January R.A.K. Wrap-Up

Is it really the end of January already? It seems like only yesterday we were ringing in 2012. This was the first month I participated in Random Acts of Kindness hosted by Book Soulmates. I enjoyed it and I will be participating next month!

WHAT I SENT:

To Jenny from Books To The Sky: Soul Screamers Volume One by Rachel Vincent

To Amanda from MannaB On Books: She Smells the Dead (eBook) & my book, Elemental Reality (signed)

WHAT I RECEIVED:

Jenny from Books To The Sky: Destined (eBook)

Amanda from MannaB On Books: Hourglass & A Touch Mortal

Thank you ladies!!

Blog Tour: Top Tens with Devon Ashley

Hello all and welcome to my stop on the Falling In Between Blog Tour! Before we get started with my interview with Devon, clink on the above image to find out about the giveaway she's holding on her blog! Oh ok, it's a doodlegraph copy of Falling In Between! How awesome is that?! Check it out!

Now onto my interview.

So Devon, what were your Top Ten favorite books of 2011? Why?

2011 brought a lot of great books, many of which I haven't even gotten to (my to-read pile is shameful). From what I've managed to read thus far, here are my faves for 2011.

1. Wither by Lauren DeStafano - Obviously kidnapping and marrying young girls just to procreate turns my stomach, but the budding romance between Rhine and Gabriel is what really kept me reading.

2. Ashfall by Mike Mullin - Yellowstone finally goes kaput and a boy ventures out into an ashfilled world in search of his family. But what really made this book a winner was Darla constantly having to save Alex's life cause he pretty much had zero survival skills.

3. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick - Patch...need I say more? <drools>

4. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Love is a sickness? Of course it is! Doesn't mean I want to live in a society where everyone's lobotomized just to avoid all the stupidity and heartbreak we suffer because of it.

5. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins - Seriously, who couldn't love Sophie Mercer? Her sassy voice alone keeps me coming back for more.

6. Under the Stars by Rebecca A Rogers - Loved that for once the fairytale didn't end with happily ever after...it actually made me cry.

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth - Dystopian at its best.

8. Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep - Hogwarts meets mythology...uber cool.

9. Out in Blue by Sarah Gilman - Finally someone's written a book that involves poachers going after the freakin' angels. The romance seemed childish to me but the story was still really good.

10. Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon - I love fairytale retellings and I particularly loved the supernatural twists this one had.

Thanks Devon! I've only read Divergent so far and I have to agree with you on that one! Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Be sure to check back February 15th when I post my review for Falling In Between!

Review: Nightshade (The Poison Diaries #2)

Nightshade (Poison Diaries #2) by Maryrose Wood, The Duchess of Northumberland

Website: http://www.maryrosewood.com/

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published: October 25^th 2011 by HarperCollins (first published September 1st 2011)

ISBN: 0061802425 (ISBN13: 9780061802423)

Summary:

A dark, gothic tale of romance… and murder.
The latest book in the grippingly dark series, The Poison Diaries.

Our heroine, Jessamine, has lost her faith in the men she loved, and her innocence as well. She turns to the dark side and plots to kill her father, using his own poisons, before becoming an assassin, a poisoner for hire. Can she recover from her heartache and reunite with her true love, Weed? Find out in this thrilling story where poisons, darkness and horror are a part of everyday life, and love is the only cure. 

Review:

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Nightshade in return for a review. What more can I say about this book than BRILLIANT! Everything Jessamine had to put up with in this book was heartbreaking. She lost all faith in herself and was willing to do anything to be with Weed again. And I mean anything! With Oleander’s guidance, she became an assassin and went by the name Belladonna—a beautiful but deadly flower—because that’s how she felt. 

I enjoyed hearing from Weed throughout the story too. He went through so much to save Jessamine. His main goal was to get her back and away from Oleander. It was a great goal. Save the one you love. So Weed did what he does best—talked to the plants. He also traveled to Spain to learn more about plants and to see if they had heard the whereabouts of Jessamine but the plants feared Oleander so they were afraid to speak. When Weed finally found Jessamine, she was a mess and not the same girl he fell in love with but he still wanted her with him. 

We heard more from Oleander too because he was Jessamine’s guide to finding Weed. Oh Oleander, Prince of Poisons. He is sweetly evil and a master manipulator and I hated how Jessamine believed every word that fell from his mouth.

The ending was the worst. No, I'm not saying it was an awful ending. I'm saying it was sad. I yelled at my book because I couldn't believe what was happening. I'd tell you what happened but I don't want to ruin it for you. Five stars to Nightshade for holding the suspense over my head the entire way.

And the winner's are . . .

13 - Nikki A

She got first prize which was a signed Elemental Reality & Battle Scars poster!

8 - Kaitlynne W

2 - Gabi

They both won a signed Battle Scars poster!

I know I forgot to have the email option on the form but because I had everyone enter their addresses I'll just send your prizes out ASAP! Congratualtions again to all three of you!



HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!