Thursday Quotables! (29th May 2014)

Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to Thursday Quotables for the 29th May 2014!

This is a weekly meme which is hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies. This where you highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. 

On to my Quote ......

       This Quote is taken from the book that I have recently finished which is I Was A Teenage Ghost Hunter by Brian K Henry.

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“Devin stared through the large plate glass window of the Escamonde Hotel at the dark branches of the walnut tree. In between two of the large, lower branches there was a wispy, white piece of fabric. Or at least, there had been a second before. He blinked, and saw the fabric again. But then he jerked away and yelped.„

WWW Wednesday! (28th May 2014)

Hi book lovers and welcome to WWW Wednesday for 28th May 2014!

WWW Wednesday is a book related meme hosted by Should Be Reading.
Which asks you answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


So, on to my answers.......

What I am Currently Reading:

Thief's Magic by Trudi Canavan

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Synopsis - In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen's world faces.

Elsewhere, in an land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer's daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it - should she dare to risk the Angels' wrath.

But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands . . . Not even the people they trust.

What I have Recently Finished:

I Was A Teenage Ghost Hunter by Brian K Henry

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Synopsis - Moody sixteen-year-old barista Devin Mulwray is doing his best to ignore bizarre manifestations at his job in the chilly Northern California town of Arcata. Already teased about his recurrent ‘phase-outs’, the last thing he needs is to get pegged as a guy who sees ghosts. It doesn't help his state of mind that his boss is a sarcastic slacker, his single dad is always on the road with clients and local occult fan girl Nayra is spreading ‘ghost boy’ rumours about him online. 

But when violent paranormal activity badly spooks teens at an abandoned estate, Devin’s pushed into investigating by his eccentric friends Clive, a budding composer, and Rex, a tech head excited by ghost hunting gadgetry. At first reluctant to get involved, Devin’s encouraged when Emily, one of the more empathetic girls at Grey Bluff High, is impressed with his daring. Together the friends explore the creepy Rousten manor. 

But as the only person able to perceive the manifestations, Devin soon finds himself going one-on-one against a powerful spirit who attacks the locals and infiltrates Devin’s own dreams. Devin must face his fear of confronting the spirit world and get to the bottom of the hauntings before the specter unleashes more havoc on him and his friends.

What I am Going to Read Next:

City Of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

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Synopsis - Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian - but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance. Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change.

Tuesday Teaser! (27th May 2014)

Hi book lovers and welcome to Teaser Tuesdays for the 27th May 2014!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Which asks you to do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!  

• Share the title & author

On to my teaser ......

        My teaser sentences are from I Was A Teenage Ghost Hunter by Brian K Henry. The teaser's can be found 78% into the book.

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Synopsis - Moody sixteen-year-old barista Devin Mulwray is doing his best to ignore bizarre manifestations at his job in the chilly Northern California town of Arcata. Already teased about his recurrent ‘phase-outs’, the last thing he needs is to get pegged as a guy who sees ghosts. It doesn't help his state of mind that his boss is a sarcastic slacker, his single dad is always on the road with clients and local occult fan girl Nayra is spreading ‘ghost boy’ rumours about him online. 

But when violent paranormal activity badly spooks teens at an abandoned estate, Devin’s pushed into investigating by his eccentric friends Clive, a budding composer, and Rex, a tech head excited by ghost hunting gadgetry. At first reluctant to get involved, Devin’s encouraged when Emily, one of the more empathetic girls at Grey Bluff High, is impressed with his daring. Together the friends explore the creepy Rousten manor. 

But as the only person able to perceive the manifestations, Devin soon finds himself going one-on-one against a powerful spirit who attacks the locals and infiltrates Devin’s own dreams. Devin must face his fear of confronting the spirit world and get to the bottom of the hauntings before the specter unleashes more havoc on him and his friends.

Here are my teasers....

"And that's where we found you. In the hall, passed out," Clive finished.

"These rats didn't seems too domestic."

Musing Monday! (26th May 2014)

Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to Musing Monday for the 26th May 2014!

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading ,which asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books.


So on to my musing..... 
            This week I have chosen to muse about the book that I am currently reading:

I Was A Teenage Ghost Hunter By Brian K Henry

Buy it now on Kindle

Synopsis - Moody sixteen-year-old barista Devin Mulwray is doing his best to ignore bizarre manifestations at his job in the chilly Northern California town of Arcata. Already teased about his recurrent ‘phase-outs’, the last thing he needs is to get pegged as a guy who sees ghosts. It doesn't help his state of mind that his boss is a sarcastic slacker, his single dad is always on the road with clients and local occult fan girl Nayra is spreading ‘ghost boy’ rumours about him online. 

But when violent paranormal activity badly spooks teens at an abandoned estate, Devin’s pushed into investigating by his eccentric friends Clive, a budding composer, and Rex, a tech head excited by ghost hunting gadgetry. At first reluctant to get involved, Devin’s encouraged when Emily, one of the more empathetic girls at Grey Bluff High, is impressed with his daring. Together the friends explore the creepy Rousten manor. 

But as the only person able to perceive the manifestations, Devin soon finds himself going one-on-one against a powerful spirit who attacks the locals and infiltrates Devin’s own dreams. Devin must face his fear of confronting the spirit world and get to the bottom of the hauntings before the specter unleashes more havoc on him and his friends.

I am currently 68% into this book, so far I am really enjoying it. I like it because I haven't read something like this before, I read a lot of fantasy and paranormal, but I've never come across anything similar to this, so it is a nice change. The reason why I chose this book to read is because the author sent me a private message on twitter to receive a free e-copy of the book, the synopsis sounded interesting so decided to dive straight in and read it immediately.

Book Blogger Hop! (23rd - 29th May 2014)

Hi Book Lovers and Welcome to Book Blogger Hop for 23rd May- 29th May 2014!

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Ramblings Of A Coffee Addicted Writer. Every week there is a different question and the objective of this meme is to answer this question.

This weeks question is ....

Did you ever make a HUGE mistake when you posted a review? For Example: Did you have the correct book title, but the wrong author in the blog post title? If so, how long until you found your mistake?

My answer is ....

I haven't really made a HUGE mistake before, the worst I have done so far is forgot to go through and check spellings and for any missed words. I realised the next day when I was scrolling through my blog an noticed a spelling mistake then read the whole of that post and realised I had missed a few words out and made even more spelling mistakes, so had to go and update it.

Review: Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kaliciki

Hi there book lovers and welcome to my review of Branded!

(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Title:

Branded

Author:

Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

Publisher:

Self-Published
Abi & Missy Books

Date Published:

28th June 2013
Re-vamped version available 3rd June 2014

Genre:

Young Adult Dystopian

Pages:

314

Chapters:

23

Synopsis:

Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best. Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home. Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain. Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win. The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me. I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

Source:

Received for review from Victory Editing on NetGalley.

Date Read:

11th May 2014 - 16th May 2014

Review:

Branded is the first book in The Sinners Trilogy. It is about a girl called Lexi Hamiliton. She has been accused of having premarital sex, therefore she has broken the law and committed a sin. So she is captured and taken to the hole which is a compound that all the sinners are kept in together. She is branded with a blue collar to represent the sin of lust. She is assigned a cell, a job and a guard. Lexi's job is at the hospital, where she works under the supervision of Doctor Sutton, she is asked to look after a young girl called Alyssa, who is dying from an incurable disease. Lexi has to be escorted to and from the hospital by her guard called Cole and his Great Dane called Zeus. Cole and Lexi's relationship builds steadily over time, especially while they are staying at the hospital looking after Alyssa during her final days. Cole is sent away on another mission for a few days, during this time Alyssa deteriorates, and Lexi is heartbroken when she finally has to say goodbye. Lexi is then brutally attacked by two guards, who beat her until unconscious and are plan on raping her, Cole and Zeus arrive back from their mission just in time to save her. While Lexi is recovering from this ordeal Cole finally admits how he really feels about her, and Doctor Sutton explains that he knows that she is innocent due to the fact that she is still a virgin. Cole is sent away on another mission, this time it is to capture Lexi's brother Keegan. While Cole is gone, another guard Bruno is keeping watch on Lexi an is training her in self denfence. When Cole returns, his and Lexi's relationship has been made public knowledge to the 2nd in command Wilson, who threatens Lexi. Cole, Bruno and Sutton then decide it is safer for Lexi to be taken to her brother. They take her to Keegan, who is leader of the rebellion, he has a small compound of his own where he and the other rebels live underground. Keegan fills Lexi in on the plan to bring down the commander and abolish his law. Lexi spends the next week or so training with the other rebels until the day comes to attack. The attack is successful, the commander is dead, but unfortunately Keegan and some other rebels also didn't make it luckily Lexi, Cole, Bruno and Sutton all manage to escape. 

I thought this book was fantastic. I like the way they describe the hole and violence. It made you feel like you were actually there walking around the hole & watching Lexi being attacked but unable to stop it. I also like the little twists in the storyline first with her brother being in the hole and being the leader of the revolution, then with Sutton being the commanders brother and then finally the commander being her stepfather.

My favourite part of this book is when Cole finally admits his feelings for Lexi. I like this part because Cole is her guard and he knows it is forbidden and could lead to both him and Lexi being killed, but he needs her to know how he feels and how she feels towards him just in case he loses her. My favourite Character in this book is Lexi Hamiliton because she doesn't give up, with everything that is thrown at her she still carries on. 

Overall I think this book is excellent. I will definitely continue with the series when the next book is released and I will absolutely be recommending this book to other people.  

Review: City Of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Hi book lovers and welcome to my review of City Of Lost souls!

(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)

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Title:

City Of Lost Souls

Author:

Cassandra Clare

Publisher:

Simon & Schuster

Date Published:

8th May 2012

Genre:

Young Adult Fantasy

Pages:

535

Chapters:

21
+ Prologue & Epilogue 

Synopsis:

Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her life, but Jace's soul. Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Source:

Purchased myself on Kindle.

Date Read:

4th May 2014 - 11th May 2014

Review:

**** 4 out of 5 stars

              City Of Lost Souls is the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series. It is about sixteen year old Clary Fray. It has been two weeks since Jace and Sebastian disappeared from the rooftop. The Clave have been questioning Clary and have also been searching for the missing boys. Jace and Sebastian turn up at Luke's house in the middle of the night Jace asks Clary to go with them, before she can give an answer Luke and Jocelyn have awoken and discovered Sebastian in the kitchen. A small fight breaks out and Luke ends up getting stabbed by a knife made out of demon metal and is left in a critical condition. Clary devises a plan with Simon that she will go with Jace and Sebastian, but they will use the faerie rings to be able to communicate with each other telepathically. Once Luke is stabilised, Jordan and Maia go to visit the Preator to ask them if they have anything that can save Luke, Clary joins up Jace and Sebastian, and Isabelle and Jocelyn visit The Iron Sisters to ask them if they know of a weapon that can separate Sebastian and Jace. Clary, Jace and Sebastian get hold of some Adamas (a special metal that all shadowhunter weapons are made from) and take it to an ex iron sister for her to make it into a replica of the mortal cup. Maia and Jordan return with a balm that gets rid of the demon metal in Luke's system and he makes a full recovery. Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus work together to find a way to summon an angel. Simon having the Mark of Cain means that he is the only person that is able to summon an angel because they wont be able to kill him, he summons Raziel who gives him a sword that can separate Jace and Sebastian, but in exchange he must give up the Mark. Sebastian plans to summon Lillith and use her blood in the replica mortal cup so he can use it to make a race of Dark Shadowhunters. At Sebastian's ritual Simon, Isabelle and the others turn up with other shadowhunters, a battle commences between them and the dark shadowhunters. Simon gives the sword to Clary who stabs Jace with it, which breaks the bond between him and Sebastian.  While Jace is recovering in the institute's infirmary, Mayrse (Isabelle and Alec's mother) and two Silent Brother's discover a pair of wings and a note in the library from Sebastian, saying "I'm Coming". 

             I thought that this book was a really good continuation of the story. I liked descriptions of the different country's that Jace and Sebastian take Clary, the author does a excellent job depicting the real life landscapes and cityscapes. I also like where the storyline is heading with the creation of dark shadowhunters, who have the same abilities downworlders.

           My favourite part of this book is when Jace manages to slightly break the bond  between him and Sebastian, enough for his thoughts be his own. I like this part because it shows Clary that the real Jace is still inside him somewhere so he is still worth trying to save. My favourite character in this book is Isabelle Lightwood because she scared of her feelings for Simon, which shows us a soft vulnerable side of Isabelle we have never seen before.

          Overall I think this book is better than the one before it in the series, but still not as good as the first three books. I will be continuing on with the series when the next book is released because I really want to know where this story is going. I will be recommending this book to others who has already started reading the series.