In My Mailbox (17)

Ahh it's here...I did it....I didn't chicken out! My first ever video IMM is up! With all the new changes on the blog I figured I might as well conquer the video IMM as well. I want to send a BIG thank you to Harper Collins for sending me my first package with requested books, it seriously made my week! Below are the books I received. Hope you all enjoyed!

For Review (thanks Harper Collins)
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard


Leave your comments below with links to your IMMs and I'll be sure to check them out!

Follow Friday (19)

Whooo its Friday (Thursday night) and time for another Follow Friday post! On FF, hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, two blogs are featured along with a book related question. This week's question...

Do you read one book at a time or do you switch back and forth between two or more?

Along with being an incredibly slow reader I am so a 'one book at a time' kind of girl. I've tried to read multiple books at a time, but I end up getting details and names mixed up and its just a complete mess. On top of that, it takes me twice as long to finish one of the books because I'm juggling the other ones at the same time. It just doesn't work for me, but more power to you if you can keep your stories straight!

Insurgent Book Trailer

Now, I don't post trailers too often on my blog (actually I think this my be a first) but this is just too epically amazing not to! It's the trailer for Insurgent by Veronica Roth!! It looks like a movie trailer its so well done. And now I'm counting down the days till its release (and my reunion with Four).

Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater

Title: Fighting to Survive
Author: Rhiannon Frater
Series: As the World Dies #2
Published: November 8, 2011 by Tor Books
Rating: 

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

My Review:

In Fighting to Survive, the sequel to The First Days, we renter the zombie apocalypse world of a small Texan town called Ashley Oakes. Here we are reunited with the kickass heroines, Katie and Jenni, along with a large group of their fellow survivors. As the second book in the As the World Dies series, the danger and zombies have stepped their game up. The undead are much more persistent and pose a greater threat as the survivors try to fortify their camp and expand the fort into the neighboring hotel and dollar store. This requires a lot of risk, danger, and above all ZOMBIE KILLING!

With more blood, gore, and casualties, this book has definitely taken on a more haunting tone. We see more favorite characters fall to the undead as well as new enemies emerge in the form of bandits. Having twice as many enemies now, the survivors are constantly on edge and that definitely translates over to the reader. There is a constant battle of fear between the zombies and bandits leaving me unsure of who I was more terrified of! As a result, there was clearly an increase in tension and adrenaline while reading this book.

Of course, not all of this story centers around the zombies, and there are some really sweet and touching moments between the emerging couples. If you haven't read the first book, I don't want to give too much away, but the romance has also stepped up in this book! It seemed a little odd at first, reading about developing relationships and bedroom scenes while there are hordes of undead outside, but you remember that these characters are still trying to salvage their humanity while living together in this stressful situation. I know I'd want that added sense of security!

Overall, Fighting to Survive, was an excellent sequel and improved upon an already favorite zombie book of mine. The progression from initial shock to the apocalypse into a working community is great to read and flows wonderfully. The story is definitely on a rise to an adrenaline fueled climax with more twists and turns ahead, so look out for the third book, Siege!

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

Title: The First Days
Author: Rhiannon Frater
Series: As the World Dies #1
Published: July 5, 2011 by Doherty Tom Associates LLC
Rating: 

The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde. 

Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies as they rescue Jenni's stepson, Jason, from an infected campground.

They find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town.  There Jenni and Katie find they are both attracted to Travis, leader of the survivors; and the refugees must slaughter people they know, who  have returned in zombie form.

My Review

I'm the first person to admit that I'm a HUGE zombie fan. I have an eccentric fascination with the undead, which is unexpectedly strange because I'm such a girly girl. With that said, I LOVED this book! The first page starts of with zombie gore and goodness and it doesn't end. I love that in a horror book. Down time normally leads to boring and unnecessary details, with the zombies, just cut to the chaos!

In The First Days we are introduced to two main characters, Katie, a mistreated housewife, and Jenni, a strong woman with a take charge attitude. Their POVs interchange throughout the novel, showing the zombie apocalypse through two very different perspectives. While thrown together during the most dire circumstances, the two women become quick allies and fast friends ready to face the hoards of undead together. I love the relationship that develops between these women. There is a fierce bond and a complexity of emotions between Katie and Jenni that really brings a sense of realism to the book. It adds that humane edge to what is normally a 'kill or be killed' storyline. 

The storyline is extremely fast paced, as would be expected during a zombie apocalypse, with so many crazy situations that your heart will be continuously racing. There certainly isn't a lack of zombies! Frater also introduces us to a large number of secondary characters who she isn't afraid to sacrifice to the zombies- another fact that I actually enjoy. I hate when everyone survives (as awful as that sounds!) it just isn't possible with zombies. Someone has to be dinner! Of course there are other characters we are introduced to that you can't help falling in love with (i.e. Travis and Juan!) who you definitely don't want to become zombie bait which is another well written part of this book. 

What is so incredible about this book though is the world building, or in this case, destruction. Frater successfully conveys a world gone mad feeling in The First Days. With zombies running amok, there has to be a sense of desperation underlying every line in the book. You really feel that while reading, which makes the book so much more enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to any zombie lover or adrenaline junky who is looking for a fast paced, end-of-the-world book with a splash of romance!

Follow Friday (18)

Hey everyone, its the first Follow Friday post after my blog's huge makeover. For all of you who haven't seen it yet, hope you like the new look!

This week's question is...

What is the longest book you've read? What are your favorite 600+ page reads?

The longest book I've read would probably be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. What's funny is that even though this book is epically long, it took me no time to finish it! I literally devoured those pages.

My favorite 600+ page books would most definitely be the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. With those books I never wanted the story to end! (The first three books are all under 600 pages).

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 734 pages
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  896 pages
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 652 pages
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 759 pages

What super long books have you all read? Send me a link and I'll check out your posts!

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #2
Published: January 17, 2012 by Harper Teen
Rating: 

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

My Review

Can a love triangle get any more complicated?! Hallowed really steps up the romance in this series, with Clara stuck between Tucker, her human boyfriend, and Christian, the angel she's fated to be with. What a choice! I honestly loved that Clara is so torn in this book. She isn't really leading any one guy on because she has true feelings for both. Originally I loved Tucker, but Christian kind of snuck up on me in this book. It's definitely a huge compliment to the author, who was able to create such different but equally attractive characters that not only tears the MC in two, but the reader as well!

The actual storyline for this book was pretty slow. Without giving too much away, there is a lot of waiting going on, although it is incredibly sad. Clara's new vision, which takes place at someone's funeral, literally broke my heart, and towards the end of this book I was an emotional wreck, but the lead up to it was a little dull at times. Even the Black Wing in this book was a little soft for me. There were a few 'action' scenes but they definitely didn't compare to the ending of Unearthly. These were a bit more subdued and were mainly used for developing the backstory. 

For me, Hallowed was more of a bridge book for the Unearthly series leading up to a (hopefully) epic third book. There is a lot revealed about Clara and her family in Hallowed that definitely stirs up the storyline and raises the danger to a whole new level for the third book. I honestly think my jaw dropped during the majority of Clara's revelations! We're introduced to some new people in Hallowed that add great character to the book and see some old ones in a  new light. Overall, Hallowed has definitely opened the door to amazing conclusion for this series.