Feature: Spring Giveway from Alice Marvels

Alice Marvels is the very reason my pocketbook is always empty these days.  Before I found that site through a Facebook ad -- and subsequently signed up for the DAILY newsletter -- I would just walk into a bookstore, hoping to come across a book that would interest me. 

But now that Alice Marvels is bringing me daily updates on new books, authors, books being turned into movies, etc., etc., my TBR pile has grown exponentially.  And I can't thank her enough!  :D

And so now I'd like to spread the love a little bit.  Check out this amazing contest on the Alice Marvels site and you could be the proud new owner of a Kindle.  If you're not the lucky winner of that prize du jour, fret not.  You're also entered to win one of eight awesome books, signed by the authors!  Hurry, though:  the contest ends June 20th!!!

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Labels: giveaways

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Here's what I've gotten since my last IMM post:

Netgalley of Misfit by Jon Skovron, up for review soon
Nook book ($2.99) of Solstice by P.J. Hoover, which I'll be reviewing momentarily
Free ebook of Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa
Nook book ($2.99) of Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
Free ebook of The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross
And out of nowhere, my mom gave me a copy of The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.

In addition to that, I won a signed bookmark from Maggie Stiefvater in her Forever ARC contest.

All in all, not a bad month.  What have you gotten recently???

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Labels: in my mailbox (imm)

Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Title:  Warm Bodies
Author:  Isaac Marion
Series:  n/a
Publisher:  Atria
Publication Date:  April 26, 2011
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human—in this astonishingly original debut novel.

R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn’t enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Not just another zombie novel, Warm Bodies is funny, scary, and deeply moving.

Review:

Let me just preface this review with this: Best. Zombie. Book. Ever.

I take author recommendations very seriously, especially when they come from author's I admire and respect. So, when I saw this blog post from Maggie Stiefvater giving ten reasons why I must read Warm Bodies, I knew it was going on my TBR list. Usually, that's the end of it for a few months because I have a rather large TBR list and if it's not new or I haven't been waiting ages for it to be released, it stays on the list for awhile. Lo and behold, a Goodreads giveaway in which I win a shiny new copy of this amazing book. I find it's much easier for me to read a book if I already have it in hand, and it gets read a lot sooner that way, too.

So, what, you ask, makes this the best zombie book ever? Well, a lot of things. The story was hopeful and touching but not saccharine sweet. The writing was superb. (I laughed out loud at 'gastromically celibate'...just wait, you'll see.) It's a zombie romance, for crying out loud, but it's honest and it has a message, and it's still chock-full of those zombie-rific elements that make it kind of disturbing.

R is more verbose than your average undead zombie. He likes to ride the escalators at the airport where his zombie clan resides, and he listens to Frank Sinatra in his airplane of a house. He falls in love with the living human girl whose life he saves. He wants to live again. He's beginning to change. And with the change in R comes a change in the rest of the world, albeit reluctantly.

This book was so cleverly written. It's not everyday that I find myself rooting for the undead, but from the beginning, I hoped things would work out for R. This was seriously one of the best pieces of fiction I've read in awhile, and I'm telling everyone about it. Seriously, I want to make everyone I know read this book so we can discuss how it is far superior to any other zombie book out there. It's poignant, and it makes a statement, and at the same time, it's funny.

Oh, and did I mention this novel is being made into a movie?? And Simon Pegg, of Shaun of the Dead fame, blurbed it? Seriously.

*I won a copy of this book thru a Goodreads 'First Reads' giveaway.*
 
Next up for review: 

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Labels: isaac marion, reviews, warm bodies, zombies

Review: Die for Me (Revenants #1) by Amy Plum

Title:  Die For Me
Author:  Amy Plum
Series:  Revenants Trilogy
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Publication Date:  May 10, 2011
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

In this incandescent debut, newcomer Amy Plum has created a powerful paranormal mythology with immortal revenants. The Paris setting comes enchantingly alive as a relentless struggle between good and evil takes place in its streets. Rich with romance, atmosphere, and thrills, Die for Me will leave readers breathlessly awaiting its sequel.

Review:


This novel really took me by surprise. I'd been wanting to read it since I first heard about it, but I never imagined I'd enjoy it so much. It was such a unique take on ghosts and the walking dead, called revenants in the book. And what a beautiful cover!

The pacing of the story was rather leisurely in the beginning as the reader learns about Kate's life and what it's become since the deaths of her parents and her move to France with her grandparents, and even after she meets Vincent and he explains revenants to her. But the pacing does pick up once the story evolves into something more than just Kate and Vincent, and the reader discovers that there's a danger lurking very near, one that directly involves Vincent and Kate.

I liked that this wasn't insta-love for Kate. Yes, she was taken with Vincent's modelesque beauty instantly, but even once she developed feelings for him, she questioned if she was ready, if she could handle a relationship with him once she knew the truth. I like to believe that love will always prevail in the end, so it doesn't usually bother me when a relationship progresses rather quickly. This story is no different. It actually speaks volumes to me that Kate could accept and even love Vincent, despite how, ah, different he is from other would-be suitors. I try to keep an open mind in life, and I look favorably at the characters in books that can do so, as well.

This novel is a romantic ghost story, but there's plenty of action to be had. It's beautifully told from Kate's POV and the setting is the most romantic city in the world. I couldn't ask for more in a debut novel!

*I won an ARC of this novel from Pitch Dark Books/Harper Teen in their Dark Days of Supernatural promotion.*
 
Next up for review: 

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Labels: amy plum, harper-collins, revenants series, reviews

Review: Illusions (Wings #3) by Aprilynne Pike

Title:  Illusions
Author:  Aprilynne Pike
Series:  Wings
Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date:  May 3, 2011
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.

Review:


Oh, my. If I thought I was going to get any answers in book three, boy, was I mistaken. I now have more questions than ever! And I have to wait an entire year before I'll get any type of resolution? After that cliffhanger?!? Oh, my.

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***Don't read any further if you have not read the other books in the series. I would hate to spoil anything for you!***

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So, Laurel made her decision at the end of Spells and is living as normal a life as possible as a human with David and the parents who raised her. All is right in Laurel's world, until Tamani shows up at her high school and enrolls as a foreign exchange student. Things are about to get complicted.

It's engaging to read how the scenario plays out. I mean, David, Mr. Perfect GPA, has a little green-eyed monster tucked safely away after the incidents of last summer, but Tamani's reappearance in Laurel's life triggers some not-so-nice behavior from him. It's quite entertaining and it actually made me like David better because he's not as perfect as his spotless reputation thus far has portrayed. (I'm still Team Tamani, though!)

The characterization in these novels is fantastic. I truly feel as if I know the characters, though their actions are not always as predictable as one might expect. And the addition of new characters (friend or foe, who really knows?) only adds to the fun. Ms. Pike really knows how to round out her characters and make them feel like old friends.

As usual, Laurel doesn't only have to deal with having her heart torn between two boys. There are other dangers looming on the horizon, though it takes getting to that cliffhanger of an ending to truly find out who the enemy is. This latest installment, and my favorite in the series by far, is full of plot twists, complex relationships, and developments that shake Laurel's world to its core.

Illusions is a great addition to the series, which only seems to get better with each book. The author has created a spectacular new faerie world of her own with this series.

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Side note and then I'm done: After the revelations in Illusions, what with Laurel breaking up with David and leaning heavily toward Tamani, and Chelsea's plans to break up with Ryan in hopes that David will finally notice her, I won't be surprised if the series ends happily ever after with Laurel & Tamani heading home to Avalon and David & Chelsea heading off to college together as a couple. I hope it's not as predictable as all that, but I suppose I shall find out eventually.

*I won an ARC of this novel from Pitch Dark Books/Harper Teen in their Dark Days of Supernatural promotion.*

Next up for review: 

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Labels: reviews, wings series