Teaser Tuesdays - ACID

The agent smiles and, with his free hand, reaches for one of the sets of cuffs that are hanging from his belt.
Now, I think.

(page 130, ACID by Emma Pass)




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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - 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 that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Unworthy - Book Review

Unworthy
by Joanne Armstrong

What is it about:
Nearly two hundred years after a killer disease swept the planet, an island nation continues its isolated survival due to the ruthless dedication of its military. The laws and culture of the country are based on the survival of the fittest, distrust of disease, and control of the general population.

Marked at birth as “Unworthy” to be raised, a young woman questions the necessity for the cruel practice, so many years after the Isolation was declared. She embarks on a journey which will uncover truths about her past and about her society which she could never have imagined.

What did I think of it:
This is a nice read.

The Dystopian setting with its rigid and cruel rules is very interesting and perfectly lends itself for all kinds of intrigue. So I was a little disappointed at first that Arcadia soon leaves this intriguing society behind for a journey through the wilderness. I wanted more about this society, more interaction with it.

But luckily the events that unfold in the wilderness were interesting enough to keep my attention. There were also some discussions she has with her travel companion that tell more about the world she grew up in. Things did develop slowly I must say, but not annoyingly so.

Near the end of the book things speed up again and there are some really cool revelations and events before the book reaches an end that would have left me totally frustrated if this had been a standalone as I thought. Luckily it turns out there will be a sequel, so I will keep an eye out for that.

Why should you read it:
It's a nice Young Adult Dystopian read.




Buy for Kindle here

Milayna Trilogy Cover Reveal - Promo Guest Post

COVER REVEAL FOR THE MILAYNA SERIES:

You've seen the cover for Milayna, book one in the Milayna Trilogy, and now the remaining covers in The Milayna Series are revealed!!

I'm so excited about the gorgeous covers for the Milayna Trilogy, by Michelle K. Pickett! Book one, Milayna, is scheduled to release March 17, 2015. Book two, Milayna's Angel, and book three, The Innocent, are both scheduled for release in 2015--so we won't have any long, irritating waits between books. So don't forget to add all three to your TBR list!

 

And for a limited time, you can pre-order Milayna (Book #1) for $2 off the purchase price! It's available for pre-order at only $2.99, but only for a limited time! So get your orders in now, before the sale ends! 

 

In the battle for her soul,           
                              which side will she choose?

Series Name: The Milayna Series

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)

Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing

CTP Content Rating: YAm

MILAYNA (Book #1) by Michelle K. Pickett

Release Date: March 17, 2015

From the bestselling author of PODs comes an unforgettable tale of action, intrigue, and following your heart in the midst of betrayal.

It’s hard being good all the time. Everyone needs to be bad once in a while. But for seventeen-year-old Milayna, being good isn’t a choice. It’s a job requirement. And it’s a job she can’t quit. Born a demi-angel, Milayna steps in when danger and demons threaten the people around her, but being half angel isn’t all halos and happiness. Azazel, Hell’s demon, wants Milayna’s power and he’ll do anything to get it. But he only has until her eighteenth birthday, after which she becomes untouchable.

With the help of other demi-angels, Milayna thwarts the trouble Azazel sends her way. Fighting by her side is Chay. He’s a demi-angel who's sinfully gorgeous, and Milayna falls hard. But is Chay her true love… or her nemesis in disguise?

When she learns of a traitor in her group, there’s no one she can trust… not even the one she loves.

MILAYNA'S ANGEL (Book #2) by Michelle K. Pickett

"She's Untouchable...or so she thinks.

It seems even in Hell there are loopholes."

 

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Read more about Milayna's Angel here. 

 

 

THE INNOCENT (Book #3) by Michelle K. Pickett

 

"The Four Brothers are coming, and this time it isn't just Milayna's life in jeopardy, but her brother's too."

 

 

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Read more about The Innocent here. 

Did you pre-order Milayna to save $2?

ABOUT MICHELLE K. PICKETT:

Michelle is the bestselling author of the young adult novel “PODs.” She was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in a sleepy suburb outside Houston with her extremely supportive husband, three school-aged children, a 125 pound “lap dog,” and a very snooty cat.

Red Bull or Monster Khaos are her coffee of choice, and she can’t write without peanut butter M&Ms and a hoodie. A hopeful romantic; she loves a swoon-worthy ending that will give her butterflies for days. She writes across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups. She loves to hear from her readers.

Michelle signed her new young adult contemporary novel— Unspeakable, with Clean Teen Publishing in 2014. 

Keep up-to-date on her current and future projects at www.michelle-pickett.com.

 

More from Clean Teen Publishing:

 

 

 BE THE FIRST TO KNOW about our GIVEAWAYS, NEW RELEASES, COVER REVEALS and MORE! Join our VIP Mailing List! 

WWW.CLEANTEENPUBLISHING.COM

 

   

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean - Book Review

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates #1)
by Justin Somper

What is it about:
Twins, Connor and Grace, find truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, after they are shipwrecked and separated. Connor, aboard a pirate ship, learns to swordfight. For Grace, aboard a ship of vampire pirates, danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other?

What did I think of it:
Is it just me, or is Middle Grade fiction filled with twins? It seems as if lots of series for younger teens feature a brother/sister twin pair. Either I just ran into a couple of these books by accident, or the publishing world seems to think it's needed to get both boys and girls interested in these kind of books.

That being said: I very much enjoyed this book.

Connor and Grace get separated after a shipwreck. Connor ends up on a pirate ship, and Grace on a ship where she gets locked in a cabin for her own safety.

I especially liked Grace's story. Even though I knew right away on what kind of ship Grace ended up, it was fun to read how she slowly figures out what's going on. There's a bit of suspense, an evil vampirate, some really cool characters, and more.

Connor's story was entertaining, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Grace's story. This might be because I didn't much care for Connor. He was a bit too gullible in my opinion. I did like some of the other characters on board of Connor's ship though.

The world building is a bit of a mess though. It's supposed to be in the future, and there are some mentions of modern things, but mostly the setting felt more like the 1700' or there about.

Overall this is a fun Vampirates romp though, and I very much enjoyed reading it. It does end in a way that wraps up some things, but leaves most story-lines open, so you will have to get the next book to find out how things will turn out. I might read the next book if I can find it on sale somewhere.

Why should you read it:
It's a very entertaining story about Vampirates for younger teens

Looking Back - The Books I read in 2014

Nikki from Book Punks always posts a list of all the books she read in a year, and I decided to follow her example.

I tried to keep track of all the books I read in 2014, and I think I only might have missed one or two. I didn't count rereads.

Some fun facts before I go on to my list:
My best reading months were January and June with 17 books read both months.
November was the worst month for my reading: 9 books


1 The Replacement - Brenna Yovanoff
2 Left Hand Magic - Nancy A. Collins
3 The Last Princess - Galaxy Craze
4 Summoning the Night - Jenn Bennett
5 Queen of the Tearling - Erika Johansen
6 The Elite - Kiera Cass
7 The Last Victim - Karen Robards
8 Coveted - Shawntelle Madison
9 Clovenhoof - Heide Goody & Iain Grant
10 666 Park Avenue - Gabriella Pierce

11 The Silver Bough - Lisa Tuttle
12 Undead - Kristy McKay
13 Snowblind - Christopher Golden
14 Allegiance - Beth Bernobich
15 Kept - Shawntelle Madison
16 World of Ash - Shauna Granger
17 Precious Blood - Tonya Hurley
18 Smoulder - Brenna Yovanoff
19 Raven's Gate - Anthony Horowitz
20 Dies the Fire - S.M. Stirling

21 Repossessed - Shawntelle Madison
22 Through the Ever Night - Veronica Rossi
23 New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
24 Delirium - Lauren Oliver
25 Deadly Thorns - Kathleen Peacock
26 The Compound - S.A. Bodeen
27 Circle of Fire - Keri Arthur
28 Once a Witch - Carolyn MacCullough
29 Chasing Magic - Stacia Kane
30 NIL - Lynne Matson


31 Written in Red - Anne Bishop
32 Undead Reckoning - Zack Lynn
33 The Mark of the Tala - Jeffe Kennedy
34 Always A Witch - Carolyn MacCullough
35 Silver Mirrors - A.A. Aguirre
36 Yesterday's Kiss - Carly Fall
37 Tin Star - Cecil Castellucci
38 The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addings
39 Stolen Songbird - Danielle L. Jensen
40 Pack of Strays - Dana Cameron

41 Alien Collective - Gini Koch
42 Perfect Ruin - Lauren DeStefano
43 Circle of Death - Keri Arthur
44 Dragon Actually - G.A. Aiken
45 Boy Proof - Cecil Castellucci
46 Nightmare Ink - Marcella Burnard
47 Wakeworld - Kerry Schafer
48 The City's Son - Tom Pollock
49 Alchemystic - Anton Strout
50 Deadland's Harvest - Rachel Aukes

51 City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
52 Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver
53 Requiem - Lauren Oliver
54 Frost - Kate Avery Ellison
55 Poison - Bridget Zinn
56 The Forever Song - Julie Kagawa
57 Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
58 Queen of Cool - Cecil Castellucci
59 Arizona (Beautiful Dead) - Eden Maguire
60 Titanic - Stephen W. Hines


61 The One - Kiera Cass
62 Deck Z - Chris Pauls and Matt Solomon
63 The Dead Girls' Dance - Rachel Caine
64 City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
65 Archangel's Storm - Nalini Singh
66 Five - Ursula P. Archer
67 Hush, Hush - Rebecca Fitzpatrick
68 Red Glove - Holly Black
69 Kiss of Midnight - Lara Adrian
70 Unearthly - Cynthia Hand

71 Mortal Danger - Ann Aguirre
72 Allegiance - Susannah Sandlin
73 I Want It That Way - Ann Aguirre
74 The Three - Sarah Lotz
75 Going Under - Jeffe Kennedy
76 Enslaved by the Others - Jess Haines
77 Collision - Berinn Rae
78 Visions - Kelley Armstrong
79 Unravelling - Elizabeth Norris
80 Knight's Curse - Karen Duvall

81 Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
82 Murder of Crows - Anne Bishop
83 When Rose Wakes - Christopher Golden
84 A Cat, a Hat and a Piece of String - Joanne Harris
85 Sealed with a Curse - Cecy Robson
86 Rain - Amanda Sun
87 Living Hell - Catherine Jinks
88 Kiss of Crimson - Lara Adrian
89 Midnight Alley - Rachel Caine
90 Zenn Scarlett - Christian Schoon


91 Panic - Lauren Oliver
92 Blackbirds - Chuck Wendig
93 City of Glass - Cassandra Clare
94 Ink Exchange - Melissa Marr
95 Black Heart - Holly Black
96 The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig - Emer Stamp
97 The Rain - Virginia Bergin
98 Zombies vs Unicorns - Anthology
99 Shadows Cast by Stars - Catherine Knutsson
100 Servants of the Storm - Delilah S. Dawson

101 My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent
102 Spider's Bite - Jennifer Estep
103 Dreaming Anastasia - Joy Preble
104 Time of Ruin - Shauna Granger
105 An Intimate Murder - Stacy Verdick Case
106 Enchanting the Lady - Kathryne Kennedy
107 A Touch of Dead - Charlaine Harris
108 My Soul to Save - Rachel Vincent
109 Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers
110 Haunted - Joy Preble

111 The Tears of the Rose - Jeffe Kennedy
112 Ironskin - Tina Connolly
113 Rogue's Paradise - Jeffe Kennedy
114 The Shadow Club - Neil Shusterman
115 Angels' Flight - Nalini Singh
116 Archangel's Legion - Nalini Singh
117 Red Blooded - Amanda Carlson
118 The Bar Code Tattoo - Suzanne Weyn
119 Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor
120 City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare


121 Lovely, Dark, and Deep - Susannah Sandlin
122 Unmade - Sarah Rees Brennan
123 Moth and Spark - Anne Leonard
124 As Long As You Love Me - Ann Aguirre
125 Valiant - Holly Black
126 The Iron Trial - Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
127 Shifting Shadows - Patricia Briggs
128 The Fear - Charlie Higson
129 Under His Touch - Jeffe Kennedy
130 Compelled - Shawntelle Madison

131 Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
132 Unspeakable - Michelle K. Pickett
133 Circ - Ten to One
134 Universal Alien - Gini Koch
135 The Stark Affair Book One: Heat - Skylar Cross
136 Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare
137 Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare
138 Archangel's Shadows - Nalini Singh
139 Lips Touch - Laini Taylor
140 The Sacrifice - Charlie Higson

141 The Blue Girl - Charles de Lint
142 Alice in Zombieland - Gena Showalter
143 Trese
144 Gotita de Dragon - Nick Joaquin
145 Project 17 - Eliza Victoria
146 Deep Secret - Diana Wynne Jones
147 Burn For Me - Ilona Andrews
148 The Night Itself - Zoe Marriott
149 Circle of Desire - Keri Arthur
150 The Shape Of My Heart - Ann Aguirre

151 The Fearless - Emma Pass
152 Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates) - Justin Somper
153 Unworthy - Joanne Armstrong
154 House Immortal - Devon Monk

TBR Orphans End of Year Update

As 2014 comes to an end it's time to see how I did on my challenge to read at least one book every month that has been on my shelves for over three months.


December was a slow reading month, but I managed to fit in one last orphaned book: Circle of Desire by Keri Arthur

So that brings the total of TBR Orphans I read in 2014 to 22.
I didn't read any orphaned books in May and November, but read five orphaned books in September and four in June.
So overall my challenge did go well this year.

I will once again set my goals on reading at least one TBR orphan each month in 2015.


I hope you did well on your challenges as well, and I hope you have an amazing New Year's Eve and a wonderful 2015.
May it be filled with happiness and good books!

The Top Pearls of 2014

And after yesterday's spotlight of one of my Top Pearls authors of 2014 it is now time for my Top Pearls List of 2014!

This year I will first highlight 5 authors who so impressed me with their writing, they ended up on the list with multiple titles. Then I will name some individual books that I loved reading this year as well.


I was late to the party and only started reading Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series this year. It was the prequel trilogy The Infernal Devices I fell in love with though.


I loved Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci so much, I also tried Boy Proof and Queen of Cool. Those were even better! I will most certainly get my trotters on her other books as well.


Voodoo Bride and I were already fans of Jeffe Kennedy, but this year brought 4 amazing reads, and we were even lucky enough to read an ARC of an upcoming book as well: The Mark of the Tala, The Tears of the Rose, Going Under, Rogue's Paradise and Under His Touch


I devoured the first two books in Shauna Granger's Ash and Ruin trilogy, and I'm eagerly awaiting the last book.


The covers of Shawntelle Madison's Coveted series didn't do much for me, but this fun series showed me that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.


I was afraid The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addings would be a bit too dry for my tastes, but it turned out to be a wonderful Fantasy read.


Deadland's Harvest by Rachel Aukes was even cooler than the first book in the Deadland trilogy. I'm eagerly awaiting the last book.


Jess Haines continues to blow me away with her books. Enslaved by the Others is awesome and intense.


Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson is a delightfully creepy and awesome read.


The Katherine "Kitty" Katt series by Gini Koch is still going strong. Universal Alien is the latest addition to this fun series.


It was the cover that made me notice the book, but The Fearless by Emma Pass is an awesome read! I already ordered Pass' other book Acid, because I want more.



And that's my Top Pearls List for 2014.
Let me know what your favorite reads of 2014 were.

And don't forget to enter yesterday's giveaway for one of Jeffe Kennedy's The Twelve Kingdoms books.