Friday 31 July 2015

Monthly Blog Recap : July




Hello everyone!

how was July for you? Mine was okay, if i don't count that i nearly died from the heat... Yep, i hate heat, and that's with me leaving on an island in Mediterranean sea for the last 2 years. Well, whatever. I started an internship, so my days went from lazing around to running around. here goes my summer plans of sleeping :( 

well, there were some good parts too... firstly... kidding, there were, i got to see my friends, though they were as annoying as i remembered them, they were still my friends. my mom made me go to trips nearly every weekend, here goes my beauty sleep again. and somehow i had to work and blog. reminded me of my exam time, when i had no time for anything. 

How did July go for you? Keep reading for all the posts that were on the blog during July, you might have missed some good ones :) 

XOXO

Katie


And now my blog recap:


Book reviews:

4 Leaves

4.5 Leaves


Manga Reviews:


4 Leaves


Release Day Blitz:

Release Day Blitz : Secured by S.J. Sawyer 

Release Day Blitz : The Withering by Oliver Phipps (KC Book Promotions)

Release Day Blitz : Typecast by Kim Carmichael 



Book Blitz:

Book Promo & Guest Post : Mandrean Revenge by Rival Gates (Sapphire Chronicles #3) 

Sale Blitz : Scarred by Marie Long




Cover Reveal: 

Cover Reveal : ACE by Lyra Parish 


Book Tour: 

Book Tour : Unhinged by Tempest C. Avery (Underworld #1)


Waiting on Wednesday: 

Waiting on Wednesday #49 Fallen



Random:

Blog Announcement #1

Book Review: Duplicity by Stacy Claflin (Transformed #5)




Summary (from Goodreads)

Title: Duplicity

Author: Stacy Claflin

Publication Date: 8 June, 2014

Publisher:  -

GoodreadsAmazon – Barnes & Noble






Summary:



This is the fifth book in the series, but is written so that a new reader can start here. 
*This description contains spoilers from the earlier books in the series.* 


Alrekur Vidarsson had to wait three thousand years to finally fall in love. He spent two thousand years searching for her, but then she found him, awaking him from death. 

Unfortunately, she was engaged to another, and Alrekur had to wait another eighty years. Finally, he won her over and they got their happily ever after...except that it won't be that easy. 

The birth of their daughter has awakened the entire dragon species, who had been sleeping since before Alrekur was born. The dragons have their sights set on Alrekur's family, and they'll stop at nothing to get what they want, not caring if they destroy everyone he loves in the process.


My Thoughts:



Hi everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner! Have you missed this series? Yes, Stacy Claflin’s Transformed Series are back on my blog. I’m absolutely not in tune with the releases as it’s already time for the 9th book to release, and I just finally got time to read the 5th book. Hopefully, I’ll catch up pretty soon. I really need to do that. But let me get back to the review. If you noticed I don’t have reviews for the 3rd and 4th books, and I doubt I’ll have in the near future. So let me say where we were left in the end of the 4th book.

You do remember that Alexis chose Alrekur in the very end, and they defeated the Nokken, they even had a wedding, and so I thought: “what else should there be?” but then I get this book from Stacy and I’m like: “Wow, there’s gotta be more!” And there is, as now our favourite characters are faced with a new threat – Dragons. Add to the chaos that these news brought that our characters have no idea how to kill them. So how to battle them, when they kidnapped King’s and Queens’s first born? Don’t worry they survive, but I’m not spilling secrets here, better to read them for yourself! As the mystery is very well protected.

To say the truth the dragons were great characters, but their full form description was lacking in many ways. I mean, I didn’t really see them in front of me, and I always loved Stacy’s works for the vividness that she brings in her novels. But well, we are left with even more secrets to unravel, and that’s why we have so many books coming. I guess Duplicity is something like an intermission because as I know in the next books the main character is Eylin. Guess time for Alexis and Alre to step down from the main characters position has come. But depending from the last chapter, we are going to have a lot of fun as well as action. I’m all intrigued to start the next books.

You haven’t read this series? Hee?? You’re missing a great vampire novel here! And I meat it, no sparkling just some hardcore bloodsucking. Check out my reviews for previous books: Fallen, Deception and Betrayal. I hope you’ll grab your copy now, as the first book is currently free! Don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie


My Rating:





Thursday 30 July 2015

Manga Review : You Are My Home by Ai Fujio




Title: You Are My Home
Original Title: Kyou Mo Uchi de Machi Awase
Author: Ai Fujio
Artist: Ai Fujio

Year of Release: 2013
Genres: Romance, Shoujo

Status: Completed
Chapters (Translated in English): 4

Volumes & Chapters: 

Volume 1 Chapters 1-4


Summary

After a fire, a middle-aged man meets a homeless single mother and her daughter at the convenience store. He is instantly reminded of someone he used to know over a decade ago. Could it be...?

My Thoughts


Review covers 4 chapters 


Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner! Today I’m covering another sweet story that made me laugh and smile thought every page of it. I think I’ve read this story more than 5 times. I really love Fujio Ai’s works and next month I’ll be covering another one. Why I love hthis story so much? To say the truth it’s not all that easy to explain. The story is amazing in many ways. It is very real and very sweet. The way Fujio Ai draws characters is great, but the outdoors is also good to look at.

Even though there are only 4 chapters, we get to see a lot of character development, especially Kou. The way he first appears and how he changes though out the story is fun. In the very beginning he does look like a 31-year-old divorcee, but when he shaves and cuts his hair it’s as if e lost 7-8 years. He looks so young. The way his whole family was obsessed with big breasts, and touched Hina cracked me up. Hina is also another great character, which changes a lot during the story. It was a big step for her to depend on Kou and it was shown very well, that sometimes it’s hard for people to depend on others. She is an amazing mother nevertheless. And lastly Minami, on the beginning I thought she was a boy, but then Kou made some clarifications, so my assumptions were wrong. Minami is the best character there. She is an amazing kid, and I wish all kids were like her, but as my friend pointed it out to me, she’s a fictional character, no matter how realistic she might seem, she is still a character.

There are many topics that this story covers. There are family relationships, mother x daughter, etc. but I really liked one where Hina tells Minami not to go near Kou when he is smoking. This moment is just too much fun, but at the same time it stresses a good point.


What I also liked was the indirect way Kou asked Hina to marry him or well, live with him. He surrendered his cigarettes and held both of Hina’s and Minami’s hands. In the end we just get to see Minami after some years going to Kou’s house, but we do not see the family itself. In most cases I hate it, but here it was simply amazing! You just have to think for yourself, imagine if they have a new member of the family. It’s up to you. Though I do think they would have.

I hope you’ll get 20 minutes tops to read this great story. You will enjoy it a lot, well, I did. Stay tuned to Katie’s Corner for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss yours next favourite book or manga! Happy reading and don’t forget to share your thoughts below!

XOXO

Katie 

Rating



Wednesday 29 July 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #53 Every Last Breath


Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine It’s a chance to showcase upcoming releases we are interested in or drooling over.


Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Dark Elements #3

28 July, 2015


Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…
 

What's on your waiting list?



Tuesday 28 July 2015

Blog Announcement #1



Hi everyone!

How have you been doing? Because today there were no posts scheduled, I thought why not to make something like a blog announcement. And well, this will be a feature which will appear not often but quite randomly, as will another one: Rumbling Before Sleep, I had some similar posts, so I thought why not to organise them in a feature. there will be mostly my ideas, as well as my discussions about different things that as always come to me before I fall asleep. Aren't you like that too? The best ideas always come to my head either when I'm in the shower or just before I fall asleep. I know pretty annoying, but well, that's me. You don't have this problem? Ah, I'm so envious. 

Well, now let me get back to what I actually had in mind to share. I guess, my loyal reader wonder, why even though on goodreads my read book column is growing at an amazing speed, the reviews here and there are always coming on a specified date and time. Here's the thing: when I revived my blog from its 7 months no posting death, I made some kind of a schedule for myself so it would have been easier for me to posts. And that was also because I added manga reviews to the blog. So, if you've been reading my blog from December, 2014 you might have seen some kind of pattern. If not, well, today I am putting up a schedule which I will be following until the end of the year. I might have to see it through in 2016, but I will keep you updated if something new happens. 

Also I hope this schedule will help the authors understand why even though I need 2 weeks to read the book, I actually post the reviews very late. Though sometimes that's not the problem also. The time constrains are also something that I, as a university student have to face every day. 

So, before I bore you out completely, here it is the optimised schedule:

 Monday:

  • Manga Review 

Tuesday:


  • Book Review

Wednesday:


  • Waiting on Wednesday

Thursday:


  • Manga Review

Friday:


  • Book Review

Saturday:


  • Book Haul & Blog Weekly
  • Mini Manga Review (Every Second Saturday)

Sunday:


  • Mini Book Review (Currently on Hold)


Another thing to keep in mind is this: The Cover Reveals, Book Blitzes and the similar stuff go out on any day, it solely depends on the days the tour is. Currently, as I always schedule my posts, all posts except book review posts go out on their designated days without any delay. Why such discrimination with book reviews? Well, that's a pretty easy question, as for the past year I have been reading more manga than books, I am very short on pre-written reviews, therefore I am currently trying to make up for it. As I already have the manga corner planned for the next 3 months, it's time to get back to books. And I hope I will put them as well as I did with the manga. Therefore for the time being, the mini book reviews might appear on the regular book review days too. 

Sorry for all the confusion, but I hope this will clear up a number of confusions on my blog. I hope you'll continue to read my blog and will participate even more by sharing your thoughts in the comment section. 

XOXO

Katie