Blog Tour: The Witchling by Ari Harper

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Nera is a normal teenage girl living in Ireland-or so she thought. Her world is forever changed when she discovers that she is descended from a long line of witches. To her horror she finds she is the one that is supposed to stop the curse that has taken the life of every girl before her. As if that isn't enough, she must learn to use magic and her trainer is a man named Bones. He is the son of Mari, Queen of the Witches, and a god. It is Bones that has been entrusted to teach her the skills she needs to stay alive, which wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have an uncanny knack for pushing her buttons. Can Nera learn what she needs while staying immune to the charms of the man that gets under her skin at every opportunity?

Series: Curse of Kin #1

Released: November 29th 2012

Publisher: Lycaon/Breathless Press

Purchase: Amazon

 Excerpt: 
Chapter One

    The  smell  of  smoke  pricked  at  my  nostrils  and  dragged  my  concentration  away   from  my   math  test. I  looked  sideways and watched it swirl over the floor like a silent, deadly serpent, coiling around the desks and feet of my classmates. I listened for the crackle that accompanied the smoke and saw the flames licking along the floorboards. Cold sweat broke out on my neck and ran down my spine, galvanizing me out of my chair.

    I tried to call out, but my throat was locked. No one seemed to notice the flames creeping up the walls toward the ceiling. I was shaking so hard I could hardly walk. I pushed between the desks  toward Mr. Devon at the front of the class. Surely he could see the flames creeping up the walls by now.  

    He  looked  up  from  his  desk.  “Nera,  please  go  back  to  your seat and finish your test," he said, his brow wrinkled in a frown.

    My mouth worked as I tried to get the words out, but they refused to budge past my burning throat. Changing track, I turned toward the door in a blind frenzy. I had to get   out! Tears were pouring down my cheeks, blurring my vision, and I could hardly breathe for the smoke that surrounded me. I reached for the door handle and jerked my hand   away as the hot metal burned my palm. 

    "Nera, what are you doing?" Mr. Devon hurried toward me. 

     I slumped to the floor, burned and struggling foe breath.
    "Brie, get the headmistress!"

Giveaway: (International)

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Author Bio:
Ari Harper never wanted to grow up.

To offset the limitations of aging ungracefully, she created her own set of unique worlds where she can be and do whatever she wants.

Gods, witches and demons surround Ari while she spins her magic, doing mainly what they tell her to do. Given a chance, she prefers to work amongst chaos, which is good because she is constantly surrounded by children, all clamoring for attention. Some of them end up in her stories, some of them even get to die grisly deaths or be cast away to another realm.

Website | Facebook

Have fun!
xoxo, Mariam

Book Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Synopsis:

tick
tick
tick
tick
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it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

My Review:

( NOTE: This review may contain spoilers for the first book, Shatter Me so unless you already read that one, I don't recommend reading this review of the sequel )

   Have I ever mentioned that this story is like pure awesomeness?! What an incredibly enthralling sequel. The storyline itself was really intriguing and exciting and it was one of those books that you'd thoroughly enjoy reading, it engages you within its pages, making you lose yourself completely in the story.

   Again, the book was buzzing with emotions as the author was able to transmit raw and poignant emotions and feelings through all the characters but mainly Juliette. And I think this was because of Tahereh Mafi's style of writing, her entering Juliette's inner thoughts and feelings and comparing them to visual images which at sometimes seemed a little bit overdone and definitely distracting but generally speaking, it was fine because it somewhat also gave the way in which the book was written a unique vibe.

   Tahereh Mafi's writing style was one thing that I liked, it was powerful as well as professional which of course added to the story but that's not it, because she was able to create a variety of characters and she nailed every single character extravagantly. The characters were yet another feature that I absolutely found perfect. I had this connection with almost every character in the story. I could feel for them as well as like them and especially Juliette, Warner and Adam - the main characters. And Warner was a character whom I had love/hate feelings towards him in the first book but in Unravel Me, I can confidently say that he made it to my heart. He was the bad guy, like that's for sure but at the same time he was sweet and different, partly because I guess he was one of those characters whom when they love or care, it's not normal for them and they manage to make it special and it did feel special, al least to me but let's not go any deeper so as to not spoil for you guys but just sufficient to say that the love aspect of this story was engaging.  

   Love triangles? Nah, not a fan but in this story, I'll have to admit that it slightly caught like a deer in the headlights. Like I couldn't choose if the love triangle was necessarily a negative thing or if  I want her to be with Adam or Warner, I mean with Warner I am sure things won't be settle but he cared about Juliette which I found sweet despite the "bad" person that he is. You could see his vulnerability, pain, regret, power and lust on full view at this scene in the book and that one scene just made me feel and fall for him. On the other hand,  Adam, he is such a sweetheart and I love his character and everything and we saw how adorable of a couple both he and Juliette were so lets just say that we will have no choice but to leave it to Tahereh Mafi to surprise us in the next book which I am dying to read already which is yet to come out in 2014! 2014?!!  

   Overall, I'd say that if you enjoyed reading Shatter Me, Unravel Me will blow your mind. Page-turner, noteworthy, awe-inspiring, intense and original plot that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as well as heartfelt and authentic characters that will make you enjoy the story even more. This series has hands down made its way to my favorites shelf, I was honestly reading through the book, not wanting to finish it and also dreading the moment when it will come to an end partly because the third book is still not out and also because the story was SO much fun. So if you happen to like dystopias then by all means, go ahead and read this one you HAVE to read this one or you'd be missing out. Highly recommend it!

Quote:
“I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head. I want to be that kind of friend. The one who will memorize the things you say as well as the shape of your lips when you say them. I want to know every curve, every freckle, every shiver of your body.

I want to know where to touch you, I want to know how to touch you. I want to know convince you to design a smile just for me. Yes, I do want to be your friend. I want to be your best friend in the entire world.”

   I never ended up writing a book review on Shatter Me because I read the sequel right after it so I couldn't write a review for both because they kinda got jumbled up in my head so I decided on reviewing Unravel Me only but just a side note, I did love Shatter Me and it rated for me 4/5 and I do whole-heartedly recommend this series, you'll not regret but if you do like dystopias that is, because let me tell you, it's been AGES since I last read a dystopian/apocalyptic novel and this one was seriously refreshing.  

Title: Unravel Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me #2

Source: Owned

Published: February 5th 2013 by HarperCollins

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 5/5 

Feature and Follow Friday #23

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 :) 

*** 

Q: How do you handle a book you don't like? Do you DNF or do you power through?

Good question. So generally, I believe that everybody comes across a book or more that they don't like from time to time and for me, some are bearable enough to power through ( For example, Graceling by Kristen Cashore ) but then I'd kinda get all what annoyed me about it or how much I didn't like that specific book in a review but those are few. So usually, when I don't like or enjoy a book I just DNF it because I read for fun, not out of obligation and reading a book that you don't like is lime the complete opposite of fun ;)

***

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin' 

Follow my Twitter account @Multimemo33 

for recent updates and we can always talk on there too! 

Recent Posts:

Book Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Chaotic Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway (International)

Happy Friday!
xoxo, Mariam

Book Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Synopsis:

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

My Review:

   So I guess you could say that this book was one of the few books that I read in the New Adult genre. Although, I don't really see that much of a difference between NA and YA except for maybe it is the fact that the characters in the NA were older. Anyway, onto the actual story, so I found the premise of this book to be rather striking as well as exciting, like an in-your-face type of opening which I liked, but it could also startle the reader easily if you ask me because it just JUMPS straight into action ;)

   And unlike most people, for me, the characters were definitely not the author's strongest feature, like the characters generally weren't bad but just didn't quiet reach my heart. However, that doesn't include Jacqueline and Lucas - the main characters - because I definitely found them better than the other characters and I liked them way more, a connection was formed with them throughout the story. 

   But what I also liked about this book was how it was written. The author's style of writing was really strong if I could say and I was totally able to clearly see the story through Jacqueline's point of view but I would have also loved to see altering chapters between hers and Lucas's POVs which I bet would have been much more interesting but as I said, I did still like it from Jacqueline's POV. As for the story itself, it was pleasurable, heartwarming and eventful but at the same time, there was a sense of simpleness to the story which was also interwoven with a serious issue, all of which I don't necessarily mean in a positive way but not a negative one too if you get what I mean.

   Furthermore, I found the way in which Jacquelune and Lucas  first met - minus their very first 'intense' encounter - cute, you know, with the staring and whatnot. But when Jacqueline's 'relationship' with Lucas started, it sounded a bit cheesy at sometimes which lessened my liking towards their relationship but didn't erase it because they were utterly adorable together and I'll have to admit that there were some really swoon-worthy moments in that book. Another thing that was sort of noteworthy was how the author managed to make Buck, a character whom played a huge role in a main incident that happened in the story, really really creepy.

   Overall, I'd say that Easy was a book that I liked, it wasn't a book that you'd take to the beach, didn't have that light summer essence but it was a good contemporary novel. I found the plot to be entertaining with a bit of a heated romance which was sweet but not spellbinding, characters whom were amicable, a nice writing style and it also involved  a heavy subject. Simply, I wouldn't say that this book was unique but rather enjoyable enough. So if you're a new reader of the NA genre, a constant reader of it or just don't have a clue on what to read next, then I'd say to give this book a try ;)

Title: Easy

Author: Tammara Webber

Series: Stand-alone

Source: Owned

Published: November 6th 2012 by Berkley Trade

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 3/5 

Blog tour: Chaotic by C.A. Williams

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Adelaide McGregor was spinning out of control, in a world of pain that no one knew anything about. She put up a front, displaying a picture perfect girl that everyone wanted to be, but no one was truly there for her. Then she was sent away to live near her grandparents due to bad behavior when her mother decided she just didn't want to deal with her any longer. Without a penny to her name and no where else to go, her life was uprooted to North Carolina. Everything seems to be changing for the better with her fresh new start until she meets a guy who flips her world upside down all over again. Sometimes you have to make it through the struggles of imperfection in life for everything to come out as complete perfection, but Della hasn't quite learned that lesson yet.

Imperfection Book One

Released: May 10th 2013
Purchase: Amazon

Excerpt:
Chapter 1

“Excuse me, I think this one needs to be redone. There’s a tiny little smudge. Actually, you really should just start completely over to make it perfect.” I scrunched my nose at the woman who was painting my nails in the Charged Up Cherry, who was scowling at me. She proceeded to remove the color as I asked without a word, which was probably a good thing, since I’m sure she didn’t want to be losing any customers, and I could make that happen very quickly.

I wasn’t trying to be a bitch, but I was definitely on edge and that tended to make me not so nice. I had basically been forced to go on this outing with Marley and Madison. And although they were fun to hang with for parties or shopping, I always felt like I had to walk on eggshells around them, like at any minute the perfect façade, that I had worked on so hard, would suddenly slip away, and they would see me for who I really was. And then they would be quick to drop me as if they had never known me.

I gave the woman a small smile as she glared down at my nails, hoping that would soften my tone just a little bit.

“I just love that color, Adelaide. It will look perfect with that dress you bought at Divinity for the party. Did you hear who Chris is bringing by the way?” I lost interest as one of my best friends, Marley, droned on and on about Chris Zander.

I could care less. Been there, done that. And never going back.

At least Madison was paying attention, hanging on Marley’s every word. Madison, with her dark chestnut hair, petite frame, and doe like brown eyes, was all in all a good looking girl by most people’s standards. But she tended to be a worshiper, and that kind of made her pathetic.

Marley, on the other hand, had flowing bleach-blonde hair that curled into soft ringlets, stood as tall as most guys, but had a slim model-like figure with a pair of perky double d’s that even I was a little jealous of. She definitely knew that she was hot.

The three of us had been best friends since I had moved here almost five years ago. And when I used the term best friends, I used it lightly. They basically just welcomed me with open arms because of who my step-father was.

I guess if you wanted to, you could call me the one in charge. They both seemed to follow me anywhere and do whatever I said, but they were also quicker than anyone to turn around and stab you in the back.

It had all started the summer in between junior high and high school, when I had a crush on Chad Stanger. Marley knew that I liked him and that just made her want him more, so she somehow managed to sink her claws into him first. I caught the two of them hiding behind a tree with Chad’s hand up her shirt. Now that I thought about it and passed him in the halls at the local community college,

along with the rest of his friends that liked to dress in all black, like they were going to a funeral daily, it kind of made me gag.

Whenever I had a guy, Marley had to have him next. Whatever. I guess she liked sloppy seconds. The only guy she hadn’t managed to score was Chris.

Madison always tended to side with Marley whenever the three of us had a little tiff. Eventually I got over it. I had to admit, when they weren’t around to shop or go out to parties with, things did get rather lonely. So I would forgive Marley for whatever minor discretion and move past it, but that didn’t mean I always liked hanging out with them.

I checked back into reality when I heard a click and “That’s a wrap”. I blew out a breath at those three simple words and relaxed just a little. The camera men began to pack away their equipment while the director jotted down some notes and then picked up his phone.

During our senior year, our school had been featured on the reality show, Unrehearsed, that centered on high school life and the everyday dramas. Luckily, they switched schools after a year of recording. It had been stressful to say the least, putting on a show for all of America, that everything in my life was picture perfect. Far from it.

They had just come back to do a follow up with some of the more popular cast members during the summer while most of us were on break from school. Soon, Marley and Madison would be gone again, off to their four-year college they were attending together. And me? Well, I hadn’t really figured that out yet.

Somehow, I had made it through the first two years at the local community college in a blur, even though my mother had complained what an embarrassment I was for going to such a lowly place. But that was only one of the minor things she tended to complain about me. Now, I needed to figure what exactly I was going to do, and really nothing interested me.

Giveaway!

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About the Author:

C.A. Williams lives in Michigan and is married to her high school sweetheart. While being a stay at home to her two boys she likes to read and write in between cleaning up messes and being a short order cook. Cori always had a love for books since the time she first started reading and started swapping books with her mom when she got a little older. Her love for reading turned into a love for writing and Cori has enjoyed every second of it. Thanks to all of her readers! 

Links:

Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Hope you enjoyed today's post!
xoxo, Mariam

Feature & Follow Friday #22

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 :)

*** 

Q: What do you do with your books after you are done reading them?

Well, I never throw away books after finishing them, I just put them up next to each other on the book shelf - which I don't have one right now so they are just stored away until I get my new book shelf. As for ebooks, I mostly keep them but I do delete some now and then so as to save space for new ones.

***

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin' 

Follow my Twitter account @Multimemo33 

for recent updates and we can always talk on there too!

Happy Friday!
xoxo, Mariam

PS: If you haven't noticed, I have been MIA for the last couple of weeks with no posts or reviews - although I am so behind on my reviews - but guys, its because I am having some sort of a writer/blogger's block and I just can't seem to be able to write anything :/ which is FRUSTRATING like no other but thought I'd share that with you guys. Do any of you, fellow bloggers get that or is it just me? Anyway, I'll hopefully be back soon and comment if you'd like me to do a discussion post about it too ;)