In My Mailbox (13)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren

Won: My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody from The Bookworms giveaway

Bought: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

What was in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday (11)

Follow Friday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Parajunkee and AlisonCanRead.

This week's feature is Lauren's Book Blog.

Be sure to follow her!!

Follow Friday's question this week is:

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

A. Oh boy..... I have so many books I want right now, but some of my must-haves right now are probably the Starcrossed series, the Hex Hall series, and the Anna series.... also, after reading all the books in the Percy Jackson series, and loving them, the series have been in my wishlist ever since.

Root - an Interactive Story from Guardian Teen Books

We were lucky enough to have partnered up with Guardian Teen Books to introduce their latest project to our readers; Root - an interactive story.

Guardian Teen Books has partnered with Random House for a new interactive, serialised story called Root - a fast-paced thriller set in the shadowy world of computer hacking and espionage. Every weekday for six weeks a new chapter will be released on guardian.co.uk/teen-books. The content will be directly influenced by readers' contributions, such as their ideas for characters' personalities and skills.

As well as incorporating suggestions from readers, the story will also be brought to life via several social media platforms. For example, Guardian Teen Books' Twitter and Facebook accounts will be providing behind the scenes updates of how Molly is progressing, along with clips on Audioboo featuring the voicemails that Molly has discovered. This will be accompanied by onsite quizzes and photo puzzles on Flickr.

A little bit about Root....

The heroine Molly Root is a 15 year old computer genius whose friend Danny is killed after being caught stealing priceless data from a ruthless global corporation. Now she's in over her head. So far Molly Root's mission to get to the bottom of her best friend's murder has taken her on a perilous trail across London. Her key lead is a dodgy police detective - and her attempts to expose his shday contacts are testing her ingenuity to the limits.

--Have fun and be creative! :)

Teaser Tuesdays (20)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Any one can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL TO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

This week I'm reading Radiance by Alyson Noel

"The Radiant Boy towered menacingly, having grown three times his size in just a handful of seconds. The blond curls that had been springy and bouncy just a moment before morphed into angry, vicious, three-headed snakes, while his body emitted a glow so bright-so radiant- it was all I could do not to cover my face." - page 100

What's your teaser for this week?

Cover Crazy (12)

Cover Crazy is a weekly bookish meme hosted every Monday by Tawni at The Bookworms.

This week I'm crazy about:

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

What I love about this cover:

Her dress

It looks like she's walking toward something and the wind is blowing on her.

How the edges of her dress transition into smoke

It looks like she's walking above the clouds and there's a storm underneath her (earth maybe?)

What cover are you crazy for?

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter ARC Review

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

Elemental Mysteries (#1)

Release Date: October 18th, 2011

Published by: E. Hunter (self-published)

Format: eBook, 293 pages

Source: An ARC copy provided by the author

Summary (from Goodreads):

"No secret stays hidden forever..."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He beer expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice de Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads them from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.

Review:

First off, thanks to the author for sending in a copy of A Hidden Fire for us to review.

At first, I didn't really know what to expect from this book since I've never read a lot of adult fiction. But honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. Adult fiction didn't have too many differences with YA novels except for some mild sexual content. But at the same time, I was also super excited to read this novel since it was a paranormal/fantasy novel. This book was a little bit of both fiction and non-fiction since it included a little bit about the history of the Italian Renaissance.

The beginning wasn't exactly exciting for me, in fact, it didn't spark any interest for me at all. But I knew I had to patient with it, since not all great books have great beginnings. As the story start to progress, and things started to happen, I started to really enjoy this book. The vocabulary and detail in each page was written so well, it was like watching a film instead of reading a book. The humor in this book lightened up the story and made it exciting AND fun. And who says the elders can't find love? Caspar and Isadora? By far the cutest couple in all the books I've read.

As for the characters... Beatrice wasn't my favorite character, but I didn't hate her either. She's clever, bold, yet she would let her emotions take the best of her. But I could see where she got her boldness and cleverness from. Isadora, Beatrice's grandmother was definitely an interesting and witty character. Beatrice and Giovanni had this sort of relationship that was frustrating. Because Giovanni was a vampire, he had to learn how to control his urges, which is why he couldn't get too close to Beatrice, even if it meant driving Beatrice insane. But then again, it's not everyday you see a 22-year old female being attracted to a vampire that was over 500 years old.

After all the action happened and the mystery started to unravel and things were explained and I was no longer confused, it was already close to the end of the book. With an ending like that, it's impossible to not read the second book of the Elemental Mysteries series. I had all these questions going through my mind after I finished reading A Hidden Fire; what's going to happen to Lorenzo? What about Beatrice and Giovanni's relationship? Ms. Hunter sure knows how to keep her reader's guessing.

Rating: 4/5

Cover: 8/10

Character(s) I liked: Carwyn, Caspar, Isadora

Character(s) I disliked: Lorenzo, Dr. Scalia

First Sentence: "The man stole down the hallway, his footsteps echoing in the dimly lit basement of the library."

What the Author's Up To: Goodreads//Blog

Author Guest Post with Elizabeth Hunter

We are so excited to have Elizabeth Hunter, author of A Hidden Fire, to be a part of our blog today!

She is sharing some great and creative ideas on how to spice up your Halloween party!

A little bit about Elizabeth:

Elizabeth Hunter is the author and publisher of the Elemental Mysteries Series.

She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College in the Department of English (Linguistics) and a former English teacher.

A native of Central California, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and an assortment of dogs. She enjoys reading, writing, travel, and bowling (despite the fact that she’s not very good at it.)

Someday, she plans to learn how to scuba-dive.

And maybe hang-glide ... but that looks like a lot of running.

What Elizabeth is Up To : Blog // Goodreads

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In my book, A Hidden Fire, one of the first times that Gio and Beatrice meet outside the library is a celebration for Dia de los Muertos. While many in the Southwestern United States are aware of this unique Mexican holiday, its popularity is growing, and many places around the U.S. and Canada now have their own Day of the Dead celebrations around Halloween.

If you are looking for a way to give your Halloween party a unique and beautiful twist, here’s five ideas to incorporate some elements of Dia de los Muertos into your party!

1. Take decorations to the next level. Instead of the regular old cobwebs and gravestones that most parties feature, try using traditional elements like skeletons, crosses, roses, and marigolds. Use the saint candles available in many markets to add atmosphere. You’ll give your party a different look and avoid finding those pesky cobwebs all over the house for the next six months!
2. Choose some different background music. Looking for something different that fits a Dia de los Muertos party? You may not be a fan of mariachi, but have you checked out Julieta Venegas? How about Daniela Mercury? Juanes or Bacilos? There are so many Spanish or Portuguese-language artists out there, you just might find a new favorite, even if you do need to translate the lyrics.
3. Who needs a mask? Face paint is beautiful! Forget the same old costume, dress as a calavera (“skull”) by copying some of the elaborate and beautiful face paints you can find online. Wear a black or white outfit, put roses in your hair, and dress like as La Catrina, a beautifully decorated skeleton featured in Dia de los Muertos art and symbolism.
4. Keep it light and fun! The whole point of Dia de los Muertos is to celebrate the dead, instead of mourn, so keep the party light by asking friends to tell their worst jokes or most embarrassing stories. Have a funny poem contest or watch a movie featuring black comedy like Death Becomes Her, Beetlejuice, or (of course) The Nightmare Before Christmas.
5. Eat tacos. Why? Is this even a question? Tacos are delicious and make perfect party food! Yum.

The absolute, best preparation for Dia de los Muertos or Halloween is reading my paranormal romance, A Hidden Fire. Why? Well, here’s what Rachel had to say on Goodreads:

“The story is infused with the right blend of emotion, humor, fear and love. I found myself hanging on to the emotions of the characters one minute, and laughing so hard I cried the next.I am eagerly anticipating the next installment of this series... If only I had the patience of a vampire to get me from now until its release.”

Humor, fear, and love? Sounds like the makings of a great book to go along with a great party! Have a fabulous Halloween, and I hope you check out A Hidden Fire, at Amazon and Barnes & Noble right now. For more information about my books, please visit ElementalMysteries.com!

Thanks for reading,

Elizabeth Hunter

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A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

eBook (ARC) : 293 pages

Oct 18th, 2011

Series: Elemental Mysteries #1

"No secret stays hidden forever ..."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he’d abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice de Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads them from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.

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A Hidden Fire is scheduled to be released on October 18th (that's today!), so hurry and get your own copy!

Purchase A Hidden Fire : Amazon // Barnes & Nobles // Smashwords

Teaser Tuesdays (19)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Any one can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL TO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading an ARC of A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

"Giovanni kissed her for a few heated moments, stealing her breath and causing her head to swim. His fang nicked her lip and she felt his tongue swipe at the trickle of blood near the corner of her mouth before he gave a deep groan and pulled away." - page 109

What's your teaser for this week?

Cover Crazy (11)

Cover Crazy is a weekly bookish meme hosted every Monday by Tawni at The Bookworms

This week I'm crazy about:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

What I love about this cover:

I love that majority of the cover is black, with only her face and her milky white skin showing.

This cover gets me very curious because I'm asking all sorts of questions; where is she looking at? Why does she have her hood on?

The words pledge in shadowy and in a big font in the background.

The only pop of color are her lips.

A cover that I would definitely pick up at a bookstore/library and read the summary.

What do you think of this cover?

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly Review

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

First book in Angel trilogy

Release Date: May 24th, 2011

Published by Candlewick Press

Format: Hardcover, 449 pages

Source: Own Copy

Summary (from Goodreads):

Willow knows she's different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people's dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. but the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L.A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They're out for your soul... and they don't have heaven in mind.

Review:

• This was a thrilling, action-packed, drama-filled, (somewhat cheesy) romance novel. It was addicting and made me flip page after page because I had to know what was going to happen. It was definitely hard to put down.
• Alex and Willow's relationship definitely had it's similarities to that of Bonnie and Clyde.
• This was the first book ever to make me hate angels and see them as something that harmed humans instead of helped them.
• Willow had the ability to know someone's future, their past, and their thoughts just by holding their hand. I would've liked to read more of Willow's reading because they were really interesting. It definitely would've been useful to detect if someone was lying or not. And it was thanks to Willow's ability that her and Alex were safe till the end.
• Alex and Willow's love was something very powerful, and they were willing to do anything for each other, even if it meant running miles and miles to find them. Although... I couldn't help but cringe at some cheesy things they said to each other. I'm just not really the cheesy romance novel type.
• I liked the alternating POVs from Alex to Willow to Jonah to the angels. I got to know everyone's side of the story and what they were thinking and feeling.
• I thought finding about Alex's feeling for Willow, and Willow's feelings for Alex, and them slowly falling in love with each other would make me dislike this book because of past experiences. But I was pleasantly surprised. it got me frustrated... in a good way... if that makes sense... I couldn't help thinking, JUST KISS HER ALREADY.
• The ending was not the best, in some way, it was a cliffhanger ending. And now, I MUST read the second book to know what happens!!!
• I was VERY frustrated and upset that the CIA's plan failed, and nothing was resolved.
• The author definitely did well in bringing out the reader's emotions.

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover: 5/10

First sentence: "Is that your car?" asked the girl at the 7-Eleven checkout counter. "The shiny black one?"

What the Author's Up To: Goodreads//Blog//Twitter

Teaser Tuesdays (18)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Any one can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL TO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for other!)

Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

"She always hated being born in January," I continued, my voice blank as I stared at the lifeless plant in front of me. "Said she never felt like celebrating when there weren't any flowers and all of the trees were dead." - page 210

I've only read the first few pages of this book. But the beginning has already made me very curious to read on....

What's your teaser for this week?

Cover Crazy (10)

Cover Crazy is a weekly book meme created and hosted by Tawni at The Bookworms

This week I'm crazy about:

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

What I love about this cover:

I love the color of the water.

I love the water. Period. haha

I want the mermaid's tale. It's just so mesmerizing and pretty *.*

The direction she's swimming, I wonder where she's going.

The sunlight seeping through the water illuminates the mermaids tale.

What do you think of this cover?

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly book meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

This week I borrowed

The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1) by Aimee Carter
Radiance (Riley Bloom #1) by Alyson Noel
Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2) by Melissa Marr
Need (Need #1) by Carrie Jones
Freak Show by James St. James
Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1) by Melissa de la Cruz
Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis

Baby in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

What's in your mailbox?

Teaser Tuesday (17)

Even though it isn't a Tuesday, I still wanted to share a teaser, haha.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL TO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly

"Alex scanned, and got a jolt of angel energy; the aura was pale silver with hardly any blue. The creature was ready to feed, probably

hoping to come across a hiker or walker." -page 199

I'm just a little over the beginning. But I'm HOOKED. I can't wait to see how this story plays out!

What's your teaser for Tuesday?

Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen REVIEW

Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen

Demon Princess #1

Release Date: September 29th, 2009

Published by Walker Books for Young Readers

Format: Paperback, 274 pages

Source: Library

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): As if trying to fit in at a new school isn't stressful enough, sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan just found out that her long-lost father is, in fact, the demon king of the Shadowlands-the world that separates and protects us from the Underworld. When she is brought there by the mysterious-and surprisingly cute- messenger Michael, she learns that her father is dying, and he wants her to assume the throne. To complicate matters, a war is brewing between the Shadowlands and the Underworld, her half-demon qualities are manifesting, and her growing feelings for Michael are completely forbidden. Ruling a kingdom, navigating a secret crush, and still making it home by curfew- what's a teenage demon princess to do?

REVIEW:

To be honest, I was very disappointed at the cover for this book. It wasn't good, appealing, eye-catching enough for a thrilling, exciting, fun, kept-you-off-your-seat read. I almost skipped this book and put it back on the shelves if it weren't for the summary. I am SO glad that I didn't move on to another book. Even at the beginning, things started to get interesting. I never wanted to put the book down! A book full of action, adventure, fantasy, mythical creatures, cute boys, betrayal, and forbidden love? Yes please!

Nikki finds out that she's a demon princess. Her father is the king of the Shadowlands, a land where there are dragons, and right beside it is the fairy realms...with unicorns. Nikki's reaction to the news was definitely one everyone would've felt. If Michael was to be following me in the middle of the night, and told me I was a demon princess, I would've thought he was crazy and ran away. But then again, after letting the news sink in, and seeing the Shadowlands with my own eyes, I would've thought it would be pretty awesome to be a demon princess. It was a pity that Michael and Nikki's relationship was forbidden, with a capital F. They made such a great couple. I can't wait to see how their relationship plays out in the next book.

I loved Nikki's personality. Brave, courageous, witty, smart, bold. She's definitely one of my favorite female lead characters. Reading this story from her point of view was definitely fun. She was caught between making two choices. One for her freedom but she forgets everything about her father and that she's a demon princess or becoming queen and never being able to step foot on the human world again. In the end, she chose to do what she thought was right, even if it meant regretting it. When Nikki transformed into her Darkling self, it was like I was right in front of her watching her change. The details of what she looked like were described so realistically.

This book taught me the power of love, and finding your happy ending isn't something that'll happen right away. After reading such a spectacular start of an exciting sequel, I'm very curious to find out what happens next in the second book!

Rating: 4/5

Cover: 4/10

Character(s) I liked: Nikki, Michael

Character(s) I disliked: Elizabeth, Chris, Dax, Robert

First Sentence: "That guy is staring at you."

What the Author's Up To: Goodreads//Blog//Facebook//Twitter

Cover Crazy (9)

Cover Crazy is a weekly book meme created and hosted by Tawni at The Bookworms

This week I'm crazy about...

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

What I love about this cover:

Since winter is my favorite season of the year. I LOVE that it reminds me so much of winter.

The girl in the cover makes me curious about this story even more.

The red color of the flag contrasts nicely with the icy blue of the background.

The font of the title.

What do you think about this cover?

Cover Crazy (8)

Cover Crazy is a weekly book meme created and hosted by Tawni at The Bookworms

This week I'm crazy about...

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

What I love about this cover:

The color of the sky.

The beautiful color of the imperfect heart.

The imperfect heart is unique compared to the hearts that we try so hard to draw perfectly.

The size and font of the title.

What do you think about this cover?

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (10)

Follow Friday is a weekly book meme hosted by Parajunkee and AlisonCanRead

This week's feature is Angela @ Angela's Anxious Life

Be sure to follow her!

Follow Friday's questions this week is:

Q. What do I do when I am not reading?

A. Well since it's summer right now, I'm working in a summer camp. Which is why I haven't really got time to read. But STILL, I read every chance I get. But if I'm not working and not slightly reading, I'll be sleeping, because it's EXHAUSTING dealing with little kids.

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Book Blogger Hop is created and hosted by Crazy for Books.

Book Blogger Hop's question this week was:

Q. How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or do you go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?

A. Most of the time I go to the library. A LOT of libraries. Everywhere I see a library I just have to check the books out. Sometimes when I'm at the mall, I like hitting Chapters, and I usually hit the on sale books first. Haha. (I'm not sure if Chapters is in America, but if it is, I'd love to know!).

Cover Crazy (7)

Cover Crazy is a weekly book meme hosted by Tawni at The Bookworms

This week I'm crazy about...

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

What I love about this cover:

The contrast between her red heels and her blue dress. She kind of looks like a modern day Dorothy!

All the light bursting out from the door. Makes me curious of what's behind those doors.

The darkness around the door. Gives the book that mysterious feeling.

What do you think of this cover?

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is a weekly book meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Nhien Bought:

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Nia Bought:

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt Review

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Not in series

Release Date: June 26th, 2007

Published by Simon Pulse

Format: Paperback, 288 pages

Source: Library

Summary:

A road trip with her ex? Danger ahead.

There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.

It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he's go a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

Review

***NOTE. This review might be a little silly.

Two Way Street was a cute and humorous read! At first, I wasn't exactly thrilled to read this book after reading the summary. But I'm really glad I did though. I loved the whole idea of exes going on a road trip. It has DISASTER written all over it. Unless... they still have feelings for each other. DUN DUN DUN.

Applause to Ms. Barnholdt for the way she laid out the book. It was written in Courtney and Jordan's POV before, during and after the trip. That way the reader gets to know what happened before the trip and how these two lovebirds got together, how it all fell apart, and the outcome. Before the trip, Jordan was a major player and was only using Courtney to get other girls jealous. And I knew that I would hate him. But then something happened, and Jordan had a change of heart. Then I wasn't so sure whether to like Jordan or hate him. These two were definitely meant for each other if Courtney got the best out of him.

It was hilarious watching these two attack each other with their thoughts. Courtney was always trying to make Jordan jealous because he was the one who broke up with her. And Jordan was always trying to pretend like he didn't care about Courtney anymore. Just their thoughts alone was both hilarious and tragic. I thought that out of the whole relationship, it must have been the hardest on Jordan. Pretending he doesn't love Courtney anymore, when he still does, and watching her be intimate with other guys. I was so upset that they didn't get to be more intimate during the road trip, or SOMETHING that'll get them back together.

As we all know, the ending is where the story should end with a BANG. Unfortunately, I was terribly disappointed with this story's ending. It was resolved rather quickly and I felt like the author was rushing it. Unfortunately, because of the disappointing ending, this book doesn't get a perfect 5 for me.

Rating: 4/5

Cover: 4/10

First Sentence: I'm a traitor to my generation.

What the Author's Up To: Blog

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White Review

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

First book in the Paranormalcy trilogy

Release Date: August 31st, 2010

Published by Harper Teen

Format: 335 pages, hardcover

Source: Library

Summary:

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Review:

This was such a fun book to read! I loved reading this book since it was FILLED with all things paranormal! It made me love the genre of paranormal and mythical even more.

I wanted to trade lives with Evie... provided that I don't die of course. Evie was always thrilled by the idea of living a normal life. The ones we have. When Lend showed her around his school, she was so jealous.... from lockers. I have to admit, I laughed at how Evie was so excited for school. I felt apologetic, because everywhere Evie looked, everyone had a family, and she was the only one that was alone. I couldn't possibly imagine a life without love and a family. It was actually pretty interesting, to read about how someone thinks our normal regular lives is like paradise. It was really sad throughout the middle to end, where all the paranormals died, since many of them lost their lives even though they didn't do anything to deserve it.

Evie was a spunky, badass girl who was fearless with her years of tagging paranormals. Oh, and her best friend is a mermaid.... How cool is that?! Lend was the perfect supporting character. He was sweet.... and delicious. I loved the connection and romance between Lend and Evie, it was like they were meant for each other.

Although this book was captivating and humorous, it did leave me asking quite a bit of questions. I was really confused a lot of times near the end. I felt like I missed a whole chunk and I kept flipping back to the last page to see if I missed anything.

Overall, this was an interesting read, and I'm curious to see what happens next in the second book. I'm crossing my fingers that it'll answer my questions from the first book.

Rating: 3.5/5

Cover: 9/10

First sentence: "Wait- did you, you just yawned!" The vampires arms, raised over his head in the classic Dracula pose, dropped to his sides.

What the Author's Up To: Blog//Twitter//Facebook

Teaser Tuesdays (16)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL TO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I am currently reading The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

"But what if I'm a shell-less turtle now, demented and devastated in equal measure, an unfreakingbelievable mess of a girl, who wants to turn the air into colors with her clarinet, and what if somewhere inside I prefer this? What if as much as I fear having death as a shadow, I'm beginning to like how it quickens the pulse, not only mine, but the pulse of the whole world." -page 144

We're SO sorry for not posting for a whole week! Being students everything is HECTIC! But now that school's out (YAY!), we're gonna try to post everyday!

Teaser Tuesdays (15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL TO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I am currently reading Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

"I am not a leprechaun!" he says, offended. "I'm a midget."

"You're a midget?" I ask, incredulous. "You're dressed like a leprechaun. And they don't call them midgets anymore, they call them 'little people.'" - page 18

PLEASE do NOT judge this book by it's cover. Of course, this cover isn't the best... and it might not be great (or is that just me?), but the contents inside it is enough for you to hold on to this book until you've finished every single word of it!!! Although... there are quite a bit of swearing in this, so I definitely don't recommend this to young readers.

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (9)

**Sorry for not posting on a Friday!!

Sigh, it's that time again. The end of a week, and the time to do a Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop. Why does time go by so fast?!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme created by Parajunkee.

This week's feature is Rhiannon Paille.

Be sure to follow her!

Follow Friday's question this week was:

Q. Genre wars! What's your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite?

A. I have been really loving the genre of myth and paranormal. Definitely the Percy Jackson series which drew me into the whole genre of myth. What drew me in for the genre of paranormal was definitely Hex Hall! It was a wonderful book!! Read my review here.

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Book Blogger Hop is created and hosted by Crazy For Books.

Book Blogger Hop's question this week was:

Q. How many books are currently in your To-Be-Read (TBR) Pile?

A. I don't actually have much in my TBR pile. I have about 20 in my TBR pile. Haha. I haven't really had the chance to get new books at the bookstore or even library. And being a new blog, we haven't had any publishers or authors send us any books for review. We're getting there though :)

WWW Wednesdays (7)

WWW Wednesdays is another meme from MizB at Should Be Reading. Just answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll be reading next?

I am currently reading Paranormalcy by Kiersten White and Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt.

I recently finished reading Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

I am planning to read The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson next.

Teaser Tuesdays (14)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL TO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I am currently reading Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

"Lish tried to swear------ which is always funny, because the computer won't translate it. It went something like this: "Bleep stupid bleep bleep fairies and their bleep bleep bleep obsessions. He has better stop bleep bleep bleep the bleep bleep rules or I will bleep bleep bleep the little bleeeeeeeeeeep." All in a completely robotic monotone. Awesome." -page 36

What's your teaser for Tuesday?