In My Mailbox (07) - The Christmas edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where bloggers showcase the books they received over the week.


Now, I know I haven't been around much. I've been busy with life, NaNoWriMo, mental issues and reading. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things with the New Year.
So, without further ado, here's my Christmas haul!
Sorry for the crap picture quality. I took the picture on my phone.

-  Spectyr by Phillippa Ballantine

- The Hidden Goddess by M.K. Hobson
- Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon vol 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
- Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
- Ashling by Isobelle Carmody
- The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
- Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
- Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
- Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
- Tales from the Tower vol 1 & 2 by Carmody & McNab
- Harry Potter 1-7 by J.K. Rowling

What did you get in your mailboxes for Christmas? What do you think of the books I got? Feel free to leave your links in the comments

Dewey Read-a-Thon: October 2011

It's that time of year! It's Dewey's 24-hour read-a-thon!
I love read-a-thons. I don't have a job at the moment, and I'm not in school, so I pretty much just sit at home and read. That's both good and bad.
It's good because, well, I get to read.
And it's bad because, well, sometimes, I get distracted. So, hopefully this will motivate me to knock a few books off my tbr pile.

I'll update this post every few hours with stats on my progress.

Hope you're all participating. Good luck if you are! :)

Update 1 (11:37am; 12 hours into the read-a-thon):
So, I haven't done any reading yet.
Wait, wait! Don't yell at me! It's partly because it started at 11pm for me, and I was pretty tired. But now that I'm awake, I plan on doing ALL OF THE READING. Plus, I think I'll be able to do a lot of reading done in 12 hours, dontcha think?
Hopefully, my next update will be impressive. You can also follow my progress on my Twitter.
Catcha!

Update 2 (5:59pm; 20 hours into the read-a-thon):
Man, I have been bad at this reading thing. I've just finished my first book. Blah. Hope to do a lot more reading in the next 4 hours.
Books read: 1
Last book read: Act of Faith by Kelly Gardiner (4 stars)
Pages read: 182
Currently reading: All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

Exile by Rebecca Lim

Exile by Rebecca Lim

Pages: 294, paperback


Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Date Released: May 28th, 2011

Genre: YA / romance / paranormal /angels / mystery

Source: library

Premise:

Mercy’s search continues ...

Mercy is an angel with a shattered memory, exiled from heaven for a crime she can’t remember committing.

So when she ‘wakes’ inside the body and life of eighteen-year-old Lela Neill, Mercy has only limited recall of her past life. Her strongest memories are of Ryan, the mortal boy who’d begun to fall for her – and she for him.

Mercy soon discovers that circumstances have forced Lela into waitressing at the Green Lantern, a busy city café frequented by suits, cab drivers, strippers, backpackers and the homeless, while caring for her terminally ill mother.

Just as Mercy is adjusting to Lela’s life, her beloved, Luc, reappears in her dreams, and she begins to glimpse her true nature and true feelings for Ryan. What she does not know is that her attempts to contact Ryan may have explosive consequences for everyone around her.

Meanwhile, ‘the Eight’ — the angelic beings responsible for her banishment — remain determined to keep Mercy and Luc apart, forever …

 
Buy it From: The Book Depository / Amazon

I don't often read and enjoy angel books (see my last post), but after reading Mercy (my review can be found here), and really liking it, I was extremely excited for this book.

Let me brief you on why this book (and Mercy) is awesome: Mystery. Strong main character. Incredible likeable secondary characters. Something that isn't as it seems. No insta-love. Very awesome, spine-tingling plot. Fantastic writing. And that's just a few pf the things I loved about this series.

It's very easy to like Mercy. Each time she enters a new body, she's like a newborn. She needs to learn about the body's life, find out about friends, family, jobs, and the process is often embarrassing and awkward, and it's done well.
In this book, Mercy finds herself in Lela Neill's body. Lela's mother has cancer, and it doesn't look very promising. It was this aspect that I loved the most. Mercy doesn't know Lela's mother. She doesn't have feelings of compassion like normal humans, but when she see's that thing's aren't looking too good for Lela's mother, that is when her character shines.

"I wonder how to properly mourn a woman I barely know. We've only been acquainted a few hours, not even a full day. I never had a mother myself; no soft, kindly background presence in my life. It might have done me good if I had." - pg 85

I think that passage describes Mercy's character really well. It shows her growth as a character, how she doesn't care for some dying stranger, but as the days go by, as she gets to know the situation, she changes. She starts to care. And for someone as cynical and devoid of compassion as her, I think it's a remarkable change.

What I couldn't seem to understand is how Mercy just randomly seems to know or remember stuff. It just seems far too convenient and unexplained.

This next bit is a bit of a spoiler, so skip to the end if you don't want to know the ending.
I think the thing that bothered me the most was the ending. Anything that happened at the end could have been avoided it Mercy hadn't used Ranald. I mean, she saw that he was a bit psychotic. And it's just terribly bitchy to say you'll go out on a date with someone, simply because you want something from them, and have no intention of actually going. Leaving with another guy on the same day of the date doesn't help things either. She should have just told she wasn't interested, like a normal person would.

I can't wait until the next book, Muse, comes out. (Just a couple of weeks! EEEeeee!!!). I'll definitely be reading and reviewing it. I NEED to know what happens next.

Cover Art: 4

Plot: 4

Characters: 4

Writing: 4

Level of Interest: 4

Total Rating:

A fun read with angels and mystery that will keep you guessing till the very last page.

In My Mailbox (06)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where bloggers showcase the books they received over the week.

I've been having an awesome week in terms of books. I got a few good books in the mail, and then I bought a few books that were on sale.

Library:

 From top to bottom:

-Evernight by Claudia Gray; I've been hearing a lot about this series, both good and bad, so I thought I might check it out.

- Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne; This looks pretty cool. It's set in the first century AD and about Celts being invaded by Romans. And I'm guessing it has werewolves in it? Awesome.

- Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz; I'm not sure what to expect of this book. I've heard both good and bad things. *fingers crossed*

- All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield; This looks... interesting. I look forward to diving into it. Plus, it's Aussie, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be great.

- Anything Goes by Lucy Moore; For NaNoWriMo this year, I'm writing a book set in the 1920's, and this seems to be the only book my library has on the topic of flappers. Pretty much research, but it looks like it'll be fun.

- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness; I've heard ridiculously good things about this book, so I'm really looking forward to this.

Bought:

 - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin; I was really excited for this book, until the bad reviews came rushing in. Now I'm slightly wary about it. *fingers crossed*

- The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor; I'd been anticipating this book all year, and as soon as it found its way onto my doorstep, I started reading it. And let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Be on the lookout for a review on it soon. (also, I LOVE the cover. It's so pretty and shiny in the light, and fades in the darkness. Brilliant!)

- Chapter after Chapter by Heather Sellers; I'm in need of some books on the craft of writing, and this looked pretty intriguing. Plus, it was a nice price, which is amazing, since books (and non-fiction books at  that!) are expensive here in Australia.

- Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu; I'd been looking forward to this book for ages. I flicked through it when I first got it, and man, it has such beautiful pictures. I really can't wait to start this.

- The Incendiary's Trail by James McCreet; I got this from a discount book store (for any Melbournians out there, it's where the Angus & Robertson used to be on the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth street. Check it out), where each book was $5. And, it looks pretty cool.

- Android Karenina by Tolstoy and Winters; I've never tried the redone classics, so I figured this might be a good time to start them.

- Zombie Apocalypse! created by Stephen Jones; I love zombies. And this looks cool as. It's told from a whole bunch of different forms of media, which is pretty awesome. I'm interested to see how it unfolds.

- The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrun by J.R.R. Tolkien; I'm a massive Tolkien fan, but I never bought this book because it was always so overpriced. Well, I finally got it from the discount book store, and I can't wait to read it.

- Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies by Deborah Halverson; Once again, I'm in need of books on writing, and this looks like the best to learn the bare bones of the craft.

Now, this last one isn't quite new. I got it a few weeks ago, but I still feel that I ought to mention it. It's the cause for my lack of posting lately.

Meet the newest member of my family: Layla. She's a white German Shepherd and an adorable little fluffball who just loves sleeping in cute and interesting positions. :)

What did you get in you mailboxes this week? What do you think of the books I got? Feel free to leave your links in the comments

Dark Angel Giveaway Winner

Welp! The giveaway has finished, and I'm slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people who have entered. There were 161 entries. Wow, can you believe that?

I'd like to thank everyone who has entered, and, if you didn't win, don't give up hope. I have another giveaway planned which will hopefully have quite a few prizes.

So, without further ado, I present the winner of the giveaway

*drum roll*

Entry 38: Chrizette

I've sent you an email, and if I don't get a response within 48 hours, I'll be choosing another winner. 

 

 

Review: Passion

Passion by Lauren Kate

Pages: 420, paperback

ISBN: 9780385618083

Publisher: Doubleday

Date Released: June 16th, 2011

Genre: YA / romance / paranormal / angels / bad romance

Source: library

Premise:

Before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross, before they fought the Immortals, they had already lived many lives. And so Luce, desperate to unlock the curse that condemns their love, must revisit her past incarnations in order to understand her fate. Each century, each life, holds a different clue. But Daniel is chasing her throughout the centuries before she has a chance to rewrite history. How many deaths can one true love endure? And can Luce and Daniel unlock their past in order to change their future?
(Taken from Goodreads)

*SPOILERS AHOY!*

I shouldn't be surprised that I hated this book. After what the first two books made me feel, I should have avoided Passion like the plague.

The writing was mediocre. It would have been acceptable (barely) if it had been her first book, but as it's her third, it's embarrassing.It reads like an unedited first draft, which is not impressive. Another aspect of the writing that I hated was the dialogue. When Luce is traveling back in time, why does everyone speak with a modern tongue?

I really hated the characters. Luce was pathetic, constantly doubting whether or not she loves Daniel, and if their love is worth all the pain. I would have liked this line of thought if it actually meant something, and wasn't just added for a few lines of drama every couple of chapters.
Every decision Luce makes is for Daniel, and not for her. And then, in the end, despite this being her quest for knowledge, Daniel solves the curse, and she has no hand in it, getting nowhere. I'm sorry, but I like my female characters to not be completely dependent on their guys, and Luce is unhealthily dependent on him.

Daniel was just as perplexing. We find out that each of Luce's past lives all had very different personalities--and that was one of the few aspect of the story that I liked, because it was realistic. But what didn't make sense was how Daniel can love every incarnation of Luce, despite the plethora of different personalities amongst them. There is one version of Luce from a Victorian era, who is described as a "bitch" by Luce and the other characters. She supposedly has a vain and vapid personality--sadly, she's my favourite character in this book--yet Daniel loves her, because she's Luce. Only, she's not really. She's her own person with her own life. I don't know, it just cheapens their whole relationship--not that it wasn't already pretty cheap from all the abuse.

I was very interested in the going-back-in-time thing. It was the best thing in the book. It was fascinating seeing the stories and lives of Luce's past selves, and, I won't lie, they were vastly more interesting than Luce herself. This whole concept, though, was cheapened when the actual plot took place in the last 30 pages, rendering the first 390 pages useless. That, I hated. Luce didn't even have any part in the climax an the solving of her past, which just shows how anti-feminist this book is. This is just a load of crap.

Ultimately, I have to say that this is a disappointing read. It could have rated higher, maybe 2 or 2.5 stars, but that was tarnished by the joke of an ending, and the most laughable cliffhanger. Though, I have to say, this is the best book of the series.
I probably will check out Rapture when it comes out, only to finish the series and so that I can review it on here with what might be the minority opinion. Here's hoping the series can redeem itself with the last book. (I doubt it will).

Cover Art: 1

Plot: 2

Characters: 0

Writing: 1

Level of Interest: 1

Total Rating:

1 sad cloud

In My Mailbox (05)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where bloggers showcase the books they received over the week. 

I had a fantastic mailbox this week. I'm so excited for all the books I got, and have no idea what to start first. Have a look and tell me in the comments what you think I should start with. :)

Bought:

From top to bottom:

-The Drowning City by Amanda Downum; Pirates, thieves and necromancers? Man, this sounds like my kind of book!

- Ganymede by Cherie Priest; Can I just say 'AHHHHHHHHHH'? I love Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series, and I'm so super excited to dig into the newest installment.

- The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson; So, I've been seeing talk about this book for a while, and apparently it has something to do with Jack the Ripper? That sounds like my cup of tea.

- Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres; I still haven't read the first book, even though i own it, and it's signed, so maybe now that I have the second, I'll have more incentive to read it. Apparently it's great.

- Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins; OH MY GOSH, I am so excited for this. I really loved Anna, and have high expectations for this one.

- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; I've heard mixed reviews about this one, so I'm curious to check it out. Here's hoping I'll like it. *fingers crossed*

Won:

- Sisters Red by Jackson pearce; I won this from Jackson Pearce's #sweetly day. I kind of almost screamed when the postie came to drop it off. Thank you so much, Jackson!!! 

Library:

 - Special A by Maki Minami; I love manga, and I love discovering new manga. Has anyone read this series before? If so, what do you think of it?

- Love in Complete Sentences by Mary E. Mitchell; This looks... interesting. It's not usually what I go for, but I'm willing to try new things.

-Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep; I've been hearing talk about this series for a while now, and I really want to see what the fuss is about. Is this just another fad, or something worth reading?

- The Fear by Charlie Higson; This is the third book in the Enemy series, and OH MY GOSH, I am so excited to read this. The last two books kept me gnawing at my nails from the suspense. Seriously, guys, if you haven't read the first two books, do it immediately.

-Fables, vol 12: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham; Man, this series is such a ride. I'm depressed that I'm slowly catching up to the current issues. Waiting a year or more for each volume is so not appealing. *sighs*

- Jack of Fables, vol 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill Billingham; This is a spin-off series from Fables, so I'm sort of excited to start this. I want as much Fables as I can get my hands on.

What did you get in you mailboxes this week? What do you think of the books I got? Feel free to leave your links in the comments.

* Don't forget to enter my Dark Angel giveaway. It's international, and is open for only 6 more days.