Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Heartbreaking romance and heart-stopping action, Sarah J. Maas's stunning sophomore installment in the Throne of Glass series held nothing back as more secrets are uncovered, loyalties are tested, and betrayals abound.  This was definitely not a filler book.  Maas has written a breathtaking sequel that doesn't just live up to the first book, it rivals it.  I LOVED book one, but this… THIS!! I was in lurve!! It satisfied so many of my questions and fulfilled seeds planted in the debut.  I was a riveted, wide-eyed, sweaty-palmed, gasp-induced reader glued to every word, clinging to every sentence, repeating the paragraphs of the scenes I wanted to linger in (you'll want to stay in them too. Trust!).  I was obviously a very satisfied little girl.  And that's what this book reduced me to- a hope-filled, teary-eyed little girl (tears for all sorts of feels- happiness, grief, frustration, intense humor, anger, all of it!).  I love books with lots of feels and this one has them in abundance.  I tip my hat to you Sarah J. Maas! You've done it again!  I am literally shaking my head in awe and appreciation.  Please continue to steal my heart, shatter it, and rearrange the pieces to accommodate more feels. Rinse. Repeat.

The reader returns to find Celaena Sardothien (love this girl!!), now the King's Champion, coming back from one of several missions that the King of Adarlan has sent her on to eliminate his enemies.  While pretending to be loyal to the King, Celaena hides her true agenda.  But now the King has ordered her to kill a rebel leader, someone Celaena knows from the past, and this mission tests her true loyalties and who she can really trust.  Let me just tell you that while this book is not lacking in action (super thrilling, suspenseful action), Crown of Midnight did not fail to deliver some heavy romance!! Steamy, blush-inducing romance. Thank you for that, Sarah Maas!! I knew I could count on you.  But don't for one second think that that was all this book had to keep me fascinated, even though it definitely would've been enough.  Nope! The plot thickens and secrets unravel.  Storylines are expanded on and the character growth was a pleasure to read.  It's hard to say why I loved this book without giving anything away.  Just trust me when I say you will not be disappointed.  I definitely wasn't.  It more than lived up to my high expectations.  I am so happy to take part in this series as a reader and I can't wait to devour more installments.  Love, love, loved!

Review by Mary Munar.

Side note from Jenn. I am 70% into Crown of Midnight and my heart! It's so good, I can't even handle it. The story, the CHARACTERS everything is amazing so far. I don't ever want this series to end.  

Picture taken by Jose Valencia on
August 18, 2012,
at Vroman's for the Throne of Glass Event.

Author: Sarah J. Maas - follow her on Twitter.
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Series: Yes
Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 432 pages 

Read our Review!

Romance Writers of America (RWA) invade Anaheim, California

On Wednesday, July 25, we attended the RWA Annual Conference at the Anaheim Convention Center. The RWA is an network and organization of over 10,000 dedicated romance writers.

Review: Pushing the Limits

“I WON’T TELL ANYONE, Echo. I promise.”
Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone TOUCHED ME like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins?
His DARK BROWN EYES shifted to my covered arms. “You didn’t do that—did you? It was done to you?”
No one ever asked that question.
They stared.
They whispered.
They laughed.
BUT THEY NEVER ASKED.

Has it been a year already?!

Mary & I will be celebrating our very first blogiversary this month! HUGE giveaways will be announced. Titles from Jenny Han, Kami Garcia, M. Stohl, Lindsay Leavitt and more, PLUS they are all autographed! We were lucky to meet all of these awesome ladies this past year and have been hoarding these books just for you.

June 2011 - Starcrossed

Also, we will be seeing the lovely Josie Angelini at the B&N in The Grove LA. June 9th! Yes, you may of heard of her, she wrote books about that super hot guy we're all in love with? (cough) LUCAS DELOS!! mmmm...demigods...btw, LOVED Dreamless. I'll include with the review with the giveaway announcement. But if you're a true StarHeart and read it immediately when it came out, then you already know how awesome it is! I had major Lucas withdrawals and I kind of need book three ASAP. Just a quick side note, we also love Hector! We're going to get an autographed copy of Dreamless and give it away to one of our lucky followers who enter. 

And don't forget we still have our Be Brave (Insurgent by Veronica Roth) giveaway.

Thank you to all of our blog followers and friends we've met and "met" over the year. We're so blessed to know you all. :)

<3 jenn & mary.

Spring Into the Future: Los Angeles

On April 12, 2012, Mary and I attended a mega author event. The reason why i call it mega is because there were five amazing authors on the panel! Anna Carey (Eve), Cynthia Hand (Hallowed), Marie Lu (Legend), Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me) and Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky) were all there!

Greek Week Review - Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.
Henry's first wife, Persephone. (Summary found on Amazon)

Greek Week Review - The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.


Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. (Summary found on Amazon)

Greek Week Review ~ Pure (Covenant 2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

There is need. And then there is Fate... 

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. 

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her. 

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom…. (Summary as found on Amazon)

Review: Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for. (Summary as found on Amazon)

Review: Pure by Juliana Baggott

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.


(Summary Amazon)

Birthday Wishes and Paranormal Dreams Giveaway Winners

And the winners of our Birthday Wishes and Paranormal Dreams Giveaway are......

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

     Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

     In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty.

Review - Eve by Anna Carey

     Where do you go when nowhere is safe?
Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.
     Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Review - The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

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.

Cover Reveal - ONYX by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Obsidian (Lux Novel, Book 1) releases on December 6.

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is. 

Random Post

As everyone prepares for the holidays, finishes up their goodreads challenge goals, and tries to catch on reviews...I'd just like to thank anyone and everyone who has stopped by our blog. This is our seventh month blogging  and we honestly love it. Reading is such a huge part of our lives and we're so happy we get to share it with friends, family and virtual friends.

Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic,are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’ssavior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

Q&A with Jus Accardo

I was very fortunate to have revealed the cover of Touch on our blog.
Check out our Q&A with Jus.
Enjoy!

Shatter Me (ARC) Giveaway - Contest Ends 11/18/11