List of Giveaways from fellow blogs

Borrowed from I Am A Reader Not A Writer Blog!!!!
Great list of giveaways!!!
http://www.iamareader.com/2012/12/got-great-book-giveaways-1226.html?m=1

Review: Dance of Shadows

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed....

My Review:

First off, the cover for this book is one of my all-time favorites. How beautiful and breath-taking..I wanted to read it immediately.
The story is so different from anything I have read. It is a young adult novel/suspense story. I love the fact that it has to do with ballerinas and immediately fell in love with the characters. The author uses specific details to describe the characters and I loved that. I felt like I could really imagine the characters and get a feel of what they were going thru. The main character Vanessa is thrown into an elite ballet school after her older sister suddenly disappears. She is a magnificent dancer and attracts the attention of the choreographer almost immediately. Vanessa is thrown into the world of dancing as well as another darker world that she has to face. Along the way she finds herself drawn to two completely different guys and the love triange begins... I love the relationship she has with the friends in the book and the humor that is added in at just the right moment to balance out the suspense. The ending was incredible. I could not put it down. You find yourself asking so many questions throughout the book and the author successfully answers them all...as well as  (of course) leaving a cliffhanger at the end...
I found myself loving the story more and more and finished the book within three days. If you love ballets, romance, suspense, and a great story then this is most definitely the book for you!! I am looking forward to the 2nd one!

Best Villains of 2012

The number one best villian of 2012 for me is definitely the DARKLING from Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

I would have to also agree that The Alchemist from Poison Princess was very creepy. The first chapter which includes him is what drew me to the book.

Commander Chase from CJ Redwine's Defiance is definitely a front runner. He was just pure evil and I despised him from the very beginning.

Lord Valentine is another creepy vampire villain in Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London. 

And how about ALL THE ZOMBIES in Siege by Rhiannon Frater!! Every time one of the characters got bitten or killed it made me just want to kill ALL ZOMBIES!!!

The Mazikans of Sanctum. This creepy world is just made even creepier by these awful people!!

Any of the vampire/monsters from The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa!!

Best Book Covers of 2012

My book covers basically cover the same ones I have read because I have a weakness for a beautiful cover!!! Most all books I read have to be beautiful on the outside!! LOL!

Best Books I've Read in 2012

The best book I have read this year would have to be Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. What an amazing book and what an incredible story!! The world building in this book is just breathtaking. I loved every single moment. 

I would say the next favorite would be Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. This is another amazing book with great characters, wonderful storyline, and an world that just pulls you in. I cannot wait to read the sequel. 

My next favorite would be Sanctum by Sarah Fine. This book is dark, creepy, and FANTASTIC. I loved every aspect of this book from the characters to the incredibly scary world. This book brings about questions of suicide but also shows how teens can overcome their fears and doubts and live fully. I just cannot SCREAM enough praise about this book!!

Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London is also another incredible book. It is a teen vampire story with a twist. The love story is breathtaking and the vampires are creepy. This all makes for one amazing book!

Defiance by CJ Redwine is also another favorite of mine. I love the historical aspect of the story line. The world is built with castles and gives a feel of the time when knights were around. I love the main character. She is so strong and driven and her story was so heartbreaking. The love story between the two also had me turning pages well into the night. 

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa is DEFINITELY one of my most favorites! I love a good vampire story and I love Julie Kagawa! What a mixture! All I can say is it is a MUST read if you love a good vampire tale!

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins is an altogether different story. I'm not sure what genre to place this in. The story is not about overcoming evil but accepting it and using it to help the good. Does that make sense? I know it sounds crazy but it was an incredible book and you just must read it for yourself!

Siege by Rhiannon Frater is one of my most favorite zombie books I have ever read. YES I love zombie books. People see "zombie" and automatically think its all blood and guts. well let me be the one to tell you that it is NOT. Siege has amazing characters and you love each and every one of them. The events that they go thru and the triumph that they achieve just makes the story fantastic. 

Fifty Shade of Grey....yep it made my list. Sorry but I am a sucker for romance and this book is full of it...as well as other aspects of romance! HA! 

I cant name just one of them but ANY AND ALL of the Iron Fey trilogy by Julie Kagawa rounds up my Top 10. And I can tell you that there are so many more books that should be on this list but I cant name them all!!!

Review: Under The Never Sky (Veronica Rossi)

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.....

My Review:


 
WOW...What can I say? What a fascinating book. For months I have read reviews and debated on when to start this. It sounded like more of a sci-fi book which kinda put me on hold for a little while but finally I opened it. and WOW...I immediately fell in love. The main character Aria was wonderful. She suffered and she overcame and i loved every minute. Perry was incredible. He is strong, determined, and resilient and makes for a perfect hero for this story. The world building was incredible. The aether storms were powerful and scary and fit the world perfectly. All the characters had their own "special" meaning and I loved learning all their quirks. I will admit that Cinder was a surprising favorite of mine. He made you wonder and made you think and I wanted to turn the pages faster just to see what would happen next with his story. This book is just incredible from beginning to end and the love story fascinating. I cannot wait to start the second book in the series to see where all my characters end up.....
                                     

99 Authors, 99 Books, 99 Cents Giveaway!!

These prices are available on Amazon only.

For a listing of books offered and to enter to win, click here!!

 

Just received a Draft copy of Dance With Shadows from the publisher to review (release date Feb 12)!! Looking forward to reading it!!!

Currently Reading Under The Never Sky

I'm currently reading Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and I am COMPLETELY engrossed in it! What a fascinating story and the world-building is awesome...Hope to finish it this week....and a GREAT review to come! :)

Review: Phoenix Angel: Gerry & Hall

Maggie is a normal teenager, trudging her way through senior year with her best friend, Lily. Then a boy named Kyle Spencer came to Idaho Falls, and since then everything has fallen apart. Something mysterious has passed among the three friends. They are developing terrifying abilities--strange powers that separate them from normal people.Even worse, someone--or something--has taken a deadly interest in them. They never know when they are going to strike, or how to protect themselves, or even who they are. All friends know is that they want one alive and the others they want dead. Which one will Maggie be?

My Review: OK first off...I am not a big fan of several different point of views. I like to be able to feel and understand one maybe two different people but not more than that. So I had a hard time loving this book. The main character for at least the first couple of chapters, Maggie, was a very crude, unlikable person and that threw me off from the beginning. I like characters who you can connect with and feel for and she was so mean that I cared nothing for her. Now I will say that I did like her love interest Kyle..He was fascinating..of course..the always there when he needed her type and wanting to "Save" her. I did love that aspect. But then the story goes on to change to several different people including her best friend Lily. The book had lots of "high school" drama and just really didn't suit me. I would recommend this book to possibly anyone who likes book such as The Lightning Thief...It has that kind of vibe to it. All in all it was not a bad book..It had drama and romance, yet it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Review: The Farm by Emily McKay

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

Paperback, 420 pages
Published December 4th 2012 by Berkley Trade

Link to purchase from Amazon

OK so this book is a little different than what I was expecting. I think I went into it thinking it would be similar to Hunger Games...hoping it was like Hunger Games...but no...definitely wasn't. The book starts out by just throwing you into the story with really no background as to how "The Farm" was created. Yes you do eventually learn but it takes a while and for me it was hard to get into the book because I wanted to know more about it..I wanted to understand the world I was in and get a feel for it.....

After about 100 pages in the book grabbed me..The main character, Lily, is portrayed as such a strong, heroic character that you cant help but love her..and Carter is just breathtaking. He is mysterious, secretive, and lovable all in one. Lily's twin sister, Mel, who has autism, is such an important character. Her perspective on the events occurring around her really brings you into the story. 

I will say the one part I was unsure about where the "Ticks". At first I assumed they were actually the vampires in the story but later in the book you realize they aren't. They are a totally different species and are more related to zombies. It was hard to wrap my head around that part for a while...

The last 10 chapters in the book are amazing. I couldn't put the book down. There are a lot of questions that are answered in such a short few chapters and it makes the ending very intense. I do think I would have liked to know more about the Ticks and how they arrived but the story was so good that definitely giving this one 5 stars!!

I will definitely be reading the second one because the ending was so intense and left me dying to find out what happens next....

http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-giveaway-signed-through-ever.html#.UMc95-Q818E

Review: Sanctum (Sarah Fine)

Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands #1)

"My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple.”

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t—the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate. A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance—hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone—she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.

Where do I start? I completed this 400 page book in 3 days...It was impossible to put down...It is a fantastically written young adult/fantasy novel. Yes the book involves suicide and is not for the weak of heart yet this aspect draws you into the book. You feel for the characters and for the struggles they have/will overcome. 

The world building in this story is fascinating...I could feel myself there and experiencing everything with Malachi and Lela....The way the author writes is captivating...I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a deep story with lots of romance, pain, action, and feeling. This book has it all. 

I am not sure how I will be able to make it to wait for the sequel. I have even thought of re-reading it. I enjoyed it that much...Look at world because Sarah Fine is here...I now have her on my "watch" list and will most likely read anything she puts out...Sarah Fine

Giveawy:
http://www.facebook.com/FlippingPagesXSamX/app_228910107186452

Great giveaway!
http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2012/11/level-2-author-lenore-appelhans.html

Great giveaway!
http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2012/11/the-friday-society-arc-giveaway.html

Review: Defiance (C.J. Redwine)

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making...At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

My Review:

This book was incredible...Of course the first thing that drew my attention was the cover and I found myself glancing back at it several times throughout the book. It is captivating and depicts Rachael perfectly. This book was so full of life and emotions. I found myself turning pages long into the night. It grabbed my attention in the first few pages and kept me till the end. The twists and turns thru the book just fascinated me. The "Cursed One" was depicted in very intense detail and I found myself cringing thru some parts. There was so much left unanswered which I love because that means there is more to come but I also dislike because I have to wait so long to find out!!!!!! The love story is incredible and touching. I loved Logan's character and his strength he portrays throughout the entire book... Needless to say I cannot wait till the next book....

http://www.goodchoicereading.com/2012/11/somethingdarkerreveal.html

Currently Reading Defiance by C.J.Redwine:

wow....i literally cannot put this book down...Fans of Ann Aquirre's OutPost would LOVE this book....I cannot wait to finish it!!

Poison Princess (Kresley Cole)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole introduces The Arcana Chronicles, post-apocalyptic tales filled with riveting action, the dark mysticism of Tarot cards, and breathtaking romance.
She could save the world—or destroy it.
Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.
But she can’t do either alone.
With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?
Who can Evie trust?
As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side…

I really did enjoy this book. It was quite different than anything I have ever read before. I wish I had researched Tarot cards before reading it and then I might have understood more. It is VERY fast-paced and I found myself unable to put it down with the last 100 pages. It is full of intense action and the romance is interesting as well. I like the addition of the characters through-out the book. It is more Sci-Fi than I had imagined and the "zombies" made minimal appearances..I found myself totally forgetting about the beginning of the book and the "high school" drama...I am not sure if that really had much affect on me...actually I probably could have done without it...Just start right out at "the Flash"....All in All I am looking forward to #2....