Review: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Title: Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)
Author:  Richelle Mead
Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher:  Razorbill (4th February 2010)
Blurb:

WHAT IF FOLLOWING HER HEART MEANS LOSING HER BEST FRIEND – FOREVER?

ROSE HATHAWAY KNOWS IT IS FORBIDDEN TO LOVE ANOTHER GUARDIAN. HER BEST FRIEND, LISSA, MUST ALWAYS COME FIRST. UNFORTUNATELY, THEN IT COMES TO THE GORGEOUS DIMITRI BELIKOV, SOME RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN.

Lying to Lissa about Dimitri is one thing, but suddenly there’s way more than friendship at stake. The immortal dead are on the prowl and in a heart-stopping battle, Rose will have to choose between life, love and the two people who matter most.

But will her choice mean that only one survives?


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

Shadow Kiss is the third book in Richelle Mead’s brilliant Vampire Academy series. In this book Rose Hathaway is faced with some difficult choices. Still recovering from the aftermath of Frostbite Rose needs her friends, but life has never been that simple.

Continue reading

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday Logo

Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. The book’s blurb has been taken from Goodreads.com All publish dates are according to Amazon.co.uk

This week I am “Waiting On”…

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (The Guardians of Childhood #1) (MG)
by William Joyce and Laura Geringer

Published: 13th September 2012

Before SANTA was SANTA, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazar. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terrors of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune…or save the village.

When our rebellious hero gets sucked into the chaos (literally), the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Clausen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting…and, he’s not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time.

Doesn’t this sound really cool?! I’ve been looking forward to reading this for a while – thankfully there’s not much longer to wait!

So that is the books that I am “waiting on” this week. What book(s) are you waiting on this week? Leave a comment and let me know.

Before I go, I would just like to add that at the moment I’m giving away a copy of Die for Me by Amy Plum and some swag. Giveaway ends on September 13th so there’s not long to go. The giveaway is open internationally. For more details and a chance to enter click the image below.

Review: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Soul Screamers #3

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3)
Author:  Rachel Vincent
Genre:  Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher:  MiraInk(15th April 2011)
Blurb:

KAYLEE HAS ONE ADDICTION: HER BOYFRIEND NASH

Like Kaylee, Nash is a banshee. So he understands her like no one else. Nothing – supernatural or otherwise – can come between them. That is, until something does.

Demon’s breath – a potent paranormal drug with the power to kill. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. Kaylee and Nash need to cut off the source and protect their human friends – one of who is already hooked.

Bu Kaylee’s plans are soon derailed when she discovers another secret demon’s breath addict in their midst. Nash.

Now she’s ready to kick some serious Netherworld but – but is it too late to save the boy who’s stolen her heart?


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

My Soul to Keep is the third book in Rachel Vincent’s fantastic Soul Screamers series. My Soul to Keep starts just as Kaylee completes the grounding she earned as a result of her actions in My Soul to Save (you can find my review here), and attends her first post-grounding party. Things go a little awry.

Continue reading

Review: Torn by Amanda Hocking

Trylle Trilogy #2

Torn by Amanda Hocking

Title: Torn (Trylle Trilogy #2)
Author:  Amanda Hocking
Genre:  Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher:  TOR (1st March 2012)
Blurb:

Acknowledging that she was different from everyone else wasn’t difficult for Wendy Everly – she’d always felt like an outsider. But a new world and new family is a little hard for any girl to accept. Leaving behind the mysterious country of her birth, she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she’s left behind won’t let her go that easily . . .

Kidnapped and imprisoned by her family’s enemies, Wendy soon learns that the between good and evil aren’t as defined as she thought. And those things that she’d taken for granted may have been lies all along. With the help of the dangerously attractive Loki, she escapes back to the safety of Förening – only to be confronted by a new threat.

It’s time to make a choice – can she put aside her personal feelings for the sake of her country? Torn between duty and love she must a choice that could destroy her one chance at true happiness.


Rating: ***
(3 stars)
Review:

Torn is the second book in Amanda Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy. It continues Wendy’s story after the events of Switched.

Continue reading

Waiting on Wednesday (24)

Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. The books’ blurb has been taken from Goodreads.com All publish dates are according to Amazon.co.uk Also, sorry if you read my TTT post as 3 of the 4 books made it onto that list. If you want to see what books I’m looking forward to this Autumn you can check out the post here.

This week I am “Waiting On”…

Wolf Pact (Wolf Pact #1) (YA)
by Melissa de la Cruz

Publication: 6th September 2012

From the bestselling author of Blue Bloods, comes a series that will reinvent the myth of the werewolf in the same way that Blue Bloods did with vampires—with style and NYC flair!

Lawson and his brothers escaped from the underworld and now lead desperate, dangerous lives. They’re pursued by the Hounds of Hell from one town to the next, never calling any place home. But when the hounds finally catch up with them and capture the girl Lawson loves, the hunters become the hunted. Lawson will stop at nothing to track down the hounds, even if the chances of saving Tala are slim…

The only hope he has lies in Bliss Llewellyn. Bliss, too, has lost someone to the beasts and will do anything to get them back—even if it means joining forces with the insolent, dangerously good-looking boy with a wolf’s soul.

Belles (Belles #1) (YA)
by Jen Calonita

Published: 11th September 2012

Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she’s ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn’t go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn’t thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates’ Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls’ lives forever.

Personal Effects (YA)
by E. M. Kokie

Publication: 11th September 2012

After his older brother dies in Iraq, Matt makes a discovery that rocks his beliefs about strength, bravery, and honor in this page-turning debut.

Ever since his brother, T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he’s been sleepwalking through life — failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad’s lectures about following in his brother’s footsteps. T.J.’s gone, but Matt can’t shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands on his brother’s stuff from Iraq, he’d be able to make sense of his death. But as Matt searches for answers about T.J.’s death, he faces a shocking revelation about T.J.’s life that suggests he may not have known T.J. as well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his father, honor his brother’s memory, and take charge of his own life. With compassion, humor, and a compelling narrative voice, E. M. Kokie explores grief, social mores, and self-discovery in a provocative first novel.

Vessel (YA)
by Sarah Beth Durst

Publication: 11th September 2012

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.

Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

I love all four covers, though my favourite has to be Vessel.

So those are the books that I am “waiting on” this week. What book(s) are you waiting on this week? Leave a comment and let me know.

Before I go, I would just like to add that at the moment I’m giving away a copy of Die for Me by Amy Plum and some swag. The giveaway is open internationally. For more details and a chance to enter click the image below.

Top Ten Tuesday (14)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They’d love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

All blurbs are taken from Goodreads.com and any/all publication dates are taken from Amazon.co.uk

This weeks Top Ten topic is:

Top Ten Books On Your Fall Autumn TBR List

The books are listed in publication order.

Wolf Pact (Wolf Pact #1) (YA)
by Melissa de la Cruz

Publication: 6th September 2012

From the bestselling author of Blue Bloods, comes a series that will reinvent the myth of the werewolf in the same way that Blue Bloods did with vampires—with style and NYC flair!

Lawson and his brothers escaped from the underworld and now lead desperate, dangerous lives. They’re pursued by the Hounds of Hell from one town to the next, never calling any place home. But when the hounds finally catch up with them and capture the girl Lawson loves, the hunters become the hunted. Lawson will stop at nothing to track down the hounds, even if the chances of saving Tala are slim…

The only hope he has lies in Bliss Llewellyn. Bliss, too, has lost someone to the beasts and will do anything to get them back—even if it means joining forces with the insolent, dangerously good-looking boy with a wolf’s soul.

Personal Effects (YA)
by E. M. Kokie

Publication: 11th September 2012

After his older brother dies in Iraq, Matt makes a discovery that rocks his beliefs about strength, bravery, and honor in this page-turning debut.

Ever since his brother, T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he’s been sleepwalking through life — failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad’s lectures about following in his brother’s footsteps. T.J.’s gone, but Matt can’t shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands on his brother’s stuff from Iraq, he’d be able to make sense of his death. But as Matt searches for answers about T.J.’s death, he faces a shocking revelation about T.J.’s life that suggests he may not have known T.J. as well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his father, honor his brother’s memory, and take charge of his own life. With compassion, humor, and a compelling narrative voice, E. M. Kokie explores grief, social mores, and self-discovery in a provocative first novel.

Vessel (YA)
by Sarah Beth Durst

Publication: 11th September 2012

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.

Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

A Perfect Blood (The Hollows #10)
by Kim Harrison

Publication: 25th September 2012

There’s nothing more darkly satisfying than time spent in the Hallows–New York Times bestseller Kim Harrison’s alternate urban fantasy Cincinnati where vampires, pixies, and werewolves roam free. Harrison takes us back in A Perfect Blood, as former bounty hunter witch-turned-reluctant daywalking demon Rachel Morgan investigates a series of ritual murders, only to discover to her horror that whomever–or whatever–is responsible is actually seeking her blood. Rachel’s sexy, supernatural adventures have consistently landed atop bestseller lists from coast-to-coast, and A Perfect Blood is no exception–another supremely satisfying excursion to a deliciously eerie fantasy realm that’s certain to delight Kim Harrison’s voracious army of fans…not to mention Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs, and Stephanie Meyers aficionados, and any reader who craves a walk on the wild, dark side.

Underworld (Abandon Trilogy #2) (YA)
by Meg Cabot

Publication: 27th September 2012

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance . . . on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.

But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there . . . and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.

And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape.

Ironskin (YA)
by Tina Connolly

Publication: 2nd October 2012

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a “delicate situation”—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio…and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

Demon Eyes (Witch Eyes #2) (YA)
by Scott Tracey

Publication: 8th October 2012

Demons don’t die without a fight…

After destroying the demon Lucien, Braden—son of Belle Dam’s most powerful warlock, Jason Thorpe—doesn’t need the power of his witch eyes to see that everything in his life is turning against him: friends, family, and even his visions. When disturbing nightmares of Lucien’s return haunt him, Braden discovers that the simmering feud between the city’s two witch dynasties is fast approaching its explosive boiling point.

While struggling to come to terms with his attraction to Trey, Catherine Lansing’s son who should be his mortal enemy, a diabolical plan starts to unveil before Braden’s eyes. Young women are disappearing from Belle Dam, and as he investigates, Braden is forced to explore the dangerous unknown power within himself. But when the truth about his family is revealed, Braden must pay a terrible price.

Velveteen (Velveteen #1) (YA)
by Daniel Marks

Publication: 9th October 2012

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal… and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules… or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

Something Like Normal (YA)
by Trish Doller

Publication: 26th October 2012

When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

Undeadly (Reaper Diaries) (YA)
by Michel Vail

Published: 20th November 2012

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper-and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly-against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

So those were my Top Ten Book on My Autumn TBR List. As always please leave a comment and I will visit your blog, have a look at your list and leave a comment.

Before I go, I would just like to add that at the moment I’m giving away a copy of Die for Me by Amy Plum and some swag. The giveaway is open internationally. For more details and a chance to enter click the image below.

Review: Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

Title: Faery Tales & Nightmares
Author: Melissa Marr
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher:  HarperCollins (1st March 2012)
Blurb:

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments, light and dark.

Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from under the seas, or manifest for seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention – amorous or sinister intent – relentlessly.

Takes of favourite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with . . . or fear.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Review:

Faery Tales & Nightmares is a collection of short stories by Melissa Marr, some of which are set in her Wicked Lovelyuniverse – answering questions that weren’t answered in the books – whilst others are of new characters and places. There are twelve stories in total in the collection.

Continue reading

Review: Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

As this is the sith book in the series it may be possible that this review will contain spoilers for previous books in the Chicagoland Vampires Novel series.
A Chicagoland Vampires Novel, #6

Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

Title: Biting Cold (A Chicagoland Vampires Novel, #6)
Author:Chloe Neill
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (9th August 2012)
Blurb:

Turned into a vampire against her will, Merit found her way into the dark circle of Chicago’s vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye, and more of them than the public ever imagined. And not all the secrets she learned were for sharing – among humans or inhumans.

Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest, tailing a rogue supernatural intent on stealing an ancient artefact that could unleash catasrophic evil on the world. But Merit is also the prey. An enemy of Chicagoland is hunting her, and he’ll stop at nothing to get the book for himself. No mercy allowed. No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on.

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

Biting Cold is the sixth book in Chloe Neill’s brilliant Chicagoland Vampire Novels.  We are reunited with Merit, Sentinel of  Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire. A lot has happened to Merit and her House since she became a vampire. It has been an exciting and enjoyable read. This sixth book is no different.

Continue reading

Giveaway: Die for Me & Swag!

I have an extra copy of Die for Me by Amy Plum, the first book in her Revenants trilogy, and some swag to give away. There are three prize packs up for grabs.

Bundle 1

Bundle 1
  • A copy of Die for Me by Amy Plum
  • A signed Die for Me bookmark
  • A signed Until I Die bookmark.

Bundle 2

Bundle 2
  • A signed Die for Me bookmark
  • A signed Until I Die bookmark
  • A Dark Parties bookmark
  • A Night School bookmark
  • Night School swag
  • A Witch in Love swag

Bundle 3

Bundle 3
  • A signed Die for Me bookmark
  • A signed Until I Die bookmark

For a chance to win one of the three prizes, all you have to do is read the rules below and fill out the form.

Rules

  • To enter this competition you must be 13 years old or older.
  • This competition is open internationally (except where prohibited by law)
  • +1 entry if you promote this giveaway on your twitter, blog, or tumblr. (You must provide a link so I can verify this)
  • The giveaway runs from 1st September 2012 10:00 BST to 13th September 2012  12:00 BST. The winner will be announced on the blog and emailed on 14th September.
  • The winner will have 72 hours from the 14th September to respond to my email, if they do not respond within that time a new winner will be chosen.
  • Each entry will be assigned a number. The winner will be picked by The True Random Number Generator at Random.org
  • TheFlutterbyRoom is not responsible for any loss or damage of the book/swag in transit.
  • TheFlutterbyRoom reserves the right to cancel this competition at any time without any prior warning.
  • TheFlutterbyRoom reserves the right to disqualify any entry at any time.
  • Please do not leave any identifying details (such as full name, or email address) in the comment section.

The competition is now closed!

Good luck!!