Clockwork Princess- Infernal Devices #3

Rating :5/5 

Summary (Goodreads)- Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy

Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.

OMG it's the third book! OMG it's absolutely amazing! But it's over now, no I have to read it again. Ahh Tessa, Will, Jem..everyone are just so!! Phew~ Breathe..... 

Okay. Well sorry about that, I'm merely absolutely blown away by this book. So as you might know, I totally died (not literally XD) at the end of Clockwork Princess, because of so~ many things! I just couldn't wait for the third book. But unfortunately, I had to wait for 1 YEAR! That was painful....One of the downsides of reading books as soon as it came out is that I have to wait FOREVER for the next book. Therefore when it came out, I went to get it as soon as possible. And, I got the Collector's Edition!! Wohoo~ Hold on. A warning for you. If you get the collector's edition, DO NOT open the poster at the back. It contains a family tree that will spoil everything in this book. Yes, it won't only spoil who Tessa end up with, but also everyone else. So, don't open it. Finish the book first!! 

Well, for the story itself. It's really hard to write a review without spoiling anything!! 

It was just nicely written, like the other two books. I love the setting, the idea of Victorian London always intrigued me. I loved how the characters also reflected this time period. Either by their dialogue, their clothing, actions etc. 

So. If you're wondering whether Tessa's going to marry Jem as soon as the book started, you're wrong. It's not that easy. They still have to deal with Mortmain, Jem's sickness and other problems. 

Firstly, Cecily who is Will's sister started living at the Institute. I loved her character. She's nice, brave, witty and quite independent. She's also one of the few people who can stand up to Will. Reading about their little fights is rather enjoyable. I was also happy to read how Will seem to be a little bit more happy because Cecily is there. I mean, he finally get to be with his sister after so~ long! I'm totally happy for them. 

Another character that started living with the is Gilbert Lightwood. Do you remember him? He's Gideon's younger brother. I must say he's rather moody, and I wasn't sure if I should trust him at the start....but he's not a bad character. It's interesting how the new characters interacted with each other..

Also, I started  liking Gideon and Sophie even more!! They were so cute in Clockwork Prince, and they're even cuter here! Haha. Sophie is so nice and loyal, I really liked her. She also tried to ignore Gideon because he's of a higher status. (and we see the link to Victorian London here) Although the key word there, is TRIED. Gideon was also rather funny. He obviously like Sophie, and he used such random ways to get her attention. Like for example, asking for scones even though he doesn't like it? Haha I just had to laugh at that (you'll understand if you read it, I'm sure). These two quickly became my favourite characters. 

Okay, now the main characters. Uhh I'll keep this one short, because I don't want to spoil anything. (I'll try not to anyway). It's kinda hard not to talk about them and not spoil anything. Firstly Tessa. As usual, Tessa is an independent and brave person, and I admired her for that. She doesn't let Will and Jem stop her from fighting, and I think that shows what kind of person she is. In this book, she was also torn between Jem andWill. Okay we know she was torn in the other two books as well. But at Clockwork Prince she finally realised that Will love her too, and that I think, made her guilty as well as torn. Jem is also getting worse, as we know will come. The main plot for Jem in this book (I think) is getting through his sickness so he can be with Tessa and Will. Will however...~sigh~ he's such a complicated character. In this book he's more open, obviously because he know he has no curse. He started interacting with other characters more, although that doesn't mean his personality totally changed. He's just..not as closed off as before. The only thing he's still closed off about is his feelings for Tessa. His relationship with Tessa became a bit awkward at the start, and they both didn't want that, but they both weren't sure how to fix it. He's also trying to hide his feelings and is torn whether he should tell Jem or not. I think it's rather interesting, because a lot of events in this book happened in Will's point of view. I wonder...if Cassandra Clare is actually a fan of Will? Hmm... 

Anyway, I liked how these three characters interacted. It's interesting because even though they both love Tessa, Jem and Will love each other as well (for a different reason of course). Usually in a love triangle, the two guys hates each other, but in this book they have a very strong, unbreakable bond. It makes it more interesting, and more complicated as well. 

Whoa, I just realised I'm rambling.... Haha, sorry about that. As I said before I won't write my thoughts on the ending (although I'm dying too). So, you guys should all go and read it!! I really think that it was an amazing book, and the Infernal Devices is one of my favourite series. I'm just a bit sad that it's over....

No matter, I'm going to re-read it now!! XD

The Dragon Carnivale Cover Reveal + Giveaway

[UPDATE: I've deleted the first giveaway to make it simpler as it had ended...So yeah, don't be surprised if you only find one rafflecopter listed~]

Hi everyone!! Today I will be presenting a cover reveal for 'The Dragon Carnivale' by Heidi Garrett. Doesn't it look nice? I personally love dragons, don't you?? Anyway, along with this pretty cover, I'll also be posting a blurb, so I hope you'll decide to read the book after reading it. Heidi herself is also doing a cool post for us, awesome right? Of course, you can't forget GIVEAWAYS!! :]


Why Do I Write Fantasy? Or: You Never Know Who Might Show Up at Your Front Door
By Heidi Garrett

As long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with the truths that my physical senses cannot explain: the mystical things occurring on this planet. Writing fantastical stories is my testament to these other layers of reality.

There are many ways of looking at our world. Imagine sitting at home, perhaps in your living room. There’s a knock on the door. When you open it, a funny little woman is standing there. She is about half your height, and a plaid crimson kerchief—knotted under her hooked chin—covers her head. Her dress is sack-like over her square body. She’s wearing an apron that could use a good ironing and she’s carrying a battered brown suitcase that’s almost as big as she is.

“As long as you’re staring, a glass of water would be nice,” she says.

Despite her gruff manner, you sense something mysterious about this stranger, and to be honest, you’re dying to know more about her. When she crosses the threshold of your home, a strong wind slams the door behind her. You both jump. There hasn’t been a breeze all day. In fact, it’s sweltering and heat waves have been rising from the melting pavement for weeks.

When you offer it, she almost grabs the glass from your hand, and you can’t stop your staring—even though you know it’s rude—as she drinks in noisy gulps.

“What? You’ve never seen a spring faerie before?” she asks.

Before you can answer, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Guess not, there aren’t many of us left. And I haven’t been to the Mortal World, since…” She stops. Her deeply etched face softens. Something like sorrow pools in her dark brown eyes. She waves her hand. “That’s not what I’m here to talk about.”

Your heart tugs. You want to pull her from that sad place. “What’s in your suitcase?”

She points to the table. “I’ll show you.”

The suitcase is filled with eyeglasses. There are so many. Some have square black frames, others have round wire frames; there are a few speckled frames with octagonal lenses. You spy a pair of purple ones.

She shoves a pair of thick black glasses into your hand. “Put these on. Tell me what you
see.”

With the eyeglasses settled on the bridge of your nose, you can’t see anything but yourself. You blink. You can see your hands and feet, your legs and toes. But the spring faerie—if that’s really what she is—is just a blur. You pull them off. She trades them for a pair of wire rims. With these glasses you can see her and your home.

“What’s your name?” you ask.

“Flora.”

“Like flowers blooming.”

She nods and looks away with that whiff of sadness.

Again, there is something about her that pulls at your heart. You think of the miracle of spring after a long hard winter, and that she shouldn’t be sad—if she really is a spring faerie.

“But...you don’t have any wings,” you say.

She smoothes the wrinkles in her apron. “Not all faeries do.”

“But—”

She almost jerks the wire-rim spectacles from your nose. You reach for that purple pair. She doesn’t stop you. Now, you can see down the street; your eyes travel the highway. Your view elevates, as if you are a bird. Soon you see the entire city you live in. With each pair of glasses, you see the bigger world.

When Flora tucks the temple arms of a pair of red frames behind your ears, perspective zooms around you. It’s like the lens pulls you into outer space, and you can see the entire world and all the billions of people who live on Earth.

Your heart flutters in your chest; it’s a lot to take in.

“Now—” Flora hands you a pair of fuchsia glasses with tiny rhinestones embedded in the frames. “Try on these.”

When you put them on, you’re able to see beyond the physical entirety of the world into the things that you’ve always known exist, but since you can’t see, touch, smell, or hear them, sometimes you’ve doubted. But you’ll never doubt again, because now— with these special glasses—you can actually see the bonds of love that death can never sever, the strings of fate that wrap the brown paper package of all our lives with twine, the tide of time that alters us, even as we never change...

But most importantly, you’ve seen that you belong here, on this planet. And you know—without a shadow of a doubt—that everything fits. Including you.

“I don’t ever want to take these glasses off,” you say.

Flora is already cramming the rest of them back into her bag. “Then don’t.”
__________

The Queen of the Realm of Faerie is a fairy tale fantasy series that bridges the Mortal and Enchanted worlds. The main character, Melia, is an eighteen-year-old half-faerie, half-mortal. She lives in Illialei, a country in the Enchanted World, with her two sisters and their mother. Melia’s father has been exiled to the Mortal World, and her best friend is a pixie.

When the story opens in the first book, Melia is troubled by her dark moon visions, gossip she overhears about her parents at the local market, and the trauma of living among full-blooded faeries with wings—she doesn’t have any.

As the series unfolds, the historic and mystical forces that shape Melia’s life are
revealed. Each step of her journey—to find the place where she belongs—alters her
perceptions about herself, deepens her relationships with others, and enlarges her
world view.

In The Dragon Carnivale, book 3 of The Queen of the Realm of Faerie, energies in the Enchanted World are shifting and new alliances are forming; the Battle of Dark and Light has begun. Melia is desperate to make things right with Ryder, the young priest from Idonne, but first she must warn the half-bloods in the Mortal World that Umbra is coming for them, and face the powerful Dragonwitch and her spectacular Dragon Carnivale.


About Nandana’s Mark (The Queen of the Realm of Faerie Book1) …

Dark visions haunt the half-faerie Melia, but try as she might, she cannot chase away the images of destruction that are linked to her father’s ambitions. Looking for a way to stop him and the visions, she visits the Illustrator and is given a strange mark meant to bring her help. Before it arrives, a tragic accident occurs and a family’s dark legacy is revealed.

About The Flower of Isbelline (The Queen of the Realm of Faerie Book 2) …

The half-faerie Melia wants to save her sister from a false marriage, and their world from a dark power. But her sister is determined to pursue their father’s damning legacy, and the cost of denying true love will be apocalyptic.


The first two books in the series: Nandana’s Mark and The Flower of Isbelline are currently available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. Nandana’s Mark is free.

The Dragon Carnivale is scheduled for a June 18, 2013, release.

Sign-up for Heidi Garrett’s new release email List and receive a lavender and gold Half-
Faerie bracelet while supplies last…because you’re half faerie, too, right?

Author Bio

Heidi Garrett is the author of The Queen of the Realm of Faerie series. Herpersonal message to all her readers is:
Once upon a time, you lived in an enchanted world, too…
There is magic in all our lives; sometimes we need to look through different eyes to see it.
The Queen of the Realm of Faerie includes many strong female characters within an intricate fantasy land. It is also a fairy tale fantasy.
The first book, Nandana’s Mark, is one of those free ebooks; the second book, The Flower of Isbelline, is now available; and the third book, The Dragon Carnivale, will be released in June 2013.

The series was inspired by the 15th century French fairy tale, Melusine.
Heidi's hope is that when you read her books, you will rediscover the enchantment in your own life.

She currently resides in eastern Washington with her husband and their two cats. So far, she loves the snow. Being from the South, she finds it magical.

Learn more about Heidi and enjoy her stream-of-consciousness reading journal, Eating Magic, at: www.heidigwrites.blogspot.com. If you want to say hello, give her a shout out on Twitter at @heidigwrites or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/heidigwrites.

Book Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Garrett/e/B008Y61UYM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nandanas-mark-heidi-garrett/1112474235?ean=2940014866026
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/heidi-garrett/id554801992?mt=11
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=%22Heidi+Garrett%22&t=none&f=author&p=1&s=none&g=both
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/HeidiG



 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anna Dressed in Blood- Anna #1

Rating- 5/5

Summary (Goodreads)- Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

I LOVE, LOVE this story! It's such an unusual story, well for me at least. I don't usually read horror stories, so I was expecting a lot from this book, and I'm glad that I enjoyed it. The writing style itself was quite simple, but I found that it worked really well with this book. Because it was simple, it was also easier to connect with the story.It was quite scary at parts though, since it's pretty gruesome. I convinced myself to not read this book at night... :P

Like, when Cas met the hitchhiker ghost at chapter 1 and then the ghost went crazy? Well, that was quite a scary opening...

I loved Cas. He was such an interesting character, and I loved the connection he had with Anna. Anna wasn't like an average ghost. At the start, I thought that she's just a ghost that Cas is going to kill, and I was wondering how the romance is going to work. But then, when we first met Anna, I realised that she's more than a mere bloody killer. There's more to her story, so I was very impressed with it.  Cas was...I guess kind of a closed person. Before this point, he didn't have any friends, he just used others to get information. He's also bent in getting revenge for his father, which added more depth into his character. It showed why he chose this path, and the actions he took. I don't think the characters are very developed yet, but since it's only the first book, then that's alright!  

I also really liked the supporting characters. At first I thought that Carmel was going to be one of those super annoying girls, but luckily she's not! She's grown on me, and I think Carmel and Thomas would make a cute pair~ :]

The twist. Oh, the twist. How wonderfully horrible it was. I really didn't think of it, until I got a bit further into the story. There were more clues dropped in (especially by Anna), and when it happened...I was like- yup, I thought so! But it was quite a nice twist, and yeah...somehow surprising as well. The ending was pretty sad though...~sigh~  But the fact that there's a second book lifted my hopes. I'm going to find it in my library! HEHEHE XD

Anyway, I really recommend this book to everyone. It's wonderful, kinda scary, exciting and original. What more do you want? :]

The Alchemist

Rating- 3.5/5

Summary (Goodreads)- PAULO COELHO'S enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom points Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transformation power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

I liked this book. It was quite a deep story with lots of important themes and messages in it. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating is merely because it's not the type of book I usually read. Also, I had to read it for an english assignment, so it wasn't as enjoyable.... 

Anyway, reasons to why I liked this book. 

An important theme in the book was following your dreams. Santiago's dream of travelling was what sets the story in motion. At the start, he was reluctant to go but he was persuaded by two different people to go. He then sets into a journey where he learnt many important lessons. One of these lessons was when someone stole his money. He learnt to see the world as not what he wanted it to look like, but what actually does. Sometimes we idolizes people, and don't realize that they might not be who we think they are (i hope that makes sense). I admired Santiago because he doesn't give up easily. When he's faced with hardships (such as losing all his money), instead of giving up he sees the positive side of it (that he learnt something out of the experience). I think this is an important idea that Coelho had shown through Santiago's actions.

The idea of dreams was also shown as a contrast with Santiago and the crystal merchant. Santiago gave up his comfortable life, everything he knew, so he can go and pursue his dreams. However, the merchant doesn't. He thinks that if he achieve his dream, he will no longer have a reason to live. Personally, I disagreed with the merchant's opinion. I think that it's not good for someone to give up on something without trying. He's just taking the easy way out, by simply saying that it's an impossible dream. I think that Santiago was a much better role model as he showed me that we need to try our best in everything. We shouldn't give up, and nothing is impossible if we try our best. 

Other than this, Santiago also met other characters such as the english man, who's trying to study alchemy, and Fatima. Santiago and Fatima's relationship is kinda cute actually....
And the english man is also another interesting character. Although, I'm not really sure what happened to him at the end....uhh not that I'm supposed to discuss the ending anyway~ :P

Well overall, this is a pretty good book if you really want a deep story that will leave you thinking about life. However, if you're looking for a great fantasy or adventure story filled with twist and romance, then maybe you'll want to try another book. Either way, I think there are some great ideas in this book. 

Asunder- New Soul #2

Rating: 4.5/5
Summary (Goodreads):
DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In this second book in the Incarnate trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy. 

I was so excited to finally read this book!  The cover is really nice, and I hoped that the story would be even better. I'm glad that Jodi Meadows didn't disappoint~ :]

One thing that I noticed the most is how much Ana has grown since the 1st book. In Incarnate, I think she depended a lot on Sam. She wasn't weak, but I just think that she's much stronger in this book. For example she focused strongly on how to save the newsouls and uncover the truth. She did many courageous things in this book like during the explosions, while making the speech, while talking to Meuric etc. I just admired her determination here. I also loved how the author is developing Ana's relationship with Sam. Although the love is clearly there, I'm glad that they didn't rush anything. I'm glad that the author wrote about how awkward their relationship can be. No matter what, there's a 5000 years gap between them. Sometimes, with books where one of the character is immortal, they don't bring up this issue very well. There certainly would be doubt, like obviously Sam had lovers in the past too. I was really impressed with how this issue was dealt with, so their relationship doesn't seem unrealistic. 

Sam was also developed nicely in this book. He's still that kind, musical guy from the first book. But, in this book we learn more about his past. I must admit...I wasn't very surprised about Stef, and I had a feeling about Cris as well~ 

The plot was very nice as well. Ana learnt more about Janan, and why everyone kept getting reincarnated. More newsouls also finally arrived, and their mothers named them after Ana! (Anid and  Arianna) Isn't that nice? There were also tension between Ana and most of the public, as they obviously don't trust them. 

Now, please don't continue if you haven't read the book~ (spoilers)

I was so surprised that Janan was only a man!! I mean~ WHAT!? And he ate newsouls in order for everyone to keep being reincarnated? That's just sick! I mean, can you imagine how many souls must have been eaten, since it has been 5000 years? It's so sad to think that the people worshiped someone so twisted like that. And the fact that they chose this life? Even though it has been many years ago and they were young, that was still very surprising. I just can't imagine how Sam's gonna react when Ana tells him about this fact. I also wonder why Janan kept everyone alive for so long. There must be something that he wants by using these people. Something that needed to be done 5000 years later, during the Year of Souls. Man, I really need that third book now!! T_T

And Cris!!! I can't believe he did that!? I really liked him, since he was nice and interesting (with his flowers :] ). I liked him way~ better than Stef. Nah, I don't like Stef at all :P 

I was so sad when he sacrificed himself! And he turned into a sylph!! That was really intriguing actually. I wonder how that works...I hope it'll be revealed in the third book. Awww~ I really wished he didn't do that! :(

Anyway, I really, really enjoyed reading this book. Now I'm gonna be dying, waiting desperately for the next book.... ~sigh~