Evernight by Claudia Gray
Books Stats: Reading level: Young Adult Genre: Paranormal Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: HarperTeen Release date: May 1st 2008 Series: Evernight #1 Reviewed by: Tynga Source: Personal Shelf Purchase: Amazon (currently 3,60$) | Book Depository | Book Closeouts (currently 1,49$!) Bianca wants to escape. She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in. Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him. "I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would." But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed. Being shy can be challenging, and Bianca is really shy. So her life becomes a living nightmare when her parents decides it’s time to leave their small town to join a boarding school where they would teach and she would study. To Bianca nothing is worst than meeting strangers, so having to co-habit and try to blend in with a ton of them… Hell. Maybe Luca, a boy she met the day before class starts, can make it all better… or worst. Evernight was definitely a good read and I really liked a trick Claudia did. In the first half of the book, she’s withholding information from us! What I mean is that most characters, including Bianca, knows something we don’t. Gray then opens the floodgates around the middle of the book shedding a different light on all the previous events. At first, I thought the whole thing was really weird, but the more I think about it… I think it was brilliant and very original. Gray stuck to stereotypes regarding the characters but some of them will still manage to surprise. Balthazar was my favorite character and I really hope he gets to shine in the sequels. Plot wise, Claudia Gray kept things shady on purpose and I have to say I guessed the major plot line way before the end unfolded, which is slightly disappointing but I’m excited about what comes next and the consequences of Bianca & Luca’s choices. The traditional girl meets boy in a boarding school set with a paranormal twist will really please the YA readers. Better than House of Night but not as amazing as Vampire Academy, I would still recommend this series. Read the prologue (fan made)
Posted by
Tynga
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10:53
As the title states, it’s a teaser trailer so it’s very short but I think the fan made some good footage and song choices. I really like it and wanted to share =) Let me know what you think!
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Tynga
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09:37
First stop is a great deal to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. I’m a HUGE fan of that series and I would strongly suggest you jump on that deal to discover a great Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance series! From now until October 25th, you can buy a special ebook edition of Halfway to the Grave that includes never-before-published bonus features for only $1.99 (somehow it’s 2,30$ on amazon)! What kind of Special Features? -
-Another hunt with Cat and Bones -
-A scene at the beauty salon with Bones tormenting Cat during her makeover -
-A new sex scene -
-An alternate villain at the end -
-The first four chapters of One Foot in the Grave -
-Excerpts from the upcoming The Bite Before Christmas anthology and Once Burned (!!!), Night Prince book one. So even if you already know the series, It’s worth it. A already got my hands on a copy! Here are some ordering links: Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo You don’t have an e-reader? Fear not, Jeaniene explains reading options here. -------------------- Now onto a winner announcement! The winner of a signed copy of Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace + swag is… Jasmyn said... I think the cover is fantastic. It has a very intense feeling to it...and they even got your awesome tree in! I’m about to email you and you will have 72 hours to provide your mailing addy =) Congrats!
Posted by
Tynga
at
09:28
This giveaway ended yesterday so it’s now time to announce a winner … ansindt said... I LOVE her books! So excited to read it=) ansindt@hotmail.com Congrats hun! I'm about to email you and you will have 72 hours to reply with your mailing addy. Happy Reading!
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Tynga
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11:53
I have the privilege of offering you a Signed copy of Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz, The latest installment in the popular Blue Bloods series, due on September 27th! After their beautiful yet brief bonding ceremony in Italy, Schuyler Van Alen and Jack Force are forced to separate. To fulfill the Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler travels to Alexandria to search for Catherine of Siena and the Gate of Promise. But Schuyler quickly discovers that everything she believed about the Gate to be wrong. Meanwhile, Jack makes the difficult decision to return to New York to face his twin and former bondmate, Mimi. But instead of a bitter reunion, he is faced with a choice for which there is no good option. Mimi, with a most unexpected travel companion in Oliver Hazard-Perry, jets off to Egypt, too, to search for Kingsley Martin, her long lost love. With all roads leading to Hell, Mimi learns that not all love stories have happy endings. But she'll have to put her own feelings aside if she's going to save her crumbling Coven. Packed with heartache, twists, and vampiric folklore, Lost in Time is sure to satisfy hungry fans' cravings for more Blue Bloods adventure. Read the first chapter Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository Here’s a fun trailer of the cover shoot: Be sure you don’t miss the brand new book trailer! Melissa will be doing a Facebook chat this today (Sept 22nd) from 6-7PM ET at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/BlueBloods Prize: One signed copy of Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz Open to: US & Canada only To enter: Simply leave a comment with a way to contact you Ends: September 26th, 2011. Good Luck!
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Tynga
at
11:49
Hello my darlings! Remember 2 weeks ago, I posted about being really tired and that activity on the blog would slow down a bit? Well there is a pretty good reason for the ordeal! My husband and I are awaiting our first baby! I had no idea when exactly I got pregnant, so we went for a dating ultrasound earlier today and discovered that I’m 8 weeks into my pregnancy, which means I’m due at the end of April =D We are really happy about that as we were “working on it” lol and seeing our little one on the screen was amazing! The baby is still too tiny to know the gender of course and now I can’t wait to find out. We already started doing some shopping, couldn’t help it, and we found this super cute set at Wal-Mart, and it was on discount, so we HAD to buy it lol here are some pictures: I just love Winnie the Pooh and this set is adorable and fits for both girl or boy ^^ So here, you have it! The pregnancy is keeping me down a bit as I suffer from many symptoms, and I’ll try my best to keep everything moving on the blog, but as you’ll understand I’m sure, something else is taking priority ^^
Posted by
Tynga
at
16:10
To celebrate the upcoming release of Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, which I can’t wait to read BTW!, Simon & Schuster Canada is having an amazing sweepstakes! To enter, CLICK HERE They also created a pretty nifty countdown widgets you can check out here, but I didn’t put it on the blog because It has waves sound o.O They way Crescendo ended got me really excited and I can’t wait to get my hands on Silence!! Too bad I live in Quebec, would’ve loved to meet Becca hehe So, are you anxiously awaiting its release? The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.
Posted by
Tynga
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15:58
You probably remember Angeline from the Fantastic Fables event, and this time around she will explain to us how her fabulous cover came to life ^^ You will also get the chance to win a signed paperback copy and come cool nail polish, so make sure you stick around until the end! How Descended by Blood Got Its Cover Let me give you a preview and a breakdown of what Descended by Blood's cover would have looked like had I been the one to design it. The tree's there because I have wicked skills at drawing tress. The sun is in the picture because my vamps can go out in the sun. For some reason, I thought there had to be fangs on the cover for people to get the idea that the book was about vampires. The girl in the drawing is Brooke. I'm actually quite proud of how pretty her hair turned out with my colored pencils. She has her blue eyes, and the guy is the bad vamp who comes for her. Oh, and I almost forgot to put my name on the cover. Nothing says "You have no clue" like forgetting something as important as that. So, I knew as soon as I started writing Descended by Blood that I wouldn't be able to design the cover myself. At that point, I had never even so much as used the Crop tool in PhotoShop, and would have been better off with my fab drawing. I knew I needed to find someone else that would be able create something amazing for me. I began to write the book and kept a look out for covers and cover designers that I thought would fit what I was looking for. And I'm very particular about covers, so I thought it would take me a while to find someone. It actually didn't take me that long (I was only 15% into the writing of Descended by Blood) to find my artist because I follow the blog of a very talented author, Amy Rose Davis, and when I saw her cover, I knew I needed to get in touch with her designer. I emailed the designer and then spent all weekend looking through stock photos for a model that would best resemble what I saw as Brooke in my mind. When the designer emailed me back and asked for what I was looking for, I really had no clue. I had the model that I wanted to use to represent Brooke, but I hadn't even thought of anything else that should be in the cover. Luckily, Robin at Robin Ludwig Design is a genius and found something to work great with the model I wanted to use. After a couple tweaks, Robin sent me something similar to what you see as the cover today. However, remember how I thought a fang was needed for readers to know the book was about vampires? Well, I had her create a fang. Yes, a lone fang because half the face is cut off. I was all excited to get it back, thinking I was going to have the coolest vampire cover EVER! Well, Robin did a great job creating the fang, but really, a fang? What was I thinking!? Pretty much everyone told me to 86 the fang. So, the lovely Robin took it out. And that leaves us with the cover you see today. Much better than the drawing, right? Brooke Keller is a high school junior who has never spent much time living in one place. She is finally in a town long enough to almost snag the boy of her dreams, until her life is threatened after killing a fanged man in his attempt to kidnap her. Brooke begins a dangerous journey in an effort to find out who is after her and how to stop them. Thrown into a world with powerful and prejudiced vampires, Brooke must tap into the side of her that she never knew existed at the risk of losing her life in order to save it. Read an excerpt Purchase: Amazon | Kindle (only 0,99$!)|Book Depository Angeline is offering one lucky commenter this amazing prize pack, including a signed copy of her book! Giveaway open to US Only You must leave a comment letting Angeline know what you think of her cover Ends September 22nd at midnight (That’s tomorrow so hurry!) You can earn one (1) extra entry for spreading the word, please provide link in a second comment!
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Tynga
at
06:45
Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Undead by Rose Pressey Book Stats: Reading level: Adult Genre: Paranormal romance E-book: 345 KB Publisher: Rose Pressey Release date: June 29, 2011 Series: Veronica Mason #1 Source: Rose Pressey Reviewed by: Jenn Veronica Mason—lead singer of the rockabilly band The Voodoo Zombies—discovers her vampire bass player staked through the heart. A vision of the murder flashes in Veronica’s mind and she wonders if she’s going bonkers. Up until now her supernatural skills consisted of a few botched love spells. Using her sexy voice and pin-up style has paid off, she’s about to land a record deal. But suspicion soon turns to her when another vampire turns up as nothing more than a pile of ashes a vacuum would have a hard time sucking up. Veronica has another vision, and she has to hone her paranormal powers or lose her deal—and possibly her life. When an utterly delicious mystery man steps in as the new bass player, Veronica can’t figure out if he’s there to help or cause more problems. What she does know is she can’t resist his good looks and sex appeal. She wonders if they’d make rockin’ music together. But helping the undead could stop her from finding out and leave Veronica dead—permanently. I’d like to start off by thanking Rose Pressey for a review copy of Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead. I was really intrigued by the synopsis and loved the idea of a paranormal book set in a rockabilly world. It’s definitely a unique take on the genre and I was excited to read it. There were a lot of things I liked about Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead. The rockabilly scene is vividly portrayed through Veronica’s music, band, lifestyle, and personal style. A lot of thought has obviously gone into building Veronica Mason’s world, which I appreciate. There are a lot of little details that make the book come off the page. The basic storyline is also solid. Though there are some moments where I felt like Veronica was a bit slow on the uptake, the mystery was pretty satisfying, with some nice red herrings thrown in, though there were some moments toward the end of the book that seemed a bit out of sync with the rest of the novel. (I don’t want to say too much about it since I want to keep this spoiler-free, as usual.) I also liked the general tone of the story. Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead is light and fluffy, with a lot of humour injected into the story. It reminded me a lot of Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series, though Rose Pressey has a less bawdy feel, and it sort of reminded me of Charlaine Harris, though I think the Sookie books are a bit more serious overall than this one. I can also see this book appealing to fans of Mary Janice Davidson or Janet Evanovitch. One aspect of the story I didn’t really love was Veronica, oddly enough. I liked bits and pieces of her personality but she seemed really flighty and kind of dumb at some points in the book. It’s not because she’s bad at witchcraft (which she truly is, ending up with a new lipstick at the end of every spell) or because she’s not the kind of kick-butt, take-charge kind of heroine we see in a lot of urban fantasy and paranormal romance; after all, there are some great protagonists who aren’t powerful and their lack of power is what makes their journeys so interesting. I think it boils down to the fact that she didn’t feel fully realized to me – like she had all the makings of a great character but just fell short of the mark. In fact, there were a few characters in the novel that could have used a bit more development to make them stand out a little bit more, instead of seeming like stock characters. Overall, I’d have to say that Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead definitely isn’t for everybody but I think it holds a lot of appeal for folks who enjoy light paranormal romance. It’s got a very distinct tone and feel that may not work for people who like a little darkness in their stories but it’s a decent read. I’d suggest reading the excerpt available on the Amazon page (by clicking on the Look Inside option) to see if you like it.
Posted by
jenn
at
10:58
This is completely not book-related and I’m usually not a big fan of Lil Wayne but I cry every time I watch this video, so I wanted to share it with you. I think it’s simply amazing. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
Posted by
Tynga
at
10:13
Here’s another bunch of new covers I stumbled upon in the last days, hopefully some of them will me new to you as well! First stop is a book I’m really anxious to get my hands on! It’s the beginning of a new series by Maria V Snyder, and it’s called Touch of Power. US//UK Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos. Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life... Release date: December 20th, 2011. I prefer the UK cover BY FAR, If you live in the UK and would be willing to pre-order that one from book depository for me (I’ll pay you with paypal) then please email me (tyngauf(a)gmail.com)! Up next is Persephone Alcmedi #5, by Linda Roberston, Wicked Circle! The fifth in the exciting urban fantasy series featuring Persephone Alcmedi, a modern-day witch with a sexy werewolf boyfriend.
Persephone Alcmedi has helped her waerewolf lover Johnny unlock his powers. Now she must come to the aid of Menessos, the vampire overlord she has secretly marked. Beset by a trio of truth-seeking vampire sisters so dangerous their own kind keep them confined in stone, he now needs her more than ever...and she realizes her need for him. Seph has magical promises to fulfill for the waeres, multiple mundane family challenges to meet, vampire politics to confront, both the supernatural males in her life to balance, a dragon to deal with...and then a government investigator shows up to complicate matters. Release date: December 27th, 2011 Now onto, Horizon by Sophie Littlefield, the third book in the Aftertime series! No description available for that one just yet, but it’s scheduled for release on January 24th, 2012. Here’s another series I follow, even though I’m not up-to-date, the sixth installment in the Jill Kismet series, Angel Town by Lilith Saintcrow. Jill Kismet is back from the grave in this explosive conclusion to Lilith Saintcrow's urban fantasy series. She wakes up in her own grave. She doesn't know who put her there, she doesn't know where she is, and she has no friends or family. She only knows two things: She has a job to do: cleansing the night of evil. And she knows her name. Jill Kismet. Release date: October 25th, 2011. I’m almost done! Now it’s By A Thread by Jennifer Estep, the sixth book in the Elemental Assassin series! Gin Blanco never thought she’d need a vacation from being an assassin. But a few weeks ago, she killed Mab Monroe, her nemesis and the most powerful Fire elemental in Ashland. Now, all the city’s lowlifes are trying to make a name for themselves by taking out the Spider. So she heads south to a swanky beach town, along with her baby sister, Bria, for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when an old friend of Bria’s is threatened by a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic, it looks like Gin will have to dig the silverstone knives out of her suitcase after all. But this time, her special powers might not be enough to prevent her from coming home in a pine box… Release date: February 28th, 2012. For some reason, this one is my favorite in the series. I just love her expression! And last, but certainly not least, we finally get to see the cover of Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent by Veronica Roth and I’m DYING to read that book! I think it looks great! No description available yet, but we can expect this book in 2012!
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Tynga
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09:20
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