Monthly Round Up: February 2012

In February I challenged myself to read at least 1 more book than I did last February (which was 9), including...

A. At least 5 mythology books

B. A Book with LOVE in the title

C. A Book about a Werewolf

D. A Book with Red on the cover

E. A Contemporary Romance Book

F. Between 5-10 review books

G. And at least 1 "Just for fun" book

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☐ Read at least 1 more book than I did last February (which was 9)...I read 8, one less book than last year! Boo! lol

Alienation (C.H.A.O.S. #2) Jon S. Lewis

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

Bad Blood (Blood Coven #4) by Mari Mancusi

Night School (Blood Coven #5) by Mari Mancusi

Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton

Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

Jasmine (Energy #1) by Sabrina Sumsion

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

☐Read at least 5 mythology books: I read only 2...bleh:

1. Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton
2. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

☐Read a book with LOVE in the title: none :(

☐Read a book about a Werewolf: none :(

☑Read a book with Red on the cover: Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton

☐Read a Contemporary Romance Book: none :(

☑Read between 5-10 review books:

1. Alienation (C.H.A.O.S. #2) Jon S. Lewis
2. Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand
3. Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton
4. Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows
5. Jasmine (Energy #1) by Sabrina Sumsion

☑And read at least 1 "Just for fun" book: I read 3!

1. Bad Blood (Blood Coven #4) by Mari Mancusi
2. Night School (Blood Coven #5) by Mari Mancusi
3. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillip

*My favorite book that I read this month would definitely have to be Incarante! It was just amazing; the world the author created was just beautiful! And the cover is pretty amazing too ;)

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Books reviewed this month:

Malice by Griffin Hayes

My Lunatic Life (Lunatic Life #1) by Sharon Sala

Croak (Croak #1) by Gina Damico

Invasion (C.H.A.O.S. #1) by Jon S. Lewis

Alienation (C.H.A.O.S. #2) by Jon S. Lewis

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

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In March, I'm challenging myself to read at least 8 books total, including...

A. 3-5 mythology books

B. 5-10 review books

C. at least 1 "Just for fun" book

D. And at least 4 of the following categories:

• A book with the letter M in the title
• A book with the letter O in the title
• A book with the letter T in the title
• A book with the letter H in the title
• A book with the letter E in the title
• A book with the letter R in the title
• A book with Red on the cover
• A book with Yellow on the cover
• A book with Pink on the cover
• A book with Green on the cover
• A book from a favorite series
• A book from a favorite author

So I was obviously a fail this past month, lol, but I'm hoping I'll do better in March!

*crosses fingers*

Oppression Virtual Launch Party + Prizes!

Hello all my cyberspace friends, and welcome to the Oppression Virtual Launch Party! Glad you could come by and party with us! *virtual dance* Kidding, I don't dance :P But you can if you'd like!

Oppression is out today (Feb. 28, 2012), and for those of you not familiar with Jessica Therrien's debut novel, here is the synopsis:

Oppression (Children of the Gods #1)--Jessica Therrien


Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than the average person, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for the prophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded by violence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning--and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.

That sounds pretty cool, right? Since I'm a mythology junkie and all (especially if it's Greek), this book totally caught my attention! Greek mythology is just the best!

By what we read in the blurb above, we know that Elyse's destiny is deeply intertwined with the fate of the future, right? That means that her fate/destiny is already laid out before her. Some people believe that the future is set in stone, while others think that your future can change by the simple choices you make in your everyday life. I am not exactly sure which of these is or isn't true. However, I find that the ancient Greeks had a very cool and interesting interpretation of fate.

What I love about ancient Greece, is that they had a god or goddess for (literally) everything! They had gods of water, sky, earth, love, justice, healing, music, archery, marriage, childbirth, day, night, sleep, dreams...I could just go on and on and on, but I wont. However, one of the more important deities in Greek mythology were the three Fates (also known as the Moirai), goddesses of fate and destiny.

These goddesses determined when life began, ended, and they decided what happened in between. They wove the good and the evil into the (metaphorical) thread of life for everyone and decided how long they lived. They were so powerful that not even the gods could escape them.

• Clotho spun the thread of life on her spindle and was the decider of major decisions, such as when a person was to be born.
• Lachesis measured the thread of life and determined the persons destiny. She decided how much time of life was to be allowed to each person and she also chose the persons destiny after the thread was measured out. She appeared with her sisters within 3 days of a child's birth to decide their fate.
• Atropos was the one who cut the thread of life. She had the ability to choose the time and the manner of a person's death. And it makes sense that her name means "inflexible" or "inevitable," since death is afterall, inevitable.

That being said, I cannot wait to read this book and see what the Fates have weaved into Elyse's destiny!

I bought the E-book yesterday for only .99 cents, and you can too! Just visit any of the following links...and make it soon because the book wont always be .99 cents!

• For Amazon Kindle:
• US
• UK
• Germany
• France
• Barnes and Noble Nook (US)

Now lets talk about the prizes! The author is giving away three prizes: an Oppression poster, an Oppression notebook, and a signed copy of Oppression. Want the chance to win? All you have to do is..

• Tweet about the release of Oppression using the hashtag #Book1Oppression
• Facebook (tag @Jessica Therrien, Author) about the release of Oppression
• and/or Visit any of the participating Virtual Launch Party Host blogs (mine included!) and comment on their post about Oppression.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my post! Make sure you check out the other hosts posts as well.

So, what are your thoughts about fate and destiny??

Review: Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed

Series: Unearthly #2

Previous book in this series: Unearthly

Author: Cynthia Hand

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: January 17, 2012

Published by: HarperCollins

Source: the publishers via NetGalley (thanks to both!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

My rating: ★★★★★
This book was just...wow! I don’t even know if I can put my thoughts into a coherent review, but I’ll try!

Review: Alienation (C.H.A.O.S. #2) by Jon S. Lewis

Title: Alienation

Series: C.H.A.O.S. #2

Previous book in this series: Invasion

Author: Jon S. Lewis

Genre: YA, sci-fi

Publication date: January 03, 2012

Published by: Thomas Nelson

Source: the publishers via NetGalley (thanks to both!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Earth's last line of defense against the coming alien invasion is a 16-year-old surfer. But before Colt McAlister can save the world, he has to survive the day.

All Colt wants to do is return to his old life-where aliens don't exist, where mankind hasn't been targeted for destruction, and where his parents are still alive. Unfortunately life doesn't work that way.

The United States government believes Colt holds the key to our survival, so they're sending him to the C.H.A.O.S. Military Academy along with his best friends Oz and Danielle. There they'll be trained to defend Earth against a swarm of alien shapeshifters known as the Thule. But someone is trying to eliminate Colt before he can lead that charge. Shocked to learn about key events in his past and unsure who he can trust, Colt is alienated and on the run.

In a world of high-tech gear, shape-shifting aliens, simulated reality, and hoverboards, Colt must step into his true destiny before our world falls in chaos.

My rating: ★★★★★
It’s finally time for Colt, Oz, and Danielle to go to the CHAOS Academy! What is CHAOS, you might be asking. “CHAOS—Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural. They were a bit like the CIA or FBI, but instead of going after drug cartels or spying on the Russians, they protected the world from nightmares like bioengineered monsters, alien life forms, and sparkling vampires.” Ha! I loved that last one, me being an ex-Twilight Freak and all ;) Anyway, so students in this school are trained to do all this secret spy stuff to save the world and what not. Pretty cool, eh? Well not everything is cool here, especially since someone is trying to kill Colt…even at school! All these “accidents” nearly got Colt killed, and the people Colt thought he could trust, don’t seem so trustworthy now.

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (#8)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

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This past week I read:

Energy Book 1: Jasmine by Sabrina Sumsion

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Right now I'm (still) reading:

Pantheons (Pantheons #1) by E.J. Dabel

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by various authors

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I'm not sure what I'll be reading next...I kinda want to finish these 3 books I'm reading right now...but stay tuned! :)

Hope you had a great weekend!

In My Mailbox (#5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

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From Netgalley I received:

        

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) by Ally Carter

Unbidden Magic Series: Moonstone (#1), Moon Rise (#2), Moon Spun (#3), Shadow Moon (#4) by Marilee Brothers

The Invitation (Point Horror #20) by Diane Hoh

Slide (Slide #1) by Jill Hathaway

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I bought the next ones for my Kindle. At the time I bought them they were free, so make sure you check them out (though I don't know if they're still free...)

The Glassheart Chronicles: Short Stories by Courtney Cole, Fisher Amelie, J.L. Bryan, Wren Emerson, Amy Maurer Jones, Tiffany King, and Nicole Williams

In My Dreams by Cameo Renae

Deadly Reflections by D.H. Sayer

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These next one I'm borrowing from the library:

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Vincent, Sarah Rees Brennan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Mary E. Pearson, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jessica Verday, Claudia Gray, Jackson Pearce, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Kimberly Derting, and Ally Condie

I'm especially excited for the stories by Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers), Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder), and Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers)!!

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What did you get in your mailbox this week??

Review: Invasion (C.H.A.O.S. #1) by Jon S. Lewis

Title: Invasion

Series: C.H.A.O.S. #1

Author: Jon S. Lewis

Genre: YA, sci-fi

Publication date: January 04, 2011

Published by: Thomas Nelson

Source: the publishers via NetGalley (thanks to both!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

He didn't ask for the job, but now all that stands between us and chaos... is Colt.

Colt McAlister was having the summer of his life. He spent his days surfing and his nights playing guitar on the beach with friends. He even met a girl and got his first car. But everything changes when his parents are killed in a freak accident.

He's forced to leave his old life behind and move to Arizona with his grandfather. The only person he knows at the new high school is a childhood friend named Dani. And Oz, a guy he's sure he's never met but who is strangely familiar.

But what if his parents' death wasn't an accident? His mother, an investigative reporter, was going to expose a secret mind-control program run by one of the world's largest companies. Before she could release the story, what if agents from Trident Biotech made sure she couldn't go public?

Vowing to uncover the truth, Colt gets drawn into a secret world of aliens, shapeshifters, flying motorcycles, and invisible gateways.

The Invasion has begun.

My rating: ★★★★★
After the death of his parents, 16-year-old Colt moves from California to Arizona to live with his grandfather. In no time, Colt's life is turned upside down. Suspicions arise dealing with the death of his parents. Colt was told that they died in a car accident, but this car crash may not be just an "accident." You see, Colt's mom found out about a mind control program being run by a large company. Her goal was to publish an article about this for everyone to read. Unfortunately, she never got the chance.

Review: Croak by Gina Damico

Title: Croak

Series: Croak #1

Author: Gina Damico

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: March 20, 2012

Published by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Source: the publishers via NetGalley (thanks to both!), then I bought my own paperback copy ;)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

My rating: ★★★★★
Lex's parents are tired of her rebellious attitude, which is why they decided to send her to her Uncle Mort's farm during the summer. Lex, of course, doesn't want to go. She rarely hears from her uncle...and seriously, a farm?! Lex can do nothing except listen to her parents and go spend the summer with her uncle out in the country. Her parents for some reason think that feeding cows and cleaning stables will somehow improve her attitude. But once she arrives in the little town of Croak, Lex realizes that her uncle Mort, has other plans in mind for her.

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (#7)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

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This past week I finished reading:

        

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) Cynthia Hand

Bad Blood (Blood Coven #4) by Mari Mancusi

Night School (Blood Coven #5) by Mari Mancusi

Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton

Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

(I love both of these covers! They're beautiful, aren't they??)

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Right now I'm reading:

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by various authors

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And up next will be:

Energy Book 1: Jasmine by Sabrina Sumsion

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What are you reading this week?

Review: My Lunatic Life (Lunatic Life #1) by Sharon Sala

Title: My Lunatic Life

Series: Lunatic Life #1

Author: Sharon Sala

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery

Publication date: August 30, 2011

Published by: Bell Bridge Books

Source: the publishers via NetGalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Tara Luna's life is complicated enough without moving to a new town during her senior year. How can she tell yet another set of new classmates that she talks to ghosts? How can she introduce them to Henry and Millicent, the ghost-couple who've watched over since childhood? And should she mention that she and her Uncle Pat have moved into a house haunted by a dead teen girl, who is already bugging Tara for help solving her murder?

Welcome to Tara's Lunatic Life, the first book in bestselling author Sharon Sala's YA paranormal mystery series.

My rating: ★★★★★
Ever since she can remember, Tara Luna (AKA Moon Girl to the sexy Flynn) has been able to communicate with ghosts. Not only is she a "ghost whisperer," she also is a bit psychic. She can sometimes feel what other people are feeling or sometimes she even knows what they're thinking. Quite a multi-talented young lady, isn't she?

Review: Malice by Griffin Hayes

Title: Malice

Author: Griffin Hayes

Genre: YA, paranormal, horror, mystery

Publication date: September 27, 2011

Published by: Trebor Books

Source: E-book for review, from author (thanks!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Lysander Shore and his family thought life was going to be better in Millingham. A safe haven from persecution and prejudice. But beneath the warm smiles and the small town charm lies a terrible secret no one will talk about.

Only Lysander knows what it is. An insidious presence that murders at will and never leaves a trace. Lysander knows because he's seen it and he's pretty sure it saw him too.

But nothing in Millingham happens by chance. The evil has waited nearly 350 years for Lysander to come home. Now it wants to make him pay.

My rating: ★★★★☆
Lysander and his family moved to a new town, a town where people are suddenly being killed in a very gruesome way. Lysander meets a girl, Sam, whose mother was killed years ago. Her death was ruled out as a suicide, but Sam suspects that someone killed her, and that that someone is back for more. Lysander believes that this killer is after him, so he and Sam set out to find the killer before either one of them becomes the next victim.

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (#6)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

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This past week I finished reading:

Alienation (C.H.A.O.S. #2) by Jon S. Lewis

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Right now I'm reading:

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

and

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

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And up next will be:

Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton

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What are you reading this week?