Sunday, March 18, 2012

In My Mailbox ~ March 18, 2012

In My Mailbox is a meme that is hosted by The Story SirenIt's a fun way to share what books we got for the week. They can be from publishers, the library, bought, or whatever. They don't have to be from the mailbox. Mine usually aren't!


Here's what I got this week:

Thank you to Mallory's new publishers, Random House Publishing Group, for giving me this one to review via netgalley!! I just finished and reviewed it. I love this series!

Indulge (Warm Delicacy #2) | Megan Duncan
I just reviewed book #1 this week.


Plus, a couple of kindle freebies (always double check that they're actually free before you click buy in case they're no longer free!). Click on picture to take you to amazon:






Saturday, March 17, 2012

Review: Witchful Thinking

Witchful Thinking (Jolie Wilkins #3)
H.P. Mallory
Random House Publishing Group
Goodreads | Amazon
I received an advanced digital copy of this book for my review. This is my honest opinion.  

I just love this series.

I don't know about you, but I love getting books at great prices. I saw the first book in the series last year for really cheap for the kindle, so I took a chance and grabbed it. The first book was good, but the second was amazing!! I've been waiting a really long time for #3 to come out.

H.P. Mallory used to be a self published author, but Random House recently picked her up. Witchful Thinking is her first published book! I've been seeing it around while shopping. So exciting! It's great to see a good author recognized.

But what does that mean when the third book in the series is the first to be published? Well, it means that there is a lot of back tracking in this book. Jolie, the main character, brings the reader up to date with what happened in the last two books by writing in her journal. I had read that she did that, and wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it. It turns out that it didn't bother me at all! It's great for those who are going to be picking up book number three without reading the first two, and it helped me remember what happened in the first two books since I read them over a year ago.

So, yes, you can pick up this book and not read the first two and totally understand what is going on. I really loved the first two books though, so I'd recommend reading those first if you have the time. There were some scenes in book two that I just... *sigh*. I just wouldn't want other readers missing out on how amazing they were. But, you can skip straight to book #3 and still like this series.

So, with all that catching up, I was afraid that there wouldn't be a whole lot of new stuff. I honestly had no idea where Mallory could have taken the story from where she left off in book two. This book was a lot of struggling for Jolie. That's all I'll say since I don't want to give any of it away!

I thought Witchful Thinking was a great addition to the series. The thing that REALLY made this book was the ending... oh gosh! Totally unexpected, and I can't wait to see what this means for Jolie in book four!!

So, all in all I'm really happy with it! I had high expectations after the last book, and I wasn't disappointed. The next book, The Witch is Back, comes out in July! I'm so excited to get my hands on it. Thank goodness there isn't as long of a wait this time!


On a somewhat related note, the covers for the last two books have changed. They're super cute! I can't decide if i like the original covers or the newer ones better! 

Older covers:




New covers:


I love both versions!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. It showcases new books that are coming out soon that we can't wait to read!

I haven't done one of these in a while! I do have a book that I'm dying to pick up though. I recently grabbed Glow on a whim at the library, and it was awesome! I keep thinking about book #2.


It's coming out in July! At least I don't have to wait a year for this one!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Review: Savor

Savor (Warm Delicacy #1)
Megan Duncan
Goodreads | Amazon


Doesn't this book have such a neat cover?? It's definitely eye-catching. I give the design an A+!

I got this book for my kindle. I was eying it, and then noticed they had it free for a little while! Free books make my day. :) Even now it's only 99¢, so still a great bargain!

I love vampire stories. I know, I know, they're everywhere and  most of you are probably over it. I'm not into the horror aspect of it, but I love living through the characters to see what being a vampire could possibly be like. Duncan has built a pretty unique world of vampires in Savor.These vampires don't hunt and feed on humans, but instead have the humans donate blood and give them services and a sense of safety instead. I found it really interesting and enjoyed all of the mystery that engulfed the vampires and their way of life.

The only downside to this book was that it seemed to need more. I wanted more emotion and struggle from Claire. Things seemed so be accepted to easily by her. Her whole life is suddenly changed, and I thought there should have been more of a struggle. I think the story could have used a bit more too it; A few more details or something.

Other than missing some more of a conflict and maybe some more details, I really liked this story! It's definitely one that I'd recommend for a fast read on the lighter side. The vampire world in Savor was interesting, and I could definitely go for more of it! I'm really looking forward to book number two.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Review: A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)
Deborah Harkness
Penguin
Amazon | Goodreads


I don't know about you, but over the last year and a half or so I've seen this book everywhere; from my local grocery store, to the library, on chat boards I frequent, and even at H&R Block while getting our taxes done. I've been wanting to pick it up for a while now, and it finally was available at the library.

I was afraid to dig in for fear that I'd be disappointed. Was I? Yes and no. It wasn't what I was expecting, but the story it turned out to be was quite good.

I liked the main characters and the storyline. One thing you'll notice is that A Discovery of Witches isn't a short book, and sometimes as I was reading I felt like some details could have been left out. Overall though, it was a great mystery (that has yet to be totally solved being that it's a trilogy). There are still some things that I'm confused about, but I won't begrudge the book for those things since there will be two more books. Hopefully everything will be tied up and explained in the end.

Hhhmmm. So what to say about this without giving it all away? That's always the tough part of reviews for me.

I'm a little disappointed that the vampire, Matthew, is a bit controlling. I'm hoping that the whole "I'm the boss, so deal with it" attitude kind of goes away as  the series progresses. I love that Diana doesn't really let him call the shots. Her character seems pretty strong, and I hope to see her come into her own when all is said and done.

Overall, I really liked this book! I think my overall opinion is going to depend on where this series goes from here. I'm looking forward to it!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

A pretty new cover!

I think Karsten Knight sure has gotten lucky with his book covers! Last year, his debut novel Wildefire had one of the best covers I've ever seen. They've definitely come up with a gorgeous cover for its sequel, Embers and Echoes:


It's definitely a gorgeous cover, and totally an attention grabber. I think I may still prefer the cover of Wildefire a tiny bit more, but I'm relieved to see that this one is able to compare. Here's Wildefire:


I was slightly disappointed in Wildefire, if you remember my review of it, but I have high hopes for book #2. I can't wait to get my hands on a pretty hardcover copy!


Friday, March 9, 2012

Review: Big Sisters are the Best

I love getting to review children's books when I get the chance! I have a three year old that loves to read with me. Here's one that we read recently:

Big Sisters are the Best
Fran Manushkin
Capstone
Amazon | Goodreads


This was a really cute book!

We have a baby due any day now, and I wanted to find a book that my daughter could relate to. This book was perfect! It went right along with all of the things we've been letting her know to prepare her for baby.

Big Sisters are the Best covers all of the things that a being a big sister entails. It was a fun way to remind her that babies bring new responsibilities, but that being a big sister is awesome (because they get to eat cupcakes instead of milk!). Plus, the illustrations are adorable.

The great thing is that there is also a version for new brothers to be - Big Brothers are the Best.

We really loved this book. If you're looking for a book to help your little one adjust to having a new baby around, this is it.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Review: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)
Robin LaFevers
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publish date: April 3rd, 2012
Amazon | Goodreads
I received an advanced digital copy of this book for my review. This is my honest opinion. 


This book was awesome! I highly recommend picking it up!

It felt more like an adult novel than a YA book. It was really well written, and there were no cheesy teenage cliches to be seen! Thank goodness.

I loved how original this plot was. I've never read anything quite like it! I loved the idea that there are these women who are born to do the god of Death's bidding. It's kind of dark and so different.

The characters were great, too!I loved the main character, Ismae. Such a pretty name, no? She had such an amazing journey in the story. It's difficult to talk about her and not give away the plot, so all I'll say is that I really enjoyed watching the way she developed throughout the book.

It did get a bit detailed in the middle (versus lots of action), but I didn't mind that at all. I think it gave the book a good, unpredictable mystery to try to figure out.

I was looking around for a really great read, and Grave Mercy totally came through. It's part of a series, but was completely satisfying all on its own. Although, I don't see how I could pass up reading the second book when it comes out with the awesome world that LaFevers has created!

Pick this one up; You won't regret it.

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