TV Shows Based on Books: Midnight Series

This >has got to be one of those stories that I have been itching to see made into a movie or tv show, and as luck would have it, we get to see this happen.  If you haven't read the stories, I suggest picking up Midnight Crossroad and go from there.  I loved the Sookie Stackhouse series and Midnight has not disappointed either.  I expect the show to be just as amazing as Trueblood.

I could not find out when we can expect this to air on tv but if anyone knows, feel free to add in the comments below.

Day Shift by Charlaine Harris

Title: Day Shift

Author: Charlaine Harris
Genre: Paranormal / Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz
Publication Date: 5th May 2015
ISBN: 9780575092891
Stand Alone/Series: Midnight Texas#2
Pages: 320 pages
First Lines: It isn't the rumbling of the trucks that seizes Manfred Bernardo's attention; it is the silence that falls when their ignitions die.

Contains Possible Spoilers if you haven't read Midnight!

Synopsis: 
There is no such thing as bad publicity, except in Midnight, Texas, where the residents like to keep to themselves. Even in a town full of secretive people, Olivia Charity is an enigma. She lives with the vampire Lemuel, but no one knows what she does; they only know that she’s beautiful and dangerous.

Psychic Manfred Bernardo finds out just how dangerous when he goes on a working weekend to Dallas and sees Olivia there with a couple who are both found dead the next day. To make matters worse, one of Manfred’s regular—and very wealthy—clients dies during a reading.

Manfred returns from Dallas embroiled in scandal and hounded by the press. He turns to Olivia for help; somehow he knows that the mysterious Olivia can get things back to normal. As normal as things get in Midnight…

My Thoughts:
Day Shift is the second book in Charlaine Harris' new series Midnight, Texas.  I thoroughly enjoyed Charlaine's Sookie Stackhouse series and the Midnight series does not disappoint!

 The series begins with Manfred Bernardo a psychic, moving to Midnight, Texas.  There he finds and unusual close-nit group of residents with their own closet of secrets.

I found Day Shift jumped into the action a little quicker than Midnight, and it certainly hooked me from the first chapter.  An unusual event occurs in Midnight and it has the residents on edge.  A mysterious company has resurrected the boarded up hotel and it is bringing traffic to Midnight.  Not something that they want at all.

Another mysterious guest appears roughly the same time as the opening of the hotel and takes up temporary residence in the Rev's chapel.  What really gets the story going, is when he is out on a working weekend to Dallas and a long standing client of his dies.  Which sets the dominoes falling.

I really enjoyed the secrecy of each character.  I won't give up any secrets there but there were a few surprises amongst the group and I am curious to see where  Charlaine takes this in the third book.

Manfred as usual is the favourite for me but in these novels Charlaine has given multiple viewpoints told in third person omniscient, which could get confusing if you read too fast.  There were a couple of times I had to reread a paragraph to pick up who was telling this particular part of the story.

I loved how Charlaine makes reference to characters from her other books in this series, including one character that I know of that shows up in the Sookie Stackhouse novels.  If you know those books you have a fair idea of this particular person's skills and background.  Another nice tie in I think!

All in all I love Charlaine Harris' writing style and her stories! I'm definitely going to look into the other series she has created for my next lot of reading material.  I just can't wait for Night Shift to be published.

Book received from:  Bought this one!!

Waiting on Wednesday (156)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I read through first three books so quick.  I'm looking forward to reading The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater on 29th September 2015.

Synopsis

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

In a starred review for Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Kirkus Reviews declared: "Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering close."

What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday (155)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I came across this on Books With Bite and absolutely love the cover and synopsis!  13 Days of Midnight by Leo Hunt will be out 2nd July 2015

Synopsis

When Luke Manchett's estranged father dies suddenly, he leaves his son a dark inheritance. Luke has been left in charge of his father's ghost collection: eight restless spirits. They want revenge for their long enslavement, and in the absence of the father, they're more than happy to take his son. It isn't fair, but you try and reason with the vengeful dead.

Halloween, the night when the ghosts reach the height of their power, is fast approaching. With the help of school witchlet Elza Moss, and his cowardly dog Ham, Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic, and send the unquiet spirits to their eternal rest. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday (153)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I really love the look of The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer.  This will be out on the 30th March 2015.

Synopsis

When Stephen is forced to move back to the nowhere town where his father grew up, he’s already sure he’s not going to like it. Spencer, Michigan, is like a town straight out of a Hitchcock movie, with old-fashioned people who see things only in black-and-white. But things start looking up when Stephen meets the mysterious twins Cara and Devon. They’re total punks–hardly the kind of people Stephen’s dad wants him hanging out with–but they’re a breath of fresh air in this backward town. The only problem is, Cara and Devon don’t always get along, and as Stephen forms a friendship with the charismatic Devon and something more with the troubled Cara, he starts to feel like he’s getting caught in the middle of a conflict he doesn’t fully understand. And as Devon’s group of friends, who hang out in a cemetery they call The Playground, get up to increasingly reckless activities to pass the summer days, Stephen worries he may be in over his head.

Stephen’s fears prove well-founded when he learns of Spencer’s dark past. It seems the poor factory town has a history of “bad times,” and many of the town’s oldest residents attribute the bad times to creatures right out of an urban legend. The legend goes that the only way the town will prosper again is if someone makes a sacrifice to these nightmarish creatures. And while Stephen isn’t one to believe in old stories, it seems Devon and his gang might put a lot of faith in them. Maybe even enough to kill for them.

Now, Stephen has to decide what he believes, where his allegiances lie, and who will really be his friend in the end.

What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday (147)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I can't wait for The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey to come out which will be April 28th this year.  Love the cover and the synopsis sounds promising

Synopsis
For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one.

Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known. Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

 Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

What are you waiting for?

Review: Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title:  Dangerous Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Genre:  Young Adult/Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher:  Penguin
Publication Date:  20th May 2014
ISBN:  9780141354101
Stand Alone/Series:  Dangerous Creatures #1
Pages:  Enter
First Lines:  There are only two kinds of Mortals in the backwater town of Gatlin, South Carolina - the stupid and the stuck.  At least, that's what they say.

Synopsis:  Ridley Duchannes is nobody's heroine.
She's a dark Caster, a Siren.  She can make you do anything.  She can't be trusted. By Anyone.
But that hasn't stopped her boyfriend Link from falling in love with her - or taking her with him to follow his rock-star dream.
New York City is a dangerous place for both Casters and Mortals, and soon Ridley realizes that Link's bandmates are keeping secrets.
Determined to uncover the truth, what she finds out is worse than she could have imagined.
Link has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.
With lives on the line, what's a Siren to do?

My Thoughts:  I absolutely loved the Caster Chronicles  and hadn't realized that there was going to be a spin off with Ridley and Link until Penguin sent me a package in the mail.

I was a bit skeptical to begin with because I got to about page 15 and wasn't really into this as much as I'd hoped to be.  I just wasn't really warming up to Ridley like I had with the characters of Beautiful Creatures.  I guess I was hoping to find that bit of Lena within her and I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

But I'm glad I kept reading because once I hit page 24 and then to 112, the tables had turned and I thought wow!  Ridley, I could get used to this. The run in with Link's mother before they leave had me thinking I could get used to Ridley's attitude, but what really did it for me was the part with Ridley in the Hair Salon.  I'd been hooked.

Ridley didn't really stand out for me in the Caster Chronicles but I'm happy that she's been given her own series with Link.  She's attitude, doesn't deal with anyone's crap and surprisingly deep, deep, down there is a soft side to her.  Paired with Link, it makes for an interesting duo.  Link isn't the brightest spark, but he's genuine, head over for heels for Ridley, and terrible band member with his lyrics.

If you've read the Caster Chronicles, you'll more than likely enjoy this spin off series!  I recommend to read the Caster Chronicles first, it will give you a better understanding of the family but it is not necessary!

Fave Lines:  When it came to relationships, the truth never set anyone free.  The Truth only set things on fire. - page 95.
Book received from:  Penguin Australia

Disharmony: Immortal Combat by Leah Giarratano

Title:  Disharmony: Immortal Combat
Author:  Leah Giarratano
Genre:  Young Adult/ Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  Penguin Australia
Publication Date:  21st August 2013
ISBN:  9780143565703
Stand Alone/Series:  Disharmony #3
Pages:  384 pages
First Lines:  No matter how desperately she dug her heels into the sun-baked clay of the Voodoo Queen's backyard, Betsy Washington closer.

Synopsis:
A war that will end the world or save it . . .
The prophesied war is raging. Luke's destiny is unstoppable, Sam's losses and powers are unravelling her mind, and Jake's family secrets put the whole world in peril. And that's before the darkest warlock of all time makes his first move on the chessboard. A move he's planned for centuries . . . 

My Thoughts:
Immortal Combat is the last book in the Disharmony Trilogy and while I looked forward to seeing how Leah tied up the end of this series I was kind of disappointed by the ending.

I liked how she has progressed Luke, Jake and Sam's powers up to what they are and I was looking at Immortal Combat being the ultimate awesome finish but I guess it lacked the POW! that a final book should have at the final crucial moment.  It just didn't capture me.

We find out more of what each character can do in this book and seen what happens when powers emerge when each main character is not quite ready for it.  We are also introduced to the final players in the game that we have only heard snippets of in the previous two books.

I couldn't help but cheer Luke on in this novel.  He always seems to be the underdog and being the "Psychopath" doesn't always give him a good Rep!  I also loved the interactions between Luke and his sister Arabella who was a failed psychopath.  They stood out against the rest of the group but somehow I kept thinking Arabella might have played the psychopath better than Luke but I favoured him ultimately.

I would like to see more of Leah Giarratano's work as she has got some really awesome writing I just

Book received from:  Penguin Australia

The Farm by Emily McKay

Title:  The Farm

Author:  Emily McKay

Genre:  Young Adult/Dystopian/

Publisher:  Penguin Australia

Publication Date:  21st November 2012

ISBN:  9781405909259

Stand alone or series:   Stand Alone??

Pages:  424 pages

Book Received from:  Penguin (Publisher)

First Lines:  Sometimes you just want to let the bad guys win.

Synopsis:
For Lily and her twin sister, Mel, there is only the Farm . . .

It's a prison, a blood bank, a death camp - where fear and paranoia rule. But it's also home, of sorts. Because beyond the electric fence awaits a fate much, much worse.

But Lily has a plan.

She and Mel are going to escape - into the ravaged land outside, a place of freedom and chaos and horrors. Except Lily hasn't reckoned on two things: first, her sister's ability to control the horrors; and, secondly, on those out there who desperately want to find and control Mel.

Mel's growing power might save the world, or utterly end it. But only Lily can protect Mel from what is to come . . .

My Thoughts:
I'm not sure whether this one will have a sequel or not but after the ending that we are left with.  I sure hope it does.

The story follows two girls Lily and her autistic twin Mel who are doing their best to survive and escape The Farm.  What I like about this to begin with is that we have three POV's happening.  Lily, Mel and Carter, a boy who shows up on the farm that the girls new from The Before who may not be as genuine as he tries to make out.

I must say I really enjoyed reading the short chapters from Mel's POV.  She's so switched on with what's happening but just doesn't know how to communicate with Lily her overprotective sister.

And I have to point this out, because the synopsis does NOT mention this word at all when summing up the story.  There are vampires.  Two types.  The ticks which are animalistic, hairy, scary vampires that hang outside the farm and the other which could pass for normal people apart from the cold, predatory nature they  portray.  Which now that I think about, are worse than the ticks.  

For those of you that have had enough of the vampire genre, I suggest you give this a try.  Its a different take on the whole vampire scene and one I think you'd find worthwhile.  I just hope that we get to see a second book to find out what happens next!

Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

Title:  Bitter Blood

Author:  Rachel Caine

Genre:  Young Adult/Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Penguin Australia

Publication Date:  24th October 2012

ISBN:  9781921880186

Stand alone or series:   Morganville Vampires #13

Pages:  540 

Book Received from:  Publisher (Penguin)

First Lines:  Claire Danvers was in a really bad mood, and getting nearly arrested didn't improve it.

Possible Spoilers if you haven't read the previous books!

Synopsis:The brand-new Morganville Vampires novel from bestselling author Rachel Caine . . .
 Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires.
To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

My Thoughts:
This is the one series I think I could just read forever!

I'm completely loving the multiple view points that Rachel has going in the Morganville Vampires series.  This time we have Claire, Shane, Eve, Michael, and glimpses of Myrnin, Amelie and Oliver.  I don't know where to start!  I especially loved reading Myrnin's POV since I think he's got to be my favourite character.

Without revealing too much, Morganville is in a bit of a pickle.  Amelie and Oliver promised that the rules of Morganville will change but unfortunately it's not for the better.  It's gotten alot worse and smack bang in the middle are Clare, Shane, Eve and Michael.  Not a good place to be.

There is so much that I want to talk about but I'm worried I will spoil things for everyone else.  All I can say is that both relationships face another really hard obstacle.  There are quite a few OMG did he just do that!  moments as well as some characters whose actions are not at all surprising but I must say that the ending is not something I would have thought would happen.

If you've read the previous books this is one you do not want to miss!  Rachel continues to bring out the best and worst in Morganville and wraps it all up with loads of action and life changing choices.  I'm rather shocked at the ending of this one and am already itching to get a hold of the next book.  Keep a look out for Fall of Night, book 14 in the Morganville Vampire series, which will be expected around May next year.  And just so you all know, there is a book 15.  Yay!!

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter Book trailer

This sounds like it would be a good read!

Waiting on Wednesday (121)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I'm so looking forward to Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine, the 13th book in the Morganville Vampire Series.  If you haven't read these I suggest you pick up Glass Houses the first book and give it a go!  Bitter Blood will be out 24th October so don't miss out!

Synopsis

Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires. To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

What are you waiting on?

MBOB: Beautiful Creatures

How excited am I to see this!! While I would never have picked Ethan to look this way I hope he lives up to my expectations when I see the movie. What do you think?

 

Waiting on Wednesday (119)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

Looking forward to reading this one!  The Farm by Emily McKay.  I seen this one on the Penguin Teen Australia site and am extremely excited.  This will be out in November of this year.

Synopsis
Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

 And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

 Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help… 

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

What are you waiting on?

Haunting Obsession by R.J. Sullivan Book Trailer

Waiting on Wednesday (113)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I absolutely cannot wait for Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick the second book in the Ashes Trilogy. We won't have to wait too long either as it will be released 25th September!

Synopsis

The Apocalypse does not end.

The Changed will grow in numbers.
The Spared may not survive.

Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she thought Rule was a sanctuary for her and those she'd come to love.

But she was wrong.

Now she's in the fight of her life against the adults who would use her, the survivors who don't trust her, and the Changed who would eat her alive.

Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and humans may be the worst of the monsters.

What are you waiting on?

Frostfire by Zoe Marriott Book Trailer

This sounds really good!

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

This looks really good!

Waiting on Wednesday (112)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

My pick for this week has to be  Mind Games by Kiersten White.  This will be out in 19th February 2013.

Synopsis
Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

What are you waiting on??

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Title:  The Golden Lily

Author:  Richelle Mead

Genre:  Young Adult/Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Penguin Australia (Imprint: Razorbill)

Publication Date:  12th June 2012

ISBN:  9781921518478

Stand alone or series:   Bloodlines #2

Pages:  448 pages

Book Received from:  Penguin Australia (Publisher)

First Lines:  Most people would find being led into an underground bunker on a stormy night scary.  Not me.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BLOODLINES

Synopsis:
Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.
But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.
Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

My Thoughts:
I have to say The Golden Lily was an awesome read.  So far, this series just seems to keep getting better!  I know that the Bloodlines series may not quite trump The Vampire Academy series but I have high expectations that this will sure come close to it.

Richelle has got this awesome knack for great characterization.  With Angeline, the new addition to the group and quite the shake up the group seems to need, the group seem to work together well.  Sydney seems to be getting along well with the vampires (For an Alchemist) but so much pressure is on her to be objective and not getting too close to them always plays on her mind.  Especially when she sees what can happen if she's caught doing more than her job.  This in turn plays a big role in the way that she acts around the others.  Almost standoffish at times when she begins to turn things over in her mind.  I sure hope that in future books she begins to start thinking for herself more than letting an organisation like the Alchemists tell her how she should be.  I'm seeing the beginnings of doubt surface there throughout the book so fingers crossed.

I have to say right now, I'm really liking Ms Terwilliger.  I love the way that she works Sydney's study time with the practical side of things and even though Sydney knows what she is trying to do, she still feels the need to complete the tasks Ms Terwilliger sets her.  I feel like this is going to play a very large part in future books.

Brayden was one character I just couldn't warm up to.  I don't know whether it was the fact that he sounded like such a know-it-all or whether it was because he didn't know beauty even if it slapped him upside the head but he just rubbed me the wrong way.

The story itself was quite engaging.  I found myself completely pulled in to Sydney's life once again and while there are small things that annoy me about her, Richelle has done a great job in keeping her true to her character.  I was hesitant about liking Sydney in the first book but book two has definitely had me on Team Sydney more so.  I just wish she would get a clue when it came to boys lol.  I suppose that just comes with experience right?

This was a great book and one that you should give a go!

Fave Line:  If your eyes weren't open, you wouldn't know the difference between dreaming and waking. You know what I'm afraid of? That someday, even with my eyes open, I still won't know.