Teaser Tuesday #72 : A Shimmer of Angels (Angel Sight #1) by Lisa M Basso

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 A Shimmer of Angels (Angel Sight #1) by Lisa M Basso and my two lines are from location 358 of 3407:

I kicked my stupid chair.  Three years of intensive treatment and I was still stark-raving mad.

Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

Purchase: Book Depository | Amazon

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!

Review: Silver Shadows (Blood Lines #5) by Richelle Mead

Title: Silver Shadows

Author: Richelle Mead
Published: 29 July 2014 by PenguinTeen Australia
Source:  PenguinTeen Australia
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: *****

My Review:

Gah! I can't get enough of this series. I love the story. I love the characters. And I especially love Sydney and Adrian.

I don't know what it is about Ms Mead's writing but no matter how long it has been since you read the last instalment, it's like you never left. Her characters and story welcome you back like family and right away you are back in the thick of things.

The first part of this instalment was heart wrenching with Sydney stuck in re-education and Adrian slowly coming apart and as a result sinking into his old ways. From there I had my heart in my my mouth wondering if they were going to find each other and the story kept there, on the edge of my seat, the entire time. Where it ended up, this is not the last instalment, left me asking more questions and greatly anticipating book 6.

What was great about this book, was we got a good mix of older characters that we know and fell in love with in Vampire academy along with the characters we have gotten to know in the bloodlines series. And then there was Adrian and Sydney. The more I read about them, the more I love them and am convinced they belong together. This increased my emotional investment, and hence my enjoyment, of this book.

I cannot wait until book 6 where hopefully Adrian and Sydney will finally get the happy ending they deserve :-)

I give this book 5 stars.
Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Stacking The Shelves #17

Welcome to  Stacking The Shelves!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga Reviews and is a meme to share those books, both print and e-book, that have been added to your shelves in the last week/s.

Very quiet week on the book gathering front, which was not necessarily a bad thing as what I did receive was quality and it gave me a chance to get more reading and review writing done.

Ebooks For Review (Penguin Teen Australiavia Netgalley)

The Rapunzel Dilemma  by Jennifer Kloester

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Lily's had a charmed life so far, and now she's off to London to pursue her dream of becoming a great actor. But life at the London Drama Academy is full of surprises – and for the first time, Lily finds that things don't always go her way.

It's not just the other students who are making life difficult. Lily's got a secret she's not sure how to handle, but she finds that a room in one of the Academy's deserted towers makes a perfect refuge. Lily can't stay locked in the tower forever, though. And when she meets the mysterious Ronan Carver, everything starts to change . . .

A fast-paced modern fairytale and companion novel to The Cinderella Moment, from talented YA author Jennifer Kloester.

Purchased: 

House Rules (Chicagoland Vampires #7)  by Chloe Neill

Goodreads | Book Depository

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.

At the tender age of twenty-seven, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal—tested like never before.

It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined.

So what did you add to your shelves this week?

Cover Reveal & and Giveaway: Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton #M9BFridayReveals

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky—literally. But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel.

But her father runs their house like an army barracks, and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere. Ever. So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met?

Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David. That doesn’t mean she won’t do it. It just means she can't get caught.

Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part. After all, she can't really fall for a guy who’s not exactly from here.

As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she's to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it.

Title: Fire in the Woods
Publication date: September 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Jennifer M. Eaton

Corporate Team Leader by day, and Ranting Writer by night. Jennifer M. Eaton calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.

Jennifer hosts an informational blog “A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers (or Learn from My Mistakes)” aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be.

Beyond writing and motivating others, she also enjoys teaching her dog to jump through hoops—literally.

Jennifer’s perfect day includes long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but her greatest joy is using her over-active imagination constructively… creating new worlds for everyone to enjoy.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

(Winners will receive their book on release day)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Title: Let's Get Lost

Author: Adi Alsaid
Published: 29 July 2014 by HarlequinTeen Australia
Source:  HarlequinTeen Australia
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

I decided to read "Let's get Lost" after seeing it many mentioned around the place. As I have mentioned before, I don't read a whole lot of YA contemporary but 4 strangers stories all connected by one girl name Leila seemed like and intriguing idea.

I have to say I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and how quickly zoomed through it. When I started I was a little apprehensive, worried I would struggle to get it finished, having left it a little late to start reading it, but I needn't have worried, one moment I was reading the first page of Hudson's story and the next I finishing off Leila's story and closing the book, all done.

This book is essentially 5 stories in one. The first 4 sections devoted to a main character and story per section: Hudson, Bree, Elliott and Sonia with leila's story weaving around them, bringing their stories together and finishing the book off. Each of these characters had their own story, their own issues but they seem to all be at the same point of everything coming to a head when Leila crosses their paths and acts as their catalysts for change. I enjoyed each story for itself, enjoyed meeting and discovering the new characters and their stories, the journey that each story takes the reader on. I also loved that we got to find out Leila's story last and realising that though she was in each and every story previous, she remains mysterious and its not until the end that we find out more about her.

I found each og the individual stories fresh,different and honest, and the way Mr Alsaid brings them all together, I found myself wanting more and thinking about the characters even after their stories had passed, which to me is a sure sign of a good read.

If you want a YA contemporary novel that is fresh and honest and a fun, enjoyable read, then pick up this book. This books was a really nice surprise and I give it 4 stars :-)

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Teaser Tuesday #71: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

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 Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid and my three lines is from Page 133:

"I'm such a screwup," she said, grabbing another napkin and wiping her nose. "I don't know what I can say to make it okay, but I need to tell her I'm sorry. We need to find her."

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Purchase: Book Depository | Amazon

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!

Review: Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3)

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Published: 17 June 2014 by Henry Holt & Co.
Source:  Book Depository
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: *****

My Review:

What an awesome conclusion to a series! I loved this book and was glued to the pages from beginning to end.

It had been about 6 months and a load of books since I had read book 2, Siege and Storm so I was worried I may not remember nenough to be able to enjoy it properly but I needn't have worried. Right from page 1, I was back in the story and invested in the characters and hanging on every word right through to the satisfying conclusion.

Ms Bardugo is a master story teller. This tale has everything you need for a complete story. Characters you can become invested in, a interesting and different story line with enough surprises along the way that the ending is not necessarily be seen until the author wants you to see it. Lastly the conclusion itself makes reading the entire three books well worth the effort.

I loved the main character Alina. I loved how strong she was and how we got to see her struggle with trying to work out the right path to take. We got to see her strengths as well as her weakness as Ms Bardugo did not give a clear straight path nor easily definable right and wrong choices so we got to see how Alina coped with the both making her decisions and then dealing with the consequences.

I also loved her relationships with the other characters, with The Darkling, with Nicolai and with Mal. Again, I loved that there were never clear choices and she had to deal with her hearty fighting her head fighting her soul whilst also wrestling how these decisions might also affect the rest of her world.

Over all, this is one of the best conclusions to a series I have read in a long time and whilst I am sad to be leaving these characters behind, I also leave satisfied with a conclusion that left these characters where they were meant to be.

I give this novel 5 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon