Stacking the Shelves #18

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. All the links added here will take you to Goodreads.

Bungle has been good AGAIN this week! I've a feeling that this is because she's building up towards a big  30th birthday book-buying blowout!  That's right, Bungle will be waving goodbye to her twenties this week so I see some partying and some major spoiling in her immediate future! I also have a feeling that the shelves could well be close to collapsing next week! Happy birthday Bungle!

As for me, I was kind of good this week.  I bought two books (although I pre-ordered a few more on-line. Oops.)  The first book I got was Underworld (Abandon #2) by Meg Cabot.  John has taken Pierce down into the underworld, apparently for her own protection. But is that true? Will he let her go when she finds out her loved ones aren't safe? I'm looking forward to finding out!  The second book I bought A Touch of Crimson : A Renegade Angels novel by Sylvia Day.  This one is for older readers and I think it's pretty much got everything from angels to vampires to lycans.  Bring it on I say!

So that's it from us this week!  So tell us, what did you add to your shelves?

Mini Review ~ Black Dawn ~ Rachel Caine



4 stars

Title: Black Dawn
Author:
Series:
Published by:
Date:

goodreads says:

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!

Opening line: Morganville, Texas, isn't like other towns.

Closing line: Because now there was no going back.

The last few books in the Morganville series have just been getting better and better. Black Dawn picks up where Last Breath leaves off and it is yet again action packed! I thought Black Dawn was brill, gripping and had me constantly questioning what was going to happen.

I like how we are again shown the story through several view points, it's always exciting to learn new things about the characters we have come to love throughout this series. All is forgiven with Shane and he has yet again moved to the top of my list of favourite men! He really shines in this book for me, a real hero! I love him!!

Black Dawn also see some old faces return which is always exciting. And we may just finally hear wedding bells for Michael and Eve. I hope things do actually work out for these two, they have been through enough as have Claire and Shane!

Now I am hoping Morganville changes for the better because I would like to think that the vamps actually realise what Claire and her human friend have done for them. Her and Shane have done more than enough. I hope with the Draug gone that the rebuild of Morganville won't be as bad as Oliver has us believing at the end of Black Dawn.

Overall another exciting roller coaster ride in the crazy town that is Morganville!



 

Review ~ Last Breath ~ Rachel Caine

4 stars

Title: Last Breath
Author: Rachel Caine
Series: Morganville
Published by: Allison & Busby
Date: October 2011

goodreads says:

With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town—a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville’s latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn’t merely human. But is he a vampire—or something else entirely?


Opening line: Shane's lips felt like velvet against the nape of her neck, and Claire shivered in delight as his breath warmed the skin there.

Closing line: And she kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him, while the sun came up and bathed Morganville in one last, shining day.

Last Breath is where things start to really get back on track in Morganville! Bite Club was just a taste of better things to come and with Last Breath Caine seems to be back in the writing comfort zone.

Often we come across a book that is very hard to review because we are worried we will give to much away and spoil the story for others. Last Breath is one of those books! If like me you felt a few books in the middle of this series were there just for the sake of it and you're maybe not yet up-to-date I would say keep reading!!
Caine sure knows how to wake you up to this series again and Last Breath was full of just about everything to be honest! Shock deaths, ghosts, a new breed of villains, ideas of a marriage and thoughts of suicide.

I like again how we see the story through the eyes of others rather than just Claire, it obvious why we need these different view points as readers. It was interesting to see things through Amelie's eyes but I felt in this story she seemed weak! She was ready to run from the Draug, the bad guys, and kill those loyal to her because of what they knew. I much preferred the fighting spirit we have come to know from Amelie. She is not alone though, the vampires are scared, actually scared of the Draug and as they start to go missing one by one plans are set in motion for the vampires to leave Morganville and set up shop elsewhere.

Now we all know about Michael and Eve's relationship and we know they want to marry but one has to question this and wonder will Eve turn Vamp? Because why marry Michael when she will age and die and he will not!? or Will Claire come up with a miracle cure and Micheal becomes human again? Something more must happen with these two, it's just got too! And while we are on relationships it's rather obvious how deep and real the love Claire and Shane share is. I would think they'll get married and Claire will go off to MIT and they'll all go together, but hey, that's just my thoughts.

I really enjoyed Last Breath and picked up Black Dawn right after finishing as I needed to know what happened because Caine leaves Last Breath on a bit of a cliffhanger. As I said earlier, if you were getting a little fed up of this series carry on with it, you won't be disappointed in the end!



Review ~ Bite Club ~ Rachel Caine

4 stars

Title: Bite Club
Author: Rachel Caine
Series: Morganville
Published by: Allison & Busby
Date: May 2011

After discovering that vampires populate her town, college student Claire Danvers knows that the undead just want to live their lives. But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble.

There's a new extreme sport getting picked up on the Internet: bare- knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against each other-or humans. Tracking the remote signal leads Claire to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville...


Opening line: Looking back on it later, Claire thought should have known trouble was coming.

Closing line: And once again . . . she liked his version better.

The thing I need to get out of the way with this book is how many mistakes there are! I was very shocked at the amount of missing words and grammer issues through out the story. It really frustrated me at times and at one stage I had to put the book down then go back to it a hour or so later. I'm sorry but the editors did a bad job on this one.

OK that aside lets get to the story itself. I rather enjoyed Bite Club and it made me realise why I loved Morganville so much in the beginning. I actually really enojyed the fact that we get to see Shanes POV in this story and I'm happy for the books to continue that way. With Bite Club comes new dissapearences, the opening of a new gym and the usual whole heap of trouble for Claire and her housemates as an old enemy comes out of hiding.

Shane is more than a little bit excited when a new gym opens up in town. This is definitly Shanes book, we see his inner most thoughs, his desires and his deepest darkest worries. I love Shane just as much as the next Morganville fan but oh my gosh I wanted to punch his cute little face in at times! How could he be so stupid to think the vampires in Bite Club were nice and the drink they were giving him was safe. Come on Shane, how long have you lived in Morganville!?! You more than anyone should know never to trust a vampire!!

Claire, Eve and Michael eventually realise that Bite Club are streaming online fights between humans and vampires and set about trying to save Shane but you can't help think that Shane doesn't want to be saved. And as if Claire hasn't got enough on her plate she still has Myrnin and Frank Collins to deal with.

All in all Bite Club is a better instalment of the Morganville series and made me pick up the next book right away. If you're a hardcore fan of this series you'll enjoy this book and if your a fan of Shane this book could leave you feeling a little conflicted.



Stacking the Shelves #17

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. All the links added here will take you to Goodreads.

Bungle has been really good again this week and didn't get any books! I on the other hand have strayed on to the capitalist path on more than one occasion and ended up with five new books on my shelf.  This week I got my hands on The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.  I'm a huge fan of anything Maggie puts her hand to so I can't wait to start this new series. I also got my hands on The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson. Fire and Thorns was the first book I reviewed on here so I have a soft spot for this series.  The books read more like epics and are perfect for an autumn read in front of a fire. Am half way through and loving it! I also got Firelight by Sophie Jordan.  This popped up as a recommendation and I couldn't resist a peak!

I also got a couple of e-books on netgalley for review this week.  The first I got was Covet by Melissa Darnell.  I enjoyed Crave so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to Savannah and Tristan next.  I also got Broken by A.E Rought.  This is the blurb that hooked me in:

Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

Intriguing no?  I have a good feeling about this one!

That's it from me this week. So tell us, how are you keeping? Bought anything good? We'd love to hear!

Review ~ Carnival of Souls ~ Melissa Marr

4 stars

Title: Carnival of Souls
Author: Melissa Marr
Published by: Harper Collins
Date: September 2012

goodreads says:

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

Opening line: The man -witch- who'd summoned Selah was nothing like what she'd expected.

Closing line: "I'm going to find my father," she said, as much to herself as to them.

Everyone knows I'm a rather big Marr fan and I was very much looking forward to Marrs new adventure in the YA genre. Carnival of Souls is a really exciting read, gone are the fairies I'd become so use to with the Wicked Lovely series, to be replaced with daimon and witches.

I loved reading this book! Marr has created a new world that is truly intoxicating and I would love to take a roam around! I'm not going to lie though, I thought the story took a while to get into and not because it was slow but because we are introduced to so many things at once and I felt it took me a while to get my head around certain things, espically what the daimon are. Once you have a few things figured out it get easier but I think the daimons are still somewhat of a mystery.

I loved all the characters in this tale and there are so many of them. If we concentrate on Mallory for now though, she is living with her witch farther and knows the hatred witches have for daimons and if you ever meet one you run. But Mallory doesn't know everything and she's always had a feeling she doesn't really fit with the witches and once Kalbe enters her life things start to change and Mallory feels the pull. But you'll have to the read the story to find out more about that :)

I'm still not really sure how I feel about Mallory's character, don't get me wrong the girl has got balls but I think because her memories have been, suppressed should we say, she not as great as she could be and I'm hoping with the next instalment we see her grow. I really liked Kalbe he makes for an interesting read as does his relationship not only with Mallory but with his pack member Zevi.

I was very intrigued by the relationship between Aya and Belias. I loved Aya and she reminds me a little of Donia from the WL series, totally ruthless even with the man she loves. he it totally kick ass and fights for her right to be more than just another breeding female. But I can't say much about her though as it will spoil things if you have not yet read the story. She isn't what everyone thinks she is and Belias finds this out the hard way. Their relationship is a torturous one and I'm really looking forward to reading more about them!

With the start of a new series Marr has built what can only be described as a delicious world that I want another bite of. You are thrown head first into a world of danger where the rich and powerful hide behind their colourful masks, and the low levels of society fight to the death just so they can live.



Review ~ Throne of Glass ~ Sarah J. Maas

3 stars

Title:Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published by: Bloomsbury
Date: August 2012

goodreads says:

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Opening line: After a year of slavery in the Salt Mines of Endovier, Celaena Sardothien was accustomed to being escorted everywhere in shackles and at sword-point.

Closing line: "Tell me tomorrow."

Every so often a book comes along that has massive hype surrounding it and Throne of Glass is one of those books! I had seen it everywhere before I received my proof copy and I had heard amazing things. This was a book that was right up my street. And then I read it and I was disappointed! I know, shock-horror!! So many of my blogger friends love it and I've seen lots of 4 and 5 star ratings but the story was just lacking for me. Actually it wasn't the story that was lacking it was Celaenas character.

We are introduced to Celaena, Adarlan's greatest assassin, who has been forced to work in the mines as a slave after she is caught. While in the mines she manages to stay alive and keep her wits about her by not only killing several guards but trying to escape just for the heck of it to see how far she gets. So for me I'm thinking so far so good because we have a spunky kick ass female lead who is going to stop at nothing to get what she wants.

She is pulled form the mines to represent the Prince in a to-the-death tournament. You might be thinking Hunger Games here but it's not that kind of tournament. I loved the idea of this tournament and the reasons for the Prince picking her, ultimately so he can annoy his farther, and we are promised great things but I just don't think Maas delivers.

To me Celaena is a weak person who allows her emotions to get the better of her, is that anyway an assassin should act!? She changes her mind to often about her toughs and feelings. And the pretty men don't help, both the Prince and Chaol capture her attention. If I was her I'd be plotting my revenge and looking for ways to escape. She is the most feared person in the whole of the Kingdom yet she is left alone in a room of luxury, she is left with the Prince only shackled, I'd have had those chains around his next quicker than he could have said my name! What happened to the fighting spirit, she killed 24 guards or so just trying to escape the mines!

Ok, that little rant is over now. I really liked the Prince and Chaols characters, Chaols more so and if anything would make me read more it would be him. I liked how we got to see their points of view throughout the story as I felt they were needed.
There were also several secondary characters which were ok, I liked and Nox, he was an interesting one and proved to be an excellent ally for Celaena. And there are of course the characters that you love to hate which I think Maas wrote well enough.

I really enjoyed the training sessions between Celaena and Chaol and seeing Celaena physically get fitter and stronger. It was also really nice to see their relationship grow and that I could read more of. Celaena relationship with the Prince was also interesting to read about and as already mentioned, it was great reading every ones point of view.

So over all I was as impressed as I thought I was going to be with Throne of Glass which is a shame as I had such high hopes. I gave 3 stars to this story because as you can see there were things I like and things I was disappointed with.



Review ~ Jessie Hearts NYC ~Keris Stainton


Title: Jessie Hearts NYC
Author: Keris Stainton
Published by: Orchard Books
Date: July 2012

goodreads says:

Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.

New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.

They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?

Opening line: "I can't believe we're going to New York,"

Closing line: "I feel lucky", Finn said and smiled back.

I bought all three of Stainton's books as I had heard many of my fellow bloggers talk about her and then when I found out Keris would be in Manchester for a signing of her new book I had to get there to meet her and I did :) It was a brilliant night with authors, bloggers and creative people. Now on to the book.

Jessie Hearts NYC is the perfect summer read and I only wish I had been sat by the pool sunbathing when I read it. The story is light hearted but touches on some interesting issues, and it's the kind of book you can pick up and put down as you please.

The story is told from a dual narrative with both Jessie and Finn putting across their points of view. I liked Jessie but I didn't really connect with her that well as a character. I did find myself feeling a little sorry for her at times though. I really liked Flinn and not just because he was the main guy in this story but because there was something so engaging about his character and I feel we've all been in his situation at one time or another.

We are reading two different stories with Jessie and Finn which is one of the things I really like about the book but I could understand other reads may not like this. It has the feeling of several films I am sure you've heard of such as 'Sleepless in Seattle' 'Sliding Doors' and maybe even 'Sernidipity'. If you're a fan of these films then I suggest you read this book.

I must say I love the gold shiny cover of the book, how could you not!? It sure stands out on the book shelf. Another thing I like about the actual book is the font! I only tend to comment on font if I really like it or really hate it and with Jessie Hearts NYC I loved it! I hate when a font is so tiny it strains my eyes and gives me a migraine but the font in this book is fantastic! I wish every other font would take note!

Jessie Hearts NYC is the perfect holiday read with lovable characters, a brilliant setting and a story full of chance and coincidence, just like your holiday might be ;)



Review ~ Until I Die ~ Amy Plum

5 stars


Title: Until I Die
Author: Amy Plum
Series: Revenants
Published by: Atom
Date: May 2012

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realises that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

(I know it's took me a while to get on top of my reviews, sorry about that!)

Opening line: I leapt, drawing my feet up beneath me, as the seven-foot quarterstaff smashed into the flagstones where I had been standing a half second before.

Closing line: Two words spoke clearly inside my head: Mon ange.

I loved Amy's first book in the Revenants series, Die For Me and was rather looking forward to reading Until I Die. I was just as in love with everything and everyone in this second instalment of Amy's exciting trilogy.

With book two comes a whole heap of revenant history which was really interesting to learn about, fantastic character development and of course Plum's signature attention to detail. Yet again I felt I was in Paris living in the world Plum has created rather than sat at home in the UK reading. I know many readers have said this feel very much like a second book but I didn't really feel that, I loved learning new things and the slightly slower pace that came with that. I love Paris and I love Plum's characters so Until I Die was the perfect book for me.

With a new book comes new characters and Arthur and Violette are very exciting characters to read about. I never really trusted them when they came into the world I already knew and that's one of the main reasons I loved them. Violette was a little too sweet and Arthur well annoying to be honest. But oh how my opinions changed throughout the book! I'm not going to say anything else about these two, it will give too much away!

I still very much love Jules!!!!!! I always thought he had more feeling for Kate than just the best friend of the boyfriend flirting and book two confirms this for me. His feels for Kate really are growing but I just wish he could find someone, I'd love for him to get with Georgia, I can just imagine that relationship, sparks would fly!! haha!!

Plum leaves us with a cliff hanger of an ending and I just wish I had book three sat there waiting to start! I even twitted her, as did many of my fellow readers asking, 'why Amy, why!?'

Until I Die is a fantastic second book in Plum's enthralling trilogy. And not only does the story line get better Plum is growing as an author and I look forward to not only book three in the Revenant series but anything else she writes in the future too.

 

Nix Mini Guest Review ~ Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

4 stars from Nix

Title: Ghost Town
Author: Rachel Caine
Series: Morganville
Published by: Allison & Busby
Date: November 2010

Today we have a mini guest review from Nix. Some of you may recognise her name from twitter, she's a very good friend of ours and we are glad she's found time to give her opinion on Rachel Caine's Ghost Town.

goodreads says:

The fragile peace between humans and vampires in Morganville is in trouble, and when Claire takes drastic action, she’s put under serious pressure to re-establish the barriers that keep the town residents inside, and wipe the memories of those who leave.

But working with her half-crazy vampire boss Myrnin means that things don’t always turn out as planned... and as the people of Morganville begin acting strangely, Claire and her friends must solve the mystery and try to put things right. But one by one, her allies are turning on her... even the ones she trusts most.

Nix's Review:

This book kinda rekindled my interest in this series. To be honest the last 2 have been weaker...I loved this one! The machine that wipes the memories of the towns residents as they leave Morganville is malfunctioning and wiping the memories of the residents. Mayhem ensues and we have to see if everyone can remain alive (and friends/lovers!) when people think they are living in a Morganville that existed 3 years ago! Seth is still the high school playboy, Claire isn't even in Morganville and Michael is still alive!

To be honest I really don't like the character of Claire. I like to read about larger than life characters as the main - a feisty female or alpha male etc....she just interesting enough. That aside there was a moment in this book I actually felt a glimmer of sympathy for her! I read these books for other characters (namely Myrnin and Seth!) and they didn't fail to disappoint. I was giving up on these books.....this book makes me want to read the next one!

Thank you your thoughts Nix. We have had mixed feels here at Midnight Reads about the Morganville series and have to agree that it starts to pick up again with Ghost Town. We'd love to hear what you think of the Morganville series so please leave a comment if you have time.



Stacking The Shelves #16

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. Our links will take you to goodreads.

 

Sally

 

I was kind of good this week and I only bought two books.  I've been waiting for both of these for a while now and I'm so pleased they're finally here! The first one I got was The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa.  The Iron Legends is a series of three novellas; Winters Passage, Summer Crossing and Irons Prophecy.  The book has really sweet deckle edging and I can't wait to start reading Irons Prophecy. It'll have to wait though as I'm in the middle of The Lost Prince at the moment and I don't want to be getting my fey all mixed up!  The second book I got this week was Inbetween by Tara Fuller.  I've been hearing good stuff about this book for ages so I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into it!  Inbetween in the first in the Kissed by Death series and with so many series coming to an end over the next few months I'm eager to find stories to take their place.  I have high hopes for this one!

 

 

 

Bungle

(all book images are underneathe this paragraph:)

 

This week I got back to being good and I didn't buy any books but oh my gosh, I ended up with TEN books!!! Ten awesome looking books, not bad for a weeks work ;) I'm going to get right to the books. First thing I received in the post this week was Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck, I love getting this series sent to me, the books are just so beautiful! Next I was sent the brilliant Spill the Ink bag from Harpercollins which included Sister Assassin by Kiersten White, Geek Girl by Holly Smale and Monster and Chips by David O'Connell (as you will see this is not a teen/YA title). Each book came with its own badge, I love the geek one :)

Then I was given three titles from Hot Key Books which were Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh, A World Between Us by Lydia Syson and Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner.

And if that wasn't enough the amazingly brilliant awesome Michelle from Much Loved Books sent me a signed copy of The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney and Falling to Ash by the same author and 666 Park Avenue by Gabriella Pierce and three nnocent Darkness bookmarks. Thank you once again Michelle!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So that was the awesome week that was our book haul! We're off to see what you got now :)

Happy reading everyone.

 

 

Stacking The Shelves #15

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. Our links will take you to goodreads.

 

Bungle

This week I caved and I bought two books!!! I just couldn't help myself though!!!

The first book I got was The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky which I've heard lots about and has been recommended by Laura from Sister Spooky. And the second book I got this week was Defiance by C.J. Redwine, I'm not going to lie, I bought it because it looks soooooooooo pretty, it sounds amazing too!

 

 

 

Sally

 

OK, so this week I didn't buy any books (yay me!), but I did receive a special one in the post.  The fantabulous Bungle sent me a copy of Seeking Crystal by Joss Stirling.  I love this series and I've been waiting for the third one to come out for as long as I can remember! I started reading this morning and I have to say it's looking pretty good!!

 

 

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

 

 

 

Review ~ Girl of Nightmares ~ Kendare Blake

Title: Girl of Nightmares

Author: Kendare Blake

Published: August 12th 2012

By: Tor Teen

First line: I think I killed a girl who looked like this once.

Last line: My way is clear.

Fave line: Every time I question him about the feasibility, he smiles at me like he's Yoda and I'm just a dumbass without the Force.

Anna Dressed in Blood was one of my unexpected pleasures last year. I loved Blake’s style of writing which seemed akin to classic horror for the YA reader. In it she created characters that you either loved or hated with a passion and the conclusion to the tale was wrapped up deliciously so I was surprised (and at the same time delighted!) to find out that there was going to be a sequel even though I couldn’t imagine where she could take the story given the ending of the first in the series. The cover for the sequel is just as beautiful as the latter, in fact it was the cover that caused me to pick it up in the first place and I’m so glad I did.

Girl of Nightmares takes us forward six months. Carmel and Thomas are now part of a newly-created team who work to send spirits on their way whilst at the same time acting as a support network for Cas. Cas on the other hand is trapped in the past. Unable to get over the loss of Anna he struggles to begin new relationships and to add further woe he is seeing Anna everywhere. Anna however, is not the Anna he expected to see. Rather than being free we find her suffering in hell and begging to be released. As if Cas would need to be asked a second time.

The sequel is far more action than horror packed as Cas and his friends attempt to find a solution to Anna’s suffering. During the course of the journey he confronts his own past as well as that of his family’s the story culminating in a scene which was beautifully written from the perspective of all the major players, particularly Thomas I felt who really came into his own during Girl of Nightmares and although I wouldn’t have thought it possible it made me like him even more. I loved that Cas stuck the principles his family chose to live by even when the pressure against him seems insurmountable. His stubbornness just made you root for him more. 

There are a range of new characters in this story. I had a love/hate relationship with Jestine. I loved her for enthusiasm and for the strength of her character whilst hating the reason for her being there, that is to replace Cas when he fails in his mission and becomes another victim of ‘the underworld’. I was also riled by Carmel more than once and at times felt like screaming at her, but thinking back now I guess that any character that invokes a reaction has essentially done their job. I also liked the suicide forest and the Order of the Black Dagger who bought a deliciously threatening air to the quest that Cas is on. Finally however, I LOVED the ending! It wasn’t until I reached the end that I realised that this was a series of two and if I’m honest I like that everything was wrapped up so neatly in a shorter series. Did I get the ending I wanted? I guess that would have to be a No! Yes! No! Yes! Kind of response. Did it leave me feeling warm and fuzzy? That would be a resounding yes! 

If you haven’t read the Anna series I would seriously recommend that you do. Kendare Blake writes beautifully and creates the darkest most intricate worlds and plots and if you’ve read Anna and enjoyed it, I think you’ll love Girl of Nightmares just as much.

4/5 What a beautiful ending to a stunning story. I’ll miss Cas and Anna but I can’t wait to see what Blake comes up with next!

Stacking the Shelves #14

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. All the links added here will take you to Goodreads.

I'm back baby!  I had a fantastic time in Vegas, unfortunately there was a book fatality while I was there.  My much desired Foretold by Jana Oliver fell victim to the 43 degree heat. The glue that bound the book together melted and as a result the entire book landed on my chest unceremoniously while I was lying by the pool. Then my lighter exploded. Still on the plus side I get to buy a brand new shiny copy of Foretold which was a brilliant book by the way. I do love me some Beck!

So this week Bungle has been exceptionally good and hasn't bought any books!  I on the other hand have not been so good.  Over the past couple of weeks I've acquired five books in total.  The first two I bought were Girl of Nightmares (Anna Dressed in Blood #2) and Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. Both are fantastic reads and I'm hoping to get a review up on Girl of Nightmares in the next couple of days. 

I also bought A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, Night School by CJ Daugherty and Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  I've heard good things about all three of these reads so I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into them.

That's it from me this week. So tell us, how are you keeping? Bought anything good? We'd love to hear!