Friday, June 29, 2012

Feature & Follow #4/ TGIF


Follow Friday is a really fun way to make new blogger friends and promote your blog in the process! This weekly meme is hosted byAlison Can Read and Parajunkee. This week features Fighting Dreamer and Novel Sounds.

Q: Birthday Wishes--Blow out the candles and imagine what character could pop out of your cake...who is it and what book are they from??

Ha. Ha ha. Well, I make it no secret that I'm infatuated with William Herondale from Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series, so if he were to pop out of a birthday cake....well
That would be the best. Birthday present. EVER.






Who's ready for the weekend?? I know I am! Ginger @ GReads  
has created this super fun meme that poses a bookish question to be answered each week.


Best I've Read So Far:  We're half way through the year (crazy how time flies!), which top 3 books are the best you've read so far this year?








but a VERY close runner-up would be:


Thursday, June 28, 2012

NEW CLOCKWORK PRINCESS TEASERS!


Tessa put a hand against the wall as she made her way numbly down the stairs. What had she almost done? What had she nearly told Will?


WHAT? WHAT was she going to tell him?!?!?!?! Please let it be a declaration of her love...
But now, here's the REALLY tease-y teaser...



Tessa craned her head back to look at Will. “You know that feeling,” she said, “when you are reading a book, and you know that it is going to be a tragedy; you can feel the cold and darkness coming, see the net drawing tight around the characters who live and breathe on the pages. But you are tied to the story as if being dragged behind a carriage and you cannot let go or turn the course aside.” His blue eyes were dark with understanding — of course Will would understand — and she hurried on. “I feel now as if the same is happening, only not to characters on a page but to my own beloved friends and companions. I do not want to sit by while tragedy comes for us. I would turn it aside, only I struggle to discover how that might be done.”
“You fear for Jem,” Will said.
“Yes,” she said. “And I fear for you, too.”
“No,” Will said, hoarsely. “Don’t waste that on me, Tess.”
Ha. Ha ha. That's funny Ms. Clare, because that is EXACTLY how I feel about your characters!!!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Book vs. TV


The Problem with Reading in Bed....


I'm pretty sure this has happened to us all at one point...

My Book Boyfriend: Four



It's WEDNESDAY! And you know what that means! My Book Boyfriend day!!!
For those of you who don't know, MBB is a weekly meme hosted by Missie over at the Unread Reader--if you're interested in making your own MBB post, check out the intro post here!  

....Sometimes, I find it a tad disconcerting how excited I get for making a fictional-boy-oriented post....Because I get really excited...


But you should get super excited right now too because I'm going to be talking about Four! AKA Tobias Eaton. 
AKA The Hottest Guy in Dystopia. 


It's actually a little weird that I think Tobias is super swoon-worthy because if you think about it, he's kinda like a male Tris. But, you know, tougher.... and the thing is, I don't really like Tris. But I'm sort of in love with Four.... so. Yeah. Weird. 
ANYWAYS...

  • Tobias Eaton
  • from Divergent and Insurgent and whatever other -ergent book that comes out next year
  • nicknamed Four because he only has four fears
  • born Abnegation--but chose Dauntless
  • is Divergent
  • is Dauntless--and Divergent
  • 18-years old
  • dark hair + blue eyes = me swooning
  • is a crazy good strategist
  • is super tough and kicka$$, but has a fear of heights
  • has some tattoos--including one on covering pretty much his entire back, made up of all the faction symbols
  • "He is not sweet or gentle or particularly kind. But he is smart and brave, and even though he saved me, he treated me like I was strong. That is all I need to know."

"Fine." He leans his face closer to mine, his eyes focusing on my chin, and my lips, and my nose. "I watched you because I like you." He says it plainly, boldly, and his eyes flick up to mine.


“You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong."
He leans his face close to mine and wraps his fingers around my chin. His hand smells like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife? My skin tingles at the point of contact, like he's transmitting electricity through his skin. 
"My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press." he says, his fingers squeezing at the word break. My body tenses at the edge in his voice, so I am coiled as tight as a spring, and I forget to breathe.
His dark eyes lifting to mine, he adds, "But I resist it." 
"Why..." I swallow hard. "Why is that your first instinct?"
"Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating." He releases me but doesn't pull away, his hand grazing my jaw, my neck. "Sometimes I just want to see it again. Want to see you awake.” 


"Fine. You're not pretty. So?" He kisses my cheek. "I like how you look. You're deadly smart. You're brave. And even though you found out about Marcus..." His voice softens. "You aren't giving me that look like I'm a kicked puppy, or something."


“I have something I need to tell you," he says. I run my fingers along the tendons in his hands and look back at him. "I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though."
"That's sensible of you," I say, smiling too. "We should find some paper so you can make a list or a chart or something."
I feel his laughter against my side, his nose sliding along my jaw, his lips pressing my ear.
"Maybe I'm already sure," he says, "and I just don't want to frighten you."
I laugh a little. "Then you should know better."
"Fine," he says. "Then I love you.” 



“Sleep,” he says. “I'll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you.” “With what?” “My bare hands, obviously.” 


“We're all right, you know,' he says quietly. 'You and me. Okay?' My chest aches, and I nod. 'Nothing else is all right.' His whisper tickles my cheek. 'But we are.”


“He slides his hand over my cheek, one finger anchored behind my ear. Then he tilts his head down and kisses me, sending a warm ache through my body. I wrap my hands around his arm, holding him there as long as I can. When he touches me, the hollowed-out feeling in my chest and stomach is not as noticeable.” 



“I think he came to die with me," I say. I clamp my hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. If I can keep breathing, I can stop crying. I didn't need or want him to die with me. I wanted to keep him safe. What an idiot, I think, but my heart isn't in it.
"That's ridiculous," he says. "That doesn't make any sense. He's eighteen; he'll find another girlfriend once you're dead. And he's stupid if he doesn't know that."
Tears run down my cheeks, hot at first and then cold. I close my eyes. "If you think that's what it's about..." I swallow another sob. "...you're the stupid one.” 




~Le swooooon

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #21



WoW is a weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine

Dancergirl   
by Carol M. Tanzman
November 2011

Ever feel like someone's watching you? Me, too. But lately it's been happening in my room.

When I'm alone.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I'm no longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl. And suddenly it's like me against the world.— everyone's got opinions.
My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy,— even he's acting weird. And some stalker isn't content to just watch anymore.
Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.
~goodreads


Sounds kinda creepy right?? And as strange as that is, it really makes me want to read it!
I promise I'm not crazy.....

More Cover Reveals! Sever + Perfect Scoundrels


Sever (Chemical Garden #3)
by Lauren DeStefano
February 12th, 2013
Huh. Considering how the past two book covers looked like, this one is oddly.... not dark and dismal. Weird...



Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society #3)
by Ally Carter
February 5th, 2013









Cover Reveals: Iron's Prophecy + The Indigo Spell



Iron's Prophecy 
by Julie Kagawa
September 2012
 Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child….


Akjhasklhflsldfsh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH! Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot even express how excited I am for this!!!
(and THANK YOU Julie Kagawa for not releasing this in 2013!)








The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)
by Richelle Mead
February 12th, 2013



Top Ten Tuesday: Characters who remind me of myself...


Top Ten Tuesday is a super fun meme hosted every week over at the broke and bookish--be sure to go and check it out!


This week's topic is rather hard! It's quite rare that I read about a character and think of myself or someone I know, because I think of the characters as their own person... does that make sense?
So anyways, I've decided to list some character that remind me of certain aspects of my personality instead...

1. Kat (Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Why, you ask? Because she's a fellow book blogger!

2. Tessa Gray (Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare)
Likewise, I see a bit of myself in Tessa in her love for literature--even though we prefer different genres--and her love of Will Herondale. (Yes, I just had to got there...) But she also reminds me of the quiet and serious me.

3. Becky Bloomwood (Confessions of a Shopoholic by Sophie Kinsella)
OK. Confession time. The thing is, I.... I'm a.... shopoholic!
I just... I don't know guys, I just see pretty stuff at the mall and it's like I experience a blackout and the next thing I know, I'm waking up surrounded by shopping bags!
It's the darnedest thing...

4. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)
Not only am I a bookish nerd, I'm also a school nerd.... as in, I'm one of those people who likes needs to do well in school. It's probably just the way I was raised, but I quite devoted to my school studies and heaven forbid I get a bad grade! D:

5. Caitlin (Dreamland by Sarah Dessen)
No, I have never in my life been in the unfortunate situation that Caitlin was in in the book, but I do understand what it's like to have an older sister who seems perfect in every way.

6. Lucy (Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley)
I feel like we all have a part a Lucy in all of us--that part that yearns to find the perfect other so often read about in books. For her, it's Mr. Darcy, I believe. For me, it's Will Herondale. I mean, I'm sure we've all got them! Sometimes, I swear romance novels ruin me for the real world...

7.   Erin Blackwell (Love Story by Jennifer Echols)
Well, I should start by telling you that Erin aspires to be a romance novelist.... ye-ah.
I can't say that being a romance novelist is what I want to do with my life, but I can't help but see myself in her in the fact that she loves romance novels! She does this thing where she pretty much has an entire story unfolding in her head, and I do that too!  Also, we both have a love for writing!

8. Anna Oliphant (Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins)
Anna and I both have a passion for reviewing things we love--even if other people don't really get it and think it's slightly weird! For her, it's reviewing films, for me, as you might've guessed, it's reviewing books!

9. Lily (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan)
The character of Lily really reminds me of my good friend, Anna. They're both quite quirky, but extremely lovable, and they don't care what other people think of them.

Argh! I hate leaving a list unfinished, especially when I'm so darn close! But like I said, this was a hard topic, and I just can't think of any more!



Monday, June 25, 2012

Liebster Blog Award!!!


Oh. My. Goodness gracious. I am so psyched to receive my first blog award!!! And so flattered, too! Thanks so much to Kimberly @ Love YA Books for nominating me! You guys should definitely go check out her blog!
For those of you who don't know, the Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have 200 followers or less (*woot woot* for just breaking the 100 mark!)
The word "liebster" is German and means "dearest," "beloved," "lovely," "welcome," etc. and I am so flattered that a reader thinks this of my blog! 


So here are the rules:

1. Each person must post 11 random facts about themselves
2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you, and give 11 questions for the people you have tagged
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post
4. Tell them you've tagged them
5. And no tag backs!


11 random facts about me...
1. I love baked ziti (and spaghetti). Literally, I would eat it all day everyday if I could!
2. I am addicted to The Avengers (the movie...I haven't really read the comics). I've seen the movie twice already and I can't wait to see it again!
3. I have a double-jointed thumb. 
4. I 'm slightly addicted to nail polish. Not kidding. I almost always have to have my nails painted and I'm super OCD about chipping the polish.
5. I hate alfredo sauce
6. I am a HUGE procrastinator...
7. Pigeons terrify me. I wish I was kidding...
8. I'm a die-hard TEAM WILL HERONDALE fan...
9. I'm Chinese and am fluent in mandarin 
10. I have this strange aversion to talking with people over the phone because I fear awkward silences...
11. I've been playing piano since I was 5-years old


Questions from Love YA Books:
1) Who are your three favorite authors?
Cassandra Clare, Melina Marchetta, and Lauren Oliver

2) What are your three favorite books? 
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Saving June by Hannah Harrington

3) What are your three favorite book series?
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa

(and the Harry Potter series, but that's practically obligatory...)

4) Who are your five most "swoon-worthy" characters?
 Will Herondale (The Infernal Devices)
 Jake Tolan (Saving June)
 Etienne St. Clair (Anna and the French Kiss)
 Zachary Goode (Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter)
 Adrian Ivashkov (Vampire Academy)

5) If you could make a soundtrack to your favorite novel or series, what songs would you put on it?
Oh gosh. This is really hard because I am the worst at associating song titles with their lyrics... so I'll just go for more of a generalization...
Let's just say that there would be an abundance of Taylor Swift songs because I love her music, and most of her songs deal with relationships, which is a prevalent theme in all the books I read. 
Maybe throw in a bit of One Republic, too, just because I really like the all their songs.

6) Say you could visit any fictional world for one week. Which would you choose and why?
Again, Harry Potter is a practically obligatory answer... of course I want to go visit Hogwarts and be a witch! 
But if I had to pick another fictional world, I'd choose the world of Hex Hall, provided I could be a cool prodigium. I mean, I'd be able to rock out my awesome powers and go to school with other powerful prodigium. And I'd get to hang out the Sophie and Archer! 

7) Which character do you think you could be best friends with, and why?
I think I could be pretty good friends with Kat from Obsidian. For one thing, we're both book bloggers, which would be awesome! We'd probably both gush about books and fictional guys--although she already has Daemon...
Plus, she's very snarky and her one-liners would make me laugh out loud, but she's also such a great friend--kind and caring and selfless. 

8) What were five books you loved most during your childhood?
1. The Junie B. Jones series

9) Why do you read? 
I guess you could say I read for escapism. I live in a pretty rural, small town and let's just say that there's not a lot of exciting things that happen here. Also, it's not like my life is full of grand adventures, so I love to read and live vicariously through the characters. I just love discovering new worlds to imagine and new characters to love and it all just makes everyday life not so ordinary. 

10) Why did you decide to start blogging?
Around last year, I hit a bit of a reading craze where I devoured books like they were my bread and butter. Seriously. I read a lot of books and it got to the point where I thought it'd be neat and handy to start a blog, if only to keep track of the books I was reading and what I thought of them. Then I discovered just how big the book blogging community was, all the amazing fellow bloggers out there, and all sorts of fun memes that I could do alongside my reviews and I just became a tad addicted to it!  

11) What blog post are you most proud of?
Hmm... I'd say I really love my Anna and the French Kiss reviewThe Hunger Games movie review, and my Will Herondale book boyfriend post because... well, it's Will Herondale!



11 people I'm nominating for the Liebster Blog Award (in no particular order):
Vivaciously Vivian
Jaime Morrow
Nerdette reviews
Pages and Pomegranates
Ramblings of a Book Nerd
The YA Bookworm
Unearthly Reviews
An Old Fashioned Girl in a New Fangled World
elizziebooks
Nea Barabea
Katastrophic




11 Questions for the tagged bloggers to answer:
(some questions are recycled...)
1. What are your three favorite books? (links please!)
2. What are your three favorite authors?
3. Which author would you love to meet and why?
4. What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
5. What paranormal being would you choose to be and why?
6. Which character do you think you could be BFFs with and why?
7. If you could go on a date with any fictional character, who would it be and what would you do?
8. Why do you read?
9. Why do you blog?
10. What blog posts are you most proud of? (links please!)
11. What was the last thing that made you smile?




Again, I'm so happy to receive this award and I really hope the people I've tagged can do a  post answering the questions! If you do, I'd love it if you left me a link in the comments!



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Quote of the Day





"Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination."


~Robert Fulgham













Will's letter to Tessa



Beautiful video
Seriously. Absolutely beautiful! 
Love love LOVE it!
So. Darned. Heart-wrenching.



Cover Reveal: Destroy Me + Unravel Me


Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5)
by Tahereh Mafi
October 2nd, 2012



Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)
by Tahereh Mafi
February 5th, 2013


Hmm... These covers. I LIKE IT. A heck of a lot better than I liked the first book's cover!
...the ONLY thing that bothers me is the fact that when I buy book 2, the cover's not going to match book 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I'm just super duper neurotic and OCD, but I happen to like covers in a series to match... or at the very least, have some semblance of being part of the same series!
Arghhhhhh! Cover designer: why must you do this to me?!?!?!

But yeah, aside from that, I like it!

Cover Reveal: Boundless (Unearthly #3) + Teaser


Boundless (Unearthly #3)
By Cynthia Hand
January 22, 2013

I really like the cover! I mean, I'm a tad iffy about the color right now, but I'm sure I'll grow to love it!




Also, if you guys didn't know, Cynthia Hand released a little preview during the April Scavenger Hunt!
If you haven't seen it, click HERE




Friday, June 22, 2012

The downside to romance novels....


*Nods grudgingly* 
Yes. This is true.
I might never find a real-life Will Herondale....
Well. 
That's highly depressing...

TGIF: Authors Are Our Celebrities



Who's ready for the weekend?? I know I am! Ginger @ GReads  
has created this super fun meme that poses a bookish question to be answered each week.


Authors are our celebrities:
Have you ever contacted an author you admired? How did that experience go? If not, which author would you love to have a chat with?


Unfortunately, I've never really been in contact with a much-admired author... unless you count that one instance a few days ago where I wished the fabulous Rachel Vincent a happy birthday on facebook, and she actually replied with a thank you.... and I then proceeded to squeal in an embarrassingly fangirl-ish manner...
But yeah, aside from that, no, I've never contacted an author before...


However, I would like, really want, LOVE give my firstborn child to chat with fantabulous authors like Cassandra Clare (where I would probably gush about how full-on obsessed I am with her male characters...) and Stephanie Perkins (because she just looks like such a cool person to hang out with--I mean, have you seen her hair?!) and John Green (because I am *slightly* obsessed with his books and youtube videos... but I highly doubt I'd be able to actually carry on a conversation with someone as smart and witty as he is, so most likely, I'd just oggle him and nod accordingly as he talks to me...).


Feature and Follow #3

Follow Friday is a really fun way to make new blogger friends and promote your blog in the process! This weekly meme is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. This week features Head Stuck in a Book and Books and Blossoms so go check them out!

This weeks' question: 
If you could "unread" a book, which one would it be? Is it because you want to start over and experience it again for the first time? Or because it was THAT bad?

This is kind of a no-brainer for me. If it were possible, I would definitely choose to unread Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn
Sorry and no offense Twilight-fans, but the thing is, I used to be one of you until I read the 4th book! I liked the series, I'll admit it! The "terrible" writing didn't bother me (I didn't really notice it) and the "whiny" main character didn't bother me either--well, didn't bother me too much. 

BUT THEN I READ BREAKING DAWN.
And I was just like: 

If I could go back and unread that book, who knows? Maybe I'd still be a Twilight fan...



Thursday, June 21, 2012

Review: Sweet Gum Tree

Sweet Gum Tree
by Katherine Allred
Published November 1st 2005 by Ellora's Cave   

   Sweet tea, corn bread, and soup beans-everyday fare for eight-year-old Alix French, the precocious darling of a respected southern family. But nothing was ordinary about the day she met ten-year-old Nick Anderson, a boy from the wrong side of town. Armed with only a tin of bee balm and steely determination, Alix treats the raw evidence of a recent beating that mars his back, an act that changes both of their lives forever. Through childhood disasters and teenage woes they cling together as friendship turns to love. The future looks rosy until the fateful night when Frank Anderson, Nick's abusive father, is shot to death in his filthy trailer. Suddenly, Nick is gone-leaving Alix alone, confused and pregnant. For the next fifteen years she wrestles with the pain of Nick's abandonment, a bad marriage, her family and friends. But finally, she's starting to get her life back together. Her divorce is almost final, her business is booming, and she's content if not happy -- until the day she looks up and sees Nick standing across the counter. He's back...and he's not alone. Once again Alix is plunged into turmoil and pain as Nick tries to win her love, something she resists with all her strength. Only one thing might break the protective wall she's built around her emotions-the truth about Frank Anderson's death. But when that truth comes out and those walls crumble, neither Alix nor Nick is prepared for the emotional explosion that could destroy as well as heal.
-goodreads

Rating: 5++++++ stars
Review:

You know that quote that went something along the lines of "If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it"??

W-ell. I might as well scrap any attempt I have made to write that book because Katherine Allred already did it!!! Sweet Gum Tree has just about everything I've ever wanted in a novel! There's emotion, a gripping and captivating storyline, fabulous characters, a fantastic voice, and one heck of a romance! I used to think that I there wasn't any particular romance archetype that appealed to me, but turns out I was wrong! Apparently, the whole childhood-friends-turned-something-more romance angel REALLY appeals to me. 
And Allred portrays one of the best, most heartbreaking, bittersweet, and beautiful romances I've ever read!!! It's like she could see into my head and put onto paper exactly the kind of romance that I would LOVE.

This story takes place over 15-ish years, and I must say, the pacing of the story was impeccable. Normally, when a story takes place over so long in only a couple hundred of pages, it's really hard to get the pacing just right--to know when to include detailed events, and when to give a generalization of the passage of time. Let me tell you: Katherine Allred knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote this book. 

The writing flowed beautifully and effortlessly. I also really liked how the tone of the narration reflected Alix's changing ages--by no means does this mean that the language goes from "baby talk" to inserting big words in every other sentence. The transition is actually super smooth and I didn't even realize it until I thought about it in the end!

The characters were the absolutely spectacular. They were all so realistic and wonderfully flawed and   pretty relatable. Alix's family was hilarious and wondefully written. Aunt Darla and the Judge were two of my favorite characters! 
This should go without saying, but I adored Alix--her perspective, her personality, everything! It was great to see her journey from the 8-year old little girl who set out to save Nick to the woman at the end of the book who had experienced so much and matured as a result. 

And Nick! He was perfect. I mean, he had his fair share of flaws, but that's what made him rather perfect--especially for Alix. He was selfless and protective (but not in a bad way) and utterly swoon-worthy. Really swoon-worthy. Trust me, there were some moments in the book that had me fanning myself!

His and Alix's romance pretty much grabbed my heart and took it on one doozy of an up-and-down roller coaster. And I loved every minute of it! I was laughing and crying and intermittently yelling and rooting for the characters. And swooning! There was a lot of that going on....

As for the huge plot twist in the story--I kind of figured out what the big secret was fairly early on--I didn't think it was a huge mystery or anything, but it definitely wasn't blatantly obvious. Nevertheless, the story was so SO captivating. I. Could. Not. Put. This. Down. 

There's really not enough good things I could say about this book--and it's only with the utmost self-restraint that this review is not pure fangirl babble! I highly highly HIGHLY recommend this book to.... well, everyone

(As an added bonus, this is only a couple of bucks on an ereader!)


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

My Book Boyfriend: Daemon Black


For those of you who don't know, MBB is a weekly meme hosted by Missie over at the Unread Reader--if you're interested in making your own MBB post, check out the intro post here! 
If you saw the title of this post, then you already know who I'm crushing on this week (but really, it's more like the past few months...)
 Actually, I'm pretty sure female bloggers across the world are in love with him....
And if you don't yet know who DAEMON BLACK is, then ohmygoodness let me enlighten you on his amazingness....

  • Daemon is perhaps the strongest luxen on Earth--luxen= alien light being
  •  is the oldest of triplets (Dawson and Dee)
  • really loves his family
  • takes on a protector-like role among the luxens in town
  • "His stomach was ripped. Perfect. Totally touchable. Not the kind of stomach I expected on a seventeen-year-old boy, which is how old I suspected he was, but yeah, I wasn't complaining. I also wan't talking. And I was staring. My gaze finally traveling north again, I noted thick, sooty lashes fanning the tips of his high cheeks and hiding the color of his eyes as he looked down at me. I needed to know what color his eyes were."
  •  "His voice was deep and firm. The kind of voice accustomed to people listening and obeying without question. His lashes lifted, revealing eyes so green and brilliant they couldn't be real. They were an intense emerald color that stood out in vibrant contrast against his tan skin."
  • sexy and arrogant and brooding and hilarious.... but he's also got a totally swoon-worthy, melt-worthy sweet side! 
  • has a certain weakness for a girl named Kat--who he loves to call "Kitten" and poke with his pen
Daemon being arrogant, bad-boy Daemon
“Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.”
-Kat while meeting Daemon

“My palms itched to have a close encounter of the bitch-slap kind with his face.”
-Kat while talking with Daemon


“Thanks,” I muttered and added under my breath, “Douchebag.”
He laughed, deep and throaty. “Now that’s not very ladylike, Kittycat.”
I whipped around. “Don’t ever call me that,” I snapped.
“It’s better than calling someone a douchebag, isn’t it?” He pushed out the door. “This has been a stimulating visit. I’ll cherish it for a long time to come.”
Okay. That was it. “You know, you’re right. How wrong of me to call you a douchebag. Because a douchebag is too nice of a word for you,” I said, smiling sweetly. “You’re a dickhead.”
“A dickhead?” he repeated. “How charming.”
I flipped him off. 

“You’re such an ass. Has…anyone ever told you that?”
He flashed a genuinely amused smile. “Oh, Kitten, every single day of my blessed life.”

Le Swoon

For a moment, I pretended. Not that we weren't two different species, because I didn't see him that way, but that we actually liked each other.
And then he shifted and rolled. I was on my back, and he was still on the move. His face burrowed into the space between my neck and shoulder, nuzzling. Sweet baby Jesus...Warm breath danced over my skin, sending shivers down my body. His arm was heavy against my stomach, his leg between mine, pushing up and up. Scorched air fled my lungs.
Daemon murmured in a language I couldn't understand. Whatever it was, it sounded beautiful and soft. Magical. Unearthly.
I could've woken him up but for some reason I didn't. The thrill of him touching me was far stronger than anything else.
His hand was on the edge of the borrowed shirt, his long fingers on the strip of exposed flesh between the hem on the shirt and the band of the worn pajama bottoms. And his hand inched up under the shirt, across my stomach, where it dipped slightly. My pulse went into cardiac territory. The tips of his fingers brushed my ribs. His body moved, his knee pressed against me.
I gasped.
Daemon stilled. No one moved. The clock on the wall ticked.
And I cringed.”  


 “I've always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect." His eyes searched mine intently, and for a moment we stood there toe to toe. "The ones who throw their beauty around, waste what they have? Their beauty is only passing. It's just a shell hiding nothing but shadows and emptiness.

And now for some excerpts in Daemon's POV

But no matter where I went, what I was running from would still be with me—Kat. She wasn’t just back in the house, in that bed. She was with me now, inside me. And there was no outrunning that.

"You're perfect for me," I whispered in my own language"

And then I saw Simon’s jock-douchebag friends head toward the door and I knew that meant Kat was here. Leaning back in my chair, I casually looked over my shoulder.
(From the Homecoming Scene)          

 Something unexpected happened to my chest. It felt like someone had walked right up to me and socked me in it. I might have stopped breathing. Right there, surrounded by humans, in front of still yapping Andrew.

            “Oh Mary, mother of baby Jesus,” I muttered.

            Kat stood by the door, her hands clasped around a tiny clutch as her eyes bounced around the gymnasium nervously. The dress… aw man, that dress should be illegal. Tight around the bodice and waist, then flowing over her hips like a river of crimson silk. Her hair was up, revealing a long, graceful neck I didn’t know she had.

            Red.

            Red was my favorite color.

            Kat wasn’t cute. She wasn’t even sexy. She was beautiful—absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

Le SWOOOOON. Daemon Black, you are too much. 
And OHMYGOODNESS does anyone NOT think Pepe Toth when they think of Daemon? He and Sztella are the cutest couple ever! 
Yes... I *might* be a tad obsessed with them...  and shamelessely stalk them on facebook.... but not in like a creepy way or anything...

Review: Obsidian

Obsidian (Lux #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published November 29th, 2011 by Entangled Publishing

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.

-goodreads.com

Rating: 4.5 stars
Review:
I knew it. 
I KNEW it!
I just knew it was only a matter of time before I, too, joined the ever-growing Obsidian-loving cult because goshdarnit the book really is that good!!

This series focuses on a not-as-popular supernatural-ish entity.... ALIENS.  And good golly miss molly, if there are more aliens out there in the universe who look like Daemon Black, then please come visit Earth!!!! But that's for later on in the review, so let's continue before I enter into full-on fangirl mode. *calms self* 

Now Katy, the main character, doesn't know that Daemon and Dee are luxen, but as a reader, I already did, which kind of made the first quarter of the book a little boring because the whole time, I was just waiting and waiting and waiting for Kat to finally learn the truth! Once that happened, the book really "started" for me. The pace picked up, there was more action and fighting, and (my favorite) more learning about luxen! 

I really REALLY liked Armentrout's luxen because I don't think aliens have ever been handled this way. (Although I could be wrong because I haven't read many alien-oriented books...) The whole concept of light beings vs. dark beings was really interesting and their respective powers and abilities were super cool. Sorry ET, but I just don't think you're gonna cut it for me anymore...

The characters were all pretty great and I loved all of them--except for Ash and Andrew because they were pretty sour-faced every time they appeared in the novel.
Katy is freaking AWESOME! She is tough, selfless, hilarious, oh and did I mention she's a book blogger?! Yeah. Bonus points right there. I loved Katy. She never backed down from a challenge and she wasn't afraid to stand up to Daemon or the other luxen when they were being mean. However there were a few moments in the book when Katy pretty much just walked right into a blatantly obvious situation and I was pretty much screaming at her to come to her senses. Yeah, those moments were kind of annoying. But other than that, she was a fantastic character. 

...and OF COURSE, I couldn't conclude this review without mentioning the male protagonist of the series. The very swoon-worthy bad-boy err alien: Daemon Black! *Le sigh*
I will admit that when I first started Obsidian, I was a little iffy about Daemon. I mean, let's face it: he was kind of a jerk to Kat.
Confession time: I was starting to worry that there was something seriously wrong with me because I was not falling-to-the-ground-swooning at Daemon. 
BUT THEN! 
Then, I learned more about Daemon... like how much he loved his family, how protective he was of his family, how he grieved for his brother Dawson, how he worried that Kat's presence would harm his sister, and that worry was why he was so mean to Kat at first. And after that--after he started accepting Kat--well... Well. Let's just say that was when I did fall-to-the-ground-swoon at Daemon and all his hotness. I don't know what it is about YA guys that makes them attractive even when they're kinda arrogant.... but for Daemon, it totally works for him! Some of his one-liners were the most hilarious parts of the entire book! However, don't think that Daemon's all about toughness and arrogance because he has some seriously sweet moment. Just.... aww I'm having a little fangirl moment just thinking about it!
Bottom line: when I finished the book (and the Daemon's POV excerpts) I was like this....


Except just when things were getting super interesting.... Jennifer Armentrout decides to end the novel!!!!
And now, I am forced to wait agonizing months for the release of Onyx, though from what I've heard from people who've received ARCs, the sequel is 100x better than the first! can't wait!
Highly recommend this book!

Warning: prepare to swoon and squeal at alien hotness.



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