Review: Eternally by Rae Hachton

Series: Eternally #1-Wasteland
Release date: October 21st 2014
Publisher: Teen Pulse
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

New Adult Horror Romance

h o r r o r o m a n c e or horromance

The Summer of 1998

Heath

He's just a drug addicted squatter, passing through town.

Catherine

She's a lonely girl who spends all of her time investigating a haunting town legend. 

They are brought together at Withering House—a place harboring buried secrets and paranormal activity. 

Over the summer, they develop a friendship that turns into something more as she helps him through his addiction and he agrees to explore the legend with her. 

This summer, they're about to discover what it really feels like to find that one person you'd do anything for. 

Live Together.

Die Together.

Be...Eternal 

17+ Upper/Mature YA. Zombies. Reapers. Horror. Romance.

*Purchased kindle book

I think it's safe to say that I will enjoy absolutely anything Rae Hachton writes. She has the ability to suck you in with her dark and hauntingly beautiful words, and Eternally was no exception. I loved it! My gosh, how do I review the story without giving too much away? Okay, here goes:

Eternally is told entirely from the POV of Heath. Loved that. I haven't read a book written with male narration in a while so that was a breath of fresh air. And I liked Heath's character, mostly because he was so flawed. As was Catherine, but I feel that it was good the book was in Heath's perceptive because he had so much more going on. Addiction being one of it. I must admit, it was weird at first to read about a character shooting up, but it was so believable. The escape that Heath got from drugs was convincing. That's how good the description was. 

Okay. That painful truth aside, his character was really interesting. Funny, sarcastic, straightforward, and even though he himself didn't realize it at times, he was kind and loyal. After everything with Catherine and how annoying she was to him at first, he still stuck with her and took care of her. That was the sweetest thing he did. No matter the other entity that tried to get in the way of them getting involved with each other, Heath still stayed with her and kept her safe. Until the end.

As for Catherine, she was a pain in the ass to Heath and to me at first. But then I liked how she wanted so badly to help him with his addiction, and the fact that she had so much hope in a guy she didn't know was commendable. A lot of people would have given up on Heath but not Catherine. She believed he would change. And with her help and support, he did. He let go of the pain brought on by so many things in his life and started to believe things would get better for him. Kudos to Catherine for helping him with that because in reality, many addicts don't have a single support left in their lives.

Overall, it was a really good story. If you're a fan of Gothic novels, like me, you will enjoy this one. The plot was intriguing. I liked the eerie setting and backstory, and of course Catherine's obsession with the history of the town and Withering House. There were times I was freaked out by all the spooky stuff that took place, but that made the story even more exciting. Their longing for each other was another major seller for this book too. Their feelings were intense and definitely believable. It would have to be, because their love is something that helps drive the turn of events towards the end. 

By the way, it was painful to read the ending. I was about to lose my mind because it'd hit me so hard. I really didn't want it to work out that way but there was so much build up to it that you knew things couldn't be so perfect. And this is a Rae Hachton book, so of course it would be about tortured love. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the second book and how Heath and Catherine's story will play out. I strongly hope their love will enable them to have another moment in time. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rae Hachton Writes Dark Romanticism--sometimes with gears and clockwork. Has cemetery obsession. Misses Victorian London and ancient Rome. Believes in vampires and magic. If imaginary, she would be an automaton fairy. Corvidophile. Content.

"My Primary goal is to Scare you/Haunt you, but make you fall in love at the same time. I'm a Monster Lover who writes Dark Fantasy and Gritty Contemporary. Also a believer in dark and twisted fairytales and Scarily-Ever Afters."

www.raehachton.com | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

BOOK BLITZ~The Beginning is the End by Cara Davis

The promo event for the first book in Cara Davis' YA Zombie series has ended. Check out the excerpt and author playlist below.

Series: Reset #1

Release date: October 20th 2014

Publisher: Big Moon Press

Purchase: Amazon 

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Jack Sunshine’s life is chaos. She’s seventeen and the head of her household following the death of her mother and the disappearance of her stepfather. Having to balance work and home at her age gets further complicated with her forays into dating. And to top it all off, the dead are returning to life. 

Jack now has the added responsibility of ensuring her family and friends are safe and sound during this outbreak. It’s almost doable until the tiny enigma of a girl named O comes along. It becomes a question of whether the sick will kill them or they’ll kill each other.

EXCERPT
==================

Frances Hopkins, who lived across the street from the DeCoudreauxes, stood in the doorway of the library with heaving shoulders and some kind of internalized grudge against every one of us. Her low growl reverberated, and none of us moved a millimeter as we debated the next move. Frances seemed to be calculating her next move as well, and I couldn’t help but hear Old West showdown music in my head. 

“Shoot. Her.” Alexandria gritted her teeth.

“She isn’t doing anything,” Miles argued.

“Let’s just try and skirt past her,” I suggested. It couldn’t have been too difficult; she wasn’t taking up too much room in the rather large doorway.

An argument from Alexandria later and we found ourselves trying to walk past Frances without alerting her. Since it was my idea, Alexandria insisted I go first. I took Lucy’s hand and held her close to me, starting to side-step Frances while holding my breath. I covered Lucy’s eyes with one hand, her mouth with the other; she was starting to cry, and I didn’t want her to get too loud.

I tried to think of everything I possibly could aside from the situation right in front of me. It would only take about five seconds to get past her, I knew, but they would be appallingly long seconds. My grip on Lucy tightened once we found ourselves inches from Frances. I scooted as quickly as I could and was relieved that we made it out into the hallway without incident.

Summer, O and the others followed suit, each without incident, until only Alexandria remained inside the library. She locked eyes with me and I contemplated leaving her behind, given how rude she’d been to Aylen. Instead, I gave her my most reassuring smile and nod, gesturing for her to join us. Miles whispered a few words of encouragement as well, and after a few false starts, Alexandria made her move to shimmy past Frances.

She hugged the wall, her back to Frances and eyes shut tightly. Her spiked heels made the faintest scritching sounds as she shuffled. My sigh of relief at all of us passing by Frances unharmed was interrupted, as Frances whipped around with alarming speed to once again grab hold of Alexandria’s hair.

Before any of us could get close enough, Alexandria was heels over head and slammed against the ground, Frances on top of her and shredding her clothes. There was no way Miles could’ve gotten in a clear shot, both women’s limbs intertwining as Alexandria tried to fight her way out. Miles screamed to me, gesturing for me to kick while he aimed. I looked back to Frances and hesitated before steeling myself and slamming my foot as hard as I could into her face.

AUTHOR'S PLAYLIST
=====================================

[click title to listen]

Gossip – Heavy Cross

Nine Inch Nails – The Great Destroyer (Modwheelmood Remix) 

Deftones – Diamond Eyes

Northern Kings – Creep

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll

Miss A – Touch

About the Author

Cara Davis is a weirdo. She has lots of partially-written stories that one day will become actual stories. A northern-born southerner, she has the most eclectic tastes you can imagine. Most of her writing is within the paranormal realm, but occasionally she dabbles in fantasy, sci-fi, and contemporary. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis that’s going unused.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

TOUR SCHEDULE

October 20th -

JeanzBookReadNReview
Book Lovers Life
Musings of the Book-a-holic Fairies, inc
SBM Book Obsession
Bibliophile Mystery
Read It Woman
My Book Fairy
The Psychotic Nerd
StarAngels Reviews

October 21st -
Ashley's Paranormal Book Blog
Sweet Southern Home Blog
Mythical Books
Mom With a Kindle
Book Lovers Lounge
Vivacious Hobo
Bitches n Prose
All in One Place

October 22nd -

Suzy Turner, YA Author
Word to Dreams

October 23rd -
The Phantom Paragrapher
Book Groupies


October 24th -
Karen Blue Reviews
Deal Sharing Aunt

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BLOG TOUR KICKS-OFF~Undeadly by Michele Vail

The Michele Vail Undeadly Blog Tour is now running from November 12th - 19th. See details below.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper-and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly-against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

Book One in The Reaper Diaries. 

Release date: November 20th, 2012 | Publisher: Harlequin Teen

*A GIVEAWAY WILL BE POSTED ON ALL THE PARTICIPATING BLOGS IN THE U.S. THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE GIVEAWAY WHICH INCLUDES A SIGNED FINISHED COPY OF THE BOOK.

~TOUR SCHEDULE~

November 12 Two Chicks On Books *Interview & Playlist (author's choice)

Some Like It Paranormal *Review & Excerpt 

The Starry-Eyed Revue *Review & Dream cast 

Realm of Fiction *Review

   Young Adult Book Haven *Review
   Paperback Princess *Review & Author Bio 

November 13 For Those About To Read *Guest post as main character Molly 

Xpresso Reads *Review & Author Bio 

Readers Live A Thousand Lives *Review & Playlist

Claire Reads *Blurb & Author Spotlight

Chapter by Chapter *Review & Excerpt 
   A Reader of Fictions *Review
   Winter Haven *Review & Author Bio
   Young Readers *Excerpt 

November 14 Book Me! *Review & Dream cast 

Book Sniffers Annonymous *Excerpt & Author Bio 

A Dream Within A Dream *Review, Excerpt & Author Bio
   Reader Girls *Review & Playlist
   Doctor's Notes *Review 

   Rainy Day Ramblings *Review 

November 15 Mostly YA Book Obsessed *Interview & Dream cast 

A Reader Dreamer *Review & Excerpt

Shiirleyy's Bookshelf *Blurb & Author Bio

The Book Slayer *Excerpt
   Always YA At Heart *Review & Excerpts
   Abbey Ann's Bookland *Review
   

November 16 For The Love of Films *Guest post 

Leisure Reads *Review & Author Bio 

Realms of an Open Mind *Review & Playlist 

Book Nerd Canada *Review

The Book Goddess *Review & Excerpt

   Jenn Renee Reads *Review & Playlist
   Book Briefs *Review
   My Not So Real Life *Review & Author Bio 

November 17 Simple Books *Interview & Review 

Head Stuck in a Book *Review & Author Bio

Maji Bookshelf *Review & Dream cast 

I Heart YA Books *Review

   Fiction Freak *Review
   Books to Infinity *Review

November 18 Book Haven Extraordinaire *Excerpt

What's Hot? *Review  & Author Bio

Crossroads Reviews *Review 

Book Loving Mom *Excerpt
   Ramblings of a Book Junkie *Review & Author Bio
   Rumor Has It *Excerpt & Author Bio 

November 19 The Reader Lines *Interview 

Nick's Book Blog *Guest post 

The Bookish Babe *Review & Excerpt 

Aripi Pentru a Visa *Blurb & Author Bio

 Artsy Musings of a Bibliophile *Review & Author Bio 

Kindred Dreamheart *Review & Excerpt 
   

About the Author

Michele Vail writes young adult paranormal fiction about zombies and reapers. 

She likes reading, dogs, cats, board games, ghost-hunting shows, and Halloween. She believes in magic, in the impossible, and in the restorative powers of chocolate. 

Michele lives happily-ever-after with her Viking and their family.

www.michelevail.com

http://www.goodreads.com/MicheleVaill

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature and Follow #22

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

Q: What book do you think would make a great Halloween movie? Please explain in graphic detail of goriness...

Definitely Something Strange & Deadly and Nevermore. I know I mention these two a lot but its because they're both great and creepy alike. There's not a lot of goriness but the main character in Something Strange loses her hand and there are mention of really gross things. I haven't read a lot of creepy books so I can't really think of anything else.

How about you?

Something Strange & Deadly Blog Tour Wraps + Giveaway Winner

The Susan Dennard Blog Tour has ended on a successful note! And of course, that wouldn't have been possible without the participation of you wonderful bloggers, and Susan as well.
So, a very special thank you to all those who made this blog tour a success and thank you for continuing on with me on other tours to come!

Re-live it all again by checking out each stop below. Oh, almost forgot, find out if you're the lucky winner of an autographed copy of the book.

July 24 -   Charming Chelsey's *Review & Interview                 
                 Two Chicks On Books *Review & Guest Post

July 25 -   Bengal Reads *Guest Post                 
                 What's Hot! *Review & Author Spotlight
                 Forbidden Passions Reviews *Review
                 
July 26 -   Auntie Spinelli Reads *Blurb & Dream Cast                 
                 Letters Inside Out *Review & Author Spotlight
                 For The Love Of Film & Novels *Review

July 27 -   Linny's Literature *Interview & Book Playlist                 
                 Bookcase To Heaven™ *Review & Author Spotlight
                 Claire Reads *Review

July 28 -   Starry-Eyed Revue *Review & Dream Cast
                 Book Me! *Review & Author Spotlight
                 Fiction Freak *Review & Author Spotlight

July 29 -   Harley Bear Book Blog *Guest Post                                  
                 Kindle Fever *Review & Author Spotlight 
                 The Readers Antidote *Review & Interview


July 30 -   Book-A-Holic *Blurb & Book Playlist
                 Paperback Princess *Review & Author Spotlight
                 Rainy Day Ramblings *Review & Author Spotlight

July 31 -   A Written Rhapsody *Review & Author Spotlight
                 Tumbling In Books *Review

August 1- Itching for Books *Tour Wrap. Giveaway winner announced!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Something Strange & Deadly by Susan Dennard

Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange & Deadly #1)

by Susan Dennard 

Expected publication: July 24th 2012 

Publisher: HarperTeen

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

*ebook received via Edelweiss.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

~My Review~

I really wanted to wait until the release day to post my review since that would also be the end of Susan's blog tour,  but I just couldn't. I had an even harder time putting off reading the book. It just kept staring at me, teasing and calling for me to read it. And I'm glad I did because I literally flew through the pages. The novel was so fast paced and well written that it made me want to smack anyone who gave it a negative review, well not really I wouldn't hurt someone for having a different opinion. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is Susan's debut novel is just beyond wonderful. I'm talking fireworks people.

The dead delivering mail...weird but interesting. Zombies are controlled and are very much obedient to their master. Not the usual but still gross I might add. 

Okay, first of all. The people of Philadelphia are having trouble understanding how the dead can rise yet they're performing seances at dinner parties? I know, crazy huh. I guess that's just the olden days, where statuses are defined by your relationship with the prestigious, and people actually cared how they're seen within their community, or are we still like that even today? 

Something strange and Deadly is a novel not focused entirely on zombies, but also depicts the difficulties faced by a family struggling to flourish after the death of one parent and with the absence of the eldest child. Amidst the challenges, there's also a blossoming romance and an electrifying battle between good and evil that will always exist no matter the time or century. The story was so severely graphic that I felt as if I was in 1876. From the choice of words and mode of transportation,  to the fashion and manner of the people, it all helped me experience a time that's long gone. That's one of the things I love about Historical fiction.

Character wise, Eleanor Fitt is a remarkable one of a kind protagonist. I envisioned her behavior in every scene. She's a headstrong and brave young lady but often times curiosity got the best of her, but that worked well for the story because its adventurous aspect wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Eleanor's fascination with the strange kind. Like this was no silly or unable to fend for herself kind of girl. Whenever something went down Eleanor was all in the mix defending herself and fighting to survive.

I enjoyed it. That's a total understatement...

Let's talk about the plot and the premise on which the story is developed.

In one word: authentic. How did this debut author come up with such a mind blowing and exciting tale? Is she actually from that period? Well of course not, me and my exaggerations. All I'm saying is Something Strange and Deadly reminded me of nothing I've read before and delivered an epic, timeless, and breathless story that I'll never possibly be able to forget in the coming days, months, or years. I finished the novel in one day, that's how gripping it was for me. I was disabled from taking a break for even a second, despite it being a book I just didn't want to miss a single thing. Crazy I know. This is actually going to be a series so I'm now itching extremely to find out what happens next in A Darkness Strange and Lovely (2013 is so far in book years). And don't you just love these titles, they definitely add to the old century aspect. 

In conclusion, this book deserves a rating off the scale. It's too perfect for even a ten. If you haven't added it to your TBR then I roll my eyes at you, lol. I strongly recommend purchasing the novel on release day and supporting this awesome debut author because let's be real here, great books deserve great treatments. 

Feature and Follow 7/6

This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. Check out this week's question:

Q: Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a genre you usually don't like and LOVE it? Tell us about it and why you picked it up in the first place.

My answer to that would have to be books about zombies. I never thought I could enjoy reading stories about zombies but This is Not a Test and Something Strange and Deadly are interesting books. 

The reason why I started reading the genre is because I like to try new things and challenge myself. After all, you never know if you'll enjoy something unless you try it.

What about you?

Stacking The Shelves #5

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme host by Tynga's Reviews. Here's what I've received in the past week:

For review:

  

Won:

  

*Special thanks to James Knapp, Harlequinn, Simon Pulse, and St. Martin's Press for the awesome gifts.

Review: This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

This Is Not a Test

by Courtney Summers

Publication date: June 19th 2012 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Review Copy gifted by St. Martin's Griffin.

Synopsis: Goodreads

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside, and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

~Review~

This is Not a Test is one of the most impressive stories of 2012. Courtney Summers' impeccable writing style is without a doubt incomparable. Be prepared. The Zombie Apocalypse is coming soon, to a book store near you.

My only regret, Why am I just discovering this author?

This is the first zombie book I've ever read and actually enjoyed. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I'd take the gruesome description of blood gushing all over the place, or people tearing into flesh and eating each other, but then I thought 'what the hell' I already watch these kind of movies so reading about it shouldn't be that bad. And in any case, there wasn't much to be disgusted by between the pages, just wonderful writing that was too good to pass on. 

I must say Courtney had me a bit confused in the beginning. I mean, I'm not supposed to know everything right off but I had so much questions: who's Lily? why is this chick in a bath tub searching for her vein? why is she so weird? and who's the man that obviously gives her chills? Thankfully things went by just as fast as I wanted them to. Summers paid no attention to overwhelming details but instead kept our adrenaline going with her intense pace and gripping action that kept readers in tune with what's going on.

The drama's as real as it gets. This was a short and quick read, but very entertaining along the way.

So, turns out that this controlling dude was in fact her dad who's also abusive, at least that's what I picked up from Sloane's impression (making up stories as to why she's been absent from school for a while, forcing to finish her breakfast to please him, etc). Lily, on the other hand, is her older sister who apparently took off. and hasn't been seen or heard from since. The vibe I'm getting is almost as if Sloane feels abandoned by her. Anyways, both father and daughter are having breakfast, awkwardly, when all hell breaks loose. A zombie uprising is taking place and Sloane as well as her dad couldn't be anymore clueless.

By the middle, we're left with a group of people stuck together and trying to establish some sort of solution as to how to make it out of their situation alive. Fortunately, the book was very well balanced so as to  focus not only on survival but on Sloane's internal suffering as well. Interesting how during a zombie apocalypse one can still struggle with sorrow on the inside that is completely unrelated to the current issue at hand. There wasn't much mention of the zombies or the goriness, but had a lot to do with the emotions of the people and how things are played out through their eyes. So, if you're getting this one because you're into all the zombie madness then don't bother cause it's almost like a dramatic movie with really good actors: you'll sit through and watch because their emotions are so believable.

It was kind of hard to collect my thoughts and write a really good review for this book but in the end, I can only do my best. So, to conclude, This Is Not A Test was just simply...brilliant!