Cover Crazy #17

Meme hosted by The Book Worms.

Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers #1) by Michelle Rowen

I don’t do dangerous.

Smart, uber-careful, ordinary Samantha – that’s me. But I just couldn’t pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush.
A kiss that did something to me – something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It’s like part of me is missing – and I don’t know if I can get it back.

Then there’s Bishop.

At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he’s keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes.
If he’s what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.

I LIKE
* The wings are just amazing, who wouldn't love them!

I DON'T LIKE
* The Elvis- hair. Not a fan.

TGIF at GReads! #2: Book Appeal

This Friday's Question:

Book Appeal: When you're browsing goodreads, the library, or another blogger's reviews, what grabs your attention to make you want to read it?

I've said this only millions of times: I'm a shallow person and like to judge a book by it's cover. And I've mentioned this million times, because I've been proven wrong only million times..!

So it's a good thing that besides the cover, I usually check out the synopsis too. That's how I've found many good books with not-so-great covers.

When it comes to Goodreads, overall rating counts the highest. If the overall rating is around or over 4, I know I have to check the book out!
I also like to read good and bad reviews about the book. Because even if it's a bad review, it gives information. Maybe someone didn't like the book because it's a twisted story about parrots. But I might be a huge parrot lover and want to read that book right away!
Though I don't have twisted relationship with parrots, I think they're just birds. Sorry, parrots.

Veronica Blade: A Bite's Tale Giveaway has winners!

I'm happy to tell you, that A Bite's Tale giveaway has some winners!

Winners were decided with Random.org, and the lucky number for Outside of US category was 21, and the winner is..


Lynn Patricia!

I'll forward your contact information to Veronica, so you can have your ebook copy of A Bite's Tale! :)



And then the second winner, who will win paperback copy of A Bite's Tale!
Again, Random.org was used, and the lucky number is 5, meaning the winner is..


Brenda Knight!

I'll forward your contact information to Veronica, too! :)

Congratulations!

The Dig by Audrey Hart

The Dig by Audrey Hart

Published: November 11th 2011 (first published November 7th 2011)
Publisher: Backlit Fiction
Format : Ebook
Pages: 208
Series: Zoe and Zeus trilogy #1
Source : From author for review
Buy : Amazon

Zoe Calder has always been an outsider. Stashed away in boarding schools since her parents died, Zoe buries herself in the study of ancient worlds. Her greatest thrill is spending her summers with her archeologist aunt and uncle on digs around the world. And one day, while investigating a newly unearthed temple in Crete, Zoe discovers a luminous artifact that transports her to ancient Greece.

As Zoe quickly learns, the Olympian Gods are real, living people—humans with mysterious powers… Powers that Zoe quickly realizes she has come to possess, as well. However, when the people of ancient Greece mistake Zoe for an Olympian, the Gods must restore the balance of the ancient world… No matter what.

Zoe is forced to play a confusing and dangerous game as Hera rallies the gods against her—all except for Zeus, the beautiful, winged young god who risks everything to save her.

Out of time and out of her element, teenager Zoe Calder finds herself in ancient Greece, battling against the power of the Olympians and the vengeance of a scorned goddess—all for the strange and mysterious boy she has come to love.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
As said, Zoe has always been an outsider, who is fascinated by digs. So she ends up on a dig in Greece and that's when things start to happen!

I had my "Greek mythology" phase at some point, meaning I read all the Percy Jacksons I could find, watched Percy Jackson movie like ten times in a row and Clash of the Titans, too. So I was little scared that this would be like Percy Jackson.
You can't imagine how happy I was when I noticed I've been wrong! Yes, it's about Greek mythology, but with an original twist.

Zoe makes a great heroine, that I have to say. You probably remember how many times I've been whining about whiny heroines? Well, that I didn't really have to worry about in this book.
Yes, there's some overly sweet moments for Zoe, but even when there's a man by her side, she won't let him do all the job! Refreshing. I heart.

I loved the original approach with the gods and goddesses! They are like a high school clique, except this high school clique has been on for like 500 years.. Clique from hell.
So when Zoe comes up, they aren't really happy about that. Especially since they are all about couples, and Hera and Zeus have been an on-off couple only forever.. Yaicks. That can't be good, and I can promise you, IT'S NOT.
I just wasn't too happy about how Zeus handled things with these two girls. Yeah, you don't want to piss off your ex, who is, you know, a goddess, but c'mon. Just break things up with your ex/whatever, then start new things! Less messy.

Even when I was on the last page, I couldn't stop reading. I was reading acknowledgements and didn't even realize that. I started screaming at that point. It's unfair to put that kind of cliffhanger to the end of the book!!! So unfair. I nearly cried. What happens next?! I have to know. But I just have to wait like everyone else. And try to stay sane.

My thanks to Audrey! :) I can't wait to hear more about Zoe!

Audrey Hart, author. Came up with the idea for The Dig while visiting the Minoan ruins in Crete.

The Dig: Zoe and Zeus is the first book in a trilogy.



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The Time Will Come #18

The Time Will Come is a meme hosted by Books for Company!
I'm breaking the rules this time, since a little while ago I bought three books I can't wait to read!

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.

Need (Need #1) by Carrie Jones


Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear.

Captivate (Need #2) by Carrie Jones


Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

Entice (Need #3) by Carrie Jones


Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that's not quite how things have worked out.

For starters, well, Nick is dead. Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla?

And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't just turned...she's Astley's queen.

Like I needed three more books to read?! Well, guess I did. Especially since I found these as used copies, and they were cheap. Who can resist that? Not me, apparently.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Published: January 10th 2007
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Format : Paperback
Pages: 192
Source : Borrowed from library
Buy : Amazon | Book Depository

When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend, Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever.

Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past.

With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Deanna was 13 when her father caught her having sex in a car, with her big brother's best friend. After that, everyone in her life are stuck in that moment. Even when she's already 16 years old. Her father has never really talk to her after that, her mother avoids any conversation. Her big brother knocked up his girlfriend - even though they're kids themselves - and Deanna has a best friend, Jason. And she's interested in Jason, there's just one problem - he's dating her other best friend, Lee.

As I mentioned earlier, I had some mixed emotions about this book. Unfortunately they were emotions like sadness and rage. Rage, because a 17 year old guy basically had sex with a child, and that child is called slut? Something I will never get.
Especially when the person who hates you the most for that, is your own father. But it's pretty obvious that her father has some issues himself, issues that has nothing to do with the main character.

I was also shocked, and mad, to see the hillbilly- attitude. Meaning "don't do that, or you'll get in trouble.." (by a guy who knocked up his girlfriend!!) and "be a good girl". Especially the good girl part is repeated over and over again.
Meaning, don't have sex with anyone ever again, or you're a huge slut and you've disappointed us all, AGAIN. What the hell, seriously?? Okay, now I'm getting angry again!

Deanna is sort of white trash, but I wouldn't hate her for that. Because she's actually, in the end, trying to change her life. In the beginning of the book she, and everyone else, are dwelling in the past. It was sad. And annoying.
At one point, I was actually screaming out loud because I was so frustrated. I think it was this part:

".. And me because, well, no one wants the school slut for a daughter. Technically, I'm not a slut, because there was only ever Tommy, but it's hard to defend myself on a technicality when things happened the way they did."

I made notes to that: "GET OVER IT!! IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO!!11 AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!"
You can translate that into something like: "If you're not proud of yourself, everyone will always think of you as the school slut. So stop dwelling in the past and be proud of what you've become, even if you can't be proud of what you were."

Yeah, I know, hard for a 16 year old, but there still are things you can do.
Like we see at the end of the book. The sentences I quoted are from the beginning of the book, I basically screamed first 60 pages, but after that it got more interesting and less condescending, so I could actually enjoy the story :)

Of course I'd like to know if Jason and Deanna ever had future together? Unfortunately, that I will never know. *sigh*

+½

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of three novels for young adults: Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist), Sweethearts (Cybil Award Finalist), and Once Was Lost (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009).

Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at www.sarazarr.com




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TBR February

I'm not going to read these all, I just decided that it may help if I have huge amount of options for this month! ;)

For review

• Blood and Bullets (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty-Hunter #1) by James R. Tuck
  
  
• The Beautiful Code (The Start Up #3) by Sadie Hayes
  
  
• By the Pale Moonlight by Jennifer Hendren
  
  
• The Keeper by Jessica Crawford Vernold
  
  
• Darkride by Laura Bradley Rede
  
  
• Ugly to Start With by John Michael Cummings
  
  
• Blind Sight Through the Eyes of Aniela Dawson (Blind Sight #1 Aniela) by Eliabeth Hawthorne
  
  
• Blind Sight Through the Eyes of Leocardo Reyes (Blind Sight #1 Leocardo) by Ermisenda Alvarez
  
  
• Blind Date, Checkmate by Veronica Blade
  
  
• Survival (Book 1 of The Guardians of Vesturon) by A.M. Hargrove
  
  
• Resurrection (Book 2 of The Guardians of Vesturon) by A.M. Hargrove
  
  
• Undermountain by Eric Edstrom
  
  

From library

• Firelight (Firelight #1) by Sophie Jordan
  
  
• Before I Die by Jenny Downham
  
  
• Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie
  
  
• Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1) by Amanda Hocking
  
  
• Emily the Strange: The Lost Days (Emily the Strange Novels #1) by Rob Reger, Jessica Gruner
  
  
• Emily the Strange: Stranger and Stranger (Emily the Strange Novels #2) by Rob Reger, Jessica Gruner
  
  
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
  
  
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson
  
  
• Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
  
  

Okay, here's now some of the books I have hanging around. I'll update this list later, after I've checked all the shelves and what I have from Netgalley.. OH DEAR.

Monthly Recap: January

I had big dreams for this month. I add here the (very disappointing) results of Netgalley Month - January and TBR January. *sigh.*

Best Reads



Yeah, quite a few favorites this month, too!

I read

And then to the hugely disappointing stuff..

Netgalley Month - January

I only read TWO. Seriously. I was meant to read like five for this, but.. That didn't happen, then.

Especially, when I received a new book from Netgalley, My Very UnFairy Tale Life, and I read that. Review coming up soon, btw!

And to more disappointing stuff!

TBR January

• Something Witchy This Way Comes by Veronica Blade
  
  
• A Bite's Tale (A Furry Fable) by Veronica Blade
  
  
• Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist
  
  
• Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck
  
  
• The Dig by Audrey Hart
  
  
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
  
  
• The Start-Up by Sadie Hayes
  
  
• The Stubborn Dead by Natasha Hoar
  
  
• Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
  
  
• A Vampire for Christmas by Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Piñeiro, Alexis Morgan
  
  
• The Stuttering Tattoo by Greg Logsted
  
  
• dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman
  
  
• My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski
  

So.. This is quite bad, I know. But I'll behave better next month, right? :) I promise to stick with the freaking list, and I shall not add books to it!

And I shall read more Netgalleys next month. This month my only Netgalleys were "My Very Unfairy Tale Life" and "A Vampire for Christmas".

But I'm pretty sure that if I only stick with the list, it may get boring some times. And that's not something we wish, right? ;) (Back me up, guys!)

My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski

My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski

Published: November 1st 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Format : Ebook
Pages: 208
Source : For review from Netgalley
Buy : Amazon | Book Depository

You know all those stories that claim fairies cry sparkle tears and elves travel by rainbow? They're lies. All lies.

Twelve-year-old Jenny has spent the last two years as an adventurer helping magical kingdoms around the universe.
But it's a thankless job, leaving her no time for school or friends. She'd almost rather take a math test than rescue yet another magical creature!

When Jenny is sent on yet another mission, she has a tough choice to make: quit and have her normal life back, or fulfill her promise and go into a battle she doesn't think she can win.

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
Jenny is a twelve year old girl. And what makes her special? She's an adventurer! She runs around helping magical creatures so everyone would just get along. She's been on the business for few years, originally taking the job because it sounded like fun.

But like many times, having fun may turn to something not-so-fun at some point.

This is a quick and fun read, but probably targeted for younger audience. This book is full of adventures and action, but that's pretty much it. I'm not saying this is a bad book, it's just for younger people.

Since she's only 12, there isn't much of a romance. Though there's a little hint, but since the other person would be a.. lamb, you can't really go there, right?

This book also has the most disturbing villain ever! The creepiest clown of all times. Isn't that just awful?
I actually thought about quitting this book at that point. Everyone who's seen Stephen King's It get's me. Too traumatizing to even think about.

I would love to know if there's second book coming out some point? Oh, stupid me, maybe I visit author's homepage and check it out there, d'oh! So yeah, in spring 2013 we'll get to read the second book!
I actually can't wait for that, since there is so many things left open in the end (including the romance with a lamb)! What about her parents? Her career? Her lamb?? These are the answers I left craving for!

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky! :)

Anna lives near Boston, Mass. with her husband and their adorably insane black Lab.

She's represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
Her debut novel, MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE, was published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky in November 2011.

You can visit her at www.annastan.com or follower her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/annastanisz.




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Don't forget A Bite's Tale giveaway, open internationally!

WWW Wednesday #17

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should be Reading.

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?

What are you currently reading?

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Only about 20 pages to go! Having some mixed feelings occasionally about this :/

What did you recently finish reading?

Forever Princess (The Princess Diaries #10) by Meg Cabot

The last book. Oh gosh. I should be crying now.

What do you think you'll read next?

Blood and Bullets (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty-Hunter #1) by James R. Tuck

I can't wait to read this!!

Don't forget A Bite's Tale giveaway, open internationally!