October 31, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Halloween Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. It was created due to their love of lists.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Top Ten Halloween Reads - Books that definitely get me in the Halloween mood! - All are books I've read. I'll link the pictures to my reviews of them (if you wanna read more about them and my thoughts) and the titles to Goodreads. :)

1. Anna Dressed In Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake - Who doesn't love some ghost hunting and a ghost with blood dripping off her dress that won't die?

2. Nevermore (Nevermore #1) by Kelly Creagh - This one is a long time favorite of mine! If you haven't read it, go! I love helping make new fans of this one! It incorporates Edgar Allan Poe! And shadows and nightmares! LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!

3. The Name of The Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson - Jack the Ripper type story anyone?? I promise. Totally worth the read!!! 

4. Masque Of The Red Death (Masque Of The Red Death #1) by Bethany Griffin - Another book based on an Edgar Allan Poe story! I can't get enough of these types of books! 

5. Dearly, Departed (Gone With The Respiration #1) by Lia Habel - It's Halloween! We have to have a book with Zombies in here right!!! 

6. Falling Under (Falling Under #1) by Gwen Hayes - A place called Under? Making deals with the devil. Definitely falls under Halloween for me!

7. My Soul To Take (Soul Screamers #1) by Rachel Vincent - Banshee's! Sensing when someone is about to die. Screaming bloody murder because of it. If you have not read the Soul Screamers series, I highly recommend you do so! It is absolutely fantastic!

8. Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton - The underworld! Feeding on the emotions of humans in despair. Definitely a Halloween read for sure! 

9. Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton - Creatures stalking in the darkness, killing reapers. This definitely earns a spot on my Halloween reads list!

10. Pure (Pure #1) by Julianna Baggott - This one made my list, not because I think it's got a Halloween theme or type of character, but because of the creepy, dark factor it has. When I first read this book I was definitely creeped out by a number of the creatures introduced and was shocked at many of the dark elements in this book. That is why it has a spot on my Halloween list!

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October 30, 2012

Waiting On Wednesday [#62]

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2)
Author: Maureen Johnson
Expected Publication: February 26, 2013

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades— the city's secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated The Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

I loved The Name of The Star!!!! It was a fantastic read! I am so so so excited for it's sequel!!! Definitely can't wait to read more about Rory!!!

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November 23, 2011

Review: The Name Of The Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name Of The Star (Shades of London #1)
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons (Putnam Juvenile)
Publication Date: September 29, 2011
Pages: 372
Source: Hardcover from Library

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Review: I honestly wasn't sure about reading this with the whole Ripper thing about it. I'm glad I read it though. I really enjoyed it and the details of some of the murders didn't freak me out like I thought they would. I wanna start off with Rory. I felt like she was a fairly strong main character! I really enjoyed being in her head, learning about her family and all of that stuff. I really loved being in her head when she was playing hockey. I'm just like her, I'm not big on sports so I felt her pain of having to play one everyday. I also really enjoyed being in her head around Jerome, especially when she couldn't figure out exactly what they were to each other or how they felt.

Now on to being able to see ghosts. If I was Rory, I would have freaked out over the news and the reality of being able to see ghosts. Especially when she was able to see the Ripper!!!!! I'd freak out over that as well. I found the ghost police interesting though. I mean come on, there was an actual squad specifically for hunting ghosts. Who wouldn't find that interesting?!? Also, I found how you came into having the sight fairly interesting as well, and how it didn't happen to everyone. To the Ripper! I was completely understood why Rory flipped out so much about it. She saw The Ripper! And because of that he set his sights on her as a target. I'd be worried if she wasn't flipping out. I'd be scared if I was the target of a killer! What Rory and the rest of the squad with the sight found out about the Ripper. Wow! I totally didn't see what we found out about the ripper coming.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a good modern day ripper story and who wants a good suspenseful story!

5 Stars!

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November 21, 2011

Teaser Tuesday [#15]

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

1. "I can now confirm that the body of a man has been found on Davenant Street, in a small private car park."

2. "Witnesses who found the body say that the victim had a wound to the neck."

pg. 90 of "The Name of The Star" by Maureen Johnson

1. "Today is the first official day of assuming the role of my seventeen-year-old self."

2. "Damn, this sucks!"

pg. 82 of "Tempest" by Julie Cross*

*Quotes from ARC/Galley of book and are subject to change in final copy

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