TBR Intervention #8

I know, I'm a little late, but it's been a busy weekend! We had to visit my little sister, since her mother-in-law is going to do our construction drawings! Extremely exiting times!

Hosted by Books4Juliet, Whatever You Can Still Betray & Refracted Light!


TBR Intervention

1. Post the book(s) you committed to read in your last TBR Intervention post and tell us something about it.

Did you finish it? Did you enjoy it or not? Post the link to your review (if you have one).

2. Post a book that you want to read and already own. Pick something that has been sitting on your shelf for too long now (6 months or longer).

Commit to read the book in the next couple of days or week (or two weeks).

1. THE BOOKS I COMMITTED TO READ:



I read Saving June and The Forsaken, just haven't write the reviews yet (like always..). But Ties to the Blood Moon not so much. I'm just having some trouble with it, because I just end up comparing it to Twilight, because it's basically the same, someone just changed the names :P Instead, I read The Night Circus!





2. THE BOOK I COMMIT TO READ THIS WEEK:



My picks for this week are Rape Girl, Metamorphosis and Masks of the Lost Kings!

Next week I'm gonna start in a new job (again) as a trainee (again..), so let's see what happens.


What book did you chose for your TBR Intervention?

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft
by Jody Gehrman

Published: June 30th 2012
(first published June 29th 2012)
Publisher: Magic Genie Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 300
Series: Audrey's Guides #1
Source: From the author for
review
Amazon |
Amazon UK

Falling in Love, baking a magical cake, fighting an evil necromancer — it’s all in a day’s work for Audrey Oliver, seventeen-year-old witch-in-training.

When her mother goes missing and her twenty-one-year-old witchy cousin shows up out of the blue, Audrey knows something’s gone horribly, dangerously wrong.

Now it’s up to her to get her own magical powers up to speed before everyone she loves is destroyed by the sorcerer intricately connected to her mother’s secret past.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
You know those days when you just know there's something wrong, but don't know how you know it? Well, Audrey's having that kind of day. Plus, she's seeing things. And accidentally doing some magical things she can't understand.
Unfortunately her gut feeling is right, and there's definitely something going on with her mother, who just disappeared. Their cousin Sadie says she's just taking care of some family business, but something doesn't seem right. Not even with Sadie, who seems to have some special powers of her own.
Like this isn't enough, Audrey also falls in love for the first time and also discovers that she is, in fact, a freaking witch! Who says it's easy being teenager?

First of all, the cover. I do love it, but it still scares me a little bit! I don't know what it is, but something just freaks me out in this. Maybe it has something to do with the girls posture, because sometimes it looks like I'm seeing her back and her head is in odd position and I start thinking about The Exorcist and spinning heads and just wanna hide under the bed. Maybe I do have too wild imagination..

Plot was really enjoyable, and not too predictable, which is always a pleasant surprise! There's also the instalove, but in this case it didn't annoy me, yay! There's so many books with instalove nowadays I sometimes get pretty fed up, but it's all about the execution and this time it really did work. There's also some explanation for this kind of phenomenon so it didn't bug me.

Almost the first thing in the book was Audrey putting some spells on a cheerleader. Who wouldn't love that?? Just priceless! And Audrey trying out her new powers lead to some comical situations, which really made me fall in love with this book.
There's also some scary stuff going on, but luckily those parts weren't too scary, because then I wouldn't have been able to finish the book. And we also get the explanation for Audrey's power and that's bit of a shock, but I'm not gonna spoil it! ;)
Oh, and I absolutely loved the delicious little detail with the recipes, definitely have to try them out!

There's also good variaty in characters and the author managed to give each of them their own voice. I loved Audrey, who is quite self-conscious and insecure, but I also liked Sadie, who also is one of the author's favorite characters (referring to the interview we had earlier)! And I also have to agree that Megan is quite bratty, but you still have to like her. Little sisters usually are pretty bratty and annoying, believe me, I know! ;)

Overall, this was really enjoyable read with humour and magical situations, and I can't wait to read the second book!


Huge thanks to Jody for providing a review copy, this definitely ended up to one of my favorites!

Dust Blog Tour: Cover Interview

Today I'm having a cover interview with Devon Ashley, the author of Dust, which will be released today, and for that is on sale! So make sure to get yourself a copy!

First I'd like to know who makes the beautiful covers, such as the cover of "Dust"? How are they made?

Right now I'm still doing my own by manipulating stock photo.

As you can see, the original photo had really muted colors. I altered the colors on a few objects and adjusted her skin tone to match that of her particular Hollow, then added a few effects to really make the photo pop and glow.

Also, the pic was awkwardly short for a book cover, so instead of trying to elongate her body, I decided to add some water and make it look like she's standing in her Hollow's river.

But the real reason I loved this photo for Dust, besides her being a total nature girl, was how her hands were set up perfectly to throw some pixie dust and make the butterfly a crazy shade of blue! :)

Voila! It's my favorite cover so far!

Here you can see the modifications, click to get a better look!

Where did you get the idea for "Dust" cover?

I was really looking to keep with the title and find something that I could work pixie dust around. I just got really lucky finding this.
The photographer is one of my favorites and he also created the original stock photo for my Falling In Between and Falling Away novels.



Are you a cover snob?

Absolutely! Sorry, but I spend so much time writing, reading, and working on publicity, that I have very little time to really search for new books. For me, the cover means everything.
If you haven't grabbed my attention with it, I'm probably not gonna read the synopsis, and if I haven't done that, I'm not gonna shelve it to-read.

I honestly wish some people would spend the time and put a little more effort into their covers cause so many leave me thinking "yikes!" Especially if they're gonna use the stock photo as is. I realize some people don't have a clue what to do to change it, but neither did I or any of my other writer friends until we actually tried to.
If you can't manipulate it, at least find something relevant to your story. I've read so many descriptions and realized the plot had nothing to do with the cover, which can also turn me off because I feel a little deceived.
It may be pretty, but if it clearly doesn't match, I'm turned off.



Favorite cover of all times (can be from one of your owns)?

Well, as much as I love Dust, I can admit I'm not graphic designer, so there are so many out there that are better. Undead by Kirsty McKay (*click*) cracks me up, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (*click*) is totally creepy with that little girl levitating on the cover, Paranormalcy (*click*) is pretty gorgeous and Sisters Red (*clickclik*) is creepy cool too!



Any specific theme you prefer in cover (people, animal, landscapes, anything really)?

People in action. Like the Rift girl getting ready to use her weapon (*click*).



If you should choose one cover to tattoo in yourself, what would that be?

The Catastrophic History of You and Me (*anotherclick*) would be pretty fun to jump into!



Don't forget to enter to win some of the great prizes in Dustapalooza (yeah, I totally just wrote that :p) and pick DUST up September 18th when I have it on sale for the release day only!

You can find all the blog tour stops here! And Devon is hosting some awesome giveaways, you can enter by filling out the form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TBR Intervention #7

It's been.. WTH, over a month since I last post in TBR Intervention!? Where the hell does the time go??

Hosted by Books4Juliet, Whatever You Can Still Betray & Refracted Light!


TBR Intervention

1. Post the book(s) you committed to read in your last TBR Intervention post and tell us something about it.

Did you finish it? Did you enjoy it or not? Post the link to your review (if you have one).

2. Post a book that you want to read and already own. Pick something that has been sitting on your shelf for too long now (6 months or longer).

Commit to read the book in the next couple of days or week (or two weeks).

1. THE BOOKS I COMMITTED TO READ:



I actually even finished both of these books, so how is it possible I forgot to post about it?? Okay, well anyhow. I finished both and they were both pretty awesome!
You can find If I Lie review here, and Between the Lines review here!
I also finished Lies Beneath (FINALLY), it definitely took away my will to read.





2. THE BOOK I COMMIT TO READ THIS WEEK:



My picks for this week are Ties to the Blood Moon, Saving June and The Forsaken!

Let's see how it goes, next week is pretty.. awful and awesome. Tomorrow I have a job interview. We're also buying 2 hectares (about 4 acres) of land, so that keeps me busy! Aaaaand, of course, our car broke down, so there's a lots for me to do next week. But thumbs up, hopefully I'll finish these all!


What book did you chose for your TBR Intervention?

Dust Blog Tour: Dust by Devon Ashley

Dust by Devon Ashley

Published: September 18th 2012
Format: Ebook
Pages: 150
Series: Of Dust and Darkness #1
Source: Received from author for review

4. The number of times my delicate wings have been broken and clamped behind my back.

68. The number inked upon my skin, marking me the sixty-eighth pixie to be stolen.

87. The number of days I’ve been wrongfully imprisoned.

88. The first day the faeries will regret stealing me.

Healthy. Cheery. Vivacious. All traits Rosalie has before becoming enslaved by the faeries to make an endless supply of pixie dust. Now that Rosalie has been traumatized by slave labor, extreme desolate conditions and multiple deaths, this hardened pixie is anything but.
When this rebellious teenager attempts an escape, she’s isolated in cramped quarters until she learns her place. Just as she begins to let go of all that hope, she finds an unlikely friend in Jack, the faerie assigned to guard her. Interspecies dating is forbidden in the fae world, so their growing attraction is unacceptable.

And even if Jack can find a way to free her, they know the prison is the only place they can truly be together.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Pixies and pixie dust. First thing you think is Tinkerbell, right? And the story starts pretty much the bubbly and happy pixie way, but soon turn into something completely different.
I did expect something pretty dark based on the synopsis, but I was still pretty surprised. Because.. Who would ever think about torturing Tinkerbell?! Well, Devon did, and I wasn't disappointed! In a good way ;)
Rosalie lives her life somewhat happily, until someone takes her. She ends up enslaved by the faeries and her only purpose is to make pixie dust for them.
But since she got some serious attitude, she ends up spending a lot of time in a prison. Where she meets Jack, surprisingly kind faerie. They bond and even though they know they can't be together, they can't really help how they feel.

I'm pretty sure this was my first pixie read and this wasn't what I expected! As I mentioned, this was pretty dark read. But thanks to Devon, you don't end up depressed but hopeful and happy, even under the circumstances. Characters and emotions were believable, and Devon did absolutely brilliant job at those!

My absolutely favorite part was the romance. When Rosalie ends up in prison, you just start hoping she'll get her prince in shining armor, and there he is! Not only were they sweet and adorable, but also funny, since there's some really humorous parts in the story.
And the first thought after finishing this was.. O-M-G, this rocks, I want more! Now I've had some time to digest the story, and I actually start loving it even more. It's unique, funny and vivid and you can't help but fall in love with the characters. And don't be scared, there's so much more than just torturing Tinkerbel! ;)


Huge thanks to author for providing a review copy!

You can find all the blog tour stops here! And Devon is hosting some awesome giveaways, you can enter by filling out the form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Lies Beneath
by Anne Greenwood Brown

Published: June 12th 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: Ebook
Pages: 288
Series: Lies Beneath #1
Source: Through NetGalley for review
Amazon |
Book Depository

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids.
To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge.
They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.

It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love--just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.

One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
I really don't know what to say about this. This wasn't bad. But there really isn't anything remarkable about this either. I had high expactations, since this was the first mermaid story with evil mermaids. I wanted to hate and love these creatures, but instead I ended up just blah. Blah = I didn't hate or love anything. I actually can't even remember most of the story! And I had some hard times reading this, since I ended up bored so many times.
It wasn't badly written, but there was just something missing. I didn't feel the rush and didn't have the urge to finish the book right away. That ended up being a total reading-blah, meaning I didn't get to read anything since I decided I should finish this first.

No surprise, I don't have much to say about the characters. I did like Calder, mostly because there was something humane in him. Though the stalking creeped even me out! Usually I don't mind a little stalking, but this was totally over the top. It was creepy.
Other characters.. I have hard time even remembering them.

The plot was very predictable, and that's probably the main reason why I ended up being bored. And usually I'm a fan of clichés! I don't get it either.
So this wasn't the best read of all times. It was occasionally entertaining, but I doubt I'll be reading the second book. Though I did hear it's from Lily's POV, so maybe I'll give it a shot after all. That might just add more personality to the story and make it more interesting.


Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Books for Young Readers for providing a review copy!

Author Interview & Giveaways: Jody Gehrman + Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft

I'm so happy to have an amazing guest here today! Let's welcome author Jody Gehrman!

Hi Jody, welcome to Mind Reading? today! Please introduce yourself!

I'm very happy to be here, Satu, thanks so much for inviting me. Let's see, what can I tell you about myself?

I guess I should mention that Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is my seventh novel. I write a lot of plays as well, which keeps me busy. I also teach English at a small college here in Northern California. I like yoga, swimming, hummingbirds and chocolate.



What's "Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft" about?

It’s about a 17-year-old witch-in-training who must hone her newfound magical powers in order to save her mother from an evil necromancer. Oh, and it has magical chocolate cake plus cute boys!



Tell us a bit more about the hero/heroine?

Here's how I feel about Audrey, though I'm sure every reader has his or her own take on her: she's fierce, a little snarky, somewhat insecure. During the course of the book she learns she's an alchematrix, a very powerful and rare sort of witch who can use the forces around her, mix them inside her body, and focus them into a laser-like weapon. She has other magical skills as well, but that's kind of her superpower.



I'm sure you love all your characters, but who's your favorite from "Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft"?

I'm pretty sure Sadie was my favorite (but don't tell Audrey!) I love her fashion sense, her innate stylishness, and her bewilderment in the "mundane" world. I also really love Megan, even though she's kind of bratty. Megan's a charismatic rock star, which I'd seriously love to be.
Audrey gave me some trouble, maybe because she started as a totally different sort of person in the earliest drafts, but once I found her voice, I was off and running. It took me many years to find the right protagonist to tell this story though.



What gave you the idea for the book?

I wanted to explore what I knew about real witches but also create a world where their power could be even more breathtaking and effective. I'm fascinated with witchcraft. It's fair to say I'm a pagan at heart--always have been, since I was a child. There's a thrilling power running through the natural world, and the idea of tapping that is just so intriguing. Even just living in tune with the seasons and the cycles is a kind of magic, I think. As a teen living in Northern California, I was surrounded by new age types, some of whom practiced witchcraft. I even dabbled in spells and ceremonies some myself--just basic stuff--so it wasn't that foreign to me.



When is your favorite time to write?

Morning, before my brain gets too cluttered.



If you'd have to become any kind of creature from paranormal genre, which would that be?

A fairy or a mermaid--I can't decide!



Ever visited, or even heard about, Finland? (Something I have to ask from everyone :))

I've never been to Finland, though I have spent time in Scandinavia a couple of times. Last summer my husband and I did a home exchange with four twenty-somethings from Copenhagen. They came and stayed at our house in California and we explored Denmark for almost a month, staying in their adorable apartment. It was fabulous! We did venture to Sweden for the day, but we never made it to Finland, though not from lack of interest. I loved Denmark; everything is so smart and efficient and beautifully designed there. Christiania is a wild, fascinating wonderland!



What's the best book(s) you've ever read? Which authors do you admire?

I can never seem to answer this question simply! So many writers have seduced my imagination at different times in my life. Some of my favorites in the realm of “classics” include Nabokov, both of the Brontes (but especially Charlotte) and Jane Austen. I love funny British writers like Helen Fielding, Nick Hornby and Sophie Kinsella. I read a lot of YA these days and some of my favorite writers are Beth Fantaskey, Nina LaCour, Maggie Stiefvater, Katie Crouch and Stacey Jay. Right now I'm listening to the audio version of a book called Dare Me by Megan Abbott and it's blowing me away.



Free word, anything you would like to say to my readers?

Just that Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is free every Dark of the Moon, because I really want to get the word out about this book; using the moon cycles to promote it seemed witchy and fun. Readers can find the details on my website. Also, I hope to visit Finland someday. It looks amazing.

Some links
Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft in Amazon
Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft in Goodreads
Jody's homepage
Jody's blog

Thanks again, Jody, for stopping by, it was great to have you here! :)
And now there's time for some awesome giveaways! Jody will be giving away four copies of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft!


Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by
Jody Gehrman

Published June 30th 2012
(first published June 29th 2012)
Publisher: Magic Genie Books
Series: Audrey's Guides #1

Amazon |

Falling in Love, baking a magical cake, fighting an evil necromancer —
it’s all in a day’s work for Audrey Oliver, seventeen-year-old witch-in-training.

When her mother goes missing and her twenty-one-year-old witchy cousin shows up out of the blue, Audrey knows something’s gone horribly, dangerously wrong. Now it’s up to her to get her own magical powers up to speed before everyone she loves is destroyed by the sorcerer intricately connected to her mother’s secret past.

RULES
There's two giveaways!

First giveaway is open internationally:
There will be three winners, each winner gets an ebook of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft.

Second giveaway is open US/CA:
There will be one winner, who will get signed print copy of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft.

Entries are verified.

Both giveaways end September 26th 2012 12:01 AM You can enter both giveaways by filling out the forms below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crashing Eden Blog Tour Winners!

We have winners!



Winners were chosen with Random.org, and with winning numbers 32, 17 and 28 the winners are..


Mary Ann W.,
Imogen F. and
Sadrina C.!


I will email you all soon, congratulations! :)

Thanks to all the participants!

Moonlight Mayhem Blog Tour Giveaway Winner!

We have a winner!



Winner was chosen with Random.org, and with winning number 2 the winner is..


Cherie S.!

I will email you soon, congratulations! :)

Thanks to all the participants!

Florence by Ciye Cho

Florence
by Ciye Cho

Published: July 1st 2012
Publisher: Studio Amazepop
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Source: Received from author
for review purposes
Amazon |

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally.

Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters.
But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met.

But in order to take a stand - and find out where she belongs - Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Florence is invisible. Well, not really, but she feels like it and tries to stay unnoticed. Even when she's been in her school for ages nobody knows or even recognizes her.
So when she's kidnapped to Niemela, the mer world, she's not really devastated. For the first time ever she can be seen. And for the first time someone gets interested in her. Actually, there's two someones; brothers Kiren and Rolan.
But can she really trust neither of them? Or will she just end up losing her soul?

The book starts with Florence heading to class trip and telling her backstory. And it was a really strong start! You are sucked to the story right away and like always, I loved the whole "loner-of-the-school"- thing going on.
Soon after Florence is sucked to the Niemela and I struckled little with my reading. Mostly because I like to get along with the plot quickly and I'm fine with little knowledge about the surroundings. That leaves more room for my own imagination. But now I felt like the description of surroundings went on and on, so I started to skim. Otherwise I might have gotten overwhelmed with the information and stop reading altogether.

After this the plot picked up pretty slowly, but not too slowly. We get to meet bunch of mermaids, including the king and his sons, Kiren and Rolan. They're quite the opposites: Kiren is fun and outgoing, Rolan pretty closed up and even hostile towards Florence. Kiren is the younger brother, but soon to be king, since Rolan doesn't want the crown.
And everyone's convinced Kiren is the right choice, even Florence. Until his connection with the monsters become public. And when Florence learns about Kiren's darker side, she turns to his brother, Rolan. Who also isn't what he seemed to be.
No surprise, I really enjoyed the romance part of the book, since I'm a sucker for the love triangles and the deception etc., but you know that already ;)

Overall, I really liked the story and can't wait to read more! Especially when there's so many questions left open: What happens to Kiren? How did Florence understand Niemela's language? I'm pretty sure there's some secret regarding her parents, but what is it?
See, so many questions left open, it drives me crazy! But I'll try to hold to my sanity and see if there's going to be a second book that hopefully answers to all these questions!


Huge thanks to author for providing the review copy!