Weekly Update for July and BooktubeAThon Update

Hello :)
I know it's been long but I was on vacation in London and... well you know me! I'm still not sure if I want to keep up blogging or just continue reading...
But I read a lot in the last couple of days so I still have some reviews I want to write and post here (and some Netgalley reviews I have to make).

Anyway here is the weekly update which will be a little longer than normal since there is also a BookTubeAThon update at the end :D (And it's been a long while since the last Weekly Round Up)
I will answer three questions that the people over on the Penguin Teen Australia Blog answer every week, too. It is a nice way to keep you updated with my reading :)

Love Exactly Blog Tour

Hey everyone!

Today I'm honored to be part of the Love Exactly Blog Tour! And there is even a great giveaway as part of the release tour. So don't forgeet to hit each blog on the tour each day for extra entries by searching for the bold term and entering it in the rafflecopter.
You remember the fabulous Cassandra Giovanni from some of my earlier posts, don't you?
Well today I am hosting a guest post by her in honour of her new release Love Exactly.
And without further talking from me here is the guest post, the topic is Making Sparks Fly:

It’s the fourth of July over here in the US today, and fireworks will be everywhere. I thought it would be a great chance for a post on romance-- Making Sparks Fly. The thing about making sparks fly is sometimes people just think of that animalistic attraction; it’s something I’ve grown used to in YA. There just seems to be no rhyme or reason and BOW all of a sudden the characters are in insta-love. It’s more like insta-attraction. They can’t pull their eyes off one another. They want each other so badly! Sometimes I struggle to understand exactly why. Sure, he’s got muscles, but does he have a brain? When I make sparks fly I want it to be more than about the sexy tattoos Evan has all over his arms--it’s about the way he looks at Emma...and I don’t mean like he wants to eat her! The way he listens to her talk and takes an interest in who she is on the inside. Sparks traditionally are thought of as physically created--he’s hot--there’s the spark. I however, think that sparks should fly in all kinds of ways-- like fireworks you put on yourself (something I am again, not looking forward to) they are uncontrollable, sometimes unreasonable, but there’s something more to it than the beauty. It’s about the emotions that come with those fireworks (in my case, fear that my husband’s hand is going to get blown off) and it’s beautiful to watch. I love making sparks fly for my characters as they learn about each other, grow with each other and eventually fall in love. That’s something beautiful to read (and much less dangerous than fireworks). So if you want to see some sparks fly that won’t take out your eye sight--take a look at Love Exactly!

And of course the book info:

Book Description:

Emma Walker was a writer who'd lost herself to someone else's anger--who had given up on ever feeling like herself again.
Evan Levesque was a rock-god--the one all the woman wanted, but he'd never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life.
With just one cup of coffee they'll begin a journey of self-discovery at each others sides, but can Emma handle Evan's fame while dealing with her own demons? Emma's checkered personal past, a bad relationship that haunts the edges of her memories, threatens to make everything implode on them when Evan takes matters into his own hands.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words...they'll destroy my soul--Can Emma handle being put back together and facing who she's become because of it?
GENRE: New Adult>Contemporary Romance

Mild to moderate sexual content

E-BOOK only $1.99

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

Paperback $12.99

Signed Author Direct (US-Free shipping + Free Bookmark + Free Swag)

Amazon

Author Biography:

Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children's novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1).Cassandra will also release her first New Adult novel, Just One Cup, in the Spring of 2013.

Cassandra is a freelance professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios, a photography and publication marketing company that designs covers and marketing materials for authors utilizing the company's photography. She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

And here's the giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now go and check the book out! It's worth it!
Love and words
KJ

Short review of: Cypher the Mountain Giant

Cypher The Mountain Giant by Adam Blade
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So this is a very short review, more like a comment on the book:
My nine year old nephew gave me this one to read since he loved it so much. It is a good children's book and a fun and easy read.
I liked the whole concept of the story, monsters that were under an evil curse and had to be rescued.
I have to agree with other reviews that this book does not have a strong female character, just a clichee like girl that always gets in trouble. But the main character Tom is really lovely and the setting nice and picturesque.
Oh, and this book made me realize that I kind of miss books with pictures *ahem*

What was the last children's book you read?
Love and Words
KJ

View all my reviews

Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis

Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First of all I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book in ebook format in exchange for an honest review. (Woar, what a long sentence!)

I love the story of Hades and Persephone so I was eager to read a modern retelling of this story.
I really liked this book. The characters were interesting and their actions understandable. I personally liked Thanatos the most.
I liked the setting and the whole concept of a "friendly" underworld since that stayed true to the original greek concept of the afterlife. Which brings us to another pro point for this book: The mythology. The story had it's unique touch while always staying true to the original myth of Persephone. ( I especially liked what the author did with the whole Orpheus myth, since I always thought of this one as my favourite)

The romance though felt a little rushed and I could not really understand the (view spoiler)[change Hades went through (hide spoiler)]. The ending itself was maybe a little too much romance for me, but that is just a subjective thought and may be (or definitely is) because of the fact that I am not that much into romance stories.

Over all the writing style was redeable and the pace very good. I just sometimes felt that I "outgrew" the whole genre which made me read slowlier. I am really sorry that this book was the one that made me figure this out, since I would have really enjoyed and loved it had I read it 2 years ago. But that is definitely not the fault of the book! The book was really good and had a great story.

Oh and one thing that was really great about this book? That twist at the end? I definitely did not see that coming and it was a great cliffhanger!
A recommendation for all YA paranormal romance fans out there!

Love and Words
KJ

View all my reviews

Weekly Update June #2

Hello everyone :)
Sorry for the long silence but as usually I had a lot to do these days. Anyway since it is Sunday it is now time for our weekly wrap up:
I will answer three questions that the people over on the Penguin Teen Australia Blog answer every week, too. It is a nice way to keep you updated with my reading :)

The Valkyrie Profiles by K.S. Daniels

The Valkyrie Profiles by K.S. Daniels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I read a book that I really love the first thing after finishing it is normaly heading straight to Goodreads in order to write a review. But after finishing this book I felt I had to step back a moment and let everything sink in before starting my attempt at describing this book.
I am not sure I waited long enough.

First of all I have to say: Thank you to K.S.Daniels for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review. It owned itself a special place on my shelf!

As you have probably guessed I loved this book! I am normaly not that big of a SciFi reader but this book proved to me that there is a whole genre waiting for me to discover. I would have read this book within one sitting if I had the time to read it.

But now let's stop the fangirl and start with a real review:

First of all the setting: The book takes place in the not so distant future on Earth. Of course technology is well advanced and robots and nanobots are part of every day life. I loved the fact that the author showed not just the positive aspects of more technic but also how that changes humanities view of technical things. I felt like the book was asking ethical questions about the use of roboters, how "human" they are, and what that means for us without really voicing it. (And come on, you just have to love Rehel!)
I loved the whole concept of the Valkyries and their norse names. It is such a completely different setting than the normal stories or legends with norse elements I encounter. It felt just right.
The worldbuilding was solid and enjoyable.

But the more important part of the story were the characters: Oh, I just loved them! All of them!
The different characteristics, thoughts, and attitudes were greatly portrayed and the characters therefore three dimensional and their actions understandable. More important though is the fact that the characters were so interesting. I found myself more than once thinking about changing sides during the story. (And I even fancasted the characters because I liked them so much. I usually never do that, but I just had to this time.)
The only negative point was that I do not really know how old the characters are during the main events (which made fancasting not easy). It is said how old there are at the begining but years pass by and I wasn't that sure of their age when the main plot started to evolve. I tried to do the math, but it did not really work.

The plot was well paced and had just enough twists and turns that I could not foresee to keep my little brain occupied. Even when I wasn't reading but showering or eating, you know the normal things you have to do that keep you from the important reading you want to do, I found myself thinking of different outcomes and twists. I did not see the ending coming though.

This story felt unique and new, which may to some extend be because I do not read this genre very often. It definitely left me wanting more.
So this is a recommendation to all those SciFi fans out there and even more to those that never read SciFi before.

Love and Words
KJ

View all my reviews