Discussion: Dante Walker♥

 

My very first discussion post! This is kind of a big deal for me. We all know what discussion posts are, so I'm just going to jump in, yes?

 

I know exactly what y'all are thinking right now. "She wants to have a discussion about Dante Walker? Pfft." And my answer to that is: YES. Goodness, yes. For a few reasons:

1. I was lucky enough to be picked as a family member in the VMafia (henceforth, there's been somewhat a Dante explosion in everything that is ME--Twitter, blog, facebook, etc.) and I am seriously pumped about this. Seriously, seriously pumped. So I've been in the mood to gush about Dante because of this.

2. Um, this book looks just plain amazing.

3. DANTE FREAKING WALKER LOOKS JUST PLAIN AMAZING.

and 4. Victoria Freaking Scott is just plain amazing.

 

So we're going to talk about them. Or, I am, and then I kind of hope you say something in response. I've never done a discussion on the blog before, so...work with me here, peeps.

 

First of all, do you know who Dante Walker is? If your answer was no, we're fixing that huge issue right now:

The Collector by Victoria Scott

From Goodreads:



He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

If you're having a total deja vu moment, that would be because this book has recently been featured in my WoW. Just so you know.

So. Dante Walker. He has a website you can see by clicking HERE. It's absolutely entertaining. Dante's a cool guy. And you might want to check out Victoria Scott's website, too, because she's a cool chick. Click HERE for her website.

All right. Now that all the formalities are out of the way, let's talk Dante. He's kind of epic, right? This book is my most anticipated of 2013 right now, and I legit CANNOT wait for this book to come out. I just may explode before it releases. Which would be sad, because then I'd never get to meet Dante.

Other than being TOTALLY HOT, Dante is also awesome. And by "awesome," I mean he is the best at what he does. Which tends to add to his ego. Which'll make him loads of fun to read about. Hot, confident, and amazing. That's Dante for ya.

Fun fact: his favorite color? Red. Why is this a fun fact? BECAUSE RED'S MY FAVORITE COLOR, TOO. Yeah. He and I already have something in common. That's so cool. ;)

Daemon Black. We all know who he is, right? If you don't...oh, dear. I have no response. He's only my MOST FAVORITE BOOK CHARACTER EVER. Yeah. It's kind of serious. Dante kind of reminds me of him. I must say, I never imagined Daemon having competition for my #1 boy, but...I don't know. Dante may be competition. I mean, look how much I love him already? Then again, I DID love Daemon before I technically met him, too. So you never know. My point here is: Daamon is still my #1, but Dante is a VERY close second. Just so you know. Which, in case you read my review of The Golden Lily on Monday, does push Adrian back to #3. But that's okay, because I love them all. A lot.

So, this post is pretty much just a bunch of gushing about how awesome/cool/amazing/EPIC Dante Walker is. And how excited I am for The Collector to come out. And that's okay. Because some things deserve to be gushed over.

Now, please feel free to gush all you want in the comments and whatnot. I'm always up for an attractive-book-boy conversation. Those are some of the best conversations ever, right? So let it out, because Dante's totally worth it.

♥Jessica(:

Review: A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young

A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Series: A Need So Beautiful #2
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
Elise is a normal seventeen-year-old girl until the day she wakes up in a desert park, with no idea who she is.

After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She’s experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people’s lives—people she’s never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose effect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who’s new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates.

Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really?

So, this is the sequel to A Need So Beautiful, which I read and reviewed...you know...recently. The ending to THAT book was somewhat cliff-hanger-y, so I picked up this book as soon as I could after that. And, um. THIS BOOK WAS SO GREAT.

This time, instead of Charlotte, we have Elise. This can throw you off, but this IS a sequel to A Need So Beautiful, not a companion. I've had people ask me this. Trust me, this one definitely comes second. So, we have Elise. Who, as the description says, wakes up with no clue who she is. Normally, this kind of thing at the beginning of the book just means it's all going downhill from there (sad, but true--check out my reviews of Glimmer and As I Wake if you are skeptical). That is certainly not the case here! This book was just as beautiful as the last, and even more enjoyable, in my opinion.

Character Rundown:
Elise: So it's pretty obvious who Elise actually is. And I like her just as much as I did in the last book, if not more, because this time she's still the wonderful, caring person she was, but she also has more personality. It was nice to see both the Charlotte in Elise and the...Elise. It was cool to see those two characters rolled into one so effectively, to create one character that I loved reading about.

Harlin: OH, HARLIN. I love him a million times more in this book. It was great to get to start all over with him, more or less, and he was much more defined this time. He was very solidly HIM. He not only had a personality, but one that I completely adored.

Abe: Abe is a guy who was full of AMAZING lines from the very moment we meet him. In the very beginning of this book, he was seriously awesome. But then...he wasn't. I like Abe, though. Still, Harlin's my boy this time around. And in the end, Abe...well, let's just leave it at I end with liking Abe a lot.

Other characters: We saw Dr. Swift again, and that was cool. He's a sweet guy. And then we have Onika again. I feel for her, but I don't like her at all. I understand her situation, but I am completely critical of how she handled it. And then there's Lucy, who is another character who I don't like her choices in certain situations. Not cool, people.

The plot. I enjoyed every single part of this book. The plot wasn't predictable--especially if you're comparing this book to the first one. Everything is not the same, no matter what people may think. This book had me riveted and I flew through the pages. I was kind of surprised when I saw that I only had ten pages left. I was like "NOOOOOO!" I kind of didn't want it to end. Why?

Because of Harlin. AKA, the sweetness of this book. Harlin is just the sweetest thing! He cares, and I love that. Plus, in this book, Harlin isn't as oblivious, therefore his romance with Elise can not be full of tension caused by secrets, secrets, and more secrets. Well, for the most part. Either way, it went better for them this time around, and that made me deliriously happy.

The ending. I'm curious, is there going to be another book after this one? Because that ending certainly left me wanting more, but I don't know if there's going to be a third. I hope there is. This ending made me happy, but also left me wanting a little.

Overall, this book was better than the first. A Need So Beautiful was a really good read, but A Want So Wicked was an amazing read. So, pick up these books and READ.

♥Jessica(:

Waiting On Wednesday! (12) ♥ Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we tell y'all about the books we cannot wait to get our hands on!

 

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Expected Publication: January 8, 2013

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

 

Description from Goodreads:

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

 

Why I'm waiting on this: If I Stay and Where She Went were two books that just got to me in the very best way possible. I honestly cannot wait to read more from this author. So, there's the fact that this is by Gayle Forman, and there's just the simple fact that the description looks terrific. Seriously, I'm excited for this one.

 

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know in the comments!

 

♥Jessica(:

Teaser Tuesday! (17) ♥ Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Do you want to participate in Teaser Tuesdays? It's simple and hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. All you have to do is:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT T INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

-Share the title & author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Description from Goodreads:

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

After her family's scandal rocks their conservative small town, 17-year-old Parker Shelton goes overboard trying to prove that she won't turn out like her mother: a lesbian. The all-star third-baseman quits the softball team, drops 20 pounds and starts making out with guys--a lot. But hitting on the hot new assistant baseball coach might be taking it a step too far...especially when he starts flirting back.

Teaser:

"During gym of Friday morning, Brian wouldn't even look my way as I ran around the track with Will. Whatever, I thought." ~pg. 58

 

So. Yeah. I'm only on page, like, 28 right now, but I actually did the open-to-a-random-page thing. So I have no idea what is happening. Just thought I'd say that.

 

Oh, and I love Corndog♥

 

That is all.

 

Leave links to your teasers! I'd love to check them out!

 

♥Jessica(:

Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 418 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Series: Bloodlines #2
Source: Bought!

Description from Goodreads:
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

I read Bloodlines (the first book in this series) in August. Since then, I have been completely flipping out about this book. And now I finally got it! I must say, it was definitely worth the wait.

Bloodlines was a book that was kind of slow to start. Interesting, but not as great as expected. The Golden Lily, I am glad to say, was so much of an improvement. From page 1, this book had me. It's funny, compelling, and just plain terrific. This book moved along brilliantly, in a way that I'm beginning to learn only Richelle Mead could cook up.

Character Rundown:
Sydney: I kind of like Sydney. There's been a lot of debate about the fact that Sydney isn't as kick-ass as Rose was, but I think she's just as awesome as Rose, if not more. I think I actually like Sydney better. Sydney may not be a literal fighter, but in a battle of wits, there's no one better to put in there. Plus, Sydney is better to the people around her. I'm not saying Rose is a bad person, but, um, Adrian...yeah. But there are certain aspects of Sydney's character that grate on my nerves. I'm not going to go in depth and ruin the book for you if you haven't read it, but she can be so oblivious sometimes. *sigh* And then the ending. And that's all I'm going to say.

Adrian: OH, ADRIAN. As of this moment, Adrian is my second favorite male character. He is so completely deep and he just has so many emotions. He's a good guy, but he just has his issues. I disapprove of his little drinking habit, but other than that, Adrian has done no wrong in my eyes, and I doubt he ever could. Though since I said that, Richelle's probably going to swoop in and make him horrible. I don't think he could be, though. In my opinion, between this series and VA, Adrian is the most tortured. I feel for him. Goodness, I love this boy. He deserves happiness for once. If this series ends without him finding some, I just may lose all hope in humanity.

Everyone else: Yeah, so I just went through the two biggies. The other ones are as great as always. I liked that Jill wasn't as annoying in this one, and more responsible. Until she ruins that with a little stupidity. But still. Eddie...that boy wamrs my heart. And Dimitri. It was a big deal that he was thrown into this series like he was, but I actually loved it. Partly because I was ecstatic to see Dimitri again, and partly because it was great to see him through Sydney's eyes instead of Rose's. I actually laughed at some of her descriptions while he was fighting. Not in a bad way, but...we actually get to see the guardian god we've always heard about. Rose was always analyizing Dimitri's fights and glorifying how he looked and whatnot. Sydney just explained his mad skills. It was amazing. I really hope for more Dimitri in this series.

The plot. The plot did not drag in this book at all. Honestly, I was a little iffy as to what the plot even was until the big moment where the big stuff happened. Then I thought back to the book and was like "OF COURSE! That was the point to everything." Everything has a reason in this book, my friends. Don't second guess it. Not once did I get bored while reading this book, and I was actually insanely sad for it to end. Speaking of...

The ending. I need the next book (The Indigo Spell) NOW. That is all.

Overall, if you read Bloodlines and decided to give up on this series, I suggest you reconsider. It gets so much better. This book was so great!

♥Jessica(:

What I Got! (13)

What I Got is a weekly meme hosted by Monica over at Cover Analysis :) where we tell y'all about the wonderful brag-worthy bookish things we got this week!

 

NET GALLEY:

Undeadly by Michele Vail 

I've only ever reviewed a book from Net Galley for a blog tour, but when I saw this...my finger slipped. ;)

 

Broken by A.E. Rought

I repeat: my finger slipped. This book just looks so good!

 

GIFTED:

Land of the Noonday Sun by Carmen DeSousa

Carmen DeSousa is amazing. That is all. Oh, and she writes GREAT books.

 

WON:

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Yes. I already own this book. But this one is SIGNED. Plus, having double means I can give the extra away sometime... And this book is fantastic. In case you wanted to know.

 

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Now, this one I have NOT read, but I am completely excited to. I legit love Miranda Kenneally. This one is signed, too! THANK YOU, MIRANDA! I won both of her books in a Twitter giveaway, because I have the kind of memory that doesn't forget pervs within awesome books. Yeah.

 

So, what did YOU get this week? I love to see these things--leave links in the comments!!

 

♥Jessica(:

Cover+Trailer Reveal! APOLLYON+DEITY by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I am one of those insanely lucky people who signed up to participate in the cover/trailer reveal for Apollyon/Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout! I'm not even going to have any nonsense today, I'm going to get RIGHT TO THE POINT.

 

Deity (The third book in the Covenant Series)

Available in both print and digital version on Nov. 6, 2012

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 

Official Deity Book Trailer

 

 

Did you read an ARC of Deity and been dying to get your hands on Elixir, the novella told

in Aiden’s POV and picks up right after the end of Deity? Well, you don’t have to wait any
longer. The free novella is available now. DO NOT read Elixir if you have not read Deity. It
will spoil Deity for you and not to mention, you will have no idea what is going on.

Elixir will be available in print. Kindle, and Nook formats on November 27, 2012.

Click HERE to read Elixir.

 

Apollyon Cover Reveal:

And we’re super excited to share the cover for the 4th book in the Covenant Series, Apollyon,

which is due out April 2013.



First, let me tell you--this cover? Is GORGEOUS!

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See what I mean? Goodness. So. Amazing. What do you think?

 

The Author:

Check out Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Official Website

 

♥Jessica(: