A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Release date: February 22, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 432
Format: Hardcover
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Eden didn't expect Az. 


Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings. 


Yeah. 


So long, happily-ever-after. Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven. 


She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own. 


And that's only the beginning of the end.

A Touch Mortal... My thoughts upon finishing it were confused, to say the least. I knew I liked it, but couldn't quite tell how much. At this point, I'm still a little confused about how I feel. I do know that I engulfed the book like there was no tomorrow, and that I'm dying for A Touch Morbid, the sequel. I'm going to put those two down as good things!


The immediately striking thing about the book is Leah's interpretation of angels, the fallen, and "Siders". There have been tons of ways to view angels, and most of them have been fascinating, but the addition of the Siders and the repercussions of their existence is what really captivated me. I like the idea that the very people who no longer want to exist in our world are punished to do just that, as a punishment of sorts. I very much likened them to zombies, in that they are technically dead and really are decomposing, but they're also completely and utterly different as well. Siders are definitely a creation unto themselves, and learning more about them should be interesting.


I also found myself a big fan of several of the characters, though at the same time I felt a little distance from them. I liked how they were all very imperfect. I don't know a single person who is perfect, and I can't identify in the least with fictional characters that are. Most everyone had their kryptonite, and that led to a lot of problems, but for the most part they were good people, or at least did what they believed was best. While I found myself admiring the characters in their flawed ways, I couldn't help but not feel close to them for some reason. I couldn't get myself into the mindset of Eden and figure out just why she did what she did, especially.


The plot is engaging and roils on at a quick pace, keeping you on your feet. I did see the biggest twists coming, but I do sit around sometimes contemplating plot... But the tightly wound story of Eden and her journey into the world of warring Heaven and Hell culminates in a truly heartbreaking ending that will make you beg for more.


Risk a paper cut? A Touch Mortal wraps you up in angel wings, leads you to a soft and lovely happy place, them dumps you on your butt, leaving you crying for more.... So.... Yeah, you should. :)

In My Mailbox (3): Cricket Cricket...

Howdy all! It's time for my third In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers get to share just what kind of lovely books and swag they got over the past week through purchasing, borrowing, gifting, etc. No vlog this week because I didn't get much, so I wouldn't have that much to talk about. So here goes!

For review from Netgalley:

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
Life Is But a Dream by Brian James
After the Snow by S.D. Crockett

A big thanks to MiraBooks and Feiwel & Friends for these!


For review via Booksneeze:

The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead (audiobook)

A big thanks to Thomas Nelson Inc. for this!

I hope you all have a very lovely week, and can't wait to see what you all got in your mailbox! Leave me links, and I'll check them out!

Follow Friday #17!

Hallelujah it's Friday! I'm heading home for Thanksgiving today, so I'm up for 10 days of leisure, and I could not be more excited about it. I missed last week on here (sorry!!!) because I spent my entire day dissecting a cat, isn't that lovely? I was too tired to come back and do anything useful, so I just crashed, and I was a bad blogger. :( But I'm back and with a vengeance!


Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read each week and is a joint effort between all of us bloggers to find new blogs to read, love, and obsess over. Plus each week a different question is answered, so we can all learn a little bit more about the bloggers whose opinions matter to us. :) Tally ho!

Q. Letter to Santa: Tell Santa what books you want for Christmas!

ME. Goodness... There are so many books I want, but I'll limit myself to the ones I want the very most, and to 5, in no particular order. 

1. Always a Witch, by Carolyn MacCullough
2. Born Wicked, by Jessica Spotswood
3. Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
4. Mermaid, by Carolyn Turgeon
5. Forest Born, by Shannon Hale (But the pretty new one that matches the old books!! Otherwise it'd look odd with my copies of the others.)

So there! I limited myself to my MOST anticipated upcoming release, since I'm being realistic and the entire list would be upcoming releases if I didn't. :)

So that's all the Follow fun! I hope you all have a great Friday and a lovely weekend! Don't get too cold! Leave me links to your posts and I'll visit back! (Though I'll probably have to do my visits on Saturday, since I'm going to be away from a computer all day. Just don't be surprised!)

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Release date: November 8, 2011
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

When I read on Goodreads "The Picture of Dorian Grey meets Pride & Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" I was sold on Darker Still. I love The Picture of Dorian Grey for its darkness and fascinating premise, and I just can't get enough Pride & Prejudice. Darker Still seemed like a book tailor-made for me. That being said, coming in with those kinds of expectations can ruin a book, but my expectations were met and thoroughly exceeded.

I knew going in that the story was told through Natalie's diary entries, and was excited because I can't remember reading an epistolary novel since I read a ton of the Dear America books in elementary school, which I always loved. Natalie is mute, so diary entries were the perfect way for the reader to get to know her. In diaries people freely express themselves, and given that she couldn't carry on conversations, Natalie could have seemed like a distant protagonist, but that was absolutely not the case with this method.

The romance between Natalie and Denbury was also a standout. There was definitely an element of love at first sight and very quick infatuation, but it seemed natural and unforced and comfortable. Plus their relationship was sweet and impassioned, but it also fit for the time period, which is important. I would also very willingly spend many hours alone in a picture with Lord Denbury without hesitation. :)

I also loved that while the romance was important, and so very sweet, it wasn't the central theme or struggle. In order for Natalie and Denbury to even have a future, they have to overcome his situation so that is the focus. The elements of magic fit in perfectly and are developed so they're easy to understand. But the most striking part is definitely the evil. Our bad is just downright BAD. He has no redeeming or sympathetic qualities. The method in which he does is evildoing is also just really bad. I have no reaction other than disgust.

Darker Still has elements of all of my favorite classics and modern novels, mashed with a wonderfully executed and adorably romantic story.

Risk a paper cut? A paper cut is only a small payment for the magic of Darker Still.

Anathema by Megg Jensen

Release date: February 5, 2011
Pages: 206
Format: Ebook
Source: Provided by author for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Reychel is a slave girl surrounded by magic, lies and manipulation. Her best friend disappears in the middle of the night leaving Reychel to face her fifteenth birthday, the day her master burns his brand into the back of her bald head, alone. She's sheltered from the outside world and doesn't have any hope for escape, but when people desperate for freedom ask for her help can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

Anathema was so so so much better than I could have ever anticipated! I thought the synopsis sounded intriguing enough, but Megg Jensen just blew me away with this book. I've never read anything else of hers, but I know I'll be reading much more soon.

First, I thought the ideas behind Reychel's world were very intriguing. Reychel is a slave, but has always been sheltered and treated differently from everyone else by her master, though no one knows why. She cannot go outside or even look out windows but when in the presence of her master. This gives Reychel an interesting world-view, rather unlike most anything I've read. She is also a strong lead character, who does what she thinks needs to be done, rather than cowing in front of those more powerful than her.

One thing I especially enjoyed was how I found myself questioning every single one of the character's motives. Megg found a way to write the book in such a way that allowed for that, and no single character was transparent. We only could get an idea of their loyalties after taking in their actions for a while, even the most secondary characters.

The story was also filled with a lot of good twists and turns, even though the book is barely over 200 pages. None of them felt forced, but they were all unexpected and intriguing, propelling the story along very well.

My only complaint was that some of the dialogue felt stilted at times, and this is the only reason I couldn't give the book five stars. The flow of the conversations didn't feel natural, like a conversation I would have. I've found this to be a problem in a lot of books. People say things only to propel the story, rather than because it's something they'd actually say. It's not actually a big, glaring problem in Anathema, but a noticeable one for someone reading critically.

All in all, I very much enjoyed Anathema, and will be reading Oubliette as soon as I can. It is very much worth the read and your time. :) It ended so suddenly that I almost went and just bought the second one immediately!

Risk a paper cut? Anathema is an exciting tale of self revelation and first love that will engage your heart and mind.

In My Mailbox (2): Where I Can't Speak A Little Bit

Hey, hey, hey! It's time for my second In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers get to share just what kind of lovely books and swag they got over the past week through purchasing, borrowing, gifting, etc. I like to think my talking got a teensy bit better, but probably not. :) I have come to the conclusion that vlogs are fun, though. Again, I'm sorry about all the crazy faces I make, dunno where those come from....




Books mentioned:

Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

I hope you all have a great week! Please leave me links to your mailboxes, and I'll check them out!! I stalk In My Mailboxes, so even if you don't give me a link... I'll find it. Hehehe. And now I'm creepy... Time to get off... :)

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Release date: November 15, 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 352
Format: Advance Reader's Copy
Source: Page & Palette Bookstore
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Google

Everything burns in Pandemonium--a city in Hell made of chrome and steel, where there is no future and life is an expanse of frozen time. That's where Daphne lives.
The daughter of a demon and a fallen angel, she wonders what lies in store for her. Will she become a soulless demon like her sisters? Or follow in the footsteps of her brothers Obie, whose life is devoted to saving lost souls on Earth? All she wants is to find a place where she belongs.

When Obie saves a bleeding, broken boy named Truman from the brink of death and then suddenly goes missing, Daphne runs away to Earth to find him. But on Earth, everything is colder and more terrifying, and Daphne struggles between her demon instincts and her growing--yet achingly unfamiliar--feelings for Truman. As Daphne and Truman search for Obie, they must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violet archangels who stand in their way.

But Daphne also discovers, unexpectedly, what is means to love and be human in a world where human in the hardest thing to be.

To be quite honest, I did not want to read The Space Between. But I had the copy in my hands, and I knew I'd regret not reading it. So I did. That was one of the better decisions I've made recently. :) Brenna Yovanoff really has a knack for making what is dark and dingy seem beautiful and enlightening. What should be a gross novel about Hell and its denizens is instead a lovely novel about Earth and how love can make you.

Where do these names come from? I'm sorry, but Truman? All I can think of is The Truman Show. You know that Jim Carrey movie where his whole life is a reality show? Yeah... There are more odd ones, but I just wonder. I seem to recall the names in The Replacement being rather odd, too.

I do love the creativity here. Pandemonium is an interesting and mysterious place, filled with nooks and crannies I'd love to explore. The mythology involved is intriguing, and I always love a bit of ambiguity within good and bad. In this story, those we see as being good normally (angels especially) aren't presented as being all good, and those we normally see as bad aren't always bad. Things are being looked at from a different side, and it gives us a whole new view.

I thought the characterization was really well done, especially in the supporting characters. Everyone is distinct in their speech and actions. We can understand why Daphne does what she does and why Truman says what he says. I especially loved Raymie. Pairing the things she says with the image in my mind was always a kick.

The romance worked well for me, and I found myself dying to know just how the relationship was going to work, especially with the events close to the end. I needed to know, and the ending didn't disappoint. I also love that Brenna Yovanoff seems to like writing stand-alone books. I love series, but I also love books that are just happy on their own. I think sometimes authors get stuck in writing what they know and are afraid to branch out. But if readers love an author, they'll read whatever they write. I know that's how I feel about my favorite authors.

Risk a paper cut? This dirty tale of true love is eerie and beautiful. A perfect mix.