NaNoWriMo

So...haven't posted in FOREVER, I know.  Real life intervened and I haven't been reading/writing/drawing/feeding my creative side in the slightest.  At least, not unil right around Halloween.  Finally finished the Hunger Games trilogy, OMG that took me way to long to get around to, but what's really got me pumped is NaNoWriMo.
But, despite my good intentions, things haven't gone quite so well on that frong either.  Had three ideas mapped out so I could just work this month...only, none of them really spoke to me as much as I thought they did.  Or maybe the characters just weren't feeling particularly chatty.  I'm a little fuzzy on that front.  All I know is I seriously thought I was gonna stay stuck.
And then my BF finished her semester, headed home for break, and invited me to my first write-in.  How awesome!  Much more condusive to writing than I expected, admittedly, I'm one of those people who holes up and misses entire albums of music when I'm in the writing zone, normally.  Got more done in one sitting than I've gotten done in months, sadly it's really been that long.  Still, I'm totally the underacheiver of the group, partly because of my late start, and partly because I refuse to start writing on my computer.  I know, I know, archaic, but I'm a handwriter.  Thankfully, my creativity has managed a resurface, and it just won't quit.  High hopes that I'll close on the 50k goal.  It's only like...4k a day for the rest of the month to get there.  I'm sure I can do it.
Another surprise, it's the fantasy storyline I was set to give up on that pulled through rather than the dystopian line that I planned to work on.  And, yet another, I made a new friend of our ML.  Not surprising that I made a friend, or even that my new friend is the ML.  No, the surprise is that we spent nearly two hours chatting and carrying on before realizing why we thought we knew each other.  Our sisters are really close!  And, silly us, we spent two hours missing the resemblances.  I'm looking forward to writing and baking days!  Oh, and can't forget the character doom, a necessary evil.
For once, my BF and I have placed my story body-count at higher than hers, as my world is very Alagaesia/Shannara/Middle Earth-eske, in that it's in the middle of a post-war apocolypse stage before the climactic war where the heroes take back the land from evil.
Anyways, back to dooming Torryn and Merewyn and the self-called outlaw 'Wolf".
Happy Readings!  And, more importantly this month, Happy Writing!  Write.  WRITE!
Kate

Teaser Tuesday

So, so excited about the Movie! Going on Sunday, so I was going to wait until Friday to start The Hunger Games since I don't have or have access to Catching Fire just yet. That totally worked...not. Broke down and started yesterday afternoon. Then proceded to stay up all night to read it...yeah, it's that good. READ IT people! And Watch the movie! And check out the Taylor Swift video for Safe & Sound, it's AWESOME!!!
So, teasers...how 'bout some from each of the three? I think that should do it! Here goes:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

"I volunteer!" I gasp. "I volunteer as tribute!"

There's some confusion on the stage. District 12 hasn't had a volunteer in decades and the protocol has become rusty. The rule is that once a tribute's name has been pulled from the ball, another eligible boy, if a boy's name has been read, or girl, if a girl's name has been read, can step forward to take his or her place. In some districts, in which winning the reaping is such a great hone, people are eager to risk their lives, the volunteering is complicated. But in District 12, where the word tribute is pretty much synonymous with the word corpse, volunteers are all but extinct.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins:

Every year in school, as part of our training, my class had to tour the mines. When I was little it was just unpleasant. The claustraphobic tunnels, foul air, suffocating darkness on all sides. But after my Father and several other miners were killed in an explosion, I could barely force myself onto the elevator. The annual trip became an enormous source of anxiety.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins:

A squad of Peacekeeps checking for returning refugees.

But no one is returning except me. And that's only for a brief visit. The authorities in District 13 were against my coming back. They viewed it as a costly and pointless venture, given that at least a dozen invisible hovercraft are circling overhead for my protection and there's no intelligance to be gained. I had to see it, though. So much so that I made it a condition of my cooperating with any of their plans.

Awesome stuff! Check it out!

Happy Readings, Kate

Teaser and Waiting-on

Okay, I know that it's teaser Tuesday and waiting-on Wendsday, but I've been super-busy this month, so I figure I'll be forgiven for throwing in a teaser and waiting-on blurb real quick!
So, Waiting-On first: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, Pure & Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Nevermore by James Patterson.

And now a teaser, well, four. If it weren't for my cousin, I'd be happily reading the Iron Fey series still. But, with him being a big Werewolf fan, when we saw each other last weekend, all we talked about were Werewolf books. So when I got home I couldn't continue The Iron King. I started reading Shiver, the first of Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy instead. Thanks a lot Drew! (tries to look exasperated and angry but can't quite manage to). So, teasers from The Iron King, Shiver, Linger, and Forever.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa:

"He'll break your heart, princess. Trust me, I've seen enough of his kind to know."

Anger flared, anger that he dared stick his nose into my affairs, anger that he could be right. "Again, it's none of your business, Rob!" I snapped, making his eyebrows arch. "And I can take care of myself, okay? Quit butting in where you're not wanted."

Hurt glimmered briefly, but then it was gone. "Fine, princess. He smirked, holding up his hands. "Don't get your royal pink panties in a twist. Forget I said anything."

"I will." Tossing my head, I flounced out of the room without looking back.

Guilt gnawed at me as I wove through the halls toward the cafeteria. I regretted snapping at Robbie, but sometimes his Big Brother act went too far. Still, Robbie had always been that way--jealous, overprotective, forever looking out for me, like it was his job. I couldn't remember when I first met him; it felt like he'd always been there.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater:

Since this book is composed of chapters that alternated between Grace and Sam's point of view, I'm going to include some of Grace and some of Sam.

Grace:

My wolf hesitated by the edge of the woods, the dim porch light catching his eyes. He was still watching my silhouette through the door.

I pressed my palm flat against the frigid glass.

The distance between us had never felt so vast.

I fell asleep to the scent of my wolf. Pine needles, cold rain, earthy perfume, coarse bristles on my face.

It was almost like he was there.

"I feel like I'm wasting our time together," I confessed.

Sam didn't answer, and I realized he hadn't heard me. I repeated my statement, and he blinked, eyes slowly focusing on me as he returned from whatever world he's been in. He said, "I'm happy just to be here with you. That's enough."

I studied his face for a long moment, trying to decide if he really meant it.

Sam:

Her gaze headed in my direction, and I looked away hurriedly, down at my book. She wouldn't recognize my face but she would recognize my eyes. I had to believe she would recognize my eyes.

The future and the past, both the same, snow and then summer and then snow again.

A shattered spider's web of many colors, cracked in ice, immeasureably sad.

"Sam," the girl said. "Sam"

She was past present future. I wanted to answer, but I was broken.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater:

Okay, Isabel and Cole are added to Grace and Sam in Linger, so one of each:

Grace:

Signs of spring--and, more than that, signs of human occupation--in the middle of the forest. I felt like kneeling to touch the petals of the crocus, to confirm that they were real. But Isabel's watchful eyes kept me standing. "What is this place?"

Isabel stepped over a branch to stand beside me and looked down at the patch of brave little flowers. "Oh, that. Back in the glory days of our house, before we lived here, I guess the owners had a walkway down to the lake and a little garden thing here. There are benches closer to the water, and a statue."

"Can we see it?" I asked, fascinated by the idea of a hidden, overgrown world.

Sam:

I picked up the crane that I'd folded out of my napkin while I was waiting. It was lumpy and imperfect because the napkin hadn't been quite square. "Yeah."

"Why?"

I rubbed my nose, trying to rid it of the scent of wolf. "I don't know. There's a Japanese legend that if you fold one thousand paper cranes, you get a wish."

Isabel's permanently arched right eyebrow made her smile look inadvertently cruel. "You have a wish?"

"No," I said, as Grace sat back down beside me. "All of my wishes have already been granted."

"What were you wishing for?" Grace interrupted.

"To kiss you," I said to her.

Isabel:

I had my usual group of girls who sat around me, eyes painted like mine, looking unattainable--which was not the same as being unattainable.

Being popular in a town the size of Mercy Falls was ridiculously easy. You only had to believe you were a hot commodity and you were. It wasn't like San Diego, where being popular was like a full-time career. The effects of attending the assembly--an hour-long ad for the Isabel Culpeper brand--would last for a week.

Cole:

I didn't know how it made me feel.

"What are you looking at?" I snarled.

Without a sound, she slid into the mist.

My body jerked on its own accord, and my skin twisted into another form.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater:

Now Shelby joins Sam, Grace, Isabel, and Cole.

Grace:

It was a warm, pleasant day--a great day, by spring-in-Minnesota standards. If you weren't lost and naked, that is.

Sam:

Without Grace, I lived in a hundred moments other than the one I currently occupied. Every second was filled with someone else's music or books I'd never read. Work. Making bread. Anything to fill my thoughts. I played at normalcy, at the idea that it was just one more day without her, and that tomorrow would bring her walking though my door, life going on as if it hadn't been interrupted.

Isabel:

I measured time by couting Tuesdays.

Three Tuesdays until school was out for the summer.

Seven Tuesdays since Grace had disappeared from the hospital.

Fifty-five Tuesdays until I graduated and got the hell out of Mercy Falls, Minnesota.

Six Tuesdays since I'd last seen Cole St. Clair.

Tuesdays were the worst day of the week in the Culpeper household. Fight day.

Cole:

This was who I was, now that I was a Werewolf: I was Cole St. Clair, and I used to be NARKOTIKA.

I had thought there'd be nothing left of me, once you took away the pounding bass of NARKOTIKA and the screams of a few hundred thousand fans and a calendar black with tour dats. But here it was, months later, and it turned out that there was fresh skin underneath the scab I'd picked off. Now, I was a fan of the simple pleasures in life...

Shelby:

I am trapped between her and the things that smell like her, moving in the branches and lying on the ground. The girl's eyes are on mine still, challenging me, holding me. I and her prisoner and I cannot escape.

When she screams, I kill her.

I know, a lot. But the Mercy Falls trilogy makes me smile, laugh, groan, tear up, and want more, more, more! If I'd've known how much I'd enjoy reading it, I'd wouldn't've needed a new Werewolf kick from one of my favorite cousins, because I'd've locked myself in a room for a day or two and devoured the set.
Happy readings!

Kate

Reviews: Daimon & Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Normally, I'd do seperate reviews, but seeing as Daimon is the Covenant Series' prequel, I'll make an exception. So excited that the Lux Prequel Shadows is out now! Can't wait for more of both series', not to mention individual novels!
Daimon:
Years ago, Alex and her Mom fled the Covenant. Alex never asked why. Now living among the humans, a Demi-god and her half Demi daughter, they're in hiding. Alex misses her life at the Covenant. There she had purpose and didn't have to hide what she was. But now, all Alex knows from both lives is threatened as the Daimons close in.
5/5 stars: fast-paced, a page-turner, and very compelling
My reaction:
I did read this before Half-Blood, and I'm glad I did. Haing done my research on the series beforehand, I already wondered what had happened before Alex came back to the Covenant. Even though this novella consists of only a few days before Alex's return, there's enough in it to make you want more right away, to let you get to know Alex without her status, without her superpowers (at least not all of them).

Half-Blood:
Alex is back, with a vengeance. Badass attitude, awesome superpowers, jerky uncle, super-hot trainer and all. She's in training on superspeed now, needing to catch up. But things are far more unsettled than she remembers. Strange things are happening. And what seems the most normal just might be by far the most dangerous.
8/5 stars: five just isn't enough! Compelling from the start, rich back-history/culture, and a kick-ass heroine with a mouth and attitude to match.
My reaction: Oh my GAWD! I love it! Demi-gods! And their kids. I'd never considered how Demi-gods, grown up (because I've read and adored Percy Jackson too), would act together, with humans, and what their kids (with humans or with each other) would be like. More please! Do I really have to wait until April? Alex reminds me of my very best friend and I adore her nearly as much (sorry, must be loyal to Sasha, no matter Alex's levels of awesomeness). Aiden is the best, though he seems cool most of the time. Not sure about Seth, being set up not to like him like that, though he's a cool character for sure.

Counting the days until Pure and Deity! Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!!!
Happy readings!
Kate

So, just read Daimon and Half-Blood. Adore them! Haven't felt the greatest, so no reviews today, but soon! Can't wait until Pure comes out! Can't believe that that won't be until April.
Jennifer L. Armentrout is still most definately my new favorite author!

Happy Readings!

Kate

Teaser Tuesday

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

"What?" He's hurting me, but the look of terror on his face has me shaken. "But she said---"
Suddenly there's a tug in my gut, but when I try to ignore it, it becomes an intense pain. I wince, pulling away from Monroe to lean back over the table. "It's the Need."
"The Need?" he whispers to himself, as if he likes the term.
"Make it stop," I growl, pushing my forehead down into the table as I continue to writhe. "Make it stop."
He's at my ear. "Don't fight it....

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

What if you had an extraordinary power in a dying world?
What if you couldn't control it because it rested in your skin?
What if you could kill with a touch?

Juliette has this power, lacks this control, and has done this.
She's been untouched by human beings for years now. Locked in an asylum alone. Until the day Adam becomes her cellmate. Something about him niggles at her buried memories and tugs at the sanity that was slowly oozing through her fingers.
But nothing is as it seems in this world that's slowly dying.
Soon Juliette finds herself central in a war for power over the world. She can be a weapon for good, or for evil. No one can touch her.
Or is that an illusion too?
Rating:5/5 sucks you in and holds tights until you don't want to let go.



My Reaction: Ohmygod! Love, love, LOVE!!! Seriously, I had to put it down...twice to do stuff and I literally itched and thought of nothing else until I got back to it. Addictive and compelling. I admit that the not-so-sane pattern to Juliette's thoughts, including the crossed out phrases, is a bit disconcerting until you get used to it. But the story is wonderful and very real. A Dystopian environment, a paranormal touch of power, a powerful love, it has it all! And leaves room for a sequel or series, which I sincerely hope that there is! Juliette and Adam are heroes to savor. I'll be watching Tahereh Mafi for more. (oh please let there be more!)
Happy Readings!
Kate