BOOK REVIEW - Phantom

Phantom
by Laura DeLuca
Originally published 2012
Published by Pagan Writers Press
YA, Romance, Thriller

4 stars

Rebecca has always loved the story of Phantom of the Opera, so she has to try to get a role in the school play. She does not usually do things like that, and as she does something new to her, strange new things start happening all around her as well. And around the two guys trying to get her attention. For someone is playing a true life phantom of the opera..

I started reading this and felt that I got immediately into the story. Also I had to borrow the movie Phantom of the Opera and watch it. Anyway I really liked this book, but what about it?

For a long while I liked it for the romance aspects in it and the main characters experiences doing something she had not done before. I liked it all the while, but I really enjoyed the last chapters, about 50 pages or so, of it! Then I started to feel quite excited about the other stuff. I put in thriller as one genre, though I´m not sure if it´s the best to describe the book. But I had to add more than just ya and romance. The last chapters had something quite dreadful in there, but in a good way! And the different kind of male character definitely worked for me. This was one of those books you have to hurry to finish!

BOOK REVIEW - Torment

Torment
by Lauren Kate
(series: Fallen #2)
Originally published 2010
Published by Doubleday
Romance, Paranormal, YA

4 stars

This is the second book in the Fallen series. It continues pretty much where there first left off. I did not have big expectations for this one, so I was very positively surprised as I got very excited about reading it! In the end I guess not much actually happens in the book and it ends with such a cliffhanger, everything in the story wide open! I would badly need to fill my need for more information what happens to all those old and new characters of the story, but I believe I have to finish some other books first. My advice is, do not read this one if you do not have the next one, Passion, to start right after this one!

In this one I really liked the new characters Shelby and Miles. And the dialogue between Shelby and Luce was fun. A lot is added to the background story of Luce and Daniel, and the angels and demons in general, in this second book, but still there are yet more secrets to discover.  I have no idea what to expect of Passion, but I really do hope I can start reading it soon!!

BOOK REVIEW - Slammed

Slammed 
by Colleen Hoover
(series: Slammed #1)
Originally published: January 2012
Published by Simon & Schuster
Romance, YA

5+ stars

If you like the genre combination of YA and Romance, this is a book you need to get. Now.

The story is about Lake (Layken) who moves from Texas to Michigan with her mother and little brother. As she backs up to their new home, she does not realise what is in store for her in her new hometown. For when she gets out of that truck she meets her new neighbour, the 21-year-old guy even her mother immediately approves of. It just happens that their suddenly formed deep emotions to each other has to be pushed aside..

This book made me love it pretty much immediately when I started reading it. It was quite an emotional read, making me sigh out loud, snicker and laugh, tear up and I came pretty damn close to actually crying too. It was a beautiful story. It was so good that it is making me think that the basic 1-5 stars rating scale just doesn´t cover it. So that is why it is 5+.

In young adult books with romance in them the characters have a habit of falling for each other really easily and fast. Do you know what I mean? Well this book is romance and ya. But I have to say that the story in this, I really can buy it. There is something magical happening there. I really like the little brothers of the story, and I really like the main characters self-irony. I know I must often say that a book is an easy and a quick read, so I guess I have upgrade on that as well now, this was super easy and super fast. Infact, it felt pretty effortless.

Thank you so much for Simon&Schuster and Netgalley!

BOOK REVIEW - The Host

The Host 

by Stephenie Meyer

Originally published 2008

Published by Sphere

Science Fiction, Dystopia, YA

4 stars

In this world, the humans has diminished. Hosts has taken their place, their lifes. But there are still some, who fight against the Seekers. Those who hunt down the ones left to resist. Melanie´s Host is new to this life, hosting a human body. The host, Wanderer, is surprised by Melanie, still inside her mind. Their mind..

Or actually, 4,5 stars! Before I started to read this I had heard that I might not get into it right in the beginning but to bare it for it would be great when you get in to it. But I didn´t have to wait for it. I felt like I was immediately familiar with the world of the book and it was easy reading the story. So all you people who have this book stacked away in a pile in your bookshelf or hidden beneath your bed for no other space for books.. go and find it and start reading it, now! Yes it is a big book and it might feel hard to start with. But I can tell that it took maybe a month for me to read this book, but I often had 5 days that I did not touch the book for having to read something else. Every time I started to read this again, it was easy. So easy. I did not struggle with thinking where the story had left me last time I put the book down. So start reading! Also if Science Fiction is not normally up your alley, just be brave and have a go. And also if you hate Twilight books, be even braver and try this one, you might be pleasantly surprised. I have read the twilight books and I can tell you this did not remind me of them.

This book did something stories once in a while does for me. I fell in love with the bad guy. The side that I think I should not have rooted for. But in this case, things are a little more complicated than that..I did not add genre romance, but there is romance in the story as well. And just as I got surprised with the story, I was surprised with the characters. Some strange things happens with the characters in this story. But I felt it was all very believable, but I don´t want to spoil anything. The book has a slow and calm pace to it, once you get used to it, it´s great. Sure, there were some little things I felt weren´t necessary for the story or characters, but I thought that only a few times.

This book was exciting, emotional and filled with feeling of contradiction. The want you don´t want.

WHAT KILLS ME TOUR - Author Interview & Review

INTERVIEW - Wynne Channing

Thank you so much to Johanna for hosting me during the What Kills Me book tour at My Miscellaneous Bookshelf!

THE BOOK
Where can you get the book?
Participating e-book stores include: Amazon, B&N, Kobo and iTunes.

Will there be more to this story? Prequel, a second book..?
Yes! Everyone’s been asking and I’m happy to say that What Kills Me is the first book in the series.

Why vampires and something paranormal altogether? And why a teen protagonist?
When I was a little girl, I loved/hated being scared so I read a lot of paranormal novels. Since then, I’ve always wanted to write YA lit.

The book felt more action based than the vampire books I’ve previously read, or at least in a different way.  Did you always see the book being that way or was there room for more of the romance side at some point?
I definitely saw the first book as being an action-adventure. (I’m a kung fu film fan so I was hugely inspired by that genre.) I also wanted the relationship between my heroine Zee, and her only companion, Lucas, to be organic. I wanted them to develop a bond over time and establish a connection. I’m always skeptical of heroines who fall for heroes amidst destruction and chaos. (“I’m going to die any minute now and everyone I love is gone...hey, you’re kind of cute...”) There will plenty of time for Lucas and Zee to continue their relationship in Book Two.

If you could get anyone to read your book, who would it be?
My grandma. (She doesn’t speak English.)

If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you choose to play the leading roles?
Honestly, I have no clue. I love how they appear in my mind. Any suggestions?

THE AUTHOR
On Goodreads What Kills Me is your only book listed in there, but have you written something else before?
What Kills Me is my first published novel!

Did some music inspire you while you wrote the book?
The Matrix soundtracks, 30 Seconds to Mars, or anything angry helps when you’re writing fight scenes and everyone is getting their heads chopped off.

What was the hardest part in writing this book and finishing it?
Writing it wasn’t as hard (it took me six months) as trying to spread the word and market the book.

Did you do everything in the book yourself, or did you have some help?
I had some amazing people help me. Liliana Sanches Davis, a designer based in Lisbon, created the gorgeous cover.  Marie-Lynn Hammond edited my novel and Michael Mandarano rescued me from the nightmare of formatting it.

THE PERSON
How did you end up writing a book?
I’ve been writing stories since before I could spell and I’ve always dreamed of writing a novel. I finally built up the courage to put my first book out there.

What sort of things do you enjoy doing?
In my spare time, I teach and perform Latin dance.

What is your pet peeve?
Big egos.

Your favourite authors/books?
My favourite book is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Do you prefer reading paperback/hardback/ebook? Why?
I’m loving my e-reader. I take it everywhere and get new books instantly!



What Kills Me Links
Goodreads | Wynne Channing’s Website

What Kills Me is now $.99 on Amazon and Smashwords

                                                                   Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iTunes


About the book: An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race. So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive. How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

About Wynne: Wynne Channing is a national newspaper reporter and young adult novelist. Wynne loves telling stories and as a journalist, she has interviewed everyone from Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman to the president of the Maldives and Duchess Sarah Ferguson. The closest she has come to interviewing a vampire is sitting down with True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard (he didn’t bite). She briefly considered calling her debut novel “Well” so then everyone would say: “Well written by Wynne Channing.”


                                                                                             Connect with Wynne
     
                                                                             Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

REVIEW

What Kills Me

by Wynne Channing

Originally published 2012

Published by Jet & Jack Press

Paranormal, YA

3 stars

This book is about an ancient prophecy, claiming that a girl is destined to bring an end to the vampire race. The venue is in Italy, where Axelia happens to meet Paolo, who will change her life forever..

So there´s a teen girl. There´s vampires. You know. But! This is a lot more action packed a book than the vampire books I´ve read before! So it is quite different! There is a little bit of romance there, but that is not what the book revolves around. Maybe those two things are the reasons I did not immediately get into it, I need my books to have romance in them. I began the book with not that interested but later I really liked it! There were characters I would like to learn more about, and there´s definitely more to the story that what this book reveals! Now that I know what kind of a book it is, I think I will like it even more if I read it again.

I wish the character Lettie would have had a bigger part in the book, there was something about her that I liked. 

BOOK REVIEW - First Frost

First Frost

by Liz DeJesus

Originally published 2012

Published by Musa Publishing

YA, Fantasy

4 stars 

The adventure could´ve began a bit earlier, that would´ve gotten me excited earlier as well. Other than that I really liked the way the author has mixed a fairy tale kind of characters with the regular kind. I loved the idea of the fairy tales being true and the artifacts from tales being magical items. I think I would´ve enjoyed the story even more if there had been a bit more romance to it than there was, but I get that it was the adventure it was for and I really liked the adventure this story takes you to!  Amazing ideas from a fairy tale without using too much about the original thing, I wish I had imagination and ideas like this!!

ARC BOOK REVIEW - The Hallowed Ones

The Hallowed Ones
by Laura Bickle
To be published September 25th
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
YA, Horror/thriller

5+ stars

In short, WOW. I absolutely LOVED this book and it has easily made it´s way into my favourites of the year.

The book tells of an Amish girl close to her Rumspringa she has decided to go on with her lifelong friend, and more, Elijah. Rumspringa means leaving the familiar community and seeing the world outside without all the restrictions. But before that can happen something in the world Outside happens.. and everyone is forbidden to leave or enter their lands. As strange and terrible things starts to happen they are faced with the only conclusion. That something has already gotten inside..and Katie is among those fighting of the evil.

The horror in this book sneaks up on you and before you realise, you are feeling like YOU should be running for your life. Most of the time I need romance in a book for me to really love it. In this book there is a part for romance too, though it is definitely not the focus of the story. The book has made me flinch a number of times and hold my breath like watching a movie that makes you scared. There were moments when I had to think that I cannot continue reading in the dark, that I had to quit and wait for morning and light. So yes, I pretty much loved this book for the terribleness of it!

If you can´t handle gory details, this book is not for you, also I wouldn´t give the book for anyone really young either. But for others I would definitely recommend this book! It goes straight to my absolute favourites of the year! There were many themes woven into this story which made it the more intense. I am sure the book would´ve worked only as a story about Amish people being faced with paranormal danger from Outside, but all the other themes made it more powerful a story.


I got this book as an ARC kindle copy (advanced reading copy) courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. A huge thank you to them and NetGalley!!

FORSAKEN TOUR: Review

Forsaken

by Kristen Day

(series: Daughters of the Sea #1)

Originally published ?

Published by ?

YA, paranormal

5+ stars

This book is definitely one of my favourites of the year, I find it very hard to wait for the second book! The story is about a 17-year-old Hannah, living with the family Whitmans that has adopted her. When the reader enters the story she is sent to the House of Lorelei to continue her studies in a school for "other kids like her". At Loreilei she finds the guy she has dreamed of for a long time and finds out more about where she comes from.

This book caught my attention immediately and it never left. It was a very quick and enjoyable read! The story really came alive in my mind and totally swept me into it. There was a point in the story when I had a huge stupid grin on my face for over a chapter, almost two. And there was a definitely swoon worthy male character in this one, oh my!

About Kristen Day

Kristen Day is a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity.  She loves all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky.  She’s been told she sees the world through rose-colored glasses, but she prefers to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something she can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).

She is the author of the DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA trilogy, which includes FORSAKEN, AWAKEN (Oct 2012), and CHOSEN (Winter 2012).  She loves all books, but really enjoys writing young adult, paranormal romances.  She’s loved to write for as long as she can remember.  Her first published work was her poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color red - life altering, right?) that won her 5 gold stars and a spot in her elementary school's poetry book. That's when her addiction to the written word officially began.  She was the only kid in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh - its okay.

When she’s not writing she’s making jewelry, painting, feeding her addiction to sweet tea, watching the Discovery Channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with her amazing husband. She was born in Boone, NC and graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Marketing in 2001. 

Author’s Links

Buy Link: Nook
Buy Link: Kindle

Goodreads
Blog
Twitter
Facebook

BOOK REVIEW - Five

Five
by Christie Rich
(series: Elemental Enmity #1)
Originally published August 10th 2011)
Published by ?
YA, Paranormal, Romance

4 stars

Rayla goes of to college, an secretly not the one her family thinks she´s going to. By doing this she reveals herself to a world she never knew existed, and to men who she never knew were looking for her..and that is how she finds out she isn´t really what she thinks she is.

This book is one of those you want to keep reading to find out more and more. At the end I felt a little confused for so much was happening, at least that is how I felt. I liked that the characters were a little older than usual. I didn´t really want to stop reading when ever I started, I don´t really know what exactly it was that I liked in it, but I really liked it nevertheless! Sometimes I like reading a book even if I feel like I know what is going to happen. This time I liked this book because I really didn´t know what would happen next.

BOOK REVIEW Beg for Mercy

Beg for Mercy
by Shannon Dermott
(series: Cambion #1)
Originally published 2011
Published by Wicked Truth Publishing
YA, paranormal, romance

5 stars

Mercy is a soon to turn 17-year-old girl. After a little incident she has refused to be interested in any guys. But of course the day comes when she can not resist the temptation anymore..

I might have given it a 4,5 stars if possible, but I really enjoyed this book and it was really good. Sure there were some grammar mistakes, but not enough to really bother me. In the beginning of the book I immediately was interested but was a little expectant of something..and when that something started I could not stop reading. I think this book was a really good example of ya characters in a paranormal plot still staying quite teen in their behaviour. There is quite a lot of romantic drama going on so if you do not like that, this might not be a book for you. There are some hot making out going on as well. Definitely want to read more of this series, I have no idea how things could turn out on the next book which is quite exciting.

BOOK REVIEW Fallen

Fallen

by Lauren Kate

(series: Fallen #1)

Originally published 2009

Published by Corgi Books

YA, paranormal, romance

4 stars

Luce is a teen girl who gets send to a boarding school after an incident..it just happens that the boarding school houses not just humans but something else as well.

This was a reread for me, I read this book few years ago, but I did not remember much about it. So four stars, even though there were parts in the beginning and the end that weren´t getting me really excited, the book in general did. I love love the character Arriane. I like the setting and the whole mix of characters. I liked the romantic moments between different characters. There were some really sweet stuff in there, but also, and quite surprisingly, some quite brutal ones as well. And what I really liked is the way the main character doesn´t just automatically believe everything she sees and hears! I will be reading Torment as soon as I can find the time, that will be a reread as well so I hope to make it quick so I can read the rest of the series that I have not read before.

BOOK REVIEW Switched

Switched                                                                  
by Amanda Hocking
(series: #1 Trylle Trilogy)
Originally published 2012
Published by Tor
YA, paranormal


4 stars


I started the book wondering if I even wanted to keep reading it. Not because it wasn´t good or badly written. No. The thing was that the idea of the story, the paranormal twist was something i had never read of before and I was not sure I was interested. But I decided to give it a chance and it was so worth it!

I do not want to tell you what the book is about, but if you like YA and paranormal but you are bored to the usual types, vampires, weres, angels..give this one a try! Or even if you don´t like YA and paranormal, maybe you´ll enjoy this one because it´s different! And also the cover, ain´t it beautiful! And if you do choose to read this, don´t quit in the beginning, it took me a while to get used to the idea.

I really liked the prologue of this book, it hooked me right away before I started to doubt anything. Took me about 5 chapters to get used to it. The Trylle was strange different for me. And then almost out of nowhere I noticed the book was a really quick read and I could not stop reading and was rooting for some of the characters. When I finished the first book I really wanted to continue to the second book, but didn´t have it with me. There was definitely something quite hot about a couple in this book, and I liked it :)

tbr:

BOOK REVIEW The Truth About Forever

The Truth About Forever
by Sarah Dessen
Originally published 2004
Publisher: Penguin Group Inc.
YA, Romance

4 stars

My mind about this review has changed quite. The beginning was really good and I immediately felt that I will really like this book. After that it was good all they way till closer to the end it got really good! For me there was a part that felt too long, it took too long to get to the point, which for me was getting some romantic action in there. Well it was part of the story all the time, in a way. But I felt the wait was too long.

There was a lot of good things to the book. I liked the characters, and there was a bunch of different kinds of them in this book. I really liked Bert and his strange things and Monica with her calmer style of socializing.. And I liked that the story made me root for some of the characters, that´s what a good book does, in my opinion! That is the way you really get into the story. 

And Jason and Macy´s mother. Aaargh! :) 


I think I will read more of this authors books when I get the time.

BOOK REVIEW Uglies

Uglies
by Scott Westerfeld
(series: #1 Uglies)

Originally published 2005

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

3 stars

This book started off slowly for me. I was interested in how the story would turn out, but it took quite long for me to really get into the story. In the beginning, I thought I´d only want to read this first book of the series, but now that I have just finished the book I do want to continue the series, just not right now. So my mind changed a lot during this book. It was not bad at any point, it kept getting better and better from the ok start. I would´ve given the last half of the book 4 stars.

So I liked the story. But I would have wanted a little bit more out of the characters. In the beginning I also felt that at some points an event was rushed to get to another point in the story. If the story would have been written a little differently, with the emphasis on the events that were written at the last half of the book and a little more introducing the characters, I would have given it more stars. If I did not too many books to read right now, I would continue the series immediately because the ending of this one..well you know how they make these books! :)

BOOK REVIEW No and Me

No and Me
by Delphine de Vigan
Originally published 2007
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Young Adult


3 stars


No and Me. And Lucas. Three kids/teens, who have all been left alone, in different ways. They all have different backgrounds. Still something puts them together to form a friendship. No is homeless. Lucas has a home, but alone. Lou has a home too, with her parents, but she still feels alone. This book is pretty short, it easy enough to read even if it has some quite serious subjects in it.

Come to think of it. I actually don´t know where the homeless in my country/city are. I know that there are homeless people, places that give out food and all that. But places with people actually living on the street, I´ve no idea. Or haven´t I just noticed? I notice the people on the street walking past me looking like they might be homeless. But I do not know where they go. Do you?

BOOK REVIEW The Book Thief

The Book Thief 
by Markus Zusak

Originally published 2006
Publisher: Definitions
Young Adult, Historical Fiction

5 stars

In the very beginning there was a short part that annoyed me, after that it was all good! Quite a powerful story. I liked the characters, I liked how their relationships slowly evolved. I loved the way this one girl made a difference in so many lives. Somehow I kept imagining her as a girl throughout the book, even though I knew she was a lot older in the end. It was easy to read, so even if it´s quite a big book I would recommend everyone to give it a try, it shouldn´t take long to figure if you like this book or not. A book with Death as a narrator. That just can not be not good! Also this cover is very cool I think!