On My Wishlist #2

Meme hosted by Book Chick City!

The Awakening and The Struggle (The Vampire Diaries #1-2)

The Awakening and The Struggle (The Vampire Diaries #1-2) by L.J. Smith
From Goodreads:

The Awakening: Elena Gilbert is used to getting what she wants and she wants mysterious new boy, Stefan. But Stefan is hiding a deadly secret - a secret that will change Elena's life for ever ...
The Struggle: Elena is torn between her boyfriend, Stefan, and his brother, Damon. But these brothers hide dark secrets and a tragic past that threatens them all. Damon wants to lead Elena astray - and he'd rather kill Stefan than let him possess her ...

Blood Magic (The Blood Journals #1)

Blood Magic (The Blood Journals #1) by Tessa Gratton
From Goodreads:

It starts off simply.

Draw a circle ... place a dead leaf in the center ... sprinkle some salt ... recite a little Latin ... add a drop of blood ...

Maybe that last part isn't exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents' horrific deaths. She's willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.

The book isn't the only recent arrival in Silla's life. There's Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She's not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick's first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can't deny their attraction. And they can't ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power.

Tessa Gratton's intoxicating first novel will keep pulses racing, minds reeling, and pages turning right up to the very last drop of blood.




Don't forget to check out my first giveaway!

Book Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Released : August 16th 2007
Publisher: Razorbill
Format : Paperback
Pages: 332
Series: Vampire Academy #1
Source : Bought from Amazon
Buy : Amazon UK / Book Depository

synopsis

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .
Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

thoughts

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
What can you say.. Gossip girl goes vampire!

Well, the beginning was quite intriguing with the whole girl-on-girl- action going on *smirk* Though after that everything was going so fast, that at first I was kind of out of it.

Rose. I actually liked her. Despite all the bad things about her, like being extremely confident about her looks and always wanting to start a fight. Usually I have a serious trouble with main characters, who think or know that they're really good looking and goes on and on about it, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought, I just started to think that man, she's hot! And I like my female characters kick-ass <3 She's a rebel! The biggest problem I had with her, was that despite her being a rebel, she's obeying the stupid rules and wants to live conventional life. Even when she, and Lissa of course, ran from the academy, she does what she's been taught, aka is a guardian. Yeah, sure, you're raised up to be a guardian, but.. Yeah. I have a huge problem with obediance and conventional ways.

And Lissa. I didn't like her nearly as much as Rose. In the beginning she's kind of whiny and annoying. Luckily, there's actually some character development, and she becomes quit the b*tch. Sort of. Reckless too, which I wasn't so fond of. Christian was obviously good influence, he's awesome.

I love the idea of Rose and Dimitri together, surprize, surprize. But it was sad, that only when they were under compulsion spell, they.. how should I put it.. "got romantic". Hopefully I will see more of them in the next book!

Overall, this was a good read. Dialogues were sometimes kind of wooden, this could have been a total ten if that area were better. As I earlier mentioned, I have huge problem with the conventional thinking and obedience, so that occasionally put me off a little. I don't like the class system, royals or authorities. And I was just horrified, when was revealed, that two guardians can't be together ever. Yeah, I'm a hippie, who thinks that people should be able to love who ever they want (if they're both adults in right mind etc.) and so on. But fortunately I didn't get too creaped out about that and finished the book, since the ending was quite exciting! Definitely will be reading the 2nd book.



Rating:

+ ½




Don't forget to check out my first giveaway!

My first giveaway ever!

So here's the giveaway I promised in my earlier post! This is my first giveaway ever, so if I screw something up, please forgive me :)

The book is Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) by Rachel Hawkins, it's a paperback version and I've read this once. So there might be some little signs of my reading, but nothing major! And like I mentioned earlier, I'm giving this away because I loved it so much that I had to buy this as a hardcover. You can see the picture of the cover here, unfortunately I forgot to load up the batteries for my camera, so don't have better photos :(

Rules
* Giveaway is EU only
* You have to be a GFC Follower
* The giveaway ends 29th October 2011
* The winner has 72 hours to answer to my email,
after that there'll be a new winner chosen
* Just fill the form below!


GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Released : April 1st 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Format : Paperback
Pages: 336
Series: Hex Hall #1
Source : Bought from Amazon
Buy : Amazon UK / Book Depository

synopsis

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

thoughts

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
I sooooooo fell in love with this one! It has creepiness, action, romance and it's just freaking hilarious! I bought this based on reviews, and was not disappointed. My copy was paperback, so now I ordered a hardcover-version of this one. Which means, soon I'll have one extra copy of this, which means.. my first giveaway ever!

This really was a brilliant read, which I'm always happy to find. When I was halfway through the book, I actually started to check if I was near the ending, 'cause I didn't want it to end, ever!

Of course, there's two guys mentioned, but luckily, it wasn't taken over the top, like in so many books. These guys actually have character and they're not all head over heels for the main character. They're not in war with each other and they're not like stupid drooling puppies! And yet again, there's the "good guy - bad guy"- thingy going on, but it didn't bother me. Except, of course I loved the bad guy.. What else could you expect?







It definitely had some new ideas with the whole Hex Hall- thing and I liked how even the origin of the witches etc. is explained. And I liked the mystery, too, 'cause it wasn't too obvious. Though the whole dead-grandmother-back-to-life- idea was creepy. Totally creepy. I had some trouble trying to read this in a dark room, all alone.

If I have to find some negatives about this book, I guess I wasn't really excited about the whole cheerleader-witches-idea, but fortunately I was proven wrong and they were taken so over the top, it was hilarious. And of course there's the same old "one girl/two guys/add-some-paranormal-thingies", but luckily it had some unique twists in it, so it wasn't too obvious and boring. And I was quite sure that we would see another whiny little girl as a main character, but she was actually really cute, occasionally whiny, but not too whiny!

So I truly recommend this to anyone, who's looking for a great and funny read!



Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Yet another meme.. Forgive me! Found this through My Cute Bookshelf



Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My pick this week is:

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
Release date March 13th 2012


Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Why: Because I loved parts one and two! And can't wait for this one, especially because of the cliffhanger in the seccond books end. Can't wait. Just can't!

WWW Wednesday #2

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Should be Reading, found it through My Cute Bookshelf.
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?


My answers:



What are you currently reading?
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Only two more pages to read!











What did you recently finish reading?
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Loved this one! Need to buy the whole serie.











What do you think you'll read next?
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
I have to read this next! I suspect this will be a good read, so I've been saving it for a while now.

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Every Tuesday The Broke and the Bookish hosts Top Ten Tuesday, a meme in which a new and different top ten list appears.




Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time


1. Harry Potter serie by J. K. Rowling
I remember the day I borrowed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone from our library. I just fell in love. Now I've read all the books for few times.

2. Twilight serie by Stephenie Meyer
I heard all this talk about some stupid-glittering-vampire-books, and had to check it out. I bought first book, read it in a day, went to bookstore next day and bought the rest of the serie. And read it few times in a row. HOOKED.

3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
I was probably eight years old, when my teacher read this book to our class. It was just so amazing. It took years to remember this books name again, but after that I read every book possible from Roald Dahl.

4. The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
I was six or seven when my aunt read this to us one summer. Every night she would read chapter and I couldn't wait. I've read this few times since, but of course the first time was the best. It was amazing. But I need to find a copy for myself too, maybe I'll read this to my daughter one day. And maybe she'll love it just as much.

5. Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott
I read this first time when I was ten or so. Now I've read it probably ten times, or more, I think the last time was about year ago.

6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Classic.

7. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
First english book I read! And haven't stopped since. Had to buy the whole serie after this first book.

8. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Just read this, bought the second book before I even finished the first one. And the whole time I read this, I kept checking if the end was near. 'Cause I didn't want it to stop! Unfortunately, it did. And so did the second book. *sigh*

9. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Read this when I was around 12, and yet again, has read it only million times after that. Actually just borrowed it from the library, again.

10. Nancy (And I Don't Want to Live This Life: A Mother's Story of Her Daughter's Murder) by Deborah Spungen
Read this about 10 times, should read again. And again. What can you do!

Cover Crazy #6

Yet another Cover Crazy, Hosted by The Book Worms.



Death of a Black Rose by Tish Thawer




A black Rose dies...

Now it's time to run...

The one I love lost... oh God, what have I done?

Book 3 in The Rose Trilogy. A YA paranormal romance that concludes with a heroine who's now the one to fear, a vampire who vows to save the soul of the one he loves, and a vampire clan whose new Sire is already facing extinction.

~ ROSE ~
I'm Rose Reynolds.
I’m now a vampire and everyone's afraid of me.
My blonde hair has drifted to black,
indicating just how "bad" I've become.
Christian swears he can save me....
... but what if I don't want to be saved?

~ CHRISTIAN ~
I'm Christian and I’m still in love with Rose.
She’s now a vampire, which is not a good thing.
She turned out darker than I could've ever imagined.
I know I can save her. I have to....
.... because my very existence depends on it.



Quite intriguing!


I love this cover because :
* The shades of black and red
* Silvery hair, I want!
* Girl's position


Dislike?
* Girls face is little crooked
* Reminds me of Jenny Humphrey

The Time Will Come #6

The Time Will Come is a meme hosted by Books for Company!






The Rules
* Pick a book from your bookshelf that you've had for a while and really can't wait to read, but haven't managed to get to yet.
* Put the details on your blog and head back over to Jodie's blog to fill in the Mr Linky.
* Go and visit some other bloggers who are joining in.


Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl







Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.



I didn't even read the synopsis from this, I just fell in love with covers that I had to have this one. Part 2 is also waiting in my book shelf, borrowed it from library, so I probably should start reading this one.

In My Mailbox #3

Here's some books I borrowed and bought! IMM (In My Mailbox) is a meme hosted by The Story Siren!



from library



Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern (finnish version)
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures #2) by Kami Garcia
Hold Still by Nina LaCour


I actually forgot 2 books from this picture:
Magyk (Septimus Heap #1) by Angie Sage, Mark Zug
Flyte (Septimus Heap #2) by Angie Sage, Mark Zug



borrowed from my little brother



I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1) by Pittacus Lore



bought



Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins (bought from Book Depository a while ago, allready read this..)
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (finnish version, bought from flea market)