Letterbox Love (1)

I seen this on Kirsty's Blog over at The Overflowing Library and it's generally the UK version of the US IMM.

This week I got:

Physical Copies:

Losing Face by Annie Try
 The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Scarlet by A.C.Gaughen
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
(All for review- Thank you publishers! :D)

I also got:

    

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes (Already read it and it's amazing!)
and
Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes (They've been in my TBR list forever, so thought I'd give them a try!)

E-Copies:
      

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
and
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin


That's it for this week! :)

Daemon Invasion!!

Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve heard us talking about the upcoming #daemoninvasion and we’re so excited to finally share with you what is going on. 

Really excited.

The beautiful and uber cool models, Pepe Toth and Sztella Tziotziosz, who grace the Lux covers, will be joining us in the United States! You heard right. They are flying here, from Hungary to spend a few days as Daemon and Katy! While they are here, they will be working with Vania, from VLC Productions (the team behind Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments, Melissa de La Cruz, Kimberly Derting, Moira Young, Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl, Hillary Duff, Lauren Destefano, and many, many more authors’ book trailers), to film book trailers for the Lux Series.

During the filming in Atlanta, they will be accompanying us on tour! What does that mean? You get to meet them. In the flesh. They will be participating in the signings and events. At those signings, we’ll be giving away signed posters, photos, and other swag. There will also be meet and greet events you can join in on.

At each signing, there will be advanced copies of Onyx given away!

And to top things off (as if this isn’t enough, but we don’t do anything small), there’s something very, very exciting in the works! It involves advanced copies of Opal, water, and a little destination known as the Bahamas.

I am not kidding.

This will be epic.

Aare you excited? I am! This tour is going to be so, so much fun, and I’m so thrilled that Pepe and Sztella are a part of it. We owe them a huge thank you and a giant welcome making the 16 hour flight to meet the readers of the Lux Series. You!

Daemon Invasion Signing and Event Schedule

June 8th FoxTale Book Shoppe Woodstock, GA 3:00pm

June 10th Barnes and Noble St Johns Town Center Jacksonville, FL 3:00pm

June 13th Barnes and Noble Waterford Lakes Town Center Orlando, FL 3:00pm

June 14th Barnes and Noble The Palladium at City Place West Palm Beach, FL 4:00pm

There are several #daemoninvasion street teamers out there and if you want to join a team to win exclusive prizes, search down the #daemoninvasion hashtag to join one of the teams! (Join my team ;D)

Don’t forget to visit Jennifer L. Armentrout’s blog to win a signed set of Half-Blood and Pure (insert direct link: http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/2012/04/tempting-best-man-and-contest.html in celebration of her adult romance release, Tempting the Best Man, under pen name J. Lynn. It can be purchased here.

~

You can join my (the best :P) Street Team, I need 9 members!
Contact me: stephbarkerdrew(at)hotmail(dot)com or tweet me: @StephLikesBooks if you'd like to join!

Review: Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Pages: 296 

Publisher: MiraInk 

Release Date: April 6th 2012 

Source: Publisher

Cover: 9/10

Goodreads: Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it. Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans. As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person whom she would really rather not meet. Henry's first wife, Persephone

Buy: Amazon UK | US | TBD

My review:

I did enjoy reading Goddess Interrupted and was definitely excited for it after I finished The Goddess Test last year which I loved! Whilst I did enjoy it, I didn’t think it was as good as the first one unfortunately. It was still good though! There were numerous twists and turns that I really didn’t expect! 

I’m so glad we finally got to meet Persephone, after so much talk about her in the first book. I didn’t really like her to be honest, she was a good character and definitely had her piece in the jigsaw. I enjoyed listening to her insight into her relationship with Henry and it made me understand Henry a lot better. 

Henry was so annoying at times in the book! I just wanted to give him a shake! He definitely behaved better near the end. Some parts of the book left me shocked at what he was doing! (Whoever’s read it, you know what I mean!) I did feel it was essential though as he could finally let go of his past and stop clinging on to it, so he could move forward with Kate. I’m glad that Kate and Henry’s relationship sorted itself out in the end and grew together as a couple. 

There’s definitely a lot of action in Goddess Interrupted with a number of things going wrong and having to be resolved. The ending is a cliffhanger and it is a HUGE cliffhanger! I was naughty and sneaked a peek before I finished reading (I did the same with Pandemonium aha, I can’t resist) and it is definitely a shocker and makes me want the next book The Goddess Inheritance right now! 

Overall, a good second book with action, love, shockers and a HUGE cliffhanger! 

4 out of 5 stars

Waiting On Wednesday (7)

Hey guys!  Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating! :)

Well I'm going to do three because I'm so excited for all of them! :)

Goodreads: As an intelligent and sassy New Yorker, Skylar Thornton doesn’t believe in the supernatural until she inherits Summerwind Mansion and begins having nightmares about a young debutante murdered in the house. She suspects there’s something strange about this place and it’s not just the bad dreams. Determined to unlock secrets that have remained hidden for centuries, Skylar is plunged into an otherworldly mystery that not even she can explain away. Not to mention, her uncontrollable attraction to the former owner, Dorian Knight. After meeting Dorian, all of her beliefs are tested. He seems so familiar, and as close to Mr. Darcy as she’ll ever get—but Jane Austen never wrote a hero like him—someone who both excites and frightens her. As the history of the Knight family begins to unravel, tensions heighten and old resentments turn deadly. Even though Dorian warns her about a terrible curse—she doesn’t know who or what to believe. Now, Skylar starts to wonder which she would rather hold onto—her sanity…or her life.

This one comes out in July 2012, so not too long to wait!

Goodreads: It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school. Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

This one comes out in February 2013! Sooo long to wait. I loved the Protectorate series, so this new series should be good too! :)

Goodreads: In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger. Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals. As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

This one comes out August 14th 2012.




So many pretty covers! :) Cannot wait for all of these to come out!

In My Mailbox (12)

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

Bought: 

Gone and Hunger by Micheal Grant

 [It was buy one get one half price in Waterstones, so I couldn't say no ;)]

Gifted:

Partials by Dan Wells

[Mum bought me this for Easter!]

I was also sent these absolutely gorgeous signed (eek!) Sweet Evil bookmarks by Wendy Higgins! I've pre-ordered Sweet Evil, so I can't wait to read it!

Review:

Dreams by Daniela Sacerdoti (Thank you to Black and White Publishing!)

Bringing the Summer by Julia Green (Thank you to Bloomsbury!)

Free:

Cursed - Beautiful Demons - Intuition - Betrayal - Katies' Hellion - Earth - Gateway to Heaven - Turned - Reveal - Eternal Changes - Ink Magic - Princess 


That's what I got in my mailbox this week! :)

Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Pages: 320

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: April 24th 2012

Source: Publisher

Cover: 10/10

Goodreads: Everything is in ruins. A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them. So what does Araby Worth have to live for? Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all. But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does. And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | TBD

(I apologise for the enormous review, there was just so much I loved about this book!)

My Review:

Wow. Wow. Wow. Masque of the Red Death was a wonderfully creepy book! It kept me hooked from the very first page. So much happens within the first chapter! There is drug taking so I’d recommend it for older readers. The plot was twisting and turning and left me guessing throughout, there were numerous times I was left shocked at what was revealed! The writing flows effortlessly!

All of the characters were richly described and had a great detail in their back stories. April was a character who I enjoyed reading about. She was Araby’s best friend and had saved her life once. She was also a broken character to read about, hiding behind her fancy dresses and her reckless behaviour attending the Debauchery Club.

Araby is the protagonist and she is a very dark character to read about. I did actually enjoy reading from her point of view as it was really interesting. She is a very complex girl, blaming herself for her twin Finn’s death so therefore racked with guilt. She yearns for oblivion numerous times as her way of escaping her life. She made an oath to herself that she would never experience anything that Finn wouldn’t, and this was a very sad aspect of her life. Especially the way the reader discovers how Finn truly died. She feels very hopeless and believes that she will no longer be truly happy again.

Elliot (April’s brother) and Will are the main boys in the Masque of the Red Death. They each have very different personalities so would appeal to different people. Elliot is the blonde haired older brother who gives people their drugs, whilst Will is the dark haired, tattooed guy who tries to scrape together every last penny as he has two other people to care for. Elliot starts faking his attraction towards Araby as a means of seeing her more often for his own needs. I think that he tries to fight his attraction for Araby a lot. He is also a very broken character -sensing a theme here ;) and his childhood was not a happy one. Whilst, Will works in the Debauchery Club as a tester for any contagious people. His softer side is revealed quite quickly and he is such a sweetie! Although there may be some twists near the end! ;) I love the boys’ jealousy towards each other! :)

And then there is always the villain. Prince Prospero is his name and he is the Uncle to April and Elliot. He is a very evil man, killing people merely because he can. He is also annoyingly ignorant, believing he can lock the disease away simply by shutting himself away in his castle whilst his citizens die.

I even cared for Araby’s father and mother who each had their dark histories and secrets. Every single character had a piece in this story and I enjoyed how all the pieces fitted together.

There is a real contrast of whether science caused the disease and failed because there was no antidote or that religion failed as people lost their faith in God and praying. I thought this was a very interesting concept! It was very sad that only the rich could afford the masks that protected them from the disease.

The whole atmosphere of Masque of the Red Death was a very tense one and also very creepy. People are dying all of the time in the street in front of people who recoil in horror and walk away from them and Collector’s come to pick up the bodies. The whole feeling of disease and death was very prevalent, especially as houses were marked according to who had the disease. I’d imagine it was like the Plague, especially with the descriptions of the disease (Weeping Sickness) with the sores and the pus dripping down people’s arms. Yes, Bethany didn’t spare any description! :) The diseases sound terrifying, including the new one introduced near the end The Red Death, were the victims bleed from their eyes. Yuck.

Overall, Masque of the Red Death was a fantastic novel! Read this book right now! It won’t disappoint! I cannot wait for the next book due to be release next year!

5 out of 5 stars.

* Forgot to say! This is my 100th Post! Woohoo :D

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Goodreads: Starting over sucks.When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.And then he opened his mouth.Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. The hot alien living next door marks me.You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. If I don't kill him first, that is.

(I read this on my Kindle, so it was the old cover. I just couldn't resist using the new one!)

Pages: 287 Publisher: Entangled Release Date: November 29th 2011 Source: Bought Cover: 10/10 ;)

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | TBD 


My Review:

So having read Half-Blood by Jennifer, I just KNEW that I would HAVE to read her new series starting with Obsidian. And it did not disappoint! :D Katy is the main character and I really liked her. She was a Book Blogger so she was obviously very relatable, she takes part in ‘Waiting on Wednesday’s’ and ‘In My Mailbox’s’ which I thought was very cool! :) She’s also very stubborn, determined, head strong and feisty. Daemon is the hottie in Obsidian! Jennifer has officially made aliens hot! :)

There is A LOT of banter going on between Daemon and Katy in Obsidian which will definitely make you laugh out loud. I obviously have to mention Dee as well, Daemon’s sister who is so sweet, she’s a lovely character. Katy and Daemon have a lot of chemistry and there are definitely some hot scenes :) It’s very obvious that Daemon starts to care for Katy and that she cares for him too. They are very well developed and feel very real.

The plot was amazing. Countless twists and turns left me hanging and not knowing what was coming next. I was shocked numerous times! The ending will leave you gasping for more! I can’t wait for Onyx the second one :D

Overall, this book is amazing! If you haven’t started reading this yet, you should go and get it now! It won’t disappoint!

5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Crave by Melissa Darnell

Goodreads: Bloodlust. Magic. Forbidden secrets. When Savannah Colbert returns to school after a mystery illness, the fact that she has changed is clear to everyone. None more so than every school girls golden boy Tristan Coleman. Ever since their first kiss in fourth grade, Savannah and Tristan have been cruelly and inexplicably banned from associating with each other. Now, as the pair navigate the tricky social life of high school, the truth is about to be revealed. As Savannah learns of their paranormal ancestry and Tristan deals with the repercussions of her new powers, the relationship they have been denied for so long becomes utterly irresistible and all consuming. Like Romeo and Juliet centuries before them, Savannah and Tristan’s love is destined to fail; and Tristan’s powerful magical family, the Clann, are watching.

Pages: 416 Publisher: MiraInk Release Date: April 6th 2012 Source: Publisher Cover: 9/10

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | TBD

My Review:

 Crave was an interesting read. I enjoyed how the narrative was split, so the reader could hear both Tristan’s and Savannah’s thoughts and emotions, I’m a fan of those so that was good! The characters were well developed, they all had their little problems which gave them more depth. Even the secondary characters had their own little personalities, from Greg to Annie. Although I am a bit tired of how all the ‘bully’ characters are stereotypically blonde. I really enjoyed how the girl was the vampire and the guy was the witch, I thought that was interesting!

 The love side of the story progressed very well. Everyone must know by now that I’m a huge fan of forbidden romances and Crave delivered! The passion between the two of them felt very real, there was also a very sweet feeling about it all as they remembered ‘getting married’ when they were younger. As Savannah was the only girl who was forbidden to Tristan, it made sense that he would go after the one thing he couldn’t/wasn’t allowed to have. I enjoyed how they dream connected, I thought that was pretty cool!

There were definitely some twists in the plot which left me hanging, but some of it was predictable. Whilst I was reading I was kind of wishing for the book to finish earlier than what it did and I don’t really like feeling like that. The beginning was good and the ending picked up again, but in the middle it kind of dipped a bit
and didn’t leave me excited to read on, which I was a bit disappointed with.

Overall, I did enjoy reading Crave and I’d probably read the next one - Covet, but unfortunately it just didn’t grab me.

3 out of 5 stars.

* Thank you to MIRAInk for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Teaser Tuesday (9)

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!

Goodreads: Everything is in ruins. A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them. So what does Araby Worth have to live for? Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all. But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does. And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

"And I'm falling in love with you," he whispers. "But I would throw you in the water and watch the crocodiles tear you to bits, if I thought that doing so would accomplish my goals. Do. Not. Trust. Anyone. Especially me."

"He hands me one of his shirts, a red one. It is soft when I touch it to my face. "You can't possibly sleep in that dress. Wear this, think of me." The flirty tone is back."

* These quotes are from an ARC copy so are subject to change.

This book is so good! I'm hooked!

Giveaway Time Again!

Goodreads: Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed. Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir. Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

Goodreads: Trapped on board the spaceship Godspeed, Amy trusts no-one. The ship's ruler is dead and a rebellion threatens. Amy wants to help Elder as he tries to take charge, but she's torn between her feelings for him and the chaos that's pulling everything apart. As more harrowing discoveries are made about Godspeed, Amy is caught in a desperate race to unravel its secrets. Only one thing is certain. They have to get off this ship. The heart-stopping sequel to Across the Universe: a story of love, murder and madness - set in space

Rules:
- This giveaway is only open to UK followers, sorry International guys. There's one coming for you soon I promise! :)
- Only one entry per person.
- This giveaway is open from 3rd April 2012 until the 10th April 2012.
- You must be 13 years or older to enter.

Thanks for entering and good luck! :)


*This giveaway is from Bloomsbury UK.

Giveaway Time: ARC of Legend!

Goodreads: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets. Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

I absolutely loved this book, you can read my review of it over HERE. I gave it 5 stars in case you're wondering :) If you are a huge fan of The Hunger Games then this book will definitely appeal to you! It's got everything the perfect dystopian novel could want and more!

So, to get your mitts on a copy, enter the giveaway below and good luck! :)

Rules:
- I'm afraid this is a UK only giveaway -sorry International Followers! I'll be having another giveaway soon for you guys :D
- Please only enter once.
- This giveaway will last one week from the 2nd April 2012 until the 9th April 2012.
- There will only be one winner.
- You must be 13 years or older to enter.

Thanks for entering! :) There's going to be another one tomorrow, so enter that one too! :D

* This giveaway is from Bloomsbury UK.

In My Mailbox: (11)

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



For Review:

Physical Copies:
 

Burn Mark by Laura Powell

(Sounds really good, so I'm excited for this!)


 

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

(I loved the first one, so I'm hoping this one is as good!)




E-Copies:



Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris
(eeeek! I've heard this is AMAZING, so I need to read it SOON!)




Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
(I'm SO excited to read this!!)

 

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
(This one sounds so creepy! I'm going to love it, I just know I will)


 

Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay
(I really enjoyed Juliet Immortal, so this will definitely be interesting to read!)


*Big thanks to HarperCollins, Random House, Bloomsbury and Mira Ink

I think my mailbox was pretty good this week! Lots and lots of exciting books to read!! :D

I'm also having a giveaway tomorrow and Tuesday so make sure you don't miss it!