Saturday, November 30, 2013

*Blog Tour Stop* Death Is But A Dream by Erin Hayes *(Review & Giveaway)*


Welcome to my stop on the Death is but a Dream Blog Tour.
Today, I am posting my thoughts about the book itself as well as giving readers
a chance to win some nifty prizes! Good Luck!

Book details:

Death is but a Dream by Erin Hayes 
Publication date: Fall, 2013 
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Mythology

Synopsis:


Caught between life and death, all Callie wants is to live again.

Homicide detective Callie Saunders knows that death isn’t all pearly gates and angels. After being hit by a bus, she finds that it's the ancient gods and goddesses of Greek mythology who are in charge of everything.

So when Hades offers her a deal, she accepts. If she wants to be brought back to life, she’ll have to figure out who is trying to kill his son. But if she fails, both her soul and the world will be destroyed.

With the odds mounting against her, it’ll take everything she has within her to wake up from death. But the rules are constantly changing. And someone wants her to stay dead

*My Thoughts*

Callista (Callie) Saunders is a San Francisco Detective who has her whole life thrown into a different direction after stepping in front of a bus in order to save a child and waking up in the Underworld. While her body lies in a coma topside, Callie is given a job by Hades himself to protect his son Plutus, who just happens to be the God of Wealth, while also trying to stop anyone from assassinating him.

Even though Callie is an excellent Detective in the real world, she somehow forgets to remember anything about her own heritage or pretty much anything to do with Greek Mythology. Color her surprised when the characters like Hades, Persephone, Zeus, Apollo, and Hera are all real! For the record, this book could be a who’s who of tragic Greek characters some you have never heard of before.

Callie is definitely an interesting character. She does, however, have a tendency to put herself into harm’s way without thinking about things first. I would almost go as far as saying that she has a death wish.
As for the secondary characters, I believe my favorite above all others is Tisiphone, a Fury who is also part of the Underworlds law enforcement team. Callie ends up being paired with Tisiphone by Hades in order to find out who is responsible for trying to kill Plutus and therefore interrupting the fragile balance of who actually controls wealth.

As for Plutus, you have to look no further than to see that Callie and he would eventually find themselves attracted to each other. Plutus is a different sort of God in that he is blind, which goes hand in hand with the fact that he can’t choose who gets wealth and who doesn’t. He is also a cripple and his own parents may even be ashamed of his existence. How can Callie Not fall in love with him?

Death is but a Dream is a standalone story so there’s absolutely no worries that Erin Hayes will leave readers pondering what happen next. The best thing about standalones? There’s no cliffhanger ending to worry about!  Erin is a new author to me, and I will definitely check out her future work as well.


Author
AUTHOR BIO

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery Death is but a Dream and the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average. You can reach her at tiptoegirl87@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.
Author Links:


Giveaway:

Grand prize giveaway Prizes:

--2x signed copies (US/CAN)
--3x ebook copies (INTL)
--One Kindle Fire (INTL)



Tuesday, November 26, 2013

*Top Ten Tuesday* Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and we all share our thoughts on that topic! I decided it was finally time to jump on board with this wicked fun meme!

For this week on Top Ten Tuesday, the topic is:

Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For

1. FIrst and foremost I am thankful for my parents. Were it not for them and their unwavering support even with my father's illness, I would either be stuck moving back to NY permanently and not just visiting for Thanksgiving. 

2. I am thankful I celebrated 2 years of Blogging this year. Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to lasting this long. Patience and not dwelling on the small crap that pops up more times than naught. 

3. I am thankful for those who continue to read my posts, comment on my reviews, and support me with a laugh, or an ear.

4. I am thankful for my cat, whose name just happens to be Gizmo. I know this sounds ridonkulous, but were it not for him and his antics, I would be a raving lunatic. 

5. I am thankful to my local library for offering me books I can't afford and that publishers have denied me access to.

6. I am thankful I live in Florida where the weather may be cold now and again, but we have tons of places to visit, and the ocean surrounds us on both sides of the coast.

7. I am thankful that I am alive. I know this is churlish in a way, but think about all those that we have lost over the past year. So, yes, I am extremely thankful.

8. I am thankful that I actually had several opportunities to attend book conventions this year. I am hoping that things go my way so that I can attend even more in 2014.

9. I am thankful to each and every single author who graced Gizmos Reviews with their presence in 2013. I am absolutely looking forward to reaching out to even more in 2014.

10. I am thankful to publishers like Orbin, Kensington, Harlequin, and Harper Collins for allowing me unfetter access to some amazing titles this year. I would say this was the best year ever on that front!






Saturday, November 23, 2013

*Stacking the Shelves* 11/23/2013

Stacking The Shelves is a fun way to show off the books we received over the past week in the hopes that you will find something that you will be interested in reading. As always, it is in no way, shape, or form to be considered bragging or sticking out our tongues at other bloggers. 

I personally enjoy  reading comments from those that stop by and support Gizmo's Reviews and I make every effort to comment and visit back your blog in return. 

This week, I would like to thank Pocket Books, Xpresso Book Tours, 
Atria Books, William Morrow, Penguin Group (Dutton), 
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, Flux

Received via Pocket Books

Received via Xpresso Book Tours (Come check out my review 11/30/2013!)

Borrowed via Library

Purchase via Amazon.com


Received via Edelweiss/Atria Books

Received via Edelweiss/William Morrow

Received via NetGalley/Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Received via NetGalley/St. Martin's Paperbacks

Received via NetGalley/Penguin Group-Dutton

Received via NetGalley/Flux Books



Friday, November 22, 2013

*Cover Reveal* Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater


Presents the reissued cover for Pretty When She Dies


BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:

Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater 
(Pretty When She Dies #1) 
Published by: Permuted Press
Publication date: Late November, 2013 (reissue)
Genres: Adult, Horror, Paranormal

Synopsis:

Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry… in a new, horrific, unimaginable way…

Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature.

All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what’s worse is that he’s a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind.
But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation… or her death?

----

AUTHOR BIO

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

Author Links:

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

*Waiting for Wednesday* 11/20/2013

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

This weeks choice is----->Independent Study by Joelle Charboneau

After a fantastic debut release in The Testing, I can not wait to open this book up 
and read it. I am eager to see what happens next. I am hoping that there won't be
such a dreadful 3 way love triangle that I end up sobbing like a baby without her
blankie!


In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

Hardcover, 310 pages
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers 



*Cover Loves* Featuring The Assassin's Blade, Blood Games, & Silver Shadows

Contains all five novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.(less)
ebook448 pages
Expected publication: March 13th 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Embedded image permalink
While Merit didn’t choose to become a vampire or Sentinel of Cadogan House, she vowed to fight for her House and its Master, and she’s managed to forge strong alliances with powerful supernaturals across Chicago. But even though Merit has had wild adventures, this may be her deadliest yet...

A killer is stalking Chicago, preying on humans and leaving his victims with magical souvenirs. The CPD hasn’t been able to track the assailant, and as the body count rises, the city is running out of options. Vampires and humans aren’t on great terms, but murder makes for strange bedfellows. Can Merit find the killer before she becomes a target?(less)
Paperback352 pages
Expected publication: August 5th 2014 by NAL Trade
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.(less)
Hardcover416 pages
Expected publication: July 29th 2014 by Razorbill



Tuesday, November 19, 2013

*Top Ten Tuesday 11/19/2013* Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Most Readers


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and we all share our thoughts on that topic! I decided it was finally time to jump on board with this wicked fun meme!

For this week on Top Ten Tuesday, the topic is:

Top Ten Books I Would Recommend to Most Readers

*Note* These are a hodge podge of books that I have rated 5 stars and would ask you to go to Goodreads.com and read my review if you are able. The caveat is that most of these books can be read by anyone, while a few are adult themed.

1. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

2. Binding the Shadows by Jenn Bennett

3. The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater

4. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

5. The Rift Walker by Susan and Clay Griffith

6. The Ripple Effect by J.A. Saare

7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

8. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

9. An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire

10. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey