Thursday 30 April 2015

Book Review: Gone Too Far by Natalie D. Richards

Gone Too Far by Natalie D. Richards
Publication Date: January 6th, 2015
Format: Library book

Keeping secrets ruined her life. But the truth might just kill her.

Piper Woods can't wait for the purgatory of senior year to end. She skirts the fringes of high school like a pro until the morning she finds a notebook with mutilated photographs and a list of student sins. She's sure the book is too gruesome to be true, until pretty, popular Stella dies after a sex-tape goes viral. Everyone's sure it's suicide, but Piper remembers Stella's name from the book and begins to suspect something much worse.

Drowning in secrets she doesn't want to keep, Piper's fears are confirmed when she receives an anonymous text message daring her to make things right. All she needs to do is choose a name, the name of someone who deserves to be punished...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21900147-gone-too-far


I feel like this book is sort of akin to Pretty Little Liars - with the anonymous texting and such. But instead of receiving threats, Piper's given the power to choose who's secrets will be thrown out in the open. It's how these secrets are revealed that really makes me think its similar to the TV show/ book series. So, in a sense, it's reverse to what the TV show is doing. (I have yet to watch the fifth season yet, though, so no spoilers please!)

This all starts from Piper randomly finding a notebook filled with random facts about her classmates. Or.. she assumes. All the names in the book are replaced with nicknames and it's difficult to figure out who are who until she started to see a connection between herself and some of her classmates. It doesn't mean much, other than someone just keeping track of other people's actions, until one of the classmates killed herself as a result of bullying.

This is when the random texting start from the stranger that Piper's not quite sure who it's from. But the message is loud and clear: 

"Send me a name. Make them pay."

 With the thought of her former classmate still fresh in her mind, she sets the aim at the bully as the first victim. As promise, they receive their paid dues and get embarrassed in front of the school. But it doesn't just end there... the texter keeps texting her for more names who deserves to be embarrassed and punished publically in front of everyone. As the texting keeps going and going, she realizes that she can't turn back now. Especially since there's a secret that could tear her world apart if she refuses to cooperate. When you're backed in a corner... what is there to do?
 This was a simple 'cat and mouse' book but I enjoyed this book. As simple as it was, it really does make you think about things in a different light. It's so easy to just assume that some people are horrible by their own actions but this book shows that things truly are not what they seem.

I think, needless to say, my mind was stuck on Pretty Little Liars while I was reading this book. I don't know if I should be mildly ashamed or not. I know that it's going to be a while til Season 6 will be released, so if you're looking to find something while you wait for PLL... this book will definitely whet your appetite. This is also a standalone book so you don't have to commit to about eighteen books (I actually had to look up how many books there were and I never ever realized how many books there were in this series til now... wow!) at least.

All in all, it's a light read and I definitely recommend it. Even if you aren't a fan of Pretty Little Liars. Errr... maybe I should shush about that show now... yeah...



Wednesday 29 April 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, my most anticipated release is:


A Gathering of Shadows (A Darker Shade of Magic #2) by V. E. Schwab
Expected Publication: February 23rd, 2016

Warning: Spoilers for A Darker Shade of Magic!

Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20764879-a-gathering-of-shadows?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b&search_version=service

The book cover has been revealed last night and a lot of book bloggers have been getting extremely hyped up over it! I don't blame him - after all, V. E. Schwab is slowly becoming a renowned author. The fact that she's writing her books while working through her Graduate degree... who wouldn't be impressed? Nonetheless... I'm so excited!! I still need to pick up her books eventually... 


V. E. Schwab is the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, which was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2013, a Booklist Noteable Reading List winner, and the American Library Association Top Pick for 2014. She is also the author of a number of novels for young adults, including The Near Witch, The Archived, and The Unbound.

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Tuesday 28 April 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Are LGBTQIA+


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.

This week topic is: Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who Are LGBTQIA+

(I hope this notification isn't necessary but, just in case, please no bashing or anything...)

Clicking on the photo will send you to each of the book's Goodreads page.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9415946-huntress?ac=1https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15797050-pantomime?ac=1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10744752-adaptationhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6472451-ash

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18367581-afterworlds?from_search=true&search_version=servicehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11672159-the-dark-wife

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20345202-the-girl-at-midnight?from_search=true&search_version=servicehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13453104-the-summer-prince?from_search=true&search_version=service

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20958632-the-darkest-part-of-the-forest?ac=1https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23431526-under-my-skin?from_search=true&search_version=service


Can you guys think of other books that fit the criteria listed above? Also, what what your top ten for this week?

Have a wonderful day, everyone!


Compulsion Audiobook Blitz! Sample + Giveaway


Release Date: 10/28/14
Narrated by: Joell A. Jacob
Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins 
Simon Pulse/Tantor Audio
448 pages
Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.


Listen to an audiobook sample:



Praise for Compulsion:

"Skillfully blends rich magic and folklore with adventure, sweeping romance, and hidden treasure . . . An impressive start to the Heirs of Watson Island series." —Publishers Weekly
     
"Eight Beaufort is so swoon-worthy that it's ridiculous. Move over Four, Eight is here to stay!"  —RT Book Reviews, RT Editors Best Books of 2014

"Darkly romantic and steeped in Southern Gothic charm, you'll be compelled to get lost in the Heirs of Watson Island series." —JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A fresh twist on the Southern Gothic -- haunting, atmospheric, and absorbing." —CLAUDIA GRAY, New York Timesbestselling author of A Thousand Pieces of You and the Evernight and Spellcaster series 
    
"A stunningly magical debut with a delicious slow burn to be savored. I want to live in this story world!" —WENDY HIGGINS, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet Evil trilogy

"Beautifully written, with vivid characters, a generations-old feud, and romance that leaps off the page, this Southern ghost story left me lingering over every word, and yet wanting to race to the compelling finish. Compulsion is not to be missed." —MEGAN SHEPHERD, author of The Madman's Daughter

Check out book 2! Pretty cover alert!!


PERSUASION (HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND, BOOK 2) 
Beautiful Creatures meets Gone With the Wind
As reporters chasing rumors of a stolen shipment of Civil War gold descend on Watson Island, Barrie Watson discovers more is buried at Colesworth Place than treasure. A mysterious, magical man claims the key to the Watson and Beaufort gifts and the Colesworth curse also lies beneath the mansion, and Barrie has no option but to help him find it. While she and Eight Beaufort struggle to make sense of the escalating danger and their growing feelings for each other, Barrie must decide not only whom to trust, but which gift is more reliable—Eights or her own. With the fate of the founding families at stake, she has to choose between what she feels deep in her heart and what will keep her loved ones safe.

Pre-Order Links:
IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon |  Book Depository | Goodreads

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She fell in love with words and never stopped delighting in them.


She’s the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site devoted to encouraging literacy and all this YA Series.
From her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, children, and Auggie the wonder dog, she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she’d love to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.


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Book Blitz Organized by:


Monday 27 April 2015

Love Always, Damian Cover Reveal + Giveaway



Pretty cover alert!!! And by that I mean pretty GUY alert :o Who's read the first book in the series? If you haven't, click below.

Born and raised in Iowa, d. Nichole King writes her stories close to home. There's nothing like small-town Midwest scenery to create the perfect backdrop for an amazing tale.

She wrote her first book in junior high and loved every second of it. However, she couldn't bring herself to share her passion with anyone. She packed it away until one day, with the encouragement of her husband, she sat down at the computer and began to type. Now, she can't stop.

When not writing, d. is usually curled up with a book, scrapbooking, or doing yet another load of laundry.

Along with her incredible husband, she lives in small-town Iowa with her four adorable children and their dog, Peaches.

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one." --George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

Twitter // Website // Facebook // Goodreads



Sunday 26 April 2015

Book Cover Reveal: Beyond The Sea by Emily Goodwin

http://xpressobooktours.com/

Beyond the Sea (Beyond the Sea #1) by Emily Goodwin 
Publication date: April 28th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Stay away from the surface. Remain hidden at all times. Never fall in love with a human…but rules are meant to be broken.

After the brutal murder of her sister, Melia is forced to flee from the only place she’s ever called home, the Pacific Ocean, leaving her life as a merrow behind and pretending to be human.

Peter Anderson is just trying to get through college when Melia walks into his life. He knows there is something different about her, and it’s not just that she lives alone in a mansion overlooking the ocean, spending all her time with Jamie Forester, the only goth girl in the sunny town of San Morado.

Worlds collide when Melia must make a life or death decision, and risk being seen in order to save Peter from drowning. Knowing that falling in love with a human is forbidden, Melia resists her attraction to Peter, but soon she finds herself in love with him…and in danger.

Melia knows love might not be enough to protect them from the dangers that lurk in the deep waters she once called home.

They say love knows no boundaries, but can it survive the darkest depths of the ocean?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13494641-beyond-the-sea?ac=1



Emily Goodwin is the author of the award winning Contagium Series published by Permuted Press as well as many independently published novels, including the internationally bestselling novel, STAY. Emily writes in a wide variety of genres, from horror to romance. She holds multiple degrees in psychology and nursing and has worked in mental health and general healthcare. Emily resides in Indiana with her husband, daughter, and German Shepherd named Vader. Along with writing, Emily enjoys riding her horse, designing and making costumes, and Cosplay.

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