Happy Halloween! Giveaway

Even if you don't celebrate Halloween, who could object to having a Halloween-themed giveaway??

I'm pleased to announce that Wendy Raven McNair has kindly offered me a copy of her book Awake, to give away. She has also sent me a copy and I'm looking forward to reading it. Around this time last year, I was able to review the first book in this trilogy, Asleep.



Awake by Wedny Raven McNair

AWAKE is book 2 of a YA fantasy trilogy told from the perspective of an African American teen girl, Adisa Summers. Adisa and Micah's saga continues as the teen couple race against time to save Micah. However conflict interferes with their efforts as well as other forces in the super world. When Adisa tries to secretly meet the parents who abandoned her, an explosive confrontation with Micah drives the couple apart and threatens to destroy them both. Adisa must conquer her fears and take a stand now that she's finally Awake.

*I hope this doesn't change your mind about the book but it is self published.

Who: U.S. only, no need to be a follower

When: Ends November 6th, 11:59 PM CT

How: Fill out THIS FORM

Thank you for entering and good luck! Have a fun and safe Halloween or a happy night reading :)

ETA: The author has informed me that Awake can be read as a stand-alone. So even if you haven't read Asleep, you can still read Awake!

Halloween Giveaway Winner & Wrap-Up, Blogging Help

I hope everyone had a great, fun and spooktacular Halloween!

The winner of my Treat Giveaway, as chosen by random.org, is....

Robin.Titan!

Congrats Robin! Please email me your mailing address (I'll be contacting you shortly). You're going to enjoy Eternal and Asleep :) Thanks everyone for entering.

I'm going to share some of the fun Halloween responses left for the giveaway (if you don't want yours shown, you can email or leave me a comment asking me to take your comment down).

Halloween Jokes

From Shadowofwonder
Q: What happened to the guy who didn't pay his exorcist?
A: He was repossesed!

From elnice
Knock, knock. (Whose there?) Ben (Ben who?)
Ben waiting for Halloween all year!

From Llehn
Q: What's a mummy's favorite type of music?
A: A Wrap

From Erica
Q: Why did Dracula take cough medicine?
A: To stop his COFFIN!

From babygirlG
Q: What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?
A: Frostbite!

And some fun Halloween links and book suggestions ;)
How to be a werewolf

Why Zombies are Cool

I have received recommendations to read

1.Shiver (although I don't think it has poc in it so I may not read that one)

2.Sixteen Going on Undead by Yvette Ford (I hadn't heard of that one Elle so thank you, it sounds good!)

3. the L.A. Banks Huntress series (not YA but this has been recommended to me a couple of times so I'm going to try them anyway)

4. Fledgling by Octavia Butler (I haven't met a single person who doesn't love Octavia Butler, I'm determined to read her books over thanksgiving & Christmas break!)

5. Never Slow Dance with A Zombie by E. Van Lowe (I know the author is a poc, not sure about the main characters)

6. the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (everyone just raves about him so I must check out his books).

I failed majorly at posting more Halloween reviews so those will just have to come throughout November (Soul Enchilada, Liar, Another Faust, the Exorsistah). And I will be doing a post later today about November being Native American Heritage Month.

Blogging Help Question: How do I display all my labels? I want to make it easier for people to find things on my blog, but I'm not sure how to show all my labels. Leave me a comment (or send me an email if it's a lengthy explanation). Thanks!

Finally, I had no idea people checked back on the comments on blogs so often! I feel bad because I thought people didn't check back to see if people responded to their comments (to be perfectly honest, I rarely check back on other blogs to see if people responded to my comments), so I stopped responding (although I ALWAYS read the comments). Now I know that you guys do and I will be doing a better job of responding to all comments left on my posts.

Happy Halloween! Asleep

Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair Book 1 of 3

Rating: 3.5/5


IQ (Incredible Quote) "My dreams had been awash in vivid colors, splashing light in the crevices, swirling away the lurking shadows. Lilac Wine had suffused my very being in its intoxicating words and rhythms." One of the prettier lines from the book :)

I always thought it would be cool to be able to fly (the whole time I read this book R.Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" was stuck in my head). Flying is one of Micah Alexander's (he's the love interest) powers. Asleep is the first superhero book I've ever read. I decided it was Halloween themed since almost everyone has dressed up as a superhero for Halloween (I've been Catwoman). I used to be obsessed with superheroes actually (much like the main character Adisa). My siblings and I watched all these old cartoon Batman, Superman, and Justice League movies and I fell in love with superheroes. They were fearless, smart, witty and beautiful.

Asleep is a lot like Twilight, in fact it's pretty accurate to sum it up as the 'Black Twilight'. However, it's slightly better than Twilight in my opinion. The irresistible guy actually has flaws, the main character is strong and has a backbone (she's never just waiting around for Micah to rescue her and she's not too clingy). Adisa Summers has never had a boyfriend, let alone a kiss. So when the cute new guy, Micah Alexander, seems to be interested in her, she's unsure what to do. Around other people he's stiff, unemotional, unresponsive, but when they're alone, he's kind and romantic. Micah is a superhero and he teaches Adisa (albeit reluctantly) about his secretive world.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the descriptions of the superhero world. It was very interesting and the only time I appreciated all the descriptions. In Asleep the very first superheroes originated in Africa, also some of the most powerful superheroes are Africans. It was nice seeing Africa in a new, positive light. Their world is known as the Sp. world and they are called sp. beings. The author describes new and intriguing aspects of the sp. world such as shields, burning, morality (there's an interesting conversation Micah and Adisa have where he tells her that many superheroes want to go to Heaven and that they aren't immortal) and more. I was in a state of constant suspense, wondering when Micah would reveal his secret to Adisa. The book has a good deal of action and suspense. The romance was sweet but (like in Twilight) a bit unbelievable. Micah's younger brother Jason is the typical adorable little kid, with a twist. He's six years old and adds a nice subplot to the story.

One of the main things that kept me from giving this book a higher rating was the fact that it makes too many pop culture references. That's a big turn-off in a book, because it makes the book outdated. This book mentions news anchors, singers and songs. None of that was key to the story and I could of done without it. Also the main character could be a bit irritating. The author seemed to determined to stress the fact that Adisa had good manners, (it's mentioned in at least every chapter), her family is perfect "they were their naturally charming selves" (this was said in a non sarcastic tone) and is a pretty good child (it's very hard for her to lighten up and she's very safety conscious). Another problem I had with Asleep is that it's too descriptive. Way too many inconsequential details and parts. Also (and I think this has more to do with the book being self-published, although A Wish After Midnight is the one self-published book I've read with hardly any spelling or grammar errors) there were some punctuation (especially in the dialogue), grammatical and spelling errors. I'm not a big fan of the cover either. It's slightly creepy and not very striking. My final problem with the book was that the chapters were too long. They all seemed to run together, they needed to be better and further divided up (16 total, there needs to be more).

Ultimately, I felt that Asleep is another nice addition to the fantasy genre. The author herself describes the book as her answer to Twilight and I think it does a good job of creating a fascinating new world to read about. There are few books about superheroes and rare is the YA book about a poc superhero. I'm excited for the sequel, Awake and the continuation of the character's stories. 7th grade and up (My younger sister loved this book and gives it a 5/5 rating for younger readers). I would recommend this book to all people who love superheroes, fantasy, Twilight and romance stories.

Have a fun Halloween everybody! Don't forget tonight is the last night you can enter my Halloween giveaway (click on the Halloween picture in my sidebar).

*Disclosure: I received 2 copies from the author. One to keep and one to give away.

Halloween Review: Eternal

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Rating: 5/5

IQ "About Miranda. Her soul. With faith, repentance and sacrifice, anybody can be redeemed, right? Anybody. She's still somebody. Maybe it's harder for a vamp to be good. But you could say the same of the poor or the oppressed or politicians. She didn't fall, Josh. What she is had nothing to do with free will. She was taken." Zachary



This book will stay with me for close to eternity I'm sure! It was funny, sweet and thought-provoking in a very subtle way. Oh and I now officially love vampires. I understand the craze, because even though vampires are evil in Eternal there is just something about them that draws you in. Cynthia Leitich Smith does a wonderful job of creating this secret world of vampires and angels interacting with ordinary people. I liked learning about the hierarchy of the vampire world (the most powerful and important vampire is known as Dracula, not the original one of course. It's more like a title), and learning about the world of the vampire nobility (it's not a particularly happy or nice world), vampire royalty and nobility like to be called 'eternal' (hence the title!).

Miranda is the main character (she's half-Asian I believe. I know she's Asian just not sure if she's fully or only half) and she becomes the princess of the vampire world after she dies only to have the King of the vampires save her. She is adopted by the current King of the Mantle of Dracula (also known as Dracula). At first she only sees the perks of being vampire royalty. She's now stunningly beautiful and she can have whatever she wants (cars, money, guys, etc.) Miranda lives in Dracula's castle and the descriptions of the castle were extremely vivid and well-done! I would love to visit Dracula's castle (but in the words of Cynthia Leitich Smith, "not without a guardian angel by my side.") Miranda's teenage guardian angel is Zachary. He's hot, caring and well, an angel (so obviously he's perfect), except not completely perfect because he fails to save Miranda from dying and becoming a vampire. Throughout the novel, Zachary is trying to figure out how to rescue Miranda, save her soul and keep from falling in love with her.

The story is told in alternating perspectives, Miranda's and Zachary's. Zachary's perspective was particularly amusing, especially when describing the duties of a guardian angel "I watch my girl slip the oversize Dallas Cowboys T-shirt over her pink bikini panties and turn in for the night, That sounds perverted, I know. But I've always watched her dress, undress, shower and bathe....it's my job to keep an eye on her 24/7. I'm Miranda's guardian angel (GA for short). A newbie created after the first atomic blast in 1945." Zach is such a sweet guy and the budding romance (more accurately described as romantic/sexual tension) between Miranda and Zach is sizzling!

While I read this book I was in constant SHUTUP AND LET ME READ! mode, but this book is worth it. It's definitely a book that you will want to read in one day so students beware (a late night/early morning lies ahead of you), but this book is fantastic so it's worth the lack of sleep. Eternal is funny, romantic, a paranormal thriller and contains a bit of political analysis. But the ending? NO! I mean it was a good ending, but it is the definition of a cliff-hanger. I was furious when the book ended, I couldn't believe the author would leave me hanging like that! But she can and she did. So I will just have to be patient and wait for the sequel. The sequel is called Blessed and it actually picks up from where Tantalize left off, but characters from Eternal are in it, so hopefully the story of Miranda & Zachary and their world will be resolved. For more info on Eternal (some spoilers on this page though!) check out the author's website

Tantalize was Ms. Smith's first YA book. Read my Tantalize review here. I liked Eternal so much more than Tantalize, but they're both good and I recommend them both (although I suggest you start with Eternal!) You don't need to have read one, to read the other. High school and up. Especially recommended for vampire lovers and everyone in the spirit of Halloween!

And here's the wonderful book trailer for Eternal If you have trouble viewing it, go here. Sorry for the inconvenience, I still don't know how to put videos that I didn't create in a blog post. I will learn!

Disclousre: Received from Candlewick Press/Cynthia Leitich Smith to review and give away one copy. Thanks so much Cynthia and Candlewick! And go enter the Halloween giveaway already ;)

Halloween Treat Giveaway

This is my final giveaway! *whew* I'm basically broke so after this last giveaway I will be saving up my money to have one in November for Thanksgiving and of course for the Holiday season in December!

*Note all this is being said in a thick Translavanian vampire accent (I'm not really sure why, but just go with it)

The Treats....

2 Wonderfully Scary Books (actually they aren't scary, just so wonderful that it's scary :D) 1 Lucky Winner

Eternal & Asleep


Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated and adopted by none other than the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracul, Miranda goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous royal fiend overnight. Meanwhile, her reckless and adoring guardian angel, Zachary, demoted to human guise as the princess’s personal assistant, has his work cut out for him trying to save his girl’s soul and plan the Master’s fast-approaching Death Day gala. In alternating points of view, Miranda and Zachary navigate a cut-throat eternal aristocracy as they play out a dangerous and darkly hilarious love story for the ages.

-I loved this book! Read my review here




Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair

Adisa Summers doesn't know her boyfriend, Micah Alexander, can fly. Micah's odd emotionless behavior, rigid posture, and vacant eyes are a mystery sending mixed messages to Adisa. When a flash of lightning sends a tree crashing down on her, Adisa is shocked to see Micah actually flying to her rescue! In an instant, Adisa is in his arms, looking up at the sky over his shoulder as they fly parallel to the ground. Micah shifts, shielding her completely with his body. As the tree explodes against Micah's back, Adisa feels him shudder with the impact and the air fills with wood chips and sawdust. Miraculously, they aren't smashed into the ground. They safely continue flying. Micah finally begins to open up to Adisa about his secret life as a superbeing and she discovers another shocking secret. Micah burns for her--literally as well as figuratively. ASLEEP is a superhero teen love story set in modern day Atlanta that's filled with thrills, romance, and suspense.

-Really liked this book too. Read my review here

To Enter: Must become a follower (especially for those who forget to leave their emails since sometimes you can find the email on the Follower profile page). You still get points for being a follower.

You need to answer ONE of the following:

1. If you were a superhero what special power would you want? Or

2. Would you rather be an angel or a vampire? Leave a short comment (1 sentence or so) explaining your choice.

+1 new follower

+2 Old follower

+2 leave a recommendation of a paranormal/Halloween type YA book with a poc as the main character.

+1 leaving a Halloween joke :)

+3Tell me what you are being for Halloween or just leave a creative costume idea (if you don't celebrate Halloween you can leave a comment explaining why or tell me your least favorite Halloween costume).

+3 writing a post about this contest/giveaway

+2 posting a link in your sidebar

+1 Thinking of something creative having to do with Halloween and leaving a comment (or a link). It can be anything Halloween related. Funny, scary, a book giveaway, whatever.

MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

Ends: Halloween Night! Oct. 31 Midnight CT time.

I tried to make the entries a little more fun ;)