Waiting on Wednesday (8)

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

The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

Goodreads: Brooklyn teens Lucy, Cecelia and Agnes find themselves in the emergency room at Perpetual Help Hospital at the lowest point in their lives. Lucy, the superficial party girl; Cecelia, a drop out rock chick; and Agnes, a hopeless romantic. All rebels running from their lives and themselves, plagued by broken hearts and broken dreams. Enter Sebastian. Mysterious, compelling, seductive. He seems to bring each of them what they long for... But in the battle for his heart, will they lose their souls?

The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Nero is stuck in the wilderness with a bunch of other juvenile delinquents on an "Inward Trek." As if that weren’t bad enough, his counselors have turned into flesh-eating maniacs overnight and are now chowing down on his fellow miscreants. As in any classic monster flick worth its salted popcorn, plentiful carnage sends survivors rabbiting into the woods while the mindless horde of "infects" shambles, moans, and drools behind. Of course, these kids have seen zombie movies. They generate "Zombie Rules" almost as quickly as cheeky remarks, but attitude alone can’t keep the biters back. Serving up a cast of irreverent, slightly twisted characters, an unexpected villain, and an ending you won’t see coming, here is a savvy tale that that’s a delight to read — whether you’re a rabid zombie fan or freshly bitten — and an incisive commentary on the evil that lurks within each of us.

The Raft by S.A.Bodeen

Goodreads: Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft. And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.

These are what I'm waiting for this Wednesday! What about you? :)

My Wishlist

          

Hello! Here's my wishlist because I've seen a few of them around :) 

If you'd like to send me a book you can e-mail me at: stephbarkerdrew(at)hotmail(dot)com

My Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/1Q82LQQRDJYKA?ref_=wl_share

My wishlist in no particular order:

The Gilded Wolves
Promising Young Women
Gather Your Daughters
Our Dark Duet
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
The Boneless Mercies
84K
The Last Children of Tokyo
The Poppy War
The Book of M
Dance of Thieves
A Touch of Gold
Grim Lovelies

Thanks for looking! :) 

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Publisher: MiraInk

Release Date: April 24th 2012

Cover Love: 9/10

Source: Review

Add to: Goodreads

Goodreads: In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

My Review:

Julie Kagawa is one of my favourite authors, her books and writing are absolutely amazing. Having read all of The Iron Fey series, I was super excited to hear about The Immortal Rules! I mean come on, Julie writing about vampires!! Let me tell you, The Immortal Rules does not disappoint, grab it now!

The world building was excellent, I knew that Julie would be great at this because of the scenes in The Iron Fey series like the Nevernever etc. The whole atmosphere is very creepy. The streets aren't safe, the vampires come out at night to feed, there's gigantic walls that separate the City from the Ruins, the only way through is down a deep, pitch-black tunnel - (this spells disaster right?!) to try and get some food. Gangs have territories, violence is common and rabids roam the streets always ravenous. Sounds pretty terrifying! There's one particular scene which is horrible as Allie is stuck in a shed in pitch black, it's pouring down with rain and she sees something move in the corner of her eye, this had my heart pounding!!

I loved reading about Allie (Allison Sekemoto) the main character, she was strong, determined, brave. I really enjoyed how she grew as the story progressed. After she is attacked by rabids - scary scene! she is given a choice to die or be turned into a vampire. Obviously she chooses the vampire option, what I thought was interesting is how she tried throughout to keep her humanity and cling onto the remnants of it. She was very stubborn that she wasn’t going to feed off anybody and wouldn’t accept the fact she needed to to survive. 

Kanin was a very complex character to try and understand. I liked how his history and past were revealed slowly as we grew to know more about him and what his aim was. I really liked him though and I think in the next book there will be a lot more in store for him. 
Zeke is a great character. He is the love interest and I feel like he was naive and innocent at times and strong and determined -like Allie- at other times. Some of the scenes with him and Zachariah are heartbreaking. I was looking forward to meeting Zeke as I’d heard a lot about him. I loved how his and Allie’s relationship developed over time, but still had it’s ups and downs. He reacted in a very normal way to certain situations which made him very believable. All of the characters were interesting to read about and I enjoyed how they all played a part in the story.

The plot will definitely keep you on your toes, there are countless twists and turns that will surprise you. The rabids are scary creatures and the descriptions were gruesome. They almost seem like fast zombies than vampires and they were terrifying to read about. I enjoyed the ending as it wrapped up all of the loose ends nicely, I’m so excited to read the next one in the series! 

Overall, a super fast paced novel that will grip you with both hands and won’t let you go until the last page. Amazing! 

5 out of 5 stars.

*Thanks to MiraInk for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Music Match: No Light, No Light - Florence and the Machine.
(Particularly these lines, "Would you leave me, if I told you what I'd done? And would you leave me, if I told you what I'd become?/ No light no light, in your bright blue eyes, Whoever knew daylight could be so violent.")

Letterbox Love (2)

Here's what I got this week:

Physical Copies: 

New Girl by Paige Harbison
(This sounds really interesting, but I think I prefer the US cover)

E-Copies:

        

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

(So excited for this!)

The Selection by Keira Cass

(Heard mixed reviews, so thought I'd give it a try!)

Hana by Lauren Oliver

(Really want to read this! Needed a Delirium fix after waiting for Requiem!)

Glimmer by Phoebe Kitandis 

(Already read the first chapter and love it!)

*Thanks to MiraInk, RandomHouse and HarperCollins.

What did you get? Leave me a link and I'll take a look! :)

Review: Slated by Teri Terry

Slated by Teri Terry
Publisher: Orchard Books
Release Date: May 3rd 2012
Cover Love: 10/10
Source: Won
Add to: Goodreads

Goodreads: Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. She’s been Slated. The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

My Review: (I apologise for the length, I loved so much about this book!)

Wow, wow wow! Slated is absolutely amazing! I was frantically turning the pages over and over and at one point, it was Sleep vs. Slated and Slated won. This book is unputdownable!

I really enjoyed reading about Kyla, she was a very strong character and I loved how she had her own mind (pardon the pun :P), she was determined and stubborn. She definitely grew as the novel went on, learning and adapting. I liked how she questioned things in her own way, like why she was Slated and who she was before. I can’t even imagine waking up one day and not knowing how to do things or understand certain phrases. Slated is so exciting! You find out some crucial details about Kyla that will keep you on your toes.

I loved how Ben and Kyla’s relationship developed over time. I’m really happy there was no insta-love, which is practically everywhere in YA novels. They started as friends first and their feelings blossomed and they began to really care for each other. I <3 Ben! There’s some major action which happens between Ben and Kyla and I really hope he’s okay! Read it if you want to know what happened ;)

The suspense and tension in Slated nearly killed me. There is a dark heavy atmosphere in the world of Slated - 2054 I think. People casually disappear never to return again and this hangs over the novel. Where are all these people? What’s happened to them? You find yourself constantly asking questions. What happened to Gianelli was a sad moment, I really liked him and wanted to know more about him. I love how he was strong enough to challenge the ‘hush, hush’ attitude in his own way. 

There are numerous twists and turns that will leave you gasping and screaming “WHAT?!” I love how Kyla’s ‘Mum’ explained how the Slateds became Slated, the whole history of what and how it all happened. The world building was scary -I would not like to live in this era. There’s action and a general sense of danger and feeling like you’re being watched all the time and if you put one foot wrong it’s game over. 

The idea of the Levo’s were definitely interesting, I’ve never heard of anything like them before and it was a wonderfully scary idea. 5-6 is the normal happy level, 10 is absolute joy, 3 is a serious threat and below 2 could cause seizures and even death, so keeping your emotions in check is an important factor. Be thankful you don’t have to wear one whilst reading Slated or it would be jumping all over the place! I read a fact somewhere that depression will be the 2nd biggest killer in 2020 and the idea of the Levo’s controlling moods and emotions made the possibility of them being real, very frightening. 

I enjoyed reading about all the characters, Dr. Lysander was a difficult character to try and work out. Is she honestly being nice or does she have some ulterior motive? Hatten. Oh my word! What we learn about him, is a major shocker! Phoebe was a great character to read about, she is really nasty to Kyla but gradually we begin to understand her and see a softer side to her. Mrs. Ali and and Dr. Winston sound terrifying, I would not like to know them in real life! Constantly watching and snooping around, checking for mistakes or errors and having the ability to ‘remove’ that person. I enjoyed reading about Amy too! What we learn about her is so sad, she begged for VS, Voluntary Slating after a terrible life. Aiden is also a tricky character, putting words inside Ben and Kyla’s heads and giving Ben some ‘Happy Pills’ to control his Levo.

Overall, Slated was amazing. It’s got everything, romance, suspense, tension, drama, danger and secrecy! Go and buy this book now you won’t regret it! I cannot wait for Fractured, the second instalment released Summer 2013. 

5 out of 5 stars

Review: Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: April 3rd 2012

Cover Love: 5/10

Add to: Goodreads

Goodreads: There is need. And then there is Fate... Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

My review:

When I first read Half-Blood, I loved it. When I heard about Pure -the second instalment, I thought to myself it won’t be better than Half-Blood because it was simply amazing. How could you beat that? How wrong I was… Pure was AMAZING. More than amazing! It was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Yes I did just reference to Mary Poppins :D

So many twists and turns in this book seriously there should be a warning! There is one HUMONGOUS shocker, where I was practically bawling my eyes out. I can’t believe that it actually happened! :) I loved him! Okay, enough with the teasing. Go and read it if you want to know ;) Jennifer’s writing just flows effortlessly. It’s like putting on your favourite pair of slouchy pyjamas, I could sit for hours and hours reading Jen’s writing, it’s far too addictive!

I can understand why a lot of people liked Seth over Aiden from this book. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people -Sorry Seth fans! I did like the fact that we got to know Seth a lot more and he was there for Alex in her time of need like a good friend. I just don’t love him, there’s something off about him that’s a bit fishy…I didn’t like how he kept blocking Aiden from seeing Alex at almost every opportunity but their jealously of each other was pretty funny. I also know why a lot of people switched over to Seth, Aiden was harsh to Alex, it felt like my heart was being ripped out too! But I could see through it and know he was protecting himself and Alex.

Alex definitely grew in Pure and that was mainly due to the above reason. She felt responsible and therefore was more mature in her decisions. Obviously, she’s still a teenager so she still acts like herself most of the time I.e. Calling Seth ‘Pisstastic’ was funny, I managed to slip it into a sentence today :D

I loved the ballroom scene! And the zoo scene! The scene with the Brew was funny! There are tons of tons of amazing moments in Pure, if you haven’t started yet you’re missing out because these books are a truly an amazing series. There’s plenty of action as always, the furies sound so scary! I would not like to be around them!

Overall, I could gush about this book forever but seriously go and read Half-Blood if you’ve yet to read it. They’re amazing books that everyone should read! Plus, this > One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning.

5 out of 5 stars.

Guest Post: Daniela Sarcerdoti

Hello everyone! :)

Today I have Dani Sarcedoti doing a guest post on the inspiration for her character Sarah Midnight in her new book Dreams.

Goodreads: “You’d never think it could happen to you. You’d never think that one day you’ll stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, watching your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back. It’s happening to me. They said it was an accident. Only I know the truth. My parents were hunters, like their parents and grandparents before them, hundreds of years back, scores of ancestors behind me, fulfilling the same call. I must follow in their footsteps. I am the only one left to keep the promise. I can never give up the fight, this fight that has been handed down to me, thrust upon my unwilling shoulders. I’d rather be buried with my parents, my brave, fierce father and mother, who lived and died by the Midnight motto: Don’t Let Them Roam.”

 Ever since her thirteenth birthday, seventeen-year-old Sarah Midnight’s dreams have been plagued by demons—but unlike most people’s nightmares, Sarah’s come true. Her dreams guide her parents’ hunt as Sarah remains in bed, terrified but safe, sheltered from the true horrors of the Midnight legacy. But all this is about to change. After the murder of her parents, she is cruelly thrust into a secret world of unimaginable danger as she is forced to take up their mission. Alone and unprepared for the fight that lies before her, Sarah must learn how to use the powers she’s inherited and decide whom to trust before it’s too late...

Sarah Midnight is a Secondary school pupil who lives in Scotland. For real.
I saw her at a bus stop once, years ago – she was wearing a school uniform, she had long black hair and she was texting on her phone while listening to music. The expression on her face made me do a double take – she had that uniquely teenage way of looking sulky and yet vulnerable, childlike and grown-up all mixed together. I thought I have to put you in a story.
Then came the Midnight mansion, home to one of my best friends – a grey stone fairy tale villa. And this is where you live.
Third came…no, not Sean. Third came Niall, a red-haired boy that I kept seeing in the town centre, another student – long hair, fiddle case in his hand, looking incredibly cool. And you have the Power of Song.
I admit it’s a little weird to see people and decide to put them in books…but please, if you catch me looking at you while you stand at a bus stop, don’t be alarmed, I’m plotting! How frustrating it was, a few weeks ago, when I saw SEAN HIMSELF walking down Buchanan Road! I should have stopped him for a pic – “never mind calling the police young man. Trust me: I’m a writer.”
So the story started brewing, until finally it was ready to come out. I wrote the first few words: You’d never think it could happen to you. You’d never think that one day you’d stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, seeing your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back. Except I wrote it in Italian, and it was going to be another five years before the story took shape.
A few eventful years later, after having had two babies and having become a stay-at-home-mum, I went back to it, this time in English. Sarah became an anxious little girl who grows up to be an anxious young woman, yet incredibly brave and strong. I wanted to portray a heroine who’s vulnerable, lonely and longing to be loved, but has a backbone of steel and is courageous and proud. I put her in terrible predicaments over 90.000 words worth of adventures, and she seems to find a way to survive and come out stronger. Sarah is a force to be reckoned with.
I’m fascinated by how so many wonderful women I know, from my friends to my mother, and indeed myself, host such a contrast in themselves: being vulnerable, swept by emotions, but when the need arises they turn out to be unbelievably strong. Sarah is very much a “girl, interrupted”: she carries heavily in her heart an unhappy and lonely childhood, and her challenge is to grow over the past, exorcise her family history and build a new life for herself. She does that in contrast with Cathy, her nemesis, who’s unable to get over her painful past and ends up losing her soul over it. Sarah has a huge power running in her veins, but she doesn’t know how to use it – in the course of the first book she learns to channel it, while unravelling truth from lies. To me, Sarah’s story is the story of a girl growing up - in a rather uncommon circumstances, but facing the same challenges that so many young girls face.
This book is for girls – and boys – just like her: strong, vulnerable, and looking to channel and master the power that runs in their veins, whatever that might be.

Many thanks to Steph for letting me be a guest on her lovely blog – thank you!


~ No problem! Thanks for doing a guest post! Dreams sounds amazing, don't you think?

If you'd like to read the first chapter, look below!

Dreams Web Advance Preview Copy Chapter One[2]