Tuesday, July 30, 2013

{Review} City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass
by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #3
Pages: 541
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 24, 2009
by Margarte K. McElderry Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)

Goodreads / Purchase
To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of bestselling series the Mortal Instruments.


Wow.  This book.  Wow.  So many feelings, so many emotions.  I was literally screaming and yelling as I was reading this book.  It’s just one of those few books that just make you crazy.  This was supposed to be the end of the trilogy, and it closed off everything so well.  The series got better and better as the series carried on, and this one was really awesome.  The world and story was so complex during this whole series, and this book perfectly explained everything and tied off all the loose ends.  Everything that I wanted to happen happened, and everything I wanted explained was explained.  The story flowed so well and every single event and little detail made perfect sense, because it had been explained in the books before.

Let’s address the elephant in the room – or should I say, in the review.  [SPOILER: JACE AND CLARY BEING RELATED!  Obviously I knew there was no way that could be because THEY ARE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER!  But I still wasn’t positive.  There was a possibility that they could actually be related, but I’m SO FREAKING GLAD THAT THEY AREN’T!  Honestly it was killing me.  The whole book I was waiting for the moment when Clare would set things straight, but I was NOT expecting it when it happened.  It was during the big info-dump Jocelyn did to Clary before the big battle at the end.  The whole time I was expecting Clare to drop the bomb, but she didn’t.  Then Jocelyn started talking about how Clary’s brother was so evil, and Clary was like “No he isn’t’.  Jace is really nice” and Jocelyn was like “Oh no Clary, I wasn’t talking about him.  I was talking about your brother” Clary’s like “But Jace is my brother?” and Jocelyn was like “No he isn’t” and at that point I was going crazy.  I was in the car with my family so I was literally rolling around on the back seat with a blanket stuffed over my mouth as I screamed my head off.  The way Clare did it was so amazing, and it totally caught me off guard.  Oh my God.  But it made perfect sense.  I was really hoping that Clare would come up with good history and a good explanation for why Jace was thought to be Valentine’s son, and she totally did that, and more.  She completely blew me away with that!
Then there was the twist about Sebastian Verlak not being the real Sebastian Verlak, and after the big info-dump from Jocelyn I totally guessed that Jonathan (the real Jonathan, not Jace) was impersonating Sebastian.  Oh yeah! ]


As I’ve said before, I’m kind of in love with Jace.  [SPOILER: If he and Clary really had been related, I would have been okay with that because then Jace would be a free agent and I could marry him and we could have a ton of little Shadowhunter kids and live happily ever after…I am so sorry, I drifted off into dreamland for a bit there.  Back to the review.  ]  Jace is awesome.  So.  Freaking.  Sexy.  I love his personality, his snark, his kick-ass-ness.  God, he’s perfect.  And, also, I really loved how much Clary has grown over the course of this series.  I didn’t really like her much in the first book, but I really loved her in this one.  She was very, very strong.  I also really loved all the supporting characters like Alec, Isabelle, Magnus, and Simon.  They really make the book awesome.


Honestly I can’t figure out why Clare has written 3 more books for this series.  I don’t see the point. This book closed off the series perfectly, and there really is no need for any more books.  But, I’ll still check them out and see how I feel :)


A very awesome 4.5 pink flowers. Close to 5 stars, but not quiet.


Quotes:

“It’s my cologne.  Eau de Recent Injury,” said Jace.

“There is no pretending,” Jace said with absolutely clarity.  “I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there’s a life after that, I’ll love you then.”

Monday, July 29, 2013

Young Adult Debut Promotions: Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

Young Adult Debut Promotions (YADP) is a post I do to help out debut authors, and to get them noticed.  My posts will definitely include a feature of the book, a feature of the author, and a giveaway, with an interview, guest post, or excerpt optional.  If you would like more information about YADP click here and scroll down until you come to the section talking about it.

Today I am featuring...

Kara Taylor
And she will be doing an interview and giveaway!




Prep School Confidential
by Kara Taylor
Series: Prep School Confidential #1
Pages: 304
Release Date: July 30, 2013
by St. Martin's Griffin

In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery. Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn't care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.
When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.



Author Interview:



1. Why did you decide to become a writer?
Becoming a writer actually happened by accident! I always loved writing, but I knew I had to have a practical career plan as well. I was actually going to college and studying to be an English teacher when I wrote my first book and wound up signing with an agent and getting a deal.

2. Who were your biggest influences?
My grandparents always encouraged me to read and write at a young age. My 101-year-old grandma still has the first picture book I wrote! But my biggest influence was my 11th grade English teacher, who before I graduated, told me "I want a shout-out in your first book." Before then, I never thought I had what it took to sit down and finish a book. Her words helped me realize I had a story in me after all.

3. Where do you like to write?
I'm most comfortable in my room, at my desk. But I'm most productive somewhere quiet, like my college campus library, where I wrote most of PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL.

4. Do you have a special routine you like to do before you write?
I have to make myself a cup of coffee from my Keurig machine!

5. When and how did you get the idea for Prep School Confidential?
I always loved the boarding school setting, and procedural mysteries. Anne's voice came to me first, then I was really inspired by shows like Veronica Mars/The Killing/Twin Peaks.

6. Is there another book in the works?  If so, what can we expect?
Book 2 of the PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL series is complete, and I'm working on Book 3 now! You can expect lots more mayhem at the Wheatley School, as Anne investigates a decades-old cold case and unearths some secrets that she wishes had stayed buried.

THIS OR THAT
1. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
Milk!

2. Cats or dogs?
I have both, but I am a dog person.

3. Hardcover, paperback or ebook?
Depends on where I'm reading. If I'm traveling, e-book. If I'm at home relaxing, a paperback.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE?
1. Movie?
Almost Famous

2. Ice cream flavor?
Rocky Road

3. Animal?
I want a teacup pig so badly! Pigs are so cute.

4. Book?
That's like picking a favorite child! To Kill A Mockingbird is my all-time favorite classic, but my favorite book in recent years is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

5. Actor and actress?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschannel.

6. Fictional character?

Anna from Anna and the French Kiss. She's my girl!




Giveaway:



THE RULES:
~There will be 2 winners
~Giveaway ends on August 6, 2013 @ 12:00 A.M.
~This giveaway is US/CAN


THE PRIZE:
The first winner will receive a finished copy of Prep School Confidential.
The second winner will receive an awesome prize pack!



a Rafflecopter giveaway


THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO MUCH KARA FOR STOPPING BY!

Beat the Heat Read-a-Thon Starting Line!


  • The Beat the Heat Readathon runs from July 29th through August 11th. What does this readathon entail, you ask? Well, read as much or as little as you want – the main point is to READ! You set your own goal, and for two weeks you read as many books as you can/want to reach your goal!
  • There will be mini-challenges throughout the Readathon for participants, along with a grand prize giveaway at the end!
  • Sign up at Auntie Spinelli Reads or Phantasmic Reads. You may join whenever you like, but to be eligible for our grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by August 5th.
  • To join, all you have to do is make a sign-up post – even if it’s just a “Let’s do this!” thing - and add your post URL to the linky below! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post, or you can make it separate. Totally up to you! Feel free to copy and paste this handy little list for your post. We don’t mind. :)
  • In order to enter for the grand prize, you must have a post to keep track of your progress so we can see that you participated.

My Goal:

Read 8 books
Finish City of Fallen Angels
Finish The 5th Wave


The Books I Plan To Read:








ARE YOU GUYS PARTICIPATING TOO?  IF SO, LINK ME TO YOUR KICK OFF POSTS!! :)

Saturday, July 27, 2013

{Review} City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes
by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2
Pages: 453
Release Date: March 24, 2009
by Margaret K. McElderry Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)

Goodreads / Purchase

WARNING: Don't read this summery unless you've read the first book!  It gives away ALL the plot twists!!
Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? Clary would love to spend more time with her best friend, Simon. But the Shadowhunters won't let her go--especially her handsome, infuriating newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil--and also her father. When the second of the Mortal Instruments os stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?


I’m becoming more and more invested in this series.  I’m starting to really, really love it and become addicted to it.  This book was much, much better than the first one.  This one was much darker, faster paced, and was a lot darker.  It added perfectly to the story, and I absolutely loved the world.  I was very impressed with the story line, and I have absolutely no complaints about that.  I liked how Clare focused on different characters in turn.  That made the book so much more interesting and made you want to keep reading.  The staging was really great, and the story flowed beautifully.  The ending was so, so amazing, and the description scenes where Clare is describing the setting or something were very well done.  I could imagine everything so clearly because of her great writing.  The ending was so amazing and thrilling, and the perfect climax to the story.

I love this cast.  Like, really love them.  Every single character is so special and entertaining.  In this book Jace was much more subdued than in the first book, and also very dark and damaged.  [SPOILER: I thought that was very appropriate after what happened at the end of City of Bones and also because he’s being accused of so many things that he didn’t do. ]  I loved seeing this other side of him because it makes him seem human and also adds to the story.  I wasn’t that impressed with Clary in the first book, but I freaking love her after this one.  She was much more of a factor in this book, and definitely showed herself as a strong, independent, kick-butt character.  She still isn’t as developed as the other characters, but she’s getting there.  I really love Luke being featured more in this book because he really is such an important character.  Isabelle, Magnus, and Alec just top of the cast with a ton of personality and spunk.  Amazing, amazing cast.


This book was so freaking good!  The combination of a really great story line, awesome characters, and great writing really made this book into something special, and I can’t wait to see what happens in book three!


4.5 pink flowers


Quotes:


“I don’t want to be a man,” said Jace.  “I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can’t confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead.”


“Enormous?” said Jace. “Did you just call me fat?”
“It was an analogy.”
“I am not fat.”


“I can’t believe he didn’t have the dignity and presence of mind just to get drunk and pass out in some gutter,” said Jace.  “I must say, I’m disappointed in the little fellow.”


“I thought I’d lie on the floor and writhe in pain for a while,” he (Jace) grunted.  “It relaxes me.”


“I get the feeling,” Alec said, and smiled, “she hasn’t forgiven me for betraying you, as she sees it.” “Good girl,” said Jace with appreciation. “I didn’t betray you, idiot.” “It’s the thought that counts.”


“Because,” Clary said with grim certainty, “only Jace can piss someone off that much.”

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sizzling Summer Giveaway




The Book

As a college senior and server at Hanaford Park's hottest nightclub, twenty-one year old Ryann Pierce's plan was simple: work hard, make lots of money, and avoid the ass-grabbers at all costs. What she never planned for was Quinn Donegan—the living, breathing advertisement for sinful behavior that waltzed into her life.

With an angelic face, a hard body and a butt-load of charm, Quinn had a way with the ladies—a lot of ladies. Cursed with a deadly, addictive touch, his trail of indiscretion blazed across five hundred years. Tired and jaded, Ryann is a shocking revelation Quinn didn't see coming.

Filled with desire, yet unable to touch one another, Ryann and Quinn embark on a daunting journey, battling frustrating physical limitations while exploring their new love. In a race against the clock, Ryann learns she must plead for Quinn's life before…the Eve of Samhain. Determined to end her lover's suffering, not even the danger dogging her every move can keep her from her mission.

Amazon B&N Omnific Publishing

The Guest Post

Quinn's been around for a long-ass time. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, his music collection is…extensive. He's got an unhealthy (according to Ryann) obsession with 80's metal bands, and a deep respect for The Pogues. Basically, he'll listen to just about anything, with the exception of polka music, which, according to him, is "useless shite not fit for anyone's ears".

Below is a list of the ten most frequently played songs on his iPhone as of June 1st, 2013. Keep in mind, Ryann is with him ninety percent of the time, so her music preferences play into a lot of what you see below. Quinn likes to keep his woman happy. Swoon!






    The Author



    Lisa's lifelong love of writing, coupled with her ability to weave together and intricate and compelling story has led to the release of her New Adult paranormal romance trilogy,the Hanaford Park series (Eve Of Samhain, Pleasures Untold, Faythe Reclaimed).

    In her role as a busy stay-at-home and self proclaimed "cheer mom," on any given day Lisa wears a number of different hats. From taxi driver to chef,nurse to seamstress, laundry woman to enforcer, and, of course, writer, Lisa manages to keep everything together while caring for her husband and three children. The few spare moments left in her day are usually spent reading or writing, and if she's really lucky, possibly even catching up on some much needed sleep. Lisa and her family currently reside in Tracy, California.

    Lisa is represented by the fabulous Brittany Booker of the Booker/Albert agency, and has two projects on submission and a third in the works.



    Website
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Goodreads



    The Giveaway





    GIVEAWAY 1 - Kindle Fire HD with NA/Adult e-book prize pack (shown) 1 - Kindle Fire HD with YA e-book prize pack (shown) a Rafflecopter giveaway




    Participating Authors:



    Rachel Harris
    Trisha Wolfe
    Alyssa Rose Ivy
    C.C. Hunter
    Bethany Lopez
    Cindi Madsen
    Tiffany King
    Raine Thomas
    Laura Howard
    Patrice Michelle
    Jennifer Snyder
    Carrie Butler
    Andrea Heltsley
    Jennifer Lane
    Shannon Duffy
    Devyn Dawson
    Nazarea Andrews
    Cherie Colyer
    T.M. Franklin
    Dawn Pendleton
    Lisa Sanchez
    Morgan Wylie
    Eliza Tilton
    Liz Long
    Meradeth Houston
    Dawna Raver
    Erin Danzer
    Lisa Collicutt
    E.J. Wesley
    A.K. Morgen
    Elle Chardou
    Lara Schiffbauer
    Jaycee DeLorenzo
    JD Nelson
    Sharon Bayliss
    C.R. Everett
    Thea Gregory
    Brandice Snowden (not shown)
    Nicki Elson
    Diana Castilleja
    A. W. Exley
    Krystal Wade
    Elizabeth Sharp
    Krissi Dallas
    Tia Bach
    Jamie Ayres
    Michelle Muto
    M.R. Polish

                                                  


    Participating Bloggers:





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