Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday

January 17th 2012

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

• 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Here is my Teaser Tuesday:
The Alchemy of Forever, by Avery Williams

"The ensuing silence yawns around me, a dark formless presence that pushes me toward the ladder.  I have to see if it's Taryn, to see if my penance, my last act on Earth, has failed." ~ p. 51 (Nook)

Reading Reflection: The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation #1)

The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation #1)
by Avery Williams
Published January 3rd 2012

After spending six hundred years on Earth, Seraphina Ames has seen it all. Eternal life provides her with the world's riches but at a very high price: innocent lives. Centuries ago, her boyfriend, Cyrus, discovered a method of alchemy that allows them to take the bodies of other humans from jumping from one vessel to the next, ending the human's life in the process. No longer able to bear the guilt of what she's done, Sera escapes from Cyrus and vows to never kill again.

Then sixteen-year old Kailey Morgan gets into a horrific car accident right in front of her, and Sera accidentally takes over her body while trying to save her. For the first time, Sera finds herself enjoying the life of the person she's inhabiting--and falling in love with the boy who lives next door. But Cyrus will stop at nothing until she's his again, and every moment she stays, she's putting herself and the people she's grown to care about in danger. Will Sera have to give up the one thing that's eluded her for centuries: true love?

Oh my... what a fantastic book!  The Alchemy of Forever is the debut novel of Avery Williams and it has left me speechless.  I have never read a story about reincarnation and never thought I would enjoy the concept, but I absolutely loved this story.

Seraphina, the heroine, is an amazing character.  She's soft and feminine, but strong, and I immediately fell in love with her personality.  Never once did I feel that she was murderous, even though she used the bodies of others to live her very long life.  I always empathized with her and hoped she found away from Cyrus.  I hated Cyrus, everything about him and I wondered how she endured so many years with him.  The author creates the perfect abusive, controlling, and manipulative relationship and the need for Sera to escape his hold.

The best thing about this book is how it is written.  It is one of the most eloquent books I have read in my life.  Every scene and word on every page is filled with purpose, and the entire work is masterfully crafted.  It moves through the story seamlessly and though their is minimal action taking place, the need to read forward is still prevalent.  The downfall of this book was the ending.  I only say that because I am partial to happy endings for the characters, without giving away spoilers, Sera did not receive the happy life I hoped she would.  Hopefully in the next book she does. 

Must Read Monday (#12)

Must Read Monday (#12)

The goal of the Must Read Monday is to find share your love of great books with others in the hopes that they'll add a new title to their To Be Read list.

Your job is to create intrigue for other hoppers. What makes your book so swoon-worthy? What do you absolutely have to mention so they'll read it?

On your post, you'll make an acrostic puzzle (think of it as an overview/book blurb type of thing)

For specific ways to build your puzzle, click here, but pretty much any style of acrostic is welcome.

When you leave comments on other posts, be sure to mention whether you're adding that book to your TBR pile, and what part convinced you to do so.

It's all about powers of persuasion, people:) You might have to think a little, but channel that inner-creative goddess (or god).

This week's topic: Book with a wonderful ending

This week I chose The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I am not a fan of aliens, but this book is one of my favorites.  You sympathize with each character, which is the reason I love the ending.  I couldn't fathom a way for everyone to be happy, but Meyer's did.  That's why I think this book has a wonderful ending, everyone wins in the end. 

Terror seizes Melanie, she’s failed – they’ve caught her, she can’t protect the
   ones she loves.
Humans are now hosts to aliens called Souls, only empty vessels lost or trapped   
   within their own bodies.
Everyone has succumbed to the souls, losing themselves… but few are not taken   
   so easily.


However, Melanie’s voice cannot be quieted and her body heister – Wanderer –
   becomes her biggest ally
Out in the desert, together, they search for the people Melanie left behind,   
   Wanderer cannot deny she loves them too.
Secret caves house a group of rebels, not easily convinced Melanie’s soul is still   
   there.
Two souls, two different loves, one shared body, and one intricate bond between   
   captor and captive.

Reading Reflection: Unbound

Unbound (The Guardian Legacies)

by Emily Goodwin
Published October 1st 2011

The world of ghosts and spirits is nothing new to eighteen year old Anora Benson; she’s spent her whole life trying to ignore them, trying to be normal. But when the Pricolici, a group of ancient bounty hunters, are sent after her, Anora realizes she is more than just a medium.
As a witch she has power, power she doesn’t know how to use, power that makes her vulnerable to the demons that desire her gifts. Anora is alone and scared, forced to face the darkness on her own. Then she meets Ethan, a mysterious boy who shows up in her life right along with the magic, and he seems to know quite a bit about her and her legacy Coven. Will she risk everything by trusting him or risk fighting alone?

Alright, I have very mixed feelings about, Unbound, the debut book by Emily Goodwin.  Let's start off with the negative so I can get it out of the way.  I didn't really like the way the book was written.  I don't know why, I found myself completely lost at some points because I had no idea there was a scene change.  I had to go back and reread the sections to figure out what happened.  Secondly, there were a lot of errors... to the point where I couldn't comprehend the story.  That added to my overall confusion.  I also found the heroine annoying, something about her had me rolling my eyes every three pages, she just irked me.  I got it, you're weird, move on or do something about it.

Okay, now that I feel horrible, let's move onto the positives.  I really liked the story line.  Even though I was confused at points and wasn't fond of the heroine, I wanted to know what happened.  I wanted to see Anora develop, that kept me reading and will keep me looking for the series.  I also liked that the heroine could share her life with her romantic interest, that they supported each other.  Instead of one being weak always taking care of the other, that was an enjoyable twist to the story.  I only feel that the story, and story writing, can be better from here and look forward to seeing the growth of The Guardian Legacies and Emily Goodwin.

Reading Reflection: Hollowmen (The Hollows #2)

Hollowmen (The Hollows #2)

by Amanda Hocking
Published November 10th 2011 

the sequel to Hollowland....
After six months in the quarantine, Remy finds out things are much worse than she feared. Her plans to escape come with a heavy cost, and she realizes that zombies aren't the worst of her problems.

Wait... it's over?  That was is it?  Did I miss a page?  Those were my thoughts as I finished this book and attempted to click the right and left navigation buttons on my Nook, trying to find what I'd missed.

Well, this book started right from the end of the previous, Hollowland, with Remy getting butchered for experimental purposes.  It was grotesque and I couldn't handle the descriptions, so I had to skip a few pages.  This wasn't a bad thing I just don't do horror, blood, and gore... can't handle it.  It's one thing when zombies are being dismembered and speared, another to read a description of a human being sliced open, gross.

Um.... well, no one but Remy is present in the sequel, which, I don't know if I like or not.  I didn't like her love interest in the previous book, so I wasn't overly upset, but I was still attached to her makeshift family.  It was a bit confusing, disheartening, and depressive... perfect when the world is being destroyed by zombies and everyone you love has fled or died.  I guess those would be your sentiments.

I could deal with everything else, but the story was boring.  They walked, zombies attacked, they fought, they walked.  Occasionally, horrible people would interfere, making it even more depressing.  Not even the human characters were decent during the apocalypse... everything was just downright sad.  There was a little hope for them in the end, but I didn't feel it offered a real conclusion.  I wasn't satisfied.  I think that was the point though.  The world has ended. everyone you loved is gone, you've had to kill repeatedly, you've faced death for months, and the only thing you can hope for are the little things in life: water, food, shelter, clothing, and a few good people for company.

Reading Reflection: Hollowlands (The Hollows #1)

Hollowland (The Hollows #1)
by Amanda Hocking
Published October 6th 2010

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."
Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies. 
 
   

I started this book this morning and finished about two minutes ago, enjoying the book much more than I thought I would.  Like my feelings for aliens, zombies are a stretch for me, but I've been meaning to read this series for a while.
 
Firstly, I love Amanda Hocking.  This was the first book I didn't purchase immediately because of the topic -zombies- but I'm really mad I didn't.  Her writing in this story is wonderful.  I loved her Trylle Trilogy or My Blood Approves books, but felt the writing could be further refined.  She accomplished that with this book.  She packed action from the beginning to end, to the point that I didn't realize how far into the story I was.  Never once was I bored.
 
Okay, Remy, the heroine, is a kick-ass character.  I loved her.  That's that, there is nothing else I could say to describe her overall awesomeness.  Kick ass.  I was a little disappointed with her love interest, but can overlook that because I liked her so much.  There could have been no romance in this book and I'd still be happy, it wasn't central to the them... and I didn't care.  That wouldn't be a big deal, but I am a sucker for romances and look for them in the novels I read.  Not this one, I wanted to know about her, not who she thought was cute.
 
The ending wasn't what I was expected, but it served it's purpose.  I bought the sequel immediately.  I won't give away spoilers, but I'm battling with myself.  I want to start reading Hollowmen immediately because the Hollows did not leave me with the happy ending I needed for Remy and her makeshift family.
   
As long as the sequel has a happy ending, I'm willing to recommend this book to anyone.  If not, I would feel cheated.  The heroine has been through too much and fought too hard not to be happy in the end.
 
 
 
 

 
 
Favorite Quote:
The Hollows: 
 
An army of half-dead monsters trudged towards us, and we had to make a decision.
     "Run the f*****s over," Harlow said, and none of us disagreed with her.
 
I don't know why, but I absolutely loved this line. I thought it was hysterical that it came form Harlow and not any of the other characters. 

Reading Reflection: The Host

The Host (The Host #1)

by Stephenie Meyer
Published May 6th 2008 

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

Ah, what can I say about The Host.  I love this book.  It is one of my "go to" books on a lazy day, when I have nothing else to read.  I read somewhere that this story is science fiction for those who don't think they like science fiction - and I couldn't agree more.

I am not a fan of aliens in the slightest, but this book isn't just about aliens.  It's about love, compassion, and strength of different kinds.  Its a very sweet book.  Wanderer is an alien, a soul, and Melanie is her host body who refuses to fade away.  They work beautifully together and you genuinely empathize with both of them throughout the novel, which is hard to believe.

The only negative about the book is that you have to stick with it, the beginning seems to drag endlessly without any real action taking place.  Stick with it!!!  The story gets better and it has a great ending that satisfies the wants and needs of both Wanderer and Melanie.