In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. Check out her awesome YA reviews.

Only two for this blog, but I'm a happy girl!

For Review:

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Love can be a dangerous thing....
Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe. From Amazon US

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

They're Young, Fabulous and Fanged...And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school - she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl - but all that's about to change...Because Schuyler has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous - and secret - vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schuyler must find out who - or what - is behind it before she's next. From Amazon UK

I'm so looking forward to reading both of these! Check out Ink and Paper for the other book I got this week.

On My Wishlist (4)

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme that allows us to share the books we haven't bought yet but are waiting to be bought and devoured. This idea is brought to us by Book Chick City.

On my wishlist this week is:

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: February 2010

Summary:
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. From Juliekagawa.com

Title: Firepell
Author: Chloe Neill
Publisher: Signet
Publication Date: 5th January 2010

Summary:
As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.
Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet… From Chloeneill.com

Title: Blue Moon
Author: Alyson Noёl
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books
Publication Date: 5th March 2010

Summary:
Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever's powers are increasing, Damen's are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen's past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day... From Alysonnoel.com

Title: The Bermudez Triangle
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Sleuth Razorbill
Publication Date: 17th May 2007

Summary:
The Bermudez Triangle are... Nina Bermudez... who TiVos every episode of Trading Spaces and What Not to Wear because watching people rip down bad decorations, cast aside bad clothes—these things soothe her.

Avery Dekker... who worships Jack Black but has learned to play Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” by heart just so that she can hate it in detail.

Melanie Forrest... (a.k.a. Mel), who inspires guys to develop instantaneous, epic crushes—the kind that cause them to want to iron their clothes and listen to the lyrics of slow songs. From Maureenjohnsonbooks.com

There won't be any On My Wishlist post for Ink and Paper today, because I can't for the life of me remember any adult fantasy book that I want. I know! My mind is going, I swear.

What are you wishing for this week?

2009 Virtual Advent Tour - Day Two: Our Christmas Traditions and Our Christmas Dinner

Today is day two of the 2009 Virtual Advent Tour, and my turn to post! I'm going to talk to you a little about the family traditions we have in my family.

Ever since I was young, around the age of two, my parents tried to make Christmas Eve as special as Christmas Day - not just for me, but for them as well. Christmas Eve wasn't the best of days for my Mum when she was a child, so she wanted us to do something as a family to make it a happy day. My Dad used to be a courier, delivering parcels around the UK, but mainly London, so he knew (and still does) the area well, and knew which streets went all out when it came to decorating them with Christmas lights. That was our first tradition; Dad would take me and Mum out to the centre of London, driving around looking at the Christmas lights. I loved it, they were always so amazing! There was this one building my Dad delivered to that really spent some money at Christmas to decorate the outside of it - a different design every year. I remember one year it looked like a Christmas present, with a big bow. Seeing the lights each year was always so magical. When my brother came along, and was old enough, he came with us too.

Then when my brother and I were both old enough to go to the cinema without getting bored or disturbing other people, a new tradition started. As well as seeing the Chrsitmas lights, we would go to the cinema beforehand to watch a Christmas movie. The first one we saw according to Mum was Miracle on 34th Street - still one of my favourites! We don't go to see the Christmas lights anymore, as they have got more commercial and are used to advertise shops, which isn't so great, but we still try to go to the cinema. It's not always possible though, if we go to visit family for Christmas, we're travelling on Christmas Eve, and by the time we arrive, it's too late to get seats. But still, Christmas Eve is always great - especially getting the glass of milk and mince pie for Father Christmas and a carrot for Rudolph ready, and seeing that they're gone the next day ;)

We have two other traditions in my family that we can only really uphold if we stay at home and have people round to us for Christmas. When at home the TV, the computers, the Xbox/Playstation (whatever computery thingy my brother now has in his room), gameboy DS, etc, are banned. Our recorders are set to tape all the great Christmas TV, and we spend the whole day as a family playing games - board or otherwise. My Mum tries to buy a new board game every year for us to play. Some of the games we play are Pictionary (I LOVE IT!), Taboo (also awesome!), Whodunnit? (Cluedo with cards), Uno, Charades, Monopoly (which I can't stand), and other nifty little games like Rummikub and Name That Tune. We are a very close family generally, but this is the one day where it's garunteed we'll all hang out together all day.

The other tradition, which is more of an agreement so everyone is happy, is not to open the Christmas presents until after we've eaten our big Christmas roast. I hated this rule as a child, having to wait hours before I could see what I'd been given, but I understand it now. Mum and Dad will be busy cooking the dinner; they don't have time to sit and relax and enjoy they're pressies, and seeing us open ours, while making sure the dinner is ready. And now, as an adult, I like this rule as well as understand it. I get more time to get ready (I am a girl, after all), and then I can help out with the food, get the table ready, etc. I enjoy it, as mad as I may sound. It's the family Christmassy feel.

While talking about food, I saw a programme the other day that was talking about some spicy food one could make for Christmas, and got all confused. Surely everyone has a roast on Christmas day? It turns out I'm wrong. So for us, we have a big roast - a very big roast. We have the potatoes, the veg, stuffing, yorkshire puddings, and then all the different meat; the turkey, of course, chicken, beef, pork, boiled bacon, pigs in blankets - the works. I'm seriously fussy, so I only have the potatoes and some chicken and beef, but everyone generally eats til they're bursting! Dad normally has a starter too of prawn cocktail, and then there is ice-cream and fruit for dessert for everyone, and Christmas pudding sometimes for Mum - no-one else likes it.

So what do you eat on Christmas day?

It's Monday! What are You Reading? (7)

It's Monday! What are You Reading? is a meme run by J. Kaye's Book Blog which discusses which books will be read this week, and the ones that were read last week.

Again, I missed doing this last week, so I'm doing this for two weeks:

Two weeks ago, I read:

• Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill (for I&P)
• Frostbite by Richelle Mead (for both)

Last week I read:

• Evermore by Alyson Noёl (for both)
• Fade Out by Rachel Caine (for both - review posted in January next year)

This week I hope to read:

• Monster Republic by Ben Horton (started on Sunday, for OUaB)
• Prophecy of the Sister by Michelle Zink (for both)

I don't like that I'm a slow reader, but what can you do?

Over the Top Award!

I have been given another award! This time it's the Over the Top Award from J. Kaye of J. Kaye's Book Blog. Thanks, J. Kaye! Not sure if this is good or bad though, haha!



Here are the rules:

Answer the following questions using single word answers. Then pass the award to 5 other people and let them know.

Your cell phone? Cracked
Your hair? Ginger
Your mother? Bestie
Your father? Teenager
Your favorite food? Steak
Your dream last night? Murder
Your favorite drink? (Diet) Coke
Your dream/goal? Publishing
What room are you in? Front-room
Your hobby? Reading
Your fear? Infertility
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
Where were you last night? Volunteering
Something that you aren't? Ill
Muffins? Bleurgh!
Wish list item? Earrings
Where did you grow up? London
Last thing you did? TV
What are you wearing? Cardigan
Your TV? Small
Your Pets? None
Friends? Family
Your life? Nifty
Your mood? Content
Missing someone? Yes
Vehicle? Legs
Something you're not wearing? Socks
Your favorite store? Primark
Your favorite color? Black
When was the last time you laughed? Earlier
Last time you cried? Ages
Your best friend? Plural
One place that you go to over and over? Nan's
Facebook? Rarely
Favorite place to eat? Home

5 bloggers to pass it to:

Kristi of The Story Siren
Cecelia of The Epic Rat
Misty of The Book Rat
Donna of Fantasy Dreamer's Ramblings
Gina of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Your blogs are over the top in REALLY good ways!

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. Check out her awesome YA reviews.

Not many, but a pretty happy girl, I am!

For Review:

Fade Out by Rachel Caine

Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedom, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realise that this film project, featuring the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger - and way more dangerous - than anyone suspected. From Amazon UK

Monster Republic by Ben Horton

An explosion in a nuclear power plant. Kids patched up with scavenged body parts and bionic implants. A growing army of superhuman soldiers programmed for destruction. 'No', whispered Cameron to the monster in the glass. And he watched it shaking its hideous head. 'That's not me. You're not me'. As commercial and compelling as a computer game, this is the first book in a major new series. From Amazon UK

Gifted*:

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

'Without the Keys, something terrible will happen. Something that cannot be undone. And with them, I might bring an end to the riddle of the Prophecy and my strange part in it. If Alice and I are on conflicting sides of the Prophecy, the Keys would be dangerous in her hands. Which means I have to find them. And I have to do it before my sister.' This is the story of sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe's quest to discover her role and her twin sister's in a powerful prophecy that has affected twin sisters for generations. But nothing can prepare her for what she discovers - about herself, about her family, and about the danger that goes from haunting her dreams to becoming her reality. From Amazon UK

*Michelle Zink saw my On My Wishlist (3) post where I mentioned wanting to read Prophecy of the Sisters, and how, in the comments, I said that I hadn't read those books yet because money was a bit tight - so she got in touch with her UK publicist, asking her to get in touch with me so I could get sent a review copy. I have to review the book - which I would do anyway - but it's not a typical "review copy" as this book was actually published 3 months ago in the UK. How lovely of Michelle was that?! Such an awesome lady! So chuffed!

I am an extremely happy bunny! You get much this week?

Review: Evermore by Alyson Noёl

Evermore by Alyson Noёl - Sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom is the sole survivor of a car accident that killed her family. Exiled to sunny California, Ever is haunted by her little sister and by the ability to see people’s auras, hear their thoughts and know their entire life story by touching them. She wants to hide from the world, but when a stunningly handsome new guy arrives at school, she can’t seem to keep away. Falling in love with Damen is dangerous – he’s not what he seems. But if Damen is her destiny, how can Ever walk away? From the back cover.

There are quite a few YA paranormal romances around these days, some are great, some perhaps not so much, but in the case of Evermore, I really liked it!

I love the paranormal element that goes throughout the book. When I picked up the book, and read the blurb, I wasn’t sure what would be going on, and I didn’t know. As you read through it, you make certain assumptions which feel pretty valid giving some of the evidence in the book, but it was nothing like what I thought! I was completely blown away by what was really going on, and I loved it! Such a unique premise, I really liked it! However, when coming to write this review, I was looking up summaries, and ended up typing up what’s on the back of the book, because I feel some of the ones I came across just gave too much away. Doesn’t it annoy you when you know a summary is more spoilery than it needs to be? I won’t be spoiling the book for you, so I won’t dig in too much with the paranormal element, but just know it was great!

I had a fair bit of trouble reading this book, emotionally. At times, it really did pull on the heart strings, and how could it not? Ever’s pain over the loss of her whole family, and the guilt she feels over believing it was her fault is just so strong, it’s difficult not to feel it yourself. So big, you could almost reach out and touch it. This book is pretty sad, and there were tears from me. In my opinion, this just shows how amazing Noёl’s writing is, and how fantastic the book is, to evoke such strong emotions. Really powerful!

There was something about Ever and Damen’s attraction that wasn’t big enough for me, however. It is spoken of a lot by both of them, but I just didn’t really feel it, especially when it comes to Damen. It just wasn’t as believable to me. As characters though, they were pretty awesome; Ever was so fragile, yet so strong at the same time, she’s incredible – though she did annoy me with the amount of times she said “I mean”, and how she thought everything she said came out whiny, but that’s no big deal. Damen is mysterious and, to be honest, I still don’t know quite what to make of him. I don’t like Haven, one of Ever’s best friends; she has issues, and I get that, but the way she acts and talks to her friends sometimes is just disgusting if you ask me. I don’t like her at all. Miles, Ever’s other best friend, is hilarious; he’s gay, and very camp, and can’t shut up talking, he had me laughing out loud so many times, I love him! But my favourite character in the book has to be Riley, Ever’s little sister and ghost; she is annoying as any sister would be, but she was just so funny! Her visits to Ever were some of the highlights of the book!

There isn’t really a huge amount more I can say about this book without going into the paranormal element. Evermore is really a great book, and I’m really looking forward to reading Blue Moon when it comes out in the UK in March! I highly recommend you go out and read Evermore if you haven’t already!

Published: 17th September 2009
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Alyson Noёl’s Website