More ARC Contests!

There is a rather huge ARC contest going on right now which includes advanced copies of Beautiful Darkness, Nightshade, The Unidentified, and many others. You have to work a little for your entry, but it will be totally worth it in the end if you get the ARC's that you wanted. And it is also open internationally!

So, if you would like to try check out the contest and enter here: http://babblingflow.blogspot.com/2010/08/arcs-arcs-arcs.html

Currently Reading

It seems sort of strange to mention what books I'm currently reading because I'm always going back and forth between certain ones. I'll get into a certain mood and start one book and then change my mind and go back to a different one. How I keep up with the different plots and where I left off on the last one, I'll never understand.

Right now I'm going back and forth between two. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead:

Here's the story description for the latest Vampire Academy book: After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. No Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

Fall in love with Rose and Dimitri all over again in Spirit Bound, the eagerly awaited fifth novel in Richelle Mead's enthralling Vampire Academy series.

And Linger by Maggie Steifvater:

Here's the description for her latest installment of The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series: In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past…and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves…and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love–the light and the dark, the warm and the cold–in a way you will never forget.

Both series have managed to capture my attention for completely different reasons. In the Vampire Academy Series, Richelle Mead has taken a unique look into the vampire world and has created relationships between the main characters that are beautiful and strong. And, then there's The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series. It is so much more than just werewolves. It is first love and yearning, family and home, trust and hope.

I can't even fully describe how much I've enjoyed these books so far, but I want to save that for the reviews that will be coming your way. And speaking for reviews I have a few that will be coming your way soon. First will be Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, White Cat by Holly Black, Blood Promise by Richelle Mead, and Shiver by Maggie Steifvater. These are one's that I've been wanting to write for awhile, but haven't had the opportunity to so yet.

And I've been trying to talk myself into finishing Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins so that I can read Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I'm going to admit that part of my hesitancy stems from the year I had to read Lord of the Flies in high school. That book scarred me and I've been afraid to read anything else like it, and I've been worried that HG is similar in that regard. We'll just have to wait and see I guess.

Beautiful Moon Giveaway

Okay, I just posted a review for the fabulous Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and now I found a contest for the 2nd book in this series: Beautiful Darkness. The other book being given away as well is Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin.

I'm incredibly excited for these books and I hope you are, too. If you would like a chance to win these ARC's, then check out the contest details at: http://www.pageturnersblog.com/2010/08/beautiful-moon-giveaway.html and enter. The Giveaway ends August 25th.

There's also a button and link for the contest in my side bar.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Okay, when I first began reading this book I fell in love with the fact that is was based in the South. Being a Southern girl born and raised, it made my day. Then, the further I delved into the story, the more I fell in love with the characters and the plot.

Ethan Wate is just like every other sixteen year old boy in the town of Gatlin. He's on the basketball team, has the right friends, he's one of them. Only, he's not. Ethan has been waiting for something, anything, to happen since his mother passed away and the answer to that may be just around the corner when Lena Duchannes moves to town.

They have both been dreaming about each other, neither knowing who the other is until a random encounter during a torrential downpour. And the dream always ends the same, they lose their grip on each other and Lena disappears. What does it all mean?

The pace is slow and steady, revealing a little more with each chapter. Including a big secret that Lena, her Uncle Macon, and others around Gatlin have been keeping for years. A secret that could endanger both Lena and Ethan. One of the few clues you get early on is a count down of numbers that she keeps on her hand, each day she marks off another day that's passed.

I absolutely adore Ethan and his constant devotion to Lena. The more he learns the more it draws him to her, and vice versa. They are connected in a way that can't e explained and is too beautiful to pass up.

Kami and Margaret weave a beautiful tale of love and betrayal, hope and desperation, fantasy and southern tradition. This is such a wonderfully written and engaging story and I for one can't wait to find out what happens next. If you want to learn more about this fantastic series you can go here: http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/ This site also has information on contests, interviews, and links to the author's blogs.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose is sixteen and starting her sophomore year of high school. Her best friend is Jay Heaton and they've known each other all of their lives. She's just like every other girl her age, except that she has a secret, she can find the dead.

That alone is what first intrigued me to read this book. I was interested to see how Kim Derting was going to explain Violet's little talent, and let me tell you I was not disappointed.

It's like a compulsion, Violet can't help going out and searching. The echoes call out to her, the echoes of those taken before their time. Each echo is unique and calls to one of her senses. Sometimes it's a taste, others it's a sound or a smell, but once she discovers it she can't rest until whatever it is that's calling out is laid to rest.

The descriptions that the author gives are flawlessly done, bringing you along on the journey and wanting to figure out just what it is as well. What is it that she'll find this time? Very few people know about her gift as well, and one of those that do is her best friend Jay. He is very protective of Violet and it's clear how much they both care of each other. I found myself rooting for them to finally discover their feelings for one another, ooohing and awwing at their closeness. You can't help but fall in love with them and nostalgically remember those days when you felt the exact same way: awkward and unsure.

Violet's gift is put to the test when a serial killer begins targeting young girls in her town. She knows that she's the only one who can find him and she's willing to put herself at risk to discover who is behind the killings, which may just happen the further she delves into the case. So the question is now, who is responsible for the recent murders and what will he do when he figures out who keeps finding his victims?

I absolutely fell in love with The Body Finder. With the innocence of young love, of finding yourself in high school, and learning more about the echoes that are left behind. You can learn more about the author at http://www.kimberlyderting.com, check out her blog, and find out more about the sequel Desires of the Dead.