Yearly Archives:: 2012

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Review: Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook

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Unraveling Isobel
Eileen Cook
Release date: January 3rd, 2012
by Simon Pulse

Goodreads / Purchase

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

*A copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review purposes*
Humoristic and creepy – what a great mix! Unraveling Isobel takes an eerie plot with a sarcastic protagonist and balances it all together for an overall enjoyable read.

She’s sarcastic and she’s feisty. Isobel is a fun protagonist who easily made me laugh with her quirky personality, but she’s also smart. Finally a character who has guts to face things head on. Her interactions with Nathaniel were a joy to read as well. It was a situation that both had me cringing and longing. It’s definitely an unusual relationship, but it’s wonderful and real. As for Isobel’s mother, she is very hard to grasp. I didn’t like how she took her new husband’s side (that she’s known for three months) over her daughter’s. I didn’t like her attitude throughout the ordeal at all.

We’re talking ghosts and intimidating step-fathers here. So the plot is fairly creepy with a lot of mystery, and the ghostly scenes were a lot of fun. However, the story didn’t feel especially unique. Throughout the whole book I felt like I had heard it before. I knew what the big twists were long before they were revealed. The premise itself – ghost seeking closure, long time family curse, evil stepfather; it was all very familiar. So even though I enjoyed it in the moment, it wasn’t particularly memorable. Maybe I have watched too many movies or read too many books *blasphemy*. Nonetheless, I still had a good time reading the story: It was plenty entertaining. The humor made it so it never had a dull moment and the intrigue kept me turning the pages eagerly.

Do you like to be spooked? Do you like to laugh? If so then I certainly recommend you give this one a try!


3 Hot Espressos

Giveaway: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Posted by on 01/04/2012 • 31 Comments

SwitchedAmanda HockingRelease date: January 3rd, 2012by St. Martin’s Griffin

Goodreads / Purchase

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn’t until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed – a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy’s not sure she wants to be a part of it.

Click here for my review!          

Switched book trailer

Giveaway details St. Martin’s Press has generously offered a SIGNED copy of Switched to one of my readers. Open to US/CAN residents. Ends on January 14th, 2012 Use the form below to enter *Winner will be contacted by email and…

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Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Posted by on 01/04/2012 • 72 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:

                                    Darkness Before Dawn                                     J.A. London

                                    Release date: May 29th, 2012

This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters….  

Add it to your Goodreads to-read shelf

This…

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Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Posted by on 01/03/2012 • 42 Comments

SwitchedAmanda HockingRelease date: January 3rd, 2012by St. Martin’s Griffin

Goodreads / Purchase

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn’t until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed – a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy’s not sure she wants to be a part of it.

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

Trolls! I know, right? Flashy colorful hair, so-ugly-they’re-cute dolls we all had at one point? In Amanda’s world, these are all misconceptions. They’re called Trylle, and they’re beautiful, magical and on the brink of extinction.

With an entirely…

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Dusty Reads (15)

Posted by on 01/03/2012 • 23 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:

Demonglass(Hex Hall, #2) Rachel HawkinsReleased March, 20011Goodreads / Purchase

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of…

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On A Dark Wing Tour Stop

Posted by on 01/02/2012 • 25 Comments

That’s right! The On A Dark Wing blog tour is visiting Xpresso Reads today for their very last stop! I’ve got a review and 2 wonderful giveaways for you all to give you some entertainment on this Monday. I hope you enjoyed the whole tour and I’m glad to be able to end it with a bang!

On A Dark WingJordan DaneRelease date: December 27th, 2011by Harlequin Teen

Goodreads / Purchase

The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn’t prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.Five years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her “lucky” break came at the expense of her mother’s life and changed everything. After she…

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Cover Reveal: Toxic, The Pledge, Entasy & The Alchemy of Forever

Posted by on 01/02/2012 • 20 Comments

Toxic (Denazen, #2) Jus Accardo Release date: May 1st, 2012 by Entangled Publishing Add it to your Goodreads

When a Six saved Kale’s life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she’d lose the one thing she’d give anything to keep… And as if it’s not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez’s problems.

After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of…

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In My Mailbox (16)

Posted by on 01/01/2012 • 62 Comments

“In My Mailbox” is a meme, created by Kristi at The Story Siren, that features books I have received/ purchased/ borrowed during the week.  It’s 2012!!!!! *throws confetti* Another year gone. I hope you all made your goals and did important things. Like stop world hunger and stuff. Me, I went well over my goal of reading 100 books – I made it to 153! Hurray! What? I recycled too!

Here’s what I got for review (click on cover for Goodreads):

 I want to thank HBG Canada, Feiwel & Friends and Simon & Schuster for the review copies.

I have bought: Me and a few other bloggers are having a super secret special monthly event for which I needed this awesome Zombie Vs. Unicorns short story…

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