City of Glass - ARC - Entry

ARC Entry #2:

ARC Entry # 3

ARC Entry #4

Count Down for Pride

Vamps by Nancy A Collins

When the sun goes down, New York's true elite all head to one place: Bathory Academy, where the young ladies of

the finest vampire families are trained in shapeshifting and luring their prey.

Bathory's reigning queen, Lilith Todd, is the daughter of a powerful vampire businessman, and she knows exactly what she wants from life. She wants to look beautiful for eternity and party till the sun comes up with her gorgeous boyfriend, Jules. And she doesn't want any New Blood upstarts standing in her way.

Enter Cally Monture, an unexpected threat from a trash zip code. When their first meeting leads to tragic results, Lilith is hungry for revenge.

It started out confusing, like all books do I suppose. It did go too much into expensive things and designer brands, and I think that's what confused me so much.

Recommended for: If you're not in for immediate action and don't mind hearing

about rich and spoiled kids, this book is for you.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.
Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

This book was... a pleasant read. It was very original, I, at least have never read such a thing. It was very well written. But, like Stephenie Meyer's first book: Twilight, the main plot didn't show itself until the book was almost finishing.

It then took a while to get to the point. I was always interested though. I liked Ian better than Jared. Jeb and Jamie were my favorites. I liked Mel too (the body). She's feisty and smart.

Anyway, I don't recommend it if you want some action packed reading. It's for a couple of rainy and relaxing days.

Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow kiss

[edited 4/12/10. added rating system and labels]

 Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires--the ones who never die.The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir; she is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.
After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's--but their world is fr

Buy it!

Read an excerpt!

aught with danger both inside and out of the Academy's iron gates. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through

this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...

************************************************************************************************************

This is a classic "don't judge a book by its cover". Richelle Mead did a wonderful job creating an alternate reality inside our own world with Vampires, Damphirs and the undead (aka Strigoi). She makes it easy to relate to the characters despite the major differences (like the whole blood sucking thing).

The two main characters have an incredible bond that is unlike anything you will experience. The way that Rose wants to protect Lissa is so selfless. It makes you re-evaluate the way you feel about your best friend.

The romance is very well done. It's both loving and frustrating to the core. You will fall in love with the love interest yourself by the time you're done. =).

1.Cover: +.5

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+1

Same 9.5 out of 10. If it weren't for the cover, I'd give this the well deserved 10 out of 10. But I have to be fair.

Rose Hathaway's got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, and she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian. (So not cool).

Then a massive Strigoi attack puts St. Vladimir's on high alert, and the Academy crawls with Guardians--including the legendary Janine Hathaway...Rose's formidable, long-absent mother. The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks. This year, St. Vlad's annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose--and her heart--are in more danger than she ever could have imagined...

*********************************************************************************************************** 

The relationship between Dimitri and Rose makes you frustrated beyond belief.

The relationship between Lissa and Christian gets steamier and you actually kind of enjoy his company.

Rose is VERY strong, tough, and independent. There's a threat to Dimitri and Rose's not quite there relationship. One that will leave you breathless in the end.

There's a new character who you love to hate and hate to love! Only because they're as smooth as lotion and they feel just as good on the skin ;).

Despite all the good, it's a tragic story.

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+1

10 out of 10 :D

It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all...might be seeing ghosts. As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line--and choose between the two people she loves most.

Oh. My. Word. It made me laugh, made me cry, I wanted so much more to happen, and yet I was still happy on how it went. Rose kicks some more butt and Dimitri is still sexy. Yes, a fictional character is sexy. They're love reaches new hights and is explored beautifully by Richelle.

Rose's vision on her life changes more and more with each chapter. Until you finally hope she comes around to your own kind of thinking. Lissa gets a little irritating. Just a little bit.

You learn to love Adrian more than you hate him. He becomes a real person with feelings, rather than an annoying rich kid. He's charming for an alcoholic =).

But just when you think the last one is so horrible, you get to the end of this one and realize that the whole world can shatter in an unexpected instant.

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+1

Same 10 out of 10 :D

****Check out my YouTube Reviews here:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss

The author's website:

http://www.richellemead.com/index.htm

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Old Cover

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

August 2007

Penguin

$8.99

Why I read it: I was trying to find something good after I read Twilight 7,000 times too many.

Barnes and Noble Synopsis:

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school—it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's—the very place where they're most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever. 

******************************************************************************* 

My Review:

I saw this book at the Barnes and Noble I always went to for months before I decided to give it a try... Unfortunately, the cover just didn't catch me like others did. But I wasn't having any luck with those types actually having any decent content. Luckily, this turned out to be a "don't judge a book by it's cover" moment. I was in a reading rut and grasping at straws by this point. This book is... WOW [and no, not World Of Warcraft]. Richelle Mead did a wonderful job creating an alternate reality inside of our own world that included vampires, damphirs and the undead [aka Strigoi]. She makes it easy to relate to the characters despite the major differences [like the whole blood-sucking or ass-kicking thing].

The two main characters, Rose Hathaway & Vasalissa Dragomir have an incredible bond that is unlike anything you will experience. The way that Rose wants to protect Lissa is so selfless. It makes you re-evaluate your relationship with your own best friend, and see how inadequate you are in comparison.

The romance is very well done for a YA. It's both loving and frustrating then is tied up in a little "craving more" bow. You will fall in love with the love interest by the 3rd time you "meet" him. I couldn't read Vampire Academy quick enough. But, I didn't want it to end as quick as it did either. I was only able to allow myself to finish when I realized there was a 2nd one, and it was out!

Vampire Academy pumps you up to the point where you want to go out and kick some ass [and laugh while doing it]. I was completely shocked by the "bad guy". Which is saying something. My #1 can predict the ending to just about every movie and book, so he's taught me well. And I didn't see this coming.

One thing I really liked is that either Richelle Mead is a complete genius [not discounting that idea at all], or she just really has her shit together. Because I couldn't find ANY holes and yet, I couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen next. The back-story laced throughout the current made sense and was completely valid. It didn't seem like she just made up some lame excuse that was a split second decision and assumed we the reader would be dumb. Instead, it was a building thing that was described in a matter of pages. Usually that's where you can find unanswered questions.

New Cover

The characters had depth and personality. Rose kicks ass, Lissa is caring, Dimitri is... well.. besides damned sexy... he's mysterious and dangerous, Christian is like the kid I would have loved to hang out with in high school [the one that doesn't waste his words, is snarky when he does talk, independent and doesn't care what you think about him--but he'll give you the "I'm-gonna-eat-your-babies" look if you talk badly about someone he cares about], and Mason is the insecure flirt. Oh boy... There's just so much awesomeness wrapped up in this book.

One of my favorite quotes: [Rose to Dimitri] "You beat up your dad when you were thirteen?"

I would have added everything about Dimitri, buuuuut, the whole book would be in this review. I just thought that quote summed up how bad-ass he is ;).

I recommend this book to EVERYONE.

1. Cover +.5

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos: +2

5. Re-readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: NOPE +1

8. Readability: +1

9.5 out of 10 possible points. I so wish I could give it the full 10 out of 10, because the content overpowered the cover [at least the old cover]... but, that wouldn't be the honest thing to do. But hey, if the cover's all that I couldn't grasp, that's one damned good book!

Website

blog

****don't forget to check out my YouTube Review!****

Other Reviews: 

My World of Books

A Great Book is the Cheapest Vacation

The Story Siren