Book Review: Fade Out

Title: Fade Out
Series:Morganville Vampires (Book #7)
Author: Rachel Caine
Published: 2009

Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected.

My Thoughts:
In Fade Out things are almost going back to normal (or eve better) in Morganville, the huge danger is gone, and only minor problems and trouble comes Claire's way. Fade Out is therefor not as action packed as previous books, and Claire's situation isn't constantly life-threatening. The book was a bit slow in the beginning - because lets face it, reading about car races and huge fights are more thrilling than reading about theater rehearsals.

What I love the most about this series is its fantastic characters. I've mentioned Myrnin as a favorite of mine in previous reviews, and Oliver is another. Oliver is kind of Morganville's professor Snape - a person you love to hate (or hate to love) and never can be sure of whose side he is on.

Although Fade Out wasn't my favorite book in the series, each book in the Morganville series are a fast and fun read, so if you decide to try the books, you're in for a treat!

Rating: 3 of 5

Previous books in this series:
1. Glass Houses
2. The Dead Girl's Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools
5. Lord of Misrule
6. Carpe Corpus

Waiting on Wednesday (12/29)

Title: Babe in Boyland
Author: Jody Gehrman
Release Date: February 17th

Natalie is Dr. Aphrodite, the love guru for her high school paper. But Natalie's relationship advice is totally bombing, especially when it comes to knowing what guys really think and want. When she tries to investigate, the guys in her class won't give her serious or straight answers.

The only solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boys boarding school in town. There "Nat" learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected--especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

Love the sound of this one! Sounds very similar to the movie "She's the Man", which was very funny!

In My Mailbox: Christmas Edition

Bought:

Nailed - Jennifer Laurens

One girl. Two guys. Who says three's a crowd? When Mandy takes an unusual summer job-in construction-she has to prove she's just one of the guys. But she gets more than she bargains for being the only girl on the job. The mixture of hot guys, sunscreen, raw wood and testosterone proves to be an elixir she can't protect her heart from. Brooding Boston and flirty AJ find themselves looking at Mandy as more than just a girl who holds a hammer. Mandy soon finds herself not only lost in a whirlwind of a male-dominated world, but also the center of an inadvertently "constructed" love triangle. Mandy must choose between two guys who want her heart. But what's a girl to do when she wants them both?(less

Christmas gifts:

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?


The Dark Divine - Bree Despain
A Prodigal Son
A Dangerous Love
A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

I've been wanting to read all of these books for so long, and I'm so happy to finally be able too! :D. Did you get any books for Christmas?

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to all of you!

Waiting on Wednesday

Title: Cloaked
Author: Alex Flinn
Release Date: February 8th

Think you know paranormal romance? Alex Flinn gives the genre a twist in this modern fairy-tale mash-up!

Johnny’s not your average hero. But a little magic changes everything. There isn’t a fairy godmother or any of that. It all starts with a curse. And a frognapping. And one hot-looking princess. And before Johnny knows it, he is on a mission in the Everglades, with only a flock of swans and a talking fox named Joe to help guide him against the forces of an evil witch.

Maybe I'm stupid, but I can't tell which fairytale this is a retelling of... it sounds good though!

Mini Reviews (XII)

Love, Lies and Lizzie - Rosie Rushton
For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn? What would happen if Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was set in the twenty-first century? When Mrs Bennet inherits enough money to move to the kind of village she has always dreamed of, her daughters find themselves swept up in a glamourous life of partying and countryside pursuits. But Lizzie and her sisters soon discover that, beneath the very smart surface, lurks a web of intrigue and rivalries . . .

Love, Lies and Lizzie is a retelling of Austen's famous Pride and Prejudice. Since I am among the few who never have read the book, or even seen one of the movie adaptions (gasp!) I wasn't sure what to expect from this story. And while I recognized the names of some characters, I still didn't know what their motives where or what they had in store for Lizzie.

It's hard to say if people who know the story will enjoy this book more than people who have never read Pride and Prejudice!

This book was a bit confusing at first, it was hard to keep track of all the Bennet sisters! But after putting this book away for a couple of weeks I started reading it today - and finished it in a few hours! And it was quite enjoyable :) A nice read, but far from the best book I've read.

Rating: 3 of 5





The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han

Some summers are just destined to be pretty.

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

This book reminded me a lot of the book The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols; it's about a girl spending her summer in a house by the water, hanging out with two brothers and having a crush on the older one of said brothers.

Present events are mixed up with Belly's memories from previous summers. For me, the memories wasn't that fun to read, and I actually skipped a few of them...

I thought I had this book all figured out, but then Belly surprised me by picking the other brother! Which was a nice change! (But hey, still two books to go! Things can change.) The sequel called It's Not Summer Without You is already realeased, so I think I'll borrow it from the library to find out what will happen to Belly :)

I guess this book was an okay read, but I found it quite boring at times. Many other reviewers seem to love this story though, so maybe it just wasn't my kind of book. In my opinion The Boys Next Door & Endless Summer is much better! ;)

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Book Review: My Soul To Steal

Title: My Soul To Steal
Series: Soul Screamers (Book #4)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Release Date: January 1, 2011

YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

I DON’T THINK SO.

My Thoughts: My Soul To Steal picks up a few weeks after My Soul To Keep left off. While the immediate danger is over, Kayla's life is far from fuss-free! The wounds from Nash's betrayal are deep and her trust in him is gone. They're both devastated and miserable, and this book is more emotional and raw than previous installments.

Nash has changed so much since the last time we saw him. Gone is the confident, popular and charismatic Nash. The new Nash is broken and lost, and he is no longer Kayla's secure rock. Can Kayla's trust in him ever be reinstalled?

But relationship problems isn't all Kayla has to worry about - Alec, who she saved from the Netherworld, is temporary staying at her house, and getting him adjusted to human life again isn't easy, especially not when he seem so confused from time to time...

Kayla thought school would be a safe-haven, a place where she could feel normal - but she was wrong, Something or someone is killing of Kayla's teachers, one by one... And as if that wasn't enough - Simone, the new girl in school, turns out to be Nash's ex-girlfriend and she is determined to get him back!

Simone was definitely an interesting character, and Vincent made a great job developing her. She was redoubtable, manipulating and smart -she used Nash and Kayla's emotions to turn them against each other.

I have to say that Tod continues being my favorite character, he's fun and incredibly sweet towards Kayla. I love how he takes her side against Nash, and how he chooses to become visible only for her. In this book there are a few signs that Tod may like Kayla more than just a friend (it might just be me imagining things because I love Tod) and I can't wait to see how that develops in future books!

This series is getting better with each installment, and so is Vincent's writing and story-telling. Very impressing!

Don't miss this book in stores on January 1st!

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Previous books in this series:
My Soul To Lose (free prequel novella)
My Soul To Take (#1)
My Soul To Save (#2)
My Soul To Keep (#3)
Reaper (free novella)

Book Source: E-book from netGalley

Waiting on Wednesday (12/15)

Title: Timeless
Author: Alexandra Monir
Release Date: January 11, 2011

When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

Oh time-travelling! Doesn't this book sound interesting? It's definitely on my wish list!

Book Review: Wings

Title: Wings
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Published: 2009

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

My Thoughts: I've never been a fan of faerie books, so needless to say, I was very reluctant to read Wings. But I had read many good reviews of it, so when I spotted its colorful cover in a

the library shelf I decided to give it a try. And I am so very glad I did!

Aprilynne Pike has created a new kind of faeries; gone is the scheming faeries who is allergic to steal and lures children and other humans to destruction. No, Pike's faries are beautiful and very different from the stereotype.

What would a paranormal young adult book be without a love triangle? Wings definitely has a good one going on between David - Laurel's human best friend, and Tamani - the beautiful fearie who apparantly knew her when she was young. Laurel can't make up her mind about who she loves the most, but I think I have a favorite! ;)

Wings turned out to be a great read! There are mystery, science, some love - what more can you ask for? I definitely don't regret picking this book up at the library. In fact I'll go back there tomorrow to see if I can find the sequel Spells!

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Cover Combat: Angels on Sunset Boulevard

In Cover Combat, Swedish covers are being compared with the original US/UK covers of the same books. Today, the US and Swedish covers of Angels on Sunset Boulevard by Melissa de la Cruz are being compared!

US hardcover and paperback cover:

Swedish Cover (title: The Tattooed Angels):

It's interesting how the Swedish cover and the US paperback cover are similar and have the same theme. But - I like the other US cover better! The colors are nice, and the wings and text looks like a tattoo motive. Definitely my favorite!

Which cover do you like the most?

Waiting on Wednesday (12/8)

Title: Prom and Prejudice

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Release Date: January 1, 2011

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single guy in his spring semester at Pemberly Academy must be in want of a prom date.

After winter break, the girls at very prestigious, very wealthy, girls-only Longbourn Academy are suddenly obsessed with the prom, which they share with the nearby, equally elitist, all-boys Pemberly school. Lizzie Bennett, who attends Longbourn on scholarship, isn't exactly interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.

Lizzie is happy about her friend's burgeoning romance, but less than impressed by Will Darcy, Charles's friend, who's as snobby and pretentious as his friend is nice. He doesn't seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it's because her family doesn't have money. It doesn't help that Charles doesn't seem to be asking Jane to be his prom date, or that Lizzie meets George Wickham, who tells her that Will Darcy sabotaged his scholarship at Pemberly. Clearly Will Darcy is a pompous jerk who looks down on the middle class--so imagine Lizzie's surprise when he asks her to the prom!

Will Lizzie's prejudice and Will's pride keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? From Elizabeth Eulberg comes a very funny, completely stylish prom-season delight of Jane Austen proportions.

I recently read another Pride and Prejudice retelling, Love, Lies and Lizzie, so it would be fun to compare those two!

Waiting on Wednesday is created by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

Book Review: Carpe Corpus

Title: Carpe Corpus
Series: Morganville Vampires (Book 6)
Author: Rachel Caine
Published: 2009

In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace-until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants-the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?

My Thoughts: With no signs of Amelie and her allies, Bishop can do everything he wants with the town of Morganville, and its human and vampire residents. Claire Danvers and her friend Michael is forced against their wills to work for Amelie. As a result of this their friend Eve is now not talking to either of them.

But there is a group planning to fight and defeat Bishop, but since Claire is working for Bishop, they refuse to share their plans with her. So Claire sees no other choice than to continue following Bishop's orders to get what she wants the most - visit Shane. Needless to say, Claire is very frustrated and alone during this book, and she's not the only one!

Just like in the previous book, Morganville is in chaos! The battle isn't as intense this time though, not a first... but then the book ends with an exploding, dramatic conclusion, as the Morganville books usually does!

Rating: 4 of 5

Previous books in this series (linked to my reviews):

1. Glass Houses
2. The Dead Girl's Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools
5. Lord of Misrule

In My Malbox: Week 48

Won from Becky @ Stories & Sweeties:

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

I have heard great things about this series, so I was very excited to win this book! I think I'll have to get my hands on Beautiful Creatures before reading this one though!

Book Review: My Soul To Lose

Title: My Soul To Lose
Series: Soul Screamers (prequel)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: 2009

It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities....

My Thoughts: My Soul To Save is a prequel novella to the Soul Screamers series, and it's also available for free! You can download the novella in many formats, I chose to download it as an audio file. This was the first time I've listened to an audio book, and I really liked the format! I was amazed with how I could write a document and in the same time listen to the book with not missing one word of the book - talk about multitasking!


Now onto my thoughts about the book itself! If you are a fan of the series, My Soul To Lose definitely is an interesting addition. For the first time you read about what an unstoppable force Kayla's scream really is, and how she absolutely can't make it stop. You can't read about Kayla really screaming in any of the other books.



Lydia was an interesting character, with an interesting talent of her own, and I wouldn't be too surprised if she, or another person with the same talent as her, show up in coming Soul Screamers books.


For a person who hasn't read the Soul Screamers books yet My Soul To Lose might be a way to try the series for free. But they should know that the novella doesn't make the series justice, the books are much better!

Read & Watched in November

Books:
1. Love Sucks - Lauren Hammond (Review)
2. This. A Vampire Cure For Forever - Shaun Roundy (Review)
3. Wings - Aprilynne Pike (Review)
4. Love, Lies and Lizzie - Rosie Rushton (Mini Review)
5. My Soul To Lose - Rachel Vincent (Review)
6. The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han (Mini Review)
7. My Soul To Steal - Rachel Vincent (Review)

Movies:
1. Date Night
2. A Walk To Remember
3. Wall Street 2 - Money Never Sleeps
4. Going The Distance
5. Forever Strong

*RTC=Review To Come

In My Mailbox

Bought:

Endless Summer - Jennifer Echols

Library:

The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

NetGalley:

Populazzi - Elise Allen

Waiting on Wednesday: Last Sacrifice

Title: Last Sacrifice
Series: Vampire Academy #6
Author: Richelle Mead
Release Date: December 7, 2010

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them...

Last Sacrifice - the final installment in one of my favorite book series EVER! How can I not be excited for the release of this book??

Book Review: This. A Vampire Cure for Forever

Title: This. A Vampire Cure for Forever

Author: Shaun Roundy

Published: July 2010

Book blurb: Life happens one split second at a time. Sometimes one second makes all the difference, though you rarely know until long after it passes.

Can you identify a second that changed your life? Kayla Porter can. It's the moment she met Melissa Clayton. Along with Melissa's brother Ethan, their fates intertwined and pointed to one of their deaths.

But what is fate made of, anyway? Who decides who will live and who will die, what will happen, and whether or not anyone can interfere?

Follow this thrill-ride vampire novel from one insightful revelation to the next. Experience the thrill of romance and adrenaline as friends and enemies explore fresh boundaries in a world of opportunity that existed all along, right before their eyes, but that they never before considered.

My Thoughts: With close to 150 pages and 70 chapters this book is bound to be fast-paced and intense. And it sure is! There's never a dull moment and new twists and turns awaits with very new chapter.

I loved Kayla, the main character! She was such a realistic portrait of a 17-year-old. She was insecure and hopelessly in love with the most popular guy in school. She spent her days (and nights) daydreaming about him. But at first she did next to nothing to actually get to know him. Like she said herself "I suddenly grew aware of what a timid little life I had lived for as long as I could remember. I always dreamed big and did...nothing. I felt regret and a tinge of shame." and
"I understood that if i didn't do something about my daydreams, they would never come true. It scared me to think about taking the initiative when it came to Ethan, but the thought of doing nothing and letting another opportunity slip by left a sour spot in the pit of my stomach."

This book is full with small insights and realizations like these two, which showed character growth and gave depth to the novel.

It was easy to imagine yourself in Kayla's position, she could have been me, or any other teenage girl. And Kayla was far from the only character I liked, all characters no matter how small, was well developed and had characteristic personalities. One of my favorite characters was Melissa - the queen of great comebacks and social competence! The detention scene with Kayla, Melissa and Mitch was my favorite scene in the book -the dialogs were so fun! Sadly the dialog lost some of its quirkiness and quickness later in the book - but I guess you don't always have time to joke around in a matter of life and death!

As for the vampire part of the book, Roundy offered some new interesting aspects to vampirism, and finally gave an explanation to why the world isn't overpopulated with vampires!

The story is nicely stringed together in the end, and everything gets an explanation. But in the same time the door is left open for a sequel. A sequel I would gladly read! :)

So to sum up all my thoughts; This. is a quick and fun read filled with love, friendship, action, mystery, suspense and wisdom. Read it!

Rating: 4 of 5

Find out more about this book on its website: thisvampire.com!

In My Mailbox (11/21)

From NetGalley:

My Soul To Steal by Rachel Vincent

YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

I DON'T THINK SO.

I really like this series, so I'm very happy to be able to read and review My Soul To Steal, the latest installment!

Cover Combat: Hunger by Michael Grant

In Cover Combat, US covers are being compared to Swedish covers of the same books. Today the covers of HUNGER (Gone #2) by Michael Grant are competing!

US cover

Swedish cover

For me, this is an obvious Swedish victory - I love the Swedish cover! I really like the raw look in her eyes, filled with despair.

But now it's time for you to vote, which cover is your favorite?

You can find the Cover Combat for Gone (Book 1) here. (Swedish victory that time!)

Waiting on Wednesday: Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: December 2, 2010

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris until she meets Etienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna and readers have long awaited?

The summary of this book may sound good, but all reviews I have read of this book keeps describing how fantastic and amazing this book is! It's no wonder that Anna and the French Kiss is on top of my wishlist! :)

Book Review: Love Sucks

Title: Love Sucks
Author: Lauren Hammond
Published: 2010

In England during the seventeen hundreds, Cara Jones had her human life ended for her and she became a creature of the night. One moment she's an adolescent young woman living her life, the next she's lurking in the streets at night looking for her next meal. The vampire slayings in England became so brutal the whole race was nearly wiped out. So Cara and the clan she called her extended family fled to the U.S. to make a home. They kept to themselves and stayed out of trouble by feeding on recently deceased corpses and cleaning out blood supplies at local hospitals. When one of the clan members makes a mistake, they are once again being hunted and Cara is the only one who makes it out alive. Cara is officially the last vampire on earth. So when Cara awakes from a two hundred year slumber, she awakes to a new city, new people, and a new way of life. Cara sets out on a journey to find her soul mate, the one person who is designed for her. Along the way she encounters a zany new friend, a jealous co worker, and a man whom she can't live without. Dr. Jared Sayers is her destiny. Will Jared give up everything he knows to be with Cara? Or will she wander the earth for the rest of eternity alone?

My thoughts: Can you imagine waking up one day - as a vampire? This is what Cara does. Confused with her new strength and sudden blood lust, she soon puts two and two together and realizes that she is a vampire. And she takes this new insight impressively well! Why concern yourself with things you can't change? Cara quickly accepts her fate and adjusts to a new lifestyle. In my opinion Cara left her old life behind so easily that she came across as almost unemotional. One thing I admired about Cara though, was how brutally honest she was! She was so sure of herself and what she wanted, and told people about her feelings instead of playing games.

The idea for this story was really good, but it could have been executed better. The story suddenly jumped days or weeks ahead of time from one sentence to the next, which of course left me really confused! The characters and the scenes could have benefited from some developing and more descriptions, and the dialogs sometimes fell flat. But when you write a book in a novella format - it's understandable that you might have to offer some ingredients to fit the format!

About 1/3 into the novel Cara falls asleep - and wakes up about 300 years later, in the 21st century! (She must have been veeery tired!) Haven't we all wondered what people who lived in the 17th century would think if they saw the world today? Or how it would be to wake up in the future? Cara does exactly that, and she is amazed with the whole new world in front of her! People dress differently, act differently and talk differently, and there are so many new inventions to adjust to. And now, being the only vampire in the world, Cara is determined to find her soul mate. But things aren't as good as they seem, a man from Cara's past is surprisingly alive and out for revenge...

This event definitely added some suspense and danger to the story, and I couldn't wait to read the dramatic quietus.

But then, the novella ended with a cliffhanger! I really wasn't expecting that! Curious readers will have to wait for the sequel A Sucker For Love (2011) to read more about Cara's adventures!

Rating: 3 of 5

Read my review with Lauren Hammond here! Follow Lauren on Twitter or visit her website/blog here.

Mini Reviews (XI)

Mini Reviews of non-vampire books I have read lately.
Part XI: Romantic comedies edition


Forget You - Jennifer Echols
There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before...

Jennifer Echols has done it again! Written a great romantic book that is! While Forget You doesn't get past Going Too Far on my personal top list, it is a rich story with great characters. With Forget You Jennifer Echols strenghten her position as one of my favorite authors!

Rating: 4 of 5


Girls, Boys and Other Hazardous Materials - Rosalind Wiseman
Looking for a new beginning after a terrible mean girl past, Charlie Healey realizes there’s no escaping high school drama

Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life. Middle school was brutal. But high school is Charlie’s big chance to start over and stay out of drama, except that on her first day she runs into Will, her ex–best friend, who had moved away. Now a varsity athlete and hotter than Charlie remembered, Will hangs with the crowd running the school. But Charlie doesn’t understand their power until an innocent delivery guy falls victim to a near-deadly hazing prank...

I liked this book a lot! It was fun, realistic and very high school (I love books and movies set in high school) with football players, cheerleaders, beer kegs and yearbooks! (Did you know that the movie Mean Girls was based on one of Wiseman's books? So cool!) Girls, Boys and Other Hazardous Materials is Rosalind Wiseman's debut young adult novel - and what a debut it is. Well done! :)

Rating: 4.5 of 5


Split By a Kiss - Luisa Plaja
Jo has just moved to America with her mum. On her first day in her new school, she seems to be adopted by the It girls, and is invited to one of their parties. There, she meets Jake Matthews, officially the hottest boy in school, and when Jake wants to kiss her, she can't believe her luck. But the reality of being kissed by Jake is not quite as great as the fantasy... and Jo has a choice to make: should she carry on, kiss Jake and secure her position in the It crowd - or should she tell him where to get off and risk relegation back to the land of the ordinary...?

At this moment - Jo splits. She's Josie the Cool - girlfriend of Jake, member of the It crowd. She's also Jo the Nerd - rejected by the It crowd, single... Will her two halves ever come back together again?

Jo is literally split by a kiss! After the kiss Jo is split into two persons: Josie the cool, a girl who would do anything to stay in the it crowd, and Jo the Nerd: normal, boring Jo who believs standing true to to your beliefs and being yourself is more important than being popular. After the kiss the book follows both Jo and Josie's stories, in alternating chapters.

This is definitely an interesting and unusual format for me, which made the reading very fun! You can choose wether to read the book page by page as it is written, or choose to read either "cool Josie" or "nerdy Jo"´s story first, and later the other version. It's basically two books in one! :)

The book centers around the importance of great friendship, being yourself and standing up for your beliefs. Mix that up with humour, love and destiny - and you'll have a fun and sweet read!

Rating: 4 of 5

10 % off from the Book Depository?

Would you like a 10% off coupon from the Book Depository? Everyone who leaves a comment on this post with their e-mail addresses will get one! :)

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So, leave your email address if you're interested!

Book Review: Lord of Misrule

Title: Lord of Misrule
Series: Morganville Vampires (Book 5)
Author: Rachel Caine
Published: 2009

Summary: In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn’t the only threat.

Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.

My thoughts: This is what I'm talking about! Morganville Vampies at its best! Lord of Misrule is filled with action, war, love and surprises.

After Bishop's return Morganville is in chaos; the regular vampires vs humans fight is more distinct than ever, but now both vampires and humans are turning against their own kind, and won't stop at nothing until they rule Morganville. In this war, you will never know who's on your side, and who you can't trust - a lesson Claire will learn over and over again...

Morganville is never a safe place to stay in, but now it's worse than ever! Vampires and people go missing everyday, there are riots and tumult everywhere you look, and the city is literally burning. Then just when you think it can't get worse, a dangerous storm is heading towards Morganville...

Lord of Misrule also introduces us to a few new Morganville residents and one of them, Ada, was quite a character! Having created both Myrnin and Ada, I'm very impressed by Ms Cain's imagination and character development! I mean, how can you not love Myrnin in all his craziness?

Rating: 5 of 5

Previous books in this series:
1. Glass Houses
2. The Dead Girl's Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools

Waiting on Wednesday: The Mockingbirds

Title: The Mockingbirds
Author: Daisy Whitney
Release Date: November 2

Summary:
Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

This book sounds really good!

The Mockingbirds was released a week ago, so keep your eyes open for reviews of it (I know I am)!

Read & Watched in September & October

Read:
1. You - Charles Benoit
2. My Soul To Keep - Rachel Vincent
3. Split by a Kiss - Luisa Plaja
4. Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins
5. Feast of Fools - Rachel Caine
6. Lord of Misrule - Rachel Caine
7. Carpe Corpus - Rachel Caine


Movies:

1. My Brother's Girlfriend
2. The Killers
3. Knight and Day
4. The Joneses
5. The Last Song

Book Review: My Soul To Keep

Title: My Soul To Keep
Series: Soul Screamers (Book 3)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: 2010

Summary: Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.

Until something does.

Demon’s breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow, the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.

And when the epidemic hits too close to home, Kaylee will have to risk everything to save those she loves

My Thoughts: With the Soul Screamers books Rachel Vincent has created a fascinating tale created around banshee legends. The world she has created is vivid and believable, and I have to say that the Netherworld gives me chills!

This installment was pretty dark, and brought some new conflicts and problems into Kaylee's hard and far from perfect life. A person she trusts betrays her deeply in this book, but Kaylee stays strong and uncompromising for the things she believes in. Impressing!

As always, I have to say that I love Tod's character! I love his sarcasm and the way he treats Kaylee, so nice!

Lastly, if you haven't read this innovative series yet - pick it up right away! You won't regret it.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Book Review: Hex Hall

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Published: 2010

Summary: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her

My thoughts:At first, I didn't think Hex Hall was that original. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the book but it felt like I had read tons of books just like it before. Let's check, shall we:

* Girl finds out she's a witch/vampire/werewolf

* A spell goes wrong and she is sent off to a boarding school for kids just like her.

* At the boarding school the girl soon makes an enemy - the queen bee.

* To make their relationship even worse, the girl then falls in love with the queen bee's boyfriend, aka the most popular guy in school...

Think you have read anything like this before? I sure have.

But just when you think you have the whole book figured out, everything changes! The ending wasn't like I had expected, it was more intense, more dramatic and more surprising! I was left in chock and wanting to read the sequel right away! Sadly, that will have to wait until March next year (unless someone wants to throw an arc this way? :P)

Rating: 4 of 5

Book Review: Feast of Fools

Title: Feast of Fools
Series: Morganville Vampires (Book 4)
Author: Rachel Caine
Published: 2008

Summary: In Rachel Caine's fourth Morganville Vampires novel, the arrival of Bishop, an old-school vampire, to Claire Danvers's college town threatens the relative harmony that exists between the living and the dead.

My Thoughts: For being a genius, Claire Danvers is sometimes really stupid. After all hints she got, you think she would have figured out earlier that going to Bishop's welcome party wasn't a good idea...

Feast of Fools starts up just where Midnight Alley left off. That's one thing I love about the Morganville series, there's action right away! For this to work, each book has to end with a cliffhanger - which Feast of Fools certainly does! But between the action-filled beginning and ending, there isn't much action in Feast of Fools, it's just a long take-off run until we reach the welcome feast.

As always, I have to admire Caine's talent for making great characters, either good or bad, vampire or human, they all have their own striking personalities.

Lastly, I can't wait to read Lord of Misrule. I have a feeling that it will be filled with action!

Rating: 3.5 of 5

In My Mailbox (week 38)

From the library:
















Feast of Fools - Rachel Caine
Lord of Misrule - Rachel Caine
Carpe Corpus - Rachel Caine
Fade Out - Rachel Caine





















Love, Lies and Lizzie - Rosie Rushton
Wings- Aprilynne Pike

Waiting on Wednesday (9/22)

Title: Crescendo
Series: Hush Hush (Book 2)
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Release Date: October 19


Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

While Hush, Hush was a good book, I think Crescendo is going to be even better!

In My Mailbox: Week 37

Finally some new books to read! And finally some time to read (and hopefully blog)!
Here's what I got in my mailbox this week:

Bought:


Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Thanks everyone who helped me decide which book to buy!


From the library:

Split By a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Jo has just moved to America with her mum. On her first day in her new school, she seems to be adopted by the It girls, and is invited to one of their parties. There, she meets Jake Matthews, officially the hottest boy in school, and when Jake wants to kiss her, she can't believe her luck. But the reality of being kissed by Jake is not quite as great as the fantasy... and Jo has a choice to make: should she carry on, kiss Jake and secure her position in the It crowd - or should she tell him where to get off and risk relegation back to the land of the ordinary...?

At this moment - Jo splits. She's Josie the Cool - girlfriend of Jake, member of the It crowd. She's also Jo the Nerd - rejected by the It crowd, single... Will her two halves ever come back together again?



Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Ever since her parents were killed in a car accident when she was five, Elena Michaels has longed for a normal family life. Smart, beautiful, and engaged to be married, Elena hopes to fulfill that dream when disaster strikes. Not only has her fiancé lied about his secret life as a werewolf, but he's made her one, too. She has no choice but to join him at Stonehaven, the upstate New York home of an elite pack of werewolves.

In an attempt to break away, she moves to Toronto to lead a normal life. Working as a journalist, Elena now lives with her new architect boyfriend, works out in the basement gym of their high-rise apartment, lunches with girlfriends from the office, and —once a week, at four in the morning —runs naked and furred through a downtown Toronto ravine, ripping out the throats of her animal prey. But when a band of outlaw werewolves threatens the Stonehaven pack, Elena's feral instincts drive her back there to join the defense. What follows is a war for territory, for pride, and ultimately for Elena herself.

Waiting on Wednesday (9/15)

Title: Personal Demons
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Release Date: September 14, 2010

Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She's spent years keeping everyone at a distance—even her closest friends—and it seems her senior year will be more of the same...until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can't seem to stay away from him. What she doesn't know is that Luc works in Acquisitions—for Hell—and she possesses a unique skill set that has the King of Hell tingling with anticipation. All Luc has to do is get her to sin, and he’s as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance.

Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has other plans, and the angel, Gabe, is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that Luc doesn’t get what he came for. And it isn't long before they find themselves fighting for more than just her soul.

But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay…for all of them.

Sounds interesting! And isn't the girl on the cover very retro-Nancy Drew looking?

Cover Combat

In Cover Combat I compare Swedish covers to the US and/or UK covers of the same books. Today, I'm comparing the covers of Split By a Kiss by Luisa Plaja.

US/UK cover:


















Swedish cover:


















Both covers are fun and cute in my opinion, but I pick the Swedish cover based on its colors!
Which cover do you like the best?

Waiting on Wednesday (9/8)

Title: The Duff

Author: Kody Keplinger

Release Date: September 7

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

I have read soo many great reviews for this book! Can't wait to read it, and the cover is way cool!