Black Ice Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Black Ice

AUTHOR: Becca Fitzpatrick

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/7/2014

FORMAT: Hardcover

PAGES: 392

SOURCE: Amazon Vine

MY RATING:

INSIDE COVER SUMMARY: Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin and accept the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants -- but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. Things get even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that took place on that very mountain -- a discovery that may make her the killer's next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy or an ally?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This story wasn't what I wanted it to be. I feel like it could have been done a lot better. That being said, I did find myself wanting to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. The premise of the story pulled me in and had me interested, but I was frustrated with how naive the girls were and angry with how easily they trusted complete strangers. The story was dragged out a little bit in parts, but it was suspenseful enough to make me not want to put down the book.

CHARACTERS: Mason made me really angry. I wanted him to hurry up and explain himself. The way the book was going, I knew he was eventually going to explain some things, but he just dragged it out and waited so long. Britt and Korbie make quite a few decisions that don't make sense and are agitating.

COVER: I really like the cover, except for the guy on it. It would have been the perfect cover if it just had the scenery on it.

**I received a finished copy of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.**

Book Haul #25

Click here to learn about Stacking the Shelves

It's been quite a while since I've posted a book haul, so there's quite a few books here, probably at least 4 months worth.

For Review:

Bought:

These pretty books came from a library book sale for .25 cents each. Can't beat that!

These came from Goodwill.

These are from the Amazing Bookoutlet Black Friday Sale.

(If anyone can help me figure out how to make the formatting and placement of pictures work correctly on blogger please let me know as I have such a hard time with it)

Runaway Clothes and The Royal Palm Book Blast

 

Book 1

Title: Runaway Clothes | Author: Mrs. D | Publication Date: May 1, 2014 | Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing | Number of pages: 44 | Recommended age: 6 to 10 Summary: An enlightening story about a little girl named Nika who didn't want to take care of her clothes and toys. One hazy morning when Nika opened her closet, she discovered that it was empty. Her clothes had disappeared! What had happened to her shirts and pants? Where did her favorite dresses, coats, and socks go? Why did they leave her with just her pajamas on this misty morning? Will they come back? Taking a closer look at her room, Nika starts thinking about her attitude toward her clothes and toys. "How easy it is to lose something you love so much." She learns an important lesson at the end of this story. Watch your children have a blast reading this story while learning valuable lessons.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

 

Book 2

Title: The Royal Palm | Author: Mrs. D | Publication Date: October 21, 2014 | Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing | Number of pages: 40 | Recommended age: 6 to 10 Summary: A thought-provoking tale of the journey of a royal palm born on a tiny island surrounded by mysterious waters. This tender story explores the world of someone wrapped up in herself. Protected by her cousins, the short plain palms, the royal palm grew up beautiful, but very self-centered. Dreaming about life outside the island, she did not bother with her friends, who lived as one big family. Immersed in her own beauty, she only cared for herself, until one day a hurricane struck the tiny island. Then the royal p lam discovered the true meaning of family and real friendship. Inspiring story with valuable lessons to be learned and shared.  

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

The Buzz

Runaway Clothes: "Runaway Clothes by Mrs. D is full of delightful imagery. The words flow in such a fanciful way that children are sure to be immediately engaged and pulled into the story. Its endearing quality teaches young ones the importance of taking care of their valued belongings in such a way that they will not realize they are learning a lesson in the proper care of one's possessions. Excellently executed!" ~ 5 Star Review, HopefulSerenity, Amazon

Runaway Clothes: "Runaway Clothes is a whimsical and charming tale that educates children on the importance of taking care of their belongings... The delightful illustrations add to the enjoyment of the story... I highly recommend picking up Runaway Clothes." ~ 5 Star Review, Stacie T. BeachBoundBooks, Amazon

The Royal Palm: "As is the case with Mrs D's other books, the language is lyrical and colorful... Mrs. D effectively employs the techniques of alliteration, personification and analogy to communicate her message... Mrs D addresses many of the difficult issues children face in dealing with their peers in a whimsical, charming tale. Highly recommended." ~ 5 Star Review, Barbara M., Amazon

The Royal Palm: "A meaningful children's book by a fantastic writer Mrs. D! An unforgettable story that provides life lessons for our children! Mrs. D. is a very talented storyteller who knows how to convey magic into each of her stories. So far her magical books, full of delightful illustrations, never disappointed my children or I. " ~ 5 Star Review, Olga G., Amazon

 

About the Author: Mrs. D

Olga D’Agostino (aka Mrs. D.), an award-winning children’s author, was born in western Ukraine. She lived in the historical city of Lviv, where she studied business in Lviv Business College. In 1992 she immigrated to the United States with her two small daughters and for years worked in her own business. In 2011 she began her career as a writer, focusing on writing children’s books that have meaning and provide valuable lessons. Two of her children’s books, The Trees Have Hearts and Good Morning, World, won Mom’s Choice Awards in 2013, and three are winners in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite contest. She is a member of SCBWI and speaks a few languages fluently. She lives in the famous town of Smithville, N.J., with her husband Patrick and a meticulous old cat named Nyda. Published children's books by Mrs. D. include Carlo the Mouse on Vacation, The Trees Have Hearts, The City Kittens and the Old House Cat, Good Morning, World!, Runaway Clothes, The Royal Palm, The Little Girl Praying on the Hill (short story) and Carlo the Mouse, Book 1: Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse. The full series of Carlo the Mouse and her new books The Mysterious Life Inside a Closet, That Is How Things Are (two connected stories: The Autumn Wind and The Kitten and the Sparrow), and her new book, The Cat Who Wonders, by Itself, and three rhyming stories in Who Is Most Important in the Fridge? will be published in the near future. Her books are available in print on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and as e-books for most popular e-devices. She is presently working on her first novel, The Chinese Princess, and a short story, “A Taste of Bread.” For updates on Mrs. D.’s books, please visit her website: www.mrsdbooks.net.

Website | Author Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

 

* $50 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash prize (winner's choice) Contest ends: January 9, 11:59 pm, 2015 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. The winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If a winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Mrs. D and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions - feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Horrorstor Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Horrorstor

AUTHOR: Grady Hendrix

PUBLISHER: Quirk Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/23/2014

PAGES: 256

FORMAT: eARC

SOURCE: Netgalley

MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour, dusk-til-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they'll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I love the idea of this book. I am obsessed with IKEA and they did such a good job making this book look exactly like an IKEA catalog. This book was terrifying. About halfway through the book, I started getting so scared that I had to limit my reading to where I would only read early in the day and only a few chapters at a time. I loved the whole reading experience. My only problem is that I think I would have enjoyed this book more as a physical copy to complete the whole "catalog" feel.

CHARACTERS: I feel like the development of these characters was done very well. I definitely learned more about each of them as the story progressed and even changed my opinions on a few of them before it was over.

COVER: They did such a great job with this cover. It's so incredibly creepy, but it takes you a minute to actually see that's it's creepy.

**I received an advanced reader's copy in the form of an e-book of this title from Netgalley for my honest review.**

For Real Review

Goodreads

TITLE: For Real

AUTHOR: Alison Cherry

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 12/9/2014

PAGES: 320

FORMAT: eARC

SOURCE: Netgalley

MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): No parents. No limits. No clue what they're in for.

Shy, cautious Claire has always been in her confident older sister's shadow. While Miranda's life is jam-packed with exciting people and whirlwind adventures, Claire gets her thrills vicariously by watching people live large on reality TV.

When Miranda discovers her boyfriend, Samir, cheating on her just before her college graduation, it's Claire who comes up with the perfect plan. They'll outshine Miranda's fame-obsessed ex while having an amazing summer by competing on Around the World, a race around the globe for a million bucks. Revenge + sisterly bonding = awesome.

But the show has a twist, and Claire is stunned to find herself in the middle of a reality-show romance that may or may not be just for the cameras. This summer could end up being the highlight of her life...or an epic fail forever captured on film. In a world where drama is currency and manipulation is standard, how can you tell what's for real?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This story is so fun. I really enjoyed reading it and waiting to see what the next challenge would be for the contestants on the TV show. One of the best things about this book was seeing what would get thrown at the contestants next. This book was filled with the perfect balance of drama, laughter and touching moments. I would have given this book 4 stars, but I was a little bit disappointed by the ending. It wasn't a bad ending, I just felt like it needed to be expanded more.

CHARACTERS: The character development in this book is wonderful. I loved watching the main character, Claire, grow and develop throughout the story. I also liked seeing the relationships between all of the different characters.

COVER: The cover is cute. I like it.

November Wrap-Up

In November, I read a total of 9 books bringing my total books read this year to 92. Of these books, 6 were "real" books bringing my total for the 2014 "Real" Book Challenge to 72.

"Real" Books:

E-Books: