Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (8): Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly bookish event hosted by Breaking the Spine. This is a meme that many book blogs participate in to goggle over highly anticipated upcoming releases and fabulous covers and authors!

The WOW for today is Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout. If you read her books, then this is pretty much self-explanatory. If you don't, you will not understand this ever unsatisfied vehement need to read this until you pick up any of the books in her Lux or Covenant series.

Origin (Lux, #4)Goodreads Synopsis:

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

 This book is going to be E-P-I-C. I know that for a fact. The synopsis is pretty foreboding in my opinion, but it makes me want this book all the more. I'm really looking forward to:

Daemon POV

I HEAR WHAT? DAEMON POV? *Swoon-attack*.  I know since this book is going to be in dual POV's, it means Katy and Daemon are probably going to separated for quite a while in this book, and it also means their thoughts probably aren't going to be on the same page. That means lover's spats too. Whatever, as long as Daemon saves Katy and hopefully kills Blake along the way, I am satisfied. Origin is my #1 Most-Looking Forward to book of this year, and I'd like to think Dani feels the same way. It comes out August 27th, so we only have less than a month to wait! 

Monday, July 29, 2013

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead---Chapter 1 Teaser!

As a semi-reward for Dimitri's 1st place win of the YA Crush Tourney, Richelle Mead decided to give us a snippet of Dimitri POV from Vampire Academy, as well as the entire FIRST CHAPTER of the next Bloodlines book, The Fiery Heart.

God, I am excited for this book. 

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4)Goodreads Synopsis:

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.



The Fiery Heart is out this November! I can't explain how desperate I am for this installment!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Cover Reveal: Sia by Josh Grayson

Hey everyone! Hope you guys are having a fantabulous summer!

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC of Sia from the author, Josh Grayson. He asked me for my input on what I thought the cover should look like, and I am so, so pleased with the end result. He released the cover a few days ago, and I thought I would share it on A Walk on Words!

Here it is!!!!!! Blown up nice and big.


Synopsis:
When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

My Thoughts:
I absolutely LOVE this cover! It is perfect for the story! I love the beautiful color scheme: the pale, flawless skin and blonde hair melting into a turquoise tinge. The way it cuts off the girl's eyes so you can't discern her expression and tell what she is thinking (the eyes really are the windows to the soul) portrays Sia's mysterious mental state so well. We don't know anything about the girl. There are no telltale signs on the cover to show what kind of person she is because the entire face is not shown. The girl could be anyone, just like Sia could be anyone when she loses her memory. Will she be the queen bee, the golden girl who causes jealousy wherever she walks, the cruelest one who kicks down and teases every "nobody" in her way, or will she bury her forgotten past and emerge as a charitable, benevolent girl who has a complete change of heart?

Sia will be released on November 20 of this year. After avidly reading my ARC of Sia this morning, I can happily say that I will be writing a 5 star review!


About Josh:
Josh Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in Massachusetts, and now lives in Martinsville, Virginia. It was his move to the South that stirred his imagination and gave him the courage to start writing. When he’s not writing, Josh spends his time reading, jogging, swimming, and watching YouTube videos.

Josh currently works as a medical driver, shuttling people all over Virginia and North Carolina. He has also worked as a machinist, film sales rep, admin. assistant, and telemarketer (he apologizes if he has called you).

Sia is his debut YA novel.

Find Josh online:
Facebook

Twitter
Instagram

~Dani

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Mini Review: Frigid by J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

Frigid (Frigid, #1)Frigid by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Steph's Rating: 5 stars
Dani's Rating: 3 stars
Overall Rating: 4 stars

*This is a NEW ADULT novel, not Young Adult.*

Format: ebook
Publication Date: July 15th, 2013 (ebook release date)
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
Pages: 240

Goodreads Synopsis:

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Steph's Mini Review:

I loved Frigid so ridiculously much. I can't find words to describe how much I loved this! This is my favorite New Adult book Jen has written so far besides Wait For You, and that is a glowing accolade since I thought things wouldn't be able match Wait For You like, ever (that also 5 stars from me). She beats my expectations every time, and I never get sick of it. This is a short and easy read, and I finished it in one sitting. The plot is startlingly simple, but this book was paced perfectly and written so well that it still gave a sense of completeness.

Sydney has been in love with her best friend Kyler for as long as she can remember since high school, but you know what they say about the "best-friends-turned-lovers" relationship. She's scared that she'll ruin their lifetime friendship by confessing her feelings. It also doesn't help that Kyler's a man-slut and basically knocks up any girl who throws themselves at him. She feels outed, since she's the only one Kyler never seems to want to lay a hand on. Kyler also has been secretly in love with Sydney, but thinks she's way to good for all of his whore-like habits. He takes out his feelings for Syd on other girls, obviously creating a bigger confusion between the two. She's the only one he won't "soil", since she's the only one who's stuck around with him the whole time. When the two get stranded in the midst of a blizzard at a ski lodge, they have to deal with their emotions--and the mistakes Kyler made in the past that have come back to haunt him.

I guess what I really like about this book is that the reader didn't have to wait around for secrets to be revealed. The book is told in both Sydney/Kyler POV so we know how each character is feeling at all times. These best friends definitely are in love with each other and were a match made in heaven, but deep misunderstandings stand between them that only the reader knows at any given time. It's kind of flipped: instead of the reader scratching their head's thinking, it's the characters. As usual, Jen delivers more fantabulous characters I love. Despite their problems, I fell in love with Sydney and Kyler right away. Sometimes in romance novels, characters come across as either shallow or whiny. That's not the case in Frigid, and you'll be sure to be impressed with the character development. And of course, it's always a nice feeling when you know something that even the characters within the book don't ;).

If you like romance, Frigid definitely will not disappoint. This book is mega-watt HOT HOT HOT despite it's snowy setting. Ladies, be prepared to swoon over Kyler Quinn and that 8-pack he carries around.  It's awkward as hell to read sometimes, and we're only dealing with that secondhand. Jen is such a master at creating tension between her characters, and I enjoyed every second of it! Frigid is definitely another JLA (J. Lynn) absolutely-must-read!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Blog Tour: Character Interview: Rochelle from Solstice High by Ardash Vartparonian


Hi everyone! Welcome to A Walk on Words.  Today we are hosting Virtual Author Book Tour's blog tour for Solstice High by Ardash Vartparonian. We have a special guest who kindly agreed to let us interview her. She is quite the diva and carried her queen-bee attitude with her everywhere.

Give a round of applause to Rochelle DubiƩ!

Interview:

1) Okay, let's just have an icebreaker of the world-renowned game "Would you rather..."
Would you rather eat a mountain of brusselsprouts or look for a tiny miniscule needle hidden in a haystack? 

Okay, obviously you don’t know me. If I’m hungry enough, I’ll eat a mountain of anything. I may not be, like, the biggest fan of brusselsprouts ever, but yeah, I’d totally do it like no probs since it’s food. As to looking for that needle in the haystack I would never look for it myself, duh; I’d get Beth, Abigail or Harmony to do it for me. I feel like looking for that needle would involve a lot of muck and grime and stuff and eww, like, no way. That’s the whole point of being a queen bee: you get other dumb skanks to do that sort of work for you. I mean, it’s not like I’m scared of getting my hands dirty because God knows I have, but why do it yourself when you can delegate? I’m all for the distribution of power; as long as I’m the one distributing it. 

2) Who is your favorite animated character?

Favourite animated character? That’s kind of tough since I haven’t really watched any cartoons or anything since I was, like, twelve or something. I guess if I had to choose I’d go for Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. That bitch had class. She was, like, a total power-house, and I still don’t get why those other fairies, like, totally discriminated against her! Okay, maybe she didn’t have a stupid name like Flora, Fauna and Happy Weather or whatever, but she didn’t take any crap from anyone and was a strong, independent woman. Also she turned into a dragon. I mean, come one, a dragon. That speaks for itself, right? Dragons are totally in right now ever since that TV show with the blonde chick with three baby dragons came out. 

Yeah, dragons are pretty cool.

Also, Cruella from 101 Dalmatians was totally fabulous (I’m totally anti-fur by the way, but that woman just oozed amazingness. She was so skinny… Bitch). 

3) Who would you want to play you if Solstice High was made into a movie?

That's so lovely, you thinking anyone could ever play me in a movie. It would have to be me.

*Cough* EGO CHECK *Cough* (Rochelle continues babbling about herself.)

 Total dealbreaker. No one can do me like I can.

4) Who is your favorite movie star? Why?

You know who I’m really into right now? Julianne Moore. I know, I know, she’s a ginger, but whatever, I guess there’re worse things you can do. But I was watching this movie called Chloe the other day and I love the fact that she’s just so comfortable in her own skin that she doesn’t mind going a bit lesbo for a role in a movie. That for me is, like, the meaning of sexy. Being so in comfortable with your body that you can just do anything sexually because you’re not afraid of any taboos or society blah blah blah’s. I think you gotta be pretty brave to do stuff like that, and I’m totally for it and think it’s great. I mean, how else can you know you’re not into something if you don’t give it a go at least once?

Um...TMI.

I’m not saying I’ve done the nasty with a girl (not denying it either; no comment. I’ll let you guys think over that one ;) but I think this ginger is actually a great role model since she can jump into any role thrown at her.

5) If your 3 friends are inside a burning building, you are outside of the building and therefore safe from the fire, and you only have time to say ONE friend, who would you save?
5) If
Okay, that’s such a bitchy question. 

Well, excuse me....

What, are we like twelve? Come on, you know me; I’d totally pile them all up in a wheelbarrow or whatever and push them out. Okay, being totally honest I might let Daphne stay in there a bit longer, maybe inhale a bit of smoke or maybe, even better, have her hair burn up. Could you even imagine that? It would be, like, totes hilair. Anyways the question is totally retarded because I’d just wave my hands and blow the house away and save everyone. (You should’ve asked what I was wearing while I saved everyone… I bought the cutest outfit for some serious butt-kicking the other day!) Anyways, I know Jonas said I can’t actually control fire, but you said it’s a building, and that I can move. I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow the whole damn thing away and be, like, simply lovely

You sound like the Big Bad Wolf.

I’m not saying this because I’m some sort of self-absorbed Barbie princess; it’s my duty as queen bee, and you should know how seriously I take that.

6) Back to the "would you rather's" to end our interview. Would you rather do your math homework or kiss someone you absolutely despise?

Yeah… This question doesn’t really apply to me. I mean, I don’t do Math and I’ve made out with plenty of people I ‘despise’ as you say. That’s a nice way of putting it by the way.

Why thank you!

 Like, I would say I’ve ‘made out with a bunch of skanks I can’t stand’ because I was dared to do it or to get some guy to eat out of the palm of my hand, so yeah, no real answer to the question there… Sorry, but, yeah, I’m not sorry. 

Thanks Rochelle for having such an, uh, interesting interview! But kudos to you for being the most quirky, cool, and hilarious guest we've ever had.


See my review for Solstice High and interview with Ardash HERE

Ardash Vartparonian was born in London but raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 18 he began his debut novel, Solstice High, and continued writing throughout his last year of school and first year of university, where he moved back to the UK to study English Literature at Edinburgh University. Now a fourth year student, Ardash enjoys going out with his friends, watching horror movies and reading fantasy books while trying to keep up with his university work.
Find Solstice High online:
Amazon


Full Tour Schedule:

So Many Precious Books July 3 Review & Giveaway
Shelf Addiction July 5 Review, Interview , & Giveaway
Heck of a Bunch July 8 Review
Jessabella Reads July 8 Guest Post  &  Giveaway
Saving for 6 July 9 Review & Giveaway
Romance Bookie July 15 Review
Cmfg! Books July 16 Review
Cmfg! Books July 17 Guest Post  & Giveaway
Ordinary Girlz July 18 Review
A Walk on Words July 19 Character Interview <--You are here
Little Lovely Books July 23 Review
Little Lovely Books July 24 Guest Post
Ja čitam, a ti? Jul 25 Review & Giveaway
In This of World of Books July 26 Review
Sammy the Bookworm July 29 Review
JC's Book Haven July 29 Review
Teen Blurb July 30 Review
Teen Blurb July 31 Guest Post  & Giveaway
Cozie Corner Aug 1 Review
Every Free Chance Aug 5 Review & Giveway
Dab of Darkness  Aug 6 Review
Little Book Star Aug  7 Review
Laurie's Paranormal  Aug 8 Interview
Between the Lines  Aug 12 Review
Sweeps4Bloggers Aug 13 Review & Giveaway
Synchronised Reading  Aug 15 Review & Guest Post
Book Mark Belles Aug 19 Review
Book Mark Belles Aug 20 Interview
Serendipity  Aug 20 Review
Serendipity Aug 21 Interview
Networking Witches Aug 21 Review & Giveaway
Manic Mama of 2 Aug 22 Review
Moonlight, Lace, & Mayhem Aug 23 Guest Post
Up In the Bibliosphere Aug 26 Review
Up In the Bibliosphere Aug 27 Guest Post  & Giveaway
Icy Cold Reads Aug 28 Review 


~Dani <3 Have a fantastic summer!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday (7): Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly bookish event hosted by Breaking the Spine. This is a meme that many book blogs participate in to goggle over highly anticipated upcoming releases and fabulous covers and authors!

My WOW for today is Allegiant by Veronica Roth. This year is bittersweet book-wise for me. There are TONS of series's ending during this fall/winter with a whole slew of "last books" coming out within weeks of each other. I do not deal well with saying goodbye to things I don't want to say goodbye too, so I'm sure my mental health will be put into question towards the end of 2013. Allegiant is the last book to the flat-out amazing Divergent series, and while I am super excited about this release (I mean really, we've had to wait over a year for this) but I don't want to see this series finished either at the same time. I honestly don't know what to expect, but I'm sure I'm going to love this book nonetheless. 
Allegiant (Divergent, #3) 
Goodreads Synopsis:

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?


The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Everyone remembers that sucker-punch ending to Insurgent. right? (If you don't, I recommend you go read this series ASAP) And then thinking about the torturous wait for the next year so Allegiant could come out? And then the shock when everyone finds out we have to wait until October 2013? This had better be worth the wait (I'm sure it will be). Sitting on Insurgent's ending for almost a year and a half is definitely not good for anyone's sanity. Allegiant is coming out about a week after my birthday, so I'm telling myself that this book is going to be my slightly belated birthday present *wink*. Veronica hasn't released too many teasers for this, so I'm guessing teasers would be spoilerific--which I suppose in a way is like a tease itself. All she's mentioned is that we are going to find out what's on the "other side of the fence". I sincerely hope there won't be problems with Tris and Four anymore either. Can't wait for this book to come out!

Review: What Once was One by Marc Johnson

What Once Was OneThank you to Marc Johnson for providing me with a copy of his novel for my fair and honest review.

What Once was One (The Passage of Hellsfire #2) by Marc Johnson
Dani's rating: 5 stars

Format: e-book (PDF)
Pages: 230
Publication Date: September 24, 2012
Publisher: Longshot Publishing

Goodreads synopsis:
In the land of Northern Shala, the dark wizard Premier raised an army of foul creatures from the Wastelands and led them against the ancient guardian city of Alexandria. Hellsfire, a young farmhand turned apprentice wizard, defeated Premier and saved Alexandria, but not before the battle claimed his mentor’s life.

Hellsfire, now a full-fledged wizard, must finish what he started by hunting down Premier and seizing the source of the wizard’s dark power and corruption—the Book of Shazul. He must travel deep into the Wastelands, through Premier’s home territory, dodging the scattered remnants of a defeated army lusting for blood and vengeance.

But beating in the heart of the Wastelands is an ancient power more dangerous than Premier or his creatures—and it’s been waiting for Hellsfire for a thousand years. It will force the young wizard to make a devastating choice—one that could change the course of history not only for Alexandria and the Wastelands, but for all of Northern Shala and the lands beyond. And to save his homeland, Hellsfire may have to lose the person he loves the most.

What once was one, will then be two, and never again be whole...

Spoilers if you have not read the first book, Catalyst!
Dani's review:
This is going to be a short review because I don't have much to say that won't spoil this novel.

Catalyst ended with Hellsfire defeating and significantly weakening Premier, the evil dark wizard who planned to conquer the city of Alexandria. Now in What Once was One, Hellsfire and friends must go into the Wastelands, home of goblins and ogres and all sorts of unpleasant creatures, to capture Premier and take the notorious "Book of Shazul". As the last paragraph in the synopsis above says, Hellsfire has to make a HUGE world-changing possibly endangering his home and friends choice. Yeah, he has a giant load of responsibilities resting on his barely-out-of-the-teenage years shoulders.

If you carefully read Catalyst and remember some important details, you might figure out what choice Hellsfire has to make and why this novel is called "What Once was One". Just something for you to think about. ;)

This novel was full of action and there was never a dull moment in Hellsfire's life. I think he has really matured in this book since the first book. He doesn't whine anymore and is not the reckless boy boy he was. He constantly worries about Princess Krystal and wonders how in the world he is going to get his list of "Things to do" done. Figure out a way to enter the Wastelands without getting eaten alive? Check. Capture Premier? Uh, still working on that.

What Once was One did not disappoint me, and if you've read Catalyst, I'm sure it won't disappoint you either! It exceeded my expectations in the overall plot and how the story was written. The same banter between characters is in this sequel although with a more morbid tone. Cynder, Stradus's guardian dragon, sadly isn't in this sequel as much. I missed his hilarious conversations with Hellsfire where he constantly reminded the young wizard of the "superiority of dragons over puny humans".

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those series that gets better with each novel. I highly recommend this novel! :)

~Dani
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