Teaser Tuesday [19] - Powers for Good or Evil

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
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 much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

Solstice High by Ardash Vartparonian

Teaser:

"No, the risk is too big. What if we get caught? We'll be shipped off to some lab probably. We got them by chance. We didn't ask for them, so we're not obligated to do anything. Yeah, it sounds selfish, but it's too risky. The world isn't ready for this.

It's not ready for us."

Goodreads Summary:

It's the first day of school at prestigious Solstice High. Seniors Matt, Rochelle, Daphne and Jonas each have a big surprise waiting for them.
When the four friends undergo a freak accident, they begin to develop superhuman abilities and come to realize that all is not as it seems within the bleak walls of their high school. While dealing with the day-to-day challenges of being teenagers, they must also confront their sinister principal, Mr. Devlin, who seems to have more than just education on his agenda.

Update- Changes to Sidekick Saturday

Hey everyone! You may know my Sidekick Saturday meme, or be participating in it yourself, and I'd like to share a few changes with you. I will be posting my Sidekicks on Saturdays, but will keep the linky tool open all week for anyone to post their Sidekicks on any day that is convenient for them that week. I've changed up the name of the meme so that everyone will know that it's not just restricted to this day. It is now called Sidekick Showcase.

I also post the themes for the Sidekicks for the full month on Facebook and Twitter before the start of the new month, and you can find the themes on my Sidekicks page (there's a link in my header) anytime you need to refer back to them. I have a list of all previous themes that I've done on that page too.

Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in the linkytools on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• Put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well

Here are the July Topics:
July 19th - Mentor
July 26th - Cowboy

If you have any questions about the meme, or any suggestions that would make it better, do not hesitate to ask or to let me know!!

Sunday Cover Scramble [25]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until the next day to let you know if you are right, allowing other to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. If you need hints, I will only post covers of series talked about on my blog previously. Also, let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more throughout the day if no one guesses it correctly. Here we go:

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Sidekick Saturday [31] - Strange

Sidekick Saturday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in this week's type
• Share a picture (if possible) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• Put your link in the Linky thing and comment

July 19th - Mentor
July 26th - Cowboy

I'm going to be working on a new graphic for this meme and will actually be changing the name of it to Sidekick Showcase because I know that some of you may want to join along with us, but can't post on Saturdays or at least every Saturday on the dot. I will still continue to post on Saturdays, but it is open for anyone to add their links all week and I encourage everyone that joins to copy the code for the linky and visit others that add their links throughout the week!

This week is Strange

My choice is Newt
The Hollows by Kim Harrison

Newt Picture Created by Jaclyn Canada

Newt is one of the strangest characters that I've ever read about. When Rachel first meets her, she doesn't even know if she's male or female. It turns out that she is the last female demon, and is quite insane since she has huge lapses in memory. At times she seems like one of the smartest people in the books, and at others one of the most mental. I'm to the eleventh book in the series, and I still feel like I don't really know the character of Newt all the way. She's such an oddball, always popping up at the most random of times, but it certainly makes for interesting reading.

Quotes:

“You need to be clever to best him. Are you clever, Rachel?”
Oh God. She wants to know if I’m clever. I glanced at Al, and he stared at me, then shrugged. Licking my lips, I said, “It’s the shiny pot that puts a hole in the sky.”
Al’s mouth dropped open, but Newt thought about it, her expression thoughtful and her fingers finally leaving her knife. “Very true,” she said as she eased back into the cushions.
With a soft click of his teeth, Al’s mouth shut. His eyes were cross, and he seemed peeved that I’d found a way to satisfy her without compromising myself at all.”  - Pale Demon

---

“Did something happen to the sanctity of your church again?"

My eye twitched. "Newt broke it so she could look in my closet." Again. - Ever After

---

“I ought to file charges of uncommon stupidity against you for letting her try this alone."- Black Magic Sanction

---

“Newt spun, making her robe unfurl. “He’s my familiar, bought and paid for. I can claim anything of his. Even his life.”  - The Outlaw Demon Wails

---

“You!” she said, stepping forward with a vehement expression and her finger pointed. Heart pounding, I pressed into Al. Funny how he seemed so much safer now.  - The Outlaw Demon Wails

---

“The demon had trouble remembering what she was doing, but she was powerful, sort of the crazy Wendy of the lost lord-of-the-flies boys.”  - Ever After

---

“You think?” I snapped, jumping when Newt slammed a side kick into the barrier, her robes swirling dramatically. Great, she knew martial arts on top of everything else. Why not? She’d obviously been around a while. - For a Few Demons More

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Feature and Follow [26] - Photobomb

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by  and Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - This week's feature is: Girl in the Woods and Kelly Walker
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This week is: Activity! PHOTOBOMB!!!! Photobomb a picture with your favorite book. Share it of course.

Choosing 1 favorite book? Really. I'm not even sure that's humanly possible. I have at least 20 favorite books depending on what my mood is or what day you've asked me - I know I just added a new favorite last week. My absolute favorite series of all time is Harry Potter, but I know so many people will have that so I'm gonna try a few different ones, and yes I'm going to cheat and have more than one. I had to Photoshop them in too LOL so you should enjoy this crazy picture. I purposely put things lop-sided and it's not meant to look like the books are really there :D

ARC Review: Persephone's Orchard (The Chrysomelia Stories #1) by Molly Ringle

Published: June 28, 2013 Central Avenue Publishing
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy
Format: Kindle

Source: sent by publisher for honest review

Goodreads Summary 

The Greek gods never actually existed. Did they? Sophie Darrow finds she was wrong about that assumption when she's pulled into the spirit realm, complete with an Underworld, on her first day at college. Adrian, the mysterious young man who brought her there, simply wants her to taste a pomegranate.

Soon, though she returns to her regular life, her mind begins exploding with dreams and memories of ancient times; of a love between two Greeks named Persephone and Hades. But lethal danger has always surrounded the immortals, and now that she's tainted with the Underworld's magic, that danger is drawing closer to Sophie.

Get it TODAY on Kindle (last day for this price) at Amazon for 99 cents!! Click here ->
Persephone's Orchard (The Chrysomelia Stories)

Would you eat a magical pomegranate?

I LOVE reading about Greek Gods tremendously. I'm even a fan of some of the lesser known ones like Hestia, and writing this is making me realize that there is a book on my shelf that I need to read now. But back to business - Greek Gods are another thing like vampires and werewolves that authors truly make their own. They can select from a wide-array of source material and work from there. Ringle took Hades and Persephone's tale and made me fall in love with it.

What I'm going to find difficult is reviewing this book without giving the story away. So I apologize ahead of time if it doesn't make sense because you guys know I don't like to spoil a story.

The Good

Adrian is such an endearing character with a touch of mischief. He's lonely and he wants his love. He has had a hard life yet he does what he can for others in the one real way that he can. Sophie is more spontaneous, but she too worries about those she loves and wants to take care of them. They meet under strange circumstances and it was a lot of fun because Persephone's Orchard had some action and a little mystery going from the very first page.

Ringle did such a marvelous job with a Persephone and Hade's story that I now refuse to accept any other explanation of events for them. In this book, there are flashbacks to old-world times mixed with modern day, and it was flawlessly done. The supporting cast with Nikolaos, Freta, and Rhea were so important and also very well-developed.

I love the Underworld! Everything about the picture Ringle creates and the way that things work. Also, the antagonists are very good at what they do in the story and they keep the action and suspense going. There is an air of mystery throughout. Even when I found out one piece of information, I was given a new mystery to ponder to keep those pages turning.

The Bad

Sophie has a bit of a spontaneous streak to her, or at least a quick answer and I often questioned her decision-making abilities. Though one big decision she dragged her feet so long, I was beginning to wonder if she would make a choice at all. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have taking her time making the decision, because she certainly should have. It just seemed a tad out of character with how I had her figured out in my mind.

The Romance

What a romance! This one is all about the emotional connection, not so much the touchy feely, although there are kissing/make-out scenes. I love everything from how the characters come together to how everything is revealed. I love the questions and even at times distrust and wonder. I also really enjoy the absolute feeling of "rightness" that the two of them together seem to create.

Conclusion

You don't want to miss this one! If you enjoy reading about Greek Gods, the unique spin on this tale, action, mystery and romance will keep you turning page after page until you reach the spectacular ending that has you asking Ringle, "Where are on Earth is the sequel?" Definitely recommended.

Excerpts

"You and your friends go back to your other dimension or whatever you call it, and stay there. Show up among humans again and you're dead. Understood?"
"We are human." ARC Location 45

"Sorry. I don't make promises to people who shoot dogs." ARC Location 50

"Do something to fix it, and if you can't then do something else to make your life better. Tell you what, crying isn't going to fix it." ARC Location 80

As she debated whether to worry about that later and stick her thumbs in his eyes now, Nikolaos pinned her to the lumpy ground, grinning. "That was easy. We must teach you to be less trusting." ARC Location 167

"I told you. They want to kill me. And Niko, and the few others like us. But they wouldn't get a lot of help from normal people, would they, if they led with, 'We want to hunt down immortals and blow them up into tiny pieces.'" ARC Location 1882

Review: Obsession by Jennifer Armentrout

Published: May 31, 2013 Entangled Publishing, LLC (Covet)
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Kindle

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary 

This is a stand alone novel that is an adult spin-off
of the Lux Series

He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.


Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

"Most Guys Aren't Human"

This story is a stand-alone in the Lux Series stories and is adult rather than YA. I admit the covers on The Lux Series have always been pretty hot, but this one blows them out of the water. You can tell immediately that it's more adult just by looking at the two of them, and I was mighty intrigued to see if we could get a character like Daemon that I didn't feel like an old lady for swooning over. You don't see muscles like that on a teenager.

The Good

When I started reading The Lux Series, I didn't know how much I was going to get into a story about aliens, especially if one of them was supposed to be swoon-worthy, but Armentrout has really created a complex and lovable world here. In Obsession, Hunter is an Arum, which is the enemy to the Luxen. My favorite cocky, crush-able alien, Daemon, just happens to be a Luxen, so this unique look into the mind of the other side is worth the read in and of itself. The rose-colored glasses are off, I got a look through his eyes at how most Luxen truly are (as well as Arum). After reading this one, there is no black and white. It's a lot of shades of grey.

Obsession switches POV between Hunter and Serena who is a human. Hunter is a "bad" guy. He is the epitome of hot bad boys everywhere. He's bossy, arrogant, strong, prone to breaking rules, and he likes beautiful women. He's given an assignment that he's very unhappy about and the pages proceed to smoke a little around the edges from there. If you thought the laptop scene was great, just wait until you read the study scene. Armentrout is such an excellent writer, the snark and chemistry just flowed the whole time I read.

It was nice to see a couple of cameos and not only that but this one really sets the stage for Origin. The central plot of this book aligns so well in the world that I gleaned a few tidbits about what will come in the future for Daemon and Katy as well.

The Bad

The only little thing of mention is that there were times that Serena said something that sounded just like something that Kat would say. I think it would be pretty hard to keep anything like that from happening though when it's the same author's voice supplying the dialogue and the characters have similar personalities.

The Romance

This is just my kind of romance. Hunter and Serena really don't want to have anything to do with each other, but you cannot deny the chemistry. They get an A+ in that class! Everything builds naturally and the romance and hesitancy all feels real. I really like these two together on the same page.

Conclusion

You don't have to read any of the previous Lux books to enjoy this story about Hunter and Serena, but my humble opinion is why on Earth would you skip such a great series? The writing is fun, easy to read through in one-sitting, and includes repetitive use of one of my favorite words: ninja. The characters are so easy to love and the romance is rocking that house. The story-line and action are intense at times and I got to see a recognized face a time or two. I wouldn't miss this one at all if you are a Lux fan or if you enjoy Paranormal Romance!

Excerpts

"Miss Cross?" His voice was like whiskey, deep and smooth, but there was something about the hard line of his jaw that said the man didn't smile a lot. Two eyes such a pale blue they seemed to lack color stared back into mine.

"Don't come near me."
One single brow went up. "Wasn't planning on it, but I at least thought there'd be a 'thank you for saving my life' statement thrown in."
"You're not human," I said slowly.
"And that obviously has nothing to do with the fact I saved your life," he replied. 
Maybe not, but I was beyond caring. There was a dead...something on my floor and a whatever standing in front of me. "Thank you, but please-"
"That didn't sound sincere, but it doesn't matter. We-"
He had taken a step toward me, and I shrieked, "Don't touch me!"

Hunter leaned in again, bringing our mouths within kissing distance. Restlessness unfurled, spreading through my veins, spiking my pulse. I froze.