Showing posts with label Dark Flame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark Flame. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

ARC Tour & Review: Dark Flame (The Immortals, #4) by Alyson Noel

At the start of this mesmerizing new installment of the Immortals series, Ever is helping her friend Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and carelessly putting them all at risk, their friendship becomes more and more strained. At the same time, Ever delves deeper into magick in order to get control over her enemy Roman and free Damen from his power. But when the spell she casts on Roman backfires, she’s bound to her deadliest enemy. Frantic to reverse the spell the moment the moon enters a new phase, she finds her efforts are fruitless—there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, one that propels her toward Roman. Desperate to break free of this terrible curse before Damen or the twins can discover what she’s done, she turns to Jude and delves deeper and deeper into dark magick, ultimately risking everything she knows and loves—including Damen.


I've been having a love/hate relationship with the Immortals series for a while now.  The first installment, Evermore has by far been my favorite and is what has kept me reading the series.  With that being said, this was not a opinion changer for me, not a favorite to be sure.

Readers will see the characters and plot going in more of the same direction in Dark Flame.  Ever is still trying to find the antidote and in order to do that she needs help.  Her relationships with the other characters drove me crazy this time around.  I'm not quite sure at times why they put up with her antics and let her get away with everything without any risk of her jeopardizing the relationships she has with the others.  She's cruel to Jude, insensitive to Damen and sympathetic (eventually) to Roman...keep in mind these are just my opinions.  I understand that Roman's had a rough life, but he's still not a great guy.

And then we've got Haven, Ever's best friend and recently turned immortal.  She's got her new immortality and she's abusing every minute of it.  While Damen and Ever warn her of the consequences of such actions, we've got Roman egging her on.  Like I said...not a great guy.  I don't know, I was just frustrated throughout with all the characters to be honest.  I couldn't believe the thoughtless decisions Ever made time and time again and it annoyed me to no end.  I don't understand how Damen can always take everything in stride and never get truly angry with Ever, the girl needs a stern talking to.  I get that they're soul mates, but everybody fights once and a while...don't they?  Apparently not Damen and Ever.  Roman's personality is irksome but I guess that's what you're looking for in a good villain and Jude just complicates an already overly complicated situation.  Damen and Ever already have enough obstacles to overcome, did we really need a love triangle in there as well?

I think this might be the end of the road for me and the Immortals series.  I love Noel's writing and plan to read her new and soon to-be released series, with the first book Radiance, but for now the Immortals and I are going to part ways.

I gave Dark Flame (The Immortals, #4) 2 shamrocks!!


Sunday, August 15, 2010

In My Mailbox (19)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board.

This past week I had a larger mailbox than usual and had to become an even speedier reader than I already am.   

ARC tours

Dark Flame (The Immortals, #4) by Alyson Noel (Traveling ARC Tours)

At the start of this mesmerizing new installment of the Immortals series, Ever is helping her friend Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and carelessly putting them all at risk, their friendship becomes more and more strained. At the same time, Ever delves deeper into magick in order to get control over her enemy Roman and free Damen from his power. But when the spell she casts on Roman backfires, she’s bound to her deadliest enemy. Frantic to reverse the spell the moment the moon enters a new phase, she finds her efforts are fruitless—there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, one that propels her toward Roman. Desperate to break free of this terrible curse before Damen or the twins can discover what she’s done, she turns to Jude and delves deeper and deeper into dark magick, ultimately risking everything she knows and loves—including Damen.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade (Around the World Tours)

After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High. 

Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

Matched by Ally Condie (Star Book Tours)

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

Rich and Mad by William Nicholson (We Love YA Tours)

This is a compelling and beautifully written novel about first love, first sex, and everything in between. Maddy Fisher has decided to fall in love. And not just any sort of love: can't-eat can't-sleep crazy in love. Rich Ross is after the same thing. He's set his sights high, and he's going to make it happen. The problem is, in life's messy whirlwind of friends and lies and sex and porn, the real thing can be hard to fine. But there's always a first time for everything. . .

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride (Around the World Tours)

It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear. 

For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?


And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.


Change of Heart by Shari Maurer (Traveling ARC Tours)

In a world where the most stressful thing seems to be winning a soccer game or what to wear in the morning, you take some really basic things for granted.

Like the love of your parents.  Or hanging with your friends.  Or the beating of your heart. 

When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.

Will Emmi get a heart in time? Is Sam too good to be true? What about her new friend Abe, who has also had a transplant and guides her through these scary times — is he just being supportive or is there more going on between them? And will Emmi realize it before it’s too late?

Bought

Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. 

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

Won from Contests

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1) by Simone Elkeles (thanks to Marie @ Marie Loves Books)

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. 
In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt (thanks to Sarah @ Sarah's Random Musings)

Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper. 

Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll post her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her.

Eliza’s sure of only one thing: she isn’t going down without a fight. Cooper may have what’s left of her dignity, but she’s not the only one with something to hide …


Thursday, May 6, 2010

Hitting the Shelves Soon!! (2)

Now that May is under way, everyone (including me) has been getting super excited to be able to go out and pick up some of the long anticipated new releases.  Last week I posted my top five June releases that I've been looking forward to, but five just isn't enough...my list is long, lol!  I thought I'd throw a few more out there, what releases are you guys counting down?  I'm always looking to add more to my TBR!

My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares (6/1/2010)

Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.



The Ghosts Of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty (6/1/2010)

This is the story of Amelia and Riley, bad kids from bad Brookfield High who have transferred to Ashbury High for their final year. They've been in love since they were fourteen, they go out dancing every night, and sleep through school all day. And Ashbury can't get enough of them.

Everyone's trying to get their attention; even teachers are dressing differently, trying to make their classes more interesting. Everyone wants to be cooler, tougher, funnier, hoping to be invited into their cool, self-contained world.

But they don't know that all Amelia can think about is her past -- an idyllic time before she ran away from home. Riley thinks he's losing her to the past, maybe even to a place further back in time. He turns to the students of Ashbury for help, and things get much, much worse.




Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (6/8/2010)


Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?



Dark Flame by Alyson Noel (6/22/2010)


At the start of this mesmerizing new installment of the Immortals series, Ever is helping her friend Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and carelessly putting them all at risk, their friendship becomes more and more strained. At the same time, Ever delves deeper into magick in order to get control over her enemy Roman and free Damen from his power. But when the spell she casts on Roman backfires, she’s bound to her deadliest enemy.


Frantic to reverse the spell the moment the moon enters a new phase, she finds her efforts are fruitless—there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, one that propels her toward Roman. Desperate to break free of this terrible curse before Damen or the twins can discover what she’s done, she turns to Jude and delves deeper and deeper into dark magick, ultimately risking everything she knows and loves—including Damen.



Now I know this one isn't a June release...but I've really been looking forward to this one so I figured what the heck?


Other by Karen Kincy (7/1/2010)

Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves.

When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate-into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and-most importantly-stay alive.




And on a bright note for me, the mailman FINALLY delivered Angel Star to me....I must have had a run in with bad luck or something because I thought it was supposed to get to me by last weekend, but regardless I have it now and can't wait to read it!  If you guys haven't ordered your own copies go to it, this is one I'm sure no one will want to miss out on!


Happy Reading!


Friday, April 16, 2010

In My Mailbox (4)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. Every week we’ll post about what books we have received (whether they’re bought/borrowed, etc… you get the idea). This is generally done on Sunday, but I’m told that it’s really whatever day works for you; I’m going to be posting mine on Fridays because I tend to post less on the weekends. Everyone participating will try and visit other lists to comment and possibly pine for the new arrivals everyone’s talking about. I’ve learned that it’s a great idea to really try and stop by at least two or three lists because I’m constantly finding out about new books that I’ve later added to my TBR list.

This week I tried not to burn a hole in my pocket like last week and stuck to purchasing one book for my collection:

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? Not like it's all that dangerous - the only neck I risk is my own. Until I accidently start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. I should have just said no...

If I was only going to purchase one book this week...why did I choose this one do you ask?  Well it's because I have some very exciting news....I'm going to my 1st book signing on Saturday, and yes it's with Maria V. Snyder!  Maria will be at the Borders store in Lancaster, PA and I can't wait to meet her and experience a signing for the 1st time!  Maria's quickly become one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read Inside Out.  Because of my excitement over the book signing and over having 39 followers (I love you guys!) I thought it might be time to host my 1st giveaway featuring....you guessed it - Inside Out.  There may be one or two more books thrown in as well since I want the first giveaway to be as exciting for you guys as it is for me to host it.

I'll have more information on the giveaway early next week so be sure to check back in for that, and can we please cross our fingers that I can figure out how to work Google Forms by then, lol!  Also be sure to check out the rest of Maria's tour schedule for Inside Out on her site and you'll also find that you can read the 1st three chapters of Inside Out there.

Having nothing to do with Maria V. Snyder but connected to the topic of book tours, I wanted to give everyone a heads up that Alyson Noel has just posted her tour schedule for her upcoming novel, Dark Flame.  Unfortunately she's not coming anywhere that wouldn't require me to get on a plane to see her or I'd totally be making my plans and mapping out my driving course, but if she's coming near you I think it would be a great opportunity for anyone!

And on a last note before the weekend....it being Friday it's of course Blog Hop Time!!!!  So don't forget to visit the Book Blogger Hop over at Crazy-for-Books and check out some great blogs that you may not know about. Since I've joined I've found some amazing ones and I can't wait to see who joins this week!

Happy Reading!


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