Book trailer!

I recently read a book called 'Familiar Origins' by B. Pine. I loved it! It's like...Harry Potter meets Eragon. What's not to love, right? Anyways, I recently found out that there is now a book trailer for 'Familiar Origins' and I decided that I had to share it with everyone! : ) Without further adieu, here it is:


I'm eagerly awaiting word on the next book in the series...even though 'Familiar Origins' just came out! I still can't wait to read the next one! You can check out more on B. Pine's brillant saga on her site here: http://www.dracawards.com/

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren.

The books I received this week are:

ARC:

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel


RAK (Random Act of Kindness):

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

What did you receive in your mailbox this week?

Fridays Book Blogger Hop

Friday Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books.

This weeks question is:

"What book-to-movie adaption have you most liked? Which have you disliked?"

That's a difficult one to answer ha ha. I have to go right to Harry Potter because it's my favorite series. But, I also really like the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I loved it so much! I'm not sure what other ones there are. I like It by Stephen King, the movie adaptation...and uhhh yeah, I guess that's it ha ha. That's all I can think of at the moment anyways. I will state that I love, LOVE, books way more than I love the movie adaptations of them. That's not to say I don't love a good movie but I'd prefer a book over a movie. Can't wait to read everyones answers! Don't forget to leave your links! : )

Evernight by Caludia Gray

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 336 Pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 978-0-06-128439-7

My Rating: 4/5

Bianca wants to escape. She's been uprooted from her small town and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.
Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and wants Bianca to be careful-even when it comes to caring about him.
"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart...and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

I have to start off by saying that I gave 'Evenight' a 4/5 but only because the beginning was a little slow for me. That's not to say nothing was going on, because it was. I just had a hard time getting into it. Around the 100th page though, I was completely hooked. From that point on, 'Evernight' deserves a higher rating than 4/5. Unfortunately, I don't rate on parts of books, I rate the whole thing. That being said, 'Evernight' was still an amazing book! It's kind of like a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet. I loved it!

The story is told through Bianca who is starting at Evernight Academy. One thing I have to admit, I never read the back of a book because I don't want anything to be given away when I read. I like everything to be a surprise and, trust me, 'Evernight' is full of them! Bianca is an easily likable character, she's a little more upbeat then most of the other characters and she's tough. She doesn't fit right into Evernight Academy, but she isn't a total outcast either. Gray has a unique writing style that sets her book apart from the hundreds of other supernatural, YA novels.

I don't want to give too much away about the series...or at least book one. I think it's absolutely worth reading. Everyone, at some point, should check out the 'Evernight' series. It's fabulous! I don't have the rest of the books in the series yet but I can't wait to get them and find out what happens!

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 320 Pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN-13:978-0-312-53275-8

My Rating: 5/5

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school-but everything changes when she meets Dame Auguste.
Damen is gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head-wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is-or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

'Evermore' by Alyson Noel is amazing! I've only read book one so far and I'm already hooked. I love it! It's highly addictive. I devoured almost the entire book in one go. It's immaculate! I can honestly say, I can't think of a single thing I didn't like about 'Evermore' except that it had to end! Luckily, I got into this series late and there are already a ton of books out for me to read! So I can't wait to dive into 'Blue Moon.'

'Evermore' is about a sixteen year old girl named Ever. She has a death experience, she comes back, and, ever since then, she's been haunted and tormented by the constant onslaught of thoughts, seeing ghosts, and viewing people's auras. She meets a boy named Damen who is more perfect than perfect. Sound familiar? It should. 'Evermore' is similar to all the other poplular YA books like Twilight and Fallen. This book has some distinct qualities that set it apart from all those other books though. And that's what really drew me in. I loved the characters which plays a major part in whether or not I'll like a book. And I usually know early on when reading a book whether or not I'll like it. I knew by the end of Chapter 1 that I would love 'Evermore.'

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Twilight, Fallen, Hush Hush, or any of those books. A lot of complaints that I've seen from people who have read 'Evermore' is that it's very similar to Twilight. I don't really feel like it is. Like I said, 'Evermore' has it's own, very distinct, qualities that set it apart from all the rest and it's absolutely worth reading. You should definitely, definitely, check it out if you haven't yet!

Familiar Origins Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Familiar Origins giveaway is:

Donna McBroom!

Congratulations Donna!! : ) You can expect to receive your copy of 'Familiar Origins' along with lots of swag in the next couple of weeks! I know that you'll love it, it's going to be an amazing series! And a HUGE thanks to the fabulous author, B, for letting me host an interview with her and the giveaway!

Friday Book Blogger Hop

Friday Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy for Books.

"If you were given the chance to spend one day in a fictional world (from a book), which book would it be from and what would that place be?"

If I had the opportunity to spend a day in any, ANY fictional world....that's a tough question. I totally want to cop out and say I'd spend the day at Hogwarts because that would be incredible! lol. But, I won't say that....How about...I'd love to spend the day in the Vampire Academy....yeah, that would be amazing! Alright...maybe Hogwarts would be better....or I could go into Familiar Origins! That would be an experience worth living. I'd love to be able to meet the characters from that book...see the dragons..live at the school. Hmm...that's a really tough question for me. Can't I just hang out in all of them? ha ha. What book would you live in for the day?

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway, there's only a few days left! Just click here. : )

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly even hosted by Breaking the Spine.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick this week is:

Witches of East End
by Melissa De La Cruz
Publication: June 21st 2011

From Amazon:

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

What book are you most anticipating this week?

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway while you're here! There's only a few days left to enter! Just click here! : )

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 128 Pages

Publisher: Children's High Level Group

ISBN: 978-0-7475-9987-6

My Rating: 5/5

The Tales of Beedle the Bard contains five richly diverse fairy tales, each with its own magical character, that will variously bring delight, laughter and the thrill of mortal peril.
Additional notes for each story penned by Professor Albus Dumbledore will be enjoyed by Muggles and wizards alike, as the Professor muses on the morals illuminated by the tales, and reveals snippets of information about life at Hogwarts.

'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is a short, five story, fairy tale book by J.K. Rowling. It fits in nicely with the Harry Potter series, especially the final book 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.' It's a great book for kids, at least the fairy tales. In between each fairy tale, there are "notes by Albus Dumbledore." It's basically all his thoughts, or the "real" story. And in there, since the book is not written for muggles, Rowling add's little footnotes and explanations to things that us muggles might not understand.

The five stories in 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' are:
-The Wizard and the Hopping Pot
-The Fountain of Fair Fortune
-The Warlock's Hairy Heart
-Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump
    and
-The Tale of the Three Brothers
Out of the five tales within the book, The Tale of the Three Brothers is probably the most popular, as it was recited by Hermione Granger for 'The Deathly Hallows.'

If you're a fan of the Harry Potter series, then this is a must have! I absolutely love it. The tales are good for kids but the notes from Albus Dumbledore make it suitable to an older audience. Also included in the books, are illustrations by J.K. Rowling, which I thought was pretty neat. It's a great little sidekick to have to go along with the 'Harry Potter' series.

Wereling by Steve Feasey

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 288 Pages

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

ISBN: 978-0-312-56912-5

My Rating: 3/5

Fourteen year-old Trey Laporte was "just a kid." Not anymore. Not after the day he wakes up in agony-retina splitting, vomit-inducing agony. His clothes are torn. His room is trashed.
Now, demons are closing in on every side, and the most psychopathic bloodsucker to rock the Netherworld wants to destroy him. And Trey is falling for a girl who is half vampire, half human, and insanely pretty. Above all, Trey must face one terrifying question: Is he a boy...or is he a werewolf?

I'm not really sure where to start with my review for 'Wereling' by Steve Feasey. I loved it in the beginning. It was so good and had such an amazing build up. It came highly recommended to me so I was expecting more. However, by the end of the book I found myself disinterested. I really liked some of the characters-like Trey-but was completely unaffected by others. At one point, there is a traumatic thing that happens to one of the main characters, but I didn't react to it...at all. I just read right past it and then went, "oh! Someone died?" which probably isn't a good thing. That's not to say, however, that 'Wereling' was bad. It certainly wasn't. Feasey is a great writer and wrote a very good story. I think parts just dragged a little and it got less interesting the farther into it I got.

The story is about Trey Laporte. He's fourteen years old and an orphan. He lives in an orphanage for only a few hours of the book as he is "rescued" by Lucien, a friendly vampire who was a friend of his parents. In a short time Trey receives a ton of bad information. He was rescued by a vampire, he's a werewolf, his parents were murdered....by Lucien's brother. So, the whole book is Trey working through his anxiety, having a couple demon run ins and falling in love with Lucien's daughter, Alexa. I don't see the relationship build up there. It seemed like, all of a sudden he was just like "I love her" but there was no reason to. Alexa is just a normal person who knows a few magic spells taught to her by her sorceress mother. I thought it was a little odd that she was....normal? Her dad's a vampire, her mom's a witch. There has to be something there right? Maybe it will be revealed at a later time!

All in all 'Wereling' was a decent read. I'd say it's worth checking out when you have some free time or you're all caught up on other reading you want to do and you're looking for something to check out. Like I said, it's got a good premise, huge build up, some great characters, but the story line was lacking a little....and it was a little slow. Has anyone else read 'Wereling' yet? I'm very interested to see what other people thought of it.

Author Interview and giveaway!

I want to start off by saying a huge thank you to B, she's been incredibly kind to me and I love 'Familiar Origins' so it was amazing for me to do this interview! : )

1.   Where did your inspirations come from when writing Familiar Origins? 
My inspiration came from the time I lived in England. Learning about medieval history and visiting castles and cathedrals gave me many ideas for short stories. I am also fascinated by dragons. After I returned to the US, I came up with the plot of Familiar Origins out of a group of short stories I had written over the course of a few years.

2. Besides writing, what other things do you enjoy doing?
I like reading. Fantasy and Science Fiction are my favorite genres, but I’m open to reading anything. Unfortunately most of my reading lately involves research for my stories. I also like to garden, but no one would believe that if they caught a glimpse of my backyard right now!

3. While writing 'Familiar Origins' did you ever have any kind of writer's block? If so, how did you overcome that?
I never had writer’s block for that particular book. I wrote ‘Familiar Origins’ while I was working full time and finishing up college, so I would write whenever I had a few free hours, and I always had tons of ideas and scenes in my head just waiting to end up in my word processor.  I do get writer’s block at times; when that happens all I can do is just set it aside for a week or two and move to another writing project. But a good workout on my elliptical machine has broken down more than one writer’s block spell for me.

4. Is there any messages that you would like to convey to your readers and/or fans?
Yes!  Thank you for giving my book a chance, and I promise there is much more to follow.

5. Is there anything in particular that you have to have with you while you are writing?
I must have music playing while I write. It doesn’t matter what kind of music. I will listen to just about anything.

6. Is there a certain character that you enjoyed writing about more than the rest?
Galen is the character I have the most fun writing about. I love them all, but Galen’s point of view is a bit different from the rest. Being one of the younger characters, she looks up to the others, and sees things in a more innocent light, at least for now. And sometimes she seems to have more common sense than the older characters. But she is still very much a young girl; even though she is so incredibly powerful, talented and courageous, she is also a little insecure, ingenuous and a bit of a crybaby. I like the challenge of balancing those characteristics in her.

7. Are you currently working on anything else?
Most of my writing time is going into this series. I have a science fiction story I am also working on, but I have not even finished the first draft yet, so I am not sure if I will look into having it published. I am also writing backstories about some of the supporting characters in ‘Familiar Origins’ as well.

8. Finish this sentence: "I can't live without..."
COFFEE! I was going to say chocolate but I have gone several days without it in the past. I can’t say the same for coffee.

9. You’re clearly passionate about writing (it shows in your work), is there anything else that you are equally as passionate about?
I have been thinking about this question for a bit, and I have to say no, nothing comes close to the feeling I get when I start writing and end up with a story out of basically nothing except an idea and a few prompts. I like doing other things, like playing video games, growing flowers and veggies, and cooking, but really, it doesn’t compare to writing.

10. Do you enjoy reading? If so, what are your favorite books?
I do enjoy reading. I don’t think I would have started writing if I didn’t read as much as I do (or did). As I mentioned before, Fantasy and Sci-Fi are my favorite reads. My favorite books are the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan. I would recommend them to anyone. It’s a wonderful saga!

11. What's a normal day like for you when you are writing a book?
That is a great question. Most of my writing happens at night. I am home with two preschoolers, and I have a teenager as well, so there’s not much time for day writing. Sometimes in the afternoon I can take an hour or so and sit at the computer, but usually I am doing other things. My writing time is usually between 10:30PM and 1AM. Saturday nights I will pull a late night or sometimes an all-nighter, if I’m not too exhausted. And some Sundays my husband will take charge of the kids and I can spend Sunday afternoon on the computer. But mostly the writing stuff I do during the day is either research, editing, or revising. The creative stuff comes out at night.

12. Are any of the characters in 'Familiar Origins' based off of yourself or anyone else that you know?
No, the characters pretty much developed on their own as I wrote the story. There is only one character that I can say I came up with based on another character. The king in The Thirteenth Warrior gave me the idea for Ben at first. And Ben was originally supposed to be the central character in the book, but as the story developed, a different character took over as the central figure, which I found amazing, even as I wrote it. But none of the other characters were truly based on anyone, real or fictional.

Now for the giveaway!

Courtesy of the ever fabulous B. Pine, I am giving away an amazing prize pack of:

• A copy of 'Familiar Origins' signed by B. Pine and the illustrator!
• A bookmark and a promotional postcard signed by the author and illustrator
• A 4x6 magnet of the cover art of 'Familiar Origins'

Rules of the contest:

-You must be at least 13 to enter

-Contest is open to the US and Canada only, sorry guys!

-You DO NOT have to be a follower but it is greatly appreciated.

-Contest deadline is May 21st

To enter the contest, simply go here and fill out the form.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick this week is:

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Release Date: May 31st 2011

from Goodreads:

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Flip by Martyn Bedford

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 272 Pages

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73990-0

My Rating: 5/5

One morning fourteen-year-old Alex wakes up to find himself in the wrong bedroom, in an unfamiliar house, in a different part of the country. six months have disappeared overnight. The family at the breakfast table are total strangers.
And when he looks in the mirror, another boy's face stares back. A boy named Flip. Alex may be trapped forever inside a body that belongs to someone else.

I absolutely, positively, loved 'Flip' by Martyn Bedford. It was so compelling that I had an exceedingly difficult time putting it down. I thought about it a lot. And I'm still thinking about it now that I've stopped reading it. It's such a powerful and emotional story. It's beautiful in so many ways-writing, story, characters. In one word, Fabulous!

'Flip' is about a boy named Alex...who turns out to be Flip. Alex is the "psyche" of one boy (himself) trapped inside the body of another boy, Flip-Philip Garamond. Alex has no idea what happened or how it happened. One day he was Alex, living with his family, an average kid. The next day, he wakes up as Flip, the polar opposite of his former self. Alex plays on the chess team, plays the Clarinet, has one friend named David and he's never kissed a girl let alone had a girlfriend. Flip, however, has hundreds of friends, he's on the cricket team, has two girlfriends, your typical high school jock. The story is all about Alex's struggles to maintain his new life as Flip while trying to figure out what happened, and how to fix it. One thing about books, is that people reactions to life altering events (such as Alex & Flip) never react the way I think. Like, when someone sees a talking animal there just like, "wow, that cat talked" but in 'Flip' their reactions to these events are realistic. Vomit inducing, stressful, real reactions. 'Flip' is an amazing story!

I think that everyone should absolutely, without a doubt, read Flip. It's incredible. I love Bedford's style and I sincerely hope to see a lot more from him in the future! If you have checked out 'Flip' already, I'm curious to hear what you think, so let me know! : ) I, for one, love it!!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren.

This week I received:

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

Can't wait to see what everyone else got in their mailboxes this week! : )

Friday Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy for Books.

This week's question is:

"Which book blogger would you most like to meet in real life?"

Ummm...there are a lot I'd like to meet. Normally I would have picked a particular blogger but she is....not as friendly as I thought. So, I'm going to name a few and they would be: The BookSoulmates because they are super nice, helpful and I love their blog. Another one is B. Pine, she's an author she wrote Familiar Origins (amazing book!), but she also blogs so I think she counts...right? lol. I'd love to meet her. She has to be one of the nicest people that I've met through blogging. Plus, she wrote one of my favorite books! : ) In all honesty though, my list of bloggers that I'd like to meet because they are such amazing people is quite extensive. I think I'd want to meet almost every single one of them! : )

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 304 Pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 978-0-06-154791-1

My Rating:3/5

Sixteen-year old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.
The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home-one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

'Steel' is my first Carrie Vaughn book. I was so excited to read it because it's about pirates and I love pirates! Although I gave 'Steel' a 3/5, I will still definitely be checking out more of her work because I love the way she writes. Everything flows together very smoothly. However, I was dissapointed with the book a little. I thought it would be more..."real-life" pirate like. Filled with tons of pillaging, booty, and fights. There was only really one fight and that was at the very end. And it didn't even take place between the main character (Jill) and the bad guy (Edmund Blane). There was no real pillaging. These pirates weren't even what my idea of pirates are. They are like, the robin hood of pirates. They free slaves from ships, they don't go pillaging, nothing. That was my biggest dissapointment with 'Steel'.

The storty takes place through a young girl named Jill. She's a teenage fencer. She loses a match-by a mere second-and naturally becomes sulky and depressed about the whole thing. She finds the tip of a rapier on the beach whil on vacation, and is sent back in time when she falls in the ocean with it. The pirates who find her rescue her, and take her on as a crew member on their boat, the Diana. The Captain is the "pirate queen" Marjory Cooper. IT's all a very good premise for an amazing book. I do love the story, it was fantastic. But, the lack of pirate-ness ruined it for me. Also, there were amazing set-ups that never went anywhere. The whole time I read 'Steel' I thought something magical would happen between Henry and Jill. It just felt like...he was there, they were friends, and then all of a sudden, she HAD to kiss him and that was it. Nothing. Jill is a likable character, so is Henry, Blane, Abe, all of them. They are all amazing characters.

Not everything about 'Steel' was bad. There was an incredible story line. There were some believable characters. But, the book, over all, left me wanting more. Which is never good. Unless it's a series and there will be a sequel. This is a stand alone book though. I will definitely be checking out more by Carrie Vaughn because, as I said, incredible writer. I just am not overly enthusiastic about 'Steel'. I would still recommend that people read it because it really has an amazing story. And, I might have been anticipating it so much, that it ruined it for me.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Bought:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

From Random Buzzers:

Flip by Martyn Bedford

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

For Review:

My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond

R.A.K. April 2011

For those of you who don't know, RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) is hosted by the Book Soulmates. It's an amazing thing really. There are a lot of people that sign up on there. Anyways, I got one book. I received:



An ebook version of Switched by Amanda Hocking form Ivy...I'm not sure if she has a blog because she didn't mention it...

I haven't gotten a chance to read this yet because I don't have an ereader but I plan on reading it soon on the computer! : ) So, thank you so much Ivy!! Can't wait to see everyone else's RAK!