July 31, 2011

Misfit by Jon Skovron

Publisher's Summary: Jael has always felt like a freak. She's never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad's always been superstrict-but that's probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family's dangerous history and Jael's untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

Author Jon Skovron takes on the dark side of human nature with his signature funny, heartfelt prose.

Jon Skovron is the author of Struts & Frets, about which the Washington Post Book World said, "Skovron perfectly captures that passion-sometimes fierce, sometimes shy-that drives so many young artists to take the raw stuff of life and ‘transform it into something beautiful.'" He lives in Washington, DC.

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My Take: I devoured Misfit in one day! I just couldn’t stop reading until I was finished, so I spent my whole Saturday in my PJ’s having my kids wonder why I was neglecting them.

In Misfit, Jon Skovron sticks with true demon myths, using real demon names and demon rankings, and creates a story that is more graphically violent and “demon-like” than any other Urban Fantasy book I have read in a long time! And, when the evil demons are involved in the story-line (and just about every other demon you meet is an evil demon), the scene is always grotesque and morbid, and always leads to a horrifyingly bloody fight or to a demon possession . . . and then to an exorcism!

Misfit begins with the story of the main character and heroine, Jael Thompson’s, sixteenth birthday. Jael has known since her 8th birthday that she is half-demon and that her mother died when she was a baby, but that is the only thing her dad has ever told her about her demon life. And she knows they are always running from another demon who is trying to find her, but she doesn’t know why. Jael has always had questions for her father that he always seemed to avoid but the only real question on her sixteenth birthday is wondering if she will be moving on her birthday…AGAIN!

And Jael’s dad appears to be too cheap and stingy to even acknowledge her birthday…he only leaves a note asking her to see him after she returns from school. But at least her friend gives her a token birthday gift (hair conditioner!) for her always unruly hair (yes, the unruly hair is symbolic of Jael’s true nature…LOL!) I loved following the story of Jael’s life because I loved learning about what led to her existence and what she is capable of. And I could feel Jael’s pain because her dad is the only person she’s ever really had in her life and he’s always been distant and has imposed a strict lifestyle on Jael, sending her to Catholic/Christian schools her whole life, telling her that’s what she really needs.

But when Jael does see her dad after school, he gives her a necklace for her 16th birthday (something he promised Jael’s mom he would do) and then her whole life changes! She starts to have dreams and visions of her parents’ past and she even starts to learn about her demon life. There were times when Jael was having visions of her parents’ past that I actually started tearing up . . . and other times when I had tears rolling down my face and almost started full on bawling!
And when Jael first experiences her life as a demon, I thought, “Seriously? She’s “that” kind of demon?! How the heck will she be able to handle that?” But the story only gets better! Her uncle, Dagon, helps her learn how to use her powers and gives her advice on how she can control her demon. The things Jael experiences during this learning process are both horrifying and amazing all at the same time! And we discover that Jael is not the only one who’s in danger from the demon that’s been searching for her since the day she was born…everyone she cares about is in danger.

I also loved Rob, the regular skater dude who calls Jael “Betty.” Rob sometimes even cuts it short to Bett (LoL…random!). He is curious about how physics and magic can come together as one, and this gives Jael hope that maybe one day she can confide in someone about what she is.

This book never stops moving! I was always intrigued and glued to the book, reading about Jael’s story. I came to love each and every character as the story progressed; even Jael’s dad who I really had a hard time liking in the beginning, but who I now have a soft spot for in my heart.

This is for sure a book I would recommend to someone who is looking for an Urban Fantasy book that isn’t mild like most Urban Fantasy book these days.


Misfit Holiday Teaser Trailer from Jon Skovron on Vimeo.
Received review eGalley from:

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July 29, 2011

Sleepers by Megg Jensen

Author Summary: An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her.

Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?

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My Take:  Once again Megg Jensen proves that she truly is a rockin’, amazing, fabulous and compelling writer! Her writing is so compelling that I even continued reading through the acknowledgements at the end of the book where she talks about what compelled her to write Sleepers (btw…I NEVER do that..LoL).

One of the things I love most about Megg Jensen’s books is that she can write a short book (around 200 pages) and yet get so much out of so few pages! How the heck does she do that? You’d think a short book like Sleepers could only be a small part of a much larger book, but, no, I get just as much from one of Megg Jensen’s books as I get out of another series with 400 to 500 more pages! I also love how Megg is able to always leave me guessing where her book is headed, wondering who I should trust and trying to figure out if I can guess all the plot twists. But, like always, I just couldn’t predict the biggest twists in Sleepers!

The magical fantasy world that Megg created for Sleepers is very similar to The Cloud Prophet Trilogy (Anathema & Oubliette). I love, love, love the main character Lianne…she is one tough cookie! While reading about Lianne I kept picturing that cute chick on the cover of the book and she works perfectly! There is also a character who is introduced close to the end of the book (a major surprise), who is torn out of the story almost immediately and I am REALLY hoping we will be able to see this character in future books.

I am not going to give up any more about this book because I don’t want to give you ANY ideas of who you should/shouldn’t trust and I don’t want to give up any spoilers; it is best to start reading this book as blind as possible. But I will tell you this; I was once again completely disgusted with the villains in this book! And I wish I were there so I could take care of them myself!!!

Received review request by the author:

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July 26, 2011

Megan Duncan's Blog Tour

Megan Duncan will be having a blog tour from September 1st through the 30th! She will be stopping by Magical Urban Fantasy Reads on September 12th! Yay!


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July 24, 2011

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Publisher’s Summary: Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She's struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve's violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California's redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn't go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she's one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she's got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there's guaranteed to be a storm.

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My Take: This book friggin ROCKED! I was amazed throughout the whole book by the craziness and creativity that Karsten conceived in Wildefire. Karsten’s imagination is truly unique in a way I have trouble explaining, and it’s completely different than what I’m used to. I loved the entire book, but it was the very last page that set this book over the edge of how I feel about it. I’m still sitting here in shock and thinking, “WHAT THE… ***???” I was trying to describe to a co-worker my thoughts about the ending, and I was stuttering trying to put my thoughts into words! And I mean that literally…I truly WAS stuttering. I CANNOT put into words what the heck I think about the ending.

While I was reading Wildefire, learning and experiencing in my mind the craziness that goes on because of these gods, I was thinking, “Wow, these gods and goddesses are not something that we would want walking around on our planet with that kind of power!” The evil characters in this book are truly psychotic (uh hum...Eve!) But even the gods and goddesses that are “good” can still cause serious damage, even when they don’t want to. That is, until they can learn how to control their power.

The main character, Ash, is HARDCORE! In the very beginning of the book, Ash is beating the living crap out of this girl Lizzie because Ash's boyfriend cheated on her with Lizzie. When I say that she was beating the living crap out of Lizzie, I REALLY mean it! She actually knocked teeth out of this chick’s mouth, and the whole time Lizzie was still talking smack! This little scene I just described is just a very small piece in so much craziness that happens in this book…and that’s only one example. Ash is one hardcore Goddess! If I am going to start picking teams for every book, I would have to say, "TEAM ASH" for this one.

This is the first time in a really long time that I really liked a book that a male author wrote. I don’t want to be all sexist, but a very high percentage of the books that I really love are written by female authors. So I am extremely happy that Fikshun recommended Wildefire to me! This is for sure a book that I would recommend to someone else.

Now you have to check out this hilarious video of Karsten talking about Wildefire. I'm still giggling over here thinking about it!




Received review eGalley from:

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July 17, 2011

Legacy by Cayla Kluver


I really wanted finish this book because I wanted to see where it was leading, but I just couldn't go any further than I already did.  This book is not my type of book and I have way too many other books that are waiting for me to read.

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July 13, 2011

Descended by Blood Book Blog Tour!!!

Click on the pic below for details of the tour!
 

Angeline Kace has announced her blog tour! She will be stopping by
August 29th!

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Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz


Publisher’s Summary: What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

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My Take: What a fabulous book! As soon as I started reading this book, I was Spellbound LOL. From the moment I started reading, I was determined to finish and could not put it down. Yes, my husband gave me a hard time because I didn’t go to bed until 3:30, maybe even 4 in the morning.

When I first started reading and started to get an idea of where the story was headed, I was a little worried that it would be too similar to a couple other books I have read. But I was wrong! It was completely different! Cara Lynn Shultz kept me entertained from start to finish, perfectly! And I truly love the whole premise of the book.

Cara Lynn Shultz also did an amazing job developing each character; I either loved or hated each character, not much in between.

The main character’s (Emma’s) personality fits perfectly with the things she lived through in her past. Her emotions and her personality seemed so lifelike that I thought she was a real, living, breathing person I could know. I cannot think of any other author who has been able to pull that off as well! My favorite parts are when her tough side bursts through in the heat of the moment, but at the same time she would be struggling internally to keep her composure. Throughout the book, Emma’s past is brought up slowly throughout, and there were several things that happen to her that were so horrible that I could truly feel her pain, and where my heart actually reached out to her!

These are the rest of my favorite characters . . . in the order of how much I loved each one: Ashley is Emma’s little cousin who really looks up to Emma. Ashley has the cutest little teenage personality, and as I sit here and think about her, it makes me smile. Then there’s Brendan! Wow is he HOT! How many times are these authors going to make me fall in love with fictional characters? Last is Angelique. Angelique totally rocks! OH! Wait! I can’t forget Aunt Christine! I loved her too! But then there’s Kristen and Anthony…grrrrr!!! Do I need to say more?

The way this book ended was perfect. No cliffhanger here, but I feel the ending is left open enough to create another book and I really hope she does!

*This book was provided to me from the publisher through netGalley.

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July 10, 2011

Check out this BEAUTIFUL Cover!

So THE fabulous Author Tiffany...author of Meant to Be, revealed the cover to the sequel of her amazing book!  And I have been given the OK to share!  Thanks Tiffany!  If you haven't read my 4 Star review of Meant to Be, you can find it HERE.

So this is the cover of Forgotten Souls! Isn't it eye catching?


But wait, there is more!  She is also participating in an anthology with several best selling authors!  The authors included in the anthology will be Tiffany King (Author Tiffany), Brandon Alston, Fisher Amelie, J.L. Bryan, Courtney Cole, Wren Emerson, Amy Jones and Nicole William.

So here is the cover she revealed of The Glassheart Chronicles! Fabulous, huh?



So, keep you eyes open for what I am sure will be amazing books that you just CANNOT pass up!

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July 8, 2011

K.A. Tucker's Spin-Off, Short Story of The Causal Enchantment Series

Hey ya'll! First off, I have to say if you haven't yet read K.A. Tucker's Anathema (1st Book to The Causal Enchantment Series)...you are TOTALLY missing out!  See my review HERE!  Second, K.A. Tucker is one of the most awesome, sweet and by far one of my FAVE authors! She totally rocks! And to prove it to all of you, I asked K.A. Tucker if she would do something totally outrageous for my Blog Tour Stop! I asked her to use ME as a character in the fantasy world she created, back when humans were about to become extinct because of the vampire/human war, and write a short story about how I die in the war! AND...SHE TOTALLY DID IT! Even better, I could not possibly have imagined a better way to die! When you read my review of K.A. Tucker's Anathema, you may understand why this would be my death of choice...LOL! So I think you will all enjoy!

Here you go!  Enjoy!
“Stupid thing,” Mindy muttered into the darkness, rattling her flashlight furiously.

“Hush,” I responded, my eyes darting to the crack of light coming from beneath the dented metal shed door, watching for passing shadows. Mindy froze with my warning. The next few minutes dragged on as we sat in complete silence. Staring. Waiting.

No shadows passed by. No one had discovered us. Yet.

“I think we’re okay.” With a click, Mindy’s flashlight switched on, it’s dim light illuminating the six by eight garden shed.

“We could have picked a better place to hide,” I murmured, my eyes rolling over the shelves of soil-encrusted garden tools and tin containers plastered with skull markings. Looking up to the ceiling, I found a giant canopy of cob webs hanging over us, connecting all four corners. I cringed, wondering what kind of hideous third-world jungle insects could be lurking within the darkness. And then I remembered what was hunting us. I almost laughed out loud. Almost.

“Do you really think they’re out there?” Mindy asked, pushing a strand of her cornsilk-blonde hair back behind her ear, adding in a shaky, low voice, “the vampires?”

Only one month earlier, Mindy had been a complete stranger to me. We arrived on the same plane to New Shore to begin the same Habitat For Humanities project in a local village. We were both looking for the meaning of life then. Now, we were facing death together.

“I don’t know what to believe.” I shook my head, shock still numbing me to my core. “This can’t be happening.” From the corner of my eye, I saw a sharp-looking tool resting along a shelf. I scrambled to my knees and grabbed it, gripping it tightly in two hands. A weapon, perhaps. Or completely useless. We had no idea what to expect.

If only we had listened.

The rumours began two weeks after we arrived in New Shore, the locals whispering about vampire-led civil wars breaking out all over the world with high death tolls and no end in sight. Poor people, I remember thinking. So disconnected from the rest of the world. So delusional.

But a day later, the Habitat team discovered that no one could reach their loved ones by phone. Every line we tried to our home country was dead. We sought out Serge - the local politician hosting our team while we worked in his village – to check his satellite for any news. When we flicked on the television, grey static stared back. The internet connections were gone as well. It was as if we were cut off from the rest of the world overnight. Or the world was cut off from us.

Serge confirmed the rumours three days later. “It’s true,” he began, his normally dark skin looking chalky. I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed several times before continuing. “We received a radio message only an hour ago. The world is under siege by… vampires.” His voice sounded hollow with that last word, in as much disbelief as the rest of us. “They’re multiplying at an alarming rate, beyond anything controllable. Governments started using nukes against them but… the results have been catastrophic. It got out of hand.” His gaze dropped to a spot in front of his feet. “Your families are likely gone already.” Gasps filled the room. Several people collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Serge continued, struggling, “We should be okay here though. We’re off the grid. I don’t expect that any vampires should have their sights set on a third world country.” That was a week and a half ago.

Twenty minutes ago, Serge was proven wrong.

The Habitat team was helping him weed his front gardens – busying ourselves in a pathetic attempt to forget what was happening – when two villagers ran by the gates of Serge’s two-storey white stucco villa, screaming, “they’re here! Run!” As if to confirm their warning, a chorus of blood-curdling shrieks sounded in the distance.

“Lock the gates!” Serge instructed the security guard in a rush, his voice shaky. But the security guard took off down the road after the two villagers instead.

“Into the house!” Serge ordered. Everyone stood up to scramble inside, myself included. Mindy’s tight grasp of my forearm stopped me. “That’s the first place they’ll look, don’t you think?” she whispered, her eyes wild with panic.

She was right. I nodded. “What should we do?”

“Come on. This way.” She took off running around the side of the house, heading through the massive backyard garden with me on her heels. “The jungle!” she hissed over her shoulder, veering off to the right towards the tropical thicket. It was only a hundred yards away. If we could make it… Shrieks from the house stopped us both dead in our tracks. They were too close. We didn’t have enough time. They would see us in the open ground if they happened to look. “Here!” Mindy whispered, grabbing my arm and tugging me into the nearest cover. The shed.

And so here we were. Like sitting ducks. Would they find us? I turned to regard Mindy’s youthful face. At thirty years old, she didn’t look a day over fifteen. I realized sadly that she may not live long enough to ever look thirty. “Do you think they can smell us?”

Mindy shrugged. “If they’re like all the stories… I don’t know. What if they do really drink blood?”

I shuddered, hugging my knees to my chest. “They must be hideous-” My words caught in my throat as the door flew open, two bodies blocking the entrance.

“Is there room in here for us?” a woman whispered anxiously before either of us had a chance to scream. She stepped in, her emerald green eyes wide as she scanned the cramped interior, her springy blonde curls bobbing with her movements. “Please?”

A small exhale escaped me. People.

“We’ll make room,” Mindy offered in her typical generous fashion, scooting closer to me.

“My name’s Amelie,” the young woman said, crouching down beside me. I gapped openly at her angelically beautiful face. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old. She gestured behind her. “That’s my brother, Caden.” At the mention of his name, the other body stooped to get through the shed entrance, closing the door softly behind him. I heard myself suck in air as his intense jade eyes glided over me before landing on Mindy.

He crouched down to sit beside her, his shoulder pressing up against hers. “Hi,” he offered in a kind, pleasant voice. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.” Those jade eyes roamed Mindy’s face with interest.

Hi,” she murmured back, smiling dumbly, ogling his beautifully defined features. So many times she had complained that there were no good men left in the world. Maybe she had just found the last one. Maybe this would make a stellar ‘how we met’ story, years down the road.

If we survived.

“Where are you two coming from? You don’t exactly look like two people who should be wandering around New Shore-area villages,” I whispered, gesturing to Amelie’s designer leather jacket.

“Oh. We arrived on a plane this morning from Panamerica.”

Panamerica. Home.

“Really?” Mindy exclaimed too loudly, her catatonic state over Caden broken for the moment. “What’s happening over there? Are the rumours true? Is everyone… dead?”

“Pretty much,” Caden answered in a somber tone. “A few may have survived underground but they won’t last long.”

“Is it… vampires? Is it true?” I stumbled over my words, feeling foolish for asking the question.

Amelie’s head bobbed up and down, offering me a sympathetic smile. “I’m afraid so.”

“What do they look like?”

“Like intoxicatingly beautiful humans.” She threw a wink at her brother.

“Are they here? Have they come to New Shore?” Mindy asked in a rushed voice, her focus once again glued on Caden.

Caden nodded.

The light in the shed flickered then as Mindy’s flashlight gave out, throwing us into complete darkness again. She rattled it once, half-heartedly. It was no use. “Do you think they’ll find us in here?” I heard her ask.

Amelie and Caden chuckled in unison, their laughter like music from the harps of angels. I sensed warmth against the skin of my neck. Like breath. “They already have,” Amelie’s sultry voice murmured next to my ear.

Mindy’s shriek pierced my ear drum, a split second before mine joined in.


***


Don’t worry, everyone. Mindy’s not really dead. She was a very willing participant! Especially since it involved Caden!

Thank you, Mindy, for allowing me the opportunity to hang out on your blog for my Anathema tour and for your brilliant post idea! I had tons of fun planning our death-by-hot-vampire-in-the-shed scenario. Thank you also for all of your support behind the release of Anathema, for your help with organizing the blog tour, and for your kindness, in general. You will always be remembered <3


It's me...Mindy again! Wasn't that TOTALLY...awesome, fantastic AND amazing?!!! I can't even begin to tell you what this story means to me and how much K.A. Tucker totally rocks for doing this! Thank you Kathleen!!!

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K.A Tucker's Blog Tour Giveaways!

My giveaway...Open Internation *Ended*
Winner is Lisa!

So do you want a chance to win an ebook of Anathema by K.A. Tucker? Well there will be 1 lucky winners that can win! You can enter by: (Make sure you leave your email address)

* One entry if you ask K.A. Tucker a question for K.A. Tucker on my review of Anathema (See Below). - Return later for K.A. Tucker's answers to your questions!
* One entry if you post a question or comment on K.A. Tucker's guest post about "How Mindy dies" LoL.
* One entry if you tweet about K.A Tucker stopping by and the eBook giveaway with a link (include @bookluvrmindy in the tweet)!!
* Do you want more entries??? For every person that enters and says that they were referred by YOU (list your name) gives you another entry!  (Unlimited)

This giveaway starts as soon as this is posted and will end July 9th 9:00am PST...AND it is open International.


2nd Giveaway!

Kathleen is giving away a signed, print copy of Anathema to one lucky winner at the end of the blog tour. Anyone can enter by visiting her site at www.katuckerbooks.com (read giveaway rules posted). Do you want up to 10 extra chances to win? Visit each blog stop for an Anathema Quiz question. Answer it correctly and your name is entered! Simple!

Here's your quiz question for today, Blog Stop #3: Who is Maximus?
To submit your answer, click here KA Tucker Giveaway Form!
And if you haven't read Anathema yet... what are you waiting for?!

For a limited of time, K.A. Tucker is selling her eBook for only $0.99!
Buy on Smashwords Here: Anathema by K.A. Tucker
Buy on Amazon Here: Anathema by K.A. Tucker (Kindle Edition)

Buy on Amazon in Paperback: Anathema by K.A. Tucker
Buy on BN.com in Paperback: Anathema by K.A. Tucker


Click on this pic below to enter K.A. Tucker's giveaway and find the blogs with the questions.
Magical Urban Fantasy Reviews


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Dear followers, fans and peeps! Some of the books I review on Magical Urban Fantasy Reads are provided to me for free by either the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. Please know that I am in NO WAY compensated for my reviews. All opinions are mine and I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for a free book! But some of the purchase links on my blog are monetized through places like Amazon, Book Depository or Barnes & Noble.