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Title: Madly
Author: M. Leighton
Series: Madly Book 1
Publisher: self
Date of Publication: June 2011
Source: bought, ebook, 57 pages
Fall in Love With A Copy:
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Goodreads Summary:
Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.
Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. 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.
In order to save her home, the lives of her family, and all of humanity, Madly must learn to wield her exceptional powers and recapture the Lore before it’s too late and all is lost. But Madly’s only help are her two best friends and the Sentinel, Jackson Hamilton, that threatens both her heart and her destiny. Madly has loved Jackson as long as she can remember, but he is the one thing even a princess can’t have. Can she resist love to become the queen she was fated to be? Or can she find a way to have both?
This novelette introduces you to Madly and prepares you for the quest of a lifetime
My Thoughts:
There are so many things I loved about this novella that I feel like I may be gushing over it for a long time.
For one is the cover. That is one terrific cover that I feel like fits perfectly for our description of Madly and her peculiar life. Plus the colors are my favorites too.
I think that is what grabbed me right off was the colors. Then after I read the synopsis I was hooked.
Madly is pretty drool worthy with the choice of heartthrobs in it. Trust me you will know who I am talking about the minute you read it.
Basically, it's a fairy tale, but with a little more "oomph" to it. Which is great for me because I have always been a sucker for a good fairy tale. It is YA but it has this spicy little thrill to it that can satisfy even us more adult readers.
Another reason I really loved the book: it has mermaids and mermen in it. I haven't got into to many stories with these type of supernatural creatures because I haven't really seen a lot of books out there with mer people as the main characters. I know they are out there but these characters are not the hottest ticket right now. So the creativity of that alone was definitely fun to read.
The characters are another definite plus for me. I loved their personalities, their relationships with each other; heck I even loved their names. "Jersey", "Madly", "Jackson"... and then the town even has a catchy name-"Slumber".
Madly was full of action, intrigue, snarky comments that were very entertaining, and a love triangle that could prove to be interesting for the readers as well as the characters.
All of that packed into a small novella that will have you drenched in sweat at the hottness of it all.
Hey even if you're not a huge fan of the mer stories, there is still a lot to love with this series.
You can tell Leighton went to a lot of hard work creating a diverse and unique plot that involves fairy tale characters, a magical prison in Atlantis, and adventure that pulls you in completely.
I did get a little of confused on the Lore and the descendants but I am pretty sure it will get cleared up in the upcoming books.
But overall, I was sucked into the story line of Madly with the promise of mystery, action and an adventure that gives us a inside look into the intense relationships of our main characters. I can't wait to get started in the next books and I expect big things from this series!
Connect With M. Leighton:
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Title: Poison
Author: Bridget Zinn
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Expected Date of Publication: March 12, 2013
Source: ebook from Net Galley, 288 pages
Get your own copy here: Amazon
| Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |
Goodreads Description:Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.
But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.
Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?
Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.
My Thoughts:
Poison is an adorable novel with a lot of heart and packed full of action. Did I mention there is a cute little pig too? I love it!
I can appreciate Rosie, our sweet piglet, because I used to have a baby pig when I was younger. And yes they are very smart animals. Of course, mine couldn't find people but it did have some other traits. So yes I was definitely sold on Rosie.
Poison reminds me of a fairy tale-yes, I know Kyra is a poison expert and trained killer-but besides those points, everything has the makings of it being a great fairy tale. I, for one, enjoy the female heroine to be tough, smart, and likable.
Poison is simply a fun book to read, whether you be eight years old or thirty something or another (hehehehe). The plot line isn't very heavy but it has the feel of a good vs. evil outline, with the hero trying to save the kingdom from impending doom.
The characters aren't so full of angst, but they do have this "coming to terms" with their past, if you will, that helps us enjoy the fact that they are not very complex. But remember it is a children's fiction, so I don't fault it for the lack of complexity.
But don't think this book is a bore; it is quite the opposite. It has this huge twist that definitely made me say out loud, " What the fudge sundae?"
I really truly loved this story. It was such a fun read that went by very fast. Too fast.
Ms. Zinn, Rest in Peace, has created a wonderful story that will live forever delighting children and grown ups, alike with the love and friendship it offers in its pages.
Five hearts indeed.
Alice in Deadland by Mainak Dhar
published:November 2011
Formats: Kindle, Nook,Paperback
Goodreads Summary:
Civilization as we know it ended more than fifteen years ago, leaving as it's legacy barren wastelands called the Deadland and a new terror for the humans who survived — hordes of undead Biters.
Fifteen year-old Alice has spent her entire life in the Deadland, her education consisting of how best to use guns and knives in the ongoing war for survival against the Biters. One day, Alice spots a Biter disappearing into a hole in the ground and follows it, in search of fabled underground Biter bases.
What Alice discovers there propels her into an action-packed adventure that changes her life and that of all humans in the Deadland forever. An adventure where she learns the terrible conspiracy behind the ruin of humanity, the truth behind the origin of the Biters, and the prophecy the mysterious Biter Queen believes Alice is destined to fulfill.
A prophecy based on the charred remains of the last book in the Deadland — a book called Alice in Wonderland.
My Ramblings:
I love zombie movies but never tried to read a "zombie" book before, so I was pretty stoked and bought this for Kindle. The concept is an interesting twist and there is some similarities in this story compared to Alice in Wonderland.
At the beginning of the book, we meet Alice, a 15 year old girl,who is on a hill looking through her gun scope, watching a "Biter" jump down a hole. And get this: the Biter is wearing bunny ears.
Okay, that was funny. But was I the only person asking myself why is the zombie like person wearing Bunny ears?
It is a dystopian novel with some serious political undertones, especially pointing out that China is the super power that wants every for their slaves, basically.
There is some good parts to this novel. I like that the Queen in this story is much nicer than the Queen from the old fairy tale.
I also had a hard time understanding that the so called Biters were zombies. From their descriptions and the way they had somewhat of a structured society, I thought they might be vampires. Alice points out that they are afraid of light, want blood, and one bite turns you into one.
I really could not stand the repetition the author puts in the story. Yes, I get that Alice didn't get to live life like most little girls would in a regular world, but you only need to tell me this one time.
However, the author drilled this idea into our head every few paragraphs, explaining to the reader that Alice learned combat instead of learning to read. I guess this just really pushed my buttons and not in a good way.
I also noticed that the main character in the Resident Evil videogames is called...Alice. And this Alice can fight really bad ass too. I wonder if that is a coincidence, probably not. I was just going to give this novel two hearts but after the ending, that really bumped it up to three hearts.
I don't want to give anything away but the ending is so ironic that I still grin at the way it was written.
If you would like to pick up your copy of Alice in Deadland click below:
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