Friday, February 15, 2013

Feature & Follow # 26

 



Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers. But you have to know, the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.


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Here’s this week’s question:
 
 
 Write a letter to your favorite character. Rant, rave or gush…just pretend like they are real and you just want to let them know a "few things". - Activity courtesy of author, Kelly Walker
 
I have too many favorite characters so my letter will be generalized.
 
Dear X,
 
You are amazing. Beyond belief! Your unworldly powers and unlimited strength are something I both respect and admire. You can come and be my hero anytime.
 
Best Wishes,
 
Y

 
 PS. (For paranormal charaters only)

Yeah, I so suck at writing letters.

 
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So what's your FF?
To play along visit Parajunkee & Alison Can Read
Follow them, follow their Featured Blogs and then visit as many blogs as you can, posting your answers.
And don't forget to leave your link in the comments section below!

 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Swoon Thursday # 26 - City of Ashes

 


The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme. Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog!

 
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Today, my Swoon comes from Book Two from the series - The Mortal Instruments - by Cassandra Clare.
 
City of Ashes
 
First - The Blurb:
 
 
Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

 
Second - My Thoughts:
 
After finishing the first book - City of Bones - I was instantly left with the feeling of  'Oh, don't end now, I need to know what happens next', so naturally, I launched straight into book two - City of Ashes. Was it as good as the first? Heck yeah!
 
Right from the start, I was barely able to put this sucker down. The tension between some of the characters is so thick you could cut it with a knife. There's plenty of action as good fights evil. A few unexpected scenes, and more twists and turns to the story as new characters are added.
 
The only thing which was in short supply was romance, but I guess considering Clary and Jace's current relationship status, it would be a little weird for things to get too steamy between them. Of course, I'm referring to the fact that he is her brother - supposedly. There are hints throughout to indicate that this may not actually be the case. I'm hoping my instincts don't let me down.
 
A great continuation from City of Bones. Can't wait to start City of Glass.
 
My Rating on this one: 5 out of 5
 
 
Third - My Swoon:
 
She felt the brush of his lips, light at first, and her own opened automatically beneath the pressure. Almost against her will she felt herself go fluid and pliant, stretching upward to twine her arms around his neck the way that a sunflower twists towards light. His arms slid around her, his hands knotting in her hair, and the kiss stopped being gentle and became fierce, all in a single moment like tinder flaring into a blaze.
 
 
I love it when kisses ignite. How about you?
 
 
 
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Okay, so what do you think?
 
If you liked my Swoon, please leave a comment below!


 
 
 
 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Teaser Tuesday # 25 City of Bones

 


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


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This weeks tease comes from City of Bones (Book 1 of The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare.

Yeah, I know I'm a little slow getting into this series, but with the movie due out later this year, I thought it was about time I took the plunge.


First - The Blurb:


When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
 
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 



Second - My Thoughts:

I'd heard so many good things about this series, that I have to admit, I was almost afraid to start reading City of Bones for fear that it might not live up to my expectations. Now, after having completed Book One, I'm so glad that I can cast those fears aside. It was amazing!! One of the best series I've gotten into so far.

Cassandra Clare has a great writing style. Her description of characters, places, events, etc... are clear and make it easy to follow exactly what's going on. I found it almost impossible to put the book down. (I'm so glad I have the remaining four sitting on my shelf in readiness). Yeah! I know there is a Book Six. Sucks to wait for it's release.

There is a - "Wow! Didn't see that coming." - kind of moment towards the end, but for those of you who haven't read it yet, I'm not going to divulge what that is.


My Rating - 5 out of 5


Third - My Tease:


Clary: "Is this when you start tearing strips off your T-shirt to bind up my wound?" she joked.


Jace: "If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked."


Wow! Can you believe it, I actually managed to keep it to two sentences this week. Not sure when that last happened.




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Did you enjoy??

 
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or if you don't have a blog, then please leave your ‘teasers’ in the comment section below!

Happy Teasing!



Sunday, February 10, 2013

Stacking the Shelves # 21

 


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


Alas, due to another busy week, I only managed to add one book to my shelf.


A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)
 
 
 
 
I like the cover of this book. There's something mysterious and intriguing about what lies beyond the gates.



Okay! So what did you add to your shelf this week?
I'd really like to know.
Please leave a comment below.