Feature and Follow #38

This is a weekly blog hop hosted by the wonderful Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Today's question is:

Q: What is a book you didn't like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn't popular?

  

That's easy for me. I didn't enjoy Grave Mercy, Illuminate, and especially Throne of Glass , the way others did. I just couldn't get into either of the three. No offense to the authors because each were well written.

A series I love that doesn't seem to be really popular around the book community is Pretty in Black. I think the story is really interesting and Rae's a cool writer.

What about you?

Feature and Follow #34

This is a weekly blog hop hosted by the wonderful Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Today's question is:

Q: What is the last book that kept you up late into the night just to finish it?

That's easy cause I have two answers for this one. I stayed up till sunrise in order to finish the first three books in Rae Hachton's Pretty in Black series, and I did the same for Kelly Creagh's Nevermore and Enshadowed. Both series have a lot to do with dark, Gothic romance and I love such concepts, so of course I would stay up late just to finish reading them because my obsession is beyond intense :)

 

How about you?

Rae Hachton's Raven in the Grave Teaser Tour

Hey ya'll!

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be hosting the USA/Canada Blog Teams on the Raven in the Grave's teaser tour. This is the third installment in the awesome Pretty in Black series by Rae Hachton. See the details below:

From September 15 - December 15, Rae Hachton will release book teasers from the Forthcoming New Book in the series, as well as teasers from the previous two books in the series.

Statement from Author: 

I am a big music person, I need music in order to write. But, more than that, each song on the Pretty in Black series soundtrack has more significance than just being a song on the soundtrack. Each one played an important role in the creation of the book. I want to tie each teaser into one of the songs on the soundtrack and talk about how that particular song played a role in the creation of the series/book.

But, I also want to discuss, in mini-segments the creation "Behind the Book." There was soooo much that went into each book, and I want to be able to also talk about those things.

So, this will be one big "Behind the Book."

Each Teaser will tie into one of the songs from the Book Soundtrack, as music has played Major part in the creation of this book series.

Along with the Music & Teasers, she will also discuss in mini-segments, how each song she chose played a role in the creation of the series, how the concept for the book emerged more. A Question about the book will be answered per song.

[Full Details to Come Closer to Tour Date]

The Tour will start with Pretty in Black and lead up to Raven in the Grave teasers.

Open to Bloggers, Readers, Fans

USA & Internationally

~Tour Schedule Extras~

Rafflecopter Giveaway of 5 swag packs which includes the book posters

The Trailers for Pretty in Black and Black Satin 

The Raven in the Grave Official Book Trailer Release

A Surprise Release to Unveil sometime during the Tour

Ends with An Excerpt from Raven in the Grave

~Blogger Info~

Tour to Be Divided into Three Teams:

One Team For Each Book. A Blogger can Join more than One Team.

Each Blogger on Each Team will Post one of the Songs/Discussions/Q&A/Teaser segments

sometime during the month of each book mini-tour.

September: Pretty in Black *Trailer for Raven in the Grave to release at end of month*

October: Black Satin

November: Raven in the Grave

Fill out this form if you'd like to sign-up

International Bloggers Welcome & Encouraged.

Tour to Start with Book One, to allow those readers who have not heard of Pretty in Black

to understand the Upcoming Teasers in the Raven in the Grave tour, and to be able

to enjoy the Extra Segments of the Book.

There will be a USA Team and hopefully some International Teams.

Will Announce the USA/International Blogs/Teams in Upcoming Weeks.

All Songs/Mini-Discussions/Q&A/Teasers will be mailed to all participating bloggers

before the start of Tour.

As the author composes the Topics of the Tour, she will send the Topic/Song List to each Blog

Team so they can decide which blogger will post what Topic.

Each team, in each country, can post the Topics from Each Book at different Intervals.

Full Schedule Will be Posted on the Pretty in Black Blog Page before Start of Tour.

Schedule will Include all Teams & Blog Listings and/or Countries

& Topics for each book.

Thanks! Hope to make it Fabulous!

INTERNATIONAL BLOG TEAMS/HOST

IF you would like to Host an International Blog Team Sign-Up for Your Country/Region,

Set up a Sign-Up Form on your Blog to gather the Bloggers & then Contact Author

via this Form to let her know you have a sign-up List.

Include Name/Blog and any other information required then E-mail it to the Author.

She will E-mail you the Necessary Tour Info & You, The Host

can send to your Bloggers. She Will Add You to Her Contact List

so you will receive the Extras in the Tour, such as the Trailer Release Info.

Sounds great right. For more info please contact Rae Hachton at any of the following links:

@PIBseries | @raehachton | evermores.blogspot.com | corvido-phile.blogspot.com

My Book Boyfriend: Marcus Marble

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Unread Reader. My choice this week is:

Marcus Marble of the Pretty in Black series.

Marcus is a selfless evermore willing to sacrifice his own existence for the girl he loves. His dark and mysterious aura mesmerizes readers, and sometimes it steals your attention from any other character in the book. Marcus' presence is one you just cannot resist acknowledging. He's just that hot. 

In my opinion, Diego Boneta would make a great Macus Marble if this book should ever become a movie.

 

Diego Boneta is a Mexican singer and actor. He is best known for playing Rocco in the Mexican soap opera Rebelde and recurring character Javier Luna in the series 90210. He also appeared as Alex Santiago in the ABC Family series of Pretty Little Liars and has landed the role of Drew Boley in Adam Shankman's much anticipated big screen production of Rock of Ages.

www.diegoboneta.com

 

Who's your book boyfriend this week?

Blog Tour Stop~BLACK SATIN By Rae Hachton

Welcome to the IFB stop on the BLACK SATIN BLOG TOUR, hosted by SuperGurlBooks. Check out my review for the Pretty In Black sequel and find out if Rae Hachton blew me away with her second effort:

Black Satin (Pretty in Black #2)

Publication Date: May 28, 2012
Teen Pulse

What if you weren’t who you thought you were?

What if your whole life changed in an instant and you were released to a new identity?

What if you were forced to kill the one you love?

What if everything you knew wasn’t real, and you awaken to a new world?

What if love could take you to unknown places? How beautiful is death really?

WARNING! If you have not read the first book then please do so before reading this review because while I try not to give too many spoilers, I certainly don't want to confuse you in any way possible.

Now, let's get into it shall we. 

~Review~

I was expecting the story to pick up from where Ellie left off, meaning after she woke up from death. What I didn't expect was the rather exceptional recap of Pretty in Black that not only reminded me of all the drama that went down, but also enlightened me with some very new and gripping details told from the perspective of Marcus.

Rae gave quite a lot of insight on the existence of evermores, corvidaes and goyls, and I do mean a lot. I'm just happy she made it interesting and somewhat educating. I was almost thrilled to learn more about Marcus; in particular, how and when he became an evermore. Something that messed me up was the role Jillian played in Marcus' past as a human. I always knew that witch had a thing for my gothic hottie but wow, once those very interesting facts came to light I was completely baffled. I didn't see that one coming at all. Readers are definitely kept busy by the element of surprise throughout this entire story, which is just as remarkable if not far exceeding the first.

Once the story continues, hence, the start of Black Satin, we begin to see the kind of life Ellie is now living. While she's happy to have the people she once lost around her again, Ellie's doing her best to cope with the agony of whether or not she'll ever be reunited with Marcus. She's desperate to find answers as to what happened on that frightful night of her supposedly death, and how exactly did Marcus manage to "reverse" the tragedy in her life. Ellie knows she has to move on rather than drown in her sorrow. Her fighting spirit is quite admirable, as it was from the beginning, but how can she find any solace when strange things keep happening around her. Paul has some creepy kind of fascination with her, Declan and Madison keep badgering her about Marcus and his 'monstrous' persona, and there's so much unexplainable mystery surrounding the new guy who Ellie can't help but feel attracted to. That part just pissed me off because I'm always rooting for Marcus, but I guess love triangles brew excitement. Anyways, with so many questions, Ellie thinks that Giles could possibly be the only one to provide answers, which he does but reveals more or less than what she's bargained for. Some rather astonishing news leave Eleanor confused about her very existence and the part she plays in the war between evermores and corvidaes. Her confusion diminishes over time with the help of some new and significant characters.

The story is definitely entertaining as there's a lot taking place. However, you'll keep up with the sometimes draggy pace just as you're unwilling to break from your reading because you'd like to know more.

The writing style is still as remarkable as before and I love how in the midst of everything our lead female character is experiencing growth. You can't help but love Ellie and even mature along with her. She embodies characteristics that are quite hard to find in reality. Such bravery is rather difficult to fathom.

Another thing you'll notice is that Black Satin dealt with Ellie more so than Marcus. With every chapter I missed him terribly. In fact, I think I longed for him more than Ellie did. Is something wrong with this picture? I'm sorry Rae but what the hell, I know you wanted to make room for this intriguing new entry but dark shadows, name calling, and pitiful dreams weren't enough page time for Marcus. His presence is absolutely necessary to keep me interested. Well, at least the ending delivered something fantastic. I didn't see that coming.

Black Satin is a decent sequel offering more of everything; more character development, more drama, more emotions, more background, just more. Rae Hachton did not disappoint, but she didn't impress me as much this time around. Still, it was a fairly good read. I'm anticipating the third book and itching to see how Ellie and Marcus' relationship will turn out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour ~ Pretty In Black by Rae Hachton [Review + GIVEAWAY]

Welcome to the IFB stop for the PRETTY IN BLACK BLOG TOUR hosted by SupaGurl. Here's my Review of the first book. Be sure to check out my Q&A below and enter the GIVEAWAY as well.

Pretty In Black (Pretty in black #1)

Paperback, 312 pages

Published October 26th 2011 by Teen Pulse

Some Things are Pretty. Some Things are Black. Love is both. 

[Ellie Piper] 

She wanted to die. He arose from the grave. He was sent to kill her. She was trained to kill those of his kind. But fate had other plans. He searched for 119 years to find her. & There's no way in hell he's letting her go. Dead or Alive. They're fated. 

[Marcus Marble] 

How far would you go to be with the one you love? Would you die for her? Would you kill for her? What if the only reason you're still alive is because of her? What if the reason you came back from the dead, was to be with her? But what if your job was to kill her, but you fell in love instead? And now you're being hunted by your own kind? 

Destroy? Or be Destroyed?

~Would you die for love, so you could live forever?~

My Review

There's sooo much I could say about Pretty In Black. I just have to compose my thoughts enough to make sense in doing so. I think 'dark' is the appropriate word that sums up everything about this book. It describes the emotions of the main characters, their surroundings, and the bittersweet love they have for each other. 

I truly enjoyed the story because not only was it fast paced, and I mean extremely fast paced, I could also feel what they were feeling, see what they were seeing, and understood when they themselves found it difficult to comprehend. Pretty In Black is quite the experience, and I say that because you'll literally feel as if you're apart of the story. It was just that satisfying. 

After reading the synopsis, which I usually shy away from because I fear for the expectations they leave me with, I wasn't sure if I was going to like Ellie. Her personality seemed gloomy and depressing, someone who made everyone else around her feel like crap, and that isn't the kind of friend I wished to have. But surprisingly, I liked the kind of person she turned out to be. Ellie was merely heartbroken; she had just lost her sister, tragically I might add. Her parents had divorced. Her mother re-married the scum of the earth, and her father didn't seem like he cared at all. So, you could truly sympathizer with this broken seventeen year old in desperate need of love. Then came Marcus. 

Their encounter was of course creepy, but entertaining. It seemed rushed but to the point. I love it. Marcus is this fearless and mysterious guy who wants nothing else in the world but Ellie. He's willing to risk it all for love, an emotion that not only screams hot but selfishness as well. The latter being that he's putting his dynasty and the girl he loves in danger. The truth about who he was came to light but only made Ellie fall deeper in love. This chick was more than ready to give up her life to be with him, not a lot of girls would be so open to death. You'd think she'd put up a lasting fight in regards to that small (major) detail, but I must commend her willpower all in the name of love. 

Overall, Pretty In Black is an exceptional re-imaging of Poe's dark tales. There's absolutely nothing sugar coated about this story, everything is in your face and tastefully well written. What more could an avid reader of Gothic Romance ask for, when I'm given twice the darkness and twice the passion.

~GIVEAWAY~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Q&A with Rae Hachton

My nom de plume is Rae Hachton, but my real name is Desirae. I write novels for young adults. I am the author of the Pretty in Black series, which is a Gothic Romance. Some of my favorite things are moonflowers, ravens and crows, The Raveonettes music, black roses, railroad tracks, the Victorian era, and cemeteries. If I could be a time of day, I would be 5:55 p.m. or that magical hour during sunset. More things that I like: Violin music, spiders & cobwebs, 50s music, skeletons, Dracula, & Castles. Also, I love Jones Soda and Pocky, and wishes Halloween were everyday. 
@raehachton
raehachton.blogspot.com

1. Where are you from?

I was born in The United States, so technically I would be an American, but my heritage is Filipino/French from my Father’s side and Italian/Caucasian on my Mom’s side.

Also, I would like to interject for just a moment to say: For anyone wondering how to pronounce my last name in my nom de plume, it is pronounced H-ton. The “H” in Hachton is actually silent, only the “ach” part is heard, making the “H” sound. You actually hear more of an “A” than you do an “H.” 

2. What inspired you to become a writer?

Growing up, I devoured books. But then I had visions in my head, mini- movies, and decided I wanted to be a filmmaker. But somehow, I ended up transferring my visions to the pages in the medium of sentences. I believe this happened because I was itching to get the visions out of head, but I couldn’t make the films I wanted to—it would’ve been way too expensive, but writing down words was free. 

3. Why Gothic Romance?

Goth is something I’ve always been pulled toward, even as a child. I grew up watching dark cinema. In Ninth and Tenth grade I’d daydream about meeting a vampire. I began writing dark poetry and listening to darker kinds of music. But, the thing I find the most odd, is that I never read any dark YA fiction .[ I didn’t even read Anne Rice.] I always read contemporary YA. I mean, yeah, I devoured tons of Edgar Allan Poe, but that was all. I didn’t pick up my first “vampire” book until I was nearly twenty, and even then, it was “Twilight” that I read.

But then I went on a literary binge, devouring every “dark” book in sight. And while some of them were really awesome, at the time, not many felt “Goth” in nature.  I mean, Stephenie Meyer had taken vampires and put them in an everyday commonplace setting, making them “normal.”

I’m rambling, I know...probably because I can’t really give an exact answer to this question. What I know is, when the vision for Pretty in Black came to me, I wrote it...and it turned out to be a Gothic Romance. And it just felt right...and I thought it was really awesome. I have also realized, as time has progressed, that I have some really bizarre ideas. I’m gearing up for another “Goth” romance called Frankie’s Monster and it’s all about “Xombies” but not Zombies.