Title: Flutter (My Blood Approves, #3)
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publisher: LuLu, 307 pages (May 29th 2010)
From: ebook purchased from Amazon

Synopsis: Flutter - the third book in the My Blood Approves series...

Being undead doesn't make life any easier for Alice Bonham.

Her younger brother's love life is heating up, while hers is...more complicated. Mae is falling apart, her best friend Jane is addicted to vampire bites, and if Alice doesn't get her bloodlust under control, someone will end up dead.

Alice volunteers for a rescue mission with Ezra. But going up against a pack of rabid vampires might be too much, even for him.

Review: 5 Stars - The My Blood Approves series by author Amanda Hocking third title – Flutter – just keeps getting better and better. So far, this is my favorite book in the series. Thrilling from beginning to end!

Flutter picks up a few weeks after we last left Alice, Jack and the rest. Alice had a lot to deal with in the previous book, which had a few huge twists and turns and an ending that was shocking the say the least.

There’s a lot going on in Flutter, including Alice going with Ezra to Finland to try to save Peter who is on a mission of madness. There are evil vampires out there, totally unlike Jack and his family and Peter went to the worst kind to look for his own way out.

With evil lurking around every corner, it’s only a matter of time before it finds Alice and company and wow, much craziness ensues.

With additional new characters popping up in each book, and the return of a few others, such as Jane and her continuing troubles… guh, that girl needs a good swift smack upside the head. And Mae… she’s dealing with issues that I felt bad for her about on so many levels. However, this part of the story is totally shocking and heartbreaking. What she chooses to do, just… wow. And then we have Ezra, who was a strong presence in this book and it was his strength in all things that was a huge part in the story.

As mentioned above, this is my favorite book so far in the series. The events that unfold surrounding one of the family members will leave the lives of many damaged for a long time to come. I look forward to see just where the many plot twists and turns take us next in Hockings further continuation of the series in Wisdom.

FTC Disclaimer: I DID pay for this book and have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for reading this book and or writing this HONEST review.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Isle of Night
Author: Veronica Wolff
Publisher: NAL Trade, 320 Pages (September 6th 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble,
The Book Depository

Synopsis: Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead. When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she's determined to do so, because to fail doesn't mean dishonor-it means death.

Title: You Have Seven Messages
Author: Stewart Lewis
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 272 Pages (September 13th 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble,
The Book Depository

Synopsis: It's been a year since Luna's mother, the fashion-model wife of a successful film director, was hit and killed by a taxi in the East Village. Luna, her father, and her little brother, Tile, are still struggling with grief.

When Luna goes to clean out her mother's old studio, she's stunned to find her mom's cell phone there—charged and holding seven unheard messages. As Luna begins to listen to them, she learns more about her mother's life than she ever wanted to know . . . and she comes to realize that the tidy tale she's been told about her mother's death may not be the whole truth.
 
 

Title: Between
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher: Walker & Company, 320 Pages (August 2nd 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble,
The Book Depository

Synopsis: Elizabeth Valchar--pretty, popular, and rich--wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday on the yacht where she'd been celebrating with her closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, she finds her own drowned body is hitting the side of the boat. Liz is dead.

She has no memory of what happened to her, and can only observe in horror the fallout of her death. She's also soon joined by Alex Berg, a quiet boy from her high school who was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The two keep each other company, floating in and out of memories and trying to piece together the details of what happened to each of them.

In her regular life, Liz was a runner. It wasn't abnormal for her to run 8-10 miles per day. But as memories from closer to her death begin to surface, Liz finds that she'd been running much more than normal, and that she'd all but stopped eating. Liz's mother, who died when Liz was nine, had battled with anorexia as well, and those around her worried Liz was following in her mother's footsteps. But something more sinister was consuming Liz from the inside out. . . .

Three more great sounding books! So different from each other, but each I would love to read. Also, I love the cover for Isle of Night. What do you guys think of each books listed in this weeks WoW?

*covers are always subject to change.
*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.

"Just Picked" is a feature here at A Life Bound By Books. This is a place where I'll be spotlighting new (and old) childrens book or picture books for parents and new readers. It's a place to talk about books for a younger group and to try to help create a new generation of readers.

Title: Three Little Mermaids
Author: Mara Van Fleet
Illustrator: Mara Van Fleet
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 16 Pages (January 2011)
Age Range: Preschool and up.
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: Have a tea party undersea and practice counting with Three Little Mermaids, this sparkling touch and feel and pull tab novelty book by bestselling creator Mara Van Fleet!

Review: 4 Stars - Three Little Mermaids by Mara Van Fleet has been a huge hit with my nieces, ages 1 and 5 since they first got their hands on it. The 1 year old loves the colors and the actions in this extremely cute pop-up book. The 5 year old likes to sit with her sister and show her everything to touch and feel within the story of Three Mermaids inviting their undersea friends to tea.

Counting along with the actions and rhymes and their sea friends on each page… while feeling the soft furry belly of a seal, the snapping of the crabs claws to the sea horses coming out to play from behind the seaweed to all the bright, shiny, bumpy and cute illustrations is only part of what made this book a hit for the girls. It is something the older one can share with her younger sister. And that’s why I fell in love with this book.

I’m a fan of popup books and this one is just too cute for words. Younger girls will love everything about it. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

Title: Firelight (Firelight, #1)
Author: Sophie Jordan
Publisher: HarperTeen, 323 Pages (September 7th 2010)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Review: 4.5 Stars - Firelight, the first in a series from author Sophie Jordan is filled with greatness – great characters, great plot and great writing. I found myself immersed in the pages as Jordans unique idea became clear to picture as a new supernatural creature evolved before my eyes.

Jacinda comes from a rare race of people called the Draki. Not fully human and not filly dragon, able to change between the two halves. She’s even rarer as each Draki has a set of abilities making some more valuable than others. She’s a breed that hasn’t been around for a long time – a fire breather – which the pride that she lives in and calls home has plans for in the future.

Jacinda is one tough teenage girl who’s promised to the Prince of the Draki, Cassian. She has no idea just what the elders of her race have in store for her, and once things take a turn for the worse, her mother packs her and her sister and moves them to the desert where she hopes they won’t be found and to try to force Jacinda into a normal life, away from the Draki.

While I loved Jacinda and her strength and her fighting instincts while she tries to find a way out of the corner she’s put in, her mother and her sister were a huge thorn in my side. I understood why her mother moved them, but forcing Jacinda to go down the same path as she did frustrated me just about as much as it frustrated Jacinda. And her sister! Don’t even get me started.

The initial meeting between Jacinda and Will was thrilling, fast paced and unexpected. Their relationship is one that’s doomed from the beginning. When they cross paths again she doesn’t know what to do, just that she’s drawn to him when she shouldn’t be. Will and his family are hunters of the Draki and while he doesn’t’ know what she really is, she knows what Will and his family are capable of. I more than loved the interaction between the two and the push and pull of their relationship because of who they both were. When Will finds out he has two options and its right then at that moment he becomes the person he’s suppose to be and not the one he was born into.

Of coarse it wouldn’t be a true review of this title without more mention of Cassian. Cassian, oh… can I please have some more? Lol While I didn’t agree with his actions, he has many redeeming qualities (or does he?) that come through blindly by the end (or does it?). However, it still leaves me questioning if is a good guy or a bad guy. The verdict is still out on him.

The short chapters, amazing story and characters, the ending, the romance… the mythology, all wrapped together, making Firelight a perfect addition to paranormal YA titles. I’m more than looking forward to the next book – Vanish – to see what happens next for Jacinda, Will and all the people around them.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review. **Note - I did also purchased a finished copy of this title.

Title: Fate (My Blood Approves, #2)
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publisher: LuLu, 250 pages (April 25th 2010)
From: ebook purchased from Amazon

Synopsis: Fate - the second installment in the My Blood Approves series...

Alice Bonham thinks she's finally found a balance in her life between the supernatural and real life with her brother Milo. Jack - her sorta vampire boyfriend - keeps her at arm's length to keep her safe. As for his brother Peter... she's not sure where he's at, or what he wants with her. Worse still, she's not even sure what she wants with Peter.

When tragedy happens, Alice finds herself struggling with a terrible choice. Her decision has consequences that reach farther than she'd ever imagined...

Review: 4.5 Stars - Fate, the second book in the My Blood Approves series by Amanda Hocking continues the saga set within her world where vampires exist. The story wasn’t what I expected on many levels, but was the perfect set up for future books in the series. Her characters are likeable and her story thrilling – with a few bumps and hiccups along the way – Fate, in the end, will leave you ready for more.

With many things that came to light in the first book, the issues and drama of being friends or more with a Vampire take root in this continuation of the story. Poor Alice is spending more time alone. She’s missing Jack and his family. She confused about many things including her draw to Peter. She knows why, but still doesn’t understand it when all she wants to be is with Jack.

Alice is… more than a tad down in this book. She’s miserable and can’t seem to find her way back to her version of normal again. For many reasons, but the main one is how alone she feels. She believes that Jack and his family have abandoned her. She feels alone at home too, which if were being honest here, she is. I could understand why she was so down; I mean who wouldn’t be with what’s happening around her. I can say that I missed the Alice from the first book, but everything happens for a reason and wow, those reasons were some doozys.

There’s more of Milo in this book, which was a huge plus. While it throws an even bigger wrench into things for Alice on so many levels, it makes her come to terms with the things she’s had running round and round in her head. And poor Jack has a lot to deal with as well. All three characters have been handed a bunch of crap in this book and it’s a wonder how they all managed to make it out at the end… or did they?

The back story to the vampires was an added plus to this one. I couldn’t wait to learn more as Ezra fills us in on some parts of their past and helps Alice to find some of the answers she’s looking for when it comes to her magnetic pull to Peter and her love for Jack. I always love a good back story; it always gives the reader a better idea to just who the characters are, what they might be facing or what just might happen with the choices they face and or make down the road.

All in all, it’s a fast paced read that’ll leave you ready for the next book - Flutter, so you might as well order or download the next two books to read them back to back, it’ll be hard not to want to find out what happens next.

FTC Disclaimer: I DID pay for this book and have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for reading this book and or writing this HONEST review.