Vampire Week: Review: Blue Bloods

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

Today for Vampire Week I actually give you a re-post of an old review. Blue Bloods was the very first review on T3, and it's also the start to one of my favorite book series, so it was only fitting that I talk about it. Why re-post? Well, I thought about reviewing the 2nd book in the series for Vamp Week, but decided against it because I really wanted to stick with a 1st book VW review, for people who had never read.

Title: Blue Bloods

Series: Blue Bloods #1

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Disney*Hyperion

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Pages: 302

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

Rating: 2 cubes of sugar

Buy: IndieBound | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Summary: Schuyler Van Alen is confused about what is happening to her. Her veins are starting to turn blue, and she's starting to crave raw meat. Soon, her world is thrust into an intricate maze of secret societies and bitter intrigue. Schuyler has never been a part of the trendy crowd at her prestigious New York private school. Now, all of a sudden, Jack Force, the most popular guy in school, is showing an interest in her. And when one of the popular girls is found dead, Schuyler and Jack are determined to get to the bottom of it.

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets of the mysterious Blue Bloods. But is she putting herself in danger? Melissa de la Cruz's vampire mythology, set against the glitzy backdrop of New York City, is a juicy and intoxicating read. 
(Taken from Goodreads)

Post-"taste" Review: 
Absolutely loved! A very different take on vampires unlike everything else I've read, and it was beautiful. A must-read for vampire fans.

Review: This was my third time reading Blue Boods, and I still enjoyed it as immensely as I did the 1st time around. De la Cruz offered a very lyrical and in-depth 3rd person POV of the glamorous (and not-so-glamorous) lives of New York's teenaged vampire elite. 

Something I loved, though at times felt was unnecessary, was being told what brand the important characters were wearing. Most of the time I don't really care what brand characters are wearing—any characters in any book—but because these characters are New York elite, they are supposed to be fashionable, and how better to get that across than to include top name designers in your descriptions.

I love the mythology of the whole story, and how all the committees work to keep the Blue Blood identity a secret. I absolutely loved where the book ended, with Sky discovering part of the Van Alen legacy, and deciding what she needed to do, even in the midst of tragedy. 

Today's other Vampire Week post:
—Amanda's Top 9 favorite vampires, from books and TV

See you tomorrow!

Cover Reveal: Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We're so excited to be apart of the cover reveal for. . .

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

hosted by Entangled Publishing!

Without further ado. . .

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?

Origin releases August 27, 2013 from Entangled Teen

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the author:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney*Hyperion, and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Find Jennifer: Twitter | Facebook | Website

We love love love it! What do you think?

—Tea for Three Team

Cover Reveal: Sweet Legacy

Tera Lynn Childs revealed the cover to the third book in her Sweet Venom series, Sweet Legacy, earlier today on her blog. And I think it's absolutely GORGEOUS, my favorite of the series. Check it out:

There's no blurb for it yet, but the release date is set for September 3rd, 2013 from HarperCollins.

Now check it out next to the other covers in the series:

What do you all think? We'd love to hear!

—Erin

Trailer Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We're so excited to be apart of the trailer reveal for. . .

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout!

First, here's a little bit about the book.

Opal (The 3rd book in the Lux series)
Available in both print and digital editions on December 18, 2012
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Now here's what you're waiting for.

About the author:

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in
Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories…which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult
paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook |  Official Website






We're even more excited about Opal now that we've seen the trailer! What do you guys think?

—Tea for Three Team

Review: Something Strange and Deadly

Title: Something Stange and Deadly
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #1
Author: Susan Dennard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal/Horror
Pages: 371
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 ½ cubes of sugar (That's right, you cut that sugar cube in half before you put it in my cup!)
Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

Summary:
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
(Taken from Goodreads)

Review:
So, this book. It was wonderful! I wasn't entirely sure what to expect out of it. I knew I would like it; it has zombies, creative inventions, and a rag-tag band of misfits (love them misfits), so what's not to like? The zombies were an inspired addition, not your average, gory, aimless, over-done zombies. They actually served a purpose to the plot instead of just being an element added to make things more suspenseful and interesting. The fact that time in the ground and decomposition is actually taken into consideration when describing the zombies interested me. Most of the time you get the gross, messy zombies, with eyeballs hanging out of their heads and innards all over the place. Let's face in, when a body in the ground for a while (we're talking years and decades) there isn't much left of muscle and skin. Most of these zombies were bone and sinew.

There were also plenty of plot twists and surprises that kept me reading (wasn't expecting that ending but I heartily enjoyed it, and nope no spoilers here!) I enjoyed every single one of the characters. Eleanor was a little hard to get into at first, but as the story developed, she also developed into the awesome, kick-butt character that I was hoping for! The Spirit-Hunters were easily my favorite though, they're all such interesting characters in and of themselves with such varying backgrounds. Needless to say I await the release of A Darkness Strange and Lovely with baited breath!

Cover Reveal: Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

We're so excited to be apart of the cover reveal for. . .

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

hosted by the author!

Without further ado. . .

Publication Date: April 30, 2013 from HarperTeen

About the Book:

Anna Whitt, daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a claim. She’d been naive about a lot of things. 

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind. 

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Pre-order from:

Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Check it out on:

Goodreads | Facebook | Kaidan Rowe's Twitter

And The Sweet Trilogy book 3, Sweet Reckoning, is slated to be published in spring/summer of 2014.

Now, because we loving seeing this, here are the covers for Sweet Evil and Sweet Peril together:

Gorgeous!!!

About the Author:

Wendy Higgins was born in Alaska, grew up an Army brat, and lived all over the United States before settling in the Washington, DC area. She attended George Mason University for her undergrad degree in creative writing, and Radford University for her masters in curriculum and instruction. Wendy taught 9th and 12th grade English in a rural school before becoming a mother and author. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter, and son. Sweet Peril is her second novel.

Find Wendy on: Website | Twitter | Facebook







We absolutely LOVE THE COVER!!!! And we can not wait to get our hands on it! What do you guys think of the Sweet Peril cover?

—Tea for Three Team

Review: Claire de Lune

Title: Claire de Lune
Series: Claire de Lune #1
Author: Christine Johnson
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: ARCycling
Rating: 1 cube of sugar
Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

Summary:
Torn between two destinies… Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she’s the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she’s a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire’s new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever…
(Taken from Goodreads)

Review:

There's not a lot of good I can say about Claire de Lune. The only thing that kept me reading was wanting to know who the rogue werewolf was. And if the rogue's POV hadn't been included, even as few times as it was, I probably wouldn't have continued at all. The main character, Claire, and her best friend, Emily, were so very annoying, and would say things like, "OMG! I totally can't believe this is happening!" Claire was less vexing when she wasn't talking to Emily, but there were moments when I just wanted to slap her and say, "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! AND STOP OVERUSING THE WORD TOTALLY!"

Other than an annoying main character,  I was about ¾ of the way through the book before anything really happened. Yes, Claire found out she was a werewolf, and yes, she turned for the first time, but most of the book was her talking to Emily, going out with Matthew, the romantic interest, and trying to get information about being a werewolf out of her mother. In the last fourth of the book the rogue hits close to home, and a chapter or two later unveils her identity. That is when things really start to get interesting, but up until then? Very boring.

Over all, I was disappointed with Claire de Lune. The only saving grace was the ending, but even that can't totally make up for the beginning and middle. I gave it a ½ lump rating because I don't think the book is poo, but I would borrow it before you bought it.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way paid for my opinions*

Cover Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We're so excited to be apart of the cover reveal for. . .

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

hosted by Entangled Publishing!

Without further ado. . .

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!

http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/p/october-1-2012.html

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in
Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories…which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult
paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog






We LOVE it! And are now even more excited for the book to be released! What do you guys think?

—Tea for Three Team

WWW Wednesdays (4)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Erin

Amanda

      

Slowly trucking through these while on vacation. Was not expecting to have nearly as much homework to do this week as I do so that is keeping me from reading as much as I had hoped. -sad face-

Lisa

Not reading anything at the moment.

What did you recently finish reading?

Erin

Amanda

Lisa

What do you think you'll read next?

Erin

   

Amanda

      

Lisa

What are you reading this week?

—Tea for Three Team

WWW Wednesdays (2)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

1) What are you currently reading?

Erin

      

I've started all four of these, but am really only focusing on Masquerade right now.

Amanda

 

I've been meaning to read this book for a while, so I decided to put it on my read list of the Once Upon A Read-A-Thon that's currently running.

2) What did you recently finish reading?

Erin

I finished Blue Bloods for the third time yesterday. I love that book so much!

Amanda

   

Shadowcry was most excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading Blackwatch and finding out what happens next. White Trash Zombie was such an awesome book! I love Diana Rowland's take on zombies and Angel, the main character, is so much fun.

3) What do you think you'll read next?

Erin

I'm thinking I'll read this next, but I have really no idea what I'll end up reading.

Amanda
     

I've been looking forward to reading Ready Player One for months. Lisa keeps telling me I have to read Blood Brothers, so that will be one of my next ones. Daughter of Smoke & Bone is also on my Read-A-Thon list. Hopefully I can get to it.

What are you reading?
Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by!

—Tea for Three Team

WWW Wednesdays (1)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

1) What are you currently reading?

Amanda

Since I can never just read one book at a time I'm currently reading:

      

Erin

2) What have you recently finished reading?

Amanda

This book was truly amazing, it reminds me of the Poison series by Maria V. Snyder (one of my all time favorite series) which just made me love it all the more.

Erin

I re-read this book because I finished the 5th book, Blood Moon, and just didn't want to leave the world yet.

3) What do you think you'll read next?

Amanda

I'm looking forward to reading this one since the first book was such an original take on zombies.

Erin

I have been waiting for this book to come out forever, and it finally did yesterday.

Happy 4th of July and thank you for stopping by!

-Tea for Three Team