Book Shelf: Guardian (Creepy Hollow, #1) by Rachel Morgan

1. Receive assignment.
2. Save a life.
3. Sleep.
4. Repeat.

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until one of her assignments—a human boy who shouldn’t even be able to see her—follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? But Nate and Vi are about to land themselves in even bigger trouble—and it’ll take all Vi’s training to get them out alive.

(Blurb from Goodreads....)


Review:

Guardian by Rachel Morgan is an incredibly fun, exciting, although somewhat short story that caught me from the very beginning and left me desperately wanting more!

One of the things I loved about this novelette is that Morgan begins the start of her captivating tales pretty much straight away. There’s no prelude or messing around. Violet and Nate meet, get tangled up due to a series of events and their story begins! Morgan’s writing style is fantastic; easy to read, vivid, and perfectly descriptive. The world she has crafted is exciting, although I would have liked a bit more explanation of the workings within it, but seeing as this is the first novelette in a series, I foresee a lot of expansion in future books.

Our main character Violet is an awesome heroine to follow! She’s feisty and independent and well and truly able to take care of herself, despite some of the situations she finds herself in. The girl’s got spirit and flair and her sharp tongue and quick wit had me in stitches at times. Morgan writes her “voice” in such a way that you can’t help by love this quirky and sarcastic guardian.

The interactions between Vi and Nate, the human boy that she accidently returned to the fae realm with, constantly brought a smile to my face. Nate is sweet, with just the perfect amount of personality to be interesting within the story, yet not overbearing. His own wit and outlandish comments entertained me even as they annoyed Violet. His modem day references to films and occasional cluelessness endeared him to me.

There’s a romantic connection between the two of them, but it’s not rushed or forced despite the shortness of the story, but rather a delicious possibility as Violet begins to feel things she’s never before felt. Both Violet and Nate are sweet and although it’s early days I cannot wait to see how Morgan develops and enhances their relationship.

Filled with colourful characters, that personally I want to know more about, and with a feisty heroine, the tone of the story is light, while still being fun. Guardian left me wanting more and I eagerly await the next installment!

Rating:
Source: Sent by author for review. (Thank-you Rachel!)
Format: Kindle ebook ARC
Recommend: Yes!
Recommend borrow or buy: Buy it
Cover: It's stunning!! Beautiful.
Read sequel/continue with series: Definitely! I need more!
Buy it here: on Amazon

Waiting on Wedesday #23

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on....


Defiance by C.J. Redwine
Releases on: August 28th
Add it: On Goodreads.

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.


Thoughts:
First off I wanna be a little vain and say....How. Incredible. Is. That. Cover?!? It's beautiful. Reminds me a bit of Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton, but this one is more stunning. And the story *drools*. Alright so the heroine is named Rachel--we know she's gonna rock (;P) and the storyline just sounds epic. Need I mention that I've always loved the name Logan! Seriously. It's like I'm in heaven already! Need. Need. Neeeeeddd! I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS!!!!

Don't you love the sound of this??
What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Book Shelf: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains - except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the personal cost.

(Blurb from Goodreads....)


Review: (Warning, contains some spoilers!)

Mockingjay marks the end of The Hunger Games series and Collins doesn’t disappoint with her heart-wrenching, action packed ending!

It’s taken me a while to get my head around this book. I recently finished it and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that there were parts that broke my heart and shattered my soul but at the end of the day I feel like Suzanne Collins wrote it right. While I have no doubt there are people out there who will disagree with me, I honestly feel that for Collins to have written this book any other way would have been a betrayal to the series.

Before I go into the rest of my review, there’s something I need to say. The Hunger Games series houses a dark, harsh world filled with pain and torment. Collins has made this clear from the very beginning and in this book she truly backs up her claims. You can’t have a dystopian world of that magnitude where people suffer so much and not show it. Suzanne Collins was brave enough and daring enough to show the loss, however heartbreaking, that her characters faced and went through. She didn’t sugar-coat it. It was agonizing and it was painful, but it was REAL. She showed the necessary evils of war in a way that was undeniable and that you couldn’t hide from. Nothing was glossed over with the pain and the deaths of the characters depicted exactly how I think they should have been. Ordinarily endings that aren’t extremely happy annoy me, as I feel cheated, but here I feel like nothing else would have been enough to truly strengthen the events of this series. Was I heartbroken to see characters I’d come to love loose their lives? Of course! Did I hate seeing Peeta and Katniss become shadows of the people they’d once been? Good lord, yes! But was it the right thing for Suzanne Collins to show after everything that has happened in this series? Absolutely!

I feel ripped and raw after reading this book. If ever a book managed to tear my heart into a million pieces it’s this one. This was a never ending ride of torment. Loss, pain, betrayal....they were all themes within this book that you couldn’t hide from. So many things seemed senseless and meaningless, from the deaths of certain characters to the decisions and actions of others. It was heart-breaking. Collins made me feel. And feel it all! She didn’t let me read an action packed, war story with a happy, Hollywood ending. Instead she forced me to read a book that was so emotional, despite it’s YA Fiction status, that every moment engraved itself in my heart. I should hate her for this....but I don’t. And here’s why....I think she was true to the human spirit. There’s only so much a person can take before they begin to fray and break and in this series Collins wrote Katniss in such a way that true to this.

Katniss Everdeen is one of the strongest heroines out there....even though she’s a shadow of who she was by the end of this book. It’s understandable that she crumbled. No one can expect to go through so much and not be left scarred, both physically and mentally. Katniss’s character is perfect in my eyes. She’s real and she’s believable and fits perfectly within the story. She was strong when it counted despite her pain and even though she’ll never be the person she once was I think she still managed to accomplish exactly what mattered. Oh, my heart bleeds for her. She’ll never be able to completely let go of the past, nor will Peeta, but I think in the end Collins wrote this perfectly too.

I was marginally surprised with the way the “love triangle” between Katniss, Peeta and Gale was resolved. In fact I feel slightly cheated. I expected there to be a bit more fight, more indecision, instead Gale just more or less walked out of Katniss’s life. I still agree that had things been different, Katniss still would have found her way back to Peeta, he was just the one she was meant to be with, but I would have like a deeper, more meaningful resolve between the three of them. However, in the end I think Katniss is right to be with Peeta. They’re very different people, and considering how much they’re both irreversibly altered after the events of this book, I still feel like they balance one another out. They’re able to understand each others pain and heal one another. I don’t think Gale would have ever been able to do that for Katniss. As Collins put it....she needed Peeta.

And yet despite the anguish and devastation left over at the end of this book, Collins leaves this series with little rays of hope. In the form of friendships that remained despite everything. In the face of a baby, born to a character loved and then lost. In the relationship between Katniss and Peeta that manages to go on despite both their pain and in the family and life they share.

Suzanne Collins ends this series on the biggest of highs and biggest of lows, leaving me as the reader feeling both devastated and fulfilled. Overall I’m happy with how the series ended, and sad to see it go, but I’m comforted knowing that every event, every moment of pain, all led to a world different than the one that started out, and even though it breaks my heart to say it, I think everything Collins wrote was necessary. And I wouldn’t change a single word of it!


Rating:
Source: I bought.
Format: Paperback
Recommend: Yes!
Recommend borrow or buy: Buy--this is a series you need to own.
Cover: This is my favorite of the Aussie Scolastic covers for the series, but again, it's not really that nice :/
Read sequel/continue with series: This is the last book in the series, but I'd love to see more by Suzanne Collins!

Buy it here:

In My Mailbox #30

Hello my lovelies!

Welcome to In My Mailbox!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where we can share the books we bought, borrowed or received throughout the week. For more info on just what it is and how to participate, head here.

I had an amazing week of books this week! Check out what I got :)


I Bought:
~A Mermaid's Ransom by Joey W. Hill
~Cinder by Marissa Meyer
~Afterlife by Claudia Gray
~The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter

Sooo. You've probably figured out by now that not buying books is pretty much impossible for me. If I don't buy one or two a week there's something seriously wrong with me. LOL. Cinder! Had to have this one and I've read it already, although I'm yet to review it. Oh, it was good. Want the next book. Now! I received a copy of Balthazar for review, so I know I had to get Afterlife, the only Evernight book I hadn't read. I love the Evernight series and have adored all the books in the series--this one was no exception. Yep. Read already. Too good. Same goes for The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter. YEEEE! The Lords of the Underworld is a PNR fave on mine and I had this on pre-order. Soooooo good. Love, love, loooved it! And I really enjoy Joey W. Hill's Daughters of Arianne books and A Mermaid's Ransom is the only one I haven't read so I'm happy to finally have a copy.



For Review:
From HarperCollins Australia....
~Balthazar by Claudia Gray
~Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
.....Thank-you so much Lara! You rock!

From Pan Macmillan Australia.....
~Winter's Light by M.J. Hearle
......Thank-you Charlotte! Honestly, you are a queen!!

SQUEEEEEE! Balthazar. Hallowed. Winter's Light! *dies*
This is it. The book every Evernight fan has been waiting for....Balthazar's story! *fangirls* Yes. I've read it already. Yes. It was good. Yes. I'm even more in love with him now than I was before! All I'm gonna say is this....Balty is one hot teacher. Only he could make tweed sexy!
And Hallowed. Yes! So happy to finally have a copy of this. I loved Unearthly and cannot wait for more. Come to mumma, Tucker!
As for Winter's Light, well the title says it all...it's Winter's freaking Light! After the ending of Winter's Shadow, the wait for this has been torture. Words cannot describe how much I love Charlotte for sending me an ARC of this early. I'm currently reading it and it's awesome!

That's what I got in my mailbox this week! So many awesome books
What did you get in yours? I'd love to know!

Book Shelf: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.

(Blurb from Goodreads....)


Review:

Catching Fire, is a stunning, suspenseful follow up to Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games!

After the lengthy time it took me to begin this series I’ve discovered that I like it very much. More so than I expected and Catching Fire proves to be a stellar sequel in Collin’s fantastic series! As usual with this series, the plotline is intense and heart-racing; filled with twists and turns I’m sure you won’t see coming. The characters are faced with hard truths and difficult choices and are constantly put through the wringer. You have to feel for them and with a massive announcement that sees Katniss and Peeta head back into the Games, there’s never a dull moment. Collins knows how to shock her readers. With her futuristic world vivid and dangerous, Suzanne Collins manages to constantly surprise me with her story direction and quick twists that sees things change drastically.

When starting this book it’s easy to tell straight a way that things have changed a lot since the end of The Hunger Games. Picking up months after the events of the first book, the wins of both Katniss and Peeta have had a drastic impact on the world of Panem. I admit I was surprised to see Collins begin the book here. For some reason I expected it to pick up right when the last left off, but I feel that by writing it in this manner we can see exactly how much things have changed and how big an impact the Games had on everyone. And things certainly have changed—in the biggest of ways!

Katniss is definitely not the girl she was in the first book. I left The Hunger Games adoring her and while I still do, she’s undeniably jaded and hardened as only a victor of the Games could be. Her spirit and fire still remain, as well as all the character that made her such a fantastic heroine, but she’s also plagued by memories of what happened in the games. While her family’s life has improved and their relationship better than ever, her relationship with Peeta is in shambles as well some of the other people she loves. She’s torn between who she is and who she should be and she can’t seem to figure out what to do. She still wants to protect those she loves and with a target on her back and those she loves thanks to her actions at the end of the last Games, this is now more important than ever. The Girl On Fire, is truly the spark that will change everything everyone in the Districts knows and as the novel progresses it’s wonderful seeing her accept and take on her role with the “uprising” as she does.

One of the things that make Katniss so great is that she’s so flawed. In the harsh world she lives in, her constant struggle with herself and her desire to do right by those she loves make her easy to emphasise with. She feels real. In the middle of a Games where everything is on the line, she struggles with the things she must do in order to protect Peeta and she’s plagued by the choices she has to make. She doesn’t want to betray the people she comes to rely on, but what choice does she has when it comes down to her, Peeta or them? It’s really an impossible situation where her survival instincts war with her heart. As the reader, I find it easy to imagine myself in Katniss’s place and it's a horrible thought. There really is no wrong choice. But nor is there a right one most of the time. No matter what she does someone will get hurt and it’s only as she begins to realise this does she see just how important it is to keep fighting against the Capital for something different. Something better. There’s so much growth within her, as an individual and as a leader—someone looked up to and someone relied on.

I can’t deny that I’m well aware of the Peeta/Gale debate and I know I’ll be annoying by saying this....but I just don’t see it. There is no choice in my mind. I know Katniss struggles with the feelings she has between Peeta and Gale, but to me there’s no other option. It’s Peeta; it can only be Peeta. Perhaps it’s because I don’t feel we’ve really seen enough of Gale in these first two books for there to be a love triangle, but to me it’s Peeta she belongs with. She’s spent her whole life knowing Gale. We haven’t seen it, but their history’s there. He’s that strong, powerful friend who she can be herself with and who she feels a spark with, but should she really be with him? I think not.

Peeta has been a constant throughout the series so far. He’s the one she’s been on her journey with, the one she’s relied on, fought with and defended. While their relationship has often been complicated with the authenticity of it always being an issue thanks to the lies they issued to the people of the Capital, there’s no denying that it’s real. Katniss struggles with what she feels and in her situation, who can blame her? It doesn’t seem like things will ever been okay, and with all she’s witnessed it’s understandable that she’s afraid to take that step. Peeta and Katniss are two very different people. She’s independent and self sufficient, while he’s slightly softer and gentle, but I don’t think Peeta’s weak at all. There’s courage in being able to sacrifice yourself for the one you love and for finding the strength to go on simply for another.

He may never be the strongest person out there, or the fiercest, but he’s loyal and honourable and a lot of things Katniss isn’t. Just like she’s so much he’s not. They balance each other out. They need each other in a way I don’t feel Katniss needs Gale. There’s a desperation in her when she imagines life without Peeta. Granted she feels a similar way when she thinks about life without Gale, but there’s a different drive behind that. Everything they’ve been through connects them so strongly that I think the only possible outcome is for Katniss to admit she’s in love with Peeta.

When you look at cliff-hangers and major endings, Catching Fire doesn’t disappoint! The ending of this literally has me scrambling for the next book right now. Collins managed to have me open-mouthed and shocked right to the last page. I cannot believe some of the developments of the this book—it’s outta this world!

Rating:
Source: I bought.
Format: Paperback.
Recommend: Yes!
Recommend borrow or buy: Buy it.
Cover: Again, I don't like it--it just does nothing for me.
Read sequel/continue with series: YES!

Buy it here:

Book Shelf: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death - televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

WINNING WILL MAKE YOU FAMOUS. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.

(Blurb from Goodreads....)


Review:

The Hunger Games is an intense, adrenaline packed ride of non-stop action, survival and friendship!

I feel like I’m the last to jump on The Hunger Games train. I’ve planned to read this series for a long time but despite the insane amount of love everyone seems to have for it, I’ve still put it off. However, with the movie’s close release, and with some serious urging from my blogging friends, I felt obligated to finally read it. Who wants to hit me first? I’m kicking myself right now. Why, oh why haven’t I read this before?!? Honestly, I have no clue, as from the very first chapter this spectacularly told story had me completely riveted!

Suzanne Collins has managed to create such an incredible tale of hardship and desperation in such an action packed setting. This book is in a complete world of it’s own, taking root in the very heart of you the minute you start reading! The Huger Games themselves are so intense and captivating. The post-apocalyptic society of Panem, the Districts that inhabit it and especially the Capital are merciless. Pitting 24 young people, a boy and girl from each of the 12 Districts against each every year in a games setting and watching them battle out against each other until only one remains is cruel and unforgiving. Collins crafts her world so wonderfully. I was intrigued by the characters and world even before the Games began, and especially during. Again, Collins vivid descriptions and details within her storytelling completely held my interest. She had my complete attention. I was glued from start to finish as the Games unfolded before my eyes.

Throughout the novel we follow protagonist Katniss Everdeen who selflessly takes her sisters place in the games. It’s inadequate to say I liked Katniss. Honestly, I’m not sure there are words in the English language to accurately describe what I feel for this girl. She is incredible! Simply incredible! If I thought I loved some other heroines, they pale in compassion to how amazing I think Katniss is! I can’t think of a more perfect heroine to read about or follow....and that’s saying a lot. From the very first page it’s evident that Katniss is a strong, independent individual. She is the sole provider for her family and thanks to the loss of her father and the emotional deterioration of her mother it’s up to Katniss to take care of her little sister, the person she loves more than anything. Katniss has had to quickly learn to survive in a harsh world but it’s given her an inner strength and determination that I think helps her most in The Hunger Games.

She’s guarded when it comes to letting people in her life, but even the ruthlessness of the Games doesn’t destroy her in this book. There’s no doubt that they change her; that she’s a different version of herself than when she went into the Games, but that’s to be expected. The harsh life she’s lived allows her to thrive in the Games, and yet she still holds on to the goodness that is purely Katniss in her actions towards the other tributes. In a situation where losing means certain death her kindness and fairness to those who do her no harm despite her current predicament were wonderful to read about. When she should only be looking out for herself, there’s moments where she’s selfless towards others. Her attitude towards Rue, the young girl who reminds her of her sister and even Rue’s counterpart in District 11, Thresh, are testaments to her character in the middle of a situation where all those before her looked out for themselves alone. She’s likable and you’re truly vying for her. Katniss’s intelligence and survival instincts allow her to fare well in the Games and she learns quick, with her rebellious streak and attitude making her a joy to read about.

Being the female tribute for District 12 leaves Katniss paired with Peeta, the male tribute and the two form an unlikely friendship despite the nature of the Games declaring that their will be only one winner. With a range of fantastic characters throughout the novel, from Katniss’s stylists, her mentor Haymitch, her friends and family back home as well as all the colourful other tributes, Peeta is the other character, that as a reader, you come to love. There are many throughout the novel that I feel for and generally care about, but I admit it’s Peeta I also love. The son of the town’s baker, Peeta is a good guy, sweet and honourable through everything. He’s the one Distict 12 has easily dismissed as having a chance, for some good reasons, but Peeta manages to survive the games all while maintaining a sense of honour towards Katniss. He doesn’t have the backbone she does and he doesn’t fair quite as well as some of the other tributes at times, but I quite easily fell for Peeta. It was impossible not to like him. And despite all we came to learn of him in their book, he’s still a bit of a mystery to me, one I’m looking forward to discovering in the rest of the trilogy.

With Katniss and Peeta undertaking something that has never been done in Hunger Games history before, we see the two of them rely on one other in a heavy way for a lot of the book. Virtually strangers before their names were drawn, the lie the two take part in in the hopes of keeping viewers of the Games and sponsors easily had people enthralled with them and swept away into their “romance”. I admit, I was as smitten with them as I’m sure everyone else was, especially seeing, that as the reader, we’re well aware of Katniss’s internal conflict towards Peeta. I’m fairly sure Peeta was truthful about his feelings towards Katniss and watching her develop some of her own left me very satisfied. They were very sweet and I loved seeing them interact. I’m pretty sure I’m Team Peeta. He just caught me.

This is a heart-racing novel. Throughout it, you know of the struggles Katniss will face if she hopes to survive and with her growing friendship and possible romance between Peeta, you wonder just how the two will both manage to survive the Games. Suzanne Collins is a master at keeping her action and danger at the highest of levels and I was on the edge of my seat, desperate to see how they would get out of the dire situation that is The Hunger Games.

Over flowing with adventure, turmoil and heart-stopping action, The Hunger Games is the first in what I can only predict is an outta this world series!

Rating:
Source: I bought.
Format: Paperback.
Recommend: Yes!
Recommend borrow or buy: Buy!
Cover: I hate it. Honestly, it does nothing for the book and does not to it justice at all!
Read sequel/continue with series: Definitely.

Buy it here:

Touch of Power Winners!

Thank-you to everyone who entered by Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder giveaway and to HarlequinTEEN Australia for offering up both books.

The winners were:
-alice_xox and Romi Foster!

Congrats girls! Both winners have been contacted and their details passed along to the publisher. Hope you love your prize!