Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which we share what books we've added to our slightly overloaded shelves... :)

This week, thanks to Epic Reads, I've added a couple of books to my virtual shelf. Christmas time is here, so money is scarce and my urge to buy books, books, and more books needs to suppressed in favor of celebrating the holidays :). BUT I stumbled across these amazing deals for my Kobo App, and I couldn't resist.

Check it out. Click the cute birdies...

This week, I've added:

She should not exist.

He should not love her.

Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she's desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there's no way she's going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she's been having or the creepy warnings that she's in danger.

Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn't factored Claire into his plans. . . .

Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire's unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

AND, although I have this amazing book in audio, I wanted a "print" version as well ~ yeah, it's that fabulous. And why not, for $1.99?

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

What have you added to your shelves this week?


Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Review: Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

Wow ~ "vlogging" is hard... LOL.. Probably because I'm not the most articulate person in the world, but I just had to give it a shot... I always have too many thoughts in my head at one time, which is why writing comes easier to me than speaking... my words get jumbled in my thought process.. but, see, I've got this sa-weet new computer, and I've gotta play with all the new gadgets ;) you know how it is...

This is a review of Melissa Marr's incredible Carnival of Souls. 

Summary (for those of you with less patience): FIVE STARS!!! Loved the characters, world building, and storyline. Breathtaking action, heartbreaking betrayals, dark secrets, and fights to the death.... This book will get your heart pounding in more ways than one..

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Tuesday Tickle

Tuesday Tickle is a meme inspired by Should Be Reading's Teaser Tuesday. It's basically the same concept, I just always tended to give more than two sentences plucked out of a random page, so I thought I'd just go with it and give a more in depth look at a book I'm reading or recently finished.

This week, I'm choosing Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr. I purchased this as an audio book and finished listening in two days ~ couldn't press the stop button! It's an amazing tale of secrets, betrayal, and survival of the fittest. (Review to come soon!)

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

The synopsis makes it seem that the story focuses on Mallory ~ and it does to a certain extent ~ but I felt there was  more spotlight on Kaleb and Aya... Aya in particular is one of my favorite characters.. complex and courageous, hiding a secret that would undoubtedly lead her to her demise.

Aya withdrew the knives and and slid them into the sheaths that hung from her belt. She was so far from class-appropriate behavior by now that one more stain wasn't worth the guilt that threatened. It was bad enough that she lived alone, that she wore her hair in a short, non-ornamented style more suitable for a soldier in Marchosias' army than an eligible ruling caste girl. Her behavior in the fights was an embarrassment to any ruling class family: noble women didn't engage in fights outside sanctioned clubs, and they certainly didn't kill for sport or gain.

I also came across an excerpt you might like, giving a bit of insight into the minds of Kaleb (a badass who's impossible not to love) and Aya (a kick-ass female who's unafraid to get her hands dirty), while also shedding some light on the type of world The City is.

Exclusive excerpt: 'Carnival of Souls' by Melissa Marr

Hooked yet? If not, check out the trailer.. C'mon... you didn't really think you'd be able to read one of my posts without coming across a trailer, did you? ;) The best part about it ~ Five Finger Death Punch.. :)

Hope I've convinced you of your need to read this book.... ALSO, check out the webpage
Enter the Carnival Totally fun interactive page ~ gives more insight to what's held between the pages of the book, including quotes, maps, and character introductions....  You should definitely check it out! And if that's not enough, Amazon has a sneak peek you can download  to your kindle ~ free! ~ so get clickin'! Sneak Peek Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~