Fave Author of the Moment

Though I've only read book one in the Death Works Trilogy I'm pretty hooked on Trent Jamieson's style of writing.

I haven't read alot of Aussie authors but am slowly building up on knowledge on local Authors and Trent Jamieson is one of them.

The best thing about Death Most Definite?  Where the story is set!  Brisbane.  Mentions of Mount Coot-tha and the Toowong cemetery had me hooked!  It's both weird and super cool to read books that are based in the local area, a place where I could drive through or to.  After finishing Death Most Definite I cannot wait to pick up Managing Death.

While I'm only at the beginning of reading Trent Jamieson's books I suggest you all at least give Death Most Definite a try!  I've definitely found a new Author I heart!  And fingers crossed I may run into him at the Brisbane Writer's Festival in September.  I'll have to bring a book to be signed for sure!!

In My Mailbox (118)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

Rise to the Call by Gerard de Marigny (Cris De Niro #3)

Thursday at Noon by William F. Brown

Thank you both to Gerard and Bill for supplying me with a copy of this.

Bought:

N/A this week


What did you get in your IMM?

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

This sure looks interesting. What do you think?

Waiting on Wednesday (113)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I absolutely cannot wait for Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick the second book in the Ashes Trilogy. We won't have to wait too long either as it will be released 25th September!

Synopsis

The Apocalypse does not end.

The Changed will grow in numbers.
The Spared may not survive.

Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she thought Rule was a sanctuary for her and those she'd come to love.

But she was wrong.

Now she's in the fight of her life against the adults who would use her, the survivors who don't trust her, and the Changed who would eat her alive.

Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and humans may be the worst of the monsters.

What are you waiting on?

Frostfire by Zoe Marriott Book Trailer

This sounds really good!

In My Mailbox (117)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

The Burning Star by Jessie Lane

Bought:
N/a

What did you get in your IMM this week?

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

This looks really good!

Waiting on Wednesday (112)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

My pick for this week has to be  Mind Games by Kiersten White.  This will be out in 19th February 2013.

Synopsis
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.

What are you waiting on??

Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson

Title:  Everything Left Unsaid

Author:  Jessica Davidson

Genre:  Young Adult

Publisher:  Pan Macmillan

Publication Date:  1st August 2012

ISBN:  9780330424950

Stand alone or series:   Stand Alone

Pages:  305 pages

Book Received from:  Pan Macmillan (Publisher)

First Lines:  Tai is laughing.  He's trying to make it sound creepy and sinister, like something from an old Dracula movie, but he can't quite make it happen, and it just sounds hollow and forced.

Synopsis:

Tai and Juliet have been best friends forever – since they met at kindy and decided to get married in first grade.
They understand each other in the way that only best friends can.
They love music, beach walks, energy drinks and, they are slowly discovering, each other.
As they dream of adventures beyond the HSC – a future free of homework, curfews and parents, a life together – their plans are suddenly and dramatically derailed.
For Tai is sick.
And not everything you wish for can come true.

My Thoughts:
When I received this proof from Pan Macmillan I was pretty excited to get my hands on it.  Little did I realise how much this book would really affect me.

There are so many things that remind me back to when I was a teen.  I guess this is one of the big reasons that it drew me right in.

Juliet's relationship with Tai definitely rung true for me.  Turning from best mates to more than that, for me, didn't feel rushed at all.  The thing is, in highschool everything seems to happen alot faster.  And because Juliet and Tai had a very long friendship, it felt natural for them to fall in love.

I love how Jessica has written this book from both Juliet and Tai's POV.  I don't think this story could have been written any other way.  Especially when Tai starts to take turn for the worse it helped knowing his reasoning behind the things he did.  It also hurt a little hearing it from him.  Like the pain seemed more closer to home as I read from his POV.

The story from about 3/4's through to the end.  Wow!  I recommend a LARGE box of tissues!  Actually I recommend you grab this as you sit down to start reading.  I read this book from start to finish in one sitting.  And by the end of it I was a blubbering mess.  Even the cat was looking at me strangely.

In My Mailbox (116)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan (Sky Chasers #2)

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending this to me!

Bought:


n/a


What did you get in your IMM??

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard Book Trailer

This looks pretty cool so I thought I'd share it!

Waiting on Wednesday (111)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

Looking forward to getting a hold of this one.  These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman is expected out sometime next year.  I can't wait!

Synopsis

Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen never should have met. She’s the socialite daughter of the richest man in the galaxy, and he’s a decorated soldier fighting back rebellions on newly terraformed planets. But when the vast luxury spaceliner they’re both traveling on crashes, they find themselves thrown together as the two sole survivors on an alien planet.

As they survive harsh conditions and dwindling supplies—not to mention each other—the two begin to uncover a mystery surrounding the abandoned planet that neither of them could have guessed.

The first in a trilogy, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a series of timeless, standalone love stories that span galaxies—and are linked by their shared worlds and one mysterious enemy.

What are you waiting on??

Shadows by Paula Weston

Title:  Shadows

Author:  Paula Weston

Genre:  Young Adult/Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Text Publishing

Publication Date:  2nd July 2012

ISBN:  9781921922503

Stand alone or series:   The Rephaim #1

Pages:  352 pages

Book Received from:  Paula Weston (Author)

First Lines:  I'm running along the boardwalk, wind and sand stinging my arms.

Synopsis:It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.
And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be
found in the shadows of her nightmares.
Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

My Thoughts:
Shadows is the first book in The Rephaim series.  A few things stood out the most for me.  I'm loving that the characters are all on the high end scale of YA. Think 18/19 years old or so.


I'm happy to say I'm finally coming across some more Australian YA Authors work and I'm loving it.  It's strange but awesome having paranormal activity happening right here.  I think I felt closer to the story and Gaby than I have with some characters in YA and the fact that I could relate to alot of the dialogue and actions made her as a character come alive.


Rafa was an interesting one though.  At first I'm unsure if he's there to help or hinder with Gaby and the further I read, the better I was at working him out.  I'm definitely hoping he'll be sticking around and making himself more known in future books :)


There are quite a few questions left hanging after finishing the book.  I'd love to let you all know what these questions are but I don't want to spoil it for others.  The one thing I can say is I'm looking forward to more encounters with hellions and demons.  Ez and Zak were instant favourites of mine too.


I found Shadows to be a very promising start to what I hope will be an awesome series, and from what I've read we are looking at roughly 3 or 4 books to the series so far.  Thanks to Paula Weston's website.  Can't wait for Haze the second book in The Rephaim series to be available.

In My Mailbox (115)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending this to me.
Be sure to keep an eye out for this review in the next week!

Bought:

Bzrk by Michael Grant

What did you get in your IMM this week?

Eve by Anna Carey

I can't believe I've only come across this now. Where have I been?

Waiting on Wednesday (110)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I was just completely drawn to this cover on good reads and had to check it out.  Taken by Erin Bowman will be released in April 2013.  I can't wait.

Synopsis

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends...and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Pre-order Taken at Book Depository!!

What are you waiting on?

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Title:  The Golden Lily

Author:  Richelle Mead

Genre:  Young Adult/Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Penguin Australia (Imprint: Razorbill)

Publication Date:  12th June 2012

ISBN:  9781921518478

Stand alone or series:   Bloodlines #2

Pages:  448 pages

Book Received from:  Penguin Australia (Publisher)

First Lines:  Most people would find being led into an underground bunker on a stormy night scary.  Not me.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BLOODLINES

Synopsis:
Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.
But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.
Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

My Thoughts:
I have to say The Golden Lily was an awesome read.  So far, this series just seems to keep getting better!  I know that the Bloodlines series may not quite trump The Vampire Academy series but I have high expectations that this will sure come close to it.

Richelle has got this awesome knack for great characterization.  With Angeline, the new addition to the group and quite the shake up the group seems to need, the group seem to work together well.  Sydney seems to be getting along well with the vampires (For an Alchemist) but so much pressure is on her to be objective and not getting too close to them always plays on her mind.  Especially when she sees what can happen if she's caught doing more than her job.  This in turn plays a big role in the way that she acts around the others.  Almost standoffish at times when she begins to turn things over in her mind.  I sure hope that in future books she begins to start thinking for herself more than letting an organisation like the Alchemists tell her how she should be.  I'm seeing the beginnings of doubt surface there throughout the book so fingers crossed.

I have to say right now, I'm really liking Ms Terwilliger.  I love the way that she works Sydney's study time with the practical side of things and even though Sydney knows what she is trying to do, she still feels the need to complete the tasks Ms Terwilliger sets her.  I feel like this is going to play a very large part in future books.

Brayden was one character I just couldn't warm up to.  I don't know whether it was the fact that he sounded like such a know-it-all or whether it was because he didn't know beauty even if it slapped him upside the head but he just rubbed me the wrong way.

The story itself was quite engaging.  I found myself completely pulled in to Sydney's life once again and while there are small things that annoy me about her, Richelle has done a great job in keeping her true to her character.  I was hesitant about liking Sydney in the first book but book two has definitely had me on Team Sydney more so.  I just wish she would get a clue when it came to boys lol.  I suppose that just comes with experience right?

This was a great book and one that you should give a go!

Fave Line:  If your eyes weren't open, you wouldn't know the difference between dreaming and waking. You know what I'm afraid of? That someday, even with my eyes open, I still won't know.

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown Book Trailer

This sounds pretty cool. I had to share