January RAK turn out!

Hosted by the awesome Book Soulmates like always! 

I got some pretty great books this month, to my surprise!! Here they are:

E-books: 

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

from Amy @ Books, College, and Other Random Things

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout  from Emily @ Doodle's Book Blog

Paper books:

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern from Ciska

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And in return, I gave my UK paperback copy of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas to Megan @ Southern Owl Reads, and I hope she really likes reading it!



You can find my review of Obsidian here, and my review of Throne of Glass, here. Both great books that I highly recommend! The other three mentioned,  I haven't read yet. ;)

Printed Books Giveaway Hop! (US)

This hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Complete linky list is here.

   I greatly prefer paper books! I need to smell, touch and flip through books when I read them, not push a button. So I am happy to support this particular hop, because I love the environment and everything, but seriously I don't know what I'd do without my books.

I'm giving away a signed ARC of Blind Spot by Lauren Ellen; perfect condition.

...the thing is, it's personalized. I didn't mean it to get personalized, but that's what happens when you just drop it off at an event because you're sick, and they don't read the "do not personalize" note carefully. So...maybe you'll be lucky and it'll match your name. But hey if not, it's still a book! :)

US shipping only this time, sorry guys.

As usual, enter the Rafflecopter below: (and don't forget to take a look at the giveaway(s) I have on the side ---->> as well!)


a Rafflecopter giveaway



-Jane

Necromancing the Stone: review + Giveaway! (US)

Warning, there are spoilers from the first book in the summary and my review below, so if you haven't yet read Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, you might not want to read any further. But you can find my review of the first book here.

Title: Necromancing the Stone (Neromancer #2)
Author: Lish McBride
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 344 (hardback)
Summary: With the defeat of the evil Douglas behind him, Sam LaCroix is getting used to his new life. Okay, so he hadn’t exactly planned on being a powerful necromancer with a seat on the local magical council and a capricious werewolf sort-of-girlfriend, but things are going fine, right?

Well . . . not really. He’s pretty tired of getting beat up by everyone and their mother, for one thing, and he can’t help but feel that his new house hates him. His best friend is a werebear, someone is threatening his sister, and while Sam realizes that he himself has a lot of power at his fingertips, he’s not exactly sure how to use it. Which, he has to admit, is a bit disconcerting.

But when everything starts falling apart, he decides it’s time to step up and take control. His attempts to do so just bring up more questions, though, the most important of which is more than a little alarming: Is Douglas really dead?

   I'm a big fan of this new kind of...age group? From my figurings, Sam is about nineteen or twenty years old. He tried a year of college but quit after feeling it wasn't quite his thing, and I'm pointing this out because here's a series which is probably the first "YA" I've read that takes place after high school age. Most of the YA books I come across nowadays have protagonists who are at least two or three years younger than me, so it's not perfectly easy to connect to them anymore. Also, I never went to high school so to me, that's always been an annoying subplot for the 'normal' part in 'paranormal' books. So, I just want to say to all of those authors out there looking for a fresh, barely touched aspect, (or maybe I'm missing a whole bunch of these books that already exist??) take your ideas to the age of in-between. Where young adults are out of that comfort and routine of home and school, and have to dive into the world around them.

   Hopefully that made sense, now on to the rest of my review:

   Pacing starts out sort of slow with recaps, but I probably had less patience than usual because I finished the first book about a week before, not a year like most would. Anyway, it didn't take long for things to pick up, and I got right back into the story like the first one. In some ways I liked this one better than the first, but in second books there's never that freshness of a new story that always comes with the first one, that's why I rated it a little lower.

   The 'bad guy' is once again Douglas, who is not as dead as we're originally led to believe. Whereas before he appeared to me almost too much of a basic villain who has a stupid laugh and not any backstory, we now get a lot of his past revealed. Also, Douglas has more of a legit motive called revenge. That tends to shape a character quite significantly. Sam stabbed Douglas in the neck and now owns all his possessions including his house and servant...you'd get angry too, right?

   There are many secondary characters, and they are pretty much my favorite part of this book. We have Frank again, who has become slightly less of a dork. Then the house guardians: gnomes, a minotaur, little army people, and touchy-feely shrubs. Together, they form a hilarious subplot and underlying comedic feature to the story, which usually frustrates or cheers up Sam. The house guardians come off to a rough start, but when matters clear up, they create a sort of alliance with their new house master. Also, James, the...cat/dragon/human servant dude, becomes more of a main character. His split loyalty for Douglas and Sam is deep rooted and subtle, and his character became really fleshed out and real because of his tough decisions.

Weres, vampires, ghosts, zombies, satyrs and bigfoot. It's safe to say a variety of supernaturalness and creatures appear. They're all part of a Council and get along for the most part, and it's nice to see them all present, but not have to deeply explain each mythology, when really only the weres (at this point) are of importance to the story. So there aren't any boring back stories on creatures that aren't important yet.

   Now, there are hopefully going to be two more books in the series (but not comfirmed...and maybe just set in the same world?) so I look forward to seeing more of Lish's writings!

~~

And now for the giveaway! :) US only, just enter the rafflecopter below for a signed hardback of Necromancing the Stone. (You know, the book I just reviewed above.) Thank you for the copy, Lish!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Austenland: review

Title: Austenland (Austenland #1)
Author: Shannon Hale
Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: paperback as a gift
Summary: Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined. 

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

   Sure, this book had a parody-like quality to it. And among my loud and frequent giggling, I can recognize that there's an intense cheesiness to this story. But I mean c'mon, it's Shannon Hale, and it's Jane Austen.

   Right from the dedication page (directed at Colin Firth) I knew I wouldn't be able to put down Austenland. Circumstances help, of course. I'd been in a kind of reading-rut, and in that awful mood where just sitting and staring at my to-read bookshelf was enough to make me frustrated. So I had gotten Austenland from my friend for Christmas, and figured I'd now give this short, unimposing paperback some attention before it got lost with all the other "I'll get to them" books.

   And here I am, a few hours later, trying not to just Austenfangirl over it. I'm trying.

   First off, this is the first non-YA book I've read of Shannon Hale's. I think I've read all her other YA books, which I love. I just don't read too much contemporary adult fiction because there's nothing I can relate to in them, personally. But even though Austenland is technically an adult genre book, I'd recommend it to Austen fans of any age, because there's really nothing inappropriate in it, etc. Remember, this takes place in a time where there wasn't any of that...publicly. ;)

   The protagonist, Jane Erstwhile, *snigger* was reallly relatable to me. I have a feeling that's a bad thing in normal life, but hey, that made it easier to read the book! So really, there shouldn't be any complaint. I liked hearing about the past failed relationships that separated each chapter, aka cluster of days. Those snippets of the past really give some good insight as to why this kind of vacation is sorely overdue for her. And also, they're hilarious in a depressing way.

   I'm not sure if this is on purpose in tribute to Austen, but there are a lot of characters in this novel. Just enough to have to pay close attention to all of them. And by the end, there's always that, "wait, who were they again? Or they came from...? Remind me who's actor, or player?" This leads to my first slight complaint. I had a terribly hard time figuring out what's real and what's not. I'm also 90% sure it's written to be this way on purpose (like I mentioned before) so I went along with it/Jane, playing along. It didn't bother me as long as I didn't try to hard to differentiate the two. Reality and fantasy. It's not like I do that in my every day life to begin with anyway.

   There is one more thing I just have to point out, that annoyed me: Martin, the gardener. *this paragraph can get kinda spoilery* Okay I didn't realize that Jane (the main character, not me) didn't know he was one of the actors...like duh? He was the gardener, but they had gardeners back then, so obviously he's one of them! That seemed kind of stupid. Maybe I was just too perceptive or something, but it's not a huge deal, so I'm just venting a little.

   The climax and ending includes so many changes of heart that it became borderline over-the-top (is that even possible in a book like this one?) for me. It was a great and perfect ending, but up till the very very end, I was still discombobulated with what was real and not. But again, I think you're supposed to have that surreal attitude while absorbed in Austenland!

   I highly recommend this to any crazy-obsessed Austen fan. Or any person who wishes they lived in Regency-era England. I've even heard the sequel/companion, Midnight in Austenland, is better, so I can't wait to read it!

   And I'm so excited about the movie! I really can't wait to see this brought to life via screen.

-Jane

Brandon Mull Giveaway! (INT)

See, I didn't completely lie about having an international giveaway. I think tubes for a poster may be slightly cheaper and lighter to send overseas, so here you go!

I met Brandon Mull oh...a few months ago. (Jeeze am I really that behind on these things??) He was super-cool and really funny, and he gave me two huge Beyonders posters to giveaway on here, which he signed. Hence this (belated) giveaway.

The posters are pretty big. 17"x 22" (43cm by 56cm if I calculated that right.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer: review

Title: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Necromancer #1)
Author: Lish McBride
Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: library
Summary: Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else. 

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

   I thought this book would be pretty cool, but now after finishing it my thoughts are that it's totally awesome. A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Lish herself, at Changing Hands. I had never even heard of her before and after listening to her talk a little alongside the other authors present, she was so funny, I figured I just had to read her book. So I talked with her after the signing finished up and a few weeks later I got a copy of Necromancing the Stone (#2) in the mail, signed. (Yep, you guys know what that means!) But I had forgotten to read the first one (this book) in the meantime, so here is my super belated (late?) review, which should have been up long ago.

   You still with me?

   I'll start with the setting. Seattle!! Dreary and mysterious, weird people, and the perfect place for some mis-magic-happenings. Really, no one will question it. And I'm from near there, so I may be a little biased because it's like my hometown. :)

   I really like every one of the characters, and felt none didn't get fleshed out to the max. Sam, our protag, is a college dropout currently working at a burger place, and not really fitting in with the world. I thought he was super-cool for a few reasons: Sam is a vegetarian. Sam's mom is a witch, so holistic and tea and herbal ointments are abundant. Sam is a necromancer. Oops, spoiler alert. Anyway, I got him, and totally can't wait to continue his story. He's very likable.

   For the other mention-worthy characters: Brooke is...well...something else. She's the head of their little group, and her story took a completely different direction than I expected. You find out very soon in the book what I mean by that. Ramon is like the best friend ever. You can't rely on too many people to throw their only skateboard at a cat-sized fire-breathing dragon in order to rescue you from being kidnapped. Frank is like all of their little adopted sibling. He's so naive and funny, I really like what his character brought to the story, and I think/hope he'll be in even more of the second book. Sam's sister and mother, his neighbor, all good characters too.

   About halfway through the book I realized what was so different about the chapter titles. They're all random lyrics of old songs! Johnny Cash, The Beatles....and a bunch more. It's fun to figure them out and how they relate to the chapter ahead. I sure had too much fun every time a chapter started.

   I have two small complaints: The romance, which seemed a little unnecessary. Lighthearted books like these that have that small touch of romance, always feels weird to me. I don't know why. Maybe because it leans slightly to a guy-book (and I hate to make that differentiation) and so his mind is obviously different than mine, but since there wasn't actually too much romance, I'll stop there. The POV is not my favorite, because I prefer first person as opposed to third-person, like this book is. But it is essential we see what the villain and other characters are doing and thinking while Sam is unaware, so I get that.

   All in all, it's just a wonderful novel; full of funnies but in a serious sort of way, and never a dull moment. I will get to the next book, Necromancing the Stone, right away because I already have it. Then there shall be A Giveaway of Said Book.

   There's not an easy category to fit this book into, which makes it unique, but I recommend this book to guys and gals of the mid-teen-and-up range. Possibly to fans of Anna Dressed in Blood (my review here) and/or Heather Brewer's Vladimir Tod books, though I haven't read those, they pop into my mind. But those are also for a slightly younger audience, so I may be totally wrong in that comparison.

Happy reading!
~Jane

Wishlist Wednesday 1-9-13

Wishlist Wednesday is hosted by Dani, at Pen to Paper, and it's a meme in which you can post a book that you've had on your wishlist for a while, but haven't found the time to actually read yet.

This week's pick: Darkness Comes This Way by Pixie Lynn Whitfield (<--click to add on Goodreads!)

Summary: Zarah Duncan is a Guardian. It’s an elite job that protects humans and the untainted vampires from the real monsters: those lost to the bloodlust. Rogues infest the city. Missing humans, unsolved cases…Zarah knows what the real cause is and she’s been trained since childhood to destroy them. 

But she has a haunting past that catches up one day. Zarah was Rogue once, and until her, no one else has ever cured from the poisoned state of mind before. She’s been labeled a miracle, and the mystery only builds. She gets the awful feeling there’s more to it than just a lucky magical come-back. There are deep, dark secrets being kept. Maybe her boss Nathanial knows something? When she gets paired with a partner, Draven Kinsley, it only adds more difficulty. He hates her and swears that with a single look, she’ll poison him. To make matters worse, her Rogue brother has to show up, and he brings with him a shocking announcement. What Zarah learns from him rocks her entire world upside down. She not only begins to question who and what she is anymore, but it can possibly change the Vampire race forever.

The scary part: someone else knows too…and they’ll do anything to get her special blood, spelling disaster for the humans that Guardians have secretly been protecting for decades. 

Vampires, fallen angels, war, betrayal, and romance fill this Paranormal/Urban Fantasy debut, the first book to a high-action trilogy.

Why do I want to read it? COVER. And cool creepy awesomesocks. Vampires, other creatures of the dark! Seriously, why don't I have this on my shelf yet?? Do you?

-Jane