Meet My Blogger Little Sib!

Today I would like to introduce you all to my blogger little sib! Hafsah, Ivy, Katie, and Kelsey has created a project called  Big Sib/Little Sib! Big Sib/Little Sib is a program where they help pair novice bloggers with veteran book bloggers. They try to pair novices to veterans to help them get started in the book blogging community.

When I heard of this genius program, I immediately signed up to be a Mentor! Starting a blog is hard and I would love to make someone else's journey easier! Hence, I present you my little sib - Ariel who blogs @ The Librarian's Bookshelf!

Ariel is an aspiring librarian and you can read more about her HERE

ALSO visit her blog, it's SO pretty!




Badass Bookie xx

2012 Debutante Event - Spread the Word Giveaway! INT'L

IT'S THE EVENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...

THE 2012 DEBUTANTE EVENT!

It's back again this year! Badass Bookie is hosting the 2nd Annual Debutante Event! Featuring 12 of next years hottest YA Debutantes, we're going all out this year! THIS IS THE BIGGEST THING OF 2012 AFTER EDWARD AND BELLA'S WEDDING!

Save these Deets -

What? - 2012 Debutante Event

When? - 1st - 25th of December

Who? - Veronica Rossi ( Under the Never Sky)
             Jill Hathaway ( Slide)
             Leah Bobet ( Above)
             Elisa Ludwig ( Pretty Crooked)
             Megan Bostic ( Never Eighteen)
             Robin Bridges ( The Gathering Storm)
             Kristen Simmons ( Article 5)
             Brodi Aston ( Everneath)
             Jodi Meadows ( Incarnate)
             Jessica Spotwood ( Born Wicked)
             Robin Mellom ( Ditched: A Love Story)
             Miranda Kenneally ( Catching Jordan)

Why? - So we can celebrate the debut of 12 of 2012's hottest YA debutantes! 25 days of insider scoops, guest posts, everything YA and giveaway galore! Don't forget that there are copies ( read multiple) of every debut up for grabs! It's the season of giving and the Debs are giving you the experience of a lifetime!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We want to make this year's event bigger and better than ever! Therefore we're kicking off the event with a giveaway!

YOU SPREAD THE WORD AND WE'LL GIVE

Prize Pack #1 - Jordan's Favourite Things ( International) - Two Winners

- A journal and pens, because Jordan writes poetry to express her feelings.
- Shea butter. Jordan's mom buys it for her, and while Jordan would never publicly admit this, she kind of likes Shea butter. Her best friend Sam Henry likes using it too. He doesn't care if anyone knows that. He's secure in his manhood.
- A soft T-shirt. Jordan loves casual clothes.
- Bubble gum.
- An iTunes gift certificate for $15. Jordan decompresses after practice by listening to classic 80s music.

Prize Pack #2 - The Never Eighteen Swag Pack ( International) - One Winner

- Bookmark, Sticker, Notebook, Pen, Tissues ( you might need it, it's a real tear jerker), temporary tattoo and Buttons!

Prize Pack #3 - The Gathering Storm Swag Pack ( International) - One Winner

- Bookmarks, Postcards, Pen and "Mystery Gift"

Prize Pack #4 - Mix 'n' Match Swag Packs ( International) - 5 Winners

That's a total of 9 WINNERS! SO FAR -

- But I will be adding more winners! I haven't received ALL the bookish goods from our generous Debutantes and I'll will be adding more prizes as we go along!

To enter, simply spread the word! Tweet it ( +1 Daily), Sidebar it ( +2), Grab a Button (  +3 - Must place it somewhere visible!) or Blog it (+10)! It would be great if you guys could write a post about the 2012 Debutante Event! Remember the MORE YOU SPREAD -  THE MORE WE GIVE!

Buttons -





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In My Mailbox #37 - The Three Week Edition

Morning Lovlies! In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Basically we just share the bookish contents of our mailbox! It's a load of fun and a great way to find new books so go participate!

I'm too lazy to do IMM every week so I only participate every second week :) However because I had Exam Block I didn't do a IMM last week therefore this is a three week edition!

My Three Week Hurl -

For Review -

Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

ARC Touch of Power by Maria V. Synder

Smoulder ( aka The Space Between) by Brenna Yovanoff

Sending by Isobelle Carmody

Vampire Academy: Ultimate Guide by Michelle Rowen and Richelle Mead

Last Breath by Rachel Caine

Beautiful Chaos by Marget Stohls and Kami Gracia

ARC Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The Hunger Games ( Collector's Edition) by Suzanne Collins

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck

Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

( Thanks to Harlequin Teen, Simon and Schuster, Penguin, Scholastic, Hachette and HarperCollins!)

For Swap -

Waiting for You by Suzane Colasanti

 ( Thanks to Adriana!)

Badass Bookie xx

Drink Slay Love

Review Time! Drink Slay Love written  by Sarah Beth Durst, the author of Enchanted Ivy. It's a little like a movie parody ( hence the title), it's basically mocking it's own genre and it's fantastic! Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the ARC!

(Goodreads) Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.
Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.
The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?
 
The Short Story? - Brilliant! A satirical take on vampire pop culture, Drink Slay Love is a entertaining novel filled with humour, excitement and action. Durst has written an phenomenal page-turner giving readers a brand new perspective of vampires. Witty, sarcastic and hilarious, Drink Slay Love is a refreshing paranormal like no other!

The Long Story? - What's not to love about this novel? From cover to cover it was brilliant. Vampires, unicorns, cute boys and a showdown at prom? Yes please! Highly entertaining, it surprises me that to no end that this satirical take on vampires is perhaps the most accurate. Durst has re-established the predator and prey element of vampire fiction that was somewhat lost somewhere in 2009 when Twilight took over. In this novel, vampires are cruel, heartless predators who view humans as food not lovers. Very original and different. Instead of the cliche Vampire/ Werewolf duo, Durst has introduced the Unicorns! An unputdownable YA that will leave you crying in laughter!

I love the characters in this novel. Pearl is a fantastic protagonist! A instant like for the vampire who got stabbed by a unicorn and developed a conscience. Pearl is witty, sarcastic and level-headed. She's smart and badass, if anyone gives the vampire vibe it's her. Evan is our love interest and he truly is brilliant. A boy with OCD and an urge to help save the world, he's sweet, funny and the keeper of a big, BIG secret! There were plenty of great characters in the book, loved all the vampires not because they were nice but because they are VAMPIRES, the way vampires should be.  Bethany is another favourite, great best friend and very perky! Matt and Zake, hilarious duo and Tara? The nice A-list. Great cast, well developed and very, very funny!

Drink Slay Love is a must-read for all those readers out there who want to see vampires like they should be. A satirical take on our favourite mythical creature, Drink Slay Love is both witty and hilarious. A combination of humour and action, this novel brings out all the great aspects of YA fiction! Great character, fantastic plot, Drink Slay Love is a specatular YA that will sate your craving for words ( pun intended)! Bravo!

Rating - 5/5

Badass Bookie xx

Genesis

Review Time! I just finished my last exam two hours ago, nine exams in a week - my brain is fried. Worst of all - I haven't read since Sunday! Anyway, to celebrate finishing my exams I'm going to post a review for Genesis by Lara Morgan. It's an Aussie Dystopian/Sci-Fi and read on for my thoughts....

(Goodreads) Five hundred years into the future, the world is a different place. The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the “Centrals”; the have-nots, the “Bankers”; and the fringe dwellers, the “Ferals”.



Rosie Black is a Banker. When Rosie finds an unusual box, she has no idea of the grave consequences of her discovery. A mysterious organisation wants it – and will kill to get it.


Forced to rely on two strangers, Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?


From Earth to Mars, Rosie must learn the secrets of the box – before it’s too late.

The Short Story? - If Across the Universe and All These Things I've Done had an offspring this would be it! It's the best of both worlds ( quite literally), set on Earth and in Mars, Genesis is thrilling YA Dystopian that's will leaving wondering what's next! Packed to the brim with action, Morgan has written a Dystopian that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

The Long Story? - I admit Genesis was a little hard to get into and I think partly it was because I was a little stressed about exams but also the length of the novel is a little discouraging. It's a pretty solid read ( 450 pages) and I like to stick to the 300s but once you do get the grasp of everything, it's quite a fantastic dystopian! It's pretty full-on, a very action-packed plot. There are a few life and death moments, a trip to mars, a little bit of saving the world, a little evil mastermind and a little bit of cat and mouse! It's definitely one that both boys and girls would find enjoyable. I'm little disappointed that romance was such a minor aspect of the novel because romance is so important to me and Genesis had so much potential for a great romance line. It just kept building up and yet not much happened! Keen to see where everything leads in the sequel!

Again with the characterisation, I found that it was one of those books that take time to grow on you. I wasn't really sure about Rosie for the first couple of chapters. It was really slow character development and I couldn't really connect with her! However when the cat and mouse chase starts, Rosie's inner heroine makes a show and that's when I took an instant liking of her! Pip was probably my favourite characters of the book, he wasn't a main but I felt he was the most developed. He had a unique personality, he had character and he had depth. He also had a sense of humour and I love that in a characters! Overall, a nice cast!

Although the book starts a little slowly, it's definitely one that I would recommend everyone to read! For lovers of dystopian, this is like nothing you have read before! A fantastic, action-packed YA. Morgan has written a spectacular novel that's both beautifully written and wonderfully organised. A clever plot, a nice cast of characters and a heroine that's saving the world, this is an Aussie must-read!

Rating - 4/5

Badass Bookie xx

Emerald

Review Time! By the time you read this, I’ll be stressing my heart out trying to write an analytical essay on a poem. I’m in the midst of exam block so you won’t hear from me until Friday when the whole shebang is over! Emerald by Karen Wallace is a historical YA, I really don’t know much about it but thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Emerald St. John is in trouble. She has been condemned to marry a man she hates. Her enemies are conspiring to have her pet bear Molly torn apart in the baiting pits, and the man she loves is far away on the high seas. And she has stumbled into a web of spies with a plot to poison Queen Elizabeth I. To save herself and the kingdom, she must beat the spies at their own game - which means transforming herself from a country girl into a Court lady. Can she do it in time? Set against a detailed and vivid recreation of a great Elizabethan manor house, EMERALD will bring to life a world where the most sophisticated rules of etiquette went hand in with brutality and superstition.

The Short Story? – One of those undiscovered treasures, just waiting to be read and enjoyed! Filled with evil noblemen, dirty little secrets and a scandalous plot to kill the queen, Emerald is fast-paced and adventurous. A strong heroine, a love story and a plot to be foiled, Emerald is a spectacular historical YA that’s bound to be a crowd pleaser!

The Long Story? – I haven’t read a historical YA in ages and I forgot how much I enjoyed them! I really enjoyed reading Emerald. It’s authentic, it’s adventurous and it’s got a love story, everything to make me a happy chappy. It’s a complicated plot where everything has secret meaning and everyone has secrets. Everything seems to be tangled together, nothing is as it’s supposed be but in the end everything is revealed and I think that was quite interesting. Very unpredictable which I liked. It’s a short novel so it’s quite a fast-read. I love Wallace’s prose, she writes good book, keen to read other pieces of her work. It’s comfortable, easy to understand so it’s suitable for readers of all ages. If you like historical YA, you’ll like this one! (Stunning cover too!)

Emerald is actually the name of the protagonist. I really liked her, Wallace has betrayed her as a little bit of a tomboy. She’s quite a country girl yet she has to turn into a lady so that she can catch the Queen’s eye. She has a rough background but fantastic personality. She’s compassionate, she’s brave, she’s level-headed, very well developed. Our handsome Viscount Sam is the love interest, he’s got an out-going personality so I approve :) Instant Love. Only found in YA and Historical Romance, if you want instant love you have to read Emerald. It’s quite an abrupt romance, they met once and then they fiancées but dating was different back then and Sam is yummy so who wouldn’t want to instant love?

One of my favourite historical YA fictions I have read up to date. Emerald is an engrossing novel about a heroine who plans to uncover the truth and save the queen, a romance that will make you swoon and plot filled with adventure and drama. Beautifully written, Wallace has written a novel for all to enjoy!

Rating – 5/5

Badass Bookie xx

Tempest Rising

Review time! Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs is a 2011 YA Debut. The US edition has a different cover which might be why you don’t recognize the cover but the content is the same. It seems like mermaids are trending in YA, could they be the next vampire o_O? Thanks go to Bloomsbury Australia for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

The Short Story? - A refreshing debut about the struggle between love, duty and family. Tracy Deebs has written an enjoyable YA that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages! A captivating plot, a complicated romance and a heroine that’s going to save the world (long live the fishies!). Loyalty, love, family, duty, loss and pain, Tempest Rising is a remarkable debut that is both original and beautiful.

The Long Story? – Tempest Rising had this light quality about it – which I like. The atmosphere created even when filled with drama and tension was light which made it easier to read. Maybe it’s just me but I can’t stand depressing books, I can only read them in small doses and while I love paranormal and fantasy I usually find it is quite melodramatic and DUN DUN DUN depressing. Deebs has come up with a clever plot, a mix of saving the world and fighting an internal battle to choose between family and love. A fantastic flow, a complex background and an addicting love story. It has the element of originality, I’m not really following the mermaid trend but it’s like nothing I’ve ever read before. Keen to see where Tempest and Kona’s romance takes them. Romance Junkie = Me.

I don’t always emphasize the importance of characterization but for me likeable characters are a must. Tempest is one of those characters that you just can’t help but love. From the first page I was hooked, she’s a well developed character, very complex and full of passion and personality for what she believes in and what she loves. Her background is quite interesting too, I don’t surf but living in surf central, it really grows on me and Tempest’s love for the ocean and surfing really made me like her more. However it was Kona who stole my heart (I pronounce it KO-NA but I think it’s meant to be pronounced like Connor). What a sexy beast! He’s funny, sweet and a total stud. Complete with the good looks only blessed to YA fictional boys, I’m crazy about this guy! A romance not to be missed and a cast that will grow on you!

Tempest Rising is a fantastic debut that’s both interesting and enjoyable. Suitable for readers of all ages, it’s comfortable and easy to read. A strong heroine, a passionate romance and a plot filled with drama and tension. A beautifully written novel, Deebs has made an excellent debut, I can’t wait to see what she has install for us next! Dive into this novel! (Pun intended) :)

Rating – 5/5

Badass Bookie xx