I'M PARTICIAPTING: Pages From My Thoughts: Win a copy of City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam F...

GO HERE TO ENTER: Pages From My Thoughts: Win a copy of City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam F...: 

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die........

Paper Gods #1 INK

(Releasing Tomorrow, I'm presenting my review for the MiraInk). Set in Japan...... oh definitely. Presenting Paper Gods #1 INK by Amanda Sun.

Here is the summary of the book:

A MAGIC MIGHTIER THAN ANY SWORD

A DESTINY THAT CAN’T BE DENIED

Katie Greene is lost in the wake of her mum's death. Sent to Japan, she meets gorgeous but aloof artist Tomohiro, whose tough attitude intrigues and scares her. Then things get really strange. When they're near each other, Tomohiro's drawings start to come to life…

Soon the wrong people begin to ask questions, and Katie and Tomohiro must risk everything to protect the truth.

A paranormal YA set in Japan and digging up some ancient history...... HA! Definitely reading it (you all should too). Reading it.... and this is now one of my favorite debut reads of all time.

Japan, a country on my list of places to visit. This technologically advanced and the home of some of the greatest anime is the place for debut author Amanda Sun's delectable new book INK, the first of the Paper Gods series. I am a big fan of both anime and manga and let me tell you INK is like nothing you have ever experienced before. This is the story of blonde haired Katie Green, coming to stay with her cool Aunt Diane and strikingly the odd one out gaijin among the natives. A culture shock for someone from the United States thrust into an unknown country that is Japan. Braving such big changes she catches the eye of Yuu Tomohiro, the broody aloof bad boy whose drawings just won't stay still.

There is a reason Japanese anime and manga have gained such popularity because their creators have not only got the best imagination but they take up parts of their own rich history and mythology and present it to the world. And that is what I would like to applaud Ms. Sun for too. She took cues from the most important of all Japanese legends and stirred up her own fresh tale out of it. Thereby adding a great and new touch to the YA Paranormal genre.

This is Katie's story as she braves massive culture shock and the difficulties and problems and the adjustments. Something beautifully depicted in the book. It is her meeting with Tomo-kun that sets this thing off perfectly. Don't you just love bad boys..... she sees first hand the reasons behind Tomohiro's cold exterior and really sees him for somebody who is as lonely as she is. Thus, sparking an intense romance between them that has us on tenterhooks......

And the INK..... well its a force to be reckoned with, something that has a mind of its own...... I really won't say more  since this is a marvel I recommend you guys check it out for yourself. This is hands down one of the best reads of 2013 and its just beginning. Amanda is totally added into my new list of favorites...... just by introducing such basic and important facts about Japan, you gain big points for it. There is action, there is romance, there is tension and the joy of discovering something new and brilliant..... very low key and easily understandable.... and I am already experiencing my problem of grabby hands for the next book in the series..... we don't even know the name yet and i'm hyperventilating over the amazing sneak peek at the end of this book.

"Amanda Sun's delectably refreshing INK has proved itself.... Pen is definitely mightier that the sword"

Genre :      Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: MiraInk

Release Date: 5th July, 2013

My Copy:  publisher and netgalley

Rate:              5/5 (It was Awesome)

Everneath #2 Everbound

Oh! Cole you devious...... devious guy..... Presenting Everneath #2 Everbound by Brodi Ashton.

Here is the summary of the book:

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

Dreams, the power of Morpheus, a power like no other. Dreams help us imagine, lets our creativity flow and create things in matters of seconds impossible..... relieve horrible instance of ones life or a particular..... and sometimes a sthe case maybe keep the connection open between the mortal realm and another world.

Just like seen in Brodi Ashton's Everbound, the second book in the Everneath series. Everneath was a stunning twist of things to the myths and legends of the Greek's, this next book after that short Neverfall advances the tale even further. Just like Jack had kept Nikki young during her ordeal in the Everneath, she must now do the same for him and rescue him before its too late. But to enter the Everneath is suicide even if you want to save a life.... when Nikki is the only one to have survived the feed young and some forces in the Netherworld would do anything to get their hand on her......... For her plan to work she needs Cole who is pursuing things off his own tangent on this..... oh you bad! bad boy....

Ashton perfectly portrays the guilt and the determination to go to the end of the world to snatch your loved ones from the jaws of death. Nikki really came through with this book. She is guilt-ridden with the fact that her love of her life Jack sacrificed his life for a stupid thing she did in her confused daze of sorrow(and betrayal!) in before book 1. And her only ticket to accomplish that is upon help from Cole.

Now Cole is no hero. We know that he knows that and keeps convincing Nikki of that too but somehow he does help her. We all love ourselves some straight-edged characters don't we. We clearly identify when someone is good or bad but it is the gray characters who give us the most headaches. They are not overly good and not overly bad. Such complex and layered characters like Cole give us readers something to think about. We may never know what goes on in their minds (excluding the treasured outlook we had on Cole in "Neverfall") ..... but we love them nonetheless.

Jack...... oh forget him.... he was a nobody in this book..... actually I didn't think much of him in Everneath too......... BUT MAN WHAT A TURN Ms. Ashton THROWS AT US THE END....... With such excitable and wondrous descriptions of exploring a new world the author has delivered us a book that serves itself as well as the first one did........ Evertrue is going to be a big explosion of fireworks I can feel it......

"In the thrall of desperation of the bonds of love and destiny, the talented pen of Brodi Ashton takes us deep into dangerous turf of the Everneath"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Balzer+Bray 

Release Date: 22nd January, 2013

My Copy: Bought(ebook)

Rate:             5 /5 (It was Awesome)

Books in Series(review links):
         #1 Everneath 
         #1.5 Neverfall

Everneath #1.5 Neverfall

A much needed insight into Cole's mind. Presenting Everneath #1.5 Neverfall by Brodi Ashton.

Here is the summary of the book:

A thrilling new novella from the author of the Everneath series!

Jack is trapped for eternity in the Tunnels while Nikki has managed to evade Cole's grasp . . . for now. But Cole is more desperate than ever to find answers about Nikki, his best chance for taking over the throne of the underworld. How did she survive the Feed? Can Cole find another Forfeit like her who can survive it too?

Cole's quest leads him to the other side of the world, to a mysterious, dangerous society known as the Delphinians, whose price for information might be higher than Cole can pay—a price that could destroy Nikki. But when Cole attempts to steal the answers instead, his mission ends in disaster. Faced with centuries in a Delphinian dungeon, Cole is confronted with questions he's been too scared to ask himself: Is he really obsessed with the throne—or is he obsessed with Nikki? And can she really give him a new beginning as the Everneath's king . . . or will she instead bring about his tragic end?

A Cole point of view was definitely needed and wanted. Its self serving, satisfying, scintillating but most certainly bridges the gap between Everneath and Everbound most perfectly. With Cole's soliloquy, the drama, the inner turmoil, the heart stopping, heart-breaking, dangerous, swoon-worthy, Neverfall provides the bridge we are looking to cross before our journey into Everbound continues on.

Neverfall beautifully fills in the gap with the way Cole's mind works things. Alternating between the past and the present, this novella sees Cole obsessed with Nikki, the throne and finding the answers going as far as facing centuries in the dark dungeons of Delphinians. There is such an allure to bad boys attracting the most attention and this novella helped us understand him so much more..... If I may, I am Team Cole and happy to be too (Jack seriously didn't interest me much).

"A short and deep insight in to the inner workings of the alluring Cole Stockton"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Balzer+Bray 

Release Date: 26th December, 2012

My Copy: Bought(ebook)

Rate:             5 /5 (It was Awesome)

Books in Series(review links):
         #1 Everneath

King Arthur

Presenting King Arthur by Daniel Mersey.

Here is the summary of the book:

Despite his enduring popularity, King Arthur remains the most enigmatic of Britain's legendary heroes. In this new book, author Dan Mersey retells the great stories of Arthur, while exploring the different facets of Arthurian myth, from the numerous, conflicting theories of his historical origin, through the tales of Welsh folklore and Medieval romance, and concluding with an examination of his various portrayals in the modern media. Presented with both classic and newly commissioned artwork, this book is an easy-to-read, yet highly detailed introduction to the complex body of myth and legend that surrounds Britain's greatest hero.

When you talk of Arthurian myth you imagine a book with everything in detailed and layered out before you in perfect chapters. But what we are dealing with here is an 80 paged overview compiled by Daniel Mersey, an overview of sorts to all the text written till now based on these myths or the variety of tales of these myths about that era.

References to the tales of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sir Thomas Malory, the poet Wace, Chrétien de Troyes and the like can be seen within these pages of about Arthur, Gwenhwyfar, Lancelot, Gawain, Percival, Galahad, Uther, Merlin, Mordred, Morgan la Fey, Morgause, Agravaine, the Lady of the Lake..... Illustration and painting depicting each period can be found in here too. Even containing a list of further reading material, of films, television series, games and historical sites are also detailed.

"A short and compact overview to the vast subject that is the Arthurian era"

Genre :      Reference, History

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Release Date: 23rd July, 2013

My Copy:  publisher and netgalley

Rate:              3/5 (Liked It)

Demigods & Monsters

HAPPY RELEASE DAY! Presenting Demigods & Monsters: Your favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series (edited) by Rick Riordan.

Here is the summary of the book:

Released just before the March 2013 feature film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, this new edition is updated through The Last Olympian, and includes several brand new essays!

The #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson series—The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian—features a dyslexic boy who discovers he is the son of a Greek god, the target of mythical Greek monsters, and the center of a prophecy that could change the balance of power in the world forever. In Demigods and Monsters, YA authors take on the series' Greek gods, demigods, monsters, and prophecy, to add insight and even more fun to Riordan’s page-turner series.

The book also includes an introduction by Percy Jackson series author Rick Riordan that gives further insight into the series and its creation, and a glossary of ancient Greek myth, with plenty of information on the places, monsters, gods, and heroes that appear in the series.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians is one series that needs no introduction. A demigod of the eldest dogs..... sorry eldest Gods (Poseidon), a dyslexic half-human, half-God who discovers he doesn't hail from a family of nobodies..... but the biggest family of somebodies in the world..... and finds himself not only the target of pretty scary mythical monsters but also a part or the sole hero of apocalyptic prophecies (and let me tell you, a heroes fate is never good).

In 'Demigods & Monster', renouned YA authors of the field take on the Gods, the myriad monsters and our beloved characters and put them all under x-rays to chronicalize an insightful and a must read for any Percy Jackson fans.

Alongwith some of fun and some seriously analytical essays, this companion book also consists of an introduction to the series from Riordan himself, explaining how the series actually came into existence, and a glossary of the Greek myths with plenty information about the myths & legends, monsters and demigods and most of all the Gods.

"A must have companion book to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series"

Genre :      Anthology, Companion book, Children's Fiction

Publisher: Smart Pop

Release Date: 2nd July, 2013

My Copy:  publisher and netgalley

Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)

Owl Post #9 [May & June, 2013]

Guys, today I'm doing something new on my blog....been coming on for a long time. This meme, called Owl Post is created by Brodie of Eleusinian Mysteries inspired by In My Mailbox by The Story Siren. Been meaning to do this since forever and I just love this idea. I'm being a Ravenclaw since at the age of eleven and couldn't seem to remember to do this....kudos to Brodie for thinking about this!

Before you all proceed further, let me make something clear:-

1. Just like my IMM posts, this will not be done every Sunday but on the last Sunday of each month... the reason why you'll see a lot more books in here than normal.

2. This first Owl Post will have all the books that I received in May and June, 2013.

3. Also it will feature a list of recap link at the bottom of the page, which enlists all the review, interviews and tour posts I have done that particular month. Now I expect you all to visit each link and give out a comment here and there(would very much appreciate it) and you all can link your reviews too, i'd love to comment.

4. You are all welcome to share what you all got in the comment section below....i'd love to visit....

For Review

Netgalley

Ender's World - Orson Scott Card

Debt Collector #1-3 - Susan Kaye Quinn

The Chronicles of Light and Shadow #2 A Clockwork Heart - Liesel Schwarz

True Blood Vol 1: All Together Now
Pax Arcana #1 Charming - Elliott James
Demigods and Monsters - Rick Riordan
The Iron Druid Chrinicles #6 Hunted - Kevin Hearne
Tumble & Fall - Alexandra Coutts
King Arthur - Daniel Mersey

Edelweiss

Masque of the Red Death #2 Dance of the Red Death - Bethany Griffin

Giveaway Won

Absent - Katie Williams (through a retweet contest on ABRAMS's official twitter page)

Bought

Elemental #0.5 Elemental - Brigid Kemmerer

Elemental #1 Storm - Brigid Kemmerer

Elemental #1.5 Fearless - Brigid Kemmerer

Elemental #2 Spark - Brigid Kemmerer

Elemental #2.5 Breathless - Brigid Kemmerer

Elemental #3 Spirit - Brigid Kemmerer

Revenants #3 If I Should Die - Amy Plum

Of Poseidon #2 Of Triton - Anna Banks

Recap Links


 No Strings Attached GIVEAWAY HOP
The Infernal Devices #3 Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare
Parallel - Lauren Miller
Night School #1 Night School - C.J. Daugherty
Warm Bodies #1 Warm Bodies - Issac Marion
The Sweetest Dark #1 The Sweetest Dark - Shana Abe
Blood of Eden #2 The Eternity Cure - Julie Kagawa
Project Paper Doll #1 The Rules - Stacey Kade
The Split Worlds #1 Between Two Thorns - Emma Newman
The Faerie RIng #2 The Torn Wing - Kiki Hamilton
Doctor Who Vol 1: Prisoner of Time
Elemental #0.5 Elemental - Brigid Kemmerer
Elemental #1 Storm - Brigid Kemmerer
Elemental #1.5 Fearless - Brigid Kemmerer
Elemental #2 Spark - Brigid Kemmerer
Elemental #2.5 Breathless - Brigid Kemmerer
Steampunk Chronicles #3 The Girl with the Iron Touch - Kady Cross
Transparent - Natalie Whipple
Elemental #3 Spirit - Brigid Kemmerer
Peregrine Harker & The Black Death - Luke Hollands
Lunar Chronicles #2 Scarlet - Marissa Meyer
The Morganville Vampires Vol 1 (#1 & 2) - Rachel Caine
Across The Universe #3 Shades of Earth - Beth Revis
Happy 2nd Blogoversary [Giveaway]
The Game #1 Rush - Eve Silver
Masque of the Red Death #2 Dance of the Red Death - Bethany Griffin
True Blood Vol 1: All Together Now
Ender's World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender's Game
Spontaneous Midsummer's Eve GIVEAWAY HOP [INT]
In The After #1 In The After - Demitria Lunetta
Weather Witch #1 Weather Witch - Shannon Delany
The Iron Druid Chronicles #6 Hunted - Kevin Hearne
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks
The Selection #2 The Elite - Kiera Cass
Bloodlines #3 The Indigo Spell - Richelle Mead

Bloodlines #3 The Indigo Spell

Such a hot and smoldering edition to the mix. Presenting Bloodlines #3 The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead.

Here is the summary of the book:

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next. Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God...... The Golden Lily ended with the shocking and heart breaking ending but MAN does it bounce back with THE INDIGO SPELL with a full bloom. There is drama, there is shocking unraveling of secrets and conspiracies, some intense spell work and an even more intense and heated romance enough to leave us tingly all over.

I'm not going to spoil this marvelous concoction of literature with another summary from me besides the mandatory goodreads one I provide in all my reviews but GOD THIS WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT. But i'll say this with the current mission of keeping Jill undercover, the gang as with the previous books gets tangled in all in all the local and the side drama that ensues.... And all the while it happened... it finally happened.....

We meet a lot of new characters this time with the oldies coming in with full swagger. Marcus Finch the mysterious renegade alchemist, somehow he didn't impress me much. Sure he is good looking, has his priorities in order a bit, knows what he wants and why he wants it but he did not appear to be much of a man of action. He is charming, got some mad talking skills but didn't seem to impress Sydney or even for that matter me.

Sydney! Sydney! She has considerably changed a lot since we have seen her in the Vampire Academy series till date to this book. There is a significant change in her character that I really liked. The Sydney of back then would have never have been companionable with Moroi or Dhampir's would be downright professional and keeping distance with the group she must help. But she is adjusting to her surroundings, actually taking an interest of those around her and participating and maintaining a healthy conversation and companionship to aforementioned group. The staunch Alchemist teachings are still there, it will be long time before she can actually leave that notion behind that everything is black and white(because the gray is always there).

Above all her relationship with Adrian was for me the highlight of this book. ADRIAN! OH ADRIAN... The Moroi with the hot bod and dashingly handsome personality deserves a paragraph to himself. While Sydney may have killed us a tad at the end of Golden Lily with her rejection of Adrian. But in Indigo Spell realizes somethings are not what they seem. And Adrian grew even more as a character (if that's even possible).....

The quote absence makes the heart grow fonder fits here. Adrian steps back and lets Sydney come own analysis that she had been in love with him as long as he had and while it was still irritating that Sydney was trying to resist it but it finally happened in the end, they got together. I'd totally give Adrian the big points for the hot and beautiful factor to the beloved Sydrian ship but Sydney was not bad...... I particularly liked that dream walk involving wedding hall, table top and crockeries  and the frat party scene.....

The plot, the new twists, the drama, the seduction and all the new elements, magical practices and..... HOPPER made it even better and a perfect specimen of an advancing plotline. I liked how the various arks joined into a powerhouse of a book that is The Indigo Spell. It goes to mettle of the author for successful creation a book worth cherished and I finally understand what the next book title, The Fiery Heart means...... excited.

"Love, Hate, Truth, Secrets and some cool use of magic...... a formula that makes Richelle Mead's THE INDIGO SPELL cast a spell on all us readers"

Genre :      Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: 12th February, 2013

My Copy:  Bought(ebook)

Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)

Books in Series (Review Links):
            #1 Bloodlines
            #2 The Golden Lily

Other Books by the Author (Review Links):
            Vampire Academy #6 Last Sacrifice
              (Only books I reviewed on the blog)

The Selection #2 The Elite

The much awaited sequel of bestseller The Selection..... there is conflict abound in the game. Presenting The Selection #2 The Elite by Kiera Cass.

Here is the summary of the book:

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Timesbestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Iléa.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Man this is going to be one big review..... The Elite, hotly anticipated and much awaited sequel to last year's, The Selection. 6 girls left now, 6 Elite girls and America wants more time, Maxon wants more time.... but time is not a leisure commodity as the elimination draws nearer and Maxon needs to choose the One..... But America is confused and she hesitates and sputters and things happen that lower her confidence even more making her question herself. Maxon knows what he wants and who he wants but its is America who must decide that is living a simple life with Aspen worth it or can she be the one for Maxon towards whom her attraction grows day-by-day.

As far as the originality of the plot is in question. It is ingenious of Cass to mix both post-apocalyptic and the premise of a reality show, The Bachelor (called Symbar in India) for a dystopian society ruled and governed under ranks of class. Come on WWI & WWII have already happened in the past but WWIV is a much more horrifying prospect to imagine. The plot and the writing is very well done as always, simple, straight-forward and with very good pacing maintained throughout.

This time around the onslaught of drama has streaked up a degrees more. The race is nearing the finish line, only 6 girls left, 6 possible candidates and the time for playing nice is over. And as far as the characters go they are well apt at upping their game.

As for me i'd say reality shows like these while romantic and highly dramatic are immoral. Yes the center of attraction(bride or groom) needs to choose the perfect one. The person in question shower attention equally to every candidate is rather hurtful to watch is the opposition has genuine feeling. Yes these types of shows only serve to up the viewer rate if a channel and raise controversies in the media..... These things are the customs of a time gone past and not agreeable for the current era..... BUT COME ON I CAN MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR KIERA CASS' BOOKS.

I'd like to applaud Ms. Cass on her ability to work her magic on her characters so much that what they do and what we them do has the capacity to make us love them, swoon over them, cry with them, and even make us hate them for their actions.

Now let me connect the dots. I didn't like Aspen in Selection and absolutely didn't like him in Elite as well. It is understandable he wants America back after the mistake he made of leaving her. He comes of as a forceful personality, exerting his presence around America when it is visible it is not needed even if he was her rock throughout the events of this book.

All America needs is room to think for herself which is not possible with the pressure of the Selection, Aspen  being assigned her guard and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. She feels insecure. With being the only lowest caste candidate, she hesitates to choose. On one hand the safe choice of Aspen, her childhood sweet heart and on the other hand is the difficult one Maxon, who comes packaged with a whole kingdom. Maxon on the hand is just full of surprises. In a position of public importance you tend to develop a thick skin and the handsome Prince does that pretty well but he cares too. He doesn't show it but he cares a lot about everyone and loves all the selection candidates in his own way.

We find some things..... abhorent enough about the royal family and about Maxon's kindness and the strength of his love that makes us appreciate him even more than before...... America better up her game for the finale and win Maxon back and prove to herself that she can be The One (those last few of the book definitely give me a good feeling). Eagerly awaiting the final book....... please come soon......

"A new breathless romance vs. the lure of the safety net, America finds herself in a bind...... The Elite, of drama, romance, remembrance, secrets revealed and trust lost. Perfect Ms. Cass simply perfect and a simple and dramatic read. The One better come out soon we are hungry for some results"

Genre :     Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance

Publisher: HarperCollins UK, Children's

Release Date: 23rd April, 2013

My Copy: Publisher and Netgalley

Rate:             4 /5 (Really Liked It)

Books in Series(review links):
         #1 The Selection

World Ward Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Definitely not like any zombie book I have read before.... and that's what makes it unique (Note:- I read the ebook and listened to the audiobook alongside). Presenting World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks.

Here is the summary of the book:

Soon to be a major motion picture!

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time.World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”

Zombies.... the raging disfigured remnants of humanity. When it comes to a post-apocalyptic zombie book, you sometimes expect some form of biological hazard resulting in the zombie out break and the protagonist of the story going on a dangerous quest hell and back again to retrieve the coveted cure. Maybe something along the lines of Issac Marion's Warm Bodies (a surprisingly marvelous read and a good movie), Julie Kagawa's Blood of Eden series or Lia Habel's Gone with the Respiration series. But Max Brooks proceeded to deliver something akin to these preconceived notions.

A form of a journal.... that is what this book is. With the narrator collecting interviews across every nations on the globe. The main thing to keep in mind about the execution about this book is definitely not about the survivors or the zombies in general but it is what everyone around the globe went through in the great war. But zombies are there in the background as each interviewee explains their ordeals of the war. I'm going to go off tangent and somewhat compare the concept of the book to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, where the titular character had no prominent role but the plot was devised around the man..... Just the same while zombies don't exactly feature on the foreground, they are very much present throughout the background of the whole book.



A book of such a global scale requires even more preparations and research than what a book normally requires. So many countries, so many cultures, different races & ethnicity, the accents even and their way of things..... he incorporated just about everything to the point. What the people did, how the countries came up with their own ways to tackle the situations and what the military conducted.... this is a coalition of all such facts and stories making it akin to a post-great war type journal.

Max Brooks did one thing more that sets it apart from the typical zombie genre..... he kept it grounded in reality. Zombie books have a way of being in the paranormal genre but World War Z kept it real, you get the feeling that it actually happened, the way the author presents the book. A side effect of which leads us to nor form connections with the plethora of characters, but its not them but their situations that situations that matter.

I would like to point out that I read it because of the upcoming film, which as I understand is going to follow the documentary styled book fully at all, since Bad Pitt seems to be the central character but I'll give it a go..... And people get this in audiobook, its an oral history. It serves better to ear it than to read it. I was moved to tears enough throughout...... have lost count of the number of times I bordered on highly emotional at the predicament of humanity.

"Max Brooks brings to us stories of a war like no other.... thought provoking and intense..... a call to humanity to right their ways before the unthinkable happens and it be too late to change"

Genre :      Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Post-war quasi-journal

Publisher: Crown

Release Date: 12th September, 2006

My Copy:  Bought(ebook and audiobook)

Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)

The Iron Druid Chronicles #6 Hunted

Just how I like this series..... Presenting The Iron Druid Chronicles #6 Hunted by Kevin Hearne.

Here is the summary of the book:

For a two-thousand-year-old Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan is a pretty fast runner. Good thing, because he’s being chased by not one but two goddesses of the hunt—Artemis and Diana—for messing with one of their own. Dodging their slings and arrows, Atticus, Granuaile, and his wolfhound Oberon are making a mad dash across modern-day Europe to seek help from a friend of the Tuatha Dé Danann. His usual magical option of shifting planes is blocked, so instead of playing hide-and-seek, the game plan is . . . run like hell.

Crashing the pantheon marathon is the Norse god Loki. Killing Atticus is the only loose end he needs to tie up before unleashing Ragnarok—AKA the Apocalypse. Atticus and Granuaile have to outfox the Olympians and contain the god of mischief if they want to go on living—and still have a world to live in.

After Trapped's somewhat stale environment, the calm before the storm sort of tense environment abound, with all the hiding and the low key living but Hunted brought it back to how I liked it.... The excess running full on kick-ass Atticus, Oberon and the druidery... and the running. Artemis and Diana, Loki and Hel are behind him, mercenaries and vampires and even the dark elves are on the way. Ragnarok would commence if Atticus and party just made even the slightest of mistakes. Oh and Granuaile's a druid now too.....

Celtic, Greek, Roman, Scandinavian, Slavic, Indian and every other myths and lore beautifully mixed and matched and given the modern touch through the talented pen of Kevin Hearne. Add to that the marvelous execution of humor(normal, dry and dirty) and clever use of trivia makes it an urban fantasy worth its while.

Hunted is designed to keep you on your edge, danger is always following Atticus, Granuaile and Oberon and  you don't take that lightly when its some of the most powerful Gods behind you...... This book was everything I have come to love about the Iron Druid Chronicles, its intense action, its drama, the myths, legends & lores, the humor, the trivia..... and the most important the thrill of the chase...... Never dyll moment thanks to Mr. Hearne here.... never one second of dull.

"Exhilarating chase across the continent, the coming apocalypse and the alliance of the Gods. YOU CANNOT MISS IT"

Genre :     Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology, Adventure

Publisher: Del Ray

Release Date: 25th June, 2013

My Copy: Publisher and Netgalley

Rate:             4 /5 (Really Liked It)

Books in Series(review links):
         #1 Hounded

         #2 Hexed

         #3 Hammered
         #4 Tricked
         #4.5 Two Ravens and One Crow 
         #5 Trapped

         

Weather Witch #1 Weather Witch

An honest early review. Presenting Weather Witch #1 Weather Witch by Shannon Delany.

Here is the summary of the book:

In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets!

Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world!

But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

Its an intriguing premise and a plot of some good potentials but unlucky .... as I got confused with it after the starting chapters. Its not the plot per see but the way the story is written that left me befuddled from the start, making me go back every few pages to actually see in whose point of view this is happening (it changes a lot). Shannon Delany is an amazing author and i'm not mis-crediting her plot but the way it is presented really did it a disservice to the author.

Set in 1844 Philadelphia, there are weather witches who control the... well the weather. But being marked a witch is never good for social standings of a person and its a disaster waiting to happen if you are from a wealthy aristocrat family. This is Jordan Astrea's story. She is accused of being a weather witch and taken away to Holgate to be made.

While Jordan maybe full of attitude, it is her persistence throughout the story and how she faces the challenges hurled at her, always keeping a level head. Thats what mattered. Still I would have loved it more if it wasn't such a mess of different point of views.  I'd say maybe give it a try.... you might find something in it that I didn't.

"Weather Witch provides an okay tale of an alternate Philadelphia where witches are very much real"

Genre :      Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Steampunk

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: 25th June, 2013

My Copy:  Publisher and netgalley

Rate:              2/5 (It was Ok)