Warm Bodies

Description: R is having a no-life crisis-he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he'd rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization. And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R's gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn't want to eat this girl-although she looks delicious-he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can't imagine, and their hopeless world won't change without a fight. -Amazon

Author: Isaac Marion

Release date: April 26, 2011

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 239

Source: My personal copy

Reading level: Young Adult -contains lots of bad words and sexual references.

Teaser Sentence: 'What I'm trying to say is, it's a shitty world and shit happens, but we don't have to bathe in shit.'

My thoughts: I really feel terrible calling a zombie adorable, but hell, I thought R was adorable! I actually have an extreme hatred towards zombies. I really can't stand them. My friend loaned me his copies of the Benny Imura series and I read them and liked them, so I thought I would give Warm Bodies a chance. I actually saw previews for this movie back in November and it came off as being out of the norm for zombies. I rarely watch TV or movies, so naturally I went out and got the book. 

 I really was not disappointed in this read. Once you get past the zombies acting on their eating habits it was really funny and adorable. R is absolutely my favorite zombie ever. He can think and talk, though the latter does not come out exactly as he thinks it. I also enjoyed the other characters in this book. R's friend 'M', and Julie and her friends Nora, and Perry were all very well written. Perry was annoying at times, but there is always that annoying person in life. :) The scenery and locations were very well described. The whole zombie infested world was setup in a way it was very easily imaginable.  All through the book I kept wondering how it was all going to come together in the end, and I really wasn't disappointed. I would recommend this book even to a person who not a zombie enthusiast.

Rating:

Falling Stars

Description: 'A falling, or shooting, star, is the common name for the visible path of a meteoroid if it survives impact with the earth's surface.' 

Christopher Mason, the in famous lead singer of The Forgotten, has a reputation for being 'difficult'. Harboring dark memories and the burden of a painful secret, he struggles with a past he desperately want to destroy. Amidst this star's battle with the pull of his demons, he risks losing everything he's built as a musician. Enter Mia Ryder, the head strong yet laid back, lead singer of Hushed Mentality. As the opening act for The Forgotten, Mia and her all girl rock band are sure to gain the publicity needed to sky rocket to the next level in their dream career. Mia's laid back personality is challenged by Chris's plotting for their demise and removal of the 'girlie band' from 'his' tour. But even Chris's best laid plans aren't prepared for Mia. As the demons pull this shining star down, is the one person he wants to eliminate the only person who can save him from the collision course he is on. -Amazon.

Author: Sadie Grubor

Release date: October 20, 2012

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Pages: 412

Source: Library copy

Reading level: Adult -deals with lots of adult issues

Teaser Sentence: 'The wretched sob that ripped through my chest halted everyone in that hallway. I collapsed with one last sob.'

My thoughts: I really loved this book! It turned out not being anything like I expected. I think I have mentioned before that I was a former rock star wife. My husband has been in a metal band and rock bands, so I have a decent idea of the lifestyle that is lead by touring bands. With my person knowledge of recording studios, travel, managers, etc. I felt I could understand and relate to the characters Sadie Grubor introduced.

 I found it awesome that the characters have normal names. Not that I have anything against authors who like to use unique or rare names, but it made them seem more real and relatable to have the lead singer called, simply, Chris. I love tattooed, pierced bad guys. (*sigh* it's my weakness) Every time Chris's lip piercings were mentioned I thought 'yummy'. I was drawn into Mia and Chris's relationship, because it didn't follow what I normally read in romances. They didn't meet, fight, then fall hopelessly in love and live happily ever after. There were some real life adult issues they had to face, before even getting close. There were moments when I loved Chris and Mia, and then there were the moments when I silently called Mia a bitch and hated Chris. Also, this book is written in Chris's point-of-view and Mia's point-of-view. (Have I mentioned how much I adore double POVs?) You get to see the story from both the characters points of view. Most scenes are written to include both Mia's and Chris's view so you never miss what one of them is thinking, I loved that!

 So why did I only give this book 4 stars if I loved it? Here's why: Each band in this book, The Forgotten and Hushed Mentality, each have 4 members. I just have a hard time believing 6 out of 8 people fell in love. Yes, that's all but one boy and one girl that didn't hook up. I would have felt better if there were a couple of the other band members who didn't get along or hated each other. But other than that, I really enjoyed this read!

Rating:

Under The Never Sky

Description: 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. -Amazon

Author: Veronica Rossi
Release date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 384
Source: My personal copy
Reading level: Young Adult

Teaser Sentence(s): 'She had feared Aether storms all her life from the safety of Reverie. Now she was in the middle of one.'

My thoughts: There were some elements of this book that I loved. This read was definitely a little different from the books I have been reading, and that was refreshing. Veronica Rossi did a great job telling the story, and I fell in love with the futuristic setting she placed before me. The technology, the pods, the wasteland, the 'solar storms' are all believable for 100's of years in the future. I adore books that have a double point-of-view. The characters are much more relatable when the reader is able to understand the thoughts of more than just the main protagonist. 
 What I didn't like about this book was the relationship between Aria and Perry. It was terribly bland. The two as a couple did not leave me feeling any emotion. Even with the forbidden love aspect, which I am obsessed with, I just could not believe in their relationship.  I like both of them separately. Aria is quick witted and tough. I hope in upcoming books she learns more about her fraternal heritage. Perry is rough, tough, scarred and tattooed, and is absolutely self-sacrificing. I love him. 
 I will continue to read this series. With this being Veronica Rossi's debut release, I feel she can only get better. That leaves me with much hope in this series. 

Rating:

Reading the Alphabet

Okay I saw this 'Reading the Alphabet' Challenge on Ramblings of a Book-A-Holic, and thought, "Hey, I want to do that!" So here goes:

Duration: 
January 1, 2013 - December 31, 2013.

Rules:
You can read in any order you wish.

You have 12 months to read 26 books.

Either the first word in the title of the books or the author’s name (first or last) should correspond with a 
letter in the alphabet.

You should omit “a” and “the” in the titles.

Letters Q, X and Z can be positioned anywhere in the titles or author names. 

Examples: C- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins,   D- Daughter of Smoke and Bone.



I want to know if you are doing this challenge! If you have a blog or website please leave me a link to your A-Z Challenge in the comments below. Even if you do not have a blog or website still let me know, just leave a copy of your list in the comments below.



And here is my A-Z list. Make sure to check back for reviews on most of these!


A- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

B- Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

C- Cursed by Jennifer L Armentrout

D- The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

E- Everdark by Elle Jasper 

F- Falling Stars by Sadie Grubor

G- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

H- Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

I- Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

J- Angel's Ink by Jocelynn Drake

K- The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

L- Torment by Lauren Kate

M- A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

N- Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

O- The Odyssey by Homer

P- Pure by Jennifer L Armentrout

Q- The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

R- My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

S- The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

T- Toxic by Jus Accardo

U- Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

V- The Collector by Victoria Scott

W- The Waste Lands by Stephen King

X- Existence by David Brin

Y- The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Z- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Beautiful Disaster

Description: The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants-and needs-to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis's apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match. ~Amazon

Author: Jamie McGuire

Release date: May 26, 2012

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 432

Source: Borrowed from a friend

Reading level: I keep seeing this book listed as Young Adult, so I am just going to say it contains a lot of illegal gambling and fighting, sex, bad language, underage drinking, and lots of violence. 

Teaser Sentence: '"You should know by now that it takes patience and a forgiving attitude to be friends with Travis. He's his own universe."'

My thoughts: This book is not going to be for everyone. Travis, the hunky, tattooed guy of this story, is quite possessive and violent. Not to mention, some what of a man-slut. He does have some scenes where you wonder what the hell Abby is thinking when she forgives him. I read up on some other reviewers perspective of this and what I haven't seen mentioned anywhere is that Abby is not the innocent, sweet, blinded by love protagonist like in most young romance novels. She has a dark past, even though she is trying to escape it, that involves everything from illegal gambling to knowing members of the mob. They both have bad flaws that they are trying to overcome. Neither one of them is really good for each other and that is why their friendship starts out as such a disaster. 

 I personally enjoyed this book. Yes, it has some questionable scenes, but then there are chapters like the one that take place on Thanksgiving. I have to give kudos to Jamie McQuire, because those chapters, to me, where heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. I love books that make me feel strong emotions, that's why we read books right? And this book was not stingy with the emotions. There was everything from love, to being down right pissed off, to laughing. I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but I personally really liked it. 

Rating:

Daimon / Half-Blood

Description: "Love in my world usually ended up with someone hearing 'I smite thee!' as she was cursed to be some lame flower for the rest of her life." For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals-pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty. According to her mother, that's a good thing. But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return-the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death... because she's being hunted by the very creatures she's once trained to kill. The daimons have found her. -Amazon

Author: Jennifer L Armentrout

Release date: May 6, 2011
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 86
Source: Free copy from Publisher's website. Get it here.
Reading level: Young Adult 

Teaser sentence: 'Matt would go to school on Monday and tell everyone how I'd gone Xena Warrior Princess on the douchebags.'

Description: The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-Bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1: Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem-staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. -Amazon

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release date: October 18, 2011

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Pages: 304

Source: My personal copy

Reading level: Young Adult

Teaser sentence(s): 'The grin increased to a full smile. And... oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died.'

My thoughts: Okay, here is a list of things I am obsessed with: (1) Jennifer L Armentrout (2) Greek and Roman mythology (3) A great Young Adult Novel (4) and probably my most favorite, Forbidden Love. The Covenant series has all of those things and more. I was a very happy girl when I finished Half-Blood. 

  Daimon (pronounced DEE-mun) is not a necessary read. You could start the series off at book one, Half-Blood, and you would not be too confused. The novella does give you incite to what happens in the few weeks before the story actually starts, and there are referrals to some of these events in Half-Blood. All-in-All I do not think it would ruin the story if you couldn't get your hands on a copy of Daimon. 

  So far, I haven't read anything by Jennifer L Armentrout that I haven't went all fan-girl over. I love her writing style and I love her kissing scenes. Alex is a great kick-ass girl character, and I completely fell for Aiden. The characters are great, the story is great. Half-Blood gets the rarely given 5 star-rating. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Pure. If I had it, I would be reading it right now!

Rating:

Small Farm, Big Farm Boy

Description: Just because you're large, doesn't mean you want to be in charge.

High schooler Alex Johnson suddenly finds himself a muscle teen titan, thanks to a strange genetic treatment his late father gave him to save his life as an infant. As a shy, often awkward young man with Aspergers, can he adjust to now being the biggest, strongest man alive? Perhaps ever? Fortunately, Alex has a hot new boyfriend to stand by him as he tries to navigate quickly changing relationships with his friends. What Alex and Ryan don't know is that their lives are about to take an ominous turn. Will Alex be able to take the bull by the horns?

Author: U.M. Lassiter

Release Date: I could not locate this infomation. 

Publisher: Extasy Books

Pages: 137

Source: Provided with a free copy by Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Get your copy here.

Reading Level: Young Adult -has bad language and deals with a gay couple

Teaser Sentence: '"That's because the apparatus itself weighs almost five hundred pounds," Bob said. "You were lifting twenty-five hundred pounds."

My Thoughts: When I started reading this book I didn't realize it was book 2 in a series. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on though. The author did a good job at briefly touching on what happened in book 1. The characters were a little plain, but they all seemed to fit together well. Ryan is such a nice boyfriend, and I think the relationship between him and Alex is perfect. I like that I wasn't able to predict what was going to happen next. I didn't like that every time something major happened it was resolved quickly and without many problems. It would have made it that much more interesting if Alex would have had to put some thought into problem solving instead of just using his height or strength. All in all it wasn't a bad read.

Rating: 

2013 Liebster Blog Award

*NOTE* I will not be accepting anymore nominations for the Liebster Blog Awards.  I have been nominated 3 times-yay! and thank you-but I would like for everyone to try and find someone who has not been nominated at all for this award. Thank you so much! 

First off, I want to give thanks to those who nominated me: Thank you Sadrina at Books and their Wordly Realm. And thank you Diva BookNerd. And thank you Dabin at So Many Books So Little Time. Please click the links to visit their awesome blogs!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to blogs with less than 200 follows, hoping to get to know our fellow bloggers a little better. 

The rules for the award are as follows:

 1. Thank you Leibster Blog Award presenter and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you. 

 2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees.

 3.  Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs with 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed, and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen. (no tag backs)

 4. Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.

Here are the answers to the questions I was asked:

1. Living or dead, who would be your first choice to invite to an imaginary dinner party? 

    Albert Einstein

2. Top three items to take on a tropical holiday?

     Sunscreen, swim suit, mp3 player

3. Favourite book character?

this changes regularly, but right now it's Dank Walker from Existence

4. What are you afraid of?

    Crickets

5. If you could change your given name, what would you change it to?

Star

6. Top THREE books that you read during 2012

Existence by Abbi  Glines

Opal by Jennifer Armentrout

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

7. Favourite film of all time?

    Star Wars

8. Best piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

            Um, usually I give her advice

9. How many books did you read during 2012?

        96

10. Where would be your ultimate holiday location?

        Greece

11. FIVE words to describe your personality? 

            Silly, Crazy, fun, eccentric, weird

1. What other languages can you speak besides English?

Nothing fluent

2. Can you use Photoshop / Gimp?

nope, but my husband can :)

3. What are your pet peeves?

Chewing of any kind

4. What's your favorite color combinations?

Blue/black

5. What was your first pet's name?

Baby-a grey male cat

6. On which are you the most active: Facebook or Twitter?

Personal: Facebook   Blog: Twitter

7. On average, how long do you take to finish a book?

if it's short I may finish 2 in a day. If it's long maybe 2 or 3 days

8.  How many books do you aim to read this year?

150 is my target goal.

9. How do you decide your next read?

I let my husband randomly choose for me if I am undecided.

10. Do you prefer reading at night or day?

night

11. What are the top 3 books that you love from last year?

Existence by Abbi  Glines
Opal by Jennifer Armentrout
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

11 Random Facts about me:

                                           

1. I am very short

2.  I love anything to do with Astrophysics

3.  My hair is not naturally black

4. I love YA novels even though I feel too old for them

5. I am a Star Wars nerd

6.  I have been married for 7 years

7. I hate wearing shirts with sleeves, I mostly wear tank tops

8. I am a cat person

9. I love to read in the dark

10.  I am new to blogging

11.  sometimes I prefer audio-books to music

My questions for my nominees:

1. What's your all time favorite book?

2.  What's your favorite band?

3. Chocolate or Vanilla?

4. How long have you been blogging?

5.  Favorite genre to read?

6. Do you play video games?

7. Do you have reading goals for 2013?

8. Is there are book on your TBR list that you can't wait to read?

9.  What other languages, besides English, can you speak?

10.  Is this glass half full or half empty?

11.  What's your favorite color?

And my 11 nominees are:
 I want to find people who have not been nominated yet for this award, so it may take me some time to get this part up. Every blog I looked at today had been nominated 2 or more times.

*Update*

Yay, it's time for my first update!

  First off, I want to welcome and thank all my followers. I think to be as new to this and inexperienced as I am with blogging, that I am off to a good start. I am going to try to keep things as simple as possible here (so no random cat pictures), but I still think with time everything will improve. I will welcome any critiques you may have so feel free to comment or e-mail me (sychofaerie@yahoo.com ; sychofaerie@gmail.com). I have enjoyed looking at all y'all's (yes I say y'all; I live in Mississippi) blogs as well. I have commented here and there, but I would like to do more. Over the next couple months I am going to make it a point to get active in the blog community and get to know some other bloggers. I feel like I have been left out of this great world for a long time. Glad I finally stumbled into the world of book blogging!

  Next, I would like to explain why I posted a review today that was 2 books combined in one review. The first book was an extremely short novella. I read it first and went to type out a review to it, and it just wasn't enough. The book was too short for me to feel like I gave it enough attention. Without the first book, the second book would have had too many unanswered questions. And once again, I didn't feel like I could give it the attention it deserved alone. So TaDa! Two books for one! I also have another series in mind to do this combination with, so you will see it again. Like I said before though, I am a newcomer to the world of book blogging, so this may not be anything you haven't seen. But I felt I should just point it out anyway.

  And last, I thought I should point out, I read YA novels and Adult novels. I know there will be some of the younger audience looking at these reviews. I do have a potty mouth sometimes, but I will keep it clean here. I always make sure I list who the books intended readers are, so if you are under 18 don't pick up the smutty books unless its cool with your parents.

 Happy reading everyone! I am off to go dress shopping (not fun!) for my brother's wedding. Wish me luck, my husband says I am the only girl who has to be dragged to the mall to shop. I would rather be reading!

 ~ SychoFaerie

All Over You / Devoured

Description: Before Sienne was devoured, before Lucas was consumed, they were all over each other... Lucas Wolfe is used to getting what he wants-from everyone but one person, that is-so when he meets the wardrobe assistant hired to work his band's newest video, he's got to have her. From the moment Sienne first obediently whispers "Yes, Mr. Wolfe", he knows she's perfect for him. Three Days. And he'll have her stripped down and bound to his bed.

Set two years before the events of 'Devoured', All Over You is a 17,000 word novella which tells the story of Sienna and Lucas's first encounter. -Amazon

Author: Emily Snow
Release date: Decemeber 31, 2012
Publisher: Emily Snow Books
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Pages: 54
Source: my Kindle copy
Reading level: Adult -sex and language

Teaser Sentence: 'And that's the precise moment when she's no longer the wardrobe girl with the tight body who won't be anything to me but a brief encounter within a few minutes.'

Description: Sienna Jensen had no plans to return home when she graduated college last spring-after all, her dreams lie in California. But when she discovers her grandmother's Nashville home has been foreclosed, and the new owner has started the eviction process, Sienna has no other choice but go back to Music City. And she comes face to face with the flawed, gorgeous man she never thought she's see again. The man who now holds the deed to her grandma's estate. When millionaire rock star Lucas Wolfe finds the outspoken redhead glaring at him from across a courtroom, he's both infuriated and intrigued. He still can't get the night Sienna almost spent with him out of his mind, and the chemistry between them is as undeniable as it was two years ago. He craves Sienna more then ever. And just like everything Lucas hungers for, he's determined to have her.  Now, Lucas will do whatever it takes to lure Sienna into his bed, even if that means making a deal with her: ten days with him, playing by his rules, and he'll hand over the deed to her grandmother's home. Though she agrees to the arrangement, Sienna is conflicted, because of her duty to her family. Because of promises she's made to herself and a past that still haunts her. And as Lucas's game of seduction continues, and Sienna is introduced to his dark, erotic world and even darker background, she realizes that at any moment, she could be devoured. -Amazon

Author: Emily Snow

Release date: October 8, 2012 

Publisher: Emily Snow Books

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Pages: 223

Source: my Kindle copy

Reading level: Adult -sex and language

Teaser Sentence: 'Lucas Wolfe is all muscles and tattoos and sexiness, but it's his music that as a way of getting to me.'

My thoughts: First off, if you try to read Devoured without reading All Over You first, you are going to be confused about what happened in their past. Devoured does not give you enough information alone. I love a hot, tattooed guy in a rock band. I just can't help it, I am married to one. The cover model of these books is what sucked me in. I was a little disappointed in these books. They were not nearly dirty enough. Yes there was some hot scenes, but most of the book is just Lucas chasing after Sienna. I won't give away the ending, but being the rock-star wife I am, I was jealous at the sweet act he came up with to try and get her back. All Over You is written from both Sienna and Lucas's point of view. I really liked getting to see some of what Lucas's was thinking. I was a little upset that Devoured was all from Sienna's view point. I was really hoping for more of an idea about how Lucas thinks and why he is the way he is. There is another book yet to come out in this series. Hopefully, it will be steamier and tell us more about Lucas's past with his ex-wife. There were lots of unanswered questions when I reached the end of this book.

Rating: