Book Review: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
485 Pages

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

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Review:

In the not so distant future, after a plague called Red Lung spreads through the world, the human race has been overrun by vampires. Masters rule cities where they keep a selection of humans as pets. The rest are registered and brought in on a schedule to give blood to these vampires. Within this society, there is also the unregistered.  The unregistered are the few who refuse to bow to vampire power, and because of this, they live in severe poverty. Often resulting to stealing just to stay alive.

Allison Sekemoto is one of the unregistered. She lives with a small group on the edge of the Fringe (basically the poor side of town). One night, while out scavenging for food, Allison and her group are attacked by rabids (basically vampires/animals with the Red Lung virus). Allison is found, dying, but a vampire called Kanin. He gives her a choice: she can die or she can become a vampire. She chooses the latter.

A majority of the first part of the book is spent with Kanin training Allison. He tells her about the history of vampires, how a vampire master tried to help human scientists cure the plague by producing vampires to experiment on (this creating rabids), he teaches her how to feed, to hunt, basically to survive. And he constantly reminds her that she is no longer human, that she needs to cut ties to her mortality and realize what she is.

”Sometime in your life, Allison Sekemoto, you will kill a human being. Accidentally or as a conscious, deliberate act, it is unavoidable. The question is not if it will happen, but when. Do you understand?”

When Allison and Kanin are forced apart, Allison must learn to survive on her own. She sets off out into the night, not knowing where she’s going, but knowing that she can’t stay in her city. Along the way she meets a group of surviving humans searching for Eden, a place where no vampires live. Unwillingly, she joins with them, all the while trying to keep her secret.

It has been a really long time since I’ve read a vampire book in YA that wasn’t tamed down or romanticized to the point where they ceased to exist being terrifying creatures of the night. Because let’s face it, that’s what vampires are. And that’s exactly what Julie Kagawa writes. These vampires are deadly, dangerous, and need to survive on human blood.

Now for the characters. Allison is fierce. She’s driven and stubborn and doesn’t follow orders very well. She knows what she is, but fights to be something more. She’s a strong female who makes hard decisions and sticks to them. And she fights – not just physically, but for what she believes in.

Then there’s Zeke. Oh Zeke…you and your optimism. You know that boy who sees the good in everyone and believes every cloud has a silver lining? That’s Zeke in a nutshell. But luckily, he’s also so much more than that and I feel that Kagawa had only begun to scratch the surface of this character.

Kanin – the teacher. When we last see him, well, I’ll just say, all isn’t that well. He was only in it for a short amount of time, but he had so much presence. He commanded attention when he was around. I really hope to see him in future books.

Jeb – the leader. What a character this one was, huh? Not gonna lie, Jeb was a little hard for me to stomach. His attitude and outlook mixed with his cold demeanor did nothing to endear this man to me…but I also understood him. He had his secrets, yes. But I couldn’t fault him for his reasoning.

Last one’s I’m going to mention: the human travelling group. The group that Allison finds herself a part of, a group she would die to protect. There were the children: -Caleb and Bethany (I ADORED Caleb), Ruth – the teenage girl in love with Zeke and insanely jealous of Allison (come on, there had to be one), Darren – Zeke’s closest friend and warrior, Dorothy – the crazy lady who saw angels, Teresa, Jake, Matthew, and Silas – all family, all important, all characters to grow attached to.

While the beginning was a little slow, I understood why. Kagawa was setting up her world, setting up Allisons training. Once Allison meets up with the group, the book takes off. There’s deception, lies, action scenes so visual you think you’re actually watching TV, confusion, pain, and death. I applaud authors who don’t shy away from killing off characters they know fans are going to love. It just evokes that much more emotion out of us, and I loved every second of it.

For this was my first book by Julie Kagawa, it definitely won’t be my last. 

JENN

I received an e-copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review from the publisher via Netgalley.

ARC Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
288 Pages

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

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Review:

Poison was adorable. I can only describe it as a fairy tale. It's got all the elements of a thrilling fantasy: romance, friendship, daring adventures, magic and an adorable little pig. From the very beginning, this story will have its readers entranced by this fantasy world and the perspective of determined Kyra.

Kyra is a potions master on the run after attempted to murder the future queen of her country and her old best friend. Kyra is the only person to see that something is wrong with the princess, which means she's the only person that can save the country from disaster. Along the way, she encounters villains, witches, a cute pig and Fred, who is on his own adventure. With the help of her potions, Fred and the pig, she's resolved to defeat the princess and protect her homeland and its citizens.

This story was so fun to read! While there are scenes that really emote, overall, this tale is nothing, but entertaining. It kept my attention completely. It even had me laughing aloud. 

The characters were sweet and so fun to read about. Fred, how I adored him! He's so sweet and kind and precious and dear lord, I love that boy. He and Kyra are great together as well. As soon as he was introduced, I wanted them to fall for each other. Kyra is a fantastic female lead. She exudes determination, strength and is an easy-to-understand character. I sincerely enjoyed reading about her and her adventure. The minor characters were also entertaining. I loved the way each one tied into the story. Their roles helped move the story along and really contribute to the story, especially Rosie the pig. So precious! 

So why only three stars? Some "shockers" were actually pretty obvious. That's most always a negative with me. If you are going to write a twist, try and write something a bit less obvious, or don't make the main character's epiphany occur earlier. I also wish it had been a bit longer. I really enjoyed it, but I felt that it was over too quickly. There were several scenes that could've been elongated and that would've helped add to the story. I read this story in a few short hours and was sad when I could not longer flick to the next page on my kindle.

I would definitely recommend this to fans of light fantasy. Whether you are a pre-teen, a young adult, a new adult, or even a regular ol' adult, there is something that everyone will find entertaining in Poison. This isn't so developed that it will demand all of your concentration and still leave your head spinning, but it is woven into a new and fascinating world. It's an adventure that everyone should try! Amusing, witty and absolutely delightful, Poison is sure to entertain!

*It was heartbreaking to learn that Poison will be published postmortem. Thank you, Bridget Zinn, for leaving us with such a fun tale. You were an excellent writer and I am disappointed that we will not see more of your work in the future.

I received an e-copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review from the author via Netgalley.

Blog Tour: Excerpt: None of the Regular Rules by Erin Downing

Today, we are happy to be a part of the None of the Regular Rules Blog Tour

hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.

Find the other tour stops here.

None of the Regular Rules by Erin Downing

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: November 20, 2012
Pubisher: Self-Published
260 Pages

Sometimes, a few dares can change lives…

The weekend before the start of senior year, Sophie Erickson and her best friends, Ella and Grace, discover a handwritten list of dares tucked away in the glove compartment of Sophie’s beat-up old Toyota. But this isn’t just any list; it’s a dead girl's bucket list.

Sophie's beloved aunt Suzy died as a teenager in a fatal fall, leaving Sophie with an overly cautious family, a few fading photographs, and a bucket of bolts that barely passes for a car. But now, Sophie has Suzy’s list of the things she wanted to do in her last year of high school. Sophie can't help but wonder: What would happen if she tried to fulfill Suzy’s last wishes, to live out the longed-for life of her aunt, her hero?

As Sophie and her friends attempt to knock off the things on Suzy's list of dares, love blossoms in unexpected places and Sophie begins to feel that her life is finally coming together...when in fact, everything is slowly unraveling around her. When the truth about a long-held family secret threatens to shatter everything she believed to be true, Sophie is forced to question everything she knew about the life and people she believed in, and ultimately herself.

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Excerpt from None of the Regular Rules by Erin Downing:

Suddenly, someone hollered and Johnny Rush came barreling through the crowd of guys. He stopped only long enough to yell, “Clear the decks!” and to check to make sure there was no one under the protruding rock. Then he unceremoniously lobbed himself off the edge minus frills and animal calls and without a puffed-up chest.

My stomach flipped nervously when I realized he was there. He seemed to be everywhere lately. Just when he was supposed to disappear forever, as my brother had done, Johnny was suddenly ever present. I held my breath as his body dropped and twisted before landing with a huge splash in the water below. I continued to hold it as I waited for him to pop back up to the surface, to prove that he had survived. I knew Johnny and Peter and a lot of the other guys in the sporty crowd did this all the time, but I couldn’t prevent myself from worrying. There was a reason I’d never jumped off Hanging Rock. The chance of death, specifically.

Johnny’s head popped up, and I could see his huge, silly grin in the middle of the swimming pond. He looked back up at the guys still standing along the edge and yelled, “Come on down. The water’s perfect.”

One by one, they all jumped as Johnny swam to shore and climbed out. He wrapped a towel around his waist and shook his head to dry his hair, like a dog might do—if a dog were like, I don’t know, a completely sexy, blue-eyed guy. He looked around with the confidence of someone who’d never worried about what anyone else was thinking about him—and eventually, his eyes settled on me. It seemed like his grin got wider when he looked my way. But maybe it was just the light.

I swallowed and tried to smile back. I’d never been totally comfortable around guys, and expected that a simple smile at Johnny would be just as daunting as a smile that was directed at any guy would. But instead, I found myself grinning easily and naturally, with no concern about what I might say to him or any worry about whether or not I’d be interesting enough to hold his attention. I hadn’t been that comfortable around a guy since, well…since my brother. Or Peter and the other boys who had lived in my neighborhood—but that was years ago, before boobs and other complications got in the way.

I didn’t know if my comfort was a good sign, or an absolutely terrible one.

Just as he began to make his way toward me, all confident swagger and wet torso, I realized I’d lost Ella altogether.

“Why does it seem like you’re everywhere lately?” I asked when Johnny was close enough to hear me. I smiled again and tried to keep my eyes off his lean body. His tan had only faded slightly, and droplets of water sat temptingly on skin that looked like it was probably warm, despite the chill of the swimming water. “Aren’t you ever at school?” I asked this teasingly, not expecting the answer I got.

“No, I’m not ever at school,” he said, and let his eyes dance across the rest of the crowd that had gathered at the beach. He smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not going.”

“What happened to Madison?” I asked.

“Nothing happened,” he said. “I already told you—it wasn’t a valid choice.” He sat down on the rocks and toweled off his legs. I noticed that he didn’t wipe off his chest, and I was finding it increasingly more difficult not to stare. 

“Wait…you’re saying that your parents told you Madison wasn’t good enough? So you decided to go nowhere instead?” I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my voice. It seemed ridiculous. I mean, that’s taking rebellion to a whole new level. At least, for me it would be.

“I guess that’s sort of it, yeah.” He smiled at me. “So I’m one of those guys.”

“One of what guys?”

“One of the losers that sticks around here, waiting for people to come home from college to play with me over winter break and stuff.” He looked down and started to rearrange the rocks between his body and mine. “Admit it, that’s what you’re thinking.”

I stared at him. “Um, it’s not actually. But I am sort of wondering why you didn’t just say you weren’t going to college when we asked you about it last weekend,” I said, trying to think back to our conversation on pizza-and-camping night. “Are you intentionally misleading people?”

He looked at me, and I suddenly saw a little bit of the fear that I thought didn’t exist for people like Johnny Rush. “Yeah, I guess I sort of am.” He shrugged. “Not my good friends, but people like you.”

“People like me?” I wondered.

“Why broadcast my lack of ambition?” he asked, offering no further clarity. “I figure people will eventually realize I haven’t left. Until they do, I’m not going to announce that I’m one of the few sad sacks that didn’t go anywhere.”

“You couldn’t find anywhere else you wanted to go?” I asked, my voice ringing with disbelief. “It just seems so unlikely that your parents would rather you not go to college than go to Madison.”

He shrugged, and I could tell he was done talking about it. “Well, it is what it is. And it looks like I’m here for the long haul.” Johnny looked up at Hanging Rock, but no one was jumping. The sky had started to fade into the deep blue of twilight, and wisps of pink lined the edges of the clouds. “Aren’t you going to jump?” he asked. “I thought that was one of your big life goals. One of your dares, right?”

I’d completely forgotten that we’d talked about some of the dares the night of his party. But he hadn’t. Was that significant, or was he just good at making people feel special? I knew it was the latter. “Yeah, it is one of the things I want to do. Sometime.”

“Sometime?” He gave me a funny look. “There’s no better time than now.” Then he hopped up and reached for my hands. I let him take them, because I wanted to touch him, and he pulled me to my feet. I looked over at Ella, but she was too busy talking to Peter to notice me. Grace was off in her own little world, with Ian and no one else.

I’d always thought it was funny how the rest of the world seemed to drop away when guys entered the picture. It was like all clarity got washed away in a wave of lust or something.

Even though I knew he was an expert flirt, I felt special when Johnny lightly tugged at my left hand with his right and pulled me up the hill. I forgot what we were doing, and focused only on the way his fingers wrapped around mine—his index and middle finger were looped around my pinkie and ring finger. His hands were colder than I would have expected, and I wondered if maybe I’d been wrong about his chest. I almost reached out to touch the skin that wrapped around his shoulder blade and ran down his back to the top of his shorts. But instead of touching, I let my eyes go there—and then immediately regretted it.

My stomach knotted and my heart sped up, and that’s when reality hit. I dropped Johnny’s hand, wondering how I could have let myself get sucked into something so stupid. I wasn’t going to be his girlfriend, and I certainly wasn’t going to let him convince me to jump. “It’s almost dark,” I said, knowing how weak it sounded. “It’s cold.” I stopped walking up the trail, but he didn’t notice right away.

When he finally looked back, I was at least fifteen steps behind him. That distance was enough that I could hold onto my wits and say again, “I can’t jump in the dark.”

“It’s not dark,” he scoffed, then stepped back down the hill. He stopped right in front of me and put his hands on his hips. “You’re just making excuses.”

That was true. “No, I’m not,” I insisted. “I can’t do it today.”

“Then when?” he teased. “I’ll hold your hand. It won’t be scary, I promise.”

Holding your hand, or jumping? I wondered. Both sounded scary. “I don’t know…” I said, my resolve wavering.

“If you really don’t want to do it,” Johnny said, his hand outstretched, urging me up the hill. But his words were calming, absent of any pressure. “I’m not going to make you. It’s your call. Your life.”

There it was. My out. I could just turn around and tromp back down the hill. But then I thought about the list, which was still in my pocket, and how I’d made promises to myself to go for things. To try. To let myself take risks, even if it meant failing. “Okay,” I said finally, grinning. “I’ll try.”

Then I took Johnny’s hand, still outstretched for me, and climbed.

What did you think of the excerpt? Sound like your kind of story?

Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Reads and Erin Downing for allowing us to be a part of this tour!

Follow Friday (54)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. Confess your blogger sins! Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you've done, that as you gained more experience you were like -- oops?

A. When Ed and I started this blog, I never cited photos/gifs I took from the internet. Bad Emily. Bad, bad Emily. I know that I've made a bunch of minor mistakes, but nothing really pops into my mind right now...

What "oops" moments have you had?

Teaser Tuesday: Strands of Bronze and Gold (Strands of Bronze and Gold #1) by Jane Nickerson

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-------------------------

"When I opened my eyes a crack, the pale glimmering light of the Sisters bathed the room. I heard one word whispered, not out loud, but neither was it in my mind: 'Runnnnn!'"
Chapter 24, 65% e-ARC
Strands of Bronze and Gold (Strands of Bronze and Gold #1) by Jane Nickerson

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Top Ten Tuesday (51)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's theme is: 

Top Ten Authors I'd Put on My Auto-Buy List

1. Cassandra Rose Clarke - I read her debut YA novel a few months back and absolutely love, love, loved it! When I was offered the opportunity to read her adult novel, I jumped at the chance. The books were completely different, but both were outstanding. She has so much talent and I plan to read everything she releases in the future!
2. Veronica Roth - I love the Divergent series and she's such a sweetheart--that always helps!
3. Lisa McMann - The woman is a goddess. I have read everything she's written thus far, with the exception of The Unwanteds (but only because my father still has my copies!). She's enthralled me with every book she's released and I will continue to support her forever.
4. Marissa Meyer - Cinder and Scarlet? Fantastic! Ms. Meyer has an amazing talent. Everything she produces in the future will be purchased by me!
5. Hannah Moskowitz - The only thing I ever know to expect from Moskowitz's work is perfection.
6. Leigh Bardugo - Foreverandeverandeverandeverandever.
7. John Green - He's so inspirational and writes some of the most fantastic stories I've ever read. I absolutely adore him and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!
8. Lish McBride - Lish's humor is what makes her books so good and I never have trouble rereading her work. She's an author whose work I could read all day, any day.
9. Patrick Ness - I didn't know what to expect from Patrick's work when I first started his Chaos Walking series, but as the story progressed, my adoration for Patrick grew. He is utterly brilliant. After reading A Monster Calls, I will buy anything he ever writes because he's just that good.
10. Stephanie Perkins - Her writing is just so sweet and entertaining. I have fun reading and rereading her books. There aren't many authors that leave so big of an impression on me that I will actually reread their work multiple times, but Stephanie is one of them!

What authors are on your auto-buy list?

Blog Tour: ARC Review + Giveaway: Broken Wings (Angel Eyes Trilogy #2) by Shannon Dittemore

Today, Edwin and Emily are happy to be a part of the 

Broken Wings Blog Tour

hosted by YA Bound.

Find the other tour stops here.

Broken Wings (Angel Eyes Trilogy #2) by Shannon Dittemore

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: February 19, 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
311 Pages

Giant angels with metal wings and visible song. A blind demon restored from the pit of darkness. And a girl who has never felt more broken.

Brielle sees the world as it really is: a place where the Celestial exists side by side with human reality. But in the aftermath of a supernatural showdown, her life begins to crumble. Her boyfriend, Jake, is keeping something from her—something important. Her overprotective father has started drinking again. He’s dating a much younger woman who makes Brielle’s skin crawl, and he’s downright hostile toward Jake. Haunting nightmares keep Brielle from sleeping, and flashes of Celestial vision keep her off kilter.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s been targeted. The Prince of Darkness himself has heard of the boy with healing in his hands and of the girl who sees through the Terrestrial Veil. When he plucks the blind demon, Damien, from the fiery chasm and sends him back to Earth with new eyes, the stage is set for a cataclysmic battle of good versus evil.

Then Brielle unearths the truth about her mother’s death and she must question everything she ever thought was true.

Brielle has no choice. She knows evil forces are converging and will soon rain their terror down upon the town of Stratus. She must master the weapons she’s been given. She must fight.

But can she fly with broken wings?

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

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FIND THE BOOK:

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Tour-Wide Giveaway Details:

- One winner will receive print copies of Angel Eyes and Broken Wings by Shannon Dittemore

- Five winners will receive a print copy of Broken Wings by Shannon Dittemore

- Open to US entrants only

- We are not responsible for lost and/or damaged packages

- Ends 03/01/2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Review:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't like angel books. Now, I know what you are thinking: "Why did you pick up Broken Wings if you don't like angel books?" The answer is because I was extremely impressed with the first book in this series, Angel Eyes. I decided to read Broken Wings because though this is a pretty religion-oriented novel, it is handled tastefully and the story is compelling beyond the religious aspects.

In Broken Wings, Brielle and Jake are in search of answers. Answers about Jake's past, answers about Brielle's mom and answers about their gifts. But beyond their search, danger is coming and it's coming for them. The Prince knows of their existence and wants Damien, whose eyes have been restored, to be them to him. It doesn't help that Brielle's father is starting to fall apart, or that Jake's been keeping a secret. To survive the impending battle of good and evil, Brielle and Jake must trust in each other, trust in the Father and fight.

I really love these characters. They are genuine and easy to relate to, which made reading the book a breeze. Brielle and Jake's love for each other is pure and so fantastically sweet. Brielle's dad really angered me in this story. He's drinking a lot. He's being cruel to Jake, even though Jake is being nothing but kind to him. He's also dating a much younger woman who Brielle doesn't trust. I really wanted to smack her dad. He's extremely selfish in this novel and I started to loathe him. And Olivia? I had a bad feeling about her from the moment she was introduced. I look forward to seeing how the author expands her story in the next book. The minor characters that are reintroduced from the first book continue to build the plot. Especially Marco and Kaylee. I wish we could see inside their heads!

The story itself was captivating. I read through it quickly and didn't even think about putting it down. The author brilliant weaves a tale that will capture the interest of all of its readers, even those who, like me, are not religious. I have so many questions I need answered. Broken Wings left a lot unresolved. We are introduced to many new problems, but only given a few solutions. It sets up the final book nicely. 

Ms. Dittemore has thoroughly impressed me with these Broken Wings and its prequel, Angel Eyes. I eagerly am awaiting the third and final book in the series, Dark Halo. (Though I'm not excited about having to wait six months to read it because of the way the book ended!)

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Netgalley.

Follow Friday (53)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. We always talk about books WE want. Let's turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately?

A. Hmm, well, in the last giveaway we held, we gave away a $25 dollar credit to TBD, which the winner used to buy a copy of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I let my mom borrow (see: BORROW) my copy of Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Apparently, I've talked about it so much, that she needed to read it herself. I FINALLY convinced my best friend to read Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, but she got that from the library because I wouldn't share my copy. My cousin also has reaped the benefit of my love of sharing. She's been taking books from me left and right! (Though she's on her way to probation. She thought it would be nice to read Dark Lover over candle light AND BURNED SOME OF THE PAGES. ... ... ... ...)

What books have you given (shared with) others lately?