Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

Title: Two Moon Princess
Author: Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Published: 2010
Pages: 319
Rating: 4.5/5
Synopsis: In this coming-of-age story set in a medieval kingdom, Andrea is a headstrong princess longing to be a knight who finds her way to modern-day California. But her accidental return to her family's kingdom and a disastrous romance brings war, along with her discovery of some dark family secrets. Readers will love this mix of traditional fantasy elements with unique twists and will identify with Andrea and her difficult choices between duty and desire.

Review: The book starts off with Princess Andrea who isn't happy with where she is. She wants to do something different but her parents don't allow her to. As the time passes Andrea finds herself in California. Everything is different from her kingdom and finds out that she would like nothing more than to stay there. By accident she returns to her world and soon realizes that it may have been the worst thing to do.

I liked that Andrea, being a princess, wanted to be different. She didn't like the way that her parents told her to be and many times she tried to go against them. At first she didn't want to realize that things go could go as badly as they were going but as things turned out to be different from what she expected she sees that she has to do something to stop the war that is starting.

Her kingdom was very different from modern-day California. When she first got the New World everything seemed so different to her. Some of the things that most kids would've gotten bored of seemed to be of great interest to her. One of my favorite parts to read about was when she was describing the things she found in this new place, like the never ending candle.


This was a great book that I really enjoyed reading. One thing I noticed and loved was that the pages seemed to fly by without me noticing. I'm glad that after wanting to read it for a long time I finally got to and I loved it! It was sort of fantasy with a touch of modernness and I definitely loved that!

I received this book through a blog tour.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Title: Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion
Release: April 2011
Pages: 256
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human—in this astonishingly original debut novel.

R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn’t enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Not just another zombie novel, Warm Bodies is funny, scary, and deeply moving.
 
Review: As this was my first book about zombies, I didn't know what to expect.
 
R is a zombie who at the beginning seems to be like just like all the other zombies. As he goes through the motions of being like any other zombie, we soon find that he's a little different than the others. As the story progresses he changes more and also realizes that this might not be the way that they should be acting.
 
Reading from the perspective of a zombie who didn't know anything about himself was a lot different than reading from a teenage (living!) girl. I think not knowing who the main character's past was really important since we had to get to know him as the story progressed. I enjoyed seeing the world through R's eyes and some the things he thought really made me think.
 
The world that Isaac Marion created really freaked me out. Not necessarily because of the zombies but because it wasn't only the zombies who did it. Reading about the places where they were living made me appreciate that I could still go out and visit places around the world and not have to stay in a small place.
 
I was glad that since this was my first zombie book it wasn't bad. I think if I had the opportunity to read another zombie book I would happily read it. Warm Bodies really was more than just a zombie book and I think everyone should read it!
 
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In My Mailbox (44)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren! I finally got the book that I've been wanting!

Bought:

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulten

The book I've been wanting! =)

For Review:

What Comes After by Steve Watkins

Thanks to The Teen Book Scene and Steve Watkins!

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Waiting on Wednesday WOW is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that you can't wait for!

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Release: May 3rd 2011

Goodreads Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

The synopsis sounds good and I've been seeing this one around a lot and from what I see it seems like it's a really good book!

Winner!

Diana @ The Lovely Getaway!!

(We have the same name! Yay us!!)

You won Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban! I'll be sending you an email and you'll have 48 hours to respond! Winner was chosen by my sister, the old traditional way. =)

Playlist (Odessa: The Seraphym Wars by Rebeccca Ryals Russell)

I write best with silence—no distractions. Even music takes my mind off my work. However, there are certain songs that relate to my series, the Seraphym Wars. Looks like I got carried away, but good music is so addictive! Hope you enjoy some of these as well.


Mumford and Sons

Sigh No More http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TrU4_-JTY&feature=related
Awake My Soul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHWsKTSdS74&feature=related
Hold On to What You Believe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3aaTaDIvOo&feature=related
Roll Away Your Stone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL_zuWHrLdI
To Darkness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VviT3tqo6OA&feature=related

The Decemberists

Down By the Water http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR9DjdMrpHg&feature=related
Calamity Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcGSEbfegrs&feature=related
This Is Why We Fight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NtVOKJW2Uk&feature=related

O’Death

Supernatural O’Death http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1EzU9sLQ6I&feature=related
Lowtide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRaiPCFTw-0

Temper Trap

Science of Fear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1vkXxn65ec&feature=related
Down River http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2DluY5xnPo&feature=fvsr

Coheed and Cambria

Cuts Marked in the March of Men http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgSipLXY-n8
In Keeping Secrets: Three Evils http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLetxYab9hE&feature=related

A Race of Angels

Just Begin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KVbxESRyMY

The Black Keys

Unknown Brother http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxLKONtKsaU&feature=related

To know more about the book just click here! I put together a playlist for you guys! Not all the songs are here but the ones I did find are there! =)

In My Mailbox (43)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren! The 2 books I got this week came in the mail!

Won:
A Season of Eden by Jennifer Laurens
Cindy was hosting Contest Craze and I won one of the contest! So glad I was lucky enough to win because I usually have bad luck! =)

Other:
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Jennifer sent me this one from R.A.K.! So glad I have it now!

Thanks to Jennifer @ A Girl that Reads and Cindy from Princess Bookie for hosting Contest Craze and Jennifer Laurens for sending the book! =)

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Released: March 2010

Pages: 323

Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Review: The story starts with Sophie in a high school dance that soon turns to be the event that really changes her life. Sophie ends up being sent to Hex Hall where other people of her kind are sent if they've dove something wrong. During her time there Sophie has a very horrid welcome by the teachers and her classmates. She soon learns that there are some weird things happening and also finds out some things that were secrets.
 
I loved Sophie!! She was hilarious and always said the funniest things! Her response to the things that others asked her always kept me entertained and never made the story get boring. She did some things that were really funny to read about and at the same time made you wish that she hadn't done it. One thing I really liked about her was her loyalty to Jenna, her friend. Despite having everything against Jenna, Sophie still believed in what she said.
 
I liked how the mystery kept the story going and how at the end I was kind of surprised. There were several things that were surprising to find out but I think it really made the story much more interesting. I loved how there were different types of paranormal creatures other than witches and that some where liked more than others and others were disliked by mostly everyone.
 
I have been wanting to read this book for a really long time and I can't believe I waited this long to finally read it! Once I started reading it I couldn't stop because I couldn't wait to know what happened next. Plus the funny parts made the pages fly by without me noticing it! This is one of those books that once you start reading, you won't stop! I can't wait to read Demonglass!

In My Mailbox (42)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren! I got 1 book this week!

For Review:
Ravenwild by Peter J. Plasse

What did you get this week?

When I'm Not Writing: Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban (Two Moon Princess) + Giveaway!

Today we have the author of Two Moon Princess, Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban!

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Unlike Bones and Castle, the two writers that give name to their respective TV shows (Bones (Fox) and Castle (ABC) whose books are inspired by their exciting life experiences, my life is quite boring.

I have a Ph.D. in Biology and I'm from Spain, so for a living I do translations, mainly for Pharmaceutical companies. The rest of the time, I write.

Of course, I do other things, unavoidable things like shopping, cooking, eating, exercising (you get the picture) or more exciting ones, like driving my daughter to and from school and activities, going out with friends, or going to the movies. But even when I am doing all these things--sleeping included--I write.

For me, the writing of a novel does not start in front of a blank screen, or a blank piece of paper in an old typewriter, as it does in the movies. It does not start with the typing of the title of the book and the byline, 'by so and so'. The writing starts in my mind.

Once I have an idea for a story, I create my characters and bring them with me everywhere. I put them in different scenarios and let them interact with each other as they follow the different plots I make up.

After a while the characters become eerily real for me. They develop their unique voice and mannerisms, their own personality. They are people, apart from me, and their responses to the story situations is, often, quite different from what mine would be.

Only when the story has been playing in my mind for a while and the characters have worked a particular scene from every possible angle (like actors do for real on stage) I sit down in front of my computer and write that scene.

That is why I said before that when I'm not working, I am writing: because when I'm in the middle of writing a novel, I think about my story all the time.

But even when I'm in between projects, because I just finished a novel, or a part of a novel, I also write no matter what else I'm doing. I write in the sense that anything I do, or see, or hear is a possible source of inspiration.

As Picasso said: "That inspiration comes, does not depend on me. The only thing I can do is make sure it catches me working."

And if inspiration doesn't come, I tease it out of hiding by reading topics that interest me. It was while reading about Medieval Spain that both the sequel to Two Moon Princess and my newest novel Requiem for a King originated.

But it was while watching Buffy, the Vampire Slayer that I got the idea for my work in progress Becquer.

As for Two Moon Princess, it came out of my past.

So, I guess, my life and my writing have become one.

And I like it that way.

Find Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban:
Website
Blog

Giveaway!

-US only! Sorry international followers!

-Ends Sunday April 17 at 11pm

-You don't have to be a follower but you can if you want to! =)

-Just leave a comment with your email or a way to contact you!

Mini Character Interview: This or That (Overprotected)

Today we have Colin from Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens! If you haven't read my review of it yet you can read it here!

Do you prefer vanilla or chocolate?

Hands down - chocolate.

What do you like more black or white?

both. she's into drama. she'd wear the color whole.

Do you prefer crayons or color pencils?

Fiona uses Elipses pens, at 150.00 each. Nothing else is allowed in the the townhouse.

Do like the summer or the winter?

She hates to sweat, so I'm going to say winter.

Do you prefer the day or the night?

Night = parties

Do you prefer sweet or sour?
 
definitely sour.

Find Jennifer Laurens:
Website
Blog

Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

Title: Overprotected

Author: Jennifer Laurens

Release: April 2011

Pages: 243

Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.

Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.

Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.

Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.

Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.

Daddy was wrong.
 
Review: It had been a long time that I had been wanting to read a book by Jennifer Laurens so I was really excited when I got the chance to read this one!

Ashlyn only wants to be normal, like any other girls her age. Unfortunately, her dad isn't letting her. He's obsessed with keeping her save and hires Ashlyn's childhood enemy after her old bodyguard is fired. As the story progresses we see how her family is changes and how this affects her.

I enjoyed reading from Ashlyn's point of view. She knew that she wasn't as experienced in many things as most girls her age were. She accepted this and because of this she wanted to get out and see more of the world. She did some risky things but I think it was all part of her desire to live her life how she wanted to and not by how her dad said she could.

From the beginning I liked Colin. He seemed nice to her and was often there when Ashlyn needed him. He knew that the things that her dad was doing the her weren't right and at times he tried to talk to her dad. When Ashlyn did some crazy thing to try to escape the life she had he would always be there to protect her if she needed it.

I was really surprised by the way Ashlyn's dad treated her. He seemed to really love her but at the same time he wouldn't give any choice in what she could do. At first her mom seemed to only care about appearances. She wasn't the one that Ashlyn would talk to and many times the things she would do or say would annoy me.

I was glad at how everything ended. Ashlyn's dad got what he deserved after being so mean to Ashlyn by controlling her life. If you're wondering about reading this book, just read it! I couldn't stop reading it after I started it because it was so good! Definitely a good book!

I received this book through a blog tour.

In My Mailbox (41)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren! I have to say this week was pretty awesome! =)

Bought:

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Torment by Lauren Kate

I can now read a book by Sarah Dessen! I had 1 book by her but I still wanted to get these. I'm glad I can read Torment before Passion comes out. =)

For Review:

Bloodspell by Amalie Howard

I really like the cover! And it sounds really good!

Other:

A Season of Eden, Heavenly/Penitence, Overprotected bookmarks

I forgot to include these in last week's IMM so I included them in this one.

Thanks to: The Teen Book Scene and Jennifer Laurens!

Author Interview: Jennifer Archer (Through Her Eyes)

Today we have Jennifer Archer. She's the author of several books and her most recent book, Through Her Eyes, which comes out on April 5th! Jennifer is also hosting a huge giveaway for pre-ordering her book between March 1, 2011 and April 4, 2011! For more information just click here!

Having lived in different places, did you ever have a favorite place were you stayed? Why?

The majority of my moving occurred between the time I was one year of age until I was eleven. I did move once more the summer after my sophomore year of high school. I liked different places my family and I lived for different reasons, but Emporia, Kansas is the town that holds my best memories. The school I attended, Maynard Elementary, was mostly responsible for that. The teachers and the curriculum were wonderful, with lots of fun and interesting field trips, extracurricular school events, and programs. I grew more self-conscious as I became older, but back then, I loved being on stage in front of a microphone. I tried out for all the programs offered, and as a result of that, I was in a few plays and even sang a couple of solos. Believe me, no program director would choose me to sing a solo now! I lost my decent singing voice when I grew up, along with my love of performing!

How do you think your writing has changed from when you first started to how you write now?

I hope it’s gotten better! I do know that it’s become a bit darker in tone. Most of my earlier published works were more lighthearted and humorous than what I’m currently writing. Those books all had somewhat emotional undertones, or dealt with underlying serious issues in a lighthearted way. THROUGH HER EYES and my second YA novel, THE SHADOW GIRL, that will be released next winter, take the opposite approach. These stories are primarily darker or more serious, with moments of humor.

What made you decide to write a book for teens after writing books for adults?

I’ve always enjoyed reading teen fiction, but stopped reading as much of it during the early years of my career, when I was mainly focused on adult fiction because I was writing it. I was substitute teaching one day during this time, and the teacher had a copy of the classic novel A WRINKLE IN TIME on her desk. I recalled reading it and enjoying it when I was in school, and I picked it up and started reading it while the students were working on a paper. I was instantly drawn in – and blown away – by the story, the characters, and the writing. A few days later, I was talking to my agent and mentioned it, as well as my interest in trying to write a novel for young people. She encouraged me, and the next morning, I literally woke up with Tansy’s character and the bare bones of the plotline for what would become THROUGH HER EYES in my mind.

Do you think that if you hadn't lived in all those places you would still have had the idea of becoming a writer?

That’s hard to say. I have noticed that there seem to be a lot of writers who grew up moving a lot. That makes me wonder if constantly being transplanted to places where you don’t know many people, or anyone at all, during the formative years, encourages a child to turn to books for companionship and comfort, thereby developing an unusually healthy imagination and active fantasy life. Books certainly became my cherished friends and a great escape during lonely times. Whatever the case, even though moving so much was difficult in many ways, I don’t regret my upbringing. I was exposed to many different types of landscapes and weather conditions, cultures, customs and mindsets because of my family’s migratory lifestyle, and that certainly hasn’t hurt my writing, because I can draw from those many different experiences.

What kind of research did you have to do to write Through Her Eyes?

My personal photography experience equates to ‘point and snap.’ I don’t have a fancy camera with a lot of different lenses, and I’ve never developed photographs in a darkroom. So I read up quite a bit on photography, and also turned to my sister-in-law, who is a wonderful photographer, to clarify a few things for me. It’s also been quite awhile since I was a high school student, so I spent a day sitting in on classes in a high school located in a small Texas town similar to Cedar Canyon, the fictional town in THROUGH HER EYES. I spent time browsing the businesses and neighborhoods in that town and another small Texas town nearby where I live. A seventeen year old girl I was mentoring through a program at her school was also a great help to me with current teen language and trends. I remember one fun and funny afternoon when Summer explained the difference between nerds and geeks, and Emos and Goths! It was a very educational meeting!

Thanks for having me on your wonderful blog, Diana! I would love to hear from readers on Facebook, Twitter, my blog, and/or my website. Links to all of the above are on my site: http://www.jenniferarcher.net/

The book trailer:


Through Her Eyes - Book Trailer from Emily Greaser on Vimeo.

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

Title: Kissed by an Angel

Author: Elizabeth Chandler

Published: 1995

Pages: 230

Rating: 3/5
Synopsis: Falling in love with Tristan, Ivy believes that she has met the boy of her dreams, until he tragically dies, destroying her belief in angels and preventing him from helping her as her new celestial guardian.

Review: I actually have the one that has all 3 books but I decided to review each book by itself.

It starts off with Ivy moving to another school because of her mother. She has 2 friends that encourage her to do some things, one of them being Tristan. Ivy refuses to pay attention to Tristan but as he grabs her attention she realizes that he's different from what she thought. It's just basically their story and about what happens after.

One thing I liked about Ivy was that she wasn't that interested in Tristan at the beginning. Even though her friends tried to convince her to get close to him she refused to do it. After a while she actually took her time to get to know him. What I didn't like was how she reacted after Tristan died.

Tristan wasn't like most typical guys were they don't have to do anything to win the girl over. He actually did things to try to make Ivy notice him. The fact that he was the popular guy at the school and Ivy still didn't pay attention to him made more interesting. I liked the scenes where we got to see him with Ivy's little brother.

At the beginning it was a bit confusing but as the story progressed it became more clear. The book changed perspectives, which was something that I enjoyed since we got to both Ivy's Tristan's minds. It's not bad or great but I think others would enjoy reading.