Pledeged Blog Tour: Excerpt #2

Tour Banner from Addicted to Words

Hey guys! So this is the second excerpt from the forthcoming novel, Pledged by Gwynneth White meeting the main characters and catching glimpses of their lives. Here is the first excerpt ( Excerpt #1 ( Meet Erin & Seth ) with the book synopsis ). 

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Excerpt: Meet Jared & Sophia

Jared nodded at Sophia and Kezeah without any sign of recognition. With two of his Pledged up front and two at their rear, he marched them down the corridor to a flight of stairs. Once at the bottom, he ducked beneath an archway, opening onto to a gloomy, narrow tunnel. Erin, never keen on dark, claustrophobic spaces, took a deep breath and paused.

“C’mon,” Seth said. “The sooner we walk through it, the quicker we get to the other side.”

“What happens if what’s on the other side is even worse?”

“Then you’ll know for sure that the dead guys are leading this expedition,” Seth said, wanting to deny the painful burning in his heart that reconnected him with a cursed Jared. He grabbed Erin’s arm and pulled her into the passage.

They’d taken no more than two tentative steps along the uneven floor when Sophia stopped. “Commander, I am not walking through this snake-hole!”

Jared turned back to look at her. With none of the fear or diffidence Erin and Seth expected from a boy with limited to exposure to girls – especially beautiful ones – he answered, “Of course, my lady. You’re from Norin, where I understand you live in grass huts.” He gave a sardonic smile. “But don’t despair, you’ll soon get used to bricks. Even our own Outcasts have learnt not to flinch at the sight of them.” He continued down the passage.

     Seth’s mouth dropped at Jared’s rudeness; this was so foreign to the Jared he had seen just moments ago in his vision. It just added to his anger at Reuel’s Curse.

The Pledged at Sophia’s rear prodded her back; she gave him a fierce look and started walking.

For Seth and Sophia, both taller than Erin and Kezeah, negotiating the tortuous twists and turns of the tunnel was no easy matter. Stooping, cursing each time they bumped their heads on the rough ceiling, they struggled after Jared, but he kept up the merciless pace until they reached a dark staircase.

Her temper now as short as her breath, Sophia stopped walking and locked her arms across her chest. “Having just cracked my skull open, you now expect me to scramble up those treacherous stairs too. No doubt hoping I’ll fall and break my neck. Well, forget it. I’m not moving.”

“Sophia!” Kezeah whispered, jabbing her in the ribs as she stepped gingerly onto the first narrow step.

Sophia ignored her. “Only savages and rats live in places like this.”

     Jared’s eyes narrowed. “Savages and rats, you say, my lady?”

Sophia set her face into a cold stare, locking her hypnotic blue eyes on his.

He surprised her by holding her gaze. “I hate to disappoint you, my lady, but Lord Rustus, Lord of the Household, under the direction of the Overlord himself, has chosen your apartment. Surely you don’t question their judgment in this matter?” 

     “As a matter of fact, I do.”

     “In that case, I’ll gladly pass on your concerns. If that’s what you really want.”

“Enough, Sophia. This isn’t a fight you can win.” Sophia’s Guardian had joined them.

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Happy Reading!
xoxo, Mariam

I'm on a Family Vacation! ....Goodbye :(

       Hey guys! So as my plans on going to France and England has been terminated this summer :'( *a very very sad sigh* I'm going on a family vacation for about two weeks! Yeah, that's a considerable amount of time without blogging and I doubt that I'll have any Internet connections there :( but if I do, then you'll definitely find me on Twitter!

*I had to write this real quick because I think my dad is going to leave me behind or something so I have to go ;) But I wish you all a very happy week and I'll miss you all guys <3*

PS: I have scheduled a blog post, an excerpt from the Pledged blog tour which I hope you all enjoy :)

xoxo, Mariam

Blood Jewel Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway!

Summary:

With the mystery of Chansey Leclaire and Curry Brennan’s connection solved, they are free to explore their newfound love for one another. Or so they thought...

When Marsala uses a witch and black magic to discover Curry’s whereabouts, he and Chansey are left with no choice. The newly engaged couple is forced to relocate away from their families at the new compound in Savannah, which causes some major changes in the plans for their upcoming wedding.

Relocating to Savannah might have saved Curry and Chansey from being discovered by Marsala, but it doesn’t stop her attempts to reach Curry or her efforts to harm Chansey through the use of black magic. As Marsala closes in, Curry faces the decision he never wanted to make. Will he keep Chansey human or condemn her to eternity as the thing he hates most?
As Curry waits for his hand to be forced, a newly turned vampire arrives at the Savannah compound in need of help. Not only is she a fledgeling in transition, she brings reports of escaping from a vampire cult still in possession of her sister, a human. Any attempt to save the captive human from a cult of vampires puts everyone in jeopardy. Can they risk entering a large cult to save one human being? And is so, how could they possibly do it successfully?

  
    Hoping that the story would take a different turn and happy to say to that it did and I enjoyed it. With the simple writing style as well as the good plot, Georgia Cates was able to take us on this vampire-coloured story wrapped within it a sweet love story and an adventure.

   Written from the point of view of Curry which is something that I ultimately enjoyed and a brief look from Marasla's point of view, Curry Benran's maker ( To see my review of book 1, click HERE ) we get a look at her past which was interesting because she did have a gloomy background. But then we go straight to Curry and Chansey from we left them in book 1 and as there relationship started to grow stronger and unbreakable by the day. Happily married now but as it seems that with vampires comes trouble and some would include the obsessed Marasla and other exciting dilemmas.

   However, at some point the intimacy between Curry and Chansey was just too much, like it took a good chunk of this book but it was still sweet and full of passion. And Chansey has developed a lot and I liked her in this book much more. Also, Curry he was just this sweet laid back gentleman and together they make a really cute couple.

   For the most part though, this book was happy and I liked the intensity in it, it wasn't expected, like every moment I was expecting it to turn bad but it never did, about to but never and I didn't say I didn't like that, in the matter fact I did, it became rare to see a peaceful story, they all tend to end bad so who doesn't love happy stories and happy/cliffhanger endings. Also, I must say that I love the cover art of this one ;)

   Overall, I can say that I liked Blood Jewel much more than Blood of Anteros in reference to the story itself. And also as a sequel, a good one, the characters developed more as well as the world in which the story takes place which I really like the world setting and as a result, I'm looking forward to reading the next book. I do recommend this for all the fantasy/vampires lovers out there, I'm sure you're gonna enjoy it!

Title: Blood Jewel
Author: Georgia Cates
Series: The Vampire Agape series
Published: May 31st 2012
Source: A copy was provided as a participant in the blog tour.
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Rating: 3.5/5

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Giveaway!
Enter for the chance of winning one of twelve e-books of Blood Jewel by Georgia Cates!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect with the author @Twitter | @HerBlog

This tour is presented by AToMR Blog Tour.

Happy Reading & Good Luck!
xoxo, Mariam

Book Review: Blood Of Anteros by Georgia Cates

Synopsis:
"I was tantalized by the mystery of her. The leech inside me came out to find prey, but found none in this enigmatic girl. The close proximity of her essence didn’t entice the monster within, so what did that make her? I had more questions than answers, but one thing was unmistakable; although she released me from her embrace, her hold on me remained."
Cruel circumstances turned Curry Brennan into the wretched monster he hates and refuses to accept, but when an expected turn of events releases him from the bond of his obsessive maker, he returns to the home he knew 161 years earlier and finds the return of happiness and joy in something he didn’t know existed. Puzzled by his growing attraction to Chansey Leclaire, a human, he is unable to resist the captivating relationship that threatens to reveal his existence as a vampire. He eventually discovers the reason he was destined to find what he didn’t know he searched for and is faced with the cruel realization that the living and the immortal undead will always be separated by one thing. Eternity.

       In the first installment in the Vampire Agape series, we go through the adventure with yet another hot vampire. A well-written book with a good plot. Seemed to me as some sort of a re-telling of Twilight with re-arranging of the events along with a lot of changes of course. I mean, some may see this a good thing and absolutely enjoy it and some may not and honestly, I'm in between, I just don't like redundancy.

      So Curry Brenan, our hero was enslaved under the hand of his maker, Marsala whom seems to be obsessed with him but not until this one day where the eclipse was occurring that he was freed and ran away now that there bond was broke and that's when everything started to change but many stuff remains unrevealed for Curry until he meets accidentally a man, whom is going to be Curry's best friend and mentor, Solomon and together they helped Curry himself overcome his lust for human blood and stop killing human beings. Years passed by until fate decided to get together Curry and his future love and Agápe, Chansey Leclaire. Curry was influced really bad by Chansey's touch, scent and presence and slowly they grew some feelings but Curry was bewitched by her and then things started to become clear as Chansey possesses the Blood of Anteros which was a gift bestowed to her from the Gods. And together they fall in love and a sweet romance forms and more as they both discover there destiny and the adventures that awaited them.

    One thing that I really liked and enjoyed was that this book was written from point of view of a guy, Curry himself. The cover is deceiving ( and cute! ), I started this book expecting a story from a girl's point of view but instead found Curry, don't get me wrong, he is such a sweet heart actually. It was as if were seeing things from Edward's point of view as in Twilight. But the thing with him is that he is 26 years old! Quite old for me :/ And Chansey, I grew to love her and her name, she was different than Bella. I sometimes felt that she was strong and calm. She was able to hold herself well, although I didn't really like her at the beginning. The romance was an insta-love story but then it wasn't. It happened really shortly but in a way that gives you the illusion that it didn't. I liked it but sometimes I felt that it was hackneyed.

    Overall, and honestly I did enjoy this book but I decided to give it 3 stars for I was disappointed because I felt that this book was really good but I cannot take away from my mind the similarity between it and Twilight. Georgia Cates definitely added an interesting twist on the story but by the end I still know the outline of the story. So if you don't mind it, then by all means go ahead and read it, you are gonna enjoy it! It was a book full of lust, love, memories, faith, vampires and the beginnings of a lot of stuff that is still to come later. However, I think the path that this story is going to take in the second book in this series is going to be different or at least, I hope it does get out of this Twilight atmosphere. Looking forward to reading the next book!

Title: Blood of Anteros

Author: Georgia Cates

Series: The Vampire Agápe  Series

Published: September 21, 2011

Source: A copy was provided as a participant in the blog tour of this book.

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 3/5



Happy Reading!
xoxo, Mariam

Book Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Summary:
"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again. 

     Well, what can I say! I started this book expecting 'amazing' and I'm happy to say that I found much more. The way how this book was written took the story to a whole another level. And the book all in all wasn't really much of a light read or something you would take to the beach or something but then I unlimitedly enjoyed each and every page.

     So first, we have Echo. A broken girl whom since an attack that she can't really remember that left her arms permanently scarred. That day which turned her life upside down and now she is considered a freak and an outcast and add on that the grief of losing her comfort and her beloved brother, Aires. Yet, Echo believes that her way out of this mess was remembering that day but then who knows what happens next. And then we have Noah! whom also after his parents death had to deal with an agonizing separation from his younger brothers as well as being taken from one foster home to another.  It's just a heartbreaking story about two people seeking normal.

     I enjoyed the dual perspective of the book, hearing it from both Noah and Echo really adds to the story. But OMG! Noah, he was this smoking-hot-swoon-worthy guy with the essence of a bad boy to him but then he so wasn't, he was really good in heart and I really liked that we got to see the soft and kind side of him, proving that he was a human being not a mentally messed up guy but it was the circumstances that forced him to act and appear like that. I mean, enough what we saw when it came to his brothers, the utter love that he held towards them was the sweetest thing everrrr and it felt true, like how he was always lit on fire because of his separation from them :(  And if I was to describe Noah in five simple words, they'd be: hot, loyal, eminent, utterly caring and badly-wild. And Echo, she had this really bright, fun and kind personality and tended towards being idealistic somewhat. I simply loved her and felt for her. And this connection with the characters along with other stuff would definitely make it a hard book to forget.

      In my opinion, one of the things about this book, away from the characters ( and Noah!! ) and the writing style was the storyline itself and how the romance which was just ravishing and sweet was between two truly struggling people and the sore feelings within both of them which we got to feel through reading the story from the POVs' of both of them and it was because of some really harsh and saddening incidents in their lives but then eventually they found the ground to gain their stability in each other which was sweet and pure. It wasn't your average type of love story and also wasn't an instant one, the way it developed between Echo and Noah was just spellbinding.

      Overall, not enough words to describe what this book has done to me. I ached a lot during my trip reading this book and ached more when I finished it. I think that book is going to be from the very few books that I am gonna re-read, that's for sure. Five words, YOU HAVE TO READ IT! Or you're seriously missing out. A heart-wrenching, breathtaking and emotionally charged novel with an unconventional-hot love story that would keep you at the edge of your seat! Highly recommend it!

Title: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Published: July 31, 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Series: Stand-alone
Source: NetGalley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Rating: 5/5

xoxo, Mariam

Check these out too!
- Choppy Random Talks: Best-Ever YA Novels & Series vs. Stand-Alone Books?
- Book Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Feature & Follow Friday #5

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee where they choose a featured blogger every week along with a question for everybody to answer! It's an awesome way to meet new book bloggers and share the follower love :)

 

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Q: What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn't have to be a book blog.

Well, we all have lots of bloggers whom inspire us. I personally have tons but first onto the non-book bloggers. Some non book blogs that I regularly read are mostly beauty/fashion and food. Few that I love are Elle & Blair Fowler ( Of course, the two well known beauty gurus/sisters on YouTube, I love them ), Life And Style ( I love to visit her blog for her cool DIY posts and she does an amazing job overall ) and The Girl Who Ate Everything ( Well, I'm not much of a cooker but I do like this one, plus, cute blog name! )

And book bloggers wise would be Small Review, Mimi Valantine, Booktastic Reviews, Itching for Books and A Reading Daydreamer. These are just a few though ;) 

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So that was my answer :) But what about you? Leave me a comment down below or a link to your own post which I'll be sure to check out ;)

Happy Reading!
xoxo, Mariam

Previous Post: Choppy Random Talks: Best-Ever YA Novels & Series vs. Stand-Alone Books?

Choppy Random Talks: Best-Ever YA Novels & Series vs. Stand-Alone Books?

     I recently stumbled across this list/article in the NPR Books, Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels and I actually saw it a couple of times on Twitter and Facebook and actually it is a list that I found interesting. So it is based on some sort of a poll, people voted on their own favorite young adult novels and by the end they came up with this list which I'm determined to finish off most of it sometime in the future.

    The fact that this list includes most of my all time favourite series from the Hunger Games to Delirium to The House of Night Series to the Maze Runner series to The Shiver series to the Vampires Academy series and whole a lot more ( I know, I read series quite frequently ) And if the rest of the books in the list were just as amazing then I wouldn't want to miss reading them and soon before school starts again ( I can't believe that my summer vacation is coming to an end already :\ )

      Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels

     Another thing that I fear is that stand-alone novels are going to extinct or something, I feel that series are really taking over somewhat. Like personally aside from about 4 or 5 stand alone novels that I read in 2012 until now, it is nothing compared to the series that I started and many that I didn't finish. Why is there no more amazing stand alone novels like Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry ( my review will be up soon! ) or The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater! I don't know but is it only me or what? You can also check out this really cool discussion post by Alison from Alison Can Read, Stand-alone Books vs. Series. She actually gets all about it in this post, the reason behind the presence of so many series, it's pros and cons and more about the subject and I think she is just a hero for being able to write all of this because it was really long, good job Alison! 

So stand-alone novels VS. series.... which side are on or are you in between? And what are some of your favorite stand-alone novels?

 And if I'd add one more book to this list it would be Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry. But what about you? What would you add to this list?

Happy Reading!

xoxo, Mariam

Waiting for Wednesday #9: Etiquette & Espionage

Waiting on Wednesday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by
Jill from Breaking the Spine.

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Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk
Release Date: 5 Febraury 2013

Goodreads:
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

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So that was mine :) What about you? What are you drooling over this week? Leave me a comment down below or a link to your own post which I'll be sure to check out ;)

xoxo, Mariam

Pervious Post: Blood of Anteros Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway

Blog Tour: Blood of Anteros by Georgia Cates

This tour is presented by AToMR Blog Tour.



Hey guys! And welcome to my tour stop in the Blood of Anteros blog tour! So first, you'll find the book synopsis and then there will be an excerpt from the book which I hope will get you intrigued to read it. There will also be a giveaway at the end of this post for the chance of winning two printed copies of the first two books int The Vampire Agape series Yay!! So hope you enjoy and good luck winning :)

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Synopsis:

Cruel circumstances turned Curry Brennan into the wretched monster he hates and refuses to accept, but when an expected turn of events releases him from the bond of his obsessive maker, he returns to the home he knew 161 years earlier and finds the return of happiness and joy in something he didn’t know existed. Puzzled by his growing attraction to Chansey Leclaire, a human, he is unable to resist the captivating relationship that threatens to reveal his existence as a vampire. He eventually discovers the reason he was destined to find what he didn’t know he searched for and is faced with the cruel realization that the living and the immortal undead will always be separated by one thing. Eternity.

Excerpt:

While I stood covered in my blanket of sunshine, a hummingbird caught my attention as he fluttered by and stopped to hover over a bright flower, drawing his nectar. He ignored me, as he drank the sweetness he desired and I envied his ability to drink what he craved without consequences. While I foolishly stood envying the hummingbird, I missed the shot, and was busy mentally kicking myself when something different caught my attention.

I was captivated by a singing voice, accompanied by a strumming guitar, and I wanted a closer listen. I was drawn like a sailor to the siren of the sea and I followed the source of the beautiful sound, toward the front of the house. I rounded the corner of the house slowly, in search of the voice and its owner, and stole a glance of her from where I hid.

She sat on the edge of a patio chair on the front porch and sang softly while she gently strummed an old, worn guitar. Her face was lowered, watching her fingers caress the strings of her guitar. Long layers of dark waves fell forward, creating a veil, preventing me from seeing her face.

I remained just out of sight, as I listened to her angelic voice. The tempo was slow, her lyrics sincere, and I saw she believed what she was singing as it radiated from her heart.

I knew the urge was wrong, but I was powerless to stop myself as I raised my camera for a closer view. I focused in on her for a better view, then without thinking, I photographed her without her knowledge or permission. I watched and waited for her to lift her chin, allowing me to see the view I craved.

While she sang, I was discovered by a pair of fluttering butterflies and was reminded of a time in my past. As if I had stepped back in time more than twenty years, the pair stopped briefly, landing on my arm. The duo left quickly and whirled in circles, chasing one another, until they reached the singing woman.

I was shameless as I photographed them fluttering leisurely around her while they waltzed to her song. They tired of their waltz and came to rest on her left shoulder and I stole that shot as well. After going unnoticed by the woman, they departed on their way.

I remained still and unseen while I wondered if this Chansey. If so, I had done it again, and robbed her of her private moments, making me a creep and a thief. I should have left because any decent person would salvage her remaining privacy. I willed my feet to walk, but they were unwilling to obey. There would never be another debate regarding the existence of my conscience because I heard it screaming at me loud and clear. As much as I wanted to give her this private moment, I found I was unable to tear myself away from her voice.

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Giveaway:

Enter for the chance of winning two printed copies of the first two books in The Vampire Agape series, Blood of Anteros and Blood Jewel. ( Sorry but since this giveaway is set up by the author herself, it is open to US residents only )

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Reading!
xoxo, Mariam

Feature & Follow Friday #4

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee where they choose a featured blogger every week along with a question for everybody to answer! It's an awesome way to meet new book bloggers and share the follower love :)

 

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Q: What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch?

Ummm, well I think that I would give myself a chance to know more about the whole book blogging thing and see more book blogs and stuff because honestly, once I knew about the whole thing, I just started mine in a second and I don't believe how ignorant I was. I have been blogging for a while now and I can see that. I would prepare myself and just know what exactly am I going to do, get sort of organized. Perhaps getting a customised blog design from the beginning would have been nice too.

***

So that was my answer :) What about you? Leave me a comment down below or a link to your own post which I'll be sure to check out ;)

Happy Reading!

xoxo, Mariam

Pervious Post: Book Review: The Impossible Engineers by M. J. Fletcher

Book Review: The Impossible Engineers by M. J. Fletcher

Synopsis:
Chloe Masters’s world changes in a heartbeat and all she did was touch a doorknob.
James Nightshade has been on Chloe’s mind since the day she met him. Arrogant and frustrating, she thought she had put him behind her when she chose Michael Slade.

When the secret she is seeking leads to questions about the death of Nightshade’s former girlfriend, she has no chose but to bring him into the investigation. A move she will come to regret.

Danger awaits them around every corner as they search for answers. In the end a choice will need to be made, but is Chloe strong enough to make it?

      
       In the second installment in the Doorknob Society Saga, we yet get to follow Chloe through another adventure, an intense and dynamic one. The author continues to develop the the world in which Chloe lives and it was amazingly done. My heart was wrenched with everything thing in this. It was like being on a roller coaster with different speeds.

       So the story picks up a while after where it ended in the first book after the fight and now Chloe has officially joined the Doorknob Society but she is still a target and almost always in danger, sure nothing happened to her since Nightshade was always to there save the day. However, some recent incidents forced them to work together. And along with Chloe and Nightshade, there was also Edgar, Slade, Jess and together they formed what seems like a team and were on the hunt for the artifacts.   

      The romance in this book was so so sweet but it wasn't offensive, so it does suit most ages. The characters were just as amazing and well-developed and I feel we got to know each one of them even more. We got to see more of Nightshade and Chloe together Squeee! and looking at their progress in the first book, here they have relatively made progress. Ah! They were so cute! but Slade really got on my nerve in this book, he was such a jerk in this book. However, I really think that the thing about this book is the story itself, it's unique and fresh and I feel that we need that along with the characters as well whom you can easily get attached to.

      The ending of the book just put me through a shock, I like was "NO NO NO!!! This can't be" and then the book ended leaving me craving for more, it was such a cruel cliffhanger but then I know that the story can't just go on like this and I of course can't give anything away only that I truly enjoyed reading this book as I did with the first one, perhaps this one more. And I'm Team Nightshade btw!!!

     Overall, this was a breathtaking story and a really good sequel. I enjoyed and devoured each page. It was action-packed in a mediocre way and with a few really sweet moments for your heart to ache. A wonderful storyline with an ending that wouldn't give you the chance to miss the next book. Highly recommend it

Title: The Impossible Engineers
Author: M.J. Fletcher

Series: The Doorknob Society Saga

Published: April 27th 2012

Source: M. J. Fletcher ( Thank you so much! )

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords

Rating: 5/5

PS: To see my review of the first book, The Doorknob Society, please click HERE.

Happy Reading!
xoxo, Mariam


Previous Post: Waiting on Wednesday #8

Waiting on Wednesday #8

Waiting on Wednesday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by
Jill from Breaking the Spine.

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Burn For Burn by Jenny Han
Genre: YA, Contemproray
Release Date:  September 18th 2012

Goodreads: BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it ;) And the cover is also really cute so can't wait to read this one.

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That was my WOW :) What about you? What are you drooling over this week? Leave me a comment down below or a link to your own post which I'll be sure to check out ;)

Happy Reading!

xoxo, Mariam

Pervious Post: Blog Tour: The Immortality Virus by Christine Amsden

Blog Tour: The Immortality Virus by Christine Amsden

Synopsis:

In the mid-21st century, the human race stopped aging. Those who know why aren't talking, and the few who are brave enough to ask questions tend to disappear. To an elite few, The Change means long life and health, but to the increasing masses, it means starvation, desperation, and violence.Four centuries after The Change, Grace Harper, a blacklisted P.I., sets off on a mission to find the man responsible for it all and solicit his help to undo The Change - if he's still alive. To complicate matters, Grace's employer is suspected of murdering his father, and when the police learn of their connection, they give her a choice - help them find the evidence they need to convict Matthew Stanton, or die. But if they discover Grace's true mission, they won't hesitate to kill her in order to protect their shot at immortality.

     The book introduces to us a unique story that takes place in the 2050s where people stopped aging and it was all because of a virus that was unleashed by a man, Jordon Lacklin. Now counted as an old timer, he went missing 400 years ago and that was the mystery that our heroine Grace should solve, she should find Jordon and as she was a pro-death, meaning she was against this whole not aging process and was assigned to this mission by one of the richest men in the place, Matt Stanton. As she was on the Establishment's blacklist, she was sort of under notice and it was one mistake that could take her down. Lots of stuff was happening and more nystries to be solved.    

     What really attracted me to this book was the synopsis and the fact that it took place in the future and I'm such a sucker for dystopias and the idea of the human race stopping aging sounded really intriguing. Another thing was also the positive reviews that this book had on Goodreads. I didn't even mind seeing the cover before accepting this book and unfortunately I'm not a fan of the cover at all.

"Grace knew a Sam, or had a long time ago. He had been her lover

for almost fifty years, during her formal schooling."

"She had enough to think about without

rehashing old memories of long lost love. It had taken a couple of

decades to get over him, and while she didn't think she still loved him,

she couldn't quite keep her heart still in her chest."

     We didn't really get to know about the so-called love story that actually took Grace a couple of decades to get over it. There was no romance in the whole book expect for a kiss or something, like nothing to be mentioned?! Which really disappointed me, I'm sure that it would have somewhat changed my mind. At some points, the story was really prepleaxing and I lost track of the story a couple of times. For a very big part of this I was confused I didn't know what was happeing , why or where. I was just reading. And some of the events in the story were just lame and unneccaerliy. Like I couldn't see the point. The dialogues were extra-long and boring and I almost skipped them. The story as a whole had a slow pace.

     I didn't like how it was written, it was written as in a third person narrating the story. Because of that and for some reason I wasn't able to decide if I liked Grace or not. I didn't until the end of the book where I actually liked the ending, it wasn't expected and although it was a bit brutal, I think that this was the only part that I actually liked in the book.

     Overall, this definitely this book wasn't really the book for me. I started this book expecting a dystopia but it was nothing that I enjoyed. Mystries, crime and a lot of action took place in this story. So I think that people who enjoy mystries and such will enjoy this one.

Title: The Immotality Virus

Author: Christine Amsden
Published: June 15th 2011 by Paladin Timeless Books
Source: A copy was provided as a participant in the blog tour.
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 1/5

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

About the Author:

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.

When she's not writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing, usually at Savvy Authors. She also offers professional editing services. She maintains a book review blog on her website with occasional writing tips thrown in for the fun of it. Christine lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two children. 

Connect with the author @Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Find the book @Barnes&Noble | Amazon  | Amazon Kindle



This tour is presented by The Reading Addiction Blog Tours



Happy Reading!
xoxo, Mariam



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