Fairy Metal Thunder Read-A-Long Week 4


Read-Along/Scavenger Hunt Schedule for Fairy Metal Thunder:
July 6th: Chapters 1-6 hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader
July 13th: Chapters 7-13 hosted by Kelly of Reading the Paranormal
July 20th: Chapters 14-20 hosted by Tina of Tina’s Book Reviews
July 27th: Chapters 21-27 hosted by Jen of In the Closet With a Bibliophile

Week 2 Discussion Questions for Chapter 14-20:
  1. Grizelmore the Goblin has some really weird cravings and eating habits. Tell us about some of your weird eating habits. Bonus point if you can show me a picture!
    You guys have probably figured out that I'm pretty serious about my food so...no body better lay a finger on my JUMBO TURKEY LEG!  Grr!!

  2. In chapter 22, Aiode and her friends try to go and get their instruments replaced at the factory. There are a ton of different instruments there being made for the fairies, but man are they a fortune. Do any of you play any instruments? Have you ever played an instrument? If not, what would you play if you could?
    I wish I had even an ounce of musical talent, but alas, I do not. If I did though, I'd love to play the violin.  String instruments are my favorite and I've always been particularly enamored of the beauty of the violin!
    By Frinck51 via Wikimedia Commons
    Ooh ooh, I almost forgot, I can play some serious air drums!  You guys should see me in action *taps foot and waves arms frantically*

  3. Jason and the band are finally discovered by the elf (with the crazy long name) and Buttercake, the freaking adorable unicorn who turns into something not so adorable. If you were a detective who would you choose for your magical accomplice?
    Uh, as if anything could top a unicorn/dragon!  Hmm, I wonder if Optimus Prime is available?

  4. The book ends on a happy but painful note. What do you think of the ending? Were you happy with the turn of events?
    Fo sho!  Frankly, some of the decisions that Jason and his friends made were not so smart and they have to deal the consequences which I expect will lead to some very interesting adventures.  Oh and I totally approve of Jason's knight-in-shining-armor moment.  I hope it leads to some smooching ;)     *makes kissy face*

  5. Tell us your favorite quote(s)/part(s) from the book!
    *thinking*  What?  I had a completely immature bout of giggles and snickers at the mention of "McSlobberboogers".  I have no idea what you're talking about.

    And of course, notable mention # 2 to Buttercup because few things are cooler than unicorn/dragons!
Thank you to all the rockin' ladies who coordinated this fun read-a-long. I had a blast answering the questions and digging up embarrassing pictures to share with you all!  Can't wait for more of Jason's adventures in "Songs of Magic".

XOXO
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Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Title: Masque of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Publish Date: April 24, 2012
Pages: 314 pages, hard cover
Reviewed by: Isalys
Reason for Reading: Book purchased
Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.
To be honest, I have been stewing over how to write this review for a while now.  Masque of the Red Death didn't turn out as I expected and it left me feeling like I had an open wound somewhere.  It was a very dark, gritty, and to be frank, sad story!

Araby is not the kind of character you can really like, but you do come to understand her.  Her world has been ravaged by death, contagion, destruction, and fear.  She is very fortunate but she can't accept her good fortune because she can't share it with her brother, who fell victim to the plague.  She feels a bone-deep guilt over his death and so she denies herself anything that he will never get to experience.  Her father, the scientist, developed a mask that allows people to protect themselves from catching the plague virus which led to her family becoming very wealthy but other than owning her own protective mask, the only thing her family's wealth has been good for is gaining access to The Debauchery Club, a place where she can medicate and lose herself!  Araby lives a very zombie-like existence...at least in the beginning.

I didn't feel that the secondary characters were very well developed, but they were interesting!  April, her best friend seemed oblivious to what's happening around them.  She liked to dress up, cover herself with glitter and flirt with boys.  She pretends to be unaffected when she sees a body being tossed into a cart, but there were moments when you see her own "mask" falter.  Then there's Will, the boy you want to love and trust.  He's handsome in a rugged sort of way, devoted to what's left of his family and he's hardworking.  He seems caring but is mysterious enough to leave you uncertain.  Finally, there's Elliott.  He's actually the most complex character by far.  He comes off as arrogant, self-involved and even a bit crazy but as you get to know him, he begins to reveal a more vulnerable side.  You realize that he's not quite so selfish as he seems.  He incites the opposite feelings you get from Will.  You DO NOT WANT to trust Elliott, but then you can't help it.

The world-building felt a bit...imbalanced.  That's not to say that it was badly done.  What I mean is that at times, it was quite brilliant but then there were elements that I felt could have been done without.  I feel like with Steampunk, you need to go big or go home!  The book had elements of it, but it wasn't enough to make it feel like a Steampunk.  What Griffin did really well was describe the bleakness and despair of a plague ravaged society.

In my opinion, where this story really wins you over is not with the characters or world-building, but with the language.  The real beauty of this book is when Griffin takes a seemingly inconsequential moment and makes you feel so much even when Araby does not.
“Hours trickle by, and I wilt. The magic isn't here for me tonight. I can't get away from the heavy feeling of being me. I want to blend in, to be someone besides myself, someone who is part of something secret and subversive and exciting.”
There is an intensity, a heaviness, a sadness to this book that I've never experienced with any other.  Overall, the pacing is well done.  The story starts off slow as you begin to absorb the devastation of Araby's world and it ends with a rather powerful climax.  While the ending is not a cliffhanger, it certainly leaves enough unresolved issues to make you want more!  I have high hopes for this series and look forward to seeing how the characters grow and how their world evolves in the coming books!



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Christmas in July

We're already half way through the year and we have some books that could use a new home so what better way to do that than a "Christmas in July" surprise giveaway?

Below are the four sets of books that we'll be giving away:
Historical Romance Set, Contemporary Romance Set, Romantic Suspense Set, and a YA Set.


Official Contest Information:
  • To enter, please fill out the form(s) below for the set(s) you're interested in.  You may enter all all four contests but no (1) person will win all four sets. 
  • Entrants must be 18 years of age or older to win the romance sets.
  • Contest open to U.S. citizens only.
  • The four winners will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
  • The four winners will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.
  • No comment entries will be accepted.
  • You may choose to be a blog follower, but it is NOT required to enter the giveaway.
SET # 1
Historical Romance


a Rafflecopter giveaway


SET # 2
Contemporary Romance


a Rafflecopter giveaway


SET # 3
Romantic Suspense

a Rafflecopter giveaway


SET # 4
YA

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Happy Christmas in July ;)

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New Releases 7.24.12

♥ Contemporary Fiction & Chick-Lit ♥
Where We Belong
Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

♥ Historical Fiction ♥
None

♥ Non-Fiction / Documentary ♥
None

♥ Steampunk ♥
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish by Dave Freer

♥ Romantic Suspense ♥
None

Happy shopping and happy reading 
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Blog Soulmates: Books with Cass


Every week, we announce a new recipient for our BLOG SOULMATE AWARD! This is our way of helping spread the word about awesome bloggers we love!

BLOG SOULMATE is back and this week's award goes to:

Cassie from Books with Cass . . .
Blogging since May 2012


Find Cassie on: Twitter | Goodreads | YouTube
  1. What made you decide to start blogging?
    Actually, I started blogging because of how much I enjoyed the book blogs I read. I sat there one day and I was like "hmm, why can't I give it a try?" And so I did! I contacted Loretta from Between the Pages and she helped me out, and here I am!

  2. Favorite and least favorite things about blogging?
    My favorite thing has to be the community, DESPITE THE DRAMA. There is so much warmth in this community, and in a short time I have connected with so many people! It really is an amazing thing to be a part of. Oh, and I've learned about SO MANY awesome books! :-)

    The worst part about blogging would probably be that it is quite distracting! Sometimes it puts me off my schedule, and makes me forget what I was supposed to be doing!

  3. If you could hang out with ONE author, who would it be and why?
    The killer question. I think I have to go with James Patterson. He is the reason I love reading as much as I do, and on top of being a phenomenal author, he is so active in the community. He has his own program Read Kiddo Read, which is designed to help get the youth involved in reading. I just think he is a great role model, as well as an absolutely awesome writer.

  4. What is the ONE book you tell everyone they 'have to' read?
    Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. My friends (from home) get so mad when I say it but finish with... but its not out yet. This book was so moving, and so different. Katie really knows how to write her characters! I finished the book over a month ago and I STILL think about Echo & Noah!

  5. Do you have any bookish guilty pleasures?
    Hmmm... I love a good romance every now and then. I used to be SO anti-romance/chick-lit that now I consider it a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. But now you all know! Don't make fun! Lol!
Now tell us 5 random, non-bookish things about yourself:
  • I cook. Like for real, not box of mac & cheese stuff. I can cook most things, and quite well (if I do say so myself!)
  • I say "for real" far, far, far too often.
  • I'm about to graduate with my Bachelors in Psych (August!) It took me WAY too long, but better late than never!
  • I have a caffeine addiction. Bad. I sometimes dream about having an IV of caffeine attached to me.
  • Target obsession? Yup! I got one! I can spend legit HOURS in that place and not even realize. It gets dangerous for my credit card!
Cassie is seriously adorable and sweet and just a new kid on the block so if you have a few minutes, stop by her blog and check out some of the cool stuff she has coming up :)



Books With Cass





Books With Cass





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