The Unfailing Light (Katerina, #2) by Robin Bridges, Tour Stop + Book Review

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

Title: The Unfailing Light
Author: Robin Bridges
Publisher: Random House Children's Books (Delacorte Press)
Pages: 400
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Rating: 4/5

Let me start off this review by saying a huge thank you to Random House for letting me take part in this blog tour. Hope you enjoy reading my review!

It was revealed in the prequel, THE GATHERING STORM, that Katerina, a royal Russian, has a very dark, sinister gift...or is it a curse? Katerina's secret ability is to communicate, raise, and command the dead, and she can either use her talents for good...or evil.

One of the things I look for in every single book I read is a strong, independent female protagonist who isn't afraid to do things on her own, and Katerina is just that. She is so strong-willed and knows exactly what she wants, and doesn't let a man control her, which is odd in such a male-dominated culture, especially in Imperial Russia in the year 1888.

Speaking of Imperial Russia, let's talk about the setting of this trilogy: St. Petersburg, Russia, during the Imperial Age (1888). The setting makes for an amazing atmosphere. With most books set in the United States present day, it was a breath of fresh air to be transportation back in time to a foreign country.

I was kept guessing whodunit until the very end, which is very strange for me because I can usually pick up on who's wreaking all the havoc from the beginning, but Bridges wrote so much action, adventure, mystery, and magick into her book that you pretty much just had to "live in the moment."

I highly recommend The Gathering Storm and The Unfailing Light to lovers of YA paranormal romance. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Buy the book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-katerina-trilogy-vol-ii-robin-bridges/1111303785

Here is the complete list of the stops on the tour. Don't forget to drop by!
~September 25th: Casey’s Crew
~September 26th: Much Ado About Books
~September 26th: The Streetlight Reader
~September 27th: Infinite Reads
~September 28th: The Hiding Spot
~September 29th: Girls *Heart* Books
~October 1st: Mom Reads My Books
~October 2nd: Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
~October 2nd: The Book Review Club
~October 3rd: The Book Review Club
~October 4th: Kimba Caffeinated
~October 4th: My Life is a Notebook
~October 5th: My Life is a Notebook
~October 6th: Candace’s Book Blog
~October 7th: Reader Girls
~October 8th: Bookish
~October 8th: Peace, Love, Books
~October 9th: YA Bibliophile
~October 9th: Reader Girls
~October 10th: Wastepaper Prose
~October 10th: Imaginary Reads
~October 11th: Imaginary Reads
~October 12th: Well Read Wife
~October 15th: Libby Blog
~October 16th: Cracking the Cover
~October 17th: A Bookish Libraria
~October 18th: A Novel Review
~October 19th: In the Best Worlds
~October 20th: Tripping Over Books

Vanished (1-800-WHERE-R-YOU, #1-2) by Meg Cabot, Book Review

A gift…or a curse? Jessica Mastriani has never liked attention. All she wants is to make it to high school graduation like any ordinary girl. But when Jess is struck by lightning, she becomes anything but ordinary: suddenly she has the ability to locate missing children. Now Jess is getting noticed in all the wrong ways and by all the wrong people. The media is obsessed with her and her story. The FBI is tapping her phone. And what’s going on with sexy senior Rob? Soon Jess learns the hard way that not everyone who is lost wants to be found…. With no one to trust, it's up to Jess to decide what to do with her new power—before it’s decided for her.

Title: Vanished, Volume 1
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 560
Release Date: June 28, 2011
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5

I read these books (WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES and CODE NAME CASSANDRA) when they were published as the 1-800-Where-R-You series and when I found out the books were being reprinted into two convenient volumes, I was psyched. I love Meg Cabot's YA paranormal books so I had high hopes for Vanished, Volume 1. From the first page, there is nonstop action. Cabo creatively and smoothly builds her world while making it fast paced and action packed. Vanished tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl named Jessica "Jess" Mastriani who has numerous "issues," one of them being self-control problems. After an altercation at school, Jess is punished with detention an is walking home afterwards with her best friend Ruth when a storm break out and the two girls take shelter underneath a stand of metal bleachers--asinine, I know.

While waiting out the storm, Jess is struck by lightnig and wakes up the next morning with the psychic ability to locate missing children. After that, a ton of drama follows and a string of action and adventure pursues.

I really enjoyed this book. Jess felt very real and I could definitely relate to her, and I loved her voice. She was very humorous and "smart ass" and for that, I loved her. I also fell in love with Rob, Jess's totally hot senior crush--he's a bad boy who only opens up to that one person--and that one person happens to be Jess. How swoon-worthy is that? The only character I really didn't like was Ruth, and I wished Jess would have told her to shut up at a dozen different times throughout the book.

From the very first page, Jess was getting into more and more trouble and at one point takes on an entire army base and blows up a helicopter. If that doesn't make you want to read Vanished, I don't know what will.

Buy the book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vanished-books-one-two-meg-cabot/1102494217?ean=9781442406292

Fated (Soul Seekers, #1) by Alyson Noël, Book Review

The first book in a magnificent new series about a girl who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead by #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël.

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

Title: Fated
Author: Alyson Noël
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Rating: 4/5

I am a huge fan of Alyson Noël! I fell in love with her writing when I read the Immortals series, and I have been hooked ever since.  Noël has the ability to transport her readers into parallel worlds that are hard to forget once you finish the book, which she exhibited in the Immortals and Fated followed in its footsteps. 

Fated tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl named Daire Santos who travels from place to place with her make-up artist mother working on movie sets.  Daire has a glamorous life and is constantly surrounded by the rich and famous--but she wants more.  After a string of paranormal accidents, Daire is shipped off to live with her estranged grandmother in dusty Enchantment, New Mexico where she discovers that she isn't the normal teenage girl she thought, but a powerful Soul Seeker destined to defeat her evil enemies and save the world from death, darkness, and destruction.

Let's talk about the plot...I LOVED it.  Noël was inspired to write the Soul Seekers series after doing research for the Immortals series, and while some of the themes in Fated were similar to the ones in the Immortals, Fated is totally unique and exciting!  The characters in Fated was pretty much the only thing that disappointed me.  I felt as if so much development and focus was on Daire and Paloma (Daire's Seeker grandmother) that the supporting characters (Dace, the love interest; Cade, the villain; and Xochitl, the best friend) were kind of left out.  They felt kind of one-dimensional for me, but the Soul Seekers is a four-book series, so I'm sure Noël will develop them in the future. Even though she didn't receive as much development as I'd hoped, I still loved Xochitl--she is really sweet, and I wish she was real!  The setting of Fated is, as stated above, Enchantment, New Mexico which consists of adobe houses, coyote fences, dusty plains, caucuses, and tumbleweeds...and that's pretty much it.  At first glance, the desert may seem like a dull setting but Noël had tons of mystical forces at work, and the drab desert was instantly turned into a fantastical landscape.

I really enjoyed Fated, and I hope you do, too!

Buy the book:
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Amazon

The Summer Essentials Blog Tour

Professional ghost hunter Stacey Graham’s new book, The Girl’s Ghost Hunting Guide, will help pre-teen readers identify the creepy crawlers from the spooky spirits, the howling winds from the haunting phantoms. A paranormal investigator for over 20 years, she has as much experience with ghosts as she does with skeptical teenagers – she is the mother of five daughters.
The Girl’s Ghost Hunting Guide is filled with workbook pages, ghost stories, quizzes, sidebars, and interviews with ghost hunters, this illustrated guidebook gives girls the tools to safely explore the unknown using everyday household items and teaches them to rely on their own strengths, deductive reasoning, and senses to discover the paranormal beings among us. Part practical, part educational, and all-around fun Graham introduces tween girls to a world beyond our own. Check out Stacey’s website for more information: http://www.girlsghosthuntingguide.com/ 

You can also check out the Phantom Party Guide here: http://www.sourcebooks.com/images/stories/docs/PDFS/GhostHunting-Activities.pdf

In the first book of the series, Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings, Jade discovers she is even more different than the typical teenage girl. She is a mermaid! After her dad swears her to secrecy, Jade must risk her blossoming romance with Luke and friendship with best friend Moe in order to rescue her mermaid mother from her captures …all by herself.

In Real Mermaids Don’t Hold Their Breath, Jade begins her summer confused. I mean, more confused than wondering whether today will be a “leg day” or a “tail day”. Jade’s got even bigger problems this time around. It’s been three weeks since her Mom (incidentally also a mermaid) returned to the ocean and Jade has no news of her whereabouts. Plus, and more importantly, it’s been twenty-one whole days since Jade first kissed her mer-boy Luke and now—nothing. NOTHING.

Will Jade’s Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And if she does, what will happen then? And WHY is Luke acting so weird? Boy Drama plus Water Drama? It’s going to be a choppy ride.

Now that you've learned a little bit about Jade, read on for more about Hélène...!

Top Five Summer Splashin’ Activities

Discover Hélène’s favorite summer activities – all involving water of course. Make sure to get your swimsuit ready!

I grew up on a small island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean so splishy-splashy summer activities are some of my favourite things to do.  Here are my top five summer splashin’ activities!

1. SURFING

I am so bad at surfing and have only ever managed to stand on my board about three times in my life but it is so much fun to get out there and catch a few waves even if you’re like me and all you can manage is getting up on your knees. This day, it was only 13 C/ 55 F and the water was even chillier. Thank goodness for wet suits!

2. SAND CASTLE BUILDING

My family and I stay at an ocean side cottage every summer and try to schedule our stay during the annual Sandcastle Building Competition. We came in FIRST last year and plan on defending our title again this summer. Jade the mermaid has even been known to make an appearance!

3. WHALE WATCHING

Creatures of the sea have always amazed me (obviously!) so if you ever get the chance—don’t pass up an opportunity to go whale watching. It’s so magical!

Last time, we even discovered a sea cave. I wonder what’s hiding in there…

4. RACE!

I joke that I once came in 141^st in a race with 140 competitors and that’s not very far from the truth. I am slow. VERY slow. But I love competing in races at least once a summer. These days I usually do walking half marathons (my best time is 3:01 hrs—a glacial pace) but I’ve also been known to do short triathlons. Swimming is probably my worst leg of the race but it’s a great way to cool down for the biking and running part. This is my ‘I’m so glad THAT’S over’ face.

5. SNOWBALL FIGHTS

Yup, you read that correctly. When you live within driving distance of a dozen hockey arenas like do, there’s nothing like loading up the back of the truck with Zamboni snow and dumping it in your front yard for an instant pile of chilly summer fun. Snowball fight!

ADDITIONAL INFO:

You can find Hélène on Twitter, Facebook and on her Website.

*I would like to thank Stacey Graham (author of THE GIRL'S GHOST HUNTING GUIDE) and Hélène Boudreau (author of REAL MERMAID'S DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS and REAL MERMAID'S DON'T HOLD THEIR BREATH) as well as Sourcebooks for including me on this blog tour--I had a lot of fun, and will definitely be trying out some of those Summer Splashin' Activities!

Underworld (Abandon, #2) by Meg Cabot, Book Review

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, the dark reimagining of the Persephone myth begun in ABANDON continues ... into the Underworld.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn't dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

Her captor, John Hayden, claims it's for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they've come back as Furies, intent on vengeance . . . on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.

But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there . . . and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.

And unless Pierce is careful, this time there'll be no escape.

Title: Underworld
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Point
Pages: 320
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4/5

Underworld picks up right where the first installment, Abandon, left off.  We last saw Pierce and John escaping into the Underworld together to save Pierce from the Furies who want to see her dead--for good this time, but Pierce is convinced that the Furies are going to harm her family and friends back on the earth plane where they live unprotected, in the realm of the living.  After much pleading with her true love John, he agrees to help Pierce rescue her cousin, Alex, after receiving a macabre video on her cell phone (aka "magic mirror").  Pierce and John return to the earth plane on a daring rescue mission...and then all hell breaks loose.

I absolutely adored the first novel, Abandon, and Underworld did not disappoint me.  From page one, I was hooked by the mystery of John's past and the love that he and Pierce share.  I enjoyed the fast-paced action and adventure--there was never a dull moment in Underworld.  Whether encountering evil, demonic Furies or vengeful, psychotic grandmothers, Cabot continually kept the ball rolling, and I was thrilled until the very end.

There was a lot of character development in Underworld--in the first book, Pierce was adjusting to her life after dying, coming back to life, and being shipped off to live with her mother in Florida after a mysterious accident in Connecticut, and Pierce seemed much more mature and intelligent in this book.  Pierce is one of my favorite heroines of all time--she's smart, independent, and brave, and that's what makes her so appealing to me.  John Hayden, Pierce's immortal boyfriend, also grew up a lot in many ways--I enjoyed how Cabot combined real-life characteristics of modern day relationships with the traditions of nineteenth-century affairs (which is the time area in which John lived before being named as keeper of the Underworld.)

I highly recommend the Abandon trilogy for fans of paranormal romance, or simply anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, thrilling love story retelling one of the darkest Greek myths of all time--the myth of Persephone.

Buy Abandon (Abandon, #1):
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Amazon

Buy Underworld (Abandon, #2):
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Amazon

Kirsten Miller Interview-6/12/12

1. Tell me about your books The Eternal Ones and All You Desire. How did you come up with those story angles or ideas?

I always describe these books as thrillers about the mystery of love. They’re rather dark, twisted tales in which most of the heroes and villains believe they’ve been reincarnated. The  series began with a single thought: What if we’ve lived other lives?

I wouldn’t say I’m a believer, but I do think reincarnation offers an interesting explanation for a remarkable number of life’s little mysteries. . . .Why do we feel instantly drawn to certain people—and repelled by others? Why do some of us long for places we’ve never visited? How can little children possess unusual talents or inexplicable phobias? Why do some people believe they were born into the wrong bodies? Why do we all experience déjà vu?

But there was one little “mystery” I was particularly keen to address in the Eternal Ones series. Why do so many of us believe in love at first sight?


2. How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (YA-lit)?
I didn’t set out to write YA books. I still don’t feel like I write books for a particular audience. I always write to amuse myself. It’s the only way I’m able to stay interested in my work. Writing can be a grueling endeavor, and if I’m not personally interested in the story I’m telling, I know it’s going to come through in my books.


3. What kind of research did you do for this series?
I guess you could say I spent my whole life researching these books. I’ve been fascinated by the subject of reincarnation since I was a kid. I’ve read countless books on the subject. So when it came time to sit down and write this series, I really didn’t need to do much additional research.


4. What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
When I’m feeling inspired, I can write for eight to ten hours straight. When I’m not feeling inspired, I force myself to stay put until I’m feeling inspired again. (That’s the hard part.)

I write at a desk in my home office. I always wear earplugs so my concentration won’t be broken. One of my biggest splurges in recent years was purchasing a top-quality desk chair. If you sit on your butt for eight hours a day, a good chair is essential. I drink copious amounts of coffee and almost always forget to have lunch.

When I’m working on a book, I try to write a thousand words a day. Sometimes I manage to surpass that goal, and sometimes I fall short. But I always follow the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given . . . I don’t call it a day unless I’m at a place in the story where I know exactly what happens next.


5. What is the hardest part of writing for you?
The isolation.


6. What’s the best thing about being an author?
Meeting and hearing from readers. Never be afraid to send your favorite author a note. It helps us remember why we do what we do.


7. What are you working on now?
I have two books that are at different stages of the editing process. And I’m just getting started on a new novel (my seventh). I’m a big fan of ghost stories and horror novels, and this new book will be a bit of both.


8. What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Writing isn’t supposed to be easy. So don’t get discouraged if a story or book is making you suffer a bit. That’s part of the process. Sometimes the hardest books to write are the most fun to read.


9. Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?
Michael Chabon (The Mysteries of Pittsburgh), Philip K. Dick (collected stories), Angela Carter (Wise Children), Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre)

10. What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Q: What are the three most inspirational things you’ve seen in the past year?
A: The masks on the mannequins at the Alexander McQueen show at the MET. The clove of garlic that was hurled at my bum by the ghost that shares my apartment with me. An untitled work by the painter Mark Rothko at the Museum of Modern Art.

11. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
I Made It All Up

Flash Questions:
1) If you could trade places with a person for a single day, who would it be and why?
Anyone who can really belt out a tune. But I’ll go left-field and say Debbie Harry back in the Blondie days. The lady had some serious style. And I bet she had a really good time.


2) What was the last movie you saw?
I watched Dream House last night. It’s a ghost story (though not a terribly good one) and I considered it research for my next project.


3) What is your biggest TV addiction?
Any show about Bigfoot. And Downtown Abbey. Ha.


4) Guilty pleasure?
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to refuse to feel guilty about enjoying any of life’s little pleasures. Particularly cheese.


5) Fruits or veggies?
Avocados. The missing link.

6) Favorite childhood toy?
Books.


7) What did you have for breakfast this morning?
What I always have. A Cliff Bar and coffee.

Bloody Valentine (Blue Bloods, #5.5) by Melissa de la Cruz, Book Review

 

The Blue Bloods have powers beyond human comprehension: strength that defies logic, speed that cannot be captured on film, the ability to shapeshift, and more. But in matters of the heart, no one, not even these immortal vampires, has total control. In Bloody Valentine, a companion novella to the best-selling Blue Bloods series, author Melissa de la Cruz delves deep into the love lives of the all-powerful vamps from New York’s Upper East Side – Schuyler and Jack's passion for each other, Mimi and Kingsley's tangled romantic history, and even a possible cure for Oliver’s heartbreak in the form of a witchy new girl.

In both prose and verse, Bloody Valentine reveals the undying love, the hope and devastation, and the lust and longing that have defined the Blue Bloods throughout history. Prepare to be swept off your feet.

Title: Bloody Valentine

Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 160
Release Date: December 28, 2010
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4/5

I've been a long-time fan of the Blue Bloods series--Melissa de la Cruz is one of my favorite authors, and I love her rendition of the ancient myth of vampires.  Bloody Valentine is a Blue Bloods novella, which takes place in between Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods, #5) and Lost in Time (Blue Bloods, #6). I really enjoyed seeing Oliver's heartbreaking journey as he tries to heal his wounded heart over Schuyler, and how Allegra and her brother Charles handled living in an elite Blue Blood society at a New England private school in the year 1985, and most of all: the bonding ceremony of Schuyler van Alen and Jack Force.  Bloody Valentine isn't a neccessary book in the series, although it does make the story as a whole seem more complete.  If you're a fan of the Blue Bloods series, I highly suggest that you read this novella.