Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines

Richelle Mead

Pub date: 8/23/2011

product description from goodreads.com

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

My Review:

I was fortunate enough to be a part of the ARC tour for this book via the wonderful Yara of Once Upon a Twilight...thanks Yara!!

Bloodlines is the newest YA series from bestselling author Richelle Mead. It's her second series set in the fictitious world she created in the mega-successful Vampire Academy series, this time focusing on the Moroi (living) vampires.

Sydney, an alchemist teenager, is our protagonist in this new series, sent to protect Jill, a Moroi princess whose life is in danger by an unknown villian. We are revisited by some of our favorite characters (Adrian!) and once again we are submerged into the world of vampires and vampire royalty.

Bloodlines is a bit slow, though expected to be seeing as it is the first in a new series. And if this one is anything like the Vampire Academy series, each installment will only get better and better. Even though there are vampires in this book, it is centered more around humans as Jill is sent into hiding in a normal human high school setting. There is some great interaction between her and Jill and of course Adrian doesn't disappoint.

Admittedly, it took a bit for me to get into this one, only because of the stark difference between it and the VA series. I knew what to expect going in (that it was set in the human world), but I was still missing the paranormal element just a bit. Regardless, the story is well-plotted and will undoubtedly build to a great climax as only Richelle Mead can do.

My Rating:

Overall, I give Bloodlines 3.5 stars, and I urge you all to pick it up once it's released (yeah, like I have to tell you that!).

TGIF over at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her) over atGReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in!

This Friday's Question:

Book Blogger Appreciation:

Which book blogs

have inspired you or

made a difference in

your blogging experience?

Wow. Now this is a tough question. Up until a little over a year ago, I had no clue that the book blogging world even existed. I mean, I had heard of blogs of course, but I didn't know that there were hundreds of them that focused solely on reading books and writing books and getting books published and so on. I was amazed. Although there are many many many that I love and visit every day, I have to say that there are a couple that keep me inspired on a daily basis. Those are:

Query Shark - Since I'm a writer, I unfortunately have to deal with querying--one of the worst inventions since leather pants. Querying is a pain--ask any writer--but a necessary part of the process. The Query Shark is a blog that is filled with vital information from an inside source (an agent) on what does and doesn't work. I literally visit this blog every day to see what new queries have been posted and dissected by The Shark, hoping to glean even the tiniest of information for myself.

Unedited - Jen Daiker runs this blog, and I just love it. Jen was one of the first people I "met" here in Bloggerland, and her blog is full of fun and wisdom and just plain enjoyment. Go visit her. You'll see.

YA Author Elana Johnson - Elana Johnson is another one that I love. She's quirky and funny and her blog always makes me either laugh or smile. She manages to throw in some much-needed pearls of wisdom amidst all that humor that doesn't make you feel like you're reading a textbook. If you write, visit her site (hey! I'm a poet and didn't know it!)

Y(A)? Cuz We Write! - This little blog is run by two of my blogging besties...Pam & Quita (love you gals)! It's always full of great things for everyone to enjoy: books to read, songs to sing, food to eat (oh yeah!)...there's always something fun going on here that keeps me inspired to forge ahead. Thanks for the great blogging, ladies!

GReads! - No way could I not put you on this list, G. Your blog is A-mazing! Every day I can expect a new and exciting post from you, filled with things you love (whether it be books or music or scenery) and recommendations for us all. You have some awesome memes for the rest of us to hop onto so we can feel like we're doing an awesome job of blogging every day, too...which is so great of you, btw. I love GReads!, as I'm sure everyone else on this TGIF meme does, too!!

Waiting on Wednesday: SILENCE

The lovely Jill (a fellow Alabamian!) over at Breaking the Spine created the Waiting on Wednesday meme for us bloggers to showcase books we're waiting on.

This week I've chosen the third (and final) book in a series that has swept the world...so I know you've all heard of it. Join me in salivating over...



Silence
By Becca Fitzpatrick
Pub date 10/4/2011

product description from goodreads.com

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.





I think of the three books in this series, this cover is my absolute favorite. I cannot WAIT until October, just so I can hold this book and drool over it!

Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

ASHES
Ilsa J. Bick
Pub date: 9/13/2011

product description from goodreads.com

It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions. Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

My Review:

Ashes tells the story of what the world is like after a sudden, unexplained phenomenon that turns most of the population into zombies. In it, we follow Alex and a handful of others as they try to survive in a new, structured society. Ashes is so descriptively written, with such honesty and suspense, that I found myself holding my breath right along with Alex as The Changed (what they call the zombies) sought her out!

Ilsa J. Bick's writing is nothing short of spellbinding. From the first words, the reader is snatched into Alex's world, and we aren't let go until the final pulse-pounding page. Along the way, we are introduced to an eclectic array of characters:the spitfire child Ellie; the romantic and heroic Tom; the strong and independent Jess; the loyal Chris and many others. Bick's way of creating characters the reader loves to hate is priceless. Even with Alex, there were times where I was so mad at her but loved her more and more. And though Tom (Alex's love interest) did things that were questionable at best, I couldn't help but root for him right up until the last page.

Once Alex found other survivors (I won't go into too much detail as to how), the story took a different direction that was both unexpected and interesting. Often when a book does that I am left wanting the way things were. But with Ashes, I kept plowing through the chapters with a frenzy, desperate to find out if things would end as I hoped (which they didn't, but in such a good, climactic way that it ensured I would be picking up the next book!).

My Rating:

I happily give Ashes 5 stars. It is 400+ pages of brilliant writing, spot-on description and vibrant, multi-dimensional characters that will leave you breathless. An excellent read that I hope all of you will add to your lists!

TGIF over at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in!

This Friday's Question:

Blogger Confession:

What's the last book
you could not finish?
(or had a hard time finishing?)

This is a tough question for me, because I try not to stop reading a book once I've started. I'm a pretty good judge of character when it comes to books I like, so I kind of know going in that I'm going to like it.

With that said, there are those few that trick me (ooh, those sneaky little books!). The most recent book I had a really difficult time finishing was Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, about magic and witches and the like. A couple of friends recommended this series, saying how great it was, so I snagged the first book with excitement. But from the opening pages, I just couldn't get into it. I tried and tried, but I never got "sucked in" like I do with my YA (Magic Bites is adult).

Now in defense of my friends, they did warn me (afterward, when I was talking about how I didn't care for the book) that the first book wasn't that great but that the others in the series are awesome. So I forged ahead through the book, and admittedly the end was MUCH better than the beginning--though I don't think it was enough to keep me enthralled in the series.

I'm definitely not saying that I won't pick up book 2 at some point in the future (cause, you know, my TBR pile isn't huge or anything!), but as of right now, it's sitting on the farthest back burner.