Sunday 30 September 2012

My Book Haul/Showcase Sundays


I've decided to join Books, Biscuits and Tea's Showcase Sunday to share my lovely book hauls each week. Have a look back at Vicki's link up to see what everyone is up too!
So last week my book buying ended with my birthday! One of my lovely friends sent me an amazon voucher and I wasted no time picking up a few goodies!

Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels #4.5) - Ilona Andrews
Kindle Book
Alpha Pack leader Jim Shrapshire has always been the strong, silent type. But something has come over him--a magic force currently residing in one of the Pack's headquarters. Were-tigress Dali Harimau has always wished she could get Jim's attention--but now he needs her help. Stricken with a magic-sickness, Jim needs Dali's flair for magic. And to save him, she must challenge a powerful, dark being to a battle of wits.

Kate Daniels is one of my favourite series so I really wanted to get my hands on this novella - especially as Dali has always intrigued me!

Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City (The Iron Seas #1.5) - Meljean Brook
Kindle Book
After Mina is called in to investigate the murder of an aristocratic bounder, her husband Rhys—known to the world as the Iron Duke—must overcome his fear for his new bride before his need to protect her tears them apart. But when she invites him to join her at the murder scene, a search for a mysterious killing machine puts her in more danger than ever before…a danger that leads straight back to Rhys.

The Iron Duke has been one of my favourite reads in 2012 so this was another novella I wanted to get my hands on before I read Heart of Steel, which is at the top of my TBR pile!

Riveted (The Iron Seas #3) - Meljean Brook
Publisher: Berkley UK
A century after a devastating volcanic eruption forced Iceland’s inhabitants to abandon its shores, the island has become enshrouded in legend. But the truth behind the legends is mechanical, not magical—and the mystery of the island a matter of life and death for a community of women who once spilled noble blood to secure their freedom. 
Five years ago, Annika unwittingly endangered that secret, but her sister Källa took the blame and was exiled. Now Annika serves on an airship, searching for her sister and longing to return home. But that home is threatened when scientific expedition leader David Kentewess comes aboard, looking to expose Annika’s secrets. Then disaster strikes, leaving David and Annika stranded on a glacier and pursued by a madman, with their very survival depending on keeping the heat rising between them—and generating lots of steam.

And as my steampunk fascination continues I couldn't not get Riveted as soon as the book buying ban finished! :-)

So what have you picked up this week?

Oh - and today is the last day to enter my birthday giveaway - check it out here! 

Saturday 29 September 2012

Mel's Random September

Another month bites the dust! I have to confess September was going well for me until this past week which just sucked big time (more illness in the family which just has me wondering when will it get better?). Up until this week though, September was rocking with my birthday a great excuse to see all my lovely friends - and hearing from those who I don't see often enough because of distance! One of my friends even got me one of the most fantastic homemade birthday presents...
A knitted Tower Bridge!
I love it! It was a fantastic surprise and so cool!

So what impact did this have on my reading?

Books
Kitty Steals The Show (Kitty Norville #10) - Carrie Vaughn
Rome: The Eagle of the Twelfth - MC Scott (British Book Challenge)
Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires # 4) - Chloe Neill (TBR Reading Pile Challenge)
Enclave (Razorland #1) - Ann Aguirre (TBR Reading Pile Challenge)

Ebooks
The City's Son - Tom Pollock (British Book Challenge)
Full Blooded - Amanda Carlson
Hanging By A Thread - Sophie Littlefield
Poltergeeks - Sean Cummings

Novella
Blooded - Amanda Carlson

Guest Reviews
With Sarah back from holiday, she was in full review mood - reading and reviewing:
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Die for Me - Amy Plum
Pride (Shifters #3) - Rachel Vincent
Plus my friend Emma stopped by to review one of my favourite books:
The Knife of Never-Letting Go - Patrick Ness


As part of my blogging anniversary I asked you to interview me - and I had so questions I had to answer them over four weeks!
You Asked Me about...Blogging
You Asked Me about...Books & Authors
You Asked Me about...Me - Part 1
You Asked Me about...Me - Part 2

Regular Posts
In addition there were the usual wishlist posts, in my mailbox and Throwback Thursdays.

So updating the challenges -
British Books Challenge - 27 Read

2012 TBR Reading Pile Challenge - 31 Read

Best of the Bunch: This month my favourite read was Enclave - so thanks for pointing me towards it!

Honourable Mentions: Full Blooded & The City's Son were fun reads!


 

 What was your month like?

Friday 28 September 2012

Early Review: Poltergeeks


Poltergeeks
-       Sean Cummings

Publisher: Strange Chemistry – To Be Published on 2nd October

E-Arc courtesy of Netgalley and Strange Chemistry
15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

Julie is a teenage witch, apprenticed to her Mum, but when she and her best friend Marcus run into a Poltergeist terrorising an old woman, she finds herself involved something much bigger. Julie is a typical teenager – over confident in her abilities, keen to prove herself to her mother and figuring out what is important to her. The fact that she happens to be a witch adds an interesting twist. At its heart this is a book about relationships with Julie trying to figure out how her relationship with her Mum and her best friend is evolving.

 Poltergeeks is bags of fun – the plot is fast-paced, funny and with some genuinely exciting moments. The writing is deft with a light touch that perfectly portrays the personality of a teenage girl – hormones and school worries included. There are some great confrontations with Julie’s magic being put to the test. The fight scene in the cemetery was creepy and well placed to balance out a lot of recent info-dumping.

This is one of those books that makes you feel excited about being a reader again – flicking through the pages quickly and leaving a smile on your face. While there are emotional aspects to the story, it doesn’t overwhelm the plot or hold it back at all. It’s nice to read a book without being overwhelmed by angst and instant teenage lust. This is like a breath of fresh cleansing the cobwebs away and leaving you with a massive smile on your face.

Recommended for fans of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and 8 out of 10

Thursday 27 September 2012

Throwback Thursday #65 - Blonde Bombshell

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while and I wanted to jump on board! There are plenty of books out there I desperately want...


But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves?
 
Blonde Bombshell - Tom Holt
The year is 2017. Lucy Pavlov is the CEO of PavSoft Industries, home of a revolutionary operating system that every computer in the world runs on. Her personal wealth is immeasurable, her intelligence is unfathomable, and she's been voted World's Most Beautiful Woman for three years running. To put it simply - she has it all. But not everything is quite right in Lucy's life. For starters, she has no memories prior to 2015. She also keeps having run-ins with a unicorn. And to make matters even worse, a bomb is hurtling through interstellar space, headed straight for Lucy - and the planet known as Earth.
 
I enjoy the occasional comic fantasy and Tom Holt is one of the best. His humour is so british and he has a great skill of turning the ordinary into magic. So when I won Blonde Bombshell last year I was really excited to see what he had come with now. 18 months later and I still don't know! I want to try this soon though...
 
Have you ready anything funny recently I should try?
 

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Enclave Review

Enclave (Razorland #1)
-       Ann Aguirre

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.
Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.


For a page count less than 300, Ann Aguirre manages to fit a lot of ideas, action and even heartbreak into those few pages. From the harsh introduction to Deuces’s world with her initiation into the Hunters, you know that this isn’t an easy world. The Enclave is huddled underground, protected and hidden from the Freaks – zombie like creatures that just live to eat and ravish all they can. It’s all Deuce and her enclave can do to survive on rats and other creatures caught in the tunnels and it’s not long before the home they have created for themselves no longer seems as secure as Deuce has always believed – with enemies without and within.

Ann Aguirre has managed to paint a vivid world that is dark, tense and short-lived. Yet it all makes sense, you can understand why elders barely make it to twenty-four years of age when their life is as harsh as it is. When Deuce starts to question the way her world works, there are some interesting questions asked about freedom verses safety. What is more important and when you have to share everything to survive is there a point when the individual means more than the community? Maybe I was just reading too much into it! J However, there are also plenty of action scenes with Deuce and her partner, Fade fighting the Freaks and on the run. These scenes are fast, frantic and exciting and I held my breath on multiply occasions. Watching them learn to trust each other and later on to trust others is really the core of this story. There are plenty of other characters who are vividly portrayed despite limited time – Tegan, Stone and others all make an impact on Deuce and as such on us as well.

There are some missed opportunities – as there are in real life. At one point I thought the story was going to focus on a conspiracy within the enclave and then suddenly the plot took a complete left-turn and changed. Overall though, this is a great read with a mix of emotional growth, scary moments and discovery of a new world. I really can’t wait to get my hands on Outpost now!

Recommended for fans of Veronica Roth and Jonathan Maberry. 9 out of 10

Tuesday 25 September 2012

You Asked Me about...Me - again!

 To kick off my second year Blogoversary, I asked YOU to interview ME. And, boy, was I surprised at the number of questions I got, the variety and sheer inventiveness! So I’ve been able to split the questions into three sections –questions about Book & Authors, questions about Blogging and questions about Me/Random. Previously I answered questions about Books & Authors and Blogging and last week I started answering some random questions about Me... which continues today!


More Questions about Me!

Rachael L : If you could portray a character from a novel in a film who would you portray and why?   I’d love to play Kate Daniels from Magic Bites as she would get some great action scenes and to play opposite Curran...who I would love to see on the big screen!

Melissa (Books and Things):  If you come to the states, where would you like to visit? Come to my house for doberman kisses and lots of malamute fur!   I’ve been to the states a few times already – doing the usual tourist places: New York, Boston, Orlando, Las Vegas and San Francisco, but I currently have a craving to visit Colorado (during the summer – I’m not much for winter sports!) and see the mountains. And a visit with your puppy would definitely be on my shortlist! J

Daniela: If you wrote a book, what would it be about? Why?   I’m not actually a writer – but if I ever got struck my inspiration I would like to write a book that has a lot of adventure, great characters  and a different world as those are the things I like to read!

Evie: What's your favourite song? I’m not sure I have an absolute favourite...at the moment I’m listening to The Muppets soundtrack a lot so I would say it’s Are You A Man or a Muppet? J Normally, I love listening to Take That, Bon Jovi and Pink so I’m not really up to date with the cool kids with my taste in music! 

And Finally, some random questions...

Tanja V:  Do you like Nutella?   I LOVE Nutella! A secret tip – if you buy the small glass jars, when you’ve eaten all the nutella (aka as soon as possible!) then the jar makes a very nice drinking glass – most of my glasses are old nutella jars! J

Lesley @ My keeper shelf:   What toys will be popular this Christmas, I figure you would know and I need to start thinking about Christmas!!!  Ah, someone remembers what my day job is! J For girls it’s all about Lego Friends or Furby, Boys will want Nerf or Spider-Man while for Preschoolers I recommend either of the preschool tablets – LeapPad or Innotab or Mike the Knight items!

Melliane:  Have you ever been in France?  Yes, but not properly! I did a few day trips to Calais and Le Touquet growing up, and I’ve been to Paris for work a few times. But usually only see the hotel and the office in La Defense...I really want to do the touristy things in Paris, spend some time in the south of France or see the mountains of Toulouse...one day maybe...

Krista:   5 (fun) books that you would bring with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?
Watership Down by Richard Adams as it was favourite book growing up and I love rereading it
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as I’ve never read it and if I was a deserted island I might actually read it!
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey as I adore the story and it has a bit of everything thrown in
Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice as it was my favourite of the Vampire Chronicles
The Ancient Future by Traci Harding as I love the mix of time travel, romance and adventure

Donnas :  What authors would you love to have dinner and chat with?   Stephen King as I enjoy his books and can’t help thinking he would be a fun dinner guest,  Charlie Higson as his The Enemy series is fantastic fun with zombies for teens and Kelley Armstrong so I can quiz her about writing a long running, but never dull Urban Fantasy series!

Emma:  Um, tricky. Ok, you and all your books are travelling somewhere nice when a storm blows up. Realising you're about to be shipwrecked which 2 books do you grab and shove into your handy waterproof rucksack?
Assuming I can’t grab my kindle (J)...I would take American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey as both are books I want to reread and I know they are big enough books to read until I’m rescued! (No idea why the answer here is different from 5 books on a desert island - it just is!)
 
Draconismoi:  Are you pro or con dragon?  I love dragons – definitely pro!

Bruce S:  What do chickens most fear!?  You! J
One scared chicken...
 
I hoped you all enjoyed interviewing me for blogoversary - I loved answering them! And I especially liked the the variety and randomness of some of the questions. Now I did promise one of you a book for your question and the winner is...
Congratulations Melissa! Your book is one it's way!
 

Monday 24 September 2012

Guest Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

Guess what one of my friends got me for my birthday? A review! And not just any review - The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This was one of my favourite reads before I started blogging and I still love it. I feel a little bad that Emma hadn't read it before now - if I'd have known I would have forced her to read it and the rest of the trilogy...
 
The Knife of Never-Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1)
- Patrick Ness
 
Publisher: Walker
 
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives. But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
 
I thought I'd get Mel a review for her birthday this year, to be deployed whenever she needs it. Happy Birthday Mel! Hope you like it. Hope all of Mel's lovely readers like it too.

I have to start this review with a confession, and a digression: I have become slightly obsessed with China Mieville's wonderful books recently; because of this I jumped at the chance to see him speak at the Edinburgh Book Festival. The event was excellent, largely due to the lively interaction between China and his interviewer, Patrick Ness. Intrigued, I looked Ness up, not really being aware of his books before then, and discovered he's best known for writing multi-award winning Young Adult fiction. Well, one itchy kindle finger later I became the owner of a copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go, book one in his Chaos Walking trilogy:

"Imagine you're the only boy in a town of men. And you can hear everything they think. And they can hear everything you think. Imagine you don't fit in with their plans... Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run..."

I wasn't planning to buy this book. All I intended to do was download the first few pages to satisfy my curiosity about the author and his work. But I found myself drawn in, found myself compelled to read on. From the first page you're plunged directly into the head of Todd, a grumpy 12 year old, counting the days until his 13th birthday, when he'll finally, finally become a man. There's a lot of Todd which reminded me of Just William - he's got the same shoe scuffing impatience with the adult world - but unlike William, there's no warm, loving family to support him, and many of his grumblings and suspicions are very justified. Todd's world is dominated by Noise from every living thing near him. Every man can hear the thoughts of every other, resulting in a howling cacophony, impossible to block out unless you're completely alone. His world is also completely lacking women; they all died just after he was born, from the same illness that caused the Noise. It's hardly surprising that Todd's village, the only village in the world, a village that's slowly dying out, is not a nice place to live. However, as is often the case, things aren't quite what they seem, and when Todd finds a mysterious hole in the Noise we're flung into his fast-paced, thrilling race for answers.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to find a main character who wasn't a teenager, or a precocious genius child, wise beyond their years, but someone who felt absolutely what he was - 12 years old. It's a fast read, mainly because as the tension ramps up, my ability to put it down decreased accordingly. I'd definitely recommend it. 9/10

Recommended for fans of Philip Pullman, oh and Richard Crompton of course!

Sunday 23 September 2012

My Book Haul / Showcase Sundays

I've decided to join Books, Biscuits and Tea's Showcase Sunday to share my lovely book hauls each week. Have a look back at Vicki's link up to see what everyone is up too!
 
The Girl You Left Behind - Jojo Moyes
Publisher: Penguin
In 1916 French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.
Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...
Two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most - whatever the cost.
 
I won this from Goodreads First Reads! It's the first book I've ever won from there so I was very excited when it turned up this week. I think it will be one of those books I read for a break from Vampires and Dystopian Futures...
 
Firespell - Chloe Neill
Publisher: Gollancz
Lily’s parents have sent her to a fancy boarding school in Chicago filled with the ultra-rich. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s hearing and seeing bizarre things on St. Sophie’s creepy campus. Her roommate, Scout, keeps her sane, but keeps disappearing at night. When one day Lily finds Scout running from real-life monsters, she learns the hard way that Scout is involved in a splinter group of rebel teens. They protect Chicago from demons, vamps, and dark magic users. It’s too bad Lily doesn’t have powers of her own to help. At least, none that she’s discovered yet...
 
Having read a couple of Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampire books in the last couple of weeks, I was hungry for more similar and when someone wanted one of my books on readitswapit, I think I managed to come out ahead!
 
What have you picked up this week?
 
 

Saturday 22 September 2012

MEGA BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!!!

 
TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY!! Yay!
I'm not actually going to be online today as it's the first time in ages fallen on a Saturday, so I will be spending the day up in London with good friends and hopefully plenty of laughter! But I haven't forgotten about you, my blogging friends. So in order to spread the love I want giveaway a load of books. These are gently read and in very good condition and offering three people the chance to pick three books! All you have to do is recommend me a book you loved to read in the next year. It can either be a book on my TBR Pile (see here)  or something else completely fabulous that you want everyone to read!

 What books can you win? Have a look at this pile of goodies...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
I've tried to include some books from a variety of genres - and if you want to know more about any book, you can glick on the to be taken to Goodreads.

So to recap:

· Fill in the form below
· Recommended a book I should read
· Choose which books you would like from the pile - minimum of three. If you choose more than three I'll select three of them at random to send you
· Open internationally (Because I’m so nice!)
· Closes 1st October 2012
·  Three winners!
That’s it! Good luck to everyone and I’m looking forward to your recommendations! J
 

Friday 21 September 2012

Hard Bitten Review

Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires #4)
- Chloe Neill
 
Publisher: Gollancz
 
Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals-and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are...tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.
Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society-a world full of vampires who seem ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...
 
I seem to have a bit of blind spot when it comes to this series – I have really grown to love Merit (especially now she’s no longer moaning about being a vampire) and the rest of the characters (Ethan, Christina and the rest!) and the last book I gave a high rating. Yet, I have let this book and the next one sit on my TBR shelf for months depriving myself of a thoroughly entertaining and exciting read! Bad Mel!
 
The vampire raves mentioned in Friday Night Bites reappear here (as they weren’t really solved in that book) and look to be a big political problem for Ethan and the rest of his house. Merit in her role as Sentinel is asked to investigate and ends up entangled in vampire politics, blood raves and the possibly reappearance of her biggest enemy… There is a lot going on here which makes for an exciting read – especially if you like politics as well as action. Merit is still struggling to walk the fine line between her duties to the house and her feelings for Ethan. For the first time I really felt Ethan was trying to make an effort with Merit and open up more than he has before.
 
Merit spends a lot of time investigating by herself in the story leaving her free to visit friends when she needs help, but also showing she can handle herself now. There is a lovely under current of snark and humour. And while Merit is a vampire, she has never really lost her humanity managing to indulge in greasy food and bad reality TV as well. I loved that Merit still found time to be there for Mallory, her best friend who is going through some major life changing events as well. Overall, I felt Merrit has really grown up now and is spending less time bemoaning her situation – I hope this attitude continues!
 
I really felt like this was the beginning of many storylines with some elements wrapped up, while introducing us to possible new complications. I’m not going to spoil the ending but there is a big emotional punch at the end that I didn’t see coming and will have big influence on where the series goes from here. Hopefully I won’t leave it so long to read the next book, Drink Deep, which is already sat on my TBR pile…
 
Recommended for fans of Mercy Thompson and Jennifer Estep. 8.5 out of 10.
 

Thursday 20 September 2012

Throwback Thursday #64 - Black Dust Mambo

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while and I wanted to jump on board! There are plenty of books out there I desperately want...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves?
 
Black Dust Mambo - Adrian Phoenix
Kallie Riviere, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance's annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching -- the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju -- a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her.
Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer -- even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie's search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated -- back home to Bayou Cypres Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie's aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead.
 
This was a birthday present last year from some friends of mine - and I've shamefully never read it! I love books set in the South and the idea of hoodoo mixing it with Urban Fantasy - plus the cover of this book is right up my UF street...I don't know what it is about a girl holding a knife in the swamp that makes want to read the book!
 
What things on the cover attracts your attention? :)