This blog will soon be deleted!

Okay, so I said this in Jan/Feb that I will be moving to a new blog called Sleepless Reads! If you haven't already checked it out, I suggest you do so now!


Now, I'll be deleting this blog in a couple of weeks, so go head to Sleepless Reads now! Trust me, you'll love it!

Sleepless Reads

Hey guys! I just wanted all of you guys to know that I HAVE a new blog up, and it's called Sleepless Reads! If you want to check out, here's the link: sleeplessreadsreviews.blogspot.ca :) Just so you guys know, I'm still in transition period, so the blog isn't at it's prettiest. But you guys can follow the new blog (please? :D)

So now that I have a new blog, I bet you're wondering what I'll do with this blog. Well, I still have some last minute blog tours and contests going on here, so I WILL NOT be deleting it right away. It will still be up, and there will be a link to this blog on Sleepless Reads.

I probably will not start using Sleepless Reads consistently till my six month blogaversary on February 22nd, 2014.  I got some awesome things being planned for then, and I hope that you guys will be able to join me! 

I will be posting reviews FROM NOW ON at Sleepless Reads, unless specified. So go on, check it out :)

See you all there! :D

What's in the Snow? Scavenger Hunt with Bethany Neal!

Hey guys, it's Allison, and I'm SO excited to be part of this scavenger hunt! This is my first scavenger hunt EVER (so bare with me here). Before we get to the awesome interview with the fabulous Bethany Neal (author of My Last Kiss), here are some facts about myself so we can get acquainted!

• I started this blog on August 22nd, 2013
• I celebrated my three month blogaversary on the Catching Fire release date- November 22nd, 2013.
• I got my laptop taken away from me; it had a huge virus. And clumsy (15) year old me dropped it down the stairs. Oops.
• I run the Canadian Vampire Academy account on twitter (@VACanadaNews) 
• I am currently a junior in high school
• I live in Canada. And yes, it is cold. Only in the winter. Our summers are oddly humid.

WHEW! So with that over, let's move onto that interview with Bethany? (eh?). Bethany Neal is a new and upcoming author who's debut book, My Last Kiss, will be released on June 10th, 2014! Here's the lovely cover and synopsis for the book:



What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss—the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died—is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made—good and bad—that led to her last kiss.

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What's in the Snow? Author Interview:

with Bethany Neal!

1. Hey Bethany! I'm so happy to get the chance to interview you! Can you tell everyone a little about yourself in two sentences or less?

Oh man, only two sentences? (That one doesn’t count!) My favorite stories are ones that romanticize the dark and creepy…and involve generous amounts of kissing. I used to have a pot-bellied pig named Mozart as a pet. (Somehow that felt relevant to share here. This sentence doesn’t count either.)

2. Do you have any hidden talents?

I’m crazy good at Name That Tune and reciting song lyrics.

3. When did you know you wanted to become an author?

People sometimes cringe when I tell them this because the series has blown up so hugely since the first book came out, but my initial motivation to start writing came after I read Twilight. I own my Twihardness though. BTW, I'm totally Team Edward!

4. Who influenced/influences you in your writing? And what made you want to write My Last Kiss?

I don’t know if I have any specific writing influences, but I admire Shirley Jackson's work, especially her novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Also, the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. She lived such a ravishing life and it shined through in her work.

I came up with the idea for My Last Kisswhile listening to the song ‘Help, I’m Alive’ by Metric. Fun behind-the-scenes fact, if you’re a Metric fan you’ll notice some hidden Easter eggs in My Last Kiss that relate back to the band.

 

In fact, most of the inspiration for my writing comes from music. I’m a song lyrics junkie (re: question 2), so I tend to read a lot between the lines of the stories told in songs. Artists that are atmospheric and poetic like Florence + The Machine, Eisley, The Joy Formidable, and Stars speak to me the most.

5. Can you describe Cassidy's character in three words?

Ghost(ish), in love, fractured. (I know that’s four words, but in love had to be in there.)

6. Cassidy dies after her last kiss and is stuck in the human world without her human body. What do you think you would do if you were ever stuck in that situation?

I'd probably be a lot like Cassidy and stay near my loved ones, but I'd also take advantage of the whole invisible thing and sneak into all kinds of places I'm not supposed to be. Cut to TMZ reporting Robert Pattinson's house is haunted.

7. What kind of trouble can we expect Cassidy to get into while she's half-dead?

Well, Cassidy is lucky in that she gets a second chance to make up for the mistakes she made in her life. The trouble comes in that she can’t remember what those mistakes were or who she made them with. Nobody can hear or see her and some freaky stuff happens when she tries to touch anyone. So, that complicates things while she’s trying to solve the mystery surrounding her own death. Cassidy does get a little help along the way, but I’m not telling from what…or who.

8. Boys. We have to talk boys. What are some Fangirl worthy qualities that the guys in the story have?

I should open with a disclaimer that all the boys in my book are salty morsels—even the villainous I-might-have-caused-your-death ones. I just can’t help myself when it comes to fictional hotties.

The two main boys in Cassidy’s (after)life are her boyfriend Ethan and her childhood friend Caleb. Both have their Fangirl-worthy qualities, which are listed below.

Ethan is loyal and charming and has rich umber eyes. He learned how to dance to woo Cassidy (who is a ballerina). He knows she lied (not telling about what!), but can’t help still loving her. Forgiveness is sosexy!

Caleb is the kind of guy you can be yourself around no matter what. He's laid back and always ready with a joke to make you laugh and chocolate to make you happy when all you want to do is cry.

9. Since we ARE talking about kissing: who was the last person YOU kissed?

My longtime boyfriend. It may or may not have been a result of watching a particularly swoon-worthy episode of The Carrie Diaries…

SPEED ROUND QUESTIONS: This or That? Christmas Edition :)

Hot Chocolate or Tea?

Depends on the flavor of tea, but usually tea.

Ebook or Book?

Real live books.

Being Santa or being an Elf?

Elf. Santa has to work too hard, and red isn’t my best color.

Candy-canes or peppermint candy?

Candy cane technology has come a long way. For instance, do you know Sour Patch Kids-flavored candy canes exist in the world now? Mind. Blown.

Ginger bread cookies or sugar cookies?

Ginger bread. I bite off the heads first. Quick and painless. It’s the only humane way to eat a snack with a face.

Decorating the tree or cooking a Christmas feast?

Decorating the tree, but only because I don’t cook.

Shoveling snow or editing a manuscript?

Editing. No question.

Not remembering your life or not remembering your last kiss?

Because I don’t live in a book and real life pales in comparison to fiction, I’ll say I’d rather not remember my last kiss—unless it ends up being with Ansel Elgort (a.k.a. Gus from the soon-to-be TFiOS movie), in which case I change my vote!

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About the Author

 

 

Bethany Neal writes YA novels with a little dark side and a lot of kissing! She is obsessed with (but not limited to): nail polish, ginormous rings, pigs, dream analysis, memorizing song lyrics, pickles, dessert, predestined love, not growing up, sour gummy candies, music videos, Halloween, and fictional boys who play guitar. You can find her locked in her writertorium for insane amounts of time. But, hey, insanity is fun! My Last Kiss is her first novel. You can connect with her on

Twitter@BethDazzled and Facebook.

 

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Isn't Bethany awesome? And doesn't My Last Kiss sound awesome too? Well don't worry! Bethany is giving you a chance to win an ARC of My Lasy Kiss! Since this is her first giveaway as an author, this contest will only be open to the United States!All you have to do is answer the following in the comment section of the post bellow: What are the top three (3) craziest things on YOUR bucket list?

 

 

Enter your answer now on the COMMENT section bellow (along with your email), and if you want EXTRA PRIZES, visit Reviews Abound to enter the rafflecopter contest! The Scavenger Hunt question:

Rafflecopter clue: In which major world city can you go to to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve/Day?

Have a wonderful New Year, and add My Last Kiss on your Goodreads TBR pile! AND make sure to enter my own contests on my blog: I'm giving away a MG and a YA prize pack! It's open to both the CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES! Enter Now!  

Review: Unbound by Georgia Bell

 

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Author: Georgia Bell

Pages: 475 pages

Publisher: ?

Recieved From: Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours

Release Date: November 2nd, 2013

Status: Ebook, All Good Things (#1)

 

After her father dies, Rachel realizes she is scared and stuck. Scared of heights, of cars, of disasters harming the people she loves. Stuck in a life that is getting smaller by the minute. Stuck with a secret she has kept all her life: Someone has been watching over her since birth. Someone who tends to show up when she needs him the most. Someone she believes is her guardian angel.

Eaden is a 1,500-year-old immortal who wants to die. Drained by a life stretched too thin, he has requested his final reward – a mortal sacrifice bred specifically to bring him death. But something went wrong. Rachel’s ability to grant death has mutated in ways that threaten to upset the uneasy alliance between mortals and immortals. And utterly beguiled, Eaden discovers that although Rachel is the key to his death, because of her, he no longer wants to die. And he will do anything to protect her.

Swept into a world of legends, caught between the warring political factions of immortals, and carrying the future of mortal kind in her flesh and bone, Rachel must risk everything to save her world and the man she loves.

 

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Review

Firstly, I'd like to thank Giselle for giving me an opportunity to review this book! It was an enjoyable read!

 

Rachel (poor girl) is afraid of everything, to the point where she's made life predictable for herself. I sympathized for her throughout the story, because she'd lost pretty much her whole family after her father's death. This book was a YA paranormal romance, so there was a lot of OTP/shipping moments throughout the book. Usually for me, it means that this is the point where the book gets overly sappy. But fortunately, the romance wasn't sappy/over done at all.

 

Because Rachel has lived (pretty much) her pre-teen to teenage years confined and stuck, Eaden James MacAlister (*swoon*) brings her to life. They bring the story to life. Literally. When the two finally meet after many years, things start to get complicated.

 

What I liked about this story was the world of the Immortals that Bell has created. It's complicated and mysterious, and totally makes Rachel's dull life more lively. I also loved how she incorporated some Arthurian legend in the book.

 

It was a good story, and the plot was okay. I found that it did drag in some places, but it didn't take too much away from the overall story. I liked how I got to see Rachel's character development- she goes from being scared to hero, which I love. And I like how the characters (even the side characters) are all unique in their own way. What I didn't like was how the side characters (Stuart, Sita, Mara etc) weren't in the story as much as I wanted them to be- they're amazing characters, especially Stuart. And I didn't really like the fact that we didn't learn that the story took place IN CANADA till near the end of the book, when Rachel ends up in London. I went back, and tried to search for a clue as to where it said she was from Canada before that point. But I was really happy when she got into U of T (that's the University of Toronto my non-Canadian pals) :D.

 

Overall, it was a good story. It was a little slow in places, but the world was built lovely, the characters (especially Rachel's) were developed fine, the plot was good and leads in well to UNKNOWN, the sequel. And she's Canadian. ;D

 

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Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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New Years Giveaway!

It's almost 2014, and I'm cleaning out my bookshelf and giving you guys a chance to win some awesome prizes!

I'm giving away ONE (1) Middle Grade prize pack & ONE (1) Young Adult prize pack. Depending on how this contest goes, I'll probably do more giveaways in the future. 

Okay, so this is what you guys can win! For the Middle Grade prize pack, you can win this:

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee, My Sister the Vampire (#1): Switched by Sienna Mercer, and one (1) Hello Kitty mini note pad! 

For the Young Adult prize pack, you can win:

A copy of the Fallen: Fallen & Levithan by Thomas E. Sniegoski, Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor, Death by Latter (Death by #2) by Linda Gerber, and one (1) wallet. 

Since this is my first giveaway, this will only be open to both Canada and the United States. I'm really sorry International guys! I'll try making the next one international :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Best Reads of 2013

With 2013 drawing to a close, I thought I'd join the band wagon and share with you guys, my best reads of 2013! So here are my top ten (10) reads, and my pitiful reasons why you should read them!

10. Endless by Amanda Gray, 3.5 Stars

It was a good read, but it has a lot of loose ends and wholes. It really needs a sequel.

 

9. Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield, 3.5 stars

 

 

The Chantress world was a really interesting one for me, and was really unique. I even reviewed this for my school newspaper :)

 

8. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, 3.5 stars

 



I love this series, and I love the way Taylor is going with this, but Karou was not my favourite in this novel. But you should read this series- it's totally worth the 500+ pages :D

7. The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan, 4 stars



Forbidden romance, magical powers, a curse, family ties , secret organizations, GARGOYLES, and Paris. Need I say more?

6. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, 4 stars

 

This book was very steam punk-esque to me (I've never even read that genre yet). And it had a living prision. This book was, in a word, bad-ass!
5. Yesterday by C.K Kelly Martin, 4 stars



Imagine if your life was a lie. Imagine that you aren't from your present time period. What if I told you that this was your reality? Welcome to Freya's life, where nothing is as it seems... And it takes place in Canada. That should be the selling point right there :D

4. The Prophecy by Erin Albert, 4 stars

Abandoned as a baby and taken away to end the war between two warring countries. Just a day in the life of Layla Givens. But more she resists, the more involved she becomes. Totally loved this book, shipped the characters so hard, but then Erin Albert had to Moffat me. But it is TOTALLY worth the read.

3. Crewel by Gennifer Albin, 4.5 stars



There's a world above ours, and it was created to end all suffering. But when 16 year old Adelice is chosen to be a Spinster, she learns that her world isn't as safe as she thought it was... READ IT! Or I will go all Cormac on you! Don't get it? Well, read the book!

2. Belladonna by Fiona Paul, 4.5 stars



Belladonna is the sequel to Venom, by Fiona Paul. It's set in Italy, and is full of mystery, murder, adventure, swoon worthy guys, and of course, a secret organization obsessed with life. This book was an amazing read, I waited TWO MONTHS after its release to get it... only to lose it a month later. NOTE: When you buy this book, cherish it with ALL of your life.

1. United We Spy by Ally Carter, 5 stars


AND SO WE MADE IT TO NUMBER ONE! WOOOH! United We Spy was my Best Read of 2013. I had such a hard time reading and reviewing this book because I just couldn't part with the series. I started reading the Gallagher Girls series when I was in the SEVENTH grade- that was over 5 years ago guys! I grew up with Cammie, Bex, Macey, Liz, Zach, Rachel Morgan, Abby, Solomon, and the Gallagher Academy, that I just didn't want it to end. But alas, it did. And I loved it, even if I didn't read the wedding scene because I'm from Canada if the ending was bitter sweet for me. The series came along way from being a story about a teenage girl attending a spy school who falls in love with a civillian to an action-packed, international intrigue filled story. If you haven't read the Gallagher Girls series yet, you should. It's worth it. If this isn't for you, give it to your daughters, nieces, cousins, friends, husbands, boyfriends, mothers, dads, brothers, sisters, and spread the word about the Gallagher Girls!

So that's it for me! Any of these books part of your best of 2013 list? Any of these books interest you? Comment or tweet me @missyallydums97 :D

AND come back tomorrow for a SPECIAL announcement regarding my first ever giveaway!

ARC Review: Salt by Danielle Ellison

 

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Author: Danielle Ellison
Pages: 365 pages
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: January 7th, 2014
Received From: the publisher, for an honest review
Status: PDF (ebook), Salt (#1)

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents—and stole her magic. Since then, she’s been pretending to be something she’s not, using her sister’s magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent away.

When she’s finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister’s help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find "her" demon. To take back what was stolen.

Then she meets Carter. He’s cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret—but he also has one of his own.

Suddenly, Penelope’s impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter’s not telling her everything, and it’s starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda…and they’re far too interested in her

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Review:

 

This book was totally worth the read! Even from just the synopsis, I knew it was going to be a good book.

 

Penelope is a unique character: she's a witch with no magic, but she can take magic from her immediate family. But when she's out one day, she discovers she can take magic from Carter, a really mysterious witch who declares himself a "demon tracker", the same way she can take it from her family. In her world, if you are unable to do magic, you are deemed as Static, and removed from the witch community. Penelope wants to be an Enforcer so she can find her demon, but as she gets closer to her goal, she realizes that not having any magic is the least of her worries.

 

I liked her as a narrator, and I really do feel sorry for her. She knows she's a witch, even without any magic, but her grandparents do their best to discourage her from becoming an Enforcer to save the rest of them- they go so far, to the point where she is almost married off. But what I liked about Penelope is that she is a total fighter- a total badass- who knows her worth, gets her way, and does her best to protect the ones she loves. She's like a magical version of Rose Hathaway.

 

The story, overall, was really interesting. I found it beautifully executed. It was really good, and while I was reading it, I tried my best to figure out what was going to happen next using the foreshadowing. I found the foreshadowing, but I was completely off when it unfolded later on in the story!

 

When it comes to reading debut novels/the first book of any series, I've kind of fallen into the pattern of getting to know the character, getting to know the world, figuring out what happens next in the plot before it unfolds (sometimes it happens way too early), and get gut-punched every time my OTP fails. But with Salt, Ellison does an amazing job with keeping everything at a good pace, developing the characters (to lead to the next book), throwing me curve balls that I knew I should've gotten right away (but alas, I didn't), and leaving enough loose threads hanging for the next book.

 

This story was such a good read, that I seriously am upset that there isn't a sequel already written. I had a good time reading it, even when I got mad that I got a lot of things wrong (*cough*Carter*cough*).

 

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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