Review: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Posted on Friday, August 31, 2012 7:00 AM

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 235

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Buy This Book: Amazon

From Goodreads:


A devastating loss leads to an unexpected road trip in this novel from the author of Moonglass, whose voice Sarah Dessen says “is fresh and wise, all at once.”
Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

Review:


I could tell from reading the first chapter in this book that In Honor was going to be an emotional read.  We start off at a funeral for Honor’s brother Finn.  Finn had enlisted in the Marine Corps less than a year ago and was recently killed in action.  But before he died he wrote a letter to Honor, a letter that she doesn’t open until after his funeral, a letter that could change the rest of her life.

In Finn’s last letter to Honor, one that came three days after his death, he enclosed concert tickets for Kyra Kelley’s last show in California and asked that Honor tell Kyra all about her older brother.  Since this was his last request, Honor feels like this is something she needs to do before she can move on with her life.  So she packs up and hits the road to California.  But she’s doesn’t go alone like she had planned, Finn’s best friend Rusty tags along. 

Honor is a lot stronger than she thinks she is.  She lost her parents when she was a young girl and now she lost her brother.  Rusty is the kind of guy that you don’t like at first because he’s a jerk but then he grows on you.  I’m glad that he ended up on the journey with Honor; this was something that they needed to do together, even if they didn’t realize it at first.

In Honor is a quick but incredibly emotional read.  This book had me in tears by the end of the first chapter; it’s about learning to deal with the loss of a loved one and figuring out how to move on with life, and the ending was absolutely perfect.  This is definitely one of the best contemporaries that I’ve read so far this year.  

 

Quotes:


‘I hated him.  I hated him for the way he showed up yesterday, for showing up here today, for being a mess and making fun of me, and for not being Finn when I needed him most.  My brother was everything he wasn’t’

“My apologies, then.  For trying to get your dolls naked and then ditching you for your brother.”

Rating:

 

 

 

Review: Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

Posted on Thursday, August 30, 2012 7:00 AM

Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

Format: Paperback

Pages: 337

Publisher: New American Library

Series: Chicagoland Vampires # 6

Buy This Book: Amazon



From Goodreads:

Turned into a vampire against her will, twenty-eight-year-old Merit found her way into the dark circle of Chicago’s vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye—and more supernaturals than the public ever imagined.  And not all the secrets she learned were for sharing—among humans or inhumans. Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest, tailing a rogue supernatural intent on stealing an ancient artifact that could unleash catastrophic evil on the world. But Merit is also the prey. An enemy of Chicagoland is hunting her, and he’ll stop at nothing to get the book for himself. No mercy allowed.

No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on.
 

Review:


***WARNING*** Spoilers from Drink Deep – If you have not read Drink Deep do not read this review
 
Biting Cold starts off instantly where Drink Deep left off.  Ethan has returned from the dead and him and Merit are together again and on their way toward Nebraska, in search of Merit’s best friend Mallory Carmichael and the Maleficium.  The Maleficium is an ancient book of magic that Mallory is hell bent on stealing in order to unleash the evil that lies within on the world.  But what happens is actually much worse than anyone expected.
I’m glad that Mallory actually gets punished for her crimes instead of just a slap on the wrist, especially after what she unleashed on the world.  But Mallory isn’t the only person Merit has to worry about; a former enemy is wreaking havoc on Chicago. 
In this book we finally learn what exactly Seth Tate is and we get to see a whole different side of him, and I mean that literally.
You would think that being brought back from the dead would change a person…but, not Ethan.  He’s still the same stubborn vampire we fell in love with in the previous books, other than the whole being connected to a witch thing.  Merit is still the bad ass Sentinel that feels the need to solve every problem in front of her.  After everything that had gone down in Drink Deep and Ethan’s astonishing return from the dead, I wish that we would have gotten more Merit and Ethan time, I think that Ethan and Merit totally deserved a big reunion.     
Chloe Neill just keeps get better and better; Biting Cold is just as action packed and suspenseful as its predecessors, it’s gripping and exciting and full of twists you won’t expect.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Merit and Ethan in the next book.  

Quotes:


‘He burst out laughing like I’d told the funniest joke he’d ever heard, but I’d told the absolute truth’

‘Most people get up and do their jobs and work their asses off for no reward at all – but just so they can get up the next day and do the whole thing over again.  The world isn’t perfect, and some days it wears you down.’

 

Rating:

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 7:00 AM
 
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that showcases books that we are eagerly anticpating.


My WoW pick this week is:
 
Iced by Karen Marie Moning
Expected Publication: October 30, 2012
 
 
 

From Goodreads:

 
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.
 
 

What's your 'Waiting On' pick this week?
 
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Teaser Tuesday (4)

Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 7:00 AM
 
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 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!


I'm currently reading In Honor by Jessi Kirby

 


Summary From Goodreads:
 
A devastating loss leads to an unexpected road trip in this novel from the author of Moonglass, whose voice Sarah Dessen says “is fresh and wise, all at once.”Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?
 
 

Teasers:

 

‘I hated him.  I hated him for the way he showed up yesterday, for showing up here today, for being a mess and making fun of me, and for not being Finn when I needed him most.  My brother was everything he wasn’t’

 
“My apologies, then.  For trying to get your dolls naked and then ditching you for your brother.”

 
 
Leave a link to you teaser in the comments so I can check out your post.
 
 
 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Posted on Monday, August 27, 2012 7:00 AM

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we plan our reading week!


Here is what I've read the past week:

 

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick
Word and Breath by Susannah Noel
Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones *Review coming soon!
 
 

Here is what I plan on reading this week:

 

Biting Cold by Chloe Neill
Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate
The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
 
 
What book are you reading this week?
 
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Review: Word and Breath by Susannah Noel

Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2012 7:00 AM

Word and Breath by Susannah Noel

Format: Electronic Review Copy

Series: Wordless Chronicles #1

Buy this Book: Amazon

 

From Goodreads:


Riana has learned how to stay out of trouble. She spends her days studying written texts in the government’s Office of Readers, and she spends her nights taking care of her sick sister. She always—always—follows the rules. Despite her low profile, she has mysteriously become a target. Someone has kidnapped her sister. Someone else is trying to kill her. And someone has sent a Soul-Breather to beguile her out of her secrets.

Her help comes from the mythic leader of an underground rebel movement. A man who used to be her friend. A man who has silently loved her for years. He disappeared from her life without a word, and now he expects her to trust him again.

Then there’s the Soul-Breather, a man who can taste her spirit with only a touch. He makes her feel things she’s never experienced before, but she doesn’t know if the feelings are real. Hired to deceive and betray her, he offers to help her instead.

Without both men, she can’t rescue her sister. And she can’t discover the world-changing knowledge—buried in her memory—that has made her a target in the first place


Review:


Five centuries ago, the Cataclysm destroyed almost everything; practically everything of value was gone.    When the society started to build again the Union Government rose from the ashes and gave people the stability that they desired.  But the Union Government slowly took over the entire continent and nothing has been strong enough to stop it.

Riana Cole is a 22 year old read Reader, which in the world she lives in is very rare, most Union officials can’t read so they depend profoundly on the Readers to look for suspicious messages and for collection of important information from the past.  Riana just wants to do her job and take care of her handicapped sister, Jannie.  Unfortunately, the Union has other ideas for Riana and they are not the only ones who want something from her.  Riana’s world is about to alter and there’s nothing she can do to stop it.

Mikel is a Soul-Breather; he can breathe out a specific memory or piece of information from anyone with a touch.   When Riana is suspected to have ties to the Front, a known rebel group, the Union hires Mikel to tail her and to find out if she’s hiding anything, but can he do what he was hired to without falling for her?  You’ll have to read it to find out J

Reed Connor is a former co-worker and former crush of Riana’s, he left three years ago and she hasn’t heard from him since, but that’s about to change.  When someone Riana loves disappears she needs help from both Connor and Mikel to find them.

Word and Breath is a riveting and magnificent read.  It’s enthralling and will have you mesmerized from the very first page.  This story was fast paced and the characters were wonderful, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series.


*Word and Breath was provided to me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own.

 

Quotes:


I can’t believe you went out of your way to help me.  I didn’t think men made gallant efforts at rescue anymore.”

‘But she’d done something different, noteworthy, rebellious.  She felt rather pleased with herself.’

 

Rating:


 
 
 

Stacking the Shelves (7)

Posted on Saturday, August 25, 2012 4:12 PM
 
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that showcases what books we have got the past week.



Here's what I got this week:

 

From Netgalley




 
 
The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate
 

Gifted/Won

 
Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Thanks to Andrea @ The Busy Bibliophile)
 Lost Girls by Ann Kelley (Thanks to Reading Teen)

Bought:

 
 
 
Biting Cold by Chloe Neill
In Honor by Jessi Kirby
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
 
 
 
 
What did you get this week?
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Early Review: Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

Posted on 12:30 AM

Format: E-ARC from Netgalley

Pages:528

Publisher: Egmont USA

Series: Ashes Trilogy # 2

Publication Date: September 25, 2012

Pre-Order this Book: Amazon


From Goodreads:


The Apocalypse does not end. The Changed will grow in numbers. The Spared may not survive.

Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she believed Rule could be a sanctuary for her and those she’d come to love.
But she was wrong.

Now Alex is in the fight of her life against the adults, who would use her, the survivors, who don’t trust her, and the Changed, who would eat her alive.

Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and humans may be the worst of the monsters.



Review: 


WARNING * (Contains spoilers from Ashes) *

 

Shadows starts off four months after the EMP (electromagnetic pulse) took out most of the World’s population.  If the EMP didn’t kill you, you were changed into a flesh eating monster, only very few people were spared.   

Alex has left the safety of Rule in search of Tom and Ellie, who she hopes are still alive, but she doesn’t make it very far before she runs in to trouble.  She comes across five Changed kids, and the Changed in this book aren’t like the types of zombies that we usually see in books and movies.  First of all they aren’t dead and second they are a whole lot smarter than average zombies.  While fighting these Changed, she learns a great deal about them.  When she gets a good look at their faces she sees one that she knows. 

I love that Shadows is told in multiple points of view, so not only do we know what’s happening with Alex, we also know what is happening back in Rule and we find out where Tom has been and what he has been through.

Alex has come a long way since the first book, she’s stronger and bolder and she will do anything to find her friends.  Tom is just as tough and caring as he was in the first book, and Alex isn’t the only one that’s searching for somebody.

Shadows is packed with action and full of twists that you won’t expect.  The world that Ms. Bick has created is cruel and terrifying and while I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did Ashes, I still liked it and I will definitely read the last book in the trilogy to see how it all ends.

Thanks to Egmont USA and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Quotes:


“Alex, I can’t.  Oh, God, please,” Tom rasped.

‘The others were too heavy.  She was pinned, and this was how it was going to end’


Rating:


 

 

Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2012 7:30 AM

Format: Kindle
Publisher: Egmont USA

Pages: 480
Series: Ashes Trilogy
Buy this Book: Amazon


From Goodreads:


It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.

Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation
 

Review:


At the beginning of Ashes we meet Alex (Alexandra).  Alex is not your normal seventeen year old girl; she hasn’t’ been hanging out with friends on the weekends or going out on dates, instead for the past two years she’s been spending her time going to the hospital for rounds of Chemo and Radiation and getting pumped full of experimental drugs that aren’t even working against the tennis ball sized tumor on her brain. 
Alex has decided that she doesn’t want to go to anymore treatments, she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her time on this earth with her hair falling out or her head in the toilet, instead she goes to Michigan to hike the Waucamaw Wilderness, which she used to do in the summer with her parents before they died, while she’s still strong enough to do it.  It’s obvious from the beginning that she doesn’t plan on making it back out of the mountains, she doesn’t know that something big is about to happen; something that will change her life.
A couple of days into the hike Alex meets Jack and his granddaughter Ellie.  While talking with Jack, something weird happens, every electronic device quits working and Jack falls over, dead.  Something also happens to Alex, she just doesn’t realize it yet.
Alex and Ellie are in trouble when Tom comes to their rescue, and they discover that most people the EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) didn’t kill…changed.  Some changed into zombies. There isn't very many people that were untouched by the EMP.
Ashes is a thrilling and terrifying read, it’s a wonderful addition to the dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Alex next in Shadows.
 

Rating:


 


Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 7:00 AM

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that showcases books that we are eagerly anticpating.



My WoW pick this week is:

Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Expected Publication: October 2nd, 2012


From Goodreads:

Darynda Jones, author of The New York Times bestselling series that began with First Grave on the Right, brings us Death and the Girl Next Door, a thrilling Young Adult novel garnering high praise and early buzz from major authors

Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace. Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home. For Lorelei, life goes on.

High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be. Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it, standing outside her house in the dark, night after night. Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity. What does Jared know about her parents? Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei? And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.

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What's your waiting on pick this week?




Teaser Tuesday (3)

Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 7:00 AM

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 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!

I'm currently reading Word and Breath by Susannah Noel


Summary from Goodreads:

Riana has learned how to stay out of trouble. She spends her days studying written texts in the government’s Office of Readers, and she spends her nights taking care of her sick sister. She always—always—follows the rules. Despite her low profile, she has mysteriously become a target. Someone has kidnapped her sister. Someone else is trying to kill her. And someone has sent a Soul-Breather to beguile her out of her secrets.

Her help comes from the mythic leader of an underground rebel movement. A man who used to be her friend. A man who has silently loved her for years. He disappeared from her life without a word, and now he expects her to trust him again.

Then there’s the Soul-Breather, a man who can taste her spirit with only a touch. He makes her feel things she’s never experienced before, but she doesn’t know if the feelings are real. Hired to deceive and betray her, he offers to help her instead.

Without both men, she can’t rescue her sister. And she can’t discover the world-changing knowledge—buried in her memory—that has made her a target in the first place



Teasers:

I can’t believe you went out of your way to help me.  I didn’t think men made gallant efforts at rescue anymore.”

‘But she’d done something different, noteworthy, rebellious.  She felt rather pleased with herself.’


Do you participate in Teaser Tuesday? If so leave the link to your post in the comments so I can check it out :D

It's Monday! What are you reading? (6)

Posted on Monday, August 20, 2012 7:00 AM

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we plan our reading week!

Here is what I've read the past week:

 
 
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa *Review Coming Soon
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Wake by Amanda Hocking
Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout



Here is what I plan on reading this week:



Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick
Word and Breath by Susannah Noel
Undeadly by Michele Vail

 

What are you reading this week?



 



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