In My Mailbox #8

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Story Siren

This week I got a prize I won on the blog The Itzel Library. (It was no longer than a month ago! That was super fast. There are prizes I'm still waiting for, after almost 10 months! LOL). It was "HURT ME SO GOOD" by Joely Sue Burckhart. The book was signed and there was also some really cool swag. Looks really great, right? :))

I also received a super cute book thong from a giveaway made by Secrets of a Book Lover. It was from this awesome place: Crystal's Etsy Shop, Dalla Luna. The book thong was based on the book. You can get onehere. (The book was already mine, in case you're wondering. :P ).

What goodies did you get in your Mailbox this week?

Follow Friday #7

Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View.


Q: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to get your hands on any particular book?


Well, I suppose this will be a boring post for all of you super crazy fans, but as I have no access to book signings and/or huge book events, I'm afraid I haven't really done anything that crazy to get a book.

Unless you consider harassing my country's Customs's call center in order to get more info on where my books are going (they're not reaching me, that's for sure. >.>'). Oh, and begging people to swap certain books with me.
I usually do more crazy things to get people to read books. LOL


But I'm curious, what's your answer? ;)

Review: Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens / Reading Romances January Challenge

This post is part of the Reading Romances Challenge. For January I chose the following option:

- Read a book that is first of a series, by an author that is “new” to you or a debut novel by an author.

Heavenly (Heavenly #1)
by Jennifer Laurens 

I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. 


Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

_____________________________________________________

Review

I knew this book would be good because of all the great reviews I've read about it, but I wasn't really ready for the impact it made on me.

Jennifer Laurens was able to make me feel much of everything with Heavenly. I was surprised, then sceptic, sad, mad, scared, sad again and happy. 

Zoe is a teenager with many problems. Her sister is autistic, which brings many hardships to her family and their lives together. Her mother is very tired and looks older than she should. Her father is always trying to control her moves, but at the same time doesn't give her much attention at all. Her brother is almost never home and is involved with drugs. She feels as if their worlds all revolve around her little sister's needs, which are many.

To escape all that tension, to try to forget and relax, she drinks and parties with the wrong crowd.

One day, after taking her little sister Abria to the park, Zoe gets distracted while texting and realizes the girl is nowhere to be found. Trying not to panic, she scans the surroundings and sees nothing, no one, anywhere. She's ready to call her parents and the police when an attractive young man appears hand in hand with Abria, who is strangely calm and subdued.

Zoe is suspicious about the guy's inner motives at first, because he seems to be everywhere they are, always close to the little girl. She starts to think he could be a sex offender or something of the kind, but later on discovers he is the definition of all that is good. He is Abria's guardian angel. And, with the exception of her sister, she's the only one who can see him.

Matthias is everything the guys Zoe is used to hang out with are not. He is kind, respectful, he pays attention to her, cares about her. He really looks at her. And he doesn't look at her sister with fear or disgust like other people usually do. 

He helps Zoe see the mistakes she is making in life. She learns to not be so impulsive, to respect and try to help, but not force people to do things they should decide to do for themselves. She learns to see all the happiness, goodness and purity in the handicapped sister she used to think was empty and, therefore, unhappy. She is even able to help her brother defeat his addiction, one step at a time. (and many mistakes in the middle)

With small changes, the whole family gets more united and happy.

I have to admit I didn't see that ending coming at all, but I suppose it had to happen. Zoe became a much better person, who touched many hearts and changed many lives, all because she was first touched by an angel. Love really is a very strong weapon. :)

There were many second characters that brought life to this book. Zoe's "friends", who were always trying to hold her back and use her in any way they could, a guy from school who also knew about angels and always supported her, the suffering parents who didn't know how to handle with their problematic children, but made up for it... I liked them all.

I recommend this book to everyone with a heart. LOL. If you enjoy YA with real-life situations and a paranormal touch, or just enjoy romance and/or angels, go for it.

I have won this book from a giveaway made by the author. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, Mrs.Laurens. :)

Dirty Little Secret #7

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by us at Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!


This week's question: 


Who is your favourite alpha and second-in-command team?

Hum... my favorite alpha of all time is Michael Wyndham, by MaryJanice Davidson. His 'second-in-command' was Derik, until he became an alpha himself. :D

But others come to mind: Micah, the Nimir-Raj (an alpha equivalent for wereleopards) from Anita Blake. And I suppose Nathaniel could also be categorized as a second-in-command. 

Nah... that's probably just wishful thinking. LOL :P

Now, who is your favorite?

Waiting on Wednesday #7

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.


Right now what I really want to read is:

  Partials (Partials #1)

by Dan Wells

Expected publication: February 28th 2012 by Balzer + Bray

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out. 

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic in training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws threaten to launch what’s left of humanity into civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will discover that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there. 

____________


Normally I'm not that big a fan of science fiction, but I love me some dystopia, so... go figure. O.o LOL. 
I'm crossing my fingers hoping the publisher will give me the chance to review it through Netgalley. It looks absolutely fantastic!


What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tueasday #7

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as 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 any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

This week's Teasers are from:

"“Go ahead,” I say, tossing the novel over to her. It hits her body with a thud. Note to self: don't throw things at girls."

and

“I'm more of a dog person. But I admire cats and their ability to take so much while giving so little.” 

Leave me a link to your teaser and I'll be happy to visit. :) 

Review: Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton

Everneath (Everneath #1)

by Brodi Ashton

Expected publication: January 24th 2012 by Harper Collins / Balzer + Bray

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

_______________________________________________

My Review

Nikki Beckett has lost her mother to a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Her father hardly speaks to her, he's so busy with his political campaign. Her best friend, Jack Caputo, finally became her boyfriend, and everything was peachy... until she caught a half-dressed girl coming out of his room at camp. Many sad and stressful events started to pile up until she couldn't take it anymore. She wanted the pain to stop, or, even better, to stop feeling. And Cole Stockton was the guy to help her.

Cole is an Everliving. He's been alive for many, many years, but every 100 years he needs to Feed, or he'll die. He feeds on human emotions and energy. Nikki has fed him for a whole century at the Everneath, but after she woke up still remembering her past life, she decided to Return to the surface, where only 6 months had passed since she 'disappeared'. 

Nikki feels completely empty of feelings, but still she wants to fix things with her family and loved ones, who assumed she got involved with drugs and all kinds of bad things when she went missing so suddenly. All she wants is to say good-bye properly, and use those last six months she has to make amends. But she isn't ready to feel again. And that's what happens when she sees Jack after so long.

Jack slowly starts to approach her, to try and understand what caused her strange behavior of 6 months ago and to know what exactly happened to her during the time she went missing. Nikki tries to push him away, but she can't. She still loves him. And he, her. But Nikki only has 6 months on Earth. After this time is over, she'll have to go to the Tunnels, where she'll end stuck in a nightmare, paying back her 'debt'. 

However, Cole offers her another option. He was so surprised when she woke up from the Feed still looking like herself and with most of her memories intact, that he asks her to become an Everliving like him. He tries to convince her to become his queen. The Queen of the Everneath. But Nikki wants nothign from him. She con't stand the thought of Feeding on innocents to survive like she's been Fed on. She plans to use her time to the fullest and then go to the Tunnels like she has to.

I wasn't sure what to say about Everneath. It gave me very mixed feelings. I didn't care for lots of things about it, but I was really interested in others.

It took me a while to get into the book, but eventually I got used to it, especially the confusing alternating timelines (the narrative kept count of the time the main character still had on Earth/The Surface, and kept going back and forth to past events in order to explain things). 

I did like the story, with all the mythological mentions and touches to it, but I just couldn't feel the heroine. Sure, I understood her thoughts and actions, but she always came around a bit empty to me. Unfeeling. And I don't mean literally, like in the book, but as a human. Just didn't really leave a mark at all. I guess what I mean to say is that she didn't feel like a heroine to me. Maybe more like a secondary character? >.<'

I liked the cover more than I liked the heroine.

On the other hand, I was crazy about Cole and I certainly went nuts over Jack. They were strong. Very strong characters. They had energy, they had intense, firm, almost palpable feelings. Doubt, fear, anger, irritation, despair, love... They felt real to me. I just wanted to read more and more about them, when, in fact, I felt like I should be caring more about Nikki. 

Most of the time I found myself cheering for both boys. I wanted them both to end up happy. Looks like I can never pick sides. LOL.

Oh, and I thought the 'ability' to taste feelings thing was quite interesting. Wanted to have seen more of that.

The ending wasn't very surprising, that's for sure. But, nonetheless, still very aggravating. And not much was explained. Almost nothing at all. Book 2, come quickly. I'm not especially excited, but I sure am curious. Does that make sense? O.o  Man, I really wish this one was a stand-alone...

If you like young adult paranormal books with a flavoring of mythology and romance, this is your book.

*I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #6

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey. 

• For a review, I'm now reading:

• I just finished:

Everneath  (click to read review)

Hallowed  (click to read review)

• Next I'll be reading:

                               Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

What are you reading?

In My Mailbox #7

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Story Siren

I've been keeping my New Year's resolution (not buy any more books until I'm done with the ones I already have), so this last week I swapped an old book of mine for this one:





and I got these to review from Netgalley:



See? Technically I did not buy any new books. :P (I made sure not to use the word acquire, LOL). I can't wait to read these! *-*


What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

 

Hallowed (Unearthly #2)

by Cynthia Hand


For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.


Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.


In this compelling sequel to "Unearthly," Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

_______________________________________________

My Review

Hallowed starts right where Unearthly stopped. Clara ends up saving Tucker from a fire (that turns out to not be natural, but manmade), instead of saving Christian, like in all the visions she had of her purpose as an angel-blood. She then discovers that Christian is also an angel (and could have saved himself from the other fire in the woods) and that he thought that his purpose was to save her. They are now both confused about their real purposes and afraid they might have failed.

Clara starts having a new recurring dream. In it, she's in a very beautiful place, surrounded by people she knows, but intense sorrow fills her. As she looks around, other grieving faces meet her gaze. She searches for Tucker, but can't find him anywhere. Only Christian is there to give her comfort. She assumes that he's the one that dies. Then she decides she will not allow that to happen, God's wish or not.

Samjeeza, the leader of the Black Wings, who tried to kill Clara's mother and herself in the first book, comes back to stalk her. We have some deeper insight on some of the reasons for his sadness and obsession about her mother.


The love triangle starts to get seriously interesting. It seems as if everywhere Clara looks, there is Christian. He speaks in her mind, he is kind and thoughtful, he waits outside her window to check on her, he takes her skiing... and Tucker is not amused, even with Clara clearly "stalking/babysitting" him all the time to try and avoid his apparently imminent death.
Angela, Clara's friend, founds the Angel Club. She invites her BBF, her brother Jeffrey and Christian to join. Jeffrey starts to act weirder and weirder. He gest ruder and more violent. Clara questions him about the night of the fires, when he disappeared, but he comes out very evasive and irritated. And highly suspicious.


I liked that in Hallowed Clara discovers more about her powers and lineage. She has empathy, which means she can pick up on the emotions of the people around her very easily. Sometimes even read their thoughts. Which comes in handy, most of the time. We also see more of the other angels (who were closer than she could've ever imagined), their meetings and other secrets.Like I said, I liked the book very much, but something really bothered me. 


Apparently it never occured to Clara to ask her brother about his darkening wings, or why he never shows them around their mother or other angels. And that was very annoying. I mean, I get it that she had a lot on her mind, but couldn't she look away from her crushes and her own problems for just enough time to pay a little more attention to her own family? I guess we'll find out more about those issues in the next volume.


A bit of spoiler alert here: Christian finally kisses Clara. *squeals* We finally find out about her mother's purpose, we see more of her father, more of other angels... and Tucker is not the one who dies.


*I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Manga Rec #9 - Bakuman, Vol. 1 by Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata

Bakuman, Vol. 1 (Bakuman #1)

by Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata 

R to L (Japanese Style). Is becoming a successful manga artist an achievable dream or just one big gamble?

Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world? Moritaka is hesitant to seriously consider Akito's proposal because he knows how difficult reaching the professional level can be. Still, encouragement from persistent Akito and motivation from his crush push Moritaka to test his limits!

__________________________

I found this manga particularly interesting, because it shows you how hard it is to actually draw and publish your manga. It shows all of the dozens of special art utensils used to make even the smallest details, how hard it is to choose the right phrases to fit in the right spaces, how short a time they have to draw and write a story, how hard it is to keep your manga going and well-liked, how to best use the characters' expressions to tell a story... it's no easy feat being a mangaka. But when you love doing something and can get people to love what you do... it gets more manageable. ;)

This is a different manga from those I usually read, but the reason I got to like it so much is exactly because it is so unusual. Shounen is not really my thing, but Bakuman really gets to you. It was written by the same creators of the Death Note series, so you just know it's got to be good. LOL

Takagi and Mashiro are very cute young boys. Takagi is very creative, and can whip up great stories in minutes, but Mashiro's drawings can always get a little better. They decide to try and get their art published in the most famous japanese magazine for young audiences there is. It's no easy task, but they try anyway, and we have fun watching them try, seeing more about the other writers, their stress, their happiness while drawing, their depression caused for the lack of personal life... it's a very complicated life, but it's the one they chose.

I recommend this series to those who like great, well-thought of stories with characters that follow their dreams, even with all the hardships. The art is pretty good, too. And there are all kinds of funny moments. :)

Follow Friday #6

Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View.

Q: Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

I've always been a crazy fan of System of a Down and Three Days Grace, but now I'm starting to really fall for Adele's talent. ;) 

I also happen to like some versions of old songs that Glee records.
Oh, and Lady Gaga, of course. LOL

Please tell me if you're following in the comments and I'll be happy to return the favor. :D

Dirty Little Secret #6

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by us at Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!


This week's question: 


Do you prefer your heroes dark and broody,

 

or blonde and boisterous?

 

Weeeeeeeeeeel... predictably, I would like to say both. ;P I like 'em dark AND blonde, but not exactly broody, so... maybe I'll go with blonde this time. 

I like different hair tones, but in the end I'm still an eye color/hair length/nice booty kinda girl. LOL (and I'd sure love to get to know any of the 'models' above.) :P

What would you choose? :)
 

Review: Mask of the Gladiator by Georgie Lee

Mask of the Gladiator

by Georgie Lee 

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: January 30th 2012 by Carina Press

Rome, 41 AD

Livia Duronius is driven to seek out a gladiator after watching him triumph in the Colosseum. His touch arouses a sense of hope she hasn't felt since Rome fell under the tyrannical rule of Caligula—and her late husband betrayed her. Though in danger of losing more than her heart, she vows to see him again, even after she learns her uncle has arranged her marriage to a senator.

Senator Titus Marius cannot resist indulging in a passionate encounter with the veiled woman who waits for him after the games, though he faces execution if his true identity is discovered. Bound by honor to wed another, and embroiled in a plot to free Rome from madness, he never expects to see the mystery woman again.

When the fates reunite them in the marriage bed, Titus vows to protect Livia at all costs—even from the lecherous eyes of the emperor...

_______________________________

Review

I really like historicals, and I've always been a sucker for the old Roman empires, so this book was a must-read for me.

Livia Duronius has been very disappointed by her ex-husband, Decius. He promised to love her and protect her, but ended up abandoning and betraying her when she needed him the most. She vowed never to marry or love again, but her uncle has different plans for her...

After watching a gladiator fight, she goes to see the winner. The strong, powerful and attractive warrior awakens in her a passion she wasn't aware she still held inside of her. But he is a slave, and she a patrician. They can never be together, and if their encounter is ever discovered, their lives could be ruined.

Titus Marius is a senator, soldier and gladiator, but the last one must be kept a secret, because it a crime punishable by death for a Roman senator to fight as a gladiator. After one of his fights, a matron comes to talk to him. Expecting the same treatment every other matron has given him: interest only on his body, he is surprised by the timid, voluptious woman who commends him on his courage and offers him money to buy his freedom. He loses himself in her purity and kindness and kisses her. They share a moment of passion and then are reminded of the place and their positions.

Titus is very sad to see her go, but he knows he must forget this mysterious woman because he is already promised to marry someone else.

This is a very short story, but also very interesting and complete. The author portrays very well some of the horrors Caligula brought to Rome, how he terrorized the population and how he came to be assassinated as the result of a conspiracy involving officers of the Praetorian Guard and members of the Roman Senate (in this case, Titus and his friends).

I liked the romance and how happy they made each other, but maybe if the book was a little longer it would have been more believable.

All in all, this is a great book for those who enjoy quick, romantic historicals with action and tension.

*I received an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Waiting on Wednesday #6

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.
Right now what I really want to read is:

Truth (XVI #2)

by Julia Karr 

Expected publication: January 19th 2012 by Speak

Nina Oberon’s life has changed enormously in the last few months. When her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council–ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all sixteen-year-old girls have. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey to predators. But Nina won’t be anyone’s stereotype. And when she joins an organization of girls working within the Resistance, she knows that they can put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever conceived. Because the truth always comes out...and the consequences can be deadly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really can't stress how much I want to read this book! *-* The first volume left me absolutely crazy with anxiety for this one. But we're almost there, now. ;D

What are you waiting on?