Anna Dressed In Blood By Kendare Blake

Series: Anna #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Horror
Release Date: August 30th 2011
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Cover Rating:3.5/5 Stars
Synopsis: Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story... 
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

I had seen this book around quite a lot but I didn't think it looked all that good, I was very wrong. It was perfectly creepy and highly intriguing. The whole story centers around Cas, after his father was killed while on a job Cas took over the profession. As a ghost hunter. When Cas gets a tip about a ghost nicknamed 'Anna Dressed In Blood' he and his witchy mother move to the town she torments. Cas believes that is's just going to be a quick job but he soon discovers Anna is unlike any ghost he has faced. Without fail Anna has killed every person who has come into her home. All except Cas.

Cas, the main character, really was one of the best male narrators that I've come across. I haven't come across many books from the male point of view but when I do I like them instantly or not at all. Luckily for Cas it was instant. I loved how he could put on an act to get everyone to like him for his job but when it came to having real friends he was clueless. Normally in Young Adult books the Hero/Heroine already has a tight group of friends or one that materializes out of nowhere. What was different about this one was that the friendships became more realistic. For example the amount of times Cas tried to get rid of Thomas was ridiculous but the boy kept bouncing back and eventually they became friends (after a few near death experiences since there's nothing that brings friends closer than saving each others lives). Although this doesn't seem like the best way to make friends but I can almost guarantee it's happened to most of us. Thomas was very likable, very awkward and very sweet, which I would say is a good combination. The other part of the trio was Carmel. When you first meet her she seems like your average queen bee but as the story progresses you see she is actually nothing like the mean girl we all have bad memories about. Finally there is Anna, she is one of the most awesome ghost's I've read about. I really enjoyed learning about her background and why she is the way she is. At times her personality was so real I found myself forgetting that she was a ghost.

This book really was stunning. At times it became very creepy but instead of lowering my enjoyment it increased it. I loved the storyline and couldn't predict the twists and turns which is rare for me. The concept is genius and  being the only YA ghost story I've read it has given me very high expectations for any I may come across in the future. I would recommend it to those who are looking for a unique new young adult book to sink their teeth into.

My Favorite Quotes:
“She’s like Bruce Lee, the Hulk and Neo from The Matrix all rolled in to one.”

“Land of the Dead? Is that what you dream about?” she asks. “Boy who kills ghosts for a living?” “No. I dream about penguins doing bridge construction. Don’t ask why.”

“… you’ll need some help getting acquainted. I’m Carmel Jones.” 
“Theseus Cassio Lowood. What kind of a parent names their kid Carmel?” 
She laughs. “What kind of a parent names their kid Theseus Cassio?” 
“Hippies,” I reply. 
“Exactly.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.U

Series: The Oracle Of Delphi #2
Genre: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Romance
Release Date: November 12th 2012
Source: Review Copy From Author
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Synopsis: It’s official. Myth is doomed. And it’s all Chloe Clever’s fault. Still as whacked out as ever, Chloe is now faced with an even uglier truth: Not only is she the Pythia of the Great Unknown, but she is more powerful than she ever imagined and only the manifestations of her prophetic mind can save them all now. With her Prince boyfriend, Strafford, and the Quad Fraternity always armed and ready to annihilate the opposition, she will embark on a mission to stop a great power that could consume every god in Myth...and everyone else she’s come to love. But the worst is still to come. Dark, painful secrets are revealed, threatening to tear Strafford from her arms, and just when she thinks the future could not look more grim, she is betrayed in the worst way. With the heavens crumbling down around her, she must hurry to find a way to set things right. But will she be in time to save the one she loves most in the world from a fate that may be more dangerous than her own?

I had high hopes for this book because I had really enjoyed the first and it lived right up to them. I think it may have been better than the first. What made me love this series in the first place was the rich world building detail and the charismatic characters and this book had all that and more. The book starts where the first left off, I was a little confused at first but after flicking through the last chapter of the first book I remembered what was happening. Chloe has accepted that she is the Oracle Of Delphi, Pythia, and she must use the prophecies that come with it to figure out how to save myth and her little brother before it is all destroyed. Luckily for Chloe she has her (awesome) group to help her out. Their strength and loyalty plus her prophecies may just be enough to succeed on her mission.

As I said before, the characters are one of the main things I love about these books. Chloe was my least favorite in the last book and she still is but I liked her a bit more than before. When she fully embraced being the Oracle and headed out to find her brother I began to respect her character more and who knows I might like her even more in the next book. I of course still love Stafford but I have to say my heart still belongs to Ace, he's such a sweetheart that I can't help loving him. When I finally get around to writing my top ten favorite characters list again he will most definitely be on it. I liked the twins Hector and Theseus and I am intrigued by Swindle's story and can't wait to learn more about him. Something I loved was meeting more of the gods and goddesses, I love Greek mythology so thoroughly appreciated that.

Overall this book is one that has me eager for the next. The lavish detail is what pulled me into the book but it is the characters that kept me captivated until the very end. If a book has horrible characters or little to no detail there is a huge chance I will hate it but this ticks both boxes on my vital list. Prophecy Of The Setting sunrise kept me up till 2am but I do not regret the lack of sleep and that's saying something. I would recommend this to those who enjoy greek mythology or are maybe just looking for a good story.

My Favorite Quotes: 
“I found something, jukkas,” he said,opening up a book onto the table. 
“I really wish you’d stop callin’ us bloody idiots,” Ace said, stuffing lo mein into his mouth. 
“Is that what jukkas means?” she asked and Ace nodded. “Rude, Swindle.” 
The demigod laughed. “I always mean it in the nicest possible way. Now hush up and listen. Jukkas.” 

"And speaking of, why didn’t you jump in sooner, Ace? You knew it was Smurfey!” The demigod grinned, handing her a bag of herbs for the bruises that were sure enough forming all over her face. She snatched it from him. 
“Why would I break up a perfectly good cat fight when the odds were so evenly matched?”
---
The herbs obviously hadn’t kicked in all the way yet. “Smurfey happened to my face.” “Smurfey?” 
She pointed and when he saw her friend climb out of the truck looking just as roughed up, he smiled. 
“Ah. Cat fight.” 
“You and Ace are sexist pigs.” 
“Don’t you mean sexy pigs…”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Blog Tour Stop: Oracle Of Delphi Series By Diantha Jones

Hello and welcome to my stop on The Oracle Of Delphi's blog tour. The tour is to celebrate the release of Diantha Jones' new book, The Prophecy Of The Setting Sunrise, the second book in the Oracle Of Delphi series.

There is a lot going on at my stop. I have a review of the latest book (though I don't advise reading that unless you've read the first since the last thing I want to do is spoil it for you), I have a video interview with the series' author, a cover reveal and of course the giveaway that is advertised on the button to the right. So much to pack into one post so I will be posting the review separately. The giveaways will be last since they are so long.

So lets begin with an introduction to the series so far:

Series: The Oracle Of Delphi #1

Genre: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Romance

Release Date: March 1st 2012

Synopsis: Constant hallucinations and the frequent conversations with the voices in her head, have earned eighteen-year-old Chloe Clever the not-so-coveted title of "Whack Job" in her home town of Adel, Georgia. After living through an attack from her worst nightmare, she awakens to find herself far from home, surrounded by glorious riches and servants…and a few demigods who enjoy killing things. Upon learning that her favorite rockstar is an Olympian god, she is thrust into her new life as the Oracle of Delphi, the prophesier of the future, and the great Pythia that the gods have been anxiously awaiting to arrive for centuries. Setting out to fulfill the prophecy she has been given and to keep her family safe from a demigod Princess that wants her dead, Chloe learns of how great she is to become, all the while fighting mythical monsters, evading divine assassins and trying to outwit the ever-cunning Greek gods who harbor secrets of their own. In the hopes of discovering the Most Beautiful and the truth of her destiny, she strives to uncover the mysteries of the demigod Prince who has sworn to protect her with his life…and threatens to win her heart in the process.

Read my review.

Buy it on Amazon

Series: The Oracle Of Delphi #2

Genre: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Romance

Release Date: November 12th 2012

Synopsis: (May contain spoilers if you haven't read the first.

 It’s official. Myth is doomed. 

And it’s all Chloe Clever’s fault. Still as whacked out as ever, Chloe is now faced with an even uglier truth: Not only is she the Pythia of the Great Unknown, but she is more powerful than she ever imagined and only the manifestations of her prophetic mind can save them all now. With her Prince boyfriend, Strafford, and the Quad Fraternity always armed and ready to annihilate the opposition, she will embark on a mission to stop a great power that could consume every god in Myth...and everyone else she’s come to love. But the worst is still to come. Dark, painful secrets are revealed, threatening to tear Strafford from her arms, and just when she thinks the future could not look more grim, she is betrayed in the worst way. With the heavens crumbling down around her, she must hurry to find a way to set things right. But will she be in time to save the one she loves most in the world from a fate that may be more dangerous than her own?

Read my Review

Buy it on Amazon

And coming soon...

Cover Created by Colin F. Barnes

Series: Mythos: Stories from Olympus #1

Genre: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Romance

Release Date: April 23rd 2013

Teaser: Before he was the guardian of the Oracle... 

Before he fell in love with Chloe... 

Before he was the disgraced Prince... 

He was Solar, Prince of the Sun. 

Now for my very first video interview and I must say I don't think it will be my last, it was very entertaining.


Like the look of them? Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win one of three sets of the first two books in the series.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

There's also a giveaway to win a $25 giftcard:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
For this one no giving away the answer in the comments please, if you do your comment will be deleted.

About The Author: 
Diantha Jones was born the day thousands of turkeys sacrificed their lives to fill millions of American bellies on November 22 which also happened to be Thanksgiving Day (Her mother says she owes her a turkey). She is a Journalism graduate who wants to be a career novelist (of books, not Facebook posts). When not writing or working, she is reading on her Nook or playing the most ridiculous app games on her iPhone.


I grabbed the bio from her Goodreads Page.
Visit her author site and her book blog.

For a full list of blogs participating click here.

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Blue Bloods By Melissa de la Cruz

Series: Blue Bloods #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Release Date: April 25th 2006
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Synopsis: They're Young, Fabulous and Fanged. . . 
And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school - she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl - but all that's about to change. . . 
Because Schuyler has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous - and secret - vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schuyler must find out who - or what - is behind it before she's next.

I really didn't like this book. I really didn't expect to like this book. I really wish I hadn't bought the next three in the series. Okay now all those really's are out of the way, more about this monstrosity of a book. This is the lowest rating I have given a book on this blog and here's why it got it. The entire plot was unbelievable and it wasn't all that enjoyable. Other books that I have given low ratings, like Undead by Kirsty McKay and Destined by P.C Cast all got 2 stars - these were originally my lowest rated books. What kept these from getting this low a rating was the fact that they were somewhat enjoyable. Blue Bloods however was not. The book follows Schuyler (Pronounced Skyler to save you the hassle of trying to work it out like I did) Van Alen, she's a loner and doesn't fit in at school (flash back to Twilight anyone?). When Schuyler finds out that she is a Blue Blood vampire everything begins to make sense, the blue veins that appeared on her arms, the sudden craving for raw meat. The only problem is that something is now murdering her newly discovered race and of course Schuyler had to find out who it is... or else she might be killed. And no one wants that.

Where can I even begin on the characters? I hated them all. Schuyler was unbearably flat and just plain boring. She was the typical 'replace a stereotype with another' type of character. To make her less girly, shallow and beautiful the author made her wear ugly clothes (to show she's not shallow I suppose) but still be unbelievably beautiful. I'm sorry but that's been done in... I don't know, how about ALL fairy tales. If she's described as plain and not pretty please keep her that way! I do not like huge revelations that the moment she puts on a pretty dress she becomes gorgeous. It doesn't happen! Another thing that annoyed me about her character was the fact that it changed so quickly. She went from shy-ish loner to modeling topless on a billboard - did I mention she's fifteen? What parents (or in her case grandparent) would let a FIFTEEN year old do that? in fact what modeling agency would authorize that? It must be against some kind of law. Other characters included the irresistible Jack Force who didn't seem that irresistible  He seemed very bland and had a downright creepy relationship with his sister Mimi. I do not want to know where that's going nor do I want to. Then there's Schuyler's best friend Oliver who was tolerable but then he kind of faded away. She would go about 6 chapters at a time without mentioning and he only appeared when he was needed for some kind of secret mission thing.

This book could've been so much better but it just didn't make it. The only reason that this wasn't a 1 star book was because I reserve that for unfinished books. What irritated me most about the book was just how unbelievable it was. The Blue Bloods somehow didn't realize that they were vamps until halfway through the book despite gorging themselves on raw meat like its normal. The reader was only told that the book was about vampires halfway through even though it tells us on the back cover of the book. The book seemed more like a fashion magazine than a fiction book most of the time because of the constant clothing descriptions and label dropping. I do not need to know what every character is wearing! The only thing I can applaud the author on is her effort to create a differant interpretation on the typical vampire book which I suppose she has done even if I didn't like her way of doing it. I am probably going to read the next few books in the series simply because I have them already... or I might give them to a charity shop. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless they are label obsessed and don't mind a plot less story with no action.

My Favorite Quote: 
“Black is the color of night. White is the true color of death”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Poison Study By Maria V. Snyder

Series: Study #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: September 1st 2007
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Synopsis: Choose: A quick death Or slow poison... 
Yelena has a choice – be executed for murder, or become food taster to the Commander of Ixia. She leaps at the chance for survival, but her relief may be short-lived. Life in the palace is full of hazards and secrets. Wily and smart, Yelena must learn to identify poisons before they kill her, recognize whom she can trust and how to spy on those she can’t. And who is the mysterious Southern sorceress who can reach into her head? When Yelena realizes she has extraordinary powers of her own, she faces a whole new problem, for using magic in Ixia is punishable by death...

Poison Study was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It's the first book I have read by Maria Snyder though I had heard her name being thrown around the blogosphere. The only reason I picked up this book was because it sounded unlike anything I had ever read and I wanted a change - that and the fact the shop was having a 3 for 2 sale and I needed a third book. The book follows Yelena who's waiting to be executed when she gets a lifeline. She can be executed or be the royal food taster. Both of which almost certainly make her death inevitable but the latter gives her a bit longer at least. She chooses to be a food taster and is immediately made to train with the dangerous Valek. She is taught to identify the poisons but not before being given one herself to stop her running away, a poison that will kill her unless she takes the antidote once a day. With escape impossible Yelena adapts to life in Ixia but she is not safe...

Yelena was exactly how a heroine should be. She was smart, stubborn and strong. She didn't rely on anyone and didn't whine. Not even when she was waiting to be executed! There's nothing I hate more than a whiny heroine. Yelena wasn't described as pretty, she has personality instead of looks which I've noticed is becoming a more and more popular trait in Young Adult books. Valek was also amazing. He was a ninja! Well maybe not a ninja but assassin doesn't sound as cool. Anyway, I loved the chemistry between him and Yelena, their relationship was entertaining to watch. Two other characters, Ari and Janco were awesome. They are both guards so you would expect them to be hard and mean. Well they weren't. Once they became friends with Yelena their protective sides came out. They were fiercely devoted to protecting her and just very sweet.

I really enjoyed this book and am going to pick up the second as soon as I can. The world building in Poison Study was exceptional, there was even a map at the beginning of the book which I reverted back to at many points in the book.It was very helpful. I would reccomend this to those who enjoy fantasy or even those who don't have much experience with it (like me) because this makes a great first. One thing I should say is although the book is young adult it is a very adult, young adult book for more mature readers.

My Favorite Quote

“Poisoned, pursued and living with a psychopath. Not what I would consider the good life. Death has its perks.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK