On My Wishlist #20

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It is a list of the books I want but don't yet have. The books can be old, new or forthcoming.

 

 

This week I've picked Immortal City by Scott Speer because I think it looks amazing! It's one of the first books I spotted when I got back to the bookshop after my week off, I think new books just stand out! Would love to hear your thoughts if you have read this story or if you have heard much about it.

 

 

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review ~ Stolen Away ~ Alyxandra Harvey



3 stars

Title: Stolen Away
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Published: January 2012
By: Bloomsbury

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric—who may or may not betray them.

Opening line: "I hate this town," Jo complained.

Closing line: "I have something better in mind."

Favourite line: "So, you get a Fae prince, El gets a hawk, and I get a psychotic water horse who tries to kill me? How is that fair?" ~Devin~

I'm not going to lie, I looked the cover of this book and I love a good Fae story and it's for those reasons I picked up this book. I had heard very mixed things about this story but 99% of the time I like to have a read myself and make up my own mind. I have very mixed feels about Stolen Away.

The story is told from two points of view, that of Eloise and Jo. I found this confusing at times but it's understandable why it had to be done. But I often found myself wondering just whose story I was reading. I like both characters and found them easy enough to relate to. Jo had real spunk and I think I warmed to her the most.
Both our girls have love interests, Eloise has Lucas and Jo has Eldric. Now I love a good bit of romance but I failed to see it in this story. The book felt a little rushed and I found Jo & Eldric's relationship a little all over the show, although they had their stolen moments I didn't see them as a couple or as a couple in love. Eloise and Lucas on the other hand seemed to have more time together to be able to grow and things didn't feel as rushed with them. Although I don't think either relation really got going.

The plot was simple, girl is fairy, girl didn't know, girl saves the day kind of story. There may have been a few twists and turns here and there but over all I felt the pace was lacking in this story and I just wanted so much more. The book is only 277 pages or so and I think I could have happily read another 100 if the plot was rich with detail.

If you are the kind of reader that likes a quick easy read then this is the book for you. Although there were moments I really liked and there were some laughable moments this story fell a little short of the mark for me.



In My Mailbox #51

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren. This meme allows us bloggers to show what books we receive each week.

It's a slow news week here at Midnight Reads...Well, I say slow, it's just been The Hunger Games all the way and how completely fantastic was it?! Love, love, love!!

That said we have made a few acquisitions along the way...


Bungle's mailbox















Bungle has been on leave this week and has done a pretty good job of keeping herself away from the bookshops! She did get her hand on two books however. She got copies of The Vampire Hunter's Daughter by Jennifer Malone Wright and for review she got Intangible by J Meyers. Both look utterly fab!

Sally's Mailbox


So it's been a really quiet week for me this week as I try to catch up on the pile of books I need to review... One book I did have to get my mitts on however is the galley of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. If you follow this or my twitter feed you'll know that I am a huge fan of The Iron Fey series (100% Team Ash!). I love Julie's writing style so am really looking forward to read this, PLUS there's an exclusive extract of a new Iron Fey installment in there too! So excited!!

So a small but perfectly formed mailbox here at Midnnight Reads this week - but enough about us, what did you get?

On My Wishlist #19

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It is a list of the books I want but don't yet have. The books can be old, new or forthcoming.

 

I haven't done On My Wishlist for a while and for that I'm sorry. I think it's a brill little meme so I'm going to get on this every week now. Will have to get Sally & Helen involved too.

 

 

 

This week I'm going with Rachel Caine's Black Dawn. There's so much I love about this series and I can't wait to get my hands on this book! I'm also looking forward to Caine's UK trip and I've already got tickets booked at two Waterstones stores.

Here's what goodreads has to say about Black Dawn:~

In Last Breath, the rain brought a new and dire threat to Morganville and its vampires... their ancient enemies, the draug. Now, the vampires are fighting a losing war, and it will fall to the residents of the Glass House: Michael, Eve, Shane and Claire, to take the fight to an enemy who threatens to destroy the town, forever.

Lovers of Morganville, rejoice: Black Dawn takes the intrigue, romance and nail-biting suspense of the series to its highest level yet!

 

 

In My Mailbox #50

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren. This meme allows us bloggers to show what books we receive each week.






So Bungle was really good with the pursestrings this week! She did however get a visit from one of her favourite reps and managed to pick up a few goodies as a result. I so want her job!!

Bungle was lucky enough to get hold of a copy of Lenobia's Vow by PC and Kristin Cast. She also got her hands on these fantastic Dark Parties bookmarks. I hear that some of these may be making their way into our birthday giveaway so if you've haven't entered yet, maybe now is the time!


She also added a couple of books to her adult reading collection. She got hold of copies of Darkness Unbound by Ken Arthur and Envy by one of my fave authors JR Ward so I looking forward to hearing what she thinks of that one! :)

Helen's mailbox














Last week Helen made the big mistake of picking up the Hunger Games thinking it would be a cup of tea and a quick read! Turns out she should have taken heed of Michelle's comment on last weeks IMM! She is officially hooked! (woohoo! I knew that would happen!) So this week as you have probably already guessed she bought Catching Fire and Mockingjay to complete the trilogy by Suzanne Collins!

Sally's mailbox

So this week I was on leave from work which meant I got a read loads more than usual! Good times!


So the first thing I received this week was a copy of the Night Watch trilogy by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko and I have my friend Colin to thank for these! :) The note of the front suggests that this series is JK Rowling - Russian style but having read a few pages I would suggest that it's going to be a tad darker then HP! I'm a few chapters into #1 and so far it's looking pretty good. The first two have also been made into films which I'll be watching once I've read the books...


I also got a copy of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows and The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter which I need to read before I read the galley of Goddess Interrupted for review. Am hearing good things about this series so looking forward to making a start on this one.

So, that's it from us and I guess there's only one way to sign off this week - Happy Hunger Games everyone and may the odds ever be in your favour! I'll be off to the preview screening on Wednesday and I'll stick a few notes (non-spoilery of course!) up on twitter after. So exciting!!

In the meantime, what did you get?

In My Mailbox #49

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren. This meme allows us bloggers to show what books we receive each week.

The Midnight Reads team is so excited to share all the books we got this week, I wouldn't say we've been all that bad ;)

Bungle's Mailbox

I did well with the pennies this week and only bought one book,The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen, I recieved Deep Oblivion by Matt Dickinson for review,  and a friend of mine bought me Swift by R.J. Anderson :) I'm more than looking forward to reading these books!!

     


Helen's Mailbox

I got two books this week after hearing so much about them, Switched by Amanda Hocking and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

  

Sally's Mailbox

So I was incredibly spolit this week and I got a bumper parcel from the lovely Bungle.  I got Divine by mistake by PC Cast, Hells Bells by John Connolly, Dark Matter by Michelle Paver, This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel, Changeling by Steve Feasey, Skin Deep by Laura Jarrett and Buried Thunder by Tim Bowler. The only problem is I don't know which one to read first! Thank you Bungle! :)

I also spent a few of my own pennies and I bought Torn by Amanda Hocking (which was fab!), Everneath by Brodi Ashton and Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson.





  

So that's what the Midnight Reads team got this week, now we're off to see what you all got.

Happy reading everyone :)

Author Interview with Meredith Zeitlin

Today I would like to welcome debut author Meredith Zeitlin to the blog who has been kind enough to answer some questions about her new book, Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters. This book is fun filled and hilarious, if you haven't already read my review read it here.

How does it feel to be a published author?

It's pretty amazing. The process took so much longer than I had anticipated, so for a while it seemed like the book would never come out. There were times when I was so frustrated that I honestly didn't care anymore if it ever did. But now that it's finally happened, and people seem to really like Kelsey and her story, I feel happy and proud and excited and eager to write something new. All I wanted, really, was to write something that would make a fourteen-year-old girl somewhere laugh and feel like she wasn't the only imperfect person in the world and that that was totally okay. I think maybe I've actually done that, and I'm thrilled about it.

Could you please sum up FY&OUD in one sentence?

The hilarious tale of Kelsey Finkelstein's (mostly disastrous) adventures as a high school freshman.

How similar are Kelsey Finklestein and Meredith Zeitlin?

Oh, very similar indeed. Most of Kelsey's adventures are based on things that happened to me, and Kelsey's voice is pretty close to mine. I'd like to think she's a BIT exaggerated... but my friends might disagree. ;)

What is your favourite book and why?

Oh, this is hard - I love so many books, and so many different kinds of books! But if I can only choose one, it has to be "The Time-Traveler's Wife," by Audrey Niffenegger. This book is magic. It destroyed me – first, because I simply couldn't believe that the author had gotten it all to work out so perfectly. I would go flipping back to previously read scenes, thinking, “There's no way there isn't a mistake here somewhere..” but there were no mistakes. The humor in this book, the language, the images, the raw emotion, the sex, the visceral pain of loss – it's all there. I cried so hard when I got to the end (and, FYI, I almost never cry, period) that a woman on the subway asked if I needed help. This is probably the most perfect book I've ever read.

Will there be a follow up to FY&OUN?

People keep asking that, which makes me so flattered and happy. The answer is... I don't know. The next project I have planned takes place in the same world, so you'll see some of the characters again, but it isn't a sequel. But after that... who knows!? I'll just say MAYBE.

You may not believe it but……?

I haven't eaten ice cream in almost three weeks. I know - it doesn't seem likely, but please know that it's only because I've been sick. I would NEVER neglect ice cream on purpose.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Just thank you to everyone who's taken a chance on a debut author by picking up my book, and especially to the blogging community for being so welcoming and supportive. I really can't express how much I appreciate it.

Thank you for stopping by the blog Meredith!

To find out more about Meredith and her book check out the links below;

www.kelseyfinkelstein.com

twitter

Facebook

Good reads

Review - Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters – Meredith Zeitlin

Title: Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters



Author: Meredith Zeitlin



Published: March 1st 2012



By: G.P. Putnam's Sons




Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny. Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it. Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course…

First Line: “Here it is, practically mid-September, and it’s still too hot to live”

Last Line: “I think I’d better confiscate that camera, though. Just to be on the safe side”

Fav Line: “He lunges in, and suddenly his tongue is flopping around inside my mouth like a fish dying on a dock”.

Boy is it good to be writing something other than application forms! And what better way to start than by telling you all about Meredith Zeitlin’s Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters. I loved this book (I know I haven’t managed to find one I don’t love yet!) it was a fun rollercoaster ride of teenage angst and hilarious situations. I know when a book makes me laugh out loud that it’s special and this book made me snort very loudly and choke on my diet coke on a packed train! I knew it was very special.

FY&OUD is the story of Kelsey and her three best friends; Cass, Em and Jojo. We meet the girls on the eve of their first day at High School. We’re immediately thrown into their group, we see their dynamics and I think it’s instantly evident that they are great friends. It reminded me of the relationship that I have with my friends, and well ultimately it made me smile and warm to these beautiful girls.

Kelsey is our main protagonist, she is feisty, loud mouthed and hilarious. I loved the way Zeitlin portrays the relationship between Kelsey and her mother, oh how true it is that we girls disagree with everything that our mothers say, and that they were really out to ruin our lives at the age of 14. I think I enjoyed this book so much because I related to the situations and the characters. Kelsey and her friend Cass fall out over a boy, I found myself in a very similar situation a few years ago, I didn’t react in quite the same way Kelsey did but I understood the pain she felt.

I think some people might think this book is quite controversial, the girls drink alcohol even though they are 14, however I do not think it is glorified, Zeitlin handles the subject well and if anything gives an accurate account of modern day teens. She also broaches the subject of sex, Kelsey worries that her friends are more experienced than she is, her thoughts and worries are shared with the reader, which I thought was a brilliant, many young women have the same worries and through this story they will learn that they are not alone. Zeitlin also discusses homosexuality; the girls suspect that Jojo is a Lesbian, (which they have no problem with) however do not know how to broach the subject with her. I thought this was a really positive message, the girls accept their friend no matter what!

Rating 5 of 5 stars! Why? Because this is a fantastically witty book, that will make you laugh out loud and smile. This book has strong messages of friendship and acceptance, it reminds you to be who you are and be proud.

Review ~ Spellcaster ~ Cara Lynn Shultz

Title: Spellcaster

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Published: March 27th 2012

By: Harlequin

From: netgalley

First line: You probably don’t remember me, but I remember you.

Last line: And the lights around us grew brighter, a final burst of gold before they faded into the remains of the sunset.

Fave Line: My morose thoughts tumbled through my brain like a drunken gymnast.

I obtained this series in reverse order, acquiring the galley for Spelllcaster first which meant I needed to get my hands on Spellbound and I was pretty much hooked on the latter straight away. Having the sequel already to hand was therefore more than a mere bonus and as with other series I’ve picked up further down the line I’m so glad I didn’t have to wait!

In Spellcaster we pick up pretty much where we left off in Spellbound. Just a few weeks down the line we find Brendan and Emma in a state of perpetual bliss. Of course very little has changed around them. The ever detestable Kristin is still out to get Emma, Angelique still frowns at the mention of Brendan’s name and to top it all off Brendan’s mother still seems to be dead-set against his and Emma’s relationship.

Things take a turn however when it becomes clear that someone is out for Emma’s blood (quite literally) and Brendan, Emma and Angelique have to join forces to fight against a power that is darker and stronger than anything they have ever come across before.

After some investigation it appears that whoever is after Emma wants her blood because of the power it possesses, something which comes only with those who have experienced true love. It is this power that will make them stronger than ever and they will do anything, harm anyone to ensure that when the moon eclipses they possess the blood that will complete their transformation.

In spellcaster we see the return of familiar characters and there are also new characters which are just as intriguing as those we have read about before. I loved the way that the plot evolves in this sequel and I particularly like the way that Emma’s character has evolved. She is certainly one of the stronger female characters in YA. She sticks by her principles, has faith in those around her and is prepared to do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, even if she has to go against them to achieve her goal.

I also like the pace with which the relationship between Emma and Brendan moves forward. Given their history and their potential future it would have been easy for their relationship to have progressed at a pace but this is not the case, rather it evolved slowly and seems all the more genuine for it. I also loved the roles that Angelique and Randi play in this book especially as the importance of their own powers begin to play a major role as the story reaches its conclusion – and what a conclusion! The build up was extremely tense and the climax of the story brilliantly written.

In short, Spellcaster is a brilliant sequel to Spellbound and if you haven’t read either and like kick-ass heroines then I would recommend both!

Rating: 4/5. Really enjoyed this series. I would absolutely recommend!

In My Mailbox #48



 
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren. This meme allows us bloggers to show what books we receive each week.

This week the Midnight Reads team has been extra good and we didn't buy any books but that doesn't mean we didn't get anything!!

But before we get to the books Sally wanted to let you know she has tickets for a preview screening of the Hunger Games and she is uber excited!! I think she's looking forward to this film more than anyone!!

So Helen was very very good this week and has stuck with the books she already has and she is doing her best to get through her to read pile. But Sally and I still feel the need to get as many books as we can!!

Bungle's Mailbox

This week at the shop the postman bought me Fated by Alyson Noel! I'm very 50/50 when it comes to Noel so I'm looking forward to seeing what this new series brings!! I couldn't help myself again this week and grapped a few freebies on the iphone, Diary of a Vampeen by Christin Lovell and Grey Eyes by Brandon Alston & Quinteria Ramy.

 

    

Sally's Mailbox

The good news is...I’ve barely bought anything this week!  I did get two books for my kindle app for my PC  though. The first book I got was The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin (Andy is the creator of the ever so slightly popular computer game Crash Bandicoot which also happens to be the first Playstation game I ever bought.  Am looking forward to seeing how he manages the switch to literature...  I also got a copy of Bridger by Megan Curd which I've heard really good things about so I’m looking forward to this one!

 

So that's what we got this week, now we're off to see what you all got!

Giveaway ~ It's our Birthday



1 year & 1 month


So, as we are crazy busy we missed our 1 year blog birthday! But fear not, today Midnight Reads is 1 year & 1 month old!! And to celebrate this we would like to give our lovely followers a chance to win some books!!

We love our little blog and we have met some amazing bloggers, authors and gained many followers here and over on twitter. We are looking forward to our next blogging year and hope to try new things as well as meet more awesome people :)

To make our giveaway nice and easy all we want you to do is comment. As simple as that! Lets look at what you can win.....

For UK residents ONLY we have 14 books up for grabs:~

Waterslain Angels

Trash

The History of Cirrus Flux

Delirium

Wereworld

Twisted
The Truth About Celia Frost
The Haunting of Tabitha Grey
Virtuosity
In the Sea there are Crocodiles
Wreckers
Pretty Twisted
Almost True
To be a Cat

First name to be drawn will pick 7 books and the remaining 7 will go to a second winner

And for our over seas friends ONLY we have

Vaclav & Lena

Virtuosity

We will have just one over-seas winner.



For your chance to win just leave us a comment with your email address and please state where you are in the world.

Giveaway closes midnight Friday 30th March (UK time)