March 27, 2012

Teaser Tuesday!



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



"Bryan saw a nightmare. A man with purple skin, with big black eyes. It stared at the boy for a moment, then smiled wide a mouth full of big, white, triangular teeth." ~ pg. 74
What book are you teasing with? Leave your Teaser Tuesday links in the comments!

March 25, 2012

In My Mailbox: 3/18 - 3/24



In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This meme is about books that you received or bought during the week.

For Review

Ebook


A big thanks to Candlewick, Cemetary Dance, Feiwel and Friends, Farrar Straus Giroux, and author Ada Adams for providing me with these copies for review!

Won


 I won 6 *signed* bookmarks from author Keary Taylor; a *signed* bookmark & magnet from Jessica @ Books A True Story; and Vampire's Kiss from Beth @ A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust. Thanks so much!
  
Bought

  So I was really bad about buying books this week. Oops. In case you can't see them in the pic, here's a list of all the goodies I picked up:

Bossypants by Tina Fey
Clarity by Kim Harrington
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers
Inside by Maria V. Snyder 
Starters by Lissa Price
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
Eve by Anna Carey
Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor



Soo.... my mailbox was CRAZY this week! What did you get in the mail? 

Review: Hell or High Water by Joy Castro

Hell or High Water
Author: Joy Castro
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Review Source: Sparks PR Agency
Format: ARC paperback


Summary: A psychological thriller in the vein of Kate Atkinson and Tana French that introduces Nola Céspedes, an intense and spellbinding protagonist.
Nola Céspedes, an ambitious young reporter at the Times-Picayune, catches a break: An assignment to write her first full-length feature. While researching her story, she also becomes fixated on the search for a missing tourist in New Orleans. As Nola’s work leads her into darker corners of the city, a singular narrative voice emerges, and an even more compelling question surfaces: Who is Nola Céspedes? Vividly rendered in razor sharp prose, this novel is a riveting journey of trust betrayed—and the courageous struggle toward recovery.

Review: Joy Castro’s novel, Hell or High Water, holds loads of potential. The plot is thrilling and the twists unexpected. The descriptions are very vivid and remarkable. Castro easily paints a crystal clear picture of post-Katrina New Orleans. The narrative is very well written with deep characters and a rich setting. Although I normally love thrillers, Castro’s novel seemed to be overwhelmed by statistics that were only tangent to the story and that lose the reader’s attention and focus. Also, although her imagery is exceptional, the novel gets bogged down in details of the surroundings and the aftermath of Katrina. These are wonderful insights into the character and the background setting of New Orleans, but the reader’s mind wanders away from the story and the plot immensely because of these detailed mini-stories. Instead of focusing on the great thriller of the plot and the rich characters, Castro seemed to be writing a different story inside this one – a story that was centered on a Latina woman and her life in post-Katrina New Orleans. Overall, the story was written wonderfully and the plot was exciting, but I feel that it would have been even better if some of the ‘extras’ were left out. I will definitely read other books by this author and I anticipate her next novel.


March 20, 2012

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



"I shuddered, remembering how close I had come to being taken. If Sebastian hadn't appeared when he had..." ~ pg. 93

March 19, 2012

Whisper of Memory Release Party - Guest Post & Giveaway

Guest Post with author Brinda Berry!

Whisper of Memory Playlist

Music is a great way for writers to gain inspiration for their novel. I love music for brainstorming and then later for editing. Here is where I'm going to admit something weird. I imagine my novel in full 3-D color scenes.  Music soundtracks can be a vital part of any movie to set the mood of each scene.

I listen to my customized playlists during the creation of my novel. When I'm finished and it's ready to the final touches, my favorite part is compiling a playlist that I feel accompanies all those scenes I see in my head. My playlist for Whisper of Memory embodies the spirit of each scene and makes it rock (in my head, of course). It's too bad that ebooks don't embed music links where you could see where I think the music belongs. Hey..I think I've just invented a concept. 

So, I hope you enjoy this playlist. Do you have a song that you associate with a certain scene in a book you love?


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones



And now for the giveaway! Brinda is hosting a giveaway and you can either enter on her blog http://www.brindaberry.com/news.html, or by filling out the Rafflecopter below! *NOTE: Following is not mandatory for the giveaway, but is greatly appreciated!* Good luck!!






a Rafflecopter giveaway

March 18, 2012

Review: The Waiting Booth and Whisper of Memory (Whispering Woods 1 & 2)


The Waiting Booth
Author: Brinda Berry
Genre: YA/paranormal
Series: Whispering Woods: Book 1
Release Date:July 15, 2011
Review Source: Author
Format: ebook

Summary: A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal...

Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High—find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia’s drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it’s no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia’s secrets, she begins to wonder if there’s more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...


Review:  The Waiting Booth is a great start to a new YA paranormal series. It has an interesting plot that hasn't been overdone in the genre before, which gives it a fresh voice. The characters are all intriguing, especially the main heroine Mia and her mysterious visitors Regulus and Arizona. A really cool aspect of this story deals with synesthesia, a medical condition where senses overlap. This gives the book a real edge with realistic but uncommon situations. The narrative is good and the book flows well and is easy to read. Berry blends common teen problems with paranormal twists - which keeps the readers on their toes. The ending is pretty open, which leaves the reader wanting answers in the next installment. I did think that the characters could be developed a little more, but I'm hoping that the writing style and characters will mature in the next book.

1/2



Whisper of Memory
Author: Brinda Berry
Genre: YA/paranormal
Series: Whispering Woods: Book 2
Release Date: March 16, 2012
Review Source: Author
Format: ebook

Summary:  Weapons training and winter formals...a deadly combination.

All Mia ever wanted was to fit in at Whispering Woods High. But being a portal-finder who dates a guy from another dimension sort of makes it hard. A month ago her brother disappeared, and agents from the IIA began policing people's movements through dimensions. She'd trusted Dr. Bleeker from the local university when he'd told her the IIA were the bad guys. But even a girl with an extraordinary ability to sense things can make mistakes.

Now two people are dead, and as a portal gatekeeper for the IIA, Mia needs to find Dr. Bleeker before he hurts anyone else. And her boyfriend Regulus, an Agent for the IIA, carries secrets of his own. Between learning about weaponry, finding the perfect dress for the winter formal, and catching bad guys, who has time to fit in?

Review: I read this book only a day or two after finishing The Waiting Booth, the first book in the Whispering Woods series. It was an easy and fun read - I finished it in one day. Although I liked the overall premise of the book and the series itself, I thought this one had only a mediocre storyline and predictable outcomes. The narrative and writing are well done, but there doesn't seem to be any evolution from the first book. The characters also seemed a bit flat - I didn't really get invested in any of their problems, except for Mia's relationship with Regulus - and you saw that coming. I'll most likely check out the next book in the series because they are fun reads, and the plot & characters have potential. I'm hoping the series will grow into itself by the next installment.


*I received free copies of the books in exchange for an honest review.
 

In My Mailbox: 3/11 - 3/17

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This meme is about books that you received or bought during the week.

For Review
  A big thanks goes out to authors Peter Anthony Kelley, Jacqueline Gardner, and Brinda Berry; Doubleday; and Hyperion for sending me these books to review! (I did a happy dance in the driveway after getting Serpent's Kiss - I can't wait to read it!!)

Won
 Thank you to Random House's Early Bird Reads for The Deep Zone and to Maria @ Fly High for Tom-All-Alone's!!

What did you get in the mailbox this week?

March 16, 2012

Whisper of Memory Release Party!



Today marks the release day of Brinda Berry's second novel in the Whispering Woods series, Whisper of Memory! Over the next few days, I will be posting reviews of the books from the series, some info on the new book, as well as a guest post by Brinda and a giveaway that she is hosting! I hope you all join in on the fun as we celebrate Whisper of Memory's book birthday!!

For today, I'm posting info on the new release:
Whisper of Memory
Blurb:
Weapons training and winter formals… a deadly combination
 
All Mia ever wanted was to fit in at Whispering Woods High. But being a portal-finder who dates a guy from another dimension sort of makes it hard. A month ago her brother disappeared, and agents from the IIA began policing people’s movements through dimensions. She’d trusted Dr. Bleeker from the local university when he’d told her the IIA were the bad guys. But even a girl with an extraordinary ability to sense things can make mistakes.

Now two people are dead, and as a portal gatekeeper for the IIA, Mia needs to find Dr. Bleeker before he hurts anyone else. And her boyfriend Regulus, an Agent for the IIA, carries secrets of his own. Between learning about weaponry, finding the perfect dress for the winter formal, and catching bad guys, who has time to fit in?

 Book Trailer:


Check back in tomorrow for a review of book #1 in the series, The Waiting Booth, and then Sunday and Monday I will be hosting a guest post by Brinda, a review of Whisper of Memory, and a giveaway! Don't forget to follow the blog tour going on in April! For a list of all the dates and blog stops, as well as info on all things Whispering Woods, check out Brinda's blog: http://www.brindaberry.com/index.html.

March 14, 2012

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
 

"Mr. Crew Cut made eye contact, and he smiled with dark gray menace. His face didn't read the friendly, 'Hi kid, we're all having a good time, now aren't we' type of smile. His response was a creepy, acknowledging smile and showed just enough teeth to look dangerous."  pg. 141




What are you reading this week?
 

March 12, 2012

In My Mailbox: 3/4 - 3/10

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This meme is about books that you received or bought during the week.

For Review

 
Lots of thanks goes out to Crown Publishing and authors Brinda Berry, Theodore Quester, and N.J. Burns for sending me these copies for review!


Won

 A big thank you to Library Thing and Henry Holt for The Land of Decoration, to Jessica @ Book Bound for Article 5, to Aimee @ Reviews from My First Reads Shelf for Fairy Metal Thunder, to Alethea @ Read Now Sleep Later for Chime, and to Rebecca Hamilton for The Forever Girl!!

Bought


What did you get in your mailbox this week?

March 8, 2012

Review: Intangible by J. Meyers


Intangible
Author: J. Meyers
Genre: YA/paranormal
Release Date: January 29, 2012
Review Source: Author
Format: ebook

Summary: Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.

Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.


Review: This book is a fast-paced paranormal read about twins who have the ability to See and to heal. The reader is immediately drawn into their world and their lives. The characters are all very likeable and realistic, especially Sera and Luke. There were some twists in the book that I didn’t see come and left me with my mouth hanging open. The storyline is solid and interesting and the narrative is very well written. You definitely come to root for the twins to find a way out of their mess. The story takes normal teen issues and high school drama along with messy first loves and some broken hearts and then mixes in some vampires, elves, the mother of all who are damned for some extra fun. The cover on this is so gorgeous too! I love the font used for the title and the purple color scheme is beautiful. It really goes well with the book. I’m so glad that this is only the first book in a series – I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment! You should definitely read this book if you like YA and paranormal stories.

I received my copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.