Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

Top Ten Tuesdays is a meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish that features a new topic each week where we have to put down our top ten of it.




I used to participate in this meme but at some point I stopped. Not really sure why because I loved this meme, so I decided to just start it again. It's so much fun! =D



This week's topic:
Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book
+
I have put up some books that have the certain topic in them.





10. Elements ~
I really love books where the character or characters can control the elements. Storm (love me some Merrick brothers!)


9. Vampires ~
Lately it might not be the newest thing in paranormal fiction, but I will always love vampire books.


8. Forbidden Love ~
Books about forbidden love are a big weakness of mine. Whether it's in the paranormal or contemporary genre, there's just something about them that makes me devour the pages. 


7. Historical Fiction/Romance ~
I'm a sucker for history and historical fiction. Anything from ancient Egypt to Victorian England. I gotta read it.


6. Edgar Allen Poe ~
Poe is a small obsession of mine. I love his stories and poems but I also love books that are based on his poems or retellings from it. Anything.


5. Fairies/Fairies/Fey/Fae ~
Anyway you wanna call them. I love me some fae books! There's just something about those beings that I love reading about. Their magic, mystery, beauty? Anything!


4. Unique Writing ~
I love books with a unique writing style. It has to be done just right, though, for me to really like it ben when it is, there are some beautiful gems out there.


3.  Peter Pan ~
Another little obsession from mine. I simply adore the original story by J.M. Barrie but there are some pretty great retellings of it out there too. I always have to absolutely read them no matter what. Love Peter!


2. Retellings ~
I adore fairytale and poem retellings. Lately there are lot fairytale retellings already but I'll I can say is; keep 'em coming! Also am in love with poem retellings. There aren't much of those but from what I've read so far it's pretty damn good writing!
Cinder | Nameless | Christabel | Ashes on the Waves | Life After Theft


1. Greek Mythology ~
My absolute #1 is definitely Greek Mythology. I love, love, love this topic and can't get enough to know more about ancient Greece, the gods and all the mythology.



And that's my top ten of this week. I had a lot of fun doing it. Such a great topic this was! 



Teaser Tuesdays: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading.




My teaser:
Stretching up, I placed my lips to Aiden's, but the kiss turned out more chaste than the hot and steamy action I was going for. His arm tightened, though, and a fine tremor coursed through his body as if he was fighting the pull between us.

—page 99



~Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Paperback, 360 pages
Published April 4th 2013 by Spencer Hill Press
Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.






Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:
• 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!



Best of the Bunch ~ April 2013

Best of the Bunch is a monthly meme hosted by Always Lost in Stories on the last day of every month. The aim of this meme is to share the best book that we have read in that month and give it our Best of the Bunch award.




April Reads:


Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout ~ 4 Stars ~ My Review
Elixir (Covenant #3.5)  by Jennifer L. Armentrout ~ 4 Stars ~ Goodreads Review
Invasion by A. Star ~ 3 Stars ~ Goodreads Review
With This Kiss: Part Three by Eloisa James ~ 4 Stars ~ Goodreads Review
Twice Tempted (Night Prince #2) by Jeaniene Frost  ~ 3 Stars ~ My Review
Persephone (Daughters of Zeus #1) by Kaitlin Bevis ~ 3 Stars ~ My Review
The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott ~ 4 Stars ~ My Review
Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review
What Really Happened in Peru (The Bane Chronicles #1) by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan ~ 5 Stars ~ Goodreads Review
New York, New York (Love, Tink #2) by Elle Strauss ~ 2 Stars ~ Goodreads Review



And the Best of the Bunch winner of March 2013 is...



~Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare
Paperback, 568 pages
Published March 19th 2013 by Walker
Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.


Of course Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare was the best. Not even a really hard choice there. I loved every bit of this heartbreaking but beyond amazing book! 




Saturday, April 27, 2013

Stacking The Shelves #21

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews, where you can showcase the books you bought, borrowed, won, downloaded, received for review and so on.


This is a book haul from two weeks, since I didn't have enough time to do one last week. =)




~Bought:
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
I already read this book when I borrowed it from the library once but I wanted to own the book because I love it so much. 

~Bought:
Dead Man Rising (Dante Valentine #2) by Lilith Saintcrow
It was only €3.49 on The Book Depository so I simply had to buy it since I already own the first book. So cheap!


~Bought:
Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare
Finally received Clockwork Princess! Already read it and it was incredible! -My review.

~Bought:
Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I went crazy when I received this! One of my favorite series. So, currently reading it now. =)


~Bought:
The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P. #1) by Eoin Colfer
Finally the new Eoin Colfer book arrived! SO FREAKING HAPPY! Hoping to start it after Apollyon!

~Bought:
What's a Witch to Do by Jennifer Harlow
I absolutely loved this author's Mind Over Monsters and To Catch a Vampire books so I really hope this will be as good as them! <3


~Gifted:
Page Corner Monster Bookmark & Crimson Frost bookmark from Lili @ Lost in a Book
I adore my page corner monster bookmark soooo much. So darn cute! <3 To find out how to make your own, go here.



~Bought:
What Really Happened in Peru (The Bane Chronicles #1) by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan
When I finished Clockwork Princess a few days ago, I bought this one right away. I needed a Magnus fix! Also already finished it since it was super short but it was such a fun read! -My review.

~For Review:
Tall, Dark, and Divine (Bagging a Greek God #1) by Jenna Bennett
This got accepted on NetGalley from me. It sounds like a really awesome read! =D


~Won:
Nandana's Mark (Queen of the Realm of Faerie #1) by Heidi Garrett
The Flower of Isbelline (Queen of the Realm of Faerie #2) by Heidi Garrett
Thanks to Sarah Elizabeth @ Sarah Elizabeth's Bookshelf and the author, Heidi Garrett. <3


~Freebie:
Gretel by Vanessa Booke
Freebie from Amazon!

~For Review:
Sleeping with the Entity (Entity #1) by Cat Devon
Also got this from NetGalley. It sounds really good!


~Freebie:
Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen
Amazon Freebie! Thanks to Jenn from Book Bird Reviews for pointing it out to me because she knows I love Greek mythology stories too. ^^

~Freebie:
Almost Eighteen (Wilson Mooney #1)
Freebie from Smashwords with coupon code. I love books about student/teacher relationships so I had to grab this one! 



Friday, April 26, 2013

Feature & Follow #30


Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted on friday by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read to gain new followers and make new friends!

You can follow me through GFC, Networked Blogs, Linky, e-mail or Bloglovin' Just let me know if you did and I'll follow you back!
--




This week's question:
Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song & the book?

I love this question! I actually know many songs that remind me of a book. But I'll just show you my top 3 with some of the lyrics that speak to me. <3

#3:  Strange by Tokio Hotel & Kerli for Wither by Lauren DeStefano

"You want to fix me, push me into your fantasy. You try to give me, sell me a new personality. You try to lift me, I don't get better. What’s making you happy is making me sadder. In your golden cage. All I feel is strange, strange. In your perfect world. So strange, strange. I feel so absurd in this life.  Don't come closer. In my arms, forever, you'll be strange, strange,  like me."

 




#2: Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney for The Host by Stephenie Meyer

"I don't want another pretty face. I don't want just anyone to hold. I don't want my love to go to waste. I want you and your beautiful soul."





#1. Broken by Lifehouse for Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

"I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing. With a broken heart that's still beating. In the pain, there is healing In your name, I find meaning. So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on I'm barely holdin' on to you."

(but it also really fits for the other books in this series)

 




Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #3
Publication: March 19th 2013 by Walker
Genre: Young Adult ~ Paranormal
Format: Paperback568 pages
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overal Rating: 5/5

  
Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.



My tears are barely dried after finishing Clockwork Princess before I'm starting to write this review. I simply cannot wait any longer!
The Infernal Devices was right from the start with Clockwork Angel one of my favorite book series. I even like it more than The Mortal Instruments. And now that I have finally read Clockwork Princess, finally because it took me SO long to get my hands on it, I can't help but feel like bowing down to Cassandra Clare's awesomeness. She's an amazing writer. I just love her!

I knew, I just knew this book was going to break my heart. Not many books have the ability to do so but Clockwork Princess did. Everyone around me, who had read it already told me as much so I tried preparing myself for it and failed so hard. It was more heartbreaking than ANYTHING I have read thus far. And yes, that's uncluding Sever by Lauren DeStefano where I was almost sobbing from the pain. Anyway... it is heartbreaking, but that doesn't mean it was a bad book, not at all. It's one of the most incredible books I have read yet. Definitely in my all-time top 5. 

As always Cassandra's writing was excellent. I love the way she describes everything from a room, to people to feelings. She even made me cry. I'd forgotten why I love her books so much. It has been a while since I was in the Shadowhunter world and how I missed it! Everything about it always draws me in like almost no other book has the power to.

I love all the characters. Will, Jem, Tessa, Charlotte, Henry, Sophie, Gabriel, Gideon, Magnus, Cecily... They have been amazing to read about. And, gosh, all the things I know now. Especially with seeing the family tree at the end of the book. Fantastic! 
I must say I didn't expect to like Cecily as much as I did. She reminds me so much of Isabelle from The Mortal Instruments. I'm not sure if that just me or if there are other people feeling the same way but I definitely got an Isabelle feel to her. Which was awesome! I also adore Gabriel when he's with her. Oh, Gabriel, how much he's changed. He went through a lot in this book too. They all did, really. 
And... Will and Jem. Jem and Will. I love them both so much. I cared for them. I cried for them. They will always be in my heart. *starts sobbing again*
I need to do a big shout out for Magnus. He was in my eyes a huge part of this book and we learn so much more about him and The Mortal Instruments series (even about Church)! and so much more. He's one of my favorite characters ever, if not THE favorite and I simply can't wait to read his Bane Chronicles. 

You know how they call Harry, Ron and Hermione the golden trio in Harry Potter? Well, Will, Jem and Tessa are my golden trio from The Infernal Devices. They all love each other so much and when the heartbreaking things were happening I felt so for them all. They're amazing characters and I'm so sad to see them go. (Unless some of them will appear in The Mortel Instruments?!)
The whole plot with Mortmain and the shit hitting the fan was awesome. I love action in a book and besides all the personal drama in pretty much everyone's lives in Clockwork Princess, there was also the danger of the magister and his infernal devices. I do love how he finally revealed what Tessa really was and how everything around her came to be. 

I can't express enough how freaking tough this book is for the heart. Sometimes I just wanted to curl up and die but I had to keep reading on. A lot of unexpected twists and "No! This can't be!" moments didn't prepare me for that last chapter and epilogue. So sad, but I do feel like it was really needed. That end! Oh my god! Some of you may know that I absolutely hate epilogues because they make my heart ache. But I loved this one. It was so beautiful and I couldn't believe what was happening in them. SO MUCH FEELS!

With all these emotions running through me still, I have probably many more thoughts that I can't simply put in this review. I feel like I should say so much more but there isn't a way I can. 
Clockwork Princess was a beautiful book. The book was awfully tough to read for my heart, which kept aching for Will, Jem and all the others. The book was exciting, romantic, more amazing than I could've hoped for. So thank you, Cassandra Clare, thank you so much for The Infernal Devices series, they have made me really happy to have been able to read them.
A very deserved 5 star read! <3




“Unfortunately, you may have to delay your plans for sororicide a bit longer. Gabriel Lightwood is downstairs, and I have two words for you. Two of your favorte words, at least when you put them together.
"'Utter simpleton'?" inquired Will. "'Worthless upstart'?"
Jem grinned. "'Demon pox,"' he said.”
Tessa touched his wrist lightly with her hand. "Be brave," she said. "It's not a duck, is it?”
“True love cannot die,'" Will said, translating the inscription on the back in the light from the corridor. "I can't wear this, Magnus. It's too pretty for a man."
"So are you. Go home and clean yourself up. I will call upon you as soon as I have information." He looked at Will keenly. "In the meantime do your best to be worthy of my assistance.”
“A very magnanimous statement, Gideon,” said Magnus. “I’m Gabriel.” Magnus waved a hand. “All Lightwoods look the same to me.”
“It was like I saw your soul in the notes of the music. And it was beautiful." She leaned forward and touched his face lightly, the smooth skin over his hard cheekbone, his hair like feathers against the back of her hand. "I saw rivers, boats like flowers, all the colors of the night sky.”



Cassandra ClareCassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. Cassandra lives with her fiance and their two cats in Massachusetts.


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