Best books of 2011

2011 Best Books 

(In no particular order)

1. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

2. Die for me by Amy Plum

3. Fateful by Claudia Gray

4. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

5. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

6. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

7. Passion by Lauren Kate

8. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

9. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

10. Lengend by Marie Lu

11. Divergent by Veronia Roth

12. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

{Review}: Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

Title: Demon Lover (Fairwick Chronicles, #1)
Author: Juliet Dark Website
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Random House Publishing Group  (Dec 26, 2011)
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN:   9780345510082 
Source: NetGalley*
Available on: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | TheBookDepository

Description from GoodReads:

I gasped . . . or tried to. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t draw breath. . . . His lips, pearly wet, parted and he blew into my mouth. My lungs expanded beneath his weight. When I exhaled he sucked in my breath and his weight turned from cold marble into warm living flesh. Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of writing her bestselling book, The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. After all, Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she finds herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.
But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: He’s not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the incubus, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this demon lover from her heart.

My Review:
I have no idea why but when i started reading this book i thought it was a YA paranormal romance. Maybe it was the beautiful cover or me just totally ignoring the word erotic in the blurb. Either way it is not a young adult book but a romance novel with Gothic undertones. 


Demon lover began magically, I felt like I was reading one of my favorite Gothic novel. The mood, the amazing Honeysuckle house in the woods, the town and all its secrets, created the perfect environment for this story. The world Juliet Dark created captured your attention from the beginning.


My problem was with the characters and mostly just Callie. I understand that it might be difficult for a rational person to accept that a shadow man really does appear and make love to her but it just takes her too long to figure things out. Then when it comes to making decisions on how to act she does them too quickly with out too much thinking. I guess me being bothered by the action of one character means that the author did a good job at getting me engulfed in the story where I care about the outcome but I might have enjoyed it more if I was not yelling at her in mind constantly.


The ending was not my favorite and it got a bit annoying because of her actions but I will definitely give this series another chance and hopefully Callie learns from her mistakes and makes better decisions in the next book of this magical series.


The folklore of Fairwick was one of the elements that make this a great story. Yes, the whole incubus trying to suck the life out of Callie was interesting but there is more mystery surrounding the characters that I cannot wait to discover.


Demon Lover is a great read if you enjoy paranormal romance and references to other great books.


*Thanks Random House Publishing Group (Ballantine Books) and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read The Demon Lover prior to its release in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Reveal: Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

Will you look at this beautiful cover! 

They say not to judge a book by its cover but I can't help and get excited about this one.

Title: Chosen Ones (The Lost Souls,#1)

Author: Tiffany Truitt Website | Twitter

Expected Publication: April 2012

Description from Publisher:

What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?            

Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.
             Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.
             But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

What do you think?

The winner is...

The winner of the 300 follower giveaway is 

Valerie @ Stuck In Books

In thanks for all of your wonderful support and helping me reach 400 followers. 

I added another winner!

Ren @ All by my SHELF

Don't forget to enter the Switched by Amanda Hocking giveaway!

Giveaway: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched (a TRYLLE novel)
Author: Amanda Hocking Website | Twitter
Genre: Paranormal YA Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Publisher 
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN:  9781250006318

Description from GoodReads:

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for providing a signed copy for this giveaway!
This contest is being administered with the Rafflecopter entry form. 

• When it asks for email address, this is NOT viewable by the public. Only I can see it and this is how I will be contacting you if you win, so put the correct one!
• If you are confused on how to use the Rafflecopter entry form, watch this! 

Official Contest information:

• To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form
• Entrants must be 13 years of age or older
• The winner will be announced on this blog post at the end of the contest
• The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. 

To enter click "Read more" and fill out the Rafflecopter entry form.

{Review}: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Every Other Day
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes Website | Twitter
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Egmont USA (Dec 27, 2011)
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN: 9781606841693
Source: NetGalley*
Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | TheBookDepository

Description from GoodReads:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.
And then every day in between . . . She's something else entirely.
Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea whyshe is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.
When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death byone of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the helpof a few new friends.

My Review:

Follow Friday #25

Follow Friday! Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. 

It's a great way to meet new blogger friends!

This week's featured blogs are Lauren Gets Literal and Fic Book Reviews.

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

A: My biggest pet peeve is making books into a series when the story is not elaborate enough to deserve one. I am tired of being unable to read a book and finish a story. It appears that lately I have to wait a year for the next installment in the series of all most every book to see how it ends. There are many series that I really enjoy and wish they would never end. Then there are a those that I just simply do not understand why I need to wait three books to have the ending that was obvious in book one. 

Don't forget to check out my 300 follower giveaway!

What is your biggest book pet peeve? 

Leave me a link so I can check it out.