Letterbox Love (7) Huge Haul of 22 Books!

Letterbox Love is a new meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

 Review Books

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr (Proof Copy)
Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher (Proof Copy)
Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi (Proof Copy)
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Dreams by Daniela Sacerdoti
A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton

The Beach Holiday by Anita Hughes
The Out of Office Girl by Nicola Doherty
Between the Lines by Samantha van Leer and Jodi Picoult
The Wedding Guests by Meredith Goldstein
God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

 Gifts

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb (thanks to my lovely friend Ellie for this blogoversary pressie!)
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (thanks to Lauren for this RAK!)

Jar of sweets from the lovely Rosi at HarperCollins for helping to promote Insurgent.

Bought

Shift by Em Bailey (currently reading and really enjoying)
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (read and LOVED review coming soon!)
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

E-Books For My Kindle
Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout (already read and enjoyed review coming soon!) (Bought)
Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Bought)
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (Bought)
Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker (Bought)
Yours Truly by Kirsty Greenwood (For Review)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (For Review)

So that was my HUGE haul from the last couple of weeks, apologies for the super long post but I hope you enjoyed it and kudos if you made it through to the end! As always big thank you’s to everybody who sent me books in this haul. If you’ve read or are looking forward to any of the books I got feel free to let me know what you thought about them or request reviews and such in the comments. And if you decided to do a Letterbox Love, Book Haul, IMM, Showcase Sunday, Mailbox Monday or whatever else featuring the books you got this week leave me a link as I’d love to check out your books too! ^_^

 happy reading till next time folks!

Q&A with bestselling author Philippa Gregory on her new YA novel Changeling

The lovely folk over at Simon & Schuster were kind enough to put together a Q&A with bestselling author Philippa Gregory talking about her latest novel and first venture into YA Changeling for us bloggers to share with our readers. Seems as I’m doing a giveaway for this book at the moment I thought now would be an ideal time to share it with you guys for anyone who may want to know more about the book. I’ve heard amazing things for Philippa’s adult books and am really excited to read Changeling soon!

Synopsis 
The first book in the thrilling YA sequence, Order of Darkness. The year is 1453, and all signs point to it being the end of the world. Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old, Luca Vero, is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom, and travel to the very frontier of good and evil. Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and all the evidence points to Isolde's criminal guilt. Outside in the yard they are building a pyre to burn her for witchcraft. Forced to face the greatest fears of the medieval world - dark magic, werewolves, madness - Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.

 Q&A with Philippa! 

Philippa Gregory 2011 c Johnny Ring

How was writing a book for teens different from writing a book for adults?
I don't think there is any difference for me in terms of the craft of writing. I think that the quality and enjoyment of the novel should be at least equal to a book for adults.

Do you have a favourite character in your new teen series?
I created the two principal characters of Luca and Isolde and liked them so much, but then I was amazed to find that the servant character of Frieze just jumped off the page. He is funny and full of common sense, wonderful with animals and has a great loving nature. His role just grew through the story as I came to like writing about him more and more. He is very important in book 2, and I think I will end up with a cast of 4 principal characters rather than 2. 

When you are writing a multi-book series, do you work from an outline (know all the beats) or do you work toward an ending (know how it all ends)?
This has been the first series that I have written that is not anchored completely by the historical record, so I have revelled in the freedom of it and have worked on each novel quite independently. I know where the whole series ultimately ends, but I don't know yet how I will get there. It's a truly creative process, I feel as if I am making it up as I go along and loving this.

Why did you set your new teen series in the 15th century?
The date of 1453 is such a key one - people really believed that it was the end of the world. It is this belief that means that Luca has his job in exploring the "end of days" and also means that there are so many manifestations of the supernatural that people report.

How is it working with fictional characters rather than real historical figures?
It has been a real holiday from the demands of accuracy and research. It has set the novelist in me free for the first time in a long time. I love discovering and researching the historical characters, but to be able to create characters from imagination has been a real treat.

End 

Sounds great right? For your chance to win a copy if you live in the UK fill out my Past, Present, and Future giveaway form here, and if you live internationally fill out my Book of YOUR choice up to the value of £10 or under form here to be in with a chance of winning Changeling, good luck!

Many thanks to the publishers Simon & Schuster for putting this interview together!

Review for The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

WARNING 
This is a review for the second book in the Darkness Rising series and so may contain spoilers from the first book in the series.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 5th April 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is - a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents including local bad boy Rafe, with whom she shares a dangerous, powerful secret.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. After a terrifying helicopter crash, they find themselves stranded in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. But can Maya really trust her friends? And can she learn how to control the frightening new gift she has discovered before it controls her?"

Review 
The Calling has to be my favourite of Kelley Armstrong’s Young Adult books so far. I loved her Darkest Powers trilogy and enjoyed the first book to this new companion series The Gathering just as much, but this second instalment to the Darkness Rising series had everything I loved about Kelley’s previous books and more. I picked this up and had it finished under 24 hours later it was such a page turner of a read with constant action and suspense. I think after reading this book my love for the Darkness Rising series might just have over taken my love for the Darkest Powers books.

The book begins where The Gathering left off and straight away we’re thrown back into the action. During the first chapter in the helicopter all hell breaks loose with shocking revelations, powers unleashed and even deaths of characters to really get the ball rolling! After that explosive first chapter the book doesn’t let up for a second and only gets more urgent and intense as the book goes on. It felt like I read The Calling in a total frenzy I was that immersed in Maya’s world. This book grips you and refuses to let go till the final world, a quality that all of Kelley Armstrong’s books have, this one in particular.

The Calling is a real survival story. With Maya and her friends stuck in the wilderness with an increasingly dangerous group after them for their unusual powers, not only do they have to survive in the forest, try to avoid being captured or worse killed all whilst trying to find out what happened to their home, dealing with loss and figuring out who they can trust, they also have to deal with their powers starting to manifest at the same time, testing out how strong they are, and working out what extinct and rare supernatural creature they might be.

These books have a certain sinister chill to them with the supernatural powers not being achieved by magic but by actual scientific engineering, the corporations that Maya and Co have as enemies are scary and powerful ones that whilst may want to capture them for impure purposes might also be the only people who have answers and can help them control their powers.

As with the first book in this series I really loved Maya as our heroine and felt that this book gives us chance to get to know some of the other characters a little better too. If you’re a fan of Kelley’s books then you’ll know that her characters are always strong and likeable and that her writing and plot development seems so easy and natural that it seems effortless on her part and is compulsively readable. This book had a fantastic ending with enough left unresolved that I’m dying for the next book without it being a torturous cliff-hanger. I particularly like what Kelley was hinting at for what’s in store in the next book and find it an exciting direction she’s leading us in. Overall The Calling was a fantastic sequel and my favourite from Kelley Armstrong yet. If you’re a fan of this series this latest instalment isn’t going to disappoint.

Blogoversary Giveaway! (UK and International) Jess Hearts Books is 2!

Today marks the start of this blog and I can hardly believe it’s been two years already! I’ve had some wonderful experiences and received some amazing books but none of these experiences would have been possible unless this blog had a readership and so this is where I want to say a HUGE thank you to YOU the reader and give a little something back in a giveaway! Because my readers come from all over the world I will be doing an international giveaway (wherever The Book Depository ships) as well as a UK only one (UK residents are welcome to enter both) so I’m going to keep this short and sweet and get on to what YOU could win…

UK Giveaway Past, Present, and Future

Because Blogoverarys are a time to reflect on what you’ve achieved in the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future I’ve decided to celebrate that in a giveaway with a book set in the past, a present time contemporary and a futuristic novel so I’ve chosen to giveaway to one UK winner Changeling by Philippa Gregory (past), Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton (present), and The Selection by Kiera Cass (future) along with some swag. For your chance of winning please fill in the form.
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

International Giveaway (open to wherever The Book Depository ships) Win ONE book of your choice up to the value of £10 or under 

This Giveaway is open internationally just please make sure The Book Depository ships to your country here before entering, and that the book you might want is available from them and costs 10 GBP or under :-)
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules 
To enter either giveaway please fill in the Rafflecopter's.
Giveaways End: Sunday 15th July 2012
Winners will be contacted by email and will have 1 week to reply else another winner will be selected.

 Thanks and Good luck! :)

Review for Rapture by Lauren Kate

WARNING 
This is the final book in the Fallen series and although my review will contain NO SPOILERS from Rapture by talking about the plot there may be unintentional spoilers from the other books in the series.

Rapture by Lauren Kate
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 21st June 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Angels
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"The sky is dark with wings... And time is running out for Luce and Daniel. In order to stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the Fall began. Only Luce can break the curse, and it is her choice alone that will decide all of their fates. But as Dark Forces gather, great sacrifices will have to be made in this final, epic struggle... In the fight for Luce, and for Love, who will win?"

Review 
Rapture has been a hugely anticipated book for me. Ever since I read the first book in this series Fallen in 2010 I’ve been left with so many burning questions like “why has this curse been put on Luce and Daniel?” and “what will it take for them to break it?.” All of my questions were finally answered in this series finale and it was better than I could have hoped for, I’d even go as far as to say this is my favourite book of the series.

Rapture begins where Passion left off, there is a collection of short stories called Fallen in Love that’s meant to be read before this book as well and although it’s not essential to the series, I’d read it before Rapture anyway just because it adds a little extra detail to this book. Luce, Daniel, and all of our other favourite characters, come together to try and hunt down three ancient and lost relics that record the Angels fall from Heaven and are scattered all around the world in order to discover where the fall took place to stop Lucifer from erasing the past and re-starting time.

The first half of this book is a race against time as the gang have only nine days to save the world and so there’s a certain urgency as they travel the world searching for the relics. There are also some gorgeous scenes between Luce and Daniel now that Luce has her memories of her past lives with him restored her and Daniel are closer than ever which leads to some of the couples best and most romantic moments.

Nearing the last section of the book things get even more intense, lives are sacrificed for the greater good and we lose some fantastic characters along the way. With Luce now more connected to her soul than ever she starts to piece together her very first meeting with Daniel, why they’re cursed, and exactly what she has to do to break the curse and stop Lucifer before it’s too late.

The ending to this book completely blew me away. Although as I read this book I began to suspect a few things before they happened, I was in no way prepared for the full scale of things and thought it was absolutely brilliant. A word of warning: the ending is a total tearjerker especially if you’re a romantic and I found myself sobbing through the last few chapters of this book and got weepy just thinking about it for the rest of the day. The ending was absolutely perfect and it couldn’t have ended any other way.

It was so bittersweet for me saying goodbye to these characters I’ve come to know, love, and spend so much time with, although I do think with the way Lauren Kate ended this book she could always revisit this world in a spin off series if she ever wanted to. Rapture was an epic, heart wrenching, and totally moving finale to what’s been one of the most romantic series I’ve ever read. Read it, love it, just don’t forget to keep a box of tissues handy!