Feature and Follow Friday #122

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

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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.

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Dreamless (Starcrossed #2) by Josephine Angelini
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library

Summary

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out--a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling "Starcrossed" delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Do you ever have a book that you really want to read, but you're just not in the mood for? Dreamless was that kind of book. Even though I'd been anticipating it for months, when it finally arrived from the library, it didn't interest me. Still, I figured that I might as well read it and opened up the first page. Less than 24 hours later, I closed the book after 487 pages rearing with exciting and dreading the months wait for the third book. Dreamless was a thrilling ride and kept up with the fascinating plot and great romance of Starcrossed.

Waiting on Wednesday: 2013 Titles I'm Dying For

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

It's been a very, very long time since I've done Waiting on Wednesday. There are several books that I'm drooling over that are coming out in early 2013.

Here we go:

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

-Bloodlines #3. Cannot wait!!!!!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

-I loved Cinder. I can't wait to read more from Marissa.

This Is What Happiness Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

-After reading The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, I'll read everything Jennifer writes.

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

-Love Lindsey's books.

If I Should Die by Amy Plum

-One of my favorite series in the past few years.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

-Gayle writes such incredible, emotional books.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

-I really enjoyed Victoria's book The Near Witch. I want to see what she does next.

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Library

Summary

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Richelle Mead knows how to deliver. In Bloodlines, she created a fascinating backdrop where vampires masquerade among humans at a boarding school. A prominent Moroi royal is in danger and is being hidden here in Palm Springs. Sydney the Alchemist is tasked with concealing the identities Jill and the other moroi and dhampirs. It makes for some great plot lines, but who am I kidding? Why am I really reading this series? Two words: Sydney. Adrian.

Manga Mondays #127: Afterschool Charisma vol. 1 by Kumiko Suekane

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. 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 would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Afterschool Charisma vol. 1 by Kumiko Suekane

Summary

History repeats itself... Or does it? St. Kleio Academy is a very exclusive school: all of the students are clones of famous historical figures such as Beethoven, Queen Elizabeth I, Napoleon, Mozart, and Freud. All of them, that is, except for Shiro Kamiya. As Shiro struggles to adapt to this unusual campus, St. Kleio's first graduate, the clone of John F. Kennedy, is killed. Are the clones doomed to repeat the fate of their genetic progenitors, or can they create their own destinies? And how does a normal boy like Shiro fit in? (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.

Can you imagine a school made up entirely of clones? Not just any clones, but the clones of infamous historical figures. From the revered (Florence Nightingale) to the talented (Mozart and Marie Curie) to the hated (Hitler). St. Kleio Academy has them all. Except for Shiro. He's the son of the academy director and the only non-clone in school.

Feature and Follow Friday #121

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.

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Source: Library

Summary

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

In a world crowded with paranormal romance, an author has to work really hard to stand out. Rachel Hawkins does just that with her Hex Hall series. How? Humor. Snark. Like many well done paranormal romances, the Hex Hall series features a well developed world, a surprising plot, likable characters, and an enticing romance. But the use of dry wit alongside life threatening scenarios in a way that complements the tension rather than seeming out of place makes the Hex Hall series special.