Review of: Possess by Gretchen McNeil

Possess by Gretchen McNeil 

Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 379 pgs
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Released: August 23rd, 2011
Genre:Young Adult Paranormal
My Rating: 3.5
/5 stars
Read: February 21st-March 18th, 2013
Source: Library

Synopsis: 

Rule #1: Do not show fear.
Rule #2: Do not show pity.
Rule #3: Do not engage.
Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.
Rule #5: They lie.

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

So I guess I'm back! However temporarily that may be, I'm not sure. I'm sorry if this is is a completely meaningless and horrible review; I have forgotten how to write them. But lets just all enjoy this time while it lasts, shall we? Lets get on with this review.

When I first read the synopsis for Possess, I was a little bit frightened but intrigued, because paranormal does that to me I guess. Demons as a topic is a definite first for me. Possess was a pretty short read because it drew me in fast and furious. I was hoping for a second book or even a series, but I guess some books are better off standing alone.

I liked the fact that Bridget was pretty young, like my age, and dealing with banishing demons into who-knows-where. She had her moments as a 15 year old would, but for the most part, she was in control of the situations she was put in. Bridget was dealing with the murder of her father, so being able to pull off all she did was pretty impressive. The demon banishing scenes were the ones that drew me in the most because of the suspense. I felt like I was actually there in the heat of the moment. I also liked the romance between Bridget and Matt. It, unfortunately, was underdeveloped, but from what I glimpsed of it, I really liked their relationship and how Matt was willing to do almost anything for Bridget

I didn't like how predictable the whodunit character was. I do admit that I went back and forth a bit between 2 people, but it became pretty clear about halfway through the book. I like to be surprised, and in this case I wasn't. I also wasn't very fond on how some characters and their background weren't very developed. Hector, Peter and even Matt seemed 1-D because of how so little I knew about them.

Overall, Possess was an okay book. Better than meh, but I didn't totally love it.

So happy I did a review in what seems like forever! See you guys soon, I hope!

♦Haley♦

Blog Tour: Transfusion(Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, #1) by Nikki Jefford

Hi everyone. So today I have a book tour to share with you all. I am including my review, giveaways, and other tour stops along the way. I hope you enjoy!

Transfusion(Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, #1) by Nikki Jefford

Page Count(E-book Edition): 231 pgs
Publisher: Nikki Jefford
Released: December 9th, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Read: March 18th-26th, 2013
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis: 

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it's to get off the iceburg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn't hurt either.

Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora's life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter. In Alaska. Basically, she's a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job.. by hand.

Now, Aurora's only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire. And if she's a vampire, will she be forced to kill him?

Transfusion was a very enjoyable read. Nikki Jefford was able to break all the vampire stereotypes, and make her own new vampire species. She was able to piece together Aurora and Fane's love, while adding in the vampire hunting with danger.

Obviously, Aurora and Fane were my 2 favorite characters, while Noel came in close 3rd. Aurora is this witty, comical, sarcastic senior in high-school that made me chuckle and smile while I turned the pages. Even though she has been through quite a lot, she made the best of every situation with her side comments. Fane is this mysterious,(SPOILER ALERT!) charming vampire that I came to love as he interacted with Aurora. He stole my heart from the beginning, and  had me swooning every time he is mentioned. Noel is a character I adored. She is part of this "groupie" at their high-school and has just become friends with Aurora. Not only did she really care for Aurora like a sister, she really helped her out in the end like any close friend would have done. Noel was like a little kitten; I just wanted to hold her and hug her tight! Oh, and yes, Dante. Boy, he was scrumptious! I actually imagined him looking like Emmett Cullen(Kellan Lutz) in The Twilight Saga. For all you twilight lovers like me, you may get the comparison I'm trying to make: Dark hair, skin, big and muscly ;) I could have cried with happiness when Jefford added this little part in the book when Dante was interested in Aurora. You could probably hear me chanting TEAM DURORA! TEAM DURORA! Sadly, Nikki chose not to commit to their possible love :(

When Aurora became a Vampire Hunter, her whole demeanor changed, in a good way. She became tougher and a better fighter than before. Aurora was very calm in most of the vampire killings throughout the book, which is a trait that I admire. I know that if that was me, I'd probably either go crazy or break down and cry.

All in all, Transfusion was a great jump start to Nikki Jefford's new series, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Northern Bites.

Tour Stops:

If you are interested, I am linking the tour schedule here for you to check out as well. Have fun!

Where to Purchase:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

About The Author:

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt. She is the author of the Spellbound Trilogy and upcoming Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter series. Nikki married Sebastien, the love of her life, while working as a teaching assistant in France. They now reside in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands, 70 miles northeast of Forks, Washington.

Author Links:

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Book Trailer:

Giveaway Time!:

Rules:

• To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter forms below
• When the top giveaway's winner is chosen, it will be announced here and the winner will be emailed by me. Please check your email, because I am only giving the winner 48 hours to respond. Another winner will be selected if this occur's.
• Please enter your email address in the form below, and not in the comments please!(:
• I ask that all entrants be 13 years or older.
• The first giveaway is INT(international)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This Tour Grand Prize includes everyone that has entered throughout the tour. Feel free to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you enjoyed! See you soon!

♦Haley♦

Blog Tour: Ever(Ever, #1) by Jessa Russo

Hi guys! So today I have my first blog tour of Ever by Jessa Russo. I will inlcude my review with all of the information you will want/need on Jessa. Enjoy!

Ever(Ever, #1) by Jessa Russo

Page Count(E-book Edition): 295 pgs
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Released: October 1st, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Read: March 18th-25th, 2013
Source: Review copy provided by Jessa/Curiosity Quills Press

Synopsis: 

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

(from Goodreads)

Ever, for me, was a semi-hard book to get into. It was almost as if something was holding me back, and I think that the lack of plot movement until about halfway through was it. In the beginning, I was waiting for something to happen, something to unfold. I was happy with Toby and Ever canoodling and such, but I wanted action, cliffhangers and all the good stuff if you get my drift. Boy, was I in store for all of that plus more..

Ever, Toby and Frankie. The perfect stereotypical love triangle. Actually, I wouldn't really consider it a love triangle until the last 10-15 chapters or so. It was really Ever and Toby, with Frankie as a ghost, and then something happens to Frankie that I shall not mention for the sake of those who want to read this book. I actually didn't mind their love triangle, because it wasn't forced, but I did have one problem with it because Ever kept mentioning it. She kept fluctuating between Toby and Frankie, and kept going over the same exact points every time. For Frankie, she knew he was a ghost, and there would be no way to act on her feelings for him and vice versa. For Toby, she felt guilty for dating him, because she felt like she was betraying Frankie by being happy with Toby. It's all confusing, I know. It got quite irritating after a while, but it soon dwindled down into nothing.

I absolutely loved Jessie! She is the perfect best friend for Ever, and a sister that I would love to have. She protected, defended and stood up for not only Ever, but occasionally Frankie and Toby, and Ever's mom. With her, I adored Greg. He seemed super cute and friendly with Ever and Jessie. In Ever's time of needs, he was there for her, by either having a hand on her shoulder, or on the small of her back, guiding her in moments of need. He seemed like the perfect guy best friend or big brother for Ever.

Man oh man, can Jessa Russo write some steamy makeout sessions! My eyes were glued to the page, oh my. She made it seem as though you were in the room as it was happening, no matter how weird and awkward that sounds, haha(:

My heart started beating so fast when every. single. part/secret to the story unfolded in Ever's kitchen. In the span of about 2 minutes, plot twist after plot twist after plot twist unveiled itself on the story, and left my mind going WHAT JUST HAPPENED :OOO. I'm pretty sure my mouth gaped open, due to the amount of information that was let out. Then, it got even better near the end when even more plot twists and secrets were revealed. I can honestly say I was super surprised at the end. I was left with a huge cliffhanger!

Ever was a hard book to get settled into, but once I was totally indulged, I was thrown around on a major roller coaster of events. I was honestly shocked near the end, but I'm excited to read the next in the series, Evade.

*A big Thank You to Jessa Russo and Curiosity Quills Press for providing me a review copy. Thanks for letting me participate in this book tour!*

About the Author:

I'm an unashamed super fan of all things paranormal romance. I read, write and breathe paranormal YA, rarely straying from my comfort zone. Seriously. I love the stuff.

When not writing or reading, I'm out and about making memories with some seriously awesome people - for an introvert, I'm pretty extroverted. ;-) You can bet that I'm also ALWAYS secretly planning my next trip to New Orleans. (If my eyes glaze over, I'm in one of my stories, or NOLA.)

I have a husband I love as much now as I did when we first fell in love over ten years ago, and a daughter we're doing our best to raise with manners, values, and spunk.

Southern California will always be home, but I'm open to suggestions.

Links:

Jessa's Website

Jessa on Twitter

EVER on Amazon

On Barnes & Noble

Goodreads/EVER

Goodreads/EVADE

On Jessa's Website, she is hosting a giveaway of one signed paperback copy of EVER, and one signed paperback copy of EVADE(coming soon). Please click the link and enter if you are interested! I know I am! ;)

Well, that wraps up today's post! I hope you enjoyed it, and I thank Jessa Russo and Curiosity Quills Press for giving me this chance to participate! I had fun(:

♦Haley♦

"Waiting on" Wednesday #2

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

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Mind Games(Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White

Synopsis:

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

This book synopsis makes me want it right now. It has the right touch of suspense, fantasy and paranormalcy. It makes me feel like I would definitely protect my sister if I had to (but I don't have a sister haha). Now, all I'm thinking about is this book and GIMME GIMME. Plus it's going to be a series or books, so even more goodness to come.

The expected publication is February 19th 2013 by HarperTeen

About the Author:

KIERSTEN WHITE

Hi! I give the most awkward hugs in the world. I also write books. I'd opt for one of my books over one of my hugs. Lucky for you, I write a lot of them.
The New York Times bestsellersParanormalcy and Supernaturallyare available in bookstores everywhere, with the third book in the trilogy, Endlessly, out July 2012.

Mind Games, the first in a new series, is out in February, 2013. An Egyptian mythology based standalone, The Chaos of Stars, follows in fall 2013, with the sequel to Mind Games in February, 2014. And another book after that. And after that? Another one. I'm a very busy girl.


What is your "Waiting on" Wednesday? You know what to do! (if you don't , please leave me a link or a comment, if you'd like :) )

Still on my Mind #2

Hello! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day and week. This is my second Still on my mind, hosted by Ya-Aholic.

The book that is "still on my mind" today is: 

Prophecy of the Sisters(Prophecy of the Sisters #1) by Michelle Zink. I have the paperback edition. This book was published July 1st, 2010


Synopsis: 

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters--one good, one evil.
Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. 

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust. They just know they can't trust each other. 

I'm pretty sure I know why it still is. Because of how scary I thought it was when I read it 2 years ago! I  don't think it's as scary now, just creepy haha. I don't read a lot of paranormal as I do contemporary, but I really should start reading this genre a lot more! It was just dark and un-innocent! I have yet to read the sequel, and the book after that. But I have a new goal: to finish all of the series that I have left hanging for some months. I've got a lot to work to do..

Whats your Still on my Mind? Leave me a link or any comments as you wish (: