Monday 29 September 2014

Chills and Thrills Readathon! #ReadingCram


I just saw a tweet from Dana at Dana Square, in which she mentioned a Readathon! The theme is Halloween so OBVIOUSLY i had to participate!! I'm so excited to do this!

It's being hosted by the awesome bloggers at A Perfection Called BooksLittle Red Reader, Dana Square and Juliababyjen's Reading Room.

Details:

It starts October 24th and runs until Halloween October 31st.
You have to read spooky themes books:
Paranormal
Witches
Zombies
Vampires
Werewolves
Thriller
Mystery

If you want to sign up simply click RIGHT HERE and you'll be portkeyed to Dana's post!

Here's the challenge board schedule thing!

Oct 24-- TBR challenge--participants list what books they are planning to read for the readathon, on their blog, YouTube, etc

Oct 25--Teaser Challenge--randomly open the book they are reading and post 2 sentences from the read ADDING 3 spooky/Halloween words of their choosing into the teaser! Post on Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc. Hosted by Andrew@ EndlesslyReading

Oct 26--A recreation of a book title and/or book cover (recreating in whatever way, drawing, acting, a photo, painting, etc). Like Fangirl is fanggirl. The night circus as the fright circus.
 
Oct 27--Song Challenge--pick any of their creepy reads and pick a song that best describes that book (or feel of the book) OR make a playlist for the book! Post on any social network.They can even do a Spotify playlist and embed in their blog post! Hosted by Book Escape Reviews

Oct 28--Spell it out Challenge--they can pick one of the following words: Ghost, Witch, Zombie, Howl--using each letter, find a title of a book they've read this year to "spell it out." FOR EXAMPLE
G Graceling by Kristin Cashore
H Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
O Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
S Sanctum by Sarah Fine
T Timebound by Rysa Walker

Q,X,and Z the letters can be anywhere in the title. Post on social media somewhere. Hosted by Rachel @ A PERFECTION CALLED BOOKS

Oct 29. Scary Make Up Challenge--Make themselves up to look scary and share a pic! They can base if off of a character, or just go crazy! Doesn't have to be gory necessarily, whatever constitues "scary" to them! Hosted by LITTLE RED READER

Oct 30 Twitter Synopsis Challenge--Make up their own synopsis for a scary BOOK (made up story) using 166 characters or less. Post on any social media Hosted by KellysBookSpill

Oct 31 Wrap Up challenge with Costume challenge (optional) Do a readathon wrap up on their blog, YouTube, whatever of what they read, etc, and also post a pic or dress up in your Halloween costume! That part is optional, only if they want to! Hosted by DANASQUARE

Friday 26 September 2014

The BookBoard

This is the first time i'm posting a bookboard! It's something i came up with a few days ago. Basically, I select 10 awesome books that i got in my mail, but couldn't accept to review for some reason, and list them down below! Just to give those books some love. Let's get started!


Unrelenting Nightmare by Stan Yucom

“Unrelenting Nightmare” follows Stuart Garrison, a virtual reality software developer on the cusp of industry domination, as he navigates a deadly cat-and-mouse game with an international assassin hired by his fierce competitor. The stakes are high, as Garrison tries to outwit his clever potential killer while releasing an innovative new technology to the world.

Unrelenting NightmareYocum brings his theater background and extensive experience in the business world to “Unrelenting Nightmare” while tackling important topics in today’s society, such as the prevalence of violence and the impact of virtual reality on youth.

The Falcon's Eye by S. Nathan

the story is about a land pirate who is rescued from execution and revealed to be the last heir of an ancient dynasty, exiled at birth to protect her from assassination. When circumstances force her to journey to Aundour to meet her real father, she finds herself caught in a web of politics, while discovering a dormant power within her. But she never asked for magic, wealth, or even a parent. All she wants to do is escape. When Aundour's sworn enemy and the man who killed her mother declares war, she is forced to choose between her own need for freedom and the kingdom doomed to fall without her.

Blood Blossom
Blood Blossom by Daryl Hajek

After having been separated for twenty-two years, Vivian wants to reestablish ties with her younger sister, Christine. Instead, she is met with hostility and resistance. Christine wants one thing and one thing only--revenge. Fueled by rage and having a sadistic sense of humor, Christine will stop at nothing to go after their mysterious mother, Rose. No one better stand in Christine's way--or else!
Julia Windom, a wealthy woman with selfish motives, concocts plot after plot to ensure her personal goal is achieved.
They all become embroiled in a battle of wits to stay one step ahead of the other. Lives are further complicated in a whirlpool of diverse events as they occur at breakneck speed. Overwhelming crises develop, strengths and weaknesses are tested, truths overcome lies, and shocking secrets are revealed that could push some to the brink of insanity.

Antisense by R.P. Marshal

What if you could evolve in a moment? What if you had the power to change the genetic future of your loved ones and the people they become - simply by the way you live your life? When neuroscientist Daniel Hayden’s father dies, such thoughts begin to erode his very sanity, with the growing fear that he might share a dark secret buried deep in his family’s past – a past he is about to relive. The idea only seems to gain credibility from the bizarre results coming from his own laboratory, forcing Daniel to resurrect the discredited theories of an eighteenth century naturalist in the process. Was Daniel’s fate sealed all those years ago? Has he been betrayed by his own DNA? Antisense combines literary fiction with the sharp, crisp prose and pace of the best suspense novels. The author's insight into medical science and how it might inform the nature of human behaviour is all the more compelling because it is based on real science. It's not a whodunit, but a whydunit. Not science fiction, but fiction with real science woven through it. A thought provoking and enigmatic work.

The Journals of Taylor Hart: Inside The Mind of a School Shooter by Dan Andrews

An extraordinary, disturbingly powerful collection of journals, The Journals of Taylor Hart is a collection of writings penned by a lonely, violent, and yet brilliant young man, spanning across more than four of his most formative years—culminating in the ultimate end of murder and slaughter on a university campus, giving the reader a once in a lifetime opportunity to glimpse into the mind of an individual capable of committing a mass school shooting.
The Journals of Taylor Hart: Inside the Mind of a School ShooterOn Monday, December 29th, 2008, Taylor Hart began writing his journals in spiral-bound notebooks. Obsessively, he recorded everything ranging from his thought provoking philosophical views down to beautiful short stories, even down to entries that could be described as nothing other than the products of raw emotion— insanity driven rants.
After four years of spiraling downward, Taylor’s maniacal and sociopathic progression collapses, concluding with his suicide in his university’s observatory and with the confiscation of his writings, but now, after some time, Dan Andrews has reacquired his former close friend’s unpublished journals. Published with all of Taylor’s originality intact, laced with timeless existential questions and violence, The Journals of Taylor Hart forces the reader to confront the question, “Who is the next person on the brink of committing the world’s next atrocity?

The Fall by Stephen Cost

For thousands of years, Death walked behind the dark veil of the living, waiting to ferry the dead. That is, until the day Death took a life for pleasure rather than duty. On that day, the first Reaper fell to Earth. Now, Reapers live among us, craving the taste of death, forcing them to kill to satisfy their immortal hunger.
Giles Reid fell more than 300 years ago starving for the taste of death, only to find himself drowning in a sea of the living and blinded by a hunger that forces him to kill. In the centuries since his fall he has tried to be more human, desperate to live a life that makes up for what he is and the wrong he has done. Driven by his guilt over killing, he has chosen to feed only on evil; humans that have never been a threat to him but who are always a danger to others. That is, until the day he tries to feed on a human as strong, fast and cunning as himself; a human who, it turns out, has been hunting him.
Now he is pursued by the very evil he has fed on for centuries and tormented into playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The only choices left to him are to save the life of the women he loves, the daughter of his mentor, or betray her for his own survival.
To save the woman he loves, Giles will have to be the monster he is.


Strings by Darren Gallagher

33 dark tales; the invisible bindings that tie us all together.

Within this book you will find terrifying tales from catastrophic celebrations, to freaky family funerals… …

Beware the supernatural, Beware the weather… …

Beware the strings.

The Queen of Carleon by Linda Thackeray

Avalyne is at peace.

The Shadow War has come and gone and the kingdom of Carleon is now restored. King Dare, a mortal man has finally wedded his elven love Arianne. As they prepare to usher in a new era of prosperity across the land, the Queen happily announces the impending arrival of an heir.

Arianne's joy is short-lived when she discovers that an ancient evil has emerged from the wreckage of war with a monstrous plan for her baby. Determined to protect her very mortal husband, Arianne embarks on a quest with her two companions, the warrior maid Celene of Angarad and Keira of the Green, to journey to the far corners of Avalyne before the enemy can plant a seed of evil in the heart of her unborn son.

Child of Doors by Joshua Little

Arc Litchfield is a 21 year old office worker at a dead end job just coasting through life. She does her best to hide from the world outside and forget a traumatic childhood, getting by the best that she can. This stasis works well until her life is upturned by Aimii, a younger girl she falls for at the library, and with Aimii comes an inhumanly tall, faceless man that only Arc can see. She and Aimii are haunted by the faceless man as events slowly go out of control and their lives fall apart bit by bit and it becomes clear that they are hunted by something far older and more dangerous than they can imagine. No weapon can harm him. Nothing can contain him. No one can stand against him. But locked deep in her mind may be the secret to saving them both.
Child Of DoorsIf she can survive long enough to find it.


The Manifestation of Light by Ryan A. Shimek

in the city of Valour, the priests and priestesses of Edara, the Goddess of Light, await the birth of a child to replace one of their own in service to the goddess. When Aven's child arrives and is claimed by Edara, he kidnaps the infant and escapes the city, where he is greeted by a world thought to have been abandoned by the gods. Braving the wilds beyond the city's border to save his son's life, he encounters a woman named Tishett in a forest touched by Death himself. With her help, Aven must survive the deadliest of trials, and discovers that their histories are filled with lies. The world was never abandoned by the gods, it was consumed by them.
The Manifestation of Light



I hope you found something you like!
Lots of Luck,
Bee

Monday 22 September 2014

Adding a New Feature!


Hello people who read my blog (wow, you must be really bored)!

Some of you may be familiar with the fact that a lot of book reviewers get heaps of emails on a daily bases from authors, publishers or other people; requesting a review or a spotlight, etc.

If you weren't one of those people.. well, now you are. Congratulations.

I personally get tons of review requests on a daily basis, and so i obviously can't accept all of them! Even though some books are really interesting.

That's basically what this post is about.
I'll be adding a feature to my blog (don't have a name yet...damn i'm bad with those) in which i'll list 10 books that i couldn't accept, but found intriguing.

I don't have a schedule for this feature yet... i will probably just upload one whenever i have 10 interesting books ready to spotlight!

So yeah... i just wanted to announce the nameless new feature!

I wish everyone who is reading a wonderful day!
You know what would make my day wonderful? If you followed me! :D It's for free, you know. Plus you'll also get an imaginary chocolate bar. Who wouldn't want that?!

Lots of luck,
Bee

Sunday 21 September 2014

The Elect by Elle Todd

*I received this book as a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
Hmm. I could name at least 5 books that are similar to this one, the only difference being the kind of supernatural power the main character possesses... Well that, and the fact that I actually enjoyed this book (mostly) while those others annoyed the crap out of me.

Allison Noble never liked the Baileys. They were too good-looking, too popular, too charming to be legitimate. For most of their high school career she avoided the pair, convinced their outward affability was just a ruse to disguise their true character. Okay, yeah, she’s a little neurotic. Even so, she never suspected that what they were hiding was dangerous. It never occurred to her that they might have abilities based more in fiction than reality. Why would it? People can’t produce fire with their bare hands. There are no such things as mind control and telekinesis. Except, she discovers, there are. 


The Elect (Allison's Story #1)The Baileys are Elect, gifted with supernatural powers Allison is able to not only sense, but use herself. In the history of the Elect, there has never been one such as she, and with good reason. Because she wasn’t born to such power, she has a difficult time controlling it. Accidents happen, putting them all at risk. As others draw near—some who wish to protect her, others who want to destroy her—she is forced to uncover the secrets of her past, and face the consequences of being what her own kind refers to as an abomination.




For starters i'd like to point out that, even though this will come over as mean, The Elect wasn't anything too special.

Sure, i enjoyed it and thought the whole idea of being ''elect" was pretty cool... but it was just another one of those supernatural YA novels. Girl discovers she has awesome powers, complicated romance, parent dies, girl has to run and hide her powers, etc. It's always the same, if slightly different.

That fact aside, let's talk about the things i enjoyed about this novel!

I really like the main character, Ally, mainly because she reminded me of myself. 

She even has the same birthday as me, February 1st! That's a plus one.

She wasn't one of those typical teenage girls you find in YA novels. 
Allison was a realist.
And I admired her for being such a nice daughter.
Even though all the shit that came down on her, she dealt with it pretty nicely.

Next up are the relationships in this book. I basically loved all the characters, which is a first.

Allison didn't drool over the guys she was around (thank Merlin), but pretty much had casual relationships with all of them.

Except one of them, of course. *winks*

 I won't say who she ends up with because i really liked the whole shipping throughout the book.
At the beginning i really shipped Nate and Allison.. Then Jeremy and Allison... then Troy and Allison.. then Nate again and then Ryan. That loop repeated itself for the first half of the novel.

Which brings me upon another important point of this novel.

The first 200 pages are basically high-school drama. If you ask me, the novel focused too much on Allison's relationships than her actual powers. The book only started to get intense in the last chapter (which was pretty awesome). The rest was really just... not that interesting to me.

As for the writing; it was okay. It wasn't very descriptive, which bothered me just a little.
I love it when a book really describes the environment, but i understand that most people might find that boring.
Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that the writing was bad. I'm saying that if it had been more descriptive, it would have enhanced my reading experience.

But the thing that bothered me the most is that 60% of the time I couldn't tell who was talking. There was nearly no indication whatsoever of which lines were Allison's or one of her friends'.
It killed a smooth reading experience.

Mayor spoiler alert below, so if you haven't read the book... go away!

THAT ENDING. I loved it! Action packed, drama, violence, mystery and a cliffhanger!

That ending is what made me excited for the next book.
If the ending lacked any of those 3 points, i probably would forget about this novel and move on.
But now? I'll most certainly read the second book because i'm really curious and want more!

Spoiler alert again.
What's up with parents dying in YA novels?! What i think was really sad is that we, as readers, didn't really get to know Regina before she passed away. It was so sad... and yet, Ally had been dealing with her paranormal roller coaster on her own for months already... so her mother's death didn't really affect me that much.

Or I just don't have a soul.

That's more likely.

And may I just point out how awesome the cover is?! I love it! Would you look at that.


I recommend this book to people that enjoy YA paranormal novels. It's a pretty light read and I read it in a few hours. It reminded me a lot of the Lux series... minus Deamon. So if you're into that series, you'll enjoy this too!

Lots of Luck,
Bee

Saturday 20 September 2014

GIVEAWAY: God's Banker by Chris Malburg


So today i'll be hosting my first giveaway! It's for Chris Malburg's God's Banker and will be running from today, September 20th 2014, to September 25th. I'll put the Synopsis and some information on the author down below!

There's ONE PAPERBACK copy available of God's Banker. Only for people in the US.


Synopsis:

...................................................................................................................................................................

Cardinal David Caneman took just three years to engineer his ascension into the CEO’s office of Vatican Bancorp. His cabal of fundamentalist zealots now quickly moves to seize the world’s largest institution. First by publicly assassinating the Pope. Next by replacing him with Caneman. Finally by giving the masses a common, everyday object—unquestionably used by their savior—to rally behind. For centuries, folklore has claimed the sacred item laid in wait sealed within the Church’s lost treasury vault. Caneman races to unearth the vault—if it exists. He has bet everything that he can find the blessed object, surely buried within. He intends using it to sweep the faithful from their ungodly ways and into his personal standards of piety.


The Taliban took just two years to overthrow Kabul. Armed with over a billion faithful worldwide and a $200 billion war chest—and the sacred Broom Of Formia—Cardinal David Caneman figures it will take him just half that time to conscript the hearts and minds first of Europe, then…

Jackson Schilling enjoys his happy, early retirement. He attends minor league ball games near his home in Elkhart, Indiana. He’s an amateur chef. And Jackson Schilling is a hunter. Then the SEC drafts him. Come on, Jack. One last audit. It’s mandatory after an attempt on the Vatican Bank Chairman’s life. But Jackson Schilling is no ordinary auditor. And it was his Commander in Chief who personally ordered him drafted. Schilling exhaustively uncovers Caneman’s deadly purpose. First he must stop a professional assassin from completing his mission against the Pope. Now the hard part—derail a fundamentalist faction led by a brilliant, ruthless [and some would say] saint to over a billion faithful. Jackson Schilling battles a force growing faster and more deadly than the Crusades, the Inquisition or the Taliban ever were. Legitimate governments will surely topple, becoming answerable to one man and his band of strict fundamentalists if Schilling fails.


Chris Malburg:

...................................................................................................................................................................
Chris Malburg is a widely published author, with over 4 million words published over 12 popular business books--including How to Fire Your Boss (Berkley)and Surviving the Bond Bear Market (Wiley, March
2011). Simon & Schuster, Putnam, Wiley and McGraw Hill all publish Chris' work. That’s the professional side of his career. The fun side is that he has transitioned into a serious novelist. A CPA/MBA and former investment banker, Chris certainly has the business chops to weaponize an industrial WMD. He has crossed chasm from biz-speak into fiction. His latest novel in the Jack Schilling Enforcement Division series is GOD'S BANKER, a fast-paced conspiracy to take over the Roman Catholic Church by force. Chris' first book in this series is DEADLY ACCELERATION, where Jack Schilling battles a group of industrial terrorists using cars as their weapon of choice.







Wanna participate? Simply leave a comment on this post with your email address and i'll contact you if you're the winner!

If you don't want to get your email all out in the open, you can also send an email to LetBooksBee@gmail.com Make sure the subject of your email is God's Banker Giveaway, just to make my life a little easier!

NOTE: I am not responsible for sending you the novel if you win. I'll forward your address to the author and he will be responsible for sending you the price.


Lots of Luck,
Bee

Thursday 18 September 2014

The Four Kings by Scott Spotson

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed this novel. It was very interesting to read through!

...................................................................................................................................................................
Politics, magic, and love don't mix. Or do they?

When the world is overcome with The Great Blight of poverty, corruption, and hopelessness, a group of young wizards seizes control and makes sweeping changes--which divides the human race into loyal supporters of the new regime, and bitter, angry revolutionaries.

In the midst of the turmoil is Amanda Fullerton, a grad student who is hired to act as liaison between the wizard council in North America and its citizens. While ruling like monarchs from their perch in the sky, the self-proclaimed "Liberators" create a widening gap among the Mortals, with Amanda caught in the middle.

As Amanda tries to serve both sides, she becomes embroiled in the twisted agendas of these puppet masters. With alluring, yet deadly wizard games that threaten her life and romantic entanglements, Amanda discovers her "dream job" is anything but! While the four wizards--Demus, Indie, Regi, and Justica initially unite under their libertarian ideals and their revered god Elsedor, their unique personalities eventually lead to infighting, with the fate of the continent up for grabs.
...................................................................................................................................................................

To kick this off i'd like to say that the plot was fantastic. I positively loved all the politics and the whole image that this book created.

The author's imagination is amazing!

And even though I had no idea what they were talking about 35% of the book, i can tell he thought the plot through very well.


Also, the magic was displayed in a very nice manner. A wizard's power was basically unlimited... which brings me upon a thought that kept popping up into my mind while reading: "Why wasn't there ever an evil wizard?" Really? No evil wizard out for world domination hm? If I had that kind o power i would go around living the good life! I just can't imagine that there hasn't at least been one wizard that has gone astray and misused their powers.

Plus, the book said that when a wizard was to die; his magic would die with him. Only the mighty Elsedor (their god) had somehow managed to make his magic live on. So... did all the buildings and houses the four wizards made just disappear? :/ That wouldn't really be efficient.


And let me just point out that before we get to the actually action, we first have to read through 300 pages of debates and stuff like that. Now, I personally really enjoy reading about politics, but i can imagine a lot of people finding it very heavy to get through.

Around page 400 the plot really starts to develop and lots of action happens.

Those two combined make this novel really enjoyable.


Something that really bothered me was the amount of one-dimensional and self-contradictory characters.

Let's take Amanda, the main character, for example. She's displayed as caring, ambitious, smart and cunning. And yet.. she plays Demus like a rag doll.

Indie, what about her? We didn't really get to know a lot about her personality at all. She's bold,smart,demanding...and then she just goes back and forth between being harsh and nice. Same goes for Justica. I didn't really know what to expect from those two.

As for the two remaining wizards, Regi and Demus, they were developed a little more. But just a little. Demus was nice at times, but also really arrogant, bold, aggressive,cunning and kind of a control freak.

And Regi was described as "the perfect gentleman" Sweet, strong, caring, smart and all those things. Really? So you created the perfect man there. No flaws, eh?

As a reader you don't really... get to know the characters very well, and so you don't feel affected when something bad happens to them.


And there were tons of type-os during the first half of the novel. Random letters scattered around, missing words, words that were only halfway written and words that were misplaced or just didn't belong in the sentences at all.


Another thing that was questionable is the fact that no wizard bothered to do something about Amanda. She knew lots of their secrets and they just let her be? Shouldn't they lock her up or something? Or make her swear secrecy in some magic way that she can't break. Just saying, are they just trusting her with their precious secrets?


And then there was the baby thing. Any explanation on WHY that was possible, please? Nope? Still waiting... *turns last page* nope. Nothing.


Having read my review, you might have gotten the impression that i didn't enjoy it that much. Now that isn't true. Sure, this novel had its flaws and was far from perfect, but even though some things just didn't add up i still really enjoyed the plot lines that were going on. The action was addicting and i kept anticipating to read and find out what was going to happen next.

I recommend this book to any person that enjoys reading about politics, magic and dress ups.

Lots of Luck,
Bee

Thursday 4 September 2014

Twisted Reflections ( Adventures of Alexis Davenport #2 ) by Shay West.

*I received this Ebook as a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

Hm. I don't know about this one. 
There wasn't anything wrong with this novel, it just didn't pull me under like the first book of the series.

Alexis Davenport is learning to come to grips with her ability to travel through time, but she still hasn't been able to stop the evil Drifter and his Master from trying to alter the past.

When she travels back to ancient Egypt, Alex gets a most unexpected surprise; she meets someone who can help her figure out how to use her powers, another Traveler like herself.

But can Alex learn how to control her gift before Drifter finds a way to stop her from meddling in his Master’s plans?


This review might contain minor spoilers. You've been warned. Also, if you haven't read Dangerous Reflections then go away!


I want to start off by saying that i'm a little disappointed. To be honest, it felt like reading Dangerous Reflections again. 
The plot didn't move on at all, i could just have skipped Twisted Reflections and not miss out on anything important.

Whiny teenagers, annoying crushes and bore-some scenes; Drama. Where's the time traveling?! All that happened was Alexis whining about her free time and being a typical annoying teenager.
I couldn't stand her throughout the book.

I was hoping that there would be more action in this novel, nope. I got more crying teenagers instead.



Now i'd like to mention something that just doesn't add up. 
During one of Alexis' adventures through time, in Dangerous Reflections, she got cut on her arm. When she returned to her own timeline the cut was also present on her own body.
   BUT. When she went to Sparta, in Twisted Reflections, she battled the ''bad guy'' and got sliced up pretty badly. And yet, when she returned to present time, her body was completely fine. 

Also during her adventures in Sparta, she was bleeding to death. But she was thinking of her love life. what? Why? 
You don't think about your love triangle while being naked and bleeding to death in the middle of a street while your enemy is a few feet away from you!
Gosh.

I think this novel was a little boring. I'll give this book 2 1/2 stars.
I'd recommend it to younger readers, let's say from the age of 12 to 15. 
Definitely give it a try if you're into teen drama. I can't stand that kind of stuff, but not everyone likes the same cup of tea.


That was all! Lots of luck,
Bee