Thursday, 29 July 2010

Book review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins


 My synopsis of Hex Hall:
Sophie Mercer is a witch, a witch who truly doesn't know how important it is to keep her true identity hidden. She has done one too many wrongs(last drop was a love spell gone oh, so, so wrong) and Sophie is being transferred to Hecate Hall, a boarding school for Prodigum behaving badly. Sophie meets other witches, werewolves, ghosts, demons, shapeshifters and vampires at the school and she soon realizes how little she knows about the world where she belongs.

Sophie's new roommate is the schools outcast, a vampire, but Sophie and the vamp quickly become great friends, and soon she discovers that the other students suspect her roomie of murder!

My thoughts:
Hex Hall was a fun and quick read and Rachel Hawkins has written a superb debut novel and her writing kept me glued through all the 336 pages(well as glued as you can be when being the mother of a five year old at least ;)). I was a very happy girl when I figured out that there were two more books to come in the Hex Hall series.

The plot run smoothly and I was never bored with the story or its characters. My only issue with it was that one of my favorite characters disappeared from the story(but it had to be like that!), but I have high hopes will see the person in one of the other Hex Hall novels.


The cover:
I don't think this cover does the story justice, I would never have picked up Hex Hall based on this cover alone. I just don't like it *sorry*

My rating:
4 out of 5 stars.


Want a second opinion? Check out: 
Adele's review over at Persnickety Snark
Kirsty's review over at The Story Siren

Liyana's review over at LiyanaLand!
Jenny's review over at Wondrous Reads
Sophie's review over at So Many Books. So Little Time

Want to know more?
Read Rachel's blog 
Follow Rachel on Twitter
Follow her on Facebook
Visit Rachel's homepage

Full disclosure: 
Own copy.


This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and on-line book stores such as Amazon or The Book Depository(I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store does by the way have free shipping to about 100 countries.    

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

Exclusive extract from Glee: The Beginning + Glee goodie bag giveaway


 Escape In A Book is proud to present to you the very first extract from Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell, enjoy:

Principal Figgins’s office, Monday morning

Rachel Berry paused outside the door to Principal Figgins’s office just long enough to straighten her kneesocks and smooth down the sides of her corduroy skirt. Her bright white button-down and pink-and-green argyle sweater-vest seemed to scream overachiever – not that Principal Figgins needed to be reminded that Rachel Berry was special. McKinley High wasn’t the kind of high school where students wanted to stand out. And Rachel stood out. ‘Good morning, Mrs Goodrich.’ Rachel smiled her 1,000-watt smile at the dour-faced secretary in the outer office. Mrs Goodrich always smelled like cookie dough, and for some reason she was always scowling at Rachel, which seemed unfair. She should be happy to see someone who was not a juvenile delinquent enter the principal’s office.

‘Is Principal Figgins in?’
‘Do you have an appointment, Rachel?’ Mrs Goodrich’s beady eyes stared down at Rachel over the tops of her tiny bifocals.
‘No, but Principal Figgins told me he is always glad to see me.’
Rachel breezed past Mrs Goodrich’s desk, feeling a faint craving for cookies. As her penny loafers padded quietly across the worn industrial carpet and through the open door of the principal’s inner office, she couldn’t help thinking it was kind of sad when a principal couldn’t even get hardwood floors. But Rachel wouldn’t let the sadness of Principal Figgins’s existence bring her down – not today. Maybe he was stuck in a crappy office in crappy Lima, Ohio, but Rachel Berry wasn’t going to be here forever. Not if she had anything to say about it.
 To read more visit blog # 2 on the Glee trail - Rihanna Reads.

Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell will be released on August 5th by Headline UK.

Win Glee goodie bag!

Glee: Road to Sectionals is available on DVD now. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

This is what you'll find in the Glee goodie bag:

Glee: The Beginning.
Glee: Road to Sectionals DVD
Gleebook posters

To be entered in this great giveaway just leave a comment on this post, the giveaway is open internationally! . Only one entry per person please. Ends August 2nd.

Thank you so much to Headline Publishing Grop and Sam for providing the extract and the awesome Glee goodie bag!
 

Information on tomorrows Glee goodiebag giveaway and some wonderful news

If you cannot wait to have your own copy of the DVD: Glee: Road to Sectionals is available on DVD now. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Let's talk about the Glee extract and the Glee goodiebag I'm giving away tomorrow first, because the other news are perhaps not all that interesting(but for me it is). I will be giving away one Glee goodiebag tomorrow to one lucky reader, I'm happy to announce that the giveaway will be open internationally thanks to Headline UK. So do you want know what's in the bag? One lucky winner gets:

Glee: The Beginning.
Glee: Road to Sectionals DVD
Gleebook posters

Does that sound great or what? So be sure to stop by tomorrow to read an exclusive extract from the first chapter of the official Glee prequel, Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell, and for a chance to win some Glee goodies!


I'm sure we're really having a baby! I know it can be very difficult to know what you are looking at when you see a ultrasound picture, especially if you haven't got kids of your own(I remember that I didn't understand what was upside down when my sister-in-law showed me a picture when she was pregnant).On the photo above you can see our little baby with its head to the right, to the sides are the feet and the legs(those tiny white dots of a kind) and in the middle the little big tummy ♥

Our five(soon to be) year old is looking forward to be a big brother, he has wished for a brother or sister since he was three years old. Unfortunately baby-making isn't always that easy so it has taken us two years and a miscarriage to get this far but luckily everything looks great so far so I'm letting all worries fly away now and just enjoy my pregnancy. Wonder what DS will think when there finally is a baby in the house though, one that is with us 24/7. Hopefully he will be a wonderful and caring big brother, he was so exited when we told him the news, asked us three times "Is it a genuine baby? A real baby?".

That's all for today, I'll do my best to be a bit more active. I just haven't had the energy in a while, I've had some weeks where I've struggled a bit with morning sickness(whoever decided that was a good term for it?). Luckily I was just nauseous but that's no fun, now it seems to have gone away so I can do other things besides feeling sorry for myself LOL

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Teaser Tuesday and some New blog Discoveries


Take a look at my recent discovery:



It's been a long while since I did this meme but I think it is an important meme to share great book blogs! This meme is hosted by Debbie at Debbie's World of Books and here's what Debbie says about this meme:
The idea behind this is to high light new book blog finds especially those blogs that are just kicking off and could use the support.  Not to mention we all know it feels good to see your blog mentioned and to get others talking about it.  Every Friday I will be listing the new blogs I’ve discovered recently.  Please leave a comment on any new blogs you discovered recently.

Teaser Tuesday


To my surprise Bill, my *****, was sitting with another vampire, named Clancy. Clancy wasn't my favorite guy regardless of his nonliving status.

This weeks teasers was taken from Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris, page 7.


MizB of Should Be Reading host this meme called Teaser Tuesday . Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
    BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Saturday, 17 July 2010

It's my birthday today + small giveaway

So Ladybug don't be shy, let the world know it's your birthday! Yes, I know I'm such a modest lady ;)

Ever since I can remember I've always loved my birthday, even now when I'm turning 27 I still love celebrating it. I have bought myself a Kindle as a  birthday present and so far I LOVE it(and I love the author portraits the Kindle displays in sleep mode).

I must have been a good girl this past year because the sun is shining and the weather is nice and warm(21 °C and rising). I wish you all a wonderful day!

Since I'm in a mood for celebrating one lucky commenter will win a book of his or her choice.

I forgot to mention but the winners of my last contest were Andrea(chose The Midnight Mayor: Bk. 2 by Kate Griffin) and Jenny(chose Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson).

Friday, 16 July 2010

Important, bookish, message to all Gleeks!


Make sure to visit Escape In A Book on July the 29th to read an exclusive extract from the first chapter of the official Glee prequel, Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell. There will also be a Glee goodie bag up for grabs(international - yaaay)!

Escape In A Book will be the first blog on a trail where you can read the whole first chapter of the book. The following blogs will be posting an extract each from the first chapter as well, follow the trail(I'll be posting it again with the extract on the 29th) to read the chapter in correct order:



Glee: The Beginning will be released on August 5th by Headline UK. Many thanks to Sam and Headline UK for including Escape In A Book on this cool feature and for providing the goodie bag for one of my lucky readers.

So remember to drop by on the 29th this month to read the first chapter of the book and for a chance to win a Glee goodie bag.

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel - Waiting on Wednesday


Infinite days by Rebecca Maizel . Release date August 3rd 2010. Published by St. Martin's Griffin(Macmillian).

Last week I noticed that Vania from Reverie Book Reviews has made a new trailer(you can view it further down in this post) for Rebecca Maizel's debut novel Infinite Days. Vania's trailer together with the book description makes me all geared up to read an original and different kind of vampire book. I truly think  Infinite Days sounds like an awesome new vampires story! By the way author gives away an ARC of Infinite Days on her blog, all you have to do win is follow her, the contest closes at July 9th so hurry over there and enter the contest.

Book synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:
When Lenah Beaudonte, a 500-year-old vampire queen, wakes up a human teenager at an ultra-cliquey prep school, she must choose between embracing the humanity she’s always craved and saving her new friends from her vicious coven. The first in a sizzling new YA series.

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?


Check out Vania's trailer:


You may also want to check out publisher Macmillian's trailer:


If you want to know more about the author, Rebecca, you could:

Visit her blog
Follow her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter

You can pre-order Infinite days from(I'm not an affiliate):
Amazon
The Book Depository



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This event spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Please visit Jill's blog to find out what other book bloggers are waiting for.