Dark Faerie Tales Valentine Day Book Massacre!

 

 Dark Faerie Tales is holding an AWESOME Valentine's Day Book Massacre.   They are murdering, I mean giving away, all kinds of great books in the name of love. Check out this list: 

Welcome to Dark Faerie Tales first Valentine’s Day Book Massacre!

Books on the Giveaway Block:
1. Ecstasy Unveiled
2. Shadow Blade
3. The Iron King
4. Archangel’s Kiss
5. Bone Crossed
6. First Drop of Crimson
7. Darklight
8. Need
9. Betrayals
10. The Secret Year (Signed ARC)
11. Something Like Fate (ARC)
12. Incarceron (ARC & Hardcover)
13. Dirty Little Secrets (ARC)
14. Invisible Girl (ARC)
15. Inked
16. So Punk Rock (Signed)
17. Light Beneath Ferns (Signed)
18. The Princess and the Snowbird
19. The Dark Divine & Nail Polish (previous winner never claimed prize)
20. For Keeps (ARC)
21. Bleeding Violet (ARC)
22. Eleventh Grade Burns (ARC)
23. Spider’s Bite
24. Night Tides
25. Unperfect Souls
26. Blood Magic
27. Succubi Like It Hot
28. Embrace the Night Eternal
29. Beyond the Night
30. Pleasure of a Dark Prince

* Note: I will also include some super secret ARCs for each winner!

I will select the following:

1 Grand Prize Winner (5 Books)

1 First Place Winner (4 Books)

1 Second Place Winner (3 Books)

1 Third Place Winner (2 Book)

Can you believe all that wicked awesomeness?  Head over there now and sign up!

DARK FAERIE TALES CONTEST

WINNER!!!

 

YAY! My first contest is for Wing by Aprilynne Pike is over! I had a great turn-out! I love all my old and new followers!  With no further delay...the winner is....

Natalie from Mindful Musings!

Congrats!

Natalie, I have sent you and email so please email me back at booknerdd@gmail.com within  the next 48 hours with your address and I will get your book in the mail!

Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Published: December 2009

Hardback: 576 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: Received via trade on swaptree.com

My rating: 5 out of 5 wicked stars

Blurb:

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

My thoughts...

I really enjoyed this book.  The fact that it was written from strictly the male point of view was totally refreshing.  I went into reading this book not really sure what paranormal aspect would be present...I love starting books that way, ha ha.  Our character, Ethan, is honestly a great guy...where was he when I was in high school?  He is just the guy that goes with the flow on everything until he meets Lena, who changes his perspective.  As they get to know each other, Ethan begans to care less what other thing and does more of what he wants to do.

The authors create a dark, gothic world where paranormal things happen but it is kept under cover from the rest of the town, for the most part anyway.  The side-characters really add life and excitement to this book: the caretaker Amma, the eccentric uncle Macon, best-friend Link, and the crazy cousin, Ridley.

This book was long but for me, it was an easy read.  I got wrapped up in the story and the plot and it made the book hard to put down at times.  It is definitely one of my favorite reads this year.

Contest Reminder! Win Wings by Aprilynne Pike!

Just a reminder that my contest to giveaway for a hardback copy of Wings ends 1/29! I will be picking a winner on Saturday 1/30, so if you haven't entered, go there now!

ENTER HERE

Review: Swoon by Nina Malkin

Title: Swoon

Author: Nina Malkin

Published: May 2009

Hardcover: 425 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: Won it in a contest at Book Bound

My rating: 2.5 out of 5 wicked stars

Blurb:

Sin is coming... Prepare to Swoon.

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him—but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent—and irresistible—adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him. 

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

My thoughts:

I have to say...I loved the premise about this book and the cover is awesome.  That being said, the book itself...eh.  The main character, Dice,  was very snarky and I did love that about the book..and honestly really enjoyed it for the first half.  The second half..things seemed rushed and somewhat confusing.  The love interest, Sin, was hot guy once he got his own body...that's just weird to say.  I kept hoping he would reconsider his evil ways, but I was set for disappointment there. Don't get me started about the ending.  I won't ruin it for anyone else saying anymore about the ending.

This is another one of those books with almost zero parental involvement.  Dice's parents move to this small town because of something that happened with Dice and her friends, but then they remain in New York for work during the week and only come home on the weekends. Granted, Dice's aunt and uncle live next door, but is that realistic adequate supervision, especially for a kid with past issues?  I would reserve this book for the older set of YA readers because of the sex, drugs and general lack of supervision.  This isn't real life, people..or at least, not real life where I grew up.

I liked the idea of how the author shortened everyone's name in the book to one-syllable nicknames.  It made it fun, and a little confusing at some parts, but entertaining none the less. This was a really hard review to write, it is hard to formulate into word the parts that I didn't like...without giving away the end of the story.  So I will just keep mum...and you guys tell me what you think if you had read it.

The Mark is released today and Jen Nadol is having a launch party!

Jen Nadol's eagerly awaited book The Mark is released today and she is having an Online Launch Party including giveaways of books and gift cards!

Go  HERE now and enter to win!

Book Bound's Best YA of 2009's Mega Giveaway!

 Book Bound is having her first MEGA giveaway...and it is HUGE, I had to share with you!  She just hit 300 followers and there will be 4 winners as follows:

1st Prize: Four (4) books of choice
2nd Prize: Three (3) books of choice
3rd Prize: Two (2) books of choice
4th Prize: One (1) books of choice

Wow, right?!  And check out this awesome list of books you get to choose from!

1. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Fallen by Lauren Kate
4. The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Eyes Like Stars: Theatre Illuminata, Act I by Lisa Mantchev
7. The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger
8. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
9. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
10. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
11. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
12. Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
13. The Awakening (Darkest Powers, Book 2) by Kelley Armstrong
14. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
15. City of Glass (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare
16. Intertwined (Harlequin Teen) by Gena Showalter
17. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore 

So go HERE and enter to win this awesome contest! 

Read Your Name Challenge and I need YOUR help!

Read Your Name Challenge

I saw this fun challenge over at Shut Up! I am Reading's blog today and I have to give it a go. This great challenge is hosted by Victoria over at Phantom Inkheart. I decided to do my first and middle name since just the first is kinda short.  The problem I am running into is that I cannot come up with a good book for "Y".  Any suggestions??

Here are my books:

S - Sisters Red ** DONE**

T - Tantalize by Cynthia Smith

A - Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia ** DONE**

C - Captivate by Carrie Jones ** DONE**

Y - You are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay

R - Raven by Allison Van Diepen **DONE**

E - the Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

N - Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper

E - Ecstasy Unveiled by Larrisa Ione **DONE**

E - Evernight by Claudia Gray **DONE**

 Okay, that's my list...except for Y, so any suggestions would be appreciated!  I will post this button on the side of my blog to track my progress.

Review: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Title: The Dark Divine

Author: Bree Despain

Published: December 2009

Hardcover: 375 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: Purchased by yours truly

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Blurb:

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.


The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.


The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

My thoughts...

I loved The Dark Divine! I found it dark, mysterious and enthralling.  Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down.  The author opened my eyes as to what it would be like to be a pastor's daughter and the constraints put on them.  I have to admit, I went into this book not knowing what sort of paranormal twist it would have, and I liked not knowing...so i won't share that with you either so you can have the same experience ha ha.

Daniel definitely filled the need for the dark, mysterious bad boy that has secrets galore, but he was also kind and thoughtful which rounded out his character nicely.  I thought this book was well written and the characters nicely developed.  I am not sure if there will be a sequel to this book or not, but I will be on the lookout for it.

Triple Shot Review: Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside by Holly Black

Title: Tithe (1st in series)

Author: Holly Black

Published: March 2004

Paperback: 331 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: Received via trade on paperbackswap.com

My rating: 4 out of 5 wicked stars

 

My thoughts:

Sixteen year old Kaye Fierch has bounced around from place to place thanks to her Mom always chasing success in band.  The only consistent home she had was when they lived with her Grandmother in New Jersey.  Thanks to her Mom's boyfriend trying to stab her Mom, the are out of a place to live and have to move home to New Jersey.  Kaye always knew she was different, and it was more than just her looks (she is half Asian)...she sees and talks to faeries.  Kaye hooks up with old friends but ends up walking home after a party by herself and stumbles upon Roiben, an injured faerie knight who is the perfect person to start explaining some things, firstly, why she is suddenly so important to the faerie realm.

This book was dark and gothic, it was a pretty intense look at faeries and how they are not all nice. Kaye gets wrapped up in quite a web of faerie lore and isn't sure who to believe.  This was actually my favorite book of the three. The author creates a dark and mysterious world with no shortage of people dying.  Some of it a bit shocking.  This was a good start to the trilogy.

Title: Valiant

Author: Holly Black

Published: September 2006

Paperback: 320 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: Received via trade on swaptree.com

My rating: 3 out of 5 wicked stars

My thoughts:

This book involved totally different characters than the first, with only brief meeting of these new characters with Kaye and Roiben towards the end.  It shocked me a little because I was expecting the continuation of their story, but instead we meet Valerie.  She runs away from home and heads to New York City when she catches her boyfriend and her Mother making out (uhh..yuck).  She befriends a 2 boys and girl and they let her crash at their "place", which happens to be in the tunnels of the subway.  One of these boys, Luis, has the "sight" and can see Fae as they truly are.  She gets wrapped up in delivering a drug to faeries, that was made by a troll, and this drug,Never,  helps solitary Fae (those that do not belong to a certain court) stand the iron in the city.  There is where she meets the maker...Ravus the troll and has to decide if she trusts him when Fae that take his drug start dying.

I have to give Holly Black a hand here, she made a troll seem hot in his own trollish way.  He seemed to be a sensitive guy deep down thru his crusty troll layers.  This book involved a lot of drugs and teens with zero supervision, so I am not sure if this set of books would be for kids too young.  I couldn't get involved with this set of characters like I did in the first book, just had trouble relating and connecting.  There is plenty of drama and death in this book, like the first one, but I was hoping more of a cross over of characters.  I do get that wish somewhat in the third book.

Title: Ironside

Author: Holly Black

Published: April 2007

Paperback: 323 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: Received via trade with swaptree.com

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 wicked stars

My thoughts:

The third book picks back up with Kaye and Roiben as he is about to have his coronation for the Unseelie (Dark) Court.  During the coronation, Kaye gets a bit sauced on the faerie wine and pledges herself to Roiben and his court and as rules go, he must give her a quest.  The quest given is almost impossible, find a faerie that cannot tell a lie.  Meanwhile, the Queen of the Seelie (Light) Court wants both courts and starts a war with Roiben to get it.  To add more drama to the mix, when Kaye realized that she was born a faerie, a pixie if you want to get technical, she finds out she was switched with a real human baby that is now growing up in the Seelie Court.  After telling her Mom, she realizes she needs to get this child back and find a way to find a faerie that can lie.

This book has the melding of characters from both books, but not in the way you would think.  The main characters from Valiant only show up towards the end and very briefly.  The main book 2 character is Luis, the boy with the "sight".  Ironside wraps up the story nicely even though there were a few things that were never really touched on, like who are Kaye's faerie parents?  It never even came up as a question, I guess pixies are born from cabbage patches, haha.

This was a dark and gritty trilogy that held my attention throughout.  I wouldn't recommend this for kids that are too young because of the violence, drugs and runaways.  If you are looking to getting swept away in faerie land and learn all their secrets, pick these up and give them a try.

Review: Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Title: Devoured

Author: Amanda Marrone

Published: September 2009

Paperback: 304 pages

Reading Level: YA

My copy: Received via trade on swaptree.com

My rating: 4 out of 5 wicked stars

My thoughts...

Devoured is dark, edgy remake of the fairy tale Snow White.  The main character, Megan Sones, lost her sister, Remy,  in a car accident that also put her father in a coma 10 years ago.  She has had various sightings of her sister's ghost but none so much as lately when she starts work at an amusement park to keep an eye one her boyfriend and his "friend".  Megan meets the park owner's daughter and forms an unstable friendship with her. She also meets the talented and mysterious Luke who to her surprise can also see her dead sister.

This book is not the sweet little fairy tale you might originally think it is.  There is some parts are, honestly, a little freaky and other that are shocking and other that are..well...sad.  It has a love triangle that completes itself nicely in the end.  The book is a pretty quick read and interesting enough to make you not want to put it down.  I recommend this book if you like fairy tale remakes that are modernized, loosely-based and twisted into a dark, edgy tales.

CONTEST! Win Wings by Aprilynne Pike - CLOSED

My very first contest..and my first time to use Google Docs...so this should be interesting :)  Please get the word about as much as you can!

I am giving away my hardback copy of Wings by Aprilynne Pike.  It was an awesome book, see my review here.

Okay...now to the rules...

1.  You gotta be a follower! If you aren't, go to my right sidebar and click follow, easy peasy.

2.  I will use random.org to pick the winner on January 30th

3.  The contest is open to US only..sorry international peeps :(  Hopefully next time I can do that.

4.  HINT * so you know you entered this contest, comment on this post!

5. Extra entries for following me on twitter (@raycee3), tweeting, sidebar post, adding me to your blog roll and doing a blog post!

Good luck!