giovedì 26 marzo 2015

Review&Interview: Grim Crush by S.L Bynum + Give@way!

Grim Crush

Author: S.L Bynum
Published: August 15th 2014
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Number of Pages: 226
Format: eBook
Source: Received from the author for review
Purchase: Amazon, TBD

1. Do not interfere with someone's death. 2. Do not become emotionally involved. 3. Do not show yourself to the living. As a grim reaper, seventeen-year-old Xia has to follow these Rules. But when she meets Shilah, a Native American boy who can see reapers, she figures the rules don't apply. To find out why he can see her, she pretends to be human, since carrying a scythe probably isn't the latest teen craze. Things become unnerving as she begins experiencing first-time affection with Shilah, but she's irreversibly drawn to him. Suddenly Xia finds herself breaking Rule Two, even while collecting dead souls behind Shilah's back. It isn't long before she is caught red-handed by the Angel of Death himself, and then not only is her relationship at risk, but also Shilah's soul. And this leaves Xia wondering: can love overcome Death? 


My Review

Grim Crush was a lovely Paranormal novel that I had been offered to review and I am so grateful for it ! I can't express how excited I get when I actually have the opportunity to discover new great novels and present them to new fellow readers!

Grim Crush can be described with 3 adjectives : funny, fluent and unpredictable. 

As soon as I started reading I was dragged in Xia's world and I knew that the book was going to be quite engaging. I already read one paranormal novel about grim reapers but I was happy that the author decided to describe their most human part, instead of focusing on their dark side and job. I immediately loved the concept of Xia's work, the fact that she and her family of reapers had the responsibility to guide one's soul toward the afterlife. I loved the light atmosphere that we find through all the book, it actually eases the huge amount of deaths we need to deal with, following Xia's life (or non-life!). 

I have to admit that the fact that Xia was going to fall in love with  Shilah, may have been a little too predictable and I really wished the author would have focused a little bit more about the growth of their bond, instead of jumping too prematurely into their love story; I couldn't help feeling like everything they said and everything they're willing to go through, was a little too much for two teen who have barely known each other for a month.. but these are not two normal teens we're talking about, this much is true.

Something I was a little disappointed with was the fact that I cannot really have a mental picture of the characters because there were really few physical descriptions about them. I would have loved to explore more the characters' physiognomy and physicality but I really hope we would get to know them better in the following books.

And finally, when I said that this book could be defined as unpredictable... I mean it ! I was really surprised with the ending ! I had so many theories and thought that the book was going to end inevitably in one way, but then, all of a sudden, the author pulled out something totally unexpected that really made me curious about what may happen in book #2 ! So, Leiann Bynum, just HURRY UP!

Rated 3.90




Interview with the author

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing? 
My name is Leiann Bynum, author name S. L. Bynum. I am twenty-five years old from Greensboro, North Carolina. I first started writing when I was twelve, when I wrote a rendition of The Three Little Pigs fairytale for a homework assignment of my brother’s. I loved being able to create my own characters with their own personalities, and creating my own world for these characters.

Describe your novel in two sentences. 
Grim Crush is about a seventeen-year-old grim reaper named Xia, who enjoys carrying a scythe and helping souls of the dead. When she falls in love with a human boy, breaking a Rule of Reaping, she risks his soul and the balance of life and death.

What would you say the hardest part of writing this book was? 
Putting traces of myself into my main character, Xia. Through her, I revealed part of my heart and feelings towards love and affection.

If you could work with any author who would it be?
J. K. Rowling. She inspired me to want to become a full time writer, and I love how creative she is in her work. I feel like we could put our creativity together and make something fabulous.

What books have most influenced your life? 
This might sound crazy, but the Goosebumps books by R. L. Stine. They helped me discover my love of books and writing. The first novel I ever attempted to write, I was twelve, and I wanted it to be like a Goosebumps book, so I tried to make it horror. It was terrible, and that novel will never see the light of day in the publishing world.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Grim Crush! And I have a couple other finished novels I hope to get published soon!

The author has kindly offered to giveaway 1 eCopy of Grim Crush for one lucky winner. How to win? Just leave a meaningful comment about the review and/or the interview ! Good luck !



venerdì 13 marzo 2015

Review: The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki

The Accidental Empress

Author: Allison Pataki
Published: 17th February 2015
Publisher: Howard Books
Number of pages: 512
Format: eARC
Source: Received from Publisher
Purchase: Amazon, TBD

From Goodreads


The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.

Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead. 

Thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world.

With Pataki’s rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters,The Accidental Empress offers a captivating glimpse into one of history’s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved “Fairy Queen.”

Review

I actually haven't been reading good historical romances for a long time and I am so happy I decided to purchase this one, since it was an amazing discovery ! I may say that I am kind of obsessed with the genre but I usually didn't get much excited about historical characters other than the Borgias and the Tudors.. but WOW! Sisi is one hell of a heroine ! I will definitely keep an eye on her for the future !

Speaking of her, she definitely had such a fascinating life : she married at only fifteen, stealing her sister's groom, with who she had inadvertently fallen in love. Maybe back then she didn't quite realize how her life was going to change, how difficult it would have been for her to learn how to become a good Empress, something her beloved Franz has been trained to do all his life, but especially, she didn't know that living at the Austrian court wouldn't be as easy as living in the lovely, cozy Castle of Possenhofen. 

In this hell of a background not only she succeeds in surviving, she also managed to stand out. After all the humiliations and the sufferings she has been put through, Sisi learned how to be brave, how to be respected and how to get what she wanted in a life where everyone's opinion counted, except for her own. 


I obviously loved Sisi's relationship with Franz Joseph at the beginning, and the fact that they kind of broke the rules to follow their hearts, considering that Franz was not supposed to marry Elisabeth but Helene. I firmly believed in their love story, and I still do for some aspects. I really liked how the author focused on their bond, without really making it the main object of the book; sometimes I easily got frustrated because I felt I needed more Franz and Sisi's scenes, but then I realized that, to build a complete portrait of the character, the love story was just a minor topic to focus on.

I LOVED the emotional complications this book had, and I have to admit that naively, I couldn't see them coming. I thought that the author's choice to insert some small previews of what was coming was brilliant, because it created an electric suspense that completely thrilled me, even if I didn't exactly know what was happening.

I really appreciated how loyal the author has been toward historical information. After finishing the book, I immediately made my researches on the topic and I found out that 90% of the book actually contained real information, that have been then romanced by the incredible Allison. I think that one of her greatest ability here, has been the capacity of making the reader grow fond of her heroine, and I think this is what every historical romances author tries to do, and Allison Pataki certainly made it.

I am now just anxious to know if there will be sequels (as she has said at the end of the book, Sisi's life still has a lot of amazing events to occurr!), but in the meantime, The Traitor's Wife goes straight to my to-read pile!

If you love historical romances, and you have a passion for complex heroines, this book certainly won't disappoint you!


Rated 5.0 !





Favourite quotes:

" A deity does not quake simply because the crowd yells. An empress stands fixed, immutable: the calm that continues on, even as the world rages."

"Don't you see, my darling?" He lifted her hand, resting it on his chest so that he could feel his heartbeat, its pace rapid like horse hooves against his breastbone. "Don't you see? Oh, but you know this well enough already. That there is nothing that requires more strength than to allow yourself to be weak for another."


giovedì 26 febbraio 2015

I've been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award !


YAY! This is my first nomination for the Versatile Blogger Award and I wanted to thank you Natasha Anne first, because she is a dear follower and second, for this nomination ! You can find her @ Dreamland : A teenage fantasy 

Rules for the Versatile Blogger Award

*If you are nominated, you've been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award.
*Thank the person who nominated you. :)
*Link back to their blog. They'd be ever so grateful!
*Select blogs or bloggers for the award (ones you recently discovered or follow regularly)
*Nominate them for the award (remember to notify them once you do!)
*Lastly, tell the person who nominated you seven things about yourself. Easy as that!

7 things about me

1. I am a serious chocolate addicted. I could eat it all day without feeling ill. I like
chocolates of all kinds and particulary like orange chocolate.
2. I love studying (I know, it's insane... I'm still trying to figure this out).
3. I have a passion for English literature
4. I am a couch potato who loves complaining about her flat body
5. I love pets, I had turtles, bunnies, parrots, cats and dogs. For the moment I just have
a funny dog, Luna, and an evil little cat called Sophie
6. This year I started studying chinese at university and I completely fell in love 
with their writing.
7. I have absolutely no creativity, of any kind. 

And now!
My nominees are ...

Kristie @ Lost In Ever After

Thanks so much for the fun !

mercoledì 25 febbraio 2015

Book Tour: The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki [Interview + Giveaway]

The Accidental Empress
by Alison Pataki

Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million

New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki follows up on her critically-acclaimed debut novel, The Traitor’s Wife, with the little-known and tumultuous love story of “Sisi,” the Austro-Hungarian Empress and captivating wife of Emperor Franz Joseph.
The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.
Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Intrigued by Sisi’s guileless charm and energetic spirit, not to mention her unrivaled beauty, Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead.
Plucked from obscurity and thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi has no idea what struggles and dangers—and temptations—await her. Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world.
With Pataki’s rich period detail and cast of complex, compelling characters, The Accidental Empress offers a captivating glimpse into the bedrooms and staterooms of one of history’s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Habsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved “Fairy Queen.”

Also by Alison Pataki..

The Interview

Your new novel, The Accidental Empress, focuses on of the history of one of the most intriguing royal families; is there a reason why you decided to choose the Habsburgs? Is there something in particular that inspired you?

I would agree with you, they certainly are one of history’s most intriguing families! And yet, the American audience knows very little about Sisi and the Habsburgs. Hopefully The Accidental Empress will change that! 

I came across the story of Sisi and was inspired to write her story as a result of a very personal journey—and I mean that quite literally. Years ago, I was traveling through Austria and Hungary and the Czech Republic with my family. I am Hungarian-American by descent; Pataki is an odd-sounding and, yes, Hungarian last name. The purpose of the family trip was to visit the places from where our relatives had emigrated, almost a century earlier. This took us, then, to the lands of the former Habsburg Empire—the former realm once labeled on maps as Austria-Hungary.
While on this trip, I kept seeing beautiful images of this same young woman. She had this quizzical smile, this rich chestnut hair curled in these elaborate hairdos. I saw her face at every gift shop, museum, even in restaurants and hotels.

I asked someone who she was and the response was that she was “Sisi,” the most beloved of all Habsburg Empresses. I heard just a bit about Sisi’s epic and tragic life—about the legends that she grew her hair to the floor, that she was considered the most beautiful woman in the world, that every other foreign ruler at the time was in love with her.

I read about how Sisi didn’t mean to seduce her sister’s fiancé the emperor, but did, at the age of 15. Just enough to whet my appetite! I went home and dug in, reading everything I could about Sisi’s story; what I found astounded me. Hers is a story of love triangles, love, lust, betrayal, and so much more. It’s an incredibly human story, told against a glittering and beautiful—yet dangerous and duplicitous—backdrop of the Habsburg Court.

The so called "princess Sisi" is one of the most popular feminine characters of the nineteenth century, and has been the subject of many historical novels. Are there any particular aspects of her character that you decided to focus on?

Sisi has been the subject of many European adaptations, but almost nothing exists about her for the American audience. She remains hidden in history, not at all well-known, even though she is a leading lady with such a fascinating and worthy story. So much historical fiction lately has been devoted to Anne Boleyn and the British, or Marie Antoinette and the French, or Catherine the Great and the Russians, or the Italians families like the Medici and the Borgias. Sisi is the most fascinating, most significant
heroine of them all, and yet her story remains less well-known. I can’t wait to shine the spotlight on her.

Empress Elisabeth, or Sisi, was and continues to be an enchanting, complex, modern, beautiful, and tragic leading lady. She was Europe’s last great Empress, as it was her family that declared war and began World War I. She was known as the “most beautiful woman in the world,” but it was her wit and intelligence and charisma that made her a legend in her own time.
And yet, somehow, Sisi has become a footnote in modern history; she’s a member of a family that we briefly learn about in high school history, and that’s it. It is so interesting to me how many women—women who accomplished huge things—have slipped through the cracks of history with their stories going largely untold.

I want people to read the story of Sisi so that they can empathize with the great things she did and tried to do. So that they can be transported to the beautiful and romantic world of the imperial Habsburg Court, filled with Walt Disney-esque castles and grand ballrooms and violin waltzes. So that they can be drawn into the love triangle in which she found herself entangled. So that they can empathize with the incredibly moving and relevant difficulties Sisi weathered, not only as a Habsburg empress, but as a wife, a mother, and an individual seeking her own purpose in a treacherous court and a shifting world. So that they can be inspired in their own lives to learn more about history in a fun, entertaining and accessible way.

If you should think about a movie adaptation of your book, is there someone you would like to play the beautiful Elisabeth?
What a fun question to think about! I’d be fibbing if I said I haven’t spent time mulling over this exact question before. Who would play Sisi on screen? It would have to be an actress with an incredible on-screen presence and strength. It would be so much more than just the ingénue role—Sisi is the leading lady. I like Alicia Vikander from Anna Karenina and A Royal Affair. I also like Rebecca Ferguson, who was in The White Queen. I also like Lily Collins and Felicity Jones. Or perhaps someone with the stage presence of a Keira Knightley.

 Any other books in the works? Goals for the future?
Absolutely, there will be many more books, but my goal for right now is to spread the enchanting story of Sisi and Franz Joseph to as many readers as possible! I want readers to feel like they’ve been immersed into the glamorous and intriguing world of the Habsburg Court.

The Author
Allison Pataki is the author of the New York Times bestselling historical novel, The Traitor's Wife. She graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with a major in English and spent several years writing for TV and online news outlets. The daughter of former New York State Governor George E. Pataki, Allison was inspired to write her second novel, The Accidental Empress, by her family’s deep roots in the former Habsburg empire of Austria-Hungary. Allison is the co-founder of the nonprofit organization, ReConnect Hungary. Allison is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and FoxNews.com, as well as a member of The Historical Novel Society. Allison lives in Chicago with her husband. To learn more and connect with Allison visitwww.AllisonPataki.com or on Twitter.

The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

domenica 22 febbraio 2015

Where have you been this week? To Barcellona ! #besttrip

Hi lovely followers? How are you?

I know it's been almost two weeks since my last post, but I did not give up on blogging, I just had an awesome trip with my boyfriend to one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been : Barcellona ! I really had no expectations for this city, and not for the country, I've never been attracted to Spain even if their culture seems amazing!

But GOD, Barcellona was so good ! It was crowded, full of beautiful places, amazing brands, tasty food and a beautiful seacoast.

I thought it might be interesting to share with you some of the best photos I've taken during my visit. Check 'em out !


Mercat de la Boqueria - S. Josep

 



Sagrada Familia

My beautiful model at Barceloneta - seashore


Fuente del dragon - Park Güell

Me in Park Güell and Casa Batlló on the outside

Inside of Casa del Guarda - Park Güell
View from Montjuïc's castel
On top of Montjuïc's castel

If you want to have a trip and you still don't know where to go, I really recommend you to go and visit Barcellona, you won't regret it ! Moreover, if you book in advance, like we did, the prices are so low ! I know for certain that one day I will visit Barcellona again 

martedì 10 febbraio 2015

Mini- Review : The Retribution of Mara (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkin

The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Mara Dyer #3
by Michelle Hodkin

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Published: 4th November 2014
PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Number of Pages: 470
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Purchase: Amazon, TBD 

Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.
She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.
Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.
Retribution has arrived.


My Review

I am so messed up I don't know where to start. This is one of those books I hate because I don't really feel like writing a review about it, because it's SO good I don't even think I have the right to discuss about it, but at the same time I DO have to spend a few words about it and ... GOD, this is as insane as this whole trilogy had been.

Mara, Mara, Mara, where do I start? First, if you haven't checked out my reviews of book #1 and #2, do it now, so you'll have an idea about how much did I love the first two books. But now, let's just talk about this beautiful ending.

Once again, Michelle Hodkin amazed all her readers with a breath-taking finale to one of the most beautiful trilogy I've ever read. I was surpised by how the ending mismatched with what I thought the book would be, but, seriously, I couldn't hope for a better storyline. As always, the author plays with the reader's mind: this is one of those wonderful books where the reader doesn't exactly know where the story is going, how the characters are evolving and above all, who the characters are. The impossibility to trust Mara, is one of the things I've always loved about the series, because it makes the mystery so much thicker than it already was.

I was happy that I finally had the chance to discover more about Mara's life and the truth about everything that was happening to her; I don't think this is something we should underestimate, because it is not rare to find series that even in their final books do not satisfy the reader's curiosity, and I think this is a MUST. Michelle Hodkin , instead, with great ability and an appealing style analysed deeply the background of the project in which Mara was involved, mixing past and present in an incredible plot, that in the very ending, cleares all the ambiguity one may have had about Mara's life and her grandma's.

The characters are just perfect, I love everything about them. Mara is strong and brave and intelligent and Noah is sweet and caring and provocative. Perfect mix, perfect couple. I loved that Michelle put under the spotlight also other characters that we just started to know in book #2. I love Jamie, loved him from the first book and I was so happy to know about the role he would have in book #3. Speaking the truth, all characters changed a LOT, but conversely to what other people thought I didn't feel upset about their growth, I just thought it was inevitable considering everything they have been through. The only thing I would reproach to Michelle : I needed more Noah Shaw. That was absolutely not enough, but I forgive you anyway.

The dynamism of the book, the never-ending struggle across all the country to find out more about Mara's disease was brilliant and insane. It was so interesting to follow their movements and to keep count of their progress that you really can't put the book down until the end. 

I really liked the veil of humour that was added to this book; I think that this detail was present in book#1 but completely disappeared in book #2 where things kind of got too messed up to make funny of it. In book #3 the special bond between Mara and Jamie makes it possible to lighten the atmosphere once it a while.

In the end, considering that I think this is one of those book you can't really review without spoilers I just want to add : READ IT ! NOW, ASAP! To all those who haven't started the Mara Dyer trilogy, DO IT NOW! You won't regret it. You will be searching for more like it, like I'm doing.

Rated 5.0





lunedì 9 febbraio 2015

Book Blitz: Greta and the Glass Kingdom by Chloe Jacobs + Give@way!

Greta and the Glass Kingdom
Mylena Chronicles #2
by Chloe Jacobs

Add on Goodreads

Once upon a dark time…

Greta the human bounty hunter never quite fit into the shadowed, icy world of Mylena. Yet she's managed to defeat the demon Agramon and win the love of the darkly intense Goblin King, Isaac. Now Isaac wants her to rule by his side—a human queen. And the very announcement is enough to incite rebellion…


To make matters worse, defeating Agramon left Greta tainted with a dark magick. Its unclean power threatens to destroy her and everything she loves. With the Goblin King's life and the very peace of Mylena at stake, Greta must find a cure and fast.

Her only hope lies with the strange, elusive faeries in the Glass Kingdom…if she can get there before the evil within her destroys everything.

Other book in the series...


Buy Links

Guest Post

5 Things You Don’t Know about Greta from Greta and the Glass Kingdom 
1) So, the thing you probably can’t miss about Greta is that she really hates winter. But after all this time having to listen to her complain about it, I think I’ve got to cut her some slack. You see, she finally admitted that she used to LOVE winter. Especially when the bright sun bounced off the fluffy white snow. She’d loved the snowball fights, and building snowmen on Saturday afternoons with her brother. She always wanted to go snowboarding, but never got the chance before ending up in Mylena. And somehow you’d think that a world of winter would be all about the skiing, snowboarding, and assorted cold-weather fun, but…not so much. The combination of constant, punishing weather, and being stuck in a world where everyone hated her eventually sucked the joy out of it for her. 
2) Greta is a strong, kickass bounty hunter who can totally take care of herself, and yet she wasn’t always so sure of her own abilities (even now, there are moments…) Greta would kill me if she knew I was telling anyone this, but as a child she was painfully shy and insecure. She never got stellar grades in school, and always felt a little stupid. But in Mylena she started to think that maybe she had something better than smarts. Maybe she was destined for something other than math homework and biology labs. 
3) Greta has a birthmark on the back of her leg just under her butt cheek that looks a little like a strawberry. Nobody has ever seen it, not even her. In fact, she has no idea it’s there and if someone should ever find it…she’s going to be SO embarrassed. 
4) Greta’s favorite color used to be pink. She had a pink backpack and pink shoes, and even wore pink clips in her little girl blonde hair. After Mylena, Greta’s favorite color became orange. Orange is the color of the juice her mother used to pour for her in the mornings, and the color of sunshine. 
5) Greta’s favourite treat in the whole wide (human) world is…licorice. Yes, the big bad bounty hunter would trade her soul for a Twizzler. And when it comes to Mylena, she used to say there was absolutely nothing redeeming, nothing she liked about the icy, harsh place at all. But recently she’s found several things to like about this place that had once been so forbidding. At first, it was just the tea—made from a hardy linberry fruit. Sour and bold, it takes a little getting used to…a lot like someone she knows. And now there’s one more thing she likes about Mylena, too.

The Author

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers. 

Find her

The Giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Images by Freepik