Cool New Book...

...cool new trailer :)



Made by the author herself!!
I think the music is my favorite part :)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

When you check it out, mention that Crimson referred you :)

In Honor...

of the release (TODAY!!) of Rachel Vincent's Prey, there is yet another awesome contest up!!

Drop my name while you're there!

Book Review 65 - Wideacre by Philippa Gregory

Beatrice Lacey, as strong-minded as she is beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her family name and beloved Wideacre estate once she is wed, Beatrice will use any means necessary to protect her ancestral heritage. Seduction, betrayal, even murder — Beatrice's passion is without apology or conscience. "She is a Lacey of Wideacre," her father warns, "and whatever she does, however she behaves, will always be fitting." Yet even as Beatrice's scheming seems about to yield her dream, she is haunted by the one living person who knows the extent of her plans...and her capacity for evil.

Sumptuously set in Georgian England, Wideacre is intensely gripping, rich in texture, and full of color and authenticity. It is a saga as irresistible in its singular magic as its heroine.

Having previously reviewed and enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl by Gregory, I thought for sure that I would enjoy this book, as well. Many of my friends have read and enjoyed the series, so I had high hopes.

I didn't finish it.
I just couldn't do it.

I was intrigued by Beatrice and her plight (trying to own Wideacre in a time when women cannot own anything), and I was interested in her story. The plot got extremely repetitive, however.

Spoilers Warning for the Following! Highlight to read.
I am by no means a prude, but the incest with her brother, while I understood why she did it, was just too much for me. I think it would have been alright if it hadn't been the fallback for the plot:
She and her brother are incestruous. That gives her slight success. She tries something else for more success. It doesn't work so she goes back to her brother for more moderate success. She tries something else. Fail. Brother. New idea again. Fail. Brother.
My God, I just couldn't take it anymore!
And the fact that he liked to be dominated was really just the cherry on the cake.

End spoilers.

I did care enough about the characters to want to read the epilogue before I decided to officially file the book away forever.
I don't know if I'll ever finish the series; I have an awfully large TBR pile of books that I'd rather read before I ever get to The Favored Child.

Win a SIGNED copy...

of Rachel Vincent's new book, Prey, here!!

And You Thought...

...there was only one cool contest!!

You can also go here to win Rachel Vincent's first Soul Screamers Book!!

Yay!

Here is an awesome contest to win a copy of Rachel Vincent's newest book, Prey!!

Upcoming!

October 6, 2009!

Book Review 64- The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

[I think "charming sorcerer" is just the cutest play on words, ever--especially when said by a fifteen-year-old girl. Too sweet.]


First of all, congratulations to the publishers on another beautiful cover.

Second, congratulations to Kelley Armstrong on a great second book. While I liked (though definitely had some issues with) the first book, The Summoning, this book was much more action-packed. One of my big problems with the first was that there was this hint of desperation, this "please buy and like my first ever YA book."
I totally understand the sentiment, but I felt like the cliffhanger was just to get me to buy the second book, not necessarily to read it. I don't want to feel like I'm reading the work of a salesman, especially not when I know that Armstrong is so talented.

A sequel, however, is naturally geared towards the fan base. People who didn't like the first simply won't pick up the second, so the sequel can be more about the story and not the sell. That fact showed in this book. It was very suspenseful, and I could not put it down.
There was also a lot of play with the characters. As Chloe's sentiments of each person shifted, so did mine, which was a wonderful layer to the story (a depth that is very difficult to put into a premiere book).
I loved how Tori evolved in this story, and her snarky comments about other characters were not only funny, but helped keep those characters grounded.
It was Armstrong's way of saying, Yeah, I know my heroine is kind of goody-goody, but she's my heroine.
Awesome.

What really, really, really grabbed me, though, was a small detail closer to the end. For spoiler reasons, I will only say that there were things in the story that referenced Armstrong's other series, Women of the Otherworld (specifically the first few books, which feature Elena Michaels). If you haven't read those books, no worries--your reading of this story won't be affected at all. If you have, though, you're going to get a good chuckle.
Really, though, it made me remember that Armstrong has authored both series. What I mean by that is this: each, despite being supernatural and having werewolves and everything, is very distinct. They were totally separate in my mind until that moment (a good thing! Something most authors can't achieve!), and when I realized how well Armstrong had done that, I was really pleased.
At the hint of a possibility of the two worlds combining, I almost jumped out of my skin.
That would be AMAZING.

Some quick gripes:
1. I want to know what's up with the necklace, already.
2. I never found out what 'the awakening' was. Maybe I missed it? Maybe it's a reference to dead people coming back to life? Maybe it's just a fancy way of saying, "These Kids Have Figured out What's Going On"--as in, a realization? Dunno. Just dunno.
3. The book might have been too action-packed. We find some things out, a few things change, and there are, indeed, realizations, but there's mostly just a lot of running. Can you substitute plot for scenery change?
Eh...

Nevertheless, I totally recommend this book. It was very enjoyable and I am very excited for the third!


Check out the first ten chapters and other neat things here, on Kelley Armstrong's website.

Anddd...

...the verdict of the Kindle 2 Read-Aloud Feature debate is...!

here

Looing Forward...

...to Fragile Eternity? You can pick up an ARC over here!