S.O.S Book of the Week

The S.O.S Book of the Week is where I let you in on what new releases I'm looking forward to! S.O.S comes from the term 'Strict on Sale'. It's bookseller speak for a title that you can't sell before a specific date-- think Harry Potter. While the books I have here may not be S.O.S titles specifically, they are all new!


The S.O.S. Book of the Week is:

According to Goodreads, "Before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross and fought immortals at Shoreline, they lived many lives. . . ."


Yep, that's it. That's all Goodreads could give me. One sentence with an ellipses! Thank goodness this book comes out in June 2011!!!! I loved 'Fallen', had a pretty hardcore love/hate relationship with 'Torment', and am totally hoping that 'Passion' by Lauren Kate is fantastic. I want to see more of Shelby and Miles, less of Daniel being all pushy and secretive, and most importantly, want to know more answers about why Luce is being chased down and what importance she really holds. These things, among other things, that is!


Before I go, I'd just like to mention one more thing-- the cover.  So pretty!  (surprise, surprise!)  I'm liking the choice to put a touch of color into the background. This cover falls in line really well with the previous books.  I hope it has that textured feeling on the cover when it comes out like the previous books, as well!!!


Are you looking forward to 'Passion'?  What do you want to see happen?  What are your thoughts on the cover?

Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Title: Torment
Author: Lauren Kate
Format: ARC
Release Date: September 28, 2010
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Romance
Perfect for: those who read the original book in the series 'Fallen'

From Goodreads:

In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. 

At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean - and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future...and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. 

'Torment', sequel to last years 'Fallen', has me a bit torn. Let's start with the good stuff... Visually, the cover is as stunning and eye catching as its predecessor. The cover designer should be very proud of the work they did for 'Torment'.

New characters Shelby and Miles also belong in the 'good stuff' category. During moments where I felt the story dragging, these two would pop up and bring it back up to speed. The intriguing character background given to both Shelby and Miles make them fun to read about. They saved us readers from many of Luce's lamenting about Daniel, the other angels, or life in general. And Miles specifically? Loved him. When Daniel was bugging the heck out of me, Miles seemed like the perfect choice for Luce. (But we'll get back to Daniel...)

Finally, the revelations at the end of 'Torment' and that horrible (in an 'I have to wait how long to read book three' sort of way) cliffhanger make up for this books shortcomings.

Now onto the before mentioned shortcomings...  Mainly, 'Torment' suffers from being far too secretive. Many questions were posed in 'Fallen'.  I expected a few more answers in 'Torment' than I received.  Actually, I expected a lot more answers than I received.  It seems far too much time was spent on things that didn't move the story. For example, for the first half of the book, Luce kept on lamenting about Daniel, how he treated her like a child, how she longed for his touch, etc. Had the story been going somewhere at that point, fine, but really, it wasn't.  Not until Shelby and Miles really came into the story.  And then again, not until Thanksgiving rolled along.  The real meat of the story didn't actually come into play until the last 100 pages or so, which was too, too late in my opinion.

The other problem I had with 'Torment'?  Daniel.  Mysterious is one thing, but he was just being too secretive for my tastes.  Honestly, being an angel who's lived for centuries, I expected him to be a little less dense and let Luce, who he supposedly loves, in on a few of the things that may save her life.  At this point, I'm all for her cooling down with Daniel and getting with Miles, or Cam for that matter.  That's how low Daniel fell in this novel.

Overall, I think 'Torment' is a good sequel, even with its negatives. The new characters and the cliffhanger make me definitely want to continue with this series. 'Torment' is available to pre-order at your local bookstore and online now!

Bookshelf Update!

Just a quick update to catch you up on what I've been reading lately and what I will be reading soon!!!

Just finished:
'The Carbon Diaries: 2015' by Saci Lloyd
Quick Thoughts: Not a fan of this title. I had to push myself though it, skimming most of the last third of the book. Expected more. In stores nationwide and online now.

'Matched' by Ally Condie
Quick Thoughts: When can I get my hands on the sequel? Is tomorrow too soon? :p Needless to say, I really enjoyed this title, being released November 2010.

Looking Forward To:
'Torment' by Lauren Kate (On it's way to me from ALA10!)
'Abyss' by Troy Denning (Hoping Denning's addition to Fate/Jedi is decent!)

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Format: ARC
Genre: YA, supernatural, romance
Perfect for: those who loved Hush, Hush

Angels, I predict, will be the next big trend in teen fiction. 'Fallen' is a supernatural romance of the celestial kind. It follows Luce as she begins attending Sword and Cross Academy, a school for delinquents. Admittedly, Luce doesn’t know if she belongs there, but by a strange course of events finds herself there nonetheless. Though it seems like torture in the beginning, that all changes when she sees Daniel. She doesn’t know why, but she feels a connection to him and a past she cannot remember.

Daniel, however, does know the connection and knows they cannot give in to their feelings for one another. He has played this game every seventeen years and never has the ending been happy. But here he is again; faced again with a girl he is destined to meet over and over again.

But fate has different plans for this lifetime. Everyone at Cross and Sword is about to find out just how much one small decision can change the hands of fate.
I loved 'Fallen'. Really. Fallen, the first in a series, will have you hooked. The characters are engaging. Luce is so unlike other heroines in similar situations, though she was a bit over the top at the end, I admit. The good vs evil is done in a way where by the end, you know that both sides have secrets and not all of them are good.


Was the battle scene a little long for my taste? Yes, but the rest of the elements of this star crossed lovers/holy war saga won me over. I loved it! Check it out!

UPDATE: Check out the book trailer!