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 is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can't deal with bad editing?

Not really. I can handle anything if done properly. I think it depends on the writer, and how they go about certain things.

I will have a hard time if there are obvious consistency errors, but normally I can keep reading if I am enjoying the story.

Happy Weekend!

Venom by Fiona Paul

Venom by Fiona Paul
Release Date – October 30, 2012
Publisher Website –  Philomel/Penguin
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 432 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**obtained from publisher via BEA for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape. 

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco? 

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

Romance, a historical setting, fabulous masquerades and mystery. What more could you look for? Venom weaves these together to create a highly readable, and engaging story.

Rich, vibrant descriptions bring the setting to life. The lapping water, the smells, and even the fabrics all play a part in creating the scene. Fiona Paul’s strength is how much research went into getting the little details right, and as a result is able to transport the reader into the story.

Cassandra is a privileged young woman. A little naive, and sheltered when she first appears, but her character is quick to change. She ends up having a lot of drive, and is very curious. She is also quite intelligent and proves herself much more capable that she first appears.

Falco, the charming and mysterious artist that Cass meets is certainly enthralling. His motivations are never clear, and this makes him a captivating. Should we trust him? Should Cass? These questions kept me up late into the night turning the pages. His influence on Cass opens a whole new world to her, and it’s one she may not want to leave behind.

The other man in Cassandra’s life, her finance, Luca  is equally captivating. I immediately wanted to know more about him. He seems loyal, and much more progressive in his treatment of women than other males of that time. He, like everyone, has his own secrets, and I look forward to see more of them unravel.

The romance in this novel is lushly sensual. There are some blush worthy scenes, and quite racy descriptions. The attraction between the characters is instantaneous, but it is describe as such. Love doesn’t come into the picture, and instead we get to see a courtship take place. A gradual build of feelings that stems from a sexual attraction.

Creepy, and at times shiver inducing, the atmosphere is filled with chills. The set up of the murders, and the mysterious Eternal Rose society is wonderful paced. The clues are dropped exactly when they need to in order to progress the plot and keep the tension taunt. We learn enough to satisfy and yet enough is held back to make us eagerly await the sequel.

A complex mystery infused with realism, sexy chemistry and captivating characters make for an excellent start to a promising trilogy. The mysteries left to unravel will keep my head spinning until I get my hands on the second installment. Those who love a well researched novel will enjoy this immensely.

Waiting on Wednesday....The Goddess Inheritance

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 The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

**SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS TWO NOVELS IN SERIES**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Love or life.Henry or their child.The end of her family or the end of the world.Kate must choose. 

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal. 

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead. 

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.
Even if it costs her eternity

I enjoyed the first two novels in this series and I can't wait to see how this ends...especially after that insane ending to Goddess Interrupted.

Expected release date February 26, 2013

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
Release Date – October 9, 2012
Publisher Website –  Random House Canada
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 416 pages
My Rating- 3.5/5
**obtained from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

For fans of Matched, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Blade Runner comes a tale of a magical city divided, a political rebellion ignited, and a love that was meant to last forever. Book One of the Mystic City Novels. 

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself. 

Take Romeo and Juliet, add in mobsters, and some X-Men like powers and you’d have Mystic City. A unique, futuristic novel that is heavy on the romance and thrills.

The setting for Mystic City is a futuristic Manhattan. The inclusion of people who have powers, referred to as mystics, was also a nice twist. These powers are different for each mystic, but manifest in the form of an energy source that is used to power the entire city. The setting up the world, and this power was well done, and executed rather well. I could picture the setting quite easily. Both the rich splendour of Aeries and the gritty, dark Depths come to life.

I was immediately shocked at how readily these characters resorted to violence. Aria’s powerful, influential father rose to the top by using force. He regularly uses violence to get what he wants, and corruption is  plentiful among those he surrounds himself with . The “mafia” aspect to the story was the most gripping. I was immediately drawn in by these two families who want to unite against what they see as a common threat. The back stabbing, double crossing, and undercover antics all provided the novel with a sense of urgency that kept me turning the pages.

Aria spends most of the novel confused and in the dark. A large part of her memories are missing and she is desperate to remember. The unraveling of her secrets is a large part of the story. I can see not everyone liking Aria. I, however, felt she was mostly believable.  She’s very much reacting to the situation she’s been dealt. She’s confused, doesn't remember anything, and doesn't know who might be hiding things from her. She’s understandably upset and tying to just figure it all out. Her desperation at wanting to remember is tangible.

The aspect that may bother others in Aria’s character is how long it takes her to piece everything together. Long after I had pieced the twists together I was waiting for the main character to catch up. The pacing felt a little off as a result, and some parts felt drawn out longer than needed.

The romance was lacking for me, mainly because I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters. I did love that it was not presented as an instant love type of situation, but rather something very different. It made the risks seem more logical and real.

A unique premise that is made all the more real by it’s fully realized setting. The mafia aspect provides thrills, and while the romance wasn't for me, it was still engaging enough to hold my interest. Mystic City is a promising start to a new series.

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince (Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julia Kagawa
Release Date – October 23, 2012
Publisher Website –  HarlequinTeen
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 379 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**obtained from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them. 

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for. 

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

A familiar world, some returning beloved characters, and a new villain are waiting in the Nevernever. This story takes us into a land of fey that is both recognizable and different from the one we left.

Julie Kagawa’s writing is captivating as always. The chance to see our beloved characters through the eyes of new characters was rather magical. It provided a new perspective into those characters I felt I already knew well, and it surprised me. The fact that there is still much to learn not only about the world, but about these characters we've grown to love thrilled me. Those thinking this may be a repeat of the first series will be in a for a pleasant surprise. This plot is unique, but keeps the elements we fell in love with in the first three Iron Fey novels. They are interwoven, and the villains are directly tied into much of what we learn in the first novels.

Ethan’s past experience with the fey have made him a bitter, angry young man who pushes people away. I found his reactions to things, especially his feelings about his sister, to be realistic. He is terrified of someone else getting hurt for what he sees as his problem. A young man not used to asking for help, or used to getting it, he tries to handle everything on his own.

Kenzie, the love interest for Ethan, is a lot of fun. She’s spunky, sweet, filled with patience and determined. I loved that she nicknames Ethan “tough guy”. Her story comes complete with a heart pulling twist that left me wanting to know more about this wonderful, optimistic girl.

Keirran also grew on me. He’s a little reckless, headstrong and rebellious. Revealing too much about him is pretty much a spoiler, so I will just say that people will most likely be pleasantly surprised to meet him. I immediately wanted to know more about him and look forward to unraveling this character during the rest of Ethan’s story.

The romance is often bitter sweet in Julie’s novels and this one is no exception. Star crossed lovers are plentiful with numerous things threatening to tear a few of the couples a part. It creates a delicious tension that I felt electrified by.

If you are anything like me, you’ll be holding your breath waiting for your favourite Iron Fey characters to make an appearance. I will not spoil who shows up, but I will say that we do see many favourites. I was delighted to see Razor again. The adorable gremlin is back providing much needed comic relief with his boundless energy.

A intriguing beginning to a new series filled with old familiar characters and some fun new characters too. Julie’s captivating writing will have you engrossed from the first page, and you’ll be eager to join Ethan on the next part of his journey.

Mara Dyer Blogger Love

Mara Dyer Week is sadly ending today. I thought it might be fun to get some other blogger's opinions on why the Mara Dyer series is so great. I collected a few blurbs to share with you guys. Don't forget to go back and visit each stop and enter the giveaway while you're at it.

First up is the awesome Ciara at Lost At Midnight Reviews

I hate being scared. Seriously. I can’t stand horror films, I sleep with a night-light on, and I very rarely read scary books. And that’s the thing I love most about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer: it petrifies me and I love it. It makes me love being scared, because it does frightening so well. 

Mara Dyer thinks she’s going crazy, and that’s probably one of the scariest things to go through. Reading about her heart-attack inducing hallucinations had me cowering away from the book. I am dead serious when I say I could not look in a mirror head-on for three days after finishing the book. I found myself jumping out of my seat at the scary scenes, had my jaw dropping with the shocking twists, and had my heart pounding with adrenaline. This was a scary, scary novel. But, I loved it. It was amazing to have a book scare me so much and have me happy about it! Michelle Hodkin is a master story teller, and her suspenseful, addictive novel was purely fantastic. When Kathy asked me to write this guest posts, I remember wondering what I was going to write about. There are honestly so many things I love about this book, and I was having a hard time choosing just one. But, for me, one of the signs of a powerful book is when it makes think a different way. Usually it’s in a very powerful and emotional way (for example Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers) but in this case it was something very different. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer made me enjoy something I hate the most: fear. For a book to do that is pretty fan-freakin’-tastic in my opinion. 

If you’re a fraid-y cat like me, this book will terrify you. And if you’re a fearless horror genre veteran, I think this book will scare you too. Maybe it’ll be the hallucinations or the frightening deaths. Maybe it will be the horrifying idea of slowly going insane. Whatever it is, something in this book will get you. Something is going to get your heart racing, your palms sweaty, and your eyes darting around the room. Mara Dyer is going to scare you. And you’ll love every bit of it. 

Big thanks to Kathy for giving me this opportunity to guest post about this amazing series! It was a ton of fun! (Although I’m beginning to fear looking in mirrors again…*wink*)  

Also check out Ciara's review for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for more reasons why she loves this series.

Next up is amazingly lovely Brodie from Eleusinian Mysteries

Every sexual fibre of my soul is screaming at me to write "NOAH SHAW" as my most favourite part of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and I'm almost tempted too. But as I'm-drowning-in-a-puddle-on-my-own-drool sexy as he is, it's the mystery and suspense that made this novel for me. What I loved so much was having my mind twisting knots around itself. Who is the real Mara Dyer? Where did that botanica disappear to? Was the kiss real? Wait, JUDE?!Not knowing what Michelle Hodkin was going to throw at me next... knowing that I couldn't even rely on the narrator to keep my sanity grounded... that kind of uncertainty is so exhilarating to read!

Check out Brodie's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for more.

Next up the fantastic Evie from Bookish shares why she loves this series

What I love the most about Michelle Hodkin's gorgeous YA series, Mara Dyer, is definitely the lead male character, Noah Shaw! British, mysterious, total sweetheart with a reputation of a heart-breaker.. ahhhh~ So swoon worthy! He's undoubtedly one of the hottest, most charming male protagonists out there. And not only because he is drop-dead gorgeous and bring-me-a-napkin drool-inducing hottie, but also because of his wonderful character, wittiness, mysteriousness, gentleness... everything! There is no other like Noah Shaw!!! 

Here's my favourite quote: 

“You want me as much as I want you. And all I want is you." Noah stood slowly, his body skimming mine as he rose. "Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”

 Check out Evie's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for more.

Next we have the amazing Meaghan from Feeling A Little Bookish with her favourite part of the Mara series

When Kathy asked me to participate in Mara Dyer week I couldn't be happier.  I have read both books in the series and I can say so many good things about them.  I think what stands out for me is Mara's character.  I love that she is an unreliable narrator and that she keeps you guessing.  You never really know what is going on in head or what is going on for real.  You can't help but feel for the girl because she lost all of her friends in a freak accident and is then transplanted into a new place.  Not only is she having to adjust to a new life but she also has to reconcile what happened in her old life.  While her life may be a little messed up, she still remains a sweet girl.  I also love the bond that she has with her brothers.  There really is a sense of family pride with her even when they frustrate her.  She is constantly trying to prove that she is okay but you can tell that she appreciates the support her family gives her.

Again, while the storyline has many wtf moments and it keeps you guessing, it's not just the story that gets to you.  It really is Mara herself that finds a little place in you and keeps the story going long after it is done.  My sister and I were talking the other day about the need to know what a character is doing long after the book is done and I think this applies well with Mara Dyer.  A few days after both novels, I found myself thinking: what is Mara doing?  This, my friends, is the sign of a well written book.

Check out Meaghan's review of The Evolution of Mara Dyer too.

Next up is the incredibly sweet Emilie from Emilie's Book World

I am a major sucker for anything that involves mystery. Whether it's in a book, TV show or movie. When I heard about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer I knew that this would be a book that would play right in to that. And it did. The entire time I was reading, the book was messing with my mind. I never knew what was real and what wasn't. And while that normally would frustrate me to no end, with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer it didn't phase me in the least. Of course, I was just constantly trying to figure out what was happening, but that's what made me love the story as much as I did. And the mind messing part, was my absolute favourite part of the book. Though a certain Noah Shaw wasn't so bad either…

 Be sure to check out Emilie's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer too.

The next to share is the delightful Kelly from KellyVision

The reason I love this series so much is because it has all the elements of a great paranormal trilogy/series: a great heroine, a compelling story, a hot love interest, twists and turns aplenty. But at the same time, Mara Dyer is completely unique and always surprises me. It's th best of both worlds: everything I know I love and wonderful surprises that still make sense, given the parameters of the story.

Be sure to stop by and check out Kelly's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer as well.

The last blogger I invited to share is the wonderful Katie from Bookishly Yours

I don’t know how she did it, but Michelle Hodkin managed to write an even creepier sequel filled with even more questions and more plot twists. I read all five-hundred-something pages in one sitting because it just wouldn’t let me go! (Yes, this book has PHYSICAL power, y’all) The hotness that is Noah Shaw continues and we even get a great little peek into his thoughts. 

Michelle Hodkin has an awesome (frightening) gift for drawing you in with her brilliant characters and disturbing plots and gripping secrets. This sequel does not disappoint!

You can see her review of The Evolution of Mara Dyer on Monday by visiting her blog!

Thank you to all these amazing bloggers (I love all of their blogs! Such smart, fun women) and I totally recommend following them.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by. I am already busy planning Mara Dyer Week 3 for next year.

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).

Another amazing week of awesome books making their way into my already cramped book closet.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (goodreads)
17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma (goodreads)
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (goodreads)

A huge thank you to Penguin Canada for 17 & Gone and Paper Valentine. I have been wanting to read both of these so I was very excited to find them in my mailbox.

I went to pick up my copy of Michelle Hodkin's new book on Tuesday. The hardcover is so pretty! I really love these covers. If you would like a copy of your own, be sure to enter my Mara Dyer Week contest.

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!