Release Day: The Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz

This. Is. It.
The last one.
Oh my goodness it is the last Blue Bloods book. The Finale. The End.
*squeals*
I have been looking forward to this book for basically a year and a little more since Blue Bloods books are released really far apart, since Mel's got a lot of stuff to work on.

The Gates of Paradise is the conclusion to one of my favorite series: Blue Bloods. I have been reading this series since I was in elementary school, and I am so excited, yet sad at the same time that this book has come out. I can't wait to read it, but I'm sure I will be sobbing my heart out when I finish it.

Things I am looking forward to:
--Who does Sky settle with? Jack or Oliver?
--Will Allegra and Charles reconcile?
--What will happen with Lucifer?
--What happens with Mimi and Kingsley? (best couple in this series in my opinion)
There is tons more, but those are the main ones. I seriously can't wait to read this.

Here is a Goodreads Synopsis:

Schuyler Van Alen is running out of time. The Dark Prince of Hell is storming the Gates of Paradise, intent on winning the heavenly throne for good. This time he has his greatest angels by his side, Abbadon and Azrael—Jack and Mimi Force, as they are known in the Coven.

Or so he thinks. Even as Lucifer assigns Jack and Mimi the tasks of killing their true loves, the Force twins secretly vow to defeat the Dark Prince once and for all. But how far will Mimi and Jack go to conceal their real loyalties?

Meanwhile, former vampire Bliss Llewellyn has joined forces with Lawson, the greatest wolf of the underworld, to free his people from their imprisonment in Hell. As they struggle against impossible odds, an ancient message, woven into the very fabric of time, reveals just how much depends on the success of their mission.

Lucifer seeks the key to the Gate of Promise, and when Schuyler is taken captive and delivered straight to Hell, she must make an unthinkable choice—the same one the archangel Michael was forced to make during the Crisis in Rome. Will Schuyler find the strength to do what he could not?

The epic, heartbreaking Blue Bloods series comes to a close with this final novel about staggering courage, unbearable sacrifice, and the immortality of true love.

The Goodreads Link is also HERE

Can't wait to get this! It should arrive soon. Review to come!

Now good night. I stayed up until midnight to write this post :)

P.S. If anyone is actually reading this at 12AM, I am in Eastern FL Time, so it has already been released here even if the timer on the left says there is an hour to go 

^.^
Steph

Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Reviewed by Dani with Steph’s commentary in maroon

Steph’s Rating: 4 stars Dani’s Rating: 4 stars Overall Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Dani’s Review:

Prior to reading The Selection, I wasn't sure what to expect. A friend had recommended it to me and, of course, I looked it up on Goodreads. That was when I discovered the whole "author scandal" involving this book. Apparently the author/editor had posted GOOD reviews of The Selection on Goodreads to gain more publicity. I'm not entirely sure if this is true, but most of the Goodreads population seems to think it is.

My conclusion after reading is that The Selection is a good book. It really was "The Hunger Games meets the Bachelor", as some reviews have called it, but it's not as bad as it sounds. There isn't any death and destruction like the Hunger Games and the starvation and poverty is less emphasized. America Singer lives in a post- fictional World War III America, 300 years in the future. Kiera Cass decided to pretend the U.S. had been taken over by China and renamed the American State of China. Then, the American State of China was taken over by Gregory Illea. Now, in America’s lifetime, the country has been renamed Illea. The dystopian element comes in in the appearance of an 8 caste system. America is in the 5th caste, "the highest of the low". Her caste is made up of artisans and she herself is a musician. Her family is no stranger to frugality and starvation.

The Selection is like the Bachelor because 35 girls throughout the country are "randomly" chosen out of tens of thousands. We don't know if it was really a random selection. The girls are vying for the heart of Prince Maxon and to become the queen. But in America's case, there is a catch...

America is in love with a caste 6 boy named Aspen. The 6th caste is the servant caste, slightly above the 7th caste because they indoors. The idea of a woman marrying down in this world was absurd. Now America is sent off to win the Prince's love, but she doesn't want it. I immensely enjoyed the characters' various personalities and quirks in this book. There wasn’t much imagery or description, but maybe that’s Kiera Cass’s writing style. Maybe she prefers storytelling over excess “fluff”. She created a fairytale love story with a light sprinkling of dystopia. I wished that the dystopia elements had been more emphasized so that we readers could better understand what the characters were going through. The dialogue and plot hooked me in right away, but my favorite aspect by far was the characters. There's the usual jealousy that follows competition, but America meets several wonderful companions. Since America is a musician, I wish her music was mentioned more! She is supposed to fall to music when she is upset, as the author said in the beginning, but we never read about her musical experiences! She only played violin ONE TIME and we never got to know the audience's reaction! That was a disappointment. I was hoping for some innovative song lyrics.

This is one of my favorite love triangles out of all the YA books I have read. Both boys have a relatively equal chance of becoming America’s boyfriend. Unlike many books, there wasn’t one boy on the “good side” and the other on the “bad side”. So, there wasn’t any good-bad bias. Although, I feel like I like Aspen more because he’s “devastatingly handsome”. ;)

All in all, I enjoyed his book. It wasn't perfect, but it kept you will satisfy your thirst to read a good book. After all, this is Kiera Cass’s YA DEBUT NOVEL. There are so many unanswered questions about the government and politics of this world, so hopefully the next book will answer my questions. Mrs. Cass has confirmed that America, Aspen, and Maxon will make their choices in the next book. The pace of this book wasn’t very fast, but I liked it. I got to experience every day of the month America spend in the palace with her. The Selection ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. We don't know who wins The Selection and becomes the "daughter of Illea". I will have to wait until spring 2013 to find out! Also, people liked this story so much that the CW DECIDED TO MAKE A TV SERIES OF IT. The pilot episode has been released, but the producers are thinking about creating a remake of it. One of my favorite actors when I was younger, William Mosely, who played Peter Pevensie in the Narnia movies, will be playing Aspen! Ethan Peck will be playing Maxon and Aimee Teegarden will be playing America.

Steph’s commentary:

I agree on the most part with Dani. It was a lot like Hunger Games meets the Bachelor type thing, but more Bachelor and less Hunger Games so far. I really don’t know which team I’m on, considering Maxon and Aspen. I like them both for different reasons, and they both look like prospective suitors to America, especially since Aspen has upped his caste to “Two”.

When I think back to this book, I feel like there actually wasn’t much going on besides a girl fight, but I like how Cass somehow makes this slice-of-life book seem interesting in its own way. Although, I would’ve been happier with a little bit more action in this book, especially since it is considered a “dystopia”. I feel like the worst thing that happened was America getting her dress ripped. Waiting for 2013 to come around...I will definitely be putting the sequel, “The Elite”, on my reading list.

Blog Tours for "Primal" by D.A. Serra and "The Eighth Wonder" by Kimberly Young

It's Blog Tour time! A Walk on Words will be hosting two blog tours in mid-February for:

Primal by D.A. Serra 

and

The Eighth Wonder by Kimberly Young

The Primal tour will be running from around January 15th to February 15th, and The Eighth Wonder tour will run from mid-February to mid-March. Just a heads up!

Here are some Goodreads links if you want to check out the books early:

Primal by D.A. Serra

The Eighth Wonder by Kimberly Young 

Dani and I will have more info on this soon, which will be posted onto two temporary Tour tabs (we will put them up closer to the tour dates)

Excited!

^.^

Steph

Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout review by Dani commentary by Steph
Dani’s Rating: 5 stars Steph’s rating: 5 stars Overall Rating: 5 stars
 
Goodreads Synopsis:

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Dani’s Review:
Wow! Opal led me on a roller coaster of emotions. Crimson love, deep blue sorrow, burning red anger, and the bitter taste of guilt are only a few of the feelings that ran through the characters in this book. The plot and character development was wonderful! Opal will not disappoint you.

Onyx, the second book in the Lux series, ended with the sudden reappearance of Dawson, Daemon and Dee’s brother. Most of Onyx was dedicated to rescuing Dawson from the hands of the DOD, or Department of Defense, so we readers thought that all our characters’ problems would be solved when they finally met their goal. But no, getting Dawson back was the catalyst for a whole series of new obstacles to conquer. Now, Katy and Daemon have to rescue Dawson’s girlfriend Bethany or risk losing Dawson again. 

The last paragraph of the summary above really captures the emotions Katy is battling. She’s afraid to lose Daemon and everyone she loves. She blames herself for the death of Adam and wonders if her friendship with Dee will ever return. She’s terrified of losing herself, wondering What happened to the old Katy? Who am I? But don’t worry, Katy stays strong even in the darkest hours--or should I say pages?--of Opal. 

Yes, there are several wonderfully cute and sexy Katy and Daemon scenes. There’s even some Daemon-needs-to-control-his-male-testosterone-protectiveness-feelings scenes when an unexpected character who we thought we would never see again shows up. What would a Lux book be like without Daemon’s sexyness and humour?
Opal truly is an amazing book. It really deserves 6 out of 5 stars, but I couldn’t put that on top because I would be breaking the rules of the rating system. It is the epitome of a perfect book. The only possible fault that I found is the HUGE cliffhanger ending. Shh...I shan’t say anymore or else I would giving out spoilers! *Duct tapes mouth shut*

Jenn is so amazing. The sneaky woman somehow slipped in a teaser from APOLLYON (Covenant #4)  in Opal! In Opal, Katy is reading a book with an amber cover and she puts a teaser from it into her Teaser Tuesday on her blog. Hmm...I wonder what book has an AMBER colored cover?
I was his power-up — the ace up his sleeve. I was the beginning and he was the end. And together, we were everything."
-Apollyon teaser!

Daemon snatched the yellow packages from my hands. “Oh! Books! You have books!
-Daemon mocking Katy. Well, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

Okay so actually I will say ONE small spoiler.






Wait for it...P.S. keep scrolling for Steph's commentary







Daemon finally says the L-word to Katy!


Now wasn’t that a wonderful teaser that makes you want to get your hands on Opal NOW? :)

Steph’s commentary:

This book started out a little bit slow for my tastes, but it just got quicker and quicker towards the end, which by the way just DESTROYED me, ripped out my heart, and stomped on it on the sidewalk. After reading the last chapter, I thought I got a defective copy of the book because I couldn’t believe it just ended where it did. A warning: it is a killer. Jen sure knows how to make people want to read her next book with those kind of cliffhangers.

I agree with Danielle that this was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was so suspicious at some points (one character everyone hates comes back...), and at other times I was just swelling up and fanning myself over that piece of pure hotness Daemon Black. I was fangirling and giggling and squealing internally basically in every scene he was in. *giggles* He is just a sweetie towards Katy, even though he has this whole bad-boy persona going for him. He really opens up to her in this book.  I loved to see his relationship with his brother Dawson too (he came back in Onyx). Other times in Opal I was just wide eyed and gaping at the pages because I could not believe what was happening (yeah the ending). There is a change in Katy, both physically and mentally, but I think it is for the better for everyone’s sake. There are also plenty of new characters and ideas introduced in Opal.

Opal was very well written, and it’s plot just really drew me in. Can’t say too much about it though because I know I will leak something out I will regret later. There is a lot of spoilery stuff I need to get out, but not in this review :). It took me a few hours to finish total, but those hours just flew past me and felt like minutes while I was reading. JLA’s Lux series is one I seriously recommend to everyone, and I will be putting Origin(Lux #4) on my to-read list! Full 5 stars!

Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Reviewed by Dani with Steph's commentary in maroon 
Dani's Rating: 4 stars Steph's Rating: 4 stars Overall Rating: 4 stars  

Goodreads Synopsis:

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.
That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for. Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth andtalking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten. 

Review:

Ever since Julie Kagawa announced that she would be creating a spin-off of her beloved Iron Fey series, I have been extremely excited for this book to come out. To sum it up, I was rather disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this was still a pretty good book, but I thought it fell short of the original books. I know that the torch has been passed on, welcoming an entirely new cast of characters, but I miss my favorite characters. Meghan, Ash, Puck, and Grimalkin did appear, but I found myself looking forward to the scenes containing them. I miss my favorite characters. I miss seeing the world from Meghan's point of view. I miss the adorable Meghan and Ash scenes. I miss Puck's snarky comments. Julie Kagawa said that she hoped her readers would learn to embrace these new characters, and I sincerely hope that we can.

Now enough reminiscing and on to the actual story...The first third of the book was about Ethan's human life. Ethan is hostile and unfriendly to everyone to protect them from the supernatural problems that his Sight brings. Ethan blames his ability to see the Good Neighbors for many fey-related incidents that happened in the past. He is broken inside, angry at his sister Meghan for leaving him to fend against the fey alone. Hence, he has learned to hold everyone at a distance. That is, until he meets Mckenzie St. James. I found this first part of the book slow because I was impatient for Ethan’s entrance into the Nevernever and reunion with his sister.

Ethan admitted that he was a "jerk" and a "bastard" to Mckenzie at first, but he didn't want to hurt her. Mckenzie is extremely stubborn and persistent, and I found her annoying when she assaulted Ethan with questions and accusations. She didn't understand what he was going through. I don’t understand what Ethan saw in  Mckenzie. I know, I’m being harsh, but what made Mckenzie so special that she would catch the eye of the brother of the Iron Queen? She proved to be a strong, reliable character through the story.

Later in the book, Ethan got sucked into the Nevernever, bringing Mckenzie with him, when they are chased by a "new" race of fey. These "new" fey appeared on The Iron Knight. Before reading this, I frantically searched for tidbits and spoilers in ARC reviews of The Lost Prince. I had heard of these strange fey from the reviews, but I was shocked when I discovered what they were. We thought that we had seen the last of these creatures in The Iron Knight, but surprises are everywhere. The name of this series, The Call of the Forgotten, should have cued me to know what to expect! Leanansidhe played a rather large role in this search. This lead them down a long road, with several pit stops, before arriving at their final destination. I felt like there wasn’t much suspense or excitement in this story. There were still the usual things like deals with fey and fights with monsters, but it was more subdued. I became bored of Ethan constantly telling Mckenzie what she could and couldn’t do. None of the characters provided humour except for a certain faithful gremlin named Razor. Yup, Razor is a main character! Not ironically, the most humorous parts came with the arrival of our favorite prankster, PUCK.

Oh, Keirran...he's such a mischievous boy. He must drive his parents crazy! The only thing, or should I say person, that he seems to be frightened of is his father. Well, who besides Meghan and Puck wouldn’t be afraid of the former prince of winter? Perhaps the best scene in this story was when Ethan figured out that Keirran was his nephew. And, when he realized that he had a nephew who was THE SAME AGE AS HIM.

The strangest part of this books was seeing the world in Ethan's point of view. It was...different...to experience Ethan's extreme dislike and hatred of Ash. As a devoted Team Ash fan, it was hard to see Ash as a dark, intimidating, heartless fey who caused your sister to leave home. Ethan, Keirran, and Mckenzie were like the “kids” and Ash, Meghan, and Puck were the “adults”. Ha, Puck as a responsible adult? Not happening. 

Altogether, this was a relatively good book, but it lacked that special faery dust that The Iron Fey books had. I didn’t get the OH MY GOSH I HAVE TO KEEP READING THIS UNTIL 3 AM feeling. I feel guilty saying this, but I looked forward to all the scenes with the old cast. I hope that myself and all the Iron Fey fans will eventually love the Call of the Forgotten as much as The Iron Fey.

Quotes to incite you to read The Lost Prince....

“You really do meet the strangest people in New York,” called a new voice somewhere overhead.

I looked up. A lean figure stood atop one of the towers, arms crossed, gazing down with a smirk. He shook his head, dislodging several feathers from his crimson hair, giving me a split-second glance of his pointed ears.

“For example,” he continued, still grinning widely, “you look exactly like the brother of a good friend of mine. I mean, what are the odds? Of course, he’s supposed to be safely home in Louisiana, so I have no idea what he’s doing in New York City. Oh, well.”

“Ah.” Puck sighed, shaking his head as we headed into the forest. “This brings back memories.” He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Don’t they remind you of a pair, ice-boy, from way back when?”

Ash snorted. “Don’t remind me.”

-Puck says Ethan and Keirran remind him of a certain pair.

Steph’s commentary:

Okay, so I miss the old cast. Like, I really miss them. Even if Julie Kagawa writes a spin-off series in the same Fey world, it just isn’t the same without our original trio. Ethan and Mckenzie just don’t do it for me. I understand that Ethan had it hard growing up, but so did his big sister! Ethan just can’t handle it the same way as her though, and I was just irked off by his attitude. He was whiny, and I don’t think he’s pounded into himself that he’s grown up now and not Meghan’s forever baby brother. It was weird to see him go from 4 years old to 16, and I honestly felt like a pedophile at some points. I also don’t understand what he saw in Mckenzie either, because she was giving away her life for such stupid things.

However, I really liked the plot and mystery shrouding the “forgotten” in this book! It was very intriguing to see a side of the Fey world that could almost be compared to the slums of a big city. It is set in the same world as the Iron Fey series, but it all seems very different from our new vantage point. If you’re really into the Iron Fey series (like us), this book is something you should be putting on your to-read list, though you should beware that it isn’t much like the original quartet. It is a whole new perspective of the world Julie Kagawa created!

Giveaway of your 2013 pick by Sparkles and Lightning!

Do you want a free copy of a 2013 book of your choice? Head on over to Sparkles and Lightning, who is hosting a giveaway to give you just that! It is lasting for the rest of the month and ending on February 5th, so you have plenty of time and ways to enter. 13 people will win, so good luck to you all. I am entering it too. The book choices are listed on the page.
This is a great way to start off your 2013! There is more info given on Sparkles and Lightning.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE PAGE DIRECTLY.

Woah! It's 2013!

We would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Got a New Years Resolution? I (Steph) think my resolution is to read more books and do more reviews this year, which is totally possible. I also want to improve this blog!

Pretty Ball for this year, don't you think?

What about you guys? Drawing up specs for the next 365 days? Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe day, and we wish you the best of luck in 2013!

Dani's New Years Resolution is ALSO to update our blog, read more books, do more reviews, and in essence just WORK HARDER!
We at A Walk on Words have some surprises in 2013 for our readers....Get ready for some author interviews and giveaways!