Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Series: Of Poseidon #1
Pages: 324
Format: NetGalley ARC
Publisher: Macmillan
Release Date: May 22nd 2012
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository


Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach.
When she runs into Galen-literally, ouch!-both teens sense a connection.
But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts.

Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved swimming. The Little Mermaid was my favourite Disney movie and I always wanted to be Ariel; swimming in the ocean, rather than be on land. That aside I'm usually a bit skeptical about mermaid books, they usually don't interest me at all... and well... as Galen would say he's not a 'mermaid, or merman' but a Syrena, so problem solved I guess.

I was so surprised when I read the synopsis for Of Poseidon I was intrigued and extremely interested, It sounded original and fun... and it definitely was all of that, and more!

Okay, I hate it when people compare books to other books etc, but I'm going to be bad and compare this to something. Of Poseidon made me think of a modern day version of the Little Mermaid. Galen was like Ariel, a royal with a love/interest in humans, coming to land and finding many human objects and things foreign and completely strange to him... which was hilarious and a lot like Ariel thinking that a fork was a brush.

"I need to know where Jersey is and if I have enough money to buy it."

^Is a great example of this and that's all I'll say on comparisons.

Anna Banks did an amazing job, she started off with such a BANG - literally - and then the sudden death, which actually shocked me! I suppose I'm just not used to YA authors killing off their characters so early in a book, which I heartily applaud Banks for doing so, it was sad, shocking and different.

The characters, I loved them all... well maybe all except for Emma's mum, I just didn't feel her as a real person - does anyone know any mother's that are that insane? I suppose her character will grow more in book two and I'll learn to love her. I just wanted to punch her.

To me, the side character's make the book, and Banks did an amazing job there also. Rayna was absolutely hilarious, I have a thing for violent characters that are really soft and squishy on the inside, Rayna fits this description to a Tee. She is downright bitchy,  hostile and doesn't think before she speaks - which I just loved. Her whole relationship with Toraf was hilarious and cute and I can't wait to see more of them.

'find an island' is probably my favourite line in the whole book... why? Because it's basically Syrena speak for 'get a room' (it's used a lot jokingly and seriously with Toraf and Rayna - it's where hitched Syrena go to make babies) I thought it was hilarious and I think I will never say 'get a room' ever again. Everyone is going to be so confused when I say 'find an island' instead... to the strange stares and questions I will get I'll just reply with 'go read Of Poseidon... NOW' and the problem will be solved!

Galen, the leading steamy, sexy sea prince of this amazing book... will just whisk you away! He's oh so gorgeous, a bit on the serious side and very protective... which usually I find annoying but in Galen I just thought it was just hot, very hot.

Emma, I liked her I really did, she was hilarious with a whole heap of witty lines to throw in anyone's face, but sometimes I just wanted to give her a good whack! Some things she did were really silly, but everyone does silly things and I can't exactly say that I wouldn't have done the same thing in her situation.. cause I'm pretty stubborn and silly too. I loved the transformation from the timid, shy little girl that she was at the beginning, I didn't think she could transform so much after we were first introduced but it was fantastic watching as she transformed into someone who wouldn't be pushed over easily.

The final line in the book literally had me laughing out loud and screaming 'I KNEW IT' and also 'WHAT!? It can't end there!' Anna Banks you are a genius and I can't wait to read more of your books!

I could talk about Of Poseidon forever, but I'll stop this review here before I bore everyone with my fangirling and leave the rest for you to decide! I hope I've intrigued you enough into giving this one a go, because it was such a thrilling read!

Of Poseidon
by Anna Banks

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Some favourite quotes:
~
Toraf shrugs. "Her skin wrinkles. It's kind of gross. Maybe she's some sort of superhuman. You know, like batman."
~
I'm betting Cinderella didn't feel this foolish, but then again, Cinderella wasn't as clumsy as an intoxicated walrus.
~

Interview with Jennifer Estep: The Author behind the Mythos Academy series!

Title: Dark Frost

Author: Jennifer Estep

Series: Mythos Academy

Pages: 336

Publisher: Kensington

Release Date: May 29th 2012

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository


I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me—again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects—and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me?

It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can’t use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me—and I’m in for the fight of my life.

NR: I've noticed that you use the phrase 'Power's That Were' instead of the usual 'Powers That Be' and I was wondering if there was any particular reason for that?

JE: As I was writing the first book, I just thought that Powers That Were sounded a little more in keeping with Gwen’s voice. Also, I wanted Gwen to know that these people are out there, but not to have met any of them yet. So those are a couple of reasons that I went with Powers That Were.

NR: Who's your favourite character to write about?

JE: Vic is probably the character who is the most fun for me to write. Vic is Gwen’s talking, opinionated, bloodthirsty sword, and it’s just fun for me to think about what he would say and try to express all of his snarky attitude.

NR: Do you plan on writing anymore YA books in the future? If so, do you have anything planned?

JE: Right now, I’m pretty busy writing the Mythos Academy books, but I would love to write another YA series in the future. I have a couple of ideas that I’m mulling over, so we’ll see what happens.

NR: How did Logan's character come into existence?  

JE: I like books with a little bit of everything in them – magic, action, danger, and romance. So I always knew that I wanted Gwen to have a love interest, but I wanted him to be her friend as well. And since Mythos Academy is a school for the descendants of ancient warriors, it just made sense to make him a warrior as well. So that was sort of the beginning of Logan Quinn, a Spartan guy who is as cute as he is deadly.

NR: What's been your favourite scene in all the Mytho's Academy books to write?

JE: I can’t say too much about them, but there are a couple of scenes that I really like that take place near the end of Dark Frost. Some of the scenes are with Gwen and Logan, and some are with Gwen and two other characters.

In general, though, I really like writing fight scenes, so I always enjoy writing those and figuring out ways for Gwen to use her wits and magic to defeat the bad guys.

NR: Can you give us a little tantalising hint of what to expect in Crimson Frost?

JE: Well, I can’t say too much, but what happens in Dark Frost will definitely carry over and impact Gwen, the other characters, and the story in Crimson Frost. Also, in Crimson Frost, Gwen will find her actions since coming to Mythos being called into question.

***

On that note, the interview is at its end! Thank you so much to Jennifer for stopping by! I can't wait to read Crimson Frost even more now and I hope that everyone else is excited also. Not only for future books but to get their hands on Dark Frost as soon as it hits the shelves in a few more days! How many of you are excited!?

Also, you can check out my review of Dark Frost: Here!

About The Author:
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin adult urban fantasy series for Pocket. Books in the series are SPIDER'S BITE, WEB OF LIES, VENOM, TANGLED THREADS, SPIDER'S REVENGE, and BY A THREAD. THREAD OF DEATH, an e-novella, is also available.

WIDOW'S WEB, the seventh book, is set to be released on Aug. 21, 2012.

Also, HAINTS AND HOBWEBS: AN ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN SHORT STORY will appear in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GHOST ROMANCE to be published in October 2012.

Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington.

Books in the series are TOUCH OF FROST and KISS OF FROST. DARK FROST, the third book, will be published on May 29, 2012, while CRIMSON FROST, the fourth book, is tentatively set to be released in January 2013.

FIRST FROST, a prequel e-story to the series, is available as a download. HALLOWEEN FROST, an e-short story, is available in the ENTANGLED e-anthology.

Jennifer is also the author of the Bigtime paranormal romance series. Books in the superhero-themed series are KARMA GIRL, HOT MAMA, and JINX. A KARMA GIRL CHRISTMAS, an e-story, is also available.

Excerpts, free short stories, and more information on Jennifer's books can be found at http://www.jenniferestep.com.

Review: Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Dark Frost
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: May 29th 2012
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository


I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me—again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects—and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me?

It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can’t use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me—and I’m in for the fight of my life.

Dark Frost is the third stunning book in the Mythos Academy series. I don't think that it's possible for Jennifer Estep to disappoint me at all with this series, she has me hooked so badly that as soon as I found the ARC in my inbox, I couldn't contain myself... it jumped the pile and I devoured it quite quickly.

Gwen Frost: our violet eye heroine is back kicking ass and occasionally have her ass kicked too (although, I don't mind so much when a certain sexy spartan is doing the kicking). So much happened in Dark Frost that not even her witty sarcasm could solve the problems that kept flying into our heroine's midst, one after the other.

Also, everyone who read Kiss of Frost will know that Estep left us hanging with a sample chapter of Dark Frost with lots of tension, bad guys and of course life threatening action (Another reason WHY I had to dive into it so quickly!). Estep certainly started Dark Frost with a one hell of a punch, and it didn't slow down much throughout either!

Poor Gwen though, it was a bit her against the world for a while there, and I just wanted to give her a big hug and slap some sense into everyone else! So many crazy, awesome, mind-boggling things happened though, and I'll just say our furry friend from book two is back, and gosh I love her!

Keep some tissues on hand though... only if you are a big wuss like me because I certainly needed them for the climax and just a little bit at the end... but I cry in everything and I don't want to scare anyone from picking up this marvelous book! You'll definitely have to pick up this amazing series and see for yourself!

So much action, suspense and the bad guys just oozed with malicious intent! I was blown away and the ending was just WOW! I can't wait to see what happens to Gwen and all her friends next. So like always I'll be eagerly awaiting the next book in Jennifer Estep's Mytho's Academy series!

Also tomorrow the lovely Jennifer Estep will be popping into Nomalicious Reads for an interview! You should come see what she has to tell us about the Mytho's Academy series then!

Dark Frost
by Jennifer Estep

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My Weekly Book Haul

You can link your My Weekly Book Haul over at RJ does Books

Yes, I'm not calling this In My Mailbox anymore, because I've personally chosen to not support it. But don't worry I'll still visit you if you leave me a link, because I love to see what books everyone gets!

Date a Book prizes:
I'd Tell you I love you, but then I'd have to Kill you by Ally Carter
Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter
Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter
A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
Heaven By Christopher Marzi
Embrace by Jessica Shirvington
Enticed by Jessica Shirvington
Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

Manga I Bought:
A Devil and her Love Song by Miyoshi Tomori
Nighschool Vol.3 by Svetlana Chmakova
Nightschool Vo.4 by Svetlana Chmakova

Books for Review from Simon & Schuster:
When you Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

Present:
A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
from Tammi (YABReviews) Thank you so much, it's signed and so pretty!!

Books I Pre-ordered:
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
Belles by Jen Calonita

NetGalley Books:
TimePiece by Myra McEntire
Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Kindle Books/Novellas:
Untouched by Jus Accardo
The Assassin & The Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas
Eulogy's Secret by Grace Elliot
Tempting the Best Man by J.Lynn (my review)
Blood Warrior by H.D Garden
Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer

Review: Tempting the Best Man by J.Lynn

Title: Tempting the Best Man
Author: J. Lynn (aka Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Series: Standalone so far, but I'm hoping for more Gamble brothers!
Pages: 172
Format: Kindle
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: 23rd April 2012
Goodreads | Amazon

Madison Daniels has worshiped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they're forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of "accidents" as the family tries to prove their "spark" can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don't strangle each other first…

Jennifer L. Armentrout is amongst my favourite YA authors, so when I heard that she was going to be writing adult romances I couldn't wait! Just this morning I discovered that her first was released the other day and I rushed over to amazon and bought it for $2.99! What a bargain! (link above synopsis)

I planned to save it for a rainy day, especially since I've got uni work piled up to my ears, but as it popped open on my kindle I decided to sneak in the first paragraph, then the first page, then hell... I gobbled up the entire book in lightning speed and oh boy I don't regret it one bit!

I was even going to put aside writing this review until I got my work done... but I can't help it, my thoughts need to be put down now so I don't forget what I want to say to describe my awe for the amazing Jennifer.

I feel a bit like a stalker consuming everything and anything that Jennifer writes, but hey there are a lot of us out there (even more creepy sounding) and a lot of us adults who love YA can appreciate Jennifer delving into adult fiction... she writes one hell of a steamy scene!

Describing Chase Gamble in one word is difficult, but I'll just say YUM! He's like that last piece of a triple chocolate cake that everyone wants but there's only one lady who's lucky enough to snatch him up for keeps and that's Madison Daniels - who is one hell of a woman.

Watching these two interact and the point of view changing from one to the other definitely switched things up and was so entertaining! It was hilarious to downright yummy! I might have had to go stick my head in the freezer if I could have managed to pull myself away from the pages long enough.

Jennifer writes amazing character's and I didn't only just fall in love with the leading couple! I would love to learn more about the Gamble brothers and even Bridget, Maddie's work friend who managed to capture my interest for just the short time she was in the book.

"Wow. I need Popcorn for this," Bridget murmured.

I maybe secretly hope that Bridget may find a Gamble brother of her own! So I hope that many people fall in love with Madison and Chase's story and in turn with the Gamble brothers.. and of course for inspiration to strike Jennifer so that she grace's us with more stories featuring the sexy and a little bit damaged Gamble brothers! 

So, if you like adult books, especially romance then I highly recommend Tempting the Best Man, it's so much fun! and I personally suggest you take Bridget's advice and grab some popcorn... and maybe a glass of wine... because it's one hell of a steamy adventure!

Tempting the Best Man
By J.Lynn

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Waiting on Wednesday: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that fellow bloggers can't wait to get their hands on!

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Release Date: October 23rd 2012
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Two days after Mara walks into a police station in Miami at the close of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, she is committed for psychiatric treatment for what her parents believe is a mental breakdown. But what seems like a hallucination to everyone else is a chilling reality for Mara. Someone from her past has discovered her strange, disturbing secret and that someone wants her to pay. But she's about to discover that the price is more than she can bear.

Dark and thrilling, suspenseful and passionate, The Evolution of Mara Dyer will have readers breathlessly turning pages to find out what will become of Mara Dyer next.

Long time no see everyone! I still wont be around as much as I want, damn uni! But I want to try and get a post in here and there... even if they are just meme's!

I saw the new cover for The Evolution of Mara Dyer just yesterday and thought what better way to come back!! It's STUNNING!! and sounds AMAZING! I can't wait to get my hands on this!

You may have noticed my blog is now BLUE!! If not.. it's okay, I'll forgive you! Thanks to Britt over at Nice Girls Read Books for helping me out! (her blog is amazing, you should check it out - she also designs wordpress blogs, so you should check it out if you want a new design!)

Manga Mondays: Blue Exorcist Vol.1

Manga Mondays is an amazing meme hosted by:
Alison Can Read!

Title: Blue Exorcist
Artist: Kazue Kato
Type: Manga
Anime-Planet | Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret? It won't be easy, especially when drawing his father’s sword releases the demonic power within him!

I'm a big fan of the Ao No Exorcist (AKA Blue Exorcist) anime that as soon as I finished watching it I wanted to read the manga to find out more about Rin and all his friends!

I rarely read Shounen (action) manga and tend to prefer the genre in anime, as it's much more fun to see the action... but I was so in love with the anime I decided to do it anyway and I wasn't disappointed!

I always find it weird when I start up a manga after watching the anime first - this applies to movies of books also, I rarely ever last trying to read something if I've seen the production first, but with Blue Exorcist it was still fun and I can't wait for more, it was strange to see that there was less cut out of the anime and well in parts it was more fleshed out.

It will definitely be intriguing to see what else they changed as I get more volumes.

Rin Okumura is the problem child (a bit of a delinquent), he is a twin and his younger brother is pretty much his pride - because he is very smart and going to become a doctor. Rin is such a sweetheart, he's acts all tough but is really soft and gooey on the inside and I'm always wanting to give him a big hug! He's the kind of guy that will always stop kids picking on a poor defenseless pigeon... even if he's outnumbered and on his way to an important interview. (this actually happens haha).

Rin starts seeing crazy things, and when a demon that's possessed a crazy kid attacks him he sprouts blue flames and finds out that he isn't exactly human, but the son of satan. His adoptive Father - who's a priest saves him, but as soon as he gives Rin the sword that is sealing away his demon powers all hell pretty much breaks loose.

Satan possesses his father, pretty much kills him, tries to kill Rin... Rin get's pissed off awakens his demon powers and sends Satan back to hell... for now at least.

After the funeral, the Headmaster of True Cross Academy (this big exorcist central) tells Rin he has to die and laughs his head off when Rin says that he wants to become an exorcist to kick Satan's ass... so he lets him.

Rin now has to go to school at the True Cross Academy in the day and Exorcist Cram School at night... where he gets a big surprise, his little brother is already an Exorcist... and his teacher!

A few other things happen, but I wont spoil anymore, we get introduced to and important character and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the others are portrayed in volume two!

I recommend this to everyone who enjoys action, a good story and a good laugh, Blue Exorcist is a great manga to try out! It has it's serious side as well if you didn't already gather!

Blue Exorcist
by
Kazue Kato