mercoledì 29 agosto 2012

Wishlist Wednesday #4


So what do you need to do to join in?
  • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
  • Please consider adding the blog hop button to your blog somewhere, so others can find it easily and join in too! Help spread the word! The code will be at the bottom of the post under the linky.
  • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
  • Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of this post.
  • Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.
  • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

Insurgent
by Veronica Roth

From Goodreads:
One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Some of you may know that my last Wishlist Wednesday post was about Divergent, the prequel of Insurgent. Well, I've been so lucky that I finally won a paperback copy of Divergent and as soon as I started reading it, I got intoxicated! It really is a book that creates addiction and now I can't wait to put my hands on Insurgent!!! I've already read the first two chapters (They were at the end of my copy of Divergent :D) so I'm looking forward to the rest of the book!!!

What about you? Have you read Divergent/Insurgent?
What was on you wishlist?

Sara

martedì 28 agosto 2012

Book Tour: Pledged by Gwynneth White [Excerpts + Give@way]

Hey Beautiful People!! It's been a while since my last post,
but to forgive me, today I have for you an amazing surprise!
Some of you may know that I'm taking part in the blog tour of Pledged,
a new fantasy book by Gwynneth White. To learn more about the book
you can check out my previous posts: Guest Post, Book Spotlight.
Each excerpt will give you the possibility to know more about the main 
characters of the book, so here we go:

Meet Seth and Erin 
Despite the heat, Seth felt icy. Dread could do that to him. Or so he had recently discovered. Deep breathing usually calmed him, so he sucked in a lungful of desert air and told himself to relax. It didn’t help. By the time he’d walked from the aircraft to the immigration hall he’d ripped off a jagged piece of thumbnail, already bitten raw. He handed his US passport to the Botswanan border official, and, after a frown, and a stamp, he joined the crowd at the baggage carousel. Botswana in southern Africa was the last place on earth he’d ever have picked for a holiday destination. But he wasn’t here on holiday. Not even close.
His backpack was slow in coming. Tired from his long-haul flight from New York, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Almost as if to mock him, the hated vision that had brought him to Botswana burst into his mind. In an instant he was back in ancient times, watching a man he knew only as Gideon. As usual, Gideon was huddled on a windswept hill with his band of hopeless soldiers, waiting to be slaughtered by a huge army gathered in the valley below.
Seth snapped his eyes open to stop the battle from waging in his mind. It wasn’t that he was particularly squeamish; he’d watched enough movies to iron clad his stomach against gory visuals. But no movie had ever left him icy with dread the way Gideon’s battle did. And the reason for that was simple. The moment the visions had started, he had known that the war, fought so long ago in a place he’d never heard of, was far from over. And, as reluctant as he was, he too was being enlisted to fight in a cause he didn’t understand or want.
He forced himself to focus on the present: Erin, who waited for him in the arrivals hall; his brother Kyle, whom he’d come to Botswana to visit; Kyle’s expedition to find the Lost City of the Kalahari . . .
He ripped off another piece of fingernail. Thinking about the search for the Lost City was almost as bad as the war-vision. I hope Kyle never finds the damned place. He slapped his hand on his thigh. Enough! Grabbing his backpack off the carousel, he set his face into a smile and strode into the arrivals hall.

The first hurdle was finding Erin. She was due to arrive an hour earlier on a flight from Cape Town in South Africa, one of Botswana’s neighbours. He’d never met her, although they had spoken over the phone once. Then she’d described herself as “a short, seventeen-year-old (a year younger than him) with a mass of ginger hair.” She’d sounded nice. Meeting her was the one ray of brightness in this otherwise dark picture.
He stopped to scan the crowd. A petite girl with shoulder length, reddish-blonde curls, dressed in skinny jeans and a purple blouse, immediately caught his eye. It had to be Erin. Nice legs. What’s it with girls that they always under-sell themselves? He studied her face with his artist’s eye. Vermeer would’ve killed to paint her. Suddenly wishing he didn’t look so grimy after his three plane-changes, he walked over to join her. “Hi, I’m Seth. You’ve got to be Erin. My brother’s just married your sister Izzy.”
“And after only knowing each other for about a week.”
Her dimpled grin was infectious, making him crack his trademark crooked smile. “Madness.”
“Mysterious.” Erin cocked her head to one side, seemingly appraising him. He knew he had been accurate when he’d told her he was tall and dark-haired. But what he had failed to mention was what girls had often said they liked about him: his strong, angular face, softened by expressive brown eyes. He watched her eyes rove over his grey Muse: Resistance t-shirt, taking in his broad shoulders and chest. From there they darted down his black camo-pants to his boots. Amused by her blatant assessment, he cocked his head to one side, watching her. Suddenly Erin giggled – was she embarrassed? – and picked up her bag.
“We’ve yet another plane to catch. My fourth in the last twenty-four hours,” Seth said, hoping to explain away his rumpled appearance. “To a place called Maun.”
“So we do. Let the adventure begin.”
***
Meet Jared and Sophia
Jared nodded at Sophia and Kezeah without any sign of recognition. With two of his Pledged up front and two at their rear, he marched them down the corridor to a flight of stairs. Once at the bottom, he ducked beneath an archway, opening onto to a gloomy, narrow tunnel. Erin, never keen on dark, claustrophobic spaces, took a deep breath and paused.
“C’mon,” Seth said. “The sooner we walk through it, the quicker we get to the other side.”
“What happens if what’s on the other side is even worse?”
“Then you’ll know for sure that the dead guys are leading this expedition,” Seth said, wanting to deny the painful burning in his heart that reconnected him with a cursed Jared. He grabbed Erin’s arm and pulled her into the passage.
They’d taken no more than two tentative steps along the uneven floor when Sophia stopped. “Commander, I am not walking through this snake-hole!”
Jared turned back to look at her. With none of the fear or diffidence Erin and Seth expected from a boy with limited to exposure to girls – especially beautiful ones – he answered, “Of course, my lady. You’re from Norin, where I understand you live in grass huts.” He gave a sardonic smile. “But don’t despair, you’ll soon get used to bricks. Even our own Outcasts have learnt not to flinch at the sight of them.” He continued down the passage.
Seth’s mouth dropped at Jared’s rudeness; this was so foreign to the Jared he had seen just moments ago in his vision. It just added to his anger at Reuel’s Curse.
The Pledged at Sophia’s rear prodded her back; she gave him a fierce look and started walking.
For Seth and Sophia, both taller than Erin and Kezeah, negotiating the tortuous twists and turns of the tunnel was no easy matter. Stooping, cursing each time they bumped their heads on the rough ceiling, they struggled after Jared, but he kept up the merciless pace until they reached a dark staircase.
Her temper now as short as her breath, Sophia stopped walking and locked her arms across her chest. “Having just cracked my skull open, you now expect me to scramble up those treacherous stairs too. No doubt hoping I’ll fall and break my neck. Well, forget it. I’m not moving.”
“Sophia!” Kezeah whispered, jabbing her in the ribs as she stepped gingerly onto the first narrow step.
Sophia ignored her. “Only savages and rats live in places like this.”
Jared’s eyes narrowed. “Savages and rats, you say, my lady?”
Sophia set her face into a cold stare, locking her hypnotic blue eyes on his.
He surprised her by holding her gaze. “I hate to disappoint you, my lady, but Lord Rustus, Lord of the Household, under the direction of the Overlord himself, has chosen your apartment. Surely you don’t question their judgment in this matter?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“In that case, I’ll gladly pass on your concerns. If that’s what you really want.”
“Enough, Sophia. This isn’t a fight you can win.” Sophia’s Guardian had joined them.
***
Meet Caleb and Talitha
Erin flicked her hair behind her ear and watched Caleb straighten his clothing. He took a deep breath and entered the hut. They followed right after him, drifting through the closed door as if it didn’t exist. Seth laughed, holding his hand up to Erin for a high-five – until he noticed that Caleb’s Gefallen had also wafted into the cabin with them. Even though he had no idea how to defend Erin from a ghost, he stepped in front of her to protect her. But the wraith ignored them and sailed over to Caleb.
A tall, blonde-haired girl with almond-shaped brown eyes was waiting for Caleb. For Erin, the recognition was instantaneous; it was Talitha. “She’s so beautiful!”
“She’s okay,” Seth replied, looking her over critically. “But I don’t think Caleb’s here for her looks.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You said yourself that Caleb’s a good-looking guy. I bet he could have any girl he wants around here.”
Erin frowned; then she smiled as understanding dawned. “So, in guy-talk, you’re saying he loves her?”
Seth chuckled as he picked up Erin’s hand and put it on his heart. “Tell me what you’re feeling?”
Erin gasped at a disconcerting pulse thrumming in Seth’s chest, over-riding his own heartbeat. “It’s . . . no . . . It’s not possible.”
“I’ll bet it is. It’s Caleb’s heart beating.”
“How do you know it’s him? It could be Talitha.”
“It started the moment I saw him. It’s like it’s there to stop me denying that he and I were once friends. And I was watching Talitha when he walked in. She smiled, and it felt as if someone had just shot a thousand volts through him.”
“It’s amazing you’re so connected that you can feel him.”
Seth wasn’t so sure he agreed; it made being here just a little too real.
Erin felt her own heart and could faintly discern Talitha’s heartbeat; it was nowhere near as strong as the thump in Seth’s chest, but then, she figured, she wasn’t in denial the way he was.
They fell into silence as Caleb opened his arms to embrace Talitha. She draped her arms around his neck, twisting the dark curls tumbling onto his shoulders.
He kissed the nape of her throat and ran his lips up her neck, over her chin to her mouth.
“This is awkward,” Erin murmured, looking away.
“You don’t say. All this way just to watch them making out.”



And now, for those of you who are interested in the book 
I have 4 e-copies to giveaway to 4 lucky winners!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

lunedì 13 agosto 2012

Review: Superheroes Wear Faded Denim by Law Reigns

Superheroes Wear Faded Denim

Author: Law Reigns
Published: May 20th 2012
Number of Pages: 428
Format: eBook
Purchase: Amazon

From Goodreads:
Blissany Cherry is tired of sleeping around. Her neurologists’ sleep solutions have failed her. Now that her bizarre sleeping habits have begun to include week long dreams she has resorted to her own methods for a cure.  METHOD ONE: CONTROL DREAMS. All attempts to morph dreams about a gorgeous warrior into romantic fantasies are thwarted. He keeps on insisting she is destined to marry a great king and lead their armies into war. At the end of every dream he asks her: will you fight the war and save mankind? 
She laughs in his face. METHOD TWO: RESIST! Blissany has plans for her life. None include fighting an intergalactic war. When her dreams begin spilling over into reality, she is forced to make a decision that will forever redefine her life. Standing between destiny and desire, she is left with only one option.  METHOD THREE: SURVIVE.



My Review:

Superheroes Wear Faded Denim is a Paranormal/YA novel written by Law Reigns. About a month ago the author contacted me for asking me to review her novel and I was so glad to accept her request. The plot caught me from the first moment I read it and the excerpt she sent me for her guest post just made me more curious about her work.

Blissany has always thought she was just an ordinary girl and she has always lived in the shadow of her man-eater friend Demi. She would have never imagined she would be the Key, Nivide's own creation, the only one who could donate to mankind the possibility to survive to the evil Apollyon. Infact the Earth is seriously threatened by the Low Court, one of the three Realms, where all the evil creatures live; The High Court, populated by the custodiae, angel beings, has the responsability to assure the survival of men. For this reason the Four Highest are taming Blissany's dreams, because she needs to believe in magic or the Earth will pay the consequences. During this hard journey she will discover she's not on her own: Nivide has created another superhero, Don, the Paladin, who will fight on her side against Apollyon. Will Blissany ever accept her destiny? Will Blissany and Don succeed in defeating Apollyon? And what about Wanikiya? The sexy Redemeer who has always been in love with her best friend, Blissany; will she accept his marriage proposal? As always, read to know!( God, I love ending the summary of the plot with questions LOL)


The book was really a curious reading, I really want to warn everyone that the author has a wide imagination. Personally, I've never read something about angels and different Realms, and it was quite entertaining reading something different once in a while. I think that the base idea for the plot was really good and also well-developed but sometimes I was totally lost! In certain points the story was not very clear or too many information were given to the reader and these reasons created a little bit of confusion. There was a precise point in which the whole story about the war and Apollyon was completely lost, replaced by Blissany's desire of revenge against Demi. Anyway, I think these were the only things that didn't convinced me about the book.


There was a great variety of characters and, even if sometimes they seemed stereotyped, they were intriguing. Blissany was a girl with very little self-esteem and her insecurity was not helped by the behaviour of her best-friend Demi, who always won against her on everything. Despite her insecurity about her physical appearance she had a great personality; she was very, very stubborn and I hated when she refused to believe in what was happening for so many times. I mean, at a certain point, you can't deny the reality of circumstances anymore.Then there was Demi, the classic competitive Barbie Girl ( with dyed hairs); I spent most of the book hating her because she really was a bitch but then, at the end, the author has completely transformed her character. In the last few chapters she was possessed by a fimus, a demon from the Low Court, who revealed her the blackness of her soul. The revelation completely changed her, causing her a mental breakdown who led her to become a better person, someone who would not throw away your clothes just because of her jealousy! Don, instead, was the Paladin, the fighter who has accompained Blissany during her mission and a really adorable person. He has Asian origins and that made me think about an handsome guy, with straight dark hair and pale skin!! Mmmmh, by the way, at the beginning I didn't understand what joke he was playing, because I imagined he liked Blissany even if he had a relationship with Demi, but, in the end I figured out how nice he has always been. He stayed with Demi even in those moments when she was pretty much a demon and their love was tormented, really. They were together but they didn't realised how much they needed each other until the very end.And at least, but not last, Wanikiya, the most kind character ever. He was so nice with everyone (except for Don LOL) and he was so charming, and not only for his personality! But  I don't feel like I've been particulary tied to his character.


In the end, I really enjoyed reading this book because I really liked the framework  in which the author set the story. I would recommend the book to all Fantasy lovers but especially to those who are fascinated by angels!

Rated:




giovedì 9 agosto 2012

Showcase Sunday #5


Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Book, Biscuits and Tea
               The aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag
                and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought
            in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week.

Bought:




Well, I'm Back!!! I'm so sorry I haven't blogged for so many days but I'm 
going through a really tough period. During my summer holidays I bought SO 
many old books and I've spent less than 20 euro for most of them :)

 
Images by Freepik