Friday Finds and New Reads

Friday Finds and New Reads

This is where I talk about new books that really stand out to me or sound unique, and what new books I have to read or will be getting soon.

So this week I have a couple interesting finds I'd like to share with you. First off we have Everneath by Brodi Ashton:

Summary: Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

The cover for this absolutely enchanting, first of all. It was just revealed today and I am even more intrigued to read it than before. And from the description it sounds like a somewhat modern version of the story of Persephone, which is a... Greek myth! I'm sold. 


Next there's Shift by Nicole Maggi:


Summary: Based on the Italian legend of the Benandanti, sixteen-year-old Alessia Jacobs discovers she is part of the ancient clan of warriors who can shapeshift their souls into various animals, and is drawn into their centuries-old conflict with the evil Malandanti in order to protect the world's magical sites from their control. But as she struggles to maintain the balance between her duty to the Benandanti and her normal life, everything begins to fall apart and her two worlds collide with devastating consequences. SHIFT is the first book in the Benandanti Trilogy.

Since there isn't a cover yet for this one I went solely off of the description and it sounds absolutely fascinating. I'm already itching for it and it won't be out until next year. Old legends, shape-shifting, and magic... What could be a better combination?

And some new reads that I have or will be getting soon include:

 

Possession by Elana Johnson

Possession
Possession 1
Author: Elana Johnson
Pages: 416 pgs
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Release Date: June 7th 2011
Review Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

When I first saw the cover of this book I was immediately intrigued. And then I read the description and I knew that I had to read it. Possession is an amazing debut novel by Elana Johnson and has ensured that I can't wait to read more from her.

Vi is a Good girl. She follows the rules... mostly. But when she stops listening to the Thinkers and is found outside at night, with a boy, she's brought into custody. She's broken the rules one time too many and now it's time for her to make up for.

Vi finds herself put into a cell with Bad boy Jag and they have to figure a way out of their prison without getting tagged for life. And along the way Vi discovers she has some pretty nifty control over technology and other people. It's a control others wish to exploit if she and Jag can't reach safety in time.

It took me a little time to get into reading this, but once I did I couldn't stop and managed to finish it in one day. Elana took such an amazing concept and made it even more unique. The story line was so intricate and evolving, each chapter left me wondering just what was going to happen to them next.

Vi was such a fun character that I found very believable. She was strong yet vulnerable, tough yet sensitive, sarcastic yet sweet. Her life had seemed pretty simple and forth coming, but when she ends up in prison for another violation of the rules she learns just how crazy things could get for her. Her relationship with Jag was also so adorable and the typical relationship between teenagers with misunderstandings and fights, quick apologies and passion.

And not only was this a dystopian setting, but Elana also threw in a little science fiction to make things even more complicated and fascinating. I loved how the technology in this world was considered one of the bad guys as well, part of the Thinkers control over the people.

During Possession's release week Elana also revealed that their will be a sequel of sorts as well. And for anyone who has read or will in the future you will know why that's so exciting. Thank you Elana Johnson! So if you would like to learn more about this book and it's author you can check out her website http://elanajohnson.com or follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/ElanaJ.

Whirlwind Giveaway Winner!

Sorry this has taken me so long, but I have the winner for the Whirlwind e-book giveaway:

Nic @Irresistible Reads

Congratulations Nic! I will be emailing you shortly.

Thank you to everyone who entered and please continue to check back for reviews and more contests in the future.

Fanfare Review Blog Tour

Fanfare
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Pages: 240 pgs
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 31st 2011
Review Source: Revolution Publishing

Fanfare was a nice breath of fresh air. As Renee's debut novel I was quite impressed by her writing style and fun flare with her characters.

Cris Pereira found herself in a difficult place when her fiance left her for another woman. She did what she could to move on; she went to work, spent time with her friends, lived her life. But deep down she feared being hurt again.

And then one morning she met Tom Abramson, Hollywood's new "it" boy, and things took an unexpected turn. Moving on isn't always easy, but the attention of British rising star usually helps. While Cris prefers to plan things out and stay in control, Tom's more of a take things as they come type of guy. Will these two be able to make things work or are there just too many differences.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this story was the build up of the relationship between Cris and Tom. They had witty banter and fun together and Renee gave us the slow build up of not only their feelings for each other, but their relationship as they got to explore that together. I found myself really liking both characters and rooting for them, which doesn't always happen for me.

I loved that there wasn't a love triangle for the characters. Not to say that doesn't work, but at times it feels over done. For Cris and Tom it was more about them falling for each other and learning to look past the hardships and pain that life puts in their way. It was strictly a sweet romance which I really enjoyed.

This was a fun, sweet read and a story that I was surprised to have really enjoyed. Renee Ahdieh managed to squeeze my heart with this story and I hope she'll have more up her sleeves. I almost hated to see this come to an end and wanted more for these two characters.

I definitely recommend this story. You can check out more about the author on her blog http://reneeahdieh.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/rahdieh.

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

Falling Under
Falling Under 1
Author: Gwen Hayes
Pages: 324 pgs
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Release Date: March 1st 2011
Review Source: Goodreads First Reads

Falling Under is one of those books that just completely takes you by surprise. It's dark and tempting and twisted and completely amazing. Gwen Hayes knew what she was doing with this.

Theia Alderson has led an extremely sheltered life. Not only does moving from London to the States make her feel out of place, but also her very closed off life. She does what her father tells her to do, dresses the way he wants her to, even plays the violin because he expects it.

It isn't until she dreams about a boy, Haden, and then sees him at school the next day that her life begins to change. Each dream gets stranger and stranger, bringing her further into the world of Under and confusing her about who Haden really is. What is he really hiding?

Gwen did an excellent job of building the anticipation of this story, leaving the readers wanting to know more. Theia is one of those characters that you can't help but love because she's so sweet and innocent, never having really experienced much, and watching her realize that she's capable of so much more is great.

Our first glimpse into the world of under made me think of a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland. It's not all fun an games in this world. And Theia's two best friends are her two constants. They add a bit of comic relief to the somewhat tense story line and are there for her when she really needs them. I loved the flow of this story and was sad when I finally reached the end.

The sequel to this book, Dreaming Awake, is sure to be just as jaw dropping and intense as the first. I can't to find out what Gwen has in store for her characters next. For updates on what else Gwen is working on you can check out her website http://www.gwenhayes.com/ or follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/Gwenhayes.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent
Divergent 1
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 487 pgs
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Release Date: May 3rd 2011
Review Source: Own Copy

This is Veronica Roth's debut novel and what a debut it was! I could not put it down and didn't want it to end. When I reached the last page I found myself flipping back and forth a few times wondering where the rest was at.

Beatrice Prior lives in a time when the country has been divided into five different factions to help maintain a peaceful society. Beatrice not only learns a terrifying secret about herself during the aptitude test, but her choice of factions shocks everyone.

After changing her name to Tris, she decides to give it everything she has in order to make it through her new factions' initiation process. But things won't be as easy she imagined and Tris finds herself tested and every turn, including with a surprising romance. It's a fight to the end for placement and Tris soon discovers whom she can trust when things begin to spiral out of control.

I absolutely fell in love with Tris's voice and Veronica's writing style. There just aren't enough words to explain how this story pulled me in. Tris started off as a shy and quiet character, but had to learn how to fight back. Her naivete was understandable from the faction she had grown up in and she was very much a young girl trying to find her way in the world. But by the end she was tough and brave and I loved watching her growth.

So much took place, I found it difficult to put down, always wanting to know what happened next. The dystopian world that Veronica created was unique and interesting to unfold, I can't wait to see it up on the big screen. And, with the way this first book ended, I'm already anxious for the next in the series.

This is definitely a book that I would highly recommend and I encourage everyone to let the author know if they enjoyed it. She did a phenomenal job. For more information on her and the Divergent series you can check out her blog http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Twitter
http://twitter.com/veronicaroth.

Friday Finds and New Reads

Friday Finds and New Reads

This is where I talk about new books that really stand out to me or sound unique, and what new books I have to read or will be getting soon.

 

My pick this week doesn't have a cover yet, but I don't think that will detract from the story line. So first off we have Bandia by Talia Vance:

 

Summary: Beauty is pointless when no one’s looking.

Brianna Paxton has been invisible to guys since the eighth grade. She’s pretty enough, it’s just that no one bothers to look. There’s almost nothing that can’t be explained with science, and Brianna has a theory: she’s missing the pheromone that attracts people to one another. Brianna’s theory is shot to hell in one frozen, silver moment, when Blake Williams not only sees her, he recognizes something inside her that she’s been hiding from even herself.

Brianna is a seventh generation descendant of Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth. Before Brianna fully understands who and what she is, she accidentally binds her soul to Blake. Worse yet, Blake belongs to a tribe of men who have spent the last thousand years hunting Danu’s descendants in the name of protecting humanity.

Brianna grows close to Blake, but she’s not sure she can trust him. Brianna must find a way to reconcile forbidden love and her bloody heritage. The more she understands what being a Bandia means, the less she can trust herself. There is nothing pointless about Brianna. And Blake may be in the most danger of all.

It's no secret that I love anything that explores myths and legends and when I saw that this one was about and ancient Celtic myth I was totally on bored. It sounds intriguing and exciting. Who doesn't love a story about forbidden romance? There are so many new fascinating YA books coming out!


The new reads that I've gotten in are: