In My Mailbox August 2013

This month I decided to buy some books that are different from what I normally read/buy as well as some random books that sound good and books needed to complete series.

1. With All My Soul - Rachel Vincent
2. If I Die - Rachel Vincent
3. Tattoo - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
4. Fate - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
5. Heist Society - Ally Carter
6. Uncommon Criminals - Ally Carter
7. Perfect Scoundrels - Ally Carter
8. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You - Ally Carter
9. Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy - Ally Carter
10. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover - Ally Carter
11. Only the Good Spy Young - Ally Carter
12. Out of Sight, Out of Time - Ally Carter
13. The Blessed: Passionaries - Tonya Hurley
14. Overbite - Meg Cabot
15. City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
16. City of Glass - Cassandra Clare
17. City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare
18. City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare
19. The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet - Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter

Kindle

1. My Butterfly - Laura Miller
2. Stained - Ella James
3. Arianna Rose - Jennifer and Christopher Martucci
4. Enchantment - Charlotte Abel
5. Forbidden - Amy Miles
6. Cursed - Tara Brown

Review - Die for Me by Amy Plum

Release Date: May 11th 2011
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

My life had always been blissfully wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything. Suddenly, my sister Georgia and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with our grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of no where and swept me off my feet. Just kike that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk everyday. He also has enemies.... Immortal murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart - as well as my life and my family's - in jeopardy for a chance at love?

A stunning novel of love, death and the lengths we go to for love.

At first I thought Die for Me was going to be another girl meets boy and she finds out he's a vampire but it wasn't that kind of paranormal twist and that's what makes Amy Plum's Die for Me amazing, it was captivating.

The pace of the book was perfect and it kept me reading without wanting to put it down for a day or two before continuing to read it and the description of Paris and its historical settings were great it made a change from the usual American settings. The characters were well written, what I love about Kate is that she doesn't just dive right in she thinks things through first and then makes her decision.

Kate isn't your typical heroine she is smart and stronger than I first give her credit for and I am looking forward to seeing Kate's character grow through out the series. Vincent is mysterious and sexy, everything a girl could ever want but there is more to Vincent than meets the eye. 

Vincent has a deadly secret which at first you expect him to be a vampire but it turns out its a lot more deadly than that. This secret isn't supposed to be shared with anyone but Vincent ends up having to tell Kate who he really is and what he is when Kate witnesses something terrible.

There are so many romantic scenes between Kate and Vincent which makes it a great romantic novel, they understand each other more than anyone else understands them. I am really hoping that the sequel lives up to this novel.

Review - The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet by Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter and Garry Parsons

Released: August 29th 2013
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Danny and Dinosaur are back, and this time there going to space!

But when Danny realizes he's forgotten Dino's lunch box, the very hungry dinosaur eats everything in sight, including their only way home: the rocket.

How will Dino get them back home?

There's poop, planets and pandemonium in this supersonic space adventure!

The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet was really funny. This book rhymed throughout just like the first one. The best line was the last line "...and just when you thought all the pooping was done, a Mars cat popped out of the dinosaur's bum."

I really hope that they make more 'The Dinosaur that Pooped' books because ma and my little sister both love them.

Wishlist Wednesday

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

Antigoddess is the first installment in Kendare Blake's new series Goddess War and is out September 10th

Wishlist Wednesday

This weeks book is: 

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Free from bonds, but not each other

It's time to choose sides... On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a Sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren't the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she's now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?

Untold is the second installment to the Lynburn Legacy Series and is due to be released on August 29th

Top 10 Tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top 10 Things that make my life as a reader/book blogger easier.

1. Goodreads
This helps me to keep track of the books I want to read, I have read and for finding out about new books. Before I heard of goodreads I had paper all over the place with lists of books I wanted and I would never have heard or read of half of the books I have read over the last few years. They have a great giveaway section and I have won and read some of the books I have won from there.

2. My Bookshelves

I love my bookshelves because I have my books organised by author so it is easy to find the book I want plus I have that many I never run out of choices.

3. The Library

My library is great if they don't have something in then they will order it for you to read. I have been a member of my library since I was 5. I may not use it much but I know that if I want something different to read then I have the library.

4. Rafflecopter

This is great for giveaways, I may not hold many but I do have a big pile of books I am sorted threw that I want to give away.

5. Other Bloggers

I love the fact that there are so many other book bloggers out there and 80% of them read different books than me but their reviews help me to decide if I want to read that book or not, this also helps me to get more interested in different genres.

6. Creative Writing Course

I did a creative writing course a few years back and many people who were also on the course suggested different books this is how I ended up reading My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult. It also helped me learn more about different genres and got me reading more.

7. Twitter

I started following many, many authors on Twitter, and by doing so I discovered a whole host of new other authors and books.

8. Excel

This is one of the best computer software's I have found for me to be available to help organize my books and be able to see what I have read and to keep track of who has borrowed my books.

9. Amazon

I found this is a great place to buy my books as they are cheap and they have a lot of free books for the kindle.

10. Authors, publishers etc

If it wasn't for the authors I wouldn't have any books to read so if it wasn't for them then I wouldn't be a reader and I wouldn't have this blog.

Review - Falling by Cat Clarke

Release Date: June 15th 2013
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

It's the party of the year and everyone's going to be there - the perfect opportunity for Anna to set up her newly-out best friend Tilly with the only other gay girl in school. 

And it'll help her keep her mind off the fact that she cheated on her perfect boyfriend Cam last night. But this party will change everything.

A powerful novel about sexuality and growing up, realistically and frankly portrayed by acclaimed YA novelist Cat Clarke. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers of 14+.

This is the first Cat Clarke book that I have read. It wasn't a great book but this could be because the story could have been a lot more in depth, their is so much about the story that could have been explored in much more detail.

The book is only 72 pages long and it is aimed at dyslexic readers, which is why it wasn't as in depth as it could have been. I feel there could have been a lot more to the story if it was longer.

The story between all the characters were handled in a realistic way, although if I was Cam I probably wouldn't have acted so calmly as he did with Anna.

Although Anna ends up being horrible to her best friend Tilly at the party you can't help but feel sorry for her at the end of the book.

There isn't really much more I can say about Falling without giving the whole story away other than the ending is somewhat predictable and is a pretty good book.

Top 10 Tuesday

This weeks Top 10 Tuesday is a Top 10 rewind. It is Top 10 books I want to read but I keep putting off part two.

1. Echo and Mystic - Alyson Noel
2. Harry Potter Series - J. K. Rowling
3. Crewel - Gennifer Albin
4. Abandon - Meg Cabot
5. Tempest - Julie Cross
6. Slated - Teri Terry
7. Wings - Aprilynne Pike
8. Entwined - Heather Dixon
9. My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent
10. Switched - Amanda Hocking

Review - Arabelle's Shadow by Fleur Gaskin

Release Date: November 19th 2012
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Everything in Arabelle's life is coming together. She has confidence, great friends, she's even dating Naak, a wealthy Thai socialite. But there are too many models in Bangkok. Arabelle’s broke, she can’t find an agent in New York, and Naak isn’t as wonderful as he first appears.

Slowly the Shadows creep back into Arabelle’s mind, bringing with them thoughts of hopelessness and despair. The vile Shadows know something Arabelle’s refusing to remember and, if she’s not careful, they’ll use it to destroy her.

Based on a true story, Arabelle’s Shadows takes us on a journey through the struggles of growing up, not quite making it as an international model, and attempting to overcome a crushing depression.

I would like to thank Fleur for sending me a copy of Arabelle's Shadow to read and review and to apologize for taking so long to read and review it.

When I was asked I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to read this book as it isn't something I normally read but I decided that I needed to broaden my genres and accepted the request and I am glad I did as the story taught me two things 1) don't judge a book by its genre and 2) don't judge people by what they do for a living.

This book isn't really about a model trying to make her way into the world but more about the model's depression and self esteem issues. I expected it to be about self centered models but it isn't.

I never thought that the life of a model was as hard as it actually is. A model is starving themselves to be thin, always auditioning but still not making enough money to actually live. It is probably different for the high profile super models that you hear about all the time because their in the papers for some reason or another. Some girls start modeling at a young age and they lose their childhood.

Arabelle is an insecure person and she is always struggling with depression and she wants approval badly. Her father makes her happy by telling her how proud of her he is until she realises that her father was drunk and that must have made her feel like he didn't mean what he said . I think more people should tell other that they are proud of them because this could just make someones day.

Arabelle needs someone who will love her for her, no matter if she fails an audition or if she is successful. A photographer would tell her she wasn't the right build for the job and would give her diet pills. Nothing was good enough to get her a job. Her shape and image were all wrong and all Arabelle wanted was to be just good enough so she can succeed.

All I wanted while reading the story was for Arabelle to get one job so that she didn't feel so low. Arabelle is struggling to stop the shadow from taking over her life and to stop it from telling her that everything she does is wrong.

The book is well written and because it was in a diary form it makes it easier to read. It is about depression and informs people that depression is not your friend.

I think unless a person has been in Arabelle's position then they will not fully understand her story or understand that there is a shadow that threatens to haunt us all if we let it.

Review - The Promise by Jessica Sorensen

Release Date: March 24th 2012
Buy It: Amazon
Add It: Goodreads

My name is Gemma Lucas and my life’s a mess. Alex is gone, my dad’s trapped in his own mind, and my mom’s working for the dark side. Not to mention Nicholas refuses to quit haunting me. 

The world has also entered apocalyptic mode. Everyday more vampires, witches, and fey run the streets. Innocent people are dying. The Mark of Malefiscus is showing up everywhere. And I’m the only one who can stop it.

The only problem is I have to die in order to do so. And I have to let Alex die. Something I’m not sure I can do.

The final story in this series is great and does not disappoint readers because Gemma and Alex finally reveal their feelings for one another.

The story was action packed from the start and I found it hard to put the book down because it has so may twists which kept me turning those pages.

While reading the book I was wondering why it was called The Promise until Jessica brought in the blood promise that Gemma and Alex had made in secret as kids, at first you don't realise how important that, that blood promise is going to be.

I loved how there was two different endings the vision and the actual ending. While reading the book and reading about the vision and how the world would end was heartbreaking knowing that the two characters you have loved threw the whole series are going to die and then reading about how they both make deals to save the another was great it shown how much they really cared for each other.

I think Jessica did an amazing job of tying up every last detail in the last book so you weren't left wanting a fifth book (although most Fallen Star readers would love this series to go on forever).

I can't wait to get started in the spin off series Fallen Souls, because I want to read more about Gemma and Alex.

Here is Loadedshelves review of The Promise.

Saturday Review

I have decided that because I never seem to post my book reviews on the blog until months after reading the books and writing them I am going to start posting them every other Saturday even around essay times so that my blog has constantly got reviews up and I am also constantly reading.

I am not a very fast reader so if I post a review every fortnight then I am allowing myself a fortnight to finish a book which is roughly how long it takes me to finish a book anyway.

Around essay months (December, January, February, April and May) reviews may take a little longer to go up as I will need to concentrate more on my essays than I do on posting my reviews but once my essays are finished I will try and catch up on my reviews by posting once a week so that I am up to date.

I have made a Saturday Review banner so that it's just like all my other meme's

Top 10 Tuesday

This weeks Top 10 Tuesday is book's to movie adaptations

1. Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia
2. My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult
3. The Hunger Games - Susanne Collins
4. Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
5. Twilight Saga - Stephanie Meyer
6. Charlotte's Web - E. B. White
7. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronté
8. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
9. Tilly Trotter - Catherine Cookson
10. Snow White and The Huntsman - Lily Blake