Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Goodreads:Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

I had just come home from chatting with my friend about her douche of an ex, and started reading Shut Out, and that may have helped in making me be very annoyed with some things at the start. I probably would have been annoyed with it anyway, but it was okay, there was room for major character development.

Thankfully, I was right and did not wind up disappointed.

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger, was a great book, even though I think 'woah high school girls?' it had a more 18+ just after high school feel for me. I think that all girls, especially high school ones should read this book.

Why?
I think that every girl can relate to one of the issues revolving around sex in this book, maybe more. It's good for people to learn the morals of this story; that it's okay to not be ashamed of who you are, don't change yourself for a guy, don't do something you're not comfortable with, and you should always talk to someone if you're having a bad time, you'll feel better after - even if it's just your friends that you're talking to.

I hated Randy with a passion, and Lissa annoyed me a lot when she was with him, but that improved as the book progressed and let me just say, even though Cash is a very strange name, he is oh so yummy, I'll sign up for a slice of him!

Lissa also annoyed me with her stupidity in some areas, but Chloe and Ellen (great characters!) managed to get her back on track, eventually.

Shut Out was a great read, It had it's frustrating moments, sigh worthy moments, sexy moments and its hilarious moments; and the sex strike was ingenious.

I give Shut Out by Kody Keplinger 4 and a half noms, it was delish.

P.S - for everyone that has read it, does anyone know what Russell Crowe movie the star game is from?

Waiting on Wednesday #7 Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

"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!
I'm dying to read:

Spell Bound
By Rachel Hawkins

Goodreads:
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?

I can't wait to read this! Been dying to do so ever since I finished Demonglass, only have till March to wait :( *counts down the days*

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer giveaway WINNER!

Congratulations Jessica / @BookWormLove

You've won my first ever giveaway!!

I want to thank everyone who entered my first giveaway, I wish you all could have won. I'll be having plenty more giveaways in the future :) so stay tuned!

Some info for Jessica: I'll be purchasing The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer from The Book Depository, then will keep you updated on when the order is on its way!

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts was my first step out of the YA field when I was in high school, I never thought that I would like her books as much as I do today.
So I thought, that I would continue that tradition and write my first adult book review on one of the latest Nora Roberts that I've read; and it's one of my favourites too.

Goodreads:
Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. Flying past towering pillars of smoke, parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze, shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours, days at a time, all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature.

But there's also little else as thrilling - at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are one of the most exclusive fire-fighting squads in the nation, and the job is in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend in the field. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home - even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air.

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is among the strongest ever - and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kid's arcade. He came to Missoula to follow in the footsteps of Lucas "Iron Man" Tripp, yet he's instantly more fascinated by his hero's daughter. Rowan, as a rule, doesn't hook up with other smoke jumpers, but Gull is convinced he can change her mind. And damn if he doesn't make a good case to be an exception to the rule.

Everything is thrown off balance, though, when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull - any distractions in the air or on the ground could be lethal. But if she doesn't find someone she can lean on when the heat gets intense, her life may go down in flames.

Chasing Fire had all the elements that I love in Nora's books, she dabbles in all genres centering around romance, but i love her ones involving murder and mystery; She writes a fantastic creepy bad guy and leaves you guessing until the end - Chasing Fire was no exception.

I wouldn't say that all Nora's books are fabulous, she has some doozies out there; but Chasing Fire did not disappoint me in any area.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read contemporary romance, or even murder mystery lovers... why?

The Characters are interesting: you have the characters you love, and the ones that you love to hate. None of them are perfect, each one have their flaws, and I love them for it.
You wont find yourself just loving the main characters either, although they are great, Nora gives attention to all her characters, and has a few gems in her side characters also!

She has a fantastic plot and storyline: you can tell that she has amazing research skills, or amazing researchers, and always get an in-depth look into the characters world and occupation.

Rowan Tripp is our head strong, kick-ass, alpha heroine, she's not afraid to go after what she wants, when she wants it. It was great to see her and Gull's interactions, he wasn't scared to go after what he wanted either, and was so comfortable with his masculinity that he didn't mind that Rowan was his boss. But as the book progresses, we come to learn that he isn't afraid to be the alpha either, especially when those he cares about are threatened; he just goes about it a bit more sneakily than Rowan's up-front attitude. Watching them learn to compromise with each other was very entertaining.

All up Chasing Fire gets 5noms, it was utterly mouthwatering. 

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Goodreads:
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab was, simply magical.

I've been bursting to read The Near Witch ever since I discovered Victoria Schwab over at Leah Clifford's BlogTV, and then was counting down the days to it's release.

Lexi is a great character, she's a strong willed heroine who gets looked down upon by her elders (mostly the men), just because she is female. I was cheering for her all the way through the novel: Hoping she would show those men who was boss! & that she could find the children, using her tracking skills, better than any of them could.

The Near Witch, has a nice slow start that rapidly begins to pick up the pace as the novel progresses, I was so enthralled with the world that Victoria spun; I didn't want the book to end, I just wanted to stay with Lexi and Cole in the town of Near. I even found myself wanting to give Cole numerous amounts of hugs all the way through the novel, he was just so adorable and yummy!

I loved all the characters, well, except for Tyler, I thought he was a proper douche. Magda and Dreska were amazing (my favourite line: was when they were in sync with each other, saying one line after the other telling the tale about the Near Witch, it was simply mind-boggling, that's when I had to take a moment and bow down to Victoria's brilliance).

I could just go on gushing about how wonderful and intriguing this book was; but I'll just let you all find out for yourselves for when you read this amazing tale! (go get it NOW!!) The Near Witch is a YA must read for 2011 and Victoria Schwab is an Author to keep your eye on, I know I definitely will be!

I give The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab 5 noms, it was absolutely scrumptious!

A little reminder to everyone that there is now just over five hours left to join my first giveaway!

P.S - Nims, I miss you!

Follow Friday #5 and TGIF #2

Question: In books like the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish would come out of the closet, for real?

I'm going to be unoriginal and say; Werewolves, I just love them.
I can't believe I forgot to add Dragons!! I love Dragons and would LOVE to meet one in real life, even if I'm scared of heights!

Book Associations: 
Which genre, authors, or particular books do you think 

people associate with your reading style?

Most of my friends associate me with the paranormal genre, even if my friends mum see's something involving magic, paranormal or fantasy will make sure that I know about it. (I find it kind of cute and amusing that she does so)


LAST TWO DAYS TO ENTER MY FIRST GIVEAWAY! TO WIN A PRE-ORDERED COPY OF THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER EVERYONE!!

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Goodreads:
The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights.

Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

Always A Witch was a thrilling, sigh worthy read; a fantastic conclusion to Once a Witch.

Carolyn MacCullough tied all the ends off very nicely, and I'm sad that Tamsin's journey is now over :( But it ended so well that I can't complain.

Tamsin dealing with the social norms and bad guy,s in the nineteenth century definitely had its amusing moments as well as its heartwarming and shocking ones.

The bad guys, La Spider and Liam were amazingly, chillingly evil; Carolyn did an amazing job with them. At some moments, she had me on the edge of my seat anticipating what would happen next, hoping that Tamsin would survive working in their lair.

Gabriel.. is just so yummy! I would have loved to have seen even more of him and Tamsin, but really that's just me fangirling.

And Tamsin? She's just an amazing, down to earth, kick-ass heroine.

I'm really sad to see this book come to an end, but I'll be eagerly awaiting Carolyn's other books, she's won me over as a fan for life.

I give Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough 5 noms.

Waiting on Wednesday #6 Shut out by Kody Keplinger

"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!
I'm dying to read:

Shut Out
by Kody Keplinger

Goodreads: Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance, rivalry and sexuality.

I can't wait to read this, I think it sounds absolutely amazing, and with that said I'm hopping off to pre-order it right now!

Fearscape (The Devouring #3) by Simon Holt

Goodreads:
The Vours: evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the Winter Solstice.

It's been a year since Reggie first discovered the Vours, and the Winter Solstice is approaching once again. It will be another night of unspeakable horror for those unlucky enough to be taken by the Vours, because this time, she won't be able to stop them. The Vours have imprisoned Reggie in a psychiatric hospital, where she is subjected to a daily routine of unfathomably sadistic experiments. Her life is a living Hell, but she won't give up. They attacked her brother. They killed her friend. And Reggie will never stop fighting back.

A LITTLE SPOILER AHEAD - WATCH OUT.

Simon Holt, you wound me.

Seriously... why?

......WHY!?

I think Mr Holt is out to get me.

My woes aren't over the story... really, it was just as chillingly creepy and awesome as the two novels beforehand.

My wounds over Fearscape is something really, really silly.

The romance.

You could read the synopsis of this, or the previous two books and think 'what romance?' well its there.. just to piss me off.

Don't get me wrong, I love Quinn, he's a nice and sexy... but come on who would go for him when Aaron is around, Reggie after all you've been through to prove your insanity... clearly you are INSANE! (especially in some parts where you think Reggie is going to man-up and actually admit she wants to jump his buff nerdy bones! but nooooooo)

I'm hoping for a book four, but I shouldn't get my hopes up as this book had a note of finality to it.

However questions still need to be answered Mr Holt... and I'm not just talking about Reggies love life! I would like more of your awesome/creepy world and all the questions you answered cryptically.

(If you have read Fearscape, I'd love to know what everyone else thinks about Reggie/Quinn/Aaron)

ARRRGGGGHHHHHHH

Okay, now frustration over my silly little matter is vented, I'll move on to say: Fearscape, was a thrilling read, it had the right amount of creepy mixed in with mystery, romance, etc.

I don't want it to be over, I really want to know more!

That's all I'll say on the matter, I've spoiled enough and don't want to continue to do so.

I give Fearscape by Simon Holt: 4 noms.

Waiting on Wednesday #5 Reckoning by Lili St.Crow

"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!
I'm dying to read:

Reckoning
by Lili St.Crow

Goodreads: The electric finale in New York Times bestselling author Lili St. Crow’s Strange Angels series!

Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She’s battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a fullfledged svetocha—rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires—the worst is yet to come. Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she’s ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?

DRU ANDERSON’S NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK.
BUT SHE SHOULD BE.

Strange Angels is one of my favourite YA series, so of course I can't wait to get my hands on this bad boy in November, it has potential for me to love or to hate it, depending on how the end plays out and how its written!

I'm scared yet very excited to read it!

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Goodreads:
What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano left me with so many conflicted feelings.

Everybody loves it, I can understand why; It's very unique and written well; I would like to read the sequel, but I couldn't say it's going in my favourites pile.

Why?

It was just so weird!

This is where my conflicted feelings come in again, and so, I'm going to just like a few words that I feel that can describe this strange, strange book: depressing, strange, weird, odd, WTF, unique, awkward, pedophile (yes Linden I'm talking about you), fucked up, sexist, creepy old man, peculiar and yes, even with all these strange elements, it was interesting.

For such strong willed, brave heroine I just wanted to slap the hell out of Rhine sometimes, my thoughts on how someone who seems to be so intelligent could be so idiotic at times.

I mean she was in one weird situation and yeah it would play hell on ones emotions but PLEASE, her whole clueless on 'oh I hate him, but I like him, does that mean I love him?' with Linden was just so URGH! and her 'I really like Gabriel so I make out with him but I don't know if I have feelings for him' made me think 'yup you need to be woken up by a severe slapping girl!'

It took me a good while to read this. I was just soo conflicted! At times I couldn't put it down, then I was always skeptical about picking it up again (therefore it took me a while to convince myself to pick it up whenever I did put it down).

A very strange, weird, interesting and yet delightful (not sure about delightful, but i'll go with it) read.

All up, I give Wither by Lauren DeStefano: 3 and a half noms.

Deception by Lee Nichols

Goodreads:
When Emma Vaile’s parents go missing while away on a mysterious business trip, she’s left all alone in her creepy old house. But her brother’s very cute best friend, Bennett Stern—Emma’s knight in J. Crew armor—arrives unexpectedly to whisk her away to New England. There, Emma settles into his family’s museum-like mansion and enrolls at an old-fashioned private school. She quickly finds friends in the popular legacy crowd at Thatcher and spends her free time crushing on Bennett. But the eerie visions she’s been hiding from everyone have gotten worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher that she can’t explain—it’s as if she’s returning home to a place she’s never been. Finally, Emma confides in Bennett and learns she is a ghostkeeper, a person who can communicate with ghosts. Bennett brought Emma to Thatcher to protect her, but now he needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

A rich New England setting filled with mystery, tradition, and prep-school intrigue make Deception the perfect choice for fans of series like Kate Brian’s Private, as well as all those paranormal fans. The shocking ending will leave readers desperate for book two.

This synopsis does not lie, the final line had me popping up the kindle store on my iphone to buy the sequel to start it immediately.

If you have read my previous reviews you may know that I have a thing for ghost stories, so as soon as I read the synopsis for this, I was interested.

A couple days later when I received my paycheck; my biggest dilemma was whether to buy it on kindle and read it straight away or buy it for literally 2cents cheaper on the bookdepo and wait a couple of weeks for it... I went with the kindle. (Because I was being impatient).

Either way I was glad that I picked up this story, as it was an immensely enjoyable read.

I thought that the whole idea of ghostkeepers was a great and a nice change from the norm, especially all the other little touches to Emma's gift and other ghastly things in Nichols world that I wont go into and spoil. ;)

I really enjoyed how the story built up, Nichols definitely had a few surprises up her sleeves.

There was only one thing that I didn't like about Deception, and that had to do with one characters untimely demise, but my feelings on that will be reviewed after I've read the third book, that comes out in December (it will all depend on how Nichols wraps it up - for me anyway).

I would definitely recommend this book to other paranormal lovers, especially if you like a ghostly tale that involves: murder, mystery, romance, great characters, yummy characters and a witty heroine that has a great transformation into a kick-ass one.

I give Deception by Lee Nichols: 4 and a half noms, it was delectable.

My First Giveaway! (INTERNATIONAL) The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Goodreads:
Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was the first ARC I've ever owned and read that isn't a digital copy, so I thought what better book could I use as my first giveaway!

You can find my review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer here

I'm afraid I'm not giving away my ARC copy (yes, I'm being stingy and want to keep it for sentimental value). But I am going to giveaway a pre-order of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer from The Book Depository.

This giveaway is open for entries starting today, and will run for three weeks. It will end on the 27th of August for me and other Australians at midnight GMT+10, and the 26th for Americans (no idea what time).

Rules
1. You must be a follower to enter.
2. You must be 13 or older.
3. You must be from a country that allows shipping from The Book Depository (I'm pretty sure the sky's the limit, but check it out if you're worried).
4. You can earn extra entries by: following me on twitter, tweeting about the giveaway, reading and commenting on a review on my blog and commenting on this post.
5. Please follow these rules. If you don't, I will have to disqualify you from the giveaway. ;_;

(If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask).

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!!! NO MORE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED!!

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop #4

Question: Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?).

Harry Potter and The Deltora Quest series are probably the two set of books that changed my life.. why?
Because they are they both swept me up into the wonders of reading, and I haven't stopped since!

Book Blogger Hop Question: What is the one ARC you would love to get your hands on right now?

I would LOVE to get my hands on the ARC or eARC of Half Blood by Jennifer L.Armentrout! (looks like my prayers were answered I just got an e-mail with the eARC of Half-Blood *squeals*)

So Over You by Gwen Hayes

Goodreads:
Layney Logan, girl reporter.

That's all she's ever wanted to be.

The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is letting her arch-nemesis and co-Chief Editor, Jimmy Foster, get the better of her. So, she'll take his stupid assignment to go on twelve blind dates and she'll prove to him she's twice the reporter he is.

Unless she listens to her heart...

So Over You by Gwen Hayes was a short, heart-warming yet delectable read.

This little story has so many great witty lines and the chemistry between Logan and Foster, was electrifying.

Layney is the tough girl reporter, with one goal in mind: to make her senior year as co-Chief Editor a success, and bring the school paper back on top.

Jimmy is her arch nemesis, ex-boyfriend and her co-Chief Editor; seems to be out to get her and constantly ruffle her feathers.

Fund raiser for the paper: A Calendar featuring the hot boys of each club in the school, and Layney has to go on blind dates with them all.

She doesn't date.

Why?

Layney has a dark secret. Something she hasn't told anyone, can she admit the secret in her past to herself and others? Can she sort out her heart? How exactly does she feel about Jimmy Foster? How does he feel about her?

You will have to read it to find out!

This story touched my heart, I hope that it will touch yours as well (You can find it here at kindle for only $1.99 and its worth every cent!).

I give So Over You by Gwen Hayes: 4 noms.

Waiting on Wednesday #4: Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"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!
I'm dying to read:

Half Blood
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Goodreads:
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

Ever since I read the synopsis I've been dying to read Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

I didn't think it was possible to want to read it even more than I already did, until I read Daimon (click to get the ebook on goodreads), the prequel .5 short story of Half Blood, (you can find my review of Daimon here) which was even better than I imagined.

October 18th.. Hurry up and get here!!

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Goodreads:
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one - except the thing inside her...

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But not all Victorian girls have a darker side that makes them capable of knocking out a full-grown man with a single punch...

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that makes Finley special - makes her one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities; Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin’s investigating a criminal called The Machinist - the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help - and finally be a part of something.

My first thought when I read the synopsis of The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross was: 'yay more steampunk! & that maybe Finley will have some kind of cool power involving metal because of the name of the book?'

Dundundun.. I was wrong, but pleasantly so.

The Girl in the Steel Corset was a mix of: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen x The Journey to the Centre of the Earth (and I'm thinking of the Brenden Fraser movie and not the book) and then in the acknowledgments at the end, Kady explains that she wanted to write a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen x teen X-men. (Which it was, and since I love both, you wont get any complaints from me)

For some reason I liked it when the bad young lord at the start called Finley a 'nasty little tart' something about the word 'tart' makes me giggle; and enjoyed it even more when she kicked his sleazy ass.

The story had an intriguing storyline and great plot throughout; with a good healthy dollop of mystery, romance and paranormal powers in a steampunk world of fun!

And the characters!

Finley doesn't have any powers involving metal like I first thought, but her kick ass power (very much like heightened animal awareness x super strength) is a kind of a split personality - kind of like Jekyll and Hyde - was a bit weird for me at the beginning, but it got a lot better for me as she developed and came to understand her powers as the story progressed.

Now, onto Griffin King and Jack Dandy... hold on a minute while I wipe up my drool... Jack reminded me a lot of George from Tamora Pierce's Lioness Quartet series (aka Sexy Crime Leader) and Griff was just yum... Finely sure has two lovely choices, and there better be some progress on that front in the next book.. or else!!!!!!

I love how there is not only one love triangle going on in this book but two! Sam and Emily are just so cute! Jasper is great too, but I don't think he will get far with Emily. But you never know what the next book might hold.

Damn! That ending, was frustrating, yet managed to be good at the same time.

I so badly want the next book right now, and it will be very interesting to see if we get a big chunk of Jasper's POV, in it. But with the title as 'The Girl in the Clockwork Choker' it seems like Finley wont hand over the reins so easily, or hell, maybe the collar could even be referring to Emily, will just have to wait till 2012 to find out.

I give The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross: 4 and a half noms. (missed out on the other half because I'm being petty with a certain part).

Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

Goodreads:
Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is.

But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.

However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive…

I started reading Ward Against Death in utter excitement and couldn't put it down.

I knew it would be good, but it was just so much more than I thought it would be!

Melanie Card, you astound me with your writing prowess.

Astounding, surprising, stunning, awe-inspiring, sensational, remarkable, spectacular, stupendous, phenomenal, extraordinary and incredible; are a few words to sum up my thoughts on this book.

First I'll say that Ward is a great nickname for Edward, I've never heard it as a name before, I think its a great step away from the norm and defines Ward as the unique character that he is.

I agree with Celia's amusement of 'Ward, warding' I thought the same thing before it happened, and thought it amusing when she mentioned it.

The only way to describe Celia is to go with how Ward aptly describes her as: Annoying, arrogant, beautiful, deadly, dead, Celia. (I only think she is annoying with her trust issues, but its understandable, and part of why I love her) and 'He suspected Celia’s version of solving a problem was stabbing it in the heart.'

Celia is just so kick-ass and I loved how she was the dominant character to Wards submissive self, and not the other way around.

Ward is just so cute, don't get me wrong he has his sexy moments! But he has this nerdy cuteness going on for him that you just can't help but fall in love with him.

Celia and Ward's interactions... ooh boy; Ward just touching her hand was sexy! I almost melted into a puddle of goo by just reading it!

Watching them both grow throughout the book is an experience worth reading.

The one thing I would like to know more about is: the world that they are in; Melanie isn't too forthcoming on the details, and even though it didn't ruin the reading experience, I would like more info to understand the world better, and hopefully will do so in the second book. (Which I can hardly wait for!)

I'd also like to find out how old Celia and Ward actually are, I'm pretty sure it isn't mentioned - but I could have missed that? (I don't think I would classify this as YA, but who knows?!)

I wont say much else, as I don't want to ruin the experience for you, except Ward Against Death by Melanie Card is definitely a must read for paranormal lovers! 

I give Ward Against Death by Melanie Card: 5 noms.

(wow, I didn't think that it was out until tomorrow but you can buy it already on Amazon and the Bookdepo) Go put your orders in book lovers before you miss out!