Showing posts with label Megan Shepherd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Megan Shepherd. Show all posts

Sunday, July 31, 2016

July Wrap Up 2016

   July was busy, busy, busy. There was never a dull moment. Starting with celebrating Canada Day with friends, then our annual schools over clean up, (We do a huge clean up of our house), celebrating my sisters birthday, working, wisdom teeth removal, camping, like I said, it was jam packed. 
   The two things that took up most of my time were my surgery and my camping trip. With school being done, I finally got my wisdom teeth removed and was able to stay at home for a good amount of days. My friends were fabulous, a few of my close friends came and visited me on multiple days bringing ice cream, popsicles, and season 4 and 5 of Game of Thrones. It was a good couple of days, if you didn't count the constant pain in my jaw, and not being able to eat solid foods. 
   For camping, my family and I went to a somewhat close campground with family friends of ours. We were gone a week, and I pretty much got all my reading done within that week.  When I wasn't reading, we watched horror movies, and went fishing. Then there was the couple times we walked through a clay path and became walking grey beings, and jumped off a cliff into the lake. 
   Then finally, the last week of the month was jam packed with trying to kick my sister out of the house so that we could plan her Harry Potter Surprise Party. Which took place yesterday, we had her party in the morning then headed out to the official Harry Potter Party that was being hosted by McNally Robinson in honour of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child's release! We had Mandrake Cupcakes, a Wanted Wizard Photo Booth, and we tie dyed a Hogwarts House Crest Shirt with our house colours! It was great, and boy was my sister surprised. 
   Overall, it was phenomenal day and I think my sister was over the moon happy. And that was my month! August will be almost as packed, but either way I'm super excited!

Harry Potter Party

   Now for this months stats!  

Books Read:

Book Haul:

The Hunt by Megan Shepherd (ARC)
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge (ARC)
As I Descended by Robin Talley (ARC)
In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken (Paperback)
United As One by Pittacus Lore (Hardcover)
Ice Kised by Amanda Hocking (Paperback)

A huge thank you to McNally Robinson and their Two Thumbs Up program, and Vivien from @deadtossedwaves for trading me The Hunt on #BooksForTrade!

Books Reviewed:


August Books I'm Excited For:





   That's it for July! I got a quite a bit of reading done if I say so myself! Hopefully August will be the same way!

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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday: (57)

The Hunt

Megan Shepherd
The Cage, #2
Balzer + Bray
Expected: May 24th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   They’ve left the cage—but they’re not free yet.

   After their failed escape attempt, Cora, Lucky, and Mali have been demoted to the lowest level of human captives and placed in a safari-themed environment called the Hunt, along with wild animals and other human outcasts. They must serve new Kindred masters—Cora as a lounge singer, Lucky as an animal wrangler, and Mali as a safari guide—and follow new rules or face dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, Nok and Rolf have been moved into an enormous dollhouse, observed around the clock by Kindred scientists interested in Nok’s pregnancy. And Leon, the only one who successfully escaped, has teamed up with villainous Mosca black-market traders.

   The former inhabitants of the Cage are threatened on all fronts—and maybe worst of all, one of the Hunt’s Kindred safari guests begins to play a twisted game of cat and mouse with Cora. Separated and constantly under watch, she and the others must struggle to stay alive, never mind find a way back to each other. When Cassian secretly offers to train Cora to develop her psychic abilities—to prove the worthiness of humanity in a series of tests called the Gauntlet—she’ll have to decide fast if she dares to trust the Kindred who betrayed her, or if she can forge her own way to freedom.


Why I Want It:


   Megan left us off with a cliffhanger at the end of The Cage, and from that moment on I needed The Hunt. I just need to know what happens to the characters, what happens with the Kindred, and finally their new prison. The Hunt sounds like an adventure waiting to happen!

   That's my Waiting on Wednesday this week! Will you be picking up The Hunt? What are you waiting on this week?


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Sunday, May 31, 2015

May Wrap Up!


   Hey Y'all!

   So this month was once again a busy one, and I count on the first half of June being the same. For July and August everything should be back to normal again. Either way I had a bunch of exciting stuff happen this month! 
   This month I died in Ikea. Yup you read that right, I died in a Ikea. Adi Alsaid participated this month in Twitter Fiction Fest and used me in his story by killing me off! Let me tell you, when you forget that you signed up to die and start getting interesting tweets on Twitter, you become a little panicked LOL. Overall it was a fun time! You can read Adi's story here!
  BEA was this month! Unfortunately I was not there this year but I will be heading to Chicago for next year! I will finally get to meet some of my close friends from online. Seeing everything that went on this month just made me all that more excited for next year! You know how I designed Adi Alsaids bookmarks? Well a bunch of those were handed out at BEA too! So it was exciting to see them in pictures!
   And finally A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Heir released this month! I'd already read ACOTAR in January and ADORED it but It was fantastic to see everyone else love it as well.
  
   That was it for this month! I hope your month went as well as mine did!

   Now for the bookish stats!

Books Read:



Book Haul:


Books Reviewed:


Movies Reviewed:


June Books I'm Excited For:



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Saturday, May 23, 2015

Book Review: The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Release Date:  May 26th,  2015
Read: April 21st-27th, 2015
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Series: The Cage, #1
Format: ARC, 400 pages
Source: From McNally Robinson in exchange for an honest review for their Two Thumbs Up program



Description from GoodReads:


   Taken from her world without warning.
   Trapped in an alien environment.
   Falling for her captor.

    When every move is being watched, sixteen-year-old Cora Mason's only chance for escape may be within the arms of the enemy.

   A beautiful and powerful otherworldly species has taken six teenagers captive in a human zoo-where they are the exhibits. Now, far from home and each harbouring secrets about their pasts, the tenuous group must fight for leadership and a chance to return to Earth...if they can trust each other.
   

Review:


   Sometimes mistakes are worth making.
   The Cage was one of my most anticipated books of early 2015, the synopsis had me needing to read the book within seconds of reading it, and then came the gorgeous cover. The need for this book was unreal.
   You could in many ways connect with the characters in The Cage, because each character was completely different in their own ways with the exception of one thing. The senators daughter, the army boy, the model, the genius and the illegal trader, you could find a bit of yourself in all of them. 
   The characters of the book were described in the synopsis as being captured and held captive in a human zoo, it was a new idea for me, and it was definitely an exciting one at that. Except I found for The Cage that it really couldn't be considered a zoo but rather a lab with scientists doing experiments on the captives in their cages. When I think of Zoos I think of people viewing animals held captive and having their photos taken, with The Cage it was more along the lines of the captives being watched.
   The way the "aliens" are built and described in the book was my favourite, they were described as beautifully creepy looking. Tall, unnatural colours, and their eyes, oh goodness. They were close to human looking but also weren't, so it made it easy to picture them and place them into the book alongside the human characters. A lot of alien books tend to make the aliens too human looking in books, I'm glad it wasn't that way with The Cage.
   The Cage definitely had a major science fiction feel to it, it would be the perfect book for people who enjoy obviously Sci-Fi and for fans of space and advance technology.
   I really enjoyed The Cage and look forward to see what everyone else thinks of it! The wait is officially on for me and it's sequel!

   You can find my review on McNally Robinson's Two Thumbs Up review page here.

Rating:



Favourite Quote:


"A smile can hide so much. A smile can be a lie." ~ Cassian

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal, Dystopian, Adventure, Aliens



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Thursday, April 30, 2015

April Wrap Up!


   This month was absolutely fantastic, book wise and in my personal life. The weather has finally gotten to the point where I can wear skirts and shorts, it's rains enough that all the dirt and mold has been washed away from the winer. It finally feels like Spring.
   This month book wise I've gone on a Lets Get Lost Adventure (Sorry if that sounds a little corny;), I reviewed a ton of books, received a bunch of books, and lastly I will be reviewing for a local Indie!
    Recently I visited my local Indie, McNally Robinson, and discovered they have a reviewing program for ARCs they receive! So I've officially signed up and will be sending my reviews to them every once in a while, my first ARC I'll be reviewing is The Cage by Megan Shepherd! If you'd like to see my reviews for them then check out Two Thumbs Reviews!  
   Okay and I know it's a small little thing but Cassandra Clare answered one of my questions on Twitter this month, if you know her then you know this isn't a small thing. So it made me feel special,  even if it was a basic question. 
  Personal wise, I've been working every weekend as well as hanging out with my friends. It's been one of my busiest months ever, and I loved it.
   Besides that, I haven't really done anything worth mentioning. Hmph maybe I'll be able to say more next month, either way it's time for the books stats!


Books Read:


Book Haul:



Books Reviewed:


May Books I'm Excited For:




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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: (39)

The Cage

Megan Shepherd
The Cage, #1
Balzer + Bray
Expected: May 26th, 2015



Description from GoodReads:


   When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

   Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

   As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?


Why I Want It:


  WHO WOULDN'T WANT  TO READ ABOUT PEOPLE CAGED IN A ZOO? LIKE C'MON PEOPLE.


Why You Should Want It:


  *See above*


   That is my Waiting on Wednesday for this week, will you be picking up The Cage? What are you waiting on this week?





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Thursday, January 29, 2015

Book Blitz: A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd


Hey!

   So a couple of you may have noticed in my last post, I was in a bit of a hiatus. I was super busy for the past two weeks with exams and final projects. I guess at one point I had signed up for this amazing book blitz but ended up forgetting to post it! So feeling bad that I broke a promise to have it up for the 27th, I decided to post it today! I hope you guys don't mind, and I hope you guys end up enjoying The Madman's Daughter!


   If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Megan Shepherd, be sure to check out all the details below.


   This blast also includes a giveaway for a signed copy of the book and swag courtesy of Megan and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

A Cold Legacy by Megan Sheperd


 Release Date: January 27, 2015
Publisher: Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins
Series: The Madman's Daughter #3
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages



Description from GoodReads:


   After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls.

    Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

    With inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this breathless conclusion to the Madman’s Daughter trilogy is about the things we’ll sacrifice to save those we love—even our own humanity. 



p.21-24



   Montgomery stopped the horses outside a tavern. He came to the carriage door, opening it just a crack to keep the rain from drenching us. “I’m going to ask directions. We can’t be far now.”

   We watched him saunter over the muddy street as though he didn’t even feel the bite of freezing rain. A face appeared in the tavern window. The door opened and he spoke to a woman in a wool dress for a few moments, then stomped back through the mud. “This village is called Quick,” he told us. “The manor’s only five miles from here.”

   “Did you hear that?” Lucy murmured to Edward, still stroking his hair. “We’re almost there. Just hold on. Everything will be all right once we arrive.”

   Montgomery’s eyes shifted to me. Neither of us wanted to remind Lucy that the prospect of Edward’s fever breaking—and the Beast’s reappearance—was almost more frightening than the fever itself. Delirious, he was less of a threat.

   “Let’s go then,” I whispered to Montgomery. “And quickly.”

   He closed the door and in another moment we were moving again, passing through the rest of Quick. Then all too soon the village was nothing but fading lights. The storm grew and the road became rougher, and all the while Edward’s eyes rolled back and forth beneath shuttered lids.

   Thunder struck close by, and Lucy shrieked. Montgomery whipped the horses harder, pulling us along the uneven road impossibly fast, trying to outrun the storm. I twisted in the seat to look out the back window at the pelting rain. A stone fence ran alongside us.

   “We must be getting close,” I said.
   “Not soon enough,” Lucy breathed. “We’re going to crash if he keeps driving like this!”
   The road widened, straightening, letting us travel even faster. Lightning struck close by, blinding me. The horses bolted. Lucy screamed and covered her eyes, but I couldn’t tear mine away. The lightning had struck an enormous oak tree, twisted from centuries of wind. The oak took flame, blazing despite the rain. A smoking gash ran down the trunk—the lightning’s death mark. I watched until the rain put out most of the flames, but it still smoldered, billowing hot ash into the night.
   The horses pawed the earth, and I grabbed the window to steady myself. At this wild speed, just hitting a single rock at the wrong angle would send the carriage shattering to the ground. It was madness to go so fast. Couldn’t Montgomery calm the horses?
   Just when I feared the carriage would careen out of control, it stopped short, throwing me against the opposite wall. I tangled in Lucy’s limbs as the chains around Edward’s body clinked. Balthazar grunted, jerking awake at last. We scrambled in the bottom of the carriage until the door flew open.
Montgomery stood in the pelting rain. I feared he’d say we’d broken another strut or the horses had gone lame or we’d have to spend the night in the harsh storm.
   But then I saw the lights behind him, and the night took shape into a turreted stone manor with bright lamps blazing and gargoyles on the roof vomiting rain into a stone courtyard.
   Montgomery’s eyes met mine beneath the low brim of his hat.
   “We’ve arrived,” he said.



    Hello! 

    I’ve been many things, like a professional exchange student, park ranger in Montana, and LOST enthusiast, but what I am now is a writer.

    I think it’s fair to say I was born into it. I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, raised behind the counter of my parents’ independent bookstore, Highland Books in Brevard. Ah, so many free books. But I never thought being a writer could be a real career. After college I thought I’d end up as a foreign service officer somewhere dashing and exotic, like Canada. I studied French, Spanish, German, and Russian and still speak a few of those. Then I joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Senegal, where I learned a few more languages I’ll never speak again and lived in a mud hut with no electricity or running water. You can probably imagine how that experience went, but if you’re curious, here are the dirty details. 

    It wasn't until a chance aquaintance read something I wrote and said, "have you ever considered being a writer?" that something clicked and I realized it was possible. My husband encouraged me, and I quickly fell head-over-heels in love with writing and children's literature in particular. I started out writing articles, which have appeared in Faces, Appleseeds, and Calliope magazines, and stories for younger children. I soon realized I wasn’t sweet enough to write fiction for that age and found myself writing young adult literature instead, which doesn’t require nearly as many tender moments and includes a lot more cursing.

    When I'm not writing, I can usually be found horseback riding, day dreaming at coffee shops, or hiking in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. I love to hear from readers, so please drop me a line!

    I am represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.
Author Photo by Kristi Hedberg Photography.



Giveaway Details:


   1 winner will receive a signed copy of A COLD LEGACY and swag! US Only.
Ends on February 6th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


   Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy A Cold Legacy!



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Friday, January 9, 2015

Ohana Reads Most Anticipated Books of Early 2015



   Just like everyone else, I have a huge list of books that I'm excited for in 2015. So today I have for you 15 of my top anticipated books releasing from January to June. Most books after July don't have covers yet! So I'll do another anticipated post in June or July. I currently have ARCs of two of these books, and have yet to read one of them but I am going to read the next one very soon! Out of the two ARCs I have the one I read, A Court of Thorns and Roses is to die for!

Diamonds are Forever by Michelle Madow
Storm by Amanda Sun


   Those are my most anticipated books for early 2015! What are yours? Let me know here or on Twitter!



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