Showcase Sunday (#47) + Author Signing Event!!

Welcome to Showcase Sunday, hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea. The aim of this event is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed form the libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. For more information about how this feature works and to join in, click here.

Blog Tour - Review + Giveaway: The Offering (The Pledge #3) by Kimberly Derting

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on The Offering blog tour! Today I have for you a review of the wonderful conclusion to an amazing series. Plus, there may be a giveaway at the end ;)

Title: The Offering

Series: The Pledge #3

Previous books in this series: The Pledge (#1) | The Essence (#2)

Author: Kimberly Derting

Genre: YA, dystopian

Publication date: December 31st, 2013

Published by: Kimberly Derting

Source: ARC from publishers for review

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.

Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

My rating: ★★★★★
It's over! I cannot believe it! But I am happy because The Offering had the most perfect ending ever! :D

So, after the crazy happenings in The Essence, the Queen of Astonia and Charlie, Queen of Ludania, work to come to a peace agreement between the two countries. But Queen Elena plays dirty and sends Charlie a threatening message that puts those she loves (and her country) in danger. Charlie decides that in order to save her Queendom she must give herself up to Queen Elena. Only things aren't what they seem and Charlie finds herself in the most difficult position imaginable: surrender to Queen Elena the one thing Charlie is unwilling to give up, or lose those she cares for.

Review: The Essence (The Pledge #2) by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Essence

Series: The Pledge #2

Previous book in this series: The Pledge

Author: Kimberly Derting

Genre: YA, dystopian

Publication date: January 2013

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Borrowed

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within.

My rating: ★★★★☆
In The Essence, we have the new Queen of Ludania, Charlie, getting ready to go to the Summit to meet the other Queens and maybe establish a relationship with them that will help her country move forward and improve after Sabara's tyrannical rule.

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Pledge

Series: The Pledge #1

Author: Kimberly Derting

Genre: YA, dystopian

Publication date: November 2011

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Borrowed

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

My rating: ★★★★☆
I love Kimberly Derting and her Body Finder series, so I was very excited to start this one! And just like The Body Finder, The Pledge was another original story you cant help but get sucked into!

Book Blast $50 Giveaway: The Offering (The Pledge #3) by Kimberly Derting

The Offering (The Pledge #3) by Kimberly Derting

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.

Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

Find The Offering here: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Praise for The Offering

"This was a truly epic ending to the series." --Crystal Perkins, Goodreads Review

"The final book in Kimberly Derting’s Pledge trilogy is a thrilling conclusion. I was immediately swept up into it and powered right through. It was pretty much what I wanted with a few surprises along the way." --Krys at Bibliopunkk Reads

Review- Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

Title: Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth, As You Wish, Soul Screamers, Wicked Lovely, The Darkest Powers, Shade, The Body Finder, Morganvile Vampires

Authors: 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, Ally Condie

Genre: YA, anthology, paranormal

Publication date: September 2011

Published by: HarperCollins

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.

My rating: ★★★★☆
There were many many stories, but I am just going to mention a few of my favorites...

Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan: sisters Margie and Sally hide out from so called "monsters," until stranger comes into their lives. I really liked this one, and now I'm kinda wanting to read The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

Red Run by Kami Garcia: Edie is out to kill the ghost who killed her brother?? You can kill ghosts? What? Anyway, I LOVE ghost stories, and this one was awesome! Had a twisty ending ending that I loved!!

Niederwald by Rachel Vincent: Sabine and Emma are on road trip for this school thing. Sabine stops to see a Seer... she wants to know about her possible future with Nash. But what she find is big trouble, Emma being a human...and them being surrounded by harpies. I love the Soul Screamers, so of course this one is one of my faves! [See also: My Soul to Take (#1) | My Soul to Save (#2) | My Soul to Keep (#3) | My Soul to Steal (#4) | If I Die (#5)]

Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong: Tori is told about this big family secret. She freaks out, and Chloe goes out to get her. Of course, there is a trap set and Chloe finds herself in trouble. Whoooo! More Darkest Powers stuff! I love this world and the fact that Chloe and her friends keep popping up every so often! [See also: The Summoning (#1) | The Awakening (#2) | The Reckoning (#3)]

Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting: This one I thought was awfully depressing, but I still liked it. Very insightful to the mysterious Rafe. [See also: The Body Finder (#1) | Desires of the Dead (#2)]

At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday: LOVED this one!!! it's one of the best ones I read in the entire book! So Jane's family hunts down supernatural creatures. And on this particular night, Jane find herself quite busy with cannibal Girl Scouts, drag vampires, demon with mismatched body parts, and a super cute guy. It was SO funny! From the 1st sentence I knew I was going to like it!

There were some others stories that just left me, "What the hell was that??" And others I didn't really like. But overall it was a really good read, if not quite lengthy.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! :)

Review: Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting

Title: Desires of the Dead

Series: The Body Finder #2

Previous book in this series: The Body Finder

Author: Kimberly Derting

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery thriller

Publication date: February 2011

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Borrowed from the library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

My rating: ★★★★★
I loved this book!! It was amazing!! So naturally I was ecstatic when I found out that Kimberly was going to add at least two more books to the series…Kimberly, you rock!!! :D

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder

Series: The Body Finder #1

Author: Kimberly Derting

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery thriller

Publication date: March 2010

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

My rating: ★★★★★
I love these types of books! Suspense, thriller, mystery, plus a little romance ;) Perfect!

Violet, as the title suggests, has the ability to find bodies...dead ones of course. How? Its kind of hard to explain, but she calls them echos. Its an imprint carried by the dead body, and the killer (if there is one) carries that same imprint.