Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
Release Date:
April 30, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Publisher

Summary

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

Julie Kagawa has a way with paranormal creatures. She’s mastered fairies and now vampires. What should she tackle next? Witches? Zombies? I think I’d prefer witches. But we’re going to have to wait, because she still has so much left to offer in the vampire realm. The Eternity Cure is just as strong and fun as The Immortal Rules.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Manga Mondays #147: Swan vol. 5 by Kyoko Ariyoshi

Manga Mondays Meme


I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog almost 3 years ago. It started out as a personal feature, but I decided to turn it into a meme last year. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme is a great way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Swan vol. 5 by Kyoko Ariyoshi


Summary

As the only exception to the Japan Ballet Association's scholarship program, underdog dancer Hijiri Masumi trains hard every day with other students who have all won the right to train under the best dance instructors. Because Masumi's technique leaves much to be desired, master instructor and genius dancer Alexei Sergeiev demands that she return to the basics to improve her technique. Masumi practices diligently, so that she will be chosen as one of three student performers in the Japan Ballet Company's special performance in Moscow. Eventually, some of the ballet students depart for various destinations around the world to further their dance careers. As Alexei leaves for Moscow, he reminds her once again to master the basics, because her journey has just begun. Hearing this heartening message, Masumi vows to work hard, and returns to the ballet studio to practice, only to find a handsome new foreign student has arrived. Will this newcomer support her in her quest to develop as a dancer, or will romantic entanglements become an obstacle? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Drama-rama! What would a shoujo manga be without drama overload. Yet this isn't the same form of romantic melodrama that we see so often in manga. Instead, it's all about the high stakes audition for a role in Swan Lake.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday #146

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy #2) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Release Date:
March 1, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Publisher

Summary

Just weeks after Sage has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Sage feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Sage is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom? (courtesy of Goodreads with name changes by me.)

Review

The Runaway King is the follow-up to The False Prince. The False Prince was my favorite book of 2012. I've already read it 3 times! The Runaway King is just as good as its predecessor, although in a different way.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


If I Should Die by Amy Plum
Publish Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen

*I'm a huge fan of the Die For Me series. I can't wait to finish off the series!

You must pre-order If I Should Die today! Amazon has an incredible deal. If I Should Die is only $1.99 on Kindle pre-order!!!!! I couldn't believe it!

Also, Die For Me is currently only $1.99 on Kindle.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

*I'm back from my vacation!!! I got home late last night, but was so exhausted that I didn't get a post scheduled. Or get Manga Monday up. Trying to get back to normal today. I had a great time on my cruise. I came back from 80+ degree Florida to snow in Montana. Lovely.

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Release Date:
April 24, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Library

Summary

Sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared.

And that was before she died...and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Unraveling is one of those books that is a lot of fun if you don't try to read too much into it. It is full of action and surprising twists and turns. The characters are intriguing and the romance is...well...romantic. Why am I sticking with such generic terms? Mostly because this isn't a book that breaks any new paranormal grounds. There's lots to criticize if you so choose, but you can also chomp it down with a smile like a bag of M&Ms.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday #145


Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Bar Exam and Vacation

Hey guys. Guess what?! I passed the Bar Exam. As a reward (well not specifically as a reward but well timed), I am going on a Caribbean cruise starting today.

So I'm taking the week off from the blog except for Follow Friday. See you next week!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday #144


Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg
Release Date:
March 1, 2013
Publisher: Poppy
Source: Borrowed

Summary

Don't mess with a girl with a great personality!

Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Elizabeth Eulberg is one of the top writers of light, satisfying YA contemporary fiction. Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality is her fourth book and probably the best one yet (although Prom & Prejudice is my favorite).

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
Publish Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen

*I finally got around to reading Sweet Evil and I'm excited for the follow-up.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Release Date:
April 2, 2013
Publisher: Poppy
Source: Borrowed

Summary

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Jennifer E. Smith is becoming known for two things: (1) light, satisfying contemporary YA romances and (2) novels with really long titles. This Is What Happy Looks Like is indeed a good illustration of "happy." The world looks like a happier place after reading this book. You'll have a spring in your step.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Manga Mondays #146: Swan vol. 4 by Kyoko Ariyoshi

Manga Mondays Meme


I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog almost 3 years ago. It started out as a personal feature, but I decided to turn it into a meme last year. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme is a great way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Swan vol. 4 by Kyoko Ariyoshi


Summary

As the only exception to the Japan Ballet Association's scholarship program, underdog dancer Hijiri Masumi trains hard every day with other students who have all won the right to train under the best dance instructors. Because Masumi's technique leaves much to be desired, master instructor and genius dancer Alexei Sergeiev demands that she return to the basics to improve her technique. Masumi practices diligently, so that she will be chosen as one of three student performers in the Japan Ballet Company's special performance in Moscow. Eventually, some of the ballet students depart for various destinations around the world to further their dance careers. As Alexei leaves for Moscow, he reminds her once again to master the basics, because her journey has just begun. Hearing this heartening message, Masumi vows to work hard, and returns to the ballet studio to practice, only to find a handsome new foreign student has arrived. Will this newcomer support her in her quest to develop as a dancer, or will romantic entanglements become an obstacle? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Hijiri has made it to London after a brief stopover in Moscow turned into two volumes. I feel like we don't get as much British culture as we did in Moscow. Not that we get a lot of Russian culture either, but I have a feeling that the author was fascinated by Russia and used London merely as a change of scenery.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday #143

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.



How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

Our Feature - Book Cupid



1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging last December. Kept pushing the idea away saying I have no idea how to run a blog. But I still gave it shot and don't regret it one bit.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

Fellow bloggers!! It is so refreshing to comment with other readers. I was getting tired of talking to myself about Jace Wayland.

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I blog about YA and Middle-Grade books.

4. What is your favorite book(s)?

The Harry Potter series, Vampire Academy, The Gathering, Divergent... (we're going to run out of space)

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

Chatting up with Indie authors like Jen Minkman and T. Rae Mitchell. As a writer it encourages me to see that hard work does pay off in the end.

Q: Have you ever read a book that you thought you would hate -- ? Did you end up hating it? Did you end up loving it? Or would you never do that?


I'm in a bit of a hurry tonight so I'm going to take the less creative approach with my book choices. Good thing they both fit into this category!

Harry Potter and Twilight

Harry Potter: I hated fantasy prior to HP. I read it the summer I worked at Barnes & Noble only because everybody else was reading it. To my great surprise, I ended up falling in love with it. My obsession with all things HP has only grown over the years.

Twilight: I didn't read Twilight until October of 2008. By this time, the book was over-hyped and already controversial - even though the movies weren't out yet. I expected to find it to be a bit silly, but got hooked in immediately. Lately the series doesn't hold quite the cache that it once did, but I'm still a Twilight defender.


Now for the Follow Fun!

With GFC going the way of the dodo bird for many bloggers, there is no better time to start following blogs via RSS feed. If you use a reader, it would be great if you followed my RSS directly.



We have a new button, so update your blogs if you are used to doing this meme!

Alison Can Read Feature & Follow

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
  5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
  6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
CAPTCHA:
I have an updated CAPTCHA post!

If you have CAPTCHA word verification enabled on your blog, please take it off. It makes it much more difficult for readers to comment. Please look at my CAPTCHA Eradication Post to learn how to get rid of it.




Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg
Release Date:
April 1, 2013
Publisher: Point
Source: Won

Summary

From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Elizabeth Eulberg is one of my favorite contemporary YA authors. I fell in love with her when I read Prom and Prejudice. Her third book, Take A Bow is just as wonderful! (although I have a soft spot in my heart for Prom and Prejudice).

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Wasteland Blog Tour: Interview and GIVEAWAY!


Wasteland by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan
Date Published: March 26, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen


Summary

Welcome to the Wasteland. Where all the adults are long gone, and now no one lives past the age of nineteen. Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan’s post-apocalyptic debut is the first of a trilogy in which everyone is forced to live under the looming threat of rampant disease and brutal attacks by the Variants —- hermaphroditic outcasts that live on the outskirts of Prin. Esther thinks there’s more to life than toiling at harvesting, gleaning, and excavating, day after day under the relentless sun, just hoping to make it to the next day. But then Caleb, a mysterious stranger, arrives in town, and Esther begins to question who she can trust. As shady pasts unravel into the present and new romances develop, Caleb and Esther realize that they must team together to fight for their lives and for the freedom of Prin.

Author Interview


Please welcome Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan to Alison Can Read! I'm so excited to be a part of Wasteland's blog tour. Thanks Susan and Laurence for such thoughtful answers to my questions!

1. Tell us a little about Wasteland.

LAURENCE: Set in the near-future, “Wasteland” presents a world beset by a water-borne disease which claims the lives of everyone by age nineteen. In the town of Prin, all precious resources—including clean water—are controlled by one despotic boy. A feisty girl, Esther, and a haunted boy, Caleb, must join forces to defeat him.

2. Logistically, how did it work team-writing a book? Did you switch chapters, team write everything, or something else?

SUSAN: Laurence and I had co-written two graphic novels before, but those were relatively easy because they were screenplays. In other words, the exact words don’t really matter when you’re writing stage directions (e.g. “he pulls a dead alien fetus out of the boy’s mouth”). But with a novel, of course, every single word, every comma, counts! We spent months working out the story and writing up an outline. Then we broke that down first into acts, then into chapters. The actual writing was done separately: Laurence wrote the first chapter, then me, then him. Afterward, we flipped our work to the other person, who rewrote it, often quite heavily. We did this about a zillion times, and finally, we sat down together and went through the whole book together. Altogether, it took twenty-three years. (Well, not really… it just felt that way sometimes!)

3. You've written several graphic novels, plays, and screenplays. What drew you to the YA dystopia realm?

SUSAN: We were drawn to it for several reasons. First of all, we love it for writer-ish reasons: dystopia means automatic high stakes, life and death situations, and the constant tension brought on by limited resources. All of those things are so awesome to play with when you’re constructing a story! Not to mention it’s a genre where you can let your imagination go wild, which we both love. And lastly, I think both of us have a similar kind of anxiety about things going on in the world today when it comes to the environment, new diseases, the imbalance of wealth worldwide, and climate change. Writing YA dystopian lets us explore our worst nightmares in a way that’s challenging, cathartic… and tons of fun.

4. What are some of your favorite YA books? Either new or older.

LAURENCE: I’ll stick with books from the past, so as not to offend people. Some of my favorite books about young people are “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, and “Empire of the Sun” by J G. Ballard.

SUSAN: Wow, there are so many! I love everything from His Dark Materials to Speak to Lord of the Flies to The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing to The Chocolate Wars.

5. What is one piece of writing advice that you found really useful beyond the typical read a lot and write a lot?

SUSAN: LOL… you’re right, that’s usually what I tell people, because it’s true! I guess the most useful piece of advice I ever received was also the scariest. It came from Curt Dempster, who used to run the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City. I had an actual career at the time and was writing one-act plays at night, and he suggested I take six months off from work to commit to writing full-time. He said, “You may end up hating it and returning to your job, but at least you’ll know you tried.” In other words, he wanted me to try taking writing seriously, to make it a daily discipline as opposed to what was basically a hobby. I did what he said and it was horribly difficult for a long time… but I never regretted it. For me, it was the perfect advice I needed to at the perfect time.

LAURENCE: “It’s not confidence, it’s commitment.” Someone once told me that once, and it comes in handy when you’re doubting yourself or things aren’t going too well.

Blog Tour: Check out all the Wasteland Blog Tour posts!

Monday, March 25th – SciFi Chick – guest post
Tuesday, March 26th – The Irish Banana – author interview
Wednesday, March 27th – IB BookBlogging - character profile/excerpt
Thursday, March 28th – The Nocturnal Library – guest post
Friday March 29th – Candace’s Book Blog – author interview

Monday, April 1st – The Book Swarm – this or that list
Tuesday, April 2nd – Supernatural Snark – character profile/excerpt
Wednesday, April 3rd – Alison Can Read – author interview
Thursday, April 4th – Bewitched Bookworms – guest post
Friday, April 5th – Alice Marvels – guest post


GIVEAWAY!


Thanks to HarperTeen, three winners will each receive a copy of WASTELAND! Each tour stop will post the same Rafflecopter giveaway for people to enter, so if you've entered the giveaway on another blog, it may not let you enter again. The giveaway is US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Release Date:
February 12, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Bought

Summary

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Richelle Mead has a talent for delivering consistently satisfying, swoon worthy novels. Indigo Spell is no exception. Sydney moves further along the path towards independence from the Alchemists and love with Adrian - I'm not saying this as a spoiler. I think we all know that's what will eventually happen. It's the journey that will surprise us.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Manga Mondays #145: Swan vol. 3 by Kyoko Ariyoshi

Manga Mondays Meme


I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog almost 3 years ago. It started out as a personal feature, but I decided to turn it into a meme last year. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme is a great way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Swan vol. 3 by Kyoko Ariyoshi


Summary

When three of her talented classmates are chosen for a special performance in Russia, the ballet capital of the world, Hijiri Masumi is included in the group as a backstage crewmember. When opening night arrives, the Russians are pleasantly surprised at the skill of the young Japanese dancers, especially Kyogoku Sayoko. The Russians immediately consider Sayoko for a lead role in their upcoming Bolshoi Ballet performance until stress and fatigue deal a terrible blow to Sayoko and she tears an Achilles tendon! Fate shines on Masumi as she is selected as the substitute dancer. Can she give the performance of her life on this world stage? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Several volumes into Swan, I think it is a fascinating, but sometimes frustrating manga series. I love the art. Ariyoshi has a fabulous way of showing movement in her drawings, by showing a freeze frame of a dancer at each stage of a leap or jump. I love the detailed backdrops of the dance scenes.