Waiting on Wednesday (35)

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
by April Genevieve Toucholke
Pages: 368
Publisher:
Pub date: August 15thh 2013

Synopsis:

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

Why i'm waiting:  

What better day to chose this as my waiting on Wednesday. The fact that it has a devil who " takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back ", of course 'll read it.  


"  You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand… " *Shiver* 

What are you waiting on?

ARC review: After Dark by Emi Gayle

After Dark (The 19th year #1)
by Emi Gayle

Pages: 247

Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing

Expected publication: October 31st 2012

Synopsis:

What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn’t know will probably kill her.

In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists—which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class figures out there’s more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge.

In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.

Review: 

*A big thank you to J. Taylor Publishing for providing me this ARC.

I read After Dark with no expectations and let me tell you, by the end of it i was already dying to read the next installment in the series. I loved everything in the book, especially, the characters. 

Mac (Mackenzie) Thorne is a Changeling and when she turns 19 she needs to chose what she wants to be. She's got a whole list to chose from; a dragon, a fae, a werewolf, a ghost, a vampire and many more. But the the problem is she doesn't know what she wants to be. As the time goes by she's being pressured by the Council. Then, when she meets Winn she might get her answer. He has got a book about the Changeling the Council and magical creatures.

As i said before, i loved the characters! Mac was a great protagonist. Along the way she was also funny . Winn was a great character as well. A nerd who's hot? Yes, please! *dies* and he's sooo cute! *dies*... again. They were so cute when they were together and when they were having their moments. I loved all of the secondary characters too. Though, i have to say Alina was my favourite. I loved her personality; she was a fun character and when Mac needed her she was there.

The story itself was also fantastic. There was enough mystery to keep me hanging and romance that made me go all gooey, particularly, with Winn , he was just so adorable! The pace, however, for me went downwards towards the end. The ending was a big surprise, but for some reason it felt like there was something missing. Despite this i still loved Emi Gayle's writing. I loved how i could feel as if i was actually Mac as a magical creature; it felt very realistic.

All in all, i really loved reading After Dark. The characters were all amazing and fun to read about. If you haven't added this to your TBR pile, then you need to, especially the paranormal readers. I can't wait to see what happens in Day After (The 19th Year, #2).

Find more about Emi Gayle at: Goodreads/ Her blog/ Her website/ Twitter/ Facebook

Find After Dark at: Goodreads/ Shelfari/ Amazon UK/ Amazon US/ Barnes & Noble 

Blog tour + giveaway: Flesh by Khanh Ha

Flesh by Khanh Ha

Pages: 368

Publisher: Black Heron

Pub date: June 15th 2012

Synopsis:
The setting is Tonkin (northern Vietnam) at the turn of the 20th century. A boy, Tai, witnesses the beheading of his father, a notorious bandit, and sets out to recover his head and then to find the man who betrayed his father to the authorities. On this quest, Tai's entire world will shift. FLESH takes the reader into dark and delightful places in the human condition, places where allies are not always your friends, true love hurts, and your worst enemy may bring you the most comfort. In that emotionally harrowing world, Tai must learn to deal with new responsibilities in his life while at the same time acknowledge his bond, and his resemblance, to a man he barely knew-his father. Through this story of revenge is woven a another story, one of love, but love purchased with the blood of murders Tai commits. A coming-of-age story, but also a love story, the sensuality of the author's writing style belies the sometimes brutal world he depicts.

Review:

A copy was provided by the author for a honest review.

A come to age of story set in Vietnam mixed with reality and love. Not everything is going well for Tai. He sees his father being beheaded and soon after his brother is dead, because of smallpox. From the first two chapters i was sucked in by Khanh Ha's writing but soon after i began to lose my interest. The book was mixed with third person and first person narrative. Although i did love seeing through different people's POVs it was confusing. While, i didn't love the writing i enjoyed the plot. It was fresh, unique and original.

Overall, Flesh was a pleasant read. It was unique and refreshing read.


Find Flesh on: Goodreads/ Shelfari/ Amazon/ Barnes & Noble.


About the author:

Khanh Ha was born in Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. During his teen years he began writing short stories which won him several awards in the Vietnamese adolescent magazines. He graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. He is at work on a new novel. Connect with Khanh on his website, blog, Facebook, GoodReads, or Twitter.


  Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Flesh?

1. Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Flesh tour page.
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I've posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (34)

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
Pages: 245
Publisher: Blazer & Bray
Pub date: 2013

Synopsis:

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Born of Illusion is the first book in a new series. Each book in the series will introduce a new historical figure, whose legend is shrouded in magic, along with the young woman whose fate is irrevocably tied to his. The through line in each of the books will be The Ghost Club, the real life secret society that was founded in 1862 by the likes of Charles Dickens, Sir Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats to advance mankind’s knowledge of the paranormal. The first three books in the series will deal with Houdini, Aleister Crowley and Rasputin.

Why I'm waiting:

I love illusions and history. I've always found them interesting.

What are your waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday (33)

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Nameless: A Tale of Beauty and Madness 
(Tales of Beauty and Madness #1)
by Lili St. Crow
Pages: 304
Pubisher: Razorbill
Pub date: April 4th 2013

Synopsis:

A dark and eerie retelling of Snow White from Lili St. Crow,
New York Times bestselling author of the Strange Angels
series.

Sixteen-year-old Camille doesn’t remember her life before she was adopted by the powerful Vultusino family—the missing childhood years that left her scarred and silent. Now she lives a life
of luxury, protected by the supernatural Mafia Vultusinos, specially Nico, her adopted brother.

But Cami knows that she is not really Family. She is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until a mysterious boy approaches her and reveals scars of his own that Cami begins
to uncover the secrets of her past . . . to find out where she comes from and what danger she now finds herself in.

Why i'm waiting:

You may have heard of Lili St. Crow before because she's the author of the Strange Angels series; the series sounds really interesting. I haven't read any of her works, so, i thought i would read this. And even if hadn't heard of Lili St. Crow before i would have still planned to read it because i love fairytale re-tellings. And it's a series! ^^ Cover love, as well!

Finding Summerland by Paige Bleu Blog Tour + Guest post + Giveaway!

Today, i'm starting the week with a blog tour! I hope you enjoy the guest post by Paige Bleu and enter the giveaway at the end!

Finding Summerland by Paige Bleu

Pages:

Publisher:

Pub date: January 1st 2012

Synopsis:
After his brothers recent disapearance Wesley Rochester wished he could just fade into obscurity. Searching for closure, he's haunted by visons. Consumed with decoding the messages, he begins turning dangerously deeper inward. Enter an intriguing, 'not quite' human stranger, who mysteriously arrives just as he feels all hope is lost. Together they begin to realize that their destinies are intricately tangled in a drama reaching far beyond the realms of the wold they know. Discovering the secrets plaguing wesley since childhood are no coincidence, and everything he believes is shattered. Captivated by her, he must decide between the life he has and the one he'd forgotten.

'Finding Summerland' is like 'Twilight' in the sense that it is a supernatural, coming of age romance—but has a genre bending, metaphysical element and a much deeper rabbit hole. Follow the journey of two star crossed souls as they explore who they are and the ties that bind them. Enter a world intentionally forgotten. A place buried by history, where only the chosen are aware of its existence. A place covenants are made and broken, where myth leads to truth and forbidden love threatens to destroy or be destroyed, becoming just another casualty in their shadow war. 

Guest Post by Paige Bleu:

Why that cover?

Choosing a cover is a tricky thing. I had lots of ideas of what I wanted my cover to look like, but unfortunately I'm a broke indie- author, so I couldn't afford to step up to the cover I dreamed about! I was in a situation where I had to make the cover myself and it became a project in and of itself. There were a few concepts I played with, symbols and abstract art. Then I tried a couple premade covers I found for free, but decided against that because I didn't want the same cover as another book.

I always knew in my minds eye exactly what Olivia looked like and I know an aspiring model who looks almost identical, so it seemed a 'no brainer'. She was thrilled to be involved in the project. She had just gotten done doing a swimsuit magazine shoot, and was eager to do something noteworthy to get more in her portfolio. A professional photographer shot a set of lovely pics that she gave me to use at my disposal. Cover creator did the rest.

The covers for the entire series will all be featuring her, because although she isn't the protagonist of the story, she is the focal point of most of the plot and plays a pivotal role throughout. They may not be the fanciest covers, may not even reflect the supernatural aspects...but they are simple and understated. And for now, I'm happy with that.

Giveaway! 

Rules:

-Open Internationally
- Must be 13 or older
- Ends 22nd of October
-The winner will be emailed. You will have 48 hours to reply or another winner will be chosen.

Enter using the RaffleCopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Ink (The Paper Gods #1)

by Amanda Sun

Pages: 384

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pub Date: June 5th 2013

Synopsis:

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.
Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Why i'm waiting:

First of all, it already had me when i read "Japan" in the synopsis. I love learning about the Japanese culture. And i totally love the sound of the series title: The Paper Gods. But, even if it wasn't set in Japan i would still read it because it sounds awesome! Who wouldn't want to read it?

What are you waiting on?

Review: The Duff by Kody Keplinger

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Pages: 343

Publisher: Hodder Children's Book 

Pub date: April 5th 2012 (First published on January 10th 2010)

Synopsis:

 Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper knows she's not the hottest girl at school, but when School Jock and resident Moron Wesley casually refers her as a Duff - Designated Ugly Fat Friend - the gloves are off!

If there's a thin line between love and hate then Bianca has crossed it. She just never thought she was capable of breaking anyone's heart . ..

Review: 

I picked up this book because of the many positive reviews. Although, i did love some factors there were some i didn't enjoy.

At first, Bianca was a character i liked. However, after a few chapters i didn't like her much. She wouldn't make her mind up if she wanted to be with many things and she was rash. Contrarily, my thoughts on Wesley was the opposite. I loved his character. In the beginning, we see Wesley as a player and a cocky character. But as we turn the pages we also see the development of Wesley's Character; He's still cocky, but, at the same time he's sweet and caring.

 "Confused, I unfolded the paper and read the single sentence that was scrawled across the top.

Wesley Rush doesn't chase girls, but i'm chasing you." 

Together, the two were a fun couple. I loved their bantering and jokes. Story wise it was the same. I loved how Bianca and Wesley got together at the end. She wanted to take it slowly and carefully, unlike the relationship they had before. Although, i did love the ending i still thought there could have been more.

“Spanish, huh?" he said, glancing down at the scattered papers as he grabbed them. "Can you say anything interesting?"
"El tono de tu voz hace que queria estrangularme." I stood up and waited for him to hand over my papers.
"That sounds sexy," he said, getting to his feet and handing me the stack of Spanish work he'd swept together. "What's it mean?"
"The sound of your voice makes me want to strangle myself."
"Kinky.”

Overall, The Duff for me is a love and hate read. Despite, that i'm still looking forward to reading more of Kody Keplinger's works.

Find more about Kody Keplinger at: Goodreads/ Her blog/ Her website/ Twitter/ Facebook

Find The Duff at: Goodreads/ Shelfari/ Amazon UK/ Amazon US/ Book Depository/ Barnes & Noble