The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong Trailer!

I love love loved the Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong and am so looking foreword to the companion series, Darkness Rising. I just stumbled upon the book trailer and now I am even more antsy about getting my hands on a copy of it now!

The first book in the Darkness Rising series The Gathering is out April 12!

Synopsis:

Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.

It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

Trailer:

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong trailer by Harper Teen

And just in case you absolutely cannot wait to read The Gathering (and I mean who could after that trailer) you can read the first 90 pages for FREE from Harper Teen here!

Counting down the days… :)

XVI Cover Contest!

Original Cover:

My cover:

(click image for larger)

So, I know I have been nonexistent, and I really hate myself for it-- I really do love blogging, but I have not had any time to read books (non school related) and I figured people did not want to hear my thoughts on whether or not I liked Brave New World or The Great Gatsby. However, once I get the chance to read any teen books, the first thing I will do is blog about them! In other news, I am writing this post because I entered a contest over at Down the Rabbit Hole—which is pretty awesome, so I decided to share! I have never heard of cover re-creation contests before (I am kind of a “noob” to the blogging community) and I was really excited to try it out!

The book was XVI by Julia Karr, which has been on my wishlist on goodreads forever! 

Synopsis:

Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

 

I am really excited for how it turned out, it took me about 2 hours to do (but I was mostly messing around with font and finding an image I liked) I changed the color tone to look more ‘future esc’ I suppose, and the white and black contrast. Overall, I had a lot of fun and am excited to try more contests out like this in the future! And if you want to make a cover and try it out yourself (you won’t regret it!) grand prize is a SIGNED copy of XVI and second prize is a brand new copy of XVI.

Click here for more details and happy blogging! :)

Daily Dose (2)

Daily Dose is a meme created by Good Golly Miss Holly, where you post aspiring images every Monday. Hope you enjoy! (:

Spirit Bound

Book: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)
Author: Richelle Mead
**SPOILER ALERT—DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ FIRST 5 BOOKS IN VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES**
Blurb:

Salvation has its price.
The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.
She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

Fall in love with Rose and Dimitri all over again in Spirit Bound, the eagerly awaited fifth novel in Richelle Mead's enthralling Vampire Academy series.

My Review:
I know…I know…everyone is out reading book number 6 (the final book) right now--I guess I am about half a year behind the rest of the world, apparently. Although I just got around to reading it, the fifth installment to the Vampire Academy Series was beyond amazing & I LOVED every minute of it! It has been probably about a year since I read the 4th book, Blood Promise, so I was really nervous getting into this one, thinking I might have forgotten everything or that maybe I might not like it how I remembered I did, etc.—but boy was I dead wrong! This book took off right where the previous one left off and I got sucked in immediately. It was wonderful beyond words—I almost cannot believe how much I adore this series. I am not lying when I say this book had me flipping out a few times (in a good way) and filling me with shock plenty of times along the ride.
The romance, the anticipation, the girl-power/butt kicking—everything in this book shows why this series is so great. I am dying to get my hands on the final novel in this series, Last Sacrifice, to see what happens, but am trying to put it off because I DON’T want it to end. I am just praying that I steer clear away from spoilers (like I did with this book for so long) until I can get my hands on a copy of it. Overall, this book did not disappoint, will satisfy, and keep you wanting more!
Rating: *****

Last Sacrifice, the 6th and final installment in the Vampire Academy Series is out now, and I have heard some great reviews so far. Like I said, can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Infinite Days

Book: Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1)
Author: Rebecca Maizel

Blurb:

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish. 

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?

My Review:
I have been waiting forever to get my hands on this book! I had heard so many great reviews (and as a vampire-book lover I couldn’t resist). Infinite Days was a very different read, not in a bad way, but it was different because of its originality and extremely unique plotline. I found myself being sucked into the story right away; literally after only reading the first few lines, and I couldn’t put the book down till the final page. The writing was beyond amazing! It was almost indescribable at times, the way Rebecca Maizel was able to portray Lenah’s feelings and emotions; as well as showing the mere fact of a vampire becoming a human again, all the tiny details that would be involved in that transformation and everything in the aftermath is baffling—but they were ALL covered. It was remarkable being able to see her change and grow, and simply just feel again.

The novel sucked you into Lenah's mind, her emotions, which made you start to like her, even if she used to be well…kind of evil. Something that really developed this story were the flashbacks throughout the novel, giving you small glimpses into Lenah’s vampire past; which was anything but how “glamorous” vampires are portrayed today—in this world, being a vampire isn’t lavish, romantic, or cool—it is like being a stone statue feeling pain 24/7 with the only way to get rid of the pain being to kill someone; which you enjoy; for a few moments at least, until the pain takes over again. There is definitely no “vegetarian diet” in this vampire world. So, you can see why Lenah might have wanted to become human again.

The romances, the action, the twists & turns, and amazing cliffhanger made this book a 5 star rating, no questions asked. If a book can make you swoon, make your jaw drop, and make you completely forgot your surroundings for just a few moments—all by its words and storyline…well it cannot get any better than that. I would suggest this book to any vampire lover out there, as well as paranormal/YA fantasy lovers.

Rating:
*****
This book is the first in the Vampire Queen Trilogy. The second novel, Stolen Nights is expected to be published June 22nd 2011. Until then, can we just marvel at how beautiful the cover is? Yes, please!


So so so pretty! (:

Finally back!

Hello blog—I have missed you so much—you have no idea. So it is a little crazy around the holidays. I had Nanowrimo in November (first time doing it and only wrote 25,000 words; however that was my mini goal & I was happy to reach it, because I had never written that amount of words on one story before. It was a great experience but I am happy it is over—my sanity is thanking me haha)

Now it is December, school is almost ending—I just have finals to study for—which I currently am putting off to the side by reading the new books I got at the library. Good idea, right? Probably not.

So, while I was away I managed to read 5 books. 5 REALLY good books. I didn’t have a chance to write a formal review for them, however I am still going to give a little blurb about what I thought—as a way to catch up and start this blog once again. (Click book image for link to Goodreads.com)

Not That Kind Of Girl
By: Siobhan Vivian

My Review: I loved this book! It was ridiculous how much I related to the main character. It had a little bit of drama here and there, and romance that will make you SWOON uncontrollably. All in all, I am adding this book to my favorites and would recommend it to anyone. This was the second book by Siobhan Vivian, her first Same Difference, was really great as well; she is definitely an author to look out for.

My Rating:
*****
The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Series 3)
By: Kelley Armstrong


My Review:
I finally got around to finishing the series! It was so amazing—I had completely forgotten how much I loved The Darkest Powers series. The conclusion was amazing—however left some questions—which is why I was so glad to hear Kelley Armstrong has started a companion series—that will hopefully shed some light on the questions I still have. The romance was amazing, the action was heart pounding, and the girl power made me smile. Overall I was very pleased with the concluding novel in the series, and can’t wait to get my hands on The Gathering, the first novel in the Darkest Rising Series. 

Rating:
*****
The Iron King
By: Julie Kagawa


My Review:
I was jumping up and down when I saw this on the shelf at my library (it was kind of embarrassing—but I didn’t care I have been wanting to start the Iron Fey Series FOREVER!) I have read nothing but good reviews about this book & they were all right. It was AMAZING. It was actually my first faerie novel, and I was nervous I would not like it—but I loved it & now I want to get my hands on all the other faerie books out there. The action & girl power was evident throughout the novel but the dark forbidden esc/ bad boy romance made my heart pound—you have no idea. I loved this book! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

My Rating:
*****

Shadow Hills
By: Anastasia Hopcus

My Review:

I have heard such amazing things about this book—it has been on my wish list forever and I finally got around to reading it. It did not disappoint my high expectations. In fact it blew them away and was even better than I thought it was going to be! This novel is like no paranormal book I have read—it was different paranormal that I have ever read before, with a rich history to back it up. There is a large amount of romance and action in this book, as well as an original and relatable voice. All in all I am PRAYING this is a series because I would love to read more into this great story—I would recommend to any paranormal YA lovers!

My Rating:

*****
Glimpse
By: Carol Lynch Williams


My Review:
Another novel in verse! I seriously am in LOVE with verse novels right now—makes me want to try writing them. This story was so dark and powerful, it made me read this book in 1 night, staying up till the sun rose to read the last word on the last page. It was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. This story was meant to be told in verse—I could never imagine reading it any other way. I have never read a novel by Carol Lynch Williams before, her other popular novel The Chosen One, has been on my wish list for some time and now I am eager to pick it up and read another great story by this great author. All in all- this book is a quick read, but feels nothing like it-you become transformed into this dark story which makes you eagerly turn the pages to find out what happens.
My Rating:
*****
So, I just realized I managed to rate all these books 5 out of 5 stars—its kind of funny but I wouldn’t rate these books any other way—I had a lucky month and was able to read some great books. Hopefully the books I picked up at the library are just as great! Happy reading!

-Jenny (:

All Unquiet Things

Book: All Unquiet Things 
Author: Anna Jarzab

Blurb:

Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.

My Review:

I knew this book was going to be amazing before I even read it. I am not sure if it was because of the beautiful cover, the intriguing description on the back, or the great praise I have read about it—but after setting this book down I was glad to know I was right (for a change). This book is so hard to explain, because it was so different and unique. I have never read a book like this before, but I loved it! The story of Carly, Neily, and Audrey is told in such a way that it lets you take a glimpse into each characters background and current emotions to really contribute to the story.

This story is so thrilling, at times it gave me goose bumps and literally had me hungrily turning each page to read more. I am kind of nervous to really dip into the story without giving to much away. Before I say anything know this; I am always someone who knows what will happen at the end of a book, or what the big “twist” is in a movie. I am not sure why, but whenever I guess I usually am right. This book really had me guessing. Each time I thought I knew something (and was 100% certain) I would read something else and change my guess; and let me just say this—all my guesses were wrong. My mouth literally dropped when I finished this book. BUT it also made me so happy that I finally did not spoil a book for myself. It was just so good!

All in all, I absolutely loved this book. I loved it’s uniqueness and thrilling story. To be honest, I think anyone would think this book was as awesome as I did. I would recommend it to anyone!

Rating: 5 stars