Cover Reveal: Starlet’s Light by Carla J. Hanna

Starlet'sLightCover_smToday is the official launch day of Starlet’s Light by Carla J. Hanna!  Starlet’s Light is the third in the Starlet series and I can tell you it’s going to be a great addition to the series.  With a greater focus on the effects of the Hollywood lifestyle and how actors and actresses cope, Carla Hanna has written yet another thought-provoking book.

As a way to celebrate the launch of Starlet’s Light, the Kindle edition will be free on Amazon for 5 days, starting today (May 6).  Even if you haven’t already read the first two books, take this opportunity to download the third one.  You can always buy the first two and in my opinion, it’s a pretty safe investment.  If you don’t like the first, you don’t have to buy the second and you can just delete the third.  But act now and get your copy of Starlet’s Light for free.

The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

[Full disclosure: I received a free print ARC from HaperCollins Publishing in exchange for an honest review.]

I know there are some fans out there who are pretty irate at Maxon for what he did (or didn’t do) throughout the book, but I’m more annoyed at America than Maxon.  Of course she has reasons for everything she does and they make sense at the time, but if I’m mad at anyone it’s her for her occasional stupidity.  Well, I wouldn’t say mad so much as slightly disappointed.

At the end of The Selection it looked like America had finally decided to choose Prince Maxon, but in The Elite Kiera Cass turns things up a notch and throws and wrench into their easy going relationship.  The funny thing is, it didn’t feel contrived because the catalyst was events pretty much outside their control.  Mainly, the rebels and the king.  Part of the reason why I loved The Elite was that we get to see a lot more of how Maxon deals with affairs of the state and how he gets along with his father, the king.  It gives his character a little more depth and the explanation for some of his out-of-character behavior at the end of the book makes sense.  There were little clues all throughout the two books, but Kiera Cass’ big reveal connects all those hints together perfectly.

Compared to The Selection, I actually enjoyed The Elite more because of the focus on the characters themselves rather than the excitement of the competition.  Since it’s down to only six contestants, we actually get to know the finalists a lot more.  America has also matured and is really starting to consider how her feelings for Maxon may trump the terrifying prospect of being queen.  She does some idiotic things at the end of the book and although they’re annoying at the time, upon reflection I can think of times when I did similar things.  People don’t think everything through, so why should characters in books?

I knew we’d be able to see more of these mysterious rebels but I didn’t know they’d play such a significant role in the book.  They’re always in the background, a sort of omnipresent threat hanging over the heads of everyone in the palace.  Although I can’t say much without spoiling the book, let me say that because of their actions at the end of The Elite I think they’ll play an even greater part in the final book in the trilogy, The One.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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Thirst No. 2 by Christopher Pike

Thirst No. 2 by Christopher Pike(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

What Alisa has desired for five thousand years has finally come true: She is once again human.  But now she is defenseless, vulnerable, and, for the first time in centuries, emotional.  As she attempts to reconcile her actions as a vampire with her new connection to humanity, she begins to understand the weight of life-and-death decisions.  Can Alisa resolve her past and build a new identity, or is she doomed to repeat her fatal mistakes?

With the cliffhanger at the end of Thirst No.1 I just had to read the second volume of stories.  Alisa/Sita becoming human?  This I had to see: a ruthless, conscience-less 5000 year old vampire being human.  As it turns out it doesn’t work out really well, as much as Sita keeps wishing it does.

Without giving too much away, I have to say that both the mythology mixed in to Christopher Pike’s series and his new emphasis on the characters makes Thirst No. 2 even better than the first volume.  The focus of the first set seemed to be more on Sita’s past and her present situation, with a much broader focus on plot, but I love how Christopher Pike turned to exploring Sita’s character more here.  There is so much potential for a character like Sita and some of the things she encounters in this book really change her outlook on life.  The other characters that I can’t mention because of spoilers are amazing too and are definitely not what they seem to be.

If you loved the first volume in Christopher Pike’s series, you’ll love the second one even more.  A fast paced plot, a bit of interesting mythology and Christian theology and even better character development make Thirst No. 2 one of the better books I’ve read lately.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Some Other Great Book Blogs (2)

Yes, for the second Saturday in a row I’m doing one of these.  Why?  Because I had to stay up very late (or very early in the morning) last night, completely not by choice.  It’s a long story, so let’s just get into the article, shall we?  Here are some other great book blogs you can read in the meantime, in no particular order:

1.  The Masquerade Crew

Yes, they do promotions for authors, but they are clearly marked so and you’re under no obligation to read them.  But Mark Lee has an awesome project going on here for indie and self-published authors and everyone will be able to find at least one book they’re interested in on the site.  In addition to that, he hosts blog tours for authors and book bloggers can participate in his book club to earn points towards gift cards and other awesome prizes.

2.  Scott Whitmore, writer

Not only is Scott a writer in his own right, but he also does book reviews for other writers.  They’re always honest reviews and I’ve really found some gems there on his blog from the indie and self-published crowd.  He reads a lot more mystery, crime and action/thriller books than I do, so go on and check his blog out!

3.  Author Unpublished

Here is yet another person who reads and reviews far more romance than I would care to.  Cary is also starting to do Free Book Fridays, in which she highlights some interesting books that you can download for free on Amazon, all with 4+ star ratings there.

4.  Midnight Coffee Monster

Raya reviews not only a bit of YA, but adult fiction and classics as well.  She has an overall great site and her reviews are very long and in-depth.  Trust me, you’ll know all of her feelings about a book from her reviews!  It makes me rather jealous that my feelings about a book can be summed up in (generally) 3-4 paragraphs.

5.  James’ Reading List

James’ Reading List just happens to be one of the latest incarnations of James’ blog, which in the time I’ve been following him has changed from jameskennedybeijing to jameskennedymonash (his current domain) and now to james’ reading list with the second domain listed here.  James reads a wide variety of fiction, mainly a lot of literary fiction and the occasional popular nonfiction book.  His archives are huge, so if you’re looking to get lost in cyberspace for a day, this would be the place to add to your reading list!

Once by Anna Carey

Once by Anna Carey(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

For the first time since escaping from her School, Eve can finally sleep soundly.  She is living in Califia, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America in the year 2041.  But she was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at Califia’s gates.  When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand.  Trapped inside the city walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past and must confront the harsh reality of her future.

In this breathless sequel to Eve, Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

It’s very, very rare for the second book in a trilogy to be better than the first, but Anna Carey pulled it off in Once, the sequel to Eve.  There were some times throughout the novel where I had my doubts, yet things aren’t always what they seem.

In Eve, we have a protagonist who is *gasp* completely loyal to her love interest, with no confused feelings about another attractive man! And, most shocking of all, she has more political instincts than a lemming.  That’s incredibly rare in YA, trust me.  Especially since we find out who the King of The New America really is and what he really wants from Eve.  What’s surprising for me in Once is Eve’s growth as a character as she becomes more mature and realizes that yes, she truly does love Caleb.

The whole forbidden love aspect is often overplayed in YA books, but it really doesn’t feel that way in Once.  It’s more of a sweet, very passionate first love for both Eve and Caleb and it feels more genuine than a lot of romances you’ll encounter in YA literature.  Being in the City of Sand, things get a lot more complicated for Eve and Caleb, but I like how their love remains strong and they seem to trust each other.

Aside from the decent romance, what I really liked was the glimpse of a rebellion against a tyrannical king and the rebuilding efforts after such a devastating plague.  I found it hard to believe there were no rebels yet when I read the first book, so the introduction of rebels in Once was quite satisfying.  The Eve Trilogy is dark in general, but it’s uplifting in that (although using slave labour) humanity is starting to rise and rebuild once more.  It’s sort of a testament to the strength of the human will, even if it is the will of a dictator who wants to conquer more territory in his rebuilding efforts.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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