Book Review: Something Strange And Deadly

Goodreads:   

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother. Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

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     The first book in the Something Strange And Deadly series. And WOW that was intense. This was actually my first zombie book in years. And I really enjoyed it, it wasn't overwhelmingly zombie-ish which I liked, it made me ease up with the story but still got me wanting more. I love the fact that this story took place in the 18^th  century with the dresses and the parasols, it gave the story this touch and also the language and vocabulary that Dennard used went really well with the period of time but honestly, I had to use the dictionary a couple of times. Moreover, the cover is so cute!


    So the story opens up with Eleanor Fitts in her first encounter with the Dead and I love how Dennard started this book, not with an introduction to the world or a past-life story from our heroine's background but it was rather an intense start, averagely of course. Some disasters happened to the Fitts before and after Eleanor's father death. But now they may end up in the streets with no money left. And not only was Eleanor's brother missing, actually kidnapped by the dead and only Eleanor knows and this secret is a heavy weight for her to hold. Add on this her almost lunatic, careless mother cares nothing about anything except marrying her daughter to a rich gentleman for they are about to run out of their money and oh! there was the gentleman but things happens and as long as the Dead are involved it is nothing good of course. Yet, Eleanor resorts to the only possible solution she could see, the Spirit Hunters. They were to help her find her kidnapped brother and slowly she grew to enjoy their company and she actually helped them with their duties which weren't at all lady-like. Plus, their reputation wasn't so high which forces her to lie to people from her standard. And yet, together they unreveal stuff until the truth is wide visible in front of them and they work on solving it eventually but with so much difficulty and some twists and turns too. 


   The book didn't have much of a love story, just the beginning of one, a sweet, unexpected one with a very slow attraction which made it seem realistic and intense and I can't wait for more in the next book. This was because the story's main focus was rather on the events of the story itself which I didn't mind at all. However, the characters were all good and well-developed. Eleanor at first didn't really matter to me, her character wasn't all gripping or nice enough for a main character. But then, as we go on with her story, I started to warm towards her and eventually like her. Maybe it was because I really wished that Eleanor would have been more of a modern girl with a pair of jeans, not a dress but now I can see now how it works with the story and stuff. Also, Daniel was a character that I liked from his first appearance, I liked how tough he was but then how mocking he can be and then how sexy, how sweet and tender and caring. So much stuff about his personality that gripped me. He was my favorite character by far, a very well maintained character. And he had much of a past, some really important incidents that related a lot to Eleanor and more secrets from his past that was unrevealed through the story. 

   And although I can see this book as a stand-alone novel, at least hoped for. I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series and very excited as well. Seems like Eleanor, the mis-fit will find a way out as she already started to fit somewhere. Exquisitely written by Susan Dennard. A page-turner with an unpredictable plot that would definitely keep us, the readers captivated.

   Overall, Something Strange and Deadly was the perfect zombie book for me. So if you don't mind zombies but then don't really mind an average presence of them, then I really do recommend this book for you. My advice to you though would be to linger until you're few chapters in, where things start to spice up a little bit and give yourself a chance to adapt with the story itself. A mix of some action, bizarreness, humor, anguish, longing, revenge and most importantly the dead. Highly recommend it.


Title: Something Strange and Deadly
Author: Susan Dennard
Series: Something Strange and Deadly
Release Date: July 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

Source: A copy was provided as a participant in this book's blog tour.

Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 4.5/5

xoxo, Mariam

Waiting On Wednesday #4

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

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Release Date: 3rd August 2012

 Goodreads:

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.

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So... what books are you most anticipating? Leave me a comment down below or a link to your own post which I'll be sure to check out :)

xoxo, Mariam

The Fire Of Dawn: Synposis, Book Cover and more

Synopsis: 

It’s the last day of the summer holiday in The Hague when Leah Koopmans’s carefree life as a teen is brutally flipped upside down. Her pale skin turns a dazzling gold, her senses heighten, and her muscles possess an uncanny strength. But with these exhilarating new powers comes a thirst that can only be quenched by one thing: human blood.

While her body craves for fresh victims and her heart drowns in guilt, she meets inhumanly handsome Max Machiavelli, who claims that Leah is immortal like him. Infatuation ignites into blistering passion when she joins his coven in Amsterdam. But as the mysteries shrouding her sudden change to immortality unravel, Leah quickly learns that her aversion to taking life isn’t the only thing that sets her apart from this group of herculean strangers.

From the picturesque canals of Amsterdam to Corsica’s limestone cliffs and the untamed Siberian wilderness; from first loves to fierce battles, The Fire of Dawn is an extraordinary tale packed with romance, betrayal, and bloodsucking suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very last page

Title: The Fire of Dawn

Author: V. V. AKU
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: 1st April 2012

Propheticus Blog Tour: Review, Interview & a Giveaway!

So today I'm delighted to take part in the Propheticus blog tour featuring an interview with the amazing Emma Daley, author of the sci-fi fantasy series Propheticus, a book review of the second book ( The Migliao ) and a GIVEAWAY! all here on Book-A-Holic,  and so welcome to my stop!

But without further ado....

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1) Hi Emma! And welcome to Book-A-Holic. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi Mariam, Thanks for having me. Let’s see, a little bit about myself…. I’m coming up on my 30th birthday, Yikes! I really cannot believe I’m that old, I still like make-believe and find it hard to take things seriously. I come from a large family and we are all very tight, 11 people—eight brothers and sisters. I have two dogs that are so funny that my Mom keeps telling me I should write a blog about them. I am a little camera shy, but catch me without a camera close and I can be the most social person you’ll meet—if I think you wont judge me all kinds of stuff comes out J. Was that a little bit or too much?

 

2) What inspired you to write the first book and how did the whole idea originated?

Well, I had actually just read “The Vampire Diaries” and my friend was reading Twilight—we had just discovered that I had read the wrong books—she recommended Twilight and I was reading Vampire Diaries. We were trying to compare notes and it just wasn’t working. I was pretty inspired by “The Vampire Diaries”, the way I get inspired by any new concept or story—since I thought that the series had invented the Vampire romance concept. At that point in my life I was literally from another world. I was living in Alaska and when I went to bed, after being pumped full with paranormal romance, I had this strange dream. I can’t tell you how I dreamt what I dreamt cause it was so different, but I am no stranger to odd dreams, it was kind of my signature. I started writing Propheticus months later when I had a lot of time on my hands; we were no longer in Alaska and honestly I never thought I could write a whole book. 



3) If Propheticus was turned into a movie, who could you see playing the lead roles?

Natalie Portman

I struggle with this all the time but I really love Natalie Portman for Aniah, although my husband thinks Kirsten Stewart would be great for the part and another candidate I have looked at is Jennifer Carpenter; I’ve never seen her in a sci fi but I think she’d kick butt. I cannot think of who I would have play Novell, although I want a mature character such as Sam Worthington (I am totally open to suggestions on that one) and I honestly picture someone like Kellan Lutz for the role of Jonahs. I keep looking at someone like Diane Kruger for the part of Dyna, but I came across a photo of Brookly Decker the other day and a light bulb went off. 

4) Who was your favourite character to write?
Ever? I would have to say Jonahs; he’s so complex and it’s fun to be inside his head because he is not really human, but he can feel more than he’s supposed to. This is his fatal flaw.


5) What made you come up with Propheticus as a name for the series? Everything that happened in my book as far as names, and place just popped into me head and felt right. I was trying to figure out the name for Propehticus and I couldn’t even think of anything. Then, literally like a whisper in my ear one night the word Propheticus came to me. I looked it up online the next morning and was pleasantly surprised to find that it had an ancient Latin meaning, Prophecy. Somehow it just worked.


6) Do you have a specific writing style? And who are some authors that you see as influences?
Most of my childhood I studied a lot of poetry in classes and what not. I was exposed to poetry first and I loved Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe was my favorite and that was what I first started writing. I had a problem, especially with book one of breaking out of the poetic habit. But I still like to keep symbolism and that thickness of words that comes with poetry in my writing. As I got older I read a lot of Tolkien and Stephen King and the author that changed my life was Paulo Coelho.  


7) What are some pre-writing activities that you have done (researches, outlines, etc)?
Research online, I listen to music for inspiration. I have simply been grocery shopping, got in my car and something was on the radio that just struck me. I would run home as fast as I could, download the song, plug my earpiece in and write for however long the inspiration stayed. It would usually go on for a couple days listening to that one song. That’s how I like to write, when I’m feeling something. Also, If I feel like what I want to write needs a certain undertone of another story I have read before, I will go through and read that book or story again to decide how I want to write it; the tone I want to set and get inspirations for descriptions etc. 


8) Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? And did your family see it in you from a younger age?

Before I was even able to write, I was telling stories. I got branded as the storyteller in my family; no one ever believed the stuff I told them because it was always way far fetched. As soon as I could write, I was doing it; in my journal on my desk at school, again just reciting it if I didn’t have a piece of paper handy. My family knew I was going to tell stories all my life, whether they ever thought I was going to write a book or not J


9) Do you have any future books that you're working on? If yes, can you give us a sneak peek?

I am working on a sci fi thriller set in high society New York. It is the story of Elaina Detrix, a socialite and trendsetter who goes under for an experiment that her love interest Dr. Brian Cole is working on. Brian has been experimenting on substituting DNA from animals to give humans similar capabilities; wings like a bird, fast speeds like a cat, climbing walls like a spider and the list goes on.  Elaina begs Brian to experiment on her, thinking this will be an exciting new trend. But when the experiment works and they realize how dangerous it is, the try to keep it a secret. When they can’t and Elaina secret is revealed, everyone wants what’s she’s got. It is sort of an apocalyptic novel. 

10) What was the hardest part of writing your books? And what was your favourite?

The hardest part was that I want all my ideas written now; I have so many of them and it is hard how constricting typing can be. I want a machine that just reads my mind and types them for me. The best part about writing is that you get to create whatever you want, a new world and new creatures, and escape into it whenever. 

11) So aside from writing, what do you usually do? How do you unwind?
I am a babysitter to my Nephew, which I love, I work out whenever I can; I think it helps with the creative process, I love doing things outdoors; camping, hiking, swimming. I am really into film and one day I hope to become a producer or director, so what I do to unwind is watch movies. I love to watch any kind of movie but mostly Crime and Courtroom, thriller or Sci-Fi. I love finding films that never made it to the theater and watching them. A really great one I will forever recommend to everyone is “Chronical”, one of the best movies ever made.

12) What are some of your favorite books?
Hunger Games, The Alchemist, These Things Hidden, Everneath and a little indie Ebook titled Lady Languish.

13) How would you describe the Propheticus trilogy to someone who hasn't heard about it until then?

It is a sci fi fantasy thriller with romantic elements, set in an ancient universe. Four individuals run into each other by chance and discover they are part of an ancient prophecy to bring victory against the universes most gruesome creatures. Aniah, the main character, a naïve young woman, finds out that she is meant to be the savior of the universe, a burden she is unsure she can bare. Will she be able to stay alive long enough to become the savior that the universe needs her to be?

14) And finally, do you have any piece of advice for budding writers, especially when it comes to self-publishing?

Oh boy, do not expect to have it made within the first six months of publishing. There are so many tips and advice it is hard to include them all. I have a blog where I write tips about self-publishing and what I have learned http://www.propheticusthebook.blogspot.com/. But the biggest piece of advice I would give is to not pay a lot of money for advertising. The most profitable forms of advertising are the ones you spend nothing on, and you will need your cash. I love mentoring so if any authors want to contact me via e-mail please do propheticusthebook@gmail.com.

Fun Quick-fire Questions:




Tea or Coffee:
Coffee *shivers *

Peter Pan or Jack And The Bean Stalk:
That’s a tough one, but since I love to fly I’d have to say Peter Pan.

Books or e-books: Books for sure, there’s nothing like the feeling of a book in hand.

Twitter or Facebook: Facebook

Superpower to read minds or to be invisible: Invisible, I would hate to have to know peoples thoughts.

Early bird or Night owl: Night Owl for sure.

Thank you Emma!
xoxo, Mariam

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Well, that was it for the interview and I can't believe how sweet and simple Emma Daley is! Thank you Emma for answering all my questions :) And I'm happy to say that I REALLY enjoyed reading the books, I highly recommend checking them out! ( To see my review of Book 1 click HERE )

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Waiting On Wednesday #3

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

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Expected Publication: 2nd October 2012

Goodreads

Ananna of the Tanarau is the eldest daughter of a highly-ranked family in the loose assortment of cutthroats and thieves in the Pirate's Confederation. When she runs away from the marriage her parents have arranged for her, they hire Naji the assassin to murder her.

When a mysterious woman in a dress shop offers her magical assistance for dealing with the assassin, Ananna accepts. She never went in much for magic herself -- she lacks the talent for it -- but she's not quite ready to die yet, either. Unfortunately, the woman's magic fails.

Fortunately, Ananna inadvertently saves the assassin's life in the skirmish, thus activating a curse that had been placed on him a few years earlier. Now, whenever her life is in danger, he must protect her -- or else he experiences tremendous physical pain. Neither Ananna nor the assassin, Naji, are pleased about this development.

Follow Ananna and Naji as they sail across the globe, visiting such mysterious places as the Court of Salt and Waves, in their desperate effort to lift the curse. Soon they will discover that only by completing three impossible tasks will they be able to set themselves free.

So what books are you waiting for? Leave me a comment down below or a link to your own post which I'll be sure to check out :)

xoxo, Mariam

It's Monday.... What Are You Reading

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is a meme hosted by Book Journey.

Books I Read Last Week:

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard ( Review Soon )

On My Blog Last Week:

Choppy Random Talks 01: Spark Your Creativity

Interview with Blogger: Beverley from A Reading Daydreamer

Books I'm Currently Reading:

Dead Radiance by T. G. Ayer

Goodreads

That day I knew for sure. I'd lost control of my tears then. They fell in huge, mocking drops. I stared at Joshua through those bitter tears, my heart missing beats as I tried to remember to breathe.

I finally knew what the glow meant.

I was a freak and Joshua was going to die.

Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras — Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead.

The new foster kid, Aidan, isn’t helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.

Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she’d never belonged?

Books I have my eyes on:
The Doorknob Society by M. J. Fletcher ( Goodreads )

So what are you currently reading? Leave me a comment down below or a link to your post which I'll be sure to check out :)

xoxo, Mariam 

PS: I am participating in the Dead Radiance blog tour. To know more about my stop, click here.