Mini Freak Out: Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

Mini Freak Out
(Non spoilery. I think)

Goodreads Blurb

 Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.
Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.
Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.
Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.
With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

 Well well, it's been a while since one of these! WARNING: LOTSA CUSSING. I shall use ze asteriks.

Pages: Reaction

7: Ummm...I forgot everything...O_O

15: DELUDED, KID. YOU'RE DELUDED

37: The delight sounds good, but what's the horror for? *suspicion*

41: I love Phoenix. SO MUCH.

43: TAKE THAT BACK VIOLET. YOU COULD LOVE PHOENIX.

54: Ze dad iis blind.

59: GO VI.

61: Oh, bad idea random exile.

64: They have the Maddox...*thinks of Beautiful Disaster* Please, no.

66: OHOHOH

69: Come here, Violet, let me hug you and MAKE YOU REALIZE THAT PHONEIX IS SO MUCH BETTER

71:*snorts* I bet Spence's emotions are different than yours. Plus, this is PHOENIX. I'd do anything to see him lol.

76: OH SHI*

81: O_______O Oh my gosh. That's so sad D:

87: ASKDF:NWDSC

95: NUH UH. PHOENIX WOULDN'T HURT STEPH.

97: O_O VIOLET DON'T YOU DARE

113: Awkkkkwarrrddd

134: YOU SHOULD. I love Phoenix. :D In case you didn't know.

138: STOP IT LINC. THEY'RE PERFECT TOGETHER.

136: Suckerrrrrr. (I'm talking about Jase. Not the others)

155: SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY?

160: Steph, you're genius

174: OUCH

179: Okay, maybe I do like Linc. *wavers* NO. TEAM PHOENIX. I think.

186: DANGER DANGER DANGER

187: Oh, poor Jase. I feel so bad for you :(

197: Shi* just got real.

200: STOP IT WITH YOUR HERO COMPLEX, VI. I LOVE YOU, BUT STILL.

204: YEAH LINC. ARE YOU DEFICIENT?

211: Oh my God. I'm starting to storngly dislike your father, Vi.

213: Oh my GOD, SPENCE. I GATHER YOU IN A HUG MENTALLY.

219: I don't think I'm going to like this chick.

222: D:

225: TELL HERRRRRRR.

229: BAHAHA I LOVE SPENCE. Also, BS with Grigori? SOUNDS FUN

235: O_O Uh oh

242: HOW DID IT THAT THERE. MANY STARES.

246: *giggles*

261: GRIM REAPERS GRIM REAPERS. RUNNNNNN.

276: O_O WOAH WOAH WOAH.

281: OMG. OMG. OMG. *SQUEALS* FINALLY. Okay, I may be a bit Team Lincoln.

283: NOOOOOOOO.

286: Are you surprise? IT'S JOSEPHINE

288: SADNESS

291: NEVER MIND TOTALLY TEAM PHOENIX *throws self into imaginary Phoenix's arms*

293: HE DOESN'T HATE YOU.

300: Gaping commence

304: YOU DIDN'T

305: LOLOL

323: TALK ABOUT SHOW OFF

347: DID YOU JUST FIGURE IT OUT

350: Oh my God. VIOLET, DON'T YOU DARE

361: Okay, so Phoenix is a bit demented, but I still love him

375: SADFLJHEWIIIIINALKHNRHI$#WURPO@QJNRE

377: NONONONONONO

379: SHI* SHI* SHI*

387: DAMN RIGHT HE DOES. DON'T HURT HIM

389: FUC*

391: Oh my God. You're kidding me. So she's winter, he's the sun, she's vanilla, he's honey. So basically e's gold and she's silver? *headdesk*

402: SEE. HE IS NOT EVIL. MUCH

408: Oh dam* O_O

410: MEEEEP

418: YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER CONDITIONS. DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON HER

432: dude, you have no chance. Trust me.

445: OH MY GOD YOU CAN'T JUST FREAKING END IT THERE.

So that was longer than usual plus I'm too much in shock to write a review. So, yeah.

Pages: 464

Genre: Paranormal

Series: Violet Eden Chapters #3

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: March 5, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

The Beautiful and Cursed by Page Morgan

Goodreads Blurb

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson has gone missing.
No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

The Beautiful and Cursed was definitely a book I was looking forward to--Gargoyles? In Paris? With that gorgeous cover? How could I not be intrigued?

Oh the atmosphere! It was haunting and chilling and had an absolutely dark tone to it that I had to fall in love with. It had such a gritty feel to it and was absolutely wonderful. This was so much darker that I thought it'd be! It's mysterious and a bit gory, but completely enticing. The mystery is definitely one of the best parts about the story--and the gargoyles? They added a sense of grim allure that just drew me in. Especially in Paris!

Speaking of gargoyles--hello? Who's written about that before! Learning the lore behind gargoyles was absolutely fascinating and I loved Morgan's twist on these old tales! It did seem a bit typical at first, but that's quickly overlooked by, well, the gargoyles. 

With YA you can make pretty much any creature sexy and enticing, huh?

The plot was definitely one of the better parts of the book! It was shocking and twisted, surprising me until the very end. It's a complicated mess--and we all know those are the best when it comes to the plot! The Beautiful and Cursed was definitely at it's strongest in the second half though! Because that's pretty much where a chain of events unfold and where everything just explodes.

The POVs are something of a nuisance for me. I hate multiple POVs, but I loved Grayson's. It added even more of an air of mystery to our already thickening plot and made everything so much more...interesting. But at the same time, I'm no fan of multiple POVs, and this wasn't really an exception.

Now, I should've stopped and thought about the romance when it said "a devastatingly handsome servant". There were almost 2 love triangles (two and a half? Two halves? Does Chelle count? Vander? Ermm...), one for each sister. And the love interests (besides Luc) weren't my favorite. They seemed a bit bland to me in all honesty, and a bit too typical for a YA love interest. (And there were so many guys, I can't remember all their names!) And the insta love between Luc and Ingrid--that just ruined it completely. There was no support for their romance, no building up of chemistry really. It was just...there.

And I didn't even really understand how these two girls could attract so many guys! Ingrid was definitely my favorite of the sisters, but she seemed to...proper for my taste, though Morgan did a wonderful job of creating the perfect attitude for both of these girls! But I usually like my characters more wild--though Ingrid was still, most definitely kickass. But something about her struck me as annoying.
Gabby definitely struck a nerve. She was so naive and irritating--so impulsive too! I'm not sure if she ever really thought before she acted, but it didn't really seem like it. But I did admire her will to fight and to rescue her brother even in the face of doubt!

Just like the title suggests, this novel is truly beautiful and thrilling to its core. While I didn't completely enjoy it, The Beautiful and Cursed definitely had it's good moments and I'll be sitting here waiting for a sequel!

Pages: 352
Genre: Fantasy/Historical
Series: The Dispossessed #1
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Rating: 3.5-->3 stars

Rapture by Lauren Kate

Goodreads Blurb

The sky is dark with wings . . . .Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.
Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.
For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.
In the fight for Luce, who will win?
The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

Rapture. Such an appropriate title. This book absolutely stole my breath away and made me cry while my throat was clenched tight. In other words—I was raptured, reading the fourth and final installment in the Fallen series.

Luce has just come back from the past bearing bad news. Lucifer is planning to wipe away millions of years of history. To bring them back to the one event that started it all—the Fall. But if that happened, Luce and Daniel wouldn’t fall in love over centuries. Everything would come apart. So they, along with their angelic (and demonic) friends are on a race against time to find the three relics that will lead them to the site of the Fall where everything and anything is revealed. Including the secret revelation that sparked Lucifer’s rebellion in the first place.

Rapture made me love the Fallen series. In the beginning it was just something to read. But now I’m making it my number one priority to re-read every book all over again with new eyes. Rapture left my crying so many times and made me love Lucinda more than ever. (Notice how I use her full name.) We encounter new characters like Dee and Olianna and revisit with old ones. Either way, each one is essential to this story and most (excluding a certain few…) of them now have places in my heart.

The writing was beautiful and the plot never left you bored. Fast paced and filled to the brim with action, I couldn’t tear myself away and found myself reading deep into the night and finishing it in one sitting. Even the parts that are usually written awkwardly, the heaven descriptions, were wonderfully described, giving me the sense of angelic propriety.

Daniel seemed incredibly bossy and a bit merciless so I’m definitely Team Cam. I didn’t like the way he reacted to certain angels’ deaths even if they were his friends. I wanted to pull out my hair. Luce, on the other hand, seemed way more mature than in Fallen when we met her as a whiny girl. It was absolutely relieving when I realized that she was a better heroine than before. Whew!

It was a great angel read, although not as dark I prefer, but it was still awesome. The way Lauren Kate finished off Luce and Daniel’s story was absolutely fitting and I loved it, although it was a bit saddening. I cried when I read the last line, it was absolutely touching. It was absolutely 100% beautiful and is definitely one ending I hadn’t even imagined.

And the quote is half of the last sentence. No, it’s not a spoiler since it can mean so, so many things. None of which will even be close to what happened.

Pages: 432

Series: Fallen #4

Genre: Paranormal/Romance

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Released: June 12

Rating: 4 stars

“…leaving a moment’s brilliant flash of light behind them as below, Luce and Daniel fell in love for the first—and last—time.”

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins + Author Interview!

Goodreads Blurb

What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

If the beautiful cover and the blurb didn't catch your interest...you're crazy. 100% crazy, no doubt about it. This book was absolutely beautiful, enchanting, and dark at the same time. It captured my heart and kept breaking it over and over and over. There is no happy ending, let's just say that now. And I say that with 100% because Wendy Higgins herself said that! (Check the author interview below) I'm going to be cutting this review short, only about three paragraphs, including this, since I do have an author interview to add!

Anyways, I loved Anna so much and I'm thinking a lot of readers can relate to her. We're all pulled in both directions: good and evil. We never really know which to pick, balancing between the two. Anna's the perfect good girl, thanks to her light angel mom. She knows when enough is enough, when too much is too much. But she also has to deal with the pulls of sins from her father's side. Something that makes her almost exactly like your typical human. And that is the main reason I loved Anna so much. Kaidan was....wow. Just wow. HELLO!? You have to love him! He's enticing, alluring, and has that dangerous edge that you guys know I love! I really can't think about other characters with these two fresh on my mind. However, Wendy Higgins did fit each character to their role as the spawn of a Duke.

Sweet Evil had a wonderful plot that made me wiggle in my seat and scream out loud. It made me laugh, cry, and smile behind my tears! The pacing was quick enough that you never get bored, yet slow enough that nothing ever just dashes by without you noticing. The world was beautiful, complicated, and so, so, wonderful. Readers will definitely line up and fight over copies (if they haven't already) and will be drawn into Sweet Evil's world.

Ok, I lied. Four paragraphs because I need to rant about this book! I have absolutely no negative thoughts. Which honestly? Is surprising. Hold on. I just remembered one thing I absolutely hated with all my heart: Sweet Evil ended! It ended! I am outraged by that. Just...just...no. There has to be more Kaidan! And another sequel! But mainly more Kaidan...If you still aren't convinced, I dare you to read it and tell me you don't absolutely love it!

Pages: 464

Series: Sweet #1

Genre: Paranormal/Romance

Rating: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I'm making a new rating just for this book. An absolute 7 stars.

"He would never have the freedom to let himself be loved."

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

I got the opportunity to interview Wendy Higgins, author of the amazing debut Sweet Evil! Eek! Major fan girl moment!

Fiction Freak: What inspired Sweet Evil? (The inevitable question)

Wendy Higgins: I know it sounds corny, but I think my whole life lead up to writing this story. Every experience, heartbreak, family issue, friendship, book, my schooling, my time teaching...everything contributed to my mind being ready for this. Once I decided I was ready to write, the story came to me like a rush. It was a crazy, exhilarating time.

FF: There's no happy ending in Sweet Evil, is there?

WH: Nope. Sorry.  :(

FF: Did you plan for it to end that way, or did the story just pull you that way?

WH: Well, in my mind it’s not the end - it’s just the end of part 1. There is still much that will happen before the story really wraps up.  I hated not having a happy ending, but it wasn’t time for that - it just wouldn’t realistically work as is.

FF: Can you tell us a few things that were changed from the original Inkie version to the newly published version?

WH: The original Inkpop version, Angel Prophecy, was a stand-alone single story. I ended up cutting the story down the middle and extending it into a trilogy.

FF: Kaidan or Kopano?

WH: I love both my K-boys to pieces!!!  They’re both very different, but they both hold an intense allure for me.  I’ve spent more time in Kaidan’s head, so I do feel closest to him.

FF: How much of Sweet Evil was researched? How much was prior knowledge?

WH: I had to map out the cross country trip, and read a lot of fallen angel lore to see what other people were saying, but mostly I just made stuff up, lol.

FF: How did it feel to see your work go from online story to published book? (And HarperTeen no less!)

WH: It’s STILL sort of unbelievable, even after two years. When HarperTeen tweets about me I get all sorts of giddy. I feel like an inkpopper still - deep down I’ll always just be a writer who needs feedback and values the give & take partnership of critiquing that I came to love as an Inkie.

FF: What's one of your favorite debuts of 2012?

WH: Unraveling by Liz Norris

FF: What's one thing you love and hate about writing?

WH: I love, love, love when the story invades my mind and takes over my thoughts. Even though it turns me into a total ditz because I can’t concentrate on “real life,” there’s just no cooler feeling. What I hate is writer’s block - and for me it has more to do with feeling intimidated about moving forward, which sucks. I’m actually working through that right now.

FF: In Sweet Evil, a certain someone tells Anna the meaning of life; is that what you yourself think it is?

WH: Haha, well, kind of but not exactly.  I had to make it work for their particular story world. I am a spiritual person, so I do believe in a higher meaning and having a purpose and all that good stuff. But the way that certain someone breaks it down for Anna is extremely simplified.

FF: What's the funniest moment of your life?

WH: Hm...for some reason this is really hard for me. All the instances that come to mind are either too gross, too humiliating, or just plain inappropriate! Stuff about my parents keep coming to mind - like when my dad walked into the glass at a store in the mall and left a faceprint. Or when we scared my mom to death with these fake rattlesnake eggs in an envelope that “buzzed.” Both of those times about made me pee my pants.

Sweet Evil Blurb:

What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.
Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Short Author Bio:

After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, she taught high school English until becoming a mommy. She’s always had a heart for teens, and writing YA stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal years before adulthood.
She live in the D.C. area with my husband, daughter, and son.

Contact Info:

Sweet Evil Facebook

Wendy Higgins’s Blog

Wendy Higgins’s Goodreads

Wendy Higgins’s Twitter

Author Interview: Jessica Shirvington

So excited to announce my interview with Jessica Shirvington, the author of Embrace, called the “Hottest YA Debut of 2012”.

Fiction Freak: What inspired Embrace? What were you thinking when you decided to write it?

Jessica Shirvington: At the time I started writing Embrace I'd been reading a lot and had reached the point where I wanted to try and craft my own story. There were things I was looking for in my reading experience that I wanted to be able to put into a story. It's strange how some things happen. I just sat down at the kitchen table, opened my laptop and started to write a story. I didn't know what it would all be about, I didn't know if I would get past the first paragraph let along a full novel. The idea that it is now a published series is mind-boggling!

I knew when I started the story process I wanted my heroine to deal with 'the big issues' and a perfect way to manifest these into a story is to incorporate the paranormal. This led to the use of angels. I realize there is now a number of YA angel themed books in the marketplace but when I started writing Embrace, there were none. I loved the idea of exploring the theme of angels and of choice and consequence. From there the research began and the story started to take shape.

FF: What is one of the funniest moments you've witnessed?

JS: Actually it was one I was involved in. My best friend and I were in Portugal, in a little seaside town. We decided to hire a moped for the day and explore. Anyway, we were only about 18 at the time and made a huge deal of which bike we wanted to hire, which helmets we thought looked the best. All in all we took about an hour of laughing and deliberating in the hire shop before we were ready to go. The guy hiring us the moped asked if we'd ever driven one before and we were like "ah...no. But we'll be fine!" He ran through a few quick tips and then my best friend jumped on the back and I was driving. We made it to the end of the little road (about 10 meters) before we needed to turn ... To this day I swear there was something wrong with the bike. It just wouldn't turn. And, ok, I forgot to use the brake. Long story short - we cruised right into a brick wall. I stood up, picking the bike up from under us. My best friend stood up, the broken-off side mirror dangling from her hand. The second I saw her standing there with a piece of the bike in-hand - in her perfectly selected helmet - I lost it. Needless to say, our moped experience ended there, but it's now fifteen years later and we still crack up whenever we relive the story.

FF: How does it feel to have YOUR book called "The Hottest YA Debut of 2012"?

JS: Incredibly flattering. I'm so passionate about this story and the characters. I love them so much and so naturally, I want readers to care for them too. That's what it's all about. :)

FF: When your book became international, we readers were excited, but how did you feel?

JS: Excited is a good word for it. Overjoyed, delirious, ecstatic, nervous, and humbled are also words that would apply!

FF: Lets approach the subject of your characters; Phoenix or Team Lincoln? (I'm a Phoenix all the way.)

JS: I love them both. Unlike Violet I don't have to choose and unlike Violet, I know all of their secrets and motivations so I feel differently about them. That's not to say that at times I don't feel like one would be the better choice for her or that one is behaving very badly. They all, Violet included, make their fair share of mistakes!

FF: Your take on angels is different than most fallen angel stories. What gave you the idea of exiles and light and dark as equals/balances?

JS: It comes from considering how any one event can at the same time produce a good result for one person and a bad result for another. It happens in all aspects of life - like getting a job. When one person gets a job, it's great for them and you never know just how important it is to them or how desperately they needed the income for themselves and their family, BUT, what about the other person who didn't get the job - what if they were down to their last $50 and this was a make or break moment. For the person that got the job they might think they had someone looking over them at that point, but what about the person that didn't get the job? And what does this mean for each of these people's futures and the people in their lives? This led to the idea that if angels played an active role in our universe and in the function of influence over our wills, then there had to be both good and bad that came from them, otherwise it simply couldn't work. (if that makes sense...!)

FF: How did it feel to know that Embrace was receiving such positive responses in another country?

JS: Awesome. Positive response makes it all worthwhile!

FF: What do you do in your regular day?

JS: The interesting thing about writing is that every day is different. Sometimes I am in draft and writing constantly. Sometimes my time is dictated by research, sometimes by editing, and at other times with publicity. Basically, there is always a lot going on so the main constant in my regular day is that once I get the kids off to school, it is very busy.

FF: Did anyone ever recognize you in public? If so, what did they do?

JS: Every now and then. Mostly if I'm with my husband (he's a TV personality / ex-Olympian). They tend to recognize him and then put two and two together if they have read my books. Usually they just want to say hi, or have a chat about the books or writing, which are two of my favorite subjects so it's all good.

FF: Describe your book in 9 words.

JS: Exiled angels are vengeful. Violet must choose her path.

FF: Last one, why don't you live in the US?! ;)

JS: Actually, I've been asking myself that question as well lately! I love the US and will be there in September for the release of ENTICE and am hoping to visit as many cities as possible. I'll also be back there in December to holiday with my family. So, whilst we don't live in the States, we do plan on visiting as much as possible!

Embrace Blurb:

It starts with a whisper

“It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Strange dreams leave her with very real injuries and there’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms. The guy she thought she could fall in love with just told her he’s only half-human—oh, and the same goes for her. And she keeps hearing a distant fluttering of wings.

Violet Eden is having a very bad 17^th birthday.

But if angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

Short Author Bio:

Jessica Shirvington is the author of THE VIOLET EDEN CHAPTERS also known as THE EMBRACE SERIES. An entrepreneur, author, and mother living in Sydney, Australia, Jessica is also a 2011 finalist for Cosmopolitan’s annual fun, Fearless, Female Award. She’s also one of the lucky few who met the lover of her life at age seventeen: Matt Shirvington, a former Olympian and current sports broadcaster for FOXTEL and Sky News. Married for almost eleven years with two beautiful daughters, Sienna and Winter, Jessica knows her early age romance and its longevity has definitely contributed to how she tackles relationships in her YA novels. Previously, she founded a coffee distribution company, Stella Imports, in London, and before that was involved in the management of restaurants Fuel Bistro and MG Garage in Sydney. Jessica is not a full-time novelist and living her dream.

Contact Info:

Embrace Website

Violet Eden Chapters Website

Violet Eden Chapters Facebook

Jessica's Shirvington's Website

Jessica Shirvington's Goodreads