Showing posts with label Lisa Mangum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lisa Mangum. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (times two!) (76)

WOW is hosted by Breaking the Spine
Lisa Mangum
September 4th, 2012
What if the first day of your relationship was the only day you had?

Seventeen-year-old Sara is a seeker. She’s always on the lookout for the perfect moment to capture with her ever-present, point-and-shoot camera, especially on her first trip to New York City.

Sam is a finder. He has a knack for finding what other people can’t—a first-edition book or the last two tickets to a sold-out Broadway show. In New York, there is always something interesting to find.

When Sam and Sara’s paths cross, neither one of them is prepared for what they will find out about each other—and about themselves when they form an unlikely partnership in search of a seemingly elusive work of art. They have one day to find the impossible. Fate brought their talents together, but what happens when time runs out? Will love be able to overcome fate?
I enjoyed Mangum's Hourglass trilogy, so I'm extremely curious about her newest book. 

Kiki Hamilton
October 2nd, 2012
Tiki’s greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and the ones she loves, she needs to know the meaning of an fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will Tiki be brave enough to face the truth?

A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation… 
Very, very excited for The Torn Wing! Loved the first novel,

What are you waiting on?


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Covers + Summaries from Goodreads

Monday, December 26, 2011

Best of 2011

My 11 Best Books of 2011
(in no particular order)

1.  Delirium by Lauren Oliver
2.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
3.  Divergent by Veronica Roth
4.  Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
5.  Blood Red Road by Moira Young
6.  The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
7.  Across the Universe by Beth Revis
8.  Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
9.  The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker
10.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
11. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Best Female Main Character
Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Best Male Main Character
Cas from Anna Dressed in Blood

Funniest Main Character
Sophie from Demonglass

Most Realistic Main Character
Tiki from The Faerie Ring
Best Supporting Male Character
Four from Divergent

Best Supporting Female Character
Anna from Anna Dressed in Blood

Most Swoonworthy
Four from Divergent
Rieker from The Faerie Ring

Best Horror
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Best Villain 
(Orion) from Across the Universe

Best Sci-fi & Mystery
Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Best Fantasy
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Best Dystopian
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Best Romance & Writing
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Best Historical
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Best Contemporary
Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Best Verse Novel
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Best Ending to a Series/Trilogy
The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum

Best Sequel
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Most Unique
Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Most Surprising
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
 
Best Cover of 2011
Possession by Elana Johnson
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
The Must-Read Book of 2011
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Considering the amount of ties I gave (seriously, it was so hard to narrow it down!), I'd say 2011 was an epic book year. 

What was one of the best books you read in 2011?


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Monday, August 1, 2011

The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum

The Golden Spiral (Hourglass Door #2)
May 10th, 2010
Pages: 365 (now in paperback)
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Source: Publicist
Summary (Spoilers for 1st book):
The bank is eroding. The barriers are thinning. And time is running out. 

The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Although giving him up was the hardest test she ever faced, Abby knows that Dante is the only one who can stop the others from destroying time itself. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby's worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically.  

With each change that ripples into her present, Abby's life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point. Zo's power is greater than Abby ever imagined. Will her love for Dante be enough to turn the tide? 
The Golden Spiral is nothing short of spectacular. The story is creative and exciting - Lisa Mangum is an author to keep an eye on.

Abby’s life is becoming more of a mess by the day as Zo flits through time with only chaos on his mind. The more he changes Abby's life, the more the barriers of time begin to wane. Despite everything horrible that’s happening, Abby toughens up and actively attempts to fix everything – including her seemingly impossible task to save Dante. But it is characters like Valerie and Zo who truly steal the spotlight. Zo is more threatening than ever with his controlled yet chaotic behavior, while Valerie's manic personality constantly surprises with every story she tells. Valerie especially grew to be a favorite character of mine, despite how frustrating I found her in book one.

Mangum intertwines events from the past novel together with those taking place in The Golden Spiral quite expertly. Time travel and the drawbacks of messing of time are more present in this story in comparison to the previous one. The characters are more developed, the risks are higher, and the ending will have you eager to snag a copy of newest and final novel, The Forgotten Locket.

Highlights: The characters, especially supporting ones like Zo, V, and Valerie, truly stunned me with how much more depth they all gained as characters. The build up to the conclusion was especially well done, and managed to surprise me despite a few hints here and there. Mangum's writing is as beautifully descriptive (and sometimes even poetic) as it was in the first novel.

Lowlights: Just once, I got a bit iffy regarding the dialog between Abby and Dante (the spot I'm referencing seemed a dash over the top). Things also seemed to work out too well regarding a couple aspects of the plot.

Note: You need to read The Hourglass Door (#1) to understand this novel, and I'd definitely recommend it.

Rating: 4 out of 5




Friday, June 17, 2011

In My Mailbox 52

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For Review:
The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (e-book)
Fury by Elizabeth Miles (e-book)
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (e-book)
Bought (Kindle e-books):
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Other (check back for a giveaway this week):
UnRequired Reading Water Bottle
UnRequired Reading deck of cards
Won:
Starcrossed GelaSkin
My Kindle is actually pretty now ;)


Thanks to Leigh, Netgalley, Josephine/Kismet/Cynthia, and Disney Hyperion/Jaime.

What did you get this week?

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