In Mists mailbox (24)

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The story siren

Each week we share the books that we got.

5th Dec - 11th Dec

Books mentioned:

Bought:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10050463-clockwork-prince

Gifted:

This dark endeavor: The apprenticeship of Victor Fraznkenstein by Kenneth Oppel

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844725-elixir

For review:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8491102-bereft

eBooks

Amazon freebies:

The soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

Anathema by Megg Jensen

Bought:

Betrayal by Mayandree Michel

All three of these have such gorgeous covers and they sound great!

This week in review:

The taking by Dean Koontz - audio review by Wanda

Matched and Crossed by Ally Condie - Double review

Current giveaways:

Monthly giveaway - Two chances to win a book of your choice to the value of £10

WIN Pantheons by Ernst Dabel

What was in your mailbox this week?

Audio Friday #5 - The taking - Review

Audio (every other) Friday is where i post an audio review every fortnight switching between myself and Wanda, one of your fellow followers so that we post one review each a month.

This week it's Wandas turn

Note: I should point out that actually this was supposed to go up last week but it completely slipped my mind but the next ost will still go up next week as usual and go back to two weeks from there.

The taking by Dean Koontz

Read by Ari Meyers

Available now.

What's it about?

On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain on their roof. It has haunted their sleep, invaded their dreams, and now they rise to find a luminous silvery downpour drenching their small California mountain town. A strange scent hangs faintly in the air, and the young couple cannot shake the sense of something wrong.

As hours pass and the rain continues to fall, Molly and Niel listen to disturbing news of extreme weather phenomena across the globe. Before evening, their little town loses television and radio reception. Then telephone and the Internet are gone. With the ceaseless rain now comes an obscuring fog that transforms the once-friendly village into a ghostly labyrinth. By nightfall the Sloans have gathered with some of their neighbors to deal with community damage...but also because they feel the need to band together against some unknown threat, some enemy they cannot identify or even imagine.
In the night, strange noises arise, and at a distance, in the rain and the mist, mysterious lights are seen drifting among the trees. The rain diminishes with the dawn, but a moody gray-purple twilight prevails. Soon Molly, Niel, and their small band of friends will be forced to draw on reserves of strength, courage, and humanity they never knew they had. For within the misty gloom they will encounter something that reveals in a terrifying instant what is happening to their world—something that is hunting them with ruthless efficiency.

Review:
3/5

Firstly I need to tell you that I am a great fan of Dean Koontz earlier work. So it was with a mixture of anticipation that I began listening to his suspense novel The Taking.

I also need to tell you that although I love audio books I have thus far never listened to a suspense horror book. This is definitely going to change. I love the narrator style of this specific book. I felt like a teenager sitting next to a camp fire with THAT uncle, you know, old uncle what's his name, he is not much of anything but boy can he spin a yarn. I loved the foreboding presence Ari Myer so expertly narrated.
I will be hunting down other authors in this genre's audio books as a matter of course in future. I simply love the "let me tell you a ghost story? effect in this book.

The Taking starts with amazing promise. Molly and Neil Sloan wake up to a strange new world. An alien world. Through typically masterful weaving of suspense and primal fear the reader is taken along on a ride for survival. Molly, Sloan and friends and neighbours are in a battle akin to The War of the Worlds or so they believe. Alien forces, malignant and cruel are toying with earthlings and wreaking havoc through the manipulation of the weather. The mood is dark, sullen and hopeless.
The further the book progresses the more frightening and disturbing the book becomes.
Molly is attributed with almost superhuman heroism which gets to be a bit much as the story progresses. The pace and the questions raised in the story act as to neutralise this little annoyance. Koontz love of dogs again become apparent in this book and is in part why I love his books so much.
But here without giving any spoilers is where the fun part of this book ends. Characteristically of Koontz newer books the story's end is almost more of an existential crises than an ending to the story that started of with so much promise. Koontz metaphysical fascination leaves the book ending a bit trite and left me as reader totally unfulfilled.
I'm torn as to a rating for this book. The narration was brilliant and had me hooked. For the most part the book was brilliant and then the end came. The discrepancy between the brilliant beginning and the un-focused end was a real disappointment. Which leaves me with a 3 out of five rating. I would recommend this book for the brilliant narration and the promise of a great beginning alone. But if you hate to read a brilliant book with a far less than stellar ending then I would say stay clear.
As for me and my reasons to love audio books. It is a totally different experience to have a master narrator read a story to you. The imagery the voice of a stranger illicits is dramatic and enjoyable. I'm off to go hunting for some other audio books in this genre. Who does not love a good ghost story

Check out Dean Koontzs:

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A chat with Ernst Dabel, author of 'Pantheons' - and giveaway



Ernst Dabel

 A chat with Ernst Dabel, author of 'Pantheons'

It was the first day of my eighth grade in Junior High School. I had just entered the building and was walking hurriedly through the hallways, trying very hard not to bump into anyone. I remember my heart was beating really fast in excitement and my hands were all sweaty as I walked into the library. The librarian was surprised to see me as I walked up to the front desk. She remembered me from last year, knew me by my first name. She asked me why was I in the library, and I asked her ‘in the nicest voice possible of course’ if I could check out a few books. The librarian looked at me as if I had grown another head, and she kindly reminded me that this was the first day of school and that I hadn’t even checked into my homeroom yet, it just wouldn’t be possible since I had not even received a library card yet for the school year. I pleaded with her to allow me to check out some books. But she was adamant that without a library card I couldn’t take out any books. So I asked her what if I stayed inside the library and read it here. She told me that was okay. I had a few minutes and quickly took a mountain of books to one of the tables and began to read voraciously. I read ten pages of a Greek myth here, put it aside, then read several pages of a Norse mythology book, looked up at the clock to see how much time I had left before I delved into Egyptian myths and so on. A few minutes later, I placed all the books back with a breaking heart and thanked the librarian for allowing me to read a little, but I promised her I’d be back again for more. She smiled, told me she knew I’d be back, and explained that I wouldn’t be allowed to check out thirty books once I had my library card. I stepped out of the library with a deep sadness in my heart. Then I hurriedly fished through my book-bag and chose one of the five fantasy books I was currently reading and began to devour the pages with my eyes hungrily as I walked to my homeroom…fast-forward to current day: Now, I’m thirty-six, and still hungry for books. As a new YA author, I find that my burning desire for hunting down stories from ancient myths, folklore, and legends are very helpful for my research on gods and monsters.

My wish for Pantheons is that it makes its way to every reader, those who are always looking for something new, challenging, and always open to new ideas.

There are many books on vampires, wizards, and werewolves out there in the YA Market. In my opinion, they are fantastic stories. Harry Potter, Twilight, Hush, Hush, and so many others have brought so many positive things into our lives. These authors are a blessing to us book readers and I applaud them. Now, meaning no disrespect, but there’s only so much you can do with vampires, wizards, and werewolves. Of course there are very talented authors who can give new perspectives on a story, but basically the rules for those three categories can only be bent so far. For Pantheons however, the story is about all the gods (Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Celt, Asian, Aztec, Finnish, Babylonian, Hindu, Native American Indian, and many others) in modern day, and the variety of powers and abilities I have to deal with for these teenaged gods are so vast and varied it’s mind-boggling, but as I mentioned early on about my first day of eighth grade I was always the first to the library and I never stopped begging the librarian to let me check out a mountain of books, so I’m the man for the job. The amount of research, which will go into this series will test the strength of my eyes in a way that I’ve never been challenged before, but the thought of it is thrilling. Think about it Zeus, Odin, Seth, Spider Grandmother, Lugh, Marduk, Quetzalcoatl, Xuan Wu, Vainamoinen, Kali, the wealth of characters teen readers can delve into are endless…

Pantheons by E.J. Dabel
Available from 14th December 2011
 On the streets, they call fifteen year old orphan Isaiah Marshall the “Indestructible Diamond”. Isaiah is the leader of the “Redrovers”, a group of teenage misfits consisting of his friends Jeremy, Monty, and Pipsqueak, but when they trespass into “Kaliber Academy” to get even with the arrogant Jason Ollopa, they are in way over their heads. Principal Webb enrolls them into the High School and Isaiah soon learns about the existence of the gods of the Ancient World.
Because the gods have refused to fight the last War for fear of the Mysterious Dark, the Powers-that-Be have stripped them of their spiritual bodies and given them mortal, teenage forms. Isaiah discovers he's not only a god, but that he's the child of the Greek goddess Metis, the son destined to overthrow his cruel and sadistic father Zeus, the Darkener of the Sky, and become the greatest god in all the Pantheons. Isaiah is thrown into a world where the democratic Olympians, war-mongering Norse, Gothic Celts, firstborn Egyptians, the enlightened Hindu, the animal-like Aztecs, the martial artist Asians, the intelligent Babylonians, the great spirits of the Native American Indians, and the fierce Finnish will war against one another for the greatest of all prizes: the Dominion.

Author bio:

Ernst J. Dabel is the author of “Pantheons”, and is also the President and co-owner of Dabel Brothers Productions, a publishing company specializing in comics and graphic novels. Ernst’s company has adapted novels by major authors such as Dean Koontz, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Orson Scott Card, Raymond E. Feist, R.A. Salvatore, Patricia Briggs, Robert Silverberg, Tad Williams, and others.

Check out Sealion books:

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_______________________________________________

Want to win yourself an ecopy of Pantheons?

Deets

-Giveaway is international.

-Ends 15th December.

-The winner will be contacted by email so please make sure you enter with an address you check regularly.

-Just fill in the form.

-I'm hosting this giveaway so there are no follower requirements, just fill in your free entry, however following and sharing is always appriciated so there are extra entries for those if you already do or decide to follow and share :)

UK vs. THE WORLD! (2)

UK vs. THE WORLD is a weekly feature that I've recently started.

Each week two UK book covers will battle it out against their foreign counterpart as we judge them and decide which we like better because who doesn't love judging boks by their covers!



UK                              vs.                      Germany

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Women of the Otherworld book one

(German translation of 'Die Nacht der Wölfin' is 'The night of the wolf')

Mist: I'm gonna have to go with the German cover here, how can you not? Those purple eyes are just gorgeous, I also really like the purple moon and the wolf, the whole thing so eye catching and intriguing. The UK cover, whilst I like the purple, it's kind of boring, I don't like the weird wolf picture.

Ninfa: Both lovely covers and so different from each other, but I have to say the UK cover is my favourite. I don't like the eyes in the German cover, if it had been just the wolf and full moon it would have been different, but as it stands I prefer the UK version. Love the purple colour and the almost Celt design for the wolf :)



UK                             vs.                      Lithuania

Beautiful malice by Rebecca James

(Lituanian translation of 'Tobula klasta' is 'Perfect ruse')

Mist: And again I think my vote is against UK! I love that lituanian cover! I love the girls expression, that fact that the only colour is her red lipstick and the broken glass really gives it the thriller feel that I believe it is. The UK cover is nice enough, the brunettes expression is interesting, is she jealous? angry? I want to find out but I still like the other cover better. I do like both titles though :)

Ninfa: Apart from the builidngs in the background, there's nothing really that I like from the UK cover. The models are a little bland and samey, nothing new. The Lithuanian cover is however very pretty and intriguing. I like the broken glass effect on the perfect face, it's very intriguing and I love the contrast with the red lips and the pale white face.

Lithuania wins ;)

Which do you prefer?

Top ten Tuesday (25)

Top ten Tuesdays is hosted by The broke and the bookish

This weeks top ten is :

'Childhood Favourites'

Whilst I did read when I was younger I did read like I do so I don't think my list will reach ten but lets see.

1. Goosebumps by R.L Stine - The link goes to the first book in the series but I'm including them all as a pick since I didn't have a firm favourite. These short horror stories for young readers were great and I read tons of them in my early teens and even before that, some of them more than once, in fact I even have about 60 of them that I'd still read now.

2. Tiger eyes by Judy Blume - I don't remember a lot about the story of this one but I always remember it being the first book that made me cry, it follows 15 year old Davey dealing with the grief of recently losing her father when he is murdered. I read quite a few Judy Blume books but this is the one I remember the most, if I ever come across a copy someday I'd love to go back for a re-read.

3. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian - Actually this one was a required school read, we had to read it class but I got so wrapped up I couldn't wait and finished it early at home, thinking on it, it's probably the second book that ever made me cry, it was such a sad story, I did watch a tv adaption a few years later but it just wasn't the same.

4. What Katy did by Susan Coolidge - I never realised this series went beyond the three books about Katy, which I read when I was younger of course, until I was just getting the link on Goodreads, I'm going to have to go back and see if I can pick them all up somewhere so I can finish off the series. Well the three books I did read follow (you guessed it) Katy as she goes from a hot tempered young girl and grows into a woman. It's a great series for young girls that I'd like to share with my girls when they're older.

5. The railway children by E. Nesbit - Another one I don't really remember what happened in it but I know that I really enjoyed reading it.

Well I did read other books when I was younger but I wouldn't consider them having been favourites so I'm going to leave this list at five.

What were some of your childhood favourites?

Leave a link to your post, if you don't participate or have a blog then just comment and tell me :)



You are my only - Review

You are my only by Beth Kephart

Available now.

http://www.egmontusa.com/

What's it about?

Emmy Rane is married at nineteen, a mother by twenty. Trapped in a life with a husband she no longer loves, Baby is her only joy. Then one sunny day in September, Emmy takes a few fateful steps away from her baby and returns to find her missing. All that is left behind is a yellow sock.

Fourteen years later, Sophie, a homeschooled, reclusive teenage girl is forced to move frequently and abruptly from place to place, perpetually running from what her mother calls the "No Good." One afternoon, Sophie breaks the rules, ventures out, and meets Joey and his two aunts. It is this loving family that gives Sophie the courage to look into her past. What she discovers changes her world forever. . . .

My review:
4/5
This book is short and simple and emotional and I liked it, whilst it might not make my keep pile I would recommend it. I enjoyed the stories of Emmy and Sophie and how they came together, normally changing viewpoint from chapter to chapter doesn't bother me but the chapters were so short we were switching characters often and I'll be honest I found it a bit dizzying sometimes, I'd have preferred the chapters to be longer and perhaps for some more parts to be more in depth and I found the ending to be quite abrupt. I did enjoy the characters though, Emmy and the breakdown she has when baby is stolen felt realistic and being a mother myself was even hard to read. Seeing how Sophie is made to grow up was also really sad and I was hoping for a happy ending. There are a lot of emotions in this book, some I felt more than others, it was a nice quick read that I think makes you see just how quickly and easily something like that can happen and why someone might do it.
It's also written a lot different to other books I've read which took a little getting into but once I did I really enjoyed it, it's something that makes it different to other books.
 
My thoughts on the cover
I do like this cover, the rain and the hair cover the girls face so your not really sure if it's Emmy or Sophie and I love how the title is written in the water, it's a nice cover :)
 
Favourite quotes

'There wasn't white in her hair. There wasn't night beneath her eyes. She'd unrolled the paper across the width of the floor, and all afternoon we painted dreams.'

There is not one single thing that smells like baby, that cheeks against your cheek like the cheek of a baby. I kissed her.  I promised, "I am coming right back Baby."

Check out Beth Kepharts:

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In Mists mailbox (23)

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The story siren

Each week we share the books that have come into our homes.

28th Nov - 4th Dec

RAK

Darker still by Leanna Renee Hieber - This was a seriously surprise RAK, I'm not even sure where it came from as the sender forgot to write in the gift note area, but the billing address was on the invite so I know they're in the US lol Thank you so much mystery RAKer!

Er, and that's it, a very very quiet week for me!!

On my reading pile

Rachel at Fiktshun makes a reading pile every week and a few months ago I decide to copy her lol Her post is a lot more in depth than mine though so you should totally check her out and follow!

Crossed by Ally Condi is carried over to next week as my reading has been slow this week and I'm still working on Matched which I hope to finish by the end of the weekend but will more realistically finish Monday. After Crossed I really haven't decided what I'm reading, I need to have a look at what I have coming up, I'm thinking it might either be Ashfall by Mike Mullin or Slip point by Karalynn Lee... opinions anyone?

This week in review

Birthmarked and Prized by Caragh O'Brien

You are my only by Beth Kephart

Current giveaways

Monthly giveaway - Two chances to win a book of your choice to the value of £10

What was in your mailbox this week?

Birthmarked and Prized - Double review

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien.

Available now.

http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/

What's it about?

In the Enclave, your scars set you apart, and the newly born will change the future.

In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.

My review:

5/5

I bought this book when it came out and then it sat on my shelf for a long time, I'm so glad that I finally got to reading it though as I really enjoyed it. It's quick to get into the story and give you an insight into the world our characters are living in. Whilst I did feel that some parts moved slower than other parts I found I wasn't bothered because the author was just taking her time to tell the story properly instead of rushing to make for a more complete book. It was wrapped together well but I have to say I was a little disappointed she went for the obvious cliffhanger ending after such a great and different book.
I liked the main character Gaia, she goes through some terrible things and still comes out strong in the end, once she realises perhaps she should be asking questions aout her world, she does and she doesn't stop, she persists and fights for what she believes is right. Society has convinced her she's ugly because she's scarred and I hoped she's shake that off eventually but she never which I guess I found a little sad but she's still a strong heroine.
Sgt. Grey I had a harder time getting a grip on because his first impression is different to his second and third, he changes a lot even going onto the end and I really didn't feel like I knew him by the time the book was finished.
The book itself is a great story with some truly shocking scenes and other parts that had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen. There were a couple of times when I got a little confused by the science of the stories backgroud and there's no real explanation for how the world has ended up as it is but I wasn't left dissastisfied, in fact I was eager for the next book.

My thoughts on the cover
I really like this cover, is so different and intriguing, the colours are nice to and I like the flowers, it's defintiely a win for me.

Favourite quotes

Her nightmares were nothing compared to this. She should have been doing something. She should have been protesting somehow. Instead she'd been serving the Enclave like a stupid little slave!

He tilted his face slightly. "I should have met you long ago."

Prized by Caragh O'Brien.
Available now.
www.simonandschuster.co.uk/

What's it about?
Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

My review:
4/5
Warning - slightly spoiler-ish.
I really enjoyed Birthmarked so I was glad I had the sequel to start right away and I really liked it as much as the first one, however I did have some issues with it. I'll start with what I liked, once again Caragh O'Brien has written a great story that's compelling, thought provoking and had some 'gasp' worthy moments, it all tied in together well and I can see how the two worlds built up in this and the first book will clash in the third (and final?) book, which I am really excited for. Gaia goes above and beyond to make a stand for her beliefs and it makes for a semi-surprising ending. However I had trouble yet again with Leon, when he does come back he's a completely different person and I can see why he is and why he's angry but it felt like he changed almost overnight again but nothing had really been resolved to warrent the change, never the less, whilst a little confused it certainly didn't make me put down the book. The author did another great job at setting up an opressive society, that believes in the drastic laws they have made, without it feeling just like book one and I loved the role reversal of the women in charge!
And of course with a new society comes new characters, though I don't have a firm favourite amongst them I did find myself quite partial to Will and hope he'll be appearing more in the next one 'Promised' which, as I've mentioned, I am really excited for!

My thoughts on the cover
Well I loved the first and this is the same style so of course I love this cover to, I really like the colours on this one and the fact that Gaias head isn't turned rather than a profile this time, I think it represents her getting stronger as she battles for what she believes in and comes to terms with her scarred face. I predict the third cover will be her from the front :)

Favourite quotes

Gaia came to a stop, staring at him, at his black beard and the distinct lines of his nose and eyebrows, disbelieving. It can't be.

Two things were clear from his proud stance: he agreed to play, and he despised them all.

Check out Caragh O'Briens:

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The christmas spirits book trailer

Just thought I'd share this trailer for Whitley Strieber's The christmas spirits.

It's a modern day creepy retelling of
A christmas carol, I'm planning to read both soon :)

Monthly giveaway - December (int)

Well Novembers big giveaway is over but never fear if you didn't win because December sees the return of the monthly follower giveaways, one here and one on Facebook.

You can enter both as long as long as your follow in both places, that's two chances to win a book of your choice from book depository up to the value of £10.

As long as they ship to you, you can enter.

Fill in the form to enter the blog giveaway and head to the WIN!! tab on our Facebook page to enter there.