Devon Ashley's Blog, page 13

Welcome to the NEARLY BROKEN blog tour hosted by YA BOUND! Feel free to check out the reviews and enter to win some copies of Nearly Broken right here at the Crazy Dream blog and on the tour itself. My rafflecopter's below; for YA BOUND'S rafflecopter, just click on any live post!
***Blog Tour Schedule***
 July 22nd:Reading to Stay Alive - ReviewBooks Live Forever - ReviewBestSellers & BestStellars - ReviewBooks I View - ReviewFastidious Reader - ReviewWintry Words - Promo PostParanormal & Urban Fantasy Review  - Promo Post
 July 23rd:Kassie's Book Thoughts - ReviewA Dream Within A Dream - Promo PostStep Into Fiction - ReviewSBookLover Reviews  - ReviewBook Freak - ReviewJourney with Books - Review
 July 24th:Book Angel Booktopia - ReviewLiving Fictitiously - ReviewLiving in a Bookworld - ReviewMommasez... - ReviewBook Fixation - ReviewComfort Books - Promo Post
 July 25th:Stuck In YA Books - ReviewJany's Book Blog - ReviewBookworm Brandee - ReviewStephanie Parent YA Author - ReviewThese Words Tell A Story... - ReviewJesus Freak Reader – Reviewki0lu& Mimi - Promo Post
 July 26th:A Diary Of A Book Addict - ReviewSuch A Novel Idea - ReviewNever Judge a Book by its Cover - ReviewChristine's Blog - ReviewTwo-Tall-Tales - Review
 July 27th:#BookNerd - ReviewUnputdownable Books - Promo PostAndi's Young Adult Books - ReviewwhYAnot Reviews - ReviewNazish Reads - Promo PostShut Up and Read  - ReviewShawna's Survey - Review
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Yep, you read right. Fans are asking, I'm delivering. I already had this story in the back of mind, wondering if I should put pen to paper, and I've finally decided, yes, YES I AM! Both guys in Jenna's life are sweet and deserve to be happy, so I'm gonna make sure the one that lost out gets an unexpected happily ever after of his own. I'll try to get this one out for Valentine's Day as well, but no promises! I've got three more novels to work on once I finish the one I'm working on now. But it'll definitely get worked in and released by summer 2014 at the latest!
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A happily ever after novella for the guy Jenna didn't choose, told from his point of view.

A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire #1)
Bella Forrest
Pub: December 14, 2012

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night. Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?  

Sofia's life just went to crap, on her seventeenth birthday no less. Crushed to see her best friend and guy that she loves paying attention to someone else, she goes for a long walk on the beach by herself. Never a good idea ladies, and it proves costly for this heroine once she's whipped away by a vampire. She's taken to The Shade, an island populated by vampires and their slaves where a magical spell protects them from the sun 24/7. Turns out Sofia has been selected to be one of five girls in the Prince's new harem. He's freshly awakened and none to happy about it. Neither is Sophia, who's humanity is threatened at every fork in her newly paved road.
Hmm... I'm proud of myself for finishing this, but in all honesty, it lacked for me in several departments. One was the story. It felt like a Twilight knock-off to me - ie. Derek being the vampire that just awoke and wants to feed off Sofia but can't because he's instantly enamored by her. Which, I'm sorry to say, is ludicrous. Vampires need blood. Especially ones that just awoke after hundreds of years. They're not going to stop and think about who it is they're taking it from until they're dried up and dead on the floor. This scene would've been more believable if Derek had drained at least one of the girls before deciding that Sofia was too special to drink from.

Speaking of Derek, I'm a little disappointed in our hero, because for someone who was supposed to be a great leader and fighter, he sure didn't come off that way. In fact, he actually allowed certain individuals to walk all over him. His instincts told him who the vampire was assaulting Sofia, yet he was too boneless to actually call him out on it, and Sofia suffered because of it. I'm sorry, that's just not leading man material for me. Also, Sofia screams Bella Swan - the girl who thinks she's not pretty or special enough to be with anyone, yet countless guys are vying for her affection.

Next would be better editing, but seeing how this is Ms. Forrest's first Indie novel, I was expecting this and all is forgiven on that front. We've all have a lot to learn in this department.

My biggest issue with the first installment of A Shade of Vampire was the lack of emotions throughout the novel. It was written in first person, yet I felt like I didn't know Sofia at all. We're always told what she was feeling, rarely ever seeing it come to life on the pages. When she was stolen and taken to the island, in reality, she's a normal gal who's completely ignorant about the paranormal world of vampires. She should've been totally freaking out about being kidnapped and fearing for her life, because at the very least, she was gonna be Slurpy's flavor-of-the-month. But all we get are thoughts telling us that she was scared. Could have fooled me. I get that she has a condition that allows her to focus and compartmentalize on what's important, but still, everyone feels emotions, including Sofia. And when the vampire holds her down and literally molests her, there's zero emotion coming off her. And unfortunately, this continues on throughout the novel. And since I never felt connected to Sofia, I felt no pity for her situation, nor did I really care about the things that happened to her. Because seriously, if she can't be bothered to care, why should I?

Younger adults and Twilight fans might like this (novel? novella? I'm honestly not sure. It seems too long for a novella and too short for a novel.) Anyone that's read a lot of paranormal romances out there probably won't be that intrigued by its simplicity and predictability, but newbies to the genre will. As for the writing, I vaguely recall the story flowing smoothly despite the repetitive word usage. And considering this is Ms. Forrest's first published novel, it's a good start - she can only get better with each subsequent novel.
  Novel provided by author for honest review.

Bloodspell (Bloodspell #1)
Amalie Howard
Pub: June 1, 2011

The spell was simple... Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood).  But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?

Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.

What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?  
I'd like to give you the 4-1-1 on this novel, but I honestly don't remember too much of it, even though I finished just a few days ago. I'm not gonna lie, it took me awhile to read Bloodspell. The story seemed to drag on with very little action to keep me hooked (at least until the end, where it finally commanded some respect). I was actually looking forward to reading about not only a powerful witch, but a cursed one. In this department, Bloodspell delivered, because Victoria could do some awesome stuff. But sadly, the magical aspect of this novel was all I could categorize in the awesome department.  Hmm....this was the second novel in a row for me that had a lot of Twilight similarities. A boy and girl meet on her first day of class, and surprise, surprise, he doesn't know how to deal with her. He wants to be with her...wait, no he doesn't...he does...but he doesn't...it's forbidden...you shouldn't love me because I'm not worthy. Back and forth until the poor girl's got whiplash. This went on for a while. At least I think it did. I'll admit my attention zoned in and out a lot while reading this novel. Perhaps because it managed to hit several of my pet peeves: It was dual point of view and difficult to follow. The ebook version I read had no clear segregation of POV, switching back and forth at the oddest moments. This made the whole reading experience that much more difficult, because it would sometimes take me a minute to realize it had changed. Chapter breaks or even page breaks to define separation would've been really helpful.Addressing characters by their name. When you have a group, it's more understandable, but most of the scenes were between Victoria and Christian and they were using formal names every three sentences. No one does that in real life. With two people in the room, using names in dialog is unnecessary...and a little annoying. Furthermore, Christian couldn't decide whether or not to call her Victoria or Tori in casual conversation. Choose one already dude. One for daily usage, one for intimacy. Easy, done. Speaking of intimacy...when the hell did these two become an item? I was so put off by Christian's pulling and pushing her away, that suddenly they were just an item. What? Wait. What? This was just weird because I hardly remember them even kissing that often in this book. Probably because of all the...Time gaps. Every once and while I'd be reading along to find out that weeks, if not a month had passed. I honestly have no idea of the timeline in this novel because it seems to leapfrog so much. Suddenly these two had been a couple for a while (when I never even realized they were officially on) and they still hadn't been together because Christian didn't feel he could trust himself around her blood. (Yep, Twilight again, but right now I'm supposed to be addressing time gaps.) Why so many jumps in time? Was it to put them in a longer relationship so it wouldn't be considered insta-love? Because honestly, it still felt that way because we never got to witness the missing weeks they were together.Do I think Bloodspell is a good novel? Possibly, especially considering the cursed witch bit and the mad respect the paranormal world is about to unleash on her. The romance was disappointing for much of the novel, so much I would almost call it MIA. Unfortunately, I was hit with so many pet peeves that I was frustrated more than anything. So don't use my opinion too strongly in determining whether or not to read this novel, as plenty of people seem to like it. Unless of course you suffer the same pet peeves I do...    Novel provided by author for honest review. 

Howdy all! The first blog tour for Nearly Broken will end tomorrow and the second begins later this month. I'm actually really excited over how well it's done so far. I woke up one morning to find it #13 on Amazon's Literature and Fiction list. Of course I didn't manage to snag a screen shot of that, but it was nice seeing my little Indie book surrounded by a ton of popular books backed by publishing companies (ie. all three Hunger Games books, both Divergent books, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Life of Pi, all three Matched books, Looking for Alaska, the Legend novels, etc.). I couldn't have done it without you guys, so thank you! If you haven't checked it out yet, please do. :)  

Moving on... Do you wanna participate in the cover reveal of Nearly Mended? It's happening pretty soon. And let me tell you, the guy looks pretty freakin' delish on it! <fans self>
The only requirement I'm asking is that your blog is age appropriate. Sign-up below!Loading...

I'm also excited to announce that Nearly #2 will offer a second point of view from Nick! I was already determined to do this and I know a lot of readers have said they really wanted to get inside of his head too, and now that his secret is out in the open, I plan to give it to you! Also, the timeline for Nearly Mended is going to change. Originally, I planned to start Stardust (Of Dust and Darkness #2) next, but since it's fresh on my mind, I'm going to write Nearly Mended, then work on the second and third books in the Of Dust and Darkness trilogy. So my new estimated release date for Nearly Mended will be Winter 2013 instead of 2014. The first took me six weeks to write, so I'm hoping eight will be enough to cover the second - the dual POV will slow me down a bit. My goal is to have it done long before the holidays can slow me down. Have you entered to win the giveaway for a signed copy of Nearly Broken right here at the Crazy Dream blog? You have just a few more days to enter! 

Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Katie McGarry
Pub: May 28, 2013

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....
 Beth's life sucks. Except for the few friends that've got her back, her life isn't one to envy. Her mother is always high or drunk and utterly refuses to leave her drug dealer boyfriend Trent, who makes it habit to beat up on Beth and her mother. Beth, in particular, he would kill in an instant if she ever came around again. Ryan is a star pitcher, looking to perfect his craft and earn his way into the majors after high school. But life throws him a curveball when he figures out his writing ability is good enough to make a living off of too, despite his father's disgust of him going on to college first. (Heaven forbid an athlete should get an actual degree and have a fall-back plan in case an injury comes along to squash his chances, right?) Like all immature guys in high school, Ryan and his friends like to make bets to one-up one another and maintain a sense of pride. When Beth enters the fast food joint one night the guys are there, Ryan's new dare is to obtain the unattainable - her phone number. Of course Beth isn't gonna give him the time of day no matter his looks, because she can see right through him. After Beth goes off one night trying to help her mother, she gets caught trying to smack Trent unconscious with a baseball bat and is forced to go live with her uncle in a nearby town. And when Ryan realizes the girl that rejected him is now attending the same high school, his damaged ego is determined to still win the bet she'd cost him that night. Boys and their bets, right girls? It's been awhile since I've been at high school, but I'm sure the stakes are still the same. Luckily Beth is smart enough not to be a victim from that nonsense but it doesn't keep her from involving herself with those that are playing. Kind of hard not to I suppose, when the guy practically stalks her to insert himself in her life. Which is pretty easy since her uncle is a famous baseball player and Ryan's new mentor. And since Beth is troubled, her uncle is happy that a kind, decent young man can look after her and be a positive influence in her life. Bleh. I feel for the girl, truly I do, because she was only in that spot because she'd tried to keep Trent from beating up on her mother.
Her mother. Lord it was annoying how much Beth fought for this woman, who clearly didn't deserve so much as the time of day. But I can't fault her for trying. I've witnessed this issue in real life, and much to my annoyance, I understand a person's need to keep their mother or father in their life no matter the heartache. That desire to be loved by family members will drive them to the end of the earth no matter how much these people hurt them. I just wished so hard that she'd let her mother go and do what was good for her for once. She even took the blame for the damage to Trent's car because her mother was already on probation. Hence the reason she was forced to move away... As for the romance, I'm still not sure why these two got together. Did I like the scenes as their relationship grew? Yes. Did I like the relationship once it got going? Yes. But I'm still not happy about how they formed to begin with because it just doesn't make any sense. He's a jock. She's a little emo. Beth knew from the minute he approached her that he was only trying to score some points with his buddies by talking to her, and she was a complete you-know-what for some time to come because of it. So he was using her for a bet and she was just mean and angry all the time around him. So why the attraction? Thinking the other is cute is not enough to build a relationship. And if you're already wounded to begin with, this particular person is not the one you're gonna lean on and confide your deepest, darkest secrets to. Just saying... All in all it was a good read. I won't read it again but I don't regret reading it either. It's got a little romance, a whole lot of heartbreak and some darkness surrounding the unhappy family dynamics all around. So if you liked Pushing the Limits, you're probably going to like Dare You To as well.
ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for honest review.

Quick and Easy Entry. One international winner. Your choice of book from the Book Depository up to $12.

 
a Rafflecopter giveawayI've also got giveaways going on for signed copies ofNearly Broken (INT) and The Adoration of Jenna Fox (US).

Welcome to the Nearly Broken tour with AToMR Tours. They've got their own giveaways going on, so click on a blog and check it out. I'm also running a giveaway for a signed copy here, so scan down to the rafflecopter below. Cheers!
PRICE DROP ***During the AToMR tour, Nearly Broken will be just 99 cents at Amazon,  Barnes and Noble and Kobo. For links, click here.***
Monday, July 1:
Bend In The Binding – ReviewHook Me Up Book Blog – ReviewRoloPolo Book Blog – Guest PostHesperia Loves Books – Guest PostTuesday, July 2:
A Dream Within A Dream – Guest PostInto the Night Reviews – ReviewReader Girls – ReviewThe LUV’NV – Guest PostWolfel’s World of Books – ReviewWednesday, July 3:
Books and Motherhood – ReviewFalling In Fall – ReviewThursday, July 4:
No Posts due to US HolidayFriday, July 5:
Brianna Lee Book Reviews – Guest PostBrittany and Bianca Blab Books – ReviewMy Neurotic Book Affair – ReviewNovel Seduction – ReviewWaves of Fiction – ReviewWe Fancy Books – ReviewSaturday, July 6:
Crazy Four Books – ReviewCruising Susan Book Reviews – ReviewDeb Deb Reviews – ReviewReality Bites! Let’s Get Lost!! – ReviewTattooed Book Review – Guest PostThe Boyfriend Bookmark – ReviewSunday, July 7:
A Diary Of A Book Addict – ReviewMagic World Of Books – ReviewMusings From An Addicted Reader – ReviewRose’s Book Blog – ReviewThe Bookish Babe – Review a Rafflecopter giveaway

  JULY'S GIVEAWAY
  The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson  Everything is different

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma - so she's been told - and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She's been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won't anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions.

What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she really?

To enter, visit the Previously Loved Book Giveaway page!

So I'm making a few changes here at the Crazy Dream blog. You've probably noticed that my reviews have been a little skimpy these past few months. This is because my tastes have been changing. Up until now I've predominantly reviewed novels in the Young Adult genre. Sadly, this genre really isn't doing it for me anymore. There are a few series I will continue to read and review, but beginning July 2013, I'll be mostly reviewing New Adult books from now on.  Cheers!