Weekend Additions to my TBR Pile

Right, so my TBR pile of books is now bigger than me, thanks to the 10 additions over the weekend.  I'm currently reading Catching Fire and I can say it's bloody fabulous!! If you have read the Hunger Games you will not be disappointed.  And without further ado, here's five of my new books I acquired this weekend.

Dull Boy by Sarah Cross

How do you hide super strength and the ability to fly? Fifteen-year-old Avery suddenly finds himself endowed with these amazing powers, but he can’t figure out how to control them or keep himself out of trouble. When Avery befriends other kids who are also superbly gifted, the small group bands together to try to use their powers for good. But who is the mysterious Cherchette, and why does she want Avery and (only) some of his friends to move in with her?

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. And as the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

Gillian Shields's electrifying tale will dazzle readers with suspense, mysticism, and romance.

Meridian by Amber Kizer

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.

Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.

Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.


 

Night Runner by Max Turner

For Zack Thomson, living in the Nicholls Ward isn't so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange and severe allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. He could watch as much television as he wanted; his best friend Charlie visited him often enough; and Nurse Ophelia--the prettiest no-nonsense nurse ever--sometimes took him bowling. Of course, that didn't mean he had it easy. His allergies restricted his diet to strawberry smoothies, and being the only kid at the hospital could get lonely. But it never once crossed Zack's mind to leave...until the night someone crashed through the front doors and told him to run. Now he's on a race for answers--about his past, his parents, and his strange sickness--even as every step takes him closer to the darkest of truths.

I am so excited to read these books, and once i'm done, i'll post the reviews.  Off to read Catching Fire....

Review - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

 

I have been raving about this book for a while now, so you can imagine just how excited I was when this book was finally released on 1 August. I don’t think I have ever awaited a book release with so much anticipation, and yes this does include the Harry Potter and Twilight series. Yes, that much!!

Right, so I finished this book, and have spent the whole evening, night and the majority of this morning procrastinating over how to start my review. I still don’t have the slightest clue on how to put my SHIVER experience into words, which is something that has never happened before either. Firstly, this book has changed my whole outlook on the young adult genre, yep, it really is that good. I am going to attempt to put my feelings into words, but everything that is coming into my mind, falls shy of describing my experience and impressions of this book. I just hope my review goes someway in giving the book and author the justice they deserve. If I go off on a tangent, I apologise.

The female protagonist Grace is an independent seventeen year old junior. Six years ago, she was attacked by a pack of wolves in the woods near her home. During this time, to distance herself from the attack, she focuses her attention on one particular wolf, a wolf with strange yellow eyes. Over the coming years, she watches this wolf from a distance, and he too watches her. What Grace doesn’t realize at first is that the wolf has a name "Sam", and also a human body, but only when the temperature rises above a certain degree. It seems to me that this is Grace’s coming of age, as she discovers herself and learns more about the mysterious wolves.

SHIVER is told from both Grace’s and Sam’s perspective and their voices are so unique and beautiful, that not once whilst reading this extraordinary novel, did I have to check the chapter page to see who was telling the story. The story is beautiful in it seamlessness, the plot and characters come together in perfect harmony, with epic amounts of emotion, without being too much. Like LAMENT, the prose is so poetic, I found myself full of envy at how Stiefvater can make writing seem so perfect. The love story is so believable and powerful, the saying "Love can overcome anything" rings true with this tale. The bar on supernatural romance has been raised, so other authors beware!

Although the wolves in this book are nothing similar to wolves you may have read about in the past, this new view on wolves is so refreshing, I think people will start to reconsider their notions on the traditional lore.

Sam and Grace’s relationship, is achingly sad, passionate and will make you shiver all over (sorry for the pun, couldn’t help myself). This seems to be the most distinctive and unique relationship I have ever experienced. The notion of a human girl being in love with a wolf does seem unreal, but not once during reading the book did this thought enter my head. More like Sam being a wolf was just symbolism for his character, more like a metaphor for his true state of being, rather than actually being a wolf.

The wait for this book did not disappoint, and now has a very special place on my bookshelf. I am eagerly awaiting the release of LINGER, which such renewed vigor now that I have had a slice of the action. SHIVER, has debuted at number nine of the NYT bestseller list, so congratulations Maggie, you are a literary genius. SHIVER will shake the young adult genre down to its roots with it’s complex yet simple style, as dangerous and broody as it is lovely, this is an exceptional novel. Move over Edward………….Sam is here!!

Review - Blood Promise by Richelle Mead *Spoliers*

How far will Rose go to keep her promise?

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them. . . including Dimitri.

He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?
 

I first got into the Vampire Academy books, maybe right after reading twilight. It was around the time when I did go a little fan girl crazy and go off and purchase as many vampire young adult novels I could get my eternally paper cut hands on. When I started reading this series, only the first three books had been released, and I devoured them all in around a week. The way Richelle writes is so engrossing, I found myself unwilling to put any of the books down, needing desperately to know what happens next. Richelle is the Queen at cliffhanger endings, and try as I might, I can't hate her for this, because I just love the exited jittery feeling you get when a book you have been really looking forward to is released.

Blood Promise kicks off around a few weeks after Rose Hathaway has left St. Vladamirs Academy, to keep the promise she made to the man she loves. Yes, I'm referring to the sultry and brooding Dimitri, *swoon*. After the events in Shadow Kiss, which will now be referred to as, the event which shall not be named, Rose travels to Russia in the hope of finding Dimitri. In Russia, she meets, Sydney, a Alchemist, the only group of humans who are aware of the Moroi, Dhampir and even Strigoi existing in the world. Sydney joins Rose on the road to Dimitri's home town, Omsk. Along the way, Rose learns more about what being Shadow Kiss involves and is constantly attacked by memories of her time with Dimitri. She knows she will eventually find him, but is she willing to do what she promised or will she surrender to be with the one she loves?

Once in Omsk, Rose feels at home with Dimitri's family and the pain she feels at loosing Dimitri only intensifies with time, but someone in town wants her to leave and is willing to play dirty to get her to go back home. After meeting some renegade Dhampirs, Rose leaves Siberia and hunts Strigoi by night, a welcome distraction from the heart breaking pain she is feeling. Too soon for Rose, she is faced with the unthinkable, bound by the promise she has made, will Rose be ready to do what needs to do, both for her sake and Dimitri's. Can she destroy the man she loves or decide to join him? Time is running out for Rose and she needs to make a decision that may or may not destroy her whole life.

Due to the weird Shadow Kissed bond Rose and Lissa have, throughout the book we do have some trips into Lissa's mind. Also, not forgetting the gorgeous Moroi Royal Adrian, whose frequent trips into Rose's dreams are the parts that I find myself looking forward too. Adrian's easy demeanor and sarcastic and teasing sense of humor, really have me giggling. He is too smarmy for words and I love him for it. He is my favourite character and I hope he does eventually get over his little crush on Rose. The flashbacks of Rose's time with Dimitri at the school were the most interesting scenes in the book, because it gave you a little insight into his character, without revealing too much. This was done really well by Richelle, because I do feel the air of mystery around Dimitri, is why fans find him so attractive. Every girl loves the dark and brooding man, plus he he's from Russia so has a very enticing accent. Bonus!!

My only thoughts were I would have liked to have seen a little more of Christian, who is also one of my favourite characters in the series. Just that fact that he is cocky and nonchalant, make him very funny, or maybe that's just me. I'm always a sucker for the cocky boys that no one particularly likes. Richelles writing style is easy to read and full of unexpected twists and turns, which will make you back track and think "What? How did this happen?"

As always the ending is a cliffhanger and will have fans dying to read the next book. If you like suspenseful books where not every issue is resolved at the end, then this is the book for you. For all you Vampire Academy fans, get ready for a roller coaster ride of tears, laughs and most importantly action. I will most definitely read the next book in the series, Spirit Bound, due Spring 2010, and will be waiting for this with the same eagerness as I did Blood Promise.