Saturday, February 23, 2013
Moving!
I've decided to move my blog over to Wordpress as I feel that I get on with the layout and things better over there and much prefer the way it works so all of my reviews and giveaways will now be at ramblingsofanelfpire.wordpress.com. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Dead Famous - Ben Elton
Title: Dead Famous
Author: Ben Elton
This book is based on House Arrest, a fictional Big Brother-type reality television programme, where ten people are forced to live together, with the prospect of the last person to survive the evictions winning half a million dollars. The need to survive becomes a lot more real when one of the contestants is brutally murdered. To be honest, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like this book just because I have never enjoyed or been interested in reality television shows like this, but I found that this book highlighted all of the problems that I have with this genre of entertainment so I actually ended up enjoying it quite a lot, and it has actually got me out of my reading slump!
The plot on the whole was very intriguing because it was a very mysterious 'whodunnit' that was only obvious right at the end, so the suspense was built up throughout the whole book. Even when it came to who actually got murdered, this was revealed quite far into the book. This gave the reader time to connect with some of the characters and almost establish their favourite contestant before killing one of them off. Also, the order of the chapters that are specific days in the house, are jumbled, meaning that the police in the story sometimes know less than you know as a reader. This almost makes the reader feel as though they are investigating the murder too.
I really liked some of the characters in this book but I also disliked some of them too. I think that this is mostly because of the way that the contestants are manipulated by Peeping Tom, the television company, and the influence that this has on the reader.
The writing style was very simple yet witty and easily drew me in. I managed to finish this book in one sitting because of the way it was laid out and the length of the chapters.
Overall I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars as it was really well-written and I liked the plot, but there was something missing for me the whole way through; maybe it was because I didn't like some of the characters, but there was always a very uneasy feeling throughout this novel.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Circle of Lies Blog Tour and Giveaway!
In honor of the Circle of Lies blog tour starting tomorrow authors Sara Dailey and Staci Weber are giving away a e-book copy of Pack of Lies, the first book in the Red Ridge Pack series and a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Book Description:
The last thing Allison Wright ever expected when she moved to Red Ridge, New Mexico was to come muzzle to muzzle with the wolf of her dreams.
Seventeen-year-old Allison Wright is convinced she’s losing her mind. Uncontrollable mood swings, hot flashes, and the urge to punch anyone who gets in her way are suddenly becoming everyday occurrences. Before her erratic behavior gets out of hand, Allison’s mother finally comes clean about her dark secret. Mom is a werewolf, and soon Allison and her brother Aiden will suffer the same fate. When Allison reaches her breaking point, the family leaves their life in Texas to move to Red Ridge, New Mexico where they rejoin the pack that Allison’s mother left behind almost 20 years ago.
Unfortunately, not everyone in Red Ridge is thrilled about Allison’s arrival, especially when she attracts the attention of the very handsome, very taken, soon-to-be alpha, Cade Walker. Little does Allison know, her mere presence is causing a rift in a once unified pack. Not only has Cade been forbidden from being with Allison by his father, the pack’s alpha, Cade’s girlfriend, Kendall Stuart, will stop at nothing to get Allison out of the picture. Well on her way to becoming the next alpha’s mate, Kendall expects to rule the pack by Cade’s side even if it means teaming up with a rogue werewolf with an agenda of his own. Determined to get rid of Allison permanently, when Kendall and the rogue join forces, all hell breaks loose and no one in the pack is safe, especially not Cade and his true mate.
The Circle of Lies blog tour kicks off February 1st! Check out the schedule of the tour here.
Title: Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack #2)
Authors: Sara Dailey and Staci Weber
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Description:
Aiden Wright is trying to figure out who he really is, but the truth could cost him his true mate—or his life.
Life has always been easy for Aiden Wright. He’s smart, athletic, funny, and the ladies adore him. But when tragedy strikes, Aiden discovers the truth about who he really is, and his whole world comes crashing down around him. Aiden thought that being a teenage werewolf was going to be awesome, but it might just cost him the one girl who could make him whole.
Since her mother’s disappearance, Teagan Rhodes’s life has been littered with her father’s empty beer cans and his hollow promises to change. Convinced that others would only let her down, she keeps everyone at arm’s length—but resisting Aiden’s charm is proving to be more difficult than she thought. Throw in a psychotic werewolf hunter out to terminate the species, and one wrong move, one wrong decision could destroy everything.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
A Tale Dark & Grimm - Adam Gidwitz
Author: Adam Gidwitz
I received this book from Reeka over at Bound by Words in her latest giveaway. Usually this wouldn't be the kind of book that I choose, but as it was one of Reeka's favourite books of 2012, along with a few books that I also loved, I trusted her judgement and didn't regret it at all! This book is about Hansel and Gretel and their adventures through other Grimm's classic fairytales.
The plot of this book was interesting as although I am not usually a fairytale kind of reader, I enjoyed the more gruesome aspects of this book. The gory details contrasted well with the child-like way of story telling with the "Once upon a time" chapter beginnings.
The characters were interesting too because although there were lots of side characters that we, as the reader, didn't get to fully get to know, the two main protagonists seemed very familiar by the end of the book.
I really liked the style of writing and that is the main thing that made me love this book. The style of the story was very simple which made it feel more like a children's fairytale book, despite the graphic nature of some of the events. I really liked the interjected paragraphs where the author would almost commentate on what was happening in the book. This made it easier to connect with the book as well as the author and made it feel as though I was being verbally read to, rather than just reading the story on the page.
Overall I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars because it was not only much better than I thought it would be but it is also the best fairytale-based book I have ever read. Also, being an illustration student and a bit of an art-nut, I couldn't help but be attracted by the gorgeous cover of this book and the small illustrations at the beginning of each chapter add to the magic of the story.
Eric - Terry Pratchett
Author: Terry Pratchett
Apart from Terry Pratchett's children's books, Pratchett has never really been an author that I have had any interest in reading. I have tried to read some of his Discworld novels previously but never really got past the first few pages but after receiving this book as part of a brilliant collection for sale at The Book People online (not being sponsored at all, their collections are just amazing!), I thought I should try reading Terry Pratchett because I now actually own one of his books. Eric is a really short book, at only around 150 pages and I thought that this would be the perfect one to start with. Eric is about a fourteen year old demonology enthusiast who summons a demon to grant him three wishes, but instead he gets Rincewind, the most incompetent wizard in Discworld.
I found that although the idea of the plot and the synopsis on the back of the book looked interesting, the execution lacked a deep plot and it seemed to end quite suddenly. I appreciate that this is a short book, and that there was not really much time for development but I found that it just seemed to describe a chain of events with no real conclusion. Although I did like the plot, I think that if the book was longer there would have been more time to develop the story as I felt that the book seemed unfinished somehow.
I really liked the characters in this book. Rincewind reminded me very much of Radagast from Tolkien's The Hobbit in that he is incompetent as far as a wizard goes, and a bit eccentric. I think that I would like to read more about Rincewind in Terry Pratchett's other books but I don't think that the character was really explored to his fullest in this book.
Overall I think that the writing style was something that I could happily read in another one of this author's books, though it did take a bit of getting used to. I loved the world building and think that the writing style lent itself well to this fantasy style of book.
On the whole, I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars, and although I didn't particularly enjoy Eric, I would be interested in reading other Terry Pratchett books as I really liked the way that it was written and the world that Pratchett created.
The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
Author: Patrick Ness
I fell in love with Patrick Ness' writing style last year when I read A Monster Calls but for some reason was always put off picking this one up; maybe it's because of the hype, or that it's classed as a children's book in a lot of book shops, or that it's the first of a series (I usually don't read a lot of series'). Whatever the reason, I had avoided this until now, when someone I know started recommending it to me after reading it. This book is the first in the Chaos Walking trilogy and is about a thirteen year old boy called Todd Hewitt who lives in a world of men where everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts, including animals. One day he goes off into the swamp and this is where he is forced to embark on a journey that will teach him the truth and also save his life.
First of all, I found that the plot, after hearing about it, was very intriguing and I think that overall it was well executed in this book. Although at points it was a bit slow, I think that it was paced perfectly because these slow sections were contrasted wonderfully with the fast-paced action scenes. I felt that although this is usually classed as a children's book, I would say that some of the themes and violent scenes were definitely not suitable for anyone under the age of maybe 14 as they were described in quite a graphic way.
I really loved the characters in this book. Todd, the protagonist, is very down-to-earth which makes him relateable and because it is written from his point of view, the reader can empathise with him quite easily. Manchee, Todd's dog, was one of my favourite characters even though his dialogue featured very little in the book and I think that overall all of the characters were very well developed.
The writing style in this book was unique to everything else I have read. As Todd cannot spell properly, some of the words in the book are spelt as he would spell them, which makes it a bit more believable to the reader. It took some getting used to but I really think that it added another depth to the story.
Overall I would give this 5 out of 5 stars and I will definitely be reading the second and third of this series and would recommend it to anyone who wants an action-packed yet emotional read.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
Author: John Green
This book is the last of John Green's books that are not co-written with anyone else that I have read. After loving all of his other books, I was slightly dubious about reading this one as it seems to be everyone's least favourite for some reason, but I found this in my local Waterstones book store signed and couldn't believe it so decided to give it a try. An Abundance of Katherines is about a teenage boy called Colin who only goes out with girls called Katherine and finds himself heartbroken by K-19. This is about his journey to create a mathematical theorem that can predict the future of any relationship.
I found the plot of this John Green book one of the best of the books I have read in recent months. At first the idea of a heartbroken teenager being the protagonist of the book, put me off slightly as I thought that it might get a bit whingy and Colin might become annoying but I found that I really got sucked into the plot and the way that, as with all John Green books, the style of writing really helped the plot to develop and the characters really helped this simple story to develop into something that was just brilliant.
The characters really made this book. Colin was a really interesting character because he had a deep personality. I really liked that he is obsessed with anagrams as it adds a lot more humour to the story than would otherwise be there. Also I really like all the side characters, especially Hassan, who's quick humour and religious references kept my attention firmly in the plot and counteracted the more methodical character of Colin Singleton.
The writing style was the same as in any John Green book, intelligent, witty and laced with the author's own personality. By no means was An Abundance of Katherines any less good than the other John Green books I have read. In fact I'd have to say that this is one of my favourites.
I would give An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 5 out of 5 stars as it is incredibly well-written and executed.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Morrigan by Lauren De Luca Giveaway!
Morrigan Giveaway
Author Laura DeLuca is giving away an amazing swag pack for her upcoming blog tour in February!
Author: Laura DeLuca
Pages: 320
Book Description: Shuffled from place to place in the foster system, Morrigan doesn't know the meaning of home. Plus, she is different. She has power over fire, the ability to move objects with her mind, and glimpse into the future. Just when she believes her life can’t get any stranger, she discovers her true identity. Filtiarn, a knight with a dark past and a surprising secret, has been tasked with guiding the heir of Tír na NÓg through countless perils to be returned to her family. Once Morrigan has been reunited with her mother and grandmother, their triad can save the forgotten land of magic from being devoured by an ancient evil. Here is what you can win:
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Circle of Lies by Sara Dailey & Staci Weber
Today is the promotional blitz for Circle of Lies by Sara Dailey and Staci Weber!
Title: Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack #2)
Authors: Sara Dailey and Staci Weber
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Description:
Aiden Wright is trying to figure out who he really is, but the truth could cost him his true mate—or his life.
Life has always been easy for Aiden Wright. He’s smart, athletic, funny, and the ladies adore him. But when tragedy strikes, Aiden discovers the truth about who he really is, and his whole world comes crashing down around him. Aiden thought that being a teenage werewolf was going to be awesome, but it might just cost him the one girl who could make him whole.
Since her mother’s disappearance, Teagan Rhodes’s life has been littered with her father’s empty beer cans and his hollow promises to change. Convinced that others would only let her down, she keeps everyone at arm’s length—but resisting Aiden’s charm is proving to be more difficult than she thought. Throw in a psychotic werewolf hunter out to terminate the species, and one wrong move, one wrong decision could destroy everything.
About Sara Dailey and Staci Weber
Both Sara Dailey and Staci Weber are avid readers, English teachers, friends, wives and soccer moms. They have been teaching together for the past ten years and writing together for six.
Born and raised in Houston, TX, Staci Weber is a graduate of the University of North Texas. Staci is a junior high school teacher with an addiction to reading romance novels. She considers herself incredibly lucky to have a close family, some good friends, a fabulous husband and two beautiful little girls.
Sara Dailey co-authored the Red Ridge Pack Novels with her good friend and co-worker Staci Weber. She has a degree in literature from U of H Clear Lake and is a graduate of The Institute of Children’s Literature. Sara is a native Texan and lives with her wonderful husband and son in League City, TX.
Author Links: Website Facebook Purchase on Amazon Purchase on Barnes And Noble
If you want to find out more about this book make sure you check out the blog tour starting in February. Click here to see dates and blog tour information.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Manipulating the List - K. B. Lever
Title: Manipulating the List
Author: K. B. Lever
The
author of this novel sent it to me for an honest review and since
that is what I aim to do with these reviews, I felt that I could
honour her wish. Although I received this book from the author for free, I feel that I would be honest about whether I liked it or not, and in this case, I really enjoyed this read.
This
book was written by K. B. Lever and is about a young woman named
Katherine who, throughout her life, keeps coming into contact with
the Collector. Suddenly, after her name appears on the Collector's
list, she becomes a killer at the age of twenty-two, in order to
manipulate the list. She soon realise that she must assist in the
deaths of others to bypass her own fate.
The
plot of this story is what drew me to it in the first place and it
definitely didn't disappoint! Although some aspects of the story were
a little bit unrealistic (like managing to get from the US to
Australia, purely through hiding and distracting security), I think
that the concept of the Collector and the idea of manipulating the
list is really interesting and definitely holds the reader's
attention. I found that I didn't want to put this book down and when
it ended I immediately wanted there to be a sequel (which there will
be!). Some of this story was a little disturbing, particularly the
murder scenes, but I think that this was entirely necessary to add a
sense of urgency to the protagonists situation.
The
characters were entirely believable and likeable. I really liked
Katherine because although at points she was emotional, I think that
her strength carried this story forward and most of the things that
she did were the most logical steps. I also really liked the
Collector as he had a believable and yet tragic background and this
made me sympathize with his situation a lot more. The other
characters, such as Liam, the love interest, were well-rounded and
each one added to the story.
The
writing style was suspenseful and interesting, not too simple, yet
easy to read. I read this book in just over a day as it is quite
short, and I think that the writing style really pushed the story
forward.
Overall,
I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting and exciting and made
you want to keep turning the pages. I would give this 5 out of 5
stars and will definitely keep an eye out for the sequels.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Retribution by Amy Thompson Cover Reveal
Author: Amy Thompson
Book Description: One curse, one exception, one chance at redemption. Regan Edison has just moved from California, to enter her first year at Georgia State. Jacked up Chevy trucks and hunting were a way of life in Georgia. On the evening of her first day of school, Regan was walking back to her dorm when she was viciously attacked by three men. Regan was convinced she was going to die that night. Colter Hayes is a member of the Collectors and the first wrongfully punished soul. Colter and the rest of his team, Finn, Kaiden and Devon, work for the Requiem Council whose job it is to pass judgment onto souls and reincarnate them so that the souls may fix past indiscretions. Agro, an ex-councilman, and his soulless Exiles have other plans. Agro steals souls and hands down his own type of judgment, retribution. He punished those members of the Collectors and has now set his sights on Regan. The Requiem Council dispatches the Collectors to Georgia to work as protectors for Regan. The Collectors must fight to keep Regan safe from Agro and work to earn back their chance at redemption, but when Colter meets Regan his world changes. Everything he thought he knew about his curse is turned upside down and Regan seems to be the cause. Can the Collectors find out why Regan is being targeted in time to save her from a fate they know all too well? And is Colter’s curse as final as he thought or will Regan prove to be his exception?
And now for the cover reveal!
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