Libri

Book Blitz: The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

the prophecy of shadows book blitz

Ciao a tutti! Terzo post promozionale in tre giorni. La cosa è abbastanza emozionante. Non succede proprio tutte le settimane di avere così tanti libri da promuovere. E soprattutto, mi sento di dire, tre libri di fila con copertine così belle. In particolare questa mi ha fatta impazzire. Il suo essere invernale e magica allo stesso tempo. Come potevo, amando l’inverno, la neve e la magia, ignorare un libro del genere? Ovviamente, è già entrato nella TBR di quest’anno.
Mi stavo quasi dimenticando il giveaway per vincere una giftcard Amazon o B&N da 25$. Avete tempo per partecipare solo fino al 4 febbraio!

Hello everyone! This is the third promotional post in three days and I’m kind of excited. Doesn’t happen every week that we get to promote so many amazing books. When we got the e-mail for the Blitz about “The Prophecy of Shadows” I instantly fell in love wih the cover. It’s so wintery (I don’t know if that’s even a word, but I hope you’ll get what I mean) and I love winter and snow. I also love magic and witches, so this book is definitely going to be a must read of this year.
Oh, I almost forgot! There’s a giveaway for you at the end of the post where you can win a 25$ for Amazon or B&N. It ends on February 4th so be sure to enter before that.

the prophecy of shadows
Title: The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1)
Author: Michelle Madow
Publication date: January 26th 2016
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Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers–and, to her dismay, by Blake–the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect–it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.

 

excerpt1

“There’s energy everywhere.” Chris moved his hands in a giant arc above his head to demonstrate. “Humans know that energy exists—they’ve harnessed it for electronics. The difference between us and humans is that we have the power to tap into energy and use it ourselves, and humans don’t.” He smiled at me, as if I was supposed to understand what he meant. “Make sense?”
“Not really,” I said. “Sorry.”
“It’s easier if you relate it to something familiar,” he said, speaking faster. “What happens to the handle of a metal spoon when you leave it in boiling water?”
“It gets hot?” I said it as a question. This was stuff people learned in fifth grade science—not high school homeroom.
“And what happens when it’s plastic?”
“It doesn’t get hot,” I said slowly. “It stays room temperature.”
“Exactly.” He grinned at me like I’d just solved an astrophysics mathematical equation. “Humans are like plastic. Even if they’re immersed in energy, they can’t conduct it. Witches are like metal. We have the ability to absorb energy and control it as we want.”

 

excerpt2

“There’s a reason we’re required to take Greek mythology.” Blake scooted closer to me, as if about to tell me a secret, and I leaned forward in anticipation. “Did you know that we—meaning everyone in our homeroom—are descended from the Greek gods?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Like Zeus and all of them living in a castle on the clouds?” I asked.
“Exactly.” He smirked. “Except that they’re referred to as the Olympians, and they call their ‘castle in the clouds’ Mount Olympus.”
“So you’re saying that we’re gods?”
“We’re not gods.” He smiled and shook his head. “But we have ‘diluted god blood’ in us. It’s what gives us our powers

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Twitter | Facebook | Site | Goodreads

Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

Thanks to XPresso Book Tours for giving us the opportunity to promote this book.

mon firma

Book Blitz: Whatever it takes by Lindsey Pogue

whatever it takes banner

Sarò sincera. Quando ho visto la copertina di questo libro non ho più capito nulla. Non dico che avrebbe potuto parlare proprio di qualsiasi cosa, ma quasi. La trovo davvero bellissima. Quindi, grazie a XPresso Book Tours, oggi posso lasciarvi, oltre alla magnifica copertina, anche un estratto dal libro e due pilloline direttamente dell’autrice.
In più trovate anche un giveaway per vincere una ebook di Whatever it takes, a meno che non abitiate negli Stati Uniti, in quel caso potete giocarvela anche per una copia cartacea e autografata. 🙂

Between me and Mon I don’t know who falls in love first with covers. We love covers and this one is amazing. I thought I was going to read this book without caring about the synopsis, just for the cover. It’s literally beautiful. Thanks to XPresso Book Tours I was able to give to you an excerpt and a few curiosity by the author.
You can also find an amazing giveaway at the end of the post to win an ebook copy of ‘Whatever it takes’. If you live in the States though, you have double luck ‘cause you can enter to win a signed copy of the book!

whatever it takes
Title: Whatever it takes
Author: Lindsey Pogue
Publication date: January 22nd 2016
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Four years ago, I thought my life was pretty normal for a teenager. Three years ago, my world was shattered, and now I’m just trying to hold the pieces together. But regret and anger aren’t so easy to ignore.

I just need to catch my breath … for it all to go away …

I thought I might finally be ready to move on from that horrible night, but then he decided to come back.

He can’t come back … he’ll ruin me completely.

One horror-filled night changes the course of Samantha’s seemingly normal life. She’s ruined everything. Despite her determination to keep the family ranch up and running, her guilt makes it impossible to completely move on or forget.

Sam takes comfort in her quirky, endearing friends as she tries to balance between the girl she was and the woman she wants to become. Just when she thinks she’s finally making amends with her past, someone she never thought she’d see again returns, and Sam’s life is once again turned upside down. Both her head and her heart want different things, so she’s lost when, once again, she’s forced to make a decision that will inevitably change her life.

 

excerpt

I lose myself to the sound of zipping harmonicas and anthems about bayous, outlaws, and rambling men. The wistful sound reminds me of happier times, despite the pang of sadness it elicits from nudging, less-welcome memories, too. There’s something about classic rock ’n’ roll that makes me feel at home.
I let the music and the amber liquid that once again flows through me dull the pain. It makes me feel lighter as I dance and sing around the fire with Mac and Savannah. And it just so happens that Mac had been right, hair of the dog—a lot of it—was just what I’d needed to perk my wilting mood right back up again. I’m unable to remember the last time I felt this good.
“So is this like a Native American beer dance or something?” Nick asks, and Reilly barks a laugh, clearly amused.
“You’re just jealous you’re not having as much fun,” Savannah drawls.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.” Nick smirks and pulls away from Savannah as she tries tugging him up from his camping chair.
“Come dance with us.” Her voice sounds more like a whine, and I can’t help but laugh at how drunk she is.
“No, no, no,” he says. “I don’t dance, especially not like that.”

Fun Fact 3
Fun Fact 2

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Twitter | Facebook | Site | Goodreads

Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, wrote her first YA manuscript in high school, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.

Thanks to XPresso Book Tours for giving us the opportunity to promote this book.

kiafirma

Blog Tour: Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus

Buongiorno a tutti! Oggi Blog Tour dedicato a Killer Pursuit, un thriller che mi ha subito attirata per la sua copertina. Mette ansia me ne rendo conto, ma è un po’ lo scopo delle copertine dei thriller. Quindi ci sta un sacco.
Per invogliarvi a leggerlo, vi lascio un estratto. Che ne pensate?

Trovate le tappe del Blog Tour qui e vi ricordiamo che il giveaway termina il 4 febbraio 2016.

Hello everyone! Today’s post is dedicated to Killer Pursuit, a thriller with an amazing cover. I love the colors, the shadow of the man behind the girl, who seems so vulnerable and the darkness underneath. I really really like it. Are you going to read it?

You can find the other tour stops here and we want to remind you that the giveaway to win a $50 Amazon gift card end on February 4th, 2016.
killer pursuit
Titolo: Killer Pursuit
Autore: Jeff Gunhus
Disponibile in italiano: No
Goodreads
Amazon

When a high-society call girl is murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection…and no-one knows who’s on the other end.

Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder. The most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but with rumors that the victim’s client list may have included Mason’s political enemies, Allison worries about the director’s motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she’s not the only one pursuing the videos. In fact, the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.

 

excerpt

Allison shouted into her mic. “No, wait!”
As the words came out, one man threw the flash-bang grenade through the window and the other reared back with the ram.
The grenade went off inside, lighting up all the windows on the lower floor, the percussive force loud even from where Allison watched. The other man swung the ram forward with enough force to smash through the decrepit door.
But the second it hit the old wood…
BOOM
A bomb detonated inside the cabin. All four walls blew out, pulverized by the blast, sending a deadly wave of splintered wood and fire roaring outward.
On reflex, Allison ducked behind the log. Even so, she felt the heat and the pressure from the explosion pour over her. Debris slammed against the log. Bits of shrapnel zinged by her head.
She looked up and saw Garret prone on the ground. She reached out for him, thinking he was hit. He flinched at her touch and glanced up at her. Something had torn a nasty gash through his left cheek, but it wasn’t serious. Behind him, his assistant Doug held his shoulder, moaning. As Garret saw to him, Allison stood and surveyed the carnage.
The building had disintegrated from the force of the blast. Burning debris littered the field. Sharp boards stuck into the soil like arrows. With the smoke hanging in the air she couldn’t see what had happened to the tactical team.
But she heard them. Screaming. Groaning in pain.
The smoke shifted and she saw them, laid out on the ground twenty or thirty feet from the house.
Their black tactical gear smoking.
The screamers writhing on the ground.
Others lying there. Not moving. Bodies twisted into unnatural positions.
“Agents down. Agents down,” she cried out, climbing over the log. As she ran toward the nearest man, she realized she hadn’t toggled her mic. “Agents down,” she yelled. “Need all available medical teams.”

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mon firma

Recensione: Teorema Catherine di John Green

Premessa triste: se un libro non mi piace non riesco a scriverne. Parlarne forse sì, ma non è nemmeno lontanamente la stessa cosa. Quindi approcciatevi alla lettura preparati.
Il libro di cui vi parlo oggi è ‘Teorema Catherine’ di John Green.

teorema catherine
Titolo: Teorema Catherine
Titolo originale: An Abundance of Katherines
Autore: John Green
Editore: Rizzoli
Disponibile in italiano: Sì
Goodreads

Da quando ha l’età per essere attratto da una ragazza, Colin, ex bambino prodigio, forse genio matematico forse no, fissato con gli anagrammi, è uscito con diciannove Catherine. E tutte l’hanno piantato. Così decide di inventare un teorema che preveda l’esito di qualunque relazione amorosa. E gli eviti, se possibile, di farsi spezzare il cuore un’altra volta. Tutto questo nel corso di un’estate gloriosa, passata con l’amico Hassan a scoprire posti nuovi, persone bizzarre di tutte le età, ragazze speciali che hanno il gran pregio di non chiamarsi Catherine.

Allora. Di John Green avevo letto solo ‘Colpa delle stelle’: lacrime a fiumi, occhi a cuoricino e immenso amore per quel libro.
Insieme alla Mon ho scelto ‘Teorema Catherine’ come libro per il primo mese della nostra Book Jar Challenge (qui il regolamento) e devo dire che ci sono rimasta male. Un po’ perché non è piaciuto a me – e voi direte chissenefrega – ma soprattutto perché l’ho ‘consigliato’ a una ventina di persone. Partecipanti alla Book Challenge, non vogliatemene. I rating erano mooolto alti e ci siamo fidate. Poi non escludo che vi sia piaciuto, sia chiaro.

Tornando al libro.
La storia di per sè, devo dire la verità, non è per niente male, un romance come un altro. Anzi forse un po’ diverso, un po’ meno pieno dei soliti clichè tipici degli Young Adult che leggiamo normalmente. La trama mi aveva attirato e, ripensandoci a posteriori, il libro – appunto – è anche piacevole. John Green, in Teorema Catherine, ci racconta una storia non del tutto surreale, uno stralcio di vita di 3 ragazzi che si incontrano per caso e finiscono per passare l’estate godendo della reciproca compagnia.
Non riesco a definire perfettamente quindi il problema di questo libro. Credo che la pecca principale sia il protagonista – Colin – che, per citare il suo amico Hassan, ‘non è interessante’. Mi spiego meglio. Colin, come ci dice la trama, è un bambino prodigio. E la cosa può sembrare interessante. Per qualche motivo, non lo è. Sarà la sua natura, ma pensa troppo e risulta – secondo me – piuttosto noioso. La storia incentrata sostanzialmente solo su di lui, inoltre, non aiuta.

I prodigi riescono a imparare rapidamente ciò che altri hanno già capito; i geni scoprono ciò che nessun altro ha scoperto prima. I prodigi imparano, i geni fanno.

Come vi ho già detto lo spunto non è male. L’idea di Colin di analizzare matematicamente le sue relazioni per creare una funzione che gli permetta di prevedere come andranno le prossime è effettivamente divertente.
Ma manca qualcosa, e probabilmente c’è qualcosa di troppo.
Manca probabilmente un po’ di suspence, un po’ di amore in più. Si capisce da subito come andrà a finire, ma non si rimane col fiato sospeso, come in molti romance, ad aspettare che la coppia di turno apra finalmente gli occhi. Non so se riesco a spiegarmi, in effetti ne dubito.

E poi i racconti delle interviste, i pianti di TUTTE le nonnine disperate perché non vedono Lindsey da tempo, da quando sta col suo nuovo fidanzato. Ok una, ok due, poi basta.
La funzione, tutti i giorni quella. L’asocialità di Colin, idem. Ok che deve essere il ragazzo prodigio, asociale, intrattabile e escluso. Ma a un certo punto la trasformazione uno se la aspetta. E sicuramente prima delle ultime 4 pagine.

Voleva piangere, ma invece sentiva solo un dolore dietro il plesso solare. Piangere è aggiungere qualcosa: piangere è tu-più-le-lacrime. Ma la sensazione che Colin provava era l’esatto – e orribile – contrario del pianto. Era tu-meno-qualcosa. Continuava a pensare a una sola parola, sempre, e sentiva quel dolore bruciante proprio sotto la cassa toracica.

Detto questo, non mi sento di sconsigliarvelo, ne ho sentito parlare bene. Ma per me rimane un nì, più no che sì. La verità? Mi ha piuttosto annoiata.

rating 2.5
kiafirma

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