Friday, October 7, 2011

Tiger's Curse (Tiger Series, #1)Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I don't know how many of you are out there but raise your hand if you most beloved toy when you were little was a soft toy tiger *raises hand*. Yep, his name is Rajah and he was my beloved golden brown tiger soft toy who was as big as I was when I first got him when I was 8.I took him everywhere & slept with him at night. I still have him now, lying across the foot of my bed. If you like tigers as much as I do and wished you had a tiger companion just like Jasmine in Aladdin you will no doubt enjoy this book.



Anyway, back to Tiger's Curse, this story is well & truly EPIC. So much happens in this book I really couldn't get into it all without ruining the story for you, which I seriously do not want to do. If I had to condense it to maybe one sentence: Beauty & 2 x Beasts (long forgotten Indian princes/Tigers)go on a quest to search for magical treasures mentioned in myths that will help them break an ancient curse that dooms the princes to their tiger forms for all but 24 minutes of the day, every single day...



Summary: We find 17 year old Kelsey Hayes in Oregon/America looking for a summer job to fill in the time/earn some money before she heads off to college only to end up as an assistant at a circus... There she feels drawn to the gorgeous yet lonely white tiger Dhiren a.k.a Ren and strikes an odd friendship with the strange animal who seems to have also taking a liking to her as well.



As her period of employment comes to a close she is offered the once in a lifetime, all expenses paid opportunity to escort Ren to a tiger sanctuary in India. There Kelsey finds not all is what it seems with her furry friend and learns of the Tigers' Curse. Kelsey, though a little frazzled by her companion's transformation, vows to help the strange (Cough*Totally HOT*Cough) prince Ren earn his freedom. Oh, did I forget to mention that Ren has an equally handsome younger brother called Kishan? Yes, he of the white coat & cobalt blues eyes has a rascally sibling with the black coat & golden eyes. My OH My, what is a girl to do?



I love the beauty & the beast spin on ancient Indian myth & legend, as well as interesting facts about Indian culture, not to mention the lovely Indian words of endearment you can pick up just by reading the story. It really is a treasure of a book.



The only downside is how much of an idiot Kelsey becomes towards the end with her self sacrificing attitude. Think Edward in New Moon. I felt like slapping her. I finished the book & said to myself "Kelsey, you Bl**dy Idiot!!" in true Aussie style.



Didn't stop me for picking up the second book and delving right back. H*ll no!!! If you like action, adventure, mythology & tigers you cannot miss this book. Are you Team Ren or Team Kishan?







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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Giveaway: Win a copy of Passion Signed by Lauren Kate!!!

And the random Winner is......(drum roll please)...........

Brittany
(hernameisavril@yahoo.com)

CONGRATS!!!!
 You will be contacted soon for details.

For your chance to Win a Copy of Passion signed by Lauren Kate

       Each of the Following counts as one entry 
       (Maximum of 3 entries): 
  • Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
  • Follow me on Twitter @MystGrrlDreamz
  • Post a comment below letting me know who your favourite Fallen character is and why. Please include your email address or Twitter @ so I can contact you if you win .
Aussie-wide and International entrants welcome. 
A Random Winner will be selected 7th September 2011
Spread the word and Tweet about this giveaway



"Every single lifetime, I will choose you. Just as you have always chosen me. Forever."

Before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross, before they fought the Immortals, they had already lived many lives. And so Luce, desperate to unlock the curse that condemns their love, must revisit her past incarnations in order to understand her fate. Each century, each life, holds a different clue.

But Daniel is chasing her throughout centuries before she has a chance to re-write history.

How many deaths can one true love endure.
And can Luce and Daniel unlock their past in order to changed their future?

Lauren Kate and Me

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Monday, July 25, 2011

MADLY & WOLFHARDT - A New Series Making a Splash



**INCLUDES BOOK 1 & 2 OF THE MADLY SERIES**

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a mermaid princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, Madly’s home beneath the sea. A traitor has set free eight Lore,the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.


The first spirit to arrive is that of Ulrich Wolfhardt, a man that was once obsessed with wolves and a young maiden he would follow through the woods. After a bite from a wolf, Wolfhardt’s obsession with the girl became an unnatural hunger and the young maiden’s grandmother cursed him with a fate worse than death. And now he’s back…with a vengeance and a bite that can infect others as well.


Madly must learn the identity of Wolfhardt’s descendant and stop him before he kills again and spreads his curse across the earth. But the only person strong enough to help Madly is Jackson, the Sentinel who vowed to protect her and the one person capable of breaking her heart. Can Madly resist forbidden love long enough to save the world from Wolfhardt? Or will she have to sacrifice her heart and her destiny to save the ones she loves?


THE MADLY SERIES
on


ABOUT MICHELLE



M. Leighton is a native of Ohio, but she relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: writing fiction. Four of Michelle's novels can now be found on Amazon, as well as several other sites. She's currently working on sequels, though her mind continues to churn out new ideas, exciting plots and quirky characters. Pick one up and enjoy a wild ride through the twists and turns of her vivid imagination.

Where to Find Michelle:

Say Hi to Michelle on:


MystGrrl'z Review of Madly and Wolfhardt coming soon!!!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends, #1)A Job From Hell by Jayde Scott

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Interesting characters, banter was at times childish yet amusing but overall a slightly mediocre story. I felt I spent most of my time while reading just waiting for something to happen and when something did happen it seemed a little anti-climatic...



I don't think it will deter me from reading the second book in the series Beelzebub Girl: Dating a Demon. If anything Cass was my favourite character of the lot and I'd like to see how her story progresses.



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Saturday, July 2, 2011

MercifulMerciful by Casey Adolfsson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I've just finished this story and first of all I have to say... THIS STORY WAS EPIC!!!

The main character of this tale is called Acacia Moirgetes, seemly dull orphaned teenager who works as a librarian and yearns for something more in her life. Acacia then finds herself randomly teleporting to a place that seems vaguely familiar yet completely foreign and is now convinced that she is going mad. Enter hottie (and I mean that in every sense of the word...) Blaise who appears at her latest teleporting episode to advise that she is on Mount Olympus and is in fact Lady Acacia, a goddess and not just any mere goddess but the time traveling Bringer of Fate!!!

It's Acacia's duty to uphold justice as sister of the three Fates and as her word is law her powers make the current Gods quake in their leather sandles. Oh and it's her job to hunt down errant deities to drag their butts back to Mount Olympus before it all crashes down. (Pressure much?) Unfortunately 2 years ago she just up and disappeared without a word. Blaise paitently waited every day for her return and, as it turns out, is her personnel (steamy) bodyguard called a Pyroskia (fire shadow) created especially for her protection and is utterly devoted to, er, his job?

And exactly how, I hear you ask, does she not remember this? Acaica, one of the most supremely powerful deities, has lost her memory. That's right, besides her mortal life, a few visions here and there, Acacia has no memory of her life as a goddess. Determined to find out exactly why Acacia and Blaise, along with goat-like mentor Amal and another seriously hot Pyroskia (& brother of Blaise) called Ash (yaay twins!!!), they set off on quest for truth that will change their lives forever. But will learning the truth make her happy? Secrets, Lies and Betrayals lay in store before this tale is told.

Ok, so the first few pages leaves you feeling a bit up in the air as you try to understand what in the world is going on and though it might be tempting to put the book down, DO NOT DO IT!!! I promise the story will definitely get better and will be worth the wait.

Not since The Strangers of Paragor series have I been sucked into the heart-wrenching plight of the the main characters and dilemma of their emotional turmoil. If their hearts break, mine would along with them, it was that INTENSE.

Not don't get me wrong,this isn't another Greek tragedy, there was definitely some hilarious banter and character interactions to have you chuckling or gasping in mock horror as well as some toe curling delightful scenes that would make you wish you had a Pyroskia of your very own... or two... hmmmm... but I digress, this story is not for the lighthearted, as it will definitely leave it's mark on your heart even after you have read the last page.

I only hope this is not the last we hear of Acacia and her Pyroskias...
*Edit* 8/07/11 from Mericful FB page: "Hey Boys and Girls! I've had a lot of requests for info on upcoming books... I am pleased to announce that Temperance is in the works and will be Book Two of a Three Book Series featuring all your favorite Pyros and Acacia of course! Amal is also begrudgingly being dragged along for the ride... along with some new and exciting characters.
Chapter 1 will be titled: Never Trust a Drunk Goat.
Thank you for your support!"

Yaay!!!!


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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Storm Born (Dark Swan, #1)Storm Born by Richelle Mead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When the opening line of this book made me giggle I knew I was going to like this book. Now I was slightly hesitant to read Storm Born, as I was afraid I would end up just comparing this book to Richelle's other series Vampire Academy but after the first line (and a good giggle) I relaxed and got into the story.

Odile Dark Swan a.k.a Eugenie Markham is a trained Shaman who specialises in kicking supernatural butt and sending unwanted visitors back to the Otherworld or the Underworld if they are the particularily nasty sort. When a paranoid old ball of a man approaches Eugenie requesting she rescue his long lost sister from the fairies, it certainly raises an eyebrow or two, especially considering how dangerous the Otherworld can be. But knowing from experience how cruel and evil the fey can be leaving a defencless human girl in their midst is not an option for Eugenie. Flagged by her 3 ghostly/fey/demon minions Eugenie enters the Otherworld to complete what she thought was going to be just another job, if slightly more dangerous than the others. It actually turns into much more as what she discovers changes her life forever as secrets from her past come to the surface and she begins to question things she's been told and taught.

Now I really did enjoy this book. The story was funny, amusing and eyebrow raising, the plot definitely kept me going with a few surprises here and there that got me hooked. Certain pages definitely had my eyes widen but I won't spoil it for you. For those who want the "eye candy" there is Kiyo, the hunky kitsune who stole my heart at the beginning and then had me wanting to kick his butt after certain information came to the surface and Dorian, the Oak King, also hunky, funny and slightly weird... you'll find out what I mean.

If you are a fan of urban fey fantasies, steamy romance and a strong kick-ass female starring lead, this book might just be for you. I can't wait to read the next installment of the Dark Swan series, Thorn Queen.



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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Snow White and Rose RedSnow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I love fairy tales and when authors re-tells an old favourite with their own spin on it my curiousity is always piqued.



The story is mainly about Rosamund (Rose Red) and Blanche (Snow White) who live with their mother at the edge of the forest that borders the Fairie realm. While the family makes their living off the herbs and plants they collect from the outer fairie territory, they've never offically met a fey creature and their mother intends to keep it that way. That is until a spell cast by two amatuer sorcerers is hijacked by a fey with dark motives and the essence of a fairie prince is stolen.



Suddenly the widow's worst fears are realised when a unique bear appears on her doorstop and even though the threat of the hangmans noose for witchraft has crept closer to her door, her daughters and herself do all that they can in a race against time to find the cure to the poor bear's enchanment. As Blanche forms an attachment with the mysterious bear, Rosamund strikes an unlikely aquaintance with a strange tinker who can make dormant roses bloom at a touch.



Now while this story wasn't bad it wasn't exceptionally great either. It had it all at the beginning, the story had a great start up but somewhere along the middle it lost me and I found myself putting it down time and time again to do something else. I felt that though the story was predictable the author could have done so much more with it, especially in the bits that seemed created as filler that would just drag on.



On the upside the banter between Rosamund and John was pretty entertaining, not to mention the funny yet sometimes utterly confusing comments from Robin. On the whole an ok read, just for curiousity sake.





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Burn Bright (Night Creatures, #1)Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Now this book is one big twist and the surprises don't stop coming. The closest I could come to describing this book in one sentence is: A dark tale set in a youth only utopian styled party island blanketed in enternal night where drugs come free, dream outfits are a locker away and dark secrets are hidden around every corner.



The story centres around Retra, a girl branded as a Seal with no rights what so ever who lives a seriously sheltered life in a place called Grave... the name pretty much says it all doesn't it? Following in the footsteps of her brother Joel, Retra leaves all she has ever known behind and escapes her suffocating community in the hopes she will be reunited with him on Ixion, the island of no Elders, no rules, no punishment. Only music, laughter and freedom.



In no time Retra finds herself changing as she forms friendships, makes dangerous enemies and unwittingly secures the affections and protection of a seriously hot admirer. But will she find her lost brother or lose sight of her sole purpose for coming to Ixion? As not all is what it seems on the island designed soley for the pleasure of the young...



It's a pretty good original read and you can never really guess what will happen next. I ended up cheering Retra on when she finally began to break out of her shell for the better. The ending isn't what you expected either. I'm looking forward to the next installemnt called Angel Arias.







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Sisters Red (Sisters Red, #1)Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It's a little hard to put into words what I think of this book.

The story is split in the middle between the two viewpoints of the March sisters Scarlett ("Lett") and Rosie. The sisters who share one metaphorical heart. When Scarlett's M.I.A woodsman hunting partner Silas returns to the neighbourhood things start to heat up in more ways than one and a whole can of worms opens up for the sisters as they have to face a few tough choices and dangerous new foes.

Even though I was intrigued by the idea of a present day red riding hood tale I was still a little skeptical about the story at first and there's one area I plain didn't like, for example Scarlett slightly 2 diminsional character. Scarlett is horribly scarred & has one good eye while wearing an eye patch over her other thanks to a childhood nightmarish experience that has turned her into what she is today. She loves her sister Rosie, respects her hunting partner Silas... and simply LIVES for the hunt. No seriously, hunting Fenris (souless, lusty, male werewolves who eat young girls... I kid you not. The skankier clad the lass the better and dressing in shades of red sends them off the deep end) is her sole drive, her passion, her respite. Hobbies: Hunting Fenris. Goals: Wiping Fenris off the face of the earth, one Fenris at a time if need be. Sleeps better at night: After killing a Fenris or two. Loves: Her sister Rosie; Oh and hacking Fenris with her axe while occasionally stabbing it with a hunting knife... Am I sensing a theme here?

While doning the red hood and equipping the battle axe to save mankind is admirable and all, there is obviously more to life. Though her sister Rosie realises this as she begins to experience feelings that have been lying dormant till the reappreance of older sexy Silas, Scarlett's character doesn't seem to develope much besides going off the deep end once or twice when things begin to change around her... Then Scarlett just realises that while she shares her heart with her sister, the rest of her is devoted to hunting with room for nothing else. So yeah, I was somewhat disappointed in that regard.

Overall it wasn't a bad read and I did enjoy it. Besides the occasionally witty remark from Silas, it was entertaining to see the relationship between Rosie and Silas blossom into something neither of them expected. There's one particualarily funny bit with Rosie living a little in a community life drawing class and a crazy tango class. Not to mention it was pretty awesome to read about girls that lure and dispatch evil furry monsters with axes and knives.

I seriously hope there is a sequel to this book, even though the author advised that writing this book was near impossible. I know Scarlett will never give up the hood but at least give her a second chance at getting a life or at least a seriously hot woodsman of her own.



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Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Demon Girl (The Rae Wilder Novels #1)The Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I just finished this book on my kindle and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. It's rare these days to come across a fairy/vampire book that has a plot that has not been done before and grabs your attention from the get go, The Demon Girl hooked me in from the very beginning and definitely would not let me go.



The story centers around Rae, a girl living in a post Rapture (apocalyptic) world were the Demons (classified as basically anything that is not human) had declared themselves to the general public and then proceed to nearly wipe out the human race off the face of the planet a few hundred years before. In response the humans, lead by a faction of Priests, literally walled themselves up from the outside world in little pockets of land and set up training temples to create the warriors Clerics to defend the human race.



Rae here is a Disciple (Cleric-In-Training) who is a little weird but consider human, until she takes off for her usual early morning jog beyond the Wall. Things take a rapid turn in just 24 hours after she witnesses something the Clerics don't want known as common knowledge and pretty soon she's running for her life. Throw in a fairy-boy, a vampire-boy, 3 magical amulets, Demon politics, the threat of another Rapture and suddenly things are not so clear cut black and white as Rae thought as she faces some difficult decisions.



I'm not saying anything else, as I definitely do not want to ruin the story for you but if you are over the same old fairy or vampire story, this yarn is a breath of fresh air you do not want to miss. The Demon Girl made me giggle, laugh outright and then gasp in shock, thoroughly enjoyable. Cannot wait for the next installments: A Demon Day and Demon Dark.



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