Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating! :) Okay, so I know this book is already released but it sounds amazing and I can't wait to read it! :)

Dark Angel by Eden Maguire

Tania's heart belongs to Orlando. Nothing can rip them apart. Until the seduction begins in a flurry of glamour and magic, music and parties all orchestrated by the mysterious and mesmerising Zoran, an iconic rock star who has retired to a remote ranch in the nearby mountains. And there Tania meets the dark side. Can she resist temptation?...

Released: August 4th 2011

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 363 Release Date: February 1st 2010 Publisher: Harlequin Teen Source: Won

Goodreads:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.


My Review:

Firstly, I know a lot of people have read this, so I just want to say, WOW! ‘The Iron King’ is a wonderful concoction of magic, humour, romance, danger and adventure.

The setting is magnificent, from the Wyldwood, to Arcadia, to Tir Na Nog, I loved every minute of it, especially the contrasts between Summer and Winter. I felt every snowflake and saw every flower, everything was richly described and I felt as though I was standing there.

The characters in ‘The Iron King’ are fantastic. I love how Meghan is not perfect –she’s not the most popular girl in school and she’s not rich. She is just a normal girl who discovers something very important about herself and I feel like she developed throughout the story.

The two boys in Meghan’s life, well, what can I say? There’s Puck (A.K.A. Robbie) who is the protective, mischievous, playful guy who contrasts to Prince Ash who is the dark, brooding, mysterious and handsome guy. Who doesn’t love the bad boy you’re not supposed to like? ;)

The plot kept me up all night –literally! I started this yesterday :) All of the twists and turns kept me frantically turning the pages to find out what happened next, one page soon turned into chapters. There are numerous plot changes and I enjoyed reading them.

Overall, I absolutely loved ‘The Iron King’ and I cannot wait to read the others in the series! I think I am officially hooked :) I would recommend this book to everyone! It has a bit of everything thrown in. Get this book now! :)

5 out of 5 stars.

Teaser Tuesday (4)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini


"'Aren't you afraid you'll catch a fatal case of loser from me?' (Helen)
'Nope I'm so awesome I'm immune. Anyway, geeks are the best. You're all so deliciously corruptible.'(Claire)"


"Claire couldn't stop talking about the Delos boys. She told Helen at least three times that Lucas had held the door for her at the end of class. That act proved he was not only a gentleman, but already in love with her as well."

:)

Follow Friday (3) Feature!!

Hi! :) I’m part of this week’s ‘Follow Friday’! Para Junkee’s View has hooked up with Allison Can Read to cover the demand that her Follow Friday Features have created! You will find StephLikesBooks around the #4 spot on the linky tool – thanks for featuring me! :)





How has your reading habits changed since you were a teen? Or if you are still a teen what new genres are you in love with currently?

Well, I’m still a teen at the moment so I adore YA novels. Anything and everything! :) I am currently reading a bit more fantasy, which I never really read that much before. Also, I only started reading Dystopian last year, when I read The Handmaid's Tale in school :) Now, I love them!
I think I read a lot more now I have set up my blog, even though I used to read a lot anyway :)


Thanks for visiting my blog! :)

Join up:

100 Followers Giveaway!

Hello! :) So I’ve reached 100 Followers!!! I can’t believe it! I want to thank everyone who follows me, I really appreciate it! :)

So, obviously it’s GIVEAWAY TIME!! :D I am going to have TWO giveaways! One for UK and one for INTERNATIONAL. It’s important that you fill in the right form :)


UK GIVEAWAY:

I am giving away:

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini,
Blood and Ice by Robert Masello and finally,
Feed by Mira Grant.

One lucky person will win one of the books above!

The form is HERE.


INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY:

I am giving away:
Some SIGNED swag!



Swag includes:
Felicity Heaton promotional signed postcards!
Keyring!
Bookmarks!
Many many more! :)



One lucky person will win the above!

The form is HERE.


Thank you for entering! Good luck! :)

Some rules:
Must be 13 or older.
UK and International contest!!!
Ends at 11:59 PM GMT on Sunday 4/9/2011.
Winner will be picked with random.org.
Questions? Email me at stephbarkerdrew(at)hotmail(dot)com

Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Pages: 492 Release Date: June 2nd 2011 Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books (Scholastic) Source: Publisher

Goodreads synopsis:

In a lawless future land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets outon an epic quest to rescue him. The story's searing pace, its spare style, the excitement of its fabulously damaged world, its unforgettably vivid characters, its violent action and glorious lovestory make this a truly sensational YA debut novel.


My Review:

I absolutely adored ‘Blood Red Road’. It was so fresh and unlike anything I’ve ever read before!

The setting is described marvellously, with barren wastelands being the main environment. It feels like a whole new futuristic, bleak world, in which there are terrible sandstorms. Young split ‘Blood Red Road’ into sections, such as when Saba came to a new place and this really added to the adventure theme, as I felt like I was on the journey with Saba.

The characters in ‘Blood Red Road’ feel very real! Saba was definitely annoying at first, but grew on me as the novel progressed. She had her bad points –she is very selfish, but also her good points –fiercely independent. Saba really does go through her own personal journey through the novel and learns much more about herself. I liked how she was willing to sacrifice herself to rescue her brother – I also enjoyed how it was a girl doing the rescuing! :)

Jack was an enjoyable character! I l liked him from the first meeting and I’m glad that he had an important involvement in the story. He is very humorous, and I felt like ‘Blood Red Road’ needed a character like Jack to lighten the tension in parts. Most of the characters all added that little bit of something into the novel and I enjoyed reading about them, from Papa, to Tommo, to Emmi.

The plot kept me on the edge of my toes throughout! There was always something happening , whether it be kidnap or fighting. I particularly enjoyed how Young created her own dialect. This emphasised the sense of a whole new world and time. The contrast between the beginning and the end is very clear and I really enjoyed seeing how Saba’s situation had been developed and changed throughout.

Overall, I loved ‘Blood Red Road’ and I would recommend to anyone who loves a massive adventure, strong, feisty heroine, a little bit of romance and plenty of action! I will definitely read the sequel, which comes out next year! :)

5 out of 5 stars.

In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. List what you received, borrowed or bought :)

Won:

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

An ARC of Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini





Free Ebook:

Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Netgalley:

The Juliet Spell by Douglass Rees

Winner of In My Dreams Giveaway!

Hello! :) Thank you to all those who entered the giveaway.

I'm pleased to say that the winner is.....


Alipeli!


Please check your inbox as I have mailed you, if you do not respond within 24 hours, a new winner will be drawn.


Thank you!

- I used random.org to find the winner.


P.S. There will be another giveaway when I reach 100 followers so stay tuned! :)

My First Blog Award!! :D

Hi everyone! :)
Wow I can't believe I have an award! When I first set up my blog, I was just reading books and putting up reviews, I didn't expect to get as many followers as I have and certainly not awards! I'm shocked.
I want to say a massive Thank You! to Peggy @ Pawing Through Books who nominated me!

She has graciously awarded me The Liebster Blog Award. It is for bloggers who have under 200 followers.

The goal of the award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!


My nominations are:

Enchanted Books:
I chose Enchanted Books because her blog is super cute!! :) Plus, Kel is super friendly :D!

Bailey's Dark Fantasy Reviews:
Cassie posts great reviews that I always love reading! :) Plus we enjoy the same authors :)

Happily Never Ending:
Sierra’s blog is really nice! We have a lot of similar books too :)

Let's Evaluate:
I really like this blog! She posts great reviews!

Karla Reads:
Karla is a fellow UK book blogger and her blog is fantastic!!


I hope you check them out, because they're all great!

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

"Maev's in the front row. As I lie on the ground, our eyes meet. She nods. That's one fight down. Two more to go."

"Closer, he says. I move. Then I'm right next to the cell bars. Right next to him. I don't look up. But I feel him. The warmth of him. The cold of him. Saba, I think I hear him whisper."

:)