REVIEW ~ ANGELINA'S SECRET, LISA ROGERS

As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn't real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn't imaginary after all.

Now Angelina has to accept she's either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can't help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.

When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn't, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home. ~ From GoodReads

Angelina's Secret is the story of a seemingly normal girl, with a big secret. Angelina has premonitions, and sees ghosts. As a child, she was forced to think that the ghost who visited her was an imaginary friend. But when the ghost, Josie, shows up, along with a few others, she is forced to confront her biggest fear: Is she crazy or is she right? Either answer is a scary thought.

Angelina's Secret was a book, I'm sad to say, that I just couldn't get in to. The opening was confusing. It opens in the midst of a premonition, Angelina envisioning herself in a situation, and I didn't know what was going on. Once I realized what was happening, the reading became easier. But still, I felt a bit disjointed as I was reading this.

I felt a lack of connection or empathy to each character. I know that I was supposed to be frightened or worried for the state of Angelina's mental health, but I didn't. Maybe because she didn't have strong reactions to the situations she faced. She would simply go along with whatever was happening. Her friend Daphne was so off-putting in manners and speech, I tried to get through her dialogue as quickly as possible. But I guess you could say that I had feelings about one character, Angelina's mother. What an awful woman! Each time Angelina went to her for help or comfort, she would act as if Angelina was attacking her. She would cut Angelina off and shut down. I literally wanted to reach into my book and smack her.

As for the ghosts, they weren't scary at all, but they were a bit comical. I don't know if that was intended or not. Being as some of them had been dead for many years, they experienced a lot of confusion with popular slang. There were a lot of mix-ups and misunderstandings in the conversations, which was kind of cute. In the end, it's a situation a lot like the movie Beetlejuice, with the ghosts and the family living together, happily ever after.

Overall, I would say the biggest issue with the book, for me, was confusion. When I read the synopsis, the story seemed like a creepy thriller. Is Angelina crazy? There was never any question for me. So that left me with a girl, her ghosts, and the struggle to make her family understand.


For an alternate point of view, I have included a link to this positive review I found on GoodReads.

Paperback, 186 pages

Expected publication: February 1st 2012 by Spencer Hill Press

You can purchase Angelina's Secret at:

Book Depository  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon

*I received an ARC of Angelina's Secret from Spencer Hill Press, in exchange for an honest review.*

In My Mailbox - #19

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is a great way to put a spotlight on books received during the past week.

Received in Trade:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

13 Little Blue Envelopes  by Maureen Johnson

Bought:

Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton

Personal Demons (Personal Demons #1) by Lisa Desrochers

Hushed by Kelley York

The Wild's Call (Aspect of Crow) by Jeri Smith-Ready

For Review:

Conquest by Vik Rubenfeld - Thanks to the author

The Fallen Queen (The House of Arkhangel'sk #1) by Jane Kindred -Thanks to Entangled Pub

Angelina's Secret by Lisa Rogers -Thanks to Spencer Hill Press

Pure (Covenant, #2) by Jennifer L Armentrout - Thanks to Spencer Hill Press

Leave a link so I can check out your mailbox.

Have a great week!

Cover Reveal ~ Betrayed by Ednah Walters

                                                           BETRAYED

Lil isn't just an average teenager. She's one of the Nephilim--the descendants of humans and angels--which gives her some serious psi skills and a mission for redemption. Just when Lil thinks she's found a balance between her normal life with human friends and her training to become a Guardian, she's warned that someone close to her will betray her. When the boy she loves starts acting strangely and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability, Lil begins to realize that someone is manipulating the people she loves... and won't stop until she's been lured to the dark side.

 I'm really excited to take part in the cover reveal of the re-release of Betrayed by Ednah Walters.
Talk about a HOT COVER! June can't come fast enough.

Title: Betrayed

Series: Guardian Legacy

Author: Ednah Walters

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press, www.SpencerHillPress.com

ISBN: 978-1-937053-18-5 (Trade Paper), 978-1-937053-19-2 (e-book)

Release Date: June, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW is...

PURE (COVENANT #2)
 by Jennifer Armentrout



Some rules are made to be broken. but breaking the ultimate rule can change everything. Alex lives--and loves--recklessly, until a single decision leads to a heartbreaking revelation. As a mysterious threat closes in and she confronts a Council that wants to see her in servitude, Alex face a choice between love that is fated... and love that is forbidden.(From GoodReads)

Paperback, 330 pages

Expected publication: April 3rd 2012 by Spencer Hill Press

 

I have been wanting to post this book for a few weeks now, but wanted to at least wait until book one in the series, Half-Blood was out! Now that Half-Blood is out in the world, I am happy to say that I cannot wait for Pure. And lucky me, I received an email saying that I would be receiving an ARC! <insert happy dance>

So, what are you waiting on? Be sure to leave a link so I can come check out your post.

Review: Half-Blood (Covenant #1), by JL Armentrout



The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. (From GoodReads)

My Review

After I signed on to this book tour, I happened across a review of Half-Blood that said it veered a little too closely to the much beloved Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. At first, that scared me. I mean, the Vampire Academy series is one of my favorites. But, after a little more thought, I decided that really, any new book/series can be compared with another established book/series. It just happens. Did it remind me of VA? Yes, there are some similarities. But then, I decided to just push the comparisons out of my mind and read/review Half-Blood on it's own merits. I'm really glad that I moved beyond the comparisons, because Half-Blood is a really good book. I hate that I might have missed out on that.

Author Jennifer L Armentrout has built a beautifully complicated world full of danger, excitement, love and loss. Her writing is skillfully paced, with realistic, intriguing dialogue.

Main character, Alex, is a determined, bold and captivating character. Alex is so fun to read because she always has a great comeback, which usually gets her in trouble, and a impetuous, passionate personality. Is she a little over-confident? Definitely. And it's fun to see her brought down a peg or two.

So who is capable of bringing Alex's strong personality down a notch? Aiden St. Delphi, the oh-so-hunky Sentinel who offers to train her. Aiden is handsome, intense and impervious to Alex's smart mouth. Best of all, Aiden does not subscribe to the notion that half-bloods are second-class citizens. He treats Alex with respect and genuinely seems to care about her future. And boy do the sparks fly between these two! 

As if Alex doesn't have enough to deal with, in walks Seth. While Aiden has the tall, dark and handsome covered, Seth is also tall, but has the blonde, Greek god look. He is sexy and a little scary, always an exciting combination. Seth seems to be the polar opposite to Aiden, personality-wise. Seth has the swagger, the imperious personality. Is it just a cover? I'm not sure yet. All I know is, the tension goes through the roof with Seth's arrival. Seth and Aiden are two Alphas, used to getting what they want. And what they want is, control over Alex's training, her future. And the sexual tension between Seth and Alex serves to further complicate her life. Oh, and did I mention that, as it turns out, Alex and Seth share a frighteningly powerful, but dangerous destiny?

What's a poor, half-blood girl to do? Aiden is everything Alex has ever wanted in a guy. But, being with him can get her killed or forced into a life of servitude. Seth seems like a terrific alternative, but if they choose their shared destiny, that can also get her killed.

Half-Blood really does have it all. In addition to all the romantic drama, there's also the fact that Alex could be turned into a daimon, her worst nightmare. And the fact that she is a teenage girl, just trying to make it through school. I can't wait to see how all this drama plays out in Pure, book two in the Covenant series, due out April 2012.

Favorite Quotes:

(Alex & Aiden)

"He brushed a lock of dark hair off his forehead and flashed that loop-sided smile. 'I remember you.'

I scrunched up my face. 'What?'

The grin increased to a full smile. And...oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died. 'I remember you, too.' "

(Alex & Seth)

"I really wished he would let go of my arm, because his fingers dug into my skin and something...something else was happening. I felt it move inside me, twisting and wrapping itself through my core, and with each coil I knew it was linking us together."

Here is the Half-Blood trailer

Paperback, 281 pages

Expected publication: October 18th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press

You can find Half-Blood at:

GoodReads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

* I received this book through the Book Kitty Blog Tour of Half-Blood, in exchange for an honest review. *