The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa 
(Book #2 in the Iron Fey Series)


Released: August 2010
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Fey
Pages: 359
Source: Library

Rating: ♥♥♥♥.5

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.


Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.







---Just like in the first book, I was so excited to dip right back into Julie Kagawa's imagination and get to see all the characters I had loved. There is one thing I noticed about the plot, and that there is never a dull moment. There is always something happening to Meghan, some sort of road block or new discovery that is sure to keep all readers on their toes when they dip into this series.
In the first book we learned that the Iron Fey was put into the fey realm due to the ever-growing technology we in the mortal world seem to be so obsessed with. I thought that was such an interesting and a refreshing concept to have in a book because it is SO true. I am not a tech-savvy person, and I never really plan to be because it's not my thing, but I loved how so many realistic things are incorporated in this other world. 
There's not much of the plot I can discuss without giving away something, but like I mentioned before, Julie knows how to keep the pages of turning, and there is a lot of action in this story. With the action and battles, there is also the romance side of it. Now I know without a doubt that Puck and Meghan have more of a BFF relationship, and it'll probably stick that way, and I'm glad about it. I really, really am. My love for Puck doesn't make me hate on Ash at all. I think he's a great character, but I haven't really been won over by the two of them being together. I see a connection, just not a strong enough one yet. But hey, there are still two more books that can convince me of this otherwise.
Anyhoo, for the second book in a series, which is always the hardest to win me over for some reason, this did not disappoint at all! I am so anxious to get my hands on the third book, and thankfully it comes out soon because I don't think I could wait much longer to find out what's going to happen next!
Webpage | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
♥amber

2011 Reading Challenges

At first I had all four of these challenges up in separate posts, but decided just to combine them all. For 2011, I plan on giving my blog way more attention than I have in the past, and thought why not just sign up for a bunch of fun challenges for a kick off?

The Book Vixen has set up one awesome reading challenge for 2011! The goal is to read as many YA books that were originally published in the 80s and 90s as your heart desires. The only requirement is that the book(s) have to have been first published sometime between 1980 – 1999. Find out more information here.

Seeing that I was born in 85, I'm pretty excited to go back and read all my favorites from childhood and tween years. I decided to dip back into some of my favorite series, and some I hadn't read yet so here ya go for this list:

1. Girl Talk by L.E. Blair
2. The Boy Next Door by R.L. Stine
3. Say Cheese and Die by R.L. Stine
4. Sweet Valley University by Francine Pascal
5. The Babysitter's Club by Ann M. Martin
6. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
7. Roswell High: The Wild One by Melinda Metz

Sabrina from YA Bliss is hosting a 2011 Historical Fiction Challenge. Historical Fiction is not my normal cup of tea, but I'm going to give it a try!

Choose your level:

Level 1: 5 YA HF books in 2011
Level 2: 10 YA HF books in 2011
Level 3: 15 YA HF books in 2011

Rules:
All Historical Fiction books must be YA or MG
Books don't have to be 2011 releases.
Anyone can join. Please link to a public (web) place I can find you.
You can join at anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011

Find out more information on this post.

I'm choosing to take this challenge on Level 1:

1. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
2. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
3. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
4. Wildwing by Emily Whitman
5. Vixen by Jillian Larkin

A couple months back, Sabrina and I were talking on twitter. She likes to take jabs at my more than comfortable style of reading. I love contemporary and paranormal. I pretty much stay with those two genres while Sab has a variety of genres she reads. So we both challenge one another to read 5 books the other one hadn't read and probably wouldn't.

Please do not laugh at my failed attempt at a graphic :)

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
2. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
5. Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

You can no longer sign up for The Contemps Challenge, but the goal is to read 18 of the 21 books coming out in the following year.

1. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
2. Freefall by Mindi Scott
3. Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
4. Girl, Stolen by April Henry
5. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
6. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
7. Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
8. Trapped by Michael Northrop
9. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
10. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
11. Saving June by Hannah Harrington
12. Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
13. Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
14. Sharks and Boys by Kristen Tracy
15. Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman
16. Pearl by Jo Knowles
17. Family by Micol Ostow
18. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

♥amber

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa


Released: February 2010
Published: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Fey
Pages: 363
Source: Bought


Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.



---

I have heard wonderful reviews about this series, bought it months and months ago, and JUST NOW got to it. My first statement to myself is: Amber, what the heck took you so long?!

Julie Kagawa is a brilliant woman. I would love to jump into her ear and wiggle my way into her brain so I could see how her imagination works! Me and Fey books aren't exactly best friends. I do love a good book on faeries, but my problem is some authors just go a bit over my head. You start giving me weird names that have a million 'y' and 'i''s in them and I just cannot do it. If you share the same problem like me, well don't fret because Julie's writing is smooth and can suck you in within minutes.

Meghan is a great narrative. She has a great mix of being head-strong and vulnerability. You can tell as you read that she is frighten, which she should be considering that there is never, and I mean NEVER a moment where she's not in some sort of danger, but she still has this determination to get her brother back. I love characters like this!

Now if you've been around a few blogs, you've might have heard of this whole Team Ash and Team Puck thing. I'm always down for a dark, brooding type of guy. He's someone that you can easily fall for, but he's distant, and guards himself well. And I should have fallen for him.

BUT

There's Puck. Puck who completely without a doubt steals the show in this book. He is nothing but hilarious, quit-witted, and charming in his own Puck-way. Though him and Meghan are pretty much best friends, and honestly, I wouldn't want them to be together because I doubt it would work, I still really loved Puck almost more than I loved Meghan.

Basically if you were like me and still haven't gotten around to reading this series, you need to go pick it up! You will be amazed by this world Julie has created. The way her characters easily come to life just had me in awe. And did I tell you there was a talking cat? I don't even like cats, but I was loving Grimalkin!

Website | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

♥amber

In My Mailbox #38

Once again, I've gotta play catch up! At some point I'm going to start doing vlogs, but first I need to get a camera. I've been thinking about getting a flip cam, but I was curious of what other people have. I know a lot of people just use what's on their computer, so other than a webcam, does anyone have suggestions?

Review:
Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers (Amazon | Goodreads)
Firelight by Sophie Jordan (Amazon | Goodreads)
Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (Amazon | Goodreads)
Wither by Lauren Destefano (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain (Amazon | Goodreads)

Library:
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler (Amazon | Goodreads)


That's it for me! What did you guys get this week? Make sure to leave a comment so I can go drool over your mailbox!

Also I wanted to point out this post I did the other day. My friends' 8-year-old daughter, Macy, has been battling a form of cancer called ALL Leukemia for two years. She is such a sweet little girl who has been put through something no child should ever have to go through.

Her parents are absolutely buried in medical bills. I know it's the holidays and I know money is tight due to the economy, but NO PARENT should have to worry how they're going to afford to keep their child alive because their insurance will not cover a lot of the cost. So please, if you can spare even two dollars, swing by this page and leave a donation. It would be very appreciated!

* In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea from Pop Culture Junkie.

♥amber

I've reached 600 followers! Giveaway time!

On Friday night I noticed I had 599 followers. That one little number was just begging to be changed so I did what any respectable blogger would do.

I went to twitter and bribed.

The bribe was: If I hit 600 followers I will do a giveaway with an ARC of either Delirium by Lauren Oliver or Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

Three minutes later, I went to my blog and I had 607 followers! The magic of Twitter, people!

Being true to my word - IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!!

1 Winner will get a choice between either one of these ARCs:




Since I love ALL of you followers - IT'S GOING TO BE INTERNATIONAL!!!

BUT there is one catch! You HAVE to be a follower to enter this giveaway. I never have this as a guideline in giveaways, but since I'm celebrating reaching 600 followers this is ONLY open to my followers!

And yes, you can become a new follower to enter this contest. And yes, I will be checking to make sure the winner was an actual follower of the blog before I announce them being the winner. And yes, I will delete your entry if you are a liar, liar pants on fire!

Fill out this lovely form for your chance to win!

Giveaway will end December 25th at 11:59 central standard time. Any questions please shoot me an email :)

♥amber

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins


Released: December 2010
Published: Dutton
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Pages: 372
Source: Around the World Tours


Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.


As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?


---

There's no doubt that you've seen a million posts up already gushing their love about this book. Yes, this will be another review where the blogger feel head over heels with Anna, and will re-read it many upon many times. And I know with all the hype, some people might get it, and not love it as much as they thought they would. Honestly, if it wasn't for a couple bloggers who kept telling me I had to read it, I probably would have overlooked this book at least for a while.

What I love about Anna is that she is one of the best well-rounded and realistic characters I have read in a very long time. She is not perfect. She is not a doormat. She is not too cool for her own good. She is just a regular girl who is experiencing this whole new adventure in a new city. I've never been to Paris, and I doubt I'll ever get the chance to go. But Stephanie Perkins writes that place so vividly, I felt like I've already been there. And hey, if I ever want to go re-visit, I can just jump back into the book ;)

Then there is St. Claire who you're already sighing a bit over when you first meet him. BUT St. Claire is just an average guy. He's not tall, dark, brooding, and acts like he's the biggest badass around. He's short, funny, laid back, and if I were at that school I'd either be in love with him or his best friend. I prefer the in love part, but you can tell he's just one of those guys who would sit next to you and strike up a conversation no matter who you are.

The romantic part of this story is obviously swoon-worthy and the part I really enjoyed. The attraction to St. Claire is there, but it is so well plotted. There are so many "almost" moments just like in real life. The relationship really does grow in this strong friendship that the two form throughout the school year. The host of friends Anna has were never just in the background to me. They were all so clearly individual and entertaining. Even everything above isn't the only reason why I loved this book. I loved seeing Anna grow from the girl she was when she stepped into that new school in strange city to the girl she became at the end of the story.

Stephanie Perkin's writing flows so easily, I was seriously about a hundred pages into the book, and didn't even realize it. She is so well in tune with Anna, you really do feel everything she writes and what Anna goes through. Another thing I wanted to add in is something I've noticed in a lot of books lately where the mention of sex or cursing sometimes goes a bit overboard. What I like about this book is that it was there when it needed to be there. Nothing was over-done.

So basically my name is Amber and I am an Anna Fangirl! If you love a wonderfully well-written contemporary novel then you have to get this one. For being a debut author, Stephanie Perkins has blown me away and made me an instant fan. I will definitely be picking up anything she writes next!

If you want to see my fangirl reaction when I first finished Anna months ago, check out this post.

Stephanie Perkins has always worked with books--first as a bookseller, then as a librarian, and now as a novelist. She and her husband live in the mountains of North Carolina. Every room of their house is painted a different color of the rainbow.


Website | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads









 ♥amber

Win a copy of The Lost Saint by Bree Despain + Nail Polish!

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain 

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace’s relationship with Daniel is put in danger — in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her — not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

1 Winner will get:

-An ARC of The Lost Saint

-A bottle of blue nail polish

I would have uploaded a picture of both of these, but it won't load up for some reason - sorry guys!

Rules:

- Must be 13 years of age

- Must have a US MAILING ADDRESS 

- Leave a comment here telling me why you want this book with your email address. If you don't have both of these - I will delete your entry. 

- Giveaway ends December 15th at 11:59 PM central time

♥amber