The Daily Prophecy

Title: Incarnation.
Author: Emma Cornwall.
Pages: 352.
Published: September 18th 2012.
Publisher: Gallery Books.
Sort: Stand alone.
Source: Edelweis & Publisher.

In the steampunk world of Victorian London, a beautiful vampire seeks out the author of Dracula–to set the record straight . . . If one is to believe Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale, Lucy Weston is Dracula’s most wanton creation, a sexual creature of the night who preys on innocent boys. But the real-life Lucy is nothing like her fictional counterpart—and she demands to know why the Victorian author deliberately lied. With Stoker’s reluctant help, she’s determined to track down the very fiend who transformed her—from the sensual underworld where humans vie to become vampires, to a hidden cell beneath a temple to madness, and finally into the glittering Crystal Palace where death reigns supreme. Haunted by fragmentary memories of her lost life and love, Lucy must battle her thirst for blood as she struggles to stop a catastrophic war that will doom vampires and humans alike. Ultimately, she must make a choice that illuminates for her—and for us—what it means to be human.

In the beginning, I struggled with this book, but after a few chapters I was sucked into this story. I could not put it down and I was mesmerized by the world and characters Emma crafted. This book puts vampires in another light and there is even a touch of another magical creature.

“She and I were one, Lucy and the being who had clawed her way from the grave. We inhabited the same body, shared the same mind, had the same memories.”

From the first page, we are plunged in Lucy’s new life. When she awakes in a coffin, she knows something strange is going on. After digging herself out of the earth, she visits her old house. Her parents and sister are gone, but she finds some clues in a book written by Stoker. It’s exactly her story, but he added wrong details and she hunts him down in order to get answers.

It appears that something bigger is going on and on her way to find her maker, Lucy gets information out of different corners. Felix, a close vampire to Lady Blanchard, and Marco, a Protector. Apparently, Mordred – the vampire king – disappeared around the day she was turned. With him gone, the balance between humans and vampires is in danger. It’s up to Lucy and Marcus to find him.

It won’t be that easy, because danger lurks every where. It's a race against the clock and they better find Mordred before it is too late.

Opinion. 
The first thing I noticed about this book are the rich details. The world-building is incredible and beautifully crafted. During Lucy’s quest to find her maker, she gets a lot of information. At the end, everything falls together into this amazing plot. The little bits and pieces really deliver that Victorian feeling without getting too much. The background story of every character and happening was so well-thought. It’s fast-paced and filled with great characters.

Lucy is very likable and clever. She is strong and the opposite of whiny. When she finds out that she is a vampire – and be aware of the fact that these creatures are unknown at this time - she manages to deal with it in a great way. Then there is of course Marco. There is a romance between them, but it develops good and it plays a small role. I liked him. Despite his believes, he opens up for Lucy and he is protective in a cute way. 

There are no sparkling vampires in this book. They are beautiful, but deadly and you better watch out. I would not turn my back on them. There is this scene where vampires are fighting against each other.. believe me, that won’t be a pretty sight.

The only critic I can think of, is the ending. Everything from the important storyline is tied together, but there is still room for your imagination on one detail. I wish I knew.. I will be keeping an eye on this author, because I can’t wait to read another book from her.

Title: Before Midnight.
Author: Cameron Dokey.
Pages: 193.
Published: March 6th 2007. Publisher: Simon Pulse
Sort: Part of the ‘Once upon a time’ series.
Tracy Lynn: –Snow.
Debbie Viguié: –Midnight pearls.
Suzanne Weyn: –The crimson thread.
Cameron Dokey:- Wild Orchid.
Cameron Dokey: –Sunlight and shadow.
Cameron Dokey: –Beauty sleep, Glden & Belle.

Etienne de Brabant is broken hearted. His wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. But before he abandons her for king and court, he brings a second child to be raised alongside her, a boy whose identity he does not reveal. The girl, La Cendrillon, and the boy, Raoul, pass sixteen years in the servants' care until one day a very fine lady arrives with her two daughters. The lady has married La Cendrillon's father, and her arrival changes their lives. When an invitation to a great ball reaches the family, La Cendrillon's new stepmother will make a decision with far-reaching effects. Her choice will lead La Cendrillon and Raoul toward their destiny -- a choice that will challenge their understanding of family, test their loyalty and courage, and, ultimately, teach them who they are.

Summary.
Constanze, named after her mother who passed away during childbirth, goes by the name of Cendrillon. She got this name from the one who raised her, Old Mathilde. This old woman is a perfect replacement for her father, who never cared for her. He saw her one time and that was when he dumbed a baby boy at their house. Without a name or past, Old Mathilde raised him as her brother and called him Raoul.

Sixteen years later, her father sends his new wife and two stepdaughters to Cendrillon. They expect that Cendrillon is a servant, because Etienne never told them about her. Will she be able to tell the truth? Will they accept her in the family? And where did Raoul come from?

Opinion.
My summary is very short and doesn’t give you enough information about the story, but I don’t want to spoil the fun. Let me just tell you that this story is entirely different from the original story. Constanze is a sweet girl who wants to be loved. Luckily for her, she grew up with Raoul, but she always wanted a mother.

There is of course a love interest. It’s very instant-love and I didn’t like it so much in this situation. I wished there was a little more development, because there was room enough to allow that. That’s why I rated this book with 3 princesses instead of the 4 I wanted to give.

The writing-style is great. It reads easy and fast. I finished it in two hours. The characters are nice and the story delivered what I expected: a happily ever after.

Title: The treachery of beautiful things.
Author: Ruth Frances Long.
Pages: 384.
Published: August 16th 2012.  
Publisher: Dial Books.
Sort: Stand alone.

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

I had a hard time with this book. It has a nice fairytale feeling, but it was very slow. Especially in the middle part, where the story dragged a little, but the ending made it so much better! It delivered a great plot and I end up liking it.

Summary.
Jenny’s brother was swallowed by the trees and taken by The Greenman, but nobody believed her. Her parents never stopped mourning over their son and Jenny is happen to go away. She is planning to go to college in another town and she wants to say goodbye to Tom. That’s before she hears his music; he was a gifted musician. Without thinking, Jenny storms into the woods where she meets Jack and Puck. Jack has many names, but one of his most important tasks is to guard the edge. Jenny is in grave danger and he must help her to return to her world. One problem: she doesn’t want to return without Tom.

Jack is trying to keep her away from the dangerous Queen of the forest, Titania, but King Oberon is also after Jenny. In this world, she isn’t just Jenny. She is someone special and everybody wants her for their own reasons. Even Jack has a lot to win if he turns Jenny in. Can she survive the forest and escape with Tom? Or will she lose even more?

Opinion.
The treachery of beautiful things, indeed. Faeries are known for their beauty, but they can’t be trusted. There are some conspiracies. Puck answers to Oberon, Jack is torn between two ‘masters’- and all he actually wants is his heart and freedom. I liked them. Jack sounds handsome with his two different colored eyes and his dark hair.

Jenny was a damsel in distress in the beginning of the story. She doesn’t know what is going on and she depends on Jack. She strongly stands up for what she wants (finding Tom) and she will do anything to achieve that, even risking her own life. She became more kick ass towards the end of the story, where she is trying to get Jack back. I thought she was nice; she has a good heart, but that also made her naive in some situations.

There is some romance in this story – like you can expect from a fairytale-ish book – but it doesn’t play the main role. It’s all about her search for Tom, while everybody is looking for her. I loved the whole background story. Why they all want Jenny and who Jack really is.

The writing-style is pleasant, but sometimes a bit slow like I already said. It does paint a pretty picture of the forest and the creatures in it. The descriptions are well-done.  I was never bored and there is a lot going on. One moment, Jack is trying to persuade her to leave the forest, the other moment her soul is taken and he must fight to gain her back. And the end, I thought it was incredibly sweet! I was very happy with the ending.

Title: Always a witch.
Author: Carolyn MacCullough.
Pages: 276.
Published: August 1st 2011 (first published July 11th 2011)
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Sort: Part two of ‘Witch’
Review part one: Once a witch.

Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

There is one lie in the blurb. There are no advances of Liam, at all. He is an evil person and he is the brain behind the horror. The only attraction he feels for Tamsin, is the fact that he wants to make her his next victim.

Tamsin is lovely. She throws herself in a lot of danger to safe her family. Luckily for her, Gabriel is there to help her. I like the spark between them, so I was happy to see him again. He is sweet.
The story reads incredibly fast. There is a lot of action and mystery to unravel. When Gabriel can’t find her family in their own time, you know that they must hurry. I knew what she had to do right away, but it still made an impact on me. I’m definitely looking forward to read more books from this author. They are easy and quite simple, but that’s sometimes all I want.

So, it has been a while since I did my last Showcase Sunday, but I decided to show all the Netgalley books I got. I went a bit crazy with requesting.. I'm so glad that I was allowed the second time for Broken by A.E Rought & The lost prince by Julie Kagawa. Netgalley changed and I lost all the accepted books :(

You can click on the covers and they will bring to you Goodreads.

I’m really looking forward to read Melissa Lemon’s Snow Whyte. This looks like it’s going to be a lovely spin on the original tale! The new cover from Surrender is so pretty! Harbinger is about a girl who is an Olympic messenger, undeadly about a necromancer girl, Of light and darkness is a vampire book and Heart of the dragon’s realm sounds great. So, I’m very happy with the books I got. Show me yours by leaving a link/

Title: Bewitching.
Author: Alex Flinn.
Pages: 336.
Published: February 14th 2012.
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Sort: Part two of ‘Kendra’s chronicles.’
Review part one: Beastly.

Bewitching can be a beast.. Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn't. I go to a new school now--one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I'm not still here because I'm stupid; I just don't age.  You see, I'm immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years--except for when to take my powers and butt out. I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the "Titanic" lifeboat? I don't even want to think about it. Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn't get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl--and it isn't an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start.. bewitching

What a clever written story. Yes, there is instant-love, but that didn’t bother me. It’s cute and told in such a sweet way, I totally buy it. And let me tell you a secret; I believe, deep down, in love at first sight. Most of the time it’s just lust, but I do believe that it happens sometimes.

Summary.
This story is all about Kendra and the ‘good’ deeds she has achieved so far. The first part of the book is about her past. She lost her parents, sisters and brothers during a plague, but she managed to survive and she saved her brother. She took her brother with her to another city. On their way in the woods, they stumble on a witch and they are in trouble.

From here on, we are told about several stories. The main story is about Emma, a girl who lives a happy life with her mother and stepfather. She is a bit lonely and her mother is sometimes pushy when it comes to appearance, but her life is fine. That is until Lisette arrives. She is her stepfather’s real daughter and the mother recently passed away. This girl is pure evil. She takes over Emma’s life and Emma – good, naive and sweet as she is – let her do it. Lisette is a true witch. She is a nasty girl who hides her ugly personality behind her gorgeous looks. I wanted to jump into the story to strangle her (and to give Emma a slap in the face to wake her up). When Lisette takes something important from Emma, she is going to gain her life back. Things will turn out different than she expected.

There are also two side stories and they are lovely. It was fun to discover which fairytale retelling they were.

Opinion.
Kendra could be my best friend. She is smart, sweet and she isn’t afraid to be herself. Even when everybody is laughing at her for her clothes, she keeps wearing them. Even when everybody is picking on her, she will remain silence. Yeah, I liked her so much.

Emma is a sweetheart, but she is way too naive. She should have listen to her mother, but I can also understand some of her choices. She wants to make the best out of the situation and she is trying so hard to fit in. Emma doesn’t see how special she is, but I’m glad she found someone who did.

The writing-style is flawless. Easy to read, fast-paced and clever. Beastly was fun, but this one was even better.

The Read-a-Thon will start at 12:01AM on October 17th and end at 11:59PM on October 22nd. The goal of this Read-a-Thon is to read as many fairy tale themed books as possible. Whether you’ve got some recent releases that you’re dying to read (Cinder, Enchanted, Tiger Lily) or some old classics you want to reread (Goose Girl, Beauty, Ella Enchanted) I’m sure you can find something to read.

Sounds great, doesn't it? I will be updating this post with all the books I've read and I will be posting my reviews about them soon!

Day one:
Read: Alex Flinn - Bewitching.

Opinion: I really liked it! :)
Pages: 336.
Mini challenge: Kami's Library Thoughts, completed. Named all the retellings.
Giveaway: Not international, so couldn't enter.

Day two:
Read: Ruth Frances Long - The treachery of beautiful things.
Cameron Dokey - Before midnight.

Opinion: In the end, I quite liked The treachery of beautiful things. Before Midnight was sweet! Nice, original spin on Cinderella.
Pages: 384 & 193.
Mini Challenge: Geo Librarian. Completed. I had to name a fairytale and 5 retellings. Easy peasy.
Giveaway: Entered, yeah!

Day three:
Read: Gail Carson Levine - Fairest.

Opinion: Not what I expected, in a good way. So original!
Pages: 326.
Mini Challenge: Wonderland's reader. 
Giveaway: A book lover's ramblings. Entered :D

Day four:
Read: Debbie Viguié - Violet eyes.

Opinion: Super cute!
Pages: 195.
Mini Challenge: Pages Unbound.

You are Rapunzel!  You long for adventure and romance and look forward to expanding your horizons.  Outgoing, cheerful, and willing to try new things, you know how to have fun and how to bring out the best in the people around you.
Giveaway: Jessie's book place. Entered.

Day five:
Read: 83% of Alethea Kontis - Enchanted.

Day six:
Read: Alethea Kontis - Enchanted.

Mini Challenge.


Total pages: 1739.

Books I can read:
-Jackson Pearce: Fathomless.
-Anna Ursu: Breadcrumbs.
-Cameron Dokey: Before midnight.
-Cameron Dokey: Winter's child.
-Cameron Dokey: The world above.
-Cameron Dokey: Storyteller's daughter.
-Debbie Viguié: Violet eyes.
-E.D Baker: Tales of the frog princess (There are eight books.)
-Elizabeth Bunce: A curse dark as gold.
-Francesca Lia Block: The rose & the beast.
-Gail Carson Levine: Fairest.
-Gregory Maguire: Mirror mirror.
-Heather Thomlinson: The swan maiden.
-Janette Raillison: My fair godmother.
-Janette Raillison: My unfair godmother.
-Jessica Day George: Sun and moon, Ice and snow.
-Jim C Hines: part one, the stepsisters scheme (there are four books.)
-Michael Buckley: part two sisters Grimm (there are more books)
-Pamela Dean: Tam Lin.
-Sarah Beth Durst: Ice.
-Shannon Hale: The goose girl.
-Suzanne Weyn: The night dance.
-Suzanne Weyn: Water song.
-Marissa Mar: Fairytales & nightmares.
-Gena Showalter: Alice in Zombieland.
-Alethea Kontis: Enchanted.
-And more :p

So, let's see how far I can come! I don't have a certain amount of books planned. I just want to have fun :) Leave a link to your challenge!

WRAP UP.
I read 6 books. Not as much as I wanted, because my last days were busy. I had to do so many things to do and they came out of nowhere. I had a fun time and I would participate a second time right away :)

Title: Once a witch.
Author: Carolyn MacCullough.
Pages: 292.
Published: September 14th 2009.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Sort: Part one of ‘Witch.’

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all.

“I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.”
 
Tamsin is born into a family with witches. There was told that she would become one of the most powerful witches, but her magic never showed up. She is sixteen years old and she attends a boarding school, because she wants a normal life. That is until a man called Allistair appears in her life. He thinks she is her talented sister Rowena and she accepts the job. He wants to find an old clock back. How lucky that Tamsin’s old friend Gabriel returned, because his Talent is finding lost things.

They make a little trip back in time and that’s when all hell breaks lose. Are they able to fix their mistake before it is too late? If not, this might be the end of her family.

Opinion.
Tamsin is lovely! She has quite some temper and she stands up for her believes. Gabriel sounds attractive and I love their attraction. They had a nice dynamic and their conversations were fun. It was nice to read a book that isn’t about romance. 

The plot is predictable, but it doesn’t spoil the fun. It delivered enough action and excitement for me. It was a quick and fun read. It felt a bit like Hex Hall. Nothing too fancy going on, boarding school, likable characters and enough pace to keep the story interesting.

Title: Throne of glass.
Author: Sarah J. Maas.
Pages: 404. 
Published: August 2nd 2012.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Sort: Part one of ‘Throne of Glass.’
Source: Netgalley & the publisher.

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught. Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Top Ten Books I'm Dying to Read.

Here, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

2. Juliet Marillier - Flame of Sevenwaters. 
This is part six of Seven Waters. This story will be about Maeve, the girl who was badly burned during book three. Some of my favorite characters will return.

Sevenwaters is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son, who is married to Maeve’s sister, return to the Otherworld. To force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish.

3. Stefan Bachmann - The peculiar 2. Not title yet.
I liked the first book: The peculiar. I can't wait to see how this is going to continue.

4. Melanie Dickerson - The fairest beauty.
Snow white retelling? Count me in.

A daring rescue. A difficult choice. Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom---but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

5. Emily McKay - The farm.
One of the main characters is called 'Mel' so that's great!

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

6. Daniel Waters - Break my heart a 1,000 times.
This concept is scary and fascinating. I can't wait to see how this will work out.

One of Veronica's high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he's haunted by the possibility that she's waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he's wrong, what's the harm in creating one more ghost?

7. Miriam Forster - City of a thousand dolls. 
 Look at the cover? Isn't it gorgeous. I love books about assassins.

The girl with no past, and no future, may be the only one who can save their lives.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins.

8. Marissa Meyer - Scarlet.
After the magnificent Cinder I have to find out how this story is going to unravel.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

9. Veronica Roth - Untitled Divergent 3.
After the amazing Divergent and the slight disappointing Insurgent, I'm looking forward to see how this story is going to end. I hope it's just as good as Divergent.

10. Jessica Brody - Unremembered.
Exciting! I like books about losing your memory.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

This list was actually harder than expected. When you have a huge list that's never-ending, it's almost impossible to pick out the ones you are dying for. Number 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 are definitely books I would like to have right now. The others sound fantastic, but there were so many of them, I just picked them out from the 'can't-wait' Goodreads shelve.

Link me up with your reward list!