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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday- Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige


Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by: http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ch/ where we showcase a book we are looking forward to that hasn’t come out yet.


This week I am choosing Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. First off I was in the Wizard of Oz and Christmas in Oz during high school and I lovelovelove anything Wizard of Oz, including Wicked… I always thought Dorothy was annoying so this plays into things I enjoy well.

It is going to be over 400 pages and will be published by HarperCollins April 1st 2014.




I didn't ask for any of this.

I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road—but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

And I have a mission.







Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Hideous Love- Stephanie Hemphill






Hideous Love is the fascinating story of Gothic novelist Mary Shelley, who as a teen girl fled her restrictive home only to find herself in the shadow of a brilliant but moody boyfriend, famed poet Percy Shelley. It is the story of the mastermind behind one of the most iconic figures in all of literature: a monster constructed out of dead bodies and brought to life by the tragic Dr. Frankenstein.




Mary wrote Frankenstein at the age of nineteen, but inspiration for the monster came from her life-the atmospheric European settings she visited, the dramas swirling around her, and the stimulating philosophical discussions with the greatest minds of the period, like her close friend, Lord Byron.




I started reading Hideous Love because I knew the author used as much fact and she possibly could and I have never read a modern book written in verse before.

I was fairly disappointed. The book flap states this is an award winning novel, but I found the verse sorely lacking and reminding me much more of diary entries.

While the author captured Mary Shelley well and I felt like I did get to know the character I wish I could have seen the story from the other people’s point of view. Her half-sister Claire is very much a villain I mean really…Who sleeps with their sister’s husband? A whore that’s who. And Shelley and Lord Byron are basically just horny douche bags whose ability to write prose gets them laid as often as they want and gives them the ability to treat people like crap. In fact Shelley spends most of the novel in debt and Mary…well she acts pretty ok with that.

The best part was when she is writing about her novel. That was pretty impassioned and cool. It felt like the REAL Mary Shelley was talking from the pages.

It was difficult for me to read about all the children dying in the book, Claire and Mary both lose children and while that was hard for me I couldn’t really feel sympathy. Mary lets Shelley tell her what to do, all the traveling and bad living conditions she and her babies are subjected to is the reason three of her children die and she miscarries another. After the death of one baby you can be damn sure the next wouldn’t be left in the care of others and I wouldn’t be travelling all over introducing foreign ailments to their little immune systems.

I really wonder if Mary was as addicted to Shelley as this novel made it seem. Half the time she figured he was cheating on her and having babies with other people. The other half she was in love and worshipping the ground he walked on. I know she was very young when she hooked up with Shelley, not even 20, and that does excuse her poor life choices, we’ve all made them. However after the second baby died I would have told my husband to fuck off.

I was actually happy at the end when Shelley finally dies I was sick of how insipid Mary wrote/described him while still proclaiming how much she loved her “Shelley.”

This story also delves into the life of Claire who was Lord Byron’s sort of mistress and gives him a daughter. She is portrayed as pretty crazy and then Byron restricts her access to their child who later dies as well.

This novel was depressing! I mean I kind of knew it would be, but damn there wasn’t ANY light at the end of the tunnel. Mary Shelley wrote a famous gothic novel, but her life was a gothic romance and layered with tragedy.




Top Ten Tuesday- Winter TBR



Top Ten Tuesday is a fun Meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish


This week we will be listing our top ten TBR Winter Reads. This is complicated because I always gets books for Christmas. So needless to say this list is not actually complete. Lol



The Perfect Ruin by Lauren De Stefano- I really enjoyed Wither, but didn’t care for the last installments. This seems interesting!

Morgan Stockhour knows getting too close to the edge of Internment, the floating city in the clouds where she lives, can lead to madness. Even though her older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. If she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in her best friend, Pen, and in Basil, the boy she’s engaged to marry.



Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially once she meets Judas. Betrothed to the victim, he is the boy being blamed for the murder, but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find—or whom she will lose.




Legacy: A Daughters of Darkness Novel by Ravin Maurice- Since I am in the middle of an adult novel including Elizabeth Bathory I am trying to read as much other fictions about her. This doesn’t look half bad

Katrine is a seemingly ordinary girl who is suddenly thrown into extraordinary circumstances. When three mysterious women unexpectedly arrive to see her mother, Anastasia, a sinister secret is revealed and a terrifying chain of events is unleashed, leaving the young girl and her mother forever changed. Tormented by violent encounters and chilling dreams, Katrine struggles to control her newly found hunger for blood and embarks on a macabre journey to claim her dark and dangerous birthright as the granddaughter of the notorious Countess Elizabeth Bathory. A twist of fate leads her to others with similar traits and what is left of her life changes when she joins them and becomes a part of their enigmatic and strangely beautiful world. Despite her new beginnings, the frightening past continues to stalk her, leaving her to consider if the Bathory blood running through her veins would ultimately save or destroy her.

Blood Song by Rhiannon Hart - Seems like an indie vampire novel I might enjoy

When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina's only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side—and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated. Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her as being different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behavior for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king's advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more. Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she's to uncover the truth—but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

Embers and Echoes by Karsten Knight

Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.

The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers I really liked the first one

Over two hundred years ago Bookholm, the City of Dreaming Books, was destroyed by a catastrophic firestorm. Optimus Yarnspinner, who witnessed this disaster, has since become Zamonia's greatest writer and is resting on his laurels at Lindworm Castle. Spoilt by his monumental success and basking in adulation, he one day receives a disturbing message that finally reinvests his life with meaning: a cryptic missive that lures him back to Bookholm.



Rebuilt on a magnificent scale, the city is once more a vibrant literary metropolis and Mecca of the book trade teeming with book fanatics of all kinds. On the track of the mysterious letter that brought him there, Yarnspinner has scarcely set foot in the city before he falls prey to its spirit of adventure. He is reunited with old friends like Inazia Anazazi the Uggly and Ahmed ben Kibitzer the Nocturnomath, but he also encounters the city's new marvels, which include the mysterious Biblionauts, the warring Puppetists, and the city's latest craze, the Invisible Theatre.


The Last Three Books of the Morganville Vampie Series by Rachel Caine







Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Top Ten Tuesday- Top Ten 2014 Releases








Top Ten Releases in 2014 I am looking forward to!







1)Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?

Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

And I have a mission:

Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.

Steal the Scarecrow's brain.

Take the Lion's courage.

Then and only then—Dorothy must die!



2)The Mirk and the Midnight Hour by Jane Nickerson

Seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey has been left at home in Mississippi with a laudanum-addicted stepmother and love-crazed stepsister while her father fights in the war—a war that has already claimed her twin brother.

When she comes across a severely injured Union soldier lying in an abandoned lodge deep in the woods, things begin to change. Thomas is the enemy—one of the men who might have killed her own brother—and yet she's drawn to him. But Violet isn't Thomas's only visitor; someone has been tending to his wounds—keeping him alive—and it becomes chillingly clear that this care hasn't been out of compassion.

Against the dangers of war and ominous powers of voodoo, Violet must fight to protect her home and the people she loves.

3) Wayfarer; A Tale and Beauty and Madness by Lili St. Crow

Newly orphaned, increasingly isolated from her friends, and terrified of her violent stepmother, Ellen Sinder still believes she’ll be okay. She has a plan for surviving and getting through high school, which includes keeping her head down and saving any credits she can earn or steal. But when a train arrives from over the Waste beyond New Haven, carrying a golden boy and a new stepsister, all of Ellie’s plans begin to unravel, one by one.



Just when all hope is lost, Ellie meets an odd old woman with a warm hearth and a heavenly garden. Auntie’s kindness is intoxicating, and Ellie finally has a home again. Yet when the clock strikes twelve on the night of the annual Charmer’s Ball, Ellie realizes that no charm is strong enough to make her past disappear...



In a city where Twisted minotaurs and shifty fey live alongside diplomats and charmers, a teenage girl can disappear through the cracks into safety--or into something much more dangerous. So what happens when the only safety you can find wants to consume you as well?

4) A Shiver of Light by Laurell K Hamilton

The end and wrap of of the Merry Gentry Series! Woot! Woot!

5) Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb

In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately—and by the time she’s done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.



The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid-2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.



Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and the evil concealed in one human heart.

6) Night’s Promise by Amanda Ashley

Derek Blackwood is no ordinary vampire. Descended from a bloodline as old as Cleopatra, and blessed with unearthly powers of seduction, he is everything Sheree wished for - and more. When he takes her in his arms, she is powerless. When he kisses her neck, she is his. But when the full moon rises - and passions flare - something is unleashed in Derek that he's never felt before. Something wild. Something dangerous. Something no vampire can control or stop...even for the woman he loves.

7)Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.



Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…



8)The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan has managed to save the demonic ever after from shrinking, but at a high cost. Now, strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce between the races, between Inderlander and human, is shattering. Rachel must stop this dark necromancy before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and all-out supernatural war breaks out.

Rachel knows of only weapon to ensure the peace: ancient elven wild magic, which carries its own perils. And no one know better than Rachel that no good deed goes unpunished .

9) The King by J.R Ward

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.



Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.

10)Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny.

But on her seventeenth birthday, when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is as she expected—particularly her charming and beguiling new husband.

Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy—who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart.










Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday- Wayfarer by Lili St. Crow





Waiting on Wednesday is a meme where once I week I showcase I book I am looking forward to being released. It is hosted by:http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/




This week I am choosing Wayfare. It is the sequel to Nameless which I loved! It is a retelling of Cinderella and looks to be just as dark as the first in this series, aptly named :A Tale of Beauty and Madness.



It comes out March 6th of 2014 and is being published by Razorbill






Newly orphaned, increasingly isolated from her friends, and terrified of her violent stepmother, Ellen Sinder still believes she’ll be okay. She has a plan for surviving and getting through high school, which includes keeping her head down and saving any credits she can earn or steal. But when a train arrives from over the Waste beyond New Haven, carrying a golden boy and a new stepsister, all of Ellie’s plans begin to unravel, one by one.


Just when all hope is lost, Ellie meets an odd old woman with a warm hearth and a heavenly garden. Auntie’s kindness is intoxicating, and Ellie finally has a home again. Yet when the clock strikes twelve on the night of the annual Charmer’s Ball, Ellie realizes that no charm is strong enough to make her past disappear...



In a city where Twisted minotaur’s and shifty fey live alongside diplomats and charmers, a teenage girl can disappear through the cracks into safety--or into something much more dangerous. So what happens when the only safety you can find wants to consume you as well?



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Hero by Alethea Kontis (Woodcutter Sisters #2)





Rough and tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she's the only one of her sisters without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, "Did romance have to be part of the adventure?"







I went into Hero totally excited…I loved Enchanted, the first installment. It has such a silly and fun vibe. This volume of the Woodcutter series still had that same fairy tale feel but was a little bit more serious.


I have to admit I don’t particularly care for Saturday, of all the sisters she is my least favorite. I did enjoy that she is not considered beautiful; she is a flat chested strong girl, so quite far from the normal beautiful Mary Sues I am used to reading about. She doesn’t seem to care about her appearance too much. I found her a little too stubborn and like the author was trying too hard to get her away from girly stuff and into a tomb boy. The character natural fits into the masculinity role easily without much pushing, so it was unnecessary for the reader to be reminded of it all the time.

The cover is pretty bad... I mean it looks pretty...but that SO isn't Saturday on the front.

The plot line was a little all over the place and I found it kind of jumpy, but it was still fun…Evil witches, magic, dragons, shapeshifters and a boy in a skirt….All fantastical and entertaining.

I have to admit I was more interested in the back story surrounding Seven (the mother) and her sisters than I was Saturday’s tale. I also craved more about Monday’s lost daughter and Thursday, the pirate queen. I figure those story lines will be continued in the next books.

The love story was a little ridiculous and very insta-love, which was unfortunate because the novel didn’t need them! Saturday and her adventures could have managed on their own without mushy gooshy love…or if the love had only been hinted at.

We finally meet Jack Woodcutter which is nice since they talk about him ALL THE TIME.

The magic was great and the world the author has created was imaginative and very fairy tale like. Like an epic quest your mom would have regaled you with stories of when you were small.

Over all I enjoyed reading this…it wasn’t as good as the first one, but it was fun and I can’t wait for the next book.





Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Top Ten Books I Would Recomend to....


Top Ten YA Books I Would Recommend to my Daughter when she is a teenager


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by: http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.in/






1) Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede- This series is one of the best and actually makes a lot of my top ten lists



2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- technically my daughter has already read the first three of these novels…but I think Harry Potter is an important part of our culture now.





3) Twilight- Yeah I know it totally sucks, but in that guilty pleasure kind of way. It too is a HUGE part of our culture I don’t want her to feel left out. I mean I read them, after all



4) Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton- this was the BEST YA book I read this year and I would want to be able to talk to my daughter about how much I loved this book you can find my review of it here if you are curious:http://hauntedgravebooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/some-quiet-place-kelsey-sutton.html





5) Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson- this was a great blue beard retelling and the writing was really great. I think my daughter would enjoy this. My Review is here:
http://hauntedgravebooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/strands-of-bronze-and-gold-jane.html



6) Thirteenth Child by Patricia C Wrede- this author is just amazing, this book is like Harry Potter meets Oregon Trail, just too awesome to miss out on.





7) Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama- I want my daughter to know not all stories are happily ever after, but that doesn’t mean the writing has to suck. My Review here:


8) The Grave Yard Book by Neil Gaiman- possibly more middle grade fiction, but this was a funny, dark coming of age book that takes place in a cemetery!





9) Vampire Kisses Book 1 by Ellen Schreiber- because this is the kind of vampire teen book I love, silly, playful and full of happy gothy nonsense.



10) Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier- I don’t even know what to say about this fairy/frog prince/12 dancing princesses book….accept I have read it five times, it’s beautiful and I love it.



Bright Blessings






Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Beauty by Nancy Ohlin (Nancy Butcher)

Ana is nothing like her glamorous mother, Queen Veda, whose hair is black as ravens and whose lips are red as roses. Alas, Queen Veda loathes anyone whose beauty dares to rival her own—including her daughter.

And despite Ana’s attempts to be plain to earn her mother’s affection,
she’s sent away to the kingdom’s exclusive boarding school.

At the Academy, Ana is devastated when her only friend abandons her for the popular girls. Isolated and alone, Ana resolves to look like a true princess to earn the acceptance she desires.

But when she uncovers the dangerous secret that makes all of the girls at the Academy so gorgeous, just how far will Ana go to fit in?







I love a fairy tale retelling and this one was a pretty good version of Snow White…well bits and pieces of Snow White. Evil Queen, check….7 dwarves…uncheck.


This was a pretty short book, more of a novella really and not worth the eight dollars I spent on it, it really should have been in the five dollar range.

The author had a good voice, storytelling and setting were decent, in fact the world she created for her characters was pretty fascinating and I would love to see more tales located in it.…I had a little bit of an issue with the character development and a teensy issue with the plot.

I felt that the Queen’s back story lacked…Why did she want to be so beautiful that she’d kill her daughter? What drove her…? In some parts the Queen seemed to love her daughter and then have that love turned to disgust and hate when her evil little Beauty Consultant would advise her that the girl was going to be the Queen’s competition. (He was the main bad guy of this story)It just seemed like a stretch that she would round up all these young beautiful girls and kill them… She just didn’t feel evil enough… I am not sure how to explain it, I felt she was a villain with potential that wasn’t realized.

Ana was supposed to be 16 or 17, however her inner voice sounded more like a 12 year old girl. She makes herself ugly and fat to win her mother’s love and then when at school her BFF ditches her for popular girls she comes out of her shell as a beautiful “true” princess. She suddenly is a heroine and saves the day, rescuing everyone…Which I felt was a bit of a stretch.

There was no romance in this novella, yes you read that right. This book had NO ROMANCE it was pretty awesome, it was completely plot driven (even if the plot lacked a tiny bit) and Ana was the star (though I craved more about her mother).

I felt the ending was rushed while the start was a little slow.

However I enjoyed reading this book and that’s important for me. It was fun and simple, had all the trademarks of a fairy tale, aside from the missing love interest. If you are looking for a fast easy read, perhaps something to take on vacation then this is the book for you.





Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday- The Undead Pool





Waiting on Wednesday is a day where we showcase a book that has not yet come out that we can’t wait for! It is hosted by:http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/

This week I am excited for:

The undead Pool by Kim Harrison.

This past year I have set down three long standing series, basically just sick of them. I have not gotten bored or tired of this series yet and am hoping it continues to be a good fun read for me.

It is going to be 512 pages and will be released Feb 2014 from Harper Voyager.

Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan has managed to save the demonic ever after from shrinking, but at a high cost. Now strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce between the races, between Inderlander and human, is shattering.



Rachel must stop the occurrences before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all-out supernatural war. However, the only way to do so is through the ancient elven wild magic, which carries its own perils.




Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Top Ten Books to Read at Halloween










Top Ten Tuesday is a great meme hosted by http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com


This week in celebration of Halloween we are doing top ten books to read at Halloween, and I gotta say I am looking forward to this list.



- The Haunting of Hill House- Shirley Jackson

o It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

- The Shining- By Stephen King

- The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

- The Lutzes moved into their dream home on December 18th, 1975. Four weeks later, they fled in terror. The home was the scene of a mass murder a year before, and the Lutzes claimed paranormal phenomena caused them to fear for their lives and forced them to abandon the home. Touted as a true story. (Not really a true story but still FREAKY!)

- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

o James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a “dark carnival” one Autumn midnight. How these two innocents, both age 13, save the souls of the town (as well as their own), makes for compelling reading on timeless themes. What would youdo if your secret wishes could be granted by the mysterious ringmaster Mr. Dark? Bradbury excels in revealing the dark side that exists in us all, teaching us ultimately to celebrate the shadows rather than fear them

- Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice

- Dracula by Bram Stoker

- The Need by Andrew Neiderman

o Clea is an alluring movie star whom millions adore. But her beauty is a mask for a darker masculine personality living within her soul. He is evil, a dormant force until the need for blood strikes. They are two souls sharing one body, one savage secret . . . until the day Clea awakens with blood on her hands--and her lover's defiled body next to her.

- Dragonfly by Frederic Durbin

o A young girl is drawn into the strange, spooky underworld in the basement of her uncle's funeral parlor.



- Writ in Blood by James A Moore

o Serenity Falls is dead. No commerce, tourism, or good will. It gets worse.

An historian has uncovered the town's unspeakable past: lynchings, mass murders, sexual depravity, and rumors of the birth of the anti-Christ. But the darkest secret is yet to be revealed--in the Serenity Falls trilogy.

- The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey

o Perennially beloved by those of morbid humor, this ABC in rhyme and scratchy pen-and-ink tells of the tragic and various ends of a crew of wan, hapless kiddies. "E is for Ernest who choked on a peach / F is for Fanny sucked dry by a leech." The moral, ambiguous though it may be, is that you can't be too careful because it doesn't matter whether you're careful or not. (PICTURE BOOK)



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ten- Gretchen McNeil




It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.




But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.



Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?(less)






Okay so I just finished Ten, which apparently is based on a Agatha Christie novel called And Then There Were None.Which I will now have to read.

I was less than impressed with this novel; I guess I expected a little scarier and a little less like reading the screenplay for Scream 29. *eye roll*

First off this plays on every stereotype in a slasher film and most of the little “rules” like the virgin lives so don’t have sex, don’t drink cause the person who lives is usually drug free, smart and pure.

The characters were as follows:

The Brain

The Virigin

The Slut

The Bitch

The Jock

The Funny Guy

The Nice Guy

The author did pick a varying degree of ethnicities, Asian, black, Samoan, which was nice to see. The twist wasn’t horrible, I didn’t have it quite figured out at the end (mainly cause I didn’t care) but since this wasn’t a ghost story I figured it had to be a Jason and his mom type plot.

I felt the characters were flat and the love plot between Meg and TJ was ridiculous, especially at the end where they are all mushy gooshy never-leave-me-love-me-forever, neither act traumatized that all their friends are fucking DEAD!

Now my biggest pet peeve with this novel. Meg and Minnie. Meg is the “heroine” and I use that term loosely. Having several BFF’s of my own their friendship pissed me right the fuck off. We start out the story with Meg mentioning how difficult a time Minnie has had since being diagnosed with a severe depression and anxiety disorder and is still getting used to her med. As someone who deals with this I can tell you it’s very frustrating and the irrational thoughts that go through your mind are so hard to manage.

Minnie and Meg have been BFF for five years; Minnie has come to her defense and chose to be Meg’s friend at the loss of her own budding popularity. However all Meg does in this book is think about how relieved she will be to go to college out of town and away from Minnie. Minnie, afraid her friend is abandoning her (and she is and just won’t admit it) is extra clingy.

From Meg’s POV you find she considers herself Meg’s care taker and such a GOOD FRIEND, but her inner monologue is anything but, we never see their friendship from Minnie’s POV. And to make matters worse Minnie and Meg are in luuuurrrv with the same boy who only has the hots for Meg, who lies to Minnie about being asked to the Home Coming Dance with the hottie McHotness. One) You NEVER go after your BF’s crush…big bad rule and two) if you do you don’t lie about it. Minnie might be the “slut” of this horror movie but she’s not dumb and I feel bad for her character (I mean someone steals her meds!) In the end she was the true victim on this novel.

The author also took a weird slant and poked fun at two girls who obviously had mental disorders, Minnie who was very depressed and Claire who committed suicide and just wanted to fit in. (Which was a little too Carrie for my taste.)

So if you want an easy silly read go for it, you know at the beach or while your sig other is watching something you hate. If you want something a with decent humor, and horror movie fun skip this and go watch a good horror film like Cabin in the Woods.





Waiting on Wednesday- Cruel Beauty

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by http://www.breakingthespine.blogspot.com/

Ah I am a sucker for a fairy tale retelling, especially one that looks dark and compelling. So this week’s Waiting on Wednesday is all about:


Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

A Beauty and the Beast retelling. I especially love that the main character is named Nyx, who is the Goddess of Night.

This novel is 352 pages long and come out in January 2013

Found here:


 

 


The romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the adventure of Graceling in a dazzling fantasy novel about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.




Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny.


But on her seventeenth birthday, when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is as she expected—particularly her charming and beguiling new husband.



Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy—who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart.



For fans of bestselling authors Kristin Cashore and Alex Flinn, this gorgeously written debut infuses the classic fairy tale with glittering magic, a feisty heroine, and a romance sure to take your breath away




Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Revel- Maurissa Guibord



There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map.




Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn’t her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia’s not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night.



Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it’s Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water’s edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.





So ANOTHER library book turned out to be really good.

When I picked up Revel I was thinking kind of a Wicker Man vibe, girl gets to island, is not allowed to leave and there is dark scary stuff around every corner.

What I found was a really cool book that merged small town prejudiced, Greek mythology, romance and the sea and turned it into something pretty interesting.

I cannot tell you how many mermaid/siren/water creature type books simply have been like YUCK. They just don’t appeal to me, about the same with books on fairies and angels; I just don’t care for them. So when this turned out to be similar I was like WOW, really? I LIKE this! Maybe it’s because I didn’t quite get that vibe a head of time so it was a nice wet surprise.

This story I felt was very different from a lot of the other YA around. The girl comes into magic and has to learn how to use it; she is a strong and independent. The story has great imagery, and the plot is good and kept me engaged.

There was an almost love triangle and some insta love, but it was easily over looked.

My only complaint was a felt while the MC and her love interest were flushed out the rest of the characters didn’t have a ton of depth. Though the vibe from the villagers was very reminiscent of how people in a cult, like a polygamist sect, are. They don’t know any better because this is how they are raised, they don’t feel like life could get better and that it is scarier outside than anything that might go on inside.

Be for warned there is an allusion of rape during the Revel, I mean girls present themselves to mystical god like water creatures called the Firsts (when they are 16!!!) who pick one and have sex with her, whether she wants it or not….The girls on the island just think this is how it is, they don’t really consider saying no….So that was a bit disturbing.

This was a good book and a fun read. Enjoy!








Top Ten Weirdest Names in Books I've Read



This week I am going with: Top Ten Weirdest Names Found in Books


Top Ten is Hosted By http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com and it a super fun meme to play along with.

1) Reneeseme - from the Twilight Saga, uck, yuck….This name is one of those horrible mash up names…I mean come on they nickname her NESSIE

2) Acheron- From Dark Hunters, it’s kind of cool, but this is the river of sorrow in the underworld, super suck…His real name isn’t much better Aspostles.

3)Gorse - from Curse of the 13th Fey a sleeping beauty retelling from the fairy’s point of view.

4)Syrenka From Monstrous Beauty, though even with the weird mermaid name how can you not LOVE this book.

5) Eff from the Frontier Magic trilogy by Patricia C Wrede, weird name, great series!

6) Rhine from Wither….. Couldn’t get over that it made me think of orange peelings

7)Sorcha From Daughter of the Forest, odd name, cool character… Isn’t there a Game of Thrones character named Sorcha now too?

8) All of the names from Black Dagger Brotherhood Vishous, Rhage, Wrath etc…etc..

9)Manon The Book of Beings, was a self-published novel I reviewed this year. Yes that’s a GIRL’s name.

10) Verity The Caged Graves, it’s more old fashioned than weird, but still uncommon.



And just to let you all know if you enjoy books with weird or uncommon names you should check out my own novels. With characters like Hellebella, Ereshkigal and Rhodanthe I fit into this category quite nicely.



Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday- Prince of Shadows; A Novel of Romeo and Juliet




Waiting on Wednesday is a fun meme where we showcase a book we cannot WAIT to come out. It is hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.in/


This week I am talking about the new Rachel Caine novel Prince of Shadows; A Novel of Romeo and Juliet I lovelovelove a Shakespeare retelling and I enjoy Rachel Caine as an author so this looks promising.

It comes out February 4 2014, which means I probably won’t read it till the end of the month since that is four day before my wedding eeeeeek. It is 368 pages long and is being published by NAL Hardcover



In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.



Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…



…And will rewrite all their fates, forever