Novels 'n' Notes Update

So, if you've been a follower for a while, you might have seen some of my Novels 'n' Notes posts. Novels ‘n’ Notes is a weekly event I created here at Geek Chic to talk about songs that remind me of books. Usually I post them on Fridays. You also may have noticed that they have been mysteriously absent the last couple weeks. I'm really sorry about that, but if you like them, don't worry--they ARE coming back. Right now I'm working on stockpiling songs, because, of course, not every song reminds me of a book in a concrete way.

For now, you can see previous NN posts by clicking on the "Novels 'n' Notes" label, either on the sidebar or at the bottom of this post. Don't forget that you are more than welcome to make your own NN posts on your own blog! I only ask that you use the official logo (designed by the awesome CJ, as was my blog logo!) and leave me a link to your post, because I'd LOVE to see it!

But yeah, Novels 'n' Notes will be back within the next couple of weeks! I'm looking forward to sharing more books and music with you guys!

(:D)

~Mag

Review: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

EEEEEP. I have been waiting for this book for SO LONG. I absolutely ADORED Hex Hall and Demonglass (And Archer. Of course Archer.), so I couldn't wait to get my hands on Spell Bound!


Beware! My review WILL contain spoilers for the first two books in the series, Hex Hall and Demonglass.

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

------ 

Okay, so, to talk about Spell Bound, first I have to talk about Demonglass. Because, um, CLIFFHANGER. (And before I continue, more disclaimer: STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HEX HALL AND DEMONGLASS! SERIOUSLY, DUDE, SPOILERS AHEAD! Not for Spell Bound, but definitely for the others. Okay. Carry on.)


I spent several months in a state of freaking out, occasionally breaking into mental chants of, "Everything's okay, Archer's alive. Archer's alive. He has to be alive. Right? Right? Right?" And things of that nature. (Oh, and I was also very concerned about the well-being of Sophie's dad and Cal and Jenna. Yeah. Definitely.) Anyway, once I had Spell Bound in my hands, there was also a slight moment of "I don't want to read this because then it will be over and I don't want it to be over." (Luckily, this went away quickly as I was informed by my friend (known on Twitter as Cross=Boss or @crossequalsboss in honor of Archer himself) that there would indeed be a SPIN OFF of Hex Hall, which made my day.)


But none of that is really a review (or even about Spell Bound) so let's get to that.


Thanks to Demonglass's cliffhanger of epic proportions (Okay, maybe not the most brain-killing, soul-crushing cliffhanger ever, but still) we're thrown right into the action with Spell Bound. Sophie's taken Cal's advice and taken the Itineris to Aislinn Brannick, and that quickly seems like a bad idea as Sophie promptly lands herself in huge heaps of trouble.


It isn't long, though, before she meets the Brannicks and starts getting answers--answers that pretty much shatter everything she ever thought she knew about her family. As if being a demon weren't bad enough, there's MORE.


Soon Sophie is preparing for battle alongside the Brannicks, while gradually learning the whereabouts of her friends after what went down at Thorne Abbey. Some people got out, both friends...and enemies.


The characters in this installment were just as awesome as they were in the other books. Sophie, of course, was as witty, sarcastic, and awesome as ever. (Everyone knows I love me some sarcasm!) Cal, Archer, and Jenna were awesome as well, as usual. ESPECIALLY ARCHER. Obviously. (Have you noticed I'm in love with him? Yeah.) Even Elodie pretty much rocked. Plus there were some fabulous new characters who were FANTASTIC!


Seriously, though, this book was super full of action, snark, romance, and pure AWESOME. If you loved the other two books (and how could you have NOT??) then you'll love this one too.


But possibly the best part is that there will indeed be a spin off! Which is great, because there while the ending was satisfying, there were definitely things left open that could be developed into more awesome stuff!


(I've just noticed I used the word "awesome" a lot. Note to self: invest in thesaurus.)


Anyway, WITHOUT A DOUBT Spell Bound recieves <*><*><*><*><*>


(:D)
~Mag

Waiting on Wednesday: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking the Spine, spotlighting books that have not yet been released but are being greatly anticipated. Today, my pick under the category "EEEEEEEEEEEEK hey look a book that shall be AWESOME" is the FIFTH book in the INCREDIBLE Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare: City of Lost Souls


(Please remember that the synopsis contains spoilers for the other books in the Mortal Instruments series, so please beware if you haven't read them all!)

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.  

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?  

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.  

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?  

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series. 

I AM SO EXCITED. How could I not be?? TMI is one of my favorite series of all time, and I can't WAIT to see what happens next, not just for Jace and Clary, but also for Alec, Magnus, Isabelle, Simon, Maia, Jordan, Luke, Jocelyn...the list goes on and on.


Seriously, people, this will be EPIC. If you haven't read the first four books yet you MUST DO THIS NOW. Seriously, go. You have NO CLUE what you're missing!


Oh, and don't forget that you can read the prologue of CoLS HERE!


EEEP. So exciting!


What are you waiting on this week? Leave your WoW links in the comments!


(:D)
~Mag

Teaser Tuesday: Touch by Jus Accardo

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play, and the rules are simple:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 
Today's teasers come from Touch by Jus Accardo. I AM LIKING THIS BOOK, PEOPLE.

1.
     "How am I able to touch you? Everyone else would have died a horrible death." 

      -Kindle Location 269 

2.
     "I can't believe you went snooping. What if he came back?" 

     -Kindle Location 432

What are you reading this week? Leave your TT links in the comments!


(:D)
~Mag

Review: Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand

I'd had my eye on this book to buy on Kindle for a while, but I didn't get it until recently. And once I did get it, I realized how FANTASTIC it was! Seriously, this book rocked.

Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand 

I killed a girl last night. I did it with my bare hands and an old piece of pipe I found lying next to the dumpster. But that’s not the part that got me. The part that scared me, the part I can’t seem to wrap my head around and still has me reeling, was that when she charged me, her body shifted – and then she was a wolf. All snapping teeth and extended claws. But by the time I stood over her lifeless body, she was a girl again. That’s about the time I went into shock… And that was the moment he showed up.  

Now, all I can do is accept the truths that are staring me in the face. One, Werewolves do exist. And Two, I was born to kill them.  

------

Tara was normal. Until she wasn't.


One second she's an average girl, and the next she's thrust into the world of Werewolves and the Hunters who are destined to kill them. Tara is one of those Hunters, and she only discovers that as she makes her first kill.


It isn't long before Tara discovers a group called The Cause: the only group in which Werewolves and Hunters coexist peacefully and work toward unity between the species. And they want her to join them.


And you know that part in the synopsis up there? When "he" shows up? His name is Wes. He's a Werewolf, he's mysterious, he's, um, GORGEOUS, and Tara is drawn to him in a way she can't begin to understand. 


As Tara struggles to understand the truth about herself and the people she meets, she also has to worry about keeping the secret of her new double life from her mom and her friends, a friend/newly ex boyfriend who won't take "no" for an answer, and,  oh yeah, a crazy psycho who'd love to see her dead.


GREAT.


Dirty Blood was an awesome read, without a doubt. In fact, it's one of those reads where the more I think about it the more I like it. And Wes. Obviously, I love WES. He's fantastic.


I know that werewolves (like vamps and fae) are heading toward the over-used area, but not only have they not reached it yet (in my opinion) this book doesn't make them come off as too cliche or overused. Plus the addition of a race of humans dedicated to killing them is a fun little bonus.


If everything I've just said isn't enough reason for you to go buy this book now, remember that it's only $0.99 for Kindle and that it has Wes in it. And Wes makes eeeeeverything awesome :)


I so can't wait to read Cold Blood.


Dirty Blood gets <*><*><*><*><*>


(:D)
~Mag

Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

There is a very long story behind my journey to reading Angelfire, and it was filled with much sadness, disappointment, and angst. 


Short version:
1. Heard about Angelfire
2. Checked library's website to see if they had Angelfire
3. Put Angelfire on hold
4. Angelfire got in on hold
5. Was unable to pick it up and lost hold.
6. Repeat steps 3-5
7. Repeat step 6
8. FINALLY GET BOOK.
9. Read book in several hours.
10. O.O


*Clears throat* So, yeah. Review.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton 

First there are nightmares.  

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.  

Then come the memories.  

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.  

Now she must hunt.  

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.  

------

So let's begin. I really liked this book. A lot. The memory thing reminded me of Shattered Souls, another great read! (Actually, this may have come out first, I'm not sure. But I read SS first, so.) But the other parts of the plot were very different, especially Ellie's and Lenzi's jobs. 


Naturally, I loved Will. He was a fantastic love interest, what with his protectiveness (YES), his seriousness/quietness (YES), his strong/skilled-ness (YES), his loyalty (YES), and, of course, his looks. (BIG YES!) It was easy to see how much he cared about Ellie, and how much he would give up to keep her safe and happy. It's so sweet, and sad at the same time.


Ellie was great, too. She had no idea what was going on, and she could be a bit selfish and spoiled at times, but that's what made her realistic. I mean, if you were thrust into a situation like this with no memory of what you were supposed to be doing, would you be all, "Yeah, let's go kill some reapers! I am ready for ACTION!" or would you be more like, "Um, I still want to hang out with my friends and be with my family and notice how ridiculously hot this Will guy is."


And then on the other hand, when she needed to be, she was brave and strong and smart, and she did what she needed to do, to protect those she cared about and the whole world.


This book was full of great supporting characters, too. I really liked Nathaniel and Lauren, and hope to see more of them in future books. Same with Kate. 


And someone else: This is kinda a spoiler, so I'll hide it. Highlight at your own risk!


Cadan. There is absolutely no way he doesn't come back in later books. Because there is definitely something weird going on with him. I'm almost afraid it's going to become a love triangle. But surely that won't happen. Right? Right??


Spoiler over. 


Altogether, I liked this book a lot and I'm looking forward to reading the next one!


It gets <*><*><*><*>


(:D)
~Mag

In My Mailbox (3/18/12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren, and it's all about talking about what you got in your mailbox each week! 

IN MY ACTUAL  MAILBOX


I am delighted to inform  you that I did get some FANTASTIC things in my mailbox this week!



-Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
-Another Hex Hall (for my giveaway winner!)
-Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
-Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
-New Girl by Paige Harbison

FROM THE LIBRARY


Lots of goodness this week!


-Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly. I was really excited about this when I first got it (I LOVED Angel Burn) but now that I've read the synopsis and learned there's probably going to be a love triangle, I'm more reluctant. A love triangle is the LAST thing I want in this series.


-Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barns. I loooove her other books, and this one sounds SO COOL.


-Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton. Not to be confused with the other Angel Fire from this week. I finished this one last night/this morning, and it was SO GOOD. Review to come!


-Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck. Read this one already, too. First half was great. Second half shattered my soul.


-Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck. Read this one. Enjoyed it so much more than Tiger's Quest. Can't WAIT for the next one!!


-Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. ANOTHER one I've finished. People keep calling the end a terrible cliffhanger, but it was my favorite part of the book! Awesome ending (even though I KNEW it was going to happen, lol) and I'm looking forward to what comes next!


-A Life of Joy by Amy Clipston. Book four in the Kauffman Amish Bakery series, a series me and my mom have been reading together. 

Don't know where Tiger's Quest and A Life of Joy scampered off to when it came time for picture taking...


ON MY KINDLE


-The Forever Girl by Rebecca Hamilton. I don't know much about this book, but I won it by playing a game on Twitter, and it seems interesting!

Please excuse the glares in the pictures, my camera decided to get all flashy today :)


What's in your mailbox this week?


(:D)
~Mag