GIVEAWAY WINNER!

And we have a winner! I am so utterly excited to announce the winner of my very first giveaway. As I've said before, the winner is receiving a brand new, hardcover copy of Cassandra Clare's The Clockwork Angel, so they can get ready for the December release of The Clockwork Prince!

I am pleased to say that the winner is...

Amanda Welling!!

Congrats Amanda! I have emailed you, and as soon as you respond, I will be mailing out the book!

This giveaway is just the first of many to come. I have some exciting ideas in the works, so stay tuned!! Have a lovely week everyone! 

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

From Goodreads:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Sisters Red is a very original and interesting take on Little Red Riding Hood. Everyone knows that story, but Jackson Pearce was able to refresh a familiar story with new life, injecting it with modern sensibilities. The thing I loved most in the book was the relationships between the characters. The bonds between Rosie and Scarlett, Scarlett and Silas, and Silas and Rosie are so strong and genuine.

I liked the mechanisms behind becoming a Fenris. It wasn't completely based on being bitten, and was really rather complicated. The men who become the actual wolves are completely despicable, and I like having a villain who is really just a villain. Many times I read books where it's that the antagonist is really just "misunderstood" and has issues, which makes them lose some of their villain credibility. Fenris are just evil. They lure girls away to eat them, and that's that. Pure, classic bad guy. :)

As for the characters, I liked Rosie and Silas well enough, but I really loved Scarlett. That is a kick-butt kind of girl. Really, she's all kinds of things I'd love to be: disciplined, tough, independent, and witty to name a few. Plus she can whip out an axe and beat the heck out of a wolf. Cool, eh? The girls in Sisters Red are not the cower behind a man kind.

I liked the alternating narration a lot. Sometimes I really notice the difference in narration, sometimes I don't. In Sisters Red, the changing views is very noticeable, which is a good thing. The reader can easily distinguish between Scarlett and Rosie, which means they have distinctive tones and differing views on the situation. The separate views gives more depth the story, so the reader is not biased towards just one view of the events. Yay for unbiased reading!

I did feel like some of the story was predictable. Part of this is that it's based off a familiar fairy tale, so we know certain elements. But, I expected the big twist very early on. It only made sense, though I had hoped it wasn't true. Also, at times Rosie was rather annoying. She was cutesy, but the cutesy led into pestery (not a real word, I know, but it fits) and I didn't really want to hear about how beautiful Silas was every time she saw him. This was only occasional, but stuck out.

Sisters Red is an intriguing addition to the ever-growing canon of fairy tale retellings, but unlike many others, is worthy of the connection to the original story.

Four out of five stars.

Risk a paper cut? The Fenris think its a roaring good time, and you will too.

To buy: Amazon

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop Numbah Fo.

Yes, I'm quite white you guys. You can tell. Anyhoo! It's Friday again! (Or close enough to being Friday to post this.) You know what that means! Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop time!

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee each week and is a joint effort between all of us bloggers to get more followers. Plus, each week a different question is asked, and I get to answer it! So here goes:

Q. Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?). 

 
Me: There are a whole lot of books I could talk about for this, but y'all, I'm going to have to talk about Robin McKinley again. As I've said in a previous week's answer, Robin McKinley was the first author I loved so much I had to read everything she wrote. The first book I read of hers was her most known, The Hero and the Crown, and it won the Newbery Medal in 1985. This is the book that made me love fantasy. It was also the first book I remember reading where the ending wasn't completely perfect, and it made me realize that not all books end happily, because life doesn't always end happily. It kinda blew my mind, and I kind of hated the not so perfect ending for a while, until I realized just how perfect it really was. I have reread The Hero and the Crown several times since that first reading, and I love it more and more each time. 

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly par-tay for book bloggers to connect! It's hosted by Crazy for Books (follow that link to get to this week's Blogger Hop post!) and lasts Friday through Monday every week! And we get another exciting question, here goes:

Q. What is the one ARC you would love to get your hands on right now?

Me: There are a ton, but I think I want Crossed by Ally Condie the most. This is odd, because I did enjoy Matched a lot, but not as much as I've enjoyed other books recently. Yet I'm just dying for Crossed. Oh well! :)

Well, that's the Following and Hopping fun for the week! I'd love to see anyone else's posts, so please link to them in the comments! Have a lovely weekend all! :)

Misfit by Jon Skovron

Published on: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Publisher provided egalley from Netgalley

From Goodreads:

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

I had a hard time getting into Misfit, but I trudged through, and once I got a little bit into it, the book got quite interesting. I think my original problems stemmed from the book being written in third person present tense. It reads like, "Jael sees her father's face," which just feels so unbelievably awkward to me. It also seemed to create a distance from the protagonist; we know everything she thinks, but it's not worded like she's telling us, but some other random person hanging around who happens to know all. But once I got over the writing, the story of Misfit hooked me.

I liked the different approach to demons, especially the fact that the author doesn't even delve into angels, which is obviously the more glamorous of the two. I also liked that the demons of today are actually the fallen gods of former civilizations. That connection to history makes the demons seem more plausible in today's world.

I also found most of the characters to be interesting. I am dying to know exactly how Dagon ended up where he was. I also felt like he was a very good character; a fallen god, resorting to being a baker in Hell, but very caring and nurturing towards his niece. Plus he always had sage-like advice. :) I didn't connect so much with Jael, but found myself not caring about that so much. I liked Jael's parent's relationship a lot, and felt like her mother, Astarte, was really the heart of the story. The flashbacks depicting Jael's parents were actually my favorite parts of the whole book.

I found the story to be compelling and the plot moved along. I never found myself getting bored with what was happening in the book or wondering when something exciting was going to happen, which is always a good thing. That comes from the interspersing of action-packed flashbacks, rather than the straight telling of just what was happening to Jael, and it worked quite well for me.

My biggest complaint from Misfit is the third person present tense. I have never been a fan of present tense in novels, but at least when it's in first person I can relate to the protagonist. I found myself not really caring about what happened to Jael except in how that would affect her family and friends. (Bad, I know.)

Oh! Almost forgot. I LOVED Jael's demon powers. I love love love how she has to communicate with elements, rather than just manipulate them to her will. I think it's unique and betrays the author's respect for the earth (No, I am not a hippie, but I can appreciate someone who cares.)

Misfit is a book I didn't expect to like, but found myself entranced by the engaging secondary characters and unique mythology.  

*Warning* There is a decent amount of cussing and some lewd content, and I wouldn't recommend the book for younger YA readers.

Three out of five stars.


Risk a paper cut? Anyone interested in demons and mythology would be delighted by the mix of the two into an interesting and unique novel.

To buy: Amazon

August RAK (No, not that kind, silly, Random Acts of Kindness!!)

So I gave in. I had told myself I wouldn't do this till September at least, but I couldn't help it. It looks like such fun!



RAK is Random Acts of Kindness, and is hosted by Book Soulmates. It's super easy and wonderful. It is open to EVERYONE (including international, The Book Depository makes everything so much better, doesn't it?). PLUS, as appreciation for making it a success, Book Soulmates is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card! As if we didn't have enough incentive as it was! Anyways...

Rules:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.
  
• Show off your participation by grabbing the RAK button :)
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.
  
• Please, once you receive a RAK, email or tweet Vanessa so that she can update the Google doc. There are a lot of requests for this!
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!  Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

If you want to participate, fill out this form. Also, check out all of the people participating and their wishlists here. If you need to know anything else head on over to Book Soulmates!

Have a happy August!

Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

Release date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Source: Publisher provided egalley from Netgalley

Ward de'Ath is an eighth generation necromancer, but not a good one. He dreams of being a surgeon, yet surgery is outlawed, and he's already been caught several times attempting. So when a nobleman calls wishing for Ward to wake his recently deceased daughter to say goodbye, he takes the job, trying to give up his dreams.


But upon waking her, Celia Carlyle insists she's been murdered, and makes Ward accompany her in a quest to prove it. And when Celia's quest becomes more dangerous and intriguing than Ward could imagine, he knows he should leave, yet he can't help but be drawn in the farther into the mystery he goes.

First, happy release day to Ward Against Death!! I worked hard to finish this book and review for today, and I did it! Cake for everyone! (Imaginary, cyber cake, mind you.)

I have quite a few friends who have read this book before me, and all have raved about it. I admitted it looked intriguing, but couldn't understand how they could love it as much as they did. Only once I started it did I understand. The idea of necromancers has intrigued me since I read Garth Nix's Sabriel years ago, but I don't seem to come across a lot of books focusing on necromancy. I didn't realize that that bothered me until I read this book. Yes, it is an evil sounding thing, but so fascinating! I like that it is Ward's innate talent, yet not really. He has the propensity for it, but can't seem to really get it down. And when he seems to start to get it, he doubts himself and fails. I hope he realizes just what he can do in later books!

Ward and Celia's voices are interesting, and a good match. Ward is timid and intellectual while Celia is physical and dominating. Ward doubts himself and all that he does, never sure if it's what he should be doing. Celia jumps into situations head first and just goes. I love each character's growth as they spend more time with the other. Ward becomes more proactive and seeks to fix things he would've just let pass at the beginning and Celia begins to let people in, especially Ward, despite her best efforts. They rub off on one another and really become more complete with the other around. (Awwwwww!!!) Besides, they have super good chemistry that is just aching to explode!

My big complaint for this book was a lack of explanation of the setting. Some books work quite well with their information gradually being given to the reader, but this really didn't even happen. Ward names all of these places, countries I presume, that he's wanted in, but I don't know what kind of world this is supposed to be. There's no real history given, other than lots of mentions of "the Ancients", and no way to know topography, excluding some vague mention that it didn't snow often wherever they were.

The only other thing I didn't like in the book had to do with narration. While I loved the points of views of Ward and Celia, I didn't quite get the inclusion of narration from Karysa. This is because we get her point of view a total of two times. I felt like it might have been thrown in to explain something else that may have been cut out in editing. When I first read a bit from her point of view, I thought it was interesting to add the view of an antagonist to the story; it also fixed a lot of confusion I had, but I expected her to be followed more than two times. I just think to either leave it out or commit. And, actually, it wasn't the big deal I seem to be making it out to be. :) :) I'm simply nitpicking because there's not much at all to criticize with this book.

Ward Against Death has a great formula working for it. Interesting idea, steady plot, loveable protagonist, and good execution. It all leads to a very fun and memorable read!

Risk a paper cut? Fans of anything paranormal will squee over Ward Against Death like Justin Bieber fans. But most anyone will squee over Ward and his completely endearing personality. :)

To buy:  Amazon

Teaser Tuesday: Ward Against Death by Melanie Card {4}

It's Tuesday! And we all know what that means!!! TEASER TUESDAY! EGADS! Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading, and it is quite simple.

All you have to do is this:

1. Pick up whatever book you are currently reading.
2. Open it up to a random page.
3. Pick two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page. (Be careful not to spoil anything!)
4. Share those sentences! Be sure to include the book title, author, etc. so your readers can add it to their to be read pile if they're intrigued!

Easy peasy, right?

Now I am endeavoring to finish Ward Against Death by Melanie Card at some point today, since it's out TODAY! Yayes for Ms. Melanie Card, right? So this is where my teaser is coming from, and I'm hoping a review will be soon to follow. *fingers crossed!!* Since I'm actually reading this on my Nook, and opening to a random page is rather difficult, I'm going to teaser from the page I'm on! 

From page 139 (though I suspect the page numbers on my Nook are not quite right...):

Ward stretched his arms up and out as they walked down the narrow city street, energized and joyous. The surgery, for all of its non-medical complications, had gone well. And if he didn't think too much about the smoky images of his life flying through the room and what the Tracker planned to do about it, he could enjoy the glimmer of pride that came with living the life he knew he was destined for. 

Denial was such a powerful tool.

Interesting, yes? No more information about what's happening, though! You'll just have to pick up the book to find out! :)

As always, thanks for checking out my teaser, and I'd love to see yours! Please leave a link here if you'd like me to check it out. I'd love for you to follow my blog, or follow me on Twitter, or be my friend on Goodreads, so we can chat! (I really love to chat, especially about books.)