Book Review: Hounded

Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
by Kevin Hearne
Paperback, 289 pages
Published May 3rd 2011 by Del Rey
Source: Bought
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

The first novel in the original, six-book Iron Druid Chronicles--introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy hero


Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.


Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Review:

Atticus O'Sullivan is not your average 21-year-old-looking Irish boy. Aside from he runs a bookstore with a wide selection of ancient occult and religion books with an apothecary on the side, Atticus is also the last living Druid on earth. Oh, and he's also 2100 years old.

Hounded is one of the reasons why I love fantasy so much. This is where faeries, vampires, werewolves, demons and witches co-exist. Where Jesus and Mary are real (Atticus met them and thought they were nice people). Where Thor is an arrogant bastard and everyone wants to kill him. This is where all mythologies are real; Celtic, Norse, Greek... name it, they're all real! I didn't know about Druids before I read this book. (Yes, I'm guilty of not reading the summary first before buying it.) Thought they were an original concept by the author, so it was a nice surprise to know that Druids were part of the Celtic mythology. Add to that nice surprise is that the Druid in this book was such a fun, likable and admirable character.

Despite his age, Atticus acts like a normal 21 year old boy. He likes to flirt with redheaded bartenders and spooky goddesses. He also speaks the modern vernacular with ease, which is funny when you compare him to the other characters that are less than half his age and still speaks like the ancient. He reminded me of Master Roshi from Dragonball Z. Good thing Atticus looks like a 21-year-old because if not, that would be very amusing - but not a very nice sight.

Another fun character in the book was Oberon, Atticus' Irish wolfhound. I love books with protags who have adorable pets, so Hounded immediately earned a plus star for that. Atticus doesn't treat Oberon as merely a pet dog, rather, he treats him like one would treat a best friend. Oberon sometimes thought like a 5-year-old kid and Atticus indulges him a lot. He told him stories about people from the past and Oberon always felt the need of imitating them. Like when Atticus told him about Gengis Khan and after, Oberon wanted him to be called as Oberon Khan, demanding a horde of French poodles like Gengis Khan had a horde of women.

Hounded is an action-packed novel with lots of magic, fangs, claws and swords involved. I have to say that the action scenes really challenged my imagination. The only drawback of this book for me was the fact that Atticus always gets his way. He always beats his enemies. With some difficulty, yes, but he always wins in the end. But nonetheless, Hounded was an honest to goodness enjoyable read. Even without romance, the friendship between Oberon and Atticus and the breathtaking fight scenes, as well as the magic of this book kept me glued and entertained from the beginning till end.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday (23): Let the Sky Fall



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My WOW:
Let the Sky Fall (Let the Sky Fall #1)
by Shannon Messenger
Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: March 5th 2013 by Simon Pulse

Summary:

Vane Weston should have died in the category five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past—except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She's swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.

Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, they start to realize the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance growing between them.

Set amongst the desert airstreams of Coachella Valley in California, LET THE SKY FALL is about two teenagers broken by their pasts, divided by their futures, and bound by love.

I think the girl and the boy on the cover look a little awkward. If it is really "charged and romantic - a whirlwind of a story," as Becca Fitzpatrick puts it, they should be kissing instead!! Anyway, I love the premise and I like that it's the girl who has to keep the secrets here. In most YA where the boys have all the secrets, they tend to be branded as controlling or manipulative, but when it's the girls, nobody has a say about it. Why is that?

THE INDIGO SPELL Blurb is Here!

I am trying my hardest to compose myself as I write this post. But deep inside, I'm going ballistic and bursting with rabid fangirl feels.

Summary:

After an event that changed Sydney and Adrian’s lives forever, Sydney struggles to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring Marcus Finch, a former Alchemist who pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her. And when Sydney comes face to face with an evil magic user, she finally begins to embrace the mysterious magic she knows she holds within . . .

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series 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. (From Penguin Teen Australia)


Holy cow! Marcus Finch is alluring? Is that some code for love triangle? Oh my!!

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead is expected to be published on February 12th 2013 by Razorbill (Penguin).

Book Review: She Smells the Dead

She Smells the Dead  (Spirit Guide #1)
by E.J. Stevens
Kindle Edition
Published August 19th 2010 by Sacred Oaks Press
Source: Author
Buy the book: Amazon| Book Depository

Summary:

It's the beginning of senior year and Yuki's psychic awareness of ghostly spirits is threatening to ruin her life. Her ability to sense spirits of the dead isn't glamorous like the ghost hunting on television.

SHE SMELLS THE DEAD.

The smell impressions are becoming stronger. Yuki is being visited in her dreams, and she suspects that her friend Calvin is involved in something strange. To make matters worse her crush on Garrett is going unrequited, Yuki's friend Emma is on a rampage against bee oppression, and Calvin Miller mysteriously disappears.

Will Yuki be able to focus her powers in time to save the lost soul who is haunting her? Meanwhile, who will save Yuki from following the spirits into the light?


Review:

She Smells the Dead has the type of premise that is intriguing and something that would surely appeal to teens. The characters are funny and easy to like, especially Yuki. Although I might be biased because we share the same love for anime. She dresses the way she wants and doesn't care what other people say about her. She has two best friends, Cal and Emma, who are both hilarious and real good friends. The first part was generally enjoyable. However, I can't say the same about the second part.

While I love books with fast-moving plot, I didn't like how fast the story went in the book. It almost seemed rushed to me. The case of the dead person in the "bee overlord's" house which I thought was a major conflict in the book ended too abruptly, which was both disappointing and baffling since the first part of the book seemed to have its focus on that case, and also because I was really looking forward to how Yuki would solve the case. The romance was abrupt as well. One moment, Yuki was pining after Garrett and later, when she found out that Cal was in love with her, it only took a snap before she realized that she, too, was in love with him. (?)

I was surprised too when I found out the truth about Cal. I thought it was contrived. There were so many things happening in the book and all those could have worked together very well if they were written in more details. And the ending? I think it was supposed to make the readers more excited for the second book. But to be honest, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. It was so sudden and it just left me more confused than ever.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Disclosure: This e-book was received from the author for free in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Sweet Evil

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)
by Wendy Higgins
Paperback, 454 pages
Published May 1st 2012 by HarperTeen
Source: Bought
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?


Review:

When I first met Anna Whitt, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like her that much. She didn’t seem like an exciting character to me. She was an extreme Ms. Goody Two Shoes, she always told the truth, she cried so easily, she didn’t have vices and she wasn’t even funny. In short, she was boring. In most cases, if a character already bores me not more than 30 pages into the book, I would think twice before continuing to read it. However, in Sweet Evil’s case, my extreme excitement for the book overshadowed my indifference for Anna. Besides, I thought Kaidan Rowe was especially hot.

There’s no argument that Kaidan is a certified YA hottie. Brown hair, blue eyes, cocky attitude, an awesome drummer and oh, British accent, anyone? *Swoon* Too bad that as the story progressed, he became less and less enticing to me. Not that I don't love him as a character anymore (the guy is too sexy to ignore!) but my dislike for Anna dragged him down too.

I was never a fan of insta-romance so I was disappointed to find one in Sweet Evil. This insta-romance also involves a forbidden love, which is something I generally like in my YA books but weirdly enough, something I didn't appreciate in this book. Especially when the relationship of Anna and Kaidan confused me so much. One moment they're so into each other and the next, the other is all we can't be together blah blah. I also didn't like how Anna acted when Kaidan told her off. And though her reaction was quite understandable given that it was her first love, I couldn't help but be irked by it. My respect for her as a girl went couple of notches down then and there. I most especially didn't like how much emphasis was given to Anna's virginity. At first it was funny but then I just got tired of it. Practically every character in this book knows about her virginity. Even the evil bosses are calling her out for it. How weird is that?

Speaking of weird, Sweet Evil has a rather unique but weird concept. Nephs here are taught not to do good things contrary to others where kids are taught not to do bad things. However, I think Higgins's concept for this book is questionable. Wouldn't it be more pleasing to the evil bosses if the Nephs are not following the rules? Because violating the rules is evil, right? (That or maybe Philosoraptor is rubbing off on me.)

But by all means, I genuinely liked reading this book. In terms of plot, Sweet Evil is well-paced. The side characters are likable especially Jay and the other Nephs. Despite Anna's tendency to be annoying and confusing, I couldn't help turning the pages one after the other. I guess in spite of its flaws, Sweet Evil still has that grasping quality to it that makes it hard to put down. And did I mention that Kaidan Rowe is hot? It's just sad that I don't share the same hype that majority of the YA blogging community has for this book.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday (22): Prodigy


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My WoW
Prodigy (Legend #2)
by Marie Lu
Hardcover, 371 pages
Expected publication: January 29th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Jan. 4, 1932 Hours.

Ocean Standard Time.

Thirty-Five Days After Metias’s Death.

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengence, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?
Prodigy (Legend, #2)

Legend was one of my favorite books of 2011! I can't wait to read more about Day and June's story. The ending of Legend, though not a cliffhanger, was as hair-pulling-inducing! It just sucks that the release date was pushed to January 2013 instead of November 2012. :(

Cover Reveal: The Star Child by Stephanie Keyes + Giveaway!


Hey guys, Stephanie Keyes's debut novel, The Star Child, has a new cover! What do you think about it?


Here's the old one:



The new one is for both the e-book and paperback version. Which do you like better?

The Blurb

The world is about to be cloaked in darkness.
Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.

Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?

Star Child is expected to be published on September 21st 2012 by Inkspell Publishing





The Star Child

About The Author

Stephanie Keyes was born in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania and has worked for the past twelve years as a corporate educator and curriculum designer in the Telecommunications industry. She holds a Master's degree in Education with a specialization in Instructional Technology from Duquesne University and a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University. She is a classically trained clarinetist, but also plays the saxophone and sings. When she's not writing, she is a wife to a wonderfully supportive husband and mother to two little boys whom she cites as her inspiration for all things writing. The Star Child is Mrs. Keyes' debut novel.

Visit the author: Goodreads | Website | Blog | Twitter 

Giveaway

What you can win:

A Celtic knot designed antiqued bookmark

Giveaway Details:
- Open to US & UK residents
- Winner will be selected and contacted by the publisher
- Prize will be shipped by the publisher
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Indigo Spell FINISHED COVER!!!

*Hyperventilates* Okay. So, remember my Indigo Spell cover reveal post a couple of weeks ago? Well, that actually wasn't the final cover as explained by Richelle Mead herself. Don't ask me why they "revealed" an unfinished cover but don't get so sad now because THE FINISHED COVER IS HERE!!!

From Penguin Teen Australia
YES IT'S THE FINAL COVER! *Continues hyperventilating* Oh, and see the indigo tattoo on the left dude's cheek?? OMG it's Marcus Finch!!! But why he looks around Sydney's age is beyond me.

The Indigo Spell is expected to be released on February 12th 2012. You can also check out my review of The Golden Lily here. :3

Book Review: The Golden Lily

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)
by Richelle Mead
Paperback, 418 pages
Published June 12th 2012 by Razorbill
Source: Bought
Buy the book: Amazon| Book Depository

Summary:

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series.

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.


Review:

You guys. This book was a dream come true! It was everything I expected it to be and so much more. You have no idea just how many feels are wanting to burst out of my system right now and start gushing about the amazingness that is The Golden Lily. This book makes me want to puke rainbows and doodle hearts for all the world to see. Gosh, it’s amazing how one book can make me feel as good as this. I don't do drugs, but this one is probably so much better than all of them combined!

Moving on. The Golden Lily starts a while after Bloodlines. I wasn’t impressed with the plot development as it was very predictable. But I can say that my love for the characters overshadowed my impression for the plot. I swooned when Adrian’s name first came up. The guy is so cute and so hilarious! Whenever he says or does something, I always find myself melting. Same with Sydney! I never gushed about female characters but I have a very huge girl-crush on Sydney. I like that she’s so oblivious to Adrian’s attempts at flirting with her. She doesn’t even know she’s flirting back! But what's good is that her naiveté toward romance isn’t contrived at all which just makes her all the more hilariously adorable. But with this ignorance came the urge to slap some sense to her. She sees Adrian everywhere! She always thinks about what could make Adrian happy! If that isn't love, I don't what is. She could be so very frustrating sometimes but I still love her.

There’s also the issue of her being ultra-weight conscious. I'm happy that this issue was addressed in the book and by no other than Adrian himself. It goes to show how their relationship had grown from nothing to something. Even more than something. I'm so excited to see how Sydney would react once she realizes her feelings for Adrian. Oh, and there's also Jill, Eddie and Angeline. Angeline and Eddie cracked me up so many times! It was hilarious how Eddie always looked horrified whenever Angeline took advances on him. Though I have to say that I wasn't happy with how things turned out for them. It felt like rushed to me or maybe it was just that I was more focused on Sydrian that I didn't notice that triangle the three were forming.

As for Dimitri and Sonya, it was definitely nice to see the two again. Adrian still doesn't feel friendly toward Dimitri, but Dimitri seems to think otherwise. For Dimitri, it was almost as if nothing ever happened between them. Which was also frustrating. I felt bad whenever Adrian gave him the evil eye.

If you liked Bloodlines, you will DEFINITELY, ABSOLUTELY love The Golden lily too! This is even better than the first book! And oh, that ending! You will love it and you will hate it, but ultimately, it will make you want to read the next book!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday (21): Throne of Glass


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My WoW:

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)
by Sarah J. Maas
Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children's

Blurb:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)

This book hasn't even hit the shelves yet and already, it's taking the YA blogging community by a storm. Of course all blogs I follow are also raving about it. Which is just sad. I want to read ASAP but Bloomsbury wouldn't accept my request. :(

Stacking the Shelves (1)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews and is based from Kristi @ The Story Siren's In My Mailbox. Click the image to head over to Tynga's Stacking the Shelves posts.

Hey you guys! In case you're wondering, yes, I'm officially back to procrastinating blogging! Wooo! *throws confetti* So you'll see The Procrastinator's Corner updated more often. Well, hopefully. Because school seems to enjoy torturing me more these days. But that aside, I got some pretty awesome books to add to my shelf this week!
  

You Against Me by Jenny Downham - Got this for just 115php from Book Sale
The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead - Finally! I've already started reading it and it's so awwwwesome! <3
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins - Heard so many good things about this book. Can't wait to read it!
ARC of Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (Given) - O.M.G. I went ballistic when my cousin gave it to me. Thank you Anne! You're one awesome sauce of a cousin. And look! I even got the US cover. Sweet.

It's prettier than the UK cover! <3

How about you? What did you add to your shelf this week? ;)

Book Review: Half-Blood

Half-Blood (Covenant #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Paperback, 281 pages
Published October 18th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press
Source: Bought

Summary:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi—pure-bloods—have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals—well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.


Review:

This is another book in which I have a serious love-hate relationship with. I love it because it was just soooo good! The main protagonist, Alex, is so badass and snarky and very loveable. Aiden? Hotness personified. Seth? Hotness personified too. The plot is exciting and had me on the edge of my seat countless of times. So, the problem? It bears a striking similarity to Vampire Academy.

Yes, THE Vampire Academy. The book I've read so many times and which I hold very dear to my heart. And it is really disappointing because it's not just the concept that's similar, like how Battle Royale and The Hunger Games are similar. The characters, events... it's sort of like VA with different character names. But of course, Half-Blood is good on it's own too. However, if you've read VA, then you could probably guess what's gonna happen in the book. Those are just minor events, BUT STILL. I don't know the story behind this so I'm not going to comment any further.

Anyway, like I said, this book had me on the edge of my seat several times. It's intense in all the right places. Also, the sexual tension between Aiden and Alex is too palpable, it was hard not to swoon. And the addition of Seth who's probably as hot as Aiden is just overwhelming! I don't usually gush about boys in this blog. My mother would probably spank me if she reads this, but hey! It's true. It's another disappointment, actually. I don't like love triangles especially when both boys are too likable. Another thing I disliked is the amount of foreshadowing! It seems as if Jennifer Armentrout is giving away the plot. But I hope I'm mistaken.

I would have given this a higher rating, but the issue with Vampire Academy keeps me from doing so. I'm not sure if fans of VA will like this or hate this but for the sake of the boys, I still recommend you all to read Half-Blood.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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