Book Review- A Beautiful Dark

I just finished reading A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites--like fire and ice--Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye's life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move--only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.


In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can't help falling for, and Devin, who she can't stay away from, the consequences of Skye's choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.
 
This is another great book about good and evil.  But in this case, I think the "good" was really more "bad" than the "evil"was.  If that makes any sense. 
 
What a great cast of characters!  I loved Skye!  She was independent yet not distant.  I loved that she was sort of dorky--perfect attendance and trying to get into Columbia.  And then you have the love triangle part--Devin and Asher.  I tend to go for the good guys, so in this case I was all set to love Devin.  But I was wrong.  There was just something so creepy about absolutely having to follow the rules of this higher Order.  Yuck.  And Asher.  He may have been on the Rebellion side, but he just seemed so good and sweet and right for Skye.  And then you have the secondary characters--Cassie and Ian and Dan.  All great friends.  None of them had a mean streak in them (which you often find in friends of the main character).  They seemed like people that I would have been friends with in high school.

And the plot had me continuously guessing.  I wanted to know just what Skye's powers would be.  And I wanted to know which guy she would pick--Asher or Devin..or even Ian?  And I wanted to know what side she would choose--good, the Order, or evil, The Rebellion.  Unfortunately, we don't find out.  There's a major cliff hanger at the end of the book.  But it's not one that I mind.  It just makes me want to read the next book all that more!  Or at least, there better be another book!  A great debut novel by a great new author!
 
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
 
A Beautiful Dark will be released on September 27, 2011.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge: 67
2011 ARC Reading Challenge: 53
2011 Debut Author Challenge: 16
2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 51

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Mailbox Monday- August 1, 2011

Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week


MONDAY

Wolfsbane- Andrea Cremer--review for an Around the World ARC Tour











WEDNESDAY

Bloodlines- Richelle Mead--review for an Around the World ARC Tour











THURSDAY

A Beautiful Dark- Jocelyn Davies--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

FRIDAY

Fateful- Claudia Gray--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

2011 YA Contemporary Challenge-- August Update

2011 YA Contemporary Challenge

What is contemporary? It's the genre wherein the events can happen in real life at the present time. The characters in the novel can be present in real life.

Goal: To read a minimum of thirteen young adult contemporary novels published in 2011.

Rules:

- All contemporary books must be in the Young Adult genre

- Books have to be published in 2011

- Open to everybody. Please fill in the form to enter.

- You can join whenever you want

- If you want to enter with your blog link, you have to post about the challenge.

- Link your reviews of 2011 Contemporary books in the MisterLinky below.

1.   Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors 
2.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
3.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
4.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurley Deriso
5.  The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
6.  Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
7.  The Rivals by Daisy Whitney
8.  Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
9.  Winter Town by Stephen Emond
10.  Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
11.  

2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge-- August Update

2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Create a post about the challenge and link your challenge post up in the linky below.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post.

2. There are four levels:
--The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
--The "Fun Size" YA Reading Challenge – Read 20 Young Adult novels.
--The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 40 Young Adult novels.
--The Mega size YA Reading Challenge – Read 50+ Young Adult novels.
3. Audio, eBooks, paper, re-reads all count.
4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
5. The Challenge starts on January 1, 2011 and goes until December 31, 2011.

* I will be participating in the Mega size YA Reading Challenge

1.  Entice by Carrie Jones
2. Starstruck by Cyn Balog
3.  The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
4.  Mercy by Rebecca Lim
5.  Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
6.  The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
7.  The Chaos by Rachel Ward
8.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
9.  The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
10.  Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors 
11.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
12.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
13.  Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
14.  A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
15.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
16.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris 
17.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
18.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
19.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
20.  Drought by Pam Bachorz
21.  Haven by Kristi Cook
22.  Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
23.  Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
24.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurely Deriso
25. Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey 
26.  Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
27.  Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
28.  The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
29.  Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
30.  Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
31.  Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
32.  Ripple by Mandy Hubbard
33.  The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
34.  Supernaturally by Kiersten White
35.  Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
36.  The Rivals by Daisy Whitney
37.  My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
38.  If I Die by Rachel Vincent
39.  My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
40.  Reaper by Rachel Vincent
41.  Frost by Wendy Delsol 
42.  The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton 
43.  Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
44.  Between by Jessica Warman
45. Winter Town by Stephen Emond
46. Dark Souls by Paula Morris
47. Eternity by Heather Terrell
48. Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
49. Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
50. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

What's in a Name? 4 Challenge-- August Update

What's in a Name? 4 Challenge

Here's How It Works:

Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories:

A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why
A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception
A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee
A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife
A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely
A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child
The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know:

Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

On January 1, I'll publish 7 posts, each with a Mr. Linky (one for each category and one for your wrap-up post), on this blog so you'll have a place post links to your reviews (bloggers) or leave comments (non-bloggers) as you finish up each category.

Number: Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
Jewelry or Gem: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Size:
Travel or Movement: Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
Evil: The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Life Stage: Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

2011 Debut Author Challenge-- August Update

2011 Debut Author Challenge

2011 Debut Author Challenge participant information:

The objective of the DAC is to read at least twelve novels from Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit! I encourage readers who can read more than twelve to do so!

Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States.

You do not have to have an blog written in English to participate.

You can join at anytime. Deadline to join is November 20, 2011. (not 2010 you still have PLENTY of time to sign up!) The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

Qualifying books:

Books must be a Young Adult or Middle Grade novel.

DO NOTE: Just because a book has a teen character or is about a teen, does not mean that it is necessarily a Young Adult novel.

This must be the authors debut with a release date in 2011.

If an author has a previous novel published under adult fiction/nonfiction or children's fiction/nonfiction, they can still qualify for the challenge if they are releasing their YA or MG debut.

More challenge guidelines:

Novels must be read between January 1, 2011- December 31, 2011. That means, those of you that have read arc forms of the titles early will not be able to count those toward your challenge totals.

You can use debuts from other countries, but the novel cannot be previously released in your county. (I explain this a little bit more in the FAQ section, if you want to check that out!)

1.   The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
2.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
3.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
4.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
5.  Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
6.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris 
7.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
8.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
9.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
10.  Haven by Kristi Cook
11.  Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
12. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
13. The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
14. Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
15. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

2011 ARC Reading Challenge-- August Update

2011 ARC Reading Challenge

The Levels

Level Bronze: .a. All of us who have or will have less than 12 ARCS must read all of the ARCS we have. Note, that if you have 11 ARC's and then receive a 12th one you will be bumped up to catagory b.

b. All of us who have or will have 12 or more than 12 ARCS must read and review at least 12.

Level Silver: Read 24 ARCS
Level Gold: Read 25 ARCS
Level Platinum: Read 30 or more ARCS

Rules:

To sign up, leave a direct link to your blog post about this challenge. Please leave a comment as well.

You don't have to make a list of which ARC's you plan to read, but you can if you want.

If you choose a lower level, you can always change it to a higher level if you like. However, you cannot go from a higher level back down to a lower level.

Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and Audio-books and ebooks are allowed as long as they are ARC's.

Read the books and review them on your blog. If you don't have a blog, you can post your review on sites like Powells, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

Please subscribe to my blog, as I will be doing a monthly post with MR Linky. Please add your reviews for each month in MR Linky in the monthly post. For your Name, please use this format Name: (Your Name, Book Title and Author's Name) for example: (Teddy, Obsessive Reading by Helen Reader). Please be sure to use the direct link to your review, not just to your blog. Then please leave a comment.

HAVE FUN!

* I will be signing up for the Platinum Level

1.  Entice by Carrie Jones
2.  Starstruck by Carrie Jones
3.  These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
4.  The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
5.  Mercy by Rebecca Lim
6.  Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
7. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
8.  The Chaos by Rachel Ward
9.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
10.  The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
11.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
12.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
13. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
14. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
15.  A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
16.  Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
17.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
18.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris 
19.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
20.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
21.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
22.  Drought by Pam Bachorz
23.  Haven by Kristi Cook
24.  Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
25. Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
26.  Demons are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom
27.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurley Deriso
28.  Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
29.  Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
30.  Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
31.  The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
32. Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
33. Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
34. Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
35. Ripple by Mandy Hubbard
36. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
37. Supernaturally by Kiersten White
38. The Rapture by Liz Jensen
39. Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley
40. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
41. The Rivals by Daisy Whitney
42. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
43. If I Die by Rachel Vincent
44. Frost by Wendy Delsol
45. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
46. Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
47. Between by Jessica Warman
48. Winter Town by Stephen Emond
49. Dark Souls by Paula Morris
50. Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
51. Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
52. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

2011 100+ Reading Challenge-- August Update

2011 100+ Reading Challenge

DETAILS:

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Posting on GoodReads or wherever you post your reviews is good enough.
2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.
What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.
3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.
5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2011. Books started before the 1st do not count. You can join at anytime.
6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

1.  Entice by Carrie Jones
2.  Starstruck by Cyn Balog
3. These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
4. Sounds Like Crazy by Shana Mahaffey
5.  The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
6.  Mercy by Rebecca Lim
7.  Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
8. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
9. The Chaos by Rachel Ward
10.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
11.  The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
12.  Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
13.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
14.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
15.  Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
16.  My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
17.  A Need So Beautiful By Suzanne Young
18.  Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
19.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
20.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
21.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
22.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
23.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
24.  Drought by Pam Bachorz
25.  Haven by Kristi Cook
26.  Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
27.  The Baby Planner by Josie Brown
28.  Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
29.  Demons are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom
30.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurley Deriso
31.  Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd
32.  The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry
33.  Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
34.  Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
35.  Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
36.  The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
37.  Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
38.  From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
39.  Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
40.  Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
41.  Ripple by Mandy Hubbard
42.  The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
43.  Priceless by Nicole Richie
44.  Supernaturally by Kiersten White
45.  The Rapture by Liz Jensen
46.  Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley
47.  Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
48.  The Rivals by Daisy Whitney
49.  Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal
50.  My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
51.  If I Die by Rachel Vincent
52.  My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
53.  Reaper by Rachel Vincent
54.  Frost by Wendy Delsol
55.  The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
56.  Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
57.  Between by Jessica Warman
58.  Winter Town by Stephen Emond
59.  Dark Souls by Paula Morris
60.  Eternity by Heather Terrell
61.  Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
62.  Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
63.  Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
64.  Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
65.  Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
66.  Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
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2011 A to Z Challenge-- August Update

2011 A to Z Challenge

January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

How does this reading challenge work? Choose the option that works best for you...

Authors -- Read alphabetically by author. Commit to 26 books.
Titles -- Read alphabetically by title. Commit to 26 books.
Authors & Titles -- Commit to reading 52 books

How strict is the 26 or 52? I know it isn't always easy to find those difficult letters. The thought of finding the X's (for example) might scare folks away. It shouldn't! I'm a merciful host! (Ask anyone!)

If you want to give the X's a go... For authors, try to find an X in the first name, middle name, or last name. For titles, it doesn't have to be the starting word. Try to find an X somewhere in a title, and it'd count in my book.

Still can't find a book for the letter you need? I'll take your word for it. I've been there. I know. If your library doesn't see the need to order books just because it starts with an X, then I don't blame you for not wanting to special order a book that you may or may not enjoy. You gave it your best, don't feel bad. You can still make this challenge work for you.

*Since I didn't finish the authors one last year, I am going to try for it again this year.

A. Armstrong, Kelley "The Gathering"
B. Balog, Cyn "Starstruck"
C. Cach, Lisa "Wake Unto Me"
D. Desrochers, Lisa "Original Sin"
E. Emond, Stephen "Winter Town"
F.
G. Gudenkauf, Heather "These Things Hidden"
H. Holder, Amy "The Lipstick Laws"
I.
J. Jones, Carrie "Entice"
K. Kacvinsky, Katie "Awaken"
L. Lim, Rebecca "Mercy"
M. Mahaffey, Shana "Sounds Like Crazy"
N.
O.
P. Picoult, Jodi "Sing You Home"
Q.
R. Richie, Nicole "Priceless"
S. Shepard, Sara "The Lying Game"
T. Terrell, Heather "Fallen Angel"
U.
V. Vincent, Rachel "My Soul to Steal"
W. Ward, Rachel "The Chaos"
X.
Y. Young, Suzanne "A Need So Beautiful"
Z.

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge- August Update

Welcome to the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge!

Here's your chance to catch up on Sookie and all her friends -- living and undead, fully human and not.

It's easy, it's fun, it's for you! And you have an entire year to complete the challenge.

The Rules:
1. Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie. Read Sookie in print, listen to the audio, read an eBook -- format is not an issue.

*ETA--I didn't complete this one on time, but I am going to still keep track of what I have read.

The Books:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone
Dead in the Family
Dead and Reckoning

Short stories:
Bite
Powers of Detection
Night's Edge
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
Many Bloody Returns
Wolfbane and Mistletoe
Unusual Suspects
Strange Brew
Must Love Hellhounds
A Touch of Dead
Between the Dark and Daylight
Crimes by Moonlight
Death's Excellent Vacation
Down These Strange Streets


There are also Sookie and gang short stories and an up-coming anthology! For more, see Charlaine Harris's website.



I probably won't start this one for while, but I wanted to post it now.