Tuesday 30 November 2010

Teaser Tuesdays (3)



Teaser Tuesdays at Should Be Reading


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 NOT TO INCLUDE 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 & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

" "I figured on the sitar, you could pummel it even worse,"
 I joked, suprised how easy it was to be with him again. Remembering after such a miserable past few days how nice it felt to smile."


- Sea by Heidi R. Kling, p.316

Well that’s what I’m reading, so what are you reading?


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

 

Monday 29 November 2010

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (3)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, is a bookish meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

Books I Read Last Week:
  • Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
I loved this book! It was completely intoxicating, and it totally drew me in. I am craving the next book so bad now...I'm not sure if I can wait. I absolutely loved how Poe was interwoven into this story, I haven't read any of Poe's works on my own, but I desperately want to now. I borrowed this book from the library, but I'm thinking about getting a copy of my own. I'll wait until after Christmas though, I'm trying not to spend too much on myself right now because it's so close to Christmas.
  • Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
I bought Nightshade the day it came out, and somehow it took me this long to read it...I blame life, it totally caught up with me, but I made time for this book, and I am so glad I did. I heard great things, I expected great things, and what I got was fan-freaking-tastic! Nightshade was amazing, if you haven't thought about reading it yet, you should. It's a pretty mature YA book, without actually having anything over PG-13 in it, so I think it's a pretty versatile book. If you're used to adult paranormal romances and have been considering trying out a YA version, this would be the perfect choice. :)
  • Marked By Passion by Kate Perry
I won this in the October Paranormal Romance Giveaway from Hachette on In My Hammock's blog...and wow, I just loved it! It was such an intoxicating read. I just didn't want to put it down and I was constantly telling myself I'd only read one more chapter. I devoured this baby in less than a day...even though I had homework that I should've been doing instead...oops :P
Reading Now:
  • Sea by Heidi R. Kling
I borrowed Sea from the library, and I'd hoped to get farther into it, but school's gotten busy, but after this week I should get some time to read! Yay! :) I'm a little over 50 pages in and so far it's a pretty good story.
  • The Vespertine by
Haven't made any progress with the Vespertine lately thanks to school, hopefully I can get to it soon. :)


Books I Want to Read This Week:
  • Sticky Fingers by Nikki Burnham
Another library book, I'm excited to read this one...fingers crossed I finish all my work early this week and have lots of time to read :D lol
  • Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
I've been wanting to read this one for a while now, so I put it on hold from the library and it finally came...unfortunately it came when I was busy with school and along with 3 other books, but I still really wanna dig into this book! :)

Ok I also have to share these covers with you.
I totally bought a copy of people this week all because of Ryan Reynolds. :)
And I can't wait to see him in The Green Lantern!!!



So what are you reading?? And why don’t you check out One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to find out what everyone else is reading. :)


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Saturday 27 November 2010

End of Firelight Giveaway & WINNERS!!!


Ok, first, I want to say how happy I was with this whole giveaway, it was my first one ever, and the response was truly amazing! I ended up with 691 entries, and it just blew me away! Thanks for making it such a success everyone!
 I wish I could give even more people free stuff, but alas...I cannot. On a side note, everytime I hear or say 'alas' I immediately think of Dumbledore...just thought you should all know that. ;)

Second, I'm participating in the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop (Jan.14th - 17th) hosted by Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer  and the Valentine's Day Books With Love Hop (Feb.14th - 16th) hosted by Once Upon a Twilight & Good Choice Reading, so you'll have some chances to win more giveaways later on . :)

I'm not sure what books I'll be giving away during either of these Giveaway Hops yet, so if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. :)


Now onto what you actually read this post for...the winners!!!

The Winner of FIRELIGHT & Swag is....

 Stefanie Lechner!!! ---Confirmed


And the 5 winners of Firelight Swag are:

 Brearne Busco --- Confirmed
seesen9 --- Confirmed
katrina whittaker --- Confirmed
mandy james --- Not Confirmed
New winner: RKCharron ---Confirmed
Ammy Belle --- Confirmed
  

Winners were chosen randomly using RANDOM.ORG's List Randomizer and True Random Number Service.
I've already emailed the winners, and all winners have 72 hours to email me their address. If a winner does not respond after 72 hours I will draw a new winner for their prize.

If you are a winner, but have not received an email feel free to email me at ambiepie_6(at)hotmail(dot)com.
It also might be in your spam folder, so you might want to check there. :)
--------------------

If you didn't win Firelight, but would like to buy a copy, here are a couple links to make it easy on you:

 
and for those with Goodreads:
 
Congratulations to all the winners! :D And thank you to everyone who tweeted, blogged, commented, followed, and anything else awesome you might've done during this giveaway! It means a lot, and I honestly can't thank you all enough! :)

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my followers in the US, and happy plan ol' weekend to my fellow Canadians and International peeps! :)

Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur


Tuesday 23 November 2010

Teaser Tuesdays (2)




Teaser Tuesdays at Should Be Reading


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 NOT TO INCLUDE 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 & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teasers:

"All at once the whispers died. The doors settled.

A small light, white and crystalline, like the light she had seen in the woodlands, appeared in a wink at the bottom."

- Nevemore by Kelly Creagh, p.412

Well that’s a taste of what I’m reading at the moment, so what are you reading?


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Monday 22 November 2010

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (2)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, is a bookish meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

Books I Read Last Week:

• Zombies Vs Unicorns


This is an anthology edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier. It had a bunch of short stories by various popular YA authors, like Cassandra Clare, Scott Westerfeld, and Meg Cabot. They each wrote a story either for Team Zombie or for Team Unicorn. I'm not sure if I can decide. I love me some zombies, they make up some of my favourite horror movies, but unicorns are so awesome too. I think I'm gonna have to cheer for both if that's possible. Both of them rule in their own ways...although if I had to be friends with one, I'd go for the unicorn, unless it was a flesh eating unicorn. lol


Reading Now:

  •  The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
 
Another book I can thank NetGalley for. :)
  • Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
 Got this one from the library, it's definitely not a quick read, but I like it so far.

* sadly I had to return the Book Thief to the library...I'll have to read it another time, there were a bunch of holds on it, so I didn't take it out again. I'm also still reading A Scarlet Letter and Jane Slayre, but I haven't picked them up this week. I'm hoping to finish them at least by Christmas :P

Books I Want to Read This Week:

• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer


I bought this one the day it came out, but then I had a bunch of library books come in and it got pushed aside, hopefully I can pick it up this week. :)

I'm not gonna put any others for to read because I'm not sure if I'll even get to Nightshade, but hopefully I will. It's pretty snowy and cold where I live right now though so I tend to want to hibernate rather than read. :P
So what are you reading?? And why don’t you check out One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to find out what everyone else is reading. :)

Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Thursday 18 November 2010

Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge --- Hosted by The Book Vixen

Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge

Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge
hosted by The Book Vixen
Details:

•Runs January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011(books read prior to 1/1/11 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime – Sign up on The Book Vixen's Blog.

•The goal is to read or re-read as many Nicholas Sparks novels as you’d like. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.

•Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).

•Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are fine.

•You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them. It is not required that you review the books you read for this challenge but feel free to do so.

•Post this reading challenge on your blog so you can keep a list of the books you’ve read for this challenge. Please include a link back to this post so readers can join the challenge too.

•You do not have to be a book blogger to participate. You can keep tabs on books you’ve read for this challenge on Goodreads or LibraryThing if you’d like (maybe make a shelf for “Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge”). If you are not on either of those sites then you can list the books you read for this challenge in the comments on my wrap-up post, which will be up at the end of 2011.


Levels:
First Date – Read 1–4 Nicholas Sparks novels
Going Steady – Read 5–8 Nicholas Sparks novels
Engaged – Read 9–12 Nicholas Sparks novels
Married – Read 13–16 Nicholas Sparks novels


List of Nicholas Sparks novels:
The Notebook
Message in a Bottle
A Walk to Remember
The Rescue
A Bend in the Road
Nights in Rodanthe
The Wedding
The Guardian
Three Weeks With My Brother
True Believer (read this first, before At First Sight)
At First Sight (read this after True Believer)
The Choice
Dear John
The Lucky One
The Last Song
Safe Haven

With this giveaway I'm going to list them as I go, hopefully I'll read lots though. :D
I definitely want to reread The Notebook and A Walk to Remember though, and I recently won Safe Haven on audiobook, so I'm saving it for this challenge now. ;)

I'll start my list here and add to it as I go:
-

Hopefully I'll get at least Going Steady :)
------------

If you're also interested in participating in the Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge, you can sign up here:
http://www.thebookvixen.com/2010/11/2011-reading-challenge-sign-up-nicholas.html


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Teaser Tuesdays (1)



Teaser Tuesdays at Should Be Reading


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 NOT TO INCLUDE 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 & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

"Obviously he feels totally superior because Jeffrey Higgins drives him to school every day. Don't get me wrong: I'm not jealous that my brother doesn't have to put up with the tortures of the school bus...mainly because Jeffrey laughs like a goat"

- The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder, p.6 of egalley from Netgalley
-------------------

Well that’s what I’m reading, so what are you reading?


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur


Monday 15 November 2010

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (1)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books


This is my first time participating in ‘It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?’ and I’m pretty excited! :)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, is a bookish meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

Books I Read Last Week:

• Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee


We’re actually reading this for my English class, and I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. I'm not planning on reviewing it, but it's definitely a story worth looking into. It's not my usual tastes, since I tend to gravitate towards fantasy stories, but I thought it was a fantastic story, and I was pleasantly surprised.
• The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa


Thanks to Netgalley I got to read this awesome story before February! I actually was kind of giddy and jumping up and down once I got the email saying my request had been approved! I plan on doing a review for this one after I get my review for The Iron Daughter up. I already posted my review for The Iron King if anyone is interested.

• Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton


Once again, I have Netgalley to thank for this lovely read. I absolutely loved Tyger Tyger, it was fabulous. I’ll hopefully have a review up for this one soon too....these reviews are starting to pile up, but I have a busy week coming up, so hopefully I’ll get some stuff done.

Reading Now:

• The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder


I just started this one, and again, I have Netgalley to thank. :)

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


I took this out from the library a couple weeks ago, and haven’t made much headway, it’s an interesting enough story, I just kind of started other books and pushed it to the side.

• Jane Slayre by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning


• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne


These last two I’ve been reading for a while now, and unfortunately they keep getting ignored. :S I think I’ll have to stop reading other books for a while. :P

I'm thinking I may have to stop reading so many books at once....

Books I Want to Read This Week:

• Nevermore by Kelly Creagh


Another library book, and I am so excited to read this one, it sounds amazing!

-------------

I’ll probably read more books that aren’t on this at all, and if I do you’ll find out next Monday ;)

So what are you reading?? And why don’t you check out One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to find out what everyone else is reading. :)


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Sunday 14 November 2010

YA of the 80s and 90s Reading Challenge -- Hosted by The Book Vixen


YA of the 80s and 90s Reading Challenge


YA of the 80s and 90s Reading Challenge
hosted by The Book Vixen

•Runs January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011 (books read prior to 1/1/11 do not count). You can join at anytime. You can sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.

•Read as many YA books that were originally published in the 80s and 90s as your heart desires. The only requirement is that the book(s) have to have been first published sometime between 1980 – 1999.

•Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).

•Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are fine.

•You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them. It is not required that you review the books you read for this challenge but feel free to do so.

•Post this reading challenge on your blog so you can keep a list of the books you’ve read for this challenge. Please include a link back to The Book Vixen's original post so readers can join the challenge too.

•You do not have to be a book blogger to participate. You can keep tabs on books you’ve read for this challenge on Goodreads or LibraryThing if you’d like (maybe make a shelf for “YA of the 80s and 90s Reading Challenge”). If you are not on either of those sites then you can list the books you read for this challenge in the comments on The Book Vixen's wrap-up post, which will be up at the end of 2011.

      Some Books That I've Found From the 1980's and 1990's That I'd Like to Read Are:

               1. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks (1980)
               2. The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye (1986)
               3. The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan (1990)
               4. The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time #2) by Robert Jordan (1990)
               5. The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time #3) by Robert Jordan (1991)
               6. The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time #4) by Robert Jordan (1992)
               7. The Fires of Heaven (Wheel of Time #5) by Robert Jordan (1993)
               8. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1990)
               9. The Colour of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Pratchett (1983)
              10. The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2) by Terry Pratchett (1986)
              11. Equal Rites (Discworld #3) by Terry Pratchett (1987)
              12. The Initiation (The Secret Circle #1) by L.J. Smith (1992)
              13. The Captive (The Secret Circle #2) by L.J. Smith (1992)
              14. The Power (The Secret Circle #3) by L.J. Smith (1992)
              15. Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (1994)
              16. Deerskin by Robin McKinley (1993)
              17. The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley (1981)
              18. The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley (1988)
              19. Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley (1997)

I'm not sure if all of these are YA titles, but hopefully they are. And as far as those big series, like Wheel of Time and Discworld go, I didn't wanna put them all up there. I wanna make sure I like them first too. :)

I'm definitely excited for next year, so that I can start reading these bad babies ;)
And in case you missed the link to The Book Vixen's post, or don't wanna scroll to it, I'll make it easy: CLICK HERE.


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Saturday 13 November 2010

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White



This was one of the books that I devoured during the Halloween Read-a-thon, and boy did I devour this book. It was freaking fantastic!!!

I loved Paranormalcy, and I'll be honest, I love a lot of books, I'm really not that picky if it's stuff that I like, and with Paranormalcy, it was packed full of things that I liked! Obviously, since it is called 'Paranormalcy' it was filled with the paranormal, which is most definitely my favourite genre at the moment. There were werewolves, vampires, mermaids, normal humans, and other crazy paranormal species throughout this story, and each chapter just got more and more interesting. It was also one of those stories that as you're reading it you start to figure out what's going on as it unravels for the protagonist, and boy do you feel smart when your hunches are right! ;)

As far as the characters go in this book, they were spectacular. Evie was an awesome protagonist, and I loved how extreme she was. She was hilarious, and she was fierce. I especially loved how she described being able to see past glamours, it was incredibly fascinating, like how vampires were all nasty looking underneath that gorgeous glamour they have. It was crazy, and I loved it! :D

I also loved Lend, he was awesome! Probably one of the sweetest dudes ever, and like Evie, he was different. Their budding friendship made me smile, and I loved when he and Evie would just hang out, so freaking adorable! Evie and Lend are the cutest couple, and I just absolutely adored them together! :)
...oh and how can I not talk about Tasey!!! Yes, Tasey is Evie's pink taser with rhinestones and all that. If I ever get a taser, it is so gonna look like that, or maybe I'll make mine orange instead. Tasey is a force to be reckoned with, so don't mess with the Tasey!

Back onto this review, and away from the topic of tasers...Paranormalcy was a remarkable story, and I cannot wait until Supernaturally comes out because Paranormalcy definitely left me craving more!

If you haven't read Paranormalcy yet...well what are you waiting for???






And if you have Goodreads and want to add Paranormalcy's sequels to your To-Read list here are the links:
Book 3: Untitled (as of right now)


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Thursday 11 November 2010

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa

Paperback, 363 pages
Published February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen



I started the Iron King during the Halloween Read-a-thon, and I didn't finish it during the weekend because I had a Russian test the Monday afterwards and needed to do some massive cramming, but that doesn't mean that I didn't love every moment of this book...because I did. I thought it was an amazing story, and it had so much going for it, I'm not sure how I couldn't have liked The Iron King. It had faeries, love, action, a brooding prince, a funny best friend, and an amazing protagonist.

Meghan Chase is one of my favourite leading ladies, she is incredibly easy to relate to. She's an outsider and I think it's pretty likely that all of us have felt that way at least once. She has only one friend and no one ever seems to remember her, even her own step-father is constantly forgetting about her. It makes you feel fortunate that your parents both remember you in the morning at the breakfast table. She's incredibly humble too, and that shows when all she asks for on her sixteenth birthday is to go take her test for her learners permit. She's loyal and will do anything for the people she cares about.

Her best friend, who she knew as Robbie Goodfell, has many names, some of which you just might of heard of, especially if you've ever read Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Most people, you see, know him as Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, the trickster from the play, who gives Bottom the head of a donkey and makes Queen Titania fall in love with him. I think Puck is a fantastic character, and Julie did a wonderful job transcending him from a Shakespearean character into a slightly more modern one. Faeries are immortal and timeless, so they aren't exactly modern, but either way Puck adds a lot to the story. He adds in jokes, and is just his all-around awesome self.

Now, you've probably heard about all the Team Puck or Team Ash stuff if you've already heard of this story, and I've told you about Puck...now let me tell you about Ash...dark, brooding, mysterious, and incredibly sexy Ash. If you can't tell by that introduction or didn't see the Team Ash button on my sidebar...why yes, yes I am Team Ash. :D

I think Ash is the bee's knees. From the first moment we see him...and it was from a distance might I add, I thought he was awesome. Yes, awesome. I don't want to get into all of the ways that Ash pops up in the story because I think you'll enjoy it more if you read it yourself rather than have me spoil it, but there are plenty of swoon-worthy Ash moments throughout The Iron King. While I love Ash's dark brooding nature, I won't lie he had me a little pissed at him more than once, and while the strong independent side of me really doesn't want to admit it, that whole 'you-can't-have-me' attitude just made me want him more. Sure, he has his sweeter moments, and he is quite the dancer, but in The Iron King, he certainly excels at being standoffish and aloof, like he's playing hard to get with us...and he's a prince, that equals like an automatic swoon right there. Oh and he isn't hard to get all the time, which definitely didn't make me like him less. ;)

The whole Team debate in The Iron Fey series has an added bit of drama to it because Puck and Ash try and kill each other...repeatedly, I might add. This definitely makes you root for them even more. It had me torn, so I can only imagine how poor Meghan felt.

Now, all that lovely romance aside, this book has tons of action too. There are battles, giant monsters that try and kill people, like trolls and Iron Horses. I loved how Julie wove our world with the Nevernever. The Nevernever was amazing, with the territories and the various fey that live inside of it. I loved the Unseelie and Seelie court interaction, and their leaders: Oberon, Titania, and Mab. And the Iron Kingdom was so different from the rest of Nevernever, I'm not sure I'd even say it was part of it. I just loved how Julie created this incredibly intricate world, it astounded me, left me totally enthralled, and once I'd finished the Iron King, I was desperate for more! :D





Here are a couple of links just for fun:
The Iron Fey's Facebook Page
Julie Kagawa's website
Julie Kagawa's blog

And here are the Goodreads pages of the other books in the Iron Fey Series:
Winter's Passage --- This is a novella that takes place between The Iron King & The Iron Daughter, and if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely check it out. You can find it free for download on various websites, I got mine from NetGalley.

The Iron Daughter --- This is book 2 in the Iron Fey series, so if you've finished The Iron King you really want to check this one out. :)
The Iron Queen --- This book comes out February 11, 2011...I personally cannot wait until it's out :D
The Iron Knight --- It was also just released that there will be a fourth book in the Iron Fey series, this one's Ash's story! :D

I hope that if you haven't already read this amazing story by Julie Kagawa I've maybe made you want to read it at least a little bit. These books are fantastic, and without a doubt, they are worth reading. So, if you've been toying with reading these books, go for it. They just keep getting better and better! :D

Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Monday 8 November 2010

Books I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On....

So, there have been plenty of gorgeous covers released this week, as well as a few books that I just recently found out about. I've decided to share a few of these books that I can't wait for. :D

Okay Book 1: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

The blurb for this book sounds amazing, and the cover is kinda clever, not the shiniest one ever, but it's kind of refreshing to see a simple YA cover. :)

On Sale: April 26, 2011

Blurb from Goodreads:

" When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common. "

--------------------------------

Book 2: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

This cover is GORGEOUS!! I love me some green, I mean Nightshade's cover was gorgeous too, but this was is va-va-va-VOOM! :)



The Wolfsbane blurb on Goodreads is pretty small, since it's still a ways away from coming out, but so far it's:

Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?

And in case someone is curious and hasn't read Nightshade, Click HERE for it's Goodreads page.

-----------------------------------

Well Book 3, is 3 books actually. The cover that was released was for Illusions by Aprilynne Pike
I haven't actually read any of the books from this series yet, I've wanted too, but I still haven't gotten around to it. Wings and Spells are also getting touched up a bit to match the cover for Illusions. They're all so pretty...I love them :)

Here's their Goodreads pages:

Wings
Spells
Illusions

-------------------------------

And finally Book 4: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce.

This one's been around the blogosphere for a little while now, not too long though. I really just had to share it though. It's such an awesome cover. :D


I just love how the branches look like a face, of the witch I'm guessing...and then the trees lead up to the house in the forest. We can't tell if it's a gingerbread house though, but it could be :P lol

This story sounds amazing! I really enjoyed reading Sisters Red, so I can't wait to read Sweetly. Sisters Red was a modernization of Little Red Riding Hood, while Sweetly is a modernization of Hansel and Gretal.

Here's it's Goodreads blurb:

" SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED and FATHOMLESS.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful. "
 
Click HERE for Sweetly's Goodreads page.


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All of these books just look and sound so amazing, so of course I wanted to share. :)

Also some of these covers might change, maybe a little, maybe a whole bunch, by the time these books go into printing, so don't be shocked if they end up a bit (or a lot) different. :)

Have you heard of any awesome new books? Or have you seen any new covers being released that you just had to share? I'd love to hear about them, so feel free to tell me all about them in a comment :)


Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!
♪♫ Ambur

Friday 5 November 2010

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare



I'm a huge Cassandra Clare fan. I've yet to find one of her books that I didn't like. City of Bones was her first published book, and it's no wonder why it's so popular. It's full of action, as well as characters that you can't help but feel like you're friends with.
Clary is a fierce and definitely stubborn heroine. I loved that she was never afraid to get right into the action, despite the fact that she was so inexperienced in the Shadow World. She’s also witty, I love reading books where the characters just have lines that bounce off one another, and City of Bones is definitely one of those books. Some of the banter in this book is hilarious. If I were in stand-up, I’d be tempted to steal some of it if I could find the right situation to use it in.

Clary’s best friend, Simon, is another amazing character. He’s the go-to friend. Simon’s that friend that you know you can always count on, even if you totally pissed him off. He’s the best guy friend that most girl’s wish that they had, and I don’t mean that he likes to shop and all that, he’s just a reliable, friendly and awesome person to be around.

Well, I’m not going to talk about all of the characters here, but I have left my favourite one for last. He is of course, Jace. Oh how I loved reading about Jace. He is without a doubt, my biggest book crush ever. I’ve read the three books that are out five times, and it’s been months since I read them last and Jace is still the bomb diggity in my eyes. I won’t lie, I think he is freaking gorgeous, but I also love his personality. He’s definitely harsh at times, and knows how to hurt people, but at other times he is so sweet and he’s so funny. He has some of my favourite one-liners in the series, Simon has some too, but I just love some of the things Jace says. I may just have to do a post of some of my favourite lines in this series. :)

Okay, so I’ve told you about some of the characters, and why I love them, but now I’m gonna tell you a little more about the book as a whole. I’ve heard people say that they really didn’t like this book, and that they couldn’t get past the beginning. To be honest, I never had that problem. I was drawn in as soon as that blue-haired guy tried to get into Pandemonium. But, if you do have a problem with getting into the beginning, I just have to say...keep going! It’s an amazing story, within an amazing world that seemed to seamlessly fit within our own. You can almost believe that Shadowhunters, demons, and downworlders really exist, and that we just can’t see them. I love that New York was the main setting for the series. I’ve never been there, but boy do I want to go someday...so many amazing things to see, and I love that Clary and the others are so familiar with it all. I felt like I knew the city too.

The first time I read City of Bones I finished it probably within a day (to be honest, I think I’ve pretty much read it at that pace every time, it is that awesome), and I was so glad that I’d already purchased City of Ashes because I couldn’t wait to read more. I also got lucky and started this series right after City of Glass came out, so I had absolutely no wait time, because at that time, City of Glass was the last book. Now there are going to be three more books in the series and I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to read City of Fallen Angels!

I’m planning on reviewing City of Ashes and City of Glass as well, and I’ll probably do Clockwork Angel too, why not right? :P

Here are a couple of links for you:
Cassandra Clare's Livejournal
The Mortal Instruments Website

Here are the Goodreads pages to the other books in the Mortal Instruments Series:
City of Ashes - 2nd Book in the Series
City of Glass - 3rd Book in the Series
City of Fallen Angels  - 4th Book in the Series
City of Lost Souls  - 5th Book in the Series
 City of Heavenly Fire  - Set for Release In March 2014


Also,  I absolutely love the idea of Alex Pettyfer for Jace, so I just have to leave you with a fanmade picture ;)


Wednesday 3 November 2010

[Character Interview] Relatively Famous by Jessica Park


Today I have a super special guest! It's Dani McKinley from Relatively Famous :D

Well let's get right into the interview why don't we....

Ambur: Hey Dani! Well it’s certainly been a crazy year for you, you’ve finally figured out who your father was, and you’ve been all over the tabloids. What was it like finally figuring out who your father was?


Dani: Um… I don’t know. Sort of embarrassing, actually. I mean, my life was totally fine and normal. I lived with my mom and hung out a lot with her boyfriend, Alan. He’s very cool. And I had great friends (Sam has been my best friend for years) and just did normal high school stuff in Michigan. I never really cared about who my real father was because it didn’t matter. I didn’t need anybody else in my life. So finding out that Mark Ocean was my dad pretty much threw me for a whopping loop. And let’s be honest, he’s no Denzel Washington-quality actor. (I swear to God, you better not tell him I said that.) Mark’s smash hit is “DNA Gators,” so that should tell you something. He just has a really bad reputation as a smarmy, womanizing B-list actor, so I wasn’t thrilled when I first found out. But at the same time, I felt that it was important that I get to know him. My plan was to meet him, get it out of the way, and then just move on with my life. Plans change, though…

A: Did figuring out that Mark Ocean was your father change your impression of him, or did you still just think of him as a crappy action star?

D: When I first met Mark, I really tried to keep an open mind. I’ll admit that I was sucked in by the fancy house (Hello! I have my own private deck with a Jacuzzi!) and the ridiculous shopping trips. I know, I know… I’m not proud of it, but let’s see how well you do when someone waves a private beach club charge card your way. Anyhow, he was really good at buying stuff, but not so good at anything resembling parenting. Let me ask you this: Do you think it’s appropriate for a teenage girl to wake up and find an ex-“Rock of Love” contestant parading around the kitchen in a thong? Exactly. But I think that he’s trying. I bet that all of Mark’s nonsense about dating dumb-but-perky women, and all his superficial and cheesy career moves were just because he got so lost in Hollywood. He forgot that he didn’t have to be such a wreck. He can’t be a complete jerk, or my mom never would have dated him. Did you know that he actually used to be a good actor? Well, he did. My mom told me about plays and stuff that he’d done in college, and according to her, “DNA Gators” was not representative of his thespian abilities… I hope that he realizes that and stops being so pathetic. Wait, don’t print that! I just mean that he should pursue more challenging roles. And go out with normally-dressed women who can pass a basic reading test.

A: Sam has a huge crush on your dad, does that creep you out? Be honest.

D: Ohmygod. Gross. I can’t believe you brought that up. It’s totally repulsive on so many levels. First, obviously Mark is my Dad. How’d Sam like it if I started going on and on about her father’s glistening muscles and brooding eyes, huh? She’d puke big ol’ chunks everywhere. Second, if he’s old enough to be my father, then he’s old enough to be her father, and I would suggest to her that she start drooling over somebody more age-appropriate.

A: Do you think you and Mark have anything in common?

D: We… we both… we both breathe oxygen? I don’t know what we have in common. As of yet, I have not developed a near-lustful infatuation with a Mercedes SUV, nor do I aspire to spend the entire day staring in the mirror and adjusting my over-gelled hair.

I hope that we have something in common. I feel like there are moments when he is “real” with me, when he forgets about his image, and that’s when I like him best. I’ll get back to you on this… I have hope, though.

A: Was it a big change going to California? Were you nervous?

D: Oh, God. I just wanted to come here, meet my Dad, suffer through a two-week visit, and then go home. I guess I was a little nervous, but I really just wanted to do what I had to do. Mark picked me up at the airport in a limo, and I was so jittery when I first saw him that I nearly tripped getting into the car. And then he was so quiet, and then I didn’t know what to say, so I started babbling a lot which only made things worse, and I don’t think he had a clue what to do with me.

Everything around me here is different. Mark’s house is insane. In fact, everything around here is insane. Going out to lunch here is, like, a million times more complicated than at home. Apparently it’s very important where we are seen eating. Sue me for wanting to find a Panera, but sometimes a girl just wants a nice chicken wrap.

A: What do you think of the California lifestyle? And what was your first impression of Kayla and her friends?

D: Kayla is awesome. She’s so friendly and totally took care of me when I got here. I didn’t know anybody my age, and I felt like an idiot because Mark sort of arranged for Kayla to hang out me. I’m sure she thought I was some huge loser whose Daddy had to find her friends. And what was I going to have in common with this famous producer’s daughter and her rich friends? But it turns out that they’re all really cool. Nobody’s really catty or mean the way I’d seen on TV. Seriously, I thought I might be headed into “Gossip Girl” style attitudes, but it’s been totally the opposite.

A: Did you make any paparazzi friends like Kayla did?

D: Ick, no! For one thing, I hate those creeps. Seriously, they make their living by behaving like idiots. They should all be ashamed. I bet their mothers are all furious with them. I mean, holy lack of manners, right? And another thing… well, Kayla is a lot more outspoken than I am. She’ll say anything to anyone, and she’s got a level of confidence that I don’t have. I can’t imagine buddying up with the paparazzi like she does, but she gets that it’s a game out here. Tit for tat, so to speak. (And just to clarify for my mother, when I say “tit” I do not mean that I am flashing my boobs for cameras. She’s probably freaking out right now.)

A: If you could give advice to other people in a situation like yours, what would you tell them?

D: Breathe, breathe, breathe. It’s just been one new experience after another. I’m trying not to get totally caught up in everything, but it’s hard. I guess it’s a matter of balancing the chance to enjoy new opportunities with still being who you are in your heart. I don’t know that I’ve mastered it yet. Three hours at Fred Segal vs. being a good person… I can’t help it. I like Fred Segal.

A: And my last question, do you think meeting and getting to know your father changed you?

D: It changed my hair. (How awesome are my extensions, BTW?) And my skin color has changed from vampire pale to California bronze thanks to some lady who shoved me into the tub and spray tanned me. So I’m very different. Ha ha! Just kidding.

I guess I’ve changed in the sense that I’m more open to getting to know Mark. I really didn’t think that I needed or wanted him in my life. He felt like an intrusion. But now that I’m here with him, and getting to understand him, I sort of want to spend more time with him. I didn’t think that he’d be important to me. That sounds mean, doesn’t it? I didn’t intend for it to. I think that I was scared of how my world would change… Nobody likes change, but I’m learning that it’s not always a bad thing. And it is a part of life that we all have to get used to.

A: Thanks so much for sharing with us Dani, it's been a pleasure having you here. :)


 
Thank you Jessica Park, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview for me, it's been a pleasure reading, and reviewing your story, and now interviewing one of your characters too. Thanks a bunch. :D


I hope that you all enjoyed this interview, and if you haven't heard of Relatively Famous yet check out my review for it HERE.

If you'd like to purchase Relatively Famous, you can find it on Amazon.

You can also visit Jessica's blog HERE.

She's also on Facebook & Twitter.



Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur