Hemlock (Hemlock #1) by Kathleen Peacock Review

Hemlock (Hemlock #1)

by Kathleen Peacock

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published May 8th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

Plot:

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends.

Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:

A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boy-friend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock's thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spell-binding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

My Thoughts:

I have never read a werewolf story like this one. This plot has so many twists and turns and I enjoyed experiencing every single one of them. This novel reminded me why I love YA so much! The tastes of first love and crushes as well as betrayal are all present here. 

After rereading the above plot, I realize I can't say much without giving away a ton, but can I just say I am team JASON ALL THE WAY. You'll see what I mean when you read it. I know he's not the intended love interest, but he has that same quality that Jacob from Twilight has, you can't help but to notice and love him. Gah! There's just something about him that draws you in. 

When Mac gets to the bottom of Amy's murder it's like OMG I didn't see that one coming! Ms. Peacock did a great job throwing in a ton of suspicious people to draw my attention away from the real killer, but it wasn't like a blindside when I found out who. It was more like, why didn't I see that? The signs were right there!!  


Anyway, this is a must read! This is like Veronica Mars mixed with Buffy!!

Double Take Covers: Taken by Kelli Maine

I had the oppurtuinty to review this novel (review to post closer to release date) and I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED it!! This novel is due out late summer! If you loved 50 Shades, Beautiful Disaster and Thoughtless, then you will devour this too! Add it to your reading list!

 

ABDUCTION.

You steal me away to a deserted island, to the one place I’ve dreamed of being—the one place I can’t go.

SEDUCTION.

You’re used to buying whatever you want, but you can’t buy me…how do I resist the magnetism of your body, the longing ache deep inside me? I want you to take me—on my terms.

DESPERATION.

Every attempt you make to love me only hurts me. How can we go on like this?

This is the story of how I was TAKEN.

Rachael DeSalvo cares for those she loves with no regard for what she needs from them in return. When her father dies, her mother’s emotional dependency becomes overbearing. Unable to leave her distressed mother, Rachael turns down her dream job with Rocha Enterprises.

Billionaire real estate mogul, Merrick Rocha, knows what motivates people and what buttons to push to get what he wants. When the perfect project manager candidate turns down his job offer, it drives him mad. Three months of watching Rachael from afar has him more determined than ever to have her—for much, much more than an employee.

Merrick takes what he wants, but can he convince Rachael to give him what he needs?

Giveaway and Review of The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Hardcover, 485 pages

Published April 24th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

series

Blood of Eden #1

Source: ARC

 

 Plot: 

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for. 

My Thoughts: 

And who says the vampire genre is dead? The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa has renewed my faith in blood thirsty, kick-ass vampires. Finally we have a teenage vampire who isn't afraid to sink her fangs into someone when the time comes.

Allie begins as a human who hates vampires in the beginning of the novel, which is a great place to start. We find out from her why vampires are so evil. Then later on in the novel when she becomes one, we understand her personal self-loathing at times.

I did enjoy this novel, however, I will warn you, it took me a while to get into this one. Nearly 150 pages. Things for me didn't pick up until Allie leaves the vampire city and runs into Zeke. I loved reading about the crew of drifter Zeke was with, and how they were on a quest to find a vampire free paradise called Eden. Get past the beginning, and I promise there's vampire action!!

The picture below I found while looking up book cover images. Apparently, this was a cover outtake, but I admit I love this picture. It's perfect for Allie's character!

I also read that this novel is in the works to become a movie!! So you better act fast and read this one before the craze hits!

Check out the amazing book trailer for this novel:



Overall, I say read it if you are a vampire fan, or love I AM LEGEND or just a fan of kick-butt heroines!

Now on to the good stuff! I have ONE copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES to give away. Leave a comment below with your email address to enter. No, you don't have to be a follower of this blog, but I will love you forever if you are!


Contest open today, July 4th 2012 through Monday, July 9th at midnight!
I will announce the winner Next Tuesday and email the winner!

Good luck!!

Cover Reveal: Chosen One's by Tiffany Truitt

I love doing cover reveals! So without further ado, here is the upcoming novel by Entangled Publishing: Chose One's by Tiffany Truitt. The blurb sounds amazing and I am stoked to have a review copy coming! Mark this one down on your To Be Read list. It hits shelves in April 2012.

Plot:

What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?


Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Find it here on GOODREADS!

Double Take Covers: Shift (Shade #2) by Jeri Smith-Ready

I love this cover! It screams romance and danger to me. The second installment in the Shade series is scheduled to release May 3rd 2011 by Simon Pulse.

Plot:

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.



As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

 



Double Take Covers: Wildfire by Karsten Knight

WILDFIRE is scheduled to release July 26th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Plot:

Ashline Wilde never received an instruction manual on how to be a 16-year-old Polynesian volcano goddess. If she had, it might have contained helpful warnings such as:


• Dreaming about your (thankfully) mortal boyfriend may cause your bed to spontaneously combust

• Oven mitts should be worn at all times during heavy make-out sessions

Instead, Ash has to learn these life lessons the hard way as her dormant powers erupt at the most awkward times. In the wake of a hometown tragedy, Ash transfers to Blackwood Academy, a boarding school nestled in California’s redwoods, where a group of fellow gods-on-earth have mysteriously convened. As if sophomore year couldn’t get any worse, her storm goddess older sister, the wild and unpredictable Eve, resurfaces to haunt Ashline. With a war between the gods looming over Blackwood, Ash must master the fire smoldering within her before she clashes with her sister one final time, which leads us to life-lesson #3:

• When warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

HOURGLASS is scheduled to release May 24th 2011 by EgmontUSA

Plot:
"Since the age of fourteen, Emerson Cole has seen strange things – dead things – swooning Southern Belles, soldiers, and other eerie apparitions of the past. She’s tried everything to get rid of the visions: medication, counseling, asylums. Nothing’s worked.


So when Emerson's well-meaning brother calls in yet another consultant from a mysterious organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to give it one last try.

Michael Weaver is no ordinary consultant. He's barely older than she is; he listens like no one she's ever met before; and he doesn't make her feel the least bit crazy. As Emerson ventures deeper into the world of the Hourglass, she begins to learn the truth about her past, her future--and her very life.

A seductive time-slip novel that merges the very best of the paranormal and science fiction genres, Myra McEntire’s Hourglass is a stunning debut from an author to watch."

Double Take Covers: Trial By Fire (Raised by Wolves #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Here's the cover to the second book in the RAISED BY WOLVES series. TRIAL BY FIRE is scheduled to release June 14th 2011 by EgmontUSA. I own book one, but haven't gotten to it yet, but the covers are very intriguing.

Double Take Covers: Passion (Fallen Book 3) by Lauren Kate

My Thoughts:

This cover is very pretty, but doesn't quite have the same pizazz as the first two covers which I absolutely loved. Passion's cover stays in line with the dark, gothic theme the first two had, but it looks just a touch cartoonish for my taste. I still can't wait to read it, though. Release date: June 14th 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Plot released so far:

Before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross and fought immortals at Shoreline, they lived many lives. . . .

Double Take Covers: Demon Glass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

LOVED Hex Hall and I've been counting down the days until Feb. 15, 2011 when DEMON GLASS is released! The Cover rawks!

Synopsis:

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.




Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.



But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Double Take Covers: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

WOLFSBANE hits shelves July 12, 2011 and I CAN'T wait!!! Here's the cover guys!! Meep!

Synopsis:

(This is all that's out so far!)

Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?

Double Take Covers: Luminous by Dawn Metcalf

Dawn Metcalf's novel LUMINOUS hits shelves July 7, 2011. This cover is stunning and the synopsis sounds awesome! Just bumped this one up on my to-read list.

Synopsis:

When sixteen-year-old Consuela discovers she can remove her skin, revealing a lustrous mother-of-pearl skeleton, she slips into a parallel world known as the Flow, a place inhabited by archetypal teens with extraordinary abilities. Crafting skins out of anything – air, water, feathers, fire – she is compelled to save ordinary people from dying before their time. Yet now someone is murdering them, one by one, and Consuela finds herself the focus of an intricate plot to end the Flow forever when all she really wants is to get back home, alive.

Double Take Covers: Die For Me by Amy Plum

DIE FORME hits shelves May 10, 2011 and I just added this to my to read list on Goodreads. The Cover alone looks pretty great. Can't wait for this one!

Synopsis:

DIE FOR ME is the first of three books about Kate, a sixteen-year-old American who moves to Paris after the death of her parents. She finds herself falling for Vincent, who she discovers is not the typical French teenager he appears: he is something else entirely.




DIE FOR ME presents a new supernatural mythology presented in a city where dreams are sometimes the same as reality.

Double Take Covers: Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

The cover for the upcoming YA novel BORN AT MIDNIGHT intrigued me the minute I saw it. This novel by C.C. Hunter hits shelves March 29, 2011.

SYNOPSIS:

Kylie Galen has had a lot of crap tossed in her lap. Her parents are getting a divorce. Her boyfriend broke up with her because she wouldn’t put out. Her grandmother died and now Kylie’s acquired a stalker. Unfortunately, she’s the only one who seems to be able to see the stalker. And that gets her sent to a psychologist’s sofa.

The kooky psychologist gets Kylie sent to Shadow Falls Camp. Kylie and her parents think it’s a camp for troubled teens.



They thought wrong.



It’s a camp of supernaturals: vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches and shape shifters. And if she believes the camp leader, Kylie is one of them, too.



Just because she’s seeing ghosts, just because she was born at midnight, does that really mean she’s not human? And if so, what is she? Not even the other supernaturals can tell her.



As Kylie attempts to cope with the realization that these creatures actually exist, and that she might even be one of them, the ever present stalker/ghost appears to have secrets that could unravel the mystery of Kylie’s identity and her destiny.



But getting a ghost to open up is as hard as getting a guy to talk about his feelings.



As Kylie struggles to find answers, two hot guys, a werewolf and a half-fairy vie for her attention. However, Kylie’s determined that before she lets her heart discover a new love, she needs to solve her identity crisis and unearth the truth of her destiny.