Week in Review 3/6-3/12

Books Ive Bought/received

* Deception by Lee Nichols- Signed- Win from Goodreads First Reads

* Surrender the Dark by L.A. Banks- From Publisher for blog tour


Books I read

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
Banished by Sophie Littlefield
Deception by Lee Nichols
Blood Smoke and Mirrors by Robyn Bachar
Embers by Laura Bickle

Reviews posted

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
River Marked by Patricia Briggs
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

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* New Releases for the week.

* Alayna Williams Giveaway winner has been posted.

* Dianne Duvall Giveaway winner has been posted.

* Robyn  Bachar Author of Blood Smoke and Mirrors joined us this week with a guest post. She is having a blog tour wide giveaway check out her post for more details. 

* Want to win a Kindle 3?? UFI Is participating in Moira Roger's Wilders Mate Kindle Contest stop on by the post to see how you can win. 

* Have you been wanting to read Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler? Here is your chance to get it for $2.99 strait from Orbit.

Review: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass
Author:Rachel Hawkins
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion childrens
Hex Hall Book #2
ISBN:  1423121317
ISBN13: 9781423121312
Genre: Young Adult
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?
  
DEMONGLASS picks up right where HEX HALL ended. The plot has many twists and turns. There was not as much action as book 1 provided and I was kinda bummed about that. Rachel's characters are well developed and easy to like. Sophie travels to spend time with her father and learn more about who she is. I really like Sophie's dad he wasn't at all how I expected him to be. I'm not crazy about the whole Archer/Cal love triangle, I am 100% team Cal as I dont feel that Archer and Sophie really had anything special going on and I'm not really sure what she sees in him. The council... All I can say without giving away spoilers is WOW I did not see that coming at all. There is a pretty big cliff hanger at the end that defiantly leaves you wanting to read the next book NOW and I will definitely grab it when it comes out.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

Review: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Personal Demons
Author:Patricia Briggs
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Ace
Mercedes Thompson Book #6
ISBN:   0441019730
ISBN13: 9780441019731
Genre: Urban Fantasy


Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...

I really like this series it is always full of adventure, action and mystery. Mercy is always involved in something that puts her life in danger. This installment of the series is actually the first one that doesn't involve the wolf pack or anyone else in previous books but Adam and Mercy.  We meet new characters that provide many answers to questions that I have been wondering about which includes information about who walkers are, Mercy's heritage and proof that Mercy isn't the only one. I loved watching Adam open up and relax since he didn't have to be the Alpha in front of his pack and it really brought out a whole new Adam. I have always liked Adam but now I like him so much more. I dont want to give away any spoilers but I love this series, will continue to read every book it produces and would highly recommend starting it if you haven't already.


I gave it 4/5 stars

Winner: Dianne Duvall Giveaway

Thank you to everyone that entered!!

PRIZE: The winner will receive One Signed copy of Darkness Dawns.

The winner chosen by Random.org is…

donnas

Congrats!! I have emailed winner who has 48 hours to respond with mailing address or I will pick another.

Early Review: Wither by Laure DeStefano

Wither
Author:Lauren DeStefano
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Chemical Garden Book #1
ISBN:  1442409053
ISBN13: 9781442409057
Genre: Dystopian /Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab


What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

 This is classified as a Young Adult book but i would push it towards the older young adults. The book is beautifully written, it kept me reading with the way the words flowed and the situations grabbed my attention and kept me looking for what would happen next. The whole Polygamist thing definitely made me cringe, the underage (13 year old) having a baby was a bit hard to swallow and I wasn't expecting to like the book because of it but the way it is laid out with woman dying at 20 and men at 25 I understood where the author was taking the book and the issues the virus has caused in people trying to keep the population up and to find a cure. Rhine goes through quite the internal conflict with wanting to get out of her situation but not wanting to leave her sister wives alone, or wanting to hurt her "husband". Another issue I had was something I have heard in other reviews, Rhine is supposed to be the first wife yet she is in the house/marriage for almost a year and she is the only wife who hasn't had to consummate her marriage or bear a child (the reason why she was kidnapped in the first place) For some reason she was spared while the 13 year old was impregnated, yet she was the most favored wife??? It just seemed a little odd with everything that was going on. It was a good read and If you want a shocking and thrilling tale and dont mind some disturbing situations you will enjoy reading Wither too.


I gave it 3/5 stars

Winner: Alayna Williams Giveaway

Thank you to everyone that entered!!

PRIZE: The winner will receive one print copy of Rogue Oracle.

The winner chosen by Random.org is…

Cheryl F. {The Lucky Ladybug}

Congrats!! I have emailed winner who has 48 hours to respond with mailing address or I will pick another.

Guest Post and Giveaway: Robyn Bachar

 UFI is pleased to welcome Robyn Bachar, Author of Blood Smoke and Mirrors.

I'm a Shakespeare nut, and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" had a big influence on the faeries in Blood, Smoke and Mirrors. I even included a mention of troublemaking Shakespearean faeries in the warning for the book. I wanted to have faeries that wreak havoc and cause shenanigans in the human world, but only if they're left unchecked. Thus I created the role of Titania and Oberon in my setting—a political position held by a mortal magician, meant to keep the faeries from causing too much trouble in our world, and to keep magicians from abusing the magic in Faerie. My heroine Catherine Baker is a witch who tries to become Titania for the Midwest, spurred on by her faerie cousins Portia and Tybalt. Portia's character is also a bit of an in-joke for me, because in high school my freshman English teacher made us all memorize Portia's "the quality of mercy is not strain'd" speech from "The Merchant of Venice", so I made her bloodthirsty and vengeful. Portia also has a love of 80s punk fashion and game shows, but who doesn't?

To be honest, though, I didn’t do any research specifically for this book, because I’ve had a lifelong love of mythology and the paranormal. In college I took a course in ancient Irish mythology that was fascinating, and it definitely influenced my writing. In Blood, Smoke and Mirrors I wanted to include a little bit of everything that I love about urban fantasy, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I really enjoy working in this setting, and I have plans for more books in the series.

Enjoy an extra Promo excert from Blood Smoke and Mirrors

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Blood Smoke and Mirrors

Click here to read Chapter 1 

Even a bad witch deserves a second chance.

  Wrongly accused of using her magic to harm, the closest Catherine Baker comes to helping others is serving their coffee. Life as an outcast is nothing new, thanks to her father’s reputation, but the injustice stings. Especially since the man she loved turned her in.

Now the man has the gall to show up and suggest she become the next Titania? She’d rather wipe that charming grin off his face with a pot of hot java to the groin.

Alexander Duquesne has never faltered in his duties as a guardian—until now. The lingering guilt over Cat’s exile and the recent death of his best friend have shaken his dedication. With the murder of the old Titania, the faerie realm teeters on the brink of chaos. His new orders: keep Cat alive at all costs.

Hunted by a powerful stranger intent on drawing her into an evil web, Cat reluctantly accepts Lex’s protection and the resurrected desire that comes along with it. Lex faces the fight of his life to keep her safe…and win her back. If they both survive.

Warning: This book contains one tough and snarky witch, one gorgeous guardian, explicit blood drinking, magician sex, gratuitous violence against vampires and troublemaking Shakespearean faeries.
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Find Robyn and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Email

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Robyn is giving away a $10 Amazon GC to the host with the most comments and a $20 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter so make sure to leave a comment here and check out her other tour stops by clicking the banner above.