-
Rush by Eve Silver - Series: The Game #1
New Post has been published on http://bewitchedbookworms.com/2013/06/rush-by-eve-silver-series-the-game-1.html
Rush by Eve Silver - Series: The Game #1
Ah… look at this cover, read the synopsis and tell me that you are not at least a little curious about this book. Well, I was!
Easy Start and then .. Bääääm!
When we first meet Miki it’s like meeting any other girl in an Contemporary Story. Talking about Boys, hanging out with girlfriends – like the perfect normal story. But then… things happen pretty damn fast when Miki is pulled into the Game! Crazy! That’s what I first thought, first being at a school, now being somewhere completely else with 4 other kids, weapons and this strange screens hanging in the air pointing out scores. Hu? Yep, we are just as confused as Miki ash’s also not getting lots of info but has to play along to survive.
Totally confusing!
Evil Aliens! Right, why not let Teens kill them..?!?
Soon we learn that those kids are there always for a short period of time to complete a quest and basically to kill some Aliens. But Miki is an awesome heroine who quickly tries to adapt and would do anything to get out of this! I loved her attitude, not sinking down and cry over this cryable situation but rather go and kick some alien-ass! Loved her!
The whole concept of The Game and The Aliens was fascinating but darkly compelling and thrilling. The whole book was so packed with action that everything just felt like a rush! In between there were some more quite moments but the book somehow never stayed still, we were constantly moving, exploring and finding out secrets!
Need some hot Boys? Yep, we got two – and no Love Triangle!
How awesome is that, we get two amazing swoon worthy and droll worthy boys but there is no Love Triangles! See me smiling and bouncing? I loved this so much as I was truly afraid of an Triangle! And like this I could love each boys completely and fully without feeling the need to take teams!
While Luca is more the BFF boy, Jackson is the one that makes me swoon and sing songs about him! He’s kick-ass, sometimes cold and calculating but there was a softness underneath that made me believe in him! There were some amazing, ghoosebumpy scenes that truly made love him even more! He is a very complicated and secretive character full of mysteries but this just added to his allure.
Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
Rush by Eve Silver was most definitely a rush full of dark, edgy action. Rush was an incredible fast paced story with vivid characters, which are full of secrets and mysteries! The setting was phenomenal , adding an unique and refreshing addition to YA Sci-Fi stories!
Additional Info
Eve Silver is running a preoder contest right now with an iPad Mini as the Grand Prize! And since unfortunatly I missed her signing at BEA, I totally Pre-Ordered and entered her contest! woot!Also I was lucky enough to meet Eve Silver at the amazing Harper Party, there I promised to be on her signing and then.. Ohh BEA, it’s always so hectic so I forgot;( I hope she can forgive me! (and … I must forgive myself for not getting a signed copy!)Much Love,
-
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young - New Adult Monday! Bewitched Bookworms
New Post has been published on http://bewitchedbookworms.com/2012/11/on-dublin-street-by-samantha-young.html
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young - New Adult Monday!
New Adult Monday
.. a bi-weekly Feature where we will review and talk about New Adult books! If you are not familiar with this term, you can read my New Adult Discussion post!
On Dublin StreetGenre: New Adult/Adult, ContemporaryExpected publication: October 12th 2012 by NALCopy from publisherGet your own: amazon | BookDepositoryRating:On Dublin Street by Samantha Young on goodreads:Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…
Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.
Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.
But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.
On Dublin Street was a small miracle on amazon, rising up the Top Lists in a few days! I think even author Samantha Young was surprised by this huge and overwhelming success. Even more, just a few weeks after self publishing On Dublin Street, her book was acquired by NAL (Penguin). Talk about a comet like miracle and success story! When it was first published in August I was always having an eye on this book, falling it neatly in my recently aquired New Adult Addiction!
Leaving your past behind… well, you can try!
Jocelyn has to deal with the tragic loss of her family and even though it’s been years, she still hasn’t learned to deal with it. Running away to Scotland, Jocelyn cuts herself from all tight human relationships, afraid having to lose again. She closes her heart , tightly until Braden comes along and teaches her to open up again. Finally, Jocelyn has to face her past and has to deal with her issues….
Thrilling set of characters that will steal your heart
I simply loved all characters in On Dublin Street! From the closed up and broken Jocelyn to the sexy beast that is Braden. Those characters will steal your heart, make you cry, sob and cheer for them! In addition to those phenomenal main characters Samantha Young introduces a set of secondary characters that were just as passionate and lovable!
Angst – Humor – Sexy Times – all you want in a good story!
Seriously, this book had it all! The angsty times when Jocelyn is dealing with her past, broke my heart just thinking about what she had to go through. On Dublin Street came with the perfect amount of heart shattering emotions, the ones that make you cry and hope for Jocelyn to find peace. But, On Dublin Street had more! It was downright funny, to see how far Braden went to get her to open up and to get the full Jocelyn not only in his bed, but this sexy smart man also tried his hardest to get into her heart! To make an already good story perfect, the chemistry between Braden and Jocelyn was sizzling and their relationship, hot and explosive!
Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
Sexy, funny and filled with angst that will make you sob. On Dublin Street comes with a perfectly balanced, wonderful storyline that comes with amazingly flashed out characters that will manage to steal your heart! On Dublin Street is a heartbreaking story filled with hot explosive chemistry and a girl who desperately needs saving…
Note: This story has explicit sexual content
Additional Info
Samantha Young is a wonderful author and so far had amazing success in self publishing! She also published some amazing Young Adult paranormal titles and now is reaching out into the Adult /New Adult contemporary genre. Cleary, she’s on hell of a talented author and I know I will read anything from her!After this epic success of “On Dublin Street” she’s writing the next book in the “Dublin Street” series (schedules for 2013) and I am more than excited and cannot wait to read it!Much Love, -
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - Review
Throne of GlassBook I in the Throne of Glass seriesGenre; YA, Fantasypublication: August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children’scopy received from publisher via NetGalleyGet your own: amazon | Book DepositorySynopsis from goodreadsRating:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.This was an phenomenal read with the most amazing heroine ever! Epic Fantasy as its finest! And Epic is the best word to describe this book of wonderment”
You love kick ass heroines!! Then meet Celaena
Celaena is an assassin who lost her parents at the age of 8 and was trained to be the world most famous assassin. But, she’s much more than a cruel killer. Celaena is beautiful, smart , she loves to read and plays music - even more, despite what her upbringing would suggest she loves to be a woman. She knows she’s beautiful and is not playing the ugly duck, nor does she needs a man to tell her so. I loved everything about Celaena - she was kick ass strong, yet there is a vulnerable side on her. In the end, she’s still a girl although the most feared assassin ever seen. She loves to wear beautiful gowns and loves the looks she get from the men surrounding her. Sarah J. Maas did an outstanding job creating this perfect to goodness heroine!Fantastic World Building - enough to tease and not too much to be overbearing..
The world building was another aspect that made this story simply perfect! I loved the descriptions of the world and it was easy to imagine this fantastic world before our eyes. The world is ruled by a cruel king who banished all magic out of the world and conquered every continent and land out there. He’s vicious and not above killing everything that stands in his way. There is a hind of magic coming along, which makes me even more excited to see what is yet to learn about this world!Let’s talk about the boys! Oh the boys!
There is the Prince Dorian - and despite what you would expect with a cruel father like his, he’s amazingly awesome! Smart and wonderful he clearly has a heart and a soul. It’s easy to fall in love with him. Very easy! Choal - the Captain of the Guard is a another player for Celaena’s heart, yet he’s a brooding character not easy to fall for - but he makes Celaena stronger. I loved him just as much! It will be hard to decide on a team just yet, which is a unique situation since I’m very easy to pick teams!Action, Fights, Mystery and Romance!
The plot was absolutely great, I loved the combination of fight, action and the mystery behind the murders. But even more, there lingers the promise of magic and it’s on Celaena to discover if there is really and truly still magic in the world and if the Fae truly disappeared completely! This promise of more, of magic and Fae made the story even more perfect - it was not yet overly pronounced but we are certain that there is more to come, more to discover and more secrets to be revealed! And I am excited to follow this path together with Celaena!Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
This was epic fantasy - thrilling, gripping and beautiful. With mysteries to be discovered and a promise of more epicness to come! I loved every second I spend with Celaena and I can’t wait to step back into her live and follow whatever journey lays ahead of her !I’m amazed and In love! 
Additional Info
There is a set of eNovella’s availabe which all play before the happening in Throne of Glass. In total there are 4 short stories which lead to Throne of Glass. The minute I finished Throne of Glass I got those Novella’s. I wanted to know more about this girl and her past, and upbringing! Those stories are perfect for just this! However, I have to say that the Caelena we meet in these Novella’s is slightly different. I little more spoiled and careless. But her development to the woman we meet in Throne of Glass totally made sense to me!
The first 3 are out already and the last one is going to be released in July they say… there is no date available yet.
Trailer
Last but not least. I want to share this awesome trailer with you guys!!!!
Do you like Fantasy? Kick ass heroines? Plan to read this one?
Much Love,
-
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne - Series Feature & Giveaway
You know how it is, sometimes you are just so caught up into a series, that you are reading them (or listening to them) so fast that you have barely time to review them. Then, add the a serious tight review schedule and … there you go, you forgot to review books you absolutely loved and truly enjoyed! That’s why I bring you today a series review. (You can read this one savely, there are no spoilers in this review! Be warned, this is a big post and … there is a giveaway at the end!
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
The series is scheduled for 6 books (although Kevin keeps hoping for 9) and 4 are out so far.
- Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles, #1)Â - May 2011
- Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles, #2)Â - June 2011
- Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles, #3)Â - July 2011
- Tricked (Iron Druid Chronicles, #4)Â - April 2012
- Trapped (Iron Druid Chronicles, #5)Â - November 2012
- Hunted (Iron Druid Chronicles, #6)Â - 2013
First, we need a second to droll over this incredibly epically awesome cover designs! It tells you everything you need to know about this series, it’s bad-ass - awesome  - and … let’s face it, the main character /model is incredibly hot!
(note, all images are taken from Kevin Hearne’s website)World Building - take every(!!) mythos and mythical creature and put them all together!
The world in the Iron Druid Chronicles is enourmous and phenomenal. Kevin Haerne does not focuses on a single mythos and explores this, no, he goes beyond everything and takes every crature and mythos and put them all together! Want to meet Jesus, or an ancicent gooddess, Fairies, Vampires? You can meet all them them in this series! The variety is gigantic and simply adds tp the perfection of this series!
Atticus - Druid that will make woman swoon and mens cheer for his bad-assery!The main character the series focuses on is Atticus the only Druid that is left in our world. Describing Atticus will be hard and I try to do him justice! He’s bad ass - I mean he’s the only Druid that managed to survive! He’s hott - look at the covers and don’t tell me you are not swooning over them  and the cover model is exactly how Atticus is described in the novels. He is insanely funny, but he’s also loving and caring! In short, Atticus is the perfect hero for woman to swoon over and bad ass enough for male to cheer for him! (No idea what boys do with their hero’s - buy an action figure?) Coming one more time to the swooning and drooling part, he is covered in ancient tattoos, that keep in bound to the Earth where he draws his magic from.. *faints*Oberon - Sidekick of perfection!
If you would imagine one perfect sidekick you have to meet Oberon! And to be clear, Oberon is a Hound and… Atticus trained him to talk with him in his head. He.Is.Awesome! He’s the funniest sidekick ever and he will make you burst out laughing so be warned! I am promising you that you will fall in love with this dog! Plus, he’s also deeply loyal to Atticus and would do anything to protect him… gosh you gonna love this hound…
Witty and downright hilariousThe humor is definitely one of the best parts about this series. Be prepared for the best quotes you will ever encounter! I laughed to loud so many times - reading this series will simply make you happy! Atticus has a dry humor and he offers them freely in every situation, even the dire deadly one! Together with Oberon, he’s unbeatable!âNow go and stake some vamps. Especially the sparkly emo ones.â Hammered, Book 3âThe tendency of modern American women to exclaim ‘Hiiiiiiiiiiii!’ in soprano octaves and hug each other upon sight can be disconcerting to those unfamiliar with it.â Hexed, Book 2âWhoa. He had ghouls on speed dial. My lawyer kicks so much ass.â Hounded, Book 1Â
Love - or the lack thereof!With me being me, I have to say a few words about love and romance. There is not much, there are always little small innuendo’s but there is no bog glowing romance in this series. It makes me sad, but knowing me and the fact that I still give this series a full raving review and rating should tell you how epically awesome this series is. However, looking at the cover of the upcoming book 5 “Trapped” there is a girl on the cover. Dare I to hope for romance? Anyhow, the readers knows who is the girl on the cover: It’s Granuaile the girl he meets in book 1 Hounded and who became his apprentice. There was some tension between them in book 4 Tricked which I hope will explored more! However, this is not a romance story and love in any case will only play a small part of this story. This lack however, does nothing to my utter enjoyment of these book!
Bewitched Rating
yep… you got that right, totally deserves the magic rating of awesome!Â
Bottom Line
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne rocks big time and has everything from witty dialogues,awesome storylines up to epic characters that kick ass!  The Iron Druid Chronicles is one of the best series for both male and female with Urban fantasy and supernatural elements combined in a utterly unique and refreshing way. Woman will fall for Atticus and men will admire his bad-assery - together with the incredible humor in the series, this is a must-read. Period. Each books has a mystery to solve but there is a transporting and underlying storyline that glues all the books together!
  
 
 
 Buying InfoÂ
Note this links all go to amazon and by clicking you support giveaways and webhosting of the Bewitched Bookworms, Thanks!Audiobook Ramblings
If you like Audiobooks, then you have (truly, I am nearly begging you) to listen to these audiobooks! The narrator Luke Daniels is a narration genius who did an outstanding job! He not only gave Atticus the perfect voice, but gave Oberon the best voice ever!! If he wouldn’t be already so incredible funny, Luke Daniels would do the job for him. Considering that I often listen to audio’s in public, I know get the funniest look when laughing out lout, or trying to surpress a giggle!
Because I am so incredibly in love with this series and especially with the audiobooks I give away 2 audiocopies gifted via audible!
The winner can choose either the first book in the series, to get you hooked! Or the last one, for the fans that didn’t have time to catch up! Enter the Rafflecopter below!
International - audio is gifted via audible.come
Much Love and I hope you will fall for this series as much as I did!
Enter The Rafflecopter for a chance to win 1 of 2 Audiobooks:
-
Review: Rapture by Lauren Kate - Book 4 in the Fallen Series
Raptureby Lauren KateBook IV in the FallenGenre: YA, Paranormal, Epic LoveExpected publication: June 12th 2012 by Random House Children’s Bookscopy received from publisherformat: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobooksynopsis from goodreadsRating:The sky is dark with wings … .Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies … and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.In the fight for Luce, who will win?The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.I am in awe of this series… If there is any epic love story, then it’s the one from Luce and Daniel. Fallen was one of the first books I read after my Twilight Obsession and I love this series ever since. Funny enough, I fell in love with Daniel the minute he flipped Luce off when they first met in Fallen. This series broke me heart so many times, I cried so many times and I swooned so many times. Finally, with Rapture we get closure. We had a wonderful time together…
Epic Love!True Love!
True Soul Mates!The End
Last books are always hard. There are so many loose questions that now finally need to come to an end so that the reader gets closure, so that we can finish this series and feel satisfied. Lauren Kate gave us all this - she went beyond from what I first expected when I picked Fallen up a few years ago. The mythology behind Daniel’s and Luce’s love story was so incredible and epically heartbreaking. During every book throughout the series we learned more and more, new layers and mysteries were revelaed and each left us breathless with the enormity of this epic love story.Full Disclosure
Rapture indeed gave us so many answers and went even beyond about what I imaged. We finally get to the botton, to the very beginning of Daniel and Luce’s tale. How they fell in love and the background of their love and also of their curse. Discovering and getting all those answers was thrilling and exciting. I was speechless and astonished by the sheer enormity of this story. Never, did I imagine what was finally revealed. The whole series slowly builds to this final showdown and.. it was well worth the ride and the tears!Epic Love
This story is all about love. Sure, there is the Angel and the Fall of the Angels mythology but in the end it’s a love story. Readers whit a deep affection for epic love stories need to read these books. A Love that spans million of years and countless lifetimes. Lovers that find each other anywhere and anytime is truly the most heartbreaking and heartmelting story to tell. In Rapture this love finally is judged and we are on edge the whole time, dreading the final outcome….Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
In Rapture brings Lauren Kate the epic tale of love to a breathtaking ending. Some twists I suspected, some totally took me by surpris. However, Ratpture was a fitting ending to an beautifully woven love story that is beyond everything I read before … I’m glad and sad its over! This was an emotional roller coaster and my heart needed Luce and Daniel story to come to and end, I was ready… Additional Notes
The Audiobooks are absolutely phenomenal! Justine Eyre is my favorite narrator - I love her voice, accents and intonations. If you love audiobooks this definitely is a series to add to your audio-list.Also, I need to point out here and now that I desperately need a Cam spin-off. He was one of my favorite characters in this series and I need more of him! Please Mrs Kate : Give us Cam!The super cute Gina from The Bucket List hosted a Fallen Book Discussion, maybe you want to check it out. Gina is super cute, I meet her at BEA last week and I’m super happy she said hello!!Previews Reviews:- Fallen - Book 1
- Torment - Book 2
- Passion - Book 3
- Fallen in Love - Book 3.5
*sigh*So tell me… if you already started with this series, what do you expect from the ending, what do you expect from Rapture?If you haven’t started the series, will you now?Much Love, -
Review: From What I Remember… by Stacy Kramer, Valerie Thomas
From What I Remember…StandaloneGenre: YA Contemporary, LovePublished May 15th 2012 by Hyperioncopy received from publisherSynopsis from goodreadsRating:KYLIE: Tijuana WHAT? I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger.MAX: It all started with Kylie’s laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie. But now we’re stranded in TIjuana. WIth less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome.WILL: Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation. Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring thier passports across the border—but there’s no reason to rush back home right away. This party is just getting started.
LILY: I just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can’t completely hold it against him. He NEEDS me. It’s even clearer now. And I’m not giving him up without a fight
How do you usually find your next favorite books? Well, sometimes they just happen to find you! From What I Remember was a book I wouldn’t have picked up myself, but when I got a Galelly I couldn’t resist giving it a try. Boy - how glad I was this book jumped my like this!!
Wooot! Smashing Opening & you jump right into this story!
When we open the book, we are confronted with a scene where Kylie lays in bed with gorgeous Max somewhere in ….Mexico. But, she has no idea how that happened and.. more importantly why on earth Max is lying beside here…The opening scene was perfection, it teases you to the point where you want, no where you need to know how the hell all this happned to Kylie! I love beginnings like this!Different POV - and a sexy, cute & thrilling story
Kylie the the school nerd! Always learning, having the best grades and clearly, she does not belong to the popular crowd.. at all! Her only friend is Will - gay and rich outcast who is the best friend you can always wish for!Then there is Max - school’s most popular and incredibly gorgeous boy who never looked twice at Kylie before. In addition we have Max Grilfriend Lily. Although I am usually not a big fan of so many POV in one story, here, it worked effordless and each voices was honest and very distinct from each other!However, May and Kylie are the real protagonists and their voices are the driving force of the story!Who you are from the outside is not Who you really are…
Apart from the fact that this story is simply cute and sexy and fun. There is much more to it. Each character has their own problems none of them truly liked talking about. It’s a story about finding your own self. How are you on the outside but who do you really want to me. Self Finding. This mix worked perfectly together and truly gave a little depth to this otherwise were fun and romantic storyline.I simply loved getting to know each one of them better and discover what who they really want to be.Sexy and Romantic Love Story!
The surprising, unfolding love between Max and Kylie was made of wonderment and perfection. Those two couldn’t be more different from each other - on the outside. But, forced on this trip to Mexico together made them realize that this is not true, in fact they share much more than both of them would have ever thought! I loved their romance so much, I loved following them falling for each other. I had the butterflies in my stomach! Sexy and unbearably cute romantic scenes stirred the emotions that will touch your heart. With me being me, I had tears in my yes so many times - heartbreaking and incredibly touching scenes made sure to trigger emotions!Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
Smashing, Cute and Sexy. From What I Remember… is a excitingly beautiful story with love, self-discovery and a thrilling set of characters. If you look for a lovely coming of age novel, that will touch your heart, make you laugh and cry - then you most definitely should pick this one up. This book is movie material, explosive and romantic! Additional Info
When putting together this post, I found out that this awesome author duo are both working in the film industry. Clearly, that’s why this book seemed so perfectly made for a movie! Also, the amazing author duo will be at the TEEN CARNIVAL in June during BEA! I hope I have a chance to tell them in person how much I Loved their book!Much Love! -
Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
UnravelingBook I in a series (yeah!)Genre: YA, Mystery & Suspense, Scifi elementsPublished April 24th 2012 by Balzer + Braycopy from publishersynopsis from goodreadsRating:Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killedâas in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, she knowsâwith every fiber of her beingâthat Ben has somehow brought her back to life.But her revival, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to somethingâbut to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happenedâthe accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her lifeâpoints to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secretsâand keep from falling in love with him in the process.From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.Truth to be told, when you look at my recent reviews, I have a run full of awesome books.. I nearly loved all the books I read lately - but hey, we have to blame those awesome authors that simply deliver tales that leave you breathless. Just like Mrs Norris here…
24:05:59:32
This is one of the first things that you see when you start reading the book - every chapter has instead of a title, this countdown! Yes it’s a countdown and i was immediately back into 24 - this fast paced incredible thrilling series with Kiefer Sutherland. But, the reference is not too far off. Unraveling is fast pasted, thrilling, captivating and incredible addicting! Once you started - you won’t stop! I loved this countdown, it totally served the point: You are always on edge, trying, no - needing to figure out what the heck this countdown means because Janelle has no idea either…Janelle - kick-ass, strong brave loyal, caring and sweet!
Due to family problems Janelle is left to care for ber baby brother Jared - who is beyond awesome and anyone will love this boy insanely! He has a rare disorder and he needs special care - Janelle would do anything for her brother! Anything, this sweet love between the siblings was incredible sweet, heartwarming and beautiful! I would have already loved her just for this! But, Janelle is more and she’s strong and she’s brave and smart! There is nothing about her that made me love her any less!Janelle died and now what?… and what role plays beautiful and troubled Ben?
Her life changes after this horrible incident where she died and somehow this mysterious boy was there. Ben. She never really “saw” him before although they go to the same school, yet they were not in the same crowd. Ben was considered one of the bad and troubled boys! (but girls, let’s be honest - we love tortured troubled boys don’t we?) But, Janelle wouldn’t be her father’s daughter (FBI Agent) if she wouldn’t want to know precisely what is going on! It’s not in her nature to give up! But while going after the truth - she gets to know Ben better and suddenly there is so much more tim him than a troubled boy! So.much.more! *sigh* Ben is to love, as simple as that!Full of Suspense, Intrigue , Drama- Heartbreak, Love and … Thrill
The whole story was very rich and full of suspense and intrigue! Apart from figuring out about Ben and her death-no-death, there is this countdown from one of her fathers files and a murder series. It was a mix of “24”, “X-Files” and  a FBI show . I loved this combination - and it left us always in edge trying to figure out all those mysteries.But, don’t forget the love between Ben and Janelle, which was incredible sweet and beautiful! Perfectly genuine and nothing in their connection seemed forced and unreal. This romance is woven effortless in the mystery part of the book!The ending left me sobbing, I was truly sobbing and wiping away tears - I couldn’t imagine Elizabeth Norris would really do this to us. You know when you are always hoping for some last-minute change in events? Something you know is inevitable yet you hope you are proven wrong? That’s the ending and .. it will leave you breathless, full of tears and heartbreak! But I promise this book is worth every of your tears!Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
Elizabeth Norris created with Unraveling a thrilling tale that is full of intrigue, suspense, drama, heartbreak and sweet love, perfected with beautiful and wonderful characters that will need a place in your heart! Unraveling took my by surprise, I loved every second I spend between those pages and that I spend with Janelle, Ben and Jared. It was full of twists and turns, I didn’t see coming and twists that broke my heart! Don’t miss out on this unique and fresh YA story with a wonderful mix of genres! 
   Additional Notes
Unbreakable the sequel will be out in 2013 and I’m pretty damn happy that there will be a sequel because, this book could totally be a Standalone with a bitter-sweet ending! Watch the trailer to get even more excited!Much love! Yours,Â
-
Review: Taken At Dusk by CC Hunter
Taken At Duskby C.C. Hunter (website | twitter | facebook )
Book III in the Shadow Falls series
Genre: YA paranormal publication: April 10th 2012 by St. Martin’s Press
copy reveived from publisher/author
Buy it (paperback,eBook) :amazon| B&N | IndieBound
synopsis from goodreads
Rating:Step into Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with supernatural powers. Here friendship thrives, love takes you by surprise, and our hearts possess the greatest magic of all. Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean. But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better. Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together. Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it’s not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different—and more astonishing—than she ever imagined.
Ever since 2 years ago when I saw the cover of Born At Midnight I’m in love with this series. The series continued with Awake At Dawn which was as good as the first book and now goes into the third round with Taken At Dusk.
Back in Shadow Falls!
It always makes me happy to be back in the Shadow Falls camp full of paranormal creatures like Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, Fairies and… Kylie. The camp is on the edge of transforming from a summer camp to a full school so that Kylie and her friends can stay there the whole year and have a place to be, when there is no place for them in the human world anymore. In Shadow Falls they can be themselves. I love this camp atmosphere full of new forming friendships and love between the girls. They become a family when their one family cannot deal with their otherworldliness.
So… what is Kylie exactly? And new answers?
Yep! Starting with the first book we always wondered what exactly Kylie is, since she seems not to belong to any of the other paranormal creatures. She something else, something special and she needs to figure out what she exactly is. For this she goes on a journey of discovering the truth about her family and her dad, who she never meet alive but as ghost. In Taken At Dusk things start to clear up in an exciting way and Kylie’s tale is as gripping and thrilling as ever. And yes, we finally get some answers, which only make me wish to kno even more! There are a lot of new developments which let us turn the pages faster and faster! Again, apart from the focus on Kylie’s story the secondary characters and their development is not left out. And I loved to see Kylie’s relationship with her friends and Holly to grew even deeper!
The boys .. *sigh* so Team Wolfie or Team Farie?
Still, no idea! Since the beginning, there are two boys who fight for Kylie’s heart, but do not let her heart unscathed along the way. My heart breaks ever so often when one of the boys turns into a direction that is clearly hurtful! Kylie is left in Awake At Dawn with a confused Derek who run away from her and her emotions. Lucas has now the time to step up and take his chances. Clearly, he’s a damn hot wolfboy and I love this boy! But there is something about the two together that is unsettling and I am not sure which boy can make Kylie happy in the end. But. Kylie doesn’t know herself and we are about to follow her on her journey not only to discover herself but also make the right boy-choices. However, CC Hunter has a way to create hot and sensual moments between Kylie and the boys and I appreciate her romance talent very much… *sigh* I do have the feeling that in this book there are hints about who is the better boy for Kylie and I am looking forward finding out if I am right!
Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
The Shadow Falls series belongs to my favorite YA series. It has everything I wish for in a YA paranormal series. A thrilling tale that moves with a great pace, where layers of discoveries are revealed in a way that we are never bored. A Love Triangle that is perfectly played out and is not making us feel bad about any of Kylie’s choices. Taken At Dusk delivers just as its predecessors and continues a gripping story about self-discoveries, finding a place in the world, friendship, and love. So, if you didn’t start this series yet, I can only encourage you to do so…
Additional Notes: Yesterday CC Hunter stoped by the blog with a great Guest Post “Thirteen Things Learned From Taken at Dusk by CC Hunter”. Don’t forget to check this out and if my excitement doesn’t make you start this series than maybe CC manages herself! The next book Whispers At Moonrise comes out 2013. Check my Shadow Falls related posts:
- Born At Midnight, Book I - Review
- Character Interview with Derek and Lucas (seriously one of my most favorite posts ever!!)
- Awake At Dawn Book II - Review
- Guest Post by CC Hunter “Thirteen Things Learned From Taken at Dusk”
Much Love, and don’t forget to enter the Giveaway for a Taken At Dusk copy!
-
Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa and Giveaway!
The Immortal RulesBook I in the Blood of Eden seriesGenre: YA Paranormal/DystopianPublication: April 24th 2012 by Harlequin Teencopy received from publishersynopsis from goodreadsRating:In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.
When I heard last year that one of my favorite authors Julie Kagawa is going to write a Vampire Story set in a Dystopian world, I couldn’t be any more excited! I love love love Vampires, and my love goes way back to Buffy, Lost Boys and all those classic awesome novels. Then add a Dystopian world setting and I knew it was going to be EPIC!The Master of World Building
Allie our heroine lives in a cruel world where Vampires rule over Humans and where you can only be safe within the big cities and better even when you donate blood to the ruling Vampires. But, of course Vamps think themselves superior and humans that do not donate are at the very bottom of the food chain and have to fight to survive! It gets even worse outside the relative safety of the cities… The world is cruel and Julie Kagawa manages to deeply describe the world so colorful that it feels real in all its gruesome details. I always admired her world building and she delivers a new world in the Blood of Eden series that will capture you and won’t let you go.Want a kick-ass Katana wielding heroine? Meet Allie!!!
Allie is an incredible character I instantly liked and admired. She has everything a girl needs to survive under such circumstances. She’s smart, strong and seriously kick ass awesome, but at the same time she’s sweet, loving, caring and unbelievable loyal! Her strongest feature is her survival instinct which is so strong that she even accepted becoming a Vampire even though she is disgusted by them. But, she simply couldn’t let go of her life. So she tried to hold on to her humanity while becoming the very same creature she hated so much!! the most amazing thing was to follow Allie on her journey from being human, then becoming a Vampire and struggling with her new existence. But, Allie masters all this and never gives up!!Boys? YES: Kane, the bad ass Vampire Mentor and Zeke - the sweet boy!
One of my favorite characters besides Allie is Kane - the Vamp who turned her. Gosh, girls he has everything I love to see in a Vampire. Bad-ass, tough beyond words but at the same time he still has a heart and a soul. He’s Allie’s mentor and he reminded me a tiny little bit of Barrons when he taught Mac to become stronger to survive the next day! (YES, I honest to goodness made a Fever reference her!) I loved him so much and I was sad that we was missing for the second half of the book! I need more Kane in the next book and I think I’m going to get this!Then, there is Zake - a wonderful sweet boy who is the perfect match for Allie. He’s human and hates Vampires but both develop an attraction and awareness of each other which was impossible to deny. Both have to learn what it means to be a Vampire and what it ultimately means to be human. They couldn’t be any more perfect for each other and especially Allie needed this connection!Dark, Thrilling and Merciless!
The plot has the perfect pace! We are intruded into this new world so that we feel comfortable with the rules, then we learn together with Allie what it means to be a Vampire , then we discover how Allie struggles to keep her humanity. Apart from this basis storyline there is so much more we discover, so many underlying plotlines that will make you want more and more and more! It’s impossible to put this book down, page after page we are sucked into this world and we grow to care so much for Allie that we need to know what will happen next….Bewitched Rating
*with a crown*Bottom Line
Dark and thrilling with incredible real and hauntingly beautiful characters! The Immortal Rules is the perfect preface into a new exciting series full of kick ass characters you are going to care and cheer for and that has a gripping story which leaves you graving for more! It sucks you in and won’t let you go until you read the very last page! Julie Kagawa is a Rockstar in the YA Paranormal World and The Immortal Rules is epic awesomeness for sure! Additional Notes: Seriously, I could have said so much more about this book! Read my Reviews about The IronFey series, which is no less epic than this one. She’s one of those authors I am fangirly excited about!Much Love,And now… !!!
Win 1 Hardcover of The Immortal Rules!!!!
Ends, 10th April US/Canada only
simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:
| 
