Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop. Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Read for Your Future

Here's what's up for grabs: 

Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own. 
In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray’s New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart. 

Enter after the page break!

Go Team Goddess Test! (#2011YABGB)

Dear lovely followers, stalkers, and various others,

You may know if you follow my rantings elsewhere that I am advocating Aimee Carter's epic novel The Goddess Test in the 2011 YA Genre Book Battle hosted by Fiction Fevor. For more info on the battle click on the button above. The Goddess Test was one of my favorite books of 2011 and it needs your help to kick some royal butt in the tournament!

We are currently in the first round: our competitor? Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep. Team Goddess Test is currently winning by a landslide, but the battle has just begun! And Kate, Henry, and the rest of the gang need your help in winning this! Please vote (for The Goddess Test of course) here

And I'm also giving away some stuff to encourage you to vote Goddess!

And here are the prizes:

If we win in this match against Touch of Frost I will giveaway a swag pack! 

If we win the semi-finals I will giveaway your choice of The Goddess Test or Goddess Interrupted and the above.

If we win the finals I will dance around with joy, and giveaway a $20 dollar gift card to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or The Book Depository. And all of the above. 

Make sure to check back here after every victory to enter!

Also I'm doing a giveaway for all those who help spread the word about The Goddess Test in this tournament. 

<a href="http://readerbenji.blogspot.com/2012/02/go-team-goddess-test-2011yabgb.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLBRMa1nFZcKE1iXdRUByo7YGKLkwpfIxeDKLKmgLitfNIZ8EFwGs872f8ghAMFh8kvV0SlxLS2xAVBvIRsZUjnUFQYxYbP_5aZ0TDfMR2JHHgLKEuKZWCjEP1NYcYnxLkHT9eFmgRpLC/s1600/go+goddess+test.jpg" width="150" /></a>

Enter after the page break!

City of Fallen Angels

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Release Date ~  4/5/11
Format ~ Hardcover
Publisher ~ Simon and Schuster Children's
Source ~ Bought from Amazon
Rating ~ 5/5

Summary: The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend. 
But nothing comes without a price. 
Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other. 
When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace. 
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

Wow. Cassandra Clare is the official author of epicness. This book takes place a short time after the battle in Iris in which Clary killed her father, Valentine. Clary finally has time to work on her relationship with Jace, and train to become a Shadowhunter. But all is not well in the New York underworld...
 
    In City of Fallen Angels, Simon,  my favorite character, plays a much bigger role then he did in the other books. I really enjoyed that because he was my favorite character in the first 3 books, and in this one he finally finds girls that prefer boys that aren't moody as heck. So yay Simon!

   Just one thing negative: I felt like this book didn't live up to the first three on the action-meter, I felt like there were a few boring parts where I felt like falling asleep because nothing was going on, it was basically
"Teenage angst for 50 pages, plot development for 10, more angst, bit more plot" and so on and so forth. That just bored me. The book was 424 pages long, and I felt like it could be the same full story in 350. That being said, it still entertained me mostly.
   City of Fallen Angels was a really good follow-up with a cliffhanger ending that will have readers running to the bookstore to buy the 5th on it's release date in May.
5/5
Cover Comments: I like this better then the covers of the other books in the series, but I want just a tad more besides characters,a snapshot of a city, and fire.

This book counts in the following reading challenges:
2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge: 5
2012 Read Your Own Books Reading Challenge: 5
2012 Paranormal Reading Challenge: 5

Onn another note, today my little brother turns 8! Happy B-day, Bro!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

This title is fifth in the international bestselling paranormal thriller series "The Mortal Instruments". Clary and the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world after a betrayal by one of their own leaves them reeling. This is the follow-up to the international number one bestseller "City of Fallen Angels". "The Mortal Instruments" series has over one million books in print. It has been on the New York Times bestseller list for six months straight. The books have been translated into 19 languages and have also appeared on bestseller lists in Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Film rights optioned, with Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower cast as leads Clary and Jace. Global cover reveal planned for autumn 2011.

Add it on Goodreads
I finished City of Fallen Angels last week (review to come), and it was oh so good! I also like how Simon is getting a much bigger role in the second Mortal Instruments trilogy.  Anyway, May 8th seems so far away, plus this is embargoed so there is no chance of getting an ARC :'(

February New Release Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my stop on the February New Release Giveaway Hop hosted by Book Twirps and Refracted Light Reviews!

I went a little over the top with this giveaway, but February has a TON of fabulous releases, and I want you to win one of them!

Here are your choices:

This is a pretty epic giveaway (if I don't say so myself). But first some terms and conditions:

• Open Internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you
• Must be a follower to enter.
• For more info, see my policies page

Enter after the page break!

Top Ten Tuesday (7)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top 10 Books That Broke my Heart a Little

(Note: this may be a little spoilery, so use caution)

10

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Why did Max have to die?? He was one of my favorite characters! WHY!?!?

9

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I cry every time I even think about Rue dying. She did not deserve her fate, but it did help Katniss realize she had to kick some capitol butt.

8

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

R.I.P. Sirius Black.

7

Fever by Lauren Destefano

All that suffering she went through... just to be recaptured.

6

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney

This was the diary of a wimpy kid where I finally realized they were just repeating themselves over and over.

5

Born Wicked by Jessica Spottswood

She sacrificed way too much for her sisters... the ending made me sad :'(

4

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

I think you can tell from the title that this wasn't going to end well.

3

Ocean of Blood by Darren Shan

Darren Shan writes the most bloody, horrifying books ever. This one also was tragic.

2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Snape and Fred. WHY???

1

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

It's sorta pointless. Katniss went into the arena to save Prim and Prim ends up dying. That is depressing.

Interview with Jessica Spottswood

Today I'd like to welcome author Jess Spottswood, author of Born Wicked!

"Blessed with a gift..."cursed" with a secret." Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship - or an early grave. Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood - not even from each other.

Read my Born Wicked review here.
 I'll ask it frankly, are YOU a witch?
No. But if I were in the Cahills' world, I'd probably still be in trouble with the Brothers for reading and lending banned books. I'd probably be most like Clara and Marianne Belastra!

Describe each of the Cahill sisters in one word each! 
Cate: protective
Maura: rebellious
Tess: observant
BORN WICKED blends genres quite nicely, it's paranormal obviously, but it also has a dash of steampunk and dystopian. Did you plan this?

I've never thought of it as steampunk! But, yes, I chose a historical time period where women didn't have many rights yet, and then shifted it in my alternate history to make them even more oppressed, until things are pretty dystopian. I wanted to create a society where strong, independent women were't valued. And I can't seem to write anything without an element of magic!
Facebook or Twitter?
Twitter! It's so easy to just pop in and out, and I love being able to create lists, and I love connecting with readers and bloggers. I like that Facebook helps me keep up with old friends, but it's harder to ignore the extra noise (and the politics of election season).
What is one food you would never consider eating? 
Head cheese. A waitress described it for us last week at a restaurant (it was a cheese plate option), and...ew! Ew ew ew!
Write a haiku poem for BORN WICKED. GO! 
Cate, Maura, and Tess
Sisters, witches, and kissing
High teas and danger

Jessica Spotswood is the author of BORN WICKED, the first book in the Cahill Witch Chronicles, coming Feb. 7, 2012 from Putnam. She likes reading stories about independent girls who still get in a fair amount of swoony kissing, so that's what she tries to write. She lives in Washington, DC with her playwright husband and a cuddly cat named Monkey.