Book Review: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

SUMMARY: Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance...

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal


OPINION: 5 STARS


One of my favorite things about Zink’s books will probably always be the mix of stunning writing with rich setting. Her books are addicting and enamoring, pulling me in so completely that I feel, every time, as if I am right there with the characters, in period clothing. A Temptation of Angels is no exception, and with the stunning plot, this one is a total must read.

Helen is, in many ways at the start, a girl typical of her period. Obedient and loving to her parents, and used to the relative oppression of women at the time, she stays within her bounds. Terrified when her mother wakes her in the night, rapidly packing a bag and hiding her away with explicit instructions to get out at all costs, Helen’s entire world is shattered and turned over. Forced rapidly to give up on life she is used to, Zink beautifully navigates the gap between dainty to strong and determined. While her change is forced by circumstance, Helen has it within her the entire time to stand up to everything she is facing, and not let anyone push her around in the process. This isn't a tale of a girl against her time period’s way of life, but rather a girl who simply has such fortitude that she can handle the rapid shift. Still, she has her moments of sorrow and weakness, and she will easily tug readers into her story. Helen goes through excellent growth, from learning about love to the truth of what she is, and handling all of it with a certain grace.

Griffin and Darius are the pair of brothers who she’s instructed to go see, who take her in, however hesitantly. Though Darius is strong-minded and often rude to her, he is fiercely protectively and intelligent. He will easily grow on readers, and brings his own set of assets to the table. Zink writes him perfectly, the boy trying to take care of his younger brother and protect his own life as well, and the one who has learned the hard way to trust almost no one. He softens to some extent as things progress, and goes through his own sort of changes. Griffin is charming and sweet, a perfect love interest in large part for his ability to understand and see things through others eyes. Loyal to his brother, with a beautiful and strong dynamic between the two, Griffin has such a well rounded personality that readers will have no choice but to melt for him. The budding romance between Griffin and Helena is that quiet kind of steamy that comes with the time period, where even a touch is so meaningful, and I absolutely loved the way these two learn to balance their feelings for each other with what else is happening and what they must do.

Then there’s the plot, with some beautifully woven elements and quite a bit of uniqueness to it. Set in no specified time period, but certainly historical, and hitting slightly into a steampunk type element with some of the tools used, Zink has created a type of story all her own, and done it masterfully. Vivid in setting, with beautifully written scenes and actions, this one will easily play out like a movie in reader’s minds, and setting them right beside Helene the entire time. The writing is stunning, saying so much in few words, and having a lulling air about it while also keeping with the tense and sorrowful emotional atmosphere that comes with the situations Helen finds herself in. This book is easy to get lost in, and memorable in many ways.

Details:

Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

  Reading level: Ages 12 and up 

Hardcover: 448 pages 

Publisher: Dial

Publication Date: March 20, 2012

Character Interview: Rowan from Wanderlove

Stopping in today is the hot boy from one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, and I couldn't be more excited! I introduce to you Rowan, from Kristen Hubbard's Wanderlove!


1. What was your first impression of Bria?

I first saw Bria at the Guatemala City airport, with her tour group. Everyone was twice her age. I remember her white-knuckling the handle of her purple suitcase, and her cheeks were all pink… I just felt really bad for her.

The next time I saw her, it was at the Mayan market in Chichicastenango. I admit, I was impressed she was navigating it all by herself, even if she'd just violated the number one rule: never take your eyes off your stuff. When I asked her to dinner across the lake, I was certain she wouldn't go. Yeah, I'm glad she proved me wrong.

2. What's the worst thing that's happened to you in your travels?

I've had a lot of shitty things happen abroad, thing I don't like to talk about. Mostly, they were my own fault. It took me forever to share them with Bria, so I'd rather not repeat them now. But the worst thing of all… well, I think it was the point when I thought I'd never see Bria again.

3. Boxers or briefs?

What? Seriously? All right, fine—a little of both. Also boxer-briefs in unusual patterns. When you're living in Central America, you take what you can get.

4. What's it like to kiss Bria?

Okay, on THAT one, I'm pleading the fifth!

5. What kind of shoe would you describe yourself as?

An overworn, overloved leather sandal – but with a lot of miles left to go.



Thank you, Rowan, for stopping in, and congrats, Kirsten, on the release!

Trust me, guys, when I say you need to check this out. Not just to get to know Rowan better (though that is likely reason enough... seriously, this boy is SO awesome!), but for the entire story and the drawings. So go!

Character This or That: Andie from Where It Began

Stopping in today is Andie from Ann Redisch Stampler's debut Where It Began, for some This or That fun!


Black or Gray

Gray because I really like rainy days and fog. I love how magical everything looks when it’s foggy out. Especially when I get up in the morning and it’s very soft and foggy, but then it starts to burn off and the day gets all sunny.

Sand or Grass

Grass. Especially barefoot. I think it’s really awful the way Winston re-did the football field in artificial grass. It’s the wrong color, it feels terrible, and isn’t it bad for the environment when you get rid of plants like grass? Also, if you were playing football on that field, what would you rather fall down on, grass or green stuff that feels like spikes?

Stay In or Go Out

This is really a hard one. Nothing against my house, but I like to hang out at Andy’s house. So that’s really going out, but it feels like staying in because I’m there so much. So if Andy’s house counts as going out, then going out, but if it counts as staying in, then staying in.

DVD or Blue Ray

Blue Ray. If you can have a better image, why would you want a worse one? If you’re watching it. If it’s just in the background, I guess it wouldn’t matter.

Shrek or Donkey

I love Shrek. I wish he could be my uncle or something. I wanted him to be happy so much, and then I didn’t want any sequels because I was thinking, “He’s happy, now leave him alone.”

House or Grey's Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy. Better romance, less weirdness.

Zebra or Gazelle

Zebras. They just seem like super-cute ponies to me. Chunky ponies. I know that a friendly zebra would only be friendly because humans messed with it and screwed it up, but if there was such a thing as a friendly zebra, I would definitely go see it and pet it and everything.

Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb

I totally don’t drink that stuff. Nobody should drink that stuff. I’m not exactly a nutrition expert and I eat candy and I drink and everything, but if it’s that bad for you and it doesn’t even taste as good as Coca Cola, which is also not health food, why bother? For the same calories, you could have a cookie. Wouldn’t you rather have a cookie? I totally would.

Dog or Cat

I miss my dog Duchess so much, I’m not even sure I could handle having another dog. So this probably makes me a cat person. After Duchess died, Andy said, did I want a kitten, only I didn’t want any other pet, I was too sad. So he kept the kitten, which is named Happy. I play with her when I’m there. She’s a very sweet cat.

Cats.

Winter or Summer

Winter because I love the holidays. Except for New Years because Andy hates his dad’s party. Did you hear about his dad’s New Years parties? Gross. But Christmas is different. People get so cheerful and nice that time of year.

Cover Reveal + Contest: Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Today, I've got a seriously awesome cover to share with you guys... one for a book that I have been drooling over since I first heard about it, and definitely one that is at the very top of my 2012 Holy Crap WANT list.

But this isn't just any reveal. Nope. We've got some awesome stuff mixed in for you guys, like an ARC giveaway and a chance to win a super special, contents top secret Grab Bag! But since I know you want the cover, at least before you actually read any of this.....

Well, I'm giving you the synopsis first, because honestly, you'll appreciate the cover SO much  more if you look it right after reading it.


Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that's not the problem. 

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it's not a fiery inferno, it's certainly no heaven. It's gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn't leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what's really on her mind. 

Bonesaw. 

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she's figured out just how to do it. She'll haunt him for the rest of his days. It'll be brutal . . . and awesome. 

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen's obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she's willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker. 

Velveteen can't help herself when it comes to breaking rules . . . or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.


And NOW for the seriously awesome cover that I freaking love:

Seriously. Is that not AWESOME? Dark and twisty but a little soft, and very fierce? I mean, okay, so the characters look a little, well, weird... but they are dead. You can't hold that against them. But frankly, I think that girl looks like someone who will kick some serious butt.


And now that we have that amazingness out of the way, I promised you guys a contest, didn't I?

Daniel is not only giving away not just one, but THREE chances to win an ARC of this book, he's also throwing in something special. So here's the details:

Enter here by filling out THIS form, and then hit up The Mod Podge Bookshelf and Novel Thoughts for a chance to win there (Novel Thoughts has the International contest, btw!).

You must comment on the blog you're entering from, so comment and enter on all three for three chances to win. MY Contest is US only, and ALL contests end February 21.


But there's more!

Daniel has given Delacorte three different authors photos of himself. The truth of which one they are using is still a secret, so he's given each of the three blogs one of the photos.

So that extra surprise I mentioned? One winner will be chosen from the blog with the REAL photo to win a Grab Bag. What's in it? I have no clue. But here's a picture, in case you have special powers to figure it out:

So here is my (potentially fake) bio and author photo for you guys:

When DANIEL MARKS isn't attempting to frighten bored puppies, he's writing dark and morbidly comic young adult novels for the bitter and jaded youth of the world (as well as the young at heart). His youtube channel is a front for a slapdash money laundering scheme that has yet to see a dime, so if you've got some dirty bills please send them. He's currently on an expedition to the Arctic as part of a long-standing and completely unhealthy obsession with toy-making elves.


So what do you guys think? Make sure to leave a comment, telling us your thoughts on not only the cover, but the author photo as well. Frankly, I love it. Also... what do YOU think is in The Grab Bag?


And also, CONGRATS to Daniel... now to figure out how to get *my* hands on this book.... since it doesn't actually come out until October 9...

In the mean time, you can also Add it to your Goodreads, Pre-order at Powell's Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or for pre-orders outside the U.S., The Book Depository.

And find Daniel all over: YouTube, Website, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

Release Day Top 5: Wanderlove

Photo jacked from Kirsten's blog.

There's a book coming out today that, honestly, I think everyone needs to read. It's by an author who blew me away with her 2011 debut last year, one who I've had the privilege to meet and is honestly one of the sweetest, kindest people you will ever meet, and one who loves baby animals. And sloths. Yes. Sloths.

The author? Kirsten Hubbard. The book? Wanderlove.

So to celebrate the fact that this book is out, here are my top five reasons why you guys need to buy it. Yes. All of you. You, and you, and even you, person trying to claim you don't like contemp. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed. And if you are, well, that's silly.

5. If you buy this book, then hopefully the publisher will buy more of Kirsten's book, and the world needs that. I, for one, will suffer immensely if I never get to read another Kirsten Hubbard book, and no one wants that, do they? So do all of us a favor, and go buy it.

4.The setting. Stunning, gorgeous, vivid. It helps that Kirsten is a travel writer, and has been to the places she writes about in the book. But she has a way with words, a way of making you feel like you're there. Feeling the sand under your feet, the sights and sounds of the marketplace, the animals in the trees not far from you. I want to go backpacking through Central America because of this book, because of how freeing Bria finds it, despite the fact that I am a total homebody. And Kirsten has incited that, just through her words. And if you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about, but you need to buy it so you can reread it and look at her blog posts, with pictures, to bring it to life even more. There is 11 of them, and they are amazing.

3. Romance. I adored Like Mandarin, and it is one of my all time favorites. It, however, doesn't have any romance (Something I didn't notice till a few days after, its that well done). This one does have romance, with an enigmatic and seriously sexy love interest, and the kind of falling for each other that happens through the good and the bad, without them really realizing it.

2. The art. Yes. Art. There are drawings in this one... done by Kirsten. They are gorgeous, and since I have so far only seen them on my ereader, I need a finished copy to see them in their full spectacular-ness, and you do too. I mean, come on, do you want pixels or the real, glorious thing?

1. Characters. Kirsten knows how to write characters that are so fully dimension, ones that have their flaws, but have the amazing things about them too. Each character stands out so well, with their own little assets and strengths, and their change and development is equally as stunning. You won't love just Bria, but the group she travels with as well.


So there you have it. 5 reasons why you MUST get this book. Then you can join me in the long and, face it, agonizing wait for another book of Kirsten's.

Book Review: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

SUMMARY: When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.

Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.


OPINION: 5 STARS


Most memorable about this book is how emotional it is. Intense and authentic, Someone Else’s Life ties together both life in England and the States in a great way. With very well rounded and developed characters, a hard scenario to start and an even rougher one to play out, and some awesome twists thrown in, this one is gripping and enamoring, and I seriously could not put it down.

Rosie is a great character, one who can be a bit selfish at times yet is also trying to make it through one of the most painful times of her life. Relieved to have Andy back, but also knowing how much she has messed some things up, watching her navigate everything is both poignant and real. I loved this girl, even at her worst, and truly wanted things to work out for her. Angry that the woman who raised her isn't really her mom, Rosie’s determination to find her real birth mom is understandable and well done. Though she does some underhanded things at times, and was infuriating at others, Dale easily keeps Rosie’s motivations and desires in mind and smoothes any reader annoyances out pretty quickly.

Andy is fabulous, charming and sweet and the kind of boy any girl would be lucky to have at her side. Caring deeply for Rosie, and also trying to make up for his own anger at how she handled things, Andy has some stellar moments and is a very memorable character. He goes through his own fabulous development, and the interactions he and Rosie share are endearing and fun. They play off each other, grow with each other, yet also have their individual elements, and Dale blends this perfectly.

The rest of the cast has its own wit and charm to it, and each character is distinct. Though some were bratty, and there was a little too much drama at times, the overall characterization is well done. Adding to this is the pacing itself, with something always going on to keep readers interesting. I couldn’t put this one down, even when I admittedly found myself rolling my eyes and feeling like it was too over the top and soap opera-ish. Underneath all that, however, is an emotional and sweet story, and one that I loved overall.

Details:

Source: Netgalley 

Reading level: Ages 14 and up 

Hardcover: 464 pages 

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: February 14, 2012