Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Amazon Book Deals!

Looking for a good bargain? On a book buying budget? Let me help you! Here's some deals I've found over the past week with some very awesome and promising titles!

I try to post these all on the ParaDay's Facebook Page as soon as I spot them, so if you want to keep up on your deals "like" and check back frequently! Following the blog by e-mail will also enure you don't miss out!

*Please check prices before purchasing, as they are subject to change.*



Paperbacks $3.60 and Under:

Wonderous Strange - I actually haven't read this one yet, but a friend highly recommended it to me a while back. Plus the cover is just gorgeous.

Desires of the Dead: A Body Finder Novel  - This would be book two of Body Finder.

Jane - This one I have read and I really enjoyed it! Great modern twist on a classic!


Hereafter  - Haven't read, but again, look at that cover!








The Eternal Ones  - This one is actually only $2.51.

The Sky is Everywhere  - SO SO good! Definitely five stars and a favorite.


Evernight  - I read this years ago, but I remembered enjoying it! The sequel, Stargazer is also on sale for $3.60.





Paperbacks $4.00




Falling Under - Another favorite! Think dark Alice in Wonderland.
 



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

"Alice in Zombieland" by Gena Showalter

Series: White Rabbit Chronicles #1
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance / Zombies
Format: Kindle
Publication: September 25, 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars


From Goodreads: She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish


My Thoughts: OMG. I loved, LOVED, this book! I couldn't put it down! Literally. I stayed up until 6:00 am finishing it.

First off, let me just begin by saying how EPIC Ali is! Because she totally is. I loved everything about her character. Beside all of her awesome zombie fighting skills, her "voice",along with every other character in the book, was just so distinct and fun. She packs a heck of a punch and I found myself laughing along with her and her best friend, Kat.

Then, we have the story itself: ZOMBIESSS! I mean, anything with zombies in it is almost guaranteed to be awesome sauce. BUT Showalter does one better and pulls out a very cool, original, spin on them. Put that together with her loveable characters and you get one amazing read.

As if all of that wasn't enough to win me over to Team Showalter, there ends up being more. However, this is a SMALL spoiler (ish), so I want to warn everyone in advance. If you don't want to know anything beyond the blurb, stop reading right now!

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Okay. So, here's what really intrigued me about Alice in Zombieland- the author is obviously spiritual and the story is layered with Biblical undertones! I consider myself a Christian (for the most part, I'm a little more "liberal" in my views then most of today's Christian churches). I'm also from the South (specifically the same place this story takes place!), so that means I pretty much grew up in a Baptist church. That being said though, I never (and I do mean almost never) read/ watch/ listen to anything that strictly focuses on religion as the main center of the story. I never shop in the "Christian Fiction" section of a bookstore. Mainly because I usually find these stories too cheesy and I feel like they tend to lean towards the unbelievable side (the character gets to be too perfect, the story loses it's focus, the plot unravels- whatever). That's just me though. So when I picked up Alice in Zombieland and read the dedication, I was a little weary. But I decided to give it a chance because my friends had just raved about this book. And I'm SO so glad I did! I could tell the author's faith played a lot in the writing, but it was just such an honest story and it fit so well with the characters that I loved it Alice was a "normal" girl (minus Zombie slaying powers). She wasn't some hardcore zealot, but her faith had to play a role in her skills. PLUS, the author totally did NOT shy away from the romance. Which I enjoyed immensely as Cole is now my new #1 book boyfriend. I just loved it. I loved the spin she gave on good vs. evil and I know her story had Biblical undertones (the zombies are similar-ish to the dead rising in the book of Revelation) which I found surprisingly refreshing. Basically, it was awesome and extremely well written. I definitely recommend this one to everyone of all ages, because it has earned it's spot as one of my favorites!

My Rating:
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Monday, January 6, 2014

"The Fiery Heart" by Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines #4
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publication: November 19, 2013 by Razorbill
Format: Hardcover; 438 Pages
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

My Thoughts: Loved, LOVED, this installment to the Bloodlines series! I even think this series may, possibly, be better than the original Vampire Academy novels. I know. It seems like a stretch, but this book just completely amped things up for this series!

First off- the duel POV. I was so excited when I turned the page and seen Adrian's name written at the top of the chapter. From the moment he was introduced in the VA novels, I fell in love with him. There's just always been something so... intriguing about Adrian. Between his wit, charm, and the use of spirit, he makes for a hell of a roller-coaster character. So getting half a book dedicated to being inside his head was more than awesome for me. Especially because Richelle Mead completely did NOT disappoint. I know that she had to have had so much fun writing from Adrian's POV because she totally nailed it. For the first time, the reader actually understands what the use of spirit really does to Adrian, and it's pretty nerve wrecking and crazy. Of course, this only added to my love for him.

Then you have Sydney, who is a complete badass now. I'll admit, I wasn't on board with the Sydney train when I first heard about this series, or even when I read Bloodlines. But because it was Richelle Mead, and because she is one of my favorite authors, I thought I would continue on with the series (and because, honestly, I really do love Adrian)... and I'm so glad I did! While Rose, from VA, was definitely one of my favorite heroines, Sydney is coming into a close second. She's so spunky and intelligent, and when she uses those two qualities together, you just want to first pump the air because she is getting so awesome.

Truly, if you loved the Vampire Academy novels then you should definitely read this series! I'm addicted and I don't know how I'm going to wait until the next book comes out! It's already torture!

My Rating:

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"Where You'll Find Me" by Erin Fletcher

Genre: YA
Format: Kindle
Publication: January 7, 2014
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

From Goodreads: When Hanley Helton discovers a boy living in her garage, she knows she should kick him out. But Nate is too charming to be dangerous. He just needs a place to get away, which Hanley understands. Her own escape methods (vodka, black hair dye, and pretending the past didn't happen) are more traditional, but who is she to judge?

Nate doesn't tell her why he's in her garage, and she doesn't tell him what she's running from. Soon, Hanley's trading her late-night escapades for all-night conversations and stolen kisses. But when Nate's recognized as the missing teen from the news, Hanley isn't sure which is worse: that she's harboring a fugitive, or that she's in love with one.


My Thoughts: Despite the very melodramatic description, I actually really liked this book! It's so hard to find good, original YA books these days, but Fletcher has definitely hit the mark with Where You'll Find Me. The story picks up fast, and keeps going from page one. There's never a moment where you feel like the story has played out, because the pacing was just excellently done. Then you have these two very realistic amazing characters who have such great chemistry! Hanley and Nate definitely feel like they could jump off the page at any moment and be sitting on your couch having a conversation. Is there a bit of insta-love? Maybe. A very little. HOWEVER, I have to say, Hanley is not one to fall for the normal heroine BS. She does not just fall head over heels for some guy living in her garage. She's smart, and she questions everything. Which was definitely refreshing. Especially, when she expresses that being a stalker is not "romantic", like a lot of MC's tend to think.

Overall, I thought this was a very well done story and I definitely will be reading more by Fletcher! In fact, I really hope she expands on the other characters because I would love to get my hands on a copy of Hanley's sidekick's stories.


My Rating: 


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