Harry Potter Moment of the Week [44]

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! She is picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All she asks is to link back to her blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come here.

   Favorite Dragon Species

Hahaha! So is it crazy that my favorite dragon species all stems from the way Barty Crouch says its name? I just have so much fun hearing him exclaim over the Chinese Fireball :D

From Harry Potter Wikia :

"The Fireball is scarlet and smooth scaled with a fringe of golden spikes around its snub-snouted face and extremely protuberant eyes. Its name is derived from the mushroom-shaped flame that comes from its nostrils when angered, along with the large mushroom-shaped flame it shoots from its mouth. The Fireball weighs between two and four tons. The Fireball is aggressive but, unlike other dragons, it is more tolerant of its own kind, and will sometimes consent to sharing its territory with up to two other dragons."

What is your favorite dragon species?

Review: The Mainframe (The New Agenda #3) by Simone Pond

Published: November 25th 2014 by Ktown Waters
Genre: dystopia
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Book three picks up in the year 2345, seventeen years after the disappearance of former city center leader, Chief Morray. There has been peace among the West Coast regions for years, but in Ojai Village there is very little peace between Ava and her sixteen-year old daughter Grace. Both have different ideas about what it takes to maintain independence. Ava spends hours inside the mainframe searching for Morray, while Grace focuses on the art of combat. Grace’s dream is to get accepted into the Silicon Valley Academy and become a soldier like her father General Joseph Strader. During tryouts for the academy Grace comes across some digital footprints inside the mainframe, convincing Ava that Morray has returned to seek revenge and reclaim control. When Ava goes missing, Grace assembles a motley crew of cadets to go on a search and rescue mission up north in Seattle to save her mother and take down Morray. Grace soon learns that independence comes at a price.

Buy The Mainframe (The New Agenda #3) by Simone Pond Today at Amazon

"Ready for what, Ava? You've spent all these years preparing for Morray's return, and what has that done for you? You've locked yourself in another prison, and you've been holding your daughter hostage."

The Good

So having enjoyed the first two books in the series I was looking forward to this one. Ava is still hunting for Morray and we get to know her daughter now 16 years old and determined to get away from her over protective mother. I liked seeing how city center and surrounding villages have integrated into each other. I also enjoy how each book provided enough information that you wouldn't be lost if you accidentally read them out of order.

The Bad

I feel I have more questions now after having read the 3rd book then I had answered by reading it. Like I have no idea why they wouldn't have searched Morray's hideout in the sixteen years they've been looking for him.

The Romance

Ava and Joseph are still together. Grace, their daughter, experiences her first crush. And then gets to experience having that crush be around constantly creating awkward situations.

Conclusion

If you liked the first two books in the series or enjoy a strong dystopian environment with a creepy villain then I highly recommend this series. The strong heroine out to prove herself and protect the ones she loves doesn't hurt either. While Grace is a bit of a whiney teen in the beginning, watching her grow into her own really makes this part of the series.

Excerpts

Grace pried herself away. "When were you going to tell me? On the train?
"I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't find the right time. And I didn't want to distract you from tryouts."
"You're ruining everything for me!" Grace yelled.
"My going to the academy has nothing to do with you."
"Can't I have just one thing to myself without you hovering over me?"


"We're not breaking any rules if nobody knows about it,"


"Congrats on team leader, “she said, trying to keep it professional.
"I'm surprised you didn't request a team change," he joked.
"That was an option?" she blurted, without thinking.
His smile faded.

Buy The Mainframe (The New Agenda #3) by Simone Pond Today at Amazon

About Simone Pond:

Though I love writing about the future, I live in current day Los Angeles with my husband and our Boston Terrier. Check out my dystopian fiction series, which includes: The City Center, The New Agenda and The Mainframe.



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Review: Magic Slays (Kate Daniels #5) by Ilona Andrews

Publisher: June 2011 Ace Penguin Berkley
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

*Please note that it is very hard to review books past the first one in the series without having any spoilers at all. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as I can, but if you haven't read the first book in this series, you may just want to read that review instead of continuing with this one.

Goodreads Summary
Kate Daniels narrates Atlanta detective agency start with pal Andrea, half-beast rejected from the Order. Kate's loving Mate is Beast Lord Curran, so Keep politics intervene. She is unlikely to kill 'children', so Aunt B assigns half-bouda bodyguards, spoiled Ascanio 15, Derek 19. First case is vanished inventor and Doomsday Device. Ward Julie runs from school, again.

“Shapeshifter parenting motto—if your kid slit somebody's throat, always have a backup plan to make the body disappear.”

The Kate Daniels series is one that I am beyond thrilled to have read. It makes me sad to think I went so long oblivious to the greatness of this Urban Fantasy series. This one just didn't sink its claws in me and drag me under like the previous ones. It's still a wonderful read, though.

The Good

Magic Slays brings out a different side to Kate. She is vulnerable, and she's more emotional. From the left, she's getting new information about her past that's tilting her personal axis. From the right, she's questioning whether she is the one that feels more in her relationship. It really doesn't matter how awesome you think you are, you will inevitably question whether you are that one that is head over heels and your partner is with you just for kicks, or maybe even a more nefarious reason like using you for their own gain. From the center, she's hit with the pain of a mortally wounded loved one. She tries keeping it all hidden and her tough shell up for the world to see, but I'm reading her inner most thoughts so her personal struggle comes through.

Besides the action that I always adore in this series, there were also some other great moments. I found it brilliant to read Kate taking a bigger part in pack business...especially when they weren't all trying to challenge her to a fight. There was also that divine "gotcha" moment when she caught Julie doing something she shouldn't have, but was proud of her anyway. Having Andrea back in the fold is excellent as well. Every hard-as-nails heroine needs a bestie that is just as scary in different ways. I was thrilled to see the jealousy between Curran and Saiman come to a head with a hilarious video culminating in a conversation about what will undoubtedly cause Curran's jealousy to peak.

The big bad in this one would rain on any parade. In a world where magic in many different forms is so abundant, the threat to all magic users is significant. It's up to Kate to once again save the day.

The Bad

There was a lull in action when Kate was learning about her past, and I was actually thinking to myself that it needed to get a move on and get it out already so we can get to the good stuff. While the information was important, necessary, and helped to shape Kate's understanding and character, it bored me as well.

The Romance

It's fantastic when an author can allow two characters to come together, and have everything about that relationship still be entertaining. They definitely get in lover's quarrels, but the way they argue, talk, make-up, and work things out, is enjoyable and fun. Kate and Curran feel like a true couple through and through and I definitely felt how deeply each feels about the other.

Conclusion

Another great book by the Andrews pair. I love the world in this series, the magic, and the characters, While I did feel a break in the action for a while through the middle, it gets juiced up at the end. It also starts with a good bang. Recommended.

Excerpts

“Yes I can,” Curran snarled. “Listen: this is me telling you what you will not do.”
I raised the cookbook and tapped him on the nose. Bad cat.” 

“Andrea raised her hand. “This is the hand that slapped Aunt B.”
“Maybe you should have it gold-plated.”

“Here, you can touch it, since you’re my best friend.”

“Did he just rip out the engine?" I asked.
"Yes", Saiman said. "And now he is demolishing the Maserati with it."
Ten seconds later Curran hurled the twisted wreck of black and orange that used to be the Maserati into the wall.
The first melodic notes of an old song came from the computer. I glanced at Saiman.

He shrugged. "It begged for a soundtrack.” 

“Help me, I can’t breathe, your ego is pushing all the air out of the room.”  

Review: The New Agenda (The New Agenda #2) by Simone Pond

Published: June 1st 2014 by Ktown Waters
Genre: dystopia
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

*note, it's classified as the 2nd book in the series but reads as a prequel to #1

Goodreads Summary

For certain, society was disintegrating: humans were self-destructive and wildly uncontrolled. But young William Morray had hoped, as an idealistic teenager, that his father’s acclaimed Repatterning Program––a precursor to the brilliant New Agenda––could manage the upheaval and get society back on track.

They said it was for the greater good: out of chaos comes order and from the ashes the phoenix will rise. They said the Repatterning was a positive event, but like most advertising, it was a lie.

William’s wish had always been to work with his father and win his approval. However, when he is sent away to a remote underground safety shelter in Denver, William is awakened to the grisly truth that the Repatterning is a mass genocide. And worse: his father, the New Agenda leader, is the spearhead of this horrifying plan to eradicate all cities, homes and people outside of the Elite citizenship. William decides to team up with an underground rebel alliance to end the Repatterning and save what’s left of civilization.

Buy The New Agenda (The New Agenda #2) by Simone Pond Today at Amazon

"It's not too late to get someone else to do this," Joseph says.

"I told you, I know Morray better than anyone. I've seen into the depths of that man's evil mind. If anyone's going into find him, it's me. I owe it to my people."

"You've done more than your fair share, Ava. You freed them."

"And that's exactly why I want to make sure I find Morray, so they can stay free."

The Good

So after reading the first book in the series, I really enjoyed the chance to see how the world ended up like it was. One person in control of a city sealed off from the rest of the world. I am one who really needs a good villain to draw me into a story and getting to see what created Morray made the first book that much better for me. The concept worked really well in a tin foil hat type way.

The Bad

I have no major complaints, there was a few times I thought the pace was a bit too slow.

The Romance

Morray finds himself smack dab in a love triangle. Love triangles are always fun right?

Conclusion

I really like the fact that Pond used an entire book to let you get to know Morray, and what made him the villain he is. Normally you might get a few chapters and have to fall in hate with the villain based off that. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll enjoy seeing the world developed and become such a messed up Dystopia.

Excerpts

"Your father and his elites have one sole purpose -- to kill off ninety percent of the population. We're nothin' but garbage to these assholes."


"Most places have been burned to the ground -- big cities, towns, farms. Almost everything's gone except for the centers. I don't know how many there are."
"And the people?" she asks.
I think about the show, America 2.0. "Most of them are gone."


"It looks like the death tolls reached an all-time high yesterday." He makes a sad face.
The ticker tape goes across the bottom of the screen. The final count: 214,733. The audience stares on.
Barb sips her drink. "But the good news is the ECC's are in place and ready to take in refugees. Look at all of those tents! It'll be fun, like the carnival coming to town." She chuckles.

Buy The New Agenda (The New Agenda #2) by Simone Pond Today at Amazon

Sunday Cover Scramble [96]

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 I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I'm changing up the format a little bit! I am going to be pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

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Sidekick Showcase [92] - Centaur

Sidekick Showcase is a monthly 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 the first Saturday of the month, then whichever day during the month that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in 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 that fits in the month's topic
• 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
• The day of your post, click the 'Sidekicks' link in my header and enter the link for your post. Here, you can also see anyone else that posted during the month to visit their Sidekick Showcase's as well.

December's zodiac is Sagittarius which is depicted by a centaur so I'm going with centaur. It's also the month of family, giving, and festivities so let's also add in selfless, giving, family-oriented as themes for this month.

My choice is Chiron
from The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordin

Chiron is introduced in the story as a teacher in a wheelchair that is always trying to push Percy into being the hero that he knows he can be. He makes him look harder, try harder, and tries to keep him safe and unaware of the world of demi-gods. It all comes out though and Percy meets the centaur in full form, strong, respected and brave. Chiron is very loved by the kids at Camp Halfblood and respected by the adults. He's one of those characters that you don't see on the pages often, but when he's there, he makes an impact.

Quotes:

“It's him," I said. "Typhon."
I was seriously hoping Chiron would say something good, like "No, that's our huge friend Leroy! He's going to help us!”

---

Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back the the way I trusted his front.

---

“But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy ...?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky.”

---

Mr. D, wearing his leopard-skin jogging suit and rummaging through the refrigerator.
He looked up lazily. "Do you mind?"
"Where's Chiron!" I shouted.
"How rude." Mr. D took a swig from a jug of grape juice. "Is that how you say hello?"
"Hello," I amended. "We're about to die! Where's Chiron?”

---

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Blog Tour: Seasons of Change by Mia Hoddell

Seasons of Change Box Set
Books 1-4 + Exclusive Bonus Stories
by Mia Hoddell

Genre: YA Romance
Release date: November 27th 2014

Blurb:
You can now get all four Amazon best-selling novellas in the Seasons of Change series, plus two exclusive short stories, in one box set.

These feel-good contemporary romances follow the seasons as characters change for the better, find themselves, and overcome fears.

All of the novellas are standalone reads, but can be enjoyed as a series because characters overlap. This box set includes:

Summer Demons: Jenna Shaw jumped on a plane and flew to Portugal to try and forget her past. However, forced to deal with her memories due to an ill-timed joke, Jenna’s holiday is derailed by the charismatic Ethan Brooks. She sees him as an annoyance; he sees her as a challenge. And when all of his usual tricks only serve to push her away, Ethan has to work harder than ever if he wants to win over and help his mysterious girl.

Winter Angel: When Amy’s suggestion of a beach holiday is overruled in favour of skiing she couldn’t have predicted it might make her break the one, and only, rule she has: not to commit to a serious relationship again. The minute she sees Luke, she knows something’s wrong, and her desire to fix people means she wants to be the one to help him. However, she didn’t go on holiday to fall for someone, and whether or not she can move past her insecurities will depend on whether Luke can face his biggest fear.

Autumn Ghosts: Only one person knows what truly lies in Ellie Jeffords’ heart, and that’s herself. Hating the course she is studying, Ellie is failing and when a friend’s cousin, Justin, offers to tutor her, she jumps at the chance. However, as the pressure of exams starts to break Ellie, Justin wants her to confide in him. The only problem is that he can’t persuade her to talk without revealing his own dark secret, and forcing Ellie to choose between her parents’ dreams and her own will cost her something she loves.

Spring Knight: Kayleigh Barrow is most comfortable on stage where she can pretend she’s someone else, but when auditions for the latest production are opened up to the entire university, the lines between fantasy and reality start to blur. Thrown together with renowned player, Aiden Hanson, she can’t longer hide her feelings for him. However, he’s never had a serious relationship and Kayleigh refuses to be another conquest. When her acting starts to become real and she can no longer hide behind her character, Kayleigh must decide whether Aiden’s worth the risk, or if he will end up breaking her heart.

Plus 2 exclusive short stories:
Summer Revenge: Jenna promised she’d get Ethan back for his prank, and it’s time to cash in. Read about what happened after the couple left Portugal.
Season of Love: There’s beach fun, flirting, and mischief as all of the Seasons of Change couples take part in a beach competition.

Buy it now, save 20% and get more content than if purchased separately.

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

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Spring Knight Excerpt

Black. It was the only colour she could see as she stood on top of the platform. Her vision had tunnelled with the waves of vertigo that hit her body, allowing only the dark colour into her eye line. With the strength of a gale force wind, it pounded on her chest, causing her to stumble back as its icy hold sent a shiver along her spine. The break from seeing the ground wasn’t enough, though. She couldn’t go far enough to feel safe. If she moved more than one step in any direction she would fall.

She felt dizzy ... lightheaded.

It was the worst possible time to find out she was scared of heights, but maybe it was the thought of jumping rather than the actual distance. Not only did she feel faint, but also sick. Kayleigh didn’t even know how those two actions could combine, but she let out a nervous giggle and hoped another type of blackness would capture her mind before she made a complete fool of herself. It probably made her sound insane, but she couldn’t stop the sound.

No longer could she find the answer to why she was on a platform, willing herself to fall. It had seemed logical and easy on the climb up, but now she suddenly felt as if she was standing on top of a building, rather than a few metres in the air. Her heart was pounding in her chest; the rhythm frantic as she urged herself to peer over the edge once more. Palms slick with sweat, her fingers slipping over each other, she twitched nervously as she strained her neck to catch a glimpse of the floor.

“I can do this. Just lean back and it will all be over,” she muttered to herself, only adding to the crazy image she had going on.

People were shuffling anxiously on the ground, unsettled by her actions. “Block them out, Kayleigh. You can do this,” she chanted ritually under her breath before she inhaled sharply. Slowly counting, she exhaled with a deep sigh when she reached twenty. Her whole body relaxed with the action and Kayleigh closed her eyes, trying to find a sense of peace and stillness. Unfortunately, all it did was make her knees weaker. Reopening her eyes, Kayleigh kept her head up and her chin parallel with the floor. If she didn’t look down, what she was about to do couldn’t scare her … at least that’s what she told herself.

Block it out. Everything. Focus on your breathing. It’ll be over in seconds.

Taking one last deep breath, her gaze hardened and she picked a spot across the room to focus on. She shuffled to the edge, her bare toes skimming the lip of the platform.

She was just about to turn around when something interrupted her focus. A door slammed hard, and into the room walked the last person she expected to see. His cool, blue eyes found hers instantly, holding multiple questions as to why she was doing what she was. Yet Kayleigh didn’t stop to think any further. The last thing she needed was to appear weak in front of him, and she’d only just calmed herself down.

Turning, Kayleigh edged back so that only her toes were balanced on the edge, her heels hanging off. She felt like a diver, but with worse balance since her legs had started to shake.

She couldn’t hold the position long.

“Ready!” she shouted, loud enough to silence the room. Normally she hated being the centre of attention, and wanted to shrink into the darkest corner possible. However, today she would kill anyone who wasn’t focused on her. Today she needed all eyes to be on her or everything was going to end badly.

She heard counting below. “Three ... Two ... One ...” As they reached the final number Kayleigh pushed all thoughts from her mind and leaned back, her arms crossed over her chest tightly.

Displacing her weight, her body fell.

About the Author

Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything paranormal and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.

With three poems published before the age of sixteen, Mia moved on to short stories but finding she had too much to tell with too little space, Mia progressed to novels. She started her first series (The Wanderer Trilogy) at the age of fourteen and since then hasn’t stopped writing. Seasons of Change is her third series and with an ever growing list of ideas, Mia is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them.

Connect with Mia:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+ | Amazon Author Page

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 ARCs, giveaways and new releases

**Giveaway**
3x copies of Summer Demons and Winter Angel (ebooks)

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