More and more amazing covers!

The world of books and stories is full with amazing and gorgeous covers.
And this week there are even two new covers for us to judge (though we all know you can't judge a book by it's cover. But honestly who can stop doing so?), swoon over or simply stare at it.
First of all we have:

It's the cover for Endlessly the third book in Kiersten Whites trilogy about the young Evie. It will be published by Harperteen on July 24th, 2012. To learn more about the fabulous Kiersten White read her blog Kiersten Writes.

To learn more about Evie and her adventures go to this post to learn a little more about the first book in the series Paranormalcy.

So to finish our little agenda here comes part one, the judging: I really like the color of this book. It's a beautiful purple and it fits with the others. I also like the fact that they used the same model for all three covers.
And know I leave all fans of the series (and everyone who wants) alone for a minute so you can start with the swooning and staring.

For everyone else our little journey through cover-world continues with another pretty one:

This is the cover for fated by Alyson Noel. In this book the author introduces us to a new YA series called the soul seekers. Alyson said on her blog (which you can visit here) that she got inspired for the book on a vacation in New Mexico. The book will be published in may 2012, followed by the other books Echo, Mystic and Horizon, coming in 2012 and 2013.

Alyson Noel said in an interview that the series will be a supernatural Ya series, exploring "themes of Shamanism and the ability to walk through the Upperworld and the Underworld and to walk amongst the dead. It’s about a 16-year-old girl..."


I think the girl on the cover is really pretty and since I love the characters Alyson Noel is creating I cannot wait to meet the one she's representing. And I would love to have those dreamcatcher-earrings. The crows in the back give everything a mysterious feeling.

Alyson Noel is the author of the Immortals series and the spin of the Riley Bloom series. She also wrote many stand alone novels like Art Geeks&Prom Queens.

Are you eager to get your hands on those books? Have you read any of the series and more important, what's your opinion on them? 

Share your thoughts and keep reading books that make you love and cry
Greetings
KJ

Cover released: Destined by Aprylinne Pike.

First of all I'm announcing that I, since I cannot post often, am going to post at the beginning of each month.

In time for Halloween Aprilynne Pike released the cover for her new novel Destined.

And how beautiful is this? But it is actually not the final cover. They are going to change the blurb.
Destined is the the fourth book in her Wings series. It will be published on April 28, 2012 by Harperteen

Wings was first published in 2009 and for those of you who don't know this series here is a short and official synopsis for the first book:

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful--too beautiful for words.
Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

Laurel discovers she is a faerie, sent among humans to protect the gateway to Avalon. Thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to each world. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

For more information on Aprilynne Pike visit her official site.
Greetings and a week full with words
KJ

bookish news...

So to catch up a little on what happened while I'm gone here are five news from the world of books:

1. Aprilynne Pike announced the title of the fourth book in her Wings series: Destined! And she also finished the first draft of the first book in her new series. To learn more about all that and even more go over and visit her blog Apparently!
Destined will be on sale in summer 2012 and don't confuse it with the new House of Night book by Kristin and PC Cast.

2. The Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick will have a fourth book! The series was planned as a trilogy but there has been a change of plans. To learn  more about the series go and visit her site or USA Today for an exclusive excerpt of chapter one of Silence, the third book in the series.

3. The release date of Hallowed by Cynthia Hand was moved. But don't be scared it was moved up not down. The new release date is January 17, 2012. Hallowed is the secquel to her debut novel Unearthly and is published by Harperteen.

4. Jenna Black, author of Sirensong and Dark Descendant, has signed a new book deal for a YA-dystopian Trilogy. The first book in this new series, tentatively titled Replica, is scheduled for 2013. To learn more about Jenna and her books go and visit her site.

5. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr has finaly a director. Mary Harron is said to have signed the contract. Which brings Wicked Lovely a lot nearer to being made into a movie! Yay :) In other Melissa Marr news: I announced earlier this year that Melissa Marr was teaming up with one of my favorite authors Kelley Armstrong to write a new series, The Blackwell Pages. Now Melissa Marr announced that they soled the rights to this trilogy in several countries. To learn more about the project visit my earlier post and to learn more about Wicked Lovely visit Melissa Marrs official site.


More informations about the books and authors mentioned in this post are still to come :)
Until than I wish everyone a great weekend full with words
KJ

City of Bones review and other stuff

First of all my apology for not posting something in... oh wait almost two months passed by? Where did all that time go?
I`m not explaining why I stopped visiting my little baby girl, known to you as this blog because

1. The reason is personal
2. I don't think you are really interested in the details
3. (and most important) I don't have a good reason... and I'm a little bit ashamed :(

Sadly I can't promise you that things will change after today. You just have to wait a little longer until I re-organized my life and everything is heading back to normal. I can just say that I am really honored that so many of you are still visiting my lovely babe.
     
                                                                                                                        

And now back to the important things: BOOKS

I'm sure you all know the amazing series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. If you don't know them learn more about them in this little post. 
So with all the buzz going on with one of the main characters and him winning the 1st Annual Summer Crushin' Tournament on The YA-Sisterhood,I had to check this Jace guy out and make sure he is really crush material. And oh boy, I can understand why he owned that tournament.
But before we dig deeper into psychology and how many crush worthy book boyfriends are really out there we will continue with a little review of the book.


City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

City of Bones is no doubt a must-have for all fans of contemporary fantasy.

Set in modern day New York City, the book takes the reader and the main character Clary into the mesmerizing and really dark world of the shadow hunters.
Clary meets some of them in a club and is drawn to them immediately. Little does she know in which way she is linked to that circle of hunters fighting of evil creatures of the night.

As Clary digs deeper into her history the readers is lured into a wonderful world full with pretty elves, unicorns and dangerous demons, werewolves and vampires.
Though the author uses normal fantasy creatures she doesn't need to use any clichés to make them come to life within the pages.

The only negative thing about this book (besides that the mysterious Jace Clary meets on her adventures is not real) is the fact that the reader solves the mystery after a few chapters while protagonist Clary seems totally clueless throughout the entire book. I found myself more than once screaming at her: "Why don't you get it? It is right there, right before your eyes"

A thrilling story that makes you want more, good this is only the beginning of the series.

View all my reviews

HoN Comic release date! (And other news)

Well, I`m not sure if I can speed up the posting-schedule a little bit, because everything is spinning out of control and I need to adjust myself to having actually A LOT to do.
Bye, bye boring holidays, hello stress.

And now to the news: I posted about the House of Night comics written by PC and Kristin cast as soon as I got the news about them. And finally we have a release date and the cover for the first issue:

The first issue will be on sale November 9th. From then on a new issue will be released every month, ending in March 2012.
Are you eager to get your hands on this one, since Pc said on her blog that "You get Z and the early nerd herd, and you also get ancient vampyre stories woven within the modern story"

Read the first post for more information about the comics.

Also I started  City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (finally! I know I'm late) and I can't wait to post my review for you. But until I'm finished I just have to say: This is pure awesomeness!! 

Greetings and a lot of fun with all those fabulous books out there!
KJ

Paranormalcy movie!

First of all I'm really sorry for the long silence, but school started for me this week so things are getting a little busy over here.

I have amazing news for all fans of author Kiersten White: Her book Paranormalcy has a director! She announced that they are planning to turn the book into a movie and Ray Kay signed up to direct it. He worked on music videos before and I'm really excited about this fabulous news :)
They haven't started casting yet, because they are currently working on the screen play. For more infos visit Kiersten's blog.

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

What about you? Can you wait for a Paranormalcy movie any longer or do you think they will turn down the whole project, anyway?
Greetings
KJ

Destined Cover...

Hey there :)
So while we had a new cover yesterday we will have a new cover today :)
PC and Kristin Cast just released the new cover for Destined the sixth and final book in the House of Night series. Check it out:

What do you think about this?
Honest opinion? I liked the first ones more than this... But if you like it that's of course your choice ;) I just don't think it would attract my attention in a bookstore.
Greetings
KJ

Hallowed UK Cover

Seriously how amazing is this?
I just got the news that Cynthia Hand shared the cover of the UK edition of her novel Hallowed with us on her blog. And, seriously? How beautiful is this cover?

And oh my gosh, there is actually a boy on it. Haven't seen a boy on a cover for a long time. But it's not just any boy it's Christian, who you should know if you read her novel.
Visit her blog to find out what Cynthia Hand thinks about this wonderful cover and what role Christian is going to play in this novel.

Greetings and more to come later :)
KJ

What she's been doing...

Well I wondered a little bit, what Libba Bray the fabulous author of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy and many other books has been doing, so I headed over to her blog searching for some little info I could share with you.

Forgive me, if my writing is a little messy today, but school's starting tomorrow and my sleep rhythm is out of control and everything feels just weird...

Well, now that this has been said here is the information I promised.
Libba Bray just did a fabulous Q&A on her blog, which is really hilarious (and sometimes a little bit weird ;D). So you should definitely check it out following this little linky-thingy.
She is currently working on a new four-book series which is called The Diviners. She describes the series like this:  "It’s taking me back to my love of horror and sprawling, historical dramas. By that I mean that when I realized my historical story was becoming a sprawling mess, I felt a sense of true horror."

The first book is planned to come out fall 2012 and is set in New York City in the 1920's.
So I guess we just have to wait a little longer, but we can always re-read one of her other books ;)

Clockwork Prince extra and City of Lost Souls teaser

Morning guys :)
Cassandra Clare published her monthly teaser for her upcoming novel City of Lost Souls, which will be the fifth installment in the Mortal Instruments series.
She also published an extra for her other upcoming novel Clockwork Prince, the second installment in the Infernal Devices series and sequel to Clockwork Angel. The extra is called Of Loss: Will Herondale's perspective on the attic scene from Clockwork Angel
So go to her blog to check them both out or read below to find something about the Mortal Instruments.

The Mortal Instruments series started with City of Bones back in 2007

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Is this another series on your to-read shelf or are you eager to get your hands on the new releases, because you can already quote the others?
Greetings
KJ

The lost chapter of Adrian Ivashkov...

Richelle Mead started her Bloodlines challenge last week where she, based on a bet with a friend, promised to release the first chapter of Bloodlines from Adrian Ivashkov's point of view IF there would be 10.000 pre-orders by the end of the week.
And because VA fans are (as most fans in general) totally amazing and reached that goal. So for more information go and visit Richelle Mead's blog. You will find there a link, that takes you to Adrian's lost chapter.
Confused about the chapter thing?
Richelle Mead explained, that she originally intended to write the whole novel in third person ("he does this and that") changing the person with every chapter (e.g: First chapter is with Adrian's perspective, second with Sydney's...). But she got problems with that and changed the concept into first person ("I do this and that") and choose Sydney as the only narrator.
That makes Sydney's chapter the official version, which you can read on Richelle Mead's site, too.
Bloodlines will hit the shelves on August, 23.
And, you may ask, what is Bloodlines? Well the answer is easy, that is Bloodlines:

Blood doesn't lie...

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning... 

So head over to Richelle's site, read the chapter and tell me what you think about it :)
Greetings
KJ

Waiting on... The Poison Diaries - Nightshade

Welcome to a new round of Waiting on... Posts, where I introduce you to some new books, I can't get my hands on fast enough :)
Today I want to present you a series, I think you should definitely check out.
Why now? Because I saw this amazing trailer and because the release date of the second novel gets closer and closer...

The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood and The Duchess of Northumberland was the first book in this trilogy and you should really check out the incredible site they made for it.
Or you just check out the following post, bringing you the description of book one and the official series trailer...

In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love . . .

Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle, with little company apart from the plants in her garden. Her father, Thomas, a feared and respected apothecary, has taught her much about the incredible powers of plants: that even the most innocent-looking weed can cure -- or kill.

When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden in a way she never could have imagined . . .

The second novel in the series The Poison Diaries, Nightshade is expected to come out on December 10, 2011 by Harperteen.

A wonderful week full of words to everyone :)
Greetings KJ

The Children of Erin

Die Kinder von Erin. by Helmut W. Pesch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of the Reading is my Escape Monthly Challenge. It was actually a re-read but I read it so long ago, that I couldn’t remember a lot of it, besides the fact that I loved it. Ad here again I read it in almost one sitting.

“Die Kinder von Erin” which in English means “The Children of Erin” is the second instalment in a series by Helmut W. Pesch.

In the first novel “The Children of the Nibelungen” the protagonists, Siggi, Gunhild and their English friend Hagen were in Germany travelling with the help of an ancient ring into the mythical world of the Nibelungen. Each kid personalized one of the main characters of the old legend about Siegfried the Dragon killer with the same name. (Hagen started to act like the Hagen of the old legend, Gunhild like the mythical version of Gunhild and Siggi, well you can guess that…) While delving deep into the ancient legend the problems of their heroes endangered the kids, as they witnessed the beginning and the ending of an old tale.
So in the second book, one year later the three are on vacation in Dunvegan Castle, and old baronial castle in Ireland.

While the short prologue leaves us wondering who this mysterious man is and why he waited to long for the kids, magic starts in the first paragraph of chapter one. The beautiful melody of a harp wakes Gunhild in the middle of the night and calls her into the ancient world of Erin, the mythological Ireland.

Just like one year before it is the night of the summer solstice and the veil of our world and the Otherworld is thin. Gunhild doesn’t know, it she is ready for yet another adventure. She remembers the beauty that comes with the magic, but also tears and blood. And she doesn’t know if she is ready for the feelings between herself and Hagen that are again growing stronger. Her little, 15-year old, brother Siggi on the other hand is ready to jump into any new adventure to prove once again that he is a real hero. Siggi as the Sunny boy is the perfect counterweight to the more melancholy Hagen. They couldn’t be any more different, yet the characters are working perfectly together.
When dangerous creatures enter the castle Gunhild and Hagen have no other choice than fleeing into the night. Accompanied by the full moon and followed by monsters from the Otherworld they are running for their lives. Their last chance: A Gate in a hill, known to belong to the old goddess of Erin…

While Helmut W. Pesch has a wonderful writing style the glossary at the back of the novel is full with gaelic words and how to pronounce them, maps and names of heroes, places and gods from Irish mythology.
So it is indeed a great resource for further studies and a good place to start delving deeper into the mythological world of the Celts.
The author is able to weave old legends (like the stories about sidhe) into a new tale, a story that you almost believe as true…

He is able to hide all those themes that are typical for Celtic mythology in his story like he was part of it himself. Which makes his characters even more real and believable. When Amergin tells Siggi the old story about Erin and says “I know it, I was there…” (which he says a lot) You believe him that he knows, that he was there. Because Helmut W. Pesch knows what he is talking about, though I’m not quite sure that he was there…

After I read a book I’m always wondering when the author caught me and if there was a time when I could have walked away from the book without ever looking back again. Helmut W. Pesch, the author of this fabulous piece of work got me interested with the quote he put at the beginning:

“Fantasy is a journey into the subconscious of the human mind. She can be dangerous and she can change you” by Ursula K. Le Guin (freely translated)

And after the first chapter there was no getting away from this one. And it got better and better with every page.
Back in the days when I read it for the first time I would have given it five out of five stars. Since I’m now older and the book is for a younger audience (13+) I will give it only four stars. But it is still a recommendation to everyone who loves fantasy and ancient stories, no matter which age. And it was definitely a close call between five and four stars.

And now I’m leaving you guessing what the third (and the in my opinion best book of the series) “The Children of Avalon” may be about. Here is a little tip: They are finding a sword at the beginning of the book…
And thanks to Helmut W. Pesch for a night without sleep and a wonderful tale that will surely follow me around a little longer and reminded me once again why I love fantasy, especially the old European legends so much.

Greetings and a wonderful August full with words and stories
KJ

View all my reviews

Dreamland Trailer...

Alyson Noel announced on her blog that there is a new trailer for Dreamland:

Dreamland is the third book in the Riley Bloom series, which follows the adventures of a character from Alyson Noel's bestselling The Immortals series.
If you don't know what this series is about, here is the description of the first Riley Bloom book:

Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she's summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can't quite figure out.

Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he's never met Riley...

 
After Radiance and Shimmer, Dreamland will release on the 13 September 2011.
Have you read this series or are you still reading the Immortals?
Let me know, what you thougth about those books...
Greetings
KJ

One Day only Scavenger Hunt!

A lot of those YA authors we love are taking part in a huge scavenger hunt today! It is a one day only thing, where you hop from each author's blog to another to read exclusive one day only material from their novels. Than you just find the word written in red, write it on a note and hop to the next blog.
At the end of it you sort all those little red words into a big puzzle and enter for a chance to win a grande price...

Here is a complete list of all those fabulous authors participating:

JOSEPHINE ANGELINI
TERA LYNN CHILDS
ANGELA CORBETT
KADY CROSS
HEATHER DAVIS
DJ DESMYTER
BREE DESPAIN
LEIGH FALLON
MARLEY GIBSON
ABBI GLINES
COLLEEN HOUCK
TARA HUDSON
ELANA JOHNSON
SOPHIE JORDAN
MYRA MCENTIRE
ALEXANDRA MONIR
LISA NOWAK
AMY PLUM
BETH REVIS
LISA & LAURA ROECKER
INARA SCOTT
JERI SMITH-READY
LANI WOODLAND

Ready? Visit author Beth Revis to start your hunt!

Greetings and good luck
KJ

Blogger Hop!

I just found this amazing thing called Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy for Books.
So I thought to myself go and participate!
If you want to find out more about Blogger Hop go and visit this link to this weeks blogger hop.
And here is the thing: You post your own blog into the linky list and than you go and find some new friends and fellow book bloggers through that list.
What do you have to do first?
Answer a question. This week the question is:


“Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!”

That's a good one ;) I received a book this week, that is a little bit older. It was published in 2008 and has the subtitle "Forbidden memories of the last son of the Nibelung"
I'm a huge fan of the Nibelungen legends so I hope this book is not going to disappoint me (not to mention that  the author grew up not far away from my home) :

The English translation of the title would be "The mists of the morning" unfortunately the description is in German, so not all of you will understand a lot. Quick summary: A retelling of the old Nibelungensong from the viewpoint of the last living Nibelung.
As soon as I read it I'm going to post a review in this blog (and a German review on my site) to make sure you understand what's it about and if you should look out for English versions. I haven't found one yet, but who knows what the future brings...
Here is the official description from GoodReads:

Europa im späten fünften Jahrhundert. Ein Skalde wird von zwei Soldaten entführt und verschleppt. Obwohl der Dichter seit zwei Jahren kein Wort mehr gesprochen hat, ist er für den machtgierigen Auftraggeber der Entführung, einen minderen Burgunderkönig am Rhein, wertvoller als pures Gold. Denn er ist Bryndt Högnisson, das Kind von Königin Brynhild und ihrem heimlichen Geliebten Hagen von Tronje. Und Bryndt ist der Einzige, der die Wahrheit über die namenlose Tragödie im Hunnenland kennt ... 

So I wish you all a lot of fun hoping around on other blogs, maybe you find one you didn't know before :)
Greetings
KJ

Quick news :) #1

Welcome to quick news, where you get some news which are, of course quick, small and very interesting.

First of all Richelle Mead's Bloodlines challenge comes to an end today, so we will be getting the results tomorrow, and hopefully we will get our daily dozes of Adrian, too.
If you don't know what I'm talking about you missed a lot these days so click here for a Who is Richelle Mead? And here for a What kind of challenge?
And tomorrow the new teaser trailer for Bloodlines will come out. I wonder from whose perspective this one is going to be, since the last ones were from Dimitri and Rose.


Kelley Armstrong announced, that she finished the first draft of the third Darkness Rising book. Which left me a little bit like, yeah? What is the second one? I can`t remember posting about that... So here is everything I could find about Darkness Rising 2:

Here is the official description taken from Kelley Armstrong's fabulous site, which you can of course visit here.

You know the big problem with a trilogy? After the first book, it gets really hard to describe the next one without giving away serious spoilers for book one. If you’ve read The Gathering, read the below description of The Calling. If you haven’t read The Gathering, don’t do it!

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the last page.
HarperTeen • Hardcover • April 2012

Also Kelley Armstrong will start her first Australian tour in August, so to the people in Australia: I'm jealous, have a lot of fun :)
And I you don't know who Kelley Armstrong is, than click the label named "Kelley Armstrong" above this blog to find out more about her.

More news to come...  
Greetings to all of you :)
KJ 

A Million Suns description!

It is finally released! The Description for Beth Revis' A Million Suns!

A Million Suns will be released in January 2012 and is the follow up to Across the Universe. Here is the official description:

When Elder learns harrowing news about the space ship Godspeed, he and Amy must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, all the while dealing with the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. It all boils down to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

If you want to find out how it all started visit this post about Across the Universe. 

Are you as eager for this one as I am?
Greetings
KJ

A Clash of Kings/ Review by Cassy

I actually asked Cassy if I could re-post this wonderful and funny review of A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin and imagine she said yes! If you're on GoodReads make sure to check her out, she writes amazing reviews :) (Click the picture to visit the GoodReads page of the book)

Cassy's review Jul 01, 11
4 of 5 stars

This isn’t going to be a cutesy review. I am well into the third book. I fear that if I don’t blurt out my thoughts about this one soon, then all the books in the series are going to meld together in my memory. Here are my three main impressions:

1. Bleak, dreary, and dismal

Don’t expect any happiness in this book. Martin is merciless with his characters. And if you do see a bright light, don’t trust it. One character learned she won’t have to marry an abusive, horrible guy. She and I were elated. Then someone pointed out that her ex-fiancé could still rape her as he desires and few would be able to stop him. Darn.

2. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe


It occurred to me halfway through a big battle that I didn’t know who I was rooting for. The defender is a cruel king and has a tenuous claim to the throne, but I like a few of the characters in his castle and feared what would happen to them if they lose. The attacker would probably be a fair king, yet he is cold and distant. He has a better claim than most to the throne. However I doubt he could hold it for long. Precisely who did I want to win? It was not a problem of apathy. Martin drew the characters and politics so craftily that I just could not decide. Honestly, instead of picking, I sat back and enjoyed the twists and turns.

3. Better keep up!


The scope of the plot is ever-expanding. I give Martin kudos for having such a grand vision and keeping it all straight. I don't feel that any of the storylines are unnecessary (except, I hate to say it, maybe Arya’s). And I have complete faith that they will culminate in the most amazing way by the end of series. Yet it is inevitable that you will prefer some perspectives over others. I counted the pages in between Daenerys’ chapters – an average of 130 pages! And this is a middle book. There are no cliffhangers, but very little is resolved. If it is resolved, that means someone died. Unless they are only pretending to be dead, of course.

I lied. One more point.

4. Awesomeness



I hope you liked this review as much as I did and Thanks again Cassy :)
If you want to read my review of the first book in this series just click the label of the author
Greetings and best wishes to everyone
KJ
 

Guest Posts Explanation

If you are on GoodReads there is the chance that you saw me running around advertising this little blog and talking about guest posts. Maybe that's what broad you here in the first place (that would be so amazing!)
So the whole guest post thingie:

Like I put it on GoodReads I have this great vision in my mind of a site, where you can find all the latest news about the Books you love and read reviews and discuss those... And I'm working really hard to make this vision come to life (though it is more fun than actual work)
And you dear readers are helping me a lot with it because you are a big part of it and knowing that someone actually reads it makes it even more fun (a huge hello to my first ever follower out there, you just made my day :D)
But I fear that I can't do this alone, because there are so many fabulous books out there and there are so many fabulous authors. Let's face it: I just don't have the time to read everything.
I don't want you guys to miss anything so I'm asking around for guest posts. The post can be about anything book-related, author news, reviews, the stuff I'm mostly posting about.
We had this wonderful review of Passion by Lauren Kate from Chris and we are going to have one more today. I hope there are people out there who will help me make this dream come true :)

Greetings and all the best wishes to you
KJ

Teasers and Giveaway for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyver

Only two more months until Michelle Hodkin publishes her debut novel The Unbecoming of Mara Dyver.
You don't know her book yet? Than you should definitely check it out:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer hits stores everywhere 9.27.11. Pre-order your copy here. Download the widget here. Enter to win an Advanced Reader’s Copy here.


And like this wasn't enough Michelle Hodkin hosts a international giveaway over on her blog The Michelle Show. Makes sure to enter!
 And instead of a released teaser there are many fabulous quotes from the book on GoodReads. So if the summary hasn't convinced you yet make sure to klick this little link and read some of those quotes.
And don't you dare forgetting to tell me what you think about this book :)
A wonderful day to everyone
KJ 

Twinkel stars, fangs and talking ashes...

So today it is again time for a new little Spotlight, the last Spotlight was done a little while ago and was part of What if... a series of posts, which actually has that one post in it. I should really do a series update :)
You can re-read it here: Time Traveling 1 
Basically Spotlight is something we are doing on our website every month. One of us is picking a topic, an author, series, artist or something else we think deserves the attention, and talks about that topic a little bit.
So today I chose one of my favorite topics: Vampires.
But don't be scared away!
We will not talk about that pop-culture phenomenon and about all the hype (though that is surely an interesting topic). We will look at it from a more childish point of view. So this is going to be a little strange. There are two ways in which you can see this following post: First you think it's embarrassing and I should grow up all ready or you think it is interesting and maybe kind of cute.
Tell me in the comments what you are thinking about this, but remember if you think I'm childish that's the best compliment you can give to me, because in 50 years you will all wish to be young again...

So enough with the pre-talk let's start already. May I present to you my most favorite Vampire in history:

Well that is Oskar. And I would put him on one step with Stefan Salvatore and Edward Cullen. Why? Because he has all a pop-culture-vampire-hero needs:

1. He is desperately in love with a beautiful human girl, which he can't have because of his dark Vampire-side
2. He doesn't drink human blood, because he doesn't want to be a monster, and he simply can't stand it

Oskar is the Protagonist in an amazing and really cute little German TvShow called The school of little vampires. 
And what do I love most about this show? Besides the lovely characters and the talking ashes?
Just look at this:

It is a picture of Gary Oldman playing the role of Dracula in the 90's movie Bram Stoker's Dracula
And this is a picture of the headmaster of our little vampire school Count Alerich von Horrificus:

Here we have the lovely Lucy on her funeral in the same Dracula movie:

And a picture of one of the teachers at our little school Lady Kryptina:

You see the resemblance, don't you?
The vampire hunter that plays a very important role in this TVshow is called Polidori. Does that ring any bell? Yeah, you remember him. John Polidori, the good friend of Lord Byron who wrote in 1816 the first story with the modern vampir in it.
I just love how this little show is such a great homage to the beginning of vampire-tales.
You should definitely check it out if you're able to understand a little bit German!
Greetings
KJ

Fever Cover!

Here it finally is the cover of Lauren DeStefano's second novel Fever, which will be released in February 2012:

Fever is the second novel in the Chemical Gardens trilogy which started with Wither:

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

Both covers are just stunning and really beautiful. I especially like the horse in the new cover.
Which one do you like more? Are you a fan of the good old eye-catcher and a cover-buyer or do you decide which book comes next under different terms?
Greetings to all of you
KJ

Passion by Lauren Kate/Guest Post by Chris

 So today we are having our first official guest post! So excited :)
So a special thanks goes to Chris, who was nice enough to send me his review of Passion by Lauren Kate, so you could read it :D
If you like his review make sure to check out and follow his lovely blog.

First things first! I want start by thanking Kim for inviting me to guest-blog on this fabulous site. Bookbreath is a beautifully designed, fount of information for not only the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres, but for the written word in general. And now...

Gah! I just need to do this already. I've started to write this review about a dozen times. In fact, I've finished two other books since I finished this one and have refused to write the reviews for them until I get this one out of the way! You know what the problem is? Of course not, why should you? Alright, you twisted my arm, I'll tell you. The problem is exactly the same as the problem that I've had with this entire series... I really don't care about it all that much.

I'm not sure why I've continued to read it. This is the third book, of a (rumored) four book series. The fourth (Rapture) and final book's release date has been anounced for some time in 2012. I read Fallen (Book 1) a couple of years ago. I had a tough time getting into it, even tho I really wanted to like it. I originally credited at least part of the problem to the fact that I was listening to it during a drive to Disney World. There were too many distractions with the whole family in the car. Nonetheless, I pushed on and finished it even though I should have waited for a better time. I liked the concept, but wasn't really captivated by any of the characters.

I discovered that the sequel, Torment, had come out about six months ago and decided to give it a shot after seeing that it had received four stars from Amazon. I figured that the distractions were probably the reason I hadn't "bonded" with the characters. Torment was better, but I probly would have let the series go had it not been for the cliff hanger ending. I thought, hmmm, still not sure I care about these characters, but Luce is acting a little crazy and things could get interesting. So I calendared Passion, and waited for my local library to get a copy.

So... Passion...

...

Okay, this isn't the worst book I've ever read. I'm sure I'll calendar and read Rapture. But, yet again, I'm not sure why. The whole thing is strange, and I'm not talking about the plot here. I'm talking about the weird pull these books somehow manage. I would think it was just me, but it's not.

Torment was given four stars by the readers at Amazon and 3.93 at GoodReads. Passion has a 4 star rating at Amazon and a 3.83 at GoodReads. Decent ratings, right? But, if you read the reviews on these sites, you'll detect a pattern in the comments that continues on in those being posted for Rapture (not even released yet) at:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92230...

Now, just a glanced at these remarks shows that there are a fair number of people who don't really like this series and yet continue to read it.

Alright, enough... I'm coming across as a hater I suppose, but I'm not... To me Passion (as well as its predecessors) is a fairly average book. Lauren is a competent writer with a somewhat original idea. Her character portrayals in this series have been respectable if not gripping.

Passion continues the story of Luce who is now tripping thru time in order to discover whether she and Daniel share a true, timeless love or if their feelings are merely a biproduct of the curse that has had them find and lose each other throughout the centuries.

The time travel aspect of this story is pretty clumsy in my opinion, but to really explain this sentiment I'd have to reveal plot points and time mechanics as described in the book.

Lauren does NOT make good use of her supporting characters in this book. Passion is almost exclusively the Luce and Daniel show and while I don't really mind this focus, why have the supporting characters follow Luce at the end of Torment if we aren't really going to see them in Passion?

The "twist" in Passion isn't much of one and I imagine most will find it pretty transparent, but there are some fairly touching moments. If you're reading it for answers, you'll get some, although you may not be entirely satisfied with them. In the end, I think Passion is the best of them so far, so if you liked the early ones, you'll probly like this one. While marginally better, if you haven't liked what has come before, don't expect this one to salvage the series for you.

-Chris

Giveaway and excerpt by Dakota Banks

Dakota Banks the author of the Mortal Path series is hosting a giveaway on Supernatural Underground where you can win both books that have been released in this series.
If you already own both you should check it out anyway because she is posting an excerpt from her new and third novel Deliverance, which will be published on March 27,2012 . And best of all the giveaway is internationally :)

For those of you who don't know the series here is a quick summary of book one:

In the 17th century, a woman is ripped from her husband's arms, thrown in jail, and then set afire as a witch. Saved from the flames by an ancient Sumerian demon, she becomes the Black Ghost, his Ageless assassin gifted with otherworldly skills and superbly trained in martial arts.

Centuries pass before Maliha Crayne finds a way out of the life she hates.

If she achieves a balance between lives taken and lives saved, she'll break the demon's hold on her.

If she fails, she will suffer the demon's torment ... forever.

And if that wasn't enough here is a nice little pull-quote:

"Seductive, sophisticated, and imaginative, DARK TIME has a multi-dimensional quality with beguiling concepts and a labyrinth of fast-paced suspense. There's food for thought on every fascinating page. Dakota Banks is firing on all cylinders." - STEVE BERRY 


Hope your going to check it out :)
Greetings
KJ

The Hunger Games cast...

So you all know the Entertainment weekly issue which had  Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in costume on the cover.
You all know the amazing Hunger Games movie poster.
Are you desperate for more? Well, thanks to Entertainment weekly, once more, you will get another look at the wonderful cast:

You are seeing Josh Hutcherson as Peeta on the Right and Liam Hemsworth as Gale on the left.
The issue titles The man of the Hunger Games, but who was your favorite man? Do you think that they picked the cast well or do you have any other actor-wishes for Gale and Peeta?
For your consideration: A pic of Gale and Katniss:

And just for you here are two more pics of our lovely Katniss, so we can make her a part of our discussion, too:

Best wishes to everyone out there
KJ

Last Sacrifice_Last VA Review

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm honestly not sure what I should say about this book. It is amazing, but if you`re reading this review that maybe means you read the other books and you already know that this series is amazing.

Last Sacrifice is a spellbinding, roller-coaster like ending to a wonderful series.

Though I didn't wanted it to end like it did, Richelle Mead has a wonderful stile of writing and I was totally satisfied with the way she put the end into words. Honestly she could have killed EVERYONE at the end of this novel in a Shakespear-like tragedy and I still would be satisfied because she would have written it in such a wonderful way. I'm just happy she doesn't try to sell washing machines, because I would probably buy a dozen without needing one.

But enough about this fabulous author, let's get back to the book:

The outcome of this book wasn't really forseeable, though there were moments that foreshadowed the ending, but you can recognize them just from looking back already knowing how it will end.
Watching the characters develop through such a lot of action and feelings, which where all perfectly described by the author and came to life within the pages, did never get boring, even not in the sixth book.

Richelle Mead started this series with a BANG and she ended it with a even bigger BADAM!!

And once again: This book is amazing!
Now Bloodlines can come. I'm really determined to find out what happens next to this breathtaking characters.

I wish you all a wonderful week full of words
KJ

View all my reviews

The Vampire Diaries First Look

Oh my gosh! I just wanted to show you guys this, before I head over to fan-girl-heaven...

Yeah, it is what it looks like. The first look at the new (and from this trailer as amazing as the last) TVD season!
This clip has been edited with some scenes from season 2, there are no new scenes (yeah I'm desperate for some new material, too) but it looks like we are headed for a new fantastic vampire year.
So I'm asking you a question again:

What do you prefer? The books or the show?
I use to see them as two different things, because the show is just really far away from the books, but still a wonderful story with wonderful (and hot) actors
Are you as fan-girlie-excited as I am or is TVD just another vampire-flick to you?
Greetings
KJ

Waiting on... Possess

Today we'll continue our new section, in which I'll introduce to you some upcoming books I can't wait to get my hands on.

Possess by Gretchen McNeill that will be published by Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins, August 23, 2011.

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

 Are you eager to read this book or does it not attract you at all?
Tell me your opinion.
Greetings
KJ

Hush Hush Graphic Novel Cover!

Looks like turning bestseller books into Graphic Novels is in these days. Well, I'm fine with that and I will show you the new cover for Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush

Well I can just say, awesome cover, it is really gorgeous.
Are you waiting for this issue, published by SeaLion or do you think there are already enough graphic novels out there?
Hush Hush is the first book in Becca Fitzpatrick's bestselling series and here is the official description:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment... 

Greetings and lots of love
KJ

Chronicles of Nick come to the screen!

Some amazing news for all fans of the Chronicles of Nick and other works by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
The official statement:

"Amber Entertainment has signed a partnership with prolific paranormal novelist Sherrilyn Kenyon to develop and produce films, television and webisodes based on her books."

The article says furthermore that Chronicles of Nick will be the first project to start and that author Sherrilyn Kenyon will serve as a producer.
The author is not only known for this YA-series but also for her Dark Hunter series and the Lords of Avalon which she publishes under the name Kinley MacGregor.
The first book in the Chronicles of Nick series is called Infinity

And as always here is the official description for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about:

 Modern New Orleans

At 14, Nick Gautier is an average kid who runs with the wrong crowd. But on the night he decides to go straight and refuses to mug an innocent tourist, his crew turns on him and just as he thinks his life is over… a new one begins.

Kyrian of Thrace isn’t just a vampire slayer, he’s a Dark-Hunter and he introduces Nick to a world that he never imagined.

With new enemies who make his old ones look like wimps, Nick must either measure up or get sized for a body bag. It’s kill or be killed and this kid who was born on the wrong side finds a strength inside him that he never knew existed.

Now if he can only find someone to help battle the demons that don’t reside inside...

You can read the full article here.
Lots of Greetings and wishes
KJ

Succubus Revealed Chapter 1!

Richelle Mead published the first chapter of her new novel Succubus Revealed the last one in her Georgina Kincaid series. 
To find additional information and the link to the Chapter visit Richelle's blog

Succubus Revealed comes out on August 30 just one week after Bloodlines.
The series started with Succubus Blues and to find out what it is all about read the official description taken from Richelle Mead's site:

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants. The wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess get-up complete with whip and wings. And she can’t have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy’s life. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore—free books, all the white chocolate mochas she can drink, and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny…

So here ends another one of Richelle's fabulous series
Best wishes
KJ

House of night comic!

So after Vampire Academy and Storm Born by Richelle Mead another best selling series is turned into a comic:
Dark Horse announced on ComicCon that they teamed up with the fabulous writers of House of Night PC and Kristin Cast to create a House of Night Comic. In November the first of five comics will be released which will be collected in one graphic novel.
Different from the stories named above, it won't just be the books turned into comics, but totally new stories. PC Cast said on her blog:

"The stories will begin between MARKED and BETRAYED and weave ancient vampyre stories into modern day House of Night action! The amazing screenwriter, Kent Dalian, is adapting the stories to comics - AND YOU WILL JUST DIE WHEN YOU SEE THE ART! Joelle Jones is doing all the modern day stuff. She is awesome!"

SO here is the House of Night part of the big Dark Horse wall from ComicCon

The image was taken from PC's blog which you can visit here.  

Are you dying to see the rest of the art? What is your opinion about the new comics? Totally must have's, or not?

Best wishes to all of you and congrats to the Casts for this amazing new part of their House of Night universe

KJ 

Supernaturally Trailer and Tour Dates...

Here is the new official Supernaturally Trailer:

And to celebrate the upcoming release Kiersten White will be on Tour with other authors so visit her blog for additional information and tour dates.
Are you eager to read the new novel? Tell me about it :)
Greetings
KJ

New Spell Bound Cover

Rachel Hawkins just showed us the new cover for Spell Bound the new book in her Hex Hall series.

Here is the official description:

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

And if you want to know where it all started visit the Goodreads page of the first novel: (just click the picture)

What do you think of this new cover? Would you buy the book?
Greetings to all of you
KJ

The Hunger Games around the world...

So to celebrate the wonderful movie poster we saw today, we will do something we did with Forgive my Fins last week:
Covers around the World.

So here is the US Cover for the Hunger Games:

The German one:

And last but not least the one Italian one:

Which one do you prefer or like the most? Remember, you can't judge a book by it's cover, but eye-catching is one of the odlest tricks used on the market. Which cover fits the book in your opinion the best?
Honestly, I think the movie poster would be a great book cover, but the Italian one is by far my favorite.
Have a fabulous day full with words
KJ

The end of Strange Angels...

Just like Nelly Furtado said: "All good things come to an end"
That's true, even for most of those amazing book series out there. I never know if I shall be excited about the fact that I will find out how all ends, or sad because of the fact that it ended.
So one of my favourite YA series is going to end this year (besides VA, but hey with Bloodlines on the way, this isn't really an end):

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow.
You don't know what this series is about? Then click the link and read my review of the first book.
And if you love the series as much as I do, follow this link to Penguin between the Lines, to find out what they have to say about it.
So with the series ending now, we can sit back and have a little discussion (not about the story, we don't want to spoiler anything, besides is there more to say than: just amazing?)
Today, we will not talk about the covers as normaly (we're doing that later, with a different book, so just stay tuned) We're talking about the fact why I'm mostly going to miss Dru: Just like Rose from VA she's a tough heroine and as I said before in my little post "A shout out to all the ladies" there are just not enough supernatural girls who could really pick up a fight and win it. Yeah, there are a lot of female protagonists in the YA genre these days, but how many of them are really strong and not just little princesses who wait for their knight in shining armor to rescue them? (Not that I would have something against a nice Prince Charming)
So though it is strange I'm quoting myself today:
And last but not least a shout out to all those supernatural ladies, because the genre would be boring without you and where can we find good looking guys if not in your shadow?

Keep thinking, keep reading, keep living
KJ