"The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Format: eBook, 319 pages
Published September 18th 2012 by Scholastic

My rating: 5 stars

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

Blue lives in a family of seer, but even though she can amplify their powers, she can't do or see anything herself. To make it even worse: ALL her family members have been foreshadowing the death of Blue's one true love...

Every year Blue joins her mother on a church graveyard as the soon-to-be dead walk by. Blue never sees them, until one day a ghost appears she can talk to. "Gansey".
At first she is confused, but when Blue and Gansey meet, she is dragged into a secret even she never imagined could exits.

The Raven Boys started slow, so I had to drag myself through the first pages, but after about half the book, it got really good. I have to admit I didn't really like Shiver, so I was pleasantly surprised. This story is so mysterious, you simply want to know how it turns out.
Add some creepy and sad scenes into the mix and you are hooked. At least I couldn't stop reading anymore. Even though there are a lot of characters and only a small amount of pages, it feels like everyone is introduced very well.  Every character has it's own personality and background story, what makes reading about them such a great experience.
Sadly we only get hints at romance, even though Blue's true love should be a big topic. Who is he? And how will he die? Luckily there are still a few books to come, so we'll probably won't stay in the dark for too long!

Sick and Busy :(

Sorry, I didn't blog regurlarly lately! At first I was sick, then I was kind of disappointed in the last installment of the Selection series (I finished The One right after I got my hands on it, but couldn't bring myself to write a review yet.. This series used to be my favourite for a long time now, but I have to admit I didn't like the end at all.) and then life got busy. :(

Now I'll try to make up and stop neglecting my blog! @Blog Sorry for not taking care of you properly!!

Well.. at least I didn't stop reading, so watch out for some reviews to come these next days :)

Reviews to Come
"The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater
"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes
"UnEnchanted" by Chanda Hahn
"Reborn" (Shadow Falls: After Dark) by C.C. Hunter
"Hex Hall" by Rachel Hawkins
"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

Book Blogger Hop

Hostes by: The Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted

The Question:

When you receive a book in the mail or from UPS, do you immeadiately catalog it or leave the book stacked up until the week is up and then catalog it?

My answer:

I'm assuming now, we are talking about books that need to be reviewed: 

Actually it depends on my mood. Sometimes I'm cataloging it immeadiately according to the date it needs to be done and sometimes I simply leave it lying around/in my email for a looooong time and suddenly I remember I had to do a review for that date. LOL So a lot of times I have to read a book in 1-2 days, luckily I'm a fast reader. :) 

The Selection Series Re-Read

Since The One, the last installment in Kiera Cass' Selection Series, will be released on May 6th, I decided to do a re-read on all the novels and side stories :)
The Selection is one of my favourite stories right now and I definitely can't wait to finally read the last book!! How will everything end? I actually expect something unexpected, but who knows? It's so exciting. :)

For now I'll start my special Selection Time with an old review of the latest book: The Selection Stories.

Title: The Selection Stories: The Prince&The Guard

Author: Kiera Cass

Format: Paperback, 227 pages

Published February 4th 2014 by Harper Teen

My rating: 5 stars

 

Before America Singer was chosen to compete in the Selection... She was in love with a Six named Aspen Leger... And there was another girl an Prince Maxon's life.

 

 

 

The Selection Stories is a great read for everyone, who enjoyed The Selection and The Elite and is now totally looking forward for "The One"! :D

The Prince(Extended Version)
I already read that story a while ago, so almost nothing new here. I also have to admit I think Maxon's POV is kind of boring. The events described here are almost all the same as the ones happening in "The Selection" from America's POV. So nothing interesting here.
Actually I'd like to see some events happening in "The Elite" from Maxon's POV! That probably would be intresting. :)

The Guard
I have to admit I don't like Aspen that much. He seems like some kind of inconsequent guy, who at one time doesn't want to be with America and suddenly thinks he wants her back. Kind of stupid.(Sorry to all the Aspen fans out there!)
But I actually liked this side story. It starts during the stuff that happened to Marlee in "The Elite", so it's definitely not boring! I also loved how we get to know a lot of the stuff, that usually happens behind the scenes like what the king is planning etc.

The One 

 

**SPOILER ALERT**

 

Alright, nothing big happened, it's only a few chapters, so I actually can't say anything about The One yet. I finally want to read the whole thing!! :( Apparantly America will be finally trying properly to win the Selection and become people's favourite. Yay! :) In fact I'm afraid of the end though. What if it will be totally sad, because America loves Maxon, but realises that she isn't cut out to be a princess? Would be sooo horrible. :( Still can't wait to finally read it!! 

**SPOILER END**

 

Bonus Material
I loved all the extra material in here!! (It was a great surprise)
There is an interview, the main character's family trees with their stories (Totally loveable!) and a Playlist for both "The Selection" and "The Elite", I'll definitely be using that one, while rereading the series! :) There is also some other small stuff giving background infos about the world of Illea.

To me the best part of this was actually the bonus material lol. But I still love this book, so yeah, I'm definitely giving 5 stars! :)

 

 

 

Firebolt Book Tour: Info and Interview with Blake Leaf + Giveaway

Title: Firebolt

Author: Adrienne Woods

Series: The Dragonian Series

Publisher: GMTA Publishing Mythos Press

Release Date: Nov 20 2013

Back Blurb:

Dragons. Right. Teenage girls don't believe in fairy tales, and sixteen-year-old Elena Watkins was no different.

Until the night a fairy tale killed her father.

Now Elena is in a new world, and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a prince wants Elena's heart, and a long dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh and the only way Elena's going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.

Teenage girls don't believe in fairy tales. Now it's time for Elena to believe in...herself.

 Synopsis:

For the love of blueberries, Elena Watkins was destined for greatness, even though she didn’t know it. Forced to travel from home to home every three months Elena’s life was a never ending blur of new towns and new faces, that is, until the night her father was killed by a creature she thought only existed in fairy tales – a dragon. With her father’s death leaving her orphaned, Elena is whisked away to her true birthplace, Paegeia.

Arriving at Dragonia Academy, the premier school for young Dragonians, she begins to feel a sense of belonging in this strange world; a school she was never meant to attend because her father was a dragon. Elena is soon swept up in the rigor of her new life and the new set of skills she now needs to survive: Latin, Art of War, and Enchantments.

Entranced by her new reality Elena learns about the dragons and humans who inhabit her new home. There are two classes of dragons that soar through Paegeia distinguished by their instinctual pretense for either good or darkness. The distinction between these two very different species is vital to Elena’s success in her new world because she has been marked as a Dragonian, a human preordained to ride and tame a dragon of her very own.

With the help of her new friends, Elena is able to navigate the complexities of her new home. Her new roommates Becky and Sammy are even more amazing then she could have ever imaged and to top it all off, Sammy was a dragon. Sammy’s is also the devoted sister of Blake, the most attractive boy at school and the Rubicon; the only dragon of his kind with the abilities of all the dragon species with a pretense for evil. Elena soon finds the love she always wanted with Lucian, the Prince of Tith, who actively pursues Elena throughout her time at Dragonia Academy, winning her heart with his absolute adoration and unshaken dedication.

Unbeknownst to Elena danger is lurking behind the enchanted vines concealing the once thriving capital of Paegeia – Etan. Goran, the darkest sorcerer to ever practice his evil arts in the realm, has lain dormant for over a century behind the crumbling city. The first step in his menacing plan is to destroy the only weapon that can kill him – the King of Lion Sword.

When the sword is stolen Elena doesn’t think twice about seeking it; knowing deep down that it is her destiny to save her new home. She travels to the Sacred Cavern, and discovers the nefarious actions of an unknown man lead to the swords destruction as she follows the trail revealed in the prophetic waters of the cavern.

Elena and her friends engage the mysterious man revealing their existence to Goran and fighting for their very lives.

 Author Info

 I was born and raised in South Africa, where I still live with my husband, and two beautiful little girls. I always knew that I was going to be a writer but it only started to happen about four years ago, now I can’t stop writing.

In my free time, If I get any because Moms don’t really have free time, I love to spend with friends, if it’s a girls night out, or just a movie, I’m a very chilled person.

My writing career is starting with Firebolt, book one with the Dragonian Series, there will be four books in total and two to three books that is about the stories taking place inside The Dragonian Series.

I do write in different Genres, I have a woman’s fiction called the Pregnancy Diaries, but it would be published under another name. And then I have a paranormal series, called the Watercress series. There are about ten novels in that one.

So, plenty of novels to come out, so little time.

I hope you are going to embrace the Dragonian Series as much as I loved writing them.

Kind Wishes,

Adrienne Woods

Author Links 

Blog

Facebook Book Series Page

G+

Name: Blake Leaf
Age: 19
True Form: Rubicon Dragon
Abilities: Breathing Fire, Acid, Chlorine gas,
Snow and Lightning
Healing
Can see future
Power of Persuasion
Telekinesis.
Telepathy
Teleporting (last one unknown, even for Blake.)
His Dragonian: Doesn’t exist
His family: Dad is the famous Night Villain that King Albert claimed (meaning tamed)
Mom is a Swallow Annex, her ability is to heal
Sister, Samantha Leaf is a Fire-tail (breathes a red fire)
Foretelling: He’s linked to plenty but the two most important ones are
1: He will free the people of Etan with his Dragonian (who doesn’t exist)
2. His Dragonian will be from the Blood line of King Albert and Queen Catherine
They were murdered before they had children.
Interesting Facts: They call Blake’s Fire the pink kiss, because of the colour of its flame
and ones it touches you, you can’t treat the wounds and your body incinerate slowly
it’s a very painful death.
The only time that Blake (his human form) is fully control of the Rubicon is when
he’s drunk. It numbs the Rubicon’s evil and dark side that is slowly taking over. So
in short, Blake is drunk on a regular basis, and he does quite messed up things when
he’s drunk.
Blake is the only one of his kind. Two Rubicon’s will try to kill one another and destroy the world
in the process.
The previous Rubicon died by King Williams sword, also known as the formidable sword ‘The king of Lion’ A thousand years later, King William’s Bloodline is the only line destined to claim the Rubicon.
The Rubicon is the biggest of all the dragons. He goes through a growth spurt seven times a year.
If he’s true Rider existed he would’ve been just as powerful, meaning he would’ve had all his
abilities.
When Blake turns evil, Goran, the most evil sorcerer, will be the only one able to handle him.
Together they will not only destroy Paegeia but will have control over the entire Earth.

Interview with Blake Leaf

With much effort, I finally got Blake in front of me to conduct an interview. He refused to speak to Tanya, the lady that does their interviews so now I have to do it.

Adrienne: So Blake, tell us a bit about yourself?
He gave me the raised eyebrow and looked at me from underneath his eye lashes. 
Blake: Seriously?
Adrienne: Just humour me?
Blake: Adrienne, this is really stupid and a waste of my time. Why do you want me to do this?
Adrienne: I told you, people are extremely interested in you and want to know more about you. They found you intriguing.
Blake: What! Why?
Adrienne: What’s not to be intrigued? You are mysterious?
He gave me another look with a slightly raised upper lip. He is getting annoyed.
Blake: Mysterious? (he closed his eyes, pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head slightly.) Fine. I’m evil, or busy changing as the dark in me takes over. Nothing mysterious about that. Uhm…there is no gray areas with me. What you see is what you get. I have no Dragonian, thanks to the Greatest King that evil lived. He couldn’t….
Adrienne: Blake!
Blake: What! I have to sensor what I’m saying too.
Adrienne: It’s an interview, so yes, please.
He sighed. 
Blake: I really don’t see how this is helping your story.
Adrienne: Believe me it does, and it’s not just mine, it’s yours too.
Blake: Fine, next question.
Adrienne: When were you born?
I looked at my piece of paper not to see his facial expression on this one.
Blake: 1^st of April.
Adrienne: You were born on April fools day. I didn’t know that.
Blake just stares at me as if I am crazy.
Blake: I’m not even going to comment on that.
Adrienne: Blake can you please be a bit enthusiastic about this?
Blake: Adrienne, you forced me to be here. Now I have to be enthusiastic about it too. I told you I don’t like doing beep beep like this.
Adrienne: Your language, Blake.
Blake: Whatever! 
He got up.
Blake: This is a waste of my time, I’m out of here.
I’m shocked. My jaw almost touched the floor as I watch him leave. 
Note from Adrienne: I’m so sorry about Blake’s attitude toward this interview but at least I try. I guess if you want to read more about him, which I doubt you wouldn’t, buy your copy of Firebolt. I promise you, he’s not all grumpy once you know him. He used to be very sweet when he was younger but the dark in him is busy taking over. I guess he’s just got a lot to deal with.

 

Get your copy of Firebolt Book 1 of the Dragonian Series now:

http://www.amazon.com/Firebolt-Dragonian-Adrienne-Woods-ebook/dp/B00GS5SUM6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391410710&sr=1-1&keywords=Firebolt

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/firebolt-adrienne-woods/1117456833?ean=9781491244654

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/firebolt

http://www.exclus1ves.co.za/books/Firebolt-AuthorAdrienne-Woods/000000000100000000001000000000000000000000000009781491244654/

 

Excerpt

A girl singing her heart out about a miracle boomed inside my ear. A miracle would get me what I needed: a chance at a semi-normal life.

     The bedroom door hitting the wall expelled the thought from my mind. With his hand tangled up in his copper hair and with huge brown eyes, Dad's figure filled the entire doorway. “Pack your bags.” He had that set to his jaw, the one that meant there was no way out of this. He bolted out of the room just as suddenly as he had appeared.

     My teeth ground hard against each other, and the sharp pain behind my eyes, I guessed from the lack of sleep, grew stronger. Every fibre of my being wanted to explode.

     Ever since I could remember my name, Dad and I had been on the run. From what? Beats me.                  

     For the last two weeks, I'd been pacing up and down through the house, struggling to fall asleep at night, waiting for this day.

     For the love of blue berries, no sixteen-year old should live this way!              

     I climbed off my bed, and the first step I took left my toe tangled in the wide leg of my jeans.  I tried to regain my balance as the closet inched closer, but with wildly flailing arms, I came crashing down. The thud reverberated across the wooden floor, and it sounded as if I'd broken something.

     Dad darted back into my room. "Are you okay?" He lifted me back onto my feet as if I weighed nothing.

     Tears lurked in the corners of my eyes, threatening to burst, as I stared up at him.

    "Don't give me that look, Elena. Please, we need to hurry.” He pulled my suitcase from the top shelf and chucked it haphazardly onto my bed. “We need to go. Now.”

    "Dad…"

     He started to grab my clothes from the shelf and tossed them messily inside my small suitcase. Then he paused, sighed, and looked up with soft eyes. He stroked the side of my cheek with his hand gently. “This wasn't the right place, bear. Please, you’ve got to trust me.”

     His hand reached back to pull everything off my shelf, while my hands curled up into balls of fury. My heart pounded fast as those two words bounced inside my skull. “Trust you, Dad?”

     "Elena, we don't have much time,” he yelled. “Pack your bags! You can ask questions later." He left, and the hollow “doof” sound from his footsteps stomped loudly as he made his way into the hall.

     Ask questions? Yeah right! I’ll only get answers that don’t reveal why we are on the run for the gazillionth time.' “Trust me” and “I'll tell you when the time is right” were the only two answers Dad gave. 'Guess time with him will never be right.’

     It was no use arguing with him anyway. The last time, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me out without any of my things.

     So I grabbed the stuff I needed: my mp3 player, a photo of Mom that Dad didn't know I had, and my journal from underneath my bed. I tossed them into my backpack. It wasn't much, but it was the stuff that made my miserable life felt less pathetic. I zipped up my suitcase and took a deep breath. Looking around my bedroom for the last time, I said goodbye to my sixtieth-something room.

     Dad almost ran me over in the hall with his army bag slung over his shoulder. He grumbled, which I assumed was an apology, took my suitcase, and ran down the stairs. He always rented these huge old houses, pre-furnished and near the countryside, and we always left after three months.

     The pickup's horn honked as I shut the front door. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. Just two more years, then I'll be eighteen and free from this freak show. Huge raindrops fell hard onto the ground. The smell of wet dirt filled the air. It was my favorite smell.

     The water that pooled on the ground covered all the gaps in the driveway, forcing me to hopscotch around all of them. My shoe got caught in one of the gaps and I smacked down hard in a huge puddle. By the time I reached the truck, my jeans and shoes were soaking wet. 

     Warm heat from the vents inside the truck hit me full blast as I jumped in; a million goose pimples erupted across my skin.  As soon as I shut the rusty door, Dad floored the gas pedal. Tires screeched and the truck spun away as if the Devil chased us.  My lower lip quivered softly as he swerved onto the road. The streetlights flew by in a blur as I plugged in my earpieces. The same stupid song about a miracle boomed from my mp3, drowning the sound of the engine and the hard dribbles on the roof, a percussion that became the perpetual soundtrack to my misery.

       A feeling of utter loneliness consumed my heart as I stared out the window. Homes with white picket fences and the convenient store whizzed by in a flash. A tear rolled down my cheek as I said goodbye, and my breath on the glass created a foggy condensation. Reaching out my index finger, I drew a small heart. These were the reasons why Mom had left. She couldn't handle his paranoia, but why she’d left her daughter to deal with it was a mystery. Dad constantly reminded me of the latter, and that was the only time he ever spoke of her. If he ever discovered I had that picture, he would kill me. That was how much he hated her for leaving us.

     The lights of a vehicle in the upcoming lane shone directly into my face. I shut my eyes, waiting for it to disappear. As a little girl, I used to watch Dad as we drove away from yet another house. He would glare into his rearview mirror every five seconds, every muscle in his face clenched, and his knuckles white on the steering wheel. I hadn’t been able to force myself to peek out the window then, as it used to scare the living crap out of me to consider the possible reasons he was fleeing from, or who might be following us. Now, I didn't look at him or care much for what he was going through. He created this problem. With me becoming the luggage. It was a ritual I endured every three months, and nothing over the past sixteen years had ever changed that.

     The “Interstate 40” sign flew by in a whirl, and the pickup slowly moved onto the turnoff lane.

     My eyes started to burn as I stared at the rain running down my window. Each rivet resembled another town, another place I would never again call home. Exhaustion consumed me and my eyelids felt heavy. I laid my head against the window and struggled to stay awake.

     Suddenly, a dark and huge figure flew past me. Dad swerved to the left, which made me crushed into the side of the passenger’s door. My entire body pumped with adrenaline. I jumped straight in my seat and wrenched the seatbelt over my shoulder to buckle myself in. I tore out my earpieces as I tried to process what had just happened.

     “What was that?” I looked at Dad.

      He stared straight ahead with huge eyes. Beads of sweat rolled from his hairline down to the side of his temple. He looked terrified, something that conflicted with his personality. I'd never seen Dad look that scared in my entire life.

     “Dad!”

     “Did you see where it went?” he asked, attempting to inject calm into his voice, but I could hear the fear lacing each syllable.

     “See where what went? Dad what was that!”

     “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

     “For once in your life, just tell me!” I screamed. Sixteen years of frustration exploded from my lungs. I couldn't take the unknown anymore.

    “Fine.” He mumbled something else that I didn't catch. "Do you remember the stories I used to tell you?"

    “Stories? What stories?”

    “The ones about Paegeia, Elena.” He looked in his rearview mirror again with huge, unblinking eyes.

     Vaguely, but I didn't tell him that. "What does that have to do with this?"

     “They're real.”

      I froze and I stared at him.

      “All of it, it’s real. The dragons, the magic, the wall, everything is real.”

 

Giveaway

 

aRafflecopter giveaway

Next Tour Dates

Tuesday the 29th April: 

Spotlight and Review http://bookishlove.wordpress.com/   -  with  Monique 

Wednesday the 30th April: 

Spotlight and http://teresadavisblog.com -  with Terese 

Thursday the 1st May: 

Spotlight and Review http://fireandIcebookreviews.blogspot.com - with Jackie 

Friday the 2nd May: 

Spotlight and excerpt http://followtheyellowbookrd.blogspot.com/ with Emily 

Monday the 5th May: 

Spotlight and Review http://deysesays.wordpress.com with Deyse 

Tuesday the 6th May: 

Spotlight and Excerpt http://melissagroeling.blogspot.com – with Melissa 

Wednesday the 7th May: 

Spotlight and excerpt http://confessionsofafantasyfreak.blogspot.com with Erika Thursday the 8th May: 

spotlight with review http://prettylittlepages.blogspot.com with Kristen 

Friday the 9th May: 

Spotlight and ? http://www.whatsbeyondforks.com

"Ascended" by Debra Ann Miller (Review)

Title: Ascended

Author: Debra Ann Miller

Format: Ebook (Review Copy)

Published January 7th 2013 by Debra Ann Miller

My rating: 4 stars

 

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

After nothing went as it was planned, Carter and Vie are back to living in different worlds and Vivian still promised her soul to Lucifer..

I simply love Mrs. Miller's writing style. You start to read and you are sucked right into the story! I never can stop reading :) The way everything is described makes the characters really loveable and it never fails to convince me, that a character's feelings and thoughts are realistic and  genuine.

Carter and Vie are both so cute with their beliefs, I just could never stop to wish for their happy end. :)
Also we finally get to know all the dark parts about Vie's past and her relations to Carter, Vivian and all the others. However I have to admit I got a little bit bored halfway, since most of the plot was really obvious and sometimes stuff is explained more than one time due to the multiple perspectives Ascended was told from. I always enjoy multiple POV and it's definitely a great addition to a story, but here it was a little bit "overused" to describe the same actions from different people.

Overall I loved reading Ascended though and can't wait to read the next book in this series :)

"The Ring and The Crown" by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: The Ring and The Crown

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Format: Hardcover, 384 pages

Published April 1st 2014 by Disney-Hyperion

My rating: 5 stars

Two girls.

One beautiful and strong.

One plain and powerless.

Only one shall be queen...

And the other shall serve her.

But as I awake from sleep, I still do not know-

Which one of them is my daughter?

And which one is the traitor?

First thing is: That book is sooo pretty!!! I'm really happy I got the Hardcover version this time. The book comes with one of those paper wrapper covers a lot of hardcover books have and I have to admit, even though the cover pic is beautiful, I hate those. They simply get in the way while reading.

Here comes the great thing though: When you remove the paper cover, you get a black book with the title written in red letters on it, that totally looks stunning! Well.. It's probably quite plain, but it's simply not something you expect under a colorful cover, so it makes a great surprise.

I also loved the overall use of fonts and decorations at the start of each chapter, that help make even the written text look beautiful. :)

Now to the story: Marie, a young princess, is supposed to marry the kronpinz of prussia, Leopold, in order to form an ally. But, as it's the case most of the times, she loves someone else. In desperate need to escape her fate, Marie asks her old friend, a young sorceress, to take her place. As the marriage draws near and some unexpected events occur, Marie has to ask herself: Is her own happiness really worth sacrificing her own kingdom?

I loved how the story slowly unfolded and a lot more people were involved, than just Marie and Leopold. At first it's a little bit confusing, since the perspective changes a lot, but in my opinion that makes the story so much more interesting. Slowly we get to collect the pieces, until everything becomes a whole and great story with a lot of loveable(and sometimes not so loveable) characters.

In my opinion „The Ring and the Crown“ is a story about finding your own place in life. As we see a lot of young people searching for their purpose in life and how the gradually grow stronger.

Overall I have to say I loved everything about this book. The story was solved clearly and since I'm not sure, if there is supposed to be a second one, I'd actually be satisfied with this as a stand alone. The writing was light and never made me tired, so I had no problems reading fast and enjoying everything. :)