Etsy Friday (23)

Soft-sole Baby Shoes  by KaBoogie

Teaser Tuesday: Wildefire

Today's teaser is from Wildefire by Karsten Knight:

He pulled his hands away from his head and glanced once at the scuff mark in the door frame where the clock radio had shattered, before turning back to Ash. "Maniac."

This book releases today! Review coming tomorrow.

Etsy Friday (22)

Bunting Necklace - The Polka Dot Magpie

44. Wolfsbane

Author: Andrea Cremer

Warning! This review contains some spoilers for Nightshade.

Summary: Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer-one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack-and the man-she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive. (Goodreads)

My thoughts: After Nightshade ended in such a cliffhanger-y way, I have been on pins and needles waiting for the sequel. Was it worth the wait? YES! Absolutely! Wolfsbane is jam-packed full of action, twists, betrayal, intrigue, and romance. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. And yet there were a couple of little things that bothered me.

It seemed like Calla suddenly shifted from being the fierce, confident Alpha to being a drifting leaf blowing wherever the winds of fate take her. But protesting the entire time that she can make her own decisions and she doesn't need any help, thank you very much. The character arc makes sense... after all, the entire novel takes place in about 48 hours immediately after Calla's entire life has been torn apart. She's allowed to be a bit lost. I just didn't enjoy her as much this time around.

While Wolfsbane is pretty spicy, it doesn't have the heart-stopping sexual tension Nightshade did. Much as I love to hate him, I have to admit this problem mostly stems from the fact that Ren isn't swaggering around these pages. However, Shay definitely stepped it up this time around. Being a Guardian agrees with the lad! I'll be surprised if a few Ren fans aren't wooed over to Team Shay.

Overall, I think everyone who liked Nightshade is going to be happy with Wolfsbane and, like me, excited to find out where the story will take us next.

Content: Violence and sexuality. Someone's getting nekkid this time around...  (15+)

Teaser Tuesday: Wolfsbane

Today's teaser is from Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer:

I gasped for breath as my eyelids snapped open. The nightmare swirled at the edges of my mind. The screams had become howls echoing in my ears. I strugged not to thrash on the bed, trying to slow my heartbeat.

I loved Nightshade, and I'm so excited about this sequel. Review tomorrow!

Etsy Friday (21)

Let the Great World Spin - I S Photography

43. Forever

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

This review contains some spoilers for Shiver and Linger. Beware!

Long story short: Sam was a wolf. Except in the summer, when he was a guitar-playing teenage guy. He fell in love with Grace. They cured his wolfism, so everything should be perfect. But now Grace is a wolf and Sam is a suspect in her disappearance.

My thoughts: Am I the only one a little bit sad to see this series ending? The Scorpio Races comes out later this year, but after that I have no guarentees on when I'll get another chance to read Maggie Stiefvater.

That being said, however, I think this book is an absolutely perfect end to the saga. Once again we are treated to four perspectives on the story (Grace, Sam, Cole and Isabel). I usually find split POVs intensely irritating, but here it adds dimension and suspense; I really enjoyed it.

I've loved Grace, Sam and most of all the connection between them from the very beginning, so I knew I was excited to read the rest of their story. For me the big surprise was how much I enjoyed Cole in this book. I'm so impressed with the way Maggie S. takes a character who's so incredibly self-absorbed and makes him into someone you relate to, someone you cheer for. Cole was the star of this book for me, to the point where I found myself sometimes rushing through the other perspectives to get back to him.

Final word: Heartbreaking, romantic, exciting... a perfect final chapter for the wolves of Mercy Falls.

Summer Vacay!

It's me and my three kids travelling 10 hours by airplane to visit my parents in Yellowknife, NWT. I am either very brave or very insane. Pray for me, people. And pray for those poor unfortunates who have to sit near me on the airplane. It's going to be a zoo. If you happen to be in the Ottawa, Toronto or Edmonton airports today and you see a haggard woman chasing a grinning and incredibly speedy toddler down the terminal while carrying 400 pounds of luggage, it's me. Help!

Of course, once I get there it's going to be a fantastic trip, so it's all worthwhile. I'll be gone for two weeks, and I have a few posts scheduled, but I will probably be very bad responding to comments and emails. See you when I get back!

Teaser Tuesday: Forever

Today's teaser is from Forever by Maggie Stiefvater:

I'd learned a long time ago that one of the finest weapons in my arsenal was my ability to invade personal space. She turned to look at me and it her eyes and my eyes and I felt a surging sensation of rightness, of saying the right thing at the right time to the right person, that too-rare sensation of having the right thing to say and believing it, too.

I just love Maggie's writing. I am so very excited to read this book and find out what happens to Grace, Sam, Isabel, and Cole.

42. Heartless

Author: Gail Carriger

Series: Parasol Protectorate #4

Warning: This review contains spoilers for previous books in the series!

Summary: Lady Maccon may be reunited with her husband, but that doesn't mean life is all fine and dandy. She's back to work for Queen Victoria, she's got a household full of werewolves to run, and she's eight months pregnant. Not to mention the vampires constantly trying to kill her. Some days, she scarcely has time for tea! Nevertheless, when Alexia hears a rumor of an assassination attempt on the queen, she knows she has to do what she can to stop it.

My thoughts: This review is rather mini, because at this point I don't know what else to say about this series other than that I continue to love it. The dry humor, the steampunk-ness, the Victorianity (I appear to be making up new words here) of it all wows me every time. It made me happy that we got to see quite a bit of Lord Akeldema this time around, since he's one of the most colorful (haha) characters in the series. Good episode, and I'm excited to wrap it all up with TIMELESS (coming next March).

Teaser Tuesday: Heartless

Today's teaser is from Heartless by Gail Carriger:

Felicity huffed in annoyance. "I must go change for supper."

Lady Maccon looked her up and down, emitting a lip curl that was, quite frankly, remarkably Felicity-like. Sometimes, although not often, there came an indication that they were, indeed, related. "Yes, I do believe you must."

I love this series!

Teaser Tuesday is hosted each week at Should Be Reading.

Eastern Ontario Book Blogger Meetup?

Are there any Eastern Ontario (Ottawa area) based book bloggers who are interested in meeting up for a book exchange? I know I have a pile of books I've read and would love to exchange for different ones, but shipping for Paperback Swap gets expensive. Plus, it would be great to meet some book blogging friends face-to-face.

I'm just putting this out there to see if there's any interest. Putting your name in isn't a commitment to show up, but if you'd like to stay in the loop on this, send me an email at adventureinbooks at gmail dot com. And please spread the word!

Alternatively, if there's something like this already happening that I could get in on, pretty please send me an email? Thanks!

Duly Quoted (17)

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.


- Mark Twain

Etsy Friday (20)

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Cupcake Toppers by Frost & Fete

Aren't these cute?