In My Mailbox (52)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for book bloggers to post what they have received for review, borrowed from a friend, bought at the bookstore, or picked up at the library!

Well, I originally only had a couple of books to share with you guys this week…that is until I took a gander at all of the free books on Amazon! I found some titles that look pretty awesome!

For Review:

Keeping Secrets In Seattle by Brooke Moss (e-book)

My Thoughts: This book sounded far too adorable to pass up plus I am a giant sucker for the cover. I am loving the main characters style and I haven’t even “met” her yet! Thanks Entangled Publishing!

Snark and Circumstance by Stephanie Wardrop (e-book)

My Thoughts: I am going to be part of a blog tour for this book later in the month. It sounds like a fun story! Thanks Swoon Romance!

Bought:

Savor by Megan Duncan (e-book)

My Thoughts: I love Megan and her writing! When I received an email this past week letting me know that book #1 in her Warm Delicacy series would be free on Smashwords, I squealed a bit…okay A LOT! It sounds awesome!

Miss Me Not by Tiffany King

My Thoughts: I love Tiffany, she is an absolute sweetheart! I saw that one of her books were free so I just had to snag it up!

Gravity by Abigail Boyd

My Thoughts: This sounds creepy and mysterious!

Branded by Keary Taylor

My Thoughts: Gorgeous title and it sounds like a gripping story!

Just A Little Crush by Tracie Puckett

My Thoughts: This sounds like such a cute book!

Girl Of My Dreams by Morgan Mandel

My Thoughts: This sounds like a book version of Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! I can’t wait to see if it’s just as cute as I remember the movie being!

Lucky Charm by Marie Astor

My Thoughts: It sounded sweet & funny not to mention it was free. I thought, why the heck not!?

Cupid’s Cupcake by Ivy Sinclair

My Thoughts: It seemed like it would be a sweet Valentine’s Day read!

Perfect For You by Kate Perry

My Thoughts: Another freebie! This sounds like a really good romance!

Double Trouble by Deborah Cooke

My Thoughts: It sounded good, and the price (*cough* free *cough*) convinced me to give it a try!

Blog Tour + Book Review + Giveaway: Falling From Eternity by Megan Duncan

Title: Falling From Eternity

Author: Megan Duncan

Pages: 189

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review

For William, life was as wicked and malicious as the beast he was trying destroy. Decades spent living a life of extravagance, domination and ravenous hunger haunted him. But when you live forever, the past never stays buried. And that which wishes to control you, will never let you go. William thought he found his escape, his one and only love, but the thing he fears the most could be the only thing that saves them. Or, it could doom them all.

Falling From Eternity by Megan Duncan was a quick, exciting paranormal read! I haven’t read a good vampire book in a while and I think I was due for one when this book came along!

I liked William as a main character. It is not very often you get to read a book from a male’s point of view and it is even more rare if that particular male is a vampire. I loved getting inside of his head regardless of how sad, heartbreaking, and gloomy his thoughts may have been at certain times. Despite how rough the first few centuries of his life were, William is striving to make himself a better person. The killing, the money, the power, it just wasn’t what he wanted in life. He wanted to find the meaning to it. Why was he a monster? Why was it necessary to do such cruel things to stay alive? Was there a point to all of this? While I found William’s determination and sheer force of will power in staying away from the thing his body craved most to be courageous and noble, I also found his self-loathing to be a bit much by the end of the story. I could tell he was a good person. He was so compassionate about humans in general especially those that he cared for and he sacrificed A LOT to live a life free of harming humans. So I guess it was just a bit too much negativity for me. Aside from that though, I LOVED how Megan portrayed vampires in this novel. There were many similar traits to the traditional vampire but she changed it up just enough to be unique without being overly confusing.

The story starts off rather slow with lots of the self-loathing I was talking about earlier. However, once William meets Autumn, the story picks up the pace and goes through so many twists and turns that I could hardly keep my head straight. Like I said, he was quite the Debbie-Downer through the first part of the book so it was fantastic to see how much he brightened up once Autumn was in the picture! Even though I wanted to love their relationship so very much, I found myself only really liking it. It seemed a bit too insta-love for my personal liking. Once I got over the fact that William’s feelings for Autumn grew rather quickly, I was actually able to appreciate the connection that they shared. William seemed to genuinely love Autumn inside and out and I found it refreshing that they didn’t rush into anything at all. They took the time to really get to know one another before making their relationship official.

I loved the twists and turns that took place in the second half of the book. I really did not see a lot of the bigger plot twists coming and it kept me on my toes! I was constantly wondering if William and Autumn would find their happily ever after. Megan leaves off with quite the little cliff-hanger at the end of the book that has made me all sorts of excited for what I am hoping is a Falling From Eternity sequel!

Falling From Eternity is a quick, entertaining paranormal romance. If you are in the need for good vampire book with just enough twists to keep you guessing, then I suggest giving this one a try!

GIVEAWAY:

In celebration of Falling From Eternity’s launch, Megan is hosting a giveaway on her blog! Be sure to check it out by following this link!

In My Mailbox (47)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for book bloggers to post what they have received for review, borrowed from a friend, bought at the bookstore, or picked up at the library!

I have been trying really hard to lay off of my book buying habits lately especially since it’s the holiday season but sometimes I just can’t resist. Here’s what I got this week:

For Review:

Falling From Eternity by Megan Duncan (e-book)

My Thoughts: I am part way through this already and I am really liking it!

Tempestuous by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes

My Thoughts: I think this book sounds so adorable in a stranded in the mall during a super bad storm sort of way! Also I am really intrigued by the whole Shakespeare spin-off thing. A huge thanks to Merit Press for this book!

Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner

My Thoughts: Something about this book just draws me in; I find the premise so interesting. Plus, the cover looks all sorts of pretty in person! A huge thanks to Merit Press for this book!

Bought:

Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Myers

My Thoughts: I have seen this on a few IMM posts lately so I thought I’d give it a try. I made it halfway through the book in one night and am liking it a lot!

Gifted/Won:

Alone In The Night by Holly Webb

My Thoughts: Since my birthday was last week one of my younger brothers decided to buy me a cat book! Zack knows how much I love cats and books so he found a gift that brought the two of them together. I can honestly say this was the sweetest gift I’ve ever received!

Well that’s it for my books this week! I hope you all had a lovely book week as well & please be sure to leave your IMM/Stacking The Shelves links below so I can check them out!

Happy Halloween + Giveaway!

Happy Halloween to all of you! This is one of my favorite holidays for a number of reasons all of which make me seem like a legit 5-year old.

-First up is the costumes. I LOVE dressing up so very much! Even though my friends and I are completely lame and do not get invited to any parties (Sidenote: What is up with this? I know we are obnoxious, annoying, and slightly loud sometimes but we attempt to be amusing sometimes…), we still love to dress up in crazy/silly/funny costumes and go trick-or-treating in them (Sidenote: Since we are past the acceptable age of trick-or-treating, we like to hand out the candy now using the following philosophy: one for them, two for me.)

-Second is the candy! I was born with not one but ten sweet teeth. I am a picky eater but sugar is the one food group I eat with practically no complaints.

-Next is the classic Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus, Casper, The Adams Family, and The Goonies. Even though I’ve seen each of these movies more times than I can count, I still get all giddy every time ABC Family plays them on their 13 Nights of Halloween!

-And last but not least, there are the spooky stories! I am a HUGE baby so I make sure the books I read aren’t that freaky but I still manage to come across a few that remind me of Halloween. Over the past couple of years, this blog has led me to a number of great books. There have been books about demons, witches, werewolves, ghosts, vampires, and everything in between!

So in honor of my favorite holiday I am giving away one of my favorite spook-tastic books! Below you will find a list of books that while they may not be super scary, they help put me in the mood for Halloween time!

     

     

   

Giveaway Details:

-This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you

-Giveaway ends on 11/7

-Winner will receive their choice of one of the books listed above

Click this link to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

TGIF (47)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Literary Vacations:

If you could take a trip this summer to any place within a fictional book, where would you go? Tell us about your summer dream vacation!

Where wouldn’t I go? At this point, skipping off into the demon-infested world of Megan Duncan’s book, Released, sounds like a rather enjoyable vacation (kidding!)

I guess in all seriousness, this question comes at a perfect time because as of yesterday at precisely 6:30 p.m. my summer vacation OFFICIALLY began! As for my answer to this question, I will have to cheat and answer with a ton of books! In no particular order, here are the places I would LOVE to spend my summer vacation:

–Yellowstone National Park. Janet Fox does such a phenomenal job creating vivid images of Yellowstone in her book Faithful. There would be so much of nature to take in and I am certain it would be one of the most beautiful places to visit.

–Paris. If you are at all familiar with this darling little book called Anna and the French Kiss by an even lovelier author, Stephanie Perkins, then you too will want to spend your days traipsing around town with Anna and St. Clair (but mostly just St. Clair!)

–Colby. Sarah Dessen is one of the best authors when it comes to creating towns that I want to be a part of! They all seem so normal but she makes them almost magical with all their little quirks. I think Colby, a small town in Along For The Ride, sounds like a cute, fun, relaxing place to spend my summer…plus there are cute guys riding around on bikes all over the place. Count me in!

–Colonial Essex Village. Call me a nerd but I happen to think dressing up in old-fashioned clothing (or at least visiting a place that requires their workers to dress up in old-fashioned clothing) would be loads of fun. In Past Perfect by Leila Sales, life in the Colonial times is not the main character’s favorite thing but I think it would be great fun to try out at least once!

–Somewhere-in-Alabama. You know that one author I just adore, gush about constantly, and will read anything by? Does the name Jennifer Echols ring a bell? Well she created this one series that I devoured in less than 3 days called Endless Summer. Well if you want to know where I want to spend my days, THAT book, wherever it takes place, is where I want to be. Days on the boat, soaking up the sun, nights spent with cute guys. I don’t think life gets much better than that!

–On the road. Road trips are my very favorites! I love the junk food, the naps in the passenger seat, getting lost, finding my way back, singing at top-volume with not a care in the world, discovering new places, and driving at top speed with the windows down. Every single part of a road trip is fun for me and no one has written a better road trip than Morgan Matson with Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour. The places they visited, the things they did, all the memories they created…it just sounded like the best time!

This week on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (4/27-5/4):

TGIF (46)

Defy by Raine Thomas + Book Trailer

Tune In Tuesday (57) Random Playlist Edition

Defy by Raine Thomas + Blog Tour+ Giveaway

The Fine Art of Truth Or Dare by Melissa Jensen

The Best of Twenty-Eleven

The year has come and gone so quickly that I can hardly believe it! It seems like just yesterday I was starting my winter semester as a college Freshman and I was trying to squeeze in every ounce of fun that I could. A ton of memories were created this past year, some bad but mostly all good, and I like to think it has been one of the best years yet. In keeping with the same format that I used last year, here are some of the best moments of 2011!

Sidenote: Almost all of these are a tie between two or more things. Sorry about that, I tried my best to narrow it down but it just wasn’t happening!

1. Best Vacation– This is definitely a tie between the Myrtle Beach vacation I took with Kati and the Myrtle Beach Vacation I took with my family a month later. The weather was gorgeous both times and I got to experience a ton of different things with each trip. I was so lucky to be able to go on two vacations back to back like that!

2. Best Concert– This one also has a tie! It is between Warped Tour 2011 and the acoustic performance by We The Kings! Warped Tour is a day filled with music awesomeness! I saw so many bands perform, got a ton of stuff signed, and I even got to talk to a few of the performers. The We The Kings acoustic performance was brilliant for so many reasons: It was acoustic, it was small, it was free, it featured my future husband, I got to put my arms around my future husband, and I even got to take a picture with my future husband. IT WAS AMAZING!

3. Best CD– This is also going to have to be a tie! We The Kings dropped their latest album this year entitled Sunshine State of Mind. The title of the album couldn’t be more perfect because I get in a sunshiney state of mind EVERY TIME I listen to their CD. So what could be the competition to such an epic CD? All the mixed CD’s I got this past year! I had a lot of friends make me CD’s and all of them were filled with awesome songs that brings a smile to my face!

4. Best New Activity– I can’t explain too many details because I have yet to send out Christmas presents to some pretty freaking lovely bloggers but I do enjoy jewelry making. It takes time and is far more expensive than I could have imagined but it is so much fun to create!

5. Best Birthday Present– Last year I got a whole new bedroom so I was wondering how anything could ever live up to something like that. The answer came in the form of a brand-new bookshelf! I was making just the one work but I was desperately in need of one and my parents luckily noticed it! I love it so freaking much!

6. Best Movies– Well I do love me some movies…and popcorn! Some of my favorites were: Breaking Dawn: Part 1, Bridesmaids, Crazy Stupid Love, The Help, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows: Part 2, and Footloose.

7. Best Books– Oh gosh! It was my original goal to read 100 books in 2011 but Goodreads just wouldn’t stop telling me how sucky I was at completing that goal so I changed it to 80 and I still didn’t accomplish it! However, I did squeeze in 76 books. The best ones (some 4’s and all 5 stars) are:

Sidenote: Some of the titles will be linked to my reviews and other will be linked to Goodreads since I have not yet reviewed them!

Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

A Girl Named Willow Krimble by Giuseppe Bianco

Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Released by Megan Duncan

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Faithful by Janet Fox

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

What Can’t Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Matched by Ally Condie

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Re-reads of both Sarah Dessen and Jennifer Echols books

Fade by Lisa McMann

The Childe by C.A. Kunz

Between by Cyndi Tefft

Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Girl v Boy by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

8. Best Blogging Moment– How does one even choose something like this? In the past year I have met more authors, connected with more bloggers, reviewed more books, joined more weekly features, and had the most fun than I have EVER had! This whole experience has been one joyous event after another and I have all of YOU to thank for that. I have found some of the greatest friends and most influential people (and let’s not forget they all also kick butt when it come to writing reviews!) than I could have ever imagined. I would not trade this past year for anything!

9. Best Friend(s)– It is no secret that Kati has and always will be my best friend. I talk about her awesomeness all the time. But because of recent events, I feel like I must give a shout-out to my dear friend Stacey. Her and I were running buddies in high school. You could never find two girls who hated cross-country with such a deep passion like the two of us (even though we secretly loved it!) She has been there for both Kati and I through so many things and now it’s our turn to be there for Stacey. These two girls make my days so much better and I love them for that!

10. Best Family– Well of course this goes out to my family once again but not without some complaints! Zack and Zeke aka The Brat Pack drove me absolutely INSANE this past year. Those two boys are the epitome of annoying little brothers. I love them to death but jeez louise they sure are crazy! In all honesty, I am lucky to have my family always there for me. They support me through everything and even though they make fun of me every once in a while, they always know how to make me smile!

So that’s it for my 2011! I hope you all had a great year and an even better 2012!

TGIF (23)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Gateway Books:

Which particular books opened you up to a new genre?

A Girl Named Willow Krimble by Giuseppe Bianco opened me up to Middle Grade books. This book was simply amazing and I probably would have never tried more MG books without it!

Released by Megan Duncan opened me up to demon-slaying books. Before this book I stayed far, far away from anything dealing with demonic, nasty creatures then I read this and fell in love <3

Faithful by Janet Fox opened me up to Y.A. Historical Fiction. This story is BEAUTIFUL! I have read quite a few history-inspired books since that one.

Divergent by Veronica Roth was the first ever Dystopian novel that I have ever read and I loved it to pieces. I have yet to read The Hunger Games, but trust me, it is on the list!

Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund opened me up to more adult-ish reads. I have read that whole series and am working my way through the Jessica Darling series (which I believe is also considered adult-ish) and let me just tell you people, I’M OBSESSED! They are both so freaking hilarious!

The Host by Stephanie Meyer opened me up to more science-fiction inspired books. Before that I hated the thought of reading about anything like aliens but once I read that book and was completely sucked in, I can’t get enough of the sci-fi!

And since I am seriously lacking LOTS of sleep, that is all I can think! Feel free to comment and let me know what you think and I’ll be sure to check your blog out today!

This Week On Katelyn’s Blog (10/28-11/4):

TGIF (22)- Spooktacular Reads

Happy Halloween!!!- Random Music

Tune-In Tuesday (32)- “The soundtrack for a non-movie on my non-existent love life which in a movie is actually existent”

Just Contemporary: Why I Love Contemporary Guest Post

TGIF (22)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Spooktacular Reads:

Which books do you consider festive Halloween reads? Which stories have chilled you to the bone?

I would like to think that I am a tough person who can handle scary books but in reality I am a big, big baby. However, I have managed to sneak in a few creepy books and by somewhat of a shock, I actually enjoyed them. The first couple are books that just really freaked me out. The rest are ones that have Halloween-ish elements in them (a.k.a. Paranormal books that I find to be totally, freaking awesome!!!)

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

I just read this one. HOLY FREAKING CREEPY!

The Dead of Summer by Camilla Way

I read this one over a year ago and I STILL think of how twisted that story is!

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Of course fighting off demons with swords can be considered a great Halloween read!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

This is a book about a girl who can sense dead bodies, FREAKY!

Bone Dressing by Michelle Brooks

This book is more of a love story but the main characters do spend quite a bit of time in the cemetary which is ALWAYS good for freaking people out.

Beautiful Creatures + Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Both of these books a million times YES! Everything about them shouts great Halloween read! Plus Ethan and Lena…I <3 those two!

The Childe by C.A. Kunz

This is the PERFECT book for this time of year. It definitely makes me think of one of those cool made for TV movies that ABC Family always has this time of year. It could totally be right up there with Hocus Pocus!

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

I love me some Stacey Kade! You can’t have Halloween without a friendly little ghost (or in this case, a spoiled little ghost who wants things to go her way!)

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

I was so surprised by how much I loved this book that is based so heavily on Edgar Allen Poe. This story is dark, creepy, and twisted, what more could you want?!?

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

I don’t think this one has anything to do with this time of year but I think it is a phenomenal paranormal book!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Oh yes, definitely a great paranormal book that is perfect for reading this time of year!

Released by Megan Duncan

Demon slaying people on the run? YES please!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Oh how I love this book! Another great paranormal book that has NOTHING to do with Halloween but you should read anyway!

So what do you think? Are any of these on your list of books to read during Halloween time?

This week on Katelyn’s Blog (10/21-10/28):

TGIF (21)

Life As Kate (4)

Past Perfect by Leila Sales

Tune In Tuesday (31)

Destined by P.C. & Kristin Cast Book Trailer + Giveaway!!!

TGIF (7)

TGIF is a fun little feature hosted at GReads! Every week we re-cap what has happened on the blog plus Ginger asks a question for us to answer. This week’s question is:

Book Blogger Appreciation:

Which book blogs have inspired you or made a difference in your blogging experience?

This is such a great question! By now you guys have probably caught on to the fact that I LOVE making lists so here is my list of blogs that have truly made a difference in my life!

Y.A. LOVE

First and foremost is the blog that started it all for me, Y.A. Love. This blog is ran by Sarah or as I am used to calling her, Mrs. Andersen. Sarah is basically the greatest person ever! She was my Young Adult Literature teacher during my senior year of high school, she runs one of the greatest blogs around, and she started our super awesome book club. Did you catch that first part? We had an entire class dedicated to Young Adult Literature and Mrs. Andersen did/does such a wonderful job teaching it! During her class I was only aware of her blog; I had no idea that this whole other world existed out there! It is because of her that my love of reading soon turned into my love of writing book reviews. I will forever be grateful to Sarah for introducing me to the blogging world!

(Blog ~ Twitter)

BOOKS FROM BLEH TO BASICALLY AMAZING

Second, is someone so full of awesomesauce that it is a pure miracle she hasn’t exploded yet. My dear, sweet Twitter Godmother, is someone I talk about often on the blog, to my family, and quite constantly to my real-life best friend. She is a blogger who literally turned into a great friend over night. Her taste in books is extremely varied compared to mine and I can honestly say that there are a TON of books that she has introduced me to that I would have not read otherwise. Her kindness, generosity, and over-all amazingness never fails to stun me. We have the same extremely, over-confident personalities that have stemmed plenty of late-night Twitter conversations that went much like this: “Me: You are so awesome, I can hardly believe it! Awesome Blogger: Yes, this I know. You are awesome too, that’s why I like you. Me: Really, everyone is jealous of are pure awesomeness. I am sure they are just dying to be friends with us.” Okay, that was a poor example (I can’t think of these things right on the spot like that) BUT we literally have at least one conversation similar to that per week; it is pretty pathetic actually. ANYWAYS I am pretty sure that if we were to ever be in the same room together, Ashley @ Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing and I would start some type of catatonic combustion for so much awesome being in the same place at the same time. Our ability to speed talk, ramble, use crazy hand gestures, and spit out random facts like no one’s business are just a few reasons why we were destined to be blogging friends. Trust me on this one guys, Ashley is one blogger you should definitely take the time to get to know!

(Blog ~ Twitter)

CARI’S BOOK BLOG

Third on my list is probably the most generous, giving person I have ever come across in my life. It all started one night when I left a simple comment on her blog. She then went out of her way to e-mail me, told me to choose 5 books from that particular blog post, and then she would mail them to me. But you just wait a second! Her kindness doesn’t stop there! She then took it upon herself to send me those 5 books PLUS some. I got a box so full of great books and swag that I could hardly contain myself. This random act of kindness even made me shed a tear or two; this is something that doesn’t happen often. Hold up there! You thought I was done, didn’t you? Oh, not yet! Just recently she told me to mail her a few of my Sarah Dessen books to her, not so she could keep them but so she could get them signed for me! It is no secret that Sarah Dessen is like my FAVORITE AUTHOR EVER so you could imagine the slight, or not so slight depending on how you look at it,  freak out that I had when she told me that. You see what I mean now? Maria from Cari’s Book Blog is the epitome of a sweet heart. I get so overwhelmed when I think of everything that she does. She writes reviews, turns book bloggers into a mob of zombies for super cool authors, hosts giveaways, and she still manages to make the day of one little blogger named Katelyn. Some day, some how, I will find out a way to pay her back!

(Blog ~ Twitter)

GREADS!

Oh, how could I create this list and not mention Ginger? Ginger’s blog, GReads!, is just amazing for lack of a better word. Her taste in books and love of music are just a few reasons why I love her. I was lost for a while before I stumbled across Ginger’s blog. I am a self-proclaimed book addict and music junkie but all of the great music that I listen to was not getting the proper attention on my blog. Her Tune-In Tuesday meme has quickly become a favorite for me as well as her other fun blog features like TGIF. Ginger manages to write these super descriptive and fun book reviews AND introduces me to a new, fantastic band all in the span of 24 hours. It’s like she has some type of super power. Ginger’s blog brings a smile to my face every single time I read it!

(Blog ~ Twitter)

MANDIE BAXTER

Mandie Baxter is like my own personal Twitter best friend! Twitter is the place where I first started talking with her but you should know that she is just now starting to get back in the blogging world with her blog titled Rose Red so be sure to check it out! Mandie brightens my day ALL of the time. Seriously, I’ll have  a crap-tastic day at work then I will come home to a tweet or comment from Mandie and an insta-smile spreads across my face. She re-tweets me like crazy, listens to me complain about random stuff via Twitter, boosts my review-writing ego (seriously, you should check out the things she says about my blog. SWEETEST GIRL EVER!), and leaves precious comments ALL THE TIME! I <3 her like no other.

(Blog ~ Twitter)

LEXCADE

Then there is Catherine Peace or as many know her Lexcade. She was the first bookish friend I met on Twitter. It all started one night when I was saying random, dumb stuff on Twitter at 3 a.m. Since then, I always look forward to our conversations. She has been busy working on her books but when I do get a chance to chat with her, I get all sorts of happy.

(Blog ~ Twitter)

TWO READERS REVIEWS

Missy from Two Readers Reviews is another super fantastic blogger that you guys NEED to check out. She is so extremely kind, has re-tweeting super powers that surpass a normal humans, and she always leaves great comments on my blog!  I am always so excited to go through her blog posts.

(Blog ~ Twitter)

THE READING HOUSEWIVES OF INDIANA

 Jacinda from The Reading Housewives of Indiana is uber fantastic! She writes a ton of honest, thoughtful reviews, leaves comments that make me smile (can you tell that I <3 anyone who leaves comments?), and she comes up with super awesome bloggish things to do!

(Blog ~ Twitter)

Last but certainly not least is everyone I didn’t specifically name. There are so many awesome bloggers and Twitter friends out there who write great reviews, support authors, leave brilliant comments around the blogosphere and take the time to help fellow bloggers out! It is to these people and everyone listed above that I say THANK YOU! You have easily made starting a book blog the best decision I’ve ever made!

~Since I missed last week’s TGIF post this is a re-cap of the past two weeks!~

Last week and last week on Katelyn’s Blog (7/1-7/15):

Released by Megan Duncan

In My Mailbox (17)

Tune In Tuesday (15)/Teaser Tuesday (9)

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

In My Mailbox (18)

Vans Warped Tour 2011

Tune In Tuesday (16)

Bad Taste In Boys by Carrie Harris Celebration

Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler

Book Review: Released by Megan Duncan

Title: Released (Agents of Evil #1)

Author: Megan Duncan

Publisher: Self Published

Pages: 260 e-book

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Source: I received e-book from author in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review

After a demon apocalypse kills their parents and everyone they know, 17-year old Abby Phillips, her brother, Carter, and friend, Max flee their home to travel through what has become the wastelands of America. When radio transmissions of a resistance offering shelter and safety cease, Abby is tempted to give up. Struggling to overcome life-threatening obstacles in their dangerous journey, Abby and her companions quickly discover there are much worse things lurking in the dark than they could have ever imagined. (Summary, courtesy of Goodreads.com)

Starting this book I really had no idea what to expect. I haven’t read many reviews on this but those that I did get to glance at seemed to have some awesome things to say about it. Seconds after my Twitter account stated that I had started reading this book (automatic update from goodreads.com), I got a slew of tweets saying “Oh my god! It is awesome!” Naturally, I  stayed up well into the night reading the first 150 pages. I didn’t want to stop! There were so many awesome surprises in this book. The characters were realistic, tough, unique, damaged, remarkable, heroic, etc. The fact that there are demons roaming the earth and causing death and destruction in their wake not only adds a lot of turmoil but a ton of adventure and awesome fight scenes. And the love! Yes even a demon-driven book can have a little bit of love in it!

Abby, the main character was incredibly well-written! She has faced a life full of horrible events. Demons take over the world, terrorize and murder most people including her father, leaving her, her brother Carter, and their friend Max to fend for themselves. Instead of going insane like many other people, Abby learns to toughen up. She hides her deepest fears from the two guys she is closest with while trying to convince herself that she isn’t scared of what might happen to her. Her toughness and determination to survive is amazing. I was blown-away by this girl who could go out and kill a demon, come back and clean her gun, and then finish off the day by painting her nails because it makes her feel more “normal.” She is the epitome of what would happen if an awesome-tastic, kick-butt teenager *cough* *cough* named Katelyn *cough* of today was thrown in a world of death and chaos.

Abby, along with Carter and Max, decide to head to New Mexico where a radio signal claiming safety, is transmitted from. This is where their real journey begins. Carter is the brains of the group. He dedicates his days to figuring out everything he can about the demons. What they want, how they live, what drives them to attack, etc. The more he knows, the better off the group is. His knowledge and confidence in their survival is like a safety vest for Abby and Max. Max is….well how do I describe him? He is always one to take a risk, go against everything Carter suggests, he is cute even when the world is crumbling around them, plus he knows how to lighten the mood when the burden these teens face gets too hard. Honestly, this guy is near perfect and that is why I love him and Abby together (but the love part is coming up in a second I promise! Right now I will ramble about the epic demon/fighting/scary scenes).

 ANYWAY, this group of kids embarks on an extremely frightening road trip that had me flipping pages at break-neck speed while alternately biting my nails with anticipation. I was so invested in this story and these characters that I wanted to cry every time another road block (literally and figuratively) got in their way. You could catch me crunching up into a little ball when I anticipated scary scenes happening. I was wincing in pain as they cleaned up their battle wounds. I was even jumping for joy when they found a young girl named Taya, a survivor, just as she was about ready to be attacked by a demon. There were fighting scenes, descriptions of nasty horrid beasts, mixed with an almost palpable fear that one could nearly touch while reading (even if it was being read off the computer!). To put it short, if you mix the three awesome movies known as The War of The Worlds, I Am Legend, and The Road, together, you would get this book!

Ok I promised talk of love so here it is. I love a hot, fictional romance just as much as the next girl (or guy) but if that is what you are looking for than this book might not fill your thirst. Not to say that the romance in this story isn’t epic because trust me it is, it is just that Megan didn’t waste time with endless flirting, “I love you but I hate you” moments, or the “I cannot breathe without you around” lines, instead she stays so very true to what one would expect from a DEMONS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD-type novel. The love in this story is real, honest, and wonderful. It is an understanding that Max and Abby have for each other. It is the need they have for a close companion during the toughest of times. It is their desire to feel alive, wanted, and needed that makes it work. They don’t spend time walking on the beach holding hands. They can’t spend hours on end cuddling up telling each other cutesy love stuff, their survival is on the line here. Instead they come to an agreement; Max loves Abby, Abby loves Max, it is as simple as that.

The relationship between Abby and Max is not the only one worth mentioning! There are still two very important characters named Carter and Taya that I have yet to talk about. Although they are not an official item yet  I still found their connection worth mentioning. Taya is the young girl the group rescued. She is frail, thin, and still pretty young but despite her weak looking appearance this girl has some guts; guts that can only come from surviving horrific experiences. Taya is strong but she still needs a sense of stability and she finds that in Carter. His wealth of knowledge is intoxicating to her and I adored watching her develop a school-girl crush on him. He hasn’t really noticed the feelings Taya has for him yet, but I am beyond excited to see what lays ahead for thes two.

If you have not fallen asleep yet, then let me congratulate you for making it through this rather lengthy review. It is just that I LOVE this book and I tend to gush like a mad woman over things that I love. All you need to know is that characters in Released are ah-mazing, the fighting scenes and the terrifying demons are enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, while the simple romance in this book is just enough to warm your heart. It is a must read book that I will be pushing people to read for a long time!