Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Release Date – October 2, 2012
Publisher Website –  Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 384 pages
My Rating- 5/5
**obtained from publisher via BEA for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole introduces The Arcana Chronicles, post-apocalyptic tales filled with riveting action, the dark mysticism of Tarot cards, and breathtaking romance.She could save the world—or destroy it. 

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux. 

But she can’t do either alone. 

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him? 

Who can Evie trust? 

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side….

"Come, touch.... but you'll pay a price". Vivid hallucinations, infuriating Cajun boys and a beyond creepy opening are just some of the things that await you in Poison Princess. Did I mention these all are in the first few chapters? Kresely Cole grabs you from the first page and takes you on a breath stealing, action packed journey.

This novel was unlike anything I had read before. It has elements that may seem familiar, but they are woven together into something unique. The use of the tarot cards and their history felt fresh. The plot shows how well researched this aspect was and we’re just getting started.

The pacing of the novel is superb. It never lets up. It kept me on my toes and fully engaged me from start to finish. The fantastic world building and complex characters combined with this writing style made this a novel that was hard to put down.

The post apocalyptic world Kresley has created is filled with chilling horrors. Ranging from militia men hunting down any female survivors, people resorting to cannibalism to survive and severe weather patterns. The world Evie navigates is filled with dangers and kept me on edge.

Evie is presented as a troubled young woman who suffers from horrific visions, and a possible mental illness. Once the flash hits Evie realizes her visions may have been warnings and sets off to discover what they mean. It was refreshing to see Evie presented as a regular girl. Her and her mother survive after everything is destroyed by living off meagre supplies and some luck. She’s not suddenly gifted, in fact, she’s scared, unprepared and confused. She is not able to take care of herself, and I found I could relate to that.

Readers will be falling in love with Jackson, the infuriating (and to Evie infuriatingly sexy) Cajun that prompts many emotions. I was not as drawn to him as others will be. I was actually borderline repulsed by him. I felt he ran a little too hot and cold with Evie and he often came off as a jerk. His pressuring of Evie to have sex was really off putting as well. I believe fans of the more typical “alpha male” romance characters may be drawn to Jackson more than I was. I was happy that I was able to get past it because I loved everything else in the novel.

We meet other characters that I quickly grew to like. Matthew the adorable, possibly autistic guy that may help Evie see things clearly. Finn, a self assured surfer type. Selene, the stacked and gorgeous girl with a penchant for motorcycles and archery.  Matthew is the character I found myself enjoying the most. His sibling like bond with Evie was one of my favourite relationships in the novel.

Some of backstory of this ancient prophecy and the epic battle that is to be waged is presented in this novel. Kresley gives enough information to set the story, and yet holds back just enough to tantalize. The battle is just getting started, all the players are getting in place, and this sets the pace of the story.

Kresley Cole has taken the dark mysticism of the tarot, added in an intense post apocalypse setting and one heck of an amazing main character to create something exhilarating. In the end death beckons, setting up an excruciating wait for the second instalment.  This sexy and dangerous thrill ride will leave you breathless.

Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay

Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay
Release Date – October 9, 2012
Publisher Website -  Delacorte Books For Young Readers/Random House
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -384 pages
My Rating-  3.5/4
**obtained from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Seductive companion to the popular Juliet Immortal, in which former lovers—Romeo and Juliet—meet, not as true lovers, but truly as enemies.

Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.

Romeo Redeemed is a story of redemption, and how love can shine light even in the darkest of places. The power of love to make us want to change, and what it means to truly be there for someone else is explored in this twistedly romantic novel.

This novel allows us to get inside Romeo’s head and get to know his character much more than in Juliet Immortal. He’s given a second chance and must use it to save himself, and along the way discovers a love worth fighting for. His path towards his eventual change was one of the most interesting parts of the story.

Stacey manages to create a world so easily imagined by describing things vividly. The darkness of Romeo’s mind, and the horrors he inflicted and suffered are brought to life with her words. This novel is even creepier than Juliet Immortal because so much of it is coming from Romeo’s fractured mind. His mind is a sadistic and twisted place to be, especially in the beginning and Stacey captures this wonderfully.

Ariel is a perfect match for Romeo. She’s broken, volatile, and has a penchant for darkness. Her saucy side can match Romeo’s banter for banter. They both are attracted to the demons they see in each other. Their relationship is filled with passion, fire and is consuming. They challenge each other to be better, and Romeo especially wants to be worthy of Ariel.

Those hoping for a little more explanation of elements from Juliet Immortal may find themselves saddened. I will admit to being a little confused at some parts of the story. It veers into alternate realities, while presented right away, I don't feel were fully explained. It does come together in the end, but I felt there were still some aspects of the alternate realities, and  how they interact and co-exist that were not fully developed.

Those who may wish for the classic romance of Romeo and Juliet will be happy to hear that there is a bitter sweet moment between the two in this novel. I found myself aching for both these characters, and yet felt each was where they belonged in the end.

A darkly sexy follow up to Juliet Immortal that is necessary reading for anyone who wanted to know more about Stacey Jay’s Romeo. The series works better read together, but the first novel is my personal preference of the two.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

Lots of goodies in the mail this week! I truly felt spoiled with mail this week.

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (Goodreads)
The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (Goodreads)
Blaze by Laurie Boyle Crompton (Goodreads)
Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler (Goodreads)
The Archived swag

The flash really doesn't do the cover of Time Between Us any justice. It's shiny and really pretty. A huge thank you to Raincoast Books Canada, Hachette Group Canada and Victoria Schwab for all the lovely books and swag this week.

I also purchased an ebook this week

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Goodreads)

I had to read this and am almost done actually. Will be posting a review sometime in November.

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading! A special Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians. Hope you get to enjoy the long weekend.

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOKS

Cover for Elizabeth Richard's Phoenix

HOLY HOTNESS! This is a stunning cover. This is coming out in June 2013 which is a quick turn around from Black City. I can't wait to read both of them as I have heard awesome things. Add this to your Goodreads account and start pining.

Cover of The Elite by Kiera Cass

Again with the HOTNESS! This series has some pretty amazing covers. I love the similarities to the first cover, with enough differences to have it stand out. Also the orange is really eye catching. It'll stand out on the shelves for sure. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads account.

TV

Captain Hook from Once Upon A Time

Admittedly I have yet to see him grace my television screen, but take a look at this photo -

Um....sexy with a little swashbuckling! The actor also happens to be Irish. *dies from hot accent*. It is encouraging that he has been promoted to series regular. Could our tough, and awesome Emma fall for his devilish charms? I think she just might. *swoon*. I still miss August, can we have him back now?

MOVIE

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

This movie was everything I hoped it would be. The performances were great by all the cast but Ezra Miller truly shines as Patrick. He's fantastic, and I predict he'll be winning Oscars eventually. His performance gave me chills and I can't stop thinking about how amazing he was in this role. Logan Lerman's portrayal of Charlie was also very well done.

This is one of those rare movies made from books where the movie kept the heart and soul of the novel. The author wrote the screenplay and directed and it made all the difference.

Side note - I was sad that one of my favourite parts of the trailer wasn't in the actual movie. :(

So what you are obsessed with this week?

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends. This weeks question is:

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Is it to one day become an author yourself, just for fun, maybe get some online attention, or maybe something very different?

This blog is mostly to have fun and share my love of reading and books. Would I ever consider writing a novel? Of course, if I came up with an idea I wanted to devote time to, however, I don't really think a blog would contribute to that.

I just like the fact that there is a community that I can be a part of that loves books as much as I do. Tahat was my main reason for starting it and I hope to continue to be part of that community.

Happy Weekend!

Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel

Dearly Beloved by Lia Habel
Release Date – September 25, 2012
Publisher Website – Del Rey/Random House
Publisher Social Media -Twitter
Pages -  496 pages
My Rating- 3.5/5
**obtained from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Can the living coexist with the living dead?

That’s the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as “The Laz” hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reason, and control their ravenous new appetites.

Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety.

Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grow between pro- and anti-zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-commando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren’t the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder’s crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target.

As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora’s scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of “The Laz” and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus—and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse.

Lia Habel’s spellbinding, suspenseful sequel to Dearly, Departed takes her imaginative mash-up of period romance, futuristic thriller, and zombie drama to a whole new level of innovative and irresistible storytelling.

Romance and zombies. If you read Dearly, Departed you will know why those two words should be put together. Lia Habel has manged to not only make zombies romantic, but desirable as well. Dearly, Beloved not only reminds us of this, but deepens the world of the characters at the same time.

This is a story about living. It's also a story about intolerance and doing something to stand up for what you believe in. Many of the zombies we met and cared about in Dearly, Departed are faced with the certainty of their not too distant deaths, and are having to consider what that might mean. Many of them want to do something worthwhile with the time they have left, not only for themselves, but for others infected with the Laz. It provides a moving, and gentle, reminder to make the moments count. 

Tension, fear, and anti-zombie attacks are rampant. This constant state of heightened alertness felt authentic and captivated me. I was lost in the story during these parts. Everyone had an agenda, everyone was invested in certain outcomes. The outrage I felt at the group known as The Murder is a testament to how well Lia wrote these parts of the story.

The romance in this series is much reserved, almost like courting. It was a breath of fresh air from the usual overtly sexy interaction found in most novels. Bram is an officer and a gentleman to his core, and Nora for all her denials, is a proper lady. Their romance is sweet, and blossoms naturally. They have their sexually charged moments, but even those are filled with tenderness.

The friendship between Nora and Pam was one of my favourite parts of Dearly, Departed. They are there for each other, and forgiveness comes easily to them.The impact of the events in book one has changed Pam greatly. She and Nora need each other's support more than ever, especially as sinister events begin to unfold. 

This novel has a lot of storylines going on all at once. It felt a little disjointed at first, but they do interconnect and flow together by the end. Each of these storylines serves the greater arc of the entire story. The amount of action does limit the character development, but what is there comes directly from the storyline.

A romantic, ultimately life affirming story about death and living each moment while you have it. This series has impressed me, however, I did find the first one a stronger read. If you loved Nora and Bram in the first installment they will certainly charm you again in this follow up.

Waiting on Wednesday...Just One Day

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

This sounds like it is going to be romantic and just amazing. The entire premise makes me want to read this RIGHT NOW! I can not wait to follow Allyson and Willem's journey.

Expected release date -  January 8, 2013