Sunday, February 13, 2011

Review: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

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Title: Brightly Woven
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher:  EgmontUSA
Publication Date:  March 23, 2010
Pages: 354
Source: won
Challenge: none

Summary: Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

Rating: 5 stars!
Five-Star

Review:

Sydelle lives in a land where it hasn’t rained in years but one mysterious day when rain starts to fall from the sky Sydelle meets a suspicious and handsome warlock in the mountains of her land. It is then that her village is attacked by solders from another country and everything start to unravel. Sydelle soon finds out that the warlock, Wayland, has requested that she go on a journey with him to the palace where the Queen resides to stop the growing war. Now, Sydelle, with her talented weaving skills and determination, sets out with Wayland, a mysterious and cocky warlock that gives her more questions then answers to his intentions.

Wow, this was really an incredible book! It had so many elements to it that made  it such an enjoyable read that I stayed up way later then I should have to finish it. I must say that I wish there were more single novel fantasy books out there. I love my trilogies but the waiting it a kill. And what made this story so wonderful was that Ms. Bracken was able to create her world world and tell a complete start to finish story in just one book. That takes incredible skills I think.

The characters were very good. I enjoyed Sydelle and how she never put up with Wayland’s odd behavior. Wayland was a very interesting character and he knew how to make me laugh. The romance between them was subtle and worked very well. The ending took a very unexpected turn and I loved it! It was an overall well-written, fantasy filled novel and I can not wait for more of Alexandra’s work!

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Covers Revealed: 11 New Covers!

Hi everyone. This is when I talk about some of the latest covers that have been revealed to the world. I also hope you let you guys discover books you may not have seen before or a cover that you’ve been waiting to see. I hope you enjoy. *Cover art may not be final.*
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bloodlines

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead - August 23, 2011 by Razorbill

Well, I’m quite happy with this cover! I love the gold tattoo on Sydney’s cheek and the font it very pretty. I only wish that there was a better background other then the plain red one, but I’m sure there is still room for improvement until the release! Can’t wait for it to come out!

Other Covers in the Series:

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swear

Swear by Nina Malkin – 2011 by Simon Pulse

Wow, what a stunning cover! I find it much more original than the first cover in the series and I hope they change it to match this one. I love the flower petal all over and the position of the model. Overall, a great addition to all the covers out there!

Other Covers in the Series:
swoon

Uncommon Crimials

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter – June 21, 2011 Hyperion

I really love the style of this series’ covers! The pictures inside the glasses are always a very cool touch. Even though I haven’t read the first book it’s on my list and I’m really looking forward for his to come out.

Other Covers in the Series:
heist society

perfect

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins - September 13th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry

They really hit the nail on the head this this one. I have always loved the covers for Ellen’s books but Perfect has taken the spot as my favorite (was formally Glass)! It has something so awesome about it that I just like to stare at it. Maybe it’s the irony of the title and the imperfect ink that bleeds out. Very symbolic I say. Can’t wait to read!

Other Covers in the Series:
impulse 

everybody sees the ants

Everybody Sees The Ants by A. S. King – 2011 by Little, Brown

Yes, another amazing book by the lovely Ms. King! This is about a boy that is being bully and then mysteriously starts to come in contact with his grandfather who had gone missing in the Vietnam. Said really good. And the cover is quite interesting along with the title. I wonder who it will relate to the story. Should be another great one!

Other Book in the Series:

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damned

Damned by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie - August 30, 2011 by Simon and Schuster

Well, damn. I have to say I have a crush on this cover! I think it’s a big improvement from the way the first in the series was designed! I love the blizzard scene with the boy (though he must be cold). I’m looking forward to reading it!

Other Cover in the Series:
crusade

the jewel and the key

The Jewel and The Key by Louise Spiegler – July 11, 2011 by Clarion Books

This is a book I recently came across and it looked interesting. It’s a historical fiction novel of a her who is sent back in time to 1917 right before World War 1 by a magical jewel. I’ve been telling myself to read more historical fiction and this is definitely going on my list. I love the simplicity of the cover too.

Other Covers in the Series:

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elemental reality

Elemental Reality by Cesya Cuono – August 11, 2011 by Revolution Publishing

Wow. This cover is amazingly stunning! The dulled tones of the field and the model’s dress looks beautiful with the rainbow colors behind her and the bright lights! This is one of those book where I would likely not even read what it was about and still bought it. I’m sure it will look even more nice in person.

Other Cover in the Series:

N/A

frozen

shatteredtorn 

FrozenShattered, and Torn by Robin Wasserman – September 6, 2011 by Simon Pulse

Holy Snickers! It was announced that Robin Wasserman would be continuing onto her Skinned Trilogy! These are the next three book called The Cold Awakening Trilogy that will continue from where her other trilogy left off and as a plus, they are all being released on September 6th!  That is awesome. And speaking of awesome the covers are wicked cool! Put them all together and you get a stunning image of a girl formed out of water! The design team definitely out did themselves!

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Sunday, February 6, 2011

Just wanted to say… Go Steelers!

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Haha, I couldn’t restist! I’m looking forward to the game tonight. It’s going to be a good one, I can tell! So here’s the support for my team! Whooooooo!

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