I was already excited for all three of these...but I'm blown away with how well-done the book trailers are! What do you think?
The Rising by Kelley Armstrong
Pretty Girl 13 by Liz Coley
When We Wake by Karen Healey
Showing posts with label Kelley Armstrong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelley Armstrong. Show all posts
Friday, February 15, 2013
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
The Calling by Kelley Armstrongpublisher: HarperTeen
release date: April 10th, 2012
hardcover, 326 pages
intended audience: Young adult
series: Darkness Rising, book #2
(review of book 1 here)
rating:
source: from publisher for honest review
Warning! Description and review may contain slight spoilers for book 1 in this series. If you haven't read The Gathering, stop here!
description: Maya and her friends--all of whom have supernatural powers--have been kidnapped after fleeing from a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set, and after a terrifying helicopter crash they find themselves pursued by evildoers in the Vancouver Island wilderness.
Review: I was wavering between a 3.5 rating and 4 for this second installment of the Darkness Rising series. In the end, after it has settled for a few days, I decided that I did really enjoy this one. It's a very fast, exciting read and while at times, fell victim to the "second-book syndrome", it was fun and engaging.
It was great to get back to some of these characters. They are all very different, and some of them take some very surprising personality turns. Still loved the humor and back-and-forth banter between Maya, Daniel, Calvin, & Sam. Once again, I laughed out loud more than once. Once again, I loved the strong friendship between Daniel and Maya---I know many readers will hope to see them together, but for me they are awesome together even just as best friends.
Largely, the second book is one big chase through the woods---and by "second-book syndrome" I mean that at times it felt more like just a catalyst from book 1 to the grande finale in book 3. And while I understand that is the basic purpose of a middle book in a series, I still tend to like when each book in a series has a nice story arc of it's own. You learn a tiny bit more about one of the groups chasing them, and a bit more about what Maya and all her friends are, but not really what any of it all means. I was very excited to get little hints of how this story might circle around to cross paths with Armstrong's Darkest Powers series, which I loved.
The ending was, of course, a cliffhanger, but surprisingly felt a little less harsh than what I'm used to seeing in this author's books. Not that I don't secretly love them sometimes, (they leave my heart pounding and my mind reeling and dying for the next book!) , but for those who liken cliffhangers to whiplash, this one was a nice departure.
A super-quick, thrilling read---this is definitely a series I'll be sticking with to the end!
Visit Kelley Armstrong's site: www.kelleyarmstrong.com
Purchase The Calling at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound
Friday, March 9, 2012
Dark Days News & The Calling Book Trailer!!
The Dark Darks are moving right along! This Sunday's event in LA, featuring Lauren Oliver, Dan Wells, and Claudia Gray will be livestreamed by Tiffany of http://www.abouttoread.com/. What that means is that we'll ALL get to watch the event live on http://www.livestream.com/
BUT in the meantime, if you can't wait until Sunday to hear some Pandemonium talk from Lauren Oliver, click HERE to see a video of her event Raleigh, NC !
If you missed any of leg 3 of the Dark Days blog apprearances, here's where you can find them:
2/21 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy
2/22 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books
2/23 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms
2/28 Dan Wells at Bookalicious
3/1 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy
3/6 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books
3/7 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms
3/8 Dan Wells at Bookalicious
Last but not least...I just spotted this trailer for The Calling by Kelley Armstrong at Natalia's Dazzling Reads---I just had to share it here, too. It's such an intense, exciting trailer---one of the best I've seen in a while! I can tell this story is going in a completely different direction than I thought it was from the climactic ending in The Gathering!! So excited to start reading it!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Review: The Gathering
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrongpublisher: HarperTeen
release date: April 12, 2011
hardcover, 359 pages
intended audience: Young adult
rating:
source: from publisher for an honest review
description: Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.
It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.
Review: This is the start of another amazing trilogy for Kelley Armstrong. It takes place in the same world as her Darkest Powers series, but in a different place. Being such a fan of the last books, it seriously sent shivers up my spine to see the names of the creepy scientists from the before mentioned in this one, too. The story is based in a town that was built around a research facility. Most of the parents work for the lab and the testing, examinations, and secrecy (supposedly to keep their research from being stolen) are part of the daily life for everyone in the town, including the local teens. It was a fascinating setting and it set up a very unique dynamic for the whole town. It was like a small town set up, but ten times more enigmatic.
Maya was a fantastic character. She is strong, competitive, willful, but also kind. She had the most entertaining sense of humor---any character that has me laughing out loud no less than four times in the first twenty pages is good with me. She has a strong connection to nature and animals, which she thinks nothing of having grown up in the forest, until she crosses paths with a mysterious old women who calls her a witch and it gets her curious about some strange things that have been happening. I really liked the friendship between her and Daniel. There is quite an impenetrable bond there, having been friends since they were 5 or 6 and having gone through the worst tragedy possible together. He is just this rock, and seems like they would be able to stand against the world together! I can't wait to see where the whole thing with Maya and Rafe, the new kid in town, leads. Obviously, they've got some major things in common and some serious chemistry going on there, but we'll have to wait and see what consequences that amazing ending will cause!
As with the Darkest Powers series, the cliffhanger ending is brutal. It reminds me of the old-timey TV shows were it would be in the height of the action and intrigue... and then the announcer would come on and say "tune in next time to see if our hero makes it out alive!"
Kelley Armstrong is my official Queen of the Cliffhangers! This one ends and my mind was literally spinning with questions: "but, but, but...what about?? and what happens to?? and who was this person really??"
She certainly knows how to get her readers hooked and hungry for the next installment. OH, it's going to be a long wait.
Visit Kelley Armstrong's site here!
Purchase The Gathering at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • IndieBound
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Review: The Darkest Powers Series
The Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong
publisher: HarperTeen
Book 1: The Summoning
released: July 2008
Hardcover, 390 pages
rating:
description from goodreads:
After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.
At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behavior. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…
Warning! The following book descriptions contain some spoilers for the book that came before each one!! I have hidden the descriptions---to view them, simply highlight between the hearts!
Book 2: The Awakening
released: May 2009
Hardcover, 368 pages
rating:
description from goodreads:
♥If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.
Book 3: The Reckoning
released: April 2010
Hardcover, 391 pages
rating:
description from goodreads:
♥Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope. ♥
Review: This entire series was EXCELLENT! The Reckoning was definitely one of my most anticipated releases of this year, and it didn't disappoint---far from it!
From the very first sentence of The Summoning, this series is enticing. You meet Chloe Saunders, with her big dreams of becoming a movie director and her insecurities about things like not getting her period when all the rest of her friends have, and it bring her across as a very normal teenage girl. She is sweet, strong-minded, has a slight stutter when her confidence takes a hit...very human. I really liked her from the start. She grows immensely through the course of the series, into a person who knows her strengths and weaknesses, and learns to stand her ground when it really counts. In turn, I think she really finds out who she is and what she wants to stand for.
There were some definite creepy elements throughout this series. Within the first few pages, this one had sent a few chills up my spine! I love that in a book! Even after you find out what is happening and Chloe starts to learn more about her powers, even into the second and third books, her encounters with the dead don't seem to get any less chilling.
There's not alot of downtime in this plot! It's fast-paced; the characters roll right along in a constant and breathtaking streak of discovering secrets, running from danger, fighting for their lives, or trying to figure out who to trust, sometimes even among themselves. All while still trying to figure out their own powers. The Reckoning was my favorite of the three, so exciting and brought everything to light; it was the perfect ending to a fantastic series.
My only regret, and this is a plus for anyone who hasn't picked up this series yet, was that I didn't wait to read this series until they were all out. While each one was great it its own right, the endings of the first two books were alittle abrupt. I would almost say with the first one, that it felt like the first two books were written together and then just chopped in half at a pivotal point in the story. I would have been preferable, for me, to have waited until all three were out and just jump right into the next book. With such extreme cliffhangers, it was almost too much to bear to wait a year to find out what happened next!
I know this was suppose to be the end of this series, but the way it ended had me thinking: could there possibly be more coming to this story? While the ending was satisfying, it definitely left a little sliver of room for more of these characters' stories to come, and I would welcome another installment wholeheartedly!
Trailer for the Reckoning:
The website for this series has some fun extras on it, including a sneak peak at Kelley Armstrong's next YA series, The Gathering!! I can't wait for more info on this!!
publisher: HarperTeen
Book 1: The Summoningreleased: July 2008
Hardcover, 390 pages
rating:
description from goodreads:
After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.
At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behavior. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…
Warning! The following book descriptions contain some spoilers for the book that came before each one!! I have hidden the descriptions---to view them, simply highlight between the hearts!
Book 2: The Awakening
released: May 2009
Hardcover, 368 pages
rating:
description from goodreads:
♥If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.
Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.♥
Book 3: The Reckoningreleased: April 2010
Hardcover, 391 pages
rating:
description from goodreads:
♥Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope. ♥
Review: This entire series was EXCELLENT! The Reckoning was definitely one of my most anticipated releases of this year, and it didn't disappoint---far from it!
From the very first sentence of The Summoning, this series is enticing. You meet Chloe Saunders, with her big dreams of becoming a movie director and her insecurities about things like not getting her period when all the rest of her friends have, and it bring her across as a very normal teenage girl. She is sweet, strong-minded, has a slight stutter when her confidence takes a hit...very human. I really liked her from the start. She grows immensely through the course of the series, into a person who knows her strengths and weaknesses, and learns to stand her ground when it really counts. In turn, I think she really finds out who she is and what she wants to stand for.
There were some definite creepy elements throughout this series. Within the first few pages, this one had sent a few chills up my spine! I love that in a book! Even after you find out what is happening and Chloe starts to learn more about her powers, even into the second and third books, her encounters with the dead don't seem to get any less chilling.
There's not alot of downtime in this plot! It's fast-paced; the characters roll right along in a constant and breathtaking streak of discovering secrets, running from danger, fighting for their lives, or trying to figure out who to trust, sometimes even among themselves. All while still trying to figure out their own powers. The Reckoning was my favorite of the three, so exciting and brought everything to light; it was the perfect ending to a fantastic series.
My only regret, and this is a plus for anyone who hasn't picked up this series yet, was that I didn't wait to read this series until they were all out. While each one was great it its own right, the endings of the first two books were alittle abrupt. I would almost say with the first one, that it felt like the first two books were written together and then just chopped in half at a pivotal point in the story. I would have been preferable, for me, to have waited until all three were out and just jump right into the next book. With such extreme cliffhangers, it was almost too much to bear to wait a year to find out what happened next!
I know this was suppose to be the end of this series, but the way it ended had me thinking: could there possibly be more coming to this story? While the ending was satisfying, it definitely left a little sliver of room for more of these characters' stories to come, and I would welcome another installment wholeheartedly!
Trailer for the Reckoning:
The website for this series has some fun extras on it, including a sneak peak at Kelley Armstrong's next YA series, The Gathering!! I can't wait for more info on this!!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Reckoning releases!! Yay!!
Today is the day!! I've seriously been counting the days to the the release of The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong! The first two books were fantastic, if you haven't read them, you must!! They are fun, exciting, spooooky...and just plain good reading! Ok, so I ordered my copy from Book Depository (honestly, you cannot beat their price!!) so it won't be here for a few days, but...Happy Release Day, Kelley Armstrong and Chloe Saunders!!!
(STOP: spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first two books!!)
(STOP: spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first two books!!)
Synopsis:
My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.But normal is one thing I'm not.
For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.
Not normal.
My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.
Definitely not normal.
And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.
As far away from normal as it gets.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday : The Reckoning
"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.
It's my very first week participating in WoW, and I'm finding it hard to pick just one. There are so many I can't wait for! This is definitely one of my most anticipated, though...I am seriously loving this series so far. So without further ado:
The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
due to be released: April 6th, 2010
And yes, on that day, you will find me at my nearest bookstore! :)
Website for this book
Description: NOTE! This is the third in a series, so it's a little hard to have a description that doesn't contain some spoilers for the first two books. Therefore, I've hidden them! If you have read the first two, highlight the blank spot between the two hearts to see the full details on The Reckoning!
♥Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope. ♥
It's my very first week participating in WoW, and I'm finding it hard to pick just one. There are so many I can't wait for! This is definitely one of my most anticipated, though...I am seriously loving this series so far. So without further ado:
The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrongdue to be released: April 6th, 2010
And yes, on that day, you will find me at my nearest bookstore! :)
Website for this book
Description: NOTE! This is the third in a series, so it's a little hard to have a description that doesn't contain some spoilers for the first two books. Therefore, I've hidden them! If you have read the first two, highlight the blank spot between the two hearts to see the full details on The Reckoning!
♥Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope. ♥
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