ICYMI Sunday – The second

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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Sunday is a new meme that I am planning to feature on the blog every week. It is based on the Sunday Post  which is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, which was in turn inspired in part by the In My Mailbox meme. Basically, it allows me to let you know what went on the blog this week and anything interesting that is going on. It will also allow me to showcase any books I receive like the Showcase Sunday which is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea.

The final week of February is over, I’m hoping March will be a better month for me. Last week I didn’t do well on the reading front, but I’m hopeful I will catch up next week. B&N have also shipped the book I pre-ordered from them which I’m super excited about. I have to wait 7 to 21 days, but it’s on its way!!!

There was just one post on the blog this week:

What else is going on?

  • J. K. Rowling revealed wizarding affection and support for the Scottish RBS Six Nation team here.
  • Amanda Sun revealed the cover of her new novel RAIN here. Plus there is an International giveaway for a signed ARC – this one is art based here. Ends March 14th.
  • Oxford Children’s Classics is looking for people between the ages of 5 and 18 who live in England, Scotland, or Wales to write a 250-350 word review and a recommendation for a chance to win some cool prizes. You can find out more here and read the Terms and Conditions here.
  • Walker Books have acquired the UK, Aus, and NZ rights to Cassandra Clare’s new SHADOW HUNTER trilogy – THE LAST HOURS read more here.
  • The Bookwyrm’s Hoard marks both Dr. Seuss’s 110th birthday and Read Across America Day – check out the post for some cool info and some great videos here.
  • The Bean has some information on the BEA bloggers conference for 2014 – including who the Breakfast Keynotes speaker is and some other really exciting news. If you are attending (and I am super jealous if you are) then it sounds like you will be having a fabulous time.
  • Project UKYA revealed their April Extravaganza – you can find out more here.
  • You can now join Dr. Seuss’s Birthday Club! Find out more here.

Now we’re all caught up, sorta. There were no books for me this week as I’m on a book buying ban. I’ve got <20 books in my pile, but I’ve discovered that too many books means no desire to read on my part 😦 Oh well, I won’t get caught like this again.

I would love to hear what you’ve been up to this week and what books, if any, you’ve got so please leave me a link in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by :D

Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

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The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic Books (18th September 2013)
Blurb:

Blue didn’t mean to fall for the Raven Boys, but she has – and the more her life entwines with theirs, the more dangerous it becomes.

Ronan is the most dangerous of all.

He’s the haunted one, the darkest, the most raven.

His dreams invade reality and confuse what is true.

With magic growing stronger around them, now is the time to be wary. Before everything unravels . . .

Friendships will be tested.

Someone will get hurt.

And a kiss will be shared.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

THE DREAM THIEVES is the second book in Maggie Stiefvater’s THE RAVEN CYCLE. This book focuses on the enigmatic Ronan Lynch and on the consequences of the events of THE RAVEN BOYS (review). Blue, Adam and  Gansey all play a prominent role in the book as things start to come to a head, and the hunt for Glendower takes a back burner as secrets are revealed.

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ICYMI Sunday – The FIRST One

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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Sunday is a new meme that I am planning to feature on the blog every week. It is based on the Sunday Post  which is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, which was in turn inspired in part by the In My Mailbox meme. Basically, it allows me to let you know what went on the blog this week and anything interesting that is going on. It will also allow me to showcase any books I receive like the Showcase Sunday which is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea.

So, let’s start the first ICYMI Sunday off simply with a small update from me.

On Saturday February 1st my dog Lucky was put to sleep. It was both unexpected and not. We knew he only had a limited time, but we weren’t sure how long or short that time would be. Lucky dying really threw me, and I’m still not balanced. I also haven’t been well, and am currently fighting off a cold. I have started reading and writing reviews again though. So yeah, for me this February really sucked.

As I haven’t done a catch up on the blog for a while, I’m going to start back in January with stuff that has been on the blog.

Not a lot for almost two months worth of posts, but the blog has been ticking over which is good 🙂

What else is going on?

  • The cover for Amanda Sun‘s new novel RAIN will be revealed on Monday, plus there will be an ARC giveaway – you can find a sneak peek here.
  • World Book Day Fest is holding a 500 word writing contest for entrants 13 years and under in the UK. Stories must be submitted by 7pm on Wednesday 26th February. More details can be found here.
  • Are you in Edinburgh on the 5th of March? Joseph D’Lacey is launching THE BOOK OF THE CROWMAN at Blackwell’s Edinburgh 6.30pm -8pm. The event is free, but you will need a ticket. You can find more info here.
  • Melissa Anelli author of the best-selling HARRY, A HISTORY spoke out about her experience of being stalked here.
  • J. K. Rowling is to release a second book under the nom-de-plume Robert Galbraith. THE SILKWORM is a sequel to THE CUCKOO’S CALLING. You can find more info about the book on The Telegraph newspaper here.
  • John Green made some comments on his Twitter account (which you can read here on a UK Twilight fan site), which he later clarified on his Tumblr account about TWILIGHT and misogyny.
  • Penguin/Pelican are holding a giveaway for 50 copies of GREEK AND ROMAN POLITICAL IDEAS: A PELICAN INTRODUCTION on Goodreads here. Giveaway runs until April 10th.
  • The Red House Children’s Book Awards took place on Saturday 22nd February. You can find the winners and other nominees here.
  • Want to know what to look forward to in autumn/fall 2014? You can find a list of books published in the States then here.

Now we’re all caught up, sorta. I’m going to do a quick post on the books I have received between December and now…

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  • FALLING FAST by Sophie McKenzie (YA) (thanks Orli – Valentine’s Ninja Book Swap)
  • SOLACE OF THE ROAD by Siobhan Dowd (YA) (thanks Orli – Valentine’s Ninja Book Swap)
  • WITCH SONG by Amber Argyle (YA) (ebook)
  • STOLEN SONGBIRD by Danielle L. Jensen (YA) (ebook via NetGalley – thanks Strange Chemistry)
  • SHUTDOWN by Laurell K. Hamilton (adult) (ebook)
  • THE DARK HEROINE by Abigail Gibbs (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)
  • ANGELFALL by Susan Ee (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)
  • DELIRUM by Lauren Oliver (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)
  • DANCE OF SHADOWS by Yelena Black (YA) (thanks Faye @ A Daydreamer’s Thoughts – I won her blogoversay giveaway back in November)
  • GRETEL AND THE DARK by Eliza Granville (YA) (thanks Catherine and Penguin Ireland)
  • STEELHEART by Brandon Sanderson (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)

So that’s it. The end of this rather epic post. Next weeks won’t be as long. Promise.

I would love to hear what you’ve been up to this week and what books, if any, you’ve got so please leave me a link in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by 😀

Review: Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh

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Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Legion (A Guild Hunter Novel, #6)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (31st October 2013)
Blurb:

Nalini Singh, the New York Times bestselling ‘alpha author of paranormal romance’ (Booklist), returns to the immortal world of violent passion and lethal power . . . on the brink of a deadly archangelic war.

Angels are falling from the sky in New York, struck down by a vicious, unknown force.

Vampires are dying, impossibly, of disease.

Guild Hunter Elena Deveraux and the Archangel Raphael must discover the source of the wave of death before it engulfs their city and their people, leaving New York a ruin and Raphael’s Tower under siege by enemy archangels.

Yet even as they fight desperately to save the city, an even darker force is stirring, its chill eyes trained on New York . . . and on Raphael. Rivers of crimson and nightmares given flesh, the world will never again be the same . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

ARCHANGEL’S LEGION is the sixth book in Nalini Singh’s brilliantly hot GUILD HUNTER series. The story focuses on the Archangel Raphael who lives in New York, and his consort Elena Deveraux – a Guild Hunter. In ARCHANGEL’S LEGION the events of the previous five books come to a head, and The Cascade crests. Things are changing in the world of the archangels, and nothing will ever be the same.

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My Valentine’s Ninja Book Swap!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

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This year I decided to participate in THE VALENTINE’S NINJA BOOK SWAP. Everyone had to sign up by the 30th January, and (to quote the sign up page) “the basic idea behind it is that everybody who wants to participate is matched up with somebody else and sends them a parcel containing a couple of books from their wishlists, plus a card and a little present of some description.”

My gifts came courtesy of Orli @ Blame My Bookshelf.

The first book I got from her was Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie. It sounds like a really interesting book, and a perfect Valentine’s Day read.

The second book I got from her was Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd. I had never heard of this book or the author before, but the book sounds like it has a lot of potential – though, I think it will be a sad read.

Orli also got me a Memo Pad, and wrote a nice little note for me (which isn’t pictured).

THANK YOU Orli!

If you missed out on taking part in The Valentine’s Ninja Book Swap, then don’t despair! They will be holding another book swap in the summer and they will have one for Hallowe’en. You can find out more information and get reminded about future book swaps by following their Twitter account @NinjaBookSwap.

Review: Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville

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Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville

Title: Gretel and the Dark
Author: Eliza Granville
Genre: Historical Novel, Horror, Fairy Tale, Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin (6th February 2014)
Source: Penguin Ireland
Format: Finished copy
Blurb:

VIENNA, 1899.

Josef Breuer – celebrated psychoanalyst – is about to encounter his strangest case yet. Found by the lunatic asylum, thin, head shaved, she claims to have no name, no feelings – to be, in fact, not even human. Intrigued, Breuer determines to fathom the roots of her disturbance.

YEARS LATER,

in Germany, we meet Krysta. Krysta’s Papa is busy working in the infirmary with the ‘animal people’, so little Krysta plays alone, lost in the stories of Hansel and Gretel, the Pied Piper and more. And when everything changes and the real world around her becomes as frightening as any fairy tale, Krysta finds that her imagination holds powers beyond what she could ever have guessed . . .

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

GRETEL AND THE DARK is a stand-alone novel by Eliza Granville. It tells the stories of two different girls, in two different counties, in two different times. Their stories unfold in interchanging chapters.

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Review: Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

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Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Storm Glass (Chronicles of Ixia #4/ Glass #1)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Sword & Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Mira Ink (2nd August 2013)
Blurb:

Untrained. Untested. Unleashed.

With her unique magical abilities, Opal Cowan has always felt unsure of her place at Sitia’s magic academy – but now it’s time to test her powers in the real world.

Under the threat from a deadly massacre, the powerful Stormdancer clan need Opal’s unusual skills to protect their people. And their plea is impossible to resist, especially when it comes from mysterious, mercurial Kade.

Yet pulling her powers in unfamiliar directions pushes Opal to uncover a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening, with danger and deception rising around her, will Opal’s untested abilities destroy her – or save them all?

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

STORM GLASS is the first book in the GLASS trilogy, and the fourth book in the CHRONICLES OF IXIA. It tells the story of Opal Cowan, who first makes an appearance in FIRE STUDY (review). STORM GLASS takes place five years after the events of FIRE STUDY and sees Opal at Sitia’s magic academy, where she is unsure of her place and powers. Opal has a special ability with glass, and events see her travel with a Master magician to discover what is causing the Stormdancer clan’s deaths.

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Review: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

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Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Title: Antigoddess (The Goddess War: Book One)
Author: Kendare Blake
Genre: Mythology, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Orchard (10th September 2013)
Blurb:

He was Apollo, the sun, and he’d burn down anything that tried to hurt her . . .

Cassandra and Aidan are just your average high-school couple. Blissfully unaware of her own power, Cassandra doesn’t even know that gods exist.

Until now.

Because the gods are dying – and Cassandra could hold the answer to their survival. But Aidan has a secret, and he will do anything to protect the girl that he loves from the danger that’s coming to her. Even if it means war against his immortal family . . .

Stunning romance and relentless suspense – discover the first incredible book in THE GODDESS WAR trilogy.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

ANTIGODDESS is the first book in Kendare Blake’s new young adult trilogy THE GODDESS WAR. Blake draws characters – both mortals and gods – from Greek mythology and sets the story in a small town in the state of New York. The gods are slowly dying, and not all are disappearing with a whimper. They seek a way to save themselves.

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Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

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The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Title: The Fiery Heart (A Bloodlines Novel, #4)
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin (19th November 2013)
Blurb:

WHEN PULSES QUICKEN NO SECRET IS SAFE.

SYDNEY ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT ALCHEMISTS WERE BORN TO PROTECT VAMPIRE SECRETS AND HUMAN LIVES – UNTIL SHE MET MARCUS AND TURNED HER BACK ON EVERYTHING SHE ONCE KNEW.

But she’s not free yet. When her sister Zoe arrives, Sydney can only tell her half-truths about her past. And with every word she risks exposure – and the fatal consequences.

Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney must choose her path once and for all. Even if that means harnessing her magical powers to destroy the way of life she was raised to defend . . .

THE SMOULDERING FOURTH INSTALMENT IN THE BESTSELLING BLOODLINES SERIES.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

THE FIERY HEART is the fourth book in Richelle Mead’s brilliant BLOODLINES series which is a spin-off from her VAMPIRE ACADEMY series. It tells the story of Sydney Sage an eighteen-year-old girl who grew up in an Alchemist family – a group of humans sworn to keep vampire secrets and to protect humans. In THE FIERY HEART Sydney is faced with a choice, one final choice, between the rhetoric she grew up with or breaking away from its familiarity.

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Review: Ever After by Kim Harrison

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Ever After by Kim Harrison (US edition cover)

Title: Ever After (The Hollows #11)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager (22nd January 2013)
Blurb:

The ever-after, the demonic realm that parallels our own, is shrinking, and if it disappears, so does all magic. It’s up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to fix the ever-after before the fragile balance between magic users and humans falls apart.

Of course, there’s also the small fact that Rachel is the one who caused the ley line to rip in the first place, and her life is forfeit unless she can fix it. Not to mention the most powerful demon in the ever-after – the soul-eater Ku’Sox Sha-Ku-ru – has vowed to destroy her, and has kidnapped her friend and her goddaughter as leverage. If Rachel doesn’t give herself up, they will die.

Forced by circumstance, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack – a partnership fraught with dangers of the heart as well as betrayal of the soul – to return to the ever-after and rescue those she loves. One world teeters on the brink of interspecies war, the other on the brink of its very demise – and it’s up to Rachel to keep them both from being destroyed.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

EVER AFTER is the eleventh installment of Kim Harrison’s fantastic THE HOLLOWS series. At this point in the series Harrison is starting to wrap things up, and answer some of the threads that have been left dangling in previous books in the series – I believe there will only be thirteen books to the series. In this book Rachel Morgan has to deal with the repercussions of her fight with Ku’Sox and trapping him in the ever-after, as he is not a demon to cross lightly – he threatens to destroy everything with his desire for revenge.

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