Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Review: Ascend by Amanda Hocking

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Ascend
Amanda Hocking
Series: Trylle Trilogy, #3
Release date: April 24th, 2012
by St. Martin’s Press

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Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself.  If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe.  But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?

The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end. 
 

Everything has been leading to this moment.  The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it.

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

This is it. The queen is dying. The king wants her kingdom. He will do anything to get it. Only Wendy stands in the way.

The final book in the Trylle Trilogy has great character development and an excellent romance. I was, however, a bit underwhelmed by the ending. We’ll get to that. First, the characters. Wendy can be a bit dramatic. She will jump to decisions in a heartbeat and that kind of annoyed me at first. It’s like she doesn’t stop to think before she acts. I guess I should be used to her by now but it irritated me more in this one. I think she may have been a bit too confident by her almost-queen status. But since she is almost the queen, she shouldn’t make rash decisions. She seemed to do as she pleased without listening to advice thrown at her. So I did get a bit frustrated with her decisions. However, she still has her awesome sense of humor that had me giggling a few times. Next to her, we have the whole gang of side characters that I grew to admire from the first book. I loved Tove especially in this one, but we didn’t delve much deeper into any of them except for Loki.

Loki is the character I was the most fond of. He is an absolutely great addition to the series. Mysterious and sincere – he’s a really strong character with a lot of heart. The romance he shares with Wendy is intense and honest. It’s not only Loki that’s been grasping at Wendy’s heart, though. Finn has never left it, but she’s trying to move on. I actually quite enjoyed the way the love triangle played out in this series. It didn’t turn out the way I thought it would, and that was a pleasant surprise. It made it much less cliché with real emotional consequences.

This series as a whole is not incredibly action packed. It’s more about the characters and the ominous upcoming battle. This battle that finally arrives, to me, was a bit underwhelming. Having waited 2 previous books for this epic showdown, then getting it over with without much effort, not to mention a bit too perfectly, felt anticlimactic. It’s very much the happily ever after ending. It wasn’t bad, but I expected more emotion, more negative repercussions I guess; giving it more weight to make it memorable. Maybe I’m just a masochist. *shrugs* Regardless, I wouldn’t say I was disappointed with the ending, I just wasn’t wowed by it.

This whole series is definitely fun. I loved learning about the complex world of Trylle and Vittra. It’s highly original. I also had a great time getting to know the numerous characters inside it. It reads a lot like a mild fantasy novel that I’d recommend for paranormal fans who are looking for something different and creative.  

3 Hot Espressos
 
The Trylle Trilogy:

Siege Tour Stop – Review & Interview

Posted by on 04/23/2012 • 25 Comments

RIGHT? How awesome is today!? I am beyond thrilled to have Rhiannon dropping for the Siege Blog Tour. First you will see my glowing review of Siege, the final book in the As The World Dies trilogy which is my favorite EV-ER. Then I’ve got a super awesome interview with Rhiannon to show you. If you haven’t read this series yet, don’t worry – everything is SPOILER FREE! So you have to read this, and then go get these books because if you don’t, I may cry.

SiegeRhiannon FraterSeries: As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy, #3Release date: April 24th, 2012by Tor BooksGoodreads / Purchase

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and…

In My Mailbox (31)

Posted by on 04/22/2012 • 105 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. 

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m loving the nice weather! We’ve already gone to the zoo and everything. Though there wasn’t much there but I saw chickens… yeah… anyways. I’ve got a bunch of book/blog news to highlight from the past week. First I had the Untouched blog tour come by on Wednesday; I interviewed Jus and you have a chance to win – find it here. Then I had the Until Next Time tour drop by for a hot dream cast – have a look! I also received 2 copies of Revived by Cat Patrick so I’m giving one away here. On…

Review: Untouched by Jus Accardo

Posted by on 04/21/2012 • 24 Comments

UntouchedJus AccardoSeries: Denazen, #1.5Release date: March 28th, 2012by Entangled Publishing

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Until he met Dez, Kale’s days were filled with violence and death. He was used as a weapon of destruction by the power hungry men of Denazen. He’s a Six. A person with an abnormal ability. Some people call them gifts, but not Kale. Kale’s touch means instant death.

But now there’s Dez, the girl he can touch, and they’re hunting down Sixes and warning them about Denazen. Kale is learning about the world outside captivity and trying to put his dark past behind him. But they underestimated how badly Denazen wanted him back.

When Dez sacrifices herself to save the new Six they’d rescued from falling into the corp’s hands, Kale is lost. Denazen has brought…

Fresh Batch (April 22nd – 28th)

Posted by on 04/21/2012 • 26 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week. Flavor of the week:

SiegeRhiannon FraterSeries: As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy, #3Release date: April 24th, 2012by Tor Books

Goodreads / Purchase

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits.

Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s righthand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and…

Giveaway – Revived by Cat Patrick (US/Can)

Posted by on 04/20/2012 • 26 Comments

RevivedCat PatrickRelease date: May 8th, 2012by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger—and more…

Until Next Time Tour Stop

Posted by on 04/20/2012 • 17 Comments

Hi guys! Today I’ve got Amy Lignor dropping by for her blog tour to talk to us about who she would pick to play the roles of her characters if it ever goes on screen.

Until Next TimeAmy LignorSeries: The Angel Chronicles, #1Release date: February 1st 2012by Tribute Books

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How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the ‘life’ they’ve been assigned. What they don’t realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of…

Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Posted by on 04/19/2012 • 31 Comments

StormBrigid KemmererSeries: Elementals, #1Release date: April 24th, 2012by Kensington

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Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn’t want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca…