Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Adult Review: The Disillusionists Trilogy and companion novellas Wild & Steamy and Devil’s Luck by Carolyn Crane

You can view the synopsis for The Disillusionists Trilogy: Mind Games, Double Cross, and Head Rush, and companion novellas: Wild & Steamy: Kitten-Tiger & The Monk, and Devil’s Luck by clicking the titles via Goodreads.


 “May the targets never see you coming.”

The Disillusionists Trilogy, Mind Games, Double Cross, Head Rush and the spin off novellas, Kitten-Tiger & The Monk (Wild & Steamy) and Devil’s Luck by Carolyn Crane are books filled with elements of adult urban fantasy and supernatural abilities. Dystopia lingers in these books as well. Reading this enticing group of books were like no other and my thoughts were constantly slammed by 'oh shits' with all the mind bending goodness. For reelz y’all, I never said “oh shit” so much while reading a book. I was a complete dirty mouth, LOL. Maybe I should invest in Orbit?

The books in the Disillusionists Trilogy were perfectly titled. Mind Games because book 1 totally toys with your head. Book 2, Double Cross because yeah, there’s definitely some betrayal, and Head Rush- book 3, because your mentality is thrown into a frenzy. But all is wrapped up in a perfectly packaged ending. After reading, my head was still twirling but my heart was all gooey and happy and I smiled for hours. This series was downright righteous!

Carolyn Crane possesses clever writing that glues your eyes and attention to every single page. She takes you on a whirlwind of a ride. You might find yourself getting bitch-slapped – I mean that as a compliment. ;)

Midcity is a town where people walk around with helmets on their heads, or in special suits, or wears gloves, or wears glasses in fear of psycho highcaps- mutated humans with super powers- i.e. dream invaders, precogs, revisionists, telepaths, telekinetics, etc. (Have no fear, there are good highcaps too.) To protect the civilians of Midcity, there is a B.A. group of crime fighters that have special abilities and they zing the shit out of their own disturbed emotion into these highcap criminals to rid them of their illegal ways. The Disillusionists are a psychological hit squad. The author nailed it when she used that term to describe them. Sounds pretty interesting, right? And get this… reading this series was a carnival of angsty fun! I mean, it was like strapping yourself in the Tilt-A-Whirl ride. Spinning, spinning, SPINNING… Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Seriously, I’m glad Karen (@teamsheltie) from For What It’s Worth told me to grab myself a pack of Depends!

Not only were the plots, twists and discoveries utterly fantastic- sending you through a reading vortex, but in my opinion, every single one of the characters was filled with mystery and an extra side of awesome sauce. There are characters you love; some piss you off, but you still love them and the ones you didn’t think you’d care for, you grow to love. There was a powerful love triangle that had me questioning its slopes. While I felt stronger for one of the male characters, I didn’t choose between them even though one of them had negative motives. And they both did the main character wrong at some point.

Mind Games, Double Cross, and Head Rush were written in Justine’s POV. Justine suffered from fear and anxiety. On top of that, she was a basket case of hypochondria and obsessed over her believed disease of Vein Star Syndrome. She waited for her brain to rupture, causing her death. But when she met Packard, he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse; to join his elite team of disillusionists and eliminate her fear using it as a weapon to fight rogue high caps and humans in a city full of crime. You could cut the passionate tension between Justine and Packard throughout the entire series with a fricking butter knife. The connection they shared was electrifying- literally! Justine was such an interesting MC and I enjoyed getting to know her; her fears, her strength, her trust. Her character was noble and pretty empathetic considering all she’s been through. She fought for her beliefs, to survive, and to save the ones she loved. With her fear came strength and courage.

Two words. Sterling Packard. A name really, and a very desirable character that sends you into over drive. The beau stood behind his name and was quite ‘packin’. He allures you with his confidence and intensity. He manipulates you, and as a reader you don’t mind it because you are so intrigued by him. He makes arrogance look good. Excitement runs through your thoughts as you read about him. His secrets were mind-blowing. It’s on my bucket list to eat at a Mongolian restaurant and pig out on kebabs. And let me tell you. I wanted to break out my guns, *kisses right and left biceps* (put em’ up, put em’ up) at Packard’s nemesis. When I found out who it was, I seriously crapped myself.

Otto will leave you breathless. He had a purpose that he truly believed in but you as a reader will definitely question it. He was quite charming and the love Otto had for Justine was pure adoration and I couldn’t help but respect it, even though… well, you’ll have to read for yourself.

Shelby was one of my top favorite characters in the series. She was a wonderful, sympathetic friend and offered inspiring words to Justine when she needed it most. Shelby made a great supporting character and was very enchanting.

Carter was full of exuberance and quirkiness when he wasn’t filled with rage. That guy needs to keep zinging, are else you may want to stay clear of him. I totally wouldn’t mind hiring him as a pool boy.

We get introduced to the mischievously, reckless Simon; a clicking time bomb and a total edge of your seat type character. The dude is quite delectable and the best frenemy to have. And I want him, like right now.

I really got to know Fawna towards the end of the series and she ended up having quite an important role. It wasn’t until Devil’s Luck, a companion novella, that I understood her and got to see her spunky side and appreciated her. She had a fun, eclectic nature.

My friend Karen wasn’t lying when she said reading this series was one big, amazing mind fu- [inserts bleep]. I was a very dramatic reader in reading this series- in a physical way. I’d pound my fist against something, or grunt, or do some neurotic tweeting to Karen (@teamsheltie) and Janette (@jderucki). Get to reading these books y’all. Get wigged out and get zinged! Many of “glory hours” was experienced while reading these books.

The disillusionists are so spectacularly, kick-ass and if they truly existed, this world would be a better place. Thank you so very much Karen for lending me the first book Mind Games, and introducing to me to Carolyn Crane and her disillusionary, vivid world and I look forward to seeing/meeting both of you at AAD in NOLA!

imageOh, and P.S.- I have a new fond love for Gumby.

Kimberly





Thursday, April 19, 2012

Because Everything's Better with a Cute Puppy


Happy Friday All! I thought the cute puppy would soften you all up. :)

I wanted to share some great news with all you fabulous followers. On Monday, I start a brand, spanking new job! Yep, I'm all grown up! Not that I haven't been working, obviously I have bills to pay, but I've finally reached one of my career goals, which is to, you guessed it... start a career. So, with my new career I expect to be very busy for the next several months. What does this mean... well, I'm not really sure. I expect the next few weeks at least to be focused on all things career. So you may not hear as much from me here on the blog. Don't worry, Kim is still around and I will still be keeping all my prior commitments including reviewing and blog tours. Just be patient with me if I'm not around as much. I will still answer e-mails, questions in the comments, etc. and I will be around on Facebook and Twitter to a limited degree. I'm very excited to start this next chapter in my life, and so happy to share my good news with all of you. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Britney

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Birthday Bash Book Trailer Launch Party: THE RIGHT AND THE REAL

Welcome to the book trailer reveal for
THE RIGHT AND THE REAL
by
Joëlle Anthony
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! The book is fantastic and a review will be up here on the blog soon. So enjoy, and CRANK up the volume. There's some awesome guitar in the background.



Kicked out for refusing to join a cult, 17-year-old Jamie must find a way to survive on her own.

Jamie should have known something was off about the church of the Right and the Real from the start, especially when the Teacher claimed he wasn’t just an ordinary spiritual leader, but Jesus Christ, himself. But she was too taken by Josh, the eldest son of one of the church’s disciples, and his all-American good looks. Josh is the most popular boy at school too, and the first boy outside the drama geeks to give Jamie a second look. But getting her Dad involved in a cult was not part of the plan when she started dating Josh. Neither was her dad’s marriage to the fanatic Mira, or getting kicked out, or seeing Josh in secret because the church has deemed her persona non grata.

Jamie’s life has completely fallen apart. Finding her way back won’t be easy, but when her Dad gets himself into serious trouble, will Jamie be ready to rescue him, and maybe even forgive him?

You can find out more about Ms. Anthony and THE RIGHT AND THE REAL at www.joelleanthony.com

Friday, April 13, 2012

Blog Tour: EMBRACE by Cherie Colyer + Giveaway

Welcome to the the Embrace by Cherie Colyer Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound. The tour runs from April 9th - 21st. Be sure to check out all the stops for reviews, interviews, giveaways, etc.

Embrace
Author: Cherie Colyer
Publisher: Omnific
Publish Date: December 2011
Genre: YA Supernatural romance
Source: Omnific Publishing for honest review

How far would you go to save the people you love?

Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.
Dangerous, intoxicating, and darkly romantic, Embrace is a thriller that will leave you spellbound.

My Thoughts:

When I first began reading Embrace, I had no idea what the supernatural element was going to be, which intrigued me. It was like discovering witchcraft right along with Madison.  Embrace is full of dangerous enemies, heart-clenching romance, and deadly consequences. And as soon as I was on that beach with Madison and met Isaac, I felt the zap! The story was enthralling, and the thrilling and mysterious and, yes, shocking (literally!) Isaac Addingtion is non-stop hotness. With each new turn of events, I found myself more and more invested in what was happening with the characters. Curses, magic, love, desire, hate, and intensity were on every page.  I could relate to Madison and her fear of change and losing those she cares about. Her character and attitude were very believable, and her relationships with her friends and family were well written. I felt her triumphs and her failures and even her awkwardness. I did feel that, with her fear of change, she accepted the cause for Kaylee’s illness a little too easily, but it didn’t really bother me too much. The twists and turns and near constant revelations about the characters kept the story interesting, and the reveal of the villain was a surprise.

Overall, Embrace was a fun read with a good story and an interesting supernatural element. I’d definitely recommend it to those who enjoy a good supernatural romance.
Buy the book:
Amazon: Kindle
Amazon: Paperback

Embrace, a teen novel: Website

Find Cherie Online:
Twitter
Facebook
Blog

Now, we have a treat for you today! You could win an E-book of Embrace! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the page. But there's more, want a chance to win the Grand Prize? Just click on the picture below.

Blog Tour Schedule:
adiaryofabookaddict.blogspot.com/ : April 9 – Review*
winterhavenbooks.blogspot.com/ : April 9 – Review

youngreadersathome.blogspot.com/ : April 10 – Quote Battle*
www.epiloguereview.blogspot.com : April 10– Review*
www.thebookhookup.com : April 11 – Review
iheartyabooks.blogspot.com/ : April 11 – Review
Rachelsbookreviews.com : April 11 – Writing Cave
www.loveofbooks409.blogspot.com : April 11 – Review *
mtgreviews.wordpress.com/ : April 12– Review
www.rachelsbookreviews.com/ : April 12 – Review
www.booklovewitch.blogspot.com : April 12 – Review
www.thehauntedrose.blogspot.com : April 12 – Review
www.jjireads.com : April 12 – Character Tweets*
www.angelafristoe.blogspot.com/ : April 13 – Review*
jana-thebookgoddess.blogspot.com/ : April 15 – Dream Cast
journeywithbooks.blogspot.com : April 15 – Review
storybookescape.blogspot.com/ : April 16 – Review*
bookmarksbookshelves.blogspot.com/ : April 17 – Review
www.chapter-by-chapter.com/ : April 18– Review
willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/ : April 18 – Review
twochicksonbooks1.blogspot.com/ : April 19 – Playlist
jessysbookends.blogspot.com : April 19 – Review*
alwaysyaatheart.blogspot.com : April 20– Review
www.mandikayereads.com : April 20 – Review
fictionaldistraction.blogspot.com/ : April 20 – Review
BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com : April 21 – Review
theawesomemagicattic.blogspot.com : April 21 – Excerpt 1*
hackaroosreviews.com : April 13 – Review*


Thursday, April 12, 2012

EARLY REVIEW: THE IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa


 
The Immortal Rules: Blood of Eden book 1

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin

Imprint: HarlequinTEEN

Publication Date: April 24th, 2012

Category: YA: Action/Adventure

Source: Netgalley for review




Book summary:
MY VAMPIRE CREATOR TOLD ME THIS:

"Sometime in your life, Allison Sekemoto, you will kill a human being. The question is not if it will happen, but when. Do you understand?"

I didn't then, not really.

I DO NOW.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

 My thoughts:
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED THIS BOOK!
(Sorry, I had to start off with that)

It is official, Julie Kagawa has done it again! She’s taken the same originality that brought us the Iron Fey series and created a supernatural dystopian world like no other. She’s built a dark and terrifying world in which humans are enslaved by campier masters, both fighting a truly frightening disease that has devastated both species. This is not your typical vampire tale. There is no sparkling, no “living” vampires, no epic love story (although of course there is a crush worthy boy and little love going on). It’s fight or flight. Live or die. Stay dead or become undead. It’s about fearing death, finding yourself, and deciding what defines you: what you are or who you are.

The vampire world Julie has created is not romanticized. It is vicious and cruel. It is well built, and we discover it through Allison, both from her and with her. Her character fascinated me, and I watched her discover herself and realize she’s not who or what she thought she was. Not who she wanted others to think she was.

I never knew what was going to happen next, and I love that about Julie’s writing. Anything’s game. She always writes a story that grabs and keeps my attention and then throws me for a loop because I never could have predicted the turn the story would take. This was a fantastic read I would suggest to fans of Julie’s writing but also to fans of the supernatural genre in general.  If you’re skeptical about vampire stories, I would still suggest giving this one a try. It is different enough with a creative backstory that I feel sets it apart from the flooded vampire market. I expect great things to come from this series in the future, and I definitely look forward to what Julie has in store for her characters and her readers.


About the author:

Julie Kagawa is an up and coming young adult author. Her debut series, The Iron Fey, echoes Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream" and was dubbed "the next Twilight" by Teen.com.

With her talent for world-building and making her characters come to life (her readers have an Ash vs. Puck rivalry), Julie's next project, her Blood of Eden series, promises to be just as enticing.

Described as The Hunger Games meets vampires, Kagawa's May 2012 title The Immortal Rules, lets her enter the ranks of dystopian fiction authors, one of 2012's hottest genres.

Born in Sacramento, California, Julie Kagawa moved to Hawaii at the age of nine, where she learned many things. How to bodyboard, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks, and that writing stories in math
class was a fantastic way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of pets. She still laughs whenever she sees a centipede. She is the author of the bestselling Iron Fey series and can be found at www.juliekagawa.com.
**SNEAK PEAK: To read an exclusive excerpt from the next Iron Fey novel, The Lost Prince (November 2012), claim your copy of The Immortal Rules at your local bookstore or library after April 24th, 2012.
Follow Julie:
Twitter

Find More Online:

Julie Kagawa's Website : click here
Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey Series Website : click here
MTV’s Hollywood Crush on THE IMMORTAL RULES : click here
Harlequin Website : click here
Harlequin TEEN on Facebook : click here


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

#teamAMITY!


Here at Living Fictitiously we are now officially part of #teamAMITY!

Here's how you can help. Click on these links as much as possible.  - https://bitly.com/amityfaction & http://bit.ly/choose_amity and get your friends/family/followers to do it too!

The Amity faction values peace and friendship. Artistic, creative, and musical, this faction focuses on peacekeeping, harmony, and farming.

Support Amity by clicking this link:
http://bit.ly/choose_amity

Want to join the #teamAMITY faction? Click here http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy.com/2012/04/teamamity-news-join-our-faction-and-get.html

If you'd like to follow the Team Amity bloggers you can find us here: https://twitter.com/#!/DivergentLxicon/team-amity

And what's better than an EPIC #teamAMITY GROUP GIVEAWAY!? http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy.com/2012/04/epic-teamamity-group-giveaway-15.html

Help us get the word out about #teamAMITY!

Autism Awareness Giveaway Hop

Annual Autism Awareness Giveaway Hop

April 11th to 17th

Hosted by:

Lindsay @ Just Another Book Addict:


Heather @ Fire and Ice Photo:


Pixie @ Page Turners:


Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/

April is Autism Awareness Month. To help spread the word about Autism we are hosting a giveaway hop. For those of you who don't know, autism plays a significant role in the Heavenly trilogy by Jennifer Laurens (who is one of my favorite authors by the way). Since I don't have a lot of experience with autism except what I've read, I thought I would share Jennifer's book with you guys. You can find more about the Heavenly trilogy here. My giveaway, as you can probably guess, is for an E-book of any book in the Heavenly trilogy (Heavenly, Penitence, Absolution). Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. There are no mandatory entries (other than the freebie) but extra entries are available for following, commenting, etc. and are always appreciated. 

For More Information about Austism: http://www.autismspeaks.org/index.php
http://www.autism-society.org/
http://autism-resources.com/

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Kilt & Keeley SHINE Preorder Giveaway - I Am Team Kilt!


It's no secret that I'm a H U M O N G O U S fan of the Shade Trilogy by Jeri Smith-Ready. You can read my review on Shade and Shift HERE, and Shine (cause I was lucky enough to receive an ARC) HERE. It's no secret that I've urged both on-line and personally to all of my friends to read Shade, Shift and soon to be Shine. Along with Kilt & Keeley, I'm now urging you to pre-order Shine (releases May 1st), the final book in the Shade Trilogy. Not only is Shine an amazing book to wrap up this series, but Kilt & Keeley is hosting a super fab giveaway! << Info on that below.

You must do yourself a favor and be introduced into the Shade World and become a member of the greatest team out there... #TeamKilt. It's the best fictional world to be in and some of the greatest friends to have, I ga-run-tee. Plus, the dedicated fan-based website for Shade Trilogy- Kilt & Keeley- puts the kick in kick-ass!

If you've read Shade and Shift, great! You should now pre-order Shine (see order details below) then head on over to Kilt & Keeley for the Shine Pre-Order Giveaway << It's pretty epic! If you haven't read any of the books, I'll make this simple for you. I've included a variety of links below (click) for you to purchase each book on line. Just keep in mind, after you purchase them, you want to enter Kilt & Keeley's Shine Pre-Order Giveaway. >> Every pre-order of Shine receives an exclusive ZOGAN trading card and entry into the Grand Prize Giveaway from Kilt & Keeley!
 **Note: Kilt & Keeley's Shine Pre-Order Giveaway applies to the pre-order of Shine only. Giveaway ends 4/30/12. See their website for specific details**

What's cool is Shade and Shift's paperback covers had a make-over to match Shine (hardcovers remain the same design for Shade and Shift.). Soooo, if you have the older covers of Shade and Shift, you may want to go ahead and purchase the new ones along with Shine, so they could all match. Before you do, head to Jeri Smith-Ready's blog post for info on the new covers by clicking HERE. Shine will be released in both hardback and paperback.

Shade
Constellation Books (Jeri's local indy book store- SIGNED COPY!!!!!): Hardcover / Paperback 
Barnes and Noble: Hardcover / Paperback / E Book
Amazon: Paperback / E Book
Book Depository:  Hardcover / Paperback
iTunes E book 
(Audiobook: B&N / iTunes also has available in audio)

Shift
Constellation Books (Jeri's local indy book store- SIGNED COPY!!!!!): Hard Cover / Paperback 
Barnes and Noble: Hard Cover / Paperback / E Book
Amazon: Hard Cover / Paperback / E Book
Book Depository:  Hardcover / Paperback
iTunes E book
(Audiobook: B&N / iTunes also has available in audio)

Shine
Constellation Books (Jeri's local indy book store- SIGNED COPY!!!!!): Hard Cover / Paperback 
Barnes and Noble: Hard Cover / Paperback / E Book
Amazon: Hard Cover / Paperback / E Book
Book Depository:  Hard Cover / Paperback
iTunes E book

With all ^^this^^ said, go order Shine (or Shade, Shift AND Shine) and as Kilt and Keeley would say... #getyourSHINEon. A special thanks to Kilt & Keeley for the Shine Pre-Order Giveaway and for the Help Us Shine Giveaway. (<<you can find out more about the Help Us Shine Giveaway by clicking here) And a super duper thanks to Jeri Smith-Ready for writing such a wonderful series. All of her books blow my mind, both adult and young adult. Chicka's got mad writing skills y'all.

Thanks,
Kimberly