For centuries, Wonderland thrived as the domain of beautiful bedlam and unapologetic madness. It was a place like no other. All it took was one girl slipping in through the cracks of the universe to start chaos spiraling toward order. In the 150 years since Alice’s visit, the realm has become tainted—almost normal. Rabbits in waistcoats and playing card minions are little more than creatures of myth, and Wonderland is literally falling to pieces.
For Gwen, Rose, and Lucky, Wonderland is home, and yet they know little of its former glory. When the Alice prophecy resurfaces, they’ll have one chance to use Wonderland’s own legends to bring a little mayhem back into their reality. For she who controls Alice controls the fate of Wonderland.
AUTHOR BIO
Kellie Sheridan is a Canadian author and book blogger. When not reading books or writing, she also works with books. She is currently working with two small publishers on the marketing/publicity side of things, and is also Joan of ARCs at Spencer Hill Press. In her spare time Kellie watches way too much television and travels whenever she has the opportunity.
Kellie’s first YA novel, Mortality was released in March, and she is currently hard at work on future writing projects.
Title: True Author: Erin McCarthy Publisher: Intermix Release date: May 7th 2013 Reading level:Ages 18 and up Source: Netgalley Format: egalley Rating: 3/5 Buy on: Amazon | B&N
When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.
Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…
Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…
Lately in several of the books from the New Adult genre that I've read, its main character are a super-mega-hot-popular-bad-boy, with wonderful eyes, covered in tattoos, with a body to die for, who falls for the unpopular-shy-virgin-girl, True is no exception, so you may wonder what´s different (at least for me) in this book, well to begin with is that there isn´t love at first sight, since Rory and Tyler have already known each other for months because he is Jessica's "friend with benefits" (to put it in some way), she´s roommate and best friend of Rory. And is this same Jessica along with Kylie the ones that offer money to Tyler so that he should be the "first" for Rory, so she could feel better toward herself and have more self-confidence.
So thanks to this proposal that Tyler accepts in order to meet Rory because he is curious about her and wants to know her better .... (super romantic) .... but the more time they spend together they get to know each other and feelings begin to bloom.
From the secondary characters I like Tyler´s younger brothers - Jayden is seventeen years-old, whose nickname is U and Easton is ten years-old, but my favorite is ..... Jayden, he stole my heart ... he is really cute.
What I did not like was that Tyler was going and going about how he do not deserve her, that she´s better than him .. blah .. blah .. blah .. but other than that, the story is entertaining and I liked the ending, but I felt it very rushed and something was missing, perhaps an epilogue would have been nice. Overall, I liked True and is an entertaining book.
Title: The Collector (Dante Walker #1) Author: Victoria Scott Publisher: Entangled Teen Release date: March 25th 2013 Source: Netgalley Format: egalley Rating: 3.5/5 Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository
He makes good girls...bad.
Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.
Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:
Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.
Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.
I had heard a lot buzz about this book and I saw it mentioned in several blogs, plus I like the cover so I could not resist and had to read it.
The Collector tells the story of Dante Walker a collector of souls from hell, he is the best at his job, but he likes when his work is impersonal and he doesn´t know the person he has to collect, that's until his boss the Boss Man (The Devil /Lucifer) assigned him a new mission if he does this collection right, he gets his promotion at work. The mission is to collect the soul of Charlie Copper, a girl of good feelings, a nerd, she isn´t an attractive girl and Dante must corrupt her and make her to commit sins in order to collect her soul, because hell is very interested in get her. But the more he gets to know her, Dante begins to change and see things differently, but is not easy to give priority to another person, since he has spent the last 19 years being selfish and only worrying about himself and the other people was/is irrelevant.
The story is seen from Dante´s POV, he´s a super-rich-bad-boy, he's a snob, arrogant, selfish, very sure of himself and in short, he feels like the last coca cola in the desert. Aas the story progresses this decreased slightly, but he never stop being who he is, Dante loves Dante. Meanwhile Charlie is an imperfect girl, a little insecure, very innocent and unattractive as looks are concerned. Among the secondary characters are Blue and Annabelle, Charlie's best friends, who are the ones we see more and I liked them.
The Collector is a light, funny and very entertaining book and I liked that the romance is not instant love, but its gradually. I liked it and I'll definitely read the next book - Liberator.
I want to thank Entangled Teen and Netgalley for this review copy.
This section or meme is call Book Cover Battle, the first time I saw it was at Books Passion for Life as UK vs US and Bookaholics book club as UK vs The World but because I don´t live in the UK, I can´t name it that way, so for now is Book Cover Battle .
This week book cover battle is
The Madman´s Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Click on the image to go to Goodreads
US UK
Spain Turkish
Slovak
When the book came out I liked the US cover, but now I that saw the UK cover...it´s definitely my favorite.
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
The book I´m waiting this week is
Proxy (Proxy #1) by Alex London Release date: June 18th 2013
Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own. Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.
Why I'm Waiting? The story sounds really interesting and this proxy boy/guy reminds me a little bit to the whipping boys from 15th and 16th centuries.
Title: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) Author: Julie Kagawa Publisher: Harlequin Teen Release date: April 30th 2013 Source: Netgalley Format: egalley Rating: 5/5 Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository
You can read my review of The Immortal Rules - here
Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.
Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.
I LOVED this book! Julie Kagawa is an excellent writer and one of my favorite authors. The Eternity Cure is an amazing sequel to one of my favorite books in 2012, The Immortal Rules.
The Eternity Cure takes place a few months after the events of The Immortal Rules, Allison is in a search and rescue mission of her creator - Kanin who was kidnapped by a quite psychotic vampire and Allison thanks to the connection she has with her creator is able to trace him, but so far she´s several steps behind them. And on her travels she meets with certain prince vampire who wants her dead, but for now he would have her as an ally and decide to help each other, as both can benefit from this partnership.
All the characters are very well written and easy to grow fond of them, already love some from the first book, but now I loved them even more thanks to this book and certain character that I didn´t liked in the previous book, now I see him with different eyes. And this time in story there were several surprises and appeared of several characters that I didn´t expected to see in this book, as it was the vampire prince (which I will not say his name to avoid spoilers), but this character took a turn and we see another side of him the that although he has his own reasons to help Allie, and they´re not at all a secret, I like him a lot and he has several funny moments. I can not wait to see more of him in the next book and see what will he do next.
The Eternity Cure is a very excellent second book in a series, the beginning is a little slow but then takes strength and I could not stop reading it and I'm happy to report that there is no love triangle (I feared for a moment that if there would be). And the last chapters! NOO! I was in tears, it's so unfair what happens and it has a mayor cliffhanger that left me stunned and trying to process what was happening and dying to read the next book.
This book is a MUST read, if you like dystopian books with vampires and a strong female character that kick-butt, is loyal and smart. And if you have not read The Immortal Rules, first book of the series ... You should read it...now, it´s really amazing book. I highly recommend this book.
I want to thank Harlequin Teen and Netgalley for this review copy.
Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1) by Kellie Sheridan Release date: March 19th 2013 Formats: Print, ebook
After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death.
Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore.
Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.
Title: Breathless (Elemental #2.5) Author: Brigid Kemmerer Publisher: Kensington Teen Release date: April 30th 2013 Source: Netgalley Format: egalley Rating: 4.5/5 Buy on: Amazon | B&N
You can read my review of Elemental - here. Storm - here & Spark - here
Too many secrets. Not enough time.
Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.
But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.
His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.
He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.
It is difficult to review a short story, because at least Breathless has 65 pages to show us a day in the life of Nick Merrick and his girlfriend Quinn, but although I wish the story was a little longer, I think Brigid Kemmerer gives a glimpse of what is to come in the book of Nick - Siege (published in January 2014) and let us see a little more of his personality and although I've seen him in the previous books through the eyes of his brothers, is not the same to be in his head.
This short story is told from the point of view of Nick and Quinn. Nick is perfect brother of the family, he´s gets along with his siblings, is the peacemaker, always does what he should do, has excellent grades, know how to treat the girls and what he should do to keep them happy but now that he is with Quinn, she´s not like the other girls and he´s having problems with her. And meanwhile Quinn, (I still don´t like her) is having problems with her family and because of this she´s too impulsive and self-destructive and ends up getting Nick into trouble.
Overall, if you have read Storm and Spark, you must read Breathless!, I got excited when I read the excerpt of it on the blog of the author, it gives you an idea where Nick´s story is going.
Elemental is quickly becoming one of my favorite series! I highly recommend it!
I want to thank Kensington Teen and Netgalley for this review copy.
Title: The Summoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #1) Author: Kelley Armstrong Publisher: HarperCollins Release date: July 1st 2008 Rating: 4/5 Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository
My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.
All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost - and the ghost saw me.
Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? it's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House...before its skeletons come back to haunt me.
This is the second time I read The Summoning by author Kelley Armstrong and this trilogy is set in the same world as her adult series Women of the Otherworld. I did read several books of her adult series before I read this book and I do not know if that has anything to do with it, but I LOVED this book! I declare myself a fan of Kelley Armstrong, I love both series.
The Summoning is narrated by Chloe Saunder a fifteen year-old girl, she´s studying at an art school and her dream is to become a screenwriter and direct a Hollywood film, but that dream is ruined when she sees her first ghost and nobody believes her and and her family think that she have a nervous breakdown, so she is sent to a home for "troubled" teens. There she meets other patients that are there for some unknown problem, since this house has a policy that their patients do not discuss their diagnosis with others. But Lyle House, is some sort of boarding school/house where the patients receive psychological help, a tutor (to help them to catch up or not fall behind in classes), and they also have to do chores around the house.
Among the patients at Lyle House, Derek is 16 years-old, he has attitude problems and his foster brother Simon is 15 years-old, is a popular guy, Tori is 15 years-old she´s, the typical popular girl who mistreats everyone, Rae likes to play with fire (literally) and Chloe´s roommate Liz is a good girl and she´s Tori´s best friend.
My favorite character is Derek Souza, he has bad temper, he isn´t interested in interacting with anyone other than his brother, but underneath all that there is a guy very protective, strong, extremely intelligent. Team Derek!!
Overall, The Summoning is a very good first book, with action, adventure, mystery, paranormal elements, with unexpected twists (as this was the second time I read it the twists were not so unexpected), excellent and lovable characters. And with a cliffhanger ending. I highly recommended it.
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
The book I´m waiting this week is
Countdown by Michelle Rowen
Release date: September 24th 2013
3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped.
2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game.
Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.
1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.
Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.
Twins Sera and Luke Raine’s unusual abilities are growing. Sera is healing vampires now, making them human again. And, at times, Luke can actually change the future he Sees.
But Sera’s healing has dangerous consequences, and though Luke is altering the outcome of more visions, he can’t control them yet.
Now Sera is in danger as the dark creatures of the Realm seek to use her. As Luke struggles to master his gift in order to save his sister, he discovers even more about his powers.
And what he learns just may put him in greater danger than Sera has ever been.
Imaginable begins a few months after the events in Intangible, twins Luke and Sera, continue to discover a little more about their "gifts", Sera with her gift of healing by a simple touch, realizes that her gift can bring more problems than she thought because she cannot only cure humans, but she also is turning vampires into humans and they do not stop asking her to convert them, but this could be dangerous not only for herself but for all the people she cares about. And meanwhile Luke tries to find a way to force his visions with the intention of preventing them, because if he could change the future, maybe his "gift" is not as useless as he thought.
Imaginable is told from multiple point of views, the main been Luke´s and Sera´s, but we also got Fey and Jonas´s POVs.
I really liked this book but not as much as the first book, this time Sera annoyed me a little bit, she keeps lamenting, ignoring the warnings of Jonas and she is unable to say NO, most of her problems is because she can´t say NO. But Luke balances it a bit, he´s still as cocky (but as a joke) an in the first book, but I love how close they´re and how the can understood each other without words. And my favorite character of the series is Jonas!, He is a vampire and he is super protective of Sera and finally there´re sparks between them, so I hope these two end up together, as well as Luke and Fey.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, although there were times in the story when Sera was not my favorite person, but the story is good, entertaining and I can´t wait to see how is going to affect their lives the new change in Luke´s visions. I definitely can´t wait to read the third book in the series.
Title: The Morning Star (The Morning Star #1) Author: Tania Penn Publisher: Penn Pal Publishing Release date: January 10th 2013 Rating: 4/5 Buy on: Amazon
Being the daughter of Lucifer keeps seventeen year old Dawn Belial busy. For almost her entire lifetime, she has been trying to think of a way to free her Archangel mother, Michaela, whom her father has held captive for centuries. She's also attending high school - balancing trigonometry, history, and recruiting souls for her father along with her wicked half-sister, Venus.
There has been no time for love until she meets mysterious Gabriel, a British exchange student. As they fall in love against their will, she discovers a startling secret about him, and a shocking connection to her mother that changes everything.
The first thing that caught my attention in this book to read the synopsis was the fact that the book's protagonist is the daughter of Lucifer, was the main attraction to my decision to read this book. I have read several books about angels and demons and this is the first that I run where the plot is a little different.
The Morning Star is told from multiple points of view to be the main voice of Dawn Belial, a girl who appears to be 17 years old, but in reality is a bit more for a few hundred years (if not thousands), it appears to be a normal girl attending school along with his half-sister, has few friends, attending parties, only to have extracurricular activities imposed by his father Lucifer, because in his spare time with his half-sister Venus recruit souls for Hell (or the other side as Dawn called). And everything is normal in her life until she meets a boy Gabriel exchange for which he feels a great attraction, occupying his thoughts and he was thinking the first time in a long time and given the opportunity to go out with a human.
I liked the characters although Dawn is the daughter of Lucifer and is extremely beautiful, is a little nerd and you love art and art restorer, she adores her father but as expected and is afraid it complies with all orders or jobs that are required even if later feel a little regret as the daughter of an archangel Lucifer and it's both light and darkness. And Gabriel is a guy who is attracted exchange Dawn. And I like both Venus, she is a succubus and a half-sister Dawn, with which does not get along.
I really liked The Morning Star, although there are not many surprises in the plot, because the plot is open, since when are the views of Gabriel and others you see where it goes the story, but the idea is interesting .
