Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Title:  Rampant
Author:  Diana Peterfreund 
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Publication Date: 25 August 2009
Stand alone or series:  Series
Book Length: E-book (E-book reader not reliable)
First Line: " 'I will never really leave,' said the unicorn.  Diamond sparkles floated from the tip of its glittering horn.  'I will always live in your heart.' "

 Synopsis (as per Harper Teen)
Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns...
Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns.  Fortunately, they've been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
 Or not.
Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's storries about killer unicorns.  But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend - thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom - Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.
However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems.  Outside, the unicorns wait to attack.  And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to - perhaps most dangerously of all - her growing attraction to a handsome art student... an attraction that could jeopardize everything.

My Thoughts
I was a bit skeptical about the whole killer unicorns but I was willing to give it ago.

I found the start of this book a little slow to get going.  Although the author spent a fair bit of time building relationships with the other characters, I found it necessary later on.

Astrid is shipped off to Rome after she finds that there is a long history in her family of Unicorn Hunters.  I was still stuck in the concept most people believed, that unicorns were peaceful horned horses.  Once there the story begins to get more interesting.  There are more encounters with the unicorns and it becomes more believable for me that they are vicious and bloody thirsty creatures.

I did not like Lilith (Astrid's Mother) at all.  There seemed to be almost no maternal instinct from her, which I had trouble relating to.  The most interesting character of all is one that I'm unable to reveal without ruining the story.

The final climax in this book exceeded my expectations completely.  I was on the edge of my couch (literally) reading as fast as I could!

A wonderful book, where the storyline is one-of-a-kind, with fabulous strong characters, high stakes and some great action.  Worth a read!


There is a second book called Ascendant coming, but am not sure when to expect this on the bookshelves.

Mieradome by Kate O'Hegarty

Title:  Mieradome
Author:  Kate O'Hegarty
Genre: Young Adult
Distribution Comp:  Book Masters  
Publication Date: 1 June 2010
Book Length: 423 (E-book)
Special thanks to Kate O'Hegarty for asking me to review this book.

Synopsis 
Mieradome, revolves around a young girl named Amavia, who believes she is a human girl, but slowly comes to find she is a faery in the world of Mieradome. Amavia's mother, Anastasica, had taken her out of the faery realm and hidden her away here in our human realm, so that she may be protected from her parents' past mistakes. But that was not enough, the forces that be found Amavia, and brought her back into the cosmos of the Grandmother Tree. There she meets other faeries, goblins, Telkar dragons, and Utopisols. Slowly who Amavia really was began to unravel to show the truth. The truth, that she just may be the evil they need to destroy. This is where the story begins.

My Thoughts
Mieradome is a quite complex story of a young girl Amavia and her journey in discovering who she is and what she is destined to become.

The very beginning had me wondering what was going to happen next.  Kate did well capturing my interest, but I have to admit that I did struggle for the next few chapters.  I was a little overwhelmed with the details and names that were thrown in at the beginning.  I also found that the narrative distanced me somewhat from the characters.   By about a quarter of the way through I could focus more on the characters and the story since the scenery was set and it wasn't drawing me away from the characters.

I felt most drawn to Caiden and Ditto but I liked the originality of the other characters as well.  Sasha was also quite amusing.  The story line was fast paced and intriguing and at times I was having trouble guessing where the story was going next.  Which was Good!

Kate O'Hegarty has done a nice job of writing her first novel Mieradome.  While this novel is far from perfect she shows alot of talent there waiting to break out.

A little info about Kate

I have a B.A in Liberal Arts from Goddard College in March '09 and am a Library Helper at my local city library in their children's department programs.  I live in the Central Valley of Modesto and recently discovered my maternal 3rd Great Aunt Dora DuFran was a famous brothel madam in Deadwood, South Dakota.  My senior BA thesis was a history of this madam.  I have been working on my fantasy novel Mieradome, for 7 years.  I began working on writing the story on Oct. 31 2002, Halloween, (when I accidentally forgot to buy candy that year and needed something to occupy my time my time so I didn't go crazy with people continuing to bang on my door).  I had a dream a few days before I started writing, about a young girl looking out on a second story balcony towards a tall oak tree in her backyard, as she watched a bright lighted spec disappear into the leaves and branches of the tree.  Just as this young girl was curious where that lighted spec went in the tree, I was too.  I wrote this story to figure it out.  I am 27 years old and live in the Central Valley of California which has helped inspire me to write about locations I've traveled to, and also internationally.

You can find more info about Kate on her blog,
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

These websites will be up by mid-march at www.mieradome.com & www.mieradome.net

Waiting On Wednesday (2)

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!
 This week's Waiting on Wednesday is The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong.  This will be out on April 6th and I look forward to reading this. 

If you have not read The Summoning, and The Awakening, I will just warn you now that there are spoilers for those books in this synopsis!  Read at own risk.







Synopsis (As per Booksamillion Website)
My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.
But normal is one thing I'm not.
For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother--who just happens to be a sorcerer--but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.
Not normal.
My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us--permanently.
Definitely not normal.
And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.
As far away from normal as it gets.

New Award!

This is my second award I've received.  *Happy Dance*  I would just like to say thank you to all of my followers for your support, encouragement and comments.  It's truly appreciated!!

The Happy 101 Award was given to me by Tuning Into YA Books.  Thank you!!

The Rules are that I should list ten things that make me happy and then pass it along to 10 bloggers.

1. Putting my feet up with a good book.

2. Cold, wet weather.  Good for snuggling in bed.

3. Watching my little one playing and getting excited when his favourite show comes on. (Chuggington)

4. Reading fellow book bloggers and followers thoughts, comments and blog posts.

5. Surprises!

6. NaNoWriMo.  Finished writing my 1st book with NaNoWriMo.  It's still sitting there waitin to be revised.

7. Making others smile.

8. Hot Pancakes with icecream and ice magic!

9. Drive ins.

10. Walking into a bookstore and seeing all those books waiting to be read!

I would like to pass this award along to:

1. Amelia at Imagination in Focus

2. Reaganstar at Star Shadow

3. LCzinha at Endless Reading

4. All Things Urban Fantasy

5. Booknerds are Pretty Too

6. Lori at Psychotic State 

7. Fangtastic Books

8. Book Lovers Inc

9. Patti at Book Addict

10. Kathy at Inside of a Dog

Will send out emails and/or comments to let you all know - probably  in the next day or so.

If you haven't already, and would like to complete my New Faces & Suggestions Form, you can find it here.

ALSO:  Before I forget.  New Feature Coming Soon - Once Upon a Time.  Stay Tuned!!

New Faces and Suggestions Form

Inspired by Steph Su from Steph Su Reads.  I have finally attempted my own Form.  I'd love to hear about you and what you like and don't like of my blog.  I also would love to know what book blogs are out there that I'm missing out on too

Since the 14th of February when my blog was born (as you might say) I've gone from 1 follower to 57 and I'm truly grateful for that.  So in an attempt to meet you all and gauge your opinions I'd love for you to fill out my form and let me know how I'm doing and what you would like more or less of.  All feedback and info is very welcome. (Even if it's to say listen Melissa your blog sucks, make sure you list why!)

You Can find the Form Here

 

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie!!  (This post was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.)

This week there are only two books.

Up for Review:

Mieradome by Kate Hegarty (e-book out June 1st, Internationally)

Bought:

Pathway of the Gods by J. R Mitchell.

Thats all for me.  So what did you get in your mailbox?

Before I die by Jenny Downham

Title:  Before I die
Author:  Jenny Downham 
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher:  Definitions
Publication Date: March 2008
Stand alone or series:  Stand Alone
Book Length: 327

Favourite Quote:  "I wish I had a boyfriend. I wish he lived in the wardrobe on a coat hanger. Whenever I wanted, I could get him out and he'd look at me the way boys do in films, as if I'm beautiful. "

Synopsis (From the back of the book)
Tessa has just a few months to live.

Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex.

Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up.

Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out.

BEFORE I DIE is a brilliantly-crafted novel, heartbreaking yet astonishingly life-affirming. It will take you to the very edge.

My Thoughts
Tissues, and lots of them.  When I picked this book up I thought I wouldn't need them, by the end I think I used half a box.

Before I die is written in first person from Tessa's point of view.  Tessa is your average 16 year old girl except for one thing.  She has cancer.  Filled with a wonderful cast of characters, this story is both original and inspiring.  Jenny Downham has done a fantastic job drawing her readers in and I honestly felt I was there with Tessa, feeling the same struggles, hopes and fears she, her family and friends had to face.

Before I die is beautifully written, and one book you will remember long after you reach the last page.

If you loved this book you might also like Before I fall by Lauren Oliver.  Another awesome Book