Showing posts with label Jessica Shirvington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jessica Shirvington. Show all posts

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #3: Empower by Jessica Shirvington


Welcome to Waiting on Wednesday!  Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly featured hosted by Breaking the Spine to spotlight the not yet released books that I wish were in my hot little hands right now.

This week I am so very glad I live in Australia as I only need to wait till November for the fifth book in the Violet Eden Chapters: Empower by Jessica Shirvington.  I have really enjoyed reading this series, particularly the most recent in the series, Endless, where I thought for some unknown reason it was the last book in the series and nearly had a heart attack when I got to the ending.  I don't think I have ever been so relieved to find out there was another book in a series.  Just cannot wait to get my hands on this book.

Empower (The Violet Eden Chapters #5) by Jessica Shirvington

It has been two years since Violet Eden walked away from the city, her friends, her future and - most importantly - her soulmate, Lincoln. Part angel, part human, Violet is determined to stand by the promises she made to save the one she loves.

Living in the perpetual coldness of a broken soul she survives day to day as a Rogue Grigori in London.

But when an unexpected visitor shows up at her door, the news he bears about someone she swore to protect leaves Violet with no choice.

Even worse, she fears that this might all lead back to the night she tries hardest to forget. And what was taken without her permission.

Violet is going back to New York ... and she knows exactly who is going to be there.

With Phoenix in her dreams and Lincoln in her heart she knows it is only a matter of time before the final choice must be made.



Publication Date: 12 November 2013

Pre-Order:Book Depository

What book are you 'waiting on' this week?




Tuesday, 11 June 2013

WWW Wednesday #16








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WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you will read next?

What are you currently reading?


Glitter & Doom ( Masque of the Red Death #1.5) by Bethany Griffin



Participating in the Novella Reading Week hosted by Fiktshun & Magical Urban Fantasy Reads so this is the second novella I am reading and reviewing.  Also good timing as I plan to read Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the red Death #2) next week once Novella week is over :-)

What did you recently finish reading?


Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda SunGoodreads | Book Depository

Loved this.  Review to be posted 1st July 2013.

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington

Best book I have read in 2013.  See my review here




Clean Slate Complex (A daynight story) by Megan Thomason

Novella read number 1.  See my review here

What do you think you will read next??

More Novellas :-)


Shadow (Paper Gods #0.5) by Amanda Sun

Meet two teens whose worlds are about to change forever in this paranormal Young Adult novella, a prequel to Ink by debut author Amanda Sun…


Katie Greene’s worst nightmare comes true when her mother dies, and she’s devastated to learn that she will have to leave the only home she’s ever known. Desperate to find where she belongs, she must decide if she has what it takes to start a new life across the ocean.



For Yuu Tomohiro, every day is a nightmare. He struggles to control his strange ability, and keeps everyone at a distance so they won’t get hurt—even his girlfriend, Myu. At night, a shadow haunts his dreams, and a mysterious woman torments him with omens of death and destruction. But these haunting premonitions are only the beginning…


The First (The Returned #0.5) by Jason Mott
Goodreads | Harlequin


In Jason Mott's haunting and unforgettable debut novel, The Returned, an impossible miracle is occurring all across the globe. Read how it all begins in this short story, The First.


It's been just over a year since Edmund Blithe died, and just over a month since his fiancĂ©e, Emily, stopped wearing her engagement ring. Emily has finally begun to move on… Until Edmund mysteriously and inexplicably returns, sending the world—and Emily—into a tailspin.



Edmund is only just the beginning. Around the world, people's loved ones are returning from beyond, seeking only to reenter the lives they left behind. As the world dives deep into uncertainty, Emily and Edmund are determined to find their way back to one another…even if it means risking everything.





So what are you reading this week?




Sunday, 9 June 2013

Review: Between The Lives by Jessica Shirvington

Title: Between the Lives
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Published: 1 May 2013 by Harper Collins Australia
Source: Library
Reviewed: Sapphireddragon
SapphiredDragon Rating: *****


Between the Lives
 by Jessica Shirvington


Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is...

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted... But just what - and who - is she really risking?

Review: 

I love love loved this book!  Quite surprised at how much I loved this book.  I had heard of this book and heard some good things and loved the Violet Eden series by the same author but didn't really have it on my radar until I saw it on display at my library on Tuesday. Figuring it was worth a look, I borrowed it and two days later I believe I have read the best book of 2013 so far!

For a start, the idea of living each day twice, in two different worlds, as two different people is not an idea I have come across let alone read before so I was immediately intrigued by the idea and eager to see how it all played out.

The story itself is utterly compelling.  I was completely in it from beginning to end and while I saw some aspects of the ending before hand, I was in no way expecting how it all played out, and I glad because I would not want to have missed the impact it made.  

Ms Shirvington's writing evoked all sorts of emotions both happy and sad and tose in between including crying like a baby in parts  and let me tell you, having tears streaming down your face while on the train can earn you extremely weird looks.  

At the end of the day, this book is well written with an original story that is guaranteed  to keep you glued until the last page.  I am so thankful it picked it up at the library this week.

Hands down the best book I have read so far this year!

I give this book 5 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

WWW Wednesday #15








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WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you will read next?

What are you currently reading?

Enjoying both of these at the moment.  Born of Illusion for review on kindle/iPad and a print copy of the Girl in the Clockwork Collar so I can read and review The Girl with the Iron Touch.


Born of Illusion by Teri Brown






The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

What did you recently finish reading?



The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Loved this! Review is on its way 

What do you think you will read next??Can't wait to dig into either of these!


Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun



I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.



Comment: Been dying to read this one since Harlequin Summit in February. Not going to put it off any longer!






Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington

Goodreads | Galaxy Bookshop




Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is...

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted... But just what - and who - is she really risking?


Comment: So excited when I found this at the library.  Can't wait to dig in.  Pretty sure I will be sneaking it in over the next couple of days SHHHH :-)




So what are you reading this week?





Sunday, 3 March 2013

Review: Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington


Title: Emblaze
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Published: 11 October 2011
Source: Library
Reviewed: Sapphireddragon
SapphiredDragon Rating: *****



Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters #3) by Jessica Shirvington

Add to Goodreads

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...


Purchase: Book Depository

Review: 



This is easily the best instalment so far.  Picking up shortly after where book 2, Entice, left off, I was right in this story from start to finish.  

The Grigori have the scripture Phoenix wants to raise Lilith,  the Academy is intrigued about Violet being the only angel of the Sole, which may not be a good thing, Violet and Lincoln know they are soul mates but after seeing Rudyard and Nyla, know they can't be together and Violet's dad has finally taken an interest in Violet's life at the worst possible moment.

These are just some of the threads that Jessica Shirvington juggles effortlessly in a novel that packs action from start to finish, a great storyline and all the romance & angst we have come to expect from Violet and Lincoln and Violet's connection with Phoenix. 

If you enjoyed Embrace and Entice, then I suggest you don't miss this next instalment.  If you have not yet read this series and you are a fan or action, romance and kick ass angels, then put this series next on your reading list.

A very definite 5 stars for Emblaze!

Sapphired Dragon xx

Tuesday, 25 December 2012

Best Book Series Instalments of 2012






This year has just flown, and because I don't want to forget all that I read in the blur that was 2012, I have decided to participate in Top Ten of 2012 Week: A week of Looking back...And looking forward hosted by Fiktshun, A Life Bound by Books, Confessions of a Bookaholic, Two Chicks on Books and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads 

Each day will be a different Top 10 and today's Top 10 is the Best Book Series Instalments of 2012. Essentially this will be a top ten list of instalments of series/trilogy/set that came out this year and/or I read .Book 1's or a series/trilogy don't count unless I have already read at least book 2.  This is not a list of the best series as such but of the best instalment to that series (e.g. book 2 of the Example series).  It seems that most books I read these days are series' rather than stand alones and also I read a number of multiple books in series etc this year so this list is a way to celebrate them :)



10. Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse #4) by Charlaine Harris



I read the whole Sookie Stackhouse series in the first week and a half of early January.  It's such a fun read and while I love the True Blood series, I think I love the books more.  This one is my favourite out of the lot.
Add to Goodreads
Purchase: Book Depository


9. The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

Add to Goodreads

Another series that I read in a row over the space of perhaps a week? I haven't actually finished the Iron Knight yet but it was a toss up between the Iron Daughter and this one.  What clinched the deal for me was that it took me a couple of tries to start the Iron Daughter (and then went on to love it) while this one i think devoured from start to finish in just 1 or two sittings :)

Purchase: Book Depository


8. The Lost Queen (The Faerie Path #2) by Frewin Jones

Add to Goodreads

Another series I discovered by accident while browsing my library earlier this year.  The library only had the first 3 so I went out and purchased the entire series LOL! This is book 2 though so far I have still only read the first 3.  I love urban fantasy particularly when it is real world vs Faerie World.  The majority of this book is set in the real world as Faerie princess Tania seeks the lost Queen Titania. I plan to read the rest of this series in 2013 :)

Purchase: Book Depository


7. The Ancient Future (The Dark Age #1) by Traci Harding

Add to Goodreads

This is one of my most favourite series of all time and this is the book that started it all.  I first read this book in 1996 but it gets a re-read at least once every year.  Another  urban fantasy but this one involves time travel, Celtic mythology, gorgeous Welsh princes and best of all an Aussie heroine.

I really love this book and this series.

Purchase: Book Depository

6. Black Dawn (The Morganville Vampires #12) by Rachel Caine

Add to Goodreads

Book 12 of this awesome series is my pick for spot number 6.  I thought nothing could beat #11 The Last Breath, which was, excuse the pun, breathtaking... Until I read this instalment.  This book is heavier and grittier than previous books.  It si like the danger and stakes have been lifted to a whole new level.  I really love this series and really need to get round to reading Bitter Blood, the next boiok in the series :)

Purchase: Book Depository



5. Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)
 by Jennifer Estep

Add to Goodreads

Yet another instalment of a series that has lifted the series to a whole new level.I just finished reading this a couple of weeks ago and will be posting a review before the end of the year.

Purchase: Book Depository



4. Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters #3) by Jessica Shirvington

Add to Goodreads

This series has been out in Australia for a few years now but it wasn't till I saw a couple of reviews for Embrace and Entice (the first novels in this series) that I got around to reading it.  I have read a few series to do with angels and this is one of the better ones. This particular instalment I found to be more engaging and gripping than the previous two and that's why it is marginally my favourite over Entice.

Purchase: Book Depository




3. Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2) by Aimee Carter

Add to Goodreads
This one is my favourite of the series mostly because of the kick ass cliff hanger it finishes with, leaving me drooling to read #3 Goddess Inheritance. I also think the storyline is more involved than the first book.




2. Before I wake (Soul Screamers #6)  by Rachel Vincent

Add to Goodreads

This series in general was easily the one of the best series I read this year. When I received this particular instalment to read, I had to go out and the read the first 5 books which I did in about 4 days! Book 5, If I die, had been awesome. I mean it is hard to top the main character dying but somehow Before I Wake managed to be even better bringing together more elements and connecting more dots in a compelling storyline.


Purchase: Book Depository




1. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Add to Goodreads

Another series about Angels and all I can say about this series, and this book in particular is WOW! I loved this book! It made me cry and left me hanging to read the concluding book Boundless which is due out in about 3 weeks! By far the best series instalment I have read all year!

Purchase: Book Depository


Don't forget to comment and let me know your top 10 for this year.

Sunday, 4 November 2012

Ready Set...Review-a-thon



So as the mother of a 7 1/2 month old, my reading and reviewing has understandably dropped behind a little.  I have been working hard over the past month top try and get my reading up to spec and now it's time to catch up on all those reviews I still need to write.

Enter Ready Set Review-a-thon hosted by A Daydreamer's Thoughts and Booktacular World.  This takes place this month (November) and for me is the perfect way to get my reviewing up to date :)

So below are the reviews I hope to get done this month.  As I complete each review, I will add the review link and I will also add reviews to do for any books I finish reading this month that are not on the initial list:


  • The Lost Prince By Julie Kagawa
  • The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
  • The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
  • Embrace by Jessica Shirvington
  • Entice by Jessica Shirvington
  • Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington (This review will not be posted until March 2013)
  • Traitor Queen by Trudi Canavan
  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
  • Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder
  • Scent of Magic by Maria V Snyder ( This review will not be posted until Jan 2013)
  • Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
6 of these I have finished reading recently while the other six i plan to finish and write the reviews in November.

What do plan to review this month?

Monday, 29 October 2012

Teaser Tuesday #39





Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too muchaway! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Emblaze (The Violet Eden Chapters #3) by Jessica Shirvington and my three lines are from page 141 :
Even doing so on empty - from lack of food and sleep - I still had super endurance. I'd wanted to hurt, needed the distraction. Anything rather than lying in bed contemplating.

Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington


Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...



Purchase: Book Depository

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link  to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Saturday, 22 September 2012

In My Mailbox #38


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Welcome to  In My Mailbox, a meme run by The Story Siren where each week over 200 bloggers post on their blogs the books they have bought, received to review or won in the past week.

To find out more information, get involved yourself or see what's in other bloggers mailboxes this week head over to The Story Siren or to find out what is in my mailbox this week, keep reading.

Don't forget to comment and post your IMM link or just let me know what's in your mail box this week.

Pretty good week this week.  Got some awesome titles.  Now I just need to read them. :-P

Also keep your eye out this week for a birthday giveaway (international) and tour stop for Heather Frost's new title Demons (Seers #2) on the 25th September.

Gifts:


It was my birthday yesterday and I got some awesome new books (Thanks Dad!).



Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr


In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

Purchase: Book Depository

Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of the first-ever teen series from #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days.

Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape.

Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.

The first in a series, this epic and richly detailed drama is grounded in historical communities and their mythic beliefs. It includes a medieval map of Europe that will track their journey; and the interior will include relevant decorative elements as well as an interior line illustration. And look for a QR code that links to a note from the author with additional, detailed information about the setting and the history that informed the writing. With Philippa Gregory’s trademark touch, this novel deftly brings the past—and its salacious scandals—vividly and disturbingly to life.

Purchase: Book Depository

Endless (The Violet Eden Chapters #4) by Jessica Shirvington

Angels are real. They aren't always kind. Violet Eden is certain of all this because she is Grigori - part angel, part human. She has felt the influence of both light and dark.

When Hell unleashes its worst, Violet must embrace every facet of her angel self to save the people she cares about and the world as she knows it. But death is not the worst thing that Violet will face. For her, the endless question 'Can love conquer all?' will finally be answered.

Purchase: Boomerang Books

Library:

Finally got my hands on a couple of books I have been wanting to read for a while :)



Underworld (Abandon trilogy #2) by Meg Cabot

Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.

But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.

And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape.

Purchase: Book Depository

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments continues—and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon.

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

Purchase: Book Depository

So what was in your mailbox this week?