Friday, September 30, 2011

Coveresque feat. Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers (US vs. Spanish vs. German)

Here you see the US, Spanish and German covers of PERSONAL DEMONS by Lisa Desrochers. I haven't read the book so I can't tell which one is the most fitting. The German covers looks like to many others, only showing a pale female face. The US and Spanish cover display already an important story element. Looks like a love triangle  and the choice between good and evil. How do you like them?

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor




Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publishing Date: September 29th 2011
Length: 422 pages
Genre: YA, fantasy, paranormal romance
Source: Publisher

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Summary by Goodreads 

  



I never intended to read DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE in the first place. Now I’m so glad Hodder & Stoughton sent me a copy and made me pick this book up. I read it in only a few days and it totally rocked my holidays.



~ It’s Magic ~

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic”

The story around protagonist Karou is set in many places. The larger part of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE takes place in atmospheric and cultural Prague. But magical portals allow Karou to travel to places all over the world like Paris or Marrakesh. Author Laini Taylor did such a fantastic job describing all the different cities, I could almost feel my feet wandering the Charles bridge in Prague and smell the foreign spices in Marrakesh. It’s incredible how many places and worlds we get to discover!


~ Some hot stuff ~

"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well."

Now meet Karou, blue-haired heroine extraordinaire. She’s a tough and talented young woman who loves to draw and has still so much to discover about her past. I immediately cared about her. Karou’s got a talent to draw so vividly you’d think her motifs of humans with animal limbs and heads were real. For Karou they are. Every time she goes through that special door, she’ll get to a place called Elsewhere, where her family made up of otherworldly beings lives. And this magical place is just the entrance to a world larger than any human being could imagine. 

The moment Karou meets stranger Akiva is intense. They have a special relationship, which can be described by so many various feelings, old and new to both of them, and I loved to see how they became more intimate and sure over the course of the story. Akiva is some hot stuff!

There are so many other characters introduced to us and every single one of them felt really authentic and alive to me with their unique personalities and histories.

Behind the story lies a war that is as ancient as the two races involved themselves. I’d love to gush about the beings Laini Taylor chose to build the story of DAUGHER OF SMOKE AND BONE around, but I don’t want to ruin the fun of discovering their secrets and origins yourselves.
I knew so little about this book at first and was surprised of how much it had to offer in the end. I enjoyed the journey pretty much. And you won’t be disappointed either!


~ The creation ~

"Happiness. It was the place where passion, with all its dazzle and drumbeat, met something softer: homecoming and safety and pure sunbeam comfort. It was all those things, intertwined with the heat and the thrill, and it was as bright within her as a swallowed star."

Laini Taylor achieved to create a gigantic story background and a wonderful world construct filled with so many colourful characters and places that simply captivate your mind. With each page Laini Taylor reveals a historical background to our character cast that really got to me. It’s so beautiful and cruel at the same time. Every single detail fits perfectly and contributes to a wonderful story. Taylor’s writing is hyper-engaging. She writes with wit, fun and always seems to find the right amount of words to make a scene lively and relevant.

The story is told from a 3rd person narrator and follows Karou and Akiva among others. The headlines are all made up of words or elements that are a significant part of each chapter. Each chapter offers a pleasant page count and you’ll definitely have to mark a few of the sixty chapters as your favourites.



~ A much loved fairy tale blockbuster ~


"Oh, Hell. Must. Mate. Immediately."

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE feels like a much loved fairy tale of your childhood and at the same time like this very exclusive and exquisitely hot and action-packed blockbuster.





1) of chemical butterflies
2) of magical portals
3) of Elsewhere
4) of a very special drawing talent
5) of so many mysterious and exciting places and characters


 


5/5 ***** DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE- A surprise bag of extravagant characters, exotic settings and extraordinarily breath-taking plot twists and turns! Definitely a favourite!
  
DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a complexly constructed story, which consists of many layers of history and action. It’s so much fun exploring them. Laini Taylor created a world of wishes, mysteries and magic. Find out which role dozens of teeth and smoke play in it!
I haven’t read a book that captivated me as much as DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE in a long time. You’ll love it!




* The screenshots are from the DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE trailers.

* Read an excerpt of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE here

* Watch the book trailers of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE here.

* For further information visit www.lainitaylor.com and www.daughterofsmokeandbone.co.uk

* A huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a copy of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE for review! 

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Feature: Fashion & Literature



In my new feature "Fashionable Literature" I want to show you funny and fashionable items that can be bought or made to decorate yourselves or your homes with.

I really love my bookmobile find! I want to have one and I think I'm going to try to make my own mobile. And isn't the idea to hang a bookmobile in your children's room super cute and smart? How do you like them?

............................................................................................................................................................................................

 

 

"Paws, Hoofs and Flippers" is a delightful children's book all about the animals who have such appendages. Filled with tenderly drawn illustrations, this mobile is a feast for the eyes. Koalas, kangas, pandas, and the like are found within the page loops as well as a charming hand-drawn diagram of mammals. Set within illustrated teal covers, this hanging art is easily at home in a child's room, nursery or anywhere needing a slight touch of sweet exotica. Published in 1954.
 
 10 w x 8 1/2 d X 12l" || 30" hanging cord which can be shortened"



 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to find out more about these mobiles? Visit Lisa @ theshophouse!

 


Book Trailer: Daughter of Smoke and Bone Part 5

So, here's the final trailer of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. I'm looking forward to post my review tomorrow, on the UK pub date! 

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Teaser Tuesday #41

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading


Invisible Fiends Doc Mortis- Barry Hutchinson 


"But the room was locked up for a reason, and I wanted to know what was inside. The door was flimsy and flew open with one kick."




~ p. 69

Monday, September 26, 2011

October Giveaway



Hey guy, I'm in need of comments! I haven't been commenting as much as I'd like to lately and I'll host this giveaway as a chance to win a book of your choice and as a dare to me to comment on one of your posts every time you leave a comment on one of mine.


The Prize 

A book of your choice up to 15 $ US  from The Book Depository. Please check if they ship to your country!


The Rules

* Open Internationally

* Fill out the  >> FORM << so I got your general contact info and the name you want to comment as

*With the first comment you leave on any of my blog posts from now on, you are entered for a chance to win.

* I will then count every comment you leave and add them up. Comments on general posts get up one entry. Everytime you comment on a review I'll give you three entries in the Contest.

* You can tweet about this once and get +1 entry

* Winner will be chosen by random.org 

* Contest runs from September 26th til October 31st


Still got questions? Feel free to ask! :)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Blogger Abroad: In Switzerland

In the last few weeks my blog posts have been published a bit more irregularly and you might have wondered why that is. I'm in Basel, Switzerland at the moment and I'm spending my semestre abroad here. 

Basel is the third biggest city in Switzerland, has 170.000 inhabitants and is only a few kilometres away from the German and French border. Right now I'm pretty happy to be here. I didn't imagine the city to be so beautiful and my uni courses so much fun. I just got the best course ever, it's about YA books and the various elements that influence a review!

Have a look at my new home for the next few months:

 Skyline with Basel's red Münster


 Miniature Basel


 Town Hall


Basel at Night


 Where I read today...


 Reading Material


I'm provided with lots of reading material and every book sent to my home address in Germany will be forwarded to Switzerland. I hope I'll find the time to do as much blogging as before and spread some more comment love in the next weeks!

Have a great weekend,
Sarah