Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My lovely and fine damsels, finally,finally. How art thou? Me? Haha. Still recovering from the horrid book slump but hey, I'm still breathing! Anyways, here are the two books I've been anticipating together with some nail-biting and glass-scratching. Now that's creepy. Thanks to Goodreads for all the book info in this post. Without further ado...

When Elissa's nightmarish visions and inexplicable bruises lead to the discovery of a battered twin sister on the run from government agents, Elissa enlists the help of an arrogant new graduate from the space academy.

Aside from the obvious cover-love, what else can I say? C'mon on,ladies. GOVERNMENT.AGENTS? SPACE.ACADEMY? Whew. I'm waiting. Expected publication will be on June 11, 2013 by Simon and Schuster Books.

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?
Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Because me loves photographs especially if said photographs is early 20th century. The synopsis itself pulled me in 'cause my lovelies, I'm all for the apocalypse. And ghosts. If my first love returns in spirit form, I'M LIGHTING A CANDLE WHILE SHIVERING. I wonder how the heroine will handle this "dilemma" Here's to hoping she wouldn't scream. I love me badass femmes. :) Expected publication will be on April 2, 2013 by Amulet Books.

What's your Wow? Leave a linky and I'll check it out! :**

PS. I'm kinda uncomfortable with my lovely damsels... 69? >.< *laughs*

BLOG REVIVAL & Graceling by Kristine Cashore

Hear ye! Hear ye!

My fine damsels, the day has finally come. I am back in the blogosphere. But first, I want to tell you that I really did plan for a smashing double review of Chelsea Fine’s books, Anew and Awry. Alas! Due to my non-existent book ban, my physical unread books grew like Rapunzel’s tower before my very eyes and I was forced to read them first lest the ‘rents find out about it and then my damsels, I’ll be screwed. The book ban will be as tangible as a punch in the gut, I tell you.  Spearheading this blog revival will be my review of Kristin Cashore’s, Graceling, a book that was lavished with so many praises I decided to plunge into its world. Without further ado…

His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn't shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn't seem human....
Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.
Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.

In a world where people born with an extreme skill - called a Grace - are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.
When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.
She never expects to become Po's friend.
She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Goodreads
Series: Graceling Realm #1

Published October 1st 2008 by Harcourt

This book was way back in 2008. Freaking 2008. I bought Graceling at a beloved bookstore that sells second-loved books (second-hand is for things and I care for my books more than I care for humans, even myself. xD) and I remembered a lot of whoopin, running and smiling at my newfound treasure. What a treasure indeed. For the price of the bookstore’s salespersons’ strange and helpless look-here-comes-crazy-Johanna-again, I have it. I love them for bearing with me *winks*

I developed cover stroking because of Graceling’s cover. It gives you a glimpse of the badassery inside the book. I awarded it one of my Best Book Cover awards. I’m always having a staring contest with the book because of its beauty. As for the main character, Katsa, I felt the need to make the font bold because my dears, that she is, that she is. Katsa has her flaws when it comes to being humane but talk about inhumane and she’s too perfect a warrior when it comes to skills. Her being distracted with Poe’s open neckshirt is adorable and by Jove, she is a sadist. THEY BOTH ARE SADISTS. Katsa’s struggle is endearing. She’s like an infant to the world of gentleness and mercy brutal and harsh picture of Graces. She's like Katniss left by Peeta for another woman. She's that wild. 

The setting is realistically-fantastic and very detailed it will oftentimes annoy you to Hell. But worry not, that’s just a minor bruise like what Katsa rarely gives to Poe. Because she gives him deep gashes and scratches. See, I told you they’re sadists xD Back to the world-building, it’s worth losing yourself into as well as the author’s writing style, it’s bizarre but striking, and pinpoints the emotions of the characters and the action scenes. Graceling gives you a virtual eyegasm. There were many unnecessary skirmishes like this...


"Towns of stone built into stone..."-pg. 404


 But then, there were always surprises at every turn of Graceling that gets me back on track.

The pacing of the plot is like running on uneven ground, awkwardly. Sometimes, the road is easy so you ran faster and sometimes, it’s so rocky that you stumble and slow down. Not enough comma for you to breath. For the fusion of romance and ultimate badassery in the books’ eccentricity, I’d give an A. From f(P)oe to friends to lovers, the love factor is strong, both in emotional and physical aspects. No wedding! Katsa you bad bad girl! Stop knocking Poe down lest he’s the one who will get pregnant instead. And trust me, honey, seabane won’t help him xD However, the villain is still a manipulative perverse son of a-- *censored* *bares fangs* I’m having mood swings.

Uh-huh. WRONG. THEY DID.

Overall, Graceling, is an action-packed, compassionate and well-crafted novel that you must have patience to prepare for it’s bloody and…bittersweet conclusion. Longing for more of Katsa's world, my chest felt like there was a hole in it, it needs more of the magic from Cashore. An excellent must-read!

“When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?” ― Kristin Cashore Graceling

 “I know you don't want this, Katsa. But I can't help myself. The moment you came barreling into my life I was lost. I'm afraid to tell you what I wish for, for fear you'll... oh, I don't know, throw me into the fire. Or more likely, refuse me. Or worst of all, despise me," he said, his voice breaking and his eyes dropping from her face. His face dropping into his hands. "I love you," he said. "You're more dear to my heart than I ever knew anyone could be. And I've made you cry; and there I'll stop.” ― Kristin Cashore, Graceling

Happy Halloweeeenn! Wait what?! + Bewitching by Alex Flinn

I'm back for a bit for my belated Halloween review of this awesome book. Watch out, I'm reviving the blog soon...How soon? Erm, just soon. Teehee~ I love you all and I'll be back for a bit. HAPPY LATE HALLOWEEN! Here, Trick and Treat! LOL. I know I'm lame. xD

Finally the review. :))

Bewitching can be a beast. . . .
Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn't.I go to a new school now--one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I'm not still here because I'm stupid; I just don't age.You see, I'm immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years--except for when to take my powers and butt out.I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the "Titanic" lifeboat? I don't even want to think about it.Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn't get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl--and it isn't an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

Goodreads

Series: Kendra Chronicles #2

Published February 14th 2012 by HarperTeen

Let me tell you a little story of how I met Alex made-of-fairytale-awesome Flinn in a (horrible) fairytale type retelling…

Once upon a time, in a land full of unread books and dusty bookshelves, a young wild girl was searching for a book to read. She was me. She was a neophyte, an ignorant to the wonderful world of real YA after Twilight. A book entitled “Beastly” caught her attention like a shining needle in a haystack. It was a fairytale retelling of the famous Beauty and the Beast. I’ll answer the question why it didn’t deem worthy of a review later, btw. In a modern world. Despite the warnings her mind sent, her heart just dig fairytale mash ups like how she would dig into dark chocolate (fantasies) so she BOUGHT the damn thing. Plus it was with the fascinating cover of Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer. Can the book get more awesome than that?

 

She was greatly disappointed that she wanted to throw herself off the Leaning Tower of Pisa and meet a squishy death. Good thing, she’s too epic to die just like that. The book’s simplicity made me fume but it was because I soared my expectations so high. I found the plot so bland and colorless. It was flat. Lifeless. But it did serve the purpose. Kendra Hilferty was already introduced in Beastly and I was interested in her the very moment her name appeared on the book. Who could resist witches? Not me.  Anyways, onto the actual review.

Bewitching is a light and humorous read and at the same time, a complex and touching story that focuses on the rise and fall of the witch Kendra as she (unfortunately) venture through the world during the later times where witches and mermaids were still believed by townsfolk, not just their children. It was a cover love. I imagined myself looking like this while “admiring” the cover. Kendra looked so melancholic and beautiful and cold. Silly daydreams of a fairytale and witches junkie. What I absolutely loved in this book is the lesson, used many times but in many forms. Bewitching was another form of the lesson but nonetheless, it was one of the best. Kahlil Gibran’s, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”  

The rendering twisty plot began with Kendra and her brother, they were the only ones left after in their fam during the Great Plague, in a twisted situation of Hansel and Gretel.  She struggled with her awakening powers as a witch there. But it was really an admiring thing that she still makes me smile even if she’s in a very deadly situation. The story ran along with Emma and Lisette introduced. Stepsisters. Their characters are so flawed…in a very good way. In fact, it made me enjoy the book more as slowly their personalities intertwine and I dived deeper into a relationship of the vengeful sort. It was a twisted Cinderella story. Frustration marred my beliefs, WHO IS REALLY THE CINDERELLA HERE? *flips table*

Kendra also helped the Prince of France, the little mermaid (well, I wouldn’t say it as a help…more like a push to *censored because of spoiler-alert*) and believe me, those twisted retellings got me. You’ll be anticipating Kendra’s POV every chapter because it’s bloody amusing. The way her quirks as a witch harms the side characters more often than not, I kid you not. Now I’m speaking young Kendra-ish. Everything was in multiple: plots and POVS.   But the factor of readability lies in those two. It was well-written, spellbinding even. Unlike most multiple POV books I've read, Bewitching passed the safe side and more.  

On the love interest aspect, I should probably warn you about WARNer. No pun intended..not. So I got confused with the who’s-the-Cinderella? thingy well then, let me add up the Prince-Charming-in-frog-suit part too. I shed a few tears during the hardest part and smiled tenderly during the sweetest conclusion of Emma’s love story. *throws Travis in*

                                                            Warner in my perspective

Ah, this retelling is the most twisted ever in a very amazing way. I loved it with the heart of a thousand witches slain. Oopss…no offense oh great Kendra ;) I love the chapter titles of your POV, they’re hilarious. No more spoilers so that you can really enjoy the essence of the book just as I did. A must-read, you can’t just let this pass you.

“In stories like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, they always say the heroine is 'as good as she is beautiful.' I wondered if people just wanted that to be true, wanted the beautiful to be good. I wondered if they wanted the ugly to be bad because then they wouldn't have to feel bad for them.” 

I knew he was going to kiss me, and suddenly I didn't want him to, not because I didn't like him. I did. I always had. But because I wanted to preserve this moment, this slice of time when the night was cool and bright with reflected moonlight and the possibility of a kiss hung between us, full of unspent promise. Every event in my life after this would be different because I would have been kissed. Was I ready? 

Month of July Blog Hiatus Alert...

*le sigh*

Hello, my ever dynamic damsels. Today, I'll be talking about the details of the title of this post. As what the it says, hiatus. According to TheFreeDictionary ,

" A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break"

For me it means....

"WHAT THE HELL! I LOVE MY BLOG BUT COLLEGE IS BURYING ME! SHALL I LEAVE IT TO THE HANDS OF FATE? *le screams*"

Exactly.

See, I don't want to leave reading. I don't want to freaking leave blogging. Hell, I'm still starting out with this blogging experience and so is my college experience. And the two aren't really compatible with each other. I swear, I'm turning mad cause it's been so long since I've read books. Young Adult books. It's literally killing me. But the month of July is very full packed with exams and other screw loosening activities of the Mass Communication Department (I'm taking up BA Journalism). Not to mention the preliminary exam of the school. So I decided grudgingly to pause all school unrelated things for the month of July. Let me just clarify this, THE HIATUS IS ONLY TEMPORARY. I don't want to leave all my pretty damsels alone for a long time. I love you all like how I love my unicorn fantasies.

I hope that by the time return to my blog, you'll still be there. I'll commence the non-hiatus period with a double review of the two books of the ah-mazing Chelsea Fine's Anew and Awry. Expect something worth laughing. Expect something with the Stressed Damsel Johanna's trademark.

Adios (for now) and don't start a chaos without me, okay? :D You can still connect with me in my Twitter. I assure you, I live there. You can still forward your comments, suggestions, har bloody har reactions or simple hellos via Twitter.

PS. Look at the labels. XD

Waiting on Wednesday (3) and TWO VERY EPIC BOOK NEWS YOU SHOULDN'T DARE MISS!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

So we meet again, my noble damsels. The last time I made my WoW it was a tad early, now it's kinda late. But no matter, I'm here and there's no changing that. XD College and traffic's a b*tch and so I am. I started my crazy "Goodreading" search for the WoW worthy books and hey, I thank my friends or more specifically the GR feed for making me notice these two books :) Onto the show...

 What if your life wasn’t your own? Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but she is?

 Putting aside the gorgeous cover, the synopsis pulled me in. Like harshly. I'm such a sucker for lost memories. Those amnesia factors of a certain book or TV series in our country really entice me like hell. It's probably because of my sick sense of humor, I really want to feel the poor heroine's helplessness. So heart-wrenching and pitiful *insert evil laughter* Anyways, since all of the books I've read from the Entangled Publishing blew me away like a knight swept me off my feet, I wanna give it a try. Entangled Publishing is indeed fresh and new but mind you, the titles they're offering are raw and very enjoyable. Or swoonable... *coughs*OBSIDIAN*coughs* Or lovable *coughs*TOUCH*coughs*  Expected publication will be December 11th this year. Let's make this an early Christmas present, shall we? ; )

There's an island off the coast of Maine that's not on any modern map. Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn't her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia's not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night. Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it's Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water's edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.

I was both weirded out and stunned by the cover. I can't decide if it deserves a two thumbs up or a two thumbs down. *shrugs* The title is interesting by the way and so is the blurb. I'm also in need of a mermaid or any water-related books and guys, let's just disregard the fact that I haven't read anything yet. Did I tell you college is a b*tch? I did?  Good. Now you know. Expected publication will be on February 12th 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers. I want to use this opportunity to ask one question...

If you already read OF POSEIDON by Anna Banks, is it worth reading? I mean really really worthy of my heaven forsaken time?   

         BOOK NEWS EPIC BOOK NEWS! BOOK NEWS BOOK NEWS BOOK NEWS

                                                 Caps Lock and bold letters for emphasis.

Damsels and gentlemen, the title of the Immortal Rules Blood of Eden Series Book #2 was announced 2 hours ago in the Harlequin TEEN FB page. *drumrolls* Photo credits to Harlequin Teen.


                   "THE ETERNITY FOR CURE"

       It was also stated there that it will be out on May 2013.
                                        *cues party music*


FREAKING READ OR....AW DAMMIT! JUST READ THIS! 
                                                 
                                                     
                                                 Caps Lock and bold letters for emphasis.
   
Mister Jay Kristoff of the Stormdancer fame finally launched his official website. And personally, I think it was uber awesome I blew my head off screaming with the badassery and coolness of the website. DEFINITELY CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EPICNESS TO THE NTH LEVEL OR ELSE SHE (look up,please) WILL CUT YOU. You can view his post in his Wordpress account, it explained more accurately than this and enter the giveaway that made my heart stop. Mister Kristoff, if ever you're reading this, you just made my dream come true. Just how awesome can you get?


PS. For Johanna's sake, answer the question about the Poseidon thingy in the comments section as well as link me up because I'm amazing and I adore you. Kidding! I wanna see your WoWs too, of course.


PSS. Law of Karma is applied in this blog. You follow me=I follow you. 

Stacking the Shelves (3) and an exciting book news!

Hi, my beloved damsels! I am so happy and excited to see you again. How's your weekend? Mine's very tiresome and energy-draining but it was expected. I had very little blogging and reading these days because of college so I have a very minimal report I can give you.

Blog activity overview for this week:

Review of Dearly,Departed by Lia Habel.

My Waiting on Wednesday entry. Check it out! I have 2 awesome books there.

Le books~

                                     Clicky the photos to add to your list via Goodreads.

    

 
 
                                   
My own personal thoughts on my haul: Intangible was generously offered to me by the author J. Meyers for a review. It was my very first review request because as we all know, this is still a baby blog. I was jumping and squealing all over the place.  As for the two "What a Boy..." books, I've discovered them through Twitter because of Kathleen Peacock (Hemlock) and Nyrae Dawn, the author. I stalked her for a bit and I loved the synopsis and the boy POV of the books so I have them.  If any of you already read one of the books in my haul, tell me if it's a must-read.

A DARE TO ALL MY DAMSELS: Because I noticed that these books has very little reviews on Goodreads, I want to spread the awesome. Together, let's try reading Intangible ,What a Boy Wants and What a Boy Needs. Let's make a review, whether we love it or not. Just no flames in GR please.I've had enough that drama to last me a lifetime, thank you.  And then you can contact me through Twitter and gush all you want. If you hated it, you can send flames in my Twitter. If you love it, let's swoon. That simple.

We need to publicize worthy books and support author appreciation. Because it's deeds like these that we can be proud of calling ourselves bloggers.

 BOOK NEWS BOOK NEWS EXCITING BOOK NEWS! BOOK NEWS BOOK NEWS
                                                                                                                                                  You saw this hottie right! Iron Fey lovers far and wide, WE HAVE A PUBLICATION DATE!!! It was announced on the Iron Fey Facebook Page 16 hours ago (XD) that The Lost Prince, Call of the Forgotten #1 will be published on OCTOBER 23 2012. Excuse me for a minute as I scream my heart out.

1 minute after...


It's an exact 2 days and 1 year release after The Iron Knight. My pretty damsels, this calls for some faery wine and a countdown.
Cheers and long live the fae!


PS. Thank you for reading through that rambling if you did. Oh and also, the Law of Karma= You follow me, I follow you. :) Link me up in the comments section, I would love to see your hauls this week.

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Greetings, my lovely damsels! This will be an early post of WoW because I won't have time tomorrow since it's my second day in college. Anyways, today I'll be introducing the two books that caught my book eye while I was searching desperately in Goodreads for 2013 releases. Too long a wait when they're so freaking *squeals*

 

  In a desert land where serpents made of unbreakable glass fly through the sky and wolves made of only sand hunt within storms, Liyana is destined to be a vessel, to sacrifice herself so that her clan’s goddess can inhabit her body... but her goddess never comes.

Dude, I just had a COVERGASM after spotting this. I bet my little pony, that lady is Asian. And the rusty colors swirl so prettily they sparkle in my view. I would love to have that beauty grace my shelves.  The blurb is as interesting as the cover itself,  "serpents made of unbreakable glass fly through the sky and wolves made of only sand..." Talk about the impossibility of eradicating these creatures. Crossing my fingers that the protagonist will be badass. I wanna know how she can handle these. Oh, Goddesses of Badassery, this humble damsel begs of you to make the heroine fit her tastes. Here you can have her 0.001 % chance of having her knight in shining armor fall in love with her in exchange for that plea. XD Expected publication will be on  September 11th 2012 by Margaret K. McElderry. Ooooh, I really <3 McElderry books. The same publisher who brought Blood, Red, Road to my world. Eeeeppp! Speaking of which *winks* Click here to add this wonder via Goodreads.

 The story of a girl figuring out the truths and illusions of life and love, both in the nostalgic past and in the very real now. Laugh-out-loud humor combines with a hint of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.
The cure for a broken heart? Go vintage and live like it’s 1962! Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, isn’t just cheating on her. He’s cheating with an online girlfriend. So Mallory decides to swear off boys and modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to “go vintage” and return to a simpler time. She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. The list proves to be trickier than it looks. Obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how intriguing she finds Oliver (er, Jeremy's cousin). But with the help of her sister, Mallory will finish the list and find peace. Somehow.

I need my contemporary fix so bad. Humor + Romance= Johanna's surrender. I GOTTA HAVE THIS! The cover is really a looker in the modern perspective. Past and the present rolled in one would turn out to be a very compelling combination. I just hope this book would pull this off. I don't want any disappointments or else, there'll be a lot of unladylike swearing that will ensue. Believe me, I swear like a pirate. My teachers could attest to that. Hahaha! The synopsis landed the book in my TBR. It's super interestin'~ And I have a soft spot for the name Mallory. I thought it was a boy name. Hmm... expected publication will be on  March 19th 2013 by Bloomsbury. Hope it's worth the long wait, fellas! Goodreads.


So those are my anticipated reads this Wednesday. Share me yours and link me up in the comments section. I'll drop by if I'm not too tired. I will do anything in my power to apply the Law of Karma, my lovely damsels.


PS. Still recruiting followers to be my damsels. Let us stress books together! 

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

WARNING. Zombies ahead. *laughs*
   
                                                     

Love can never die. 
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Goodreads
Series: Gone With The Respiration #1
Published September 29th 2011 by Doubleday Children's Books


Dearly, Departed was my very first zombie (baby) read. And boy, I was not disappointed! It was one of the books that even if I was still reading the prologue, I already have the notion that I’m gonna rate it 5 stars a hundred stars. Original, soul-stirringly beautiful and heart-renderingly hilarious, Dearly, Departed made me look at zombies with new eyes.

*These eyes exactly*

It's not surprising because the author, Lia Habel (she's gorgeous, by the way), is a zombie advocate. It was an insta-cover love for me. I mean, dude, stare and be enthralled with that beauty. If you're not liking it, I'mma send a bad zombie horde to you this very moment XD. The inside was more beautiful. I laughed, I cried and I fell in love (not necessarily in that order) with zombies. I know, I know. You're probably screaming "JOHANNA, THEY'RE Z-O-M-B-I-E-S. HOW CAN WE LOVE THEM WHEN THEY'RE RIPPING OFF BODY PARTS?" but worry not. This book can change your views. I MEAN IT.

The world building is precise and flawless. It explains how the world became apocalyptic long time ago and how the Lazarus virus, the prion that makes zombies, affects humanity. Plus, the three things that are closest to my heart, Steampunk, Dystopian and Neo-Victorian era. Elegant dresses, neoclassic traditions and the somehow balanced figure of technology and refinement of the Victorian history are the major points in the book that gained those stars. 

Onto the characters..hmmm *rubs hand* Due to my absolutely endearing habit of wholly accepting good characters, I have made a love list.

• Captain Abraham R. Griswold aka. Bram- A charming capable soldier that captured my heart, my soul and half of my body since I'm hesitant to touch decayed flesh. Humorous and gentlemanly, you have to watch out for him.
• Nora Dearly- Kick-ass and a devoted friend, Nora's interaction with any zombies, good or bad, made me yell "GO NORA! GO!GO!GO!" She's very hilarious too and her rooftop scene had me going, "Woah. That is seriously awesome!" And Nora is also "special" Despite being a "royalty" Nora is not a snob and knows how to handle guns.Bram, honey, it's no wonder you're in love with this girl.
• Pamela Roe- Nora's bestfriend and the zombie hunting Queen, I hated her at first because she was really whiny when Nora was kidnapped and started these depressive thoughts in her POV that had me shuddering. But when faced with the zombies and Michael (her I-thought-love interest) , she turned into a fighter and that's when I looked up to the lady.
• Chas, Tom, Coalhouse and Ren- Bram's EPIC team. Chas was the makeover bestfriend and a "loving" girlfriend to Tom. Coalhouse was Tom's victim and I'm gonna quote a very funny scene between the two of them.

"You killed me! That’s not something you can ever apologize for!”
“Well, then, I’m not sorry.”
“You son of a—”
“Hey, you leave her out of this."

 Ren was the bookish -yeah, bookish- cultured zombie who loves machines more than girls. Got a question for him. 

*Hah! Answer that, Ren, answer that! XD*

• Dr. Victor Dearly- Nora's dad and the fact that he was such a loving father is enough. He cares for everyone-well, anyone who's on his side- and is a brilliant doctor who discovered the Lazarus prion.

The romance between Nora and Bram followed the restraint of the era and the courtship is very sweet and touching. Your heart will definitely swell with awe-inspiring emotions from these two. There was this one heartbreaking scene that *sniffs* I won't spoil* sniffs* .You have to read it yourself. The acceptance of a zombie and human love is clearly disturbing but it was overshadowed by the fact that these two are really fascinated with each other. Not to mention they're in all ways compatible except for their alive and undead difference.

One thing I hated about the book is the multiple narration. Well, it's probably because I can't get enough of Bram's POV or whatever but I do believe it was the downfall of the novel. Good thing the plot was impressive enough so it was saved from the fires of Johanna's hate. 

Vastly entertaining and a must read, Dearly, Departed takes the lead of my very high standards if you want me to read a zombie book. Do know, I never watch those horrifying movies without 2 or 3 warm bodies around me. I am that awesome and cowardly : D

PS. If you're my Twitter follower and happened to read all my tweets regarding Dearly, Departed, you'll understand how I think this book is the greatest zombie book ever. And how I went crazy over Bram too. A zombie in my harem? Hah! That's unheard of, hm? ;) 

Zombie love and peace out, guys!

“Real ladies can give orders, real gentlemen can take them, and real zombies don’t eat brains.” 

“The fact that she made this beeline for me both warmed my soul and made me want to turn around, walk out the door, and find a cliff to fling myself off of.” 

 “I ran this through my "girl talk" translator and said, "I could eat him, if either of you'd like. Seems like it might be the easiest thing to do. -Bram to Nora & Pamela” 

Stacking the Shelves (2)

Hello, my dear damsels! I am so glad to see you again. How's your weekend? Well for me, it's a bit stressful and lots of fun because of the *drumrolls* ARMCHAIR BEA! Yup! Maybe some of you or most of you joined this amazing event. So onto the main events....

Blog activity overview for this week:

• ArmchairBEA Day One: Interview
• ArmchairBEA Day Two: Best of 2012
• ArmchairBEA Day Three: Let's Talk Networking...say what!?
• ArmchairBEA Day Four: Beyond the Blog..Opportunities and all
• ArmchairBEA Day Five: Experts Say and The Future of Blogging
• Wrapping up ArmchairBEA in every kinds of Awesome!

Phew! Now without further ado, let me present to you, my books.

         Clicky the photos to add to your list via Goodreads.

 

 

 

My own personal thoughts on my haul: The first four ones are I considered old because I scoured all over for them while the rest are new. I want to give The Selection a shot. No, not a shot from a gun XD but maybe reading it couldn't hurt, right? I am willing to sacrifice a few brains cells. If it so much as kills one, I'm choking the life outta it. When You Were Mine was put ON HOLD. I'm excited to read the rest especially Shadow and Bone. 

What's your haul this week, damsels? Link me up in the comments section and I'll check it out! The Law of Karma applies in this blog. :)

PS. Law of Karma: You follow me, I follow you. Pweeeesssh? :">

Wrapping Up ArmchairBEA in every kinds of Awesome!

Photo credits to Ninareads

My very first time attending Armchair BEA and I'm at a loss for words. But then again, after spending a few minutes staring at an empty document, first things first.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE ORGANIZERS FOR HOLDING THIS EVENT!!!

I sincerely appreciate all your efforts and time to make this event full of fun, fun and fun! Kudos! For making all of this happen and for removing me from my emo corner after I saw those happy tweets about how them peeps  enjoying the BEA. Even if I had sleepless nights to catch up with our very different time zones, it was worth it after enriching my mind of all those tips and advice.

Commenting like crazy in different blogs, reading different voices in posts and appreciating more books made Armchair BEA a very memorable event. To the new friends/damsels and followers I made for sparing the time to read all my nonsense blabbing, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Woah, I really can't believe so many bloggers are there in the sphere and they are very amazing too! Very approachable and friendly but most of all their love for books lead them to the path of Armchair BEA. So very delighted to meet y'all.

And who would forget the Twitter parties? Heavens, my Twitter feed was a jumble of Armchair BEA mess that really entertained and enlightened me to no end. Those amazing bloggers made my everyday during this week.

Truthfully, this is the my most amazing and busiest week of my entire blogging existence. Hope to see you all again next year because I certainly wouldn't miss this for the world. And Minty wants to send her gratitude too!

*cues closing theme song Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson XD*


PS. Follow me, maybe? ; )

ArmchairBEA Day Five: Experts Say and The Future of Blogging

Hello, guys! So you mean this is the last day of Armchair BEA? *cries waterfalls* I didn't know! But I truly, irrevocably enjoyed and love the event and hopefully will still be attending. To all my new found peeps and all those encouraging comments, I thank you from my bottomless heart XD To the crazy Twitter parties and crazy blog commenting, kudos, for I will truly miss 'em all. I know I am very,very,very late for this entry and I would like to catch up.  The reason for my tardiness will not be divulge else I choke myself with excitement and worry. Anyways, the topic was 

Today's topic is Ask The Experts. In your post, ask the visitors to your blog for blogging advice. What did you always want to know about blogging but were afraid to ask? Now is the time!

I  got only two questions for you, my dear damsel. And I hope you'll spare a tiny bit of your time answering.                       

*cutie cutie eyes power on* 

*I knew this would help so...*

First Question: "HOW CAN YOU AVOID BEING AN 'EXILE' IN THE BLOGGING COMMUNITY?"

Same in the real life, there are instances that you'll make a wrong move or step on one's toes and then BOOM! Everything just explodes and you'll just find yourself thrown off the circle.

Second Question: "WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO LET YOUR REVIEW BE KNOWN TO THE WORLD?"

Surprisingly, believe it or not, I'm really,really shy when it comes to approaching long time bloggers and experts on the field of blogging. I feel insecure. Even though I sound brave and bold in my posts (really??!) I really am reluctant to reach out to them. For fear of rejection. So, will I just observe in the sidelines or I'll strike while the iron is hot? ; )

Two tips for all. I've been doing this since I've started blogging 2 months ago, don't laugh.

Triple check and triple think before you post. 

 Put yourself in other's shoes or heels or slippers...whatever.

THE FUTURE OF BLOGGING

. 

Yes, this is not a very enriching post about the future of blogging and if you want a very precise and brilliant post go here. Now about my opinion, honestly, I have no idea about the future of my blogging. Or blogging in general. All I can envision is me sitting on a rocking chair, surrounded by my grandchildren and holding a kindle. Because kindles are suitable for grannys with bad eyes, hey! you can change the font size ; ) Kidding aside, I want to have a humongous library full of physical books. I want my lineage to pass it along for future generations. That is my dream. And if I could still blog even if I'm full of wrinkles and probably (Heavens! I hope not) blind, I would still do it. But considering the transition of technology, I think I can. I will read books as long as I live because when I was still  one year old, I was told that I'm already flipping through books. I think it's my destiny to appreciate its musty smell, its coarse papery feel (It's PAPER, DUH!?) and the countless magic of words embossed on its pages. And I do believe it's yours too.  I'm living in the present and apologies if this is off topic. :) 

*laughs*

So I guess that's all I can say about the two topic. I'll be waiting for your responses and link me up in the comments section so I can drop by your blog. Love and peace out, damsels!

PS. Hear ye! Hear ye! The kingdom of the Stressed Damsel Johanna is seeking for followers who are willing to hear her nonsense. 

ArmchairBEA Day Four: Beyond the Blog..Opportunities and All

So here we are, guys, with the Day Four of this uber awesome Armchair BEA and today we will be talking about any opportunities your blog has given you, aside from the free books and stuff. Well for me, there's almost nothing really I can tell because again this is a baby blog, born right smack the controversy that rocked the YA blogging world. *wink**wink**nudge**nudge*

Blogging for me is a prerequisite since I'm taking up Journalism for college (Oh, wait. That was a hint again to my age eh?) and that in itself is an opportunity. It harnesses my skills in communicating with the masses through the media. I'm not paid ever to write those reviews. Though I am wishing I was that capable. But the feeling of satisfaction after you press that Publish button after writing a rev for a book is incomparable. Whether it's a bad or a good review, the fact that you part with a little bit of yourself making it is already an accomplishment. Then the comments will appear and you'll go gaga over how happy you are and how endearing those people are for even reading your review. Meeting with fellow bloggers of the community in the net is an opportunity for you to convince yourself that you're not anti-social that you thought yourself you are. What the heck? But you get the idea, guys. Reading books, appreciating authors and interacting bloggers are the magical ingredients that made up this EPIC TO THE NTH DEGREE blogging experience. And the way I look at it, we will weather through the storms of change just fine. *raises glass* For the love of books and books of Love!

 Audience: Not very convincing, Johanna.
Me:

Thank you for reading my entry of the Day Four of Armchair BEA and I do fervently hope I stated my opinion on the topic clearly. If you didn't understand my rambling up there, well there's no return policy, right? XD Love and peace out, guys! 


PS. I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my blog, so follow me maybe? : D