Giveaways going on right now

Addicted to novels are running a fantastic giveaway for either 2 prize packs (US) or a book of choice (INT) To celebrate 900 followers
Check it out here




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3LB are giving away some awesome prize packs OR up to $15 book at their blog! They got 400 followers. THAT IS AWESOME!
Giveaway here


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Taschima over at BloodyBookaholic is running a 40 book giveaway!

She is giveing away some FANTASTIC titles that I have at the top of my I wish I owned those books list!

So click HERE to check out the giveaway!

Good luck folks!


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Amber @ Down The Rabbit Hole is celebrating her 1000 followers!
How is she doing this? She is running 2 giveaways!
1 is international and 1 is only!
Check it out here

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Don't forget I am also running a giveaway!

I'm giving away a choice from 10 books to up to four lucky INTERNATIONAL winners! Check it out HERE

Review: The Iron King - Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

I’ve seen countless great reviews for this book and decided to pick it up on a local ‘buy one get one half price’ offer.


I read it that evening and was not all that impressed. I often find that books about faerys have the same plot devices and I found that in The Iron King too, I also found a bit of originality. I also found a lot of similarities to Disney movies though. There are characters such as Grim the cait-sith (who strangely reminded me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, with his riddles and disappearing and reappearing) and the Nevernever constantly reading as Neverland in my head.


The book employs characters from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, which was an interesting development, but I didn’t find it convincing. Oberon was too… well kingly and doesn’t live up to Shakespeare’s epic character, and what was the difference between Mab and Titania? Both were royal cows and I hated them both, yet one was queen of the ‘good’ court and one was queen of the ‘bad’ court, which complicated the matters a little. I loved the character of Puck a lot though, but I found it unrealistic how Meghan went from calling him ‘Robbie’ to ‘Puck’ with no hesitation at all, it seemed un realistic. I loved Puck though, he was the truest to Shakespeare’s original characters, with his wit and fun but also his terrific serious side.


As with many YA books, we had a whiney, moany main character. Kagawa tried to make her seem brave and noble – her sacrificing herself for her little brother, but to be honest I just found her way too annoying a character. And what is it with faerie books and faerie princes? It’s always a faery prince or a faery lord and while Ash had all of the developments of a fantastic character, the lack of originality made me like him that little bit less. I liked him a lot, he was nice, but I am really getting sick of Faerie Princes and their cold attitudes.


The plot was lacklustre as well. How many faerie books have I read with a changeling in it, and the main character going into the faerie world? Her faerie were basically the same as the ones created by Holly Black and Melissa Marr and there was very little change. Though I liked the idea of the Iron Fae, I think it could have been developed a little more, I hope it is in the sequel. The plot was simplistic, a Meghan gets into danger, Puck/Ash saves her, rinse and repeat.


I can’t say I hated this book, the writing was good, and the book kept me interested, but with the similarities to basically every book about faery that I have read, I can’t say it was fantastic. Maybe I just went in with too high expectations. I managed to finish it though, and I really hope the rest of the series adds a little more development.


If you have read Holly black’s Tithe and Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely, you won’t find much originality, but if you’re new to Faery, this would be an okay book for you.




Overall rating: C


My dearest mother, however, would like to put her two-pence in and states that while my very critical review may be very true, in her opinion it is a fantastic start to a new series and she was enthralled in it:


Overall rating: B

Stand alone/series: First in the Iron fey series

Released: February 1st 2010 (Paperback)

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 363

Book obtained via: Bought!

Birthday Giveaway!

It's my birthday in 7 days!

So I should be the one recieving presents really.... but no, as it is my birthday, I'm hosting my first giveaway BUT THERE IS A CATCH:

At the moment. I have 11 followers. While you can enter the giveaway from now, there will be NO winners unless I have reached 50 followers by the end of the giveaway. 

If I have reached 50 followers, There will be ONE winner

If I have reached 100 followers, There will be TWO winners

If I have reached 200 followers, There will be THREE winners

I doubt I will get past 200, but if I do, I will carry on adding more winners.

I'm tight, I earn £3.64 an hour right now, so I can't afford many more than that.

Here are the rules:

• The giveaway will end at Midnight (GMT) on Monday 2nd May (my birthday)
• MUST BE A FOLLOWER
• It is open INTERNATIONALLY as long as The Book Depository ships FREE to your country
• I'm keeping it simple. The only way that you can earn an extra entry is by spreading the word on your blog/facebook/twitter
• To enter, fill out THIS FORM.

So what can you win?

Winners can choose one book from the following selection:

Inside Out - Maria V Snyder

Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Little Red Riding Hood - Sarah Blakeley-Cartwright

Siren - Tricia Rayburn

The Declaration - Gemma Malley

Ash - Malinda Lo

The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen

The Beautiful dead (Arizona) - Eden Maguire

Eternal - Cynthia Leitich Smith

Lament - Maggie Stiefvater

Old Magic - Marrianne Curley

I have read all of these books (except Little Red Riding Hood) and I reccomend every single one of them!

100 follower update (28/04/2011)

So at some point last night, while I was dreaming of magical buses (no lie, this is what reading has done to me,) I reached 100 followers, that means I get to offer some more prizes to my giveaway, there will also be another winner.

The first winner drawn will get a pick from 22 books,

The second winner will get to choose only from the original 12

These are the extra choices I have added:

My Soul To Take - Rachel Vincent

The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold

Ice - Sarah Beth Durst

Incarceron -Catherine Fisher

Aurelia - Anne Osterlund

The Lying Game - Sara Shepard

Stolen - Lucy Christopher

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

The Vampire Diaries 1&2 - L.J Smith

Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Have fun and by the way...

-Jade

Review: Brightly Woven - Alexandra Bracken

When Wayland North brings rain to a region that's been dry for over ten years, he's promised anything he'd like as a reward. He chooses the village elder's daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she's hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she's heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.


As Sydelle discovers North's dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.

I am seriously suffering a book hangover right now. This was one of those books I kept saying "I'll stop at the next chapter..." to. I started it at 11pm and finished it at around 3.30am. Now it's the morning, and I don't regret it.


This book is honestly addictive. An original storyline which sees our protagonist, Sydelle, begin a fantastic journey with a witty, handsome wizard called Wayland North. Not only is it beautifully original and gorgeously written, it is witty and clever and all the right things. Written in quite a simplistic way, but with magical descriptions that make you believe you're in this place, Bracken has got the pacing just right and a climax that is absolutely fantastic. There are some plot twists and surprises in there that had me gasping in shock as well!


The characters were good as well, while Sydelle annoyed me a little, with her 'I can do this on my own attitude!', Bracken tried to create a character that is as strong as those other kick-ass YA girls, unfortunately, the consequences of Sydelle's actions are usually bad, and she usually needs North to come save her anyway, which was a bit annoying, but she didn't whine and for most of the novel, I liked her. North... oh North... I have a new book crush. He reminded me of Howl for Howl's Moving Castle, with all his little witticisms and his cute boyish attitude. North, for the better part of the novel was one of the most believable characters, though at some points I took a step back and though... hey... this 18 year old wizard needs a 16 year old girls map reading skills? He also sometimes speaks like a 40 year old, that was a bit offputting as well, but these flaws are tiny and add to the plot, so I will let them pass.


There was steady romantic development that developed at just the right pace, you could see it developing but as more of a background story, which was cute and nice and I really enjoyed it, it was believable for the most part and I really liked the way they weren't all over each other, it was more a subtle tone. I wish that Bracken had put Henry a little more in the novel though... that would have made for some interesting developments.


All in all, I thouroughly enjoyed this book!


Overall rating: B

Stand alone/series: Stand alone

Released: March 23rd 2010 (Hardcover)

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Pages: 354

Book obtained via: Won

Review: My Soul To Take - Rachel Vincent

She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

I have recently tied to get away from the paranormals, or at least stop reading them as much as always, but with the YA scene beng practically taken over by them, it's quite hard. While this book has been on my to read list since I first heard of it, I haven't chased it up, so I was pleasantly surprised when my loverrrly best friend gave me her copy as a sort of early birthday present.


I'm glad I read it, while it is paranormal, it is a nice change to have a main character that is a brand new type of paranormal, this must be the first time I have even seen a book based on banshees, or bean sidhes as this book calls them, that itself was a selling point. What really impressed me was how well Vincent executes this fantastic plot, I couldn't really find a single plot hole and there were twists in there that even I wasn't expected but are also believable. I really enjoyed the plot and how it was developed.


The characters are great as well, you have Kaylee, who is a fantastic lead character, she isn't whiney all the time and when she does complain, it is completely justifiable, I felt that Kaylee wasn't too strong a character, which makes her relatable, you can see her emotions and relate to them, which is rare in a lead character. I also absolutely loved Nash, her love interest. Nash is a jock, which is a nice change from more paranormal YA boys, he is a lovely nice guy, but not too boy-next-door nice, he has a sexy side as well, and a history with girls, which gives him that edge... do we really trust him?! Though one problem I did find was that the love story developed from like the third page, it was too soon, though it is justified later in the plot.


I enjoyed the side characters too, Kaylee's cow of a cousin, her vain aunt, her kind uncle and especially Tod, a... friend of Nash's who just happens to be a reaper, he had a sarcastic and nice side and I really hope his character is developed in the sequel as well, I think I may like him more than Nash...


All in all, a fantastic book... I hope the rest of the series doesn't screw it up!


Overall rating: A

Stand alone/series: First in a series

Released: January 1st 2011 (Paperback)

Publisher: Mira Books

Pages: 368

Book obtained via: Bought!

Review: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? Get ready for a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion. The engaging plot can certainly carry the tale, but Hale's likable, introspective heroine makes this also a book about courage and justice in the face of overwhelming odds

This review is going to be short as I'm in the garden, in lovely weather (IN MIDDLE OF APRIL!)


I feel sorry for poor Shannon Hale, most of the reviews I have read for her books have had a paragraph dedicated to the fact that she is a LDS, and that itself has had her compared to Stephanie Meyer. I have to point out that Shannon Hale is ten times the writer Meyer is.


The Goose Girl tells the story of Ani, a princess who, while on the road to meet her fiance from faraway a land, is attacked by her maid, who takes her place and continues on to the city, impersonating the princess. Ani takes the place of a Goose Girl in the castle, while trying to work out how she will get her rightful place back.


While the plot is basically an exact copy of the original fairytale, making it... well a little less than original, Hale's writing is beautiful and poetic enough that readers will accept this, she writes in a light, airy voice that helps create the fairytale setting, her descriptions are beautiful.


The characters are amazing as well, I especially liked the side character Conrad, the other Goose Herder, until the end he dislikes Ani and doesn't trust her, but by the end he becomes a loyal friend, ANi's friend Enna has the best characterisation, she is strong and kind and loyal. I felt that the characters of Geric and Ani were quite flat, and because they were main characters Hale didn't really put much effort into building the characters up, which is a shame because that little bit more characterisation would have really improved the book.


One more flaw was how easily the solutions were to the problems. A secret passageway... that was SO obvious!


Overall rating: B+

Stand alone/series: First in The Books of Bayern 

Released: November 3rd 2003 (Paperback)

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 383

Book obtained via: Bought!

Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

Wings is the debut novel by Aprilynne Pike, and I originally bought the book because of the attractive cover and just because I had nothing else to read, but I have to say I was completely impressed.

The book is about fifteen year old Laurel, who has just started at school after being homeschooled all her life. When Laurel grows a large lump on her back, which sprouts into a giant flower Laurel doesn’t know what to do so she turns to her new best friend David, even he doesn’t have the answers… but does the mysterious boy in the woods?

Laurel is definately one of the most believable female protagonists I’ve ever read. She’s described as beautiful, long blonde hair and model looks but she pulls it off with just the right amount of modesty. She isn’t constantly moaning about every little thing, in fact; for a girl with a flower sprouting on her back she takes it quite well.

David is a great character, he is kind, with a lovely personality. Your typical boy-next-door. I’ll refrain from making any Twilight comparisons but he is one third of a love triangle, in which he plays the part of a boy-in-love-with-his-best-friend-who-is-torn-between-him-and-a-mythical-creature, and he pulls this off in a way that Jacob Black never could (okay twilight comparison ther; sorry).

The last third of this love triangle is Tamani, the faerie that tells Laurel what she really is. He is described as gorgeous with green hair and striking green eyes. From the beginning he acts flirtatiously with Laurel and it is clear theres a background to these two, which is revealed near the end of the book. I absoloutely fell in love with him and his confident demeanor.

Because I have read so many teen titles with a love triangle, I wasn’t expecting anything new. I got the unexpected! Laurel likes both of them and has to make a serious decision at the end. I’m looking forward to seeing how this triangle develops throughout the series.

The plot itself is nice and easy to follow. Pike does well with creating a story that doesn’t follow all the fantasy cliches and a brand new type of faery. I found that Pike went into detail about the littlest things a little too often and some of her explanations didnt add up. For example; when she is describing how large the bump on her bag is (as large as a softball) and then she states that it can be covered up easily. I did find it difficult to imagine these parts.

Pike’s style of writing itself is beautiful and simple enough for anybody over the age of eleven to follow.

All in all, a beautiful book, which just grabs the readers.

Overall rating: B+

(It’s also worth noting that the movie rights to this book has been sold to Disney, and the movie is to star Miley Cyrus as Laurel)

Stand alone/series: First in a series

Released: April 30th 2009

Publisher: HarperCollins Children

Pages: 356

Book obtained via: Bought!