NEW Fan Art Added

So in honor of Julie Kagawa's new novella, Summer's Crossing being released a few days ago, as well as The Iron Knight cover being released, I decided to make this for my favorite series. You can get it at the Fan Art page of this blog!

So what is your favorite series?

Face Value & Eye Candy Review

Face Value & Eye Candy 

By: Taryn Bell
{DOUBLE Review!}

Overall Ratings: Both 3.5/5

In Face Value, four girls that couldn't be more different enter the Top Model house. We meet Chloe; the daughter of a supermodel that has looks to match her mother's, Lindsay; a child star whose fame has dimmed,    Alexis; the girl-next-door who may seem like no competition, and lastly, Shiva-Rose; the exotic girl. They all encounter their own problems throughout their time in the Top Model house. Chloe is having problems with her seemingly perfect boyfriend Liam thanks to one of her roommates, Lindsay will do anything to get her stardom back, Alexis almost gets in trouble with the law, and Shiva-Rose develops a forbidden crush. They may be roommates, but only one can win the grand prize. Who will it be?

In Eye Candy, the four girls make it through the first challenge, however, the second challenge is coming up soon and the competition gets more fierce. Chloe develops a crush on someone else even though she has a boyfriend. Lindsay is having a hard time deciding between being fair or doing what she wants. Alexis may have survived one of the scariest nights of her life, but that doesn't mean she has learned her lesson. Lastly, Shiva-Rose is having more boy problems. Are they only "other contestants" to each other, or are friendships possible in one of the fiercest competitions of their lives?

The reason why I did a double review is because they are back-to-back books (Eye Candy picks up right after Face Value) and they are pretty short, more like novellas. I love the TV show, so I thought I would give this series a try. The reason why they are only a 3.5 is because I found most of it to be too unoriginal. Although one can expect it to be similar to the show it is based on, more creativity could be expressed. I liked the differences in all the characters and their background information, it helps the reader understand them better. On the other hand, the plot could have been much better developed with details. However, the endings are very suspenseful, especially in Face Value. Right after I finished Face Value, I ordered Eye Candy. If the entire story was as good as the ending, it would be a solid 5. I have also learned a thing or two about the modeling and fashion industry from this, but it is not the source you should use if you are purely reading it to learn about the industry. Overall, I'll be reading the last two books of the series, but I hope it'll be better developed.

Wings Review

Wings

By: Aprilynne Pike

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Laurel and her adoptive parents have just recently moved to Crescent City, California from their old small town, where Laurel goes to public school for the first time in her life. After being home school all her life, she has trouble adjusting to school because of her odd preferences. She is a vegetarian and cannot physically digest most foods, and she hates being confined indoors. School gets better for her when she meets her very first friend - David. Laurel begins to tell David everything going on in her life, like the odd bump that has been growing daily on her back. One day, while visiting her old cabin, she meets a strange, enchanting man that claims to be a faerie, and even worse, claims that Laurel is part of the faeries. After this meet, things start going down hill for her as her father gets ill, and David and Laurel are in for an adventure of their lives.

Wow! I thought this book was pretty good, it is a perfect mix of suspense, romance, fantasy, and drama. You never know what to expect next and at a few places, it almost seems like a mystery with the reader constantly wondering about what will happen. The characters were also well developed, unique, and interesting. The heroine, Laurel had to make some very hard choices, and I agree with almost every one of them. Usually, in a novel, the heroine makes some choices that are very controversial, but I think at the end of this, both "teams" (yes, there is a love triangle!) should be at least moderately satisfied. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

House of Dark Shadows Review

House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings #1)

By: Robert Liparulo

Overall Rating: 4/5

The King family is moving from a city to a small town called Pinedale, and Xander, the oldest child, isn't to thrilled. Xander takes an interest in photography but there is nothing to shoot in Pinedale, even worse, he has to leave behind all his friends and girlfriend. The Kings search for a house, and they stumble across a big, old, deserted house and Xander's parents take an interest in it. Xander and his brother David, however have mixed feels ever since Xander noticed the house plays tricks on everyone. For instance, their sounds are disoriented and sound like they are coming from somewhere else. Despite this, they enjoy exploring their new, mysterious home. Little would they know moving in would be their biggest mistake of their life...

I bought this book, read a few pages, and dropped it again. I did this about two more times and was never fully engaged into the book. Finally I got very bored and I had no new books to read, so I once again for a fourth time picked it up and started reading it. I cannot believe why I didn't find this interesting the first few times. All I have to say is Robert Liparulo is an amazing horror story author. I'm not too fond of horror novels, but this one was perfect for me: It was a little scary, but not too scary to give nightmares. This novel will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat almost every page. The only negative comment I have to add is at some points there were too much details, this is odd because I usually prefer it to be detailed and developed. For example, the Roman scene, although very interesting, got a little boring fast because I felt everything was being described more than once. House of Dark Shadows ends with one of the biggest cliffhanger, so be ready for the next book.

Captivate Review

Captivate
By: Carrie Jones

Overall Rating: 4/5

Zara, Devyn, Issie, and Nick may have solved one problem - pixies feeding on young boys by trapping them in a house, but they are now faced with another. Other pixie kings sense that Zara's father is weak because Zara and her friends have trapped him in the house along with the other pixies, so they come to Maine to gain territory from Zara's father. One of which believes Zara should be his queen, much to her displeasure. However, when the worst of the worst happens, Zara and her friends are faced with the biggest challenge yet, a choice that will change them all forever.

Captivate started off weak, and at first I felt like it was all empty sentences without detail. However, as I read on, it got better and much more suspenseful as the story went on. All the main characters were very well developed and you can read this without reading the first book, Need (although it would be a good idea to) because Jones gives a detailed back-story. I wasn't to stunned with the romance between Zara and Nick because it was a bit dull, but the developing love triangle between Zara, Nick, and Astley is making the romance department much more captivating...no pun intended. The choices Zara made as a heroine weren't too promising or believable either. It had a few flaws, but it was a good read for fantasy lovers nonetheless.

I Haven't Disappeared!

Hi all!
I haven't posted in a while and I am very sorry, I haven't forgotten about this blog, it is just that I've been super busy this entire month and haven't had time to free-read. However, here are some books I recently bought, and they will be read and reviewed sometime soon.

Alice at Heart by Deborah Smith

Reclusive, wary, and known locally as Odd Alice, orphaned Alice Riley has always known she was different; but it isn't until she saves a child from drowning by using her phenomenal underwater abilities and links minds with drowning salvage diver Griffin Randolf and saves him, too, that her half-sisters learn of her existence, and she discovers how special she and Griffin really are. Old secrets, revenge, and passion fuel this compelling, intricately plotted story of love, trust, and acceptance, which successfully straddles the line between romance and fantasy and should appeal to fans of both genres.

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Zara and her friends have been capturing pixies and locking them up to save their Maine town. Like vampires, but apparently messier and more violent, out of control pixies need to feed on blood. Zara's father, the pixie king, was imprisoned in the first book, and he begins to lose power over his people. But, as Zara and her friends learn, there are rival kings. 

Ink Exchange Review

Ink Exchange
By: Melissa Marr

Overall Rating: 3/5

Ink Exchange focuses on the minor characters previously mentioned in the first book, Wicked Lovely, such as Kennan's advisor; Niall, the king of the Dark Court; Irial, and Aislinn's mortal friend; Leslie. Leslie is living in a nightmare ever since her drug addict brother allowed his dealer to rape her as payment. She feels like her body belongs to someone else, not her own. In addition, Leslie has no one to talk to because her friendship with the Summer Queen, Aislinn is filled with half-truths and Leslie feels like she can't tell her anything. To reclaim her body, she decides to get a tattoo to reclaim her body, but the tattoo she has chosen may change her life forever. Meanwhile, the Dark Court is starving as a result of the peace between the Summer and Winter courts because they feed on emotions of pain, hatred, anger, and every other dark emotion. Leslie choses the symbol of the Dark King for her tattoo, which binds her to Irial, causing him to be able to feed himself and his court on human feelings. Niall and Irial both develops forbidden feelings for Leslie, and both make sacrifices because of this. 

I was stuck between giving Ink Exchange a three or a four. The concept of this novel was interesting in the beginning and makes the reader eager to continue on, however I was a little disappointed. The idea of switching characters and making minor ones major characters, and major characters minor is a good idea, but unfortunately this caused a lot of switches between point of views which made it confusing at some points. There was also a lot going on with such little detailed, if it was developed more, Ink Exchange would've been much better. Also, there are so many love triangles and squares going on in the series and I hope Marr doesn't mix Leslie's story and Aislinn's story together in the other books. However, a bit on the positive side, we learn that the Dark Court isn't as dark as the first book made it sound. Despite their craving for blood and wars, Irial is a person that truly cares for his fey and knows the difference between friend and foe. Although he eats up emotions and feelings of others, he surprisingly has feelings himself. He has never forgotten or forgiven Niall for refusing the throne long ago and even welcomed Niall back after the current circumstances. I like these slightly new characters even better than the old ones and I hope Marr expands on them even more in the next book. Overall, it started out intense and amazing, but it downgraded and became draggy as the story went on.

Iron Queen Prize Pack

Hey all!
Today when I got home, I was surprised with a big package from FedEx; I didn't recall buying anything. Before opening it, I decided to check my email for any orders that I may have forgotten about. Saying I was surprised is an understatement; I won one of the Iron Queen Blog Tour contests! Here is what I got:

Thank you to Erica at The Book Cellar for hosting this wonderful contest!
Just wanted to share this with all of you.

Favorite Faery Novel

This is completely out of curiosity. All votes are anonymous.

A Tale of Two Pretties (The Clique) Review

A Tale of Two Pretties (The Clique #14) 

By: Lisi Harrison 

Overall Rating: 5/5

The Pretty Committee has been together for years, with Massie Block as the renowned leader; the PC has lead OCD, an all-girl, prestigious middle school from the start, but every empire eventually falls. Together, Massie, Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire have faced boy drama, mutinies, and fall-outs, but yet each of them are hesitant to tell each other their secrets, in fear of losing their spot in the PC. However, when they do tell each other their secrets, a bigger one appears. What is a clique without a leader? Can they overcome this and lead the rest of eighth grade, high school, and beyond?

I have read this series from the beginning when I was young, and this has always been one of my favorite series. I had followed the five girls all through these years and books. This one, the finale, was probably the best one out of all fourteen. I love how Lisi showed they have something real together, a best friends bond that cannot be broken underneath all the makeup, accessories, and designer clothing. Massie, normally indifferent about other people and even her friends, gave the most heartwarming speech to each of them individually. She truly deserved her "alpha" status and will continue to be one in her future adventures. ;) It was very well written and descriptive, making you feel like you are right there with the Pretty Committee. At the end, I nearly broke into tears along with the Pretty Committee. It was such a good series, and I don't want it to come to an end. 

Switched Review

Switched

By: Amanda Hocking

Overall Rating: 4/5

Switched is the first book in the Trylle Trilogy, it focuses on the main protagonist, Wendy, who lives with her over-protective brother, Matt, and aunt. These two people were the only ones that ever cared for her; Wendy's mother tried t kill her on her sixth birthday, claiming she was a monster. Wendy has never fit in anywhere, she is known as a trouble maker and has been expelled from a vast amount of schools. However, she later meets someone named Finn, a boy who constantly stares at her and she feels creeped by it. Little would she know, Finn would change her life. After a dance gone wrong with Finn, Wendy runs home crying and Finn later comes in through her window apologizing, and explaining who she really is: a Trylle princess.

First, I think the paranormal element Amanda Hocking decided to write about was very interesting and unique, I've read books about the ancient fey, changelings, but never about trolls, or as they are called in this trilogy, Trylle. In all the other fey books I have read, trolls were an uncivilized, arrogant group, but this book says otherwise. The powers were also very interesting, and I hope they're talked about more in the next book of the series. Normally I favor the dark, mysterious guy in the story, but I found myself liking for Rhys better than Finn; hes much more open and unlike Finn, he always makes Wendy smile when hes with him. I also found Wendy's characteristics a little annoying and it made her look immature at some points, but that may improve in the next two books as she grows mentally and start to understand. There were also several grammar errors and typos, but it didn't affect the reading much. Overall, it is a nice  unique and creative story for all paranormal novel fans.

A little update

Hi! :)
Some of you may have noticed I'm not posting reviews as often as I was before, thats because I've been really busy, I have six exams in the four three days! However, I have a winter break after this week, and I'll possibly add on some new stuff to this blog and change some things around. Also, I'm almost halfway done with Switched (Book 1 of the Trylle Trilogy) by Amanda Hocking and I'll post that review as soon as I'm done with it. Promise.

and...

~Ella

Tithe Review

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale
By: Holly Black

Overall Rating: 4/5

Tithe is about a teenage girl named Kaye Fierch, who has an alcoholic mother that plays in various bands around the country. The book starts out in Philadelphia, where Kaye's mother and her band is playing in a club. Lloyd, her mother's boyfriend and whose house they're living in, is enchanted by a knight of the Unseelie Court, Nephamael into attempting to kill Kaye's mother. Fortunately, Kaye sees just in time and stops Lloyd from stabbing her mom. Now having no where to live, they go back to New Jersey to stay with Kaye's grandmother, where Kaye had moved away from ten years ago. Once in New Jersey, Kaye meets up with her old friends in an abandoned warehouse. However, she unknowingly enchants her best friend Janet's boyfriend, Kenny. After a shock, Kaye runs away from the warehouse and sees a faery named Roiben, as she learns, wounded. She saves Roiben, granting herself three questions, and catching the attention of the Faery Unseelie Queen, whom Roiben works under. Kaye also finds two of her old "imaginary" faery friends named Spike and Lutie, whom she never saw after she moved away. They tell her that Roiben killed her other faery friend, Gristle. Shocked, Kaye tricks Roiben into telling her his real name, knowing the fey keep their true names a secret. The story continues as Kaye learns she isn't human, but a changeling; a replacement for a human child. Even worse, she has become involved in a dangerous faery ritual.

Tithe isn't your typical happily-ever-after fantasy novel, it is more of a dark and gritty tale. I looked at this book for quite awhile before I finally bought and read it. I don't know why I was having doubts now, I enjoyed it a lot. The only reason why it isn't a five is because some of the main characters could be a bit more developed, take Nicnevin and Silarial for example. We don't know much about their "sisterhood" at all. However, the names of the faery were the most creative I've heard of; Nephamael, Nicnevin, Silarial. Kaye's conflicted feelings for Roiben after finding out he killed Gristle was a great touch, it showed Kaye isn't an epic hero and more of a common person with heroic traits; someone we can all relate to. I would recommend this book to teenagers or even adults who enjoy this type of dark fantasy.

Iron Queen Review

The Iron Queen

By: Julie Kagawa

Overall Rating: 5/5 

The Iron Queen is the third book in the Iron Fey series. It follows Meghan, Ash, Puck, Grim, and a few other newcomers' journey to defeat the false Iron King once in for all. Despite their previous victories, this fight seems impossible as the Iron King as a massive army, twice the size of both Summer and Winter's forces put together. 

Meghan Chase and Ash are planning to go back to Meghan's family after they were exiled from the Nevernever, however, things don't go as planned and they are attacked by some iron fey sent by the false king. Knowing that if Meghan stayed, she would just bring harm to her family, so Meghan and Ash set out for Leanansidhe's, their safe haven from the iron fey. Along the way, Meghan claims back her memories of her human dad, bump into a certain redhead and a wise but sometimes infuriating feline, as well as many other adventurous events. Meanwhile, the two rulers of the fey, Oberon and Mab know the false Iron King's forces were advancing on them, and their only hope lies in Meghan. They offer a deal that Meghan cannot refuse, so the trio (and Grim, when he's not invisible!) leaves on their journey to defeat the iron king once more.

I really do not know what to say; I am baffled and absolutely speechless. I expect the best from Julie Kagawa, but this was beyond my expectations. Everything was so well-written, and I loved the new characters, especially Glitch. They all had different, unique personalities and were overall a great addition to the story. Ash completely took my heart...I don't even know how to describe it, and it was nice to see a bit of the real him - the person he stopped being long ago. I was tearing up throughout the entire book, but mainly towards the end.  It was even a bit upsetting to know the fate of Rowan. Sure, he is evil and such, but they're brothers nonetheless. In addition, I was even really upset when Grim parted with them, he is obviously now a "must" of the story. The part that was most upsetting was the very end - yep, not Meghan selflessly saving the Nevernever, not Meghan and Ash at the oak tree. The love that was never meant to be, but yet it probably wasn't the end, no matter how impossible that sounds. Furthermore, the very end of it was a great touch and it kind of gives you a tiny sneak-peek to The Iron Knight (guessing Ash and Puck will go and try to do the impossible - that is all I'll say!) One thing is for sure, you'll be shocked when you find out who the false iron king is, although if you pay attention to the small details, they will give you clues. I'll try to wait patiently for The Iron Knight. Lastly, I would recommend this book to anyone. I've never read any book, or series for that matter, even close to the excellent quality of The Iron Fey series.

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception Review

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception 

By: Maggie Stiefvater

Overall Rating: 5/5

Lament is about a gifted teenager named Deirdre Monaghan, a harpist. Deirdre gets extremely nervous before a performance and has to vomit before every performance. When she was vomiting before a competition at her high school, she meets a talented and cute flautist named Luke Dillon. Together, they perform like never before and wins the competition, however, it isn't the end for them. They begin hanging out, despite Deirdre's family disapproving of Luke. Things start to get strange, unnatural, and above all, dangerous. Deirdre realizes her mother, grandmother, best friend James, whom has a crush on her, and herself are in danger because shes being targeted by the evil Faery Queen that shares her name. She quickly learns Luke isn't who he claims to be, but the Faery Queen's assassin. Can she trust him?

I've read many faery novels, and this was one of the better ones. The plot, characters, setting, and everything are so developed and it makes you feel attached to them. At some points, I wanted to shout "Deirdre, where has your brain gone?!" Although she was the heroine, she had quite a few flaws and made several mistakes (Hello? Wanting to save your love you've known for a few weeks rather than your best friend since forever?). This made the story much more realistic as everyone as flaws, and I'm pretty sure almost every girl can relate to her in some ways. Luke and James were both a heartthrob and I don't think I can choose a "team" for this book. They're both perfect in their own ways. If you like fantasy and romance stories, this would be one for you.

Catwalk (On the Runway) Review

Catwalk (On the Runway)
By: Melody Carlson

 

Overall Rating: 3/5

Catwalk is the second book in the On the Runway series. Paige and Erin Forrester, two sisters have launched their successful reality TV show. The two sisters couldn't be anymore different; Paige is beautiful and a natural in fashion and hosting, while Erin prefers to be behind the scenes. Paige and Erin go to New York for fashion week, and they find themselves in many different situations. In addition to New York, Erin has to re-bond with her jealous best friend, Mollie and figure out if she wants to get serious with her on and off boyfriend, Blake. The two girls learn many lessons on their trip as they go through the typical teenage problems: relationships, parents, and jealous best friends.

I thought this was a pretty good novel, it's a Christian fiction, but it's not over the head. I'm not Christian, but I think this book can be for everyone. I found myself liking Erin better than Paige; although Erin is the younger one, she is much more responsible and more like a mother in some scenes (the whole perfume incident). The reason why Catwalk is only a 3 is because the characters were underdeveloped and the plot was a little bit to fast-moving, it could have used some more detail. If you're into fashion, this is a pretty good book.

 

My "The Queen Is Coming" Contest Entry

Julie Kagawa, author of the Iron Fey Series have recently announced a new contest on behalf of the Iron Queen's imminent release. This is my contest entry: a video for Team Ash.

Don't Die, Dragonfly Review

Don't Die, Dragonfly 
By: Linda Joy Singleton

Overall Rating: 4/5

Sabine Rose looks like a normal teenage, but she is actually psychic. When she gets kicked out of her old school after a petition by students, she is sent to live with her grandmother, Nona, who also has this "gift". Sabine hides her powers in school and things actually feel normal. Her best friend is a popular cheerleader, shes part of the school newspaper with Manny, her partner and friend, and shes dating a hot and sweet boy named Josh. But she suddenly sees a vision of a bloody dragonfly, and tries to ignore it until a double date with Josh, his best friend Evan and Danielle. She notices Danielle has a dragonfly tattoo, and becomes determined to save Danielle.

When she sees a vision of the bloody dragonfly again, she finds Danielle, whom is trespassing in the school. Although they both get out safely, they find out the next day the school has been vandalized and the janitor has been knocked unconscious. A neighbor has seen a girl running out of the school that night, and Sabine knows it was her running out, but she never vandalized the school. Sabine is determined to solve this mystery in order to fully protect herself and Danielle and enlist the help of Manny. Manny introduces Sabine to a goth girl named Thorn, who also has special powers. Together, the trio, with Dominic's (Nona's apprentice) help attempt to solve the mystery until they realize someone is trying to frame Sabine. Who can it be? All the while Sabine is desperately trying to solve the mystery, she forgets Danielle really needs help.

First, the cover and title are both attracting and it lived up to it's name. The storyline was suspenseful at some parts and better than I had expected, and I got in to the story. The plot was one of the most unique and creative I've seen. However, even though this doesn't have anything to do with the plot, it needs a lot of editing. There are many typos, repeats, and other mistakes. In addition, it was also a bit short and the plot could be more developed to make it even more interesting. 

Happy New Years!

Wishing you all an amazing 2011. :) It's a new year, everyone starts off on a clean slate.

A Taste of Magic Review

A Taste of Magic

By: Tracy Madison

Overall Rating: 4/5

A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison starts off on the day of Elizabeth Steven's birthday... which is the same day her ex-husband Marc left her. In addition, she has to bake a cake for her ex-husband's wedding with his new love, Tiffany. Elizabeth's day couldn't get any worse. But she is in luck, because her eighty-five year old grandmother, Verda is a witch. For her birthday, Grandma Verda passes on the magic to her. Through baking, Elizabeth can now cast spells. But as well all know - Be careful what you wish for. Elizabeth casts some spells, attempting to use them to finally help her forget the past, start truly living, and find her one true love. Problem is, now two gorgeous guys are after her, even her ex wants to patch up things with her, and instead of helping her best friends Maddie and Jon, shes made things worse for them. All because of her spells. Can Elizabeth fix things and find a guy that truly loves her, without magic?

A Taste of Magic was a good read. Not the best romance, but a great one nonetheless. I'm sure many readers would be able to relate to Elizabeth in some way. I pitied her in some parts; especially the beginning, and felt happy for her in others. The excessive magic and baking got a bit draggy and I felt Elizabeth was acting too desperate, though who could blame her? It gets better, and this novel has a "happily ever after" ending.