Book Review - Desires of the Dead

Howdy chaps tis a fine time for another review methinks! Y'all might remember I reviewed The Body Finder back in February... well I'm finally getting around to reviewing the second book. Be advised that I have rambled a bit and it could be slightly spoilery and a tad whiney (I'm blaming PABD)

Title: Desires of the Dead
Author: Kimberly Derting
Date: 5/3/2011 PM
Source: Gifted by Jess who received it from Headline
Description: The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life. As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger. (Description taken from Goodreads)

My Review

After how seriously freaking awesome The Body Finder was I had rather high expectations going into this second book despite the fore-warning I'd gotten from the few reviews I read that it didn't quite live upto its hype. I think it was a case of "should have waited a while after book 1 before reading book 2" With my feelings about the Body Finder so fresh in my mind it made the differences in Desires of the Dead glaringly obvious.

I'm not saying that I didn't like it - heck no I think Violet's gift is hella cool, Jay is a fabulous hunk of lovely and the story was gripping enough that I did actually put it down at a very tense moment out of fear. My main problem was with the alternate POV chapters since they lacked the scary amounts of tension and creepiness that they had in TBF. When you actually know who the POV character is from half-way through it kinda spoils the mysterious quality of those chapters.

The interest of the FBI in Violet in this book wass kinda a strange twist and I'm actually really wanting to know how it'll progress in the third book as Rafe is vair mysterious fellow and his presence may shake things up a bit (although admittedly some kinda triangle ought to be avoided). What bugged me though was Violet's almost extreme avoidance of their approaches - it is not a good idea to sidestep a federal agency whether or not you've done something wrong or because you have some freaky-deaky powers cos they do have the power to find you and if necessary spirit you away to some bunker in the middle of nowhere (or so I presume). Dude just go speak to the nice, if somewhat stern-looking folk in suits and save yourself the hassle of a summons.

Compared to the Body Finder this was more focused on the normal life of Violet rather than the effect of the serial killer on the community so there was perhaps an imbalance of angst on Violet's part. I understand that the switch in her relationship with Jay from best friend to boyfriend does present a massive ruck of issues that you never consider before but I did think she was a tad nutty in her jealousy of Mike's friendship with Jay.

Also the whole secret-keeping issue seemed odd when Violet's family all know about her gift so that the FBI are interested in her should be something they should know about cos they would support her so Violet's determination to keep a lot of pertinent info to herself was kinda foolish I thought as it put loads of pressure on her which she could have avoided.

Overall I enjoyed the story although with my current bent towards the scary, murder mystery side of the tracks I didn't adore this quite as much as I did the Body Finder. I am still super excited for the third book whenever its coming out so I'm hoping for a move back towards the even keel of swoony romance co-existing with a shiver-inducing mystery plot.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

So does anyone know if and when the third book is coming out as I'd really like to know? kthxbai

LadyV

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Covers So Lovely We'd Lick them #13

I know some folk might be wondering where the hell #12 went but with my horrendous lack of posting last week I am skipping that one because Jess did actually post her side of Covers so if I make *this* one #12 it will just confuzzle our numbering system and we are so easily confused it's best not to risk it :P

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them!

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it!

Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!

This beaut of a cover has caught my eye recently with it's kinda eerie mix of gorgeous dress and creepy griminess if you catch my drift. The smoky mottled effect at the top and bottom of the cover plus the aptly shattered title font give quite a unsettled feeling about the book. I think the model's pose is really cool with it's languid draping over the title and the crumbling dress made of rose petals is just seven kinds of fabulous. The way the bloody red colour of the petals stands out is wonderful and overall it really piques my interest in the book.  And with this description I am further intrigued...

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Lenzi hears voices. She also sees visions--gravestones, floods, a gorgeous guy with steel gray eyes. She knows she must be going crazy, just like her dad did. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't do anything to help, and the voices just keep getting louder, the visions more intense. But when Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, everything makes sense.
Sort of.
He tells Lenzi that she's a reincarnated Speaker--someone who can talk to lost souls and help them move on--and that he has been her Protector for centuries. But instead of embracing her abilities, Lenzi struggles between her life as the girlfriend of a sexy musician and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. Yet time is running out; a malevolent spirit has been trying to destroy Lenzi for ages, and he will surely kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon. 

Her choices are clear: Destiny or normalcy. Alden or Zak. Life or death. (Description taken from Goodreads)

Shattered Souls isn't out until December of this year so we do have rather a long wait ahead of us but I'm sure we can find enough awesome books to keep us occupied in the mean time. :D

So that's what scrumptious cover I'm licking this week, go check out what Cover Jess is drooling over at Jess Hearts Books and if you missed last week's edition check that out here!

Laters my dears

LadyV

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Book Review - Rosebush

DUDE!! It's taken me all month but I may actually get round to reviewing something!! I've been in a bit of a weird place recently and it's basically killed all my motivation to blog but I'm hoping that getting at least one post up might reboot my mojo. *crosses fingers* Here we go!

Title: Rosebush
Author: Michele Jaffe
Date: 2/3/2011 AM
Source: Bought
Description: Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run.

Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died.

With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she's forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller. (Description taken from Goodreads)

My Review

From just the synopsis of this book I knew it was gonna be my kinda read. The recent influx of mystery/thriller style books in YA lit that are mind-bending and tense without gallons of gore or scary shit (cos I'm kinda wussy like that) is so great as I love being able to feel the fear almost that the main character is feeling.

When Jane wakes up from her coma she's so confused and lost it takes a little while to get yourself grounded and get a grip on what's going on so as things start to take shape basically everyone becomes a suspect and you doubt everyone's intentions. It's so fabulous to not know who might be the killer cos when it gets to the climax you're totally surprised and you have that "ah ha!" moment after when *Everything* suddenly makes sense!


What I loved about the characters in Rosebush is that everyone from Jane, to her family and friends etc. felt really realistic as they all had some hidden depth to them and a disturbing number of her friends had some secret that they were keeping. Jane had the most awesome snarky sense of humour especially for a girl who got hit by a car and left for dead. My one quibble with her was that I felt she was a tad harsh on Joe her's mum's fiance - *I* liked him so I thought her continued prejudice against him was a bit unreasonable.


Throughout this book new snapshots of memory helps Jane piece together what happened to her that night and there are a freaky amount of revelations about people but we are kept guessing right up until the end as to who the actual killer is and dang if it isn't one heck of a climax! The tension just racked up as Jane starts to doubt her sanity in the face of all the threats, and it's almost kinda Black Swan-ish cos the lines blur between what's real and what might-possibly-but-we're-not-quite-sure is happening.

I loved the feeling of being scared for Jane and just how cleverly put together the whole story is made it such a fantastic read and even at the end of the month it's *still* my fav book in March. I can't wait to read what Michele Jaffe writes next- if it's even half as awesome as Rosebush was it's gonna rock my proverbial socks off!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


Holy cow I totes just finished a review! *passes out in shock*
Bring on the rest of my March reviews!
LadyV

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In My Mailbox #42

Good almost-afternoon! Apologies for the general naffness of the blog recently I know I am still massively behind on reviews, heck we're two thirds of the way through the month and I've not caught up on February reviews yet! :( This makes me sad. But I shall have to sort that out another day.

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie



Books Mentioned in Vlog
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Philips
Where She Went by Gayle Forman (THANKS JESS for lending it to me!)
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (Ditto!)


Muchos thanks to the Lovely Jess for being so awesome as to let me borrow her books *huggles*


Alrighty then, I'd best get moving since I did  this entire post whilst lying down and that is prodigiously lazy of me! So hope everyone has a fabulous day and What did you get in Your Mailboxes?
LadyV

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Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them #11

So after last week's little break from Covers Jess and I are happy to be back with two fabulously new and sparkly covers to drool over.

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them!

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it!

Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!

I know that there's nary a person who isn't in love with Etienne St Clair and with the reveal of the spangly new cover for Stephanie Perkins' sophomore novel - Lola and the Boy Next Door I would bet large amounts of money that all those folk are *vair* anxious to meet Cricket Bell, the titled "Boy Next Door".

This cover is just as fun as the cover of Anna but this time we actually get to see the boy which is very much appreciated :P I am also in love with Lola's hair - I WANT PURPLE HAIR!! Not only that but her outfit is totally squiffy and cool! This whole cover looks so darn cute I reckon it'd be like nibbling on cotton candy (or candy floss if you're Britishly inclined).

Looking past the cover I gotta say that this description from Goodreads has got me dancing with impatience to read the book already!

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.
For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.
When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Are we not in agreement? Is this the book that we will all be *dying* for all summer? Erm I do indeed believe so! Stephanie Perkins I doff my beret to you for being generally awesome and for creating the most frustratingly lovable Frenglican boy to ever grace the pages of YA. Etienne St Clair - you know where to find me :P

So that's What I'm licking this week, dash on over to Jess's Blog to see what lump of fabulosity she's getting all excited about this week.

LadyV

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It's Monday What are you Reading (33)

Afternoon my lovelies! I was gonna say how gloriously sunny it is today but alas the clouds have suddenly appeared and it makes me sad :( I had a fab walk yesterday in the sun with my iPod to jazz up the countryside and I would have gone again today but now... *huffs* Maybe I'll have another chance later this week.

It's Monday What are you Reading? Is a weekly bookish meme where we get together to share what books we've read in the past week, what books we're currently reading and what new books we're planning on reading in the coming week along with any reviews or interesting posts. It's hosted by Sheila @Book Journey

Books I read Last week

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (Really good High Fantasy chunkster)

Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce (Interesting collection of short stories)

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott (Cute, fun read- Review coming soon)

**Re-Read**Anna and the French by Stephanie Perkins (Freakily even more relatable)

Books I reviewed last week

Forest Born by Shannon Hale - Review

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce - Review

Books I'm Currently Reading

The Woman in White - I've not made any progress with this but I want to pick it up again this week.

Books I want to Read this week

Matched by Ally Condie - I can't believe I've not read this yet but with the cover for Crossed being revealed recently I wanna pick this up since it's been ages since I had a dose of dystopia.

Temeraire by Naomi Novik - I know I only bought this the other day but I have a craving to read some historical-esque fiction and it's really short so it shouldn't take me long to devour.

So that's What I'm Reading this Monday - What are you reading?

LadyV

 

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In My Mailbox #41

It's rather alarming how fast Sunday keeps coming around, does anyone else worry that it's gonna be June before we know it? This week has been a blur of ridiculously early mornings and copious amounts of caffeine but thankfully I got some time this weekend to chill out and go bookshop trawling :P

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Kristi @The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea @Pop Culture Junkie



Books Mentioned in Vlog
Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce
Temeraire by Naomi Novik
The Leopard Unleashed by Elizabeth Chadwick


That's what I got in My Mailbox this week, What did you get in yours?
LadyV

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Book Review - Bloodhound

Hey folks! Sorry for the rather meagre posting this week and for the lack of Covers So Lovely - Jess and I were both pretty busy with RL stuff and our poor frazzled noggins couldn't come up with a decent cover to choose for you to drool over so it'll be back next week when we've got a bit less on our plates! I've spent this past week helping out my mum with work and I've been getting up at the ungodly hour of 6am O_o so I am *extremely* glad for the lie-ins I'll get this weekend!

But anyway this will hopefully be a mini-review although since it's for a Tammy book there's always a chance I'll spill over into gushing territory :P

Title: Bloodhound
Author: Tamora Pierce
Date: 17/2/2011 PM
Source: Bought
Description: Beka Cooper, the heroine of Terrier, is no longer a Puppy.
She's a Dog now—a full-fledged member of the Provost's Guard, dedicated to keeping peace in Tortall. But there's unrest throughout the land. Counterfeit coins are turning up in shops all over the capital city of Corus, and the nation's economy is on the brink of collapse.
The Dogs discover that the counterfeit money seems to originate in Port Caynn. So Beka heads upriver to investigate, traveling with her mentor, Goodwin; Achoo, a hound whose nose is as sharp as her claws; and the pigeon Slapper, who carries the voices of the dead.
In Port Caynn, Beka delves deep into the gambling world, where she meets a charming banking clerk named Dale Rowan. Beka thinks she may be falling for Rowan, but she won't let anything—or anyone—jeopardize her mission. From the Silversmith's Guild to the Provost's House to the city sewers, it won't be enough for Beka to be her usual Terrier self. She'll have to learn from Achoo how to sniff out the criminals—to be a Bloodhound. . . . (Description taken from Amazon.com)

My Review

Just in case you didn't know by now- I am a *massive* Tamora Pierce fangirl - no really have you not noticed? :P But anyway I had a random urge to re-read this second volume of the Beka Cooper trilogy last month and with the final book Mastiff finally coming out this October *squee* it felt appropriate to refresh my memory with how fabulous Beka and Co. are in this book.

I adore the journal format of this trilogy and Beka's voice is no nonsense, witty and interesting while still being easy to relate to as a teenager - I'm talking insecurities and conflicting emotions making life complicated ;-). Beka has matured since the events of Terrier and I really like that she loosens up enough to enjoy more of a personal life although I will admit that I'm a bit of a Rosto fan so while Dale is charming and handsome I'm rooting for the Piper :P

The whole money counterfeiting plot was really fascinating and made you think how quickly a country's economy can be destabilised by a deluge of fakes in a medieval-era type world like Tortall. We also got to see how corruption in law enforcement really creates more problems than it solves (if it solves any in the first place!).  But in a country where they're still figuring out the logistics of a police force I suppose it's to be expected that corruption occurs since the lines between right and wrong and not yet set in stone.

Overall the book zipped along something lovely and I think Achoo is my favourite literary dog ever she's so adorable and still hard-working and I can't wait to see more of her, Beka and Tunstall in Mastiff (due to two broken legs he's sadly absent for most of Bloodhound). At the end of this second book I really don't know how the trilogy might end and I'm going to be waiting very impatiently for October 25th so I can find out.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Wow I'm actually impressed with myself for keeping the mini-review within the restricted length! I honestly thought that I might ramble on in my ardour for this awesome series - if you've never read a Tamora Pierce book then the Beka Cooper trilogy is a great place to start since you don't have to read the other Tortall books to fall in love with the characters and the world. So go pick up Terrier and I promise that if you like your heroines kick-ass then you'll love Beka.

LadyV

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Book Review - Forest Born

Ok this will be just a mini-review since I have neither the energy nor inclination to spend ages pondering over a long review. So apologies if I'm a bit spare with my opinions, I promise that there will be gushy lengthy reviews somewhere in the not-too-distant future.

Title: Forest Born (Books of Bayern #4)
Author: Shannon Hale
Date: 13/2/2011 PM
Source: Bought
Description: Growing up in the Forest, Rin always tuned to the trees when she needed peace or reassurance, even direction, until the day they seem to reject her. Rin is sure something is wrong with her, something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest, keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. 
When her brother Razo returns to the city after a visit home, Rin accompanies him to the palace in hopes of finding a new sense of herself. But a mysterious threat haunts Bayern, and Rin joins the magical girls she thinks of as the Fire Sisters—Isi, Enna, and Dasha—as they venture into the woods toward the kingdom of Kel... where someone wants them all dead. (Description taken from Goodreads)

My Review

This is the fourth book from the Bayern Series. Rin was a really unusual character compared to Isi, Enna and Dasha in the first three books. She's quiet and helps everyone while still remaining in the background and nobody really notices all the conflict that's going on inside her. You know she's keeping something from the reader but you don't find out what that is for a while and it's quite surprising how things turn out. Rin's magic is much more subtle than the Wind, Fire and Water magic that the other girl's wield which makes it very interesting to read about as she discovers new aspects to her power.  

During the story there's also some very shocking revelations which connect quite a few dots relating to the plots from the other books and I thought that all the threads of story were tied up very well. The whole book had quite a dreamy quality to it and you sort of float through the story which was a little strange but I still enjoyed the book and I love the characters in this series especially Razo and Enna - they seem to get all the best quips.

Overall this was a most enjoyable read although out of the four books in the series I still think that The Goose Girl is my favourite. But since I love Shannon Hale's writing and her characters just having another look into the world of Bayern is enough to keep me happy.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

So folks... what do y'all think of the mini-review format for when I'm pressed for time? I'm only planning to use this style so I can get caught up on my February reviews which will leave me free to write longer ones for my March reads but if I can't seem to gather enough thoughts about a book at another time I shall perhaps revert to the 3 paragraph format y'dig?

LadyV

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It's Monday What are you Reading (32)

Good evening chaps, I would have done this post last night and scheduled it for this morning but alas I was feeling lazy and I've been busy all day. So it's getting done now and bugger the fact that I'll be last on the linky.
Last week was a pretty decent week for reading and I actually got two reviews up so it's better than the previous fortnight.

It's Monday What are you Reading? Is a weekly bookish meme where we get together to share what books we've read in the past week, what books we're currently reading and what new books we're planning on reading in the coming week along with any reviews or interesting posts. It's hosted by Sheila @Book Journey

Books I read last Week

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (Fantastically horrifying Review coming soon)

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe (Amazing! Review coming Soon)

Jinx by Meg Cabot (Fun but rather short 3.5 Stars)

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (A really good read Review coming soon)

Books Reviewed Last Week

Ghost of a Chance by Rhiannon Lassiter - Review

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting - Review

Books I'm Currently Reading

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - I'm not too far with this but I'm hoping to make progress this week

The Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks - I started this once before but got side-tracked this time I'm determined to finish so I can move onto the next books

Books I'm Planning to Read this Week

Since this arrived today I *will* be munching through the various short stories it contains during this week. I am *insanely* happy to have this in my possession but I'm sure that once I've finished it I'll be slavering for Mastiff to be released already!

So What are you Reading this Monday?

LadyV

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In My Mailbox #40

Morning all it's that time of week again and it's been a pretty good week book-wise although one book shie of perfection but hopefully that should be putting in an appearance on Monday. Shall we begin?

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Kristi @The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea @Pop Culture Junkie



Books Acquired this Week
Rosebush by Michele Jaffe (Already read it- Loved it! Will review soon)
Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (Thank you Jess for sending me this!)
Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
The Reformed Vampire Support group by Catherine Jinks (Thanks Ellie for sending this to me)


A pretty mixed bunch of books but all of them sound fabulous so I can't wait to read them (well the ones that I won't have finished by the time this posts)


Also I featured in a post that my dear friend Ellie wrote in honour of all the World Book Night programs that appeared on the BBC last night and it's full of books that have influenced her life along with picks from her mother, Jess of Jess Hearts Books and me. Go Check it out Here


What books have fell into your possession this week?
LadyV

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Book Review - The Body Finder

Whoa lookit this! Another review! Yea it's for a book I read 3 weeks ago but at least I'm finally reviewing it right? With any luck I'll be caught up after a week of daily posting :P But less yacking from me and more talk about the book.

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Date: 8/2/2011 PM
Source: Bought
Description: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself. (Description Taken from Goodreads)


My Review
Back at the start of February I was in the mood for books that weren't your standard romance-focused YA fare. The premise of the Body Finder reminded me of the Harper Connelly books by Charlaine Harris and since I really like that series I was pretty sure that I was gonna like this book.


What I got was a truly heart-pounding read that had me flipping pages as fast as I could to get to the climax so I could actually breathe again (I'm sure I forgot to do so a few times).


Violet's ability to sense the bodies of people who've been murdered is really fascinating (in a rather morbid-I-watch-way-too-much-CSI-kinda-way) and I wonder what if there actually were people with this ability? It'd be a godsend for the police who have all but given up on finding the bodies of certain people but obviously in countries as massive as the US there are probably hundreds of thousands of cold case murders and disappearances where no body has ever been found - there would have to be dozens of people like Violet to even scratch the surface of such an endeavour.


What I really loved about the serial killer mystery is that at several points in the story I was stumped as to who was behind the murders and I know I got terribly worried at times thinking that it might be someone who I seriously hoped it wasn't (if that makes any sense). The occasional chapter in the killer's POV really upped the tension and creepy factor with just how chilling and twisted his thoughts were *shudders*


I know you're maybe wondering "when are you getting to talking about Violet and Jay?" but never fear I'm coming to that now. Despite not really wanting to read books with romance in them I still loved the friendship between Violet and Jay and how that evolved over the book because frankly it was almost smouldering at times and every girl wants to feel chemistry like *that*. Violet is a really cool heroine and I envy her a fair bit for having such a hot and yet totally sweet best friend like Jay - I mean who wouldn't want to be her?


I gotta say that Kimberly Derting has done a fantastic job of combing a murder mystery with a romance story - the very different vibes created by each aspect of the book make for a very exciting read. I loved every breathless minute of this and I can't wait to read Desires of the Dead.


My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


I've noticed that a lot of what I've been reading recently has had a large mystery component to it which is rather awesome - I like the puzzlement of not knowing how things will unfold :)


LadyV

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Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them #10

Hello thar! It's time for another scrummy edition of...

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them!

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it!

Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!

Image taken from The Vespertine website

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
It was a couple of months back that this book got its final cover design and I have to say I am very much taken with the delicious chocolatey brown colour of that dress and in general with the gorgeosity of the whole cover. The way the girl's hair is flying about her face as she's running is so amazing and it really makes me intrigued to know how the story links to it because it gives a definite air of mystery and tension.
Also I totally heart the curly title font, I have a strange love of beautiful calligraphy and would love to be able to write in cursive like some people can *grumbles enviously*

Now the great thing about this book is that not only is the cover simply fantabulous but I am vair excited to devour the story itself as soon as I can get my greedy little mitts on a copy.

Book Description: 

It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause. (Taken from Goodreads)

Doesn't it sound amazing?!? I really need some more supernatural-esque historical YA fiction in my life and this lump of yumminess looks to be the perfect choice! It's due to be released on the 7th March so order it now!!

So that's What I'm Licking this Week head on over to Jess's blog and check out her pick this week!

LadyV

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February Round-Off

Great Scott! I rather dislike the rate at which this year is flying past me and considering how much I lapsed in my blogging duties last month I have a mighty amount of catching up to do before I can really get stuck into my March reading.

Generally it was a kinda meh month, my personal life was a bit chaotic with my long-term relationship coming to an end on the 1st and for much of the month I was feeling rather apathetic towards reading, blogging and various other things hence why everything got rather quiet round here... But hopefully now that Spring is Coming *crosses fingers* the blog will burst into blooms of productivity and I won't fall so woefully behind with my reviews.

Books Read in February
22. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
23. Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper
24. The Pain Merchants by Janice Hardy
25. Ghost of a Chance by Rhiannon Lassiter
26. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
27. Forest Born by Shannon Hale
28. Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
29. Forget You by Jennifer Echols (Re-read, Review from Last Year)
30. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
31. Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles
32. Alpha by Rachel Vincent
33. Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
34. Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
35. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

I will be doing my best to get reviews done for at least 6 of those remaining 10 books in the next week or so as I really don't want to be spending March posting only my February reviews :S

Books Reviewed in February
Some stragglers from January!
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Other Posts of Note
Excepting the usual Sunday & Monday memes I didn't really post anything all that interesting but we did have a whole month's worth of the zany Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them feature that is co-hosted by myself and the lovely Jess of Jess Hearts Books. Do go check out all four yummy picks
Covers So Lovely #6
Covers So Lovely #7
Covers So Lovely #8
Covers So Lovely #9

Favourite Book of the Month

Although I've not yet written my review for this book (it's gonna be next I promise) I have to say that this was the most heart-pounding book I'd read in a while and with the gallons of tension just between Violet and Jay I'm surprised the book doesn't just spontaneously combust! I can't wait to read Desires of the Dead and I'm rather lucky that I have a vair generous Book Fairy who's sent me her paperback copy *smooches*.
Honourable Mention goes to Sing Me to Sleep for being such a beautifully heart-wrenching read *sob*

What to Expect in March
Well truth be told I don't really know what's gonna happen, I mainly want to keep up to date with my reviews and if I get a hankering to write some kind of non-review post then I'll actually try and finish it unlike several other posts of a similar nature that are still loitering in the Drafts section of Blogger. I may try getting some kind of questionnaire put together to gauge people's opinion and see if there is any changes that can be made to the general format of the blog and god forbid I might think about changing the background design *le gasp*. But everything's a bit in flux really so we'll see how things go.

I hope everyone has had a less blah February than me and here's to the Oncoming Spring!
LadyV

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Book Review - Ghost of a Chance

Don't Faint I know this is the first review I've done in nearly 3 weeks! I am determined to catch up on the reviews I need to write starting with this one which is actually required since I won it from LibraryThing's Early Review scheme and if I don't get a review done then the Almighty Algorithm will make it harder for me to win anything else in the future :O

Title: Ghost of a Chance
Author: Rhiannon Lassiter
Date: 7/2/2011 AM
Source: Received for Review from LTER
Description: Imagine being both victim and detective in your own murder . . . Eavesdroppers never heard good of themselves. But she'd never expected to hear that she was dead.
How did Eva die? The rumours say she killed herself, but Eva knows different. Victim and detective in her own murder, she must solve the mystery. If she doesn't, more will die . . . (Description Taken from Goodreads)

My Review

Sometimes when you get a book to review that you didn't really know much about there's the risk of it turning out rather badly and then what the hell do you do? But I am very happy to say that this was not the case with Ghost of a Chance- no sirree I was most pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, I actually re-read it a couple of days ago and although I knew how it ended I still really loved the story and the characters.


Living in a crumbling old mansion, with centuries of family history Eva Chance is the black sheep of the family prowling about the House and gardens like a wild thing. It's on the day of her 16th birthday - April Fool's Day that she finds out something very shocking - she's in fact dead and somehow hadn't noticed. She's now got to try and discover who killed her and when most people can't see her it's gonna be a bit difficult without help.


That's where Kyra and her twin brother Kyle come in - when they begin to notice the strange things going on at the Chance House it becomes apparent that something supernatural is the cause and despite the fact that Kyra used to pick on Eva for being a bit weird, they both want to help her find out what happened to her.


This book had two great features going for it - really interesting characters that you could love even if they could be irritating (I'm looking at you Felix), and one heck of a mystery coupled in with all the creepiness of the House Ghosts. I had no clue how the book was gonna end and I was damn surprised when I found out and I loved it! The supernatural aspects of the story worked really well with the realistic aspects and overall the book was executed rather fabulously.


I found all the gruesome Chance family history fascinating and how it ties into the various ghosts which occupy the House. I'm sure anyone who's been to a supposedly haunted house would get a scary thrill from this aspect of the book. The tension from not knowing who is behind the attacks on the Chance family members makes for a very exciting read and I was determined not to put the book down until I'd finished it.


Overall a refreshingly unusual YA read with a wonderful mix of mystery, history and characters, and a really great ending that left me wanting to see more about Eva, Kyle and Kyra. Plus I gotta mention Nathan - the cutest five-yr old that I've read about in ages- on the three occasions that he appeared in the story I was grinning at how adorable and sensible he was compared to all those silly adults who smiled indulgently at the idea of a ghost in wellies :P 


My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars


Phew! So glad I've got that done! Now there's only like 6 or 7 to go... *headdesk* People don't let me get this behind again.

LadyV

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