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

Review: Obsidian

*thank goodness for NetGalley - if it weren't for it, I'd have to wait till Dec 6th to read this one*

Goodreads blurb: 

Starting over sucks. 

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up. 

And then he opened his mouth. 

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me. 

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Perosonal opinion:

Seriously?

This just happened?

Daa-yum.

Okay, after reading first Daimon, then Half-Blood and now Obsidian, I can absolutely certainly say that Miss Jennifer L. Armentrout is a freakin genious!!

Obsidian is a fresh story, nothing like I've read before, filled with humor, butt-kicking, and hawt boys (well there's only one that mattered to me ;) ) and, mostly, it was a fun rollercoaster.

Ups, downs, more ups, more downs… this novel has action, which trough the second half of the novel becomes more and more present, and more dangerous and more exciting.

But, the thing I wanted to ramble about here is DAEMON. Come on, say it with me – Daemon.

A.K.A. total- uber- ultra- damn- hot- bad boy Daemon. That boy spells trouble with a capital T.

He was frustrating, rude, cocky, cold, hot, adorable, sexy. Perfect.

You could say he's a bad boy just like others, but you'd be wrong. Because he's not only a complete ass in the beginning, but stays like that the whole novel ;) But trust me, you want him to be your neighbor.

Next one up is the main character, Katy. 

4 reasons I loved her:

1.) Her snarkiness.

2.) She's bold (the cafeteria scene, anyone ;)?)

3.) She showed Daemon he's not the only one in charge

4.) She's a book-blogger - I mean, how awesome is that? She does Waiting On Wednesday, In My Mailbox,  gets comments on her reviews etc. And it's instantly easier to relate to her :D

To sum up, pick Obsidian up as soon as it's out!

Huuge shining 5 stars!

Review: The Scorpio Races

*first, a huuge thank you to Sarah and Rachel from Scholastic for sending me the novel to review*

Goodreads blurb:

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. 

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. 

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Personal opinion:

 Okay, so. When I finished reading The Scorpio Races, I was torn. Torn between loving this novel and hating it. Loving because it is, like all Maggie Stiefvater's novels, written so extraordinarily and beautifully. And hating it, because I just couldn't get into it. At first, at least. 

The pace was a bit slower, and there isn't much romance in the novel, so that, if you are not a fan of this kind of novels, might throw you off of reading it. And, at times, I felt like it would do the same to me.
But I stuck with it and finished it in matter of days, though it's a pretty thick novel. And, everything added up, I do not regret reading it.

The Scorpio Races is different. For one, Maggie's writing is something out-of-this-worldly. She has a way with words that will make you smile and cry at the same time. Little "tricks" she does, like repeating a word two or three times define the atmosphere and mood and it's a perfect touch.
Also, the novel is unlike any novel I've read, with its unusual plot and creatures.

The characters were unique, Puck in her brave and fearless, and Sean in his graceful and loveable way. When they are together, magic begins. 
They work so well together, just fit each other. And now, as I write this and remember the novel, I see more and more how love is in this novel, hidden behind a bush of roses, lurking in silence. But it is there.

So, overall, the good prevails by a lot and I must give The Scorpio Races five stars :)