Remember how I posted last Saturday about all the awesome authors that are coming my way? Well this just screams CONTEST OPPORTUNITY! But I don't know what to do.

I'd like to give the winner a choice of any of the author's books. But I don't know how to go about the contest. Any ideas?

Please discuss.

Thank you.

Release Date: January 25th, 2011
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal, Religion, Cult
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 400
Rating: or
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Ruby Prosser dreams of escaping the Congregation and the early-nineteenth century lifestyle that’s been practiced since the community was first enslaved.

She plots to escape the vicious Darwin West, his cruel Overseers, and the daily struggle to gather the life-prolonging Water that keeps the Congregants alive and gives Darwin his wealth and power. But if Ruby leaves, the Congregation will die without the secret ingredient that makes the Water special: her blood.

So she stays.

But when Ruby meets Ford, the new Overseer who seems barely older than herself, her desire for freedom is too strong. He’s sympathetic, irresistible, forbidden—and her only access to the modern world. Escape with Ford would be so simple, but can Ruby risk the terrible price, dooming the only world she’s ever known

Review:  You probably noticed the variable rating. I'll get to that later.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. It had some crazy stuff in it. First of all, it was essentially about a cult. And at first it didn't bother me, but as the book progressed I started to feel really weird and uncomfortable. Secondly, the whole "supernatural/religion" thing was really odd. I wanted to know more about it. How it worked, why it worked, etc. etc. But that wasn't ever really flushed out.

And now we'll get to the variable rating.

The ending of this book was very unsatisfying and inconclusive. When I finished it I thought "well, that was lame. But I'm excited for the sequel!" However, when I asked Pam Bachorz when there was going to be a sequel, she responded: "Would love to do a DROUGHT sequel but not sure yet."

Wait. There might not be a sequel?

Therefore, if this book is the first part of a series then I think it's pretty good. It had plenty of twists and turns and I'm excited to find out more.

HOWEVER, if this is a stand-alone, then I really don't like it. It doesn't explain anything enough and the ending was WEAK.

So my recommendation would be that you read this book IF there is a sequel announced at some point. However, if this is a stand alone then I don't think this book is worth it. It's got a lot of really strange stuff in it that, if not explained, is just annoying.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: March 8th, 2011
GoodReads Page | Amazon
Summary:

Humanity, like computers, can be upgraded. And old versions disappear. . . .

At some unspecified point in the future, when technology is as advanced as possible and we are a race of super beings, some old audio tapes are discovered. On the tapes is the story of fourteen-year-old Kyle Straker.

Hypnotized, Kyle missed the upgrade of humanity to 1.0. He isn't compatible with our new technology. And through the recording, he narrates what the upgrades really mean. And it's absolutely terrifying.

Why I want it: This book sounds really creepy and intriguing. I want to read it just to know what exactly it’s about!

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Release Date: March 14th, 2009
Genre:  Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Margaret K. McKelderry
Pages: 541
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: The Mortal Instruments #3 (Review of #1, Review of #2)
Summary: (Spoilers, highlight to view)

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.


As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?

Review:  This book was my favorite of the series. I liked it. That's all I'm going to say in terms of this particular book. I'm going to spend the rest of the review talking about the series as a whole. Don't worry, no spoilers.

I needed a little "warming up" to get into this series. I thought the first book was meh. The second book was all right, and the third book was a very interesting story. I never once felt the obsessive (nigh unto cult-ish) love of this series that seems to have infected the minds of many readers.

There were certainly things that bothered me. The whole gay thing got on my nerves a little, but it wasn't preachy, so it didn't bother me very much. I ocassionally found the characters annoying, but they're teenagers so they are inclined to be annoying. They wouldn't have been very realistic characters otherwise.

And even though it's easy for me to think of "negative" things, I realized that it's very hard for me to think of positive things about this series. And when I realized that I had a revelation. I knew exactly why I felt just "meh" about these books. And, being me, my revelation was in the form of an analogy:

These books are zero-gravity.

When I read these books I feel kind of like I'm floating. I'm not being forced down by the gravity of serious situations or action, but I'm not flying along at high speed either. I'm just... there. The pages turn at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow. I wasn't rocked off of my feet by amazing writing, but I wasn't bored out of my mind by the story. I just... liked it.

Because of this, these books were a very calming series for me. Do I love them? No. I wouldn't say that. Do I have any serious complaints? Nope. I am happily ambivalent.

A good series, and I'll definitely be purchasing the next books.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

I'm participating in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren. Here is where I'll keep track of the books I read for the challenge. Please note that these dates are the dates that I read/reviewed the book, not the month they were released.

Pre 2011
These are books that are 2011 reviews, but I read them pre-2011. They count toward winning prizes, but not toward my total.
The Iron Witch, Karen Mahoney
Angelfire, Courtney Allison Moulton
Vesper, Jeff Sampson
Unearthly, Cynthia Hand
Across the Universe, Beth Revis
Wither, Lauren DeStefano

 January
Entwined, Heather Dixon
The Water Wars, Cameron Stracher
Clarity, Kim Harrington

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December