September 28, 2012

Slammed by Colleen Hoover


Title: Slammed (Slammed #1)
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Atria Books
Release date: September 18th 2012
Source: Netgalley
Format: egalley

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Buy it atAmazon | B&N | BookDepository

Read excerpt here.


Falling in love can feel like poetry. Or it can feel like a slam to the heart.

Colleen Hoover’s romantic, emotion-packed debut novel unforgettably captures all the magic and confusion of first love, as two young people forge an unlikely bond before discovering that fate has other plans for them.

Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken becomes the rock for both her mother and younger brother. She appears resilient and tenacious, but inside, she's losing hope. Then she meets her new neighbor Will, a handsome twenty-one-year-old whose mere presence leaves her flustered and whose passion for poetry slams thrills her.

Not long after a heart-stopping first date during which each recognizes something profound and familiar in the other, they are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery brings their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together and the forces that tear them apart. Only through the poetry they share are they able to speak the truth that is in their hearts and imagine a future where love is cause for celebration, not regret.

Layken along with her mother and younger brother move from Texas to Michigan shortly after the death of her father and in this new city is where she meets her new neighbor Will Cooper, the attraction between them is undeniable and they have an intense first date, they feel a strong connection as if they were destined for each other (yes, it's love at first sight), but later something happens, an event that stands between them so they can´t keep seeing each other in romantic way even when they have strong feelings for each other. Although the initial romance between Layken and Will is a bit like instant love, in this book it works, is believable and intense.

Slammed is told from the point of view of Layken, she is a good daughter and a good sister, helps a lot at home and in the care of her younger brother Kel, she sometimes behaves mature, but sometimes she will throws tantrums and slam doors (many doors). Will is a very mature, levelheaded and reasonable for his age, he´s romantic, intense and with a passion for slam poetry.

The secondary characters are great, Layken's best friend Eddie, Eddie´s boyfriend Gavin, Layken mom & brother Julia and Kel, Will´s younger brother Caulder  my favorite of them all and I feel is Eddie,she´s a character full of life and wonderful.

Slammed is a contemporary novel, very emotional, intense, heartbreaking, but also has its funny parts, unexpected twists and a lot slam poetry which is an important part of the book (I really did not know what it was, but now such a fan of slam poetry, I LOVE IT!!!). Slammed hooked me right from the start, this book made me cry a lot but it made me laugh too, and I was so hooked and couldn't put it down that I end up reading it all at 4 am.

This is a must read if you like intense contemporary novels.

I want to thank Atria Books and Netgalley for this review copy.

September 27, 2012

Book Cover Battle #23

This section or meme is call Book Cover Battle, the first time I saw it was at Books Passion for Life as UK vs US  and  Bookaholics book club as UK vs The World but because I don´t live in the UK, I can´t name it that way, so for now is Book Cover Battle .

This week book cover battle is

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Click on the image to go to Goodreads

US/UK
Italian


Spanish
German

My favorite is the US/UK cover.
What do you think? Which is your favorite? 

September 26, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (43) : Boundless



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

The book I´m waiting this week is


Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand
Release date: January 22nd 2013 
 Add to goodreads
The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seemed like the best option, so she’s headed back to California—and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must choose her fate once and for all.


Which book are you waiting this week?

Don´t forget to enter my current giveaway here.

September 25, 2012

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff


Title: Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release date: September 18th 2012
Source: Netgalley
Format: egalley

Rating: 4.5 / 5
 
Buy it atAmazon | B&N | BookDepository

Read first chapters here.

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger—a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

Since I saw the cover, I knew I had to read this book ... yes, I do pick a book by its cover and after reading the synopsis I knew I had to read it. I must confess that I struggle with the first 70 pages, the book didn´t hooked me right away, maybe because the complex world building is very descriptive and also because I had to recur constantly to the glossary (at the end of the book) or search in google since the book is based on Japanese culture and there are many words that I didn´t understand, especially the weapons.

Stormdancer takes place on the islands of Shima, much like Japan in feudal times but have mechanical technology (clockwork) and flying machines. The earth is dying because of Blood Lotus which has many uses: fuel, drugs, poison, etc, but this flower is killing the fertile land, polluting the air and water. Stormdancer´s world is a little weird because the steampunk breathing masks and goggles, the iron samurais with chainsaw katanas, the sky-ships.

The islands are governed by the Shogun (commander or dictator) who rules his people with an iron fist and he commands the capture of the thunder tiger a mythological creature believed to be extinct. Yukiko a 16 year-old girl is with the group of hunters who are entrusted with this task, she´s strong and very good to fighting with her tanto, and by a twist of fate she ends up "stuck" in the same place as the thunder tiger, an animal that sees humans as insects and would happily kill her, but they end up creating a very strong bond of friendship.

Stormdancer is a fantasy steampunk novel, told in third person from multiple points of view. Baruu, the Thunder Tiger is a character that makes you love him and has the best lines. I recommend this book to those who like epic fantasy novels, with a very descriptive writing and have no problem to be checking the glossary (at the back of the book).

Favorite quote:
"Dying is easy. Anyone can throw themselves onto the pyre and rest a happy martyr. Enduring the suffering that comes with sacrifice is the real test".

I want to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this review copy.

September 24, 2012

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey.
Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Click on the image to look description in Goodreads.

Finished reading



I´m currently reading


What I´m going to read next? 


What are you reading today?

Have a great week!

Don´t forget to enter my September New Release Giveaway (INTL)

September 23, 2012

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey



Title: Witch Eyes (Witch Eyes #1)
Author: Scott Tracey
Publisher: Flux
Release date: September 8th 2011

Rating: 4/5

Buy it atAmazon | B&N | BookDepository


Braden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.
After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.
To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.


Braden is a very powerful witch, he was born with "witch's eyes," a rare and unique gift among witches. This gift allows him to see everything that happened in a certain place, and he can see the past through magic and  can undo and do spells complicated without any problem, but having this gift comes a high price for Braden because every time his eyes are unprotected, visions of the past, magic and echoes of feelings reach to him all at once so he does not have much control and too much information at once make Braden suffers from migraines and can sometimes lose consciousness, therefore he wears sunglasses all the time, because the lenses serves as protection or filters on his "gift".

One day Braden has a vision where he sees something comes looking for him and that something kills his uncle and in that vision he sees the name of a town -Belle Dam, so to protect his uncle he decides to flee to the village. In Belle Dam he find out that is a town where two powerful families of witches who have been enemies for over a century and Braden unwittingly becomes entangled in the feud and the heads of both families want to recruit him and he wants no part in that fight, but when he meets Jason Thorpe head of a family and he discover that Jason is his father (this is already spoiled on the synopsis), he realizes that may not be able to stay out of the war as he expected.

Braden Michaels is a 17 year old who has lived all his life with his uncle John, knows nothing about his origin, or where he was born, he was home schooled and trained by his uncle in spells and everything that has to be a witch, he always uses sunglasses to protect his eyes. On his first day in Belle Dam, he meets Trey a 19-year-old, and he´s constantly bumping into him (stalkerish much) and Braden ends up falling for him. I must say that I really don´t like the character of Trey, and he believes blindly in his mother and put above her everything and everyone. I´m not saying that Braden is perfect and has no flaws, because he has them, but I felt him more in love with him than Trey.

In Witch Eyes the romance is not the main part of the story, but its important, I feel that the story focus more on magic, in all other paranormal elements as Braden discovers that in that town existed someone else the same "gift" that him, So he begins his investigation into this witch and he realizes there is something dark and sinister in the town of Belle Dam This book reminded me a little the story of Romeo and Juliet, but in this case is a gay romance. I really enjoy this book.

Book trailer


September 21, 2012

Cover Reveal : Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release date: December 11th 2012
No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!



 USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.


Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog


September 20, 2012

Book Cover Battle #22

This section or meme is call Book Cover Battle, the first time I saw it was at Books Passion for Life as UK vs US  and  Bookaholics book club as UK vs The World but because I don´t live in the UK, I can´t name it that way, so for now is Book Cover Battle .

This week book cover battle is

Wake by Lisa McMann
Click on the image to go to Goodreads
US
UK




















Indonesian
Spanish



















Bulgarian
Czech



















Polish
Turkish


























My favorite is the Indonesian cover, but another cover that caught my attention is the Bulgarian cover for the effect of day and night on the face of the girl.



What do you think? Which is your favorite?

September 19, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (42) : The Indigo Spell


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

The book I´m waiting this week is


The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead
Release date: February 12th 2013
 Add to goodreads
Read first chapter here.
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

Which book are you waiting this week?

Don´t forget to enter my current giveaway here.

September 17, 2012

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?


It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey.
Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Click on the image to look description in Goodreads.

Finished reading
Already finished reading the first two books in the Witch Eyes trilogy, I liked Witch Eyes, but I like even more the second book Demon Eyes. This week I will write both reviews, but the Demon Eyes review will be post closer to release date.


I´m currently reading


What I´m going to read next? 



What are you reading today?

Have a great week!

Don´t forget to enter my September New Release Giveaway (INTL)


September 16, 2012

Stacking the Shelves (18)


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga´s Reviews, which showcases the books we've purchased, won, borrowed and received in the mail.

These are the books in my shelves from the past 2 weeks.

FOR REVIEW
Splintered by A.G. Howard (goodreads)

Thank you very much to Abrams and Netgalley for the eGalley.


BORROWED
Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) by Jessica Spotswood (goodreads) (ARC)

Thank you very much to Latin Books Tour for lend me this book.


BOUGHT
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (goodreads)


KINDLE
Partials (Partials #1) by Dan Wells (goodreads)
Blood Red Road (Dust land #1) by Moira Young (goodreads)
Gone (Gone #1) by Michael Grant (goodreads)
Crash (Crash #1) by Nicole Williams (goodreads)


What´s in your mailbox?
Leave me your link in the comments.

September 15, 2012

September New Release Giveaway Hop - (INTL)

September New Release Giveaway Hop
Sept 15 to Sept 30

Win a book of you choice from the 9 books shown below. 
The giveaway is International.


Details
  • There will be one winner.
  • Win one (1) book of you choice from the 9 books (shown above).
  • You must be a follower via GFC.
  • International as long as Book Depository delivers to your country, check here.
  • Giveaway ends on September 30.
  • Winner will be announced on October 3 in this post.
WINNER: Jasmyn N
Congratulations!

Winner must respond within 48 hours of notification via email otherwise another winner will be selected.

Thanks to everyone for participate.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

September 14, 2012

Ashfall by Mike Mullin



Title: Ashfall (Ashfall #1)
Author: Mike Mullin
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Release date: September 27th 2011

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy it atAmazon | B&N | BookDepository

Read first chapters here
Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don’t realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying super volcano, so large that the caldera can only be seen by plane or satellite. And by some scientific measurements, it could be overdue for an eruption.

For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone super volcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to search for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

Alex Halprin is a teenage boy from Iowa, who is really happy that his family leave him at home for the weekend, he plans to play video games and hang out with friends instead of being bored at his uncle's farm in Warren, Illinois. Hours after his family left, the disaster begins, power goes out, and a deafening noise begins that lasts for hours, then the ash begins to fall over the city and they heard on the radio before losing the signal that Yellowstone super volcano over 900 miles from Iowa erupted.

Then comes the chaos, the city is not safe and Alex can only think of one thing find his family, so he embarks on a journey to get to Warren, Illinois that regularly is a 2 hour trip by car but the ash disabled the vehicles so Alex must walk to get there. What normally would have been a two hour trip turns into a long, dangerous and he must fight to reach his destination alive.

Alex is 15 years old and during his journey turns 16, he has a good heart, is compassionate, impulsive, is a city boy, a black belt in Taekwondo which comes handy on his journey (I need to learn self-defense), he encounters with Darla in his journey a young girl who helps him and accompanies him the rest of the trip. Darla is a very strong girl emotionally and physically, is practical, determined, very good for all kinds of mechanical and manual labor because she has helped her whole life with her family farm. Both end up complementing and helping each other during the trip. My favorite character in this book is definitely Darla, she´s my new hero.

Ashfall is a book where a natural disaster affecting much of the United States, which in my view is not a post apocalyptic book as it only affects a certain part of the country, but it definitely feels like it was apocalyptic. The world as the protagonists knew it has changed completely, as there is no electricity, water, food is scarce and is a violent world where only the strongest survive (and the one that have a weapon).

I loved Ashfall, the story is very realistic, believable, frightening, chilling and violent (though thankfully is not very graphic but definitely the violence is implied), the book caught me from the first chapter. I highly recommended this book if you like the post-apocalyptic books.

The book begins with a quote from Will Durant that I loved: "Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice."

Favorite Quotes
That whiff of smoke was enough to transform my sit-here-trembling terror into get-the-hell-out-of-here terror.
For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn't taken our humanity. No, we'd given that up on our own.

September 13, 2012

Book Cover Battle #21

This section or meme is call Book Cover Battle, the first time I saw it was at Books Passion for Life as UK vs US  and  Bookaholics book club as UK vs The World but because I don´t live in the UK, I can´t name it that way, so for now is Book Cover Battle .

This week book cover battle is

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Click on the image to go to Goodreads
US
UK




















Sweden
Spain




















Portugal
Brazil





















Netherlands
Indonesia




















Italy
Germany



















Serbia
Bulgaria



























I like almost all the covers, so I think it is easier to say that my least favorites are the Italian cover and German cover.

 And my top 3 would be the US cover (which is the same that the Spanish cover), from the first time I saw this book cover it caught my attention, if I have to be honest if do choose books by its cover at least to read the back cover.

 The second cover I like is the Brazil cover, I really like the colors white, black and red (I like red on the covers).

 And the third cover I like is the Indonesia cover, I like it for the same reasons as the one from Brazil but here they added green.

What do you think? Which is your favorite?