Waiting on Wednesday: Fantasy Goodness Edition

Hosted at Breaking the Spine and original picture credits go to ハツ子

Hi everyone! How's your Wednesday so far? :) I've been spending the past couple of days on a new look for my blog. I decided to ditch the galaxy theme (for now, anyways) and go for a more simple, clean (cutesy ANIME) feel. Anybody detest the changes? Love it? Feel free to send me all of your (not too mean) hate/love in the comments! ♥

This week I'm waiting on:

The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

Mia is torn between two guys—and two worlds—in this epic, romantic fantasy. Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she’s concerned, that’s about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.

That is, until Sol arrives. Mia’s not one to fall for just any guy, but she can’t get Sol—or the brilliant tattoo on his back—out of her mind.

Then Mia’s brother goes missing, and Mia’s convinced that Sol knows more than he’s sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol’s not who Mia thought he was—and neither is she.

REACTION: 

LOLWUT? Is it just me or does this cover SCREAM paranormal romance? Still, I love my fantasy anyways even if their cover looks EXTREMELY deceiving. Besides, I've yet to read some steamy fantasy so this sounds puuurrty fiiiine to me.

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Poison by Bridget Zinn

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart… misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

REACTION: 

More fantasy YAAAY! And swooning elements, eh? I'm intrigued. I might have to bump this up on my TBR pile, even though it has yet to be published until March 2013. (SADNESS.)

 Hey, Poison, COME AT ME BRO. (But really? FRED? FRED? WHY THAT NAME WHY)

Review: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress #1)

Book: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 358
Genre: [Adult] paranormal romance | urban fantasy
Source: Bought
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side... and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

I have but ONE word for Bones this book (or more like an acronym): UNF. If you don't know what it means, Urban Dictionary explains it very well here.

Caution: Please proceed at your own risk. Lots of GUSHING ahead.

WHAT IS THIS BOOK FILLED WITH, EXACTLY?

• Badassery at its FINEST.
• Cat and Bones? These two kick ASS. Like, major booty here. The action in Halfway to the Grave bursts with intensity and is simply the epitome of the word, "engaging". (THAT is saying a LOT, if you ask me. I detest action scenes in general...very much.) 

• What is laughing?
• Small, amusing moments do not exist in this book. Okay? Okay. (No, I'm kidding they do.) What exists in Halfway to the Grave is nonstop HILARITY. Good gosh, I do not think I've ever laughed so much while reading a book! (And books RARELY make me laugh.)
• Cat and Bones' dialogue... GOOD LAWDY. I'm laughing as I type about it right now. It just GETS to me. This book understands my humor. IT UNDERSTANDS ME.

• I just love cats. I really do. And you know what? Heroine's name = CAT.
• What I really admire about Cat is how headstrong she is (which is both good and bad). I LOVE how dedicated and determined this girl is. She's been an outcast all her life, but no, she doesn't let it get it to her head and becomes a shut out. No, she becomes a KICK ASS HEROINE. YOU GO, CAT.
• Bones deserves his own bullet, so on to the next point...

• BONES. No, not the "bones" in our bodies, you smart aleck.
• This man, this man right here, is PERFECTION in the world of leading male characters. He's ridiculously charming, seductive, hilarious, a GENTLEMAN (who still manages to be completely bad boy at the same time), sexy, has a BRITISH ACCENT, and did I mention he's smexy as heck?
• When we're first introduced to Bones, I'm like, "Ew. No. I don't like this. What. Just stop. How can I like this book now. UGH." However, it took me VERY LITTLE time to fall super UBER hard for Bones. ♥ 
• I can't even describe how badass Bones is. Really. I'm SPEECHLESS.

• Romance. UNF. UNF. UNFUNFUNFUNF.
• Disappointed is FAR FAR FAR from what I felt about the romance in this book. Halfway to the Grave has everything a romance junkie can dream of -- good ol' panty melting, sexually charged TENSION.
• The chemistry between Cat and Bones...just WHOA. Every touch and sound between these two (both conversational wise and... not so conversational wise) is just done so well. I ship these two so hard. <3 

• And of course there IS a fast paced plot! Halfway to the Grave grabbed me like it was an obsessed kidnapper and didn't let me go until it had their way done with me.

This book, in all, was just so much fun. REALLY. I think the only regret this book would leave any reader would be not having bought the second book in advance. (The ending? Pretty solid, not a major cliffhanger. It's the kind of ending that leaves you like, "RAH GIMME MORE DAMMIT")

I'm a hypocrriiiiiite.

EDIT: This post was called "Until then, my friends!" but I feel like a hypocrite! A couple of posts ago I was being all sappy about my bloggy birthday and now here I am taking another break. AAGHHHHHH.


I am freaking out. Summer break is almost over and that means that it's nearly time to go back to school. I want to read my ALA books, my adult romance "crack", my review books, and just relax. Blogging has become a chore and it's not just what it used to be before.

(*insert sarcasm* Racquel from The Book Barbies offered me some advice and said I should drop out of school. It's a very lovely idea and I think I shall take her up on it.)

I'm going to take a few days to a couple of weeks off. Part of me REALLY dreads this because all of these breaks and hiatuses makes me feel like I'm losing readers and I'm not acting as dedicated to my blog as I should be.

Hopefully you guys will be around when I come back to blog and stuff. :) Until then, bye! (Or not since I'll probably be lurking on Twitter or on Goodreads.)

Excerpt + Giveaway: Unguarded by Ashley Robertson

Yet another blog tour stop here at Books to Infinity & Beyond! :) I'm hosting a very enticing excerpt of Unguarded and I have a giveaway at the bottom! <3

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Book: Unguarded by Ashley Robertson
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Guardian angel Selene was so close to becoming an archangel—the supreme of all beings—until she fell in love with Cole, a forbidden dark one. Once she discovers her vampire lover has been kidnapped and the only way to save him is by abandoning her number one priority—Caitlyn, her human charge—there really is only one answer in Selene’s mind, even though leaving Caitlyn unguarded will most likely cause Selene to fall from grace.

But her choice to save Cole doesn’t come without a price…and now Selene is racing against time to not only save her dark lover, but find a way to keep Caitlyn alive as well.

With the help of a new vampire ally, Luke, Selene will push her diminishing angel abilities to the point where her very existence lies in the balance. Now threatened with the chance of becoming a fallen angel or even dying, Selene can only pray she’ll have enough time—and good grace—to save the ones she loves.

Sounds great right? Well, here's the excerpt! <3

EXCERPT TIME

Still, Raphael was here to give me another chance. Maybe I could get it right this time around? Even though I was marked by darkness, there was still a way out. Hope for a new tomorrow. And Cole would be there with me—once I’d fulfilled whatever my punishment was. Unless my new lease on life, so to speak, came with the terms of leaving Cole forever. But at least he wouldn’t be dead, and I could move on knowing that he was somewhere out there. Unlike Caitlyn or Luke.


“Selene,” Raphael called out. “Come now. We must go.”

I looked at my archangel with love and admiration. He’d dealt with so much from me, and he was still willing to fight for me. Unconditional love. Something humans weren’t able to give. Nor were dark ones supposed to even know what love was, and yet, that had been proven wrong by two vampires.

DID YOU HEAR... GIVEAWAY?!

Well, yep! You heard right. ;D Enter below to win some SIGNED bookmarks AND your choice of an e-book copy or a paperback copy of Unguarded by Ashley Robertson. :3

Now, as far as I know, it's INTERNATIONAL for the e-book copy but I'm not too sure about the paperback copy and the signed bookmarks. :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review + Giveaway: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Hello all! My blog is the first stop on the Wake blog tour! I hope you enjoy the review and if you stick around to the end, you can go enter a giveaway to win an ARC of Wake!

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Book: Wake by Amanda Hocking
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 309
Source: Review copy for blog tour
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

I knew right off the bat that I was going to adore this book! As I have read Hocking's previous works (specifically, Hollowland and Hollowmen) and really liked them, this one is yet another addition to the list!

I'VE BEEN AWAKEN TO REALIZE THAT THERE ARE AWESOME MERMAID READS

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I came up with yet ANOTHER cheesy title header for my review.

• Enchanting and mesmerizing is one way to put it for Hocking's storytelling.
• SERIOUSLY. The storytelling is smooth and almost lyrical; it had me turning pages ravenously as if I couldn't get enough! This book was definitely a real treat to savor and enjoy.

• Don't you just love it when you can relate to characters?
• I was just giddy and smiling throughout the whole book because Gemma is a SWIMMER. (Psst! I'm a swimmer too!) I also really liked Gemma as a character. Strong and passionate about her goals and those she loves is definitely a winning quality in a heroine.
• While she is strong and passionate, she could also be very...headstrong as well. It was frustrating for me to see Gemma make really dumb decisions (Which was like, two! She's actually very clever) and it just felt like the author was trying to create tension and drama out of nowhere.
• Of course Gemma doesn't hog all of the spotlight! Harper was an equally awesome character.
• The way she's so loyal and protective of her sister is really admirable! I feel the exact same way for my siblings, so I can say that I have an inkling of what she feels.

• TWO swoon worthy love interests obviously amounts to double YAYs!
• And the best best best thing is...it's not a love triangle! Each of our girls have their own love interests and their own love problems. <3
• While Gemma and Alex's relationship with each other was sweet and fuzzy, I enjoyed Daniel and Harper's relationship a lot more! WITTY BANTER GALORE. Daniel, in all, is just a really great secondary character. He's charming and sweet and buff with tattoos! YUM.

• This book is not your typical mermaid read.
• Or, well, maybe it is? This is my first mermaid read after all. Anyways, the point is that Wake has very interesting lore, one that I absolutely loved learning about! 
• I can't say anymore (unless you guys LOVE spoilers), but it felt definitely original and I can't wait to learn more in the next book.

So...do I recommend this book? HECK TO THE YES! It was such an awesome mermaid read, and now I'm really itching to read other mermaid books as well. (Preferably the sequel to Wake? Pretty please?)

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for...(or not)... THE GIVEAWAY! *waits for applause*

Rules, rules, rules! 

1. U.S. only. (UGH, I know. It sucks butt that it's not international.)
2. You've got to be at least 13 years old to enter.
3. Giveaway will end on August 17 at 12:01 AM EST.

Well, get at it, folks! :) I know y'all want an ARC of this dazzling beauty named Wake! ;D

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking the Shelves: EPIC Books GALORE Edition (7/20/12)

 Stacking the Shelves is hosted by the lovely Tynga!

AAAHHH. It has been a DREADFULLY long time since I did a Stacking the Shelves post. Well, this week's book haul is an accumulation of all the books I got from the past weeks and this week. :)

 I BORROW BOOKS LIKE IT'S NOBODY'S BUSINESS, YO

Defiance, Keeper, and Ten were all borrowed from the ever lovely AVAAAA. She was so nice to let me borrow such awesome looking books. ;~; (By the way, Ten was AMAZINGLY good. I just finished it today!) Thank you thank you thank you thank you Ava! <3

And... MORE BORROWING! Thanks to my lovely library, I got the next two books in the Night Huntress series, Dark Lover (ugh, don't get me STARTED on that book), and The Night Circus (!!!) :D

I BOUGHT BOOKS WHICH I HIDE IN FEAR OF MY MOTHER

I also bought my first two adult romances AND I succeeded in hiding them from my mom. *^* I know, BAD GIANNA, but I was so tempted and I wanted them and yeah. ;~; I bought Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost and The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter. (Darkest Night was SUPER steamy and hawwwt.)

REVIEW BOOKS ARE ALWAYS COOL TOO

 And last but not least, FOR REVIEW, I got Stormdancer (which, holy SHIT, just happens to NOT be available for reading on the Kindle but I'm nonetheless excited as heck), Silver (Got rejected the first time, and accepted the second! WHOOP WHOOP), Inbetween (for le blog tour), andddd The Mephisto Kiss (EEEEEEEEP.) THANK YOU NETGALLEY and EGMONT. <3

The one I am MOST excited to read is The Mephisto Kiss. I TOTALLY adored the first book in the series, and I cannot wait for this one!

HOW I SUCCESSFULLY GOT DARK LOVER AT THE LIBRARY WITH MY MOM

Have you guys even SEEN the cover for Dark Lover? DUDE, it's so suggestive and I think my mom would lock me up if she saw me reading it.

I know y'all probably don't want to read my short story, so I...HID IT! (For the sake of saving space and stuff.) Feel free to click the button to read. :) (I wonder if the button will work.)

OKAY, so, I was at the library with my mom and I managed to sneak and borrow a copy of DL while she went off on her own. It also seemed like the universe was against me that day and there were SO many hilarious close calls with my mom! XD

What makes me super sad though is that I just marked Dark Lover as a DNF book, aka "did not finish". Romance sucked butt, and if romance sucks butt in an adult romance, Gianna SHALL DROP LE BOOK. Kay kay, thanks for reading. :)

Also, I'm very very sorry for not posting so much recently! ;~; I have a TON of commenting as well as REVIEWS to catch up on... (Thanks a lot, AP prep classes!) x__x

Woah. My blog is one year old?

That is really really really weird. Books to Infinity and Beyond turned one on July 9, 2012. YAAAY. I promise I'll treat all of my followers to a nice (international) giveaway...soon. :) Purpose of this post today then?

A RECAP OF MY ONE YEAR OF BLOGGING! :D *waits for applause*

*silence* ....Well, anywaaaays~

Why did I start Books to Infinity one year ago? Simply, I was bored, I wanted to get back into reading, and I had a LOT of time on my hands. (Go to the bottom if you want to see where I'm at NOW, and if you want to skip ALL of this boring blog recap stuff. XD)

MY LONER DAYS

Back then, my blog was called A Neverending Fantasy. :O *LE GASP*

The first few months of blogging was a bit tough and lonely. I was struggling to find the perfect blog design, attempting to have more readers on my blog, trying to find the right way to format my reviews and make them interesting, etc. I also had barely anyone to talk to in my baby months, which was a little saddening.

I know blogging isn't all about numbers. It's to HAVE FUN! It's hard to have fun when it's a one man party. XD </3

SO, I blogged on and off. I'd have hiatuses for months, and would neglect my blog. :(

AND THEN THINGS STARTED GETTING BETTER

Blog was still A Neverending Fantasy.

After the first few months and hiatuses, I was determined to make my blog better! I did a complete blog makeover, and I had actually reached a small readership of around 200 followers. YAAAY! :D

I think, if I can recall correctly, I was going through another bad time in my life and was just not feeling it. So, I blogged less and less, and then, 2012 came rolling around.

BLOG: REBORN!

On January 26, 2012, I renamed my blog and gave it a totally different feel. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I once again failed at posting for another 3-4 months. :(

Around late March, I started posting again. In early April, I had my first giveaway and I was nearing 250 followers, so I decided why not?

GUYS. That giveaway changed my life. I'm not joking. (Heck, I made a post about it and y'all can read about it.) Without that giveaway, I would have NOT met all of the people on Twitter who I can truly say I'm REALLY glad to be friends and even internet besties with, my blog would NOT be where it is right now, and I would probably be in a depressed state right now from everything that's been screwing with my real life.

Is it weird to be tearing up right now? Gosh, I'm so lame. 

WHERE I AM TODAY

TOTAL PAGE VIEWS (as of 7/16/12, 11:18 PM): 34,780

TOTAL FOLLOWERS (as of 7/16/12, 11:18 PM): 601

TOTAL TWITTER FOLLOWERS (as of 7/16/12, 11:18 PM): 521

There are so many people who have helped me throughout my one year of blogging, I can't begin to name. 

All of my readers and commentators, thank you. THANK YOU. It makes me ridiculously happy to read every single one of your comments and I always try my best to comment back.

Jen from The Dancing Reader, dude. I just love you. Seriiiiously! <3 If you didn't help me back then on Twitter, I don't think I'd be blogging or even reading. I sound SO dramatic, but I really feel that way. :') You always gave me the best support ever.

Cindy from Oodles of Books was my first friend evverrr during blogging. <3

Racquel from The Book Barbies, um, yeah. You're freaking hilarious, my fellow "slut" in crime! (Inside joke, don't worry. Racquel isn't a slut.) Thank you for being there for me and having awesome talks on Twittahh~ :)

AVA FROM TWITTER, DUDE. One of the many new additions to my friends list of the internet world, but I love her already. The most adorable, fun thing EVER. <3

Sophie from Sweet Sweet Pages and Alice from Twitter were also one of my first friends too! Good gosh, they DEFINITELY need to get mentioned in these kinds of sappy posts. :') 

And that, folks, is my one year recap of blogging. Thanks for reading! :D <3