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Monday, August 29, 2011

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

The Summary: The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

(My Review): As always, Richelle Mead has never ceased to amaze me with her books, even with the new spin-off series. It is beyond sad that Vampire Academy had to end, but at least this next series is still set in the Vampire Academy world. Sydney Sage, an Alchemist who has been on the brinks of being put in re-education center because she had helped Rose, has been ordered to guard Jill Dragomir, who hopes of escaping some brutal and aggresive protesters against Queen Lissa Dragomir. With Jill's future on the line, she accepts the task and finds out that everything is not what it seems and everything she's believed up to now are about to be put in the test.

Bloodlines features old faces as well as new ones. Sydney in a lot of ways are simliar but different to Rose. She's persistent, calm even when people try knocking her down, never backing down to anyone and the relationship between Adrian and Sydney (who he calls Sage) is pretty unquie.
But its obvious, whether you're a newcomer to Bloodlines or have stayed since the begining of Vampire Academy, Bloodlines has sure made It's mark.

My Rating: 5/5
The Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5

Friday, August 26, 2011

New Books Out In August:

Books this August have been very extensive, so if you're looking for a book from one of your favorite series or just looking at some new series books to try out, August has been a wild whirl-wind of books and I'm sure you'll be able to find the perfect book for you. 

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (Spin-Off Series)

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new fiction series- set in the same world as Vampire Academy. 

When Alchemist Sydney is ordered to into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects is to be sent to a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school the drama is only just beginning. 

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles, betrayls, that made the 1# New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive-this time in the part-vampire, part-human setting, where the stakes are higher and everyone's out for blood. 

Published: August 23, 2011
Hardcover
Pages: 421 

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto (#2nd In The Halo Series)
Bethany and Xavier are even closer than ever since battling Jake Thorn and his evil influence (in Halo) and Beth and her angel siblings must still protect Venus Cove from the Dark forces. 

When at a party game-a seance-indavertently releases Jake from the Underworld, he disguises himself and tricks Beth into taking a ride on his motorcycle. When the highway opens up and swallows them, Beth learns it's too late that she's now a prisoner in hell. What happens to angels there? As her archangel brother, Gabriel, her sister Ivy, Xavier, and best friend, Molly search for her, Beth must weigh Jake's bargaining for her freedom: one night with him, and she will be released back to Earth. 
Can Jake be trusted in this wager? And is he also using Beth to engineer the fall of the archangel Gabriel? Xavier has already lost one love-when Jake tricks him into thinking that Bethany is dead, his grief, his anger result in a betrayal that will leave Bethany-and reader-wondering if he is so good after all.

It will be up to Beth to use everything's she's learned about her powers as an angel-and about love- to free herself and those she loves from the clutches of Hades.

Publish Date: August 30th 2011
Hardcover
Pages: 422

Fury by Elizabeth Miles (#1st In The Series)

Sometimes sorry isn't enough. 

It's winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as seems.. 

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

Publish Date: August 30th 2011
Hardcover
Pages: 352

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles (#3rd In Perfect Chemistry Series)


Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill.

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.

Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?


Published: August 16th 2011
Harcover
Pages: 308


Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead (#6th in Succubus Blue Series)



In Georgina Kincaid, succubus and she-demon, #1 New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead has created one of her most enticing characters. But with a shot at love, and maybe even redemption, is the ultimate seductress finally going soft? Like hell she is. . .

Georgina Kincaid has had an eternity to figure out the opposite sex, but sometimes they still surprise her. Take Seth Mortensen. The man has risked his soul to become Georgina's boyfriend. Still, with Lucifer for a boss, Georgina can't just hang up her killer heels and settle down to domestic bliss. In fact, she's being forced to transfer operations. . .to Las Vegas.

The City of Sin is a dream gig for a succubus, but Georgina's allies are suspicious. Why are the powers-that-be so eager to get her away from Seattle—and from Seth? Georgina is one of Hell's most valuable assets, but if there's any way out of the succubus business she plans to take it—no matter how much roadkill she leaves behind. She just hopes the casualties won't include the one man she's risking everything for. . .

Publish Date: August 30th 2011
Paperback
Pages: 277

One Grave At A Time (#6th In Night Huntress Series)


The grave is one wrong step away.

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans' voodoo queen just keeps on giving--leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity--forever. But how do you kill a killer who's already long dead?

Publish Date: August 30th, 2011
Paperback
Pages: 358


Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake (#1st In The Series)



Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

Publish Date: August 30th, 2011
Hardcover
Pages: 320

Circle Of Fire by Michelle Zink (#3rd In The Series)


With time dwindling but her will to end the Prophecy stronger than ever, Lia sets out on a journey to find the remaining keys, locate the missing pages of the Prophecy, and convince her sister Alice to help--or risk her life trying. Lia has her beloved Dimitri by her side, but Alice has James, the man who once loved her sister--and maybe still does. James doesn't know the truth about either sister, or the prophecy that divides them. And Alice intends to keep it that way.

There are some secrets sisters aren't meant to share. Because when they do, it destroys them. This stunning conclusion to Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy will make saying good-bye bittersweet for readers.

Published: August 1st, 2011
Hardcover
Pages: 352

Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead


Look out for Bloodlines, Richelle Mead’s new series set in the world of Vampire Academy, coming August 2011!

After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger - and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.

Published: August 23rd, 2011
Paperback
Pages: 144

Caged In Darkness (#1st In Series)


A witch raised in a cage of darkness...

Savannah Cross was born into a life of isolation and abuse. As a child, she witnessed her parents perform acts of malevolent evil, and now feels permanently tainted by their dark deeds.

When a coven discovers a tear stricken child, wounded on their elders lawn, they offer her a sanctuary she has never known. Savannah spends the next several years shattered, continuously looking over her shoulder, waiting for the darkness to claim her.

On her 16th birthday, Savannah’s life takes a drastic turn.She is consumed by overwhelming power that forever alters her emotionally and physically.

She must choose between two loves; the one who taught her to smile or the darkly seductive stranger who tempts her towards another path. Savannah must decide between the coven that was her haven and another one vying for her initiation. Just as Savannah begins to grasp what fate has in store for her, an evil looms over her loved ones; coming to claim an unbreakable debt.

How will she choose and survive the greatest evil she has ever witnessed... long enough to have a choice to make.

Published: August 1st, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa


The Summary: Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that real danger comes from the Iron fey-Ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

(My Review): Let me just say this: Good sequels are vital to the series being that great, and this one definitely hit the mark. Meghan has come along way from the girl from Louisiana and your average teen girl, a very long way she has come. Already Ash has summoned her to come back the fey world where things have only begun to ramp up once more. (I will try hardest not to give away spoilers on this one) Meghan enters Tir Nag Nog, the Winter Court. Once they enter the Winter Court, just like the icy appearance of Tir Nag Nog, Ash's demeanor quickly changes as well. If you read Winter's Passage, the reasons behind why he did It will make more sense.

She cannot go home because of her choice to go on her own free will. Another reason to be careful when making deals with fey can result in not so good endings.
Nevertheless, The Iron Daughter was a beautifully woven together and had much more action and romance in the second book than in the first. The history between Puck and Ash is very intriguing history and keeps getting intense with every book. The book had ended on a sort of bittersweet, but nice ending. Overall, the book was flat out intensely great and that's why I just had to get The Iron Queen the next day.

My Rating: 5/5
The Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5