Days of Blood and Starlight and Giveaway by Jen Ryland/YA Romantics

GoodReads
528 pages, YA Fantasy
Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2

Synopsis:
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

To enter the giveaway to win a new release from November, Click Here!

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Tuesday is put on my Broke and Bookish.  Its a meme where we make a list of a top ten.

2013 is almost upon us and this particular Top Ten Tuesday is about all those books you are anticipating being released in 2013 that you just can't wait to get your hands on! I just keep adding them to my TBR list and am already trying to budgetize some into my spending plan (or who am I kidding, there is no spending plan, just spending). 
So without further ado: the Top Ten books (no particular order) I'm most pining for to be released in 2013!

Lots of red cover this year! My favorite color!

What books are you looking forward to in 2013?

2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge

Welcome to the 2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge hosted by Megan Likes Books andAuntie Spinelli Reads! There are so many awesome sub-genres of paranormal books, that it's easy to find one you like and stick with it. So that's why I decided to make a reading challenge with the goal of reading about all kinds of paranormal creatures.

The goal is to read one book featuring each of the following paranormal creatures:

Vampires
Werewolves/Shifters
Fey
Angels/Nephilim
Mermaids
Dragons
Zombies
Demons
Witches/Wizards
Ghosts
Aliens
Other (ie: sirens, unicorns, centaurs, timetravel etc.)

Guidelines:
1. This challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
2. You must have a blog to able to participate, since reviews must be added to the linky.
3. When you sign up with the linky, please put the link to your post about joining the Paranormal Reading Challenge.
4. You're welcome to list your books beforehand or just add as you go.
5. Sign-ups are open until December 1, 2013
6. At the beginning of each month, I will post a kick-start post, each month featuring a different category of paranormal creature. This post will also include a linky to include your reviews from that month.
7. Each review you link will qualify you for an entry into the monthy giveaway and if your review includes the feature paranormal creature of that month, you get a bonus entry.
8. Each book can only count for one category, even if it contains more than one paranormal creature. For example, Twilight contains both vampires and werewolves, but you can't use it for both the vampires and werewolves/shifters categories.
9. Everyone who completes the challenge will be entered into a grand prize giveaway at the end of the year.
10. If you read multiple books from one category, feel free to add them to the linkies. Don't stop at just one! 
11. Book can count for other challenges.

Each month, we'll be featuring one of the creatures on the list at both Megan Likes Books and Auntie Spinelli Reads.

January - Vampires
February - Angels/Nephilim
March - Fey 
April - Demons
May - Aliens
June - Zombies
July - Witches and Wizards
August - Mermaids
September - Dragons
October - Ghosts
November - Werewolves/Shape-shifters
December - Other



My Progress

January - Vampires

February - Angels/Nephilim

Born Wicked (magic)

Bad Taste in Boys (zombies)

The Goddess Inheritance  (mythology)

Unraveling  (Time travel)

Touch of Frost  (magic)

Bound   (magic)

Frost Fire  (demons)

Time's Twisted Arrow  (Time travel)

March - Fey

Surrender (magic, mythological creatures)

Sisters Red (werewolves)

Aura (magic)

Illuminate (angels)

Name of the Star (ghosts)

Finale (angels)

The Sweetest Dark (dragons)

Aurora Sky (vampires)

April - Demons

Boundless (angels)

Emblaze (angels)

Heaven (angels)

May - Aliens

Infatuate (angels)

Zom B (zombies)

Neferet's Curse (vampires)

School Spirits (magic)

Beautiful Redemption (magic)

Nightshade (werewolves)

Prophecy Girl (angels)

Unbreakable (time travel)

June - Zombies

Rot & Ruin (zombies)

You Are Mine (magic)

Dust & Decay (zombies)

Throne of Glass (magic)

1. July - Witches and Wizards
2. August - Mermaids
3. September - Dragons
4. October - Ghosts
5. November - Werewolves/Shape-shifters
6. December - Other

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

GoodReads
379 pages, YA Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
The Iron Fey, Call of the Forgotten #1

Synopsis:
Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My 2 cents: OMG, I forgot how much I love these books by Julie Kagawa!  Loved, loved, loved this book!

It was nice to have a new protaganist to root for.  Ethan is all grown up, and HOT.  He has developed into a bad ass of his own (or at least he acts like Mr. Tough Guy, as his love interest Kenzie likes to call him!) and has no intention of being the hero of this story.

But he slowly gets sucked into it, because of his new friends.  He's not as uncaring as he lets on!  I loved Kenzie, she was a perfect match for him!  We actually learned a lot about her in this book, which I liked.  Meghan, Ash, and Puck are not in very much of the story, but they do make appearances.  But instead of the Puck and Ash duo we get Ethan and Meghan and Ash's son, Kierran.  I read the entire story with a bid of trepidation on those two.  Why?  Read The Iron Legends to find out!  (It involves a prophecy between Ethan and Kierran!)

Overall, this was a fabulous story!  Fans of the Iron Fey will not be disappointed.  If you haven't read The Iron Fey series, its not a requirement to read this; but it will help you with the back story.  I give it 5 stars!

2013 Genre Variety Reading Challenge

This challenge is put on by A Daydreamer's Thoughts.  You can head over there to sign up!
Here is in the info on the challenge:

The challenge is to read books from different genres throughout the year. I have found that blogging has opened my eyes to so many genres that I would never have tried before, simply from recommendations, and the idea of this challenge is to keep that going. The challenge is to read a large variety of genres within one year.

Other Important Info;

• Runs from January 1st 2013 until December 31st 2013. Sign ups will be open until December 1st 2013.
• There are five levels to challenge yourself too. You may move up a level but not go down a level. These are all outlined below. Please mention in your sign up post which level you will aim for.
• The genres you choose to read are up to you. As long as every book is different, whichever genre you wish to read you can.
• Every month there will be a post on this blog to link up to your update post / review(s)
• There will be a giveaway at the end of the challenge, and maybe a few within the year but these are TBD.
• To sign up, you will need to write a post saying which level you are challenging yourself too and then use the linky list. Non-Bloggers may post in the comments of this post.
• Any book formats are accepted.
• Novellas and Novels are all accepted for this challenge.
• YA, NA and Adult books all count towards this challenge.
• New sub-genres are accepted. (for example, paranormal-romance, or historical-romance)

Levels;

• Careful; 6 different genres, 6 books
• Cautious; 12 different genres, 12 books
• Branching; 18 different genres, 18 books
• Avid Reader; 24 different genres, 24 books
• Champion; 30 different genres, 30 books

Categories;
This is just a list of the vast variety of genres you have to choose from. I have probably missed a lot, so feel free to branch off from this. These are just suggestions.

Contemporary
Historical
Paranormal
Fantasy
Romance
Sci-Fi
Crime
Thriller
Adventure
Non-Fiction
Women’s Fiction
Chick-Lit
Dystopian
Epic Fantasy
Western
Comedy
Horror
MANfiction
Self-Help
Biography
Auto-biography
Religious
Fairy Tales
Classics
Erotica
Short Stories
Travel Guides

---

I'm going for Avid Reader, which means 24 different genres!

My Progess
1. Dystopian-- Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
2.  Romance-- A Look of Love by Bella Andre
3.  Sci-Fi--Tempest by Julie Cross
4. Paranormal--Vanquished by Nancy Holder & Debbie Vigue
5. Contemporary-- Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
6. Short Stories-- Til the World Ends by Julie Kagawa

7. New Adult--Wait For You by J Lynn
8. Thriller--The Burning Time by JG Faherty
9. Childrens--The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
10. Fairy Tale Retellings--Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Rebel Heart by Moira Young

GoodReads
432 pages, YA dystopian
2nd book in the Dust Lands series

Synopsis:
It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion.

My 2 cents:  I would like to start out by saying, how much I loved Blood Red Road.  It was one of the best books I read this last year.  That being said, I did not like Rebel Heart near as much.  I had very high hopes for this book, and maybe that was part of the problem.

It starts off very good.  It really felt like a continuation of the story, and there was lots of drama with Saba and Lugh.  Both felt so out of place with each other after they had both changed so much.  I really felt like that was going to be the bulk of this book, it would have been fabulous if the author had explored it further.  But, no.  The unthinkable happens, first with Jack, then with Saba.  I don't want to give any spoilers, but I felt like throwing the book against the wall!   I'm all for our characters making mistakes, but both of them felt so out of character...it was hard to read!

By the end, a few things have gotten ironed out, but I had real trouble with sympathizing  with either character at that point.  I think both of them acted so selfish...I will probably read the last book just to see how the story comes out.  I almost gave it 3 stars, but most of the book was really good, so  I ended up giving it 4 stars.

What Are You Reading Monday? #8

What are you reading Monday is put on by Book Journey.  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!



Books I finished last week

 Books I reviewed (Click on the title to link to the review)

Half Blood by Jennifer L Armentrout 

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa



Books on my To Read pile for the week

What are you reading?