Divergent by Veronica Roth. But my ALL TIME favorite post would have to be of my review for Dust City by Robert Paul Weston because he contacted me on Twitter and thanked me for the kind words. That definitely brightened my day!

How about you guys?

FOLLOW FRIDAY: #4

Q. What are you doing to prepare for an upcoming zombie apocalypse and/or the return of Mel Gibson to the silver screen? (Both of which could be terrifying.)

Ooh... this is a hard one this week... I'm ransacking as many stores as I can to find all the Jelly beans in existence. Who can survive without jelly beans?!?!? That's like asking me to stay underground for two years without water, it's not gonna happen. I'm also training my spider-monkey kitteh to fight! She needs to know how to defend... me. Against all those dead dudes/gals. On the other hand I could try to make peace with them with an offering of everyone's flesh but my own... I don't know how the rest of you feel about that but I think I'd be pretty happy in my imaginary basement eating jelly beans and watching re-runs of The Vampire Diaries... Did I really answer this question...?

What would you guys do??

BOOK REVIEW: Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

First Impressions: RIVETING

I’ve got chills running up and down my arms right now. I don’t know what I can tell you about ULTRAVIOLET without giving away the entire intricate plot. It’s a story that weaves mental illness with science fiction and it does so brilliantly. Alison is a relatable character filled with fears, the absence of confidence, and an inner strength I wish I had. ULTRAVIOLET kept me riveted from the first chapter to the last and everywhere in-between.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

I wasn’t expecting so much from this book about a girl in a mental institution who is more than she seems. And I definitely wasn’t expecting the twists and turns this story took towards the second half of the book. Alison is different from other people; where there are sounds Alison sees colors and where there are words Alison tastes flavors. She’s sent to a mental institution because they think she’s murdered the most popular girl in her school. And the only one who believes her innocence is not who she thinks they are. So without giving away any spoilers, I need to tell you to get this book when it releases on September 1^st (US)! This book definitely caught me by surprise and spun this unbelievable tale of believing in yourself no matter what anybody says.

Cover: I really think a different cover would be more appropriate for the story...

IN MY MAILBOX: #3

In My Mailbox is this great meme hosted by The Story Siren where you get to showcase the books you've received that week.You get to see the books people have bought, borrowed, or received for review. This week I tried to be good and only bought three books. So I know my bank account is semi-happy. Here they are:

For Review: Netgalley

 

 Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Legacy by Cayla Kluver 

What did you guys get?

BLOGGER HOP: #1

 "What book-to-movie adaption have you most liked?  Which have you disliked?"

I'm going to be totally cheesy and say Harry Potter! I think the movies have just gotten better and better as they go! As for which ones I disliked... I can't really think of any! I don't think there have been any that I completely disliked. EDIT: After looking over everyone's answers I realized I didn't think about this answer enough! So I'm changing it! I really loved The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Lord of the Rings. And the movie I disliked the most would have to be Blood & Chocolate! On it's own, it was alright but compared to the book it was horrible! Okay. End rant. :)

What are your favorite adaptations?

Let me know if you're a new follower so I can follow back! And if my GFC box still isn't working you can follow by clicking on the follow link on the bar at the top of the page! :)

FOLLOW FRIDAY: #3

EDIT: If I said I followed you but my image isn't showing up in GFC please LET ME KNOW! So I can try and follow you again. All these glitches are driving me batty. Have a great weekend!

Q. How many books do you read in a week? And in what format do you read them, or listen to them?

I read about six books at one time and finish about one or two per week. It takes me longer to get through books because I'm reading so many at one time! I read hard copies and E-books on my Kindle!

How about you?

Let me know if you're a new follower so I can follow back! And if my GFC box still isn't working you can follow by clicking on the follow link on the bar at the top of the page! :)

BOOK REVIEW: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

I admit I initially wanted to read this book because of the cover, I mean, look at it! It’s absolutely stunning. And then I started reading… And I was pleasantly surprised. This was my first Steampunk novel and I was immediately swept away. 

Cross’ world is littered with metal contraptions and interesting characters. The main character is captivating, daring, naïve, and strong all wrapped into this little package. In other words, I LOVED this book. I don’t want to give away the entire premise because then I’d be giving away some spoilers but I’ll just let you read the synopsis from goodreads:

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret. 

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

I was utterly surprised by this book, although I loved the cover, I didn’t expect to love the story as much as I did. And now I’m in love with this Victorian world filled with metal machines and robots. It’s definitely different from the books that I normally read but it kept my attention and was captivating and intriguing. 

I loved Finley because of how much she progressed as a character throughout the story. She wasn’t a one note character, she grew and changed and became stronger and I felt like I was with her during that entire journey. And although there was chemistry between Finley and Griffin, it didn’t overwhelm the story. I was more interested in the mystery that was taking place and the tension was an added bonus!

I kind of felt a bit disconnected from the rest of the characters but I think that’s because the perspectives changed so much. And although I loved the character of Jack, Finley’s attraction to him seemed a bit random. The ending definitely made me feel like I was watching “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” So you can probably count on this being book one in a series.  I would definitely check out THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET if you haven’t already. It’s such a great intro into Steampunk if you haven’t read any before!