Monthly Archives:: January 2012

Friday, January 27, 2012

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

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Incarnate
Jodi Meadows
Release date: January 31st, 2012
by HarperCollins Children’s Books

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NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

*A copy was provided by HarperCollins for review purposes*

NEWSOUL
Incarnate gives us a fresh, new soul in YA. Originality at its core, Jodi Meadows has written an incredible world with dragons, sylphs, laser pistols, temple with heartbeats; really- how much more imaginative can it get? I was blown away with the imagery that formed in my mind while reading this book. It’s a gorgeous, but notably frightening world. I did have a bit of difficulty swallowing the fact that, since everyone is always being reincarnated, they give birth to people they already know. It could even be your own father. However, it is a way of life for them, who am I to say what’s unreasonable? I’ve heard of a mother who used her daughter’s egg to get pregnant, which basically means she gave birth to a grandchild of sorts. Is this weird? Of course! But we’re living in a world where you can have babies that are literally not your own, so it makes sense to think that living for thousands of years with reincarnation would desensitize people to things that presently blow our minds.

NOSOUL
Ana has had to live with her mother telling her she was a Nosoul for all of her 18 years. This turned her into a deeply defensive, cautious young woman who has difficulty putting her trust in others. Ana is a remarkably easy character to like with a realistic voice that stands out. She may have had a hard life, but this makes her loves and joys come from the heart. It’s not fake or shallow when she feels something, it’s with her whole heart and soul. Sam, the first person to show her kindness, has a heart of gold, but more importantly; the patience of a stone. They have a positively sweet romance that creeps up on you. You suddenly realize you’ve been longing for them to be together. I was delighted by how perfectly paced their relationship flourished.

HEART
We’ve got originality; we’ve got charming characters; but let’s not forget the fascinating plot that surrounds it all. Mystery after mystery flows inside these pages. I was starved for more information as much as Ana. Why is she the only newsoul? Where did Ciana go? Why was the town of Heart just sitting there? A temple with a heartbeat? It’s all so mystifying. We don’t get all the answers in this novel, but we do get some, as well as one heck of a promise: that this is the start of an epic series! 

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Young Adult Giveaway Hop

Posted by on 01/26/2012 • 37 Comments

Xpresso Reads is happy to be taking part in the Young Adult giveaway hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Down the Rabbit Hole. With about 250 other blogs participating you have a plenty of chances to get away with some winnings.

What’s up for grabs? Your Young Adult book of choice at The Book Depository up to a value of 10$.  Open Internationally as long as TBD ships to you (is your country on the list? Click here) Giveaway ends on January 31st, 2012 Use the form below to enter.

Make sure to hop on over to the other blogs for more chances to win!Click here for links to all participating blogs

This giveaway was made possible by The Book Depository…

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Review: Third Grave Dead Ahead

Posted by on 01/26/2012 • 27 Comments

Third Grave Dead Ahead(Charley Davidson, #3) Darynda JonesRelease date: January 31st, 2012by St. Martin’s Press

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Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she’s drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the parthuman, part-supermodel son of Satan. Yes, she did imprison him for all eternity, but come on. How is she supposed to solve a missing persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hellbent on murder when the devil’s son just won’t give up?

*A copy was provided by St. Martin’s Press for review purposes*

“Death comes to those who wait. And to those who don’t. So either way…” -Quote from Third…

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Review: Angelina’s Secret by Lisa Rogers

Posted by on 01/25/2012 • 22 Comments

Angelina’s SecretLisa RogersRelease date: February 1st, 2012by Spencer Hill Press

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As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn’t real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn’t imaginary after all.

Now Angelina has to accept she’s either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can’t help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.

When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn’t, or she can embrace who she is and take a…

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Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Posted by on 01/25/2012 • 66 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:

Death and the Girl Next Door                                     Darynda Jones                                     Release date: October, 2012 by St. Martin’s Press Add it to your Goodread

Things get turned upside down for sophomore Lorelei MacAlister when the Angel of Death starts high school in her small town. What she doesn’t know is that she has been slated to die. It’s simply her time. And Death has been sent to do the deed. But when she touches him, when she peers into his eyes and reaches into his heart, he realizes she is more than what he was led to believe, and he disobeys his orders. He brings…

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Giveaway: Tempest Audiobook (US/Can)

Posted by on 01/24/2012 • 16 Comments

TempestJulie CrossRelease date: January 17th, 2012by St. Martin’s Press

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The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but…

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Review: Wasteland by Lynn Rush

Posted by on 01/24/2012 • 21 Comments

WastelandLynn RushRelease date: September 1st, 2011by Crescent Moon Press

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Bound by the blood contract his human mother signed four centuries ago, half-demon, David Sadler, must obey his demonic Master’s order to capture fifteen-year-old Jessica Hanks. But as he learns more about her, he realizes she may be the key to freedom from his dark enslavement.

The only obstacle– Jessica’s distractingly beautiful Guardian, Rebeka Abbott. He must not give in to their steamy chemistry, or he will lose his humanity. But fresh off a quarter millennia of sensory deprivation as punishment for not retrieving his last target, he may not be able to resist temptation long enough to save what’s left of his human soul.

*A copy was provided by Lynn Rush for review purposes*

From page one,…

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Dusty Reads (18)

Posted by on 01/24/2012 • 19 Comments

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme, hosted here, featuring a book that has been sitting unread on my 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:

The Lying GameSara ShepardRelease date: December 7th, 2010by HarperTeen

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I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now…

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