Early Book Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Author: Mindee Arnett
Series: The Arkwell Academy #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: March 5th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

I love it when authors try out new things, daring things. A Nightmare Affair caught my eye because of that particular thing: it's freshness. Besides the gorgeous cover, the thought of a sixteen year old Nightmare got me all kinds of curious to read this book. I've never read a book about Nightmares before, so for me this is fresh territory. The world in this book is fantastic. The creatures, the way magic is shown, the mythology, everything makes reading this book a great experience.

Dusty is such a cool heroine. I love that she's sometimes a little awkward, sometimes strong, sometimes she's daring and brave, sometimes not so much. I love that she has those two sides of her. She's also funny, which I very much like.

Eli is... he's a mystery. I would've though he'd be more resistant to certain aspects of this world, but given the fact that he really has nothing to do against it, it does make sense that he'd accept things pretty fast. I like that he stands up for Dusty when she needs it. Not that she'd admit it :P

What I liked was that there was a love triangle. Yes, they're not new or fresh, but I think it's way better than the "insta-love" idea. Though it's not difficult to predict some of the things that happen, especially how this love triangle ends, I still think it was done beautifully. And don't worry, you won't predict it all. There are some big twists and turns that I for one didn't see coming.

I am now waiting anxiously for the next book. Also, I want to know more about Dusty's best friend and her story. There's a lot I want to know, not only about Dusty and her powers and about her relationship with Eli and about her friends, but also about the entire world.

So if you're in the mood for something new, read The Nightmare Affair.

TV Madness: Elementary

A few weeks ago, my very dear and best friend Lucy told me about this show. She said it was great, that it was a modern twist on Sherlock Holmes and that she loved it and that I should see it. Of course, because I'm a stubborn creature (...err...wait, no, that's wrong. I have a strong will...Yes, that's better) I didn't see it right away. I already am WAY behind with all of my fave TV shows, I really didn't need another new one to see. And I also barely have time to read, so I thought I should maybe wait for summer vacation when maybe, possibly, though not very likely, I'll have more free time.

Anyway, those plans where shot to hell when on one particularly stressful night, when I couldn't sleep at all, I was watching a local TV channel and Elementary was on. Because besides stressed I felt way too tired to even change the channels, I decided to watch it. Oh, what a great night that was.

I loved it. I honestly don't know how to tell you how completely perfect I think that show is. The actors are fantastic, the setting, the cases, the story line, everything. Though I can't say anything about how accurate it is because I haven't read Sherlock Holmes, I believe the writers did an amazing job.

I'm hoping there's a second season coming because honestly there's nothing I hate more than to fall in love with a TV show and with some characters and then find out it's been cancelled. Not that having more seasons softens the blow (*coughs* Leverage *coughs*). But at least I can see how the story and the characters develop.

Have you seen Elementary? If not, do see it. It is worth your time and it's a change from the regular TV drama/crime shows.

Obsessed With Covers #5

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. 

*all links and covers go to the Goodreads page of each book.

Oh, I so adore this cover! The sky, the clouds, the flying couple, the colors of the clouds, everything. I can even imagine that if I had superpowers and was able to go inside the cover, the air would smell like rain (yes, I love rain :D) 

Let The Sky Fall - Shannon Messenger 

This is another cover that I stared at for entire minutes, without getting tired. I love it. I love the frosted tree lashes, I love the birds flying over the eye and at the same time looking as if they left the said lashes, I love the icicle-like tear...Anyway, I believe it's an amazing cover. Makes me wonder about the book. I have it on my TBR pile, so don't yell at me for not reading it! I will make time *sheepish*

Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi

What covers do you love this week?

Early Book Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza (YA)

Author: Debra Driza
Series: MILA 2.0 #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: March 12th 2013
My Rating:5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity–style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

 

Oh man, oh man, oh man! I have to say, when I received this galley a few days ago, I didn't expect to love the book as much as I did. I already told you that I love the cover. The idea of a girl disintegrating into tens of tiny puzzle pieces is brilliant. Once you  read the book you  realize that Mila really is a puzzle.

The book started a little slow, yet it was Mila herself that kept me glued to the screen of my reader. Not remembering certain details from before the fire that took her father's life, her mother not answering her questions, her new friends, everything was a huge mystery and it all made me want to know more. And then there's the new boy in town, who I actually believed for a moment he was someone completely different than what he claimed.

Once Mila finds out the truth and her world crashes down around her, the pace picks up and you get anything that you could expect: suspense, conspiracies, secret government organizations, trained fighters and more. Oh, and there's drama. You can't have a book like this without a thread of drama. The ending was a little predictable, even though I kept hoping that maybe some things wouldn't happen. Even so, I am completely in love with this character and with the world.

One thing I need to mention. Looking beyond the fact that Mila is an android, I loved how the author made her be different but human at the same time. Yes, she's very strong and smart and she has a lot of super cool abilities, but she also has the regular teenage doubts that we all know (and hate).

I think this is perfect for a debut novel and I am definitely going to read the next books in this series. So if you want to read about androids, go get this book when it's released.

Follow Friday #18

Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around!


This week’s question is:



Confess your blogger sins! Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you’ve done, that as you gained more experience you were like — oops?


Oh, so many. One of them was choosing my blogger alias based on my hair color. Yes, I lack imagination when it comes to names. Then there's NetGalley. Oh, how I love that site. I do. But when I first started blogging I didn't have a compatible ereader and I found it terribly difficult to read on my computer for hours and hours and hours. That and I also requested books like a crazy person. I now know not to overwhelm myself and request fewer books. But I do mistakes even now. Not posting every day, not commenting as much as I should, not socialize as much as I should. Another big mistake was overwhelming myself with reading challenges. Most of them are great and at least half of them helped me discover more authors and new genres than I wouldn't have without them. But I think it's best if I do about 4 "officially" and the others sort of in the background, like an inspiration to the big "what to read now?" question.

What about you? What are your blogger sins?

Cover Reveal: Out of Play by Jolene Perry & Nyrae Dawn

Hey!! *waves* I have another fresh cover to share with you today! It's for Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn's book, Out Of Play.

Out Of Play

by Jolene Perry & Nyrae Dawn

Expected publication: August 6th 2013 

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Blurb:

Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn't have a problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—deserve to party, right? Wrong. After taking a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.

Hockey player Penny Jones can't imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who'll take care of her absent-minded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered with the new tenants next door.

Penny’s too hung up on another guy to deal with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time.

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17332383-out-of-play
BN.com- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-play-jolene-perry/1114317968
Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1622660102

Book Review: Venom by Jennifer Estep

Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Elemental Assassin #3
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: September 28th 2010
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

What kind of assassin works pro bono?

It’s hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most.

To the public, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best barbecue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker—Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists.

At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.

The first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about this book is the lack of Donovan Caine. *does a happy dance* When I finished reading Venom I actually felt like singing Hallelujah for not having that idiot representative of the male species in the book. Yes, I was happy he was gone. (Can you tell I hated him??).

No Mr. Idiot means more Mr. Hottie a.k.a Owen Grayson. I like him a lot. He's very hot, very considerate, he helps Gin when she needs it, even if she doesn't ask for it. And he is mysterious. While reading this book I kept thinking there's something we still don't know about him. Something rather big. I'm waiting to discover what.

One of the best things in this book was Gin helping Roslyn. If you've read the books, you know that these two women aren't exactly on the best of terms. Even so, I always liked Roslyn and I hoped Gin would see her as the good friend she might become if only she'd allow it. I was right. This relationship and the way Gin helps Roslyn makes the situation with Mab a lot more dangerous than before.

I feel like a bad record here, but I have to say this: the repetitions killed me. We know Gin carries 5 daggers made of silverstone, we know Fletcher trained her to be an assassin, even though his son in older than Gin, we know a loooot of things. By heart. A friend of mine suggested that I should just skip over those parts. But that's even worse, because it would pull me away from the story even further. Anyway, I just hope these repetitions will stop as the story progresses.

I am still waiting for Gin to do something about Bria. She's putting off the inevitable and I believe this will make things even worse for her cop sister.

In the end, I enjoyed reading this book, even with those pesky repetitions. It was a good book.

Cover Reveal: Wait For You by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hey everyone! I've got some exciting news for you all. I'm very happy to share with you the sparkly new cover for Jennifer L. Armentrout's new book, Wait For You.

What do early readers have to say about WAIT FOR YOU?

“J. Lynn creates a wonderful cast of characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and cry. Cam stole my heart.” – Cora Carmack, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of LOSING IT

“For the love of all that is Cameron without a shirt on! Wait for You will have you laughing out loud, fanning yourself and anxiously waiting to know what will happen next.” – Molly McAdams, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of FROM ASHES and TAKING CHANCES

“I don't think I have ever read a NA Contemporary novel with as much depth as this one. It really moved me and by the end I was just speechless over how inspirational and uplifting it was as well as being sexy and cute and funny and emotional.” - K Books

“Wait For You is uniquely different from anything else J. Lynn's written but it might possibly be her best work yet.” – Jenuine Cupcakes

“For all of you in love with Aiden and Daemon, PREPARE YOURSELVES! Your heart will have to expand a little more for Cam.” – Total Bookaholic

“For the love of all things CAM, this book deserves more than 5 stars.” – Mundie Moms

“I cannot even begin to explain how much I adored this perfectly crafted contemporary.” – Shortie Says

Excited? Ready to see the cover for WAIT FOR YOU?

Synopsis

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

WAIT FOR YOU is available now!

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Wait-for-You-ebook/dp/B00BLTOXEI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1361958795&sr=1-1&keywords=wait+for+you

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wait-for-you-j-lynn/1114701569?ean=2940016231921

 J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the adult romance Gamble Brothers’ series, the young adult Lux Series and award winning Covenant Series. She pretty much writes everything—contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. All of her books have one thing in common no matter the name or genre: kissing… and stuff. When she’s not busy writing, which is never, she’s usually hanging out with dog Loki, watching reruns of The Walking Dead, or procrastinating on the Internet.

You can find out more about Jennifer by visiting the following websites:
Twitter https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout
Website: http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/

Early Book Review: My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #1
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release Date: April 1st 2013
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:

a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.

Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

I read this book a few days ago and the first thing I did after I finished it was to pray to the gods of books and release dates to give me a time machine to travel in the future and get the second book in the series right away because I need it *sniffle*.

I think you all know by now how much I love mythology and Ancient gods and stories about them. So I needed to see what this book was about. Persephone and Hades and Zeus *swoons* I thought "this is a MUST READ book".

I'm very happy I read it. I laughed like a lunatic at some scenes and I stood on the edge of my bed at others. My Ex From Hell was a very funny read. I'd share some quotes with you, but they're funnier in the context of the scene. Just be ready to laugh.

Sophie was a very cool character. She was a little devious, but then if you think of who she was in her previous life, it makes perfect sense. She's also funny and she usually says something totally inappropriate in some scenes that require complete seriousness. I loved that about her.

I loved Kai, the Prince of the Underworld. Even though I'm kind of mad at him right now for...well, you'll see (*grin*), he is quite charming. And very mysterious. He's hiding something, something big I think. And even though I understand why (he explains it very well to Sophie when she keeps asking him), I still want to know.  But yes, he's as sexy and dangerous and lovable as you might think. And he's the Prince of the Underworld! That's like having the belt for Bad Boy Of The Entire Universe.

The book ends with a cliffhanger that is quite big and I think it's safe for me to say that once you finish reading the book, you'll be left biting your nails and impatiently waiting for book 2, My Date From Hell.

So. If you love Ancient mythology and YA mark your calendars on April 1st, when this book is released and read it!

Teaser Tuesday #20

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Before I give you the teaser, just one thing. I will put a "(...) at the end of the first paragraph because I won't want to give spoilers.

The teaser:

A figure stood at the back wall, waiting, as I'd feared. (...)

"Hello, sister,” Jackal greeted, his gold eyes shining in the dim light. “It’s about time you showed up.”

What's your teaser this week?