Contest Compendium

Grand Prize Pack #3 ("Guess Who? Challenge)

-$25 gift card for B&N -Pride & Prejudice book and movie -Signed copy of Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler - ARC copy of The Julian Game and The Knaveheart's Cruse by Adele Griffin -Angels on Sunset Boulevard by Melissa de la Cruz - Losing Faith by Denise Jaden - Swag from Amy Brecount White,Bree Despain, Holly Cupala (signed), Jen Nadol (signed), Shun David Hutchinson, Lisa Shroeder (signed), Alyxandra Harvey
Click HERE to enter.

50+ followers GIVEAWAY!
TWO winners who each gets to choose a book from the list shown.
INTERNATIONAL as long as The Book Depository ships to you.
Deadline: September 17th


Missy's Epic 1000 Followers Giveaway!!

There are going to be FIVE themed prize packs that you can choose from. It's up to you how many you'd like to enter to win, so enter just one... or a few... or all of them! Each one has a specific theme and all the books in the prizes will come brand-spanking-new from Book Depository, which makes each and every one eligible to be INTERNATIONAL. This contest will be open from today (August 22) until midnight EST on Sunday, September 4, 2011.

[Aussie August] Giveaway: BURN BRIGHT by Marianne de Pierres | International

As part of Aussie August, a month dedicated to support and promote the works of Australian writers, Marianne de Pierres author of the Night Creatures series is giving me the opportunity to host, but giving you (EVERYONE!) the chance to win: A signed copy of Burn Bright, a copy of Angel Arias (the sequel; when published) and a CD of the Angel Arias song by Yunyu. OPEN Internationally. Ends September 10, 2011

Immortal Beloved Blog Tour: Character Interview & Giveaway
-Giveaway Ends 30th August
-Giveaway sponsored by author Katie John

Giveaway: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
*GIVEAWAY IS INTERNATIONAL* :)
Giveaway closes 31st August!

MEGA Richelle Mead Book & Swag GIVEAWAY!!

One lucky winner will receive a special edition BLOODLINES tote bag, copy of SUCCUBUS REVEALED, an ARC copy of BLOODLINES and a beautiful Bloodlines necklace from Cemetery Cat Designs

• WINNER #1 get’s BLOODLINES, SUCCUBUS REVEALED, necklace & Tote
• WINNER #2 get’s Bloodlines Tote Bag and Bookmark
• WINNER #3 get’s Bloodlines Tote Bag

Book Review : Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, Catherine Hardwicke (Introduction), David Leslie Johnson

Paperback, First Edition, 329 pages

Published January 25th 2011 by Poppy

Available on Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Synopsis

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them - it could be anyone in town.

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.

Review

Red Riding Hood by Sarah-Blakley Cartwright is a spin-off of the classic French tale of the same title. Now spiced up with elements of paranormal and mystery, this new version of Red Riding Hood has also been made into a movie. Surprisingly, I found it to be a quite decent young adult book even though it has been receiving some negative feedback by fellow book bloggers.

The author's literary prose is lovely. The descriptions, the atmosphere, the setting, the villager's expressions, actions and reactions etc. are well written. I also liked the suspense the author instilled into the story. Who is the Wolf? Was it grandmother? Henry? Peter? Or someone else? It kept the gears in my brain turning.

I agree with fellow book blogger Casey (The Bookish Type) on one thing: Synopses should not give away anything that doesn't happen in the first 50 pages. Basically, the synopsis of this book covered almost half of the book (100+ pages), which is a very unwise thing for the publisher to do. It bores the reader when they find out that what they are supposed to discover can actually be summarized in the synopsis itself. It diminishes the "wow" factor of the story itself.

The characters feels bland and one-dimensional to me. There are no detailed descriptions of the characters, especially one of the main characters - Peter, the boy Valerie loved. He left the town years ago, only to return now as a handsome woodcutter. Valerie can't take her eyes off him. There is not much interaction between the two besides a few basic words, but then Valerie expresses her love for him and he says he loves him too. (Huh? Is this speed dating?)

My favourite character would be Roxanne, who gave up herself and painfully betrayed Valerie's secret to save her innocent, gentle younger brother who was wrongly accused of demonic activities. She was the only one who cared for her brother and loved him despite his strange appearance. Henry's willingness to protect Valerie also more or less touched me.

The reason of Peter's departure years ago was not explained in this book. It was only observed that he left because someone died. And the villagers accused him (or his father, I don't remember) of being a murderer. I would like it better if the author actually explained this matter.

The story was left hanging and the identity of the Wolf was not revealed, leaving the ending to the reader's imagination. However, I later found out that you can download the last chapter of the story on the official website, www.redridinghoodbook.com. After reading this final chapter, I was satisfied about how the story ended. Turns out the big, bad werewolf was someone whom I had never suspected. I liked being outsmarted by authors. That's why I decided to give it 3 stars despite the fact that the cons outnumbered the pros.

Rating:

A Note of Thanks
Book won courtesy of The Star's Stuff@School team and MPH Distributors.

Other Editions

My favourite cover.

The movie tie-in.

In My Mailbox {24}

In My Mailbox is inspired by Alea from Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by The Story Siren.

Won:

Forsaken (The Demon Trappers, #1) by Jana Oliver
Thanks to Michelle from Novels On The Run!

The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
Thanks to Velvet from vvb32reads!

Also, I won a packet of Michael and Leesie M & M's from The Itzel Library! You can head over to Angela Morrison's blog, Cayman Summer to find out more about her books!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Thanks to Whispered Thoughts!

Book Review : Zelah Green

Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis
Available at Amazon / B&N

Paperback, 250 pages

Published July 5th 2010 by Egmont Children's Books

My Name is Zelah Green and I'm a cleanaholic. I spend most of my life running away from germs. And dirt. And people. And I'm just about doing okay and then my stepmother packs me off to some kind of hospital to live with a bunch of strangers. It's stuck in the middle of nowhere. Great. There's Alice who's anorexic. Caro who cuts herself. Silent Sol who has the cutest smile. And then there's me.

My Review:

Zelah Green is a normal teen with an abnormal obsession. Since her mother passed away years ago, and her dad married her stepmother, she couldn't help but wash herself and her home way too clean. Every night, before going to sleep, she makes over a hundred jumps and washes both her hands 31 times each and scrubs her face raw until it stings. She somehow has the feeling that if she started her rituals earlier, her mom would not die. One day, she was sent to a "house for problematic teens" by her neighbor Heather, as instructed by her stepmother. And what's worse was that her dad was missing.

This book is told with such honesty that it keeps my attention all along. It deals with various teenage issues: anorexia, OCD, self-mutilation. I can feel Zelah's annoyance/slight anger over the lie her mother told her, which was her name and her very existence. I can feel her loneliness and frustration of losing her mother. Zelah made new friends at the new residence, and even though she felt out of place at first, she gradually grew to like that place and resisted when her stepmother intended to bring her back. Even though it was very hard for her, she tried her best to cope with her 'sickness' and even did what the Doc told her to do, such as turning on the tap without using a tissue as a barrier between her fingers and the cold metal, or reducing her number of jumps and touching the toilet bowl.

Zelah Green is a likable book, but I think the minor characters are not well-developed. It would be great if I get to know a back-story about their respective lives and why they are problematic. Zelah Green is a quick, interesting read, but there is still room for improvement.

Rating:


Zelah Green: One More Little Problem by Vanessa Curtis
Available at Amazon / B&N

Paperback, 240 pages

Published July 5th 2010 by Egmont Books Ltd

My name is Zelah Green—and I’m still here. Summer's supposed to be good, right? But I'm stuck at home with a lousy laptop, stacks of homework to start and dad being more useless than ever. And then Caro turns up out of the blue, all heavy metal and piercings and attitude and my boring summer's turned upside down. It’s like she knows just what to say to wind me up, sending my OCD right out of control.

My Review:
Zelah Green is back. This time, one of the residents of "house of problematic teens" --- Caro, shows up on her doorstep randomly (or perhaps planned), carrying a luggage and declaring that she is staying with Zelah and her dad.

In this second installment of the Zelah Green series, our main character is ready to find some love - through a website called mysortaspace.com, which is some sort like a dating website. She uses this chance to reconcile with her ex-best friend under the critical eye of Caro.

Unexpectedly, she receives two messages and decides to go on blind dates with the accompaniment of her best friend. And the second one turns out to be a surprise. :)

This book is quite enjoyable in terms of the content, writing style and message. I like the cover too, it portrays Zelah's problem well. Her OCD gets out of control with the arrival of Caro, but she finally manages to get a grip on her sickness when she realizes that everyone can be weak at times and needs comfort from others.

Rating:

A Note of Thanks

• Jennifer Kean from Hardie Grant Australia for providing these books.
• She Known As Jess Blogspot for the chance to win these books.
• My dear cousin, Li Ting, to have her mum bring it back to me all the way from Australia.

The Fairytale Nerd: Giveaway: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (Pre-Ord...

The Fairytale Nerd: Giveaway: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Giveaway Rules:

Open to persons 13 years old or older. Only one person per entry please. Those exceeding one will not be considered. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, or as long as Book Depository delivers books to where you live for free. Contest ends on OCTOBER 1, 2011.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

3-ARC Giveaway @ Carolina's Blog

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE
by Laini Taylor











SHIFTING
by Bethany Wiggins












ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick
This ARC is SIGNED by the author.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

This giveaway is international and ends Wednesday, Aug 31, midnight EST. You must be 13 years old to enter. If you win, you will need to provide an address for shipment. Under 18's must have parent/guardian permission to enter.

Jill Scribbles: Interview with Brodi Ashton + EVERNEATH giveaway

See the cover below? Do you want to read this book? If yes, then you're having a chance to win it because Jill is giving away a copy of Everneath on her blog:

CLICK HERE TO ENTER:
Jill Scribbles: Interview with Brodi Ashton + EVERNEATH giveaway

Contest ends 25th August, 2011.

Book Review : Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

Fire Study (Study, #3) by Maria V. Snyder

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778302652
• ISBN-13: 978-0778302650
• Available on: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before.…

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.

Review

Fire Study marks the end of the Study series... I'm happy to have finished it, yet I feel sad that Yelena's journey ends here. Fire Study is an immensely enjoyable book, and I really savoured every moment when I'm reading it.

The baddie in this story is someone whom I've never thought of as EVIL. The blood rituals conducted by "baddie and the gang" is really gross - and cruel. Many innocent souls died in their quest to gain ultimate power.

In a few words, Maria's Study series is one you should never miss! If you haven't read the books, I highly recommend you to get a copy of each from your nearest bookstore today!

Note: This book contains mild swearing, a gory scene which involves human internal organs and a non-graphic sex scene between Yelena and Valek. For mature teens only.

Rating:

Read my review of Poison Study (Study #1) by Maria V. Snyder
Read my review of Magic Study (Study #2) by Maria V. Snyder

About The Author

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria V. Snyder attended 12 years of catholic school before going to Penn State University to study Meteorology. Earning a Bachelors of Science degree in Meteorology, Maria discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills. She found employment in the environmental field as an air quality scientist, and it was during those years that she began writing. After writing many science fiction short stories, Maria started Poison Study, her first novel about a food taster.

Gripped into Books: 1000 Followers Giveaway!!!

Just a shout-out for an awesome giveaway:

Gripped into Books: 1000 Followers Giveaway!
There will be 8 winners.

Deadline: September 9 2011.

Open Internationally.

In My Mailbox {23}

Dear Readers:

Just a note, I'm going to cut down my posts updates henceforth. My SPM exam is just around the corner (less than 100 days!!!) and I really have to start studying right now. So, it's going to be less blogging and minimal reading of story books for me. I hope you will understand my situation and continue to support The Bookaholics! Love, Aik.

Books Won:

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey, #3) by Julie Kagawa
I've been wanting to read this one for a long time!


Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves
This one sounds creepy - in a good way.

Storm Glass (Glass, #1) by Maria V. Snyder
I loved Maria's Study Series. Can't wait to see how the Glass series turn out to be. More action and adventures, I hope!

Thanks to:
Loni from A Casual Reader

*****


The Magician (#2) & The Sorceress (#3) by Michael Scott

Awesome! Now I have books 2 and 3.

Thanks to:
Jessica from The Tales Compendium

Shatter Me Contest

Tahereh Mafi is giving away ARC copies of Shatter Me on her blog along with other great books.

Click on the image above to take you to her blog and enter.

This contest is international, and will end NEXT WEDNESDAY, August 17th, 2011 at 11:59 PST.

Waiting On Wednesday : Still Waters

- "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted in Breaking the Spine. This meme spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
- If you want to participate add your "Waiting On Wednesday" to the linky list in her post!

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Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

Paperback, 240 pages

Expected publication: December 20th 2011 by Simon Pulse

Synopsis

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even t

...more

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety.

Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.

My Thoughts

What is the girl doing, floating in the water? Is she unconscious? Sleeping? Dead? This eye-catching cover makes people wonder what is up. The title, STILL WATER, immediately makes me think about the other half "runs deep". Plus, the synopsis is intriguing and laced with a hint of suspense! I'm definitely adding this book to my wish list!

Book Review : The Autumn Palace by Ebony McKenna

The Autumn Palace (Ondine, #2) by Ebony McKenna

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Egmont Books (UK) (February 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405256389
• ISBN-13: 978-1405256384
• Available on: Amazon / The Book Depository

Synopsis

One boy, one girl, one plot to be foiled! Hamish the gorgeous man (and part time ferret) has a new job with the Duke as a spy in his Autumn Palace. So Ondine goes with him. She imagines a hugely romantic escapade together that involves lots of kissing. What she hadn't imagined was having to do endless laundry, go to school and keep Hamish the man a secret. All the while trying to find out who is plotting to kill the Duke. And if that weren't bad enough, it seems that Hamish is more interested in getting the Duke's attention than hers. Plus he's always in ferret form. Things can't go on like this! Can Ondine foil the would-be assassin, save the Duke and get her man back in gorgeous human form? It's going to take a little bit of magic, a lot of stolen kisses and some ferreting around...

Review

The Autumn Palace is also known as the 'Palechia' in Brugelish. If you're not informed about this, Brugel, the place where Ondine lives in, is a fictitious country ruled by a Duke. In this book, Ondine's boyfriend Hamish/Shambles was recruited by the Duke to act as a spy in the palace to see if anyone has ill intentions towards the Duke. Unable to stay apart from him even for a day, Ondine decided to follow him to the Palace and got herself a job as a laundress.

Basically, this book doesn't have much action in it, but for some reason, I actually like it. The story is cute and the content is clean except for a few stolen kisses between Ondine and Hamish/Shambles. The characters are quirky, in a good way. The dialogues are often witty and have a Scottish feel about them.

Some of the words/phrases are created by the author herself, so there is usually an explanation of what it means in Brugelish at the bottom of the page. That shows the author's creativity, but it also irks me slightly to have to keep on referring to it because it breaks the flow of reading.

To sum things out, this quick, light book has its charm, but there is still room for improvements. I would recommend it to teenage girls aged 13 and above.

Rating:

About The Author

The decision to leave a career in journalism was a logical choice for Ebony. There wasn't enough time in the day to write the fictional stories she wanted to tell, against the factual that she had to tell. She followed her heart towards writing science fiction, romance and young adult adventures. Ebony now writes full time and lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and young son.

Website :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter
Ondine & Shambles on Facebook

Also by Ebony Mckenna:

Summer of Shambles (Ondine)