*Review* : Everlasting by Alyson Noel

Everlasting - Alyson Noel

Series : #6 The Immortals

Released : 1st July 2011

Publisher: Macmillan

Format : Paperback

Source : Publisher

Buy : Amazon (UK/USA)|Book Depository

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

Everlasting is the sixth and final installment of the epic love story that has enchanted readers across the world. Ever and Damen have spent centuries facing down bitter rivals, jealous friends and their own worst fears-all in the hope of being together forever. Now in Everlasting, their destiny is finally within reach.
Will they be united-or torn apart forever? Readers will finally discover the truth in this anxiously awaited conclusion!

 .................................... My Review  ....................................

In Short

- Everlasting rounds off the series and answers all unanswered questions perfectly

- Ever is a new Ever in this book who uses her brain when making choices

- The romance is as cute as always (Very cute!)

- This is my favourite in the series

- I am sad that this series is over =(

In Long

I have to admit The Immortals is a series which I have had a strong love and hate relationship with. If you look back at my reviews of this series it has made me feel happy, angry, gripped, bored, entertained and many more things! I was hoping that Everlasting would round the series off nicely while also not making me feel anything negative. It really did that, for many reasons.

First off, Alyson’s writing has improved so much since Evermore. Every sentence seems to really have a meaning whereas I often felt that sentences were just there and didn’t add much to the story. I also really felt like she has listened to the fans in a way which really made a difference while also keeping her unique writing style. I know a lot of people say the books were frustrating because Ever did silly things which someone smart like her wouldn’t. Ever’s actions in Everlasting were nothing like they used to be and even when she did make a silly choice her decision was almost explained to the reader. I liked that Alyson made it a lot easier to see things from Ever's point of view therefore understand her decisions. 

Ever is a character that I quickly warmed to all over again but even more so in this book, it’s like the Ever who made silly mistakes never happened! She became someone who was very likeable while also down to earth. Alyson also revealed a lot of things which made me understand Ever a lot more. The romance in this book was one which you are quickly made to believe all over again and I felt everything felt so much more real.

I liked the twists throughout this book and really felt like everything in the past books was rounded up really nicely in Everlasting. I wasn’t left with any questions but only with a sad feeling that it was the end of the series!

Final Thoughts

At times I was close to giving up on this series but I am glad I didn’t, I am sad that this series is finished and that I won’t get to spend any more time with Ever or Damen. Both Alyson and Ever redeemed themselves in this book in so many ways. It definitely made me want to read more books by Alyson in the future and had put my faith back in her.

Cover Crazy #41

Hosted by The Book Worms

Hemlock - Kathleen Peacock
I really like this cover but I have to admit, the more I look at it the more I dislike how photoshopped everything is. 

I love this cover because :

- The mystery feel of the cover

- You can straight away tell it's a paranormal book

- The quote at the bottom by Kimberly Derting

- The colour of her dress is so pretty! My favourite colour
- I like how the flower stems wrap around the title
Dislike :
- I don't really think the colour of the flowers go with her dress.
- I like but also hate the effect that the flowers and the stem has on the cover. 
- It's not that unique

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Heaven - Christoph Marzi
Wow! This is a cover which totally made me stop and think exactly that - 'WOW'. I know for a fact I would pick this up in a book store! 

I love this cover because :

- It's so so unique

- I love how her emotions are so clear yet you can't even see her face

- It has been kept so simple yet little things really make this cover

- I like how there is like white dust around her

- Love the tagline!!

- How the red of the heart is the main colour and therefore the main focus along with the girl
Dislike :
- NOTHING!

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This Week's Round Up

Reviews

Six Moon Summer - R.M. Reine

Afterlife - Claudia Gray

Giveaway :

Cherished - Belinda Boring

Posts:

Cover Crazy

My Life in Pictures

Waiting On Wednesday

The Time Will Come

In My Mailbox

In my Mailbox! (#36)

Hourglass|Wonder|Uncommon Criminals|Take me There|Dreamland

Thank you

Lesley - My Keeper Shelf

Natasha - On The Bookshelf

Random House

*Review* : Six Moon Summer - S.M. Reine

Six Moon Summer - S.M Reine

Series : #1 Seasons of The Moon

Released : 29th April 2011

Publisher: Self Published

Format : Kindle

Source : Author

Buy : Amazon (UK/USA)|Book Depository

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

Rylie's been bitten.
She's changing.
And now she has three months to find a cure before becoming a werewolf... forever.
Rylie Gresham hates everything about summer camp: the food, the fresh air, the dumb activities, and the other girls in her cabin. But the worst part is probably being bitten by a werewolf. Being a teenager is hard enough, but now she's craving raw flesh and struggles with uncontrollable anger. If she doesn't figure out a way to stop the transformation, then at the end of summer, her life is worse than over. She'll be a monster.

 .................................... My Review  ....................................

In Short

- I liked the main character Riley

- I felt the other characters lacked depth 

- I really enjoyed the environment that this book was set in

- The romance in this book didn't 'do it for me'

In Long

Six Moon Summer was one of those werewolf books that I felt would fall into a category of another werewolf book with the sameish werewolf storyline. Although it was kind of the same sort of storyline I actually found Six Moon Summer rather different and unique from the other werewolf books I have read due to a few things.

I think the main character, Riley made the biggest difference in the storyline. She was by far the most developed character and made up for the other characters in this book which i felt I never got to know properly. To begin with I wasn’t able to connect with Riley but gradually I got to know her better and started to like her which then lead to me feeling some kind of empathy for. Because of this I felt I was able to understand her better as well as her actions. The main male in this story, sadly for me, didn’t seem to have much depth and I didn’t really gain any connect with him. Saying that I never disliked him, I just never got to know him as much as I would have liked. The main relationship itself (I felt) lacked depth in some places. I found that the main male character was saying things like (Not exact word for word) “That’s so like you”, I felt this was something unnecessary for people who have know each other for not even a month and made the relationship feel rushed.

I enjoyed the environment of the story, I felt this was very different and definitely challenged the characters, mainly Riley, at different times throughout the book. The environment made for interesting relationships and I liked seeing them develop in different ways including both positively and negatively.

The writing itself was a good standard although I struggled in places to become engrossed in the story due to feeling it was a bit slow. I found that the book tended to flow better when it was just Riley by herself. This is because the writing seemed to lack relationship depth and the sentences got simpler therefore making everything flow a lot less when it was two people together. By simpler I mean there was no descriptions with the sentences, it was very to the point with lots of short sentences whereas I would have liked more detail on the characters interactions. I know some people really like the simple and short sentences but I always become picky about it!

Final Thoughts

Six Moon Summer is a good werewolf book which you should definitely give a go. I can only see S.M's writing getting better and better and the characters becoming more developed. I look forward to reading All Hallows Moons

INT Giveaway - Cherished

Cherished is the second in the series of Without Mercy.

As some of you may recall I loved Without Mercy and can't wait to read Cherished!

If you want to win your own copy of Cherished then read below :

How to enter & rules:

Leave a comment on this post

Leave your email

Ends 4th November

Extra entry :

For an extra entry in the SAME comment tell me your favourite book written by an indie author.

Indie author is an self published author. 
Next tour stop : Paranormal Opinion

The Time Will Come #40

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The Time Will Come - 

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

~

Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

Desires of the Dead - Kimberly Derting
I am kind of starting to lose track of what books I have done but either way, this book deserves a mention. Even if it is the 2nd mention! 
I read The Body Finder and adored it. Although I then read Deadly Little Secret and got them a bit confused together, for some reason! I decided I need to read over the ending to The Body Finder and have been looking out for it at my library but to no avail. I guess that's my excuse for not having read this one yet as I have no other. I am hoping it will be as awesome as The Body Finder and I will be able to read it asap!

Waiting on Wednesday (#40)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Truth - Julia Karr
Published : 19th February 2012
Publisher : Speak/Puffin
After reading XVI I couldn't wait to read Truth! I really felt that XVI was like an introduction to the second book because of the lack of action and more information.
 I definitely feel and really hope that Truth will have a lot more action and also more explanation's into the world around them. I am aware that a lot of people felt this way about XVI so I have my eyes glued for any early reviews. I am quite nervous about this one, it will either be just 'meh' or amazing!

The Blurb

Nina Oberon’s life has changed enormously in the last few months. When her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council–ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all sixteen-year-old girls have. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey to predators. But Nina won’t be anyone’s stereotype. And when she joins an organization of girls working within the Resistance, she knows that they can put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever conceived. Because the truth always comes out...and the consequences can be deadly.

*Review* : Afterlife by Claudia Gray

Afterlife - Claudia Gray

Series : #4 Evernight

Released : 3rd March 2011

Publisher: Harper Collins

Format : Paperback

Source : Publishers

Buy : Amazon (UK/USA)|Book Depository

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

When Bianca chooses death over becoming a vampire, she doesn’t realise that another life lies in store…
The fourth and final novel in the internationally best-selling EVERNIGHT series – a vampire romance with a shocking twist.
Bianca and Lucas have always believed they could endure anything to be together. When a twist of fate not only transforms Bianca into a wraith but also turns Lucas into a vampire – the very creature he spent his life hunting – they are left reeling.
Haunted by his powerful need to kill, Lucas can turn to only one place for help… Evernight Academy. But with the vampire leader of Evernight waging war on the wraiths, Bianca’s former home has become the most dangerous place she could be, despite the new powers her ghostly transformation has given her.
A battle between wraiths and vampires looms, and Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. Is their love strong enough to survive after life?

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

This will contain spoilers for the rest of the series
In Short

 - Claudia has done a great job of rounding off the series

- I really like how she took this book to places I didn't expect.

- Bianca showed quite a selfish side to her in this book but not enough to make me dislike her.

- Really liked how the romance was explored in a new way

In Long

Evernight has been a great series which I have really enjoyed reading. The story was left on a huge cliff hanger so I couldn’t wait to pick up Afterlife to see how things developed and where Claudia took things next.
I think the main season I ‘struggled’ with the book at the beginning was because of the gap I left between reading Hourglass and Afterlife. The previous 3 books I had read quite close together therefore gained a bond with Bianca but because it had been quite a while I felt like that bond was lost. Also I found Bianca was selfish at a few points that kind of annoyed me a little bit but not to the point where I ever disliked her.
I also felt like I was almost angry with what had happened to Bianca, I really liked the interactions between Bianca and Lucas when she wasn’t a wraith and therefore this book felt like it had something missing from it. I just couldn’t totally connect with the whole wraith thing, although it was great for a story to be taken to a place I never expected.
The romance in this book was definitely different, after all they can’t be how they used to be when they are now ‘different’ (Wraith and Vampire) but I really enjoyed how Claudia actually made this an advantage when writing the book. The romance was, as always, very real and cute. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop even more as they went through more things together.
Towards the end I felt like things speed up, giving me less time for the whole wraith thing to bother me and I found myself actually loving where Claudia took the story. The romance became cuter, the storyline even less unpredictable (which is what I loved so much about the previous books) and relationships more interesting.

Final Thoughs

Claudia did a good job of rounding this series off, I found I was actually rather emotional towards the end as it was such a nice ‘round-off’ to the series and Claudia definitely did it justice!

My Life Through A Picture #5

What is My life ; A Picture?

I love pictures and I am obsessed with them so I thought every week for 4 weeks I would show you a picture which has some sort of memory and I will then tell you about that memory =)

23-10-11

I know I did a post about my Grampy but I thought for the next 4 weeks I will show pictures from  my 'Grampy's final goodbye'.

My sister, brother and me got these for my Grampys funeral. The lady who did these did an amazing job. We were really happy with them!

Cover Crazy #39

Hosted by The Book Worms

Fractured - Joanna Karaplis
I really like how simple this cover is and the overall feeling it gives off. It definitely hints towards heartbreak of some sort.

I love this cover because :

- Really liking the font of the title and how it stands out

- The butterfly really adds to this cover - Love butterflies!

- How it's like she is looking through some broken glass which goes with the title (Fractured)

- How she is looking down but you can still clearly see her emotion
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Dislike :
- It doesn't really tell you a lot about the book.
- The authors name is way too small, it's as important as the title if not more.

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Lure - Stephanie Jenkins
Wow! When I saw this cover I had mixed feeling and I still really do. I like it overall but I few things I dislike.

I love this cover because :

- Love how she's wearing black and kind of becomes a bird herself

- Loving the splashed of water - Makes me intrigued as to what the story is about.

-It's unique!
Dislike :
- Don't really like the placement or font of the title. Would suit being down near the water and blended in.
- Not really like the effect of the sky, feels fake

- The authors name is in quite boring font

- Although I like the water it doesn't quite blend with the rest of the cover.

Round up of Blogoversary & Giveaways

Here are all the links in case you missed a post!

UK Giveaways

Blogoversary Giveaway

CJ Skuse Giveaway

Europe Giveaway

Flip by Martyn Bedford

International Giveaways

Swag Giveaway

Blogoversary Giveaway

US Giveaways

Bitter End - Jennifer Brown

Other Posts

My Top Ten Bloggers

Waiting on Wednesday by Amy Plum

Books for Company Blog Stats

Books for Company Survey + Swag Giveaway

Hi everyone! =)

I just put together a survey which will help me make my blog better and more suited to my followers/readers.

If you fill it out you will be entered in a swag giveaway!

(The picture above is what you could win! - It's international)

Form is here
Mistake in form - 
When asked to select two you can only select one. Just select your favourite or least favourite. Sorry!


P.S - If you don't want to leave your name for the giveaway just put - in the name section.

Thank you

Thank you

Thank you 

=)

Blogoversary Giveaway

Here is my main blogoversary giveaway!
There will be 4 winners altogether in this giveaway.
-

International Rules :

The winner can CHOOSE one book

International (BUT please check this list)

Must be a follower 

Ends 4th November

~

UK Rules :

UK can enter BOTH giveaways

Must be follower

Ends 4 November

-

What you can win

UK Giveaway

Three Winners

Betrayal - Lee Nichols

Passion - Lauren Kate

The Poisoned House - Michael Ford

-

International Giveaway

A choice of one of these

One Winner (May go up to 2)

-

ENTER GIVEAWAYS!

UK Giveaway

Fill in THIS FORM

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International Giveaway 

Fill in Rafflecopter Below

I reserve the right to :

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To change the end date at any time

Why I am making GFC following a requirement :

I have added 3 giveaway this week which does not require following.

This giveaway will end up costing me quite a bit of money and when I don't have much (money) I feel asking to be a GFC follower isn't asking too much.

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