Florence by Ciye Cho

Florence
Ciye Cho
Pub.: June 28, 2012

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

Kindred by J.A. Redmerski (ARC)

Kindred (The Darkwoods Trilogy #2)
J.A. Redmerski
Exp. Pub.: July 20, 2012 TOMORROW!!!

***THIS FRIDAY, JULY 20th, KINDRED IS ONLY $1.99.***

  Isaac Mayfair is hiding a dark secret. And just when Adria Dawson thinks the worst of her life among the werewolf world is over, she learns the secret that can rip her and Isaac’s love apart. Adria must come to terms with what the truth means for her. What it means for her life and how much time she has left to live it. She must choose between two different fates, neither of which can offer life as a certainty.

As if Isaac’s betrayal isn’t enough, Adria learns that there are things out there older and more powerful than werewolves could ever be. An archaic entity known only to few as the Praverian, unlike anything Adria has ever known or heard of.

As Adria struggles with her own fateful dilemmas, she must also try to find out why the Praverian is so interested in her and do everything in her power to stay out of its way.

Alienation by Jon. S. Lewis (ARC)

Alienation (C.H.A.O.S. #2)
Jon S. Lewis
Pub. Date: January 3, 2012

Synopsis: Along with his best friends Oz and Danielle, Colt McAllister is now training at the secret Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural Academy. But strange accidents seem to follow him. . . even with the security of the school grounds. What first seems random soon turns deadly. But who is targeting Colt?

The C.H.A.O.S. (Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural) series is basically Fringe meets Men In Black, sans humor, so if you're a sci-fi lover, you're probably gonna enjoy this series. There's plenty of intergalactic species trying to get Earth via gateways, and a particular monster called the Thule that want to invade and eradicate the humans so they can take over the Earth. C.H.A.O.S., who's always worked in secrecy until recent events forced their organization into the spotlight,  control the main gateways, but tiny slips are still popping up in random spots, and the Thule are close to developing technology that allows them to open their gateways wherever and whenever they want, making invasion imminent.

Colt, along with his friends Oz and Dani, are about to join the C.H.A.O.S. Academy to train to be future agents. And if the Thule master their technology within the next few months, they'll be the last class that receives this type of training, and the last hope humans have to defeat the invaders. They have access to secret technology, like hoverboards, flying motercycles, unusual weapons, etc. at their disposal, so training is actually pretty entertaining at times. Especially since some random alien species and robots suddenly turn on Colt, trying to knock him off. Similar to John Connor in Terminator, Colt is expected to lead the humans to victory, and he's the only human ever to  successfully blend his DNA with that of the Thule, which gives him additional strength and protection. But even the humans aren't sure whether he's trustworthy, so with both humans and aliens putting him on a hit list, Colt's just trying to survive day by day.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Interview and Giveaway with Jillian Eaton, Author of Pitch (Death Day)

This week on the Writer's Block we have the lovely Jillian Eaton. Awesome vampire writer, fantasies stuck in historical England, seriously addicted to coffee and chocolate, and anti-reality singing competitions. Take a minute to peek at some of these crazy answers before hitting up the giveaway (yeah...I know you're looking for that!) :)

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What was your favorite book as a kid? Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. I would read it, cry. Read it, cry. Read it, cry. It was a vicious circle.

Tell us your favorite quote. "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." - Anton Chekhov

What is your favorite genre to read and what makes it so awesome? Historical romance is always my fallback, but young-adult, paranormal, science fiction... I'll read anything.

If the Earth suddenly became uninhabital, would you rather live under the sea or in space? Awesome question. Definitely under the sea. I'm imagining something out of The Little Mermaid or Atlantis. Atlantis would be cool.

If you could live in any time period other than the present, which would you choose and why? Regency England, but only if I was a wealthy heiress and I could marry a dashing Duke.

What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? Either start another project entirely, or go eat chocolate. Okay, so I just eat chocolate. A lot.

When you were little, what did you think you'd be when you grew up? A veterinarian.

What is the craziest dream you've ever had? Probably the dream that inspired the After in After Ever. It was pretty scary/freaky/how the HELL did my brain come up with this?

What food/drink would absolutely devastate you if they stopped production on? Extra buttered popcorn at the movie theaters. I am seriously addicted.

If you could step into the shoes of any fictional character for one day, who would it be and why? Hermione Granger because a) she's a witch and b) she is awesome.

Do you like to listen to music when you read or write? Absolutely not, and I fail to understand how other writers do it!

Did you do anything special to celebrate your first book release? The fiancee took me out to Applebees. I chattered on, and on (and on on on) about my book. We haven't been back since.

Which is your favorite fairytale? Cinderella.

Which do you prefer: ebook, hardback or paperback? I swore I would never switch to a kindle, but I did and now I am in love. So ebook.

This or That

Underworld or Twilight

Original or Remake

Sweet or Salty

Drama or Comedy

Fantasy or Romance

Spring or Autumn

Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston

Walter Mathau or Jack Lemmon

Dirty Dancing or Footloose

American Idol or X-Factor or The Voice: none of the above

Movie Theatre or Loveseat

Tea or Coffee

Rain or Sunshine

Skiing or Surfing

Tree house or Man Cave

Choose a challenge...if you dare!

Write a sentence using all these words: wolfpack, mirror, pop rocks, cuckoo clock, Edward Cullen, hairspray: Edward Cullen glanced at the cuckoo clock above his dresser mirror and finally put down the hairspray as he muttered "pop rocks" under his breath, for once again he had taken too long on his hair and was going to be late meeting the wolfpack. ROFLMAO! That's pretty good!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!! Jillian is giving away one ecopy of Pitch (Death Day #1). You can check out my 5 star review here. :) Good luck!

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Pitch (Death Day) by Jillian Eaton

Pitch (Death Day #1)
Jillian Eaton

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Lola is a daredevil. She likes playing hooky, making out with bad boy Everett James, and stealing cars. The reason behind all of her rebellious antics? Because she can. But what can one girl do against a horde of murderous vampires?

Aided by her sometimes sober father, her best friend Travis, and Maximus, the mysterious stranger who appeared out of no where to save her life, Lola must accomplish what the rest of the human race has failed to do in the aftermath of the world wide massacre: survive.

But how do you survive when everything you know has been destroyed... and the one person you thought you could trust ends up being the most dangerous person of all?

Why, oh WHY, is this just a novella!!! When you have something this awesome, rock on!!!! And on and on and on!

Lola is your everyday misfit, hellbent on pushing the limit, totally acting out over her parents' divorce and her father's drunkenness. She's currently trying to steal a car, dragging her whiny, unmanly best friend Travis along for the felony, when they hear a horrible shriek within the house. Curious, and a little too reckless, Lola knocks on the door, but it's not the owner that answers, but a beefy-looking vampire. Travis is compelled to enter the house, but not Lola. Yep...you guessed it - Run, Lola, Run!

But there's not a lot of places to run. Everywhere she goes people are screaming, people are running, people are dying. She's determined to get home to her father, then rescue Travis, but it's a long way. And running into a female vampire that wants to make Lola her new plaything isn't getting her there any faster. Luckily the vamp is distracted by a vamp that outranks her, but she doesn't leave before biting Lola. It's not until Lola meets the hunky, weapon-toting Maximus that she learns the female vamp can now track Lola. Well...that sucks. But she's still determined to find her father, rescue her best friend and escape the hellhole her town has now become. But dodging loose vampires proves hard enough. How will she ever get away with a vamp chasing her down that's determined to make Lola her personal plaything?

This novella is types of awesome. It's just a little over a hundred pages, and with action from beginning to end, you're gonna fly through this in one sitting, white knuckles and all. Best part of all? It's only 99 cents and worth so much more! Pick it up now!

Okay, seriously? It's still not in your queue? Let me make this easy for you:

Review requested by author but I already owned it!

Fury's Fire by Lisa Papademetriou (ARC)

Fury's Fire (Siren's Storm #2)
Lisa Papademetriou
Exp. Pub.: July 10, 2012

Synopsis: At the end of Siren's Storm, the Sirens were defeated, and now the town of Walfang is once again a peaceful beach community.

Or is it? Gretchen and Will are still haunted by the memories of the night the Sirens were destroyed—Gretchen because she can't remember what happened and Will because he doesn't know how to tell Gretchen what he saw. He doesn't even understand what he saw, but he does know now that Gretchen is more than what she seems, more than a human girl. And at the same time, he is more in love with her than ever.

Gretchen knows there's something wrong, too. She feels like an alien in her own body, but she doesn't know why. And she feels a presence stalking her at every turn. Have the Sirens returned to Walfang? Or has some other force come to claim her?

Will is annoyingly overprotective of Gretchen. She just sent a group of malicious sirens to their death, but just like the time before, she doesn't remember anything other than the hints that come through in her dreams. Will was there and could tell her, but it's like he thinks she's too fragile to learn what she is, or maybe he doesn't want to admit that Gretchen's strong enough to take care of herself without his help. Sorry, but males that try to bottle up women 'to keep them safe' just really tick me off.

I read Siren's Storm and Fury's Fire back to back, but I have to say I enjoyed the first better than the second. There just wasn't enough suspense in Fury's Fire to really keep me captivated. What you just read in the synopsis...yeah, that pretty much sums up the whole story, sans learning what is plaguing Gretchen, so I can't really add anything more without giving away one of the book's two secrets, and if I do that, what's the point of you reading it? The characters came off a little blah to me, and I didn't really seem to care if Gretchen or Will died in the end. I just didn't feel connected with them. And I guess you could call this a paranormal romance, but it's a weak one. Although Gretchen and Will are interested in one another, neither of them seemed willing to step up and make a real go of it, because their relationship is filled with nothing but mistrust and unspoken truths. FYI...couples that don't talk things out and keep obvious secrets quiet, aren't likely to succeed, and can be incredibly frustrating to read about.

Sorry, this book just wasn't for me, but maybe it is for you. If you really liked Siren's Storm, there's a good chance you'll be okay with what was given in Fury's Fire.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley for honest review.

Replication: The Jason Experiment by Jill Williamson (ARC)

Replication: The Jason Experiment
Jill Williamson
Pub: December 27, 2011

Synopsis: When Your Life Is Not Your Own

Martyr---otherwise known as Jason 3:3---is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to 'expire' in less than a month. To see the sky. Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars. As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures---the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he's ever known.

Martyr - nicknamed by his fellow Jasons' because he's always trying to protect the 'broken' Jasons' - is a clone living in a secret facility beneath a barn in Alaska. Life there is pretty boring in a facility lacking color, personality, and tasty foods, but they don't know that. All they know is the world is filled with toxic air, and without the antidote, they'd die if they ever went outside. So inside this facility Martyr has lived all his life, awaiting the day to fulfill his purpose, when he'll 'expire' at eighteen and his blood will be used to heal others. So when he's about two weeks shy of his expiry date, all he wants is to see the sky before he dies. But the doctors' say no, so Martyr takes advantage of the new doctor, swiping his keycards and sneaking outside. He's not too worried about the toxic gas since he's about to die anyways, but when he gets outside, nothing happens. Confused and a little scared, he wants to see more, and hops into the back of the truck of the new doctor.

From there Martyr's journey spirals out of control. He meets the doctor's daughter, Abby, and tells her his story. Furious her father has taken another questionable job, she's determined to help Martyr and his fellow Jasons', and expose the illegal cloning lab to the world. But the odds are stacked against them as the lab chases him down, and the true reason for Martyr's existence comes to light.

I absolutely loved this from beginning to end. I'm a Microbiologist, so science and cloning are right up my alley. I particularly enjoyed the simplistic, naive mind of Martyr, who was educated to keep him busy through the years, so he was book smart, but completely lacked real life experiences and social skills. And Abby was incredibly patient with him, exposing him slowly to things in the real world. There's also a slight romantic interest blooming between the two, and I liked that it was a slow process and not insta-love.

The only thing I didn't like about Replication was the excess of religious speak. I'm fine with Abby having faith in a God and trying to live her life as best she can by the bible, and I'm fine that she and her scientific father clash and argue Science vs. Religion. I'm even fine with Abby trying to explain her religious beliefs to Martyr, who then decides to follow God's path as well. What annoyed me, however, was the constant narration referrals of 'I pray...' and 'I know God will...', etc. Half way through the book, the 'pray' and 'God' references appear on practically every page. And since there was so much action and danger, both Abby and Martyr were both praying that God would protect them and see them through every little bump in the road. It was just too much, and it bugged me so much that I'm knocking a perfectly awesome 5 star rating down to a 4, because by the end, I felt preached to, and the entire novel ended up being one big religious lesson. Still, religious tone aside, this book was pretty awesome and you guys should definitely pick this up!

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Summer Reads Giveaway Hop (INT)

There's nothing like relaxing during the summertime, whether it be in a hammock, on your front porch or lying around at the beach. So for this giveaway, I'm offering the winner a choice of some of the summer's most anticipated reads!

Or, if the winner prefers, he or she can have an

ARC of my YA Pixie Fantasy DUST.

Coming September 18, 2012.

 4. The number of times my delicate wings have been broken and clamped behind my back.
68. The number inked upon my skin, marking me the sixty-eighth pixie to be stolen.
87. The number of days I’ve been wrongfully imprisoned by the faeries.
88. The first day the faeries will regret the day they stole me.

Healthy. Cheery. Vivacious. All traits Rosalie has before becoming enslaved by the faeries to make an endless supply of pixie dust. Now that Rosalie has been traumatized by slave labor, extreme desolate conditions and multiple deaths, this hardened pixie is anything but. When this rebellious teenager attempts an escape, she’s isolated in cramped quarters until she learns her place. Just as she begins to let go of all that hope, she finds an unlikely friend in Jack, the faerie assigned to guard her. Interspecies dating is forbidden in the fae world, so their growing attraction is unacceptable. And even if Jack can find a way to free her, they know the prison is the only place they can truly be together.

Summer releases will ship from the Book Depository, so make sure they ship to your country! Dust will ship from the US and is available to anyone worldwide. More giveaways available in my header text!

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Interview with Denise Grover Swank, Author of HERE - Get Your Personalized Copy Today!

My guest this week on the Writer's Block is Denise Grover Swank. She's a single super-mom of six kids, the author of a slew of books, coffee nut, and probably has every episode of Little House on the Prairie memorized. Let's take a few minutes to get to know this uber-efficient multi-tasker!

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What was your favorite book as a kid? I LOVED the Little House on the Prairie series! I wanted to have my own sunbonnet, so I found a rufflely baby dress, cinched up the neck hole and sleeves, tied a string around it and made my own. I wore that thing everywhere for awhile.

If the Earth suddenly became uninhabital, would you rather live under the sea or in space? That's really a tough call, but I'm going to go for space-- as long as I'm with other people. Space is so vast and limitless. I can only imagine all the things I could see and experience, as long as my space ship has warp drive. Otherwise, I'll never live long enough to see it all.

Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? Will you have an absolute meltdown if the atmosphere isn't what you like? I'm pretty flexible with my writing and editing. I have to be with all the kids in my house. I have six kids, although only five live at home. My youngest is five and my kids often have their friends here which only adds to the chaos. So, the only thing I really require is my laptop, and I move around from place to place in my house to write. (My new outdoor gazebo is my favorite place when it's not too hot.) Other than that, I need my iTunes and my Bose noise cancelling headphones--my Christmas present to myself.

What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? After I make myself stop procrastinating, I usually push through. But lately I've begun to stop and try to figure out where I went wrong. It saves me from lots of rewriting later.

Do you like to listen to music when you read or write? Tell us a few of your favorites. I've become so accustomed to working with music, I can't write without it. My playlist changes from book to book. With HERE I listened a lot of Linkin Park's album, Minutes to Midnight as well as Lifehouse and Red. I've already added Evanescence new CD to the playlist for THERE and I haven't even started writing it yet.

Which do you prefer: ebook, hardback or paperback? I used to prefer paperbacks, but lately I prefer my Kindle.

This or That

Drama or Comedy: It depends on my mood. More often than not, comedy.

Fantasy or Romance: A combination of both.

Spring or Autumn

Movie Theatre or Loveseat: Movie theater. I don't get out enough.

Tea or Coffee: Coffee!!!!

Rain or Sunshine: Rain but not for too long

Choose a challenge...if you dare!

Write a sentence using all these words: love birds, twizzlers, fireworks, ferris wheel, turtle. The turtle crawled into the backpack and ate Twizzlers while two lovebirds rode a ferris wheel and watched fireworks.

You can see my review of Here here - totally 5 stars! Pick yours up at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. And you can order personalized autographed copies of all her books here.

Here by Denise Grover Swank

Here
Denise Grover Swank

Synopsis: Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

I totally love the science fiction series Fringe, so I loved everything about Here. And of course all that Fringe knowledge allowed me to figure out the mystery behind Evan a little quicker than most, but I loved it all the same.

Julia Phillips has spent the past seven months working on a cloak of invisiblity to disappear off the radars of fellow students, who constantly stared and talked behind her back when she accidentally killed her friend Monica in a car accident. And it was working too, until Evan Whittaker disappeared for a few days, then suddenly reappeared with an interest directed toward Julia. Suddenly interested in tutoring her and driving her home from school, his popular girlfriend leashes an all out war, throwing Julia back into a spot light she can't seem to evade.

It's kind of sad watching Julia suffer from depression and anxiety attacks over the loss of her best friend. There weren't even any skid marks at the scene, so the reason for the accident is unsolved, and luckily, Julia was only charged with reckless driving. She can't remember anything that happened that night, nor figure out why a charm bracelet engraved with her name that she's never seen before appeared near her body. Or why she suddenly became an artist, mindlessly drawing Evan's name in hidden pictures, and also a design he wore hidden under his clothes. So many questions plague her, even more when the police began searching for him, and he desperately begged Julia to leave with him, promising to answer all the lingering questions. But she has no idea how dangerous following her new boyfriend will be...

I have to say that Julia is incredibly real and easy to relate to. Her reactions are honest and the banter that goes on between her and the characters sounds exactly like what you'd expect to hear out of a teenager's mouth, particularly the mother-daughter fights. Here will grab your attention from the start and keep you tuned in until the last page turns. Lovers of Fringe, the X-files and the Twilight Zone should pick this up!

Novel provided by author for honest review.

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta (ARC)

Dark Companion
Marta Acosta
Exp. Pub.: July 3, 2012 TODAY!!!

Synopsis: When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

When I first started reading Dark Companion, it had been awhile since I had read the synopsis. So when I realized this was about a girl growing up in the foster system, who wanted desperately to get her grades up so she could go to an elite school on scholarship, I immediately thought, Crap...this sounds like my paranormal romance Falling In Between. Luckily the similarities stopped there, as mine is a little less paranormal and a little more edgy in terms of coming to age situations. If all you've read so far is the synopsis, whatever you think Dark Companion is about, you're totally wrong...just want to throw that out there.  And when you do finally find out, you may just think eww...

The protagonist is your run of the mill Plain Jane. And with a budget of zero dollars, thrift store clothes, five minutes in the shower that isn't long enough to the wash cheap shampoo out of your hair, and not even powder to put on your face, who wouldn't be a Plain Jane? Once out of the slums and living at school, Jane's showered with an allowance and a whole new wardrobe, and the ugly duckling soon transforms into a swan. Okay, the improvement only goes so far, but that's because it takes Jane the length of the novel to realize she's got a little beauty both inside and out.

Jane is one hardened cookie. A lifetime of hardship makes it difficult for others to knock down her walls, and several are trying to do so, including both sons of the Headmistress. Lucky is incredibly handsome, and has caught the eye of every girl in school. Jane is set up to tutor him in chemistry, but it doesn't take her long to realize he doesn't need any tutoring, and that he's using it as an excuse to hang out with her for a more sinister reason. Jack is a little older, and constantly aggravating her, always calling her halfling cause he swears she appeared out of thin air when they first met...and ended up running her over with his bike. For reasons Jane can't fathom, Jack's always lurking around in the background, watching her every move.

The longer Jane stays at school, the more she learns about the previous scholarship girl BeBe and her sudden departure. Her disappearance is suspect, and with the strange suicide of the school's nurse, things just don't add up. The more Jane uncovers about the school's past, the more danger she brings to the present, and it may end up costing the lives of those she's finally learned to care about.

What I really enjoyed about Dark Companion was the comic banter of Jane's friends, particularly that of Mary Violet. If you've ever watched Gilmore Girls, it's a lot like the crazy conversations Rory and her mom Lorelai had, except instead of the subject matter pertaining to an endless knowledge of pop culture, it's more literature-based. Mary Violet was definitely the best part of this book, as she was absolutely crazy, always spouting her own creative poetry and she's just incredibly likeable. I'd love to read a novel from her point of view! Hint, hint Ms. Acosta <gently nudges with elbow>...

Check this book out. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I had to read this in one day, constantly having to recharge my dead Kindle Fire cause I wouldn't let it charge for more than 15 minutes at a time, ancy to get back to the story.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Blog Tour Sign-ups for YA Pixie Fantasy DUST

Coming September 18, 2012.

I'm currently holding sign-ups for the Dust blog tour, which will be held in September. In order to be considered for this tour, you must 1) be a reviewer with a blog that's active and dedicated to book reviews, 2) able to accept an ebook (.mobi, epub) version of this novel.

Synopsis for Dust is as follows:

4. The number of times my delicate wings have been broken and clamped behind my back.
68. The number inked upon my skin, marking me the sixty-eighth pixie to be stolen.
87. The number of days I’ve been wrongfully imprisoned by the faeries.
88. The first day the faeries will regret the day they stole me.

Healthy. Cheery. Vivacious. All traits Rosalie has before becoming enslaved by the faeries to make an endless supply of pixie dust. Now that Rosalie has been traumatized by slave labor, extreme desolate conditions and multiple deaths, this hardened pixie is anything but. When this rebellious teenager attempts an escape, she’s isolated in cramped quarters until she learns her place. Just as she begins to let go of all that hope, she finds an unlikely friend in Jack, the faerie assigned to guard her. Interspecies dating is forbidden in the fae world, so their growing attraction is unacceptable. And even if Jack can find a way to free her, they know the prison is the only place they can truly be together.

If interested, head over to my sign-up page.

Previously Loved Book Giveaway for July 2012

The July giveaway is an ARC of Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens.

All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and find closure.

But some questions are better left unanswered.

After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother—only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her.

What if murder is in your blood?

Wanna enter to win? Head over to my giveaway page.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Iron Knight
Julie Kagawa
Pub: October 26, 2011

Synopsis: Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I never thought I'd say this about any character in any book, but I am sooo...

This is the first I've reviewed of the series, and I have to admit that The Iron Queen is actually my favorite and the best of the four. But...I love finally getting the story from Ice-Boy's point of view. A human lost in Faery, Meghan's fish out of water POV was fun to follow, but I often wondered went on behind the ever cold glares of the Winter Prince.

Note: Spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first three books!

In The Iron Queen, Meghan released Ash from the duty of being her sworn knight, ultimately untethering their bond and sparing his life. And before she transfered the power of the Iron King into the land itself, she ordered Ash to leave the Iron Realm and to never come back, knowing he would otherwise, even though the iron would kill him in a heartbeat now that his protective charm was spent. Who knew once Meghan gave the power to the Iron Realm itself that the land would turn around and return the favor, healing her injuries and making her the official Iron Queen. But what's done is done. Meghan now an Iron faery, and Ash a Winter faery, the two realms would not be allowed to marry...not that Ash could survive in Meghan's kingdom anyway. Having sworn that he would do whatever it takes to be by her side to love and protect her, Ash journeys beyond the end of the faery world in search of a soul.

Along with Puck, the Cat Sith, and two more unexpected allies, five members of the faery world travel beyond the end of the world and through the gauntlet so Ash can go through the trials to earn a soul. Becoming human is the only way in which Ash can stand beside Meghan, but does he really know what it means to have a soul? Subjected to physical weakness, lack of magic, a conscience and mortality, Ash is forced to endure everything that is beautiful - and deadly - about being human. When he realizes he'll never be able to physically protect Meghan again, will he really go through with accepting a soul, or remain the ever strong Winter Prince to protect her from afar...even if it means being apart forever?

Friendships will be tested. Actions will have consequences. Lives will be lost. And the deathly duel hanging over the heads of Ash and Puck will finally come to an end.

What can I say about The Iron Knight? Well, most likely you've already beaten me to this novel. I can only say I'm sorry it took me this long to read the last two books. What I really enjoyed about following Ash was getting a glimpse of the decades he spent as the Winter Prince. Temporarily given a soul, he's forced to endure all the cruel, souless things that he did to others through the course of his life...and boy did he do some nasty things. It's like he stood before the pearly gates and was forced to account for every bad thing he ever did. Besides an overwhelmingly guilty conscience plaguing his soul, his lack of magic and strength make him realize just how weak he'll be if he earns a soul and accepts. He'll never be able to protect Meghan, who will undoubtably be under constant attack by members of the other realms. So what's an Ice-Boy to do? Meghan proved to be an exceptionally strong-willed human forced to survive in a magically-influenced land that constantly tried to kill her off. Could Ash atone for his sins and prove himself worthy as well? Guess you'll have to read to find out for yourself! Yeah...I'm cruel that way. But I promise, you'll be rewarded with an ending you won't see coming.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.