Cover VS Cover

So I decided to start doing this Cover VS Cover comparison once a week to find out wich covers people prefer.

I'll start this by comparing the covers of a book I read recently: The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

  Paperback                                               Hardcover

I personally prefer the paperback cover of this book. I don't really like the images where the couple is standing in an almost kiss position so that's probably why I don't like the second cover.

What about you? Which cover do you prefer?

pollcode.com free polls

Which cover do you prefer?

Hardcover Paperback

Blog Hop (12) & Follow Friday (14)

The Book Blogger Hop is a meme sponsored by Jennifer at Crazy For Books.

This week's question is:

" What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011?  Why are you anticipating that book?"

Oh, I'm looking forward to a lot of books this year. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare is definitely one of them.

HI! Welcome to my blog! I am participating in Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View.

Hop on please leave comment, link your blog, and follow, and I will follow you as well.

This week's question is:  

 

"What is/was your favorite subject in school?"

Definitely English and History! 

Review - Dark Lover by JR Ward

Title and Author: Dark Lover by JR Ward

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Publication Date: 6 September, 2005

Paperback: 393 Pages

Genre:Paranormal Romance

Summary:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead...

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both....

Review:

So, I finally got around to reading Dark Lover and I’m glad I did. I had heard a lot about the book and wasn’t disappointed.

In this book Wrath is the only purebred vampire left, which immediately makes him king. One who is unwilling to lead his people. He prefers to be a warrior, fighting against the Lessers, a group of undead people whose goal is to kill all vampires.

Wrath’s companions and brothers in arms are the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a group of vampires who fight against their enemies.

The book begins with Darius, one of the brothers, asking Wrath to help his half human through her transformation in a vampire. Wrath initially says no but when Darius is killed he feels obliged to help Beth, who is, in the beginning, clueless as to who and what she really is.

I enjoyed this book and its characters. The brothers are all very intriguing, enigmatic and, obviously, dangerous.

Wrath is sexy, complex and somewhat of a tormented loner. As the plot develops, a whole new side of him is showed, though. He falls in love with Beth, becoming a passionate, caring and protective lover.

Beth is also a very interesting character. She’s strong, passionate, intelligent and a perfect match for Wrath.

I enjoyed the romance between the two main characters. It was obvious they cared for each other and the attraction between them was indeniable. For me, the romance was, without a doubt, the best part of the story.

This was a fast paced book, easy to read despite all the different names and words, and enjoyable. The plot was a little predictable but there were erotic, funny, romantic and more serious moments that I think make up for it.

JR Ward created a very interesting paranormal world I think any fans of this genre will enjoy reading about.

Rating: Worth Your Time

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Review - The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

Title and Author: The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: 1929

Paperback: 375 Pages

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Summary:

Reclusive tycoon Sir Oswald Coote and his melancholy wife, Lady Coote, have hit upon the ideal plan to spice up their quiet lives. They'll host a lavish weekend party at Chimneys, their isolated estate, and invite only "bright young things." But the festive mood is clouded by doom. A practical joke involving seven clocks and a sleeping guest has ended in accidental death—and cause for alarm. For the guests may not be all that they appear. And as whispers of a strange club called Seven Dials echo through the halls of Chimneys, all hands will be pointing to murder...

Review:

So, I really do like Agatha Christie, as some of you know already, and I have been trying to read as many of her books as I can. I’m taking a break from Poirot to read other books by Christie and The Seven Dials Mystery was in my to be read list for a while already so I picked it up and I’m really glad I did. Once more I was not disappointed.

In the Seven Dials Mystery Agatha Christie takes us back to Chimneys, the country manor house of The Secret of Chimneys.

This time the mystery involves the murder of Gerry Wade during his sleep and a secret society of seven possible criminals who meet wearing masks so their identity is not disclosed.

I liked the characters in this book. I thought they were well drawn and interesting. Agatha Christie describeds them and forms their personalities perfectly.

Bundle, the main character, is clever and spunky and adventurous. She can’t keep quiet and is always looking for a new adventure.

Jimmy and Bill were entertaining as the two male leads. They appear to be a little obtuse but there’s a lot more about them than what you first learn.

What I came to expect from Agatha Christie is a well written book, with interesting characters and an engaging plot. The Seven Dials Mystery definitely has all three of those elements.

Plus, the end came as somewhat of a surprise for me, which I always enjoy immensely.

If you like mystery this is definitely a must read for you!

Rating:  Must Read

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Recent and Future Releases

January 1:


 The Latte Rebbelion
       Good Reads


January 3:


     Trickster's Girl
       Good Reads


January 4:


     Shadowspell                  Taking Off                     Slice of Cherry
     Good Reads                 Good Reads                    Good Reads


       Mad Love                         Choker                       Night School
     Good Reads                 Good Reads                   Good Reads



The Education of Hailey       Awakened                        Unearthly
      Good Reads                 Good Reads                   Good Reads


January 6:


The Trouble with Half 
         A Moon                               XVI
     Good Reads                    Good Reads


January 11:


Across The Universe
     Good Reads


January 18:


     Shadow Fever
      Good Reads


Janaury 24:


        Tick Tock
      Good Reads

Blog Hop (11) & Follow Friday (13)

The Book Blogger Hop is a meme sponsored by Jennifer at Crazy For Books.

This week's question is:

"Why do you read the genre that you do?  What draws you to it?"

In a way I read a little bit of almost every genre out there but I specially love Mystery novels. I enjoy trying to piece everything together, analyzing the clues and coming up with theories of who the bad guy is. Of course I'm not always right but that's just part of the fun.

HI! Welcome to my blog! I am participating in Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View.

Hop on please leave comment, link your blog, and follow, and I will follow you as well.

This week's question is: 

"What makes up your non-human family?"

A dog, three birds and over thirty fish. :D

Review - The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Title and Author: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication Date: August 1, 2010

Paperback: 359 Pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Summary:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review:

I’m always both excited and a little worried when I start reading a sequel of a book I really liked. I worry it will not live up to my expectations but gladly The Iron Daughter did.

I loved the whole mythology and action in The Iron King and was afraid The Iron Daughter wouldn’t be half as interesting but it definitely was!

The book starts with Meghan fulfilling her promise to go back to the Winter Court with Ash. I don’t want to write too many spoilers here so I’ll just say that there’s a lot of action in this book again and once more the action sequences are very well written and engaging.

All the characters I came to like so much are back - Meghan, Puck, Ash and even Grimalkin – and they remain true to themselves. I still love all of them as much or more as I did before. They all have a great journey to make that changes them in a way or another.

There’s more romance in this book than in the previous one and is that forbidden and beautiful kind of romance. Even though I really like Puck and a part of me is sad for him, I couldn’t help but like reading about the romance and Meghan’s choices. I thought the intensity of her love didn’t really have a stable base at first, though, but I think that changed by the end of the book.

All in all, I enjoyed The Iron Daughter just as much as I enjoyed The Iron King. It’s a well written, fast paced, interesting book that kept me curious until the end.

I can’t wait to read The Iron Queen now and find out what happens to this characters I came to like so much.

Rating: Somewhere Between Well Worth Your Time and Must Read ( 4 ½ Stars)

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Blog Award

This award was given to me by: Black Nailed Reviews. Thank you!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

7 Things About Myself:
1. I absolutely love Chocolate.
2. I enjoy watching Glee.
3. I never leave a book unfinished.
4. I love Agatha Christie's Books.
5. I liked Twilight! (the books and the movies) :P
6. I live in Lisbon, Portugal.
7. I'm currently working on my master's degree. 

Here are the 15 blogs I will be passing this award to:

01.A Good Addiction

02.Reading Addict

03.Bloody Bookaholic

04.Cornucopia of Reviews 

05.Musings of a YA Reader

06.Baffled Books

07.Let Them Read Books

08.Deranged Book Lovers

09.Urban Girl Reader

10.Just Bookin' Around

11.Books Complete Me

12.Madsteampunkery

13.Girls Without a Bookshelf

14.Books, Movies, Reviews

15.Midnight Fume

Blog Hop (10) & Follow Friday (12)

The Book Blogger Hop is a meme sponsored by Jennifer at Crazy For Books.

This week's question is:

"What book influenced or changed your life? How did it influence/change you?"

You know, I thougth a lot about this question and came to the conclusion I can't pick one book. In a way every single book I read influences and touches me in a way. Maybe I'm still loooking for that one single book that will change my whole life!

HI! Welcome to my blog! I am participating in Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View.

Hop on please leave comment, link your blog, and follow, and I will follow you as well.

This week's question is: 

"What book(s) have you discovered lately from someone's book blog?

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Winter Longing by Tricia Mills

 

Review - The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title and Author: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Paperback: 363 Pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Summary:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Review:

I wasn’t sure I would like this book when I started reading it, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised.

The Iron King is a book about fairies that include a lot of well known characters from other books like Robin Goodfellow (Puck), King Oberon and Queen Tatiana from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Meghan, the main character, embarks on a journey to save her brother that takes her to Fairyland, where she encounters danger, adventure and love.

I loved the characters in this book. Meghan is a good narrator. She’s intelligent, funny, strong and willing to sacrifice herself for those who she loves. I especially liked the fact that she wouldn’t go down without a fight and that she was able to use her intellect to get her out of some difficult situations.

Puck was a great character as well, with whom I feel in love right from the start. He’s mischievous and sarcastic and is able to joke about anything and everything. Even when he’s in danger he’s able to laugh about it. Plus, he’s completely invested in helping Megan and keeping her safe. He’s her best friend, after all.

Ash, the winter prince, is a very interesting character. He’s dangerous and dark and he’s invested on keeping his emotions hidden from everyone. Meghan is able to get through to him, though, and unravel a whole different side of him.

Another character I really enjoyed reading about was Grimalkin, the Devil’s cat. He was a smart ass. He was funny and took great pleasure in watching Puck and Ash fight each other just like I did.

The romance and love triangle in this book was well written and didn’t overpower the rest of the story, since there’s a lot of action and adventure.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the plot was interesting and able to keep my attention. I loved the mythical world Julie Kagawa created and was captivated by it.

I would definitely recommend this book to all readers who enjoy Ya fiction and fantasy.

Rating: Somewhere Between Well Worth Your Time and Must Read ( 4 ½ Stars)

Book Depository

Good Reads