Showcase Sunday #11

Showcase Sunday is hosted by the lovely Vicky over at Books, Biscuits, and Tea! It's a great way to share what you have received the past week and to also gush over the wonderful books to other bloggers have added to their bookshelves!

Bev's New Books:

For review

Ferryman by Claire McFall: This is by a Scottish author and it sounds like a really complex, intriguing story.  It deals with life after death and I can't wait to start it.  Thank you, Templar Publishing!

For review via Netgalley

Crow Girl by Kate Cann:  This is a book which tries to encourage people who don't like reading to pick up a book so I've been warned the writing will be of a lower standard.  I'm still intrigued as to how this will be dealt with.

Jen's Books

Umm.. yeah. BOOK OVERLOAD. Did I mention how busy I was? I guess I'm just prepping for my 2 week break in December. ;) WHAT CAN I SAY. I'm a book addict. What about you? Don't judge.

Bought via Kindle (click on image or title to lead to Goodreads):

Reverence by Shelly Crane

Charade by Nyrae Dawn

Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen

Flawed by Kate Avelynn

Borrowed from the Library (click on image or title to lead to Goodreads):

Wake by Amanda Hocking

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

BZRK by Michael Grant

The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers

The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Long Lanking by Lindsey Barraclough

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

For Review via Netgalley (click on image or title to lead to Goodreads): 

Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati

The Culling by Steven dos Santos

Elemental: The First by Alexandra May

Indigo Awakening by Jordan Dane

Moonset by Scott Tracey

Thanks to Flux, Harlequin, Special Sales Publishing, and Netgalley!

What books did you get this week? Link us up!

Bev and Jen xxx

Alfie the Sniffer Pup (December '12 Edition)

Alfie the Sniffer Pup is a monthly feature here on A Reading Daydreamer where I spotlight exciting upcoming releases and book-ish news which my pup, Alfie has kindly 'sniffed' out for me!

Wow.  We're into the last month of 2012!!!    This year has gone by super quick but I'm looking forward to seeing what new books 2013 will bring.
It's super cold over here and I sense that snow will soon be making an appearance so why don't you join me in drinking hot chocolate and picking up one of these pretty releases?

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Independence by Shelly Crane

Blood-Kissed Sky by JA London

Louder than Words by Laurie Plissner

The Girl in the Wall by Daphne Benedis-Grab

Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Coker

Alfie is signing off for the year and he'd like to wish you all a lovely Christmas and he says he can't wait to see you all again in the New Year!

Which books are you looking forward to this month?

Happy reading,
Alfie and Bev x

Waiting on Wednesday #11

Waiting on Wednesday is a fabulous meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!  It's a wonderful chance to share the books we're eagerly anticipating and to find out what our fellow bloggers are looking forward to reading!

This week, Bev and Jen are waiting on..

The Mist on Bronte Moor
Aviva Orr
January 8, 2013 by WiDo Publishing

When fifteen-year-old Heather Jane Bell is diagnosed with alopecia and her hair starts falling out in clumps, she wants nothing more than to escape her home in London and disappear off the face of the earth. 
Heather gets her wish when her concerned parents send her to stay with her great-aunt in West Yorkshire. But shortly after she arrives, she becomes lost on the moors and is swept through the mist back to the year 1833. There she encounters fifteen-year-old Emily Brontë and is given refuge in the Brontë Parsonage. 
Unaware of her host family’s genius and future fame, Heather struggles to cope with alopecia amongst strangers in a world completely foreign to her. While Heather finds comfort and strength in her growing friendship with Emily and in the embrace of the close-knit Brontë family, her emotions are stretched to the limit when she falls for Emily’s brilliant but troubled brother, Branwell.
Will Heather return to the comforts and conveniences of the twenty-first century? Or will she choose love and remain in the harsh world of nineteenth-century Haworth?

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE - GOODREADS

Jen: The premise sounds really quite unique and different. Time travel, romance, and the Bronte family? Yes please!

Bev: Just to echo Jen, I love how different this sounds.  Books rarely deal with issues like alopecia and I'm eager to see how the author deals with it.  And who doesn't love time-travel and old-fashioned British boys? ;)

What reads are you excited about?

Bev and Jen x

Mini-REVIEW: Vengeance by Michelle Madow

Name: Vengeance

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: December 8, 2011

Pages: 66, Paperback

Source: For review from author

Rating: 3 Teacups

How far would you go to get revenge?
When Chelsea Givens discovered that her ex-boyfriend Drew dumped her to be with her former best friend Lizzie, she'd never felt so betrayed in her life. Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back … well, it's downright crazy. 
Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay? 
Find out in Vengeance, the second part of the Transcend Time Saga.
*Vengeance is the short story that bridges the events in Remembrance and the final novel in the Saga.

[summary from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Being a relatively short story from Chelsea's-- Lizzie's best friend-- point of view, it was fun and interesting to see the story her way. I think that the overall plot was well-paced and while it was a little mediocre and not over-the-top-exciting, Vengeance was an adequate read that fits between the first and last installment in the Transcend Time series.

Aside from the competent plot line, I think that this story was entirely negative. Let me explain. Chelsea, as mentioned before, is Lizzie's best friend. I'm not going to spoil anything, but she is extremely angry with Lizzie, and basically, this entire story illustrated Chelsea as an unfaithful best friend, as well as cruel. All Chelsea wanted was to get back at Lizzie for what she did. It really downplayed Chelsea's character, and made me hate her more than I did before. However, I think that this was Madow's intention, so it's actually good that I hated her.

The story doesn't exactly end on a cliffhanger, but the reader definitely wants to know more by the end. In my opinion, I think that Vengeance is a completely necessary read, even it's a novella/short story. It would have been great if it was longer! In all, Vengeance was a satisfying read that wasn't too little, but wasn't too much, either.

3 Teacups for Vengeance!

*Thanks to Michelle Madow for providing me with a copy to review!*

REVIEW: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Name: Unspoken

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Release Date: September 13th 2012

Pages: 370, Paperback

Source: For review (from publisher)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Kami Glass is in love with someone she's never met - a boy the rest of the world is convinced is imaginary. This has made her an outsider in the sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale, but she doesn't complain. She runs the school newspaper and keeps to herself for the most part - until disturbing events begin to happen. There has been screaming in the woods and the dark, abandoned manor on the hill overlooking the town has lit up for the first time in 10 years. The Lynburn family, who ruled the town a generation ago and who all left without warning, have returned. As Kami starts to investigate for the paper, she finds out that the town she has loved all her life is hiding a multitude of secrets- and a murderer- and the key to it all just might be the boy in her head. The boy who everyone thought was imaginary may be real...and he may be dangerous.

Beverley's Review

Unspoken was not what I expected but I loved it even more for that.  It surprised me and swept me from my feet.  A truly unique and original read that is sure to get your spine tingling...

Set in a quiet town in England, Sarah Rees Brennan perfectly captured the eerie, chilly atmosphere: the ancient buildings, the dark depths of the woods, the authority with which Aurimere House stood.  Brennan's writing is like a not-so-subtle poke in the back from out of nowhere, awakening all your senses and making you look behind you warily as you turn the pages frantically.

You can't have such a wonderfully evocative setting without equally wonderful characters.  I'm happy to report that Brennan delivered!  There's Kami, one of the main characters, who was so full of exuberance and enthusiasm I could feel her vibes jump right off the page.  She was the perfect protagonist, breezing in on my reading slump like a welcome gust of fresh air.  Her bright, witty one-liners kept me reading through the night.  Although the way she spoke was unlike any other teenager I've met, I adored her even more for it.  She is such a quirky, in-your-face (in a good way, of course!) character, I'm sure she will carry on capturing hearts.

Perhaps because of Kami's bright presence, she overshadowed some of the other characters.  I felt mostly indifferent to Jared.  He was your typical 'bad' boy and I found him a little clichéd. I didn't fall for him or swoon, which was slightly disappointing.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in later book, though.

And lastly but not least... the PLOT.  Sarah Rees Brennan must have a wild imagination, crafting such an eccentric, complex story.  It was so different from other books I've read... yet it felt familiar, if that makes sense.  The whole 'imaginary friend in you head becoming real' fascinated me and I loved the way with which Brennan dealt it.  However, the pacing at the beginning was a problem for me.   Going through a reading slump, you naturally need a book to keep you on your toes which meant things only picked up in the later two-thirds.

Overall, Unspoken is a darkly refreshing read, bringing all its originality into the YA world.  It has all the elements of a intriguing read, throwing the reader in a world of mystery and magic.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the trilogy! Are you brave enough to venture into the woods?

4.5 teacups for Unspoken!

'Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy*

Let's Talk About... Reading Slumps

Yes... 'Reading slump.'  The words every blogger dreads.  It's like a poison, slowly infiltrating you and preventing you from finishing books in good time and writing reviews.  And I'm experiencing one right now!

I really do hate this feeling.  I very much want to get through the books in my review pile but something just seems to be holding me back.  Some sort of lack of motivation to read twenty or so pages.  I'm quite busy with life right now and whenever I do get a little free time, I feel inclined to just lie on the sofa and watch TV or go on the Internet.  Does this make me a bad blogger?  

School has put me under a lot of pressure lately, with endless piles of homework and fast-approaching tests.  And when I do pick up a book, I feel bad for not studying.  Then there's the need for piano and violin practise which I have been neglecting - as much as I hate to admit.  And don't even get me on to my social life - which is practically non-existent right now if you must know.  All of this, LIFE, is getting in the way on top of this horrid reading slump and here I am now, desperate to claw my way out and be a better blogger.

Being busy seems to add fuel to the fire of reading-slumpiness :(  You've probably all noticed that I haven't been around much lately (have ya missed me?) and I do wish I had more time to come round and visit your blogs and chat to you on Twitter everyday but it's just NOT doable. 

Reading slumps are such awful things and I know most bloggers have been through it.  So what did YOU do to get out of it?  Any of you have magical cures to this disgusting blogger disease?  Lemme know!  All suggestions will be very much appreciated!

And I can't write this without lots of hugs and thank you's to Jen who has been the best co-blogger in every way.  She has been absolutely wonderful and so, so patient with me in the past few weeks.  Thanks a million, Jen, for bearing with me!!! I don't think this blog would be as good right now if it weren't for your amazingly steady presence!

Happy reading - hopefully none of you are going through reading slumps like me!

Beverley x

REVIEW: Remembrance by Michelle Madow

Name: Remembrance

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: July 25,2011

Pages: 314, Paperback

Source: Received for review from author

Rating: 3.5 Teacups

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.
Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?
Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Being a huge Taylor Swift fan, I jumped at the chance to read a story that was inspired by her music video. I mean, how cool is that?! The plot sounded interesting, the cover was beautiful, and I'd just heard too many things about this book! That's a major MUST for me! I'm glad to say that it was definitely enjoyable, but unfortunately, there were those problems that definitely brought this book down a notch.

To start off with the enjoyable things, the book was really addicting, like really addicting. Maybe it was because of it's light, fluffy, easy nature, but I found myself speeding through this book because it was just pure fun to read about! I constantly wanted to know what happened next, even if it was a little predictable. Madow has a flowy way with words; the storyline was just very easy to get through! This was the main reason why I liked this book so much--YAY! However, the good stuff pretty much stopped there.

The concept of time-travel itself was really cool at first, but it kind of just fell off for awhile. Is the main genre of the book supposed to be time travel, or romance? The time travel was forgotten in the middle of the book. I was a little disappointed. Events started to get a little repetitive as the story progressed towards the middle, but it was still fun. Things just could have moved along a bit quicker!

The romance was also a little awkward-- awkward as in cliché. It wasn't TOO bad, but there was the whole "new guy moving into town, trying to stay away from the attractive/painfully mediocre girl, because it's dangerous" thing. I didn't mind it too much--I was still able to enjoy the story-- but it lacked a little bit of originality.

That being said, while Remembrance definitely had it's flaws, I'd say it's still a really entertaining read. I thoroughly adored it and will be continuing with the series! I can't wait to read more about this time-traveling romance. If you're in dire need of a cute, easy, romantic read, Remembrance would be a great pick!

3.5 Teacups for Remembrance!

*Thanks to Michelle Madow for providing me with a copy for review!*