Dystopian Giveaway Hop

, by Kt Clapsadl

dys·to·pi·a

noun
a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

Welcome to the Dystopian Giveaway Hop
November 1st to 7th

I'm giving away one dystopian book from The Book Depository (up to $13). This is open internationally. Need suggestions? Check out the widget below:




a Rafflecopter giveaway


Bargain Books & Kindle Deals (21)

, by Kt Clapsadl


I've decided to make my Bargain Book and Kindle Deal finds a weekly feature here at A Book Obsession.. If you guys are anything like me, your book addiction can easily get out of hand, so any sales/deals are a huge help. If you like any of the deals below, I would appreciate if you use the affiliate links below. All earning support the giveaways here on the blog. :)

(Prices accurate as of 10/31)

Bargain New Paperbacks/Hardcovers:
















Kindle Deals:
$0.99 
  $1.99

none

$2.24-$2.99
   
 $3.99
   
 $4.00-$5.99
 

Waiting on Wednesday (119)

, by Kt Clapsadl

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Rogue Rider - Lords of Deliverance #4
by Larissa Ione
Publication Date: November 20th, 2012
Pre-Order:

 

The prophecies were there but no one listened. Until now. They are the Lords of Deliverance and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride.

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues - and falls for - a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man that Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man that can be very dangerous . . .

Reseph may not know his background, or why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian's neighbours are killed and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world with death and destruction, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?


Review: Dark Light of Day by Jill Archer

, by Kt Clapsadl

Dark Light of Day by Jill Archer 
Noon Onyx #1

Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, and the world from slipping back into chaos.

Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, the daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret: She was born with waning magic, the dark, destructive, fiery power that is used to control demons and maintain the delicate peace among them. But a woman with waning magic is unheard of, and some would consider her an abomination.

Noon is summoned to attend St. Lucifer’s, a school of demon law. She must decide whether to declare her powers there…or to attempt to continue hiding them, knowing the price for doing so may be death. And once she meets the forbiddingly powerful Ari Carmine—who suspects Noon is harboring magic as deadly as his own—Noon realizes there may be more at stake than just her life.

Armageddon had come and gone with the demons being the victors. The survivors worship the demons through rituals and sacrifices in order to survive. The demons in turn are held under a very strict set of rules that keeps things from degenerating into death and chaos again. These rules are upheld by those with waning magic, which until recently was only seen in males. But Noon Onyx is the exception to that rule. For years she has tried to hide her secret, but now that she is being forced to attend St. Lucifer's demon law school, she may not be able to hide for much longer. The deadline to declare her magic is looming around the corner and if she doesn't declare she will face deadly consequences.

Dark Light of Day was a rather frustrating read for me due to the incredible amount of obscure names for everything. There were just so many different odd names and titles for things that it became rather overwhelming and hard to follow. I realize that it isn't our world, so things would be different, but I just think things went a little too far in that aspect. I mean, every single thing had a odd name from the people, to the town, and all the different subjects in their school, and honestly my eyes started to cross rather early on. At first I tried to keep everyone and everything straight, but it soon became apparent that wasn't going to work so well and I wound up feeling rather detached from the story in general.

I have to be honest that I'm not the biggest fan of Noon. I realize that she's rather insecure due to the oddity of being the only female with her type of magic and that couldn't have been easy to grow up that way. However, she came off as rather petulant and immature which quickly grated on my nerves. Even though she was supposed to be in her early twenties, she came off as much younger and immature. In fact, I'm not really sure what the love interest saw in her, and as a result I had a hard time finding it to be realistic. From the start she had fears that he was only interested in her because she was an oddity, which was another source of her constant fussing. Even though it seemed like her worries were unfounded, in all honesty I would have found that to be more believable than the overwhelmingly quick love and mushy stuff on his behalf. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fast moving love, but I have to actually care about both of the characters to believe in it.

In the end, I'm rather disappointed with Dark Light of Day, which is a shame since it had such an interesting premise and so much potential. That being said, I'm intrigued enough to give this series one more chance since by the end of this book, Noon did seem to start to make a turn around in her behavior and acceptance of who she is, so perhaps the next installment will be better.

(Recevied a copy from the publisher)

Rating:






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Book Birthdays: New Titles This Week (8)

, by Kt Clapsadl


I keep a Google calendar of all the books releasing each week that are on my radar. With all of the many books I am excited about it is so easy to lose track of when things come out. Since I'm already doing this research for myself, I thought you guys might like it if I shared.


Releasing 10/29-11/4

Black Lament by Christina Henry
Black Wings #4

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black deals with loss every day. But when tragedy touches her own life, Maddy will have to find the strength within to carry on…


Devastated and grieving, Maddy unexpectedly finds hope with the discovery that she is pregnant. But Maddy’s joy is short lived when Lucifer informs her that he wants the baby, hoping to draw on the combined power of two of his bloodlines. Maddy is determined that her grandfather will never have her child, but she’s not sure what she can do to stop him.

Being pregnant is stressful enough, but Maddy suddenly finds herself at odds with the Agency—forbidden from meddling in the affairs of the supernatural courts. When a few of her soul collections go awry, Maddy begins to suspect that the Agency wants to terminate her employment. They should know by now that she isn’t the sort to give up without a fight…

Blood Crime by Kim Harrison
An Original Hallows Graphic Novel

You can’t tell the story of how it all began for supernatural cops Ivy Tamwood and Rachel Morgan without telling how it all nearly ended. The fiery living vampire and erstwhile earth witch never asked to be paired up in the first place. And having to work Inderland Security’s crummiest beat—busting two-bit paranormal street punks—sure didn’t sweeten the deal. But when it counts, Ivy and Rachel always have each other’s backs. They’d better—because someone just hung targets on both of them.

It doesn’t take a hotshot homicide detective to know that nearly getting flattened by a falling gargoyle or impaled by a lead pipe aren’t on-the-job accidents. But it doesn’t seem possible that the class of crooks Ivy and Rachel routinely collar could kill anything but brain cells. So who put Cincinnati’s tough and tender twosome on their “to do in” list? Is Ivy’s vampire master, the powerful and seductive Piscary, jealous of her growing bloodlust (and just plain lust) for Rachel? Or have forces unknown—living or undead—made the partners prey in a deadly witch (and vampire) hunt?

Before this case is cracked, Ivy and Rachel will face down vicious dogs, speeding locomotives, rogue bloodsuckers, and their own dark desires; spells will be cast and blood will be spilled; and Kim Harrison’s hair-raising, heart-racing, dark urban world of magic and monsters will leap howling from the pages of her second electrifying, full-color graphic novel.


Iced by Karen Marie Moning
Fever World #1

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Out for Blood by Kristen Painter
House of Comarre #4





After nearly dying at the hands of the Aurelian, Chrysabelle finds new determination to move beyond life as a comarré. That is until the Kubai Mata bring a new task to her doorstep: rescue the child Tatiana has kidnapped, or Mal becomes enemy number one.





Shadow Rising by Yasmine Galenorn
Otherworld #12

We’re the D’Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch with three sexy husbands. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and Death Maiden. And me? I’m Menolly, a jian-tu turned vampire in love with a wildly hot werepuma. Unfortunately, life is about to get very, very nasty…

Nerissa and I can’t decide on what we want to do for our promise ceremony and we’re bickering like an old married couple. My sisters and I head to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria. Once there, we discover that Shadow Wing has dispatched Telazhar—a malevolent necromancer—to reignite the Scorching Wars. And as soon as we return back home, we find Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, waging a battle to control the magical beings over Earthside. Caught between two terrible enemies in a battle spanning two worlds, we can only hope we’re in time to stop all-out annihilation.

Amazon           The Book Depository

The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams
McKenzie Lewis #2

McKenzie Lewis has a gift. It allows her access to a world few have seen, and even fewer can comprehend. It’s her secret. And it exists in the shadows…

McKenzie was a normal college student, save for one little twist: she’s a shadow reader, someone who can both see the fae and track their movements between our world and the Realm. It’s a gift for which she has been called insane, one for which she has risked family and friends—and one that has now plunged her into a brutal civil war between the fae.

With the reign of the king and his vicious general at an end, McKenzie hoped to live a more normal life while exploring her new relationship with Aren, the rebel fae who has captured her heart. But when her best friend, Paige, disappears McKenzie knows her wish is, for now, just a dream. McKenzie is the only one who can rescue her friend, but if she’s not careful, her decisions could cost the lives of everyone she’s tried so hard to save.

It's Monday What Are You Reading (119)

, by Kt Clapsadl


It's Monday! What Are You Reading, is hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.






Reviews for the past week:
 



The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams (Early Review)
Darkness Hunts by Keri Arthur (Early Review)
Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine (Early Review)


Kirsten's Book of the Week:


Kirsten Reviewed: The Book of the Forsaken by Yannis Karatsioris

Other Posts: 

Emerald Talisman Book Blast & $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Book Birthdays featured 6 new releases on my radar

Reached by Ally Condie was featured for Waiting on Wednesday

This week's Bargain Books & Kindle Deals

The Waiting Booth Book Blast & $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Let's Talk US Winner

Upcoming List:
 
Dark Light of Day by Jill Archer
Days of Blood and Starlight by Nalini Singh (Early Review)
Magic For a Price by Devon Monk (Early Review)

Kirsten Reviews: TBD



Early Review: Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

, by Kt Clapsadl

Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine
Morganville Vampires #13

For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within…

Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires.

To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.


Now that the largest threat to vampires has been defeated, the vamps in Morganville no longer have anything to fear and it's showing. They no longer feel the need to be constrained by societies rule and have opened a new hunting season. No one, not even the "protected" ones are safe, causing the humans in the town to take up arms. Claire Danvers finds herself stuck in the middle as both sides seem prepared to tear the town apart one piece at a time.

As much as I love this series, I can't help feeling a little frustrated with the repeating pattern that things seems to be stuck in. Claire and company will do something amazing/brave/stupid to save the town/vampires/humans and then the vamps show some sort of gratitude and say they will change things for the better. But, by the time the next book rolls around, the vamps have all but forgotten the promises they made, and the gratitude towards Claire, etc is all gone. It wasn't much more than a mild annoyance at this point because each book more than held its own by distracting me with the new big and bad threat. However, after coming down from the insanity of the Draugs and just how much Claire and her friends did for the vamps, you would have though there would have been at least a small grace period. I realize that the series wouldn't be so enthralling if the vamps don't seem like strong threats anymore, but there has to be some other way than making them so incredibly ungrateful. I guess I'm just frustrated because I cannot count the number of times Claire has saved their royally screwed butts, and I want the poor girl to get some sort of credit.

Aside from the vamps acting like idiots, the theme of this book seemed to center more around the personal relationships. Don't get me wrong, there was still plenty of action, it's just that this time around there was more going than just trying to survive the latest threat. There's all these different interwoven character relationships and dynamics that play such a large role, yet are sometimes glossed over by the intense action, that it was really nice to see things come to the forefront. In particular, I'm talking about the dynamics between Michael and Eve, Claire and Shane, and Claire and Myrnin, although that last one won't be discussed here to avoid spoilers. As far as the others, I may be in the minority, but I'm not really a supporter of Michael and Eve. I kinda agree with the town that they shouldn't be mixing as it looks to only be leading to heartache or death. Although unlike the town, I don't want them to split up, but that Eve become a Vamp herself. I just don't quite get that one, or what the real hang up is, but I guess tension is really the key to a good book so I can't complain too much. As far as Claire and Shane, well Shane screws up yet again, but this time Claire isn't so quick to forgive him, and that make me rather proud of her. Don't get me wrong I'm still in firmly in the Claire/Shane camp, it's just that I want the boy to finally have to start taking some responsibility for his screw ups.

As much as it pains me to do it considering how much I enjoyed this book, I'm going to have to dock my rating by one star due to the series redundancy.  It almost feels wrong to "penalize" this book since my problem is more with the series trend as a whole. However, since my frustration came to a head in Bitter Blood, I can't really overlook it any more. That being said, strangely I do have hope for that cycle to be lessened, if not broken in the next book based on the way things ended. Of course, I could be wrong, but I'll still be holding out hope. Don't get me wrong, things won't be all wrapped up in a pretty bow or be all like roses, it's just that the ending points to a new direction that I wasn't really expecting. I'm both anxious and nervous to see where things lead, but at the very least it should make for a change of pace, which is exactly what this series needs. So, putting my repetition woes aside, I have to say that Bitter Blood was a really solid installment in the fabulous Morganville Vampires series. There's action, romance, and drama galore, making for one heck of an entertaining read that you won't want to miss!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:





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Previous Books
  1. Glass Houses
  2. Dead Girls Dance
  3. Midnight Alley
  4. Feast of Fools
  5. Lord of Misrule
  6. Carpe Corpus
  7. Fade Out
  8. Kiss of Death
  9. Ghost Town
  10. Bite Club 
  11. Last Breath 
  12. Black Dawn


Let's Talk US Winner

, by Kt Clapsadl

It's time to announce the US portion of the Let's talk giveaway. I love everyone's question ideas and  we are very excited for the feature to kick off on 11/2! I can't wait to see everyone's responses. Also the QUESTION FORM is still open for submissions if you guys have anything you want to talk about in future Let's Talk installments. Also, here's the full schedule of upcoming Let's Talk Questions.
  • U.S. Giveaway: One winner will get a choice of One ARC from below. (The International giveaway was announced over at Smash Attack Reads)
Darkness Hunts (Dark Angels, #4) Bitter Blood (The Morganville Vampires, #13) Steel's Edge (The Edge, #4) Black Lament (Black Wings, #4)
Parajunkee

Thanks again everyone, and I can't wait to talk to you guys on the 2nd!

Kirsten Reviews: The Book of the Forsaken by Yannis Karatsioris

, by Kt Clapsadl

The Book of the Forsaken by Yannis Karatsioris 
The Game #1

A sarcastic storyteller traps three characters in his web in order to get hold of a special book.

Daniel, Cassidy and Igor are three unique individuals, considered outcasts for different reasons. They are about to meet and stick together, as coincidences and forced situations lead them to a journey all around Europe.

As everyone is after the Book of the Forsaken, the coming Game is about to take place on the dark side of the moon. But there is a cost to that knowledge. Let alone to the wish to partake.

"The Book of the Forsaken" got the gold medal on authonomy.com's HarperCollins UK hosted competition on Feb 1. 2012.


“An Irishman, a Frenchman, and a Russian trickster walk into a party with hidden agendas,” this from The Book of the Forsaken, by Yannis Karatsioris, which is the first book of 'The Game' series.

Its plot centers around three men who learn that they have supernatural powers. While the narrator can be assumed to be a character in the story, they don’t identify themselves, and instead prefer to use black humor and clever turns of phrase to tell the story. Whether the narrator is a god, or some other powerful being, the main characters are no more than ‘pawns’ or ‘game pieces’ that are moved to suit a larger design.

The book is fast-paced, and readers will find the plot moves along at such a pace that they’ve finished it very quickly. The three men, Daniel, Robert, and Igor aren’t friends, and were it not for this story and the powers they learn they have, none of them would have met.

The narrator doesn’t favor the ‘good guy’ Daniel over Cassidy, who embodies every stereotype of the Irishman, and Igor, the magician’s antics get equal time in the story.

Of course, even the most meek characters have to do one thing that sets them apart if they’re going to drive a story, and Daniel steals a magical book, and its through this book that he crosses paths with Igor and Cassidy. As usually happens with the sudden apparenace of supernatural abilities, there are others interested in the Book of the Forsaken, powerful beings, and a little bit of time travel. All of this combined with these three characters trying to reconcile the changes in their lives, and figure out their next best move.

The narrator is noteworthy for the great amount of control it has, and indeed, much of its role is revelling in just how little the characters can do to change their lives. In this way, at times it feels like a deity or other omniscient individual has a hand in this, at others the narrator is inviting the audience to enjoy holding some knowledge over Igor, Daniel, and Cassidy’s heads.

Overall, the book’s unusual style is enjoyable to read, although there are a small number of typos, and there are characters whose dialect is written out, the fantasy world seems promising, and the plot is enjoyable (although the characters might disagree).

(Received a copy from the Author)

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