Review - Mark of Betrayal by A.M. Hudson

A love so strong fire and torture could not break it. A heart so pure neither death nor hate could taint it. But, left alone in a world of lies and secrets, Ara will find herself down the road of treachery, walking very dangerous ground, while those closest to her fight to keep her safe from dangers unseen.

The boundaries between friends and enemies will blur, and the return of an old friend will see Ara crossing a line she can never return from.

Mark of Betrayal is book four in the Dark Secret Series by A.M. Hudson. And true to its predecessors it was better than the book before it.

Book four in the series brings about the re-appearance of my favorite character (why he's my favorite, I'm not 100% sure, I just know that he is), Jason Knight. Now, don't get me wrong, I like David and all. And I know he loves Ara. But the more I learn about him, the more I wish that it was Jason that Ara was in love with. Despite his monstrous start in the series, he redeemed himself (as weird as that sounds considering WHAT he did). And I find him to be incredibly sweet and endearing and just heart breakingly vulnerable and beautiful.

Ara is true to form in this book. One minute you want to shake her and yell at her to grow the heck up. The next minute you're on her side yelling at other people to back off and give her some credit. She's relatively new to this whole world that she's been thrown in to and she wasn't technically a mature adult when she was "normal" let alone now that she's a Lilithian monarch. There should be some kind of learning curve for the poor girl. But on the other hand, she does definitely act overly childish in a lot of situations and has a tendency to throw tantrums.

This novel seems to be one where you never really know who you can trust. You know who you WANT to trust. You know who was the good guy before and who was the bad guy. But in this book there's a big old monkey wrench thrown in to the mix and now everything is all backwards and you don't know who's Ara's friend and who's Ara's enemy anymore.

I can't wait for the next book in the series. Can't wait for more of Jason and the Lilithian History that we're learning about. Can't wait to see what happens to a "smaller" group of vampires. ::cough:: I'm excited to see where the story goes. If you haven't already started reading, I suggest you pick up book one, Tears of the Broken, and check it out!

Cover Reveal - Beauty in Blood by A.M. Hudson

Check out the cover for the next book in the Dark Secret Series by A.M. Hudson, Beauty in Blood.

 

Isn't it gorgeous? I love the title font (as always) and how vivid the red cloak is against the blue background.

What do you all think?

I can't wait to read it!

Movie Trailer - Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

I've always wanted to read Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion but just never got the chance. After a while I sort of forgot about it. However, I went and saw the final Breaking Dawn movie today and were kind enough to show a preview of Warm Bodies. Which I absolutely loved. And I can't wait to see it. I've ordered the book today so I can read it before the movie hits theaters.

For those of you who have already read it, what do you think of the trailer?

Stacking the Shelves #4

Thank you to Tynga's Reviews for hosting STS every week!

So, I haven't gotten much in the way of books. I don't anymore because my bookshelves are finding themselves almost maxed to capacity.

Thank you to my lovely library and their once a month sales, I was able to get a copy of each of the first 3 books (still hoping the 4th will be published one day) of the Halfblood Chronicles by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey. I've had all of them before but through moving several times, a couple have gone missing. Nice to have them back together again.

Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale of the sort that becomes an instant favorite. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, she was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or humankind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.

The powerful magic of ruthless Elvenlord masters has for centuries rules the world. Even Shana, the legendary Elvenbane prophesied to deliver the oppressed into freedom, is helpless before such power. She and her ragtag band of outcasts, half-blood wizards, escaped human slaves, and free-thinking dragons have gained only a token victory against the mighty lords. Only the long-forgotten Iron People, a band of human nomads, have escaped the tyranny of the reigning wizards. How have they survived through the centuries? As the winds of change sweep the world, and as tensions seething beneath the surface of Elven society threaten to break into open revolt. Shana meets the ancient tribe. Could an age-old secret free Shana and her people...or will its discovery call down their doom.

In this long-awaited new novel in The Halfblood Chronicles, fantasy greats Norton and Lackey tell the enthralling story of the reclusive elvenlord Kyrtian, who emerges as a hero in a world torn by politics and war. When his cousin, Aelmarkin, tries to prove that Kyrtian is unfit to run his estate, the plan backfires, and soon Kyrtian, who doesn't share the venal, greedy nature of his cousin, finds himself with more power than he ever wanted. Like his father before him, Kyrtian has always treated the humans on his estate like servants, instead of enslaving them as other elvenlords do. His father's legacy also leads Kyrtian to learn ancient military skills long since lost to elvenkind through the carelessness of the elvenlords. Kyrtian's rediscovered knowledge piques the interest of the current elvenlords, and soon Kyrtian finds himself appointed the new commander of the army, to the relief of his ruling peers. For the sons of the most powerful elvenlords, the Young Lords, have rebelled against their fathers and are waging war. But by taking advantage of both the privileges of his new command and the help of some unexpected new friends, Kyrtian finally gains the resources to embark on his own, personal quest--resuming his father's search for the Great Portal, the magical doorway through which the original elvenlords entered this world. As war rages between some sons and fathers, Kyrtian searches desperately for his own lost father, hoping to uncover not only the mystery of his disappearance, but also the secret behind the origin of elvenkind.

I also got a book called Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen. Pretty cover and it sounds interesting enough. Sort of a re-telling of Snow White.

With her black hair, red lips, and lily-white skin, Summer is as beautiful as her father's garden. And her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale; her parents sing and dance with her, Cousin Nancy dotes on her, and she is about to get a new baby brother. But when the baby dies soon after he's born, taking Summer's mama with him, Summer's fairy-tale life turns grim. Things get even worse when her father marries a woman who brings poisons and magical mirrors into Summer's world. Stepmama puts up a pretty face, but Summer suspects she's up to no good - and is afraid she's powerless to stop her.

What did you all get this week?

Christmas Gifts for Girls

I have two little girls. One is 9 and the other is 5. I know a lot of you have boys but I don't... so I don't know what's good to get for them. I can, however, recommend some good reads to get your girls this Christmas. I know I've gotten a few off this list already and will probably not stop there.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she wanted to stay forever...but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected--a skinny girl with decidedly red hair and a temper to match. If only she could convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables agreed; she was special--a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.

 

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think about life before the war. But it's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching in their town. The Nazis won't stop. The Jews of Denmark are being "relocated," so Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be part of the family. Then Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission. Somehow she must find the strength and courage to save her best friend's life. There is no turning back now.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls's story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Four-year-old Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack.

Pioneer life is sometimes hard, since the family must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her folks celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. And every night they are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa's fiddle sending Laura and her sisters off to sleep.

And so begins Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier past and a heartwarming, unforgettable story.

Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy

They were watching...and waiting

At twelve, Maggie had been thrown out of more boarding schools than she cared to remember. "Impossible to handle," they said -- nasty, mean, disobedient, rebellious, thieving -- anything they could say to explain why she must be removed from the school.

Maggie was thin and pale, with shabby clothes and stringy hair, when she arrived at her new home. "It was a mistake to bring her here," said Maggie's great-aunts, whose huge stone house looked like another boarding school -- or a prison. But they took her in anyway. After all, aside from Uncle Morris, they were Maggie's only living relatives.

But from behind the closet door in the great and gloomy house, Maggie hears the faint whisperings, the beckoning voices. And in the forbidding house of her ancestors, Maggie finds magic...the kind that lets her, for the first time, love and be loved.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Miyax, like many adolescents, is torn. But unlike most, her choices may determine whether she lives or dies. At 13, an orphan, and unhappily married, Miyax runs away from her husband's parents' home, hoping to reach San Francisco and her pen pal. But she becomes lost in the vast Alaskan tundra, with no food, no shelter, and no idea which is the way to safety. Now, more than ever, she must look hard at who she really is. Is she Miyax, Eskimo girl of the old ways? Or is she Julie (her "gussak"-white people-name), the modernized teenager who must mock the traditional customs? And when a pack of wolves begins to accept her into their community, Miyax must learn to think like a wolf as well. If she trusts her Eskimo instincts, will she stand a chance of surviving?

These are books that the older one can read or that I can read with the younger one. One of my favorites is Behind the Attic Wall. I used to read and read and re-read that book.

What are some books that those of you who have little ones like to read with them? Or in the case of  the older ones, what do you buy them to read?

Raven Boys Bookplates from Maggie Stiefvater

So Maggie Stiefvater has extra,limited edition bookplates for her newest novel, The Raven Boys.

She's decided to give them away.

For info on how to win one for yourself, click HERE.

Cheers!