Recommendation Fridays: The Night World Series by L.J. Smith

   I've been a fan of the Night World series by L.J. Smith, since I first discovered the Twilight Saga.  After just starting my obsession with reading, the Night World series was the first series I picked up after finishing the Twilight Saga. It was the perfect series to get me out of my slump. Originally I had only picked up the first omnibus, but surprisingly I finished that in a week. And so the trend started, I would finish the omnibus in a week and then head to a store and pick up the next omnibus. The series had me hooked, with the first 6 books being their own little stories, and then the last 3 slowly connecting them all. Even though it's been 7 years since I read the last omnibus, and 19 years since the last book was released, I'm still awaiting the day when the final book in the series will be released. (The series is being published in hardcover, with new covers for the first time since the omnibus'. So I have hope that this means the series is finally coming to an end.)

   The series is full of vampires, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, it has everything really. If you're looking to go back to the good old days, where the YA books were filled with simplistic but entertaining reads, as well as vampires, then this is the series for you. 

   Since first picking up the series, I've collected the omnibus', the original 1990s first published editions, some of the german editions and you bet your butt that I'll be picking up the hardcover editions! You could say I'm a bit obsessed.

The series would probably be best for people who like the following books:
Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Werewolves, Shapeshifters, Witches, Soulmates, Ghouls

Night World, No. 1 by L.J. Smith

Release Date: June 3rd, 2008

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Series: Night World, #1-3

Format: Omnibus Paperback, 729 pages

Description from GoodReads:

   Includes:

   Book 1 - Secret Vampire

   Book 2 - Daughters of Darkness 

   Book 3 - Spellbinder 

   Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

   In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

   Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

   Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.

Night World, No. 2 by L.J. Smith

Release Date: November 18th, 2008

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Series: Night World, #4-6

Format: Omnibus Paperback, 662 pages

Description from GoodReads:

   Includes:

   Book 4 - Dark Angel

   Book 5 - The Chosen

   Book 6 - Soulmate

   Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

   In Dark Angel, Gillian is saved from drowning by her guardian angel. Only visible to Gillian, Angel will fulfill her heart's every desire. But when Angel starts making strange and sinister requests, Gillian must question who he truly is and where he came from.

   Armed with a wooden stake, martial arts, and the will to resist a vampire's mind control, Rashel struggles to avenge her mother's death in The Chosen. Then she meets Quinn, her soulmate, who is part of the world she has vowed to destroy.

   Hannah receives notes warning her of incredible danger in Soulmate. But if death is her destiny, is the Lord of the Night World's love strong enough to save her?

Night World, No. 3 by L.J. Smith

Release Date: April 7th, 2009

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Series: Night World, #7-9

Format:

Description from GoodReads:

   Includes:

   Book 7 - Huntress

   Book 8 - Black Dawn

   Book 9 - Witchlight

   Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters - they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

   The apocalypse is drawing near. But four Wild Powers can save the world from the impending doom. Circle Daybreak, an underground organization with both Night World and human members, is searching for the four who can stop the darkness.

   A vampire hunter - who is half vampire - stalks her own kind to protect humans in Huntress.

   In Black Dawn, Maggie stumbles upon an old Night World kingdom where the ruling vampire prince is both an enemy and an ally.

   And Circle Daybreak hires Keller, a shapeshifting panther, to guard a new Wild power in Witchlight. But when Keller falls in love with the Wild Power's soulmate, her love could destroy everything...

   That is the Night World series for you! I hope you guys pick up the series, I hold it close to my heart!

Ohana Talks: Top 5 Favourite Authors.

   Since I began my obsession with reading oh so long ago, I've come to read a lot of books over that time, and with those books, I've fallen in love with so many great authors. Today I wanted to show you all, my top favourite authors. The authors that I own almost all of their books, as well as multiple editions of them. Many of them don't need any help getting their books out there, they're already big names, but I wanted to show them off to you anyway.

   I was originally just going to do my top 5, but I found that I had two authors that were tied in 5th place. So now I have 6 total.

Marisa Meyer/ Kiera Cass

   I was lucky enough to have met both Kiera and Marissa, to be completely honest, I've met all the authors on this list, expect one. I met Kiera Cass back in 2014, at YALLfest. She still remains one of the sweetest people I have met in my entire life. She adored how loved my copy of The Selection was, as well as The Selection and The Elite earrings that my sister was wearing. (That I made, hehe) I've loved her book since that one camping trip when I happened to have picked up The Selection at the library to bring along, and finished it in one day.
   I first met Marissa at BEA 2016, when I went through what you could say was A LOT of trouble to get tickets to her Heartless signing/ARC drop. I've adored her books since I first read Cinder, oh so long ago. Her Lunar Chronicles had been instant pre-orders, the minute the next book in the series was announced. 

Richelle Mead

   The Vampire Academy series was one of the first series' that I got into when I first started reading. My mom thought that because I started reading because of Twilight, that it was the vampires that sucked me in. (LOL, excuse my pun.) And so my love of Richelle Mead started. I went from reading and loving her Vampire Academy series, to her Bloodlines series, to eventually reading all her adult series' like the Dark Swan series. As of today, I've read everything but two books that Richelle has published, and I just can't wait to read her latest upcoming book, Midnight Jewel. 

Cassandra Clare

   Cassandra's City of Bones is what got me into her writing. The first trilogy of the series, The Mortal Instruments, was all released when I first picked up the series, and so I was able to read them all as a binge read. But it wasn't until I realized that she had a prequel series out as well, that I really became a fan of hers. I picked up Clockwork Angel, and read it, I believe in a week, although, Clockwork Prince is what really got me hooked. Will and Jem are who won my heart. Since then, I've read everything that connects to the Shadowhunters, and made it my mission to own all of them in hardcover. 

L. J. Smith

   The Night World series was another one of the series that got me into reading, reading it after Twilight but before Vampire Academy. I had picked up the Omnibus of the first three books, and so I was able to read them all at once. Even though the three should have lasted me a while, I had to go to the bookstore twice in the following two weeks to pick up the next two omnibus'. To this day, the series still has a place in my heart. Unfortunately it's been almost 19 years and we still don't have a conclusion to the series, but I still have hope. I even own the originally 1990's editions of the series. 

   I fell in love with the original few seasons of her Vampire Diaries TV show as well, even though it's totally different from the books. I still love them just the same. 

   She is the only one of my top five authors that I have yet to meet, I hope to change that one day.

Sarah J Maas

   I met Sarah J. Maas back at YALLfest 2014, along with Kiera Cass. At the time I had only read her Throne of Glass, which I hadn't really enjoyed. It wasn't until after that festival that I received the first ARC for her new book/series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, that she finally had me obsessed. I couldn't wait for the sequel, but since it was an ARC, I knew I had a long wait ahead. So I finally picked up the rest of the Throne of Glass series. Today, the A Court of Thorns and Roses series remains my all time favourite, and her Throne of Glass series is just a little bit below on that list.

   For her A Court of Mist and Fury tour, I was able to meet her again, but as a true fan. I was a blubbering mess, but at least I was able to see her and have my prized books signed for my collection.

   Those were my top 5,(6) all time favourite authors. Who are your favourites? What stories do you have behind those authors? What do they mean to you? I'd love to hear about your favourites!

Ohana Talks: The Night World Series by L.J. Smith

   In 2009 I read the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, it being the first time I became fully obsessed with a book series I needed more ASAP. Dragging my mom to the book store, that was when I met the Night World Series by L.J. Smith. It immediately became my favourite book series, and it's still in my top 10 today. But along with the fabulousness of the series, it also came with a lot of waiting.

  

   Secret Vampire, the first book in the series released in June 1996, it was a short 242 page book that melted a lot of hearts with a best friend love story, but with other supernatural creatures not just vampires and werewolves like Twilight. The series went on to have 9 books, each book containing a new set of characters and supernatural creatures. It wasn't until the final 4 that the books started to connect more then just sharing a world. 

Secret Vampire by L. J. Smith

Release Date: June 6th, 1996

Publisher: Archway Paperbacks

Series: Night World, #1

Format: Paperback, 242 pages

Description from GoodReads:

   The diagnosis for Poppy was death. there was no hope--until James, her best friend and secret love, appeared in the hospital. But this was a James she didn't know. He offered Poppy eternal life. Only he could open the door to the Night World. They're soulmates--but can she follow him into death and beyond?

   The series was fabulous, with 3 books leading up to the finale everyone was dying to get their hands on it. We got love, adventure, supernatural and soul mates. Witchlight, the last book to be released before the final book released in January 1998.

Witchlight by L. J. Smith

Release Date: January 1998

Publisher: Archway Paperbacks

Series: Nightworld, #9

Format: Paperback, 224 pages

Description from GoodReads:

   Keller is a black panther. A least when she's not being a tough, no-nonsense seventeen-year-old girl. She's a shapeshifter who grew up on the streets and will do whatever it takes to survive. But when Circle Daybreak hires her to protect a new Wild Power, Keller meets her match

   And finally the last book in the series released a year later right? Wrong. The book never was published, and to some people they even think it wasn't even written. GoodReads, along with a few other online book places say that there was 2 editions already published, but if you were to go to the authors site you can see that she admits to it never being published and that she's still in the process of writing it. 17 years and counting for her book, and I've only been waiting 5 years! I don't know how people could mange to wait that long, it bothers me when new books take a year to publish as it is! 

   Then the series was bought/transferred to Simon Pulse where they republished the series as bind ups in 2008 to get everyone excited again. The bind ups each contained 3 of the already published books. Strange Fate, the supposedly final book in the series was supposed to be published in 2010 after the last bind up went to stores in April 2009. About 5 months after the last bind up released was when I first discovered the series. 

  

   Even with the long disappointing wait I find myself still excited for Strange Fate to be released, the characters really connected with me. I always find myself thinking of Raksha Keller from Witchlight, or Poppy and James from Secret Vampire. I understand that most people would have given up at this point, because 17 years is enough but I still have hope. 

   So I hope you guys go ahead and give the Night World series a try! It will always have a place in my heart, hopefully it'll find a place in yours as well!

   What's the longest you've ever waited for a book? Are you still going to consider reading the series after what I said? Let me know!

Ohana Talks: German Edition Covers

German Edition Covers

   Like I said in my International Cover post, the first thing that normally catches people's eyes with books is their covers. Blogger's tend to see a lot of book covers in their lifetime, but with me I try to take some extra time to check out the German editions of covers as well as their English ones.
    I took 9 years of German in school, most of the time classes would do book reports. German class was not an exception. So when I got sucked into YA, I also got sucked into the german editions as well. So here are some of my favourite German editions!


( These are in no particular order.)

Steinerne Schwingen

White Hot Kiss

Jennifer L. Armentrout

MIRA Taschenbuch

What I Love:

   If you've read White Hot Kiss then you'd know that Layla's necklace has a big part in the story. So having the cover focus on the necklace then have Roth and Layla inside the necklace is perfect!

Von Der Nacht Verzabuert

Die for Me

Amy Plum

Loewe Verlag

What I Love:

   The uniqueness of the cover is inspiring. It's different from having a real life person on the cover and I find that the cover totally captures how I picture France to look. It also has artifacts from Vincent's era.

Falsche Versprechen

Bloodlines

Richelle Mead

Lyx Egmont

What I Love:

   I find the design of burned edges beautiful, So this cover automatically draws me in. Between the model on the english covers and this one, but this model is how I picture Sydney. I don't know it is about her, but she's Sydney in my eyes.

Unsterblich. Tor Der Dämmerung

The Immortal Rules

Julie Kagawa

Heyne fliegt

What I Love:

   This one just calls to me.

Gefährten des Zwielichts

Night World: Soulmate

L.J. Smith

CBT

What I Love:

   The covers for this series have been with me a while, so because they are dear to me they of course are one of my favourites. It doesn't help that I actually have 2 different copies of them on my shelves.

   What are some of your favourite German book covers? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Ohana Talks: Books that have Stayed with Me

   I was nominated to list 10 books that have stayed with me  or affected me through out the years. I'm also not supposed to over think which books to pick. They do not have to be the 'right' books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected me in some way. 

   I only have 9 books that really mean something to me. So those are the ones I'll be showing you.

Books:

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margret Stohl 

Night World: Secret Vampire by L.J. Smith

Night World: Soulmate by L.J. Smith

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Need by Carrie Jones

   I was Nominated by:

Matt Keenan, Daria Plett, and Michelle Madow!

.........

I Nominate:

Amalie Howard, Amanda Sun,  Dawn Metcalf, The Book Bratz, Ana Love, Emily, Crystal, Andye and Jessica Baker!