Book Review: Blue Bloods by Melissa dela Cruz

Title: Blue Bloods

Author: Melissa dela Cruz

Page count: 302 pages

Rating: 4 stars

Book synopsis:

When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires. The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. 

The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner...and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?

Book review:

The first time I saw this book, I was very excited to buy it since its a vampire novel. And to think that the author herself is a Filipino so I thought of giving it a try to read and observe her writing styles about paranormal stuff. In this book, I learned new things about vampires, different from what I already knew about them through other books so it's quite interesting that way.

I was expecting a lot of romance but this is more focused on family, friends, and history. Maybe it's because it's the first one and it's still introducing things to the readers. One thing I like in this book is that it has many twists especially on the story of Schuyler, her mother and Jack. I was shocked to find the truth about how they were related... (I'm not giving anymore spoilers! Sorry =D ) I'm looking forward to reading the next books in this series.

Teaser Tuesdays #3: Once in A Full Moon

Yey! Time for Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. 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!

Once in a Full Moon

Ellen Schreiber

 "He was ravenous during the day. And I noticed the shapes of the moon and circled the date of the next full moon, which was several weeks away." (page 172) 

Stacking the Shelves #2

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is a great way to showcase books you've recently added to your bookshelves.

Last month, I bought Thirst series (Books 1-4) by Christopher Pike

     

     

And then, my friend gave me this boxed set of Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth as Christmas gift! <3

Finally, this week, I bought this as a gift to myself: Unearthly (Unearthly, #1) by Cynthia Hand

So, what's new in your shelves? :)

-o0o-

Be Part of the List!

Calling all bloggers!

Calling all bloggers!

Calling all bloggers!

Entangled needs you! *points at you*

Be Part of The List.

Here's what you need to know:

One of the awesome publicists at Entangled is compiling a list of bloggers.

Here are the requirements:

Do you have a blog?

Do you love to review books?

Do you want access to books before they release?

If your answers to these questions is a resounding "YES" then you're the right blogger for the job.

We want you! Now's a great time to join The List.

If you want to be a part of The List, here's what you have to do:

1. Add Til Death to your Goodreads TBR 

2. Leave the following in the comments section: Kate's Blog: We Want You...To Be Part of "The List"

a. Your Name

b. Your Blog URL

c. Your Goodreads Name

d. Your Email Address

Additional Option: URL to your blog post about this call for bloggers.

Priority will be given to those who help spread the word by creating a post on this call for bloggers on their blog. *smiles*

Don't miss this exciting opportunity.

Be part of The List today.

Book Review: Royal Blood (Vampire Kisses #6) by Ellen Schreiber

Title: Royal Blood

Author: Ellen Schreiber

Page Count: 195 pages

Rating: 5 stars

Book synopsis:

Summer break is over, and Raven is hardly eager to be returning to Dullsville High. Not only does school mean daily interaction with preppy pest Trevor Mitchell, but her sleep-filled days and romantic nights with her immortal boyfriend, Alexander, must come to an end. Plus the shock of morning classes isn't the only change in store.

An unexpected letter turns up at Alexander's mansion--announcing his parents will be coming to town. And once they arrive, just about everyone has had a sighting of the macabre couple except Raven. What could be delaying Alexander from introducing Raven to them? Could Alexander be hiding something about his parents' homecoming?

When Raven is finally invited to the most thrilling dinner party of her life, the next turn of events could transform her entire future with Alexander. The sixth book in Ellen Schreiber's bestselling Vampire Kisses series takes an unusual twist in the continuing romance of Raven and Alexander.

Book review:

It's been a while since I last made a book review. I've been very busy lately, but still find time to finish this book. I totally love this book! So far, this is the best book of the Vampire Kisses novels. I can totally relate to Raven upon meeting Alexander's parents, as well as introducing her parents to him. The tension, fear, and excitement -- everything! Plus, I totally love the Sterlings! I can imagine Mrs. Sterling's fashion sense upon reading, how fierce she is, and how handsome Mr. Sterling is! Definitely amazing!

2013 Liebster Blog Award!

It's been a while since I last posted in my blog. I've been quite busy lately. So finally I got the chance to check it out again and guess what I found out? I've been nominated by Athina for the Liebster Blog Award! :)

What is a Liebster Blog Award?

Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers that have less than 200 followers and the purpose is to get to know them since we think that they deserve it. The word “Liebster” is a German word which means "favorite". So here I am nominated for the “Favorite Blog Award” meaning the Liebster Blog Award. Thanks a lot to Athina for giving me this opportunity.

In order to accept and participate there are some steps.

>Tell 11 things about yourself.
>Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
>Post 11 questions for those who will be nominated by you.
>Nominate 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
>Get in contact with those 11 bloggers in order to inform them that you nominated them.

Well, that’s it! Easy and simple.

So, to start with, here are 11 things about me (Some of these can be found in my 'About Me' section) :

1. I wrote a fantasy novel way back in high school entitled "The Hidden Royalty". But sad to say, I lost my copy and now I'm trying to rewrite it all over again, improving it and adding new twists and turns on the story.

2. I'm in love with books. Obviously. I never let a day at a mall pass by without heading to a bookstore.

3. I talk to myself in front of the mirror.

4. I can write backwards (Mirror writing). I discovered this talent when I was in grade school. Maybe it's because I'm a left-handed person. Some people find it weird, some people got scared of me because of this. The back pages of my notebooks are filled with my mirror writings


5. I do headstands on my bed. I do this unusual thing "to collect my thoughts".

6. I'm seriously inlove with vampires. This odd feeling bloomed when I started watching the US Series True Blood (based on the novel "Southern Vampire" by Charlaine Harris. I am amazed by how vampires fall inlove with a human.

7. I love watching fireworks. Watching them makes me happy inside and out. It takes away all my fear, sadness, and anxieties.

8. I love the rain. Well, I just do. Really. Dancing. Walking. Crying. Laughing. Everything, except floods.

9. I drink a lot of coffee and tea. Especially while reading books and during rain afternoons.

10. I'm having regrets on the college degree I'm taking right now... I should have shifted to Communication Arts two and a half years ago... since broadcasting and writing are really my passions.

11. I'm a moody person. My friends are used to it already. It's like I'm happy at this moment, hilarious laughs, and then all of a sudden I'll be quiet, and look gloomy.

Here are the questions from Athina:

1. Why do you blog?

I created this blog for my book reviews, self-written poems and thoughts in life.

2. Do you read other blogs and why?

Yes, I do read other blogs. This is my way of finding new interesting books to be read.

3. Which is your favorite book and why?

I have a lot of favorite books. Especially YA novels, vampires-werewolves books, and paranormal books. I want to read these types of genres to be able to travel to a different world or dimension while reading.

4. What writing means for you?

I've been writing and joining writing contests since elementary. So basically, writing is very essential to me. It means life. It's my way of expressing feelings that I can't through speaking or saying out loud.

5. How do you spend you free time?

During my free time, you can usually see me sitting around the corner, reading a book while drinking coffee or tea. If I'm not in the mood to read, I'd be writing poems.

6. What was your greatest moment for the year that passed?

Well, every moment of the year that passed was great. No regrets at all.

7. Which five words describe you best?

Simple. Moody. Fearless. Humble. Faithful.

8. What would you encourage other people to do?

As always, to read books. 75% of our learning comes from what we read. ;)

9. What would you change in your life if you could?

Nothing else except the course I'm taking right now in college...

10. What advice you would give to a new writer?

My favorite motto as a writer: "Write to express, not to impress." :)

11. If there’s a word that would describe how you want this year to turn out, what is that word? (I got this from Riza Ponciano.)

Successful. :)

 My question to other bloggers:

1. What inspires you to write?
2. What's your writing style?
3. What kinds of books do you collect?
4. Can you share titles of the most awesome books that you have read?
5. How often do you read?
6. Do you believe in long distance relationship? Why or why not?
7. Who's your favorite blogger? (Post his/her blog link here)
8. What are you most thankful for?
9. How do you see yourself 5 years from now?
10. Can you give some writing/blogging tips to all the bloggers out there?
11. Do you have any power word to boost yourself up?

So, there it is! And the 11 lucky blogs I chose to nominate are:

1. Sab The Book Eater
2. Inna's Little Bookshelves
3. Between the Lines
4. The Social Potatoes
5. Lost In Wonderland
6. Paige-a-licious
7. Night Readings
8. Charlie, Coffee, and a Good Book
9. April Books
10. Starving Novelist
11. Poetic License

To my nominees, please leave the link of your answers on the comment box below so I can read it too.. Thanks and goodluck! More power! :)