Contest on Jill Scribbles blog: Incarnate

   Okay. So on Jill Scribbles blog there is now (well, I just now found out about it) a contest. The contest is for Incarnate by Jodi Meadows and the rules for  the contest are basic:


• You must be a follower of her (Jill Scribbles) blog
• The contest is international


There are ways to get additional entries. To find out more click here.


Contest Ends: Tomorrow- Thursday, September 29, 2011 at midnight (12:00) Iowa time


This will also be put on the contests page with other current contests. When the contest it over the link will be removed when  the winners are announced and replaced with the link to that post.

Brittany B.

Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Pages: 464
Format: Hard Cover

First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Summary from Barnes&Noble

   When I first saw Angelfire I didn't actually pick it up because the title had screamed at me. No,I picked it up because I saw an awesome sword but, hey, after I read the summary I realized that I had gotten a great read. The first page had me entranced. I mean, the first page was really nothing special but to me, being able to get into the teenage mind with such ease is an accomplishment that kept me going.
   Angelfire may start off a little slow... oh wait, she spots Will right after she leaves school in the 1st chapter. After that the story really begins with Ellie learning from Will (after giving up on avoiding him) that she is the Preliator, destined to destroy the Reapers who kill humans and send their souls to Hell. As Ellie comes to accept this, Courty Allison Moulton writes out the rest Angelfire amazingly making a beautifully written first book in the Angelfire Trilogy. Amazing!

Read the Review on Goodreads.

Brittany B.

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Pages: 487
Format: Hard Cover


In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
Summary From barnesandnoble.com


     When I first heard about this book I was immediately intrigued. After reading the first 100 pages online I went to buy it and was hooked after I begun to officially read it. After six hours I finished Divergent (which it was approximately three am when I finished).
     In Divergent 16 year old Beatrice "Tris" Prior lives in a futuristic Chicago where the city is divided into 5 factions, Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Dauntless (the brave). When Tris leaves her family for the faction of the Dauntless she is thrust into a world where bravery has been twisted from something helpful and good, into something harsh and brutal. During initiation Tris learns that there is more at stake than people learning that she is a Divergent. Erudite is secretly planning war on Abnegation and are planning than use the Dauntless to do it.
     With Dystopian books becoming a growing trend among teens, like me, Divergent is an amazing example of the theme. I love this book and, though it was written a little formally, it was very well written. In the first chapter the book starts off a little slow but picks up quite quickly and has a strong and well written story line. On the edge of "seat" from the time Tris enters the Dauntless faction to the very and of the book and I loved every second of it. With the romance between Tris and Four (and the obvious lack of a love triangle, which I love) not being the main part of the book it made the action seem a whole lot better. This is definitely a must read for young adults and fans of The Hunger Games.


Look at my Goodreads page.

Brittany B.

Sophie Jordan, Vanish: Contest

Hey there Folks! Sophie Jordan has started up a new contest on her website.  This contest is in celebration of Vanish being released. Contest info from sophiejordan.net:


To celebrate the release of Vanish, simply email any artwork YOU created that was inspired by Vanish! This could be a poem, a cool photograph, a drawing, a collage - the sky's the limit! Get creative and have fun! The top TWO winners will each receive a $25 dollar Barnes and Noble gift certificate and their "art" will be displayed on Sophie's website. Hint: the more obvious the connection to Vanish, the better your chances.


Contest Ends: September 27, 2011
Open to: US residents only
Prize: $25 B&N gift certificate


To go to the Contest Page click Here


Enter by submitting your entry to Sophie@sophiejordan.net

Brittany B.

Writing. What do you think?

Okay. I write stories sometimes but most of them never get past the first chapter (if even that). So here is part of a "story" I am writing.

Have you ever considered death? I have. So many, many times, although it seems irrational with how normal I seem. But this is only a recent occurrence. Just as my living with normal people is. But now I must. I must live with normal people like it’s nothing new to me. Like I know how to act and how not act, how to understand people and not misinterpret their behavior. But most of all, know how not to reveal myself or my secrets to anyone. Rain is no more. Elizabeth Allison is in her place and will forever be from this point forward, always trying to escape the past that was another life.


So tell me what you think. Personally I am not going to say it's great but at least it's better than some teenagers my age... at least from what my teachers say 'bout my writing. *sigh* But, anyhoo, what's your opinion?




And BTW- This isn't a suicide story. It's actually good.

Brittany B.

Learning to Accept New Places: Red Mountain, Red Hair,

Anyone else ever been to Colorado? Well, I live there (or here, I guess). I live right next to Red Mountain where - you guessed it- the dirt is all RED. I lived in Colorado 10 years ago and moved back in June of this year to Parachute. 3 weeks ago I moved to Glenwood Springs which sit under the shadows of Mount Sopris and Red Mountain. After using the water here for that 3 weeks my hair is gaining a red tint. Same with everyone in my family (the exception being my brother). For almost every person who lives here, that I've seen, their hair has a red tint.


*sigh*


Why must Colorado be so different from Michigan... Oh, that's right. Here every one lives in the mountains where the closest water is rivers, streams, and the (very few and far between) lakes. In Michigan you live on one of two huge peninsula's where you are never more than 72 miles from water. At least in Colorado there are a few... okay, many things different/better than in Michigan.


1) A WHOLE LOT LESS HUMIDITY
2) Sunnier skies
3) Beautiful mountain and scenery
4) Less mosquitoes and
5) Beautiful sunsets


Some downs are...


1) NO FRESH CHERRIES (what's up with that?)
2) A different type of beautiful sunset other than the one solely to Michigan
3) You have to pay to swim :( 
4) You can't walk/bike from your house to the beach (unless you are some freakin' very determined person) and
5) In Michigan no one got red tinted hair from WATER


But one has to learn that not everything is likable where you live so must learn to live with what you like and disregard the thoughts of what you don't. 

Brittany B.

Julie Kagawa, The Iron Knight: ARC Contest

Okay! So this post is for an ARC contest on Julie Kagawa's blog.
Note: I am a team Puck person but in honor of the book The Iron Knight, my one day would be spent with Ash. Maybe even "saying" hello to Puck along the day for Ash annoyance because forever will I be team Puck!

snow flakes

*********

       If I were to spend one day with Ash the first thing I would do is e-mail all my friends a picture of us together (which is sort of Ironic since he is allergic to technology *chuckles*) and send it to my friends saying I am hanging out with an awesome Warrior, Fairy (please don't confuse) Prince, who is mega hot! *grinning* The rest of the day wold be spent walking around with Ash all over •••••••• •••••••, Colorado where luckily it's mostly nature (even in town, and if your from CO you know -but not all the "nature" is that :P). If any person had decided to try and push us (mainly Ash) around I would get to see a treat of him kicking... butt. Also I would want to see the Nevernever, although that is insane, and find Puck. If Puck wanted to be found (though I have no doubt Ash could find him anyway) I would "say" hello and my time in Nevernever would be complete and I'd be content back in the Human world. 


By the end of the day I would have...
• gone to Nevernever
• spoken to (kissed) Puck
• have annoyed Ash seeing him different that his normal "blah" look (which is a bonus)
• watched Ash kick... butt
• had ice-cream (an advantage of the winter prince's company)
• some how manage to hug Ash (hoping he wouldn't make me a shish kabob on his sword)
• and have made friends with other Iron Fey (okay not the iron fay people, the series) fans and maybe befriend (as bast one could) Ash




Thanks for reading!
Maybe I should review The Iron King.  Good... No, GREAT Idea!

For Team Ash (Winter, Dark, and Mysterious)

For Team Puck Fans (How he makes people feel and what he would probably do as a prank)

Brittany B.