Monday, March 31, 2014

Best of the Bunch ~ March 2014

Best of the Bunch is a monthly meme hosted by Always Lost in Stories on the last day of every month. The aim of this meme is to share the best book that we have read in that month and give it our Best of the Bunch award.
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Books read in March:


Pan's Conquest by Aubrie Dionne ~ 2 Stars ~ My Review
The Artemis Fowl Files by Eoin Colfer ~ 5 Stars 


Knight of My Dreams by Lynsay Sands ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review
Running in the Dark by Inger Iversen ~ 3 Stars ~ My Review


Hexed by Michelle Krys ~ 3 Stars ~ My Review
Destroyed by Pepper Winters ~ 4 Stars ~ My Review


An Abundance of Katherines by John Green ~ 4 Stars
Airman by Eoin Colfer ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review


Every Day by David Levithan ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review
Six Earlier Days by David Levithan ~ 4 Stars 


Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review
Poisoned Apples by Christine Heppermann ~ 3 Stars ~ My Review


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor ~ 4 Stars






And the Best of the Bunch winner of March 2014 is...


Airman by Eoin Colfer
Paperback414 pages
Published February 1st 2010 by Puffin Bks
Conor Broekhart was born to fly.
It is the 1890s, and Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king's daughter, Princess Isabella. But the boy's idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a deadly conspiracy against the king. When Conor intervenes, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life, as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions.
There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So Conor passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines into the prison walls. The months turn into years, but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.



Yeah. How could I not pick Airman? In my opinion it's Colfer's best work. The story, writing and overall amazingness is simply brilliant!


Honorable mentions go to:

The Artemis Fowl Files by Eoin Colfer
It's Colfer. Duh.

Destroyed by Pepper Winters
It was dark and twisted. Just the way I like my books.

Every Day by David Levithan
My second favorite book of the month March. I loved it.




What was the best book you read this month?
Let me know!


Book Blitz: The Golden Apple by Michelle Diener + Giveaway (INT)

To post this Blitz and add your Social Media to the Rafflecopter, 
email us at PrismBookTours(at)gmail.com with "Golden Apple Blitz" in the subject line!


We're celebrating the release of Michelle Diener's second fairy tale retelling:
The Golden Apple
An Adult Fantasy Romance based loosely on the Princess on the Glass Hill



The Golden AppleThe Golden Apple
by Michelle Diener
Adult Fantasy/SciFi
March 24, 2014

Kayla's world has been turned upside-down...

Her father has made her the prize in a deadly, impossible tournament, and Kayla has retaliated in the only way she knows how; by choosing her champion beforehand. But taking control of the outcome changes the game completely, and when the real reason behind the strange test becomes apparent, Kayla realizes not just her life, but her entire kingdom is at stake.

Rane's honor is torn in two...

In order to save his brother, Rane will do whatever he has to--including deceive and betray a princess. He knew nothing about this tournament would be easy, but when it turns into a deeper, far more sinister game, Rane is forced to see it through to the end, or leave his brother at the mercy of their enemy.

Now their fates are entwined, and they must venture into the deep, dark forest together...

Kayla and Rane are bound to one another by an enchantment and Kayla's actions. But the sorcerer forcing them to do his will may have miscalculated, because no-one comes out of the Great Forest unchanged. No-one.




The inspiration for The Golden Apple

The Golden Apple is loosely based on the Norwegian fairy tale The Princess on the Glass Hill. The original tale is more about the hero than the heroine, and it is a very straightforward quest story, with the hero becoming more and more accomplished, until at last he succeeds against the odds. But there were a few things in this fairy tale that stood out for me and made me take notice. The first is the very unusual situation of the king holding a contest for his daughter’s hand by putting her on top of a glass hill with a golden apple in her lap. Knights from all over are invited to race a horse up the smooth glass sides of the mountain and the one who can pluck the golden apple from the princess's lap wins her hand and is heir to the kingdom. As usual in fairy tales, there is no explanation as to how the king came by a glass mountain, but I wondered where he got it, and that sparked the starting point of the story. It is really the inciting incident that starts the story off, rather than the focus of the story, as it was in the fairy tale.

Secondly, the crux of the tale, for me, is that the hero cannot win the princess's hand without help from the princess herself. That part of the original tale is one or two lines long, but for me, it's fascinating. The feminine power determining and choosing which masculine power will prevail. This really made me interested, because the princess doesn't just sit there and take whoever it is manages to accomplish the (impossible) task set by her father, but actively chooses who it is she wants to win and helps them. I wanted to write a story about the consequences of her taking that power and using it and The Golden Apple was the result -- far, far more heroine-centric than the original, and I really had fun with it.
- Michelle Diener



LAST CALL FOR REVIEWERS!
Are you interested in fantasy romance?
Do you love fairy tale retellings?
Have you read Michelle Diener and enjoyed her work in the past?


If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you can request a review copy of The Golden Apple! The Golden Apple is up for review by invitation only on NetGalley. Reviewers with book review sites can apply for a limited number of pre-approved copies. Book reviewers who post their review on their review site, Amazon, and Goodreads can enter a Rafflecopter draw to win one of ten copies of any Michelle Diener book of their choice, or a $10 Amazon gift card. (Instructions in sign-up form.)

Sign up HERE


Image of Michelle DienerMichelle Diener writes historical fiction. Her Susanna Horenbout & John Parker series, set in the court of Henry VIII, includes In a Treacherous Court, Keeper of the King's Secrets and In Defense of the Queen.

Michelle's other historical novels include Daughter of the Sky, The Emperor's Conspiracy and Banquet of Lies (loosely connected to The Emperor's Conspiracy).

Michelle's first fantasy novel, Mistress of the Wind, is set for a December 23, 2013, release.

Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.


Blitz-Wide Giveaways:

1 - Enter to WIN one of ten ebooks of The Golden Apple.
- March 30 - April 7.
See Rafflecopter for restrictions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 - For book bloggers: Review The Golden Apple by April 1, 2014 and enter to WIN one of 10 prizes:
- Choose any one of Michelle Diener's books or $10 Gift Card!
- March 24 - April 7

Request an early review copy using the form. Instructions on entering the second giveaway are included!



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Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.






Sunday, March 30, 2014

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Title: Through the Ever Night
Author: Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky
Publication: January 8th 2013 by HarperCollins
Genre: Dystopia ~ Young Adult
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5



It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.

Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.

Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at first.

Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure-and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.








I loved this book and I love this series. I really, really do. It has such a great set of strong and interesting characters. And I definitely enjoyed as much as the first book.

This might sound a little weird, but one thing I love about this book is about is how Perry and Aria aren't contantly together. I mean, I love them together and I ship the hell out of them but it's a nice change that these two aren't together always, being all lovely dovey. That's definitely not how a would describe their relationship and I just love that.

A lot happened in this book. I'm not going to talk about it into detail but there was definitely growth to be seen, both with Perry and Aria. Aria wants to do everything she can to find the still blue and Perry wants to do everything he can to prove he's a good blood lord. But of course things don't go according to plan.

The other characters were also great to get to know better. Roar was... fantastic as always. I hated how sad he got, though, with Liv... It was also great to get to know Cinder a bit more. I'm quite worried about him. New characters were introduced too... most times I wanted to kill them because they seriously pissed me off but I'll just leave that to Perry and Aria.

Overall, Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi was a great sequel to the first book. Amazing writing, describing this amazing world together with the romance and suspense made it simply perfect. I can't wait to read Into the Still Blue!



About the Author:

Veronica Rossi is the author of post-apocalyptic fiction for young adults. Her debut novel, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, is the first in a trilogy. Released in January 2012, it was deemed one of the Best Books of Year by School Library Journal. The second book in the trilogy, THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT, debuted in January on the NY Times and USA Today Best Seller Lists. The final book in the series, INTO THE STILL BLUE, is expected to release January 2014.

Foreign rights to the UNDER THE NEVER SKY trilogy have sold in over twenty-five territories to date and film rights have been optioned by Warner Bros.

She completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and then went on to study fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons. When not writing, she enjoys reading, painting, and counting down the minutes until she can get back to making up stories about imaginary people.

Her work is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.



Re-readathon: Frostbite by Richelle Mead ~ Chapter 11 - 15

To keep up with our goal of re-reading more of our favorite books and re-discover them we created this challenge to help accomplish that goal. We will read five chapters each week with a blog post every sunday. 
Co-hosted by Christina @ Booksane and me!
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Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead
Paperback, 328 pages
Published September 1st 2009 by Razorbill


It’s winter break at St Vladimir’s, and a massive Strigoi vampire attack has put the school on high alert. This year’s trip away from the academy to the wintery peaks of Idaho has suddenly become mandatory.

But Rose’s troubles seem to follow her wherever she goes—dealing with the pain of knowing that her relationship with her tutor Dimitri can never be, things get even more complicated when one her closest friends admits his feelings for her.

The glittering winter landscape may create the illusion of safety but Rose—and her heart—are in more danger than she ever could have imagined...
















Chapter 11-15


| As always beware for the spoilers if you haven't read the book yet. |


Chapter 11:

Big stuff is starting to happen here. Chapter eleven starts with Rose watching Tasha teach Lissa and Christian offensive magic. After that Rose was kinda rude to Tasha because she's jealous about the whole Dimitri thing. Aside all that not much major happened except at the end the news was delivered that there was another Strigoi attack.

Chapter 12:

The chapter starts pretty much with the guardians discussing the new attack. Rose finds out Mia's mom is killed. I feel bad for Mia for this. The only good thing coming from it is that at this point Mia starts changing in a better way. Next up is some sort of meeting with Moroi and guardians discussing what should happen now. While some woman thinks they should let the dhampirs fight when they are only 16, Tasha starts talking about fighting with magic and even shows them some fire power. Pretty kickass but it's not well received...


Chapter 13:

When everything turned to chaos, Rose left and has a discussion with Dimitri about Tasha. More like an argument, really. They both said some things and I don't know, it makes me kinda laugh because I know everything will turn out okay... eventually. So Rose leaves with Adrian (*fangirl squeal*) to make Dimitri jealous. Adrian invites Rose and Lissa to some sort of pool party and they bring the rest of the gang too. There they talk about going after the Strigoi, which is stupid. Even Rose sees it. Le sigh.


Chapter 14:

And then Rose walks into a fight. lol. Mason got into it too but nothing much happened there. Or in this chapter in total, I think. Aside from Adrian being in it and making me swoon.


Chapter 15:

The next morning, Rose receives a bunch of perfume from, yes, Adrian! It's one of my favorite scenes. I love how Adrian tried to get her attention by buying her stuff. It's all so easy for him. I also loved the "show down" with Adrian, Rose, Dimitri and Lissa where Adrian gets a little Spirit-crazy. Of course they don't know it's the spirit causing that but we all do. These moments make me kinda sad, thinking about it. There's not a lot happening for me after that. Maybe I just tune out when Adrian isn't there but whatever. Oh yeah, Rose and Mason start making out heavily but Rose stops it because she kept thinking about Dimitri. I feel really bad for Mason because of it but also for Rose. What a mess!




Any thoughts on these chapters and post?
Let me know!


Saturday, March 29, 2014

Stacking The Shelves #62

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted @ Tynga's Reviews, to showcase the books we received.
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After two weeks of buying nothing, I finally gave in and got some books... :3

Bought:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I already own and read TFIOS as an ebook but this is one of those books that I just HAD to own as a print book. Finally! <3

Bought:
Paper Towns by John Green
This was the only JG book I didn't had so I thought; what the heck, might as well get this one too. =D



Also got these cute bookmarks with my copy. <3



For Review:
Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick
As much as I hated Hush Hush, this new upcoming book by Becca Fitzpatrick sounds really promising!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers & Edelweiss! <3

Poisoned Apples by Christine Heppermann
I don't usually read poems but this sounds very good.
Thanks to HarperCollins & Edelweiss! <3


Freebie:
Daughter of the Sky by Michelle Diener
I already read this book a while ago but it's free so I felt like sharing it with everyone. Not only is Michelle Diener my favorite historical fiction author but Daughter of the Sky is my favorite book by her.
All I can say is: Grab it - Read it - Love it!
I'm not sure how long it's going to stay free so I would suggest to get it as soon as possible.
Amazon





What books did you all receive?
Leave me links to your hauls!



Friday, March 28, 2014

Feature & Follow #57

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted on friday by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read to gain new followers and make new friends!

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This week's question:
Snap it Time! A picture is worth a thousand words. Anything and anything. Just give us a pic.


I can't pass by owl stuff in stores without just needing to buy it.
So I decided to share my owl obsession with you all! =D





A lot of different stuff here... from candle holders to picture frames to christmas decoration... =D



My suitcase - probably my favorite owl thing ever. I adore it!



Owl scarf from ASOS.com <3



Postcard that I use as bookmark ^^






Leave me links to your FF post!

GFC
bloglovin



Thursday, March 27, 2014

Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Series: Every Day #1
Publication: September 10th 2013 by Ember (first published August 28th 2012)

Genre: Young Adult ~ Contemporary
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5



In his New York Times bestselling novel, David Levithan, co-author of bestsellers Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, introduces readers to what Entertainment Weekly calls a "wise, wildly unique" love story about A, a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body, living a different life. This new paperback edition features six additional chapters about A's earlier life.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.







All I get is tomorrow.

I don't review every book I read but with Every Day I felt like I had to at least try to express my feelings for because it's such an unique and beautiful book. And I also feel like I have say that starting this book was kind of a random act. I just wanted to read the first chapter to get a feel of it but then I couldn't just stop at the one chapter - I had to read more.

This book and writing has a very different feel to me than other books. Though I must admit that I haven't read many contemporary young adult books. Maybe that's why it's that much more special to me. Because books in this genre don't usually grab my attention. And Every Day definitely had me hooked.

I wake up thinking of yesterday. The joy is in remembering; the pain is in knowing it was yesterday.

I'm not sure how to start describing "A", the main character. A doesn't have a gender, he's not male and he's not female. Yes, I'm saying he because it would be very difficult to go about this otherwise. A definitely is one of the more interesting characters I have read about. And I adored him. The way he felt, the way he thought about things. The way he had reconciled with the life he was leading. He was so unique!

Rhiannon I also liked. Maybe not at first, but when she got more into the story and I started really getting their relationship as it grew and progressed I was sad for both her and A, because waking up in a different body every day makes is impossible for them to be together after all.

It's as if when you love someone, they become your reason.

This book deals with a lot of difficult and emotional themes as we get a taste of A's lives. With some of them I was definitely feeling very touched. And I loved how David Levithan's book was open to any kind of love. Whether it be girl loves girl or boy love boy. Love is love. More books should be like this.

Overall, Every Day by David Levithan is a beautiful, touching and unique story with a tinge of science fiction. I would recommend it to anyone I know. I'm sure you won't be disappointed by this lovely story.




Favorite Quotes:

If there's one thing I've learned, it's this: We all want everything to be okay. We don't even wish so much for fantastic or marvelous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough.
It is its own form of conversation -- you can learn a lot about people from the stories they tell, but you can also know them from the way they sing along, whether they like the windows up or down, if they live by the map or by the world, if they feel the pull of the ocean.
The beliefs are almost always the same; it's just that the histories are different. Everybody wants to believe in a higher power. Everybody wants to belong to something bigger than themselves, and everybody wants company in doing that. They want there to be a force of good on earth, and they want an incentive to be a part of that force. They want to be able to prove their belief and their belonging, through rituals and devotion. They want to touch the enormity.
“Picture me however you want to picture me. Because odds are that'll be more true than any of the bodies you see me in.”



About the Author:

David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.