August 2015 recap

Life

Not much has changed since last month. I still have tons of free time and I've been watching a lot of television and movies, A recent favourite would be Faking it. In addition to watching a lot of television shows, I took an 8 hour trip to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I don't see them often so the trip is always worth it! Other than that I've been sick and sleeping. In the middle of being sick, I had to attend an eye doctor appointment. I suppose I could have canceled, but I have gotten so sick of squinting. So although it is somewhat painful to admit, I have given into the hipster glasses trend...*sigh*

Blog

Things on my blog this month have been kind of busy this month. I posted 13 times! I was supposed to post more, as I had more planned, but when I went on my trip, the posts I had scheduled didn't go up as planned. I'm sorry to everybody I promised posts that didn't make it up this month! :( Also this month was pretty cool because I've started doing giveaways with Rafflecopter! I was pretty nervous to post the first one since it was my first time using rafflecopter and I'm really not that popular of a blogger so I was worried that I might not have any entries, but, at the end of the contest, I got 11 entries, which is better than nothing amirite? I plan on having more giveaways as time goes on so I'm going to add a "Giveaway" page, so people can easily see if there is a active giveaway going on and all that goo stuff. I should have the page up and ready to go tomorrow. Anyway, this month I posted four reviews:

Burn Girl by Mandy Mikulencak

Emerge: The Awakening by Melissa A. Craven

Blackmail Boyfrined by Chris Cannon

BOOST by D.A Paul

I posted three Stacking the Shelves:

Stacking the Shelves #1

Stacking the Shelves #2

Stacking the Shelves #3

I posted one Chat With me Thursday:

CWMT #10: Author Interview with Andrea Washington

I posted two Teaser Tuesdays:

Teaser Tuesday #7: The Veiled Truth

Teaser Tuesday #8:Angelfire

I posted one spotlight post:

The Suffering spotlight post+giveaway link

And two book blitzes with Rafflecopter Giveaways!

Lumiere book blitz+Rafflecopter Giveaway (Giveaway closed)

52nd book blitz+Rafflecopter Giveaway (Giveaway open! Closes September 20th 2015)

Books

I read 6 books this month 

They were all somewhere between  4 and 5 stars. I already reviewed Blackmail Boyfriend and I will be reviewing the others except for Crank and Privilege sometime in September. Also, upcoming in September is at least one book blitz, and at least two Chat With me Thursdays. So as you can probably tell, September is going to wind down the posts on my blog..

I hope you guys all had a great month!

52nd by Dela Book Blitz+Giveaway!

       I signed up for this book blitz via Xpresso Book Tours. In this post you'll find the synopsis of 52nd, a bit about the author, and a  giveaway for 1 ebook copy!

Book & Author Details:

The 52nd by Dela
Publication date: October 27th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

       Not one of the sacrifices chosen over the long history had survived–until now.
On the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, the immortal Castillo family gathers in Tulum. Weary and haunted, they receive the names of fifty-two human sacrifices chosen once every fifty-two years for the Underworld, a tradition thought to have disappeared with the fall of the Aztec and Mayan empires.
Driving home one night, college freshman Zara Moss swerves to avoid hitting a ghastly figure in the road. Lucas Castillo witnesses the car crash, but when it comes time to supervise her abduction from the wreckage, he intervenes. Something is different about Zara: Lucas has been having dreams of her arrival for five hundred years.
As Lucas and Zara come together to put an end to the bloody sacrifices, they discover that the ancient tradition isn’t so easily broken. The gods are angry, and they have until the Winter Solstice to drag Zara to the Underworld.

Author bio

      Dela is the debut author of THE 52ND saga, a multicultural paranormal for young adults. Before tracing the minds of Aztec gods, Dela worked as a paralegal and could be found snowboarding at Brianhead, Utah. She currently lives in Las Vegas with her husband, three kids, and two exceptionally fat Chihuahuas. Her website is www.delaauthor.com.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23255448-the-52nd?ac=1

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1940014387/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-52nd-dela/1120527351?ean=9781940014388

Author links:

http://delaauthor.com/#home

https://www.facebook.com/authorDELA

https://twitter.com/dela_52

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7268279.Dela

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight+Giveaway The Suffering by Rin Chepeco

The Suffering

By Rin Chupeco

Hardcover ISBN 9781492629832; 

Trade Paper ISBN 9781492629849

Book Info:

Title: The Suffering

Author: Rin Chupeco

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Praise for the Suffering:

"Rin Chupeco's The Suffering is a horror lover's dream: murders, possessed dolls, and desiccated corpses. I cringed. I grimaced. You won't soon forget this exorcist and his vengeful water ghost."

--Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood

“Chupeco deftly combines ancient mysticism with contemporary dilemmas that teens face, immersing readers in horrors both supernatural and manmade. The Suffering is a chilling swim through the murky waters of morality.” 

--Carly Anne West, author of The Bargaining and The Murmuring

Summary:

Breathtaking and haunting, Rin Chupeco’s second novel is a chilling companion to her debut, The Girl from the Well.

The darkness will find you.

Seventeen-year-old Tark knows what it is to be powerless. But Okiku changed that. A restless spirit who ended life as a victim and started death as an avenger, she’s groomed Tark to destroy the wicked. But when darkness pulls them deep into Aokigahara, known as Japan’s suicide forest, Okiku’s justice becomes blurred, and Tark is the one who will pay the price…

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24789796-the-suffering?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr

Buy Links:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/PrKxL

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/PrKLh

Books A Million- http://ow.ly/PrL7j

iBooks- http://ow.ly/PrLCI

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/PrLOZ

Indiebound- http://ow.ly/PrLXu

About the Author:

Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained her sense of humor. Raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. She's been a technical writer and travel blogger, but now makes things up for a living. Connect with Rin at www.rinchupeco.com.

Social Networking Links:

Website: http://www.rinchupeco.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RinChupeco

Excerpt from The Suffering:

It’s still early morning when our group is given clearance to enter. Aokigahara is a deceptive forest. It has all the hallmarks of a popular tourist destination: narrow but well-­maintained hiking trails with a surprising amount of litter, not to mention strips of tape and ribbon wrapped around tree trunks. The leader explains that hikers use them as markers to maintain their bearings. Later on, one of the other volunteers whispers to us that some of the tapes were left by those who came here to kill themselves, in case they decided to change their minds. The revelation horrifies Callie.

A few miles into our hike, anything resembling civilization disappears. Roots crawl across the hard forest floor, and it’s easy to trip if you’re not constantly looking down. We’re outside, but the trees make it feel claustrophobic. They reach hungrily toward the sun, fighting each other for drops of light, and this selfishness grows with the darkness as we move deeper into the woods.

It’s quiet. The silence is broken by the scuffling of feet or snapping of dry twigs as we walk. Every so often, volunteers call back and forth to each other, and rescue dogs exploring the same vicinity that we are will bark. But there are no bird calls, no sounds of scampering squirrels. We’re told that there is very little wildlife in Jukai. Nothing seems to flourish here but trees.

This deep into the woods, any roads and cleared paths are gone. At times, we’re forced to climb to a higher ledge or slide down steep slopes to proceed, and there’s always some root or rock hiding to twist an ankle.

And yet—­the forest is beautiful. I like myself too much to seriously think about suicide, even during my old bouts of depression, but I can understand why people would choose to die here. There is something noble and enduring and magnificent about the forest.

That sense of wonder disappears though, the instant I see them. There are spirits here. And the ghosts mar the peacefulness for me. They hang from branches and loiter at the base of tree trunks. Their eyes are open and their skin is gray, and they watch me as I pass. I don’t know what kind of people they were in life, but they seem faded and insignificant in death.

Okiku watches them but takes no action. These are not the people she hunts. They don’t attack us because they’re not that kind of ghosts. Most of them, I intuit, aren’t violent. The only lives they had ever been capable of taking were their own.

I’m not afraid, despite their bloated faces, contorted from the ropes they use to hang themselves or the overdose of sleeping pills they’ve taken. If anything, I feel lingering sadness. I can sympathize with their helpless anguish. These people took their own lives, hoping to find some meaning in death when they couldn’t find it in life. But there’s nothing here but regret and longing.

And there’s that tickle again, so light it is nearly imperceptible. Something in this forest attracts these deaths. It lures its unhappy victims with its strange siren’s call and then, having taken what it needs, leaves their spirits to rot. A Venus flytrap for human souls.

Something is wrong here, and suddenly, the forest no longer looks as enticing or majestic as when we arrived.

New in Paperback from this Author: The Girl From The Well

Praise for The Girl From The Well:

“[A] Stephen King-like horror story.” -Kirkus Reviews           

“Told in a marvelously disjointed fashion.”  -Publishers Weekly STARRED Review                              

“This gorgeously written story reads like poetry.” -Brazos Bookstore                                                                     

“Darkly mesmerizing.” -The Boston Globe

“A superior creep factor that is pervasive in every lyrical word.” -Booklist

Summary:

 The Ring  meets The Exorcist in this haunting and lyrical reimagining of the Japanese fable.

Okiku has wandered the world for hundreds of years, setting free the spirits of murdered children. Wherever there’s a monster hurting a child, her spirit is there to deliver punishment. Such is her existence, until the day she discovers a troubled American teenager named Tark and the dangerous demon that writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Tark needs to be freed, but there is one problem—if the demon dies, so does its host.

With the vigilante spirit Okiku as his guide, Tark is drawn deep into a dark world of sinister doll rituals and Shinto exorcisms that will take him far from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Japan. Can Okiku protect him from the demon within or will her presence bring more harm? The answer lies in the depths of a long-forgotten well

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25263927-the-girl-from-the-well

Buy Links:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/PrQwE

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/PrQFa

Books A Million- http://ow.ly/PrQQU

iBooks- http://ow.ly/PrR6c

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/PrRlE

Indiebound- http://ow.ly/PrQp2

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7149/" 

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Teaser Tuesday #8: Angelfire by Hanna Peach

      Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.
Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:
• Grab your read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your 
teasers!


       Right now, or rather, at the time of writing this I am reading Angelfire by Hanna Peach. I'm almost finished it, and by the time this gets posted I probably will be finished it. I expect that I'll have the review out at some point late this month or early September.

Today my teasers are coming from page 14

"“Why do you want him?” His voice was curious now. Alyx knew he smelled an opportunity. She had to play it cool."

"She wanted to hit him. She could hit him. It would hurt him. Really hurt him. She could probably get three or four punches in before his guards at the entrance pulled her off."

BOOST by D.A Paul

Introduction (Goodreads synopsis)

       

       They call it a boost.

        It’s the buzz you get from absorbing the spiritual energy of the dead, and it absolutely terrifies Lidia Powell. 

       Shortly after meeting Ander at summer camp, Lidia is thrust into the world of psychic mediums and brought to a new school. At Mountain Heights Academy, even a casual pizza-date is accompanied by a ghost, and only a frightened uberdork would refuse the boost. To Lidia, the peer pressure to absorb phantom apparitions is horrifying, but to everyone else, it's the drug of choice. 

       However, when one of the students delves into dark energy, Lidia suspects that a boost isn’t as innocent as it seems. Soon, the boost becomes an addiction and Lidia must act fast before the changes become irreversible.

Cover

        

       The cover is stunning, I like the haunting sort of vibe it gives off and  I find extremely fitting for the book.

Lidia

      

       Lidia is without a doubt my favorite protagonist I've read in a while, her personality is awesome, and she's the perfect voice to the story.

Ethan

      

       I didn't have a problem with Lidia's boyfriend, Ethan, at all; he was a necessary character to keep the plot going, but oh dear lord if I was Lidia I would not be able to put up with him. To me he seems childish, so props to Lidia for being able to put up with him. *Spoiler. Highlight between the brackets to read (Especially after he slept with another girl while they were on a break. Honestly If somebody did that to me, we'd be taking a trip to splitsville) I do admit that they make a good couple, though.

Ander

       I love Ander. He's probably my favorite character overall in this book. He was so comical and I loved reading the most-of-the-time-light-hearted-rude-banter between him and Lidia. I honestly loved him from the moment he was introduced at the summer camp. I loved the relationship that he and Lidia had. It didn't seemed forced, it seemed pretty realistic especially in the way that they weren't always on the best terms, because no relationship, weather it's a friendship  or romantic is perfect, and I liked how their relationship wasn't written that way. It wasn't written to be perfect.

Alex

       

       Alex was a great character. He's not in the book as consistently as the other characters during the beginning but as the story goes on, he becomes a bigger and bigger part of the story and I loved reading his development. 

Plot

       

       The plot is so different than anything I've ever read before, and it drew me in from the very first page. I really want to stress the originality of it, especially of the concept of the "boost" itslef. I've read so many paranormal books where the protagonist is shipped off to a school for mediums, and some sort of dark magic is discovered, but the concept of "boosting" is so original and sets it apart in the best way possible from the other paranormal books I've read.

Ending

       

       The ending is yet another thing I absolutely loved. A lot of books end with a quietness after the climax dies down, and a lot of times it's fitting, but this book ends with an uncertainty of what is going to happen next and it's aggravating in a wonderful sort of way. Even though this book isn't even published yet, I'm already aching for the sequel.

Conclusion

       

       BOOST is hands down the best book I have read in 2015 and probably one of the best YA paranormal books I have ever read. I fell in love with everything about this book, the characters, the plot, the setting, everything. I'm probably going to recommend this to every single person I ever talk to. As I said, this book isn't even published and I desperately want more. I wouldn't really recommend this to people who are not settled nicely in the YA genre as there is mention of sex, a few steamy scenes, and some crude humor, but if you love paranormal books and are ready to be captivated by a wonderful book, this book is for you.

  

Stacking the Shelves #3

       

       Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's all about sharing books you've added to your shelves be it physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in a  physical store, or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks.

        I added another 3 books to my shelves this week.

       

       I've already read and reviewed Blackmail Boyfriend. I was looking for something quick, fun, and cute and that's exactly what I got! (review here)

       Shadowed Strength and Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things are next on my list to read and I am very excited about both of them!

Lumière by Jacqueline Garlick Book Blitz+Giveaway

       

       I signed up for this Book Blitz via Xpresso Book Tours. In this book blitz you'll find some details about Lumière, some teasers, a little about the author, Jacqueline Garlick and a giveaway for one ebook copy of the book! (which I am very excited about, by the way.)

Cover

Book details:

Lumière by Jacqueline Garlick
(The Illumination Paradox #1)
Publication date: December 12th 2013
Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult

Synopsis:

       Even in a land of eternal twilight, secrets can’t stay hidden forever.

Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth is no stranger to living in the dark. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. After her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine—her last hope for a cure. But Eyelet’s late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator, has been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out over Brethren forever.
Alone and on the run, she finds the Illuminator—only to witness a young man hauling it away. Determined to follow the thief and recover the machine, she ventures into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous part of her twisted world.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19448543-lumi-re?ac=1

Teasing you:          

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lumi%C3%A8re-Illumination-Paradox-Jacqueline-Garlick/dp/1503944557/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438959903&sr=1-1&keywords=Lumi%C3%A8re

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lumiere-jacqueline-garlick/1120998751?ean=9781503944558

 

A bit about the author:

       I'm Jacqueline Garlick, author of young adult and new adult fiction. I love strong heroines, despise whiny sidekicks, and adore a good story about a triumphant underdog. (Don't you?) 

       I love to read, write, paint (walls and paper). I have a love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology and would rather hang out with a dog, than a cat. I prefer creating things to cleaning things, and believe laughter is a one-stop-shop solution to all that ails you. You will always find a purple wall (or two) in my house (currently in my writing room), and there may or may not be a hidden passageway that leads to a mystery room. (Okay, so you won't find a hidden passageway, but a girl can dream, can't she?) Oh, and tea. There will always be tea. 

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chat with me Thursday (8): Author Interview with Andrea Washington

       Chat with me Thursday is hosted by me here at YA Book Reviews, On Thursdays I interview an author or a blogger and it's a bunch of fun. If you would like to be featured on a CWMT, email me here: sibellasreviews@gmail.com for my details, visit my Chat with me Thursday page

       Today I have Andrea Washington author of The Veiled Truth.

1. Could you tell me a bit about yourself?

            

       I always have trouble with this; I never know what to say about myself.  I love to write, and it’s been my passion for years. I am pretty new to the Indie publishing world and I am falling in love with it more everyday. I am all about promoting other Indie Authors like myself on my Blog http://andrearosewashington.blogspot.com/

I want I to become the norm to see Indie books everywhere in the world.

2. When and how did you come up with the plot for The Veiled Truth?

            

       I came up with the plot in college, I was rolling this idea of what would happen if you were suddenly without your parents. Why would you be and what would you do? The would grew from there. I started to free write and more ideas came to me and ‘The Veiled Truth’ was born.  

3. How long did writing the The Veiled Truth?

            

       It took me four years, I wrote while I was in school so there were times when I couldn’t touch it for months. Though each year I wrote a new draft until I was finally happy with what I wrote.

4. What was the hardest part of writing this book?

            

       The hardest part was sticking to one idea. It took me a while to stick to just one plot line for this book. I can’t tell you how many ideas I went through. I would finish a chapter and a new idea would hit me and before I knew it I re-wrote the entire thing. It took a lot of effort to stick one plot line. My mind runs a mile a minute.

5. Do you have any habits that surface while you are writing?

            

       Procrastination! I mean it’s always been a problem but when I write its blows way of proportion. Sometimes I have to go somewhere with no internet to write and I have to leave my phone off so I won’t surf the web.   

6. How do you rid yourself of writers block?

            

       What I have found that has helped is printing out the rough draft walking away for a few days then reading it not as the author but as a reader. If it’s a bad writer’s block I will have a TRUSTED friend read what I have so far and give me their thoughts and where they think I should go with it. Sometimes it nice to spit ball ideas back and forth to knock something loose.

7. Any advice for aspiring authors?

                

       Start today! It’s never too late or early to start writing. Do not let others affect your work, if you like the idea then write it. There have been times when people told me my idea was not good enough and no one was going to like it, I didn’t listen to them and I pushed on! Write what you want to read not what you think others want to read. Stay true to who you are! Nothing has to be perfect on the first try! 

Blackmail Boyfriend by Chris Cannon

Author: Chris Cannon
Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC
Date published: August 11 2015

Introduction

       Haley Patterson,isn't seen as girlfriend material, and she knows it's because she has two overprotective twin brothers keeping any guy that shows interest in her far away. When Haley shows up at school and a rumor is going around that she hooked up with golden boy, Bryce Colton, she sees how she could use this to her advantage. The rumors aren't technically true. Bryce did not hook up with Haley Patterson. He hooked up with a different Haley, who happens to have a very angry boyfriend.

       Haley gives Bryce a choice, he can pretend to be in a relationship with her for a month, showing boys that it is possible to get passed her brothers, and that she really isn't a skank that enjoys one night stands. Or, she can deal with her brothers, and Denny, the other Haley's angry boyfriend.

       All Bryce was doing when he hooked up with Haley was trying to get his obsessive ex-girlfriend off of his back, but now he's wrapped up in the mess of a fake relationship with an honor roll geek, she's so different than anybody that he's ever dated and he's not sure how much he likes her. Good thing this is all fake, right?

Cover

       All that comes to my mind when I look at this cover is "aww. How cute!" It truly is an adorable cover.

Writing

       Blackmail Boyfriend is written in alternating POV between Haley and Bryce. It was interesting because they both live such different lives with such different families. Also, with the alternating POVs (mostly with Bryce) you get to be on the inside what they are really thinking versus what they do. 

Haley

       At times I found Haley to be overbearing and snotty, and sometimes she makes demands I don't believe that she's entitled to, such as telling Bryce that he has to drive her somewhere. Regardless of what she thinks all he has to do is pretend to be in a relationship with her and make sure people notice, none of the extra stuff. Though I kind of get it, since she's in the position to call the shots and he's not really in a stable enough place to refuse.
       On a good note, I admire Haley's ability to speak her mind, and how she (most of the time) stands up for herself and (most of the time) doesn't play the damsel in distress,

Bryce

       Bryce annoyed me at some points as well, as it was repeated again and again that Haley wasn't his type and he was scared of that, but he should have given her more of a chance than that to start out with.
       On a good note for him, when he when he decided to be nice, he went all out and was really, really nice.

Conclusion

       I wanted a fun quick read, and that's exactly what I got from this. I think I would read it again because every once in a while I like to read something cute.

Stacking the Shelves #2

       Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's all about sharing books you've added to your shelves be it physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in a  physical store, or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks.

       I haven't added quite as many books this week as last week, but I have added a few:

These books were given to me from the authors in exchange for a review and I am very excited to start reading them!

This book was given to me from the publisher (Sourcebooks Fire) via Netgalley. I've written the two other books written by Natalie D. Richards, Six Months Later and Gone too Far, and I thought they were both fantastic, so I was overjoyed to get approved for this title as well. According to Goodreads I am currently 65% finished reading and I have loved every moment.