Swoon Thursdays (54)

The ladies at YA Bound have created a hot and fun new meme called SWOON #YABound. If you want to join in here's what you need to do.

All you need to do is pick up the book you are currently reading or just finished reading. Find what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding and your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Then shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag  #YABound, post in the comments, or grab the awesome button from YA Bound (above) share it on your blog!

I'm re-reading Half-Blood by Jennifer L Armentrout to get myself  back into the world of the Covenant before I read book three, Deity. I don't think I've used a Swoon from this book but I decided to go with a scene from Aiden's POV. Which is not in the book but an extra that can be found on Jennifer L Armentrout's website. Since this chapter is so steamy I had to go with two Swoons. 

"Our eyes locked. Her chest rose unsteadily against mine as she sucked in a breath I wanted to share. An unfamiliar thing happened. My heart stuttered and then skipped a beat. The room seemed to shift, and I pulled her closer, because she wasn’t close enough. Could never be close enough. My hand drifted from her hair, across the curve of her cheekbone. Gods, she was so beautiful. Pure temptation. My thumb smoothed over her lower lip, and I felt her answering shudder under my skin." SWOON #YABound

 

"And I stopped thinking. With a growl more animal than civilized, I moved toward her mouth with only one thing in mind. I kissed her. Savoring her mouth, soaking up her response, I was fueled by her desire for more. And though I needed more, in the back of my mind, I already knew that more could never be enough. That if I didn’t stop, I’d never be satisfied. Like a daimon after its first taste of aether, I’d just keep coming back and back. As I fitted her body to mine, the kiss deepened, shocked me to the core. Gods, I wanted this, as bad as that was, I wanted this. Sliding my hands down her shoulders, I followed the curve of her stomach, the subtle flare of hips. Before I knew it, I was taking her to the bedroom. Never breaking contact with her mouth… her body." SWOON #YABound

Hope you enjoyed my Swoons, I know I did. What made you Swoon this week?

Teaser Tuesday (35)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading. Anyone can join in. Here's what you need to do.

♥Grab your current read.

♥Open to a random page.

♥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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I decided to re-read Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout to get back into Alex's world before I start book three, Deity. So his week my teaser is from Half-Blood.

"Somewhere in the building, a floorboard groaned and gave way. A deep howl broke the silence, starting as a low whine before hitting an intense pitch. The scream sounded inhuman, sick and horrifying."

Half-Blood (Covenant #1), Jennifer L. Armentrout, pg 1-2.

That's my teaser for this week. If you have a teaser let me know so I can check it out:)

WHY (11)

This week the question I have been thinking about is, why don't more books have pronunciation guides?

     Authors create amazing worlds and characters but sometimes I find it difficult to pronounce some of the words that they create. Have you ever been reading and all of the sudden you stumble upon a word you have never seen before? Sounding it out is kind of useless since most of the time these names, places, creatures, are derived from languages I don't speak or at other times they are made up. For example when reading the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead I came across words I had no clue how to say such as strigoi, moroi, or dhampire.  I still don't know how to say them. I can make an educated guess but most of the time my pronunciation and the correct pronunciations aren't even close. I hate when I have to trip over these words as I am reading. Try explaining a book to someone and you have to work around these words since saying them out loud is not even possible. When I did talk about the book I had to use words like bad vampires(strigoi), good vampires(moroi), mix between humans and good vampires(dhampire). No I didn't sound weird. Okay, maybe I did. I just think it would make reading and explaining these books a little easier if books with new or different words had some type of pronunciation guide. 

     So imagine my surprise when I picked up Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout and what did I find, a pronunciation guide. It made reading words like hematoi, apollyon, Agapi Mou, really easy. I didn't have to try and figure out how to say these words. When I gushed about this book I found it so much easier to explain things since I was able to use the proper terms without sounding like I was making up my own language. This is the only book that I have come across or remember reading that has a pronunciation guide. 

Have you ever come across books that you wish had some type of pronunciation guide? Or have you read books that have a guide? If so let me know.

Review "Half-Blood" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood (Covenant #1)

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication Date: October 18, 2011

Publisher: Spencer Hill

Paperback 281 pgs

Goodreads

Summary:

     Alex is the daughter of a mortal and a Pure-Blood(decedents of the Gods). She is known as a Half-Blood, as a Half-Blood her choices in life are very limited. She can became a servant which pretty much amounts to slavery. Or she can become a Sentinel or a guard, protecting others from the Daimons that terrorize her people. There are strict rules that Half-Bloods must abide by, breaking them would mean slavery or even death. But things for Alex get complicated when she meets and starts to train with the Pure-Blood, Aiden. Above all else Half's and Pure's do not mix, especially romantically. As if things could get any worse, Alex learns some troubling information about herself as well as someone close to her. How will Alex deal with how difficult her life has suddenly become?

Review:

     Alex is a very strong character. She deals with some very difficult issues but remains tough despite all that she goes through. She also has a fiery personality that tends to get her in to trouble not only with her fellow students but with her instructors as well. At times she can be slightly reckless and then in turn has to deal with the consequences of her actions. I think this has a lot to do with her age as well as her strong personality. She doesn't sit back and let things happen she takes charge even if at times she shouldn't. I'm all for a character that jumps into action since it makes the story more exciting, entertaining, and unpredictable. I also noticed a little character growth throughout this novel. She is trying to reign in her impulsive nature so that she can become a Sentinel. We can't expect her to mature over night. 

     

     Despite all the difficulties in Alex's life she is not alone. She has her best friend Caleb by her side. Caleb is a great guy. When Alex needs someone to talk to he is there for her and comforts her as she deals with the mess that her life has become. He's protective of Alex and tries to keep her fiery personality from getting her into trouble. Then there is the very hot incredibly gorgeous Aiden. Aiden is a Pure-Blood Sentinel who is known for being tough, rough, and disciplined. He has taken on the task of training Alex. But Alex is able to see another side of him. Though there may be another side of Aiden he does expect a lot of Alex. He pushes her to do her best and requires that she does so even when he is not around. It's hard to fully explain Aiden without giving too much away. I will say that he is a good influence for Alex. Alex also meets Deacon, Aiden's younger brother. He is not like his brother at all and there are reasons for that. I do hope that we see more of Deacon in the next book. We are also introduced to Lea, Alex's enemy at the Covenant. The two can't seem to get along and it seems Lea lives to get under Alex's skin. Then we meet Seth, I also don't want to say much about him. But I can say that when he comes into Alex's life he adds more complications to her already hectic life. 

     I know a lot of people have probably heard that rumors that Half-Blood resembles Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy. I have to say I did notice some similarities but as I continued to read the similarities died out and the characters stood on their own. I was drawn into the word that Jennifer L. Armentrout created. I loved the world unfolded before me as I read. It wasn't difficult to understand as this world was explained even though there was a lot to learn about  it. It's based in our world but the Pure's and Half's mostly life separate from us and have their own rules and governing body. I love mythology so I hope to see more mythological creatures as the series progresses. I'm also really happy that this book had a pronunciation guide. I don't know how many times I have been reading and had no clue how to properly pronounce certain names or words. Half-Blood is action packed with a touch of romance that kept me wanting more. I am definitely going to be reading the next installment of this series, Pure.

Cover:

     This is an amazing cover. I love the dark purple background and the different shades of purple in the flower, it just stands out and grabs my attention. I also like that this cover has a flower on the it. The cover is simplistic yet captivating. Very Nice!