Teaser Tuesday: Bloodcraft by Amalie Howard

Bloodcraft by Amalie Howard
Series: Bloodspell #2
Genre: Upper YA/NA (mature content), Fantasy
Publication: December 15th, 2015

Cover Designer: Alan Pranke

All magic has its price, and no one knows that better than Victoria Warrick. Gifted with a centuries-old blood curse, Tori has finally learned to master her blood’s demands and has emerged triumphant with Christian Devereux, a vampire overlord, at her side.

But the worst is yet to come …

In the infamous City of Lights, home to both the Witch Clans and the Vampire Council, Tori enrolls at the exclusive Belles Fontaines school in Paris, where she is faced with a devastating choice: choose Christian and be an outcast, or choose the coven and secure her place with the witches.

When the fate of the supernatural world is targeted by a sinister new threat, Christian and Victoria must unite their two warring species to defeat it. Their bond will be tested, twisted, and sorely weakened, and Tori will find herself in uncharted territory—a dangerous place to be when her blood’s magic has its own dark agenda.

But to save them all, she may have no choice but to invoke its deadly power.

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Teaser

Victoria shivered, wrapping her arms about herself and staring toward the forest lost in thought. She wasn’t afraid of Christian or the fact that he was a vampire. After all, she was more of a monster than he could ever be.  

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Book #1, Bloodspell

The spell was simple...

Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)

But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?

Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.

What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?

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~ About Amalie ~ 

AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island (Trinidad & Tobago) where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.

An aspiring writer from a young age, Amalie’s poem “The Candle,” written at age twelve, was published in a University of Warwick journal. At fifteen, she was  a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Award (a global youth writing competition). A Colby College graduate, she completed simultaneous Honors Theses in both French and International Studies, and graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, she was cited for research and criticism in Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, Mothers of the Nation. She also received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge (A-levels) as well as a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive.

agold-authorShe is the author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Seventeen Magazine Summer Read. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency and is a member of SCBWI.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

Obsessed With Covers #26: Tower of Thorns, The Silver Tide, Paper and Fire

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 I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

Something you might not know about me is that I love tapestries. There's just something about the details, the colors, the shapes that attracts me. They're my favorite art pieces to see when I go to an art museum. Paintings too, but the tapestries....they're just so, so gorgeous. This cover reminds of that. There's a medieval feeling to it, to the rich colors in the background and the darker tones around the girl. There's a lot going on in this cover that I love, but I can tell you that I really want to see this cover in real life, mostly to see if the cover is just as gorgeous as it is on screen.




Tower of Thorns - Juliet Marillier

This cover makes me think about ink drawing, which is another art form that I really like. This reminds me of the art classes I had in middle school (aaaaages ago!) and the ways in which to create shadows with just one color. Strangely, I remember that class. I'm babbling, sorry. Anyway, I really love the artistry of this cover and I'd love to have this photo in a frame, somewhere above my shelves, because it is just gorgeous. And since this book is part of a series, I checked out the rest of the books and they have equally gorgeous covers. Guess there's a cover-buy in my near future.

The Silver Tide - Jen Williams

As was the case with the first cover of the series, the sequel has a gorgeous cover as well. The burnt shape in the middle makes me insanely curious, as I want to see what the dragons are doing or what are they protecting. It also makes me think that they're the ones who breathed fire on whatever it is that was underneath them, to hide some secret. Don't you just love it when a cover of a book tells a story itself? I really have to read this book, because I need to know what those dragons are doing.






Paper and Fire - Rachel Caine

Book Review: Into a Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook

Author: Angela V. Cook
Series: N/A
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC
Release Date: January 1st 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Allison McKready is a succubus. So is her twin sister. But while Allison spends her summer break hiding in the library behind her Goth makeup, Jade fools around as often as she can. Allison can’t believe Jade would ignore their mother’s fatal example so recklessly, but concealing a cursed bloodline and its dangerous effects is far from Allison’s only problem. Mean girl Julie’s snob mob is determined to ruin her summer, and Aunt Sarah’s Bible thumping is getting louder. Only her new friend, Ren Fisher, offers safe haven from the chaos of her life.

When one of Jade’s risky dates leads to humiliation and sudden tragedy, Allison reels, and Ren catches her. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her fear that she’ll hurt him—or worse—in an unguarded moment. The choice is coming—love him or save him—but Allison might not live to make it. One way or another, the curse will have its due.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley and Red Adept Publishing in exchange for an honest review


I've only encountered succubus in TV shows and let me tell you, unless that character's name is Bo (Lost Girl), usually these creatures are evil. This is the first time, however, that I've read about them and I loved the unique way in which they were described in this book.

First we have Allison. She's what you might call the good twin. She stays away from boys, tries really hard to ignore her nature and what she is and, for the most part, she manages quite well. I felt very bad for her while reading this book. She knows that her mom killed her father, she knows why her mother is dead, she also knows that there's a huge chance that she'll end up the same as her mom. Her twin sister, Jade, is the perfect example of what she's running away from and of what she's desperately trying not to become. Then she meets Ren and she understands what she might lose if she gives in to her urges.

Then there's Jade, who, like I said earlier, she's reckless and completely different from Allison. Jade is much more in control of herself though, than Allison is, no matter how dangerous the situation might get with the guys she meets. Her reckless behavior eventually catches up with her and she ends up in a bad situation and it's interesting to see how the sisters deal with this situation.

You also have Aunt Sarah, who's... let's just say she surprised the hell out of me in this book. She's the type of character that made me want to be able to shake her really hard. And then my mind was blown because I did not see that one coming AT ALL!

Taking the supernatural elements out of this book, there's a really powerful moment in the story that I loved and that I wanted to see being explored more in depth, especially since it's something that can happen but that doesn't get talked about a lot. I can't say more, because of spoilers, but let's just say that this particular situation is not something most people feel inclined to acknowledge.

The ending felt a bit too abrupt, so I'm hoping there's a second book in the works, because I want to see how the story moves on and if Allison finds what she's looking for and if she finds answers to all of her questions. I'll definitely planning on reading the second book if and when it comes out.

Excerpt Reveal: Reaper's Fall by Joanna Wylde

Blurb:

The New York Times bestselling author of Reaper’s Stand is back in her “uber-alpha rough world of MCs” as one woman’s future is rocked by the man whose hardcore past could destroy her…

He never meant to hurt her.

Levi “Painter” Brooks was nothing before he joined the Reapers motorcycle club. The day he patched in, they became his brothers and his life. All they asked in return was a strong arm and unconditional loyalty—a loyalty that’s tested when he’s caught and sentenced to prison for a crime committed on their behalf.

Melanie Tucker may have had a rough start, but along the way she’s learned to fight for her future. She’s escaped from hell and started a new life, yet every night she dreams of a biker whose touch she can’t forget. It all started out so innocently—just a series of letters to a lonely man in prison. Friendly. Harmless. Safe.

Now Painter Brooks is coming home… and Melanie’s about to learn that there’s no room for innocence in the Reapers MC.

EXCERPT

  
        “You’re not going back to the party.”
        She cocked her head, and I saw the confusion in her alcohol- glazed eyes as she wrinkled her nose at me. All cute, like a rabbit.
        “You look like a bunny.”
        “You look like an ax murder,” she said, frowning. “And I thought London was looking for me. Aren’t we going the wrong way?”
        “I lied. I do that a lot,” I told her, staring at her lips. I reached out, catching her chin in my hand, running my thumb across her lips. Our eyes locked, and I don’t know if her pulse started to rise but mine sure as fuck did. What the hell had I been thinking, writing to this girl? She was so pretty and perfect and had this amazing, magical life just waiting for her and all I could think about was dragging her down into the dirt and shoving my cock into every hole she had.
        She’d scream while I did it, too, the same sweet screams that played in my head every night while I jacked off.
        I hated myself.

        “Why did you lie?” she asked, her voice a whisper.

        “To get you away from Taz. It’s not safe with him.”

        Mel’s forehead creased in confusion, her brain moving so slowly I could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She might be smart as fuck most of the time, but she’d transitioned to drunker than fuck tonight. Kit. Kit and Em. They’d done this to her.
        I leaned in closer, catching her scent. For an instant I swayed, so tempted . . .
        “They told me all about you,” she whispered.

        “Who?”

        “The other girls. Kit, Em. Jessica. I know how you operate,” she continued. One of her hands rose, touching my chest. Fire burst through me, because if I’d wanted her before I was desperate for her now. She was so soft, so sweet . . . so perfect.
        Then her words sank in.

        “What did you just say?”

        “They told me all about you,” she said, eyes dropping to stare at my lips. “They told me you have a Madonna-whore complex.” I froze.
        “A what?”
        “A Madonna-whore complex,” she repeated, her voice earnest. “You like to screw dirty girls and you put clean girls on pedestals, where they can stay perfect and pure. That’s pretty messed up, Painter. There’s no such thing as Madonnas and whores. We’re all just people.”
        The words stunned me. What the hell was she talking about? Just because I didn’t want her dragged down in the drama and bullshit of this life didn’t mean I had some sort of fucking complex. And who the hell were the Hayes sisters to have an opinion? I couldn’t tell what pissed me off more—the fact that they’d talked to Mel about me or that they hadn’t done a better job of scaring her off.
        She wasn’t supposed to be here.
        “Kit and Em are crazy, and that friend of yours—Jessica? She’s like a car crash. You don’t belong here, Mel.”
        “And where do I belong?”
        “With some nice kid who’ll treat you like a queen and work his ass off to give you everything perfect for the rest of your life.” The words were practically a growl.
        Her eyes widened.

        “What if I don’t want perfect?”

        “Too fucking bad, because that’s what you’re getting.”

 

 

Reaper’s Fall is the newest standalone in the Reaper's MC Series. Painter & Melanie's story will be available on November 10th and is currently up for Pre-order! Available at the following retailers:

 Amazon US  Amazon UK  Nook  iBooks

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Comic Book Tuesday #1: Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost #1

Last week I talked about how I discovered comic books and how I'm slowly (but surely) becoming an avid fan of this form of literature. This is going to be a weekly feature in which I'll share the stories I discover in my new bookish adventure and I'll hope it will help you discover new books. Keep in mind that some of these books are freebies. However this does not in any way influence my review or my enjoyment of the books.

Blurb:

From the mystical city of Shambhalla to the ends of the Earth comes a tale of magic, mystery and the motivations of power. It is the world of Ala ad-Din, better known as Aladdin. A thief, gambler, liar and cheat, Aladdin’s reckless soul falls under the eye of the sorcerer Qassim. Qassim has spent his life scouring the sands for the Dreaming Jewel. This powerful lost relic could enable Qassim to steal the magic of the Djinn of the Lamp and reshape the world in his own malicious design. But to do so, he requires a mystical ability carried within Aladdin's blood... Power that not even Aladdin himself knows of.

The story of Aladdin has been told and re-told so many times and in so many mediums that for me it is always a challenge to try to read a new version of it. I am curious about how artists will interpret his story, but I'm always trying to keep my expectations a bit low.

Obviously, some of the themes in this version of the myth are familiar: the villain wants to find the magic lamp and control the Djinn imprisoned inside it, and the thief, a young man named Aladdin is the only one able to get the lamp. What was new was the darker, slightly dangerous side of Aladdin. This wasn't the charming young man Jasmine fell in love with in the animated version. He was angrier in a way, more troubled and less charming. I have a feeling the Djinn himself is not similar to the beloved Genie.

The art is beautiful, with gorgeous colors and very interesting details. I really want to see a paperback version, just to see if the colors are as beautiful in real life as they are on screen. I'm also really interested in the rest of the story, so I will definitely check out the next issues.

Book Review: 13 Days of Midnight by Leo Hunt

Author: Leo Hunt
Series:
Publisher: Orchard Books
Release Date: February 19th 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

When Luke Manchett's estranged father dies suddenly, he leaves his son a dark inheritance. Luke has been left in charge of his father's ghost collection: eight restless spirits. They want revenge for their long enslavement, and in the absence of the father, they're more than happy to take his son. It isn't fair, but you try and reason with the vengeful dead.

Halloween, the night when the ghosts reach the height of their power, is fast approaching. With the help of school witchlet Elza Moss, and his cowardly dog Ham, Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic, and send the unquiet spirits to their eternal rest. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Hachette Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy taking a chance with new-to-me authors. Usually this forces me out of my comfy reader box, which I will admit is something that I need sometimes. This book presents a new take on necromancers and ghosts and I have to say, it was an interesting perspective. The fact that the story is told from a male character's POV was also a welcome change for me.

I really was intrigued by the idea that someone can "inherit" someone else's ghosts. This was the first thing that stood out when I read the blurb. One would hope they'd inherit money, estates or really pricey possessions from relatives, but ghosts? And not just any ghosts, but angry, creepy, scary as hell ghosts. I think Luke reacted like any other person would, which basically means to freak out at first.

Luke was an interesting character. I feel like he could have done things differently at the beginning of the story, mainly regarding his decision to hide certain things from his mom. I liked that he had the sense to be scared when he was. I did however wanted to shake him a few times, like I said before. But, all in all, it turned out great and I really did feel like he grew as a character by the end of the story.

 Elza was an interesting character. She was the voice of reason on some occasions. And I liked her willingness to help him, even though they weren't friends exactly. There is a romance element to their relationship, which I saw coming, to be fair.

This book was an interesting read, very fast paced and, like I said, new and fresh. I did hear that there's going to be a sequel and I hope that's not just a rumor and that it will be out soon. I want to see how Luke and Elza move on and how their relationship grows, but I also expect to see some new take on another supernatural element or creatures.