Yearly Archives:: 2011

Friday, November 04, 2011

Review: Pyxis by K.C. Neal

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Pyxis
K.C. Neal
Release date: November 4th, 2011
by Stonehouse Ink

Goodreads / Purchase

Two worlds… one 16-year-old girl must learn to protect them both.

The nightmares haunting Corinne and her friend Mason hint at a universe that exists beyond the one they know. Her destiny is to protect a weakness between the two worlds, but her mentor is dead. As Corinne and Mason search for answers, she tries to ignore the sparks igniting between them, but can’t deny she feels safe only when he’s nearby. Will they find help before their nightmares break free?

*A copy was provided by K.C. Neal for review purposes*

With quite the original premise, Pyxis takes you on a fun and mysterious ride with Corinne and her best friend Mason. All throughout the book, you’re never really sure why Corinne has been having these strange nightmares that mirrors Mason’s, nor why she has these bottles of liquids that seem to have strange effects on her classmates…

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Pyxis. There weren’t that many reviews on it and the blurb was very mysterious if a bit vague. Therefore, I was really happy when I fell in love with the characters and completely enjoyed the story. The pace of the book is wonderful in the way that it builds anticipation. It makes you yearn to find out what it all means, but also want to sit back and enjoy the ride. There is evidently a lot of mystery regarding what is happening to Corinne, with the liquids and the dreams. I loved trying to decipher every piece of information that was given- which heightening my curiosity even more so. I also enjoyed getting spooked a few times along with Corinne.

A wonderfully written character, Corinne is level headed, smart and truly amiable. If she lived here, I would definitely want to be friends with her. She just has a great personality. Her best friend, Angelina, is a lot of fun as well, though I wish she’d been more involved in Pyxis. However going by the plot’s development, she will certainly have a bigger role in the rest of the series. As for Mason, Corinne’s childhood friend and current crush, he has a wonderful presence in the novel and I adored his character. He is so genuine and has an incredible connection with Corinne that I could feel through the pages.

In Pyxis, the first novel in the series, we’re mostly introduced to the plot; We discover what’s in store for our characters and the unusual concept around the Pyxis legacy. It’s fresh, with unique paranormal aspects and amazing characters. For a debut novel, I’m very impressed and looking forward to the rest of the series. The next installment has amazing potential that will undoubtedly contain a lot of excitement, mystery and romance.

4 Hot Espressos
Want to know more about Pyxis? 
Drop by on November 14th for an interview with K.C and a chance to win a copy!

Winner of Cicada

Posted by on 11/04/2011 • 1 Comment

Thank you to everyone who has entered! I have selected a winner: Congratulations to Katie of Book Bowl   Be on the lookout for Belle’s email Here’s what Katie has won:

Cicada Belle Whittington Released July 14th, 2011 Goodreads / Purchase

Summertime had always been carefree and fun for Blair Reynolds and her friends–until they came upon something that was not human. As the group of friends band together in a fight for their lives, Blair’s true love becomes something more than human…something unnatural. And their existence relies on their ability to keep a secret.

          

Want to know what I thought of Cicada? Click here for my review. If you didn’t win, make sure to head on over to the purchase link to get your very own copy. Only 2.99$…

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Posted by on 11/03/2011 • 24 Comments

Hunting LilaSarah AldersonReleased August 4th, 2011by Simon & Schuster

Goodreads / Purchase

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she’s prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust – her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they’ve found them. Trying to…

Touch Blog Tour Stop

Posted by on 11/02/2011 • 42 Comments

Today, Xpresso Reads is happy to have the Touch Blog Tour stop buy to pay a visit. It consists of my review of Touch with a few extra tidbits, and also maybe… a giveaway?You have not heard of Touch yet? Here’s what it’s all about:

 TouchJus AccardoReleased November 1st,by Entangled Publishing

Goodreads / Purchase

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home. 

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s…

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Posted by on 11/02/2011 • 123 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  My pick this week:

                                    Hollow                                     Richard Denney

                                    Release date: May 8th, 2012

Welcome to the house of Hollow. In a dystopian future, sixteen year old Leah Munro has been sold to a rich woman in a crippling mansion. Soon Leah discovers that there is something mysterious going on around the home, and with the help of three other girls, she attempts to uncover what is truly happening… what lies beyond all of the plexiglass windows and the hideous screams in the middle of the night? 

Leah will soon find out.

            Add it to your Goodreads to-read shelf.

Ok, I will admit, I’m guilty of…

Spooktacular Giveaway Winner

Posted by on 11/01/2011 • 3 Comments

Congratulations to Nedraw Be on the lookout for my email. Nedraw has won their choice of book from the Spooktacular Giveaway list. Reminder: Don’t forget to enter my other giveaways for more chances to win. 500 Followers Giveaway (ends Nov. 13th) Cicada by Belle Whittington (ends Nov. 3rd) 

*Winner was chosen by random number generator.

*Winner has 48 hours to reply to my email before a new winner is chosen.

*I am not responsible for lost or damaged winnings. 

Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Posted by on 11/01/2011 • 17 Comments

Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2)Richelle MeadReleased April 10th, 2008by Razorbill

Goodreads / Purchase

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But…

Dusty Reads (6)

Posted by on 11/01/2011 • 11 Comments

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme, hosted here, featuring a book that has been sitting unread on our home shelf for some time. To participate, add your link at the bottom.  If you wish, you can grab the button and find more information here. My pick this week:  Poison Study Maria V. Snyder Goodreads / Purchase

Choose: A quick death… Or slow poison…

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay…