January 8, 2012

Wolfy Sunday

Now playing: A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton


Hey there, peeps! Since I don't have Bloodrose.... yet, I'm doing Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Now, I've read these books like two/three years ago and they've been right up there emotionally (I blame Shift, it made me all emotional/touchy/gooey, now I cry during books. Pah, I lie. I cry anyway.)


So here's the rundown, courtesy of Goodreads: 
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.


This is Shiver. However, the Goodreads version so does not do this series justice! Grace and Sam share a kinship, but more specifically, a profound bond shared by two teenagers. I mean, I'm not a big fan when we start throwing the "L" word around all over YA, because we're only teenagers. Our relationships are more of the "here and now" than full blown love. But, there are series that are correct to use love, because the characters have a strong connection to one another. (Hello, Shade anyone?)



ANDDDD I sound like a sappy teenager. Feel free to slap me anytime. :)


Anyways, Shiver is about Grace Brisbane, your average teenage girl in the middle on nowhere (Mercy Falls), Minnesota. She's near wolves and she's fascinated by them, often watching them from her house. So, this comes of a shock when we are taken to a point when Grace is little, she gets savagely attacked by the supposed docile wolves by her harms.  And so she is saved by Beck, a wolf (and who is a wondeful adult in this series)


*cue your WTF reactions*


But Shiver is unlike many paranormal romances out there? And do you want to know why? Our main heroine (Grace) maybe sassy, but she isn't a deadpan snarker, ridiculously gorgeous (she's kinda plain), and she admits to making stupid mistakes. Sam isn't unlike your average YA hero. He's deep, and soulful. He plays the guitar and frankly, life had been shitty for him before he met Beck and the wolves. Also, their dimensions were like someone you'd meet down the street, they weren't like a typical paranormal romance. As well, they sorta had the instalove connection which usually drives me up a wall but they had a reason to. They were like two-halves of a whole, where like many romances they balance each other out but with the added twist that they didn't have to chase each other around.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY IT ROCKED. YOU'RE A GODDESS MAGGIE. 


trust me, when you read Shiver, it'll rock your socks off. Claudia Donovan nods her approval.



rating: 8/10

January 2, 2012

Happy New Year!

Now playing: Great DJ - the Ting Tings

Hey there! We've made it to 2012!! Hope you're winter breaks and my blogger hiatus have *sorta* prepared you for the oncoming slaught of posts to come in 2012, starting off with all the great DEBUTS and sophomore books set to flood in January, starting off with the end of the Nightshade series, Bloodrose hitting up the bookstores tomorrow and my birthday in TWO WEEKS (or thirteen days if you want to get technical). I'll make sure I see to have some prizes in the week of my birthday ;)
Anyway, seeing as it's 2012 and those Mayan predicted the end of the world (natches, ruining our two thousand something party) (and they made me spend half of my life in school *growls*), we're gonna party hard until 2012, and laugh in 2013's face that we're still alive.

再见 我的朋友 (which in chinese is goodbye my friends!) and I leave you this video, because we can!


December 25, 2011

Best of 2011: 11 Fictional Places You Wanted to Visit (From Books)

11) The IPCA
International Paranormal Containment Agreement 





10)

9)  The SOAP (school of america in paris) School in AtFK. And can I have me a bffl like Meredith?!



8) Eden (from The Goddess Test)


7) The Iron Fey realm (I'm sorry, it seems awesome)

6) The London Shadowhunters Institute


5) Alicante (The Mortal Instruments)



4) Mercy Falls, Minnesota


3) The Hourglass Institute (minus Cat, Jack, Michael, Ava, but keep Dune and Kaleb)


2) The Gallagher Academy (you know, for a girl who really dislikes school, I'm putting schools)


1) Hex Hall (*mumbles* I wouldn't mind Cal or Archer next to me either)

December 24, 2011

Best of 2011: the TV edition


11Game of Thrones

While it may not be family appropriate, Game of Thrones is quite the bomb in HBO. With George R.R Martin still writing the series, Game of Thrones is really ramping it up on the TV. Don't believe me? Well, there's dragons, sword-fighting, and some ass-kicking women. Oh and dragons.


10fringe
A sci-fi show that boggles your mind and adds supernatural element,you should watch it.

9) awkward

the show of a teenage girl, who's quite the awkward person. It's absolutely hilarious, funny and true about high-school.
8) castle
Nathan Fillion. Cop drama. Stana Katic as the most flawless woman ever. NATHAN FILLION!!!!!!



7bones
Booth and Bones (AKA Brennan) have the best chemistry. He's a "tough-guy" and she's a science nerd. But they're both so adorable together!


6) Revenge
Inspired by the story of the Count of Monte Cristo, the lead female is out for revenge against the people who framed her father years ago. Infiltrating the elite in the Hamptons, Emily Thorne is not to be messed with.

5) Warehouse 13
Steampunk in TV and aptly coined america's attic, Warehouse 13 has every lovable characters, a spunky teenage hacker, and a dog named Trailer. Need I say more?



4) Teen wolf
Based on the cult 1980s hit, Teen Wolf is the epitome of shirtless. Like, seriously, in just the pilot there were three shirtless scene. Nice view though ;)


3) Doctor Who 
A Mad Man with a police call box and ARTHUR DARVILL, Doctor Who was rebooted in 2005 but it's the best series ever. The 2010-2011 season was quite the bomb (in my opinion)! with lots of integration of River Song (who, for those, who've been with Doctor Who, she's been a key player) introduction of Amy Pond and, you guessed it, Arthur Darvill.




2) Community
It's the gem of comedy in TV, where other comedies fall flat. There are eight main characters and each have the most distinguished personalities in TV. They aren't cookie-cutter replicas of each other and they're quite hilarious. The writer, Dan Harmon, is a brilliant man. He can create episodes based entirely on random things, like Dungeons and Dragons.




1) Vampire diaries 


Vampire Diaries is a guilty pleasure for anyone. It's basically about supernatural creatures, throw in some teenage drama, a vampire off the wagon in season 3, and the most SCREWED up original family but they did it all out of love. It's so sweet in a twisted way. Also, most ridiculously good-looking cast members ever. Dammit Nina Dobrev, why you so gorgeous!?












December 22, 2011

Best of 2011: The Sequels Edition

As we all await 2011 to be over (because of all the shiny books set to release in 2012!), today I'll tell you some of the most hotly-anticipated sequels and the ends of trilogies.
Check it out!

11) Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) - Andrea Cremer
release date: 1/3/12


With a hair-pulling ending of Wolfsbane, Cremer ties up this series in Bloodrose set to come out in the early week of January. More specifically, Tuesday on January the 3rd. Still not convinced that you want it to end?

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnameable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is. In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.


How 'bout it, fellow guardians? Let's take the final plunge together on the 3rd of January ;)


10) Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2)  
2011 really brought back the mythology and allure of angels, fallen and heavenly. Ms. Moulton really made a segue way from angels to reapers (and other nasty things hiding in the dark) in the Indie Pick of 2011, Angelfire. 




Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. 
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night. 

She’s been warned. 
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself. 

She’ll be betrayed. 
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay. 



9)  Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2 - Laini Taylor

TBA


8) Before I wake - (Rachel Vincent #6)

TBA 

7) Fever (Wither #2) Lauren DeStefano: 2/21/12

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind. 

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. 

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary. 

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever


6) Timepiece (Hourglass #2) - Myra McEntire: 6/12/12
 


A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...

Kaleb Ballard's relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb's powers expanding, or is something very wrong? 

Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devastating results. 

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough... 

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.



5) The Savage Grace (#3 Dark Divine) Bree Despain: 3/13/12

A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle. 

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything. 

With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders. 

The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion








4) Perception Kim Harrington: 3/1/2012
When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you? 

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past. 

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her. 

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back? 

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.


3) A Million Suns (AtU #2) 1/10/12

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.
It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.
But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.
In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.



2) Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3) 7/24/12


The third book in the Paranormalcy trilogy. 

The final chapter of Evie's adventures. Old friends, new ones, all wrapped up in impossible decisions. And some ball gowns. Because what's a life of normal and paranormal drama without a ball gown or two?






1) Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) 6/19/12

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy spinoff series. 

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students—children of the wealthy and powerful—carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought. 

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead’s breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher



And Ms. Mead even added some teasers for Golden Lily in honor of the holidays! (all out of context, and said differently) 


Quote #1: “You made your own jean shorts…with a butter knife?”
Quote #2: “Too bad you got so bogged down in books. You’ve got the spirit of a warrior.”
Quote #3: “You need me? You yell. You want to leave? We go. I’ll get you out of here, no matter what.”












































































December 21, 2011

Top 11 of 2011 countdown!

On the iPod: Greatest Time of Year - Aly & A.J


Hey guys! If you weren't compulsively checking Twitter for the #solsticesurprise held by Fictitious Delicious, their surprise was amazing!  A little background was that they're HUGE fans of Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade series, they made the awesome surprise!


Now, to my thing. I'm holding a top 11 of 2011 countdown with books, music, movies, characters and more!


Today I talk about my top 11 favorite books and series of 2011!


1)                                                      



Angels, reapers, one red headed chick and the most smoldering angel yet, Angelfire really left an angelic mark as an indie read of 2011.











2)
the Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready


Ghosts, doomed loved, one sexy Scot make Shade a must read for anyone as its message of healing after the loss of the loved one will make you all weep.












3)

Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent


Banshees. Need I say more? With a new take on the old myth that a banshee is an old woman who screams for the death of a soon to-be-dead person









4)
Heist Society by Ally Carter



Thieves. Cons. Teenage kids with lots of money. Heist Society was a bomb in the birdcage! in a good way












5)
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The hype of Hunger Games as we all eagerly await for it to hit the theaters in the near future of 2012 makes it kinda hard for people to not notice it. It's already got a nail polish line waiting!













6) The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare
Creating one of the most agonizing love triangles and swoon-worthy male characters is all in a days work for Ms. Clare, earning her hit steampunk series a top mark in 2011 published.

Now, team Will or Jem? ;)











7)
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins


Foreign exchange. Romance in Paris. The best scene ever written while at boarding school (spoilers!), Stephanie Perkins gets Paris right on the nose with the tender and snarky Anna!












8) Lola and The Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

Companion to Anna, liveliness of San Francisco and one of the most adorkable characters to ever exist (besides Spencer Reid), Stephanie grabbed 2011 by shirt and make it Year of the Steph.
















9) 

Paranormalcy/Supernaturally - Kiersten White

The FBI of paranormal things. Fae, vampires and more, Paranormalcy was spunk in a pink dress and moxie in a bedazzled taser and bad-ass at its best.


10) 
A Touch Mortal - Leah Clifford


A brand new take on the beloved fallen angels and reapers, Leah Clifford's Mortal drove you down the highway to hell at sixty miles per hour and left you wanting to go back down faster.















11) 

Sisters Red/Sweetly -Jackson Pearce


Companion novels have sprung up in '11, among them Jackson Pearce doing superb modernization's and reconstructions of classic fairy tales with her own twist. The Fairytale Retellings series is a series you do not want to miss out on!