Wednesdays Worldly covers - Week 13 & 14

Yes, this week it's a double feature because I missed last week. First up is Blutspur (Blood trail) by Kim Harrison. Which here is known as Dead Witch Walking, and looks like this 

Next is Die Stunde der Wolfe (The hour of the wolf) by Carrie Vaughn. Or otherwise known as Kitty and the midnight hour and otherwise seen like this!

So, which do you prefer?



Easter egg hunt - WIN!

I've recently found myself with an extra copy of Matched by Ally Condie and The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, since it's easter I've decided to give them away by having an easter egg hunt!

There will be one winner because it will cost less for me to send both books together rather than seperate (esp if winners are international!) but if you have one of them already you could always pass it onto a friend : )

Sometime on Sunday, probably evening, I will add a new photo album to our Facebook Page it'll be of 50 or so random book covers all taken from our various photo albums, 10 of the pictures though will also have an easter egg in them somewhere. To enter all you'll need to do is email me at bookaholics@live.co.uk telling me which 10 book covers contain an easter egg. Everyone who gets it correct will then go into the randomizer and a winner will be chosen at... well random lol

It'll be running until 30th April and the winner picked and announced on 1st May (Unless I go into early labour then you might have to wait until I get home lol in which case I'll leave entries open)

And yes, it's international.

So whilst your waiting for Sunday why not spread the word and tell your friends about the Bookaholics Easter Egg hunt on this Easter Sunday!! (You can use the little share buttons down below the recommended posts)

City of fallen Angels review

City of fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare.

What's it about?

Simon Lewis is having some trouble adjusting to his new life as a vampire, especially now that he hardly sees his best friend Clary, who is caught up in training to be a Shadowhunter - and spending time with her new boyfriend, Jace. Simon decides he needs a break and heads out of the city - only to discover that sinister events are following him. Realizing that the war they thought they'd won might not yet be over, Simon has to call on his Shadowhunter friends to save the day - if they can put their own splintering relationships on hold long enough to rise to the challenge.

My review:
3/5

I gave this book 3 in the end but was very close to giving it 2/5! I, unfortunately, didn’t enjoy it at all. I really liked the first three books in the series, so of course had the same expectations for this addition to the series. But I found it extremely slow going and was pretty bored right through the first 300 pages. Never one to give up easily I kept going right up to the last page. Although there are lots of funny one liners, mostly from Simon and Jace, and there is some action in the end it wasn’t enough to make up for the rest of the book.

You can check out Cassandra Clares website here.

Even the ending felt completely dragged out and I still felt myself struggling to read on, the twists however were interesting and I didn’t guess them all, including who the ‘big bad’ was behind it all.

Stray review

Stray by Rachel Vincent.

What's it about?

Female werecats are disappearing and the Pride is helpless to stop the stray responsible. Confined to home for her own protection, Faythe Sanders must face everything she went to College to escape: the family she left behind, the love she turned her back on, and the destiny tradition says she s bound to fulfil. And when it all becomes too much to handle, an emotionally charged error in judgment leads her into the unsheathed claws of the kidnapper himself. Armed with nothing but animal instinct and a serious attitude, Faythe must free herself and stop the kidnappers before their horrific plot robs her Pride of its most valuable asset: its own continued existence.

My review:

4/5 

I have already read the first two books in Vincents YA soul screamers series and like them a lot so I was definitely interested to check out her other adult series.
I found Stray very interesting and read it quickly even though it’s a very long book! Although it doesn’t feel dragged out and the writing flowed easily, I thought there were a lot of parts that the book would’ve been fine without but that’s probably my biggest complaint.
Faythe is a kick-ass likeable character who fights hard for what she wants and won’t back down easily, which I just loved about her, she’s sassy and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her and can hold her own amongst the men.
The story was interesting and leaves you with a few clues of what might happen in the next book Rogue which I have already started!


You can check out Rachel Vincents website here.

Delirium review

Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

What's it about?

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it. Then, at last, they found the cure. Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable.

My review:

3/5

After hearing such great things of this book I was pretty excited to start it so it was unfortunate that I was disappointed. The idea is a very intriguing one and the writing is just beautiful but everything just felt so dragged out I found myself getting irritated often with the slow flow of the book.
I did however really like the quotes at the start of each chapter from the book of Shhh and various other writings in the book, they really helped show what this almost cult-like society is like and what they believe in. I found it hard though to get a feel for what the ‘Cureds’ – that’s people who’ve had the procedure to stop them feeling love – were like. At first they seem to be pretty much like zombies because they have no emotion, but other times they show fear and they care for each other and want to be happy, but aren’t they other elements of love? It felt contradictory often and I struggled to imagine the ‘world’ the book is set in.
As for the characters, I liked them but didn’t love them. Lena is a nice girl who’s caring and is dealing with a lot of issues from her past, whilst I found her interesting I can’t say I really cared by the end what happened. I also was pretty disappointed with the ending but I can’t say more without revealing spoilers!
So in summary, there were bits I found very interesting, like the brain washing of people by the government who have “discovered” love is a disease that must be cured but there were other parts I struggled with, like how can people feel happiness if there is no love?
I’m pretty sure this is a stand-alone novel but if there is a sequel I think I’ll skip it.

Entangled review

Entangled by Cat Clarke

What's it about?

The same questions whirl round and round in my head: What does he want from me? How could I have let this happen? AM I GOING TO DIE? 17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there. As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see? Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here? A story of dangerous secrets, intense friendships and electrifying attraction.

My review:
5/5
Wow! I was hooked into this book in the first few pages and was finished less than 24 hours later. I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much is because I related so well to the character of Grace, I understood exactly why she did the things she did and how she behaved becasue I've been there myself. She's clearly battling depression, even though she doesn't realise it, she feels lonely but pushes away people closest to her and she can't quite explain why she cuts herself when she's upset. For anyone that doesn't understand 'cutting' either, it's a way of making the pain from inside, that you can't see or do anything about, into a physical pain that can be dealt with. The same as some people drink, smoke or do other things to dull what they're feeling inside.
I thought the writing was wonderful and, later on, really captures the frazzled mind of someone who is depressed and upset and finding it hard to think straight - yet it's still readable.
The story itself is more simple and I guessed pretty easily what was going to happen, but this didn't stop me at all from wanting to get to the end and seeing if I was right.
It was a very emotional book for me and I cried several times, because I've felt how Grace felt, and dealt with it the same way.
And days later the book is still with me.
I urge anyone who hasn't to read it because it really is an excellent insight to what it's like for someone with depression.
                                      

Wednesdays Worldly covers - Week 12

I thought this German cover of Chroniken der Unterwelt, or City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare was pretty cool. What do you think?

Here's the international cover if your not familiar with it.

Which do you prefer?

April Books of the month

Well, it's that time of the month again when I pick two books for you to read, and hopefully you go and read them and come back to tell us all what you think lol
First up is my pick from the books I read the month before, which of course is March. This one only just made it since I read it on the last day of the month, but I thought it was excellent and it really 'spoke' to me, so I'd like to share it with all of you,(My review is coming soon) it is:

Entangled by Cat Clarke

The same questions whirl round and round in my head: What does he want from me? How could I have let this happen? AM I GOING TO DIE? 17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there. As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see? Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here? A story of dangerous secrets, intense friendships and electrifying attraction.

The second book of the month was chosen by our own Ninfa! It's one of her favourite books and she'd like to share it with all of you, it is:

Kushiel's dart by Jacqueline Carey

Sold into servitude in the pagan splendour of the Night Court as a child, Phedre no Delaunay is a woman who struggles for honour and duty, whose loyalty to the land she loves will take her to the edge of despair, and beyond.

And the winner is...

To our winner Venessa Noble, who won the Cynthia Leitich Smith goodie bag! An email has been sent to you for your details.