30. stu 2013.

Touch of the Angel by Rosalie Lario

Buy the book 
Author's 

Book summary: 
After months of no work, interdimensional bounty hunter Ronin Meyers jumps at the chance to locate an incubus who’s using succubi as murder weapons. Faced with deportation to hellish Infernum if he fails, Ronin will stop at nothing to take out the incubus and anyone else involved. Even the beautiful succubus who stole his heart—and nearly his life—during the most mind-blowing hour of his existence.
Night after night, Amara and her fellow succubi are forced to extract special abilities from the strongest Otherworlders for their psychotic master’s growing collection. When the gorgeous angel-demon hybrid she believed to be dead captures her, Amara is both stunned and elated.
But the happily-ever-after Amara’s dreamed about will have to wait. Before she and Ronin can find salvation, they must bring down the madman hell-bent on destroying everything—and everyone—they love. And Ronin and Amara are at the top of his list.
          Upon seeing this cover you probably though this was Glass speaking or writing, if you would like. But nope, it's me. I've fooled you, haven't I? Well, not so long ago I've got the second book in this series for review - Mark of the Sylph and to say it blow me away would be an understatement. Then I saw that Touch of the Angel is about my darlings angles and I couldn't not resist. Maybe I should have.

          But this review will tell you more about me as a reader not why should or shouldn't you pick up this book. Well here is the thing - after reading Mark of the Sylph I was blown away with the whole concept. In this world we have brothers (the covers describe them physically) but who are also halves - meaning that they're half demons and half other creatures. What's there not to intrigue you about a half-demon and half-angel creature. The whole idea still seems great to me and I enjoyed discovering new creatures and races in this novel only it wasn't as remarkable as the first time. Still that part of the book was really interesting, sadly it wasn't in focus.

         Now we get to the real problem for me - adult part of the story. It's not that it's gross or anything - I have read worse trust me, but the problem is - it's boring mostly. That's the issue I have with many adult novels - we fight the bad guys let's get more action, different kind though. You discover something important - time to celebrate, you know the way. It's something in book that people mostly love. But once I again I'm far from most of the people. It becomes boring to me. It loses that spark or the emotion and turns into action - steamy action.

         I believe that lovers of adult paranormal novels will adore this book. Ranin is a macho man you cannot resist and Amara is both strong but at times weak girl you can easily connect with. The whole world around them is dangerous and you get plenty of action (both kinds) and it's also mysterious. It has all you could ask for.

Rating: 3 stars.

Until the next time,

***NOTE: Copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Entangled. Thank you! 
I'm not paid for writing this review - I do it as a lover of written word. All opinions are personal. 

29. stu 2013.

(Blog Tour) Sia by Josh Grayson


Welcome! This is day four of Sia Blog Tour which is organized by YA Bound Book Tours. You can see whole schedule here - go and visit other blogs and read their reviews.

Connect with the author:

Book details:
Release date: November 20th, 2013.
Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Book summary:


"When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle."



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18482726-sia?ac=1

 My review:

      Josh Grayson gives you a modern fairy tale in his debut novel - Sia. Imagine what would happen if you would mix Courtney Summers novels Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are with reality TV shows and second-chance scenarios? That would be it.

      Sia is a mean girl who wakes up one day on the bench in the middle of the day and she has no clue who she is or what she was doing before that moment. She is forced to live on the streets for a full week like homeless person and that one experience is a start of her change. Accident brings her back to the family and her old life, but Sia can't fit into the it - new girl is completely different person. Rest of the story is pretty expected - she changes, helps out other people and find new friends. Don't forget a new boyfriend.

      Honestly, I expected something much more serious. Sia is a fluffy read where everyone gets what they want and it's all in the typical "they lived happily ever after" tone. Not very realistic, but okay. My biggest problem with this novel was that I couldn't buy whole amnesia plot twist. It wasn't really believable for me.

     Who will love this book? Fans of light, fun reads.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 About  the author


Josh Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in Massachusetts, and now lives in Martinsville, Virginia. It was his move to the South that stirred his imagination and gave him the courage to start writing. During his free time, Josh enjoys reading, jogging, swimming, and watching YouTube videos.
Josh currently works as a medical driver, shuttling people all over Virginia and North Carolina. He has also worked as a machinist, film sales rep, administrative assistant, and telemarketer (he apologizes if he called you).
Sia is his debut YA novel.
Happy reading,

28. stu 2013.

Interview: Mission One of Auggie the Alien by Leah Spiegel and Megan Summers

Hi all. Today I'm hosting the interview with two lovely ladies. They're authors of Mission One of Auggie the Alien. But first little something about the book. 
Buy the book at 

Book summary: 
This is the humorous story of a 4th grader, seen through the eyes of a human hybrid alien child, sent to Earth to study our culture - to see if they could coexist with the humans. Auggie has to try and understand 4th graders slang, body language, and the unwritten protocols of the classroom; all in an attempt to blend in. He upsets his teacher, Mrs. Malumrector, who constantly thinks Auggie's trying to get smart with her when getting stupid with her would be counterproductive. Not only does Mrs. Malumrector not get Auggie's literal logic, nor do any of the other students in his class. That is except for Left Hand Chuck who thinks Auggie's hysterical and helps him by teaching him how to use human slang. But if Auggie truly wants to complete his mission of blending in with the other children he needs to cheer for both teams, except if they're losing. He needs to learn not to wear the 'P and the J' with the feet conveniently attached to school because they're for sleeping in only. That ironically enough, Grandpa isn't going to faint from low blood pressure even though his eyes often tend to roll upwards whenever Auggie is speaking. 'Pop-a-Squat' isn't a good name for a dog, even though he's great at it. And under no circumstance is he to bring his pet to school even if his teacher has her own pet there, Emily, another student in his class who is neither a gerbil nor a fish.

Interview: 
Hello ladies. Welcome to Ja čitam, a ti?. It’s really a pleasure to have you here on my blog today. I have some questions for you, so if you are ready..

1.    For starters, can you tell us how did you get the idea to write together?

It was my sister, Megan, who encouraged me to take my writing more seriously in the first place. My sister is the kind of person that would do anything for me and the rest of my family. So, in the beginning, I really, really need an editor and Meg, beging the awesome person that she is, decided to help. We work really well as a team by bouncing ideas off one another, deciding which parts or plots of a book need work, and a few times Meg takes over with writing the story if I get blocked or she can't see the scene descriptively. We are truly a team, and I'm grateful to have her.

2.   I was really curious about this – but is it hard to write together? I mean does it happen that you have different ideas or you cannot agree about something? Or it’s easy for you?

Thankfully, it's been a relatively easy process for us. Any ideas we have are usually beneficial to the stories. Fortunately, when the ideas are good, it's really exiting for both of us. If the idea is bad, I find myself being relieved I decided not to go that route. Luckily, we've been collaborating on projects since she encouraged me to start writing longer works of fiction (I've been writing shorter stories since I was thirteen) that any complications we had in the beginning have already been worked out. Our partnership is like a well oiled machine. 

3.  Mission One of Auggie the Alien is your first middle grade book if I’m correct. Can you tell us more about the story.

It's about the story of Auggie (one of the most positive characters we have ever written) and his journey on Earth. In his log entries, we learn about his struggle because he doesn't understand human slang and confusing everyday experiences in life that we normally over look as humans .  It was a nice twist to take our world and turn it into a new and different place through Auggie's point of view. For children, we wanted them to know that's it's okay to be different, but we wrote it with elements of both kid humor along with adult humor so that everyone who reads it will be able to enjoy or relate to it.

4.  Auggie seems like a really unusual character. He is really funny and sweet. Why alien?

Meg and I came up with the idea for Auggie,  the first hybrid alien boy to visit the planet Earth, because for someone so smart, he misunderstands everything and often takes things people say very literally. As authors, we often like to incorporate humor into our books, and with Auggie misunderstanding everything, it allowed us to do that.

5. How many books do you plan to write in this series?

We are aiming for three but are open to more as the ideas come to us. Megan's fourth grade students, as well as the other children at her elementary school, also influence how many Missions of Auggie we may write seeing as they have enjoyed and loved the first book.

6. What new projects do you have in mind? I hope you’ll publish many more YA books as I really loved South Hills Sidekicks series and Auggie as well.

We just downloaded this new app that allows you to plan out all of your stories in neat and easy animated note cards. I enjoyed it so much, I must have planned like ten books and in ten different directions we could go. Meg gets a big say in which ones she finds most compelling and interesting, considering she'll be the one to have to hear draft after draft. Lol! Right now we're working on a fan fiction Jane Austen novel that takes the characters from Pride and Prejudice and shows them in a different light. This will be the first historical fiction that we have tackled which can be daunting as well as refreshing.  We have been blessed to have many ideas; it's deciding which ones to go with that has been the challenge. If we feel  truly inspired, then no matter if it's a story about a cute, misunderstood alien or four girls trying to solve a police case they have no business messing with, the story will be good because it came from a pure and exciting place.

7.  For the end, do you have some favorite quote to share with us? Something that inspires you.

One of our favorite qoutes that inspires us is that you pass failure many times on your way to success.  

Thank you for stopping by Ja čitam, a ti?. It was a pleasure to talk to you.

Thanks for having us! As always, it's a pleasure, Tanja!

About the authors

Although we moved down to North Carolina several years ago, we're originally from the Pittsburgh area. (That's why a lot of our characters either live in the Burgh or reference our hometown football team, The Pittsburgh Steelers.) And yes, we even have the Southern accents to show for it now. Although Megan's is considerable thicker, Leah still can't understand the locals.
We are known as 'the sisters' among our neighborhood; when actually we're probably reallyknown as 'the sisters with the Yorkies'. Our pups, Skippy Jon Jones and Captain Jack Sparrow, were given long names to compensate for their small size but not their large personalities.
If Leah's not glued to her electronic devices, AKA her Kindle Fire and various laptops, you can find her training 'the attack dogs', running on the treadmill while conceiving the next great book idea with the Dave Matthews Band, Muse, Florence and the Machine, Lorde, The Lumineers, and Pink (just to name a few) blaring out of her earphones.

If Megan's not glued to her electronic devices AKA her iPad and Nook Color, you can find her teaching fourth graders, swimming marathon style at the pool, or cuddling with 'the attack dogs' as she watches Duck Dynasty, Gold Rush, Scandal, Person of Interest, Morning Joe, etc.
Leah graduated from Edinboro University with a BA in Art Education. Megan received her teaching degree from Edinboro University and Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Technology from Grand Canyon University.

Author's

Until the next time, 

27. stu 2013.

Waiting on Wednesday (#71)



You know the story. This is a meme created by Breaking the Spine and every week we pick books we're waiting for. Here are our picks for this week.

Glass' pick

Endings and beginnings sit so close to each other that it’s sometimes impossible to tell which is which.

Nothing lasts forever, and no one gets that more than Tessa. After her mother died, it’s all she can do to keep her friends, her boyfriend, her happiness from slipping away. And then there’s her dad. He’s stuck in his own daze, and it’s so hard to feel like a family when their house no longer seems like a home.

Her father’s solution? An impromptu road trip that lands them in a small coastal town at Tessa’s grandmother’s. Despite all the warmth and beauty there, Tessa can’t help but feel even more lost.

Enter Henry Lark. He understands the relationships that matter. And more importantly, he understands her. A secret stands between them, but Tessa’s willing to do anything to bring them together—because Henry may just be her one chance at forever.


Expected publication: April 1st, 2014

Tanja's pick
When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

Expected publication: January 28th, 2014

We'd love to see your picks so feel free to link them up.

Until the next time,

26. stu 2013.

(Book Blast + Giveaway) Immortal by Gene Doucette

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Immortal by Gene Doucette
“I don’t know how old I am.My earliest memory is something along the lines of fire good, ice bad, so I think I predate written history, but I don’t know by how much. I like to brag that I’ve been there from the beginning, and while this may very well be true, I generally just say it to pick up girls.”
--Adam the Immortal
Surviving sixty thousand years takes cunning and more than a little luck. But in the twenty-first century, Adam confronts new dangers—someone has found out what he is, a demon is after him, and he has run out of places to hide.Worst of all, he has had entirely too much to drink.
Immortal is a first person confessional penned by a man who is immortal, but not invincible. In an artful blending of sci-fi, adventure, fantasy, and humor, IMMORTAL introduces us to a world with vampires, demons and other “magical” creatures, yet a world without actual magic.
At the center of the book is Adam.
“I have been in quite a few tight situations in my long life. One of the first things I learned was if there is going to be a mob panic, don’t be standing between the mob and wherever it is they all want to go. The second thing I learned was, don’t try to run through fire.”
--Adam the Immortal
Adam is a sixty thousand year old man. (Approximately.) He doesn’t age or get sick, but is otherwise entirely capable of being killed.His survival has hinged on an innate ability to adapt, his wits, and a fairly large dollop of luck.He makes for an excellent guide through history . . . when he’s sober.
Immortal is a contemporary fantasy for non-fantasy readers and fantasy enthusiasts alike.
About the Author
Gene Doucette has been published as a humorist with Beating Up Daddy: A Year In the Life of an Amateur Father and The Other Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: A Parody.  Other novels by Gene Doucette include Immortal and Hellenic Immortal.  Gene lives in Cambridge MA with his wife and two children.
Connect with the Author
Other Books by Gene Doucette
 
Sapphire Blue coming soon...

25. stu 2013.

Breathing Ghosts by Laekan Zea Kemp

Buy the book at 
Author's 

Book summary:
She is a winding cosmos, bleeding and bursting into night. She is a dream. She is dead. 
River has just lost the one thing that matters most to him—Nia—and all she's left behind is a pile of scribbled love notes detailing their past and a pin-holed map planning out their future. Hopes and dreams confined to one dimension now that she's gone and River’s too afraid to leave his hometown, crippled by the same anxiety that’s plagued his mother for as long as he can remember.
But after a strange encounter with the only girl he ever loved a week after laying her to rest, River, armed with nothing but her map and his memories, decides to finally leave and never look back. And with the help of a pair of eccentrically named siblings as well as a mutt with three legs, he sets out to do the very thing Nia always knew how to do better than he ever could—live.
From the moonlit beaches off of Florida's east coast, to the forests of Mississippi, to Bourbon Street, Cadillac Ranch, and the Arizona desert, River is faced with not only Nia's ghost but his own and he learns that in life there are no accidents, only miracles.
           When I got asked to read and review this book, not in my wildest dreams did I expect to enjoy this read so much. From the blurb you get to see that this is a story about a boy and a girl, but then girl dies and boy's heart is shattered.

            First we get to meet River. A young boy, who grows up in dysfunctional family, having to work to bring some food to his house. His father is abusive one and his mother is scared of leaving him. So they're both stuck. It was all hard to take and you must feel for this boy, but he had that light in his life. He had Nia. A girl that was everything to him, his soul mate and someone who made him forget about all his problems. Until one day she was gone, too. All their dreams about future and ruining away were shattered. Only thing that's left is pain, unbearable pain and a map. A map with their future on it. So he decides to go and chase their dream alone. Soon enough he gets company, but he cannot find Nia. How will he live without her?

            As Nia's death occurs at beginning stages of this story my heart broke into little pieces then. You get to experience all River's feelings and you cannot but hope that he will find his safe heaven somewhere. His grief is eating him and he doesn't know how to deal with it. I wanted to hug that boy so hard.

            I loved the way this book was written. So beautiful and while many things aren't said, they're simply shown. Only problem, so to say, here I hard with the ending of the story. It's an open ending which I didn't like. I wish I could see a glimpse of hope for River somewhere. But then again this is a story about journey not the end.

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,

***NOTE: A copy of this book was kindly provided by the author - Leakan Zea Kemp. Thank you. 
I'm not paid for writing this review - I do it as a lover of written word. All opinions are personal.

24. stu 2013.

Quote of the Week - Azure by Chrystalla Thoma


      I had opportunity to read Azure by Chrystalla Thoma because of my other blog, Way Too Hot Books, but I think this beautiful story would find its fans here too. I am especially excited because it is book written by European author. I'd like to share two of my favorite quotes with you today.


"Love isn't something you find everyday. Finding someone that makes you laugh and cry and fret and smile, someone who can make you happy is rare. Like, really rare. It can happen a couple of times, or only once in your life, or even never."

"She'd just chill out and read. She'd brought along a promising novel and she'd sit on her balcony with the view of the sea and sink into the story. Sink deep and lose herself in someone else's life. Characters in novels tend to have adventures that ended happily. It gave her hope."



Buy the book:
Author's:

23. stu 2013.

ARC Review - Pawn by Aimee Carter


Buy the book:
Author's:
Expected  release date: November 26th, 2013.
Harlequin Teen

My rating: 4 stars

Book summary:

"For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10838787-pawn

      I didn't expect much. A lot of my friends didn't like Goddess Test by Aimee Carter and they warned me that I might not like Pawn. I decided to give it try anyhow and I'm glad I did. Pawn maybe did start a little bit "clumsy", but premise of this novel is so intriguing and the rest of it was really good.

      One corrupted family, one low ranking girl, unexpected circumstances and few new friends. Judging by available advanced copies of books, it looks like dystopian genre is, at the moment, the most popular. That got me thinking about this whole obsession. Is it possible that every dystopian novel has fresh, new plot? Different fictional world? Can authors avoid predictability an cliches of the genre? Give us something unexpected? Answer would be hardly, but they can try. Aimee Carter tried and I think a lot of readers would be happy with what she managed to do. It is the most logical thing that even Pawn has few predictable points - like the way how new society is organized or the fact that one low ranking girl will try to change things. Even her love interest. But that is where all the similarities end.

     Political games, revolution and cruelty. If you are expecting a story where future of humanity is based with who our main heroine will end up, you've picked the wrong book. Kitty Doe is "second child" - you can have only one child in this new reality. If you by a chance get second, you have to give it up. At the age of seventeen everyone takes test that will determine their role. If you rank the lowest, you're sent Elsewhere. Kitty barely manages to avoid that faith, but she doesn't want to leave her friends behind so she goes rogue. That is where her life takes completely different turn - she wakes up in the body of another girl - Lila Hart, one of the most important persons in the country. Kitty has to survive and in the meantime decide will she be a puppet, a pawn or she'll take matters in her own hand and do something with all the knowledge about what hides behind perfect picture of their leading family. Aimee Carter smartly deals with educational system of our own time - how we are told that if we are good students, we will have bright, promising future, but in the reality that holds so little importance when it comes to positions of influence and power. We still live in society where future leaders are determined by inheritance, money and legacy of their fathers.

      Should you read this book? If you consider yourself a fan of dystopian novels, you should. This is not Hunger Games, but still I believe it will be one of the series that will offer us something worth reading.

***Note! Copy of this book was kindly provided by publisher, Harlequin Teen, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. We are not paid for writing reviews.***

22. stu 2013.

Book Blitz: PSS Chronicles by Ripley Patton

The PSS Chronicles consist of 2 books so far Ghost Hand (PSS Chronicles #1) and Ghost Hold (PSS Chronicles #2). To celebrate the one year anniversary of Ghost Hand, Ghost Hand will be free and Ghost Hold will be for sale for $0.99.
Download/Buy this book for free at 

Book summary: 
Seventeen-year-old Olivia Black has a rare birth defect known as Psyche Sans Soma, or PSS. Instead of a right hand made of flesh and blood, she was born with a hand made of ethereal energy.
How does Olivia handle being the girl with the ghost hand? Well, she's a little bit morbid and a whole lot snarky. 
Her mother thinks her obsession with death, black clothing, and the local cemetery is a bid for attention. But when Marcus, the new guy in Olivia's calculus class, stares at her like she's a freak, Olivia doesn't like it. And when her hand goes rogue, doing things she never imagined possible, Olivia finds herself running for her life with Marcus from a group of men bent on taking the power of her hand for their own nefarious purposes.

Buy the book at Amazon

Book summary: 
Olivia Black is back.
Only this time she's not the one in need of rescue.
Samantha James, rich, popular, and an award-winning composer at age seventeen, is the next target on the CAMFers' list. In order to convince Samantha to come with them, Olivia and Passion must pose as cousins, blend into the most affluent high school in Indianapolis, and infiltrate a mysterious cult known as The Hold.
Olivia doesn't expect it to be easy, even with the PSS guys backing them up. But what she discovers over the course of the mission will call into question everything she ever believed about herself, her family, and especially about Marcus, the guy she is undoubtedly falling in love with.
Guest Post
What are 10 items on your bucket list?

  1. Hike the Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail
  2. Sail around the world with my husband
  3. Get on the New York Times Best Seller List
  4. Go to the premier of Ghost Hand The Movie in Hollywood or New York.
  5. Travel the world (especially Europe and the Mediterranean).
  6. Take my daughter on an African Safari Tour (NOT the hunting kind).
  7. Be the Guest of Honor at a Con
  8. Make it back to New Zealand someday.
  9. Write and live in a secluded cabin in Alaska
  10.  Help out on the set of Survivor, or be on the show with my son.

About the author

Ripley Patton lives in Portland, Oregon with one cat, two teenagers, and a man who wants to live on a boat. She is an award-winning short story writer and author of The PSS Chronicles, a young adult paranormal thriller series.


Ripley doesn't smoke, or drink, or cuss as much as her characters. Her only real vices are writing, eating M&Ms, and watching reality television.

Author's 


Until the next time,



21. stu 2013.

Fragments (Partials Sequence #2) by Dan Wells


Buy the book:
Author's:
My rating: 3.5 stars

Book summary:

"Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence—it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what’s left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira’s journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn’t even know existed."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15729616-fragments
 

      Just because of Samm. I remember when I read Partials - I was speechless and completely amazed. Dan Wells gave me exactly what I love in my post-apocalyptic novels - well thought fictional world, strong characters and captivating  plot twists. I loved every second of it. Now, I finally made myself to read the sequel - and it was all because of Samm. Fragments has 576 pages!

      It was kind of a... boring. One of my status updates while I had been reading was this: "And that's why I avoid male authors - you like to talk to much about completely unimportant stuff." I know it was a mean thing to say and Dan Wells doesn't deserve it, but I was frustrated with how long this book is and how little happens until the last 30%. (But also I totally blame it on Russian Realism - it made me hate reading for a while.) Now, what is common thing for Russian Realism and Fragments? Too many too long descriptions. They did help me to imagine how does post-apocalyptic world looks like in author's head, but I had a feeling like a lot of them were there just to fill space between the actual plot twists.

      Then there is Kira... I loved her in the first novel, but here she was just boring. She, Heron and Samm are traveling across the destroyed countries looking for an answers - mostly traveling and talking in circles and not finding anything important. Samm wasn't that much important part of the story - main focus was on Kira's inner discussions.
      What was different is that in the sequel we have two narrators - Kira and Marcus. He is our connection with East Meadow and what happens there. That part was far more interesting and I loved that Dan Wells decided to give us more detailed view in the lives of the secondary characters.

      That ending killed me. Of course author decided to finish it at the most interesting part. Why did I think something else would be the case?  Final instalment of Partials series - Ruins - should be published on March 11th next year. I have no idea what to expect or how it might end. I can't wait to read it.

20. stu 2013.

Waiting on Wednesday (#70)


You know the story. This is a meme created by Breaking the Spine and every week we pick books we're waiting for. Here are our picks for this week.

Glass' pick



When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self.

This inventive story, told in verse and in prose, paints the aftermath of tragedy as a landscape where there is good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.




Expected publication: January 28th, 2014

Tanja's pick
Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

Expected publication: January 7th, 2014

We'd love to see your picks so feel free to link them up.

Until the next time,

19. stu 2013.

(Bookish Problems #1) Sequels I Am Afraid to Read


      We all have our problems. Some people are afraid of the dark or spiders. Kids hate this time of the year because all the tests they have to take. Others hate the rain and cold weather, my(Glass) grandfather hates it because he can't slip out of the house and away from my obsessive grandmother with excuse of working in the garden. Wife doesn't like her husbands new haircut, and husband thinks that new couch his wife had picked is ugly

      We? Well, we are afraid to read sequels of my favorite series. Most of those are final books. It is obvious that we are sad because few of series have come to an end, but also we read too many bad reviews. We don't wan't to be disappointed.

Allegiant

Both Tanja and I are big fans of Veronica Roth, we loved first two books of her dystopian series. I think that Tanja even rated them higher than me.

Why do I have problem with Allegiant? I tried really hard to stay away from status updates and reviews and all the spoilers on Goodreads, but I couldn't escape the fact that most of the people are not happy with how everything ended. Is it same thing like with final book of Hunger Games? (That one was my favorite in the series.) Or is it just that bad? I remember that I had some issues with previous book, Insurgent. Tanja and I should buddy read Allegiant next month, so we will see.



Daylighters


Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine is my absolute favorite paranormal series about vampires. Daylighters is the final book and I am anxious to see what will happen with Clair, Shane, Eve, Myrnin and my Michael Glass.

I have to be honest and admit that previous book wasn't good as the rest of the series. I think that it would probably be better it ended earlier - I think it should have 12 books. I have no idea what to expect.




Requiem


I've been finding excuses to leave Requiem for later since March. I just don't want this series to end. It's bad enough that I had to say goodbye to The Infernal Devices.

I loved previous two novels, especially Pandemonium. I've heard a lot of complaints about how Lauren Oliver ended her trilogy - few of my students were really loud in expressing their disappointment and I had to shush them down before they told me all the good parts.



Goddess


Starcrossed series by Josephine Angelini was a nice surprise - I didn't expect that I would like it that much. To be completely honest, only reason I picked it up was because I got ARC of second book, Dreamless.

Helen was kick ass heroine in sequel, I loved her to pieces and I am just afraid that final book will end up with some big cliche. Did I mention love triangle? I hate them...




If I Should Die


 I was so excited first time I saw Revenants trilogy by Amy Plum - I love cover of Die for Me and I remember that I couln't wait to get my hands on it. And then I did. And I hated it. I told myself that I would give up on the rest of the books, but I didn't, I couldn't resist it - I liked Until I Die.

Why am I hesitant to read If I Should Die? What if it's bad as first one? I am still not sure if I'll ever read it.




Origin



I (Tanja) actually don't have much to add to this Glass' list. Beside Allegiant that she mentioned above there are only two others that I'm scared of reading.

First one is Origin. Honestly I loved this series and it was so good at the time, but lately JLA tends to disappoint me with her both paranormal and especially contemporary books. I'm afraid that some things I didn't mind before would bother me now.




Sentinel

Origin is something that can disappoint me a lot but it cannot crash my world like this one can. Sentinel is highly expected book for me. This might not be the most original paranormal story but still it's deep in my heart. It's not a secret that Aiden is my first book boyfriend and this book being disappointment is basically unacceptable for me.

I still have high hopes that I'll enjoy this one as much as the previous ones.




      That would be it. The horrible list that keeps us awake at night. Do you have sequels on your bookshelves that you are afraid to read?

Love,


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