Book Blitz & Giveaway! Pixelated by L.S. Murphy

Pixelated

by L.S. Murphy

Release Date: 06/30/15

Bloomsbury Spark

Summary from Goodreads:

Senior Year.
Middle of nowhere.
What's the new girl to do?

For Piper Marks, the answer is simple. She’s determined to have her photography rock the cover
of National Geographic someday, and moving to Clarkton, Iowa for her last year of high school
is not going to stop her. Even if her usual subjects have changed from bright lights and
skyscrapers to fields, cows…and more fields.

But when photographer at the local paper quits in a huff, she steps into his spot. Her new job
keeps Piper busy capturing tackles, and zooming in on first downs and end zone dances, not to
mention putting her directly in the path of varsity football star Les Williams IV. Her new friends
warn her off, but she can’t resist the pull she feels toward this mysterious country boy. But this
small town is keeping a secret, and it’s one that could destroy any chance they have to be
together.

It’s up to Piper to decide what to do with the distorted truth. Can she risk exposing her heart? It
might be worth it, 'cause Les is about to change her world from black and white to fully
saturated color.

Add to Goodreads

REVIEW: Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

 

 Freak of Nature

by Julia Crane

Genre(s): Young adult, Sci-fi, Romance

Pages: 284

Published: Jan 2013

 Publisher: Valknut Press

Official Summary:  "Donate Body to Science. Check.
When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds."

Review:  The premise of the story is great. Yet the story didn't grab me quite like I had hoped. Not that it was bad! I still enjoyed it but I far from loved it.

My main issue was Kaitlyn. I felt strangely detached from her. She was created to not have emotions or feelings yet she does. but how that came across to me as a reader was empty. I didn't feel much curiosity and for all she is suppose to feel and understand she goes along with what everyone else tells her WAY to easily. So I got no distinct personality. No idea what she does or doesn't like. At the VERY end I get a brief glimmer finally but the rest was just being told what she felt. I was definitely an audience member and not a part of this story.

Stacking the Shelves 85

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, every Weekend. This is to share books I have acquired from various sources. Physical books & ebooks both are welcome. If its something being sent to me by mail, I will not mention it until I actually receive it. 

And the massive haul for MAY continues.  While I technically behaved this week, I still have much to share from earlier last month, let alone this month.  So far behind on the book shares but we are now into Junes books and I was somewhat good this month so we should be caught up soon.

♥  ♦  ♣  ♠

  for Review

"It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

  

"Eleven-year-old Wren Matthews has always known she’s weird. Super-smart, happily solitary, and obsessed with astronomy, the only place Wren fits in is on the stargazers forum she moderates. When a mysterious visitor appears and invites Wren and her long-time science-rival Simon Barker to join the ancient guild of magicians known as the Fiddlers, things get a whole lot weirder. As apprentice Fiddlers, Wren and Simon have a lot to learn, but their ordinary alchemy lessons are soon overshadowed by tainted legends of Mother Goose, battling alchemists, and dreams of the dangerous otherworld, the Land of Nod.

From the jacket: From Marissa Burt, author of Storybound, comes a richly imagined middle grade fantasy full of magic, intrigue, and imaginative twists. A Sliver of Stardust is the perfect next adventure for fans of A Wrinkle in Time and The Emerald Atlas.

Wren Matthews thought she'd outgrown nursery rhymes a long time ago. But that was before she knew that songs of twinkling little stars and four-and-twenty blackbirds were the key to an ancient, hidden magic.

Wren's discovery catapults her into a world of buried secrets, strange dreams, and a mountain fortress under an aurora-filled sky. But just as she starts to master her unique abilities, her new world begins to crumble around her . . . and only she can save it."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

 

"A modern, multi-generational tale of Kendra, the witch from "Snow White," who trains Violet, an ugly, lonely, and heartbroken girl in the 1980s who transforms herself into "the fairest one of all" but still cannot win Greg's heart, and Celine, Greg's daughter with Violet's high school rival, Jennifer."

 

 

 

 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- 

 

   "Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us."

Manga Review: Tail of the Moon by Rink Ueda

 

 

 

Tail of the Moon Series (15 total volumes plus a prequel)

 

by Rinko Ueda

 

Genre(s): Graphic Novel, Manga

Publisher: Viz Media

 

Official Summary:  "Sometimes it seems like Usagi is hopeless. Sure, she's good with healing herbs, but she's the granddaughter of the leader of a prestigious ninja village and she's such a klutz that she's never made it out of the kiddie class. Finally frustrated with Usagi's lack of progress, her grandfather sends her to marry a local lord and have lots of ninja babies. But the lord has no interest in her or her child bearing potential! After years of goofing around, Usagi is finally determined to reach her goals--she's going to become a ninja and capture her true love's heart!"

 

 

 Review:   This is one of my favorite shojo manga series ever! It does, however have a slow start. The first few volumes were very good but once you get started, the story really gets moving nicely. Usagi (also referred to as Usa) is the main character who at first almost annoyed me but soon became a fantastic character. And the other characters, too, are memorable.

Tour for Louise Rozett's NO MORE CONFESSIONS-with fun guest post of This or that!

 

  Please Note, before we begin the tour, sorry for the small font.  Editing this was a nightmare without Microsoft word (joys of a computer restart) -Jamie @ Vailia's Page Turner

 

**

No More Confessions (Confessions #3)

by Louise Rozett 

Release Date: 01/25/15

Summary from Goodreads:

For Rose Zarelli, freshman year was about controlling her rage. 

Sophomore year was about finding her voice. With all that behind

 her, junior year should be a breeze, right? Nope. When a horrific

 

video surfaces, Rose needs the one person she wants to be done 

with, the person who has broken her heart twice—Jamie Forta. But

 as the intensity between them heats up, Rose realizes she isn’t the 

only one who needs help. The thing is, Jamie doesn’t see it that 

way—and that could cost them both everything.

 

REVIEW: Immortal Loves Stories With Bite edited by P.C. Cast (vampire anthology)

 

Immortal Loves Stories With Bite

edited by P.C. Cast

Genre(s) Paranormal, Anthologies, Short stories/novellas

Pages: 264

Published: Aug 2008

Publisher: Benbella Books

Official Summary:  "Seven of today's most popular YA vampire and contemporary fantasy authors offer new short stories that prove when one is immortal, true love really is forever. Includes stories by Rachel Caine, Kristin Cast, Claudia Gray, Tanith Lee, and P.C. Cast."

 

 

 

 

Review:  The book is a bunch of short stories. Some were really good but all were decent. P.C. Cast did a good job getting a variety of different stories. My only complaint is the title. Many of the stories had little romance (just some attraction) or love. But just a small detail. Below are my thoughts on each story individually.


1) Haunted Love by Cynthia L Smith. This was a story about a newly turned vampire who kills his uncle and starts to run a small theater. The theater is haunted by a ghost named Sonya. Cody (the young vampire) also hires a girl named Ginny. He is drawn to both. This story has interesting connections between the 3 of them but I would have liked a bit more detail and emotion in the story. 

 

Stacking the Shelves 84

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, every Weekend. This is to share books I have acquired from various sources. Physical books & ebooks both are welcome. If its something being sent to me by mail, I will not mention it until I actually receive it. 

 

 

 

 

This is a continuation of last week.  I got maybe 25% through what I wanted to share then.  

 

 

♥  ♦  ♣  ♠

  for Review 

 

"When fifteen-year-old Dee is left at her grandpa’s farm in rural Washington, she thinks her life is over. She may be right.

An electromagnetic-pulse attack has destroyed the country’s power grid, sending the United States back to the Dark Ages. Now Dee and Grandpa must face a world without electricity and clean water—let alone cell phones and the Internet—as well as the chaos brought on by this sudden catastrophe. Soon their town begins to collapse as disease and lawlessness run rampant. With handsome, troubled Mason and friendly boy-next-door Hyrum at her side, Dee fights to survive and deals with a new, undeniable attraction at the same time.

Meanwhile, a corrupt, power-crazed sheriff is administering a terrifying brutality and preying on the sick and the well supplied. When he sets his sights on Grandpa’s farm, can Dee put her feelings aside to save her home—and take back the power she’d feared was forever lost?"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

  

"Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and “invention” is a curse word.

Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion—an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.

Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlikely anything they’ve ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on—and quite possibly their very lives."

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

"Lord Fenton is a gambler, a dandy, and a flirt—and he must marry or else he will be disinherited, stripped of his wealth and his position. He chooses Alice Stanbridge for two simple reasons: he once knew her as a young girl, and she is the least objectionable option available to him.

However, Alice has harbored feelings for Fenton since their first meeting ten years ago, and she believes his proposal is real. When she discovers it is not, she is embarrassed and hurt. However, a match with the most-eligible bachelor in London would secure not only her future but that of her family as well.

Determined to protect herself from making a fool of herself a second time, Alice matches Lord Fenton wit for wit and insult for insult as they move toward a marriage of convenience that is anything but a happy union. Only when faced with family secrets that have shaped Fenton’s life does he let down his guard enough to find room in his heart for Alice. But can Alice risk her heart a second time?"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

 "Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to newcomer Katerina, who must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But Kat’s first love, Jacob, will go to unthinkable lengths to win her, even if it means competing for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet fiancée, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the salacious and fascinating details of real history, New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known: Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series."