Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Wednesday Book Recommendation!

Ok, so it's been a while since I've had a Wednesday Review post, so I figured, why not come back with not only an AWESOME recommendation, but a book I believe is totally OBSESS worthy?

If you have yet to pick up one of Julie Kagawa's books, what are you waiting for?

I just finished the Iron Queen last night and WOW, that review will be up next Wednesday, so be sure to check back, I swear I keep thinking she can't top herself and she keeps proving me wrong. Each book is better and better.

BUT enough of my rambling, check it out for yourself:

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Buy it here: Amazon

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Review:
Before I gush and go into how much I LOVED this book *pets cover*, let me first say that as far as sequeals go, this was EVEN better than the original. If you're like me and you really like something (hello Iron King), then you get a little nervous when the second book rolls around, because that's a lot of hype to live up too. AND we all want to love it just as much, but I never expected to love it more. AND trust me, I do.

Now for the book...what can I say without giving too much away? The pace is perfect and keeps you moving along and flipping through the pages...like the first book, the characters are relatable and believable, never making you doubt the world Kagawa has created.

And Ash? *sigh* Lovely as ever.

Kagawa further explores the relationship between Meghan and Puck, something that when I think back, wasn't fully explored in the first book. Then again, maybe it was and I was blinded by Ash, totally possible. Have I mentioned I'm team Ash yet? Could you tell? Where was I? Oh yes, Puck. There were quite a few moments I ALMOST switched sides, which is pretty huge, so KUDOS to the well written scenes that tugged at my heart. One in particular *wink, wink*.

The new characters (Rowan, Leanansidhe) mesh well with the ones from book One and definitely add an interesting layer to the mix.

All in all, it was one of my favorite reads of 2011.

Needless to say, I moved RIGHT ON to The Iron Queen, because honestly, the Ash withdrawal was just too strong to resist. ;)

View all my reviews

What about you? Have you read this series? Did you love it? We're all different readers and I love hearing opinions, so comment away! ;)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Lucky Leprachaun WINNER!

THANKS again to everyone who participated in the Lucky Leprachaun Hop!

It was lots of fun and there's nothing better than being able to giveaway a book that I love.

But, before I announce the winner, here's a list of ladies who particpated in the Across the Universe ARC book tour, as well as my gushing review:

Cinnamon: http://www.cinnamonstoast.blogspot.com/
Colene Murphy: http://cejourney.blogspot.com/
Abby Minard: http://abbyminard.blogspot.com/
Kim Franklin: http://kim-franklin.com/
Kristin Rae: http://www.kristincreative.blogspot.com/

Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review: I'm apparently on a roll in 2011 and this book is at the top of my list of favorites!

It's one of those books you read and end up thinking about for days and days. The entire world Beth creates and the concept behind it is just phenomenal. And that first chapter??? I dare you to put it down after that. DARE!

She swaps between two main characters, both from very different worlds, with differing perspectives, which I think, really adds to the story. Elder (the boy) grew up on the ship and is chosen to lead the next generation while Amy (the girl) grew up on the Earth we all know, but was frozen and released earlier than she should have been.

Her change between the two was so seamless that it was always obvious whose head I was in and it enabled her to really dive into both cultures and the problems with each of them.

All in all, without giving anything away, it was a fast pased, action packed read, totally unputdownable, and very original. I will MOST DEFINITELY be continuing this adventure and can hardly wait.

On a sidenote: I was lucky enough to meet Beth at a signing in North Carolina and she was hilarious, down to earth, and funny. It just makes the book THAT MUCH BETTER. (As if that's possible.)

View all my reviews

AND without further ado, the winner chosen by random.org is:

KATIE!!!

:: throws confetti ::

I'll email you ASAP to get your address! Congratulations...I hope you enjoy this book as much as we did!

Here's a little photo of me getting it signed with Beth:

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Holy WOW!

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who entered my Lucky Leprachaun giveaway hop!

:: waves to all my new bloggy friends::

Due to the high number of entries, it'll take me a day or two to throw everything into a spreadsheet, verify the entries, and pick the winner via random.org.

I plan on announcing it first thing Wednesday morning, so be sure to check back in!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop!

Hosted by:

Books Complete Me

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

So, what's up for grabs?

An autographed ARC of Across the Universe, signed by none other than author Beth Revis!

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Thanks to Cinnamon for sending this awesome ARC on a tour, from blog to blog,

and to Kristin Rae for passing it on to me!

Just so you all know, this was one of my FAVORITE reads of 2011!!!

To make it even cooler (as if that's really possible),

I was able to get it autographed on one of the Breathless Reads Tour stops

and meet Beth in person (love her!).

Now for the important details...

how do you get your hands on this sweet copy?

Easy, Peasy.

Just be a GFC follower and leave a comment. (+1)

That's it.

Want extra points?