Review: Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales) by Maureen McGowan

NetGalley - ebook - ARC

Amazon Product Description:
In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.


My thoughts:  
I loved the idea of being able to choose the path that the story would take.  I was really excited about the fact that each time the story was read it could change!  The downfall to reading this ARC on the Kindle is that there are no page numbers and so I was unable to actually do any choosing.  I did get the entire story cover to cover encompassing all the choices in one reading.  I completely enjoyed the book!


I was intrigued by the different take on both humans and vampires that we are given in this tale.  I love the twist to the traditional fairy tale!  I have seen many and read few of the fairy tale spin offs, this was creatively and cleverly done.


The world that has been created is believable (considering we are talking about paranormal fairy tale fantasy) and I never found myself saying - - - "No way could that happen there!"


Maureen McGowan built interesting characters.  I can't say that I loved them all, because truly Queen Catia has some issues.  She seems completely sane and somewhat unconcerned with the curse when compared to King Stefan who is completely out of control with fear for his only child! Even though they are both hoping to save Lucette from the curse - they can never seem to agree on the best way to keep her safe.  The Vampire Queen Natasha is awful, evil, hateful, and cruel - as a good villain should be.  Alex is fantastic from the first meeting and of course Tristan is .... well Tristan.  Lucette is an incredible character!  


All the characters seem to be well thought out and carefully created!  Lucette's grandparents are a great addition and add to the twisting plot of the story.  The author is great with subtle hints along the way - such as the description of the grandfather... (no spoilers).


This was my first Maureen McGowan read and enjoyed every page!  I plan to read Cinderella: Ninja Warrior as soon as I have cleared up a few of my review stacks.  I can't wait to see how that one plays out too!!!

Book Blogger Directory! - Are you listed?

The Book Blogger Directory is a comprehensive listing of Book Blogs, separated by genre and listed alphabetically. The goal of the Book Blogger Directory is to not only organize book blogs for users to easily find your blog, it is also there to create a link exchange for search engine optimization.

MISSION:
To cross promote book bloggers, provide listings by genre and increase links to increase page rank.

I think this will be a great way to find other bloggers who enjoy reading the same kinds of books that you do!

I am at Spotlight on Books!

I am super excited to be attending The Spotlight on Books conference again!  My friend Kathy and I have started attending each year - this is my fourth year.  It is wonderful.  Pretty casual - great venue!  The last few years (as long as I have been going) it has been held at Ruttger's Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids, MN.

Free e-book from Smashwords! - - The Finding by Nicky Charles

I just wanted to shout out quick about this book!  I saw reading along in my googlereader and saw a post from Once Upon a Twilight reviewing this book.  I thought it sounded good, so I ran out to both Amazon and Smashwords to check out if they had it.  Well.............. It's currently FREE at Smashwords!  I don't know how long it will be free, so I thought I would let all my marvelous followers know about it!  Happy reading - happy Wednesday!

Reveiw: American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout

American Vampire by JenniferArmintrout
(Netgalley book)

Amazon product description:
HE'S THE GOOD KIND OF VAMPIRE. SORT OF.

Buried in the Heartland is a town that no one enters or leaves. Graf McDonald somehow becomes its first visitor in more than five years…and he was only looking for a good party. Unfortunately, Penance, Ohio, is not that place. And after having been isolated for so long, they do not like strangers at all.

Jessa's the only one to even remotely trust him, and she's desperate for the kind of protection that only a vampire like Graf can provide. Supplies are low, the locals are ornery for a sacrifice and there's a monster more powerful than Graf lurking in the woods. New men are hard to come by in this lonesome town, and this handsome stranger might be Jessa's only hope for salvation.

Even if she has to die first…

My thoughts:
Great read!  I love Jennifer Armintrout's books and this one did not disappoint!  Certainly a worthy read!!!
The characters are fantastic!  
Graf - - the bad guy/good guy that every story needs.  He is just a bit selfish too, which gives him a hard edge.
Jessa - - tough girl with an I don't need you/you don't scare me attitude that makes you love her.
The townspeople - all sorts of crazy.
I was torn between wanting Graf to stay in Penance forever and wanting him and Jessa to escape together.  Won't tell you what happens!  
The monster trapping the town was terrifying and the idea behind how it came to be, more so.  
The story was thrilling, the plot was twisty and intriguing.  It was a whole new idea to the vampire story as a whole.  I enjoyed the growth of Graf and Jessa as they learned more about each other and themselves.  I would recommend it to others and will be looking for more from Jennifer Armintrout!

Review: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Rage (Horsemen of the Apocalypse Book 2) by Jackie Morse Kessler

Net Galley book - publication date: 4/4/11

Amazon Product Description:
Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different.

That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control.

A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

My thoughts:
This story is powerful, compelling, and terrifying.  From the first sentence which is shocking to the end - where I found myself in tears - I couldn't put this one down! This is a tale of sorrow and sadness, suffering, struggle and pain.  It is also a story of acceptance and triumph, forgiveness, love, and the power of belief in yourself.  


Again, as with the first book, I am impressed.  The story is well written.  The topic is tragic, compelling, and way too real in today's society.   As with Hunger, I think that Jackie Morse Kessler has captured a subject that is more common than anyone wants to admit, many people fear, most deny, and all are challenged in dealing with.  She has made her story thoughtful, insightful, encouraging, realistic, and respectful to anyone who may come in contact with the issue of self-injury/self-mutilating.  She lends an understanding that I would never have achieved without reading this book. I feel that it is a must read for teens and adults alike. I would recommend it to anyone.


Be sure to read Hunger (Horsemen of the Apocalypse Book 1) by Jackie Morse Kessler before you read Rage.  They are both amazing stand alones, but there are references in Rage that will mean more if you have already read Hunger.  Read my review of Hunger here.