Update + Christmas Countdown!! + Giveaway

Oh damn, I think I've been more busy after my exams than before it! I've been to class outings, chalets, and CCA gatherings and studying for the SATs I've been unable to really sit down and read/blog without stress. But it's been fun. Fun and tiring, but still fun. :)

 (I'm the dorky one at the top left corner with the peace sign)

 

 

(Cycling with half my lifeguard teammates and coach! I'm the rider on the front left. :)

 

 

 

 But I haven't just been having fun at the beach and chalets, I've been planning a celebration of sorts for the coming of Christmas since after my exam and sooooo, preeeeesenting.......

 

 

 

 

Now, a wonderful, magical season is only right when you celebrate with really fun and amazing authors, aye? So I've put together 2 weeks of interviews, stories, reviews and GIVEAWAYS with some really awesome authors! :)) I will be flying off to Europe on a vacay with my family on the 22nd, so most of my posts around then will be scheduled ones.

So, to kick start this countdown goodness, I have invited Livia Blackburne, author of upcoming novel MIDNIGHT THIEF. It will be published by Disney-Hyperion in July 2014.

10 Things About Livia

1. I write fantasy. Most often YA fantasy, but sometimes I branch out.

2. I was born in Taiwan, raised in Albuqurque, and spent my twenties in Boston, where I studied biochemistry at Harvard and neuroscience at MIT.

3. I started my debut novel Midnight Thief in high school, because writing a novel was the only way I could get out of the mandatory camping requirement. I finished about 60 pages. They were 60 awful, awful pages.

4. I finished Midnight Thief 12 years later, because writing a novel was the only way I could keep my sanity while conducting my doctoral research. This time, I got to 370 pages, and they were much less awful than the initial 60.

5. I write a blog about psychology and neuroscience for writers. You can check it out here.

6. Like every good Asian kid, I played the piano as a child. I don’t do that as much anymore, but I still love to sing and dance.

7. I’m horrible at any sports involve fast moving projectiles, and I dislike most sports that involve highly repetitive movements (running, swimming, biking, etc.). This leaves basically dancing and martial arts.

8. When I wanted sweets as a child, my mother would give me one M&M. I thought that was normal, and to this day, have very low tolerance for sweets. One bite of chocolate bar, half a scoop of ice cream is about all I can take.

9. If I had to choose one author with the biggest influence on my reading and writing development, it would be Tamora Pierce.

10. Some of my favorite books: Graceling by Kristen Cashore, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Plain Kate by Erin Bow, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

Poison Dance
Midnight Thief #0.5

Blurb

James is skilled, efficient, and deadly, a hired blade navigating the shifting alliances of a deteriorating Assassin’s Guild. Then he meets Thalia, an alluring but troubled dancing girl who offers him a way out–if he’ll help her kill a powerful nobleman. With the Guild falling apart, it just might be worth the risk. But when you live, breathe, and love in a world that’s forever flirting with death, the slightest misstep can be poison.


Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Author's Website

Midnight Thief
Midnight Thief #1

Blurb

Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs. But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull. Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival — and vengeance — might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

In her arresting debut novel, Livia Blackburne creates a captivating world where intrigue prowls around every corner — and danger is a way of life.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Author's Website



From December 11-14th, the Poison Dance ebook is on sale for .99 cents as part of the Fantasy Romance Holiday Promotion. Buy Poison Dance ebook at: Kindle (US) | Nook | Kobo | iBooks Paperback: Amazon

Check out eleven other fantasy romance books also on sale for .99 cents here. And enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Here's the calender for the entire countdown, so you won't be confused/can check back anytime:

December 11th - (YA) Livia Blackburne Book Promo
December 12th - (YA) Review + Giveaway: Poison Dance by Livia Blackburne
December 13th - (Adult PNR) Excerpt + Giveaway: Storm Warrior by Dani Harper
December 14th - Top 10 Book Boyfriends + Giveaway
December 15th - (YA) Book Promo + Giveaway: Jenny Lundquist
December 16th - (Adult HR) Author Interview + Giveaway: Michelle Diener
December 17th - (Adult UF) Interview + Excerpt: Lorenda Christensen
December 18th - (Adult UF/PNR) "Would You Rather" Interview + Giveaway: Katie Reus
December 19th - (NA) Interview + Giveaway: Pepper Winters
December 20th - (Adult CR/PNR) Short Story + Giveaway: Olivia Hardin
December 21st - (NA) Interview + Excerpt: Juliana Haygert
December 22nd - (Adult HR) Guest Post + Giveaway: Ayr Bray
December 23rd - (YA) Character Interview + Giveaway: Lisa Tawn Bergren  
December 24th - (YA) CB
December 25th - CHRISTMAS!!


Thanks for stopping by! :))

Review: Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Publication Date: Febuary 2nd, 2011
Finished Date: November 30th, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Paperback
Pages: 273
Series: Gods & Monsters #1
My Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Author's Website

Blurb from Goodreads:
Ari can't help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can't be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it's impossible to protect herself when she doesn't know what she's running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won't stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

My Review

“The house took my breath away. Yes, it was enormous and graceful, but it seemed to bleed emotions. Sadness. Loneliness. Like a beautiful lady left alone in a sea of gray, green, and black, protected only by oak matrons in their skeleton shawls.”

Kelly Keaton has a way with words that is very visual and poetic. I've always had a love for Greek myths and legends, and Keaton has put quite a modern twist to the entire Medusa legend that's atypical from most YA novels nowadays.

My Summary
Aristanae "Ari" Selkirk has always been the oddball in society - freakish, white hair and teal eyes. She's been an orphan since the tender age of four and been moved from foster home to foster home, finally finding a loving family in the Sandersons. To be part of Bruce and Casey Sandersons' Bonds & Bail company, she has to learn to be able to defend herself and that means being comfortable with headlocks, knives, and guns. Now that she's seventeen, she's determined to find out more about her past - why did her mom request to be admitted into an asylum? Why did she abandon her?

At the asylum, Ari's told that her mom exhibited occasional unusual behaviors and ultimately slit her own throat just before her twenty-first birthday (twenty-one yo?? I shall address this in a minute), and left a box of belongings to her. In the box, there's a letter addressed to her, telling her that there's danger for her in New 2 and to run.

Thirteen years ago, New Orleans was ravaged by a freak hurricane that blew through and wiped out the entire town. A group of nine families, who called themselves the Novem, came together, bought the town and rebuilt it. People do not travel into New 2; The ones that do come out with tales of the supernatural and paranormal. Ari was born there, surely they'd keep records that can lead to some answers about her biological family. Just a day to travel there and another to travel back. What's the worse that could happen?

My Take on DBH
First things first, that cover is a stunner! I love the moonlight quality of Ari's hair, and that purple flower-on-grail pattern is BEAUTIFUL. So mysterious and just perfect for the story! I've never been that interested in the gorgon legend, especially since it's the such a commonly used story that I sometimes find it overrated. But Keaton's take on it pulled on my heartstrings and was so haunting I'll probably remember this version of Medusa's tale every time I hear Medusa's name.

When we were first introduced to Ari, she's a relatable character and she's got character. However, something that did not sit well with me is her dislike of her beauty. I'm not going to your pity party just because you're sad that you're beautiful. Granted, it makes you outstanding (well now, it can't be that bad to have moonlight hair and teal eyes), but it's nothing to be so upset about. I don't think your friends will hate, ostracize or abuse you if you have strange but really nice physical traits now, would they? So stop kicking up such a fuss over it.

But yes, she can kick ass and it's such a joy to read about her confrontations with those who'd want to hurt (or kill) her! It gets even more interesting as we get to meet the rest of the cast in New 2 - twelve-yo quirky and independent Crank, Henri with his own brand of humor, little Violet with her quiet, disturbing yet endearing ways, and the (wait for it) tall, dark and handsome Sebastian. I love the interactions that Ari has with her new little family in their rundown mansion in New 2, and their camaraderie and loyalty. Violet's so adorable in her own ways, even though she may exhibit really strange behavior at times! She wears different Mardi Gras masks, goth dresses and has a baby albino alligator called Pascal for a pet. See, adorable.

Sebastian is...quite the typical hero you'd see in YA novels nowadays. I'd say he's a mix of Aiden from the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and maybe Nash from M. Leighton's Down to You (first instalment of the The Bad Boys series). He's a fighter too, he's brooding, he's a little mysterious, but he's diplomatic (most of the time) and he tries his best to help Ari uncover all her family's dark history. What I would have liked to see more of is development between Ari and Bastian. Their romance was almost of the insta-attraction variety, and that just does not inspire any warm and fuzzies in me.

The pacing of the story was very steady, with some ups and some downs. There were times when the story became a tad monotonous, and I was tempted to put it down several times. But I have been in a reading funk of late, so I was determined to get through this, and what do you know, the last one-third of the book was pretty exciting. The halfway mark has come and gone and we're still dangling with Ari on the lineage front. We've met the Novem and they seem to know all about Ari's cursed lineage (they are literally cursed. I'm not swearing just because I'm frustrated), so why doesn't one of them possess the initiative to TELL US WHAT IT IS? It got so frustrating because everyone just kept, "I knew your mother", "You look just like your mother", and gave her the sad, knowing eyes. The thing is, I knew that it was going to be about the gorgon curse so just get on with it.

Another part of the plot that did not sit well with me was the teen pregnancy. Ari's mom died before she turned twenty-one, when Ari was about four years of age. That means that Ari was conceived when her mom was sixteen/seventeen-ish. In the modern world, that's just wrong, and the wrong message to send out in the YA world. The plot is also a little simple and the world not very in-depth. The entire story mainly revolved around Ari, her friends, the Novem and the Big Bad Wolf. Other than that, we don't get to see much of the world or people outside of New 2 or their little group.

It wasn't until the entire instigator of the curse and fiasco was revealed that the story started to amp up its pace. I was shocked actually, cause I was expecting some other god(dess) to be the Big Bad. Spoiler --> Hera seemed the more plausible bitch than Athena. Cause I mean like, Athena, really? She's the goddess of wisdom and justice, I don't think she will be that petty and power-hungry. There were some things that happened in the story that were rather questionable and even in fiction and legends, there are some rules already set in place that are not meant to be broken. Spoiler --> For one, I don't think the Greek gods and goddesses are that easy to kill.And why do we only get to see one of the few existing gods? That's stingy... Haha, Kidding. One thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the god(dess) swearing. There are too many F-words in this story, but that's fine, I guess. But when a god or goddess start to color the air blue, it just doesn't seem legitimate. They're gajillion years old with age-old knowledge and wisdom. Profanity should be below them. And where's the elegance?

However, I mentioned that I liked Keaton's take on Medusa's story, that what if Medusa was the victim and not the irreverent beauty that myths often portray her to be? What if she was the wronged victim forced to take the blame and suffer for the misdeeds of another god? The way that Keaton told her story was very vivid and heartwrenching.

There were many things I did like about DARKNESS BECOMES HER, but there were others that debilitated my enjoyment of it. I would still like to see where Keaton takes Ari and her misfit little family in New 2, out of curiosity or amusement or maybe they've grown on me. Just a little. ;)

Staunch (or anal) fans of Greek myths might not take very well to DBH due to some parts of the legend in here that strays from what y'all know of it.

My Rating

Stacking the Shelves (1)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books we got this week.

My very first Stacking the Shelves! Happy belated Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday! Haha, I've been superbly busy, but I did find the time to go to the Times book sale and bought 9 books. I was expecting 1 more book, Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff. I won the signed version of it on a tour Book Nerd Tours hosted but it hasn't arrived yet. It's been close to four weeks so I think it's lost. A SIGNED LOST MAIL. *SOBS*


But anyway, here's my loot:

I kind of did a photoshoot of them beauties with my toys cause it's been awhile since I've last gotten new books. So, prrrrrrresenting:

 

 

 

- Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters #1) by Kelly Keaton

I've just finished reading this one. It's not bad, but it's a little weird. Long overdue, I know. I fell in love with the cover the moment it was released. BEEyoutiful. Review to come.

 

I'VE MISSED YOU PEEPS, MUACKS + Giveaway

GUISEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

A LEVELS ISSSSS OVERRRRRRR!!!!

 

 

 

 

I HAVE RETURNED BATTLE-HARDENED AND SCARRED, BUT I SURVIVED.

 



 

So, shouty capitals aside, I'm sososososo glad to be back reading, reviewing, emailing uber awesome authors bout my emotional feedbacks about books I've read, and just blogging and talking to you guys again! This doesn't mean I'll not be busy though, cause there's still SATs to take, commonapp applications to fill in (all those essays *sobs*), UCAS applications, and Singapore university applications! Well, I'm just hoping at least 1 of the schools I apply to accepts me.. Cause I'm aspiring to be an architect but I'm not an art student, so I don't have the required portfolio and suddenly all my options are just disappearing. Help, anybody??

 

But on to the fun stuff, I'm so excited to be back that I am in the midst of planning a celebration of sorts in mid-December, where I'll be inviting a whole line-up of CRAZY AMAZING authors to the blog for fun interviews, short stories, excerpts and yeap, giveaways!! Haha, look forward to it. :))

 

I will be changing some rules and policies, like my reviewing policy cause I realise I'm a very lazy and stubborn mood reader, so if my brain and heart juices don't want YA, they will not read YA. Any YA book I read will be a DNF for me. That, or I'll take months to get back to an author. I've did that before and I know it's really terrible of me, so I'm going to ban myself from accepting review copies unless I'm prepared to start reading it immediately. Or if it's the sequel to a favorite series.

 

Sooo, yeah, on to the giveaway!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've missed my baby's first and second blogoversary cause of exams, so today, to thank y'all good readers for sticking with me for so long even though this blog's been silent as At Grave's End (yes, I've read allllll about Cat and Bones till Destined for an Early Grave just before my exams! Gonna wait for Up From The Grave to release to read This Side of the Grave. But yes, I love Bones too!!), I'm gonna be giving away 1 book from my reading pile below and its accompanying swag.