'Vampire Academy' review - 4 stars

'Vampire Academy', by Richelle Mead, the first book in the Vampire Academy series. 4 Stars

Releases of the Week

Tiger's Hidden, by Sophie Jordan, and much more!

Stealing Parker Review

Stealing Parker, by Miranda Kenneally. The second book in the Hundred Oaks series. Such and amazing spring break read! 5 STARS!

'Glitch' Review

4 stars to the Dystopian novel by Heather Anastasiu. Fantastic world building!

YA Book News of the Week

Various cover reveals!

Showing posts with label Laini Taylor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laini Taylor. Show all posts

Nov 3, 2012

Popular November 2012 Releases

Can you actually believe it's November, already? This year has gone by so fast, and there's nothing I'm looking forward to more than 2013! It's going to be a great year with many decisions to make. So before I keep rambling on about next year before next year, here are the most popular November releases :) (Synopsis from Goodreads.com)

 Reached (Matched #3)

After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times-bestselling Matched Trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without.
Release date: November 13th, 2012

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2)

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.
Release date: November 6th, 2012

Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries #1)

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper-and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly-against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.
Release date: November 20th, 2012

Black City (Black City #1)

Sep 4, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday!: Books for Fall 2012

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday! I'm so excited to share with you guys the books I'm dying to read that will be released this fall! Hope you enjoy!

In no particular order:

Days of Blood and Starlight
by Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2
Release date: November 6th, 2012

I'm so PUMPED for this one! Daughter of Smoke and Bone was great! And the ending just killed me. Really excited to know what happens to Karou and her love story!



The Lost Prince
by Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1
Release date: October 23rd, 2012

I got an ARC for this so I'm finishing the Iron Fey series, but until now I love it so much! This also comes out near my sister's birthday... if only she liked this series!



Alice in Zombieland
by Gena Showalter
Series: White Rabbit Chronicles #1
Release date: September 25th, 2012

I've been hearing about this book basically since the year started, and have heard great things from several bloggers! Sounds so amazing, and I'm excited to read a zombie book.



Stormdancer
by Jay Kristoff
Series: The Lotus War #1
Release date: September 1st, 2012

I know this is already out, but I still need to get it, and OH MY GOSH! Sounds incredible, I heard it's like Japanese Steampunk which just sounds EPIC.


Mystic City
by Theo Lawrence
Series: Mystic City #1
Release date: October 9th, 2012

I also got an ARC of this, and this cover is just so fantastic! Sounds really, really good and I'm ready to read into this author's work!



Reached
by Ally Condie
Series: Matched #3
Release date: November 13th, 2012

I'm not AS excited for this as for the others, but I do want to know how Cassia's story ends, and where it all ends up. I'm hoping it will be more like Matched and less like Crossed in terms of pace and plot.


Stealing Parker
by Miranda Kenneally
Release date: October 1st, 2012

Catching Jordan was completely awesome, and probably one of my favorite books read in 2012! This I know will be super amazing and oh... *fangirling!*




The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling
Release date: September 27th, 2012

I'm a little hesitant about the plot of this book, but it's sort of mysterious and I'd really like to know how J.K. Rowling approaches another genre. And... it's J.K. Rowling, duh!



Tiger's Quest, Tiger's Voyage, and Tiger's Destiny
by Colleen Houck
Series: The Tiger Saga #2, 3 and 4

I'm waiting for this, Tiger's Voyage and Tiger's Destiny to arrive! So I'm putting 3 books into two spaces!
So excited to finish this series, the first book was just fantastic!

Jul 31, 2012

Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor


Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)by Amazon | Goodreads | Book DepositoryAround the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. 
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
Source: Amazon Kindle
Rating: didn't like it it was ok liked it (my current rating) really liked it it was amazing  

   

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a book that started out with a concept I had never come across before, and that I found rather fascinating. Laini Taylor's writing was captivating from the beginning, and that kept me hooked as I kept reading throughout the book. The war happening in the story, along with the great characters made this book very enjoyable for me.

Interesting plot: 1/2
I wish I could give this a 2/2, seriously. But the book was really amazing at the beginning, but halfway through the book, it got a little more intense, and very very detailed. Which is great, because it gives a lot of information on everything the reader does not know, but I think it was a little too much for me. The details made me read the book a lot slower, just so I could perfectly understand all that was happening, so I think it became duller than the first half of the book.

Characters: 1/2
I absolutely adored Karou. She was an amazing character, who was brave, and knew how to express everything she thinks. Her friendship with Zuzana was very real, and for once, I thought it was great to find a fantasy novel where the best friend knows everything, and the main character trusts in her the secrets of her world.
Although I loved both Zuzana, and Karou, I didn't enjoy the character of Akiva. I understood why he did everything he did, but his character seemed weak, compared to Karou, and although he was intense and determined, I didn't enjoy his presence. However, as the novel progressed, so did his strength, so that was great!

Pace: 1/2
I already went over this, and how I thought it became sort of slow at certain points, but the beginning was amazingly paced so I give this one 1 point.

Writing Style 2/2
I loved how Laini Taylor managed to create a really interesting plot that was transmitted beautifully through her writing style. Kept you hooked throughout the novel.

Recommend it?: 2/2

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