Review: The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

Title: The False Princess
Author: Eilis O'Neal
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Published: January 25th 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court.  But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection.  Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks.  But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

Eilis O'Neal will have you entranced with this thrilling yet easy going tale, you'll just gobble it up without even realising how fast you breeze through it.

I wanted to read The False Princess ever since I read the synopsis, I thought, and remain to do so after reading, that it is a unique tale in the YA field and definitely worth the read, for all ages.

It made me sigh, made me get teary and it made me want to give all the characters a nice big hug, and yes sometimes a little slap, but only when they needed it!

Watching Sinda transform from the shy quiet princess into an outspoken scribe-girl who stands up for what she believes in. Fight with the social norms of the society that she never thought to question when she was a princess and realise that she was in love; was fantastic, intriguing and a hell of a ride.

The build-up with Kiernan and Sinda was definitely worth the wait, I just loved seeing their interaction with each other, especially the end... so cute!

I will say one thing, whenever the characters in the book traveled to another place, we never really got the details, they left and then they were suddenly there, or close to their destination. I mean it wasn't a problem, definitely didn't need all the travel time thrown in, it was just something I noticed because you think ooh what could happen with all this time alone together... and well nothing.

I can't really mention all the characters I loved and hated without dropping some major spoilers, so I think I'll just leave this review short and sweet.

If you're looking for a fun heart-warming read that still has some gasp worthy scenes, definitely pick this one up!

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal was another great debut book this year, and I'll definitely be awaiting her next release!

The False Princess gets:

nomalicious nomnom noms

In My Mailbox #10 Halloween Style!

Since last Sunday at Nomalicious Reads

Reviews: White Cat by Holly Black, Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater and Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Fun Stuff: In My Mailbox, Waiting on Wednesday: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and Follow Friday & TGIF.
Also
Don't miss the chance to enter my Happy Halloween International Giveaway for the chance to win one of six chillingly creepy books! ONE day left to ENTER!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

This week I got a whole bunch of goodies!

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Scored by Lauren McLaughlin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Eon by Alison Goodman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Witch Song by Amber Argyle
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Heist Society by Ally Carter
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Dark Mirror by M.J Putney
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Sending by Isobelle Carmody
Goodreads | Amazon

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Review)
Goodreads | Amazon 

Follow Friday #12 & TGIF #10

Since last Friday at Nomalicious Reads

Reviews: White Cat by Holly Black, Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater and Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Fun Stuff: In My Mailbox and Waiting on Wednesday: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.
Also
Don't miss the chance to enter my Happy Halloween International Giveaway for the chance to win one of six chillingly creepy books! Two days left to ENTER!

TGIF:
Spooktacular Reads: Which books do you consider festive Halloween reads? Which stories have chilled you to the bone?
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is my #1 Halloween read this year! It was amazing - if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure you do so!

The Devouring by Simon Holt - chilled me to the core, absolutely LOVE this series!

Have lots more I love, but these are the ones that gave me goosbumps!


Follow Friday:
If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

Oooh this is a good one hmm who shall I choose!?

I think after reading so many awesome books lately I just have to go with Daemon from Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout, I'll feed him whatever the hell he wants, including me!

Also wouldn't mind serving myself up to Alex from Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson.

But I will be good and stop myself there - for the guys... could definitely name a few more. 

I would love to have a dinner party with  Katy also from Obsidian (she's damn awesome!), Dev from Touch by Jus Accardo, Bryn from Rasied by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Dru from Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow.

That would be one hell of a party!

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsidian
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: A Lux Novel
Pages: 266
Format: Netgalley ARC
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: December 6th 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Jennifer's Blog

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don’t kill him first, that is.

After reading Obsidian, my first reaction was to think: I should go stick my head in the freezer just so I can cool down enough to write my review!

Things were not only hot, in Obsidian... they was SCORCHING! Steam practically wafts out of this baby, I was a bit worried my kindle would spontaneously combust - although if it did, I swear I would only forgive it for doing so under the pressure of one of the extremely hot and incredibly yummy Daemon's kisses.

Now that you've all questioned my sanity or are bursting at the seams to get a hold of Obsidian... I'll continue.

I'm kind of surprised no one has ever wrote a book with the main character being a book blogger before (to my knowledge anyhow), and kudos to Jennifer for snatching up this idea, it was amazing and not only for the book blogger part, but the awesome alien concept as well!

I personally think it will be interesting to see how many more bloggers will appear after Obsidian hits the shelves, and if anymore books featuring bloggers will pop out in the foreseeable future!

Every book blogger out there will love to read about Katy, well I did - she was smart, sassy, had some great one liners, and of course she also had the same love affair with books that we all do. She was happy to receive comments, post reviews, insanely ecstatic when books arrived in the mail, embarrassed when the hot alien boy see's her quirky In My Mailbox post... oh wait, maybe we don't all have the hot alien boy part (where can I sign up for that!?).

Daemon was no angel, Katy describes him pretty well with her first scalding remark of 'douchebag' not so creative, but the girl works better than most under pressure! Maybe it's just me and Katy, but I do love a guy that can manage to be a complete jerk yet still flirt and give you butterflies at the same time! You just gotta hate and love him.

Daemon has hidden depths, like every character worth loving has. You just want to give him a big hug and um... rip his clothes off at the same time (hmm, maybe I'm being too graphic, apologies).

The tension was electric, the build up was tormentingly evil of Jennifer, but ooh boy was it worth the wait!

Dee was a bundle of adorable fun, she was a great match for the friendship area for Katy and I wouldn't want to stand between this girl and her ice-cream!

The Alien twist was great, I love how they weren't your typical little green men seeking peace or massive bugs after world domination.

The end was: awesome, frustrating, humorous, amazing and intriguing! my hands are going to be tingling to the very tips until I get my hands on book two!

I have so many speculations about book two! I don't want to spoil so I think I'm going to have to go annoy other fantastic bloggers that have read this masterpiece already and see what they think and speculate!

Thank you Jennifer and Entangled Publishing for giving me the chance to read and review Obsidian - which I've been dying to read ever since I heard about it and then did my first ever cover release!

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout was another fantastic read and will be going into my favourites and truthfully, I think she had me as soon as 'stab-worthy' was mentioned in the synopsis!

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout is a definite must read!
& gets:

nomalicious nomnom noms

Some favourite quotes:

This guy was flipping my bitch switch like nothing else.
~
"Yeah, it's kind of a hobby. What's yours? Kicking puppies?"
~
"Stalking me again, I see. Do I need to get a restraining order?"
"In your dreams Kitten," He smirked. "Oh wait, I'm already starrin in those, aren't I?" I rolled my eyes. "Nightmares, Daemon. Nightmares."

Waiting on Wednesday: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Everyone make sure you check out my Happy Halloween International Giveaway! For a chance to win one of six spooky books! Only 5 days left!

"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: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Release Date: January 3rd 2012 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Exiled from her comfortable home, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland – called the Death Shop – are slim. Violent energy storms can strike suddenly, and even the very air she breathes might kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous – a savage. He’s also her only hope.

Because Aria alone holds the key to his redemption, Perry needs her, too. Their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

I think that this sounds AMAZING and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 401
Format: Audio Book
Hours: 12hr. 6min. 44sec.
Narrators: Steve West & Fiona Hardingham
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: October 18th 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Audible

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.


At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.


Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

I admit, I was very skeptical about The Scorpio Races, (I wasn't a big fan of Shiver) and possibly would have put off reading it even longer if it wasn't for amazon sending me two free audible credits. I thought, why not give it a go, since it's free!

I have one word for everything The Scorpio Races lead me to feel: MAGICAL.

It was breathtaking, heart-wrenching and lovable.

The audio-book was AMAZING, the music (created by Maggie herself) and the two voice actors who played Puck and Sean were first class. They had all the different voices and the right emotions at the right times aced, which made the experience all the more magical.

Fans of Mercy Falls trilogy will either love or dislike The Scorpio Races; Maggie mentions in her section at the end of the audio book that it is very different from the Mercy Falls trilogy, and doesn't have kissing every second page (her words not mine!).

Well one thing for sure is that all the years of Maggie's hard work and research has paid off, this book is AMAZING, I'm now a fan for life.  (You've achieved one thing Maggie! I felt like I was there, and I'm going to be trying to get the salt out of my hair for weeks!)

I loved this book so much that even though I have audio, I'm going to have to go buy a hardcover copy, because I just have to have it! The cover is beautiful and after reading a few reviews I'm interested to see how some things are spelled, since I was hearing the pronunciation of capaill as: 'kapal-ishka' I always wondered why Holly was having a hard time with the pronunciation, but after seeing the spelling, I understand!

I think that reading The Scorpio Races would lead to an all new experience after listening to the audio-book and I'm excited to plunge into world Maggie created all over again.

The island was amazing, the characters were fantastic, the horses were breathtaking - both of land and sea! and especially the bonds that Maggie created, simply bewitching.

Gabe, I just wanted to punch him! In the end I understood him and his reasons, but still wasn't that impressed. Finn was adorable and I want a little brother just like him! (Maggie said she wouldn't be writing anymore books in this world, ever. But I would love to see a book with Finn as the main character, hell actually I wouldn't mind a book featuring Holly either) Holly was a hoot and I loved Steve West's American voice for him! I adored so many characters, and I'll keep listing them all if I continue.

I haven't forgot Puck and Sean either... the slow build up of their relationship was fantastic, no insta-love here! Watching them ever so slowly shift themselves into each others lives and how highly they came to think of the other while thinking so little of themselves, enraptured me. I found myself being tugged along with them at the slow pace, content to let their relationship unravel and not screaming at them to hurry up (which I'm guilty to doing at a lot of books that are either to slow or fast).

Then there was Sean's simple one liners that had so much impact and meaning that managed to not only set Puck's heart a-flutter, but mine also!

And Puck was such a whirlwind against Sean's steady self and seeing them slowly come together is well worth the read, and ooh boy the tension!

I could go on and on about The Scorpio Races, but would probably just end up repeating myself, However this is an absolute must read! If you are one of the skeptical people like I was, read it - you won't regret it!

The Scorpio Races gets a special place in my heart residing amongst my favourites,
and gets:






nomalicious nomnom noms.

In my Mailbox #9

Since last Sunday at Nomalicious Reads

Not much has happened this week, I've been swamped with uni work so I haven't been able to read, review and post a lot of books! But there's only two weeks left then I'll have time to read... YAY!
Reviews: White Cat by Holly Black and Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.
Fun Stuff: Waiting on Wednesday: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare.
Also
Don't miss the chance to enter my Happy Halloween International Giveaway for the chance to win one of six chillingly creepy books!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

This week I got a bunch of goodies!

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel:
I'm very excited to read this! It sounds amazing and a fantastic read for Halloween! The cover is extremely beautiful, this picture and the one on goodreads does not do it justice!
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst:
I'm not big on Vampires, but when I read the synopsis I had to give in and buy this, who couldn't resist a vampire getting a conscience after being stabbed by a unicorn!
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal:
I love Historical YA, and this sounds bloody brilliant! Cannot wait to start this one, it sounds like a page turner!!
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday:
Something may possibly be wrong with me, I love my murder mysteries something chronic... especially when the girl pops her Nancy Drew hat on and decides to solve the mystery, before the killer gets her too! Loooove it, can't wait to read this mystery! The cover is perrrdy!
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Spiders Revenge by Jennifer Estep:
I still have Tangled Threads to gobble up, its on hold for the moment, but it's a fantastic series and I'm loving it! Especially can't wait to read this one!
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

That's not all I got my hands on this week either! I was lucky enough to receive two credits and the choice to choose any two audio books on audible for free! then the October special 'frighteningly low prices' started and after I listened to my first audio book I fell in love and bought some more... since they were cheap!

White Cat by Holly Black:
I was really excited when I found this on audible and I quickly purchased it with my free credit, I've been dying to read it, and it was not only my first audio book, but first Holly Black book! You can read my review: here.
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Audible

Red Glove by Holly Black:
I bought this after I listened to White Cat, can't wait to find out what will happen next!
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Audible

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater:
I'll admit, I wasn't a big fan of Shiver, so I was skeptical about this, so I bought it with my free credit and oooh boy not only is the book AMAZING, the audio is also AMAZING!! I'm in the last hour and terrified yet excited to find out how the story will end! My review will be up next week!
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Audible

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor:
I LOVE Laini Taylor, she is a genius and I've been excited to read this for awhile, yet I will admit, the cover is hideous! I'm sorry, but it just is! Therefore I bought it on audio and am very excited to listen to this undoubtedly masterful piece.
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Audible

Hounded by Kevin Hearne:
The first thing that attracted me to this cover... wasn't the guy on the cover *cough*I swear*cough* The story sounds amazing, and I thought that I would like to give the audio of it a go to see if I like it enough to buy the book... and not just to ogle the cover.
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Audible

Well that's it for this week for me, I went a bit crazy, but gotta love it! What did you guys get in your mailbox this week!?

Review: Shatter Me by Tahreh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #1
Pages: 342
Format: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: November 15th 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.


The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.


Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

I've been wanting to read Shatter Me ever since I read it's captivating synopsis.

Then I entered my friend Rachel's giveaway over at her blog: Paper Cuts, where an ARC of Shatter Me was only one of a few prizes that I could win, my chances were slim and yet, I won! I Still can't believe I won the book I actually wanted... a big thanks goes out to Rachel (for the hundredth time).

This book was... wow, just WOW.

There's no way that I can write a review to give justice to how fantastic Shatter Me was, but hopefully I'll entice you enough with my words of WOW, to get you to raid the bookstore on it's release date or convince to to borrow it from the library or to go and pre-order a copy of it NOW.

My thoughts when I picked up Shatter me and begin to devour it was: wow this is weird. Good, fantastic weird, but still weird. I was intrigued and curious what Tahereh Mafi was going to write next, and how things could possibly evolve with Juliette's current mental state.

I turned out not to be disappointed, but ended up being blown away.

With every page Tahereh leads us along a thrilling tale, experiencing Juliette's inner and outer turmoil and her journey to self discovery and acceptance. Watching her grow from the weak, mentally unstable character she was into an amazing independent woman coming to terms with herself and her power, was definitely worth the read alone. But Tahereh gave us a lot more food for thought along the way.

One of those yummy delectable things was: Adam! Ooooh boy, would I love to be Juliette locked up in a room with him! (Spoiler: Although, maybe not, since they keep getting interrupted! Was damn frustrating. Tahereh you evil genius, you. I hope that Adam and Juliette can finally get some 'alone' time in book two, for a couple of hours at least. haha, yes I'm shameful, but ooh boy was some of those scenes steamy!!)

I've heard a lot of people saying they don't understand the cover of the book and why Juliette is wearing the, and i quote 'hideous dress' I will say that I'm pretty sure that it's in reference to the creepy evil (excuse my language) BASTARD, who dresses her up in numerous amounts of outfits throughout a certain part of the novel, although all those were skin tight and short so I'm not sure why this dress was chosen... either way, I like the cover and can't wait to get my own hardcover copy!

All of Tahereh's characters will sink their hooks into you, even the creepy evil bastard! He was so damn evilly insane that he was awesome! I'm a sucker for a well written bad guy that will give me the chills, and Warner fit the glove to a T.

I loved throughout the book Tahereh had cross out sections, questioning Juliette's sanity and displaying her real thoughts within them.

The fantastic world, the twists, the turns the characters, the fantastic ending and the almost superhero feel I got from the end, just makes me eager for MORE! I don't think of anything I can't squeal all fan-girl style about this book.

Tahereh did an AMAZING job, and I CANNOT WAIT to pick up not only the sequel to Shatter Me, but any other book she writes. Tahereh Mafi is another fantastic debut writer of 2011 to keep your eyes glued on for upcoming masterpieces!

Shatter my by Tahereh Mafi gets put on my favourites shelf and:






Nomalicious nomnom noms!

Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Title: White Cat
Author: Holly Black
Series: Curse Workers
Format: Audio book
Narrator: Jesse Eisenberg
Publisher: Listening Library
First Published: January 1st 2010
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Audible

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

I'm guilty of never reading a Holly Black book or listening to an audio book... until now.

I've been meaning to try an audio book for awhile, because it would be so convenient for when I'm stuck with a massive headache, public transport or even cleaning! I was very happy to receive an e-mail from amazon giving me two free credits to get any two books on audible for free!  (Check out their sale of: frightening low prices! Until the end of October - I've bought a few more already!)

Yes, The paperback of White Cat is only about $8.48 in pretty much any online store, but I had to give audio a try, and what better way to do it than listening to a book I've been dying to read since I discovered a few fellow bloggers reading the ARC of Black Heart, the third book in the Curse Workers series.

I love the covers for all three books in this series, and even though I have the first two books in audio, I may just have to grab a copy of the paperbacks also!

So now that I've dived headlong into Holly Black's amazing world and tasted her writing skills, I can't wait to read more, not only her Curse Workers series either, but her other books also!

I must say that at first, listening to the audio made me giggle a lot (especially when Jesse Eisenberg used his mum voice), it was strange getting used to listening instead of reading, but I eventually got used to it and got caught up in the world Holly crrafted (I will say that after listening to the start of The Scorpio Races, I was shocked by the vast difference in talent from the voice actors, but I still enjoyed White Cat nonetheless).

Used to reading books with female heroines, I was happy to read a book with a male as the main character.

Cassel is a fantastic character.

A dark past that he only remembers in chunks, Cassel has no idea what he is capable of and is terrified that he will hurt someone again. Holding people always at an arms length Cassel is determined not to end up in the family business, yet he still contains the thrill for the game...

Holly Black takes us on a thrilling ride into Cassel's mind: watching how he reacts to certain events, gaining friends, that he is shocked that he actually begins to trust; to using his con skills of lying and cheating, all to solve a mystery that has haunted him for the past three years; was an absolute blast!

I fell in love with all the characters, even the bad ones that I wanted to give a good smack! (I especially loved Grandpa and Sam!) The mystery was fantastic and I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what Cassel would find out and con next!

White Cat by Holly Black was a gripping read and I recommend to everyone that enjoys a good mystery with a magical twist, don't hesitate to pick this one up! I cannot wait to start Red Glove to see what will happen to Cassel next!



nomalicious noms

Waiting on Wednesday: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Everyone make sure you check out my Happy Halloween International Giveaway! For a chance to win one of six spooky books!

"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: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 6th 2011 
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.


With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.


Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?


As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Soo very, very excited to get my hands on this! I adored Clockwork Angels and I didn't think that I would like it as much as I did, yet alone more than I liked The Immortal Instruments! Bring on December!!

In My Mailbox #8

Since last Sunday at Nomalicious Reads

Reviews: Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink and Unveiled by Trisha Wolfe.
Fun Stuff: Waiting on Wednesday: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink and TGIF #9 Dusty Reads #1
Also
Don't miss the chance to enter my Happy Halloween International Giveaway for the chance to win one of six chillingly creepy books!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

This week I got:

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Eve by Anna Carey
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Taste of Home Cookies
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Touch by Jus Accardo
Goodreads | Amazon

TGIF #9 & Dusty Reads #1

Since last Friday at Nomalicious Reads

Reviews: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs, Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink an Unveiled by Trisha Wolfe.
Fun Stuff: IMM & Waiting on Wednesday: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink.
Also!
Don't miss the chance to enter my Happy Halloween International Giveaway for the chance to win one of six chillingly creepy books!

TGIF: Show & Tell: Where do you grab a book and get lost in it? Show us your favorite spot you like to read at.

My favourite places to read are at my desk, bed and my beanbag and when its sunny and I feel like soaking some up, I venture outside to read!

I may possibly take some pictures later, as for the moment my monster-dog Luna is cocooned in my bed and has been ever since I woke up, therefore it can't be made.. yet!

This week I'm participating in a new meme created by the lovely Giselle over at Xpresso Reads!
This meme is called Dusty Reads and involves finding that one (or more) book(s) that sits on your shelf gathering dust that you just haven't read yet!

My Dusty Read of the week is:

Title: The Rebel Prince
Author: Celine Kiernan
Series: The Moorehawke Trilogy
Release Date: August 5th 2010
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository 

Wynter Moorehawke has braved bandits and Loup-Garous to find her way to Alberon-the exiled, rebel prince.

But now that she's there, she will learn firsthand that politics is a deadly mistress.

With the king and his heir on the edge of war and alliances made with deadly enemies, the Kingdom is torn not just by civil war - but strife between the various factions as well.

Wynter knows that no one has the answer to the problems that plague the Kingdom - and she knows that their differences will not just tear apart her friends - but the Kingdom as well.

I really loved the first two books in the Moorehawke Trilogy, Celine Kiernan is an amazing story teller! I've had The Rebel Prince ever since it was released in this beautiful cover in Australia, but just haven't managed to bring myself to read this conclusion to the tale I've come to love... why?

Well honestly, I don't want it to end, so I'm putting it off until I'm in the mood to read the end of this thrilling fantasy tale! (I'll probably be reading it soon, as the uni holidays (for me) are coming up!)

So everyone what book do you have in your shelf that keeps collecting dust or retreating lower and lower down your pile!?

Waiting on Wednesday: A Temptation of Angels

Everyone make sure you check out my Happy Halloween International Giveaway! For a chance to win one of six spooky books!

"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: A Temptation of Angels
Author: Michelle Zink
Release Date: March 20th 2012 
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers | Penguin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world’s past, present, and future.


Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

I've wanted to read Temptation of Angels as soon as I saw this alluring cover and read the intriguing synopsis. Of course now that I've read Prophecy of the Sisters (review), the first book in Michelle's Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy, I want to read Temptation of Angels even more!

You can go read the first two chapters over at Penguin: here (also has other great chapter samples, Born Wicked is one of them). It's made me even more excited to get my hands on this amazing book to find out what can possibly happen next!

P.S - am I the only one that thinks the model on the cover looks a bit like Scarlett Johanson?

Review: Unveiled by Trisha Wolfe

Title: Unveiled
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Type: Novelette
Format: Kindle
Publisher: S.B. Addison Books
Published: September 18th 2011
Goodreads | Amazon 

Amongst the wasteland lies the gleaming city of Karm. A Camelot-esque utopia built from the ashes of a dying world.

Seventeen-year-old Fallon is no daughter of Karm.

She's its assassin.

Raised by a secret society of rebels, she's bent on bringing down the king's sham of an existence. But her first mark, one of the king's top knights of the Force, makes her question everything. Even her heart.

I've seen Unveiled around a lot since its release in September, I had already purchased this intriguing sounding novelette and decided that since it was already short, I should hurry up and read it and see what everyone was raving about!

I loved the world. Wolfe puts a nice new and unique historical-esque spin to the dystopian genre, very nicely done and not only did she do that, she also threw in some bad-ass assassin rebels and won me over!

It was nicely done, and I really liked Xander and Fallon's first introduction, although things seemed to develop a bit to fast in that direction, everything else went along smoothly, capturing the right amount of intrigue.

Just Xander and Fallon seemed to fall into a comfortable relationship of 'I want you, forever' and 'I trust you, even though we just tried to kill each other' way, that made think... huh!? Yes it was a bit fast-paced in that area for me, but I still enjoyed it!

Either way, I really liked Unveiled and can't wait to read the book that Trisha Wolfe is writing with the characters from this intriguing novelette!

I really want to know what happens, can't wait to see what Fallon will get up to next!

Unveiled by Trisha Wolfe gets:

nomnom noms!

Review: Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Title: Prophecy of the Sisters
Author: Michelle Zink
Series: Prophecy of the Sisters
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Publisher: ATOM
Published : August 5th 2010
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-

One good...

One evil...

Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.

They just know they can't trust each other.

I've been meaning to read Prophecy of the Sisters since it first came out in 2010, but for some reason I kept holding off from purchasing this fantastic book. Just the other week I discovered that it was only $4.34 over at the book depository (still is & $3.60 on Amazon) and just had to buy it while it was on sale.

I highly recommend to everyone who hasn't read it yet to quickly grab a copy while it's cheap! (links above synopsis)

I think the cover is beautiful, and it goes well with Michelle's description of Lia's face being more round than Alice's, I swear their eyes were the same colour in the book!? Hell maybe the characters on the front aren't even Alice and Lia... who knows!

Michelle Zink does an amazing job of creating an intriguing world, with a mysterious prophecy and amazing characters.

I loved how Sonia and Luisa, gradually came into Lia's life and they weren't best friends at the start of the book. We witnessed the growing friendship as the book progressed. You don't find that enough in YA!

Lia has no idea at the start of the book that she is apart of an ancient prophecy. She's just a normal girl, recovering from her fathers death and doesn't think that things could possibly get worse. But they do as she discovers many strange things, one after the other, leading to revelations that she doesn't believe possible.

I've got to hand it to Lia, she handles the sudden upheavals in her life well, Michelle Zink did a fantastic job of capturing all the emotions that Lia went through flawlessly, and I didn't feel as if any of them were inappropriate to Lia's character.

I will say, if I was Lia I doubt I could ever forgive that evil bitch Alice, yes she may see the light and become an awesome character in the next two books. I doubt I'll ever be able to forgive the selfish girl that she is! (I'm kinda hoping she dies... haha now I'm the evil one) But don't worry this is just me, maybe you will sympathise with Alice, or maybe you'll like her. She just isn't the character for me.

Another thing I really liked was Michelle's depiction that twins aren't always thick as thieves. Sure Lia mentions that she and Alice used to be close when they were children, but you get the feeling that Lia has always thought herself lower to Alice's shining 'look at me' character.

In most books (not just YA) twins are always usually depicted as best friends (etc). This is probably just a pet peeve from being a twin myself (twin brother) and knowing other twins of different genders; but every twin relationship is different, just like every sibling relationship is different; sometimes you're close, sometimes you're not or even other times, its both. I really liked how Michelle made Alice and Lia's relationship a rocky one and I'm very interested to see how it progresses!

I don't think that I'll mention anything else, as I don't want to spoil anything. So I'll just finish this review by saying: if you haven't read this amazing book yet - go out and grab it! It's definitely worth a read, and the tissues you'll go through at the end. (So evil of you Michelle, I cried buckets! But still... I can't wait till book two and three arrive in my mailbox!)

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink gets:

nomnom noms