Jun 24 2013
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Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

a2jhkkTitle: Hex Hall

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Series: Hex Hall #1

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie’s estranged father–an elusive European warlock–only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it’s her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

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The Review:

This is one of those books that I’m kicking myself for not reading sooner. One of my best go-to girls for books recommended it to me like three years ago when it first came out, but it wasn’t until I got an arc of Hawkins’ latest, School Spirits, that I finally got motivated enough to pick it up. Stupid. I loved it! It was fun without being cheesy, dark without being depressing, and all-around a delightful book.

Here’s another reason why I’m kicking myself: I love books that take place at schools. Give me a school for anything, basket-weaving, sword-fighting, dog-sledding – you name it. If it takes place at a school I want to read it. What I liked about this Academy in particular was how much of an impact it had on the story. Everything from the location of the school to how the students felt inside it transformed Hex Hall from a setting into a character. Hawkins used a lot of great imagery when describing it setting the mood for the entire book.

The overall “feel” for the book is probably my favorite part. While the school had a tremendous impact on that, it wouldn’t have been near as memorable without such a lovable protagonist. Not only is she fluent in sarcasm but she also maintains a quiet strength in the things that make her different from everybody else. And she was funny – I cracked up several times throughout the book. What’s more, I enjoyed all of the side characters just as much… particularly the love interest. ;)

Overall, this book delivered a memorable setting, great protagonist, a fun mystery, paranormal creatures, and a compelling love story. It blew my expectations away and has quickly become one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Recommendations: if Vampire Academy and Bloodlines are on your favorites list, you should definitely give this book try. It’s perfect for those who like paranormal and want a fun and memorable mystery/love story. If it’s already in your TBR pile, pick it up now – you wont be sorry!

Other books you might like:

A Touch of Frosts Review  •   The Selection Review   •  The Sweetest Dark Review  •   Bloodlines Review

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 23 2013
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Writing Diaries – My Journey as an Aspiring Author

s 2A few of you might be aware that I am an aspiring novelist. I have been formulating the ideas for a book for the last year and have been seriously working on my novel, Dragon Games since March. It has taken a huge chunk of my time, but every sacrifice has allowed me to shape this story into something I’m really proud of. It’s one I’ve always wanted to read and it includes, you guessed it, dragons! Every few Sundays, I will be posting things related to my journey as an aspiring writer, whether it be great advice I’ve received, inspiring moments, or even snippets of my novel. This week’s topic:

The Most Inspiring Elements in My Work So Far

There are so many elements that go into writing a book, it can be overwhelming at times. luckily for me, I have an excellent support system in the form of my husband who teaches collegiate English and has forgotten more about the rules of writing than I will ever know. I also have several friends and acquaintances who graciously offer me their time and support in this project and keep me motivated every day to work towards my dreams. They remind me that I’m doing something bigger than myself and talk me out of the furnace when I’m ready to burn it all and start over again.

While support was essential for me to pursed to this as a career, I also needed to learn more about the craft. Along those lines, I signed up for two workshops offered by best-selling author David Farland (Professional Writers’ and Million Dollar Outlines) and found them invaluable in learning how to shape my novel into something people want to read. Farland is a wealth of experience and knowledge and any aspiring writer would benefit from one of his workshops (as a side note, I have also met some of the coolest people at these seminars and am convinced you will be seeing the published works from them in the future). For those of you who can’t make the seminars, he also has several daily writing “Kicks” that impart nuggets of his wisdom throughout the week. I can’t say enough good things about them and fully believe that if I make it as a writer it will be partly because of what I learned at these workshops.

Finally, this project wouldn’t have been imagined without the hundreds of fantastic books I’ve read so far. Every day in my adventures in reading I come across elements of writing that blow me away and help me improve my own craft. Stephen King once said “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” I couldn’t agree more; writing every day helps keep the creativity flowing and reading gives me ideas on what sort of book I want to write. Above all else, I know what I like to read and I believe that is invaluable information in creating a story others like me will enjoy.

A great writing support system, classes to improve my writing intelligence, and constant immersion in other authors’ creations are the elements that got me started and have kept me going. What elements inspire you?

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 22 2013
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Coming Soon: Champion by Marie Lu

champion.inddTitle: Champion

Author: Marie Lu

Series: Legend #3

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: November 5, 2013

The Overview: June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

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Nik’s Notes:

 I know quite a few people who are eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this trilogy. It is considered the perfect substitute for those who liked Hunger Games and Divergent… perfect for the dystopian-obsessed like me. Even though a couple of people have recommended it to me, I haven’t read yet – but that’s is about to change. Legend is next on my list and I couldn’t be more excited. I have a feeling I’m going to be kicking myself for not waiting a little longer once I get to the end of Prodigy and have to wait until November for the conclusion.

Jun 21 2013
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Book Review: The Deepest Night by Shana Abe

16156293Title: The Deepest Night

Author: Shana Abe

Series: Sweetest Dark #2

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: it’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iversen, a prestigious, Gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast. While she’s always felt different from everyone around her, now she finally knows why: she is a drakon calm a a rare, enchanted being with astonishing magical abilities. As war hits Britain’s shores, and Lora reels from an unimaginable loss, she finds that her powers, with grave and dangerous responsibilities. At the request of Armand Louis, that darkly mysterious boy whose father owns Iversen, Lora will spend her summer at his lavish estate. To help the war effort – and to keep Lora by his side – Armand turned his home into a military hospital, where Lora will serve as a nurse. For Armand is inescapably drawn to her—bound to her by heart-deep secrets and a supernatural connection that runs thicker than blood.

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The Review:

I was delightfully impressed by this novel. In fact, I liked it better than the first one! Both had exceptional writing, vivid settings, and compelling characters. What this one had that the first one lacked (and tipped me over the edge into the five-star rating) was story… specifically the romance. The plot decisions that left me wanting in the first book were rectified tenfold in this one – revealing a sweet, slow-building relationship that added just one more positive aspect to these great characters.

I’m not much for historical fiction so I have to give Abe kudos for immersing me in the world of the past without boring me. There were many drop-in details that kept the world fresh and vivid without overwhelming the reader. The author makes me feel like she lived there herself – I’m impressed at the amount of research she had to do for this project.

The setting, as impressive as Abe made it, wouldn’t have been as magical without her skills as a writer. The whole book was beautifully crafted with language and description, leaving me breathless. She definitely has a unique voice and perspective for telling stories and I’m still in awe at what she was able to accomplish. There were several scenes that were almost written backwards to the “conventional” standard. For example, she’d start a scene with the character’s emotional or physical reaction to something then (as if we were peeling back layers) reveals things about the setting, the other characters in the scene, then finally the conflict. It was engaging to read and made those scenes more vivid and powerful.

Overall, this author had every element I look for when evaluating a book and produced those elements with flying colors. And she had dragons! What’s not to love? I haven’t seen this series highlighted as often as I feel it deserves – if you liked any of the recommends below consider adding this to your TBR list (you won’t be disappointed)!

Recommendations: this is great for readers who love reading about academies, dragons, love, history, sassy leading ladies, and charming gentleman.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 18 2013
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Top Ten Tuesday – Top 10 Books at the Top of my Summer 2013 TBR list! (6/18/2013)

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 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature posted by The Broke and the Bookish. They often have really fun topics, and this one happens to be the one I’ve been waiting for!

Top 10 Books at the Top of my Summer 2013 TBR list!

 I am finally at the point where I can start new series. I have had so many different ones going that I made it a concerted effort over the last few months to get caught up. As you can see, all of the books (except for Kim Harrison) are first books. You might’ve also notice that most of them are teen… what can I say? I’m on a kick.

 Of all the titles, I am most excited to read Everneath – I have seen so many rave reviews that I am convinced it’s going to be amazing! I have made it my personal goal to have all of these read before the Fall 2013 TBR list is due – wish me luck!

Are any of these books on your list? Or, even better, have you read them already?

Jun 17 2013
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Your Pick for Nik! – July’s Selection

fffEvery month I nominate titles from my TBR pile and you pick which one gets featured for our book club. This month, I’m doing things differently. you see, there is a title that has been the runner up since January and I figured this month would be a good month to feature it considering so many of you out there want to read it. So I’m skipping the voting process and going straight to the pick. Without further ado, July’s selection is: 

c3Title: Pure

Author: Julianna Baggott

Genre: Fiction

The Overview: We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

We won’t start reading this until July so there’s plenty of time to pick it up if you want to read along (for that matter, there’s still time to read June’s selection, The 5th Wave – it’s fabulous!).

For more information on how this feature works click here.