ELDER Review & Tour Post

I think of a better to kick off my birthday than celebrating release of ELDER, the final book in Raine Thomas' Firstborn Trilogy!  I have LOVED this series so much that I even went back and re-read the book that started my love of Estlorians, Becoming. 

Before I get to my review of ELDER, I'd like to share with you the trailer:

Well, what did you think??  If you haven't checked out the first two books in the Firstborn Trilogy, then check out Defy & Shift.  And don't forget about the books that started it all, The Daughters of Saraqael: Becoming, Central, & Foretold.   Check out The Prophecy (a Estlorian Short Story), which is currently free on Amazon. 

My Review:

     What a way to end a trilogy!  I've been waiting to read Clara Kate's story since she is the oldest of the "Firstborn".  Clara Kate, or CK as her family calls her, reminds me so much of her mom, Amber.  While her story couldn't be as easy as it seemed on the human plane or else there wouldn't be a story.  The glimpse into CK & Ini-herit's relationship while in the human plane was beautiful and explained so much about the frustration CK has felt since returning.  Elder picks up with the action of Shift with CK, Sophia, Quincy, Zachariah, Ini-herit and the others trying to track down and rescue Tate and Ariana.  I'm still amazed as older Estlorian's demonstrate emotions in different situations.  ELDER is filled with action, heartbreak, laughs and of course some romance.  It's hard to talk about how much I LOVED this final book in the triliogy without revealing secrets.  There were several times when I felt like my heart was going to be ripped out, but then it was pieced back together.  The interactions between "Sparky" and Tate are priceless and Teige and Ariana are too sweet.  So the tension between CK and Ini-herit is so strong because their love on the human plane was so strong and Ini-herit needs a little time to release hundreds of years of having no feelings on the Estlorian plane.  Watching Ini-herit struggle to remember what he felt for CK when on the human plane was endearing and while I hated to see what it did to CK, it fit his personality perfectly.  I was shocked by a couple revelations during the book, but the characters they affected, handled them well.  One thing I have always enjoyed about Raine's books is how she pulls in so many characters stories even when the focus is on one person.  Learning more the others we were introduced to in this series added to the background of looking for the scroll and bringing balance to the Estlorian plane.  It's not often you find a series with strong and humorous female and male characters, and I love what Raine does with her characters.  While I know this is the last book and I LOVED how she ended it by bringing all six books together, I still can't help but more.  I guess that's the best way to end a series, all questions answered, but hard to say goodbye.
If you haven't read Defy or Shift or the Daughters of Saraqael, I would highly recommend you pick them up!  I give ELDER 5 stars!

You can BUY ELDER on Amazon or Barnes & Noble

You can also add it to your Goodreads list.

Now for GOODIES!!!  Raine has put together a wonderful little giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brief author bio: Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of a series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the Firstborn trilogy. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer's Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Ways readers can connect with Raine:

Blog ~ Website ~ Twitter 
Facebook ~ Goodreads

Pinterest ~ Linkedin 

Women of Strength

The month of October will be celebrating womanhood! The strength, beauty, and inspiration that women hold and provide to the world everyday. Women carry many titles: mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, best friends, nieces, granddaughters, chef, laundry person, nurse. Women are the nurturers, the quiet strength that holds a family together, and beacons of love for everyone who needs it.

TeamNerd Reviews is teaming up with family, friends, reviewers, bloggers, and authors throughout October to bring some inspirational and powerful stories of great women.


In addition to the many posts that will be coming in throughout the month, they will be throwing a fun giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive the following:

--FOUR different purses

--ONE copy of TEEN VOGUE MAGAZINE

--ONE copy of ENVY by GREGG OLSEN

--ONE copy of BETRAYAL by GREGG OLSEN

--ONE copy of FATED by ALYSON NOEL

--ONE copy of EVERLASTING by ELIZABETH CHANDLER

Terms and Conditions

**Giveaway runs from OCT 8-31**

**Open only to fans in the U.S., Canada, & the UK**

**Winner will be notified OCT 31 and have 48 hrs. to respond before another winner is selected**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review & Giveaway ~ Taken at Dusk

Taken at Dusk
Author:  C.C. Hunter
Released:  April 10, 2012
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Pages:  380

Summary from Goodreads:

Step into Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with supernatural powers.  Here friendship thrives, love takes you by surprise, and our hearts possess the greatest magic of all. Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean.  But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better. Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together.  Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it’s not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different—and more astonishing—than she ever imagined.

 Review:
I have completely fallen for the characters of Shadow Falls and can't get enough of them.  Taken at Dusk picks up shortly after Awake at Dawn ends and once again finds Kylie in some tough situations.  Kylie is still trying to figure out what she is and through one of the ghosts that haunts her, she finds some answers and more questions.  I don't want to give away anything, but she does know more at the end of the book, though knowing also creates more questions.  My heart did break a few times and I still can't decide who I like better for her, Derek or Lucas.  Part of me wants her to be with Lucas because he's like her since they were kids, but I think Derek could truly like her for what she is.  As with Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn, Taken at Dusk is full of action and romance, and not just for Kylie.  One of the things I have enjoyed about this series is how C.C. explores the emotions and lives of secondary characters.  We continue to see how the friendship between Kylie, Della, and Miranda grows and of course there is the "tension" between Holiday and Burnett.  For me, Taken at Dawn is a 5 star book and I can't wait to see what happens next in Whispers at Moonrise.

And now for a giveaway!  I just happen to have an extra SIGNED copy of Taken at Dusk up for grabs.  You must be 16 or older and a US resident, just fill out the form below.  Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

C.C. Hunter On-line:  Website  Twitter  Goodreads  Facebook

My Reviews of Born at Midnight & Awake at Dawn 

Review & Giveaway ~ Anastasia Forever

Anastasia Forever
Author: Joy Preble
Release Date:  August 7, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks

Summary:

Stories within stories. Secrets within secrets. In accepting powers from the legendary witch Baba Yaga, Anne must tackle a complex set of missions: Discover the secret of their enemy's newfound immortality; decide whether she can kill him to free her family from a vicious curse; come to terms with the magic that now resides inside her; and finally find true love with Ethan. The riveting conclusion to the trilogy that began with Dreaming Anastasia.

Review:
WOW!  I have been captivated by Anne & Ethan since I first read Dreaming Anastasia.  Anne and Ethan's stories get a little deeper and I love how Tess adds a little spunk to the adventure, not that anything dealing with Baba Yaga needed any extra spice.  Anne discovers more about her family's history through unconventional methods.  Anastasia Forever is a sold end to a great series, though I still love these characters and wonder what the future holds for them even though I know the series is over.  If you enjoy a little magic and mystery and Russian Folk tales in your reading then I highly recommend you check out this series.

Now, I'm pleased to offer a giveaway for a copy of Anastasia Forever!  All you need to do is fill out the form below.  Remember, you must be over 13 to enter and live in the US.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Joy on-line:  Twitter  Website  Goodreads   YaHous

My Reviews for Dreaming Anastasia (Book 1) & Haunted (Book 2)

You can stop by Blue Willow Bookshop on 
August 11th at 2pm for

 Joy Preble's Ansatasia Forever Lauch Party! 

Fun in The Sun Giveaway Hop

Thanks to Cari at Cari Blogs and Kate at Ex Libris for hosting this giveaway to kick off the summer!  I know this is the time of year many people get to catch up on their reading.  What better way to kick off the summer than by winning a book! 

For this stop in the hop you have a chance to win:

Your choice of two of the following books:

The rules are simple: you must be over 13 yrs of age, live in the US, fill out the easy Rafflecopter form below and check back at the end of the week to see if you are the lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out the other stops in the Hop:

1 yr Blogoversary Giveaway

WOW!  I can't believe it's been a year since I made my first blog post.  Of course it wasn't a very good post, but my first review (which wasn't for a couple weeks later) was a little better.  I have met a lot of wonderful people and made new friends since starting this blog.  Of course, I can't think of my first year without giving a HUGE THANKS to Maria over at Cari's Blog for answering all my random blog questions and for hooking me up with my original layout.  I like change (well, sometimes I like change) and so in September or October I found my current layout over at Parajunkee Designs and couldn't resist.  

This past year has been  fun and challenging on many levels, but one thing I appreciate more than anything is the openness and acceptance within the blogging community.  Even though I haven't been around all that long, so many people offered words of support and comfort when my mom starting getting really sick at the end of September through her passing in February.  I am thankful that I got to share my blog with my mom as she was the one who encouraged us to read growing up and always took us to the library during the summer to participate in their summer reading programs.  I still remember how excited I was when I got my first library card and can picture the layout of the library to this day. 

Yes I've always been a nerd and I'm cool with that.  

I've also had the chance to meet and get to know some amazing authors and am thrilled to continue to work with them in the future.  Of course, as a teacher, I'm also excited about all the AWESOME books I've picked up over this past year that I've been able to share with my students.  

I love that my students come to their MATH teacher for book recommendations.  

I figure even if they don't like math, maybe I'll get them to still like to learn through books. 

I've enjoyed all the author interviews from my first year.  Though, I am still working on not being so shy when it comes to emailing authors for interviews.  There are too many people that I've met this year to thank everyone for making my first year great, because I'd feel totally guilty if I realized later that I forgot someone.

Now for the Giveaway! 

 I have 2 prize packs of books and swag but will add a third if I get to 500 followers before the end of the giveaway.

(I will be adding a list of books to choose from for a third book in each prize pack.  The list will be up soon) 

Prize Pack 1:

 ARC of The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

ARC of Glory Be by Agusta Scattergood

various swag, some signed

Prize Pack 2:

ARC of Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg (signed)

ARC of Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown 

various swag

Since it's my 1st blogoversary and it comes so close to the end of the school year, it will run until June 8th.  It's easy to enter, just fill out the form below!

Good Luck and Thanks for making my first year so wonderful!

Okay, with just a few days left to enter.  Each winner will also pick a third book to

 add to the the prize pack of their choice. 

 Here are the ARCs you can pick from:

Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

I Hunt Killers by Berry Lyga

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis (SIGNED)

Beneath a meth moon by Jacqueline Woodson

Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer

Undead by Kirsty Mckay