Showcase Sunday 30. Another bargain edition.

Hosted by: Books, biscuits and tea.

I managed to grab these four books for a bargain at my local bookstore:

Sandy Williams - The shattered dark. Part 2, but I couldn't resist it.
Philippa Ballantine - Geist. I've been eyeing this series for a while, because the covers are gorgeous and it sounds interesting. Part 1.
Kerry Schafer - Between. I like dragons. Part 1.

Gail Carriger - Blameless. Part 3 of the Parasol Protectorate. I'm planning to buy the second book soon, so I can continue. I really liked Soulless.

And Harlequin Teen accepted my request on Netgalley for The eternity cure - Julie Kagawa. I'm so excited! The immortal rules is one of my favorite books from 2012.

Leave a link to your haul!

Review 156. Debra Driza – Mila 2.0

Title: Mila 2.0.
Author: Debra Driza.
Pages: 480.
Published: March 12th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books.
Sort: Part one of “Mila 2.0”
Source: Netgalley & Publisher.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do. Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Rating:

I feel misled. This is what the blurb also says:

”Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence. A bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human.”

I think even Disney gave me more heart-pounding action. This story isn’t a thrilling debut about an android. It’s about a whiny, angsty girl who happens to be a android, but she has more feelings than the average teenager. Hardly anything happens except for running, some fighting and a lot of crying. There were so many situations where I wanted to slam my head against a wall. I’ll walk you through:

WoW 38. Retellings: Scarlet in snow & Unhinged.

 Hosted by: Breaking the spine.

Sophie Masson - Scarlet in the snow.
May 1st 2013 by Random House

I know it's already published, but I hardly heard anything about this book and it sounds awesome. I thought I should share it with other fairytale lovers out there!

A deserted mansion. Empty picture frames. A perfect red rose in a snowy garden. There is rich and powerful magic here, and a mystery to unravel.. When Natasha is forced to take shelter from a sudden, terrible blizzard, she is lucky to see a mansion looming out of the snow. So begins an extraordinary adventure that will see Natasha plunged deep into the heart of a mystery. She begins to realize she has stumbled onto a great tragedy - a spell of revenge laid on the young man the Beast once was, devised by a powerful sorcerer. But even if she can break the spell, the Beast she has now come to love will be snatched from her. Natasha will have a long journey, and many ordeals, ahead of her before there can be a happy ending. Inspired by two beautiful Russian fairytales - The Scarlet Flower (the Russian version of Beauty and the Beast) and Fenist the Falcon, Scarlet in the Snow is a beguiling mix of magic, romance, adventure and mystery.

& I'm waiting for A.G Howard - Unhinged, after loving Splintered.
January 2014 by Amulet.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind. If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

Review 155. Kiersten White – Endlessly.

Title: Endlessly.
Author: Kiersten White.
Pages: 385.
Published: July 24th 2012.
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Sort: Last book in the Paranormalcy series.
Part 1. Paranormalcy. 
Part 2. Supernaturally.

Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands. So much for normal.

          Rating: 

There are no spoilers for the other books.

I’m trying to finish as many series as possible this year. Have you ever realised how many series there are? I’ve made a list with all the series I’ve read in 2011 and 2012: I’m stressed! So many! Some of them aren’t complete yet, but I hope to reduce my amount by finishing many completed series. 

I liked Paranormalcy & Supernaturally and this is the perfect conclusion. This is how you end a series! I can’t tell a lot about it, so you’ll have to do it with this vague description:

Evie is forced to return to IPCA by the new director, but she is enjoying her life as a normal teenager. That is until Lend is kidnapped by The Dark Faerie Queen from the Unseelie court. Evie decides to accept Reth’s and Jack’s help to get him back. In the mean time, Paranormals are asking her to open a gate for them. They want to return to their own world. Can Evie save Lend and is the ready to make a gate?

Evie was a good character, but I liked her more in Paranormalcy. She was a bit more whiny now, always busy with her and Lend. She was completely focused on saving him, but she was ignorant for other problems. Her mood swings were annoying too. She hates Reth, then she likes him, then she hates him so much she likes him – make up your mind!

So, conclusion: a good ending for this series, but nothing too special.

Showcase Sunday 29. Queen's day haul and Kobo Glo!

Hosted by: Books, biscuits and tea.

I have a huge haul to show you today! Queen’s day, birthday presents and Netgalley/Edelweiss approvals. So let’s get started.

Like I said, we recently had our last Queen’s Day and I bought some great stuff there! I bought many new dvd’s (another addiction) and of course books!
I will use the covers I bought, which means that some of them are in Dutch. The translation to English can be found in the links.

Review 154. Alex Flinn – Towering.

Title: Towering.
Author: Alex Flinn.
Pages: 304.
Published: May 14th 2013 by HarperTeen.
Sort: Part 3 of ‘Kendra Chronicles.’
Part 1: Beastly.
Part 2: Bewitching.
Source: Edelweiss & Publisher.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her. Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again. Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

Rating: 

The first thing I need to say is: why is this part of the Kendra chronicles? I really don’t get it. Kendra has nothing to do with this book and it doesn’t have any connection with Beastly and Bewitching. Strange.. And it was good, but was it as good as I expected? Not really.

EDIT: Alex Flinn posted this comment on my review on Goodreads:
Thanks for the review. I apologize for any confusion about Kendra. This book is a standalone book and was never meant to be part of any "series." In truth, even Bewitching is a standalone book in that you don't have to read Beastly to read it (The Kendra Chronicles was meant to be a SUBTITLE, not a series title). Apparently, someone not associated with my publisher posted on Goodreads that Towering was about Kendra. If you look at the book or the e-book, you can see that it's not. Perils of the information age. Sorry.