Sweet Evil Read Along: Week 1

Topic: Road Trip! My necessities while traveling!


Night Driving!
I've recently become a fan of road trips! My preference is that I drive, and I'd prefer that all of the traveling is during the night. This might seem weird to you, but I have two small boys and I'd prefer that they are sleeping. Really, you could call that a cop-out, because what I love most about traveling through the night is...

Audio Books!
If you are a reader, then you would have to agree that the best job ever would be to read books, right? I think a job that required a lot of driving would be pretty awesome too. I wouldn't mind sitting in a car for 8 hours a day, listening to an audio book.

Awesome Audio books
Harry Potter & The Hunger Games are amazing audio books, but I'd also recommend:

Caffeine! I'm not big caffeine drinker so when I consume a large amount of caffeine my heart feels like it will pump through my chest, or I'll have a heart attack. But I don't hold back on the caffeine when I'm pulling an all nighter in the car for a road trip. Even if I have an audio book to occupy my mind, I still require some heavy caffeine consumption.

Munchies!
I normally do not stock up on munchies before a road trip because I never know what I'll feel like munching on after sitting in a car for a few hours. So I do all my munchies while stopping for gas and/or pee stops.

Is this normal???
I feel like I've been on a lot of road trips in the last few years, so I feel like this has all come naturally to me. All the other stuff is over-planning in my opinion. Tee! Hee! Hee!! Are these things normal for everyone?

Mini Review!
Gah! Oh, my sweetness and hottiness! I'm once again reminded why I absolutely LOVE this book so much. First off, I forgot how much I really like Jay. He ended up being kind of an afterthought when I've reminisced about Sweet Evil. But this is when I started to grow a strong bond with Anna's mom and, most of all, this is where I started to fall for Kaidan.

These chapters have all my favorite scenes. The scene where Anna discovers Kaidan and she’s literally drooling over his hotnes. The scene where she lies for the very first time (in the bathroom with those girls) really cracked me up. And I was terrified for Anna in the scene at the party with that DB dude. And then the scene learning about the danger of Kaidan's dad when she meets him for the first time at Kaidan's house. And of course the scene at the beginning of Anna & Kaidan's road trip. I can hardly wait to continue!!!

Fave Quote!

"Thanks", I said, feeling terrible. I couldn't leave that ugly lie sitting there out there like that.

"Um, I didn't really hear that about Kaidan." They both looked up with confusion, and I swallowed, forcing myself to continue. "He doesn't have gonorrhea. I mean, not that I know of."

"Why would you make that up?" The friend was more sober, and she was looking at me with deserved contempt. The drunken girl looked confused. I contemplated playing it off like I'd been joking, but that would also be a lie, and who jokes about STDs anyway?

"I don't know," I whispered. "I just...I'm sorry." I backed up and slipped out of there as fast as I could. It was a good thing, too, because Lascivious's last song was ending and all the girls were wobbling toward the bathroom now. It was time for the bands to switch. I wrung my hands and bit my lower lip, looking for Jay as the crowd surged around me. I wanted to go home.



Host:
Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Co-Hosts:
Two Chicks on Books
Fiktshun
Tater’s Tall Tails
Ravenous Reader

Cover Reveal of Release by M.R. Merrick

The Cover!

Expected publish date:
December 10, 2012

Author's summary: After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.

★★★★★★

About the author!

Website ★ Twitter ★ Facebook ★ Goodreads

M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer and author of The Protector Series, a Young Adult mash-up between Urban and Epic Fantasy. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.

★★★★★★


The Other Books!

Exiled
The Protector Book 1

Amazon ★ Goodreads
Author's summary: Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase’s birthday, the bloodline stopped.

Exiled without the Circle’s protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle’s agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can’t do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna – a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle’s plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other’s life depending on it.

Shift
The Protector Book 2

Amazon ★ Goodreads
Author's summary: Devastated by a terrible loss, Chase is trying to balance the life he’s been left with, a family he’s still getting to know, and power he never thought he’d have. He doesn’t understand why the Goddess has named him the Protector and granted him two gifts: the Mark, a tattoo that now covers his back, and the ring. But between getting interrogated by the Circle and psychic attacks from Riley, the Mark is the least of his concern. There’s a demon inside Rayna that’s fighting to be released, and it’s not her inner witch. It’s something else—a monster threatening to tear her apart.

As Chase struggles to control his magic, his enemies are closing in. Everyone has staked a claim on his ring, and destroying it may be his only chance to stop Riley. But Chase must decide if stopping him is worth risking the lives of everyone he cares about, or if protecting the ring will be enough to save his world.


What do you think about the new cover?

How fast do you read?

My Score!



Blackplume had this as a post on her blog and I thought I'd give it a try. That score up above is my score! I'm very well aware that I'm not a fast reader. Well, I actually consider myself a pretty slow reader. Whenever I try to read something quickly or if I start skimming, I do not absorb anything that I've read. So I'm actually very happy with this score! Give it a try and see what your score is!

What's your score?



Please come back and tell me your results!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Publisher's summary: Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty.

My take: My mind is scattered in all kinds of little pieces as I’m sitting here trying to think of everything I want to rave about this book, and I’m having a really hard time sorting them all out in my brain. First of all, I’m kicking myself for taking so long to read this book because I gave myself all sorts of excuses for holding off on reading this one, but this book should not have been left collecting dust on my bookshelf waiting for me! It’s a disgrace I tell ya! There were way too many books that I should not have put in priority over this one, and I’m truly angry with myself that I did just that; especially, after personally meeting Veronica Rossi at more than a few book signings! And now I’ve become a super-fan!

“What the…?” Yep! That’s exactly what I said to myself near the end of this book. Who would have thought that I would have been pitched that stunning twist near the end? There really isn’t much that I can say about this book that was really very predictable but, even then, I did not at all expect the twist that jumped out at me, and it took me a few moments to truly wrap my mind around it. It completely caught me off guard, and I was just as shocked as Perry…maybe even more so! But he seemed to take it better than I did! Then I found it pure craziness with the way Perry handled this shocking news, and I was completely baffled that this was the only resolution to the problem. And, yes, I’m trying to say all this without giving you any details (to avoid spoilers), so I hope you get what I’m trying to say here.

I love how Aria calls the people that live outside the Pods “Savages.” It defines them perfectly! And I actually find it quite funny that she has to explain herself to Perry. There are Outsiders that are way more savage than others like Perry and Roar, but I cannot deny that the way Perry lives and what he does to survive is anything but brutal.

The world that Veronica Rossi built, Under the Never Sky, and the way the story flowed, were just perfect! It seemed like each chapter made the next chapter better, and I grew extremely attached to the story and characters by the last few chapters. Not only was the story amazing, the characters were extremely well developed. I admired Aria for her strength and determination, and for how much she grew from the beginning of the story until the end. Aria ended up becoming one, kick-butt chick! But I can’t say she wasn’t ALREADY one tough chick because, from the very first moment she was thrown out of Reverie, the things she went through were just truly horrifying. And Peregrine (Perry) was the perfect male protagonist for the story, being truly savage but at the same time (deep down) he wants to do what is right. But I will have to admit that I was concerned throughout the story whether Perry’s intentions were actually selfish or whether he really was making the right choices. There is also this kid who ends up being kind of a tag-along character, and I could not help but like him, and Talon (Perry’s nephew) is also a super sweet kid. I cannot forget Roar! What is there to not like? I can't think of anything. And then there are a few more characters that come along a little more than midway into the book that I grew a soft spot for.

Then there are the completely savage beasts that come into the story! They’re absolutely freaky and utterly crazy, and I’m shuddering just thinking about them.

What I love most about this book is that we get a post-apocalyptic book, with science fiction/ paranormal elements to it. The story has a great, complicated romance in it that plays a fun part in the book, but the best part is it's not just the romance that makes this story amazing…it’s the whole freakin’ story.

Impatiently Waiting! Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas

Expected publish date:
November 13, 2012

Summary on Author's website: My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.


♥♥♥♥♥

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Introducing the... Sweet Evil Read Along!

We are very excited to introduce you to the Sweet Evil Read Along! We are huge fans of Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins, and we think you will be too! This read along will run from October 1st through the 28th. You’ve already read Sweet Evil? Read it again! You haven’t? Oh, my gosh! Then you totally need to participate! Do you want to follow along with Goodreads? Great! Do you want to follow along on your blog? Fabulous! Each week, for 4 weeks, there will be designated chapters and themes that we will focus on.

How do you participate? Do a weekly post on your blog or a status update on Goodreads and discuss your thoughts about the designated chapters, share your favorite quotes, and show your creativity in the weekly theme!

Co-Hosts:
Two Chicks on Books
Fiktshun
Tater’s Tall Tails
Ravenous Reader


1st Week: October 1–7 Chapter One - Nine:
Pages 1 - 121
Theme: Road Trip - You choose. Examples, what would you pack and why, your playlist, your dream road trip or road trip games.


2nd Week: October 8 – 14 Chapters Ten - Sixteen:
Pages 122 – 231
Theme: Citrus or Pear recipe. Share a citrus or pear food/drink recipe.


3rd Week: October 15 – 21 Chapters Seventeen - Twenty-Five:
Pages 232 - 340
Theme: Truth or Dare


4th Week: October 22 – 28 Chapters Twenty-Six - Thirty-One:
Pages 341 - 447
Theme: Halloween

Giveaways? HELL YES!

Participating in the Sweet Evil Read Along event increases your chance to win one of at least four truly drool-worthy ARCs! And the giveaway will be Open International! Watch for details of this giveaway on the participating blogs on September 30, 2012.

Sign up now in the Sweet Evil Read Along Linky, and fill out the Rafflecopter to enter to win a signed copy of Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, or an eBook of Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi. This giveaway will end September 30, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST and is Open International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Impatiently Waiting! Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

Expected publish date:
January 15, 2013

Publisher's summary: The final book in the trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis!

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. But this new Earth isn't the paradise that Amy had been hoping for. Amy and Elder must race to uncover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. But as each new discovery brings more danger, Amy and Elder will have to look inward to the very fabric of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been meaningless.


♥♥♥♥♥

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Do you want personalized signed books?

On Friday, I'm going to a book signing event, and I was planning on getting some books generically signed for giveaways! But then I thought, “What's even better than winning a signed book?” Actually winning a book that’s been personalized for the winner! And I'll throw in an ARC of Breathe by Sarah Crossan for this giveaway too!

So enter now because there’s just over 2 days to enter to give me enough time to have your book personalized. US shipping only. Giveaway ends Thursday, September 20, 2012 11:59pm EST. The first winner will receive their first preference, the second winner will get their top preference that’s still available, and so forth. Total of 5 winners.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweet Evil Read Along

<a href="http://www.magicalurbanfantasyreads.com/2012/09/sweet-evil-read-along.html"><img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/mindy_herbert/Sweet%20Evil%20Read%20Along/SweetEvilMainBanner.jpg"></a>
You can follow along with Goodreads or your personal blog. Each week, for 4 weeks, there will be designated chapters and themes that we will focus on.

How do you participate? Do a weekly post on your blog or a status update on Goodreads and discuss your thoughts about the designated chapters, share your favorite quotes, and show your creativity in the weekly theme!


Make sure you link your post or update for the Sweet Evil Read Along in the designated week's Linky Thing on the Sweet Evil Read Along page so we can see yours too!


Do you still need to purchase Sweet Evil to participate? Find it on Amazon NOW!


Host:
Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Co-Hosts:
Two Chicks on Books
Fiktshun
Tater’s Tall Tails
Ravenous Reader

Sign up here!


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Week 1 Links!


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Week 2 Links!


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Week 3 Links!


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Week 4 Links!

BBAW: Pimping awesome books!

Partials
by Dan Wells

Publisher's Summary: The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.

★★★★★★

Cinder
by Marissa Meyer

Publisher’s summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
★★★★★★

Embers & Echoes
by Karsten Knight

Publisher’s summary: Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.

This sequel to the edgy and action-packed Wildefire continues a fiery drama on an immortal scale.
★★★★★★

A Touch Morbid
by Leah Clifford

Publisher’s Summary: Eden saved Az.

She fought and sacrificed and won him back from the most evil of evils. Now is the time for happily-ever-afters, right?

Not so fast.

A boy—even an angel—is hardly the solution to Eden’s problems. She’s still caught between life and death, still cursed to spread poison with her touch. She’s lost one best friend and another is quickly unraveling. And now something is happening to the mortals. Something very, very bad.

What happens in the dark spaces? The ones between life and death, love and hate, betrayal and redemption, sanity and delusion.

Or good and evil.

Eden is about to find out.

The riveting sequel to A Touch Mortal.
★★★★★★

Unraveling
by Elizabeth Norris

Publisher's Summary: Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.