Happy 22 Winner & More

Yesterday I picked the winner for my Happy 22 Giveaway.

Give your congrats to 

TayteH

I contacted her and the book she chose is...

Also for my birthday my two best friends made me a video that I'd like to share with everyone. 

They are both back at my hometown, while I am on the other side of the country. It's a small country, but still it's far! I loved the video is very sweet. And for some wicked reason the made it in english so hopefully you guys can understand what they're saying.

And finally, I blew my candle in my (almost) cake and made my wish!

Immortal Remains by Rook Hastings

Where do I begin with Immortal Remains. Well, I loved the first book Nearly Departed and this one was even better in some ways (if that's even possible). 

Kelly, Bethan, Jay and Hashim have some trouble hanging with each other after what happened at the ending of the last book(no spoilers). As they are driven apart something or someone is about to bring them back together. There has been four freak accidents, leaving four dead girls at a private school near them. When Charlotte, a girl form that school, contacts Bethan and claims that she is the next victim, they have to gather their forces to face the new threat. No matter what it seems to be.

This book was an emotional roller coaster, it had me crying, laughing, getting angry and then terrified all at the same page. Never knowing what will happen. A lot of twists and turns, mystery and totally unexpected scenarios. Just like in the first book, I love the way the author lets us inside each character's head and allows us to learn his every fear and hope.

I realized that there is no next book out yet, I hope it will be out at least next year! I want to know what's going to happen next. I need to know!!!

★★★★★

Arrived This Week [Nov.21 - Nov.27]

This week I finished my first Project 10, yes I counted graohic novels in it too... Anyways, instead of buying two books I got...more!

I got the last book of the Mystyx series from Netgalley without realizing that it was actually the fourth book, but I loved the story so much, I bought all the other three from Amazon. Munity is a short story between books two and three of the series.

Also got New Girl and The Legacy if Eden from Netgalley.

I won both Amaranth and Pyxis from blog giveaways, and I'm really excited about reading both of them.

I got a code for this one from the author.

And finally the book that I've been dying to get my hands on...

The story and the way it's writen and the fact that it comes out every month got me really interesting about it. Please don't dissapoint me!!!

Storm Born Comic #3 by Richelle Mead, Grant Alter & Dave Hamann

In this issue of Storm Born, after Eugenie decided to visit the Otherworld in full body she gathers all the help she can get. With her three servants by her side, she ventures into the Otherworld. Her plan is to find Dorian, a gentry kind enemy of the one who holds the girl campitve, and ask for his help. While on Dorian's castle she discovers a few things she didn't expect to. Then she starts her mission for the retrieval of the lost girl, but not everything goes as she hoped for.

I am getting really into this story, now I'm off to read the next one. Hopefully Kiyo will appear soon.

★★★★☆

Pariah #2 by Aron Warner

The second issue of Pariah. 

This is the story of Lila, another Vitro, and one of the Vitros that had been working for the lab that exploded in the first volume. In this issue we follow her and all the other Vitros from the lab, while they are trying to run away in the woods and fight against every army that comes after them.

Better than the first one since we learn a little bit more about the world of the Vitros, but still is missing something. I think when all the stories will connect with each other, everything will fall in to place.

★★★☆☆

Happy 22 Giveaway

In a few days, at the 29th of November is my birthday, my 22nd birthday. I am really exicted about them, 2 is my lucky number so now I'm going to be twice as lucky! :P
I love receiving presents but I also love buying them. So, I decided to hold another giveaway that ends the day of my birthday. And since I like picking my own gifts, one of you will have the chance to win anything he/she wants from the bookdepository, up to 10€. Yes I use Euro! :P So just change the currency on the bookdepository to see what you can get.

This is international (wherever the bookdepository ships).
Open from Nov. 25 - Nov. 28
I'll pick the winner on Nov. 29 afternoon, so I will accept some late entries too.

In order to enter all you have to do is be a GFC follower and comment on this post with your e-mail and GFC name. For an extra entry you can grab my blog button (I made it last week). It's on my left sidebar. If you do so make sure you add your blog address so I can check it.

CLOSED

Pariah #1 by Aron Warner

Brent Marks is a Vitro, a teen who became extremely intelligent after being cured of a genetic disorder. He tries to live his life as normal as he can and although he feels so much different from everyone around him he refuses to accept that he is not normal. 

After an explosion at a lab all the Vitros are considered terrosrists and some kids at his high school attack Brent. In order to escape he fights back and then decides to leave town for good. But he should have never forgotten that his actions won't go unnoticed, cause he is not normal... at all.

The story is very interesting, but it's still the beginning and it wasn't that much fast paced and eventful, I think after Brent meets up with other Vitros things will pick up.

★★★☆☆

Dark Secrets 1 by Elizabeth Chandler

This book consists of two stories taking place in the same town, Wisteria.

Legacy of Lies 

Megan visits her grandmother on Wisteria for the first time. The old woman seems really annoyed to have her there and always tries to make Megan and her step-cousin fight. Megan realizes that the house her grandmother lives is the one she had dreamed many times in the past. When she starts waking in other rooms without knowing how she got there and things start changing place, Megan discovers the cruel history of the Scarborough family and finds herself in the middle of it. Past and present are linked together and it's true what they say: Karma is a b*tch! 

Don't Tell
After the mysterious death of her mother, Lauren had never visited Wisteria again. Now, after seven years, she finally accepted an invitation from her godmother and returned to the place her worst nightmare came to life. Some weird things start happening and Lauren is reminded of her mother's last days. Now she is afraid that maybe her mother's death wasn't an accident and maybe the same person is after her. 

Both of the stories were full of mystery and unexpected twists and turns. I especially loved the second story, I even figured out the murderer. All through the book I was wondering "Who did it?". It was really exciting thinking over what happened and trying to fit the pieces in my own mind. 

A must-read for anyone looking for a mystery or a story that may keep you awake at night. Both creepy and sweet. I need the next ones!!!

★★★★★

Storm Born Comic #2 by Richelle Mead, Grant Alter & Dave Hamann

The second volume of Storm Born picks the story up right where it was left in vol.1

Eugenie and Kiyo are attacked by an Elemental and she discovers that Kiyo may have more secrets than she could ever hope for. Also, more creatures from the Otherworld seem to know who she is. After everything, she decides to actually take the job offered to her and go after the girl that has been kidnapped and taken to the Otherworld.

Even if this issue might have had a little bit more action I think the first one was better, but I am sure things are about to get very interesting. I can't wait for her to actually cross to the Otherworld. 

Off to read the next one! :)

★★★☆☆

Eden Giveaway Winner

This is just a short(very short) post, to let you know that today I picked the Eden Giveaway Winner.

Yeah, there are no photos, cause I'm in a hurry and kind of bored too :P

But anyways...

Congrats H. Shar!

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did! :)

Storm Born Comic #1 by Richelle Mead, Grant Alter & Dave Hamann

Firstly, I have to say I haven't read the book Storm Born, nor any other books by Richelle Mead for that matter. Yeah, I know shame on me. So this graphic novel was my first taste of her talent and I found it really exciting.

In the first issue of Storm Born, Eugenie has a new assignment, a girl that has been captured by fairies and taken to the Otherworld. Eugenie, being a shaman, had passed with her spirit to the other side, but this time she needs to get there in full body. Contemplating on whether or not to accept the job, she meets Kiyo and things get a little bit... X-rated!

The art is beautiful and reading this I was reminded of all the great comics I used to read when I was a kid. :)

The ending was a cliffhanger and now I'm off to read the next one!

★★★★☆

Arrived This Week [Nov.14 - Nov.20]

Ok, so you know how I'm trying to reduce my to-read list and not buying any books until I read ten I already have. It's not really working! :P I don't buy any books, but my to-read list still is growing and growing. The ones to blame are NetGalley and the authors out there that trust me with their books. (Just joking, I love receiving all those books). So, let's see what I got this week.

From NetGalley:

Both books' pub dates are due to next month, so I'll be reviewing them soon.

From Authors:

I'm already reading Masquerade and I'm loving it! And I'll read Swirls next month.

Won at Giveaways:

Earth is actually the first paperback I ever won and it's also the first signed book I have! So I am really excited about reading it :)

From Patrick at Sea Lion Books:

These are both Graphic Novels and the first ones I've ever read. I received even more of them but I'll post them next week. There will be a Dark Swan, Storm Born review posted soon.

So this is it! What did you receive the last week?

Author Interview - David A. Santos

I am a 27 year old homeles....wait not yet, but I am unemployed and I am actually thankful. Had i never left that job I wouldnt have discovered my "gift" to write. We get so wrapped up in life that we don't have time to discover our God given talents (not saying I'm a NYTimes Best seller, but I'm proud of what I wrote).

***

Q: Let's begin with your book The Hopeless Christiantic, can you tell me a few things about it?

A: Too much drama even for Obama. Lots of drama, friends turning against friends, blackmail, backstabbing, rumors....it was not easy making this book religious.It is also a humor book as well so if you enjoy laughing with a subtle romance, this should be a nice pick up. Fairly short book. Shouldn't take longer than 3 hours to read.

Q: What triggered the idea of it, where did it all begin?

A: Boredom. Seriously, a teacher form college said how much she enjoyed my essays and I always wanted to write a story book, but could never figure out how. One night I just started to write ideas. Looked at some books for an example on how dialogue is done and it went from there.

Q: How did you create your main characters, are they based on anyone?

A: They were not based on anyone. Although I did use real life situations to build the characters. For Jessica, I got the inspiration for her from Christine Lakin (real name) in Step by Step and Darlene from Rosanne. Both girls were entertaining and had an edge to them. That's what I wanted to give Jessica. Peter is a player so it wasn't hard to write him, I'd just follow any guy around aha. A lot of people think the books is based on real life because the main character carries my nickname "Das" which are the initials to my full name, but clearly its not me because he has girls chasing him and graduated college. I guess....and this may sound emotional but, he could be me, but a success in the areas I've failed in.

Q: What do you love the most about your novel? 

A: Jessica! I've declared my love for her many times. She's feisty, yet smart. With out a doubt the most entertaining character in the book. I enjoyed writing things for her and she is in the book, Faithless Christiantic which should be released soon, a lot.

Q: Where do you usually draw inspiration from?

A: The church youth, not just mine, but all churches. I see the junk that's been entering their minds. The drastic change in TV shows, music and books from the 1990's to now. I want to reach out to them and show them the right way and how we should behave as Christian teens. When I see their struggles, their doubts and their lack of interest in Godly things it inspires me to write. I don't expect to change them all, but if my books can change one life for the better, I'm happy.

Q: What do you think is the best and what's the worst thing about being a writer?

A: Distractions and life. I am usually up at 2 am-4am writing because of the daily city noises, that is the only quiet time I have to focus. And life is stressful. It is hard to sit and write when life is stressing you out. Writers block doesn't effect me, because it doesn't exist.

Q: How was your trip through writing and publishing so far?

A: A headache. I went to so many people and being unemployed it's not easy coming up with funds to pay for books, editing, covers etc. I had to eventually edit myself......not a good idea. You will find a few mistakes in both books, but it happens when the author does the entire thing himself instead of a group.

Q: If you could travel back in time would you have done any of it differently?

A: Yes, but nothing that's related to these books!

Q: Do you have any tips or suggestions for new writers?

A: Don't get discouraged. Don't....I have nothing. I'm terrible at giving out advice.

Q: What should we expect from you in the future? Do you have any new projects under construction?

A: The Faithless Christiantic should be out soon and I am working on book 3 of the series, but will be given a different title. Hopefully everyone enjoys them as much as I did writing them.

***

You can find David  at his website and on goodreads.

You can get his book The Hopeless Christiantic from Amazon.

Eden by Janelle Stalder (Review & Giveaway)

I had the chance to read this book because of the author and since I didn't get to buy a copy for myself I decided to hold a 4 day giveaway to buy a paperback copy for one of you guys.

Aiden is a teenage boy from our world, he is not popular, he is not cool and he gets picked on a lot. When one night a witch shows up at his front yard saying he is a special warrior mend to play a great role in an upcoming war of another world he is sucked into her magic and gets transproted to Eden. There two brothers fight for the throne and the High King's title. He joins forces with the current High King's army and so his story unfolds.

All the while we get to see the story from so many different points of view. Elisa is the daughter of the Captain of the High King's army, she is constanly trying to prove herself as the best archer the army has. Rose is a girl from one of the villages in the north the army of Brutus and the King's brother has attacked, she is captive of the army but soon finds herself protected by the King's younger brother.

The world of Eden is beautifully created with parts of its history turning up on the story to blend everything together in the present. The characters are all so vivid and distinct. I especially loved Logan and Rose. Logan's lines always made me smile or laugh and Rose, even if she thinks she is just a normal village girl with no way to escape her fate, she has such a great inner strength that can help her do so much more than any physical strength could ever.

Another reason I love this book is the author. Janelle Stalder was the one who provided me with an e-copy of it and I am really glad she did. She is super sweet and always ready to answer any questions about Eden.

I didn't originally know that this book was a part of a series, but now that I do I can't wait for the next one!!!

★★★★★

Giveaway

So, as for how you can win a copy of Eden, all you have to do is comment on this post with your email. By the end of the giveaway I'll pick one lucky winner and I'll send him an email to get his/her shipping info. The giveaway is international as long as the BookDepository ships to you.

So what are you waiting for? Don't loose this great chance to get your hands on an amazing book!

Leftover Shorts by Amy Neftzger

This is a collection of three short stories, so I am going to review each one seperately.

The Marshmallow War
This one is actually my favourite one of the three. It's about a Marshmallow company and a group of older workers in it. The workers decide to turn the company back to the way it used to be, no new employers sucking up the bosses, no more bosses that don't hear a word you say, no more trying to make the more fluffy marshmallow ever. To acomplise that they form a gang and they attack some employs with...marshmallow guns! It's a really funny story, that also proves what people can do when they try really hard.

Peripheral Witches
This is the story of a young mother and her little dayghter on their way back home from school. Miriam, the mother, tries to explain to her daughter that there are no real witches all the while starting to see them herself. This story is about the games your mind can play, the fears it creates that seems so real even if it's all in your head.

Parson's song
This was my least favourite. It's about a young man at the day of his execution. The stroy describes his whole life from the time he was born in a very superstitious town, until the time he was sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. Although some parts of his story are really nice, in the whole I didn't like it that much. Propably cause of the ending.

★★★☆☆

Arrived This Week [Nov.7 - Nov.13]

Remember last week that I told you guys I wasn't going to buy any more books and that I've put myself throught my Project 10. Well I didn't buy anything, not really that is. I was expecting an two orders and I got both of them:

Then I found some Galleys and decided to test my luck, seems I'm lucky:

And then, to prove that I'm even more lucky I won two giveaways and got Dancing with a Vampire:

And an amazon $10 GC which I partialy used to buy Half-Blood:

I thought that was it for this week but then I saw that The Betrayals of Grimms' Pick by Sean J. Quirk had a coupon code, thanks to the author for letting me know, so naturally I went to smashwords and got it:

So you see I didn't really buy any books! I am faithful to my Project 10, but still my to-read list keeps getting longer and longer. I am in serious trouble! :P

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This book was love at first page!

This is the story of Kali, a girl just like anyone else, but only every other day. Because the days she is a normal teenager she is a hunter of every pretenatural being that is lurking in the shadows of her world. Really one of kind, she had always spend her life alone, until a girl at her school talks to her and starts making her way through her heart. At the same day she makes the choise to save one of the school's cheerleaders from the deadly parasite that had gotten into her body somehow. Now the three girls find themselves together, trying to figure out how it all happened and who are the people after them.

I really loved everything about this book. The world, that was almost like our own, with just one tiny twist in evolution, making it so much different. The characters! I was a big fan of Kali at the beggining of the book, but later on I found myself more attached to Bethany and Skylar, they were both strong and brave in their own way, never giving up and never letting Kali down. Another think I loved was the storyline, everything happened so fast, there was no boring momment and although I felt a little but sad with the ending I wouldn't have it any other way.

★★★★★

More Giveaways @ other blogs

Ok so, I just started my own giveaway for my 100 followers and I am very excited to have reached that number.
And just today I received an invitation to an 1000 followers giveaway...I mean...wow! That's an even greater number! I can't wait to reach 1000 myself, but I know it will take a lot of time to do so.

The 1000 followers giveaway is hosted @ lc's adventures in libraryland. The prize packs are really amazing, I couldn't possibly pick just one. So if you are in the mood for another giveaway all you have to do is follow the link above or click the button at the end of this post! :)

100 Followers Giveaway

Yeap, it's already time for a new giveaway! :) I didn't think it'd be so close to the previous one, but I reached 100 followers since the beggining of the last giveaway in Oct.20. So following the suggestion of one of you guys, my next giveaways theme will be:

New Age

The giveaway is open to wherever the Bookdepository sends!
All the books were released in 2011. They are all in paperback and I have them all but haven't read them yet. So I thought when the giveaway is over the winner will get to pick one book from the list and I'll start it too. So it's a win-win situation. So time for the books, this time there are four of them to pick from.

Click on the covers to read the goodreads blurb.

Oh, and if I manage to reach 150 followers, besides the new giveaway, I'll also have two winners for this giveaway, the second winner will also get to pick one of the books listed above.

The giveaway is open from Nov10 to Nov.30.

To enter all you have to do is be a follower and just post a comment to this post with your email, so that I can contact the winner to send him/her the book. For an extra entry you can grab my giveaway button and put it in your sidebars. Just make sure to tell me about it in your comment.

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