ARC review: The Savage Grace

I won an ARC of The Savage Grace on Bree's blog in October, if I'm correct. Bree received them in November, and from then I waited patiently. Around middle of December I started to panic that it got lost somewhere and that it would never arrive, which made me want to sob. But then, after Christmas, on 27th or 28th Dec, it finally arrived. I was  e-c-s-t-a-t-i-c. And not even the condition of the poor book made my happiness any less (and I gotta tell you, it was obvious the book had been through a lot on the journey overseas).
So here's my review, to hold you over until March 13th when it is released.


Goodreads blurb:
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.


Personal opinion:
Soo. This book was pretty much awesome. 
My copy has 488 pages and each and every one was filled with action, suspense, swoony moments and that feeling of not wanting to let it go. (also, there was this one cool typo, but nevermind heh)
And, those 488 pages seemed like a hundred when I was reading. I just kept flipping to the next, and before I realized what had happened, I was on the last chapter, last page, last sentence. 
And it was all over. 
And I wanted to cry. 

Because, reading TSG I realized how much I love Daniel. Realized how strong and fierce Grace is, realized how awful Calbi is, and realized that Talbot is (highlight for spoiler) lying son of a you-know-what
Well, since I don't know what else to write, I'll just say that this is a great ending, and though there are a question or two left unfinished, you get that feeling of finishing a series after reading it. 
And I really think that fans of The Dark Divine are going to be happy with how Bree wrapped it all up.
Soo, as soon as it's out, GO PICK IT UP :D


You can check out Bree's blog (oh, and if you do, there is a contest there, you can vote for your favorite fanfiction - my entry is there too, it's the first of written entries (it's on the second page, scroll a bit down), soo if you like *blink blink* there are prizes for voting ;) )
Make sure to follow her on Twitter
And check out her Goodreads page

Review: Angelina's Secret

Hello everyone! It has been such a long time since I posted, and I feel v-e-e-e-r-y bad about it (one of my New year resolutions is to be a better blogger, so yeah...) Anyway, from now on I will do my best to post at least two reviews every two weeks. And from June to September, I will be blogging full time since I will be on summer vacation then, but till then, I can't blog more than once a week, if even that much.
Today, I have a review of Angelina's Secret written by Lisa Rogers.




Goodreads blurb:

As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn't real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn't imaginary after all.Now Angelina has to accept she's either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can't help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn't, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home.

Personal opinion:
Okay, so.
When I signed up for an ARC of Angelina's Secret, I had no idea what to expect, honestly.
And when it arrived, I was anxious to read it.

Angelina is not your typical high-school cheerleader.
She sees and talks to ghosts. Well, either that or she's crazy.

And you know what? You don't quite know which one it is until the very end.
At the beginning, I wasn't hooked to this novel, but I kept going, and to tell you the truth, I'm glad I did.
It was actually a fresh read,with a subject I didn't come across a lot in another novels, and I can honestly say I liked it.
The story hooks you in, makes you flip the pages to finally know what's going on, it's full of surprises, and it makes you relate with Angelina at least a bit (or maybe that was just me).

Plus, the cover is creepy-cool!

Soo, all in all, when Lisa Rogers publishes her next novel, I will definitely make sure to check it out!

5 stars

*thanks to Spencer Hill Press and Kate Kaynak for sending me an ARC*

You can befriend Lisa on Goodreads
Visit her page on Spencer Hill Press site

Happy New Year!!!

Hey there everyone!
Soo, as you know (duh), it's the end of 2011, and this has been a special year for me, because I started this blog and I joined the wonderous world of books and fiction and writing and reading and it's been, let's face it, awesome.
There is a reason why I haven't blogged in a while, and I won't a bit more now, and I'll explain it all to you once I'm back in full force.
Anyway, let's all raise our glasses to the year of 2011 and all its wonderful books and let's welcome the year of 2012 and all its upcoming books, whether they are standalones, first in a series, second in a series or the last one (I will read you all - muahaha) :D

I wish you all lots of love, happiness, luck and fun!!
Happy New Year!

Cover reveal - Deity

Hi everyone!
Today, I have a cover to show you and it's for Deity - the third novel in the Covenant series.
You can find the series on Goodreads here: Covenant Series
Here are the blurbs for each of the novels:
For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty. 
According to her mother, that’s a good thing. 
But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill. 
The daimons have found her.

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.


There is need. And then there is Fate... 
Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. 
When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her. 
When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Daimon is the prequel, Half-Blood is the first novel in the series, Pure is the second (out 2012), and now I get to show you the cover of Deity!!

BUT! First just one more reminder and a plead. You know that YA Heroine Tournament going on at YA Sisterhood? Well, today it's Alex's match against Nora from Hush Hush and if you like Alex better, go here:

http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/2011/12/match-11-nora-seed-10-vs-alex-seed-23.html

and vooote :)

Now, here's the cover!

Isn't it so oh-my-gosh pretty?!

Review: Shatter Me

Goodreads blurb:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. 

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. 

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now. 

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. 

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting asThe Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.




Personal opinion:



Short review: Go. Read. This. Book. NOW.


Long(er) review: I read Shatter Me from 9:10 to 11:56 pm. The whole novel. And maybe it's because I'm a fast reader, but the perfection of the novel had lots to do with it, so...


No amount of Oh my Gods would be enough to express how brilliant this book was.
Seriously. Tahereh Mafi, this is your first novel?!? 
She writes so unique, so magical, so poetic and emotional it was such a rush reading it. Once, I stopped reading and I realized my face literally had a pained expression, because I just felt so compassionate to Juliette and so sad for her.
When you're reading Shatter Me, every emotion is there, every. Plus, the writing makes you feel those emotions ten times stronger.


So, all in all, every expectation I had for Shatter Me was achieved, and I wasn't wrong when I thought this one would become one of my all-time favorite.


Rating standards, why only 5 stars? This one deserves a whole nightsky of stars.

Find Tahereh on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4637539.Tahereh_Mafi

Visit her website: http://www.taherehmafi.com/
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TaherehMafi

And lastly, buy Shatter Me. You won't regret it.

Onyx Cover Reveal

Hi, hi, all!

Today I have a real treat for ya and it's -maybe you guessed from the title- Onyx cover!
Onyx is the second novel in Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series, the first one is Obsidian, which is coming out tomorrow, but then I remember I think I read it's out already, so here are the links where you can purchase it.




<-- this is Obsidian cover in all its grateness and swooniness :)




Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Obsidian-Lux-Novel-Book-One/dp/1937044238/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316387396&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/obsidian-jennifer-l-armentrout/1105621066ean=9781937044237&itm=6&usri=jennifer%2bl%2barmentrout&workid=1033604979

The Book Depository (free shipping everyone): http://www.bookdepository.com/Obsidian-Jennifer-Armentrout/9781937044237

Also, if you need any more convincing to buy Obsidian, you can check out my review in which I gush about how I absolutelyfreakinglovedit! :)
http://tamarasbookramblings.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-obsidian.html


AND NOW.
THE COVER YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR:

Aaand, here's a little sneak peak at the official blurb:

                              No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies… 

Well it freaks me out a bit, but hey, I can't wait! :))

Let me know what you think of the cover in the comments! 

Double review: Hunting Lila and The Sky is Everywhere

The Sky Is Everywhere
Goodreads blurb:


Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fiddle to her charismatic older sister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left at sea without her anchor. Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon finds herself torn between two boys: Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can't see her without seeing Bailey and Joe sees her only for herself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it's up to Lennie to find her own way toward what she really needs-without Bailey. A remarkable debut novel perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block.


Personal opinion:
Have you ever read a book, that made you laugh and cry at the same time, that made you feel the happiest but the saddest person in the world? A book that gave you that special butterflies in stomach feeling? 

Well, I have. And the book is The Sky is Everywhere. 
And I think I just said more with three sentences than with a hundred. 

Definitely one of my new favorites, forever. If there was a ten star rating, this novel would deserve it. 

*Bat. Bat. Bat.*

Hunting Lila

Goodreads blurb:

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them...

Personal opinion:

Oh, this novel. So freakinglybrilliant. (yes, one word :P) 

For months now, I've been hearing all these things about Hunting Lila, and every one of them was positive, saying that it is such a good novel, you'd never say it's debut. And that is so very true! 

Sarah Alderson's got a way with words that will make you and then break you. 
Hunting Lila is full of suspense, adventures, lies, sercecy, romance, twists and turns that will make your head spin. 
And then there's Alex ;) 

I loved Lila, the main heroine, because she was fierce but vulnerable, and she was determined. 
Alex, oh Alex. He was soo swoon worthy. There was one scene where I was just awww-ing. You cannot not love him. 

BUT, that end was a KILLER. Made me curse a bit hah. Can't wait for Losing Lila! :) 

Big 5 stars