Lucid by P.T. Michelle (The Brightest Kind of Darkness #2)

Once Nara combines her prophetic ability with Ethan’s power to outsmart Fate at his own deadly cat-and-mouse game, she’s more determined than ever to help Ethan learn the meaning behind the raven sword tattoo that suddenly appeared on his back after their confrontation with Fate.

During her quest to uncover the tattoo’s secrets, Nara enlists the help of some new friends and discovers her own surprising connection to Ethan.

While Nara digs deeper into the mystery, her desire for answers leads her down a dangerous path full of powerful and ruthless enemies. Swept into an age-old battle, Nara quickly learns that keeping one’s enemies close can be a necessary evil, making an intangible enemy she can control far more preferable to the human enemies she can’t. (From GoodReads)

_______________________________________________________

THE FAERYS VIEW

 

 

I adored Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle and Lucid, the second in the series was just as amazing. P.T. has an exceptional way of spinning a tale that draws me in and keeps me turning pages.

 

Nora is still dreaming her next day but it's not as set in stone as previously. If and when she makes changes or doesn't get enough rest, her next day can be just as big of a surprise as it is for the rest of us - which for Nora can be exceptionally dangerous. Fighting off Fate and his staticky presence along with other evil foes, Nora is at her wits end trying to figure out whose messing with her life and her research into Ravens for her boyfriend Ethan (who isn't present near enough in this book!) Although P.T. makes up for Ethans absence with a British hottie named Drystan that all the girls swoon for but he has his sites set on Nora despite her 'taken' status.

 

Lucid is mysterious, full of adventure and has paranormal elements unlike any I've read before. This is what makes this series so unique and difficult to put down! The characters are well fleshed out with exceptional depth and realistic relationships. Nora is a fantastic main character, not perfect but with the right amount of flaws to make her believable.
 

I'm looking forward to Destiny, the third in the series due out May 31st!

 

THE FAERY SAYS LUCID IS A MUST READ!

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight... (From GoodReads)

 ____________________________________________________

THE FAERYS VIEW:

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion was incredibly entertaining and a wonderful yet a bit disturbing romance! R is amazing and I fell in love with him myself despite his somewhat rotting body.

 

R is a zombie who becomes disillusioned with his life when he feeds off the brain of Perry, the boyfriend of Julie. R gets memories from others brains and from Perry's he gets feelings of love for Julie. R goes from brain eating zombie to feeling protective over Julie. He begins a friendship that soon blossoms into something more.

This is a story that had both sadness and a great amount of humor in it. R lives in a jet and listens to Frank Sinatra while Julie lives in a futuristic stadium that is devoid of all joy and hope. Her life is that of zombies and survival. When she meets R under less than favorable circumstances what ensues is a remarkable story of unlikely romance and magical changes that give hope to all that are affected.

I haven’t seen the movie yet, I’ll have to wait for it to come out on pay-per-view but I hope it will be as good as the book. I read through it in less than 4 hours and enjoyed it tremendously. I think we all need a little hope in our lives no matter how fantastical it is! Great entertainment!

THE FAERY SAYS WARM BODIES IS A MUST READ!

Happy New Year to All !!!

I've missed everyone so much!
 
Just a quick note: I didn't go to Cleveland Clinic as planned but instead I'll be heading off to John Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland literally any day now. My planned length of stay will be 4 - 6 weeks and hopefully, I will come back a whole new gal!
 
The last 8 - 9 months have been virtually hell for myself, my family and my friends [God Love em' all] Things just got progressively worse until I found myself back in a hospital bed and unable to walk without assistance and hey, I'm to young and gorgeous for that LOL! J/K but without my sense of humor, I'd go insanely mad and start shopping online uncontrollably! Ruh-Roh... I think that's already happened...
 
Unfortunately, being in the hospital bed in full view of everyone, left me nowhere to hide my pain or the secondary spasms that go with my disease & trust me - thems be some shake, rattle and roll spasms, too :o(  I didn't have anywhere to hide anymore, my bedroom which is fairly large is my comfort zone: I can keep it dark, hide my tears, hide my sobs... you get the picture. It was in my control what people saw; my husband works a lot of hours, my friends and family call before they come over and if they didn't call, I just pretended to be asleep when they came in. I did all  my visiting in there because my health was deteriorating and there is room in there to do so. Now, being back in the family room after so long not only felt intrusive on my 'private' hell but also felt like failure.
 
Things were easier to hide when I was more mobile but when your hospital bed is in the family room...not so much....
 
Needless to say I became pretty depressed even to the point that I stopped reading and that's the first time that has ever happened to me in my entire life. I didn't read for about 2 1/2 months - I didn't watch TV, I didn''t eat (not even Hershey's Air Delights -which I love], wouldn't answer the phone if it was for me -  I didn't do anything but sleep and cry - eventually between my friends and family the docs deduced I was depressed
 
Now, on a happier note: I'll be going to John Hopkins and I couldn't be happier. I'm so motivated to go and gain as much of my life back as possible. Learning to control my pain using Biorhythm, deep meditation and other methods is exciting. Using diet, Acupressure and Acupuncture, getting my muscle tone back using a variety of disciplines and  using holistic methods to my health back without the 23 pills in the morning, 18 pills at 2:00 pm and 23 pills at bedtime is going to be amazing.
 
I know I can do this and I can't wait to go. I'm just waiting for the call now that we have the money we needed up front. My husband worked his ass off last month to make sure I'd have the money up front that Medicare doesn't cover and believe me, it isn't cheap but hopefully it will be well worth it] He just wants his wife back to snowmobile with, ride on the back of his Harley and just learn to enjoy life again.
 

 
 
I'll be taking my LT and my KF-HD 8.9" with me (Yes, I do really love my new Kindle and I got it basically free with business credit card card points that I turned into Amazon Gift Cards.
I have a big PROBLEM with getting Kindles, I have 4 now: A Kindle DX that I loaned to my niece, A 3G Kindle 3 with keyboard, A Kindle Fire and a Kindle Fire-HD 8.9".
 
So, yeah, I'm a Kindleholic but if loving kindles is wrong then I don't want to be right.... I'm holding my hand to my forehead in a very dramatic gesture, kind of Scarletesque - [you'd be impressed, teeheez] - clutching my Kindle Fire to my heart with a look of pure love and devotion on my face, my other fist grasping the air desperately for understanding... LOL.... 
 
I'm thinking of doing a KINDLE FIRE GIVE-AWAY soon! What do you think?  I think it's a great idea! I'm open for idea's on Give-away  Contest ideas, so if you have one, let me know!
 

 
 
My good pal Betty likes the idea and she's an avid reader.... see? Help me find a good contest idea, Buds!
 
Wish me luck everyone and really wish that they get me in soon. They made it sound as if it would be within the next few weeks... it's a 12 hour drive for me so I hope they give me more than a days notice.
 
Please forgive me for being a terrible blogger buddy, I promise to make it up to you all this year!
 
Lots of Love and Fan-Faery-Tastic Reading to you all!

Lightening - Wind and Thunder! Oh MY!

Hello everyone!

It's so good to be back in the 'Web World'!

On June 25th we had an awful storm and lightening hit our garage, small fire with little damage but the worst thing was the 3 Hi-Def's, 2 computers and various other electronics that fried during the power surge. [I am now the proud owner of multiple surge protectors!!!]

To make matters worse, I was put on bed rest with my legs elevated above my heart and didn't have a TV for the first 8 days waiting for the Satelite folks to get us back. I did get a lot of reading done but couldn't write any reviews. I have a lot to catch up on since I just got back online today! 

I did miss a lot and my deepest apologies to Cindy (Princess Bookie) of ATWT.

Glad to be back and I missed everyone terribly! I have a lot of catching up to do.

Arise (Hereafter #2) by Tara Hudson

Arise (Hereafter 2) by Tara Hudson  is published by HarperCollins on June 5, 2012 in 404 eerie yet romantic pages!

 

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her. [From Goodreads]

THE FAERY'S FEELINGS:

Tara Hudson has done a magnificent job on The Hereafter series. In Hereafter, Amelia rids the demon that ultimately caused her death, remembered who she was and where she’s been the last 10 years and falls in love with the very much alive Joshua, a seer amongst a family of seer’s no less.


In Arise, Amelia is faced with numerous challenges: to begin with, it starts to hit her that Josh is forgoing his time with his friends to spend it all with her until he’s a virtual hermit in the eyes of all those who love him. This brings her to the heart breaking conclusion that she will always remain the same and Josh will grow and mature, eventually wanting a real relationship with a family and friends that can actually see her. In Amelia’s mind, the best thing for them both is for her to disappear so that Josh can move on with his life. Before that can happen, though, there is a series of crisis’s occurring, primarily in New Orleans while Josh is visiting his entire and very large family of seers. Many of the young seer’s can visualize and communicate with Amelia without difficulty and share Josh’s view that not all ghosts should be exorcised immediately-no questions asked.


Tara does an amazing job with the plot; it’s eerie, thrilling, mysterious with a hefty dose of paranormal love all pulled together perfectly to flow into the perfect next installment of The Hereafter series and leaving me anxious for the third and last installment. I don’t think the book would have felt as complete had it not been for Tara’s skill at environment description. I loved her descriptions of New Orleans; right down from the smell of the food to the sound of the jazz music, it was like being there myself. One chocolate beignet, please...errr... make that two or three!


Characters were rockin’ as they did in Hereafter but I loved the addition of the new characters Tara put in. Each characters personality fit perfectly to their role in the book and despite the seriousness and eeriness of Arise, there are moments of levity that are cleverly interspersed throughout the book, giving a little comic relief here and there.- Also, the Romance, let us not forget the soulmate quality between Amelia and Josh that can be delightful and hopeful yet heartbreaking and bittersweet. Part of the books appeal is not knowing exactly where Amelia will fit in Josh's 'Ghost Hunter/Seer' family and just what do some of the younger ones want from her? Along with the previous is the unknown of what will happen as Josh matures and moves on with his life and eventually wants other things: a family, a home, heck-someone he can go out with that his friends can actually see. These are just additional things that Amelia worries about, wondering if this relationship is fair to Josh.


Arise is the perfect ‘middle’ book which is rare, I often find the middle book a bit disappointing-not all the time-but often. Arise is the kind of book that you can settle down with in your ‘comfy spot’ and your drink of choice, mine a Chocolate Caramel Cappuccino and let Arise take you away into a fantastic world you’re sure to get lost in!


THE FAERY SAYS ARISE BY TARA HUDSON ROCKED MY WINGS!

Thank you to ATWT and HarperCollins for allowing me to view this galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard is published by HarperTeen and will be available on July 24, 2012 in 400 awesome pages!

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…


Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—


The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.


And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.


Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance [From Goodreads]

THE FAERYS FEELINGS

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard was a joy to read albeit not what I was expecting in the slightest! It was more of a paranormal suspense filled thriller then the completely steam-punk mystery that I thought it was. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy steam-punk but Something Strange and Deadly combined both beautifully.


Set in mid-1900’s Philadelphia, the dead are rising like zombies although there is no virus, etc… the main character 16 year old Eleanor is extremely close with her brother Elijah and his last telegraph stated not to look for him anymore, not to hang out with the Spirit Chasers or she’d put both their lives in jeopardy, this was handed to her from a walking dead person as she hid in the telegraph office!


Working with the Spirit Chasers is an unlikely alliance at first but gradually one begins to see that they need the other. An evil necromancer is bringing the dead to life but for what purpose? Their endeavor to find the necromancer is almost impossible and extremely dangerous because even though they don’t know who the necromancer is, the necromancer knows who they are. Danger lurks around every corner and Eleanor also has the added burden of keeping her reputation intact.


Ms. Dennard did a fabulous job with the plot and her narrative really flowed beautifully; the characters were imaginative and lively. The entire book was difficult to put down, I kept thinking “One more chapter, then I’ll go to bed” which led into 2 very late nights. A fantastic book that has me looking forward to the next in the series.


THE FAERY SAYS THE SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY MADE MY WINGS A’FLUTTER!!!

WAKE by AMANDA HOCKING

Wake by Amanda Hocking is published by MacMillan and will be available on August 7th, 2012 in 309 thrilling pages.

Fall under the spell of Wake—the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking—and lose yourself to the Watersong.


Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.


Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.


Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.
[From MacMillan]

THE FAERY'S FEELINGS

Wake by Amanda Hocking was no surprise, I got exactly what I expected: pure imaginative brilliance! I’ve followed Amanda since the early days when ‘My Blood Approves’ series was full of grammatical errors and you know what? I didn’t care! The story line was just that good that I bought one after another on my Kindle and wanted to cry when the series was over. Then Hollowland came along and The Trylle Trilogy and a few others and things just kept getting better and better.


Amanda is a natural born story teller; I can imagine her in the days of old-spinning tales in front of a fire place or a camp fire and scaring the crap outta everyone or putting forth a tale of love that would have the maidens swooning. To me, this puts her in a rare category of authors, those that are remembered long after they’re gone and our great-great grandchildren will still be reading her works long after we’re gone.


Wake was no different and a trilogy that I’m highly anticipating, especially if the next 2 books follow in Wake’s footsteps. I really don’t want to rehash the book but let’s just say it’s like the movie Mean Girls on steroids but without the humor and something extremely weird about the clique.


Two sisters very close, the oldest one, Harper has basically given up everything so that the younger and gorgeous sister Gemma get’s to live a more ‘normal’ life after their mother dies when they are extremely young. Living in a tourist town they get their share of different strokes kind of folks but a group of drop dead beautiful girls come to stay for the summer and there is just something not quite right about them. When they start pulling Gemma into their clique, Harper starts to worry…and she should be, she should be very worried.


I cannot wait for the next addition as Amanda did leave us with a cliffy, I have a love/hate relationship with those! Wake is full of thrills, eerie suspense and mystery as I watch the spiders start to weave their evil nest and wonder just do these girls want with Gemma? There’s some seriously scary moments and some romance but not to heavy on that yet. Amanda just did a magnificent job making Wake a book that is incredibly difficult to put down.


THE FAERY SAYS ‘WAKE’ BY AMANDA HOCKING ROCKED MY WINGS!

FEARSCAPE by SIMON HOLT

Fearscape by Simon Holt is the third book in The Devouring series. It's published by Little, Brown Books on October 5, 2010 and has 320 creepy-butt pages that I could not put down!

The final book in the Devouring trilogy. It's been a year since Reggie first discovered the Vours, and the winter solstice is approaching once again. It will be a night of unspeakable horror, because the Vours have imprisoned Reggie in a psychiatric hospital, where she is subjected to a daily routine of sadistic experiments.


THE FAERY'S FEELINGS:


The Devouring #1: Fearscape is a thrilling page turner that I didn't put down until I finished it front to back.

The Devouring #2: Left with Reggie being taken to a mental ward. A cliffhanger extraordinaire that had me anxiously awaiting Fearscapes release.


A quick side note on the Vours, the scary dudes in the story. The Vours are evil demons that have existed since time began; they can only take possession of a human body on `Sorry Night', the night of the winter solstice. A person who is possessed by a Vour retains all of the memories but the person is left in a place called a fearscape. "Fearscapes are unique, landscapes crafted from a victim's deepest darkest fears. Here the victim would live in torment, while the Vour lived a human life in the human world, with no one the wiser" pg.25 It turns out that they are highly organized and plan to take over the human race.


We find Reggie moved to an unknown location being tortured by the sadistically evil, yet human Dr. Unger. She is forced to go into others fearscapes again and again, wondering if this will be the one that will break her. Her stay at this facility is heinous to say the least. She is withheld food, water and all the basic necessities. Along with this, she is forced to endure horrific tests. But, Reggie doesn't just lie down and take it; she endures and she discovers all the torture she's endured has left her with her own power. A power that many fear and covet. This makes Reggie the most wanted by many powerful organizations; alive or dead.


During Reggie's absence, Aaron, her best friend, has been searching wildly for her. He has become aligned with some ex-Tracers who left the rigid organization when they found out there was another way to save those that have been possessed by the Vours other than murder. He has learned to fight, to think like a warrior and is no longer the skinny nerd and geeky in all ways. His sole mission is to find and save Reggie and he'll stop at nothing to accomplish this.


The narrative runs the gamut on emotions and as terrifying as it is,there are some heartbreaking scenes, particularly when Reggie encounters an important loved one from her past, it is horrifically chilling, and a spine tingling thriller, what I like to call a 'nail biting page turner'.


Reggie has enemies where she least expected, friends where she least expected and an inner strength that she never 'Dreamed' she had. The author also takes a look at some of our deepest fears and makes some of the characters 'fearscapes' all to realistic and frightening, leaving me wondering: What if I got stuck in a 'Fearscape'? The very thought sends shivers through my body. Mr. Holt was a master at 'dreaming' up not only fearscapes but one of the most unusual and unique plots I've had the pleasure to read.


The character growth in the book is fantastic; I love how flawlessly the story flows, the vivid descriptions of fearscapes and the depth of the characters personalities. This is one of my favorite series and I do hope to see some more writing from Mr. Holt in the future.


THE FAERY SAYS THAT FEARSCAPE MADE MY WINGS TREMBLE!IF I RATED BOOKS IT WOULD BE A 4.5 OUT OF 5. READ THE SERIES, PEEPS FOR A GREAT SCARE WITH A FANTASTIC PLOT THAT THINKS OUTSIDE THE BOX!

This series is best read in order!

HEMLOCK by KATHLEEN PEACOCK

HEMLOCK by KATHLEEN PEACOCK is published by Katherine Tegen books, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers and will be released on May 8th of 2012 in all its 416 delicious pages!

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.


Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.


Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.


Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.


Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.
[From GoodReads]

THE FAERY'S FEELINGS:

Ok, here we go again! Another Beastie boy/ Lonely Girl romance that goes something like this:


 Girl falls in love with boy
 Girl notices something strange about boy
 Girl investigates boy and finds out that:
 GASP! He’s a werewolf!
 Whatever will she do?
 I Know! She’ll overlook his tendency to lick his butt and fall madly in love with him!


Okay, that’s so totally NOT what happened in Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock! I have got to stop being so dang judgmental and get over my occasional ‘you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all’ attitude. Despite the synopsis, I still figured that the checked off list I have above would be the gist of the book, again, I am deeply sorry for my mistake .


I’m not going to go over the synopsis since I’m sure it’s been done already but I’d like to talk about how well Ms. Peacock opened the plot and proceeded to surprise me. My checklist was put to shame and instead I found a beautiful love story albeit with a triangle component but I must confess-I do like a little competition when it comes to my girls and their love lives. Why settle for one hottie when you can have a little fun with two before finding your soul mate?


All kidding aside, the narrative was beautifully done when it came to the love scenario’s with Mr. Kyle-I must say that Ms. Peacock brought me to tears a few times and made me whoop a few times with her skilled dialogue! I wonder if there’s a really happy Mr. Peacock somewhere! Me thinks there is! Nobody could write romance like that without going through it somewhat!


The action… oh, the heart-pounding thrills, chills and action that Ms. Peacock narrates is literally, at times, take your breath away-squeeze your honey (or your pillow if no honey is available). The mystery was slow to reveal itself and the suspense was enough to keep me turning pages like a fiend and believe me when I get going, those pages are smokin’! I’m happy to say my ARC copy of Hemlock didn’t catch fire since I had to return it to the Blog Tour!


Ms. Peacock’s character portrayals are amazing-I can say, ‘oh, they were so realistic’ or ‘they made me really care about them’ because what can you really say about how a character is portrayed? In Ms. Peacock’s case, her characters were big as life-I did feel like I knew them-They were Realistic and she brought them to life for me from her words to my eyes to my imagination. What an amazing thing to be able to do!


Hemlock is one of those books that I’ll always remember and Ms. Peacock is an author that I will always look forward to her writings. The next installment cannot come quick enough for me even though there wasn’t the traditional ‘cliffy’, the Untitled Hemlock 2 is already on my want list!


THE FAERY SAYS THAT HEMLOCK BY KATHLEEN PEACOCK ROCKED MY WINGS AND THEN SOME!

THE BOOK BLOGGER'S COOKBOOK!

The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook is a community project from some of the blogosphere's best book bloggers in a simple, easy to read format. The cookbook combines a love of reading and dining to help you find books you'll devour and recipes you can't put down.


You’ll love The Book Blogger’s Cookbook because…


The Book Blogger’s Cookbook has 50 different book reviewers from every corner of the blogosphere. It bridges the gap between author and reader—putting you in touch with book reviewers who can separate the 5 star books from the mediocre.


The Book Blogger’s Cookbook showcases great reads and provides an interactive experience with links to author and book reviewer websites. The cookbook is created for those who like to experience what they read long after they’ve closed the book.


The Book Blogger’s Cookbook tells why each recipe complements its companion book. Recipes and books combine to make the reading experience satisfying and entertaining.




Book launch and ContestDuring the first week of the book launch, The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook will be available for a reduced price of .99 cents. Please spread the word.
Every person who comments on one of the blogs during the tour will be entered to win a grand prize: a copy of every book featured in The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook (22 in all, over $200 value).

All I can say is WOW!!! First, the food! Can you say HEAVEN ON EARTH! I didn't find one thing that didn't appeal to me. I wanted this to be a real cooking review so I made Cindy Hogan's recipe below. Cindy is the author of Watched, a fantastic book:

ON THE GO CARAMEL ICE CREAM TOPPING
3 Banana's
1 C. Brown Sugar
1.5 C. Butter

Holy cow! I had to triple the recipe for my family! I won't tell you how to make it! You'll have to buy the book for that!


Another that caught my eye was Amber Argyle author of one of my favorite books Witch Song and who also put one of my quotes in :o] is the Golden Curry Soup which had me at CURRY! I won't give the ingredients but I will say you could write a SONG about it!


My last but certainly not least is Veronica Roth author of Divergent and Insurgent's 'Perfect Ten Dauntless Chicken Skewers


"Between Tobias's four and Tris's six fears, they make a perfect ten, just like the soy and soda in this marinade."


I couldn't agree more, Veronica! I thought I made the perfect chicken on the barbie! My recipe just hit the 'train tracks' and this one replaced it!


This is one Beeeyooooteeeful Captivating and Enchanting Cookbook!


THE FAERY SAYS 'THE BOOK BLOGGER'S COOKBOOK COMPILED BY CHRISTY DORITY ROCKED BY WINGS AND THEN SOME!


*As some of you know I have over 10 lbs to gain from my wicked rare Central Nervous System disease and this cookbook is going to put me well on my way. Thank you Christy and to all the authors who participated in this one-of-a-kind cookbook dedicated to one-of-a-kind people!

About the author:




Christy Dorrity loves to read about cooking and cook about reading. She was taught early to have a discriminating taste for both books and food. Christy grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming. She taught elementary school and lives in the mountains with her husband Devon and their five young children. When Christy's not reading or writing, she's probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.




www.christydorrity.com
christy@dorrity.net
twitter: @christydorrity

MY SOUL TO KEEP by RACHEL VINCENT

Rachel from [FIKT]Shun has created a very cool reading challenge for the lovers of The Soul Screamer Series by Rachel Vincent . I'm doing the third in the series, My Soul to Keep, first because in my humble opinion it's the book that changed the whole series!


On with my review!

THE FAERYS VIEW [From May 2010]


When I finished My Soul to Keep, the third installment in the Soul Screamers series, I realized that I had hardly moved for the last half of the book! I also realized that Rachel not only created a brilliant piece of dark fiction but she also touched on many real issues that teens/adult’s face in today’s world.


Kaylee has been through more than her fair share of horror and heinous events. Born a Bean Sidhe, motherless and with an absentee father she’s had to survive being institutionalized, taking trips into the Netherworld and fighting off evil relatives bartering for her soul—among other things. But, she has Nash, her gorgeous and compassionate boyfriend to even things out and he should be compassionate—he’s a Bean Sidhe, too, and he’s always been there for her.They are perfect together, Yin and Ylang until this books events open up.


My Soul to Keep starts with Kaylee and Nash at a party where a classmate is using Demon’s Breath. It’s deadly and highly addictive and of course, it's from the Netherworld; Kaylee is going to find out just how this dangerous substance ended up in the hands of kids at her school. What Kaylee finds out is shocking and puts her life and those she loves in grave danger.


I felt every emotion that Kaylee felt throughout the book. Betrayal, shock, hurt, fear… All those emotions are so cleverly written into the story along with a strong sense of being there. The ending was fierce although I expected nothing less from Kaylee; she’s a strong independent young woman and has really grown into her character. Touching on issues such as drug abuse and all that goes with it could really hit home for a lot of readers. Rachel Vincent cleverly puts all the signs of abuse in the text and although this is fiction, it sends a strong positive message out. Sometimes the people you love the most can be the ones that hurt you the most, can deceive you the most and can make the biggest excuses. Kaylee finds this out the hard way but again, despite the devastation and unbelievable hurt, Kaylee has limits and she stands by them. This is what makes her a heroinne worth looking up to. Strength, morality, compassion and a strong sense of self.


The next in the series, My Soul to Steal is guaranteed to be another rapid page turner.


THE FAERY SAYS THAT MY SOUL TO KEEP BY RACHEL VINCENT ROCKED MY WINGS AND THEN SOME!

THE HUNT by ANDREW FUKUDA

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda is published by St. Martins Press and will be released on May 8, 2012 and has 293 terrifying, heart-thumping delectable pages!

Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.


Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.


When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

THE FAERYS VIEW

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda was completely out of this world! Literally not of the world we live in now, that’s for sure but the book it’s self completely blew me away. It was one of those books that I sort of put off reading thinking “okay, another dystopian novel to slog through” and don’t get me wrong, I love them more than anything but sometimes there’s so many that just don’t meet my expectations. The Hunt did more than meet my expectations, it ROCKED MY WINGS to the point I was buzzing all over the place!


What an amazingly thought out plot! Gene lives his life with a society of vampires that have taken over the world. Yes, there’s a few ‘hepers’ here and there but most of that, Gene believes, is fantasy talk. Gene himself is a heper; I‘m sorry but I can’t get past the similarity between heper and heifer! Prime meat just walking around, the only difference is that the hepers know they’re hunted. One drop of blood and the vamps would be on them in a wild frenzy. Every evening, Gene has to shave the hair off his entire body except his head, make sure he has absolutely no body odor, he has to constantly remind himself not to laugh, clear his throat basically not to show any heper emotion at all. When the vamps laugh or show emotion, they scratch their wrist. It’s a bizarre world that he lives in and one mistake and he’s a goner.

There’s one girl in glass with shiny red hair and she’s so beautiful that Gene has a hard time keeping his eyes off her but he's caught her looking at him more then a few times, too so he has to be extra careful. They don’t go by names, they go by seat assignments such as D-4 but he has always called her Ashley June. He’s been all by himself since he was 9 years old but he remembers everything his father told him so he’d blend in.

When he and Ashley June win the ‘heper hunt’ and get invited to the palace to go on the first ‘heper’ hunt in 10 years, he really starts to worry. The take him right from the school with none of his prep pack, the more nervous he gets, the more like a heper he smells like but on the way there the others blame it on the fact that they’re getting closer to the heper colony.
Once Gene is at the colony they have 5 days of ‘festivities’ where Gene spends most of his time trying to not smell or dehydrate since the vamps don’t require fluids other than blood. Luckily for him there wasn’t enough room in the dorms so they put him in the library, a circular area that actually gave him some clues. He’s also in for the surprise of his life and this surprise will help him have a chance at getting out alive!


Andrew did the cleverest Character portrayals I’ve ever seen. Each vamp, although alike was different in certain aspects. They were creepy beyond all measure and just reading about Gene being in school with them gave me goose bumps that had goose bumps. Eating meals in the Palace was a particular 'delight'!
I thought my husband was going to have to peel from the ceiling with a crow bar more than once! There were plenty of ‘crow bar’ moments, trust me; that’s just how creepy, dark and eerie these vamps are portrayed.
As far as world building, again, I kept waiting for Gene to expose himself either by a cut or his smell...something! *Mild Spoiler* There was one exhibition where a heper was devoured and it wasn’t pretty [crow bar moment] The way the palace was set up by the heper colony, Gene could watch them during the day-that’s the one advantage he had over the vamps. They couldn’t watch during the day because the frenzy would hit and they would kill themselves to try and get there under the dry summer sun and what Gene found out was surprising. The only other heper he’d been around was his father and his father was always pounding ‘the rules’ into his head, which was good because that is what kept Gene alive.
Everything combined made The Hunt one of the best Novels I’ve had the pleasure to read in a long time. I devoured every word on every page and when the willies took over it was a delicious sensation! It's sinister, twisted and it kept me on high octane the entire book.
Andrew Fukuda is one Fan-Faery-Tastic Author that I look forward to reading more of in the future, especially the follow up to The Hunt!


THE FAERY SAYS THAT THE HUNT BY ANDREW FUKUDA ROCKED MY WINGS AND THEN SOME!

PERCEPTION by KIM HARRINGTON

Perception by Kim Harrington is published by Scholastic Point on March 1, 2012 and has 288 pages.

When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?


Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.


Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.


But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?


One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the stalker messages soon went from kind gestures to more of the sinister whacko type, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.
[From Goodreads]

THE FAERYS VIEW

Clarity Fern, teenage psychic-well, kind of, more like retrocognitive psychotelemetry, meaning she touches an object and can feel past images and thoughts and somewhat new detective; both of which she’s very good at. Clare see's her family's 'talent's' more as gifts; given to them to help others and not just for a 'feel good' moment or entertainment value for the tourists that bombard their town but for real detective work to find out what happened to missing loved ones.


When Clare becomes involved in a case of a missing senior who is considered a voluntary missing adult although Clare knows better; Clare herself finds she’s being stalked, at first it was kind of exciting but as it continues it becomes majorly creepy. With 2 hot guys hot on her trail, Sierra's case and a freak for a stalker, Clare has more than enough to worry about this fall. Add in Perry’s strange behavior of not leaving the house and Clare is has even more to worry about!


Since Clare was in the news as being the ‘psychic’ that helped solve the case over the summer, suddenly most of the Barbie Brigade wants to be her friend, all of them that is except Tiffany-yes, THE Tiffany that hooked up with Clare’s then boyfriend Jason in Clarity, the first book in the series. Needless to say, it broke her heart into a million pieces but she pulled herself together [having gorgeous Gabriel around just might have helped things a tad] but Clare is strong; trust is an important issue with her and what Jason did broke her trust on so many levels, she decides she doesn’t need someone who would destroy her trust in the worse ways possible so she dumps the dude! Go Clare!


Trouble is, Jason is trying to worm his way into Clare’s good graces but he’s got some serious competition in Gabriel who helped Clare with her detective work last summer. Gabriel is just gorgeous and really doesn’t care about what others think of him. He lives with his detective dad while his mom ‘dries out’ and he and Clare become quite close despite their initial dislike of one another in the beginning of Clarity where he plays a very convincing skeptic but when faced with Clare's mad skills he has to question what he really sees. When he does finally believe, things get a bit more 'cozy' between them.

When Clare is kind of sort of forced to go to a party with the ‘in crowd’, Jason is there with Tiffany hanging off him when one of the Barbie Brigade stands on the pool table and announces that Clare will do readings for all; then all hell breaks loose for Clare when everyone starts to beg for ‘readings’, then chant for them. Gabriel cuts out the lights and get’s her out of that humiliating situation quickly. But what really got me was what this convo happened at the party she was so uncomfortable at: >

Gabriel studied me for a moment. ‘You don’t realize it, do you?’ I blinked, twice. “Realize what?” “What makes you different makes you beautiful” pg. 152.

I swear, my heart went pitter patter! This was no romantic line, he meant it and didn't expect anything from Clare for his pretty words. Jason on the other hand is quick to apologize the next day, saying he 'forgot' at the time just how much she hated ‘performing’ especially for the jock squad and the Barbie Brigade.
I know exactly what guy I want Clare to be with and I'm will not be disappointed! Clare must pick Gabriel or I will personally give her a lobotomy! But I guess you won't know who she picks unless you read the book! Clare is known to do surprising things and can be awfully forgiving. I'm just saying...


Meanwhile, things are heating up with Clare’s crazy stalker and it could be anybody, her new friend Mallory who hasn’t been anything but truthful, heck, it could be anyone but I’m not one to spoil a good book!


I’ll sing the praises of Kim Harrington and her remarkable skills of getting me to love her characters! Or to intensely dislike them! Either way, Kim has an amazing ability to make me feel for her characters in an intense way. I love the world they live in and this is a book that took me away from the real world for awhile and put me into a deliciously thrilling mystery with my favorite teen detective with ‘psychic’ tendencies!


THE FAERY SAYS THAT PERCEPTION BY KIM HARRINGTON SET MY WINGS A’FLUTTER!

THE SELECTION by KIERA CASS

The Selection by Kiera Cass is published by HarperTeen and was published on April 24th of 2012 in 327 gorgeously written pages! I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC and I thank HarperTeen for allowing me to view this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.




Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined

THE FAERYS VIEW

At first I thought The Selection by Kiera Cass was going to be like the TV show Bachelor with a little light dystopian thrown in. I was dead wrong! Oh how I adored this book! It was so very much more, Ms. Cass built a dystopian world with a strict caste system that either puts you at the top with food, adequate shelter and clothing or at the very bottom where there isn’t enough food for everyone, let alone warmth or clothing. Safety isn’t exactly to be had, either. A small starving child is whipped in the town square for stealing a piece of fruit. There’s no empathy from the higher castes for the lower castes and really it boils down to where and to who you were born.

Taken from a caste system where America or 'Mer' is at the bottom of the pecking order but not so far down that her family is starving to death; her family is a ‘5’-Artists, and they skimp on food and clothing and there’s been times when they’ve had to go without but not that often. America’s family is artists, and America’s voice is heavenly plus she can masterfully play many instruments just like her mother. America has fallen in love with Aspen; a gorgeous sweet boy a caste down from her. He’s incredibly smart, works as many jobs as he can find to help his widowed mother and all his siblings just to put food on the table. What America and Aspen have is the real thing; going on two years, each one knows how to comfort the other. Aspen is proud and when there’s extra food at America’s, she’ll bring it to ‘their’ tree-house, a rickety old thing in America’s postage stamp back yard. They spend countless nights there, dreaming of how they’ll run away together, that the caste doesn’t matter but deep down Aspen knows they can never really be together, he would never subject her to the starvation and fear that his caste constantly feels. When The Selection comes up; Aspen encourages Mer to join because he could never forgive himself if she lost her chance at a better life because of him, he encourages her to join and when she gets picked he breaks up with her, effectively breaking her heart.

With all of the preparation for The Selection, America can’t get excited; her heart is heavy with grief until the day of her going away ceremony when she sees Aspen with his arms wrapped around another girl. She decides then and there to get mad-it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t. The opulence of the Palace is amazing; unlike anything America has ever seen! She has 3 maids, foods that are so delectable that she tries very hard not to make a pig or herself. Her clothing is so fine and her hair always done by her maids that she looks her very best. America soon starts to love the Palace she once hated. Prince Maxon soon becomes very dear to her heart and there is no mistaking his affections towards her. But something happens that could spoil it all. Amidst the rebel attacks, her heart break and the realization that she is as beautiful inside as out; America has an epiphany of sorts and that leaves us at our cliffy!

I am so impressed with Kiera Cross’s writing! Every main character was so very easy to get to know and the secondary characters were, as well. I fell in love with all of them and in deep dislike with some, too. Kiera’s sense of what Palace life would be like makes me wonder if perhaps she lived in one at one time or another! I felt the luxury that America felt and saw the beauty of the gardens all around me.

THE FAERY SAYS THAT THE SELECTION ROCKED MY WINGS!!!

Wow, With All This Plagerism Going Around...

I wondered how The Plagerism Singer was so thoroughly caught in her secretive plagerism of not one, not two but 4 other bloggers material. Here's exactly how they caught her! Unbelievable! At first I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt but Man, they actually caught her in the act!!! Multiple Times!

Here's how to protect yourself from plagerism and also how they caught The Story Siren back in January. Read the bloggers whose material was stolen and protect yourself!

I'm sorry if this sounds nasty but there is one thing I cannot stand or abide and that is plagerism. Especially by someone that new bloggers look so highly upon. Sure, we can say it was a mistake but we all know it had be intentional. It was done on the sly to numerous bloggers on the site so she must have known something about it was wrong. And that something is called Plagerism. For Shame!

Real apologies and owning up to what you did as wrong is the right thing. Saying what you did was a mistake insults everyone's intelligence. If anyone should know better, it's a blogger who not only gives advice to new bloggers but has been blogging herself for over 4 - 5 years.

Take this as a warning that your original content isn't always as safe as you may think it is.

THE IMMORTAL RULES [Blood of Eden Book #1] by JULIE KAGAWA

The Immortal Rules [Blood of Eden Book #1] by Julie Kagawa is published by HarperTeen and will be released on April 24th of 2012 in 504 spellbinding pages!

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

THE FAERYS VIEW [Pre-review excitement that I had to include!]

Julie has once again out done herself with a fascinating and chilling tale of a dystopian world ruled by vampires and the humans' who both depend on them and fear them greatly.

Allie's journey throughout The Immortal Rules is fraught with danger, pre-virus intrigue, truly creeptastic moments and even love.


That's all for now, a more thorough review closer to publish date! Put this one on your calender or Pre-order now!

THE FAERYS VIEW

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa is nothing short of how spectacular I thought it would be. The anticipation that had built up knowing that Julie was going to the fang side was well worth it. When I got the ARC in my greedy little hands, I was tearing into it before the envelop hit the garbage can. Yes, I did stop to admire the cover but what I really wanted to get to was inside that gorgeous cover!


The true gem of Thea Immortal Rules is Julies titillating plot: just when you think you’ve seen every possible vampire scenario, Julie goes and changes the genre much like she did for the Fae world. Told as only Julie can do, the action is non-stop and the creepy dystopian world she paints for the reader is all too realistic-which I found deliciously frightening!


Imagine yourself living in the worse ghetto possible with no lawful system in place, no food, no shelter, nothing… it’s a survivors dystopia but then add in cannibals, gangs that rape you and worse but that still isn’t the worse! Add in Vamps that often roam the streets at dark plucking juicy morsels out of the best hiding spots they can find. This is the world that Allie lives in. Allie lives in a world that is ruled by the vampires, sure she could get more food if she’d let the vamps stamp her like the rest of the herd but she refuses to let them take any more from her then they already have. She has her ‘gang’ that sort of look out for each other but in this world, people don’t live long. Allie is hard as nails, kick-ass and take names later and extremely world wise. Allie does have a softer side and she takes pity on the weaker kid in their group, making sure he has enough to eat but at the same time she resents him for not pulling his weight.


On a trip out of the ‘safe area’ looking for food, Allie becomes what she detests the most but she’s give a choice: die or live as a vamp. She chooses to live as a vamp but she has a mentor who sets her out on her own when he’s taught her all he can. It’s then that Allie runs into a traveling human pack and falls in love with Zeke and Zeke in love with her. Zeke having no idea that that Allie is, indeed, the thing that they fear the most-the thing they HATE, the thing they
The way Julie portrayed this beautiful love affair was perfect; it was earned, it was earnest and it was the love we all wish for. I hate to bring in The Iron Fey because The Immortal Rules deserves its own review but I saw this with her characters in that series. No insta-love but a love that is based on getting to know that person. Of course there’s an initial physical attraction but that’s so for all romance, it’s the deep romance that Julie does so beautifully.


World building-WOW! I was right there the whole time; The Immortal Rules is one of those books where I found myself in another world-literally. I could imagine every scene as if I were there-sights, smells and audio. It’s a rare gift when an author can drag me in that deep into a book that when the phone rings, I don’t hear it until it’s on its third ring or I don’t use the bathroom until I have to pretzel dance all the way to the bathroom! I’d say maybe 15, maybe 20 novels out of a couple of thousand that I’ve read have done that to me, two (2) of them by Julie herself!


There is so much more I’d love to say but I refuse to ruin this book for anybody. All I can do is sing the praises of this magnificent book and its magnificent author and give the best advice to you all: READ THE IMMORTAL RULES!


THE FAERY SAYS THAT THE IMMORTAL RULES BY JULIE KAGAWA ROCKED MY WINGS!


Thank you to Netgalley and HarlequinTeen for allowing me to view this galley in exchange for my honest opinion.




Winners of PURE by JL Armentrout!

Sorry this is a few days late, I had a bit of a rough week! I'm proud to announce the winners and they can have their book in E-Copy or Print from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or The Book Depository.

Thank you all for participating! Now for the Winners!!!

#6 on Random.Org: Doodle at Doodles Book Blog 

#47 on Random.Org: Melissa Hayden
Unbelievable! Melissa just won a contest this week. Melissa has some wicked good luck this week. I refuse to run it over just because she won already, it wouldn't be fair to Melissa just for having good luck.

They have 24 hours to get back to me, if not I will re-draw again using Random.Org.

I'll be having at least one contest per week so there will be plenty of chances to win great books!

Thanks again for participating :o]

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