Fairytale News 10. About DNF.

This is a 'new' meme I came up with. I will be talking about everything that has to do with reading. From pretty new covers to discussions about books. I will post them randomly.

This is something new I like to start and it will be part of my Fairytale news. There are many different discussions posts out there and I thought it would be fun to share my opinion now and then. So *drum rolls* I want to introduce to you:

Review 158. Brodi Ashton – Everbound.

Title: Everbound.
Author: Brodi Ashton.
Pages: 358.
Published: January 22nd 2013.
Publisher: Balzer + Bray.
ISBN: 0062071165 (ISBN13: 9780062071163)
Sort: Part two of ‘Everneath.’
Review part 1. Everneath.
Challenge(s): Bingo.

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.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The thing is: if I love the first book, I’m excited and scared for the second one at the same time. Most of them suffer from the second-book-is-lame-syndrome and it always spoils the excitement I felt after the first one. That is not the case with Everbound and that is prove for me that Ashton knows how to write a good, interesting story. You can read the summary if you haven’t read Everneath yet. My summary gives about the same information as the blurb.

Review 157. Dan Wells – Fragments.

Title: Fragments.
Author: Dan Wells.
Pages: 564.
Published: February 26th 2013.
Publisher: Balzer + Bray.
ISBN: 0062071076 (ISBN13: 9780062071071)
Sort: Part two of ‘Partials Sequence.’
Review 1: Partials.
Challenge(s): Dystopian & Bingo.

Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them? Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of post apocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

I was excited about this book. I liked Partials a lot, especially the medical background of the RM virus. This book was just.. nothing like that. There are spoilers in the summary part if you haven’t read Partials, but you can read the spoiler-free review where I talk about my likes and dislikes.

Bout of Books.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

My bloglovin' account is filled with posts about Bout of Books, so I decided to take a look at this read-a-thon. It sounds like fun and I definitely want to read some more books this week. Hence, my very late sign up post. I'm going to set my goal on reading 4/5 books. I'm not sure yet which books I'm going to read, but these are candidates:

If you want to stay updated, you can check my complete read-a-thon page right here: Read-a-thon challenges and I will be editing this post with my progress.

Let's have some fun!

Showcase Sunday 30.

Hosted by: Books, biscuits and tea.

I managed to grab these four books for a bargain at my local bookstore:

Sandy Williams - The shattered dark. Part 2, but I couldn't resist it.
Philippa Ballantine - Geist. I've been eyeing this series for a while, because the covers are gorgeous and it sounds interesting. Part 1.
Kerry Schafer - Between. I like dragons. Part 1.

Gail Carriger - Blameless. Part 3 of the Parasol Protectorate. I'm planning to buy the second book soon, so I can continue. I really liked Soulless.

And Harlequin Teen accepted my request on Netgalley for The eternity cure - Julie Kagawa. I'm so excited! The immortal rules is one of my favorite books from 2012.

Leave a link to your haul!

 

Review 156. Debra Driza – Mila 2.0

Title: Mila 2.0.
Author: Debra Driza.
Pages: 480.
Published: March 12th 2013.
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books.
ISBN: 0062090364 (ISBN13: 9780062090362)
Sort: Part one of “Mila 2.0”
Challenge(s): Dystopian & Bingo.
Source: Netgalley & Publisher.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do. Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Rating: 2 out of 5, because I feel generous. My first rating was 1 out of 5.

I feel misled. This is what the blurb also says:
”Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence. A bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human.”I think even Disney gave me more heart-pounding action. This story isn’t a thrilling debut about an android. It’s about a whiny, angsty girl who happens to be a android, but she has more feelings than the average teenager. Hardly anything happens except for running, some fighting and a lot of crying. There were so many situations where I wanted to slam my head against a wall. I’ll walk you through:

WoW 38. Retellings: Scarlet in snow & Unhinged.

 Hosted by: Breaking the spine.

Sophie Masson - Scarlet in the snow.
May 1st 2013 by Random House

I know it's already published, but I hardly heard anything about this book and it sounds awesome. I thought I should share it with other fairytale lovers out there!

A deserted mansion. Empty picture frames. A perfect red rose in a snowy garden. There is rich and powerful magic here, and a mystery to unravel.. When Natasha is forced to take shelter from a sudden, terrible blizzard, she is lucky to see a mansion looming out of the snow. So begins an extraordinary adventure that will see Natasha plunged deep into the heart of a mystery. She begins to realize she has stumbled onto a great tragedy - a spell of revenge laid on the young man the Beast once was, devised by a powerful sorcerer. But even if she can break the spell, the Beast she has now come to love will be snatched from her. Natasha will have a long journey, and many ordeals, ahead of her before there can be a happy ending. Inspired by two beautiful Russian fairytales - The Scarlet Flower (the Russian version of Beauty and the Beast) and Fenist the Falcon, Scarlet in the Snow is a beguiling mix of magic, romance, adventure and mystery.

& I'm waiting for A.G Howard - Unhinged, after loving Splintered.
January 2014 by Amulet.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind. If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Review 155. Kiersten White – Endlessly.

Title: Endlessly.
Author: Kiersten White.
Pages: 385.
Published: July 24th 2012.
Publisher: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 0061985880 (ISBN13: 9780061985881)
Challenge: Bingo.
Sort: Last book in the Paranormalcy series.
Part 1. Paranormalcy. Part 2. Supernaturally.

Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands. So much for normal.

                                                  Rating: 3 out of 5.

There are no spoilers for the other books.

I’m trying to finish as many series as possible this year. Have you ever realised how many series there are? I’ve made a list with all the series I’ve read in 2011 and 2012: I’m stressed! So many! Some of them aren’t complete yet, but I hope to reduce my amount by finishing many completed series. 

I liked Paranormalcy & Supernaturally and this is the perfect conclusion. This is how you end a series! I can’t tell a lot about it, so you’ll have to do it with this vague description:

Evie is forced to return to IPCA by the new director, but she is enjoying her life as a normal teenager. That is until Lend is kidnapped by The Dark Faerie Queen from the Unseelie court. Evie decides to accept Reth’s and Jack’s help to get him back. In the mean time, Paranormals are asking her to open a gate for them. They want to return to their own world. Can Evie save Lend and is the ready to make a gate?

Evie was a good character, but I liked her more in Paranormalcy. She was a bit more whiny now, always busy with her and Lend. She was completely focused on saving him, but she was ignorant for other problems. Her mood swings were annoying too. She hates Reth, then she likes him, then she hates him so much she likes him – make up your mind!

So, conclusion: a good ending for this series, but nothing too special.