House of Night news

I just got the news that Destined the next book in the House of Night series by PC and Kristin Cast had a change in release dates. The date was changed so Destined now comes out a little earlier, to be more specific on October 25th.
With these amazing news PC Cast posted on her blog a picture of the "real" House of Night in her home town Tulsa. Go and look at it here.

Best wishes to everyone
KJ

A sheep crime...

Glennkill : en fårdeckare by Leonie Swann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fresh and wonderful new tale about sheep solving a mystery and finding a murderer.

One morning the shepherd lies dead in the field and his sheep are determined to find out what happened. Miss Marple, the most intelligent sheep starts here investigations and discovers with the help of the rest of the flock an old and deadly secret, that hovers over the village of Glennkill.

Are the sheep able to solve the mystery and let the dream come true they dreamed once with their shepherd? A dream about the apple trees and Europe…

Leonie Swan created a flock of lovely and memorable sheep, no matter you’re talking about Othello, Mopple the whale or Cloud the woolliest of them all, that are not just funny but also interesting to watch. The crime committed is logical planed and though the protagonists are some sheep the story is thrilling and readable just like a real crime-story, complete with all the twists and turns.

A wonderful read and something that I’m recommending to everyone, not just to fans of sheep or fans of crime-stories. A novel I’m going to read over and over again.





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Re-reading: House of night 2

Betrayed by P.C. Cast

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I do not know why but I liked the first one more than this one. Zoe seems to spend most of her time thinking about the three boys she wants to go out with and I just cannot understand why she is so torn. Sometimes she seems even bitchy to me. But just for a few pages :)

But I cannot understand her motives for most parts of the books. I’m always like “Why are you doing this now?”

But despite these negative aspects Betrayed is a good and solid piece of work. Just like they did in the first novel PC and Kristin Cast are creating a new kind of vampires, very refreshing and interesting.

As always the characters (except for Zoe in some parts) are very well written and three-dimensional. The arc of suspense goes well with the rest of the story and keeps the reader interested, though I had to fight my way through some of the parts.

Definitely a good sequel but nothing that could start up a series, because it cannot convince new readers enough.

A good day to everyone
KJ

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News from Avalon...

Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A new twist to an old tale.

We all know that the battle between good and evil ended on the fields of Camlan, where King Arthur Pendragon was wounded by his son Mordred. We know that both are waiting to meet again and make clear once and for all who wins this century old battle. But what happened after that? What happened after the isle of Avalon disappeared in the mists, what happened after Lancelot betrayed his king and friend?

The Author Kinley MacGregor answers this question in a wonderful writing stile. She takes us into a world where the old battles are still fought and time travelling is normal. She is able to entwine old elements of medieval stories with modern pieces.

In this story the bad guy is easy to spot but not easy to judge. The twists are unforeseeable and the atmosphere as well as the story telling is good. You can see that Kinley MacGregor knows what she is doing.

A recommendation for fans of Arthurian legends with modern twists. For fans of stories about love and friendship and for people who like reading about the old battle of good and evil. Definitely not the best book in this genre but a good read after all.





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Alyson Noel news :D

Hey everyone :)
I just wanted to show you the new cover of Alyson Noels book Dreamland the next one in the Riley Bloom series. The book is in stores on September 13th 2011 followed by Whisper coming in April 2012.

Currently Alyson Noel is working on the first book of her new Soul Seeker series. And I'll keep you updated on that :)
I wish you all a nice weekend
KJ

A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Before I come to todays review I have to say a huge Sorry to everyone. I know I've been gone for a long time, but sometimes I just need time to read all those awesome books I'm bloging about. I hope you understand that :)

One of the best fantasy books I've read in a long time.

Game of Thrones is about kings and queens, intrigues and loyalty, about family and hope. But most of all it is about honorable men fighting for their lives. Or maybe not.

Game of Thrones is breathtaking and exhausting in the best of all ways. You follow every step the protagonists do and you try to forsee what may happen to them, but you just cannot do that. In books like this most of the time you know what's happening and how the puzzle fits, because you know a little bit more than the protagonist and watch him or her collecting the pieces. But this book is far more interesting because, though, you see the scenery from so many different point of views the pieces just don't seem to fit. You struggle to find the truth and you are just as clueless as the Protagonist. That is what makes this book stand out from the majority of fantasy books about kings, princes, dragons and the game for the crown.

The characters are lovely and you can't escape their charm, it doesn't matter if you talk about the antagonist or any sidekick, they are all well-developed and you understand their motives and their motions, though you sometimes ask yourselves "Gosh, was that really necessary?"

Game of Thrones is a wonderful read, that leaves you wanting more, and it is a wonderful fantasy book, fulfilling all the stereotypes and being totally different in the same moment...

A suggestion for everyone :)



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Releasing changes...

Aimee Carter announced on her blog  that there will be some changes in the releasing schedule for her books.

Goddess Interrupted the sequel to her debut The Goddess Test moved to a late March release in 2012, what makes us all waiting for it another two months.
And Masked, the first book in her new dystopian series moved a little forward to fall 2012.
For more information go and visit her blog.
Are you excited to read this books or were you disappointed by her debut?
Best wishes
KJ

Take a closer look...

A new book is going to be released this June. It is called Nyx in the House of Night and it is an illustrated guide to the series, edited by PC Cast.
What do you think about this new book?
I for myself think that guides to book series are most of the time just money-making. Maybe I`m wrong, but it seems that the authors of those guides (most of the time not the authors of the series) are just trying to get a piece of the cake. Most of the time those guides are just published for some series which have a large and young audience, though there are books which take place in a much bigger and more complicate world and would deserve such a guide even more.
What do you think on that matter? Am I only bitch-talking or is there some truth in my words?
Have a great day
KJ

A shout out to all the ladies...

Well...
I read a very interesting essay yesterday. It was published in A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls and was written by Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon. Though the essay was about The Vampire Diaries it got me thinking a little bit bigger. The Topic was Women who love Vampires who eat women. And to sum it up Sarah R. Brennan pointed out how little the number of women is, who actually survive on this TV show.
So I thought, yeah, she's right. How many female kick ass Vampires do I know? How many kick ass female supernaturals do I know?
So today we are going to do a little counting. I know Zoe, from House of Night by PC and Kristin Cast, I know Rose and Lissa from Vampire Academy (though there are many many kick ass boys there too) by Richelle Mead and I know Dru from Strange Angels by Lili St Crow.
And that's it. Honestly, to come up with more names I really need to think... hard.
And what goes on with the boys?
Rose and Lissa have, as I said, kick ass boyfriends and more guys than girls on their school. Dru is accompanied by two boys and Zoe spends in my opinion too much time thinking about the two boys she likes.
Than there are Dracula and his companions. Frankenstein was a guy, Van Helsing was a guy, werewolves are most of the time guys... You cannot find a kick ass heroine in this genre without at least two guys on her heels.
One reason may be that we all love some good romance, and you cannot have a love triangle or a relationship with just one girl, that's logical. But can you come up with other reasons why there are so less kick ass girls? And why do they always have kick ass guys with them?
Do you know more supernatural girls?
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

Ps: Yeah I know I forgot Buffy, Ever and Chloe but I had to think to come up with those names. :)

Come and visit Mystic Falls

A Visitors Guide to Mystic Falls: Your Favorite Authors on The Vampire Diaries by Red Vee

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is a must have for all die-hard The Vampire Diaries fans, but it is also interesting and informative for total beginners. A Visitors Guide to Mystic Falls takes a closer look to the topic presented in the series and tries to answer important questions like "Who is really the bad guy?"

Famous authors like Cassandra Clare wrote twelve essays about the Vampire Diaries and Red and Vee from the number one TVD Fansite edited and commented this special collection.

A Visitors Guide... Shows what is different between the show and the books and it encourages the reader to actually think about the series. It digs deeper and shows what is really behind the topics.
You will find essays with whom you totally agree as well as essays you won't like at all.

This Book also shines a light on why Vampires are so important and famous in modern Pop-culture comparing the Vampire Diaries not just to modern tales like Buffy the Vampyre Slayer or Twilight but also to much older classics like Polidori's The Vampyr or Stoker's Dracula.
It will bring much joy for fans of TVD and may be interesting for Vampire fans in general.Though it was published in the gap between the fist and the second season it will also help making the waiting time for season three shorter.

A recommendation for every fan and those who always wanted to know why a story like this could get so famous.



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Goddess Interrupted...

Some good news for all Aimee Carter fans. She just published the summary from her new book Goddess Interrupted, coming January 2012 on her blog.
It is the sequel to her fabulous debut The Goddess Test which is available since the end of April. Because of the fact that some of you, or most of you haven't read the first book by now I do not repost the summary here. We don't want any spoilers, right?
If you read the first book here is the summary on Aimee Carters official blog.
And of cause the cover:

Have a great time,
KJ

Paige Toon's new book...

Paige Toon, the fabulous author of Lucy in the Sky and Chasing Daisy just released her new novel Pictures of Lily.

The book centers around Lily, who's boyfriend just proposed to her. But unfortunately Lily cannot stop thinking about a crush from years ago... And her past comes back to haunt her.
Lily has to make a decision and she knows, it will break some hearts...

Are you eager to read the new novel by Paige? Have you read one of her former novels? I can only recommend Lucy in the Sky, a novel about love and the problems that come with it...
Greetings KJ

Kelley Armstrong news...

Here are some news for you about the author Kelley Armstrong.
The Gathering the first novel in the Darkness Rising trilogy is now available, and the next book in this series will be called The Calling .
Spell Bound her next Otherworld novel will be out in Summer this year and she will start two new projects. The first one is called Omens&Shadows and the second one will be a collaboration with Melissa Marr, author of the Wicked Lovely series and will be called The Blackwell Pages. It will be about three kids, who are descendants of the Norse gods and they have to journey to prevent the impending Ragnarok. The first book Loki's Wolves shall be published in Spring 2013.
I will keep you updated on that. For further information on Kelley visit her site.
See you soon
KJ

Storm Born Comic...

You all read about the delay of the first Storm Born Comic issue. Richelle Mead announced on her blog that the people who pre-orderd a signed copies through Universal Book Stores still have to wait, because due to shipping problems UBS does not have the copies they need. As soon as they arrive Richelle is going to sign them and than you will get your copies.
You just need to be patient for a little more time :)
For more information go to Richelle's blog.
Best wishes
KJ

While we're at it...

Well while I was searching through the web I found another gorgeous cover from another gorgeous author. Pegasus by Robin McKinley, the talented writer of one of my all time favorites: Sunshine.

Pegasus is about a princess and the friendship between her and her Pegasus. But the bond between them grows so close, that there are not only a threat to the status quo but also to their nations. Will they overcome those obstacles and live in peace?

And that is really the last cover for today. Promise :)
best wishes
KJ

I'm excited about... Part III

This time I'm really excited about the HOB series I just found: Game of Thrones, and I'm even more excited about the fact that my best friend brings me the book tomorrow, more books to read :)
I am also really excited about the Cover for Vanish 

Vanish is the sequel to Firelight by Sophie Jordan and it will continue the wonderful story of Jacinda. As we all now the movie rights for Firelight are just sold, so the story getting bigger might be helpful to make an actually movie. And the cover is just soo amazing! I love it and sorry, but it is much better than the first one:

The eyes, the coloring, the writing... just beautiful. Hopefully the book is as good as this cover promises...
See you soon
KJ

Releasing news...

Just to give you a quick update whats coming next...

First of all the final book in the Immortals series is here now, Everlasting by Alyson Noel

                    

On July 12th Dragon's Oath the fist novel in the new House of Night mini-series by Kristin and PC Cast is going to be publoshed. She says she made herself cry at the end of the novella (oh no, tears (: ) and that the actions taking place are going to help the readers understanding the motives of a Character in the new HoN book Destined. Dragon's Oath is a flashback into the past of two of the HoN characters.

And on July 5th Dana Hathaway's adventures continue in Sirensong by Jenna Black, the sequel to Glimmerglas and the second installment in the Faeriewalker series. This time Dana will meet the Selie Queen...

And to my personal delight the international bestseller Rubinrot by Kerstin Gier is now as Ruby Red on sale. The official description:

Gwyneth Shepherd's cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, in the middle of class, it's Gwyneth who takes a spin to a different era. 

And here is for you the English cover and after that the original German cover:

So now you are all up to date. I wish you a wonderful evening :)
KJ

Wintersmith a fairytale from the Discworld

Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching, #3) by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A wonderful and lovely read, Pratchett like we love and like him.


Terry Pratchett is in my opinion one of the best authors ever. When I start to read a Terry Pratchett book I never now, if it is as good as the last one or even better, because they are all just amazing and awesome. And I've read more than two, so I know what I'm talking about :)
It is always unfair, when you compare another author to Terry Pratchett, because you know, even before you start the comparison, how it is going to end. ;)

He has a way of writing, that is really special. He can make you laugh and giggle by every word you read and each of his characters gets more and more kinky with every page. But behind this funny facade there is a message ion every book. And the Wintersmith does not make an exception. Nothing is as it seems. (I mean what would a good witch be without a little Boffo?)You should always know what you're doing or at least try to think about it. But even if you do something without thinking about it, if you just listen to your heart (or your feet) something good can come out of it... or not.

It shows just like Witches Abroad how important stories for us humans and our world are.
The Wintersmith has a love triangle that is... let us call it interesting, special and unique. But that is what we all love about Terry Pratchett, his uniqueness.

The concept of Horace, the cheese, reminds a little bit of the box on feet just without the eating-people-part (except for that one time when Horace tried to eat Rob, though Daft Wulli said Horace didn't mean it. I mean we know, box meant it EVERY time (: )and without the wood. But that is the only thing that seems a little bit "old". If you read the Wintersmith and it is the first Pratchett book you read, you will understand it fully and without any problems. And you will love it :)

And if you read many other Pratchett books as well, you will love to see so many old friends again. Like the most interesting witches, the wee free men (who are just so funny and cute, but I could understand if they annoy Tiffany, our lovely Protagonist), and even Death, who is in my opinion as great as ever, no matter how small his parts are. And many, many wonderful new characters as well like the goddess Anoia whose Job it is to find things that rolled under pieces of furniture.

All in all, I would read every book with Granny Weatherwax in it and I would recommend it to everyone :)

Good reads to everyone :)
KJ

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Clockwork Prince Cover and Movie news

Shame on me! I totaly forgot to show you the new cover for Cassandra Clare's new book Clockwork Prince, the second installment in the The Infernal Devices series.
It shows Jem in front of Temple Bar on Fleet Street and Cassandra Clare even published a few spoilers on Goodreads, which you can read here.

Here is the cover:

And to make it perfect she announced that the rumors are true and Jamie Campbell-Bower (Sweeney Todd, Eclipse) has been casted to play the role of Jace in the movie-in-the-making for the Mortal Instrument.
For which news are you more excited? The Movie or the book?
Nice night ;)
KJ

Amazing Bloodlines news!

I just read on Richelle Meads book that the second book in the Bloodlines series (the spin off for Vampire Academy) will come out in spring 2012 and the title is... The Golden Lily.
So Vampire Academy fans start speculating! What does that title mean? What do you think will the first book, narrated by Sydney, be about?
Richelle Mead did a Q&A about Bloodlines on her blog and announced, that my favorite character Adrian Ivashkov will play a big role in the book... Can you wait to read it?
Bloodlines comes out August 23 and trust me, I'm counting down the days :)
The official site is here.

I'll keep you updated :)
KJ

Cover contest I

Since I live in Germany but read most books in English I find myself always comparing between the English and the German cover. To make that comparison more "official" I am now starting the first Bookbreath Cover Contest.
I'm going to show you a German and an English cover and you tell me which one you like more. Ready? GO! XD

So I talked about these Covers before. Here is the cover for Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead:
The English one:

And for you to compare the German one:

Well, I have to say I like the English one better...
And because two are boring, and to celebrate the Everlasting news we had earlier today here is the English version of Evermore and it's German counterpart:

Enough covers for today, let us hope for more interesting books with wonderful covers. But do not forget, you cannot judge a book by its cover
Cast your votes and I see you soon
KJ

Project Mammoth

Well, to tell a long story short: I need your help.
A few weeks ago I found a list on Goodreads called Best Books Ever. I voted on it, but since then I`m thinking about it. Why are the books I voted on the best books? Which one deserves the first place and what makes a good book that good?
Here is where your part begins. I thought about the things a good book needs, In my opinion. Now I want to now what your opinion is. What does a good book need? What makes a bad book bad and what are the best books you have ever written?
I started classifying my books, but that eats time, it is a big project, the project mammoth :)
Would you do something like that?
I wish you all a weekend full with good books :)
KJ

Supernatural Cat-power

In the upcoming ABC Family show The Nine lives of Chloe King, a young teenage girl, called Chloe, dies on her 16th birthday and is reborn with superhuman Cat-power. Cloe finds out that she belongs to an old race of cat-like people.
Now Chloe has the burden of protecting her entire race, fighting against evil undead and century-old enemies and like that isn`t enough she finds herself in the middle of a love-triangle.
You want to see Chloe balancing her supernatural life with the normal problems a teen has? Like algebra classes and first crushes? You want an edgy supernatural read like The Vampire Diaries or The Immortal Series?
And all of that before the ABC Family show starts?
Discover it all in The Nine lives of Chloe King by Liz Braswell who writes it as Celia Thomson :

The show premieres Tuesday June 14 at 9/8 c
Are you going to watch it or are you going to read it first?
KJ

Everlasting by Alyson Noel

I just received an email with the trailer for Everlasting by Alyson Noel. It is the sixth and final installment in the breathtaking The Immortals series, that takes place around the protagonists Ever and Damen, and started with the international bestseller Evermore.
For those of you who read the other five books, here is the Everlasting Trailer:

For those of you who haven't, here is a trailer for the whole series:

You should also check out the Spin Off series about Riley Bloom.
As I posted before, the rights for Evermore are sold and Alyson Noel spoke about it being made into a TV-show... but unfortunately there are no news about that. So let us hope for the best :)
best wishes
KJ

Comic news... Shatter me

Well, here are (again) some comic news:
The Storm Born comics had a little delay lately, but now the fist issue is officially released. There are going to be eight issues that might be summarized as one big graphic novel.
The comic version of Vampire Academy will release in August on the same day as the first installment in the spin-off series Bloodlines. Vampire Academy will be released as one Graphic novel and not in smaller comic issues.
For further information go to Richelle Meads blog. And here is a preview for the Vampire Academy comic.

In other news I want to introduce you to a new book that will release this year:

Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi
It will release in November this year and takes place in a dystopian world, where diseases and even more terrible things are destroying the population.
The young heroine Juliette is locked up for murder because her touch is poisoned.
But as things go wrong for the Reestablishment, the world is on the brink of war and Juliette has to schoose sides, will she be a weapon or a warrior, fighting for her freedom and her love?
The debut of Tahereh Mafi is really promising and seems to have everything a good book needs: a strong protagonist, a paranormal twist, an interesting world and most important: love and danger...
Let's see if it keeps what it promises...

A wonderful weekend for everyone :)
KJ