ARC Review: Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen

Breaking Nova

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Series: Breaking Nova

Pages: 384

Genre: New Adults

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Release date: 3^rd September 2013

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next . . . until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life-but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life . . . but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

Review: 2 out of 5 stars

This is a book which I think just wasn’t for me at this time, the subject matter, excessive drug use, characters and morose feel didn’t endear me to the overall story and I didn’t feel enough of the emotions I think the author was trying to convey.

It started off well enough, I was intrigued by Nova Reed, her life on film and her painful story which was heart-breaking, she feels alone since her best-friend and boyfriend Landon committed suicide, she has suffered a terrible loss and as a result is grieving, seeks to find answers and suffers from anxiety. As I got to know Nova, I just found myself shaking my head for the many mistakes she was making; it wasn’t as if she didn’t have a support network in her parents, she just wasn’t willing to use it or continue to seek the professional help she obviously needed, she could have been a great character and I did like her during certain scenes but once she mixed in with the wrong crowd my opinion of her seriously dwindled.

Quinton Carter’s story is just as heart wrenching, he has experienced terrible loss because of a big mistake (I won’t reveal what has happened to avoid spoilers) which caused him to be cast aside and blamed, even though we get his POV and know he wasn’t truly at fault he takes full responsibility and is on a path of self-destruction. There were no qualities I liked about him unfortunately, yes I felt sorry for him and his loss but he didn’t appear at all to want to help himself, in saying this I did like the snippets we get about the way he was.

Both characters were broken and to ease the pain they turned to drugs and people who weren’t right for them, from the tidbits we read about who they were prior to the big events they did a complete 360 – they had goals and dreams but they were shattered. I didn’t connect with any of the characters – at all; I didn’t think much of the romance which definitely wasn’t at the forefront of the story and even though I think Nova’s attraction to Quinton was based on the comparisons she would make to Landon, besides loss, I felt this was their only link and there were no knee wobbling gushy moments for me or the want to see them together besides to support one another.

As for the secondary characters – eek! Delilah was a horrible friend who seemed to be on a downward spiral herself because of who she was mixing with and we see at the end of the book how her lifestyle changes had affected her and her boyfriend Dylan was unbelievable! The only person I though was just ok was Tristan, Quinton’s cousin who was the only person willing to give him a chance and a roof over his head, but to be honest he was no better himself. I also wished we got to see more of Nova’s family dynamic.

I liked the writing style but for some reason the dialogue felt unnatural and didn’t flow, it was also repetitive. I also think the subject matters such as suicide, death and drugs weren’t really dealt with appropriately but it is the first book in the series so it may be explored later on.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. I believe it is the first book in a three part series; Breaking Nova seemed to focus more on Nova and her healing and from the ending I think the next book may be more about Quinton because he is definitely on the path of self-destruction and although I am curious to read the next book to learn more about him, I think I’d need to be in the right frame of mind.

Overall, it pains me to rate this book 2 stars as it has received a number of 5 star Goodreads reviews and as I mentioned it may have just been that this book just wasn’t for me at this time. Jessica Sorensen’s writing is great but the subject matter/s and characters just left me feeling quite underwhelmed.

Thank-you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a copy of Breaking Nova in exchange for my honest review.

About the author: The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica...

Waiting on Wednesday - Unbreakable (Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

Hi everyone, thank-you so much for stopping by my WoW!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW for this week is Unbreakable by Kami Garcia, the synopsis sounds so good and I love Paranormal thrillers so I’m definitely eager to read this one.

Author: Kami Garcia

Series: Legion

Pages: 320

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release date: 1^st October 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in this action-packed paranormal thriller, the first book in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia. 

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

What are most anticipating this week?

Review: Torch (Take It Off #1) by Cambria Hebert

Torch

Author: Cambria Hebert

Series: Take It Off

Pages: 252

Publisher: Self

Genre: Adult contemporary

Release date: 13^th August 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

If you can’t take the heat… stay away from the flame.

Katie Parks has been on her own since the age of fifteen. All she’s ever wanted is a place to call her own—a life that is wholly hers that no one can take away. She thought she finally had it, but with the strike of a single match, everything she worked so hard for is reduced to a pile of smoking ash. And she almost is too.

Now she’s being stalked by someone who’s decided it’s her time to die. The only thing standing in the path of her blazing death is sexy firefighter Holt Arkain.

Katie’s body might be safe with Holt… but her heart is another story.

As the danger heats up, sparks fly and the only thing Katie knows for sure is that her whole life is about to go up in flames.

Review: 2 ½ out of 5 stars

Torch by Cambria Hebert was a quick and easy read and follows the story of Katie Parks who is a bit of a loner until she meets fire-fighter Holt Arkain who rescues her from her burning house fire.

Katie has never allowed herself to form attachments; everyone she has loved has left her so she has learnt never to depend on anyone so when Holt starts showing a keen interest she becomes quite unsure about her feelings. Katie came across as a naïve character and although she was likeable there wasn’t a lot of depth to her as a person.

Holt was a dominant hero with a kind, selfless nature, I liked him despite him coming on really strong, he had goals and I liked the way in which he pursued them.

Torch has a severe case of insta-love, lust, attraction! I enjoyed the chemistry between this couple but it was pretty much right from the get go unfortunately, there was no slow to build romance which I tend to prefer. Holt offers Katie a roof over her head and to take care of her whilst she is still in the hospital, being a complete stranger I found this aspect a little odd since someone had just tried to kill her.

The plot was interesting and flowed well, there was someone out to murder Katie and to be honest throughout the course of the book I had no idea of who it could possibly be since she was more or less always by herself with no friends or family so I was surprised by the outcome.

This is my first Cambria Hebert book, the very beginning of the book was chilling and I found the writing to be engaging with witty banter and vivid imagery; I liked the premise of the story, smexy firemen always appeal to me but overall it just didn’t wow me.

Thank-you kindly to Cambria Hebert and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of Torch to read and review.

 

About the author: Cambria Hebert is a latte sipping author of the Heven & Hell series, the Death Escorts series, and the Take It Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com 

Facebook – Twitter -  Pinterest - website

Review: Ward Against Darkness (Chronicles of Reluctant Necromancer #2) by Melanie Card

Ward Against Darkness

Author: Melanie Card

Series: Chronicles of Reluctant Necromancer

Pages: 352

Genre: Young Adult

Release date: 27^th August 2013

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Amazon

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

The last thing Ward de'Ath wants is more trouble. On the run from both the law and the criminal underworld, Ward and Celia flee Brawenal City only to stumble into the mansion of a powerful evil necromancer. And when Ward discovers the man possesses a dangerous grimoire, his duty leaves him no choice. He can't allow the necromancer to keep the grimoire. But the mansion is filled with monsters--human and undead--and Ward has no way of telling who's friend or foe. The only person he can trust is Celia who dominates more of his thoughts and feelings everyday. But there are still laws in the way of anything but friendship. She's still dead and he's still alive . . . for now.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

When I requested Ward Against Darkness I didn’t realise it was actually the sequel to Ward Against Death which I haven’t yet read but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story as the author gave enough background information so that it wasn’t confusing.

Ward de’Ath is a reluctant necromancer who was tasked in the first book with bringing Celia Carlyle, a murdered nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for a short period of time but things didn’t go as planned and she was reanimated.

Celia was a fabulous, strong character with a feisty personality which I loved! Being the daughter of a now deceased crime lord and a trained assassin bought out her devious personality and showed her strengths where Ward is her complete opposite, he is a scholar and trained as a physician, he is compassionate and shows great courage despite his doubts, the romance between them was really sweet despite their differences and definitely wasn’t at the forefront of the story.

The plot-line was evenly paced and filled with intense action sequences, political drama and mystery as Ward tries to work out what went wrong with the spell he cast on Celia in the first book which reawakened her, they also continue to run from the law and bounty hunters but along their journey they stumble across some interesting characters including a dark necromancer, Innecroestri who was absolutely horrible but with Ward being under his roof he gets to learn more about his powers which he had always believed weren’t much.

I found myself really enjoying the characters, the vivid imagery and the story-line. Melanie Card’s writing is wonderful, it was a gritty read filled with evil, intense action and intrigue as both characters learn more about themselves. I enjoyed the necromancy, the mystery, the magic and the evil beings we meet along the journey; it all made for a riveting, enjoyable read.

Overall, I really liked the premise of this story and the world the author created was daunting and disturbing but also filled with interesting characters and magical intrigue. I am definitely eager to read the first book as well as the next.

 

About the author: I have always been drawn to story telling. In fact, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t telling a story in my head or on paper. In grade school, we had journal writing time which I turned into story telling time, weaving tales of magic and adventure that mimicked the fairy tales and myths that I loved to read. It was there, with the help of two very special teachers, that I nurtured this love and started my journey as a writer.

I write fantasy, paranormal romance, and everything in between, seasoned with a good dash of adventure and mystery. Join me on my tales of magic, adventure, and romance

Book blast - Triangles by Kimberly Ann Miller

The Triangles

Win a Frikkin' Cruise

Sweepstakes!!

The Grand Prize Winner gets to go on a cruise!

Two runners-up will win $50 gift cards from Amazon (in US) or Book Depository (Worldwide).

What do you do?  

Buy Triangles! 

  

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess? 

Send confirmation of purchase 

(receipt, pic with book, drawing with book, you get it the idea) 

with this form to Spencer Hill Press!  

They MUST have it by September 14th. 

Drawing on September 16th.

ARC Review: Fire in the Darkness (Darkness #2) by Stacey Marie Brown

Fire in the Darkness

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Series: Darkness #2

Genre: New Adult – Paranormal

Publisher: Self

Release date: 28^th August 2013
Amazon

My review of Darkness of Light

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

***This is NOT a YA Series but a New Adult (17+). Sexual Content and Language.***

It's been four weeks since Ember Brycin witnessed what her powers are capable of. The Electrical Current Storm has turned Seattle, Washington into a natural disaster zone. The death toll is in the thousands with countless others homeless and hungry.

And Ember is the one who caused it. Something she will have to live with every day.

Those people who were unable to escape either turned quickly into gangs or live in shelters. Ember, on the other hand, can’t do either. With a price on her head and a Dark Dweller on her ass, she is constantly on the move. Both Light and Dark are hunting her for their own purpose to use her as a weapon or a pawn in the war between the Unseelie King of the Dark and the Seelie Queen of the Light.

Em needs help but doesn’t know who to trust: Lars, the mystery man Torin told her to find? Torin, the Seelie Queen’s personal knight, who has sworn to keep Em safe? Or Eli, who wants to turn her over to the Unseelie King, but whom she has an undeniable, intense connection with?

No matter what she chooses she will probably lose—her life or everything and everyone she loves.

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

** contains spoilers from the first book **

After the ending we were left with in Darkness of Light, I was eager to dive back into the exciting, unique world Stacey Marie Brown has created and I was completely satisfied with how it is all playing out although it has left me even more eager for the next book in the series.

At the end of the first book we saw Ember forced to use her abilities to turn Seattle into a pile of rubble which freaked her out and forced her to run from herself, the dark dwellers who want to turn her over to the Unseelie King, the Light Queen and other magical creatures, it was non-stop running for her until she is saved and captured again by Dark Dweller Eli Dragen who gave her his blood in the first book and is now somehow connected to her but also betrayed her.

Ember is an independent, courageous and loyal protagonist who at times acts without thinking but has the best of intentions; I easily connected to her and thought her dedication was admirable. Eli is gorgeous, dangerous and evasive but we are slowly beginning to learn more about this mysterious, enigmatic dark dweller and what we have learnt I have found to be quite interesting. We also get reacquainted with a number of characters from the first book and meet a few more who each play a pivotal role in the overall story, Eli’s brother Lorcan continues to irk me and I am still a little unsure of a few characters intentions.

Fire in the Darkness is a compelling page-turner that leaves you on the edge of your seat anticipating the characters actions and reactions and more often than not guessing completely wrong about what they would be. There was a lot happening throughout the book but I felt the pacing was consistent and everything was balanced out well, the plot was action-packed and fascinating as we see Ember learn more about who and what she is, her abilities and how she plans to avoid capture from the Light Queen and Dark King who both want to use her for their own personal gain – a weapon and a pawn. I still at this point have no idea at which direction the story will go, the element of surprise and the unexpected twists and turns has made for a captivating, addictive read,

I am not sure where the romance is headed, one moment Ember is lusting after Eli, the next it is Torin, the Queens first Knight and then she has her tongue down Nic’s throat (although he isn’t part of the equation), her inner-monologue seems like she wants Eli but then her reaction to Torin suggest otherwise so I’m still a tad confused about this aspect but Eli is my obvious pick, I don’t trust Torin whatsoever, I feel he has his own motives.

There is a lot of sexual tension and innuendo’s between Eli and Ember which made for some smexy, enjoyable moments but their relationship is unusual because of what they are so we see them biting each other’s heads off or throwing snarky remarks at one another a lot of the time, I did enjoy most of the banter between them but wished they would just get over it and get together.

The writing flows well and is engaging, Stacey Marie Brown’s story-telling is exciting and the intense action, betrayals, revelations and smexy moments make for a riveting read.

Overall, Fire in the Darkness is an entertaining and creative story, fans of Fantasy and Paranormal alike will enjoy the amazing characterisations and wonderful, unique world-building. I am more than excited for the next book in the series.

Thank-you kindly to Stacey Marie Brown for providing me with a copy of Fire in the Darkness.

 

About the author: Stacey Marie Brown by day is an Interior/Set Designer, by night a writer of Paranormal Fantasy, Adventure, and Literary Fiction. She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family’s farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. Even before she could write, she was creating stories and making up intricate fantasies. Writing came as easy as breathing. She later turned that passion into acting, living and traveling abroad, and designing. Though she had never stopped writing, moving back to San Francisco seemed to have brought it back to the forefront and this time it would not be ignored.

When she’s not writing she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.

Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post

 

 

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by my blog today.

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews

It's a chance to share what has happened the past week, showcase books and other bookish things we have received and talk about what is coming up on our blog.

The below books are what I have received over the past week, some I have already read and reviewed others I am really excited to start on.

(Clicking on the title will take you to Goodreads)

Received for Review

Torch by Cambria Herbert

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

The Returned by Jason Mott

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Finding It by Cora Carmack

Waiting to Catch Fire (Inhuman + chapters from The Darkest Path & The Bar Code Prophecy)

 (Thank-you kindly to Netgalley, Edelweiss, Harluquin Mira, Walker Books for Young Readers, Bloomsbury Australia, William Morrow, Indie Inked & Scholastic)

  

    

Purchased

Untouched by Melody Grace (Kindle freebie)

 

This past week

Review: The Skeleton Key Guild (The Doorknob Society #5) by M.J Fletcher

A-Z Survey just for fun

Waiting on Wednesday: Avalon by Mindee Arnett

ARC Review: Countdown by Michelle Rowen

Review: Immortals (Runes #2) by Ednah Walters

ARC Review: Fire in the Darkness (Darkness #2) by Stacey Marie Brown

What bookish goodies did you receive this week?