Book Review: Emerald by Karen Wallace

Title: Emerald
Author: Karen Wallace
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Release Date: July 7th 2011 
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher for review (Thank you!)

Emerald St. John is in trouble. She has been condemned to marry a man she hates. Her enemies are conspiring to have her pet bear Molly torn apart in the baiting pits, and the man she loves is far away on the high seas. And she has stumbled into a web of spies with a plot to poison Queen Elizabeth I. To save herself and the kingdom, she must beat the spies at their own game - which means transforming herself from a country girl into a Court lady. Can she do it in time? Set against a detailed and vivid recreation of a great Elizabethan manor house, EMERALD will bring to life a world where the most sophisticated rules of etiquette went hand in with brutality and superstition.

My Thoughts:

Emerald has been informed of her betrothal to Lord Suckley, whom she has never met, but has heard horrible things from her cousin Arabella. She hopes her brother, Richard would be able to help her stop this marriage, but why has Richard been oddly reluctant to speak to her?  Aunt Frances, who she grew up to love like her own mother, and her uncle both seem to despise Lord Suckley as well, yet they refuse to help her escape this marriage. Everyone in the household’s afraid to defy her mother’s wishes, but why? What does she hold over everyone? Deadly secrets are slowly revealed and questions gradually answered as Emerald prepares for her dreaded marriage.

The plot was really interesting; I was curious as to why no one seemed willing to write to Emerald’s mother objecting the marriage between her and Lord Suckley. The mother definitely knew something that Aunt Frances & Uncle Charles would die to keep a secret, and I was constantly guessing what this top-secret was! Turns out, it was something big! And something I never expected too! There was also the whole plot to kill the Queen, but I felt this was forgotten half-way through the book and then at the very end, everything was revealed. The writing also flowed nicely and was easy to read, which I liked!

As for Emerald, I admired her loyalty to her frenemy/cousin/sister. (You’ll have to read the book to understand what I mean! It’s all part of the mysterious secret!) At the beginning it was obvious Emerald and Arabella loathed each other; even if they were the only two people left on Earth, they still would not get along! But Emerald was still loyal, refusing to tell anyone Arabella’s secret. I loved how gradually, the two were able to forget their past childish misunderstandings and help each other in the end!

Overall, this was a light and enjoyable historical novel that will be sure to please readers. It may not be Philippa Gregory’s standard (well…Philippa is like the QUEEN of historical fiction!), but it was definitely a fast and fun read!

Waiting On Wednesday #12

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass

Publisher: HarperTeen

Expected Release Date: April 24th 2012

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

This one's been garnering much attention lately, so I think I'll add to it - THE DRESS IS SO FREAKING GORGEOUS. I.WANT.IT. Oh, and I LOVE the name, America! It reminds me of Ugly Betty - (I think the actresses' name is America?) The plot sounds intriguing as well, but even if the plot sucked, I think I'm happy to buy a copy just for the cover!

What are you waiting on this week? Leave links!

Blog Tour: Mortal Obligation - Excerpt + Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the Mortal Obligation Blog Tour, hosted by The Magic Attic! I'm really excited to share with you an excerpt from Nichole Chase's new novel, Mortal Obligation and there will also be an ebook giveaway at the end!

Mortal Obligation (Dark Betrayal Trilogy #1)

by Nichole Chase

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Ree will face the darkest form of betrayal before the year is out.

Seventeen year old Ree McKenna has three goals: get through high school, convince her crush she is more than his best friend’s little sister, and save money for college. Fate, though, has other plans for her. After the untimely death of her older brother, Ree is haunted by dreadful nightmares and terrifying visions. To make matters worse, Ree has started to suspect that something dangerous is stalking her from the shadows. 

A night full of frightening surprises leaves Ree with unsettling news. Gifted by the gods with unusual powers, she must devote herself to a battle that could very well lead to not only her death, but the demise of everyone she knows and loves. After all, Ree is the only mortal standing between the Earth and utter darkness.

Set in Savannah, Ga, Mortal Obligation is the first book of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy.

~BOOK EXCERPT: ~

She grimaced and pulled the blanket up higher. “Who are you? And didn’t your mommy teach you it isn't polite to just walk into someone’s room while they’re sleeping?”

 “But I brought you breakfast!” He pointed at the tray, pretending to look hurt. This time she didn’t bother to hide rolling her eyes.

 “Who are you?” she asked again.

 “Roland.”

 “The guy with the Mercedes?”

 He nodded, his expression amused as he watched her. He templed his fingers in front of his chest and leaned further back into the chair, waiting for her to make the next move. Again that feeling that he wasn't exactly human came to her. The impression she got was almost dark, but not sinister, despite his obvious enjoyment of her irritability.

 “What are you?” She leaned forward, looking at him more closely.

“What do you think I am?”

 She groaned. “You've got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to know that? You could be a unicorn for all I know! Anything is possible after last night. Why don't you just go away so I can get dressed?”

 He stood up, but instead of leaving he came and sat on the edge of her bed. “Who is being rude now? And if I may point out, you already know there is more to me than would appear. So I think you might be able to figure it out.”

 She shifted so he wasn't touching her and tried to not think about the fact that she was barely dressed with a strange guy sitting on her bed. For whatever reason, he didn’t really feel like a stranger but, just the same, she could feel herself blushing when he moved a little closer.

“Look at me, Ree. I won't bite.” His tone had softened, despite the teasing. Without understanding why, she looked up and met his eyes. There was definitely something inhuman. The blue was too deep and dark. Thick eyelashes added to the perfect face, but she had been right. There was an intensity hidden in the depths of his eyes, as if something painful haunted him. Unknowingly, she moved closer to him, caught in the mystery. His complexion was perfect; no blemishes and a warm, golden skin tone spoke of time in the sun. Everything about him seemed perfect – almost too perfect. Her eyes fell on his lips, and her breath caught. Shaking her head she looked back up at him and leaned away. Something in his eyes almost looked disappointed when she moved.

~Giveaway~

It's time for the giveaway! To win an eBook of this amazing book, simply post a comment below with your name and email address. The giveaway will end 18th November!

Wait! There's more! Nichole will also be giving away a grand prize, as shown below :) (Now, that's A LOT of goodies!) To enter, simply comment on every tour stop. One comment per tour stop per person.

Be sure to check out the next tour stop at http://everythingtodowithbooks.blogspot.com/. 

Good luck!

Top Ten Tuesday - Unread Books on Shirley's Shelf!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish!

This is my first time participating; it sounds like a lot of fun!

This week's topic: Top Ten Books That Have Been On My Shelf For The Longest But I've Never Read

Anne of green gables by L.M Montgomery

So, I remember buying this many years ago from BORDERS (gosh, I miss it so much!) since it was only $5. But I never read it; it’s been sitting on my shelf and collecting dust :S I guess I felt like reading like back when I bought it but then lost interest.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I bought this with those primary school Scholastic book packs (for only $2!). I read the first few pages and gave up! But I was young back and I couldn’t be bothered reading it (the language was so hard to understand!); even now, I still can’t finish Austen’s books. I nearly died reading Emma for school at the start of this year!

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

I bought this with a book voucher I received from school as part of an award I guess. Never got around to finishing it though. I remember how back then it had like the Twilight fame, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the first few chapters.

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

The third in the Inkheart series. (translated from GERMAN) I loved this back when I was in primary school! I was so excited when the third & last book came out, and immediately bought the hardcover. Too bad, I forgot what happened at the end of the second book and couldn’t be bothered re-reading it, so this has been sitting on my bookshelf untouched and unread.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvator

I won an ARC of this a while ago; but I haven’t read Shiver and Linger yet. Don’t know if I want to though. I know for a fact that Maggie is an amazing writer, but somehow the premise of Shiver  sounds too clichéd & I think of Twilight for some reason…

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

Haha, am I the only one in the world who hasn’t read this? My dad bought me the version where all three books were combined in one book, and it’s like 1000+ pages thick! I just can’t get through it….

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Yes, I seem to have a problem with classic books. There’s nothing wrong with them, but I just find modern YA more interesting & easier to read. But, I’ll read this one day. Definitely.

Chasers by James Phelan

Hmmm…I was surprised this turned up on my doorstep. Too bad, I haven’t had the chance to read it, and apparently the third book is out already? Might have to read this one day…but only after I finish all my other books!

Pig Boy by J.C Burke

Another book that I just can’t dedicate any time to…it’s another TBR book but only after I’ve finished all the ones I WANT to read, and have absolutely nothing else to read.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Err…I really should read this sometime! Unfortuantely, I couldn’t be bothered to finish this after reading the first 3? chapters…but I WILL finish this ONE DAY. Sometime in the near future hopefully…

In My Mailbox #13

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they've borrowed, received in the mail or bought in the past week.

Publishers:

Smoulder (The Space Between) by Brenna Yovanoff (Thank you Simon &Schuster!)

Demons? Angels? DEFINITELY EXCITED TO READ THIS! I love the cover as well <3 I haven't read The Replacement, so I've no idea what Yovanoff's writing's like, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

Netgalley:

Slide by Jill Hathaway (Thank you HarperCollins Aus.!)

This one sounds really interesting! The main character can apparently 'slide' into somebody else's mind and experience the world from their point of view! So excited to read this <#

Hushed by Kelley York (Thank you Entangled Publishing!)

This sounds like a dark, deep & unforgettable book! & from reading a lot of reviews, definitely heart-wrenching as well! Can't wait to read this! 

So, that's all I got this week :)

What did you receive in your mailbox?

Book Review: Elixir

Title: Elixir

Author: Hilary Duff, Elise Allen 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Release Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Paperback
Source: Library

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

My Thoughts:

Hilary Duff’s debut? Trust me, I never would have picked this up under normal circumstances, but my copy of Devoted was looking very lonely and dusty on my shelf, so I decided to give Elixir a try. Frankly, I really enjoyed Elixir; I wasn’t mind-blowing or anything, but it was certainly captivating enough for me to want to read the next book.

The plot was very complex; on one hand, we have Clea trying to unravel the mystery behind her father’s disappearance. We also have Clea meeting her soul mate, Sage and discovering that she has been in love with him in her past lives only to die horribly each time. Then we have The Elixir of life and I liked how everything seemed to link back to the Elixir of Life.  But I felt Hilary Duff had a difficult time striking a balance between all these intricately linked plots, since all of them seemed significant and focusing too much on one, meant neglecting another.

The romance between Sage and Clea reminded me of Luce & Daniel’s relationship in Fallen; the girl gets reincarnated every few decades or so while the guy stays eternal and in every lifetime, he falls in love with each reincarnation of the girl. The only problem is, here, there didn’t seem to be a proper lead-up to their romance in the present day except for those bizarrely realistic dreams or ‘memories’ Clea’s been having. I swear, the two hardly had a decent conversation before Clea demanded to know whether Sage loved her or the other versions of her. Put it bluntly, it seemed too fake 

Romance aside, I loved reading about the mystery surrounding the ‘mysterious guy’ who’s constantly popping up in her photos. I don’t think it was meant to be scary, but I totally creeped out a little! I mean, how creepy is to find the same man in almost all of your photos even though you’d never set eyes on him, and then also to see his shadow in a photo of your closet?

Hilary Duff sure will delight fans with her surprisingly well-written YA debut. A complex and fascinating plot complete with likable characters, romance and action, Elixir was certainly a fast and interesting read! Every moment was filled with something that was essential to the plot; there wasn't one boring moment!Give this one a try; I’m sure many of you will enjoy it!

“Who are you?" I asked. 
"You know who I am," he replied. "I'm yours." 

Follow Friday #13

Follow  Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison can Read!

Q.In light of 11.11.11 and Veteran's Day tell us about your favorite solider and how he or she is saving the world. Fictional or real life.

I don't know any specific soldiers (fiction or real) but I'm grateful for every soldier who's served his country! You are all my heroes <3

Happy Rememberance day everyone!