Letterbox Love and The Week in Review (25/8/12)


Letterbox Love is a UK based alternative to the popular US In My Mailbox meme and a fun way for British (and non-British) bloggers to share the fab books we may have got this week.


This week has just been full of awesome. Despite working a lot I've stormed ahead with reviews and have also had so much time to have fun and celebrate getting into university! I also got some pretty awesome books :)

For Review:

         
Print:
Ebook:

 Bought/Swapped:

A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton (Bought because I own this on kindle, but only notice IN THE SHOP that I'm quoted on it, so had to pick up a pretty print copy!)
Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber


The Week in Review:

 Sunday
Review: Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel
Bout of Books Read-A-Thon - Saturday

 Monday
Review: Dark Eyes by William Richter
Bout of Books Read-A-Thon - Sunday & Wrap Up Post

 Tuesday
Review: Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn

 Wednesday
Waiting on Wednesday

 Thursday
Review: Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

 Friday
Review: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond


Next Week:

 Reviews of:
Touched by Cyn Balog
The Dragon's Eye by Corey Guerra
Foretold by Jana Oliver
The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

 Guest Post & Giveaway with Sarah J. Maas - Throne of Glass


Link up your posts and I'll stop by!




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Review: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

Blackwood
On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back. 

Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other.

The premise of this book has had me fascinated since I first saw it, but I was kind of scared to read it because it had the potential to be very good or very bad. Thankfully, for me this book was extremely good, it had it's faults but overall I was extremely impressed.

 I loved the setting of this book. The small island makes for a very cramped feel and the world building was fantastic, I could imagine the island as I read the book. I did think that some things didn't because of the setting. For example, a scene where Miranda's 'Dad' is walking around and nobody recognises him doesn't make sense since Miranda is constantly saying that everybody knows her family. 

 One of the best parts of this book was the romance, both Miranda and Phillips were fantastic characters on their own but when you put them together they make an awesome team. This is a relationship that develops slowly, considering how fast paced this book is in places the development seems real. I loved the almost moments and I really liked how they got along as friends and allies and didn't just lust. I really liked Phillips, though he was completely different to what I expected from an 'exiled teen criminal'. 

 At times this book confused me because of the fast pace and I got some characters mixed up, I felt like the end especially had me reading really quickly because of the fast pace and then IO ended up backtracking a few times.

 Overall, Blackwood was a well-written book due to the great romance and setting. I never thought I'd say this but at times the narrative wasn't completely clear and the pacing was maybe too fast and I got a little confused.

 Overall Rating: A-


 Book released September 4th 2012 by Strange Chemistry
Book received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviews for other books by this author:
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The Art of Being Quoted + New Blog Design

Hi guys!

How are you all? I hope you're all doing good :) I'm just writing a quick post to talk about being blurbed on book covers.

Just now, two years and over 1000 followers into blogging am I starting to get blurbed. It makes me tremendously happy to see my name on actual print books!

Insignia by SJ Kincaid

The first book that I was blurbed on, Insignia, is one of the first releases from new UK publisher Hot Key Books, I was sent a copy and an email which said that they will be quoting some bloggers, and we should get our reviews in by a set deadline.  

Not very clear - A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton

The second, A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton is the second book in a series. I haven't yet read book two but I reviewed A Witch in Winter (book #1) and the quote on the back of A Witch in love is taken from my review of the first book.

I love being quoted, it makes me so happy!

The second thing that I want to talk about is my new blog design! CUPCAKES! I'd love it if you could tell me what you all think about it!!!!






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Review: Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

Innocent Darkness (The Aether Chronicles, #1)Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.
I like a good steampunk book, I like a good faerie book. I like a good faeriee book with steampunk elements in it, I was not sure whether I would like a book where both feature largely in it. I'm still not sure how much I liked this book.

 This book took me a while to finish, I couldn't read it in one sitting, I was enjoying it but for some reason I had to push myself to pick this book up again after I had put it down. Yet when i was reading it I did enjoy it.

 At times it seemed like the plot and characters were being made up as the author needed them to. Nothing seemed planned out, V's role in the story seemed completely random and unprecedented and Charlotte's circumstances seemed too coincidental and didn't mould well into the story. Parts of this book were messy and unpolished, the part where Noli is in Kevighn's house went on forever and basically was a repeat of the same cycle:

 Noli: I want to go home
Kevighn: *Need distraction* Oooh... here's a flower!
Noli: Oooh pretty flower!

 That brings me to the characters. I did like Noli to start with, but she justs tarted to annoy me as the plot moved on and she started to expect everyone to do everything for her... what happened to rebellious hoyden Noli? I was also so annoyed by her indecision in the love triangle, especially since she constantly repeats that Kev is just a rake and V is lovely and sexy. Yeah, V was my saving grace in this book, aside from the fact that his storyline is utterly ridiculous and cliche I found him refreshing and likable.

 I'm also not going to get into the steamy scenes (which aren't graphic but are still a little serious for the 12+ age recommendation of this book) and all of the descriptions of opium dens and prostitutes.

 I feel terrible for writing such an awful review, since I did like this book but it was just very jerky and didn't flow and had a very unfinished feel... gah!

 Overall Rating: D

Book released 8th August 2012 by Flux Books
Book received as an ebook via NetGalley for review
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Waiting on Wednesday #6


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY AWESOME BLOGOVERSARY AND 900 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY HERE - 3 WINNERS WIN A YA BOOK OF CHOICE FROM 21 GIVEN CHOICES :)


Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles, #1)Waiting on... a stand-alone/new series:

Renegade by J.A. Souders (Tor Teen, November 13th 2012)

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all. 
Why I'm waiting on this: I love the colours and the design of this cover, it really stands out. plus, psycho mothers and underwater worlds? Yes please!


Asunder (Newsoul, #2)Waiting on... a sequel

Asunder by Jodi Meadows - Katherine Tegan, Jan 29th 2012

Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

Why I'm waiting on this: Another gorgeous cover. I really enjoyed Incarnate so I can't wait for this!


What are you waiting on? Drop me a comment and I'll call by!
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Review: Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn

Call Down ThunderReve and his sister Mi are alone in the world – their father is dead and their mother has abandoned them. Reve has to learn to be a man – to fight, to fish, to live. He must protect Mi from the rest of the world; she is special, hears voices, can see things. She can call down thunder. Travelling to the big city to search for their mother, Reve and Mi get sucked into the squalid underworld of the sprawling barrio, where danger lurks around every corner, and each day is a fight for survival.

This book took me a while to read because it was very slow paced, but when I finished it I realised that all of the effort was worth it. This is one of those books that manages to get deep into your soul and though it was a step out of my comfort zone I'm very glad that I took that step.

 At first I really did not think I was going to get on with this book, it was slow and slightly confusing and I didn't understand the culture. Slowly, I began to get to grips with who was who and the way of speaking and in the end I was able to read it without having to re-read each sentence of dialogue. I think that may be one of this books biggest downfalls; it's slow, confusing at times and the dialogue isn't typical.

However, this book does have an absolutely amazing main character: Reve is tough and strong and though he is only a kid (thirteen I think?) he is able to be brave and strong but he always sounds authentic and real. I also really liked Mi, she was unique and quirky and not all there. Mi's story was well written and I loved the direction the author took her character. I also liked the backing characters, Theon was a character I never really understood and I really liked Tomas he was tough but he cared. I also came to love Baz and Demi, the kids that Reve and Mi meet in the city because they were street smart and kind of cute.

 There isn't really much more that I can say for Call Down Thunder. This is pretty heavy and pretty slow, but is worth reading. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for an edge-of-seat read, but if you want something a little deeper and meaningful I would definitely recommend this book.

 Overall, this book was very slow and I struggled to stay interested for a while but after finishing it I do feel like I have taken something from this book. I liked the characters in this book as they seemed very authentic.

 Overall Rating: C+

Released July 5th 2012 by Panmacmillan
Book received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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Bout Of Books Read-A-Thon Day #7 (Sunday) & Wrap-Up Post


So I struggled a little bit in the middle, but I got there in the end. I met my page goal and read all but one of my books for the weeks, though I did read one that wasn't on my goals list :)

Here is the update for Sunday

I FINISHED:

Innocent Darkness (The Aether Chronicles, #1)
Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear
(I read 196 pages)

Blackwood

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond
(I read 320 pages)

SO OVERALL
I have read a total of 416 pages today
I have read a total of 2177 pages overall
I have surpassed my page goal of 2000 by 177 pages

Books read:
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
Dark Eyes by William Richter
Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn
Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel
Touched by Cyn Balog
Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear
Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

Challenges entered:
I think I entered three of the challenges this week.

Twitter chats
I didn't take part in any of these (inconvenient times for me, being from the UK)

Friends made
I followed 10 blogs in this read-a-thon, all were blogs that i wanted to follow due to the books featured.

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