{Review} All That Glows by @ryangraudin {Published} @HarperTeen

Emrys—a fiery, red-headed Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city’s draining technology, until she’s sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn’t any normal assignment—she’s sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be King. The prince’s careless ways and royal blood make him the irresistible for the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys’s magic and heart to the test.

When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through the London’s magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard’s life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

› Visit Amazon's Ryan Graudin Page
Ryan Graudin grew up in Charleston and graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Creative Writing in 2009. She is the author of All That Glows and The Walled City. She resides near Charleston with her husband and wolf-dog. You can find her online at www.ryangraudin.com.

One of the best fey books I've read since the Iron Fey via Julie Kagawa!  The romance, magic, characters, and story were just breath taking.  The setting being in England just made it even better! Ive seen some really bad 1 star reviews for this one.  But I have to say that I fell in love with all 480 pages of this fantasy.  From the cover to the last page this Fey story will leave you breathless and wanting more.  And although this one is a stand alone the ending leaves room for a second book in this I hope stand alone turned series.  Again no love triangle in this lovely.  A story of how love can find you and what you are willing to give up to have it.  I also think of it as a coming of age story not for our main fairy lady but for the prince.  He really becomes the man he was meant to be.  This one has a very strong message that was well told and fast paced. Another must read for 2014!



"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover Sparks will fly Emrys—a fiery, redheaded Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city's draining technology, until she's sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn't any normal assignment—she's sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain's notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be king. The prince's careless ways and royal blood make him irresistible to the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys's magic and heart to the test. When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through London's magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs, and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard's life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders, and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

{Review} {Giveaway} Death Sworn (Death Sworn #1) by @LeahCypess {Published} @HarperTeen

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances. But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

@LeahCypess

› Visit Amazon's Leah Cypess Page

Biography

Leah Cypess wrote her first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, she wrote her first book, about a girl who was shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies).

After selling her first story while in high school, she gave in to her mother's importuning to be practical and majored in biology at Brooklyn College. She then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years. She kept writing and submitting in her spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after her first short story acceptance, she sold her first novel.

Leah currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her husband and children.

A new take on magick, love, and what it means to survive.  This book was a little slow to start but once it did it knocked my socks off! And when it ended I was like WTF what am I supposed to read now?!  This one will have you drooling and stalking the author for when book two will be out and of course entering any and all giveaways for that ARC of book two.  I know that I was very sad to see this one end.  And I will be hounding everyone for a copy of the next title.

This one has no love triangle to deal with which was really nice.  It was kinda there but not really.  The cover is so pretty and the story was just breath taking.  Its a murder mystery with magic and love.  And it worked out so well!! Deff Must Read for 2014!!

This title will also be added to my long list of books I want a signed copy of.

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover

Ileni is losing her magic. And that means she's losing everything: Her status as the renegade sorcerers' most powerful rising star. Her purpose in life. The boy she loves. Her home.

Exiled to teach sorcery to the assassins hidden deep within the mountains, she expects no one will ever hear from her again. The last two tutors died within weeks of each other. As Ileni unravels the mystery surrounding their deaths, she'll uncover secrets that have been kept for decades—and she'll find an unexpected ally and dangerous new love.

But even he may not be able to protect her. Not when she's willing to risk everything.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.
Win my print ARC!   Open to All! All you have to do is follow like and share then comment with what you did!  If for some reason your comment won't post please email me or contact me via one of the places via the connect tab above in the menu. 

{Review} Dear Killer by @KateEwell

Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

› Visit Amazon's Katherine Ewell Page

Biography

18-year-old author of YA thriller DEAR KILLER, to be published by HarperCollins in April 2014. Stanford freshman, horse lover, avid reader, science and sci-fi lover, girly-girl, geek.

This one I fell in love with from the cover to the first page to the last page!  It will deff be something that I grab in a finished copy!  A teen non-dystopian-non-love-triangle thriller and to top it off it was written by a teen!  This book is a gripping thriller for the teen crowed and shouldn't be missed! 

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

{Review} Perfect Lies (Mind Games #2) by @KierstenWhite {Published} @harperteen {Giveaway}

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

 › Visit Amazon's Kiersten White Page

Biography

Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy, The Chaos of Stars, and the psychological thriller Mind Games. Kiersten lives with her family in San Diego, California. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.

Well this one was no better.  And in some cases it was much worse than book one.  This one as you can see turned out to be a 2 star for this reviewer.  I am offering up my ARC copy of this one so just comment below with how you followed to enter.  No Rafflecopter for this one folks.

So this one picks up where the other left off.  And there was never really a good reason to have a second book as all that really happens is Annie is whining once again this time about missing her younger sister.  Perfect Lies is clearly a victim of second bookitis. As this book had no real plot and even more annoying characters.  So I'm sorry to say that this one didn't do much to redeem Mind Games and just made me want to shred the book.  

*No harm has come to any books PROMISE!! 

NOTE: the only thing that was REALLY good about this is the extremely fast ending which does make you want to read book 3.  But its just not enough.  Also White if you are reading this I am so sorry I couldn't like this series.  I love your others though including The Chaos of Stars which a ton of people hated.  Go figure! 

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover Annie and Fia are ready to fight back. The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside. But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other—but that may not be enough to save them.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

{Review} Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by @kierstenwhite {Published} @harperteen

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future. 

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

› Visit Amazon's Kiersten White Page

Biography

Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy, The Chaos of Stars, and the psychological thriller Mind Games. Kiersten lives with her family in San Diego, California. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.

I had gotten Mind Games via the publisher as an ARC and just never got around to reading it.  Why I don't know.  Maybe the kindle decided to hide it from me.  Well when I was sent a copy of book two Perfect Lies I went out and purchased a hardback of Mind Games via Amazon.  And well the story I found it lacking.  The entire thing made me want to throw the book across the room most of the time.  The constant back and forth of time periods was boring and tedious and also very annoying!

So although I did start to care about the characters and I really wanted to know what happened to them. And yes I did finish Mind Games I found the who thing random, annoying, lacking, and just a complete epic fail.  I think the story would have been a lot better if it would have just been written differently.

So will I be keeping my hardback of Mind Games?  Yes I think I more than likely will.  Yes my name is Jessica and I am a book border! 

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

{Review} Liv, Forever by @amytalkington {Published} @soho_teen

When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier—especially when Malcolm Astor, fellow artist and scion of one of the school’s original families, starts falling for her. Fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols warns her not to get involved with a “Wicky,” but things are finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy it.

But Liv’s bliss is cut short when she is viciously murdered. In death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that spans 150 years and many, many lives. Gabe, cursed with the ability to see their ghosts, turns out to be Liv’s only link to the world of the living.

Liv must rely on Gabe’s help to prove to Malcolm that she’s still present… lingering with the other spirits. Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham before more lives are lost.

› Visit Amazon's Amy Talkington Page
Amy Talkington is an award-winning screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. Before all that she wrote about music for magazines like Spin, Ray Gun, Interview, and Seventeen (mostly just as a way to get to hang out with rock stars). As a teenager in Dallas, Texas, Amy painted lots of angsty self-portraits, listened to The Velvet Underground and was difficult enough that her parents finally let her go to boarding school on the East Coast. Liv, Forever is her first novel.

A YA Mystery with a hint of Paranormal.  Which was a recipe for a great book.  Although this one had a little more fluff than what I would have liked.  It was a wonderful read.  And I love that the cover really ties into the books main character.  This one will draw in both teens and adults so deff pick it up and give it a try.  It was deff worth the read!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

{Review} Faking Normal by @Quartland {Published} @harperteen

This title will be released on February 25, 2014.                                                                                              An edgy, realistic, and utterly captivating novel from an exciting new voice in teen fiction.

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author-Courtney C. Stevens.

› Visit Amazon's Courtney C. Stevens Page

Biography

Courtney C. Stevens grew up in Kentucky and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an adjunct professor and a former youth minister. Her other skills include playing hide-and-seek, climbing trees, and being an Olympic torch bearer.

Although this one is a stand alone. It has a twist I just didn't see coming towards the end.  This book deals with some major issues. From the death of a parent to a teen being raped.  So make sure your ok with those two things before you start this amazing thought provoking book.

This starts with Alexi being at the funeral for Bodee's mother whom you find out in the beginning was murdered by his father.  You don't really get much of a back story of Bodee except that his father was an abusive *** if you get my drift.  The story takes off and you are surrounded with knowing that Alexi is keeping a secret that you find out also right at the beginning was that she was raped.  But you don't know who did it.

This book will make you think you know who did it but then when you find out. It will knock your socks off as I didn't see it coming at all.  I loved this book and will of course be buying it.  This review will so not do this book the justice it needs.  It is the edge of your seat book about personal conflict and about teens who have been damaged and what they do to get through life by faking normal.

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does. At school, nobody sees the scratches or her pain. The only person she connects with is the mysterious Captain Lyric, who writes song lyrics on her fourth-period desk for her to complete. With pencil marks and music, Alexi carves out a comfortable space for herself as she and the Captain finish each other's songs—words on a desk feel safer than words spoken aloud. But when Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend who understands her better than anyone. He has secrets of his own and knows all about suffering in silence. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally speak up. With her powerful, moving debut novel, author Courtney C. Stevens emerges as an extraordinary new talent to watch.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.