Tag Archives: Giveaway

#HeartlessCountdown by Marissa Meyer

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The countdown to Heartless is on!! I have to tell you, I read Heartless and I ADORED it. I loved everything about it and would have loved to spend even more time in Meyer’s version of Wonderland. Speaking of Wonderland, I am here today to talk about my favorite character: The Mad Hatter.

I obviously love Cheshire a lot as well, but I find that he just doesn’t get as much time on the page (or screen) as some of the others, so I am always left wanting more. So Hatter is my favorite because he is just so eccentric and fun…when he isn’t dark and terrifying.

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The 1951 Disney version shows Hatter as rather juvenile. He is volatile and seems to be on the verge of throwing tantrums here and there but is easily pacified by compliments. He has a two second rebound rate before going back to his jovial nature. In truth, this is probably my least favorite adaptation of Hatter, but I never fell in love with this film as a child so perhaps I have a bit of a bias.

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The 2010 Disney version is more my cup of tea (hehe) and yeah, it’s probably because I love Tim Burton and I love Johnny Depp…what can I say? He takes on a much bigger role in this film, acting as Alice’s true friend and puts himself on the line for her a few times. I saw a few Johnny Depp interviews and he mentioned that his character was a bit like a “mood ring” as his appearance changed due to very strong emotions. I enjoyed that they maintained the same character who has his emotions so close to the surface but brought it a step further with his appearance.

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Probably my favorite adaptation of Hatter is in the horror novel Alice by Christina Henry. I absolutely devoured this novel. It was dark and enthralling and everything that I love. Hatter was a very twisted and sometimes scary character, though he backed Alice fiercely. Madness can go a lot of ways, you know, and not always in a happy go lucky manner. I loved that about this novel.

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Then we have the Hatter character in Heartless…I don’t want to give too much away here but let’s just say that he is a good mix between all three of my favorite adaptations in that he is fiercely loyal, sometimes dark and rather mad through and through.

The countdown to Heartless is ON!! Join us all in counting down to one of the most anticipated books of the year. You aren’t going to want to miss this one, I absolutely adored this adaptation and cannot wait for you to see what Marissa has done with Wonderland and the Red Queen. Stay tuned for my full review and join in on the countdown by checking out Fierce Reads! They are giving away advance copies of Heartless every day!!

Bard on the Blogs: Guest Post by Amy from Tripping Over Books

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Hi friends! Today is our last day of Bard on the Blogs which means I am going to remind you one last time to go forth and enter a Rafflecopter giveaway because we want to give you a Shakespeare retelling, my friends!! Also don’t forget to head over to Alexa’s blog to see what amazing posts she has to offer!!! My very dear friend Amy from Tripping Over Books is gracing us with her lovely presence today and she even made a MAP! WE LOVE MAPS OVER HERE, FOLKS!! Take it away, Ame!

First of all, I want to thank Alyssa and Alexa for hosting this wonderful event! I’ve always enjoyed Shakespeare, so it’s fun to be able to talk about him and his work in all kinds of new and fun ways.

Second of all, I had a great time making my World of Shakespeare map! Even knowing his works in limited detail like I do, it’s clear that very few of Shakespeare’s plays take place in his own country, especially in his own time. This map isn’t about chronology, though. Just straightforward geography. It doesn’t include any of his histories, either.
A few notes: If a play takes place in more than one country, I only used one on my map. That’s simply logistical; I didn’t have enough room. This map is also of Western Europe, but some of Shakespeare’s plays don’t take place there. So, alas, some locations and works are only mere notes on the side. There are also a few plays that don’t have any specific location within a country, so I just made one note for those as well. For places–basically Italy–that had SO MANY PLAYS, I put pushpins in the actual locations, but grouped the notes into bigger groups. You’ll see.
So, without further ado, A MAP!

World of Shakespeare

Book Nerds Unite: A Sharing is Caring Giveaway!

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Tis the season…and all that jazz. You know how it goes. The holidays start (earlier and earlier these days) and it is all about giving. Well now it is time for some getting. With the help of 19 other bloggers we bring to you, Book Nerds Unite, a Sharing is Caring giveaway!

Book Nerds Unite: A Sharing is Caring Giveaway

**Graphic by Rachel from Hello, Chelly

Here’s a little backstory for you: Andi — of Andi’s ABCs — got this fantastic idea after seeing so many fashion blogs give out high-value items for giveaways, she brainstormed and thought it would be a good idea to let us book bloggers dip in to the fun! She contacted some lovely bloggers to inquire if we would be interested and I am so happy to say that we have a wonderful group here putting together something extra special for YOU! Each blogger has pitched in to bring you not one but TWO top dollar prizes for one exciting giveaway event!

It’s pretty easy to enter. Just click on the Rafflecopter link/widget and start following some great bloggers. For your trouble we are offering a first place prize of $150.00 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card and a 2nd place prize of $50.00 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card. Really you are the big winner either way as you get to add some fabulous new blogs to your blog feeds. Just a few rules to follow before you get started:

  • Giveaway is US only. (Sorry to international folks!)
  • It runs from 11/24/14 to 12/11/14.
  • Winners are selected at random.
  • PLEASE don’t mark a blog as followed if you haven’t in fact followed. All entries WILL be checked as we are putting together this giveaway just because we want someone to win this awesome prize, so please don’t take advantage of the generosity of these other bloggers! ❤ Happy giveaway, happy winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Holidays, and good luck friends!

Fortnight of Fright: Asylum Review by Sarah (Friends with Characters)

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Heyy friends!! Carrying on with the reviews of creepy books, we have Sarah from Friends With Characters reviewing Asylum by Madeline Roux, a book that sounds like it would be right up my alley! Take it away, Sarah!

Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday. It’s so much fun dressing up and I love scary stories. I read Asylum by Madeleine Roux and it definitely is a creepy story perfect for Halloween.

Asylum (Asylum #1)

by Madeleine Roux 

Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it’s a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it’s no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux’s teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

My Review:

Dan is an extremely awkward person. He goes to the New Hampshire College Prep program to meet people with interests similar to his. At the NHCP he meets Abby, an artistic girl, and Jordan, a math genius. Dan and his new friends find some creepy pictures at their dorm rooms. The dorm room used to be an asylum for the criminally insane. It looks like the criminally insane haven’t exactly left.

Asylum was a creepy book. The scenes describing the old asylum were very realistic. I think that Madeleine Roux did her research. I bet the second book will be even better. Continue reading →

Fortnight of Fright: Guest Post by Eldritch Black

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Hello, friends! I am incredibly excited because today I have Eldritch Black, the author of The Book of Kindly Deaths (reviewed – HERE & spoiler alert: I loved it) on the blog today. He is sharing a pretty fantastic post written by Horasmythe Spindleclef, the food critic for the Grimwytch Gazette, on some of the many places to frequent around Grimwytch – and which places you should avoid, as well. ALSO he has been so kind to sponsor a giveaway, so read on and after you’re finished, enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win a copy of The Book of Kindly Deaths, AND a gorgeous necklace featuring the lovely book. Happy reading!

Unearthly Delights

Greetings, my name is Horasmythe Spindlecleft, also known as the gourmet of gourmets. If you’ve ever dined in my modest little Inn “The Fat Cobblefoot”, situated on the side of the Foggypeake mountains, you’ll be well aware of my extensive knowledge of food. And the finer things in life.

You’ve no doubt heard of my infamous twice-fried bat wings and hair of Hackthin tart, creations of exquisite beauty, though I say so myself. Not to mention my highly regarded Doormouse eye on toadstool and very-berry-sherry sauce.

It’s with great pride that I can announce I’ve been appointed chief scribbler of food reviews for the Grimwytch Gazette.

Below are the very first of many pearls of wisdom concerning places where weary travelers may sip and gorge upon unearthly delights. Outside of The Fat Cobblefoot.

As well as places to avoid like Fungal-throat plague.

The Malady Inn

A Fairly good stock of Old Catwhist, shame about the clientele.

The Malady Inn is a worn old building on the side of the Eastern Blackwood Road. Inside is a cosy, dingy room and its fairly affable landlord, Mr. Barrow. His bar is well stocked for the most part, although not to the scale of The Fat Cobblefoot. I chose a dish of sainted duck, goat-foot soup and a pint of Old Bramble’s Tipsy. It was an adequate meal until a table of Babbleslithers sat beside me and ruined the meagre ambience. Upon finishing their food, one of the more portly among them threw up his entire course through his left eye.

An unpleasant, vulgar end to a mediocre, but serviceable evening. Continue reading →

The Book of Kindly Deaths by Eldritch Black

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Title: The Book of Kindly Deaths

Author: Eldritch Black

Publishing Information:  September 16th, 2014 by Spencer Hill Press

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal

Series Information: The first in a planned series* (*I believe)

Format: Paperback, 304 pages

Source: Obtained an ARC from the publisher for review

Recommended For: Fans of the darker side of middle grade, fans of Neil Gaiman, and Claire Legrand.

When twelve-year-old Eliza Winter finds a secret room in her missing grandfather’s sprawling, Gothic house, her safe, sheltered life is blown apart. Inside, below a stained glass window where moonlight shines no matter the time of day, sits The Book of Kindly Deaths.

When the strange, crooked man from the book arrives on the doorstep claiming to be a rare-book collector and demanding entry into the house, Eliza’s world is turned upside down. To escape him, she must dive all the way into the spine-tingling world of The Book of Kindly Deaths to save her grandfather–and write an end to the nightmare she’s caught inside.

When my friend and fellow blogger Estelle reached out to ask me if I wanted to read and review The Book of Kindly Deaths by Eldritch Black I was a bit hesitant due to time and responsibilities and ya know, life. But when she told me that it was being geared toward fans of Neil Gaiman, my interest was immediately piqued. Then I read the synopsis and realized that the gal was right, the book was right up my alley. Many thanks to Estelle, Eldritch Black, and Spencer Hill Press for giving me a chance to read and review what turned out to be a rather perfect book for my tastes.

As you can see, this is a story about Eliza Winter and her adventures in a world unlike our own in order to save her grandfather, and others who have been affected by the monsters who frequent the streets of this parallel land. While reading, I was at first somewhat wary because The Book of Kindly Deaths read a bit like a compilation of short stories. In fact, it was very reminiscent of On The Day I Died: Stories From the Grave by Candace Fleming, which was entertaining, but not what I was looking for. Thankfully once I delved further into the story things started to come together and I really enjoyed the different tie ins from the stories within the Book of Kindly Deaths. There was one particularly interesting story filled with characters called “the wrong people.” That is, they were all together wrong. They were a group of “people” with greasy wiry hair, yellowed skin, and crooked teeth who eat mud pie filled with rotten vegetables. They lock up humans, and bring them out for show so that other residents of Grimwytch can see their abnormalities – that is, pale skin, white teeth and normal hands and toes. I loved Katherine’s story, and her escape from Grimwytch and the bittersweet ending to her story. Continue reading →

Come Celebrate With The Page Girls!

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Hello, friends!

Taking a break from reviews and such to give a little shout out to one of my newest favorite blogs, The Page Girls! For those of you wondering about their content, they are a type of lit mag that delivers themed weekly issues with short stories, book reviews, essays, videos, cocktail recipes (YEAH, BABY!), and more. They’re relatively new to the block but they have already made quite an impression on me as their posts are unique, candid, and incredibly fun. Some sample issues of their work include The Craziest Thing I Did For Love and LYLAS (Love You Like a Sister). Continue reading →

Giveaway: Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (signed)

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Hello lovely readers! I know that it has been rather quiet over here for a few weeks due to my moving to a different state and enjoying summer, and it might be quiet for a few more weeks, but I thought that I would share something wonderful to show you all how much I adore you for following Books Take You Places!

When I was at BEA this year, I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Elizabeth Wein and obtain a signed ARC of Rose Under Fire for one lucky reader! It is a companion novel to Code Name Verity, which you may know made many of us CRY THE UGLY TEARS, I can’t wait to share my review of Rose Under Fire with you all in a few weeks, but for now, here is the synopsis:

Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein

“While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women’s concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?
Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.”

Sounds great, right? To enter the giveaway, just click the link below! The contest will run until August 11, good luck!

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