2016 Blogoversary Giveaway!

Guys, I have been blogging for FIVE YEARS! Oh my gods I can't believe it! That is so incredible! So, to celebrate, I am having a giveaway! Pretty great one, too, if I do say so myself ;) I wanted to have a big giveaway since I haven't had one in a while. And honestly, I wanted to get rid of some books to make room for more (booknerd problems, right? haha)! But at the same time, I didn't want to break my wallet. So I came up with the following:

Review: The Shattering by Karen Healey

Title: The Shattering

Author: Karen Healey

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, paranormal

Publication date: September 2011

Published by: Little, Brown and Company

Source: Own Hardcover

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

"If you want to find out who murdered your brother, follow me."

Keri, Janna, and Sione have one thing in common: Their older brothers are dead. Each death was ruled a suicide, but there were no notes, no warnings, and no explanations.

So they've worked out a theory: Their brothers were murdered - and weren't the only victims.

As the search for the serial killer goes on, mysterious forces are unearthed and suspicion is cast on the those the three trust most. When secrets shatter around them, can they save the next victim? Or will they become victims themselves?

This supernatural thriller from award-winning author Karen Healey (Guardian of the Dead) teems with suspense, loss, revenge, and magic.

My rating: ★★★★☆
The Shattering was a pretty good read, considering it was only ONE DOLLAR! I found a hardcover of it at the freaking dollar store, can you believe it? Anyway, it had a very interesting premise with the whole mystery of all these older brothers committing suicide, except maybe it was murder? What?! It was just super intriguing! And there was an unexpected supernatural twist which I very much enjoyed, even though the actual ‘why’ behind all the killings wasn’t all that surprising. I did, however, enjoy learning that I was right about the whole thing, a very rare thing for me seeing as how I like being totally and completely surprised. Everything was tied back to the tourist town with some pretty crazy magic and, well, it did not disappoint.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #71

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

[Images take you to books' Goodreads page!]

Sunday Post #88

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week! Let's get started!

So my shoulder is still hurting a bit--I actually think it's doing much worse than last week, lol. But it's definitely better than a month ago.

Blog Tour - Review + Giveaway: Blackheath by Gabriella Lepore

Title: Blackheath

Series: Blackheath #1

Author: Gabriella Lepore

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, paranormal

Publication date: December 2015

Published by: Of Tomes Publishing

Source: For review from Xpresso Book Tours

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Maggie Ellmes is dogged by a case of chronic bad luck. She figures that’s just her lot in life—that is, until the psychic at Blackheath’s annual carnival reveals that Maggie’s problems are caused by more than just ordinary misfortune; she’s actually been cursed.

Desperate to shake the hex, Maggie has no choice but to seek out the help of Joel Tomlins, a rebellious classmate who’s descended from Blackheath’s most powerful line of witches. After breaking all of his coven’s conventions to help her, Joel discovers that the curse isn’t as bad as Maggie fears. In fact, it’s much, much worse.

My rating: ★★★★★
I love witchy, magical books, so this was right up my alley. And Blackheath--words cannot describe how much I loved this book!

Review: The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Title: The Reformed Vampire Support Group

Author: Catherine Jinks

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery

Publication date: September 2010

Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers

Source: Own paperback

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves.

Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren't useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the likes of themselves.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
This had a very interesting concept--I mean, a Reformed Vampire Support Group? What? Haha. However, I found it all to be... underwhelming. The way the vampires are portrayed all sickly-like... I get it, really. Vampirism being more of an illness, I appreciate the different take, but it was just a bit disappointing. Though I admit I might be a bit biased since I’m not exactly the biggest vampire fan. I did, actually, liked Nina’s fiction character (she’s a writer!), the vampire Zadia Bloodstone, so much better! She was pretty badass! But the characters themselves in this particular novel... they were okay, though none really stood out to me. This seems to be the norm for me with standalone novels.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #70: So Much Magic and Witchy Goodness!

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

[Images take you to books' Goodreads page!]

Sunday Post #87: So much Netflix! (+ Another Update...)

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week! Let's get started!

2016 needs to go back to sleep and come back when it's in a better mood... Here I was, ready to come back to blogging after being sick for so long when nope, the universe had other plans for me.