Linger Book Trailer!

The fabulous Maggie Stiefvater has posted her stop motion trailer for the upcoming release of her book Linger.
If you haven't already read the first in the series Shiver, you absolutely HAVE to pick this book up!!
Check this badass trailer out:

The Character Connection

The Character Connection is hosted by Jen over at The Introverted Reader. It's all about posting about the characters we love or the ones that made a big impression on us.








Perhaps my all time favorite book love, is Acheron Parthenopaeus of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series.
So far, my other book crushes have been YA. This set of books are very much not.
Ash is a staple in all of the Dark Hunter books. It wasn't until book 12 of the series that Ash got to tell his own story. And let me tell you, it was one hell of a story. It rips you to shreds and then makes you squee in pure delight. Words can't express how I love this character, so I'll do my best...


Although he is actually eleven thousand years old, he still gets carded at bars. He is the first ever dark hunter (and their leader of sorts), a demigod and the Final Fate. His entire life as a human he was abused in the most horrible ways imaginable. For most of his immortal life he was tormented and abused by a jealous goddess. His story is quite sad, and yet, somehow sweet little Ash prevails. And, it doesn't hurt that he is also super hot. Oh, Ash, what can't you do?
He hates that he is so attractive (to both males and females) and prefers to fly under the radar. Read his story to find out why. He dyes his hair all sorts of crazy colors, likes to wear leather, has piercings, rides a motorcycle and has the coolest "daughter" demon ever. The exchanges between the two of them are hysterical and sweet. Oh, and did I mention that he volunteers to help under privileged kids?
The best part is, that despite how awful his eleven thousand years have been, he still manages to find love in the unlikeliest of places.
It's definitely worth reading the series to get to know Ash. Now...if only he were real!

The Character Connection

The Character Connection is hosted by Jen over at The Introverted Reader. It's all about posting about the characters we love or the ones that made a big impression on us.

***Warning! Spoiler Alert! If you haven't read The Host, this post could be a mild spoiler!***





This weeks character crush is Ian from The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
I will admit that I am a Twilight series fan. I will also admit that I was one of the people that was eagerly awaiting anything by Stephenie Meyer that I could get my hands on. I was desperate for Breaking Dawn's release and in the meantime, I satisfied my craving with Stephenie's other book, The Host. Yes, this was a while ago, but I still think of Ian from time to time. I don't want to say too much about this book in case you guys haven't read it yet.
It did take a few chapters for me to really get into it, but once I did, it was hard to put down. Ian is the kind of character that just sort of sneaks up on you. You think you like him, but you're not sure you should, and then he proves you were right all along. I love the unexpected love interest!
Read it if you haven't, but be prepared to wait a few chapters for the action to really pick up.

Wonderful Booky Things...and a Hand

Did you ever have a book that you absoutely loved as a child? Not a book as famous as something like Alice in Wonderland or Green Eggs and Ham, but one that perhaps was a little more subtle in it's popularity. I loved to read, even as a kid. There are several books that come to mind that made enough of an impression on me then that I still think about them to this day. In fact, there is one in particular that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
The strange part? Well, apparently the author of said book is a client at the office where I work. I knew he was a writer. I didn't know he was that writer! I guess my childhood memory only goes so far. I remember the book titles and what they are about (mostly) and I remember loving them, but I didn't always remember the author's name. This is one of those cases.
Now I'm getting to the good part. He was in the office yesterday. This is a small office of four employees. I've spoken to him many times during the years that I've worked there. Never about books. My boss just so happened to mention to him that I am working on a kid's series and a YA novel. And he just so happened to want to talk with me. He told me that when he was just starting out, he had the pleasure to meet a very wealthy and well respected children's mystery writer. One day, the writer sat him down and told him he'd like to extend a hand and help in any way possible on his journey to get published. He worked for this writer for a time. And the writer did indeed help him. He went on to publish 13 children's books of his own and won countless awards, including a Newberry book award! He too had become a well respected children's writer.
He looked at me once he was done telling his story and he held out his hand, "This is me extending my hand."
I couldn't believe it. This wonderful man, and wonderful author, was offering me something I never imagined. Advice. Help. Anything I needed. He was confident in me even though he'd never read a word I'd written. He was giving me a chance.
I was, and am, deeply touched by this. So, what did I do? I cried.
I'm still grinning like an idiot...

The Character Connection

The Character Connection is hosted by Jen over at The Introverted Reader.
It's all about posting about the characters we love or the ones that made a big impression on us.







This weeks favorite character crush is Sam from the absolutely gorgeous book Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I am in love with Maggie's writing - as well as a few of her characters. But we'll save the others for another post...
Today it's all about Sam. He is the kind of guy that you just can't help but have a crush on. Where was this kind of guy when I was a teen? Once again, I find myself crushing on the guy with the tortured past, the ones that need love but think they don't deserve it.
There is something achingly familiar about Sam. Grace has met him before, but when she finds out where and how, she is pulled in to a world she didn't know existed.
I highly recommend reading this book. The next in the series, Linger, is due out this July. This is the book that I am most anticipating so far this year! So, if you haven't already, pick this one up and fall in love...

New Favorite Character Meme

Jen over at The Introverted Reader has started a new meme where we can all swoon over our favorite characters. This is going to be so much fun! Check out the details on her page. But just to give you a quick taste, here's how she described it:
We all have characters we love. Let's spotlight these fantastic creations! Whether you want to be friends with them or you have a full-blown crush on them, you know you love them and want everyone else to love them too!

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick



This week's favorite book crush is Patch from the fabulous book, Hush, Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick's debut novel. Doesn't seeing this gorgeous cover just make you want to pick up this book? One of my favorite reads so far this year. I can't wait for the next installment, Crescendo, due out this November! Something about guys with tortured pasts...I just love them and want to fix their little broken hearts. You absolutely must add this to your TBR pile if you haven't already!

New Covers Released

Wow! Two books I am SO looking forward to have released their covers!


Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices series - Prequels to The Mortal Instruments series) by Cassandra Clare


Torment (Fallen series) by Lauren Kate

Check It

http://bbpcon.blogspot.com/

Merry Un-Birthday to Me!

I am a terrible mother. I almost forgot again! Somehow September came and went without me acknowledging that I'd been blogging for 1 year! So, I promised I'd say something at the 1 1/2 year mark to make up for it. Better late than never, eh?
So, happy late birthday, Heart of Darkness blog! Yay me! :)
And a special thanks to those of you who have followed and commented. I'll try to do better this September when we turn 2...

Look What the Book Fairy Left Me (7)

I know I promised myself I wasn't going to buy any more new books for a while. But that what addicts do. We make promises that we have no intention of keeping. Besides, I had to celebrate the new book shelves my husband is going to be building me very soon!


Old Magic by Marianne Curley
Jarrod Thornton is mesmerizing,
but Kate Warren doesn't know why.
The moment the new guy walks into the room, Kate senses something strange and intense about him. Something supernatural. Her instincts are proven correct a few minutes later when, bullied by his classmates, Jarrod unknowingly conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside their classroom.
Jarrod doesn't believe in the paranormal. When Kate tries to convince him that he has extraordinary powers that need to be harnessed, he only puts up with her "hocus pocus" notions because he finds her captivating. However, the dangerous, uncontrolled strengthening of his gift finally convinces Jarrod that he must take Kate's theories seriously. Together, they embark on a remarkable journey -- one which will unravel the mystery that has haunted Jarrod's family for generations and pit the teens against immense forces in a battle to undo the past and reshape the future.


Scorched by Sharon Ashwood
Ex-detective Macmillan has a taste for bad girls, but his last lover really took the cake—and his humanity. Now a half-demon, Mac’s lost his friends, his family, and his job. Then a beguiling vampire asks for his help to find her son. Suddenly, Mac has a case to work—one that leads him deep into the supernatural prison where Mac learns that cracking the case will cost him his last scrap of humanity.

This is bk 2 in the Dark Forgotten series. I couldn't find bk 1 anywhere, so I will probably end up getting that online at some point...


Angel's Blood (A Guild Hunters Novel) by Nalini Singh
Nalini Singh introduces readers to a world of beauty and bloodlust, where angels hold sway over vampires.
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.


Archangel's Kiss (A Guild Hunters Novel) by Nalini Singh
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find that she has become an angel-and that her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, likes having her under his control. But almost immediately, Raphael must ready Elena for a flight to Beijing, to attend a ball thrown by the archangel Lijuan. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan's power lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena...


Gone (Final book in the Dream Catcher series) by Lisa McMann
Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.
She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves: She has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.
Then a stranger enters her life — and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out. . . .

I've already finished this one (before I was able to do this post). I thought the idea behind the series was very original. There were some good points that I really enjoyed. But, overall, I was kind of left feeling...indifferent, I guess you could say. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. All three of the books are very short, quick reads. My advice? Check them out at your local library.


The Sight by David Clement-Davies
In an epic tale of good and evil, legend and history, and the blessing and curse of an extraordinary gift of the Sight (an ability to see through others' minds and into the future), David Clement-Davies obliges the many fans of Fire Bringer with a new fantasy novel. The Sight features a Transylvanian wolf clan faced with the terrifying changes brought about by Morgra, a bitter she-wolf determined to fulfill an ancient legend in order to have supreme power over all Vargs (wolves). Young Larka, a white wolf pup born with the Sight, embarks with her brother Fell and the rest of her family on an extraordinary quest for truth and salvation, with shocking consequences that even the most astute reader may not foresee. Clement-Davies's multilayered and elaborate plot will keep young readers riveted for hours on end, drawing on Christianity, fairy tales, and mythology in a colossal allegory and cautionary tale for its human audience.

This is one of those books that I wasn't too sure about. I pick it up everytime I go to the book store and then, inevitably, I find something I think I want more and put this one back. Not this time. I'm really excited to read the next book in this series, Fell. In fact, I almost bought it before I even paid attention to the fact that it was a part 2! Gotta read part 1 first, though.


Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born ...

* all of the book descriptions were taken from goodreads.com

A Very Happy Unbirthday to You!

Thanks so much, Shauna, for awarding my blog! :)

Look What the Book Fairy Left Me (6)

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went to visit my mother in law for her birthday. She's recently moved into this 110 yr old house that was filled with untold treasures. Below you will see some of the treasures I was allowed to keep! I can't really think of anything better...


The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)
My most prized find! It's seen better days, but is still in pretty good shape. The cover is embossed. Very neat!



Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1911)
One of my most exciting finds...








Helen's Babies by John Habberton (1881)
This is one that I've never heard of and haven't yet researched (I've since googled an apparently is was intended for adults but became a children's classic!), but the cover was so pretty I couldn't pass it up. The cover page looks hand stamped, and likely is. I am just in awe...


The Works of Edgar Allen Poe
Standard Classics (1933) Vols 1-10, embossed covers
Something I couldn't capture with the camera is the beautiful drawing inside each of the covers. I wish I could share.


The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson
Standard Classics (1930) Vols 1-10, embossed covers, includes Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde




Little Masterpieces 6 Vols (1901)
Includes volumes by Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne








World's Greatest Literature Vol 1 & 2
Spencer Press (1936) Last of the Mohicans by Thackery, Vanity Fair by Cooper



This one is a little worse for wear. It's in the worst shape.
The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1856)
AND! It has this awesome drawing of the author...actually most of these old books have this and it is very very neat!! There's a very fine peice of tissue paper separating the picture from the title page to prevent the ink from transferring.






David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1920)




Of course, I couldn't take pictures of ALL the books I got, but these were some of the neatest finds...There was also a book of Shakespeare's works from 1911, The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton from 1899 and many many more! And this doesn't even include any of the crazy old medical books that were left there by the man who built the home. There were books about insanity and surgery and all sorts of nifty stuff. When I went to visit my mother in law that day, I certainly wasn't expecting a treasure trove of books! It was so exciting for me being the bibliophile that I am. And yes, there were even a few tears of pure joy...I'm not ashamed to admit it! :)

Here's the old house built at the turn of the century 1900s. A doctor built the house for his growing family of 10 children! Only one of those children decided to marry and have a family of their own. One daughter remained living in the home until her death in 2008, this was the only home she'd known. She was a teacher, and these were her books. Thank you, Ms. Parker. (photo of her as a young woman below)
You can still see the old servants house out to the side. One side was for the cook, the other was for the gardner. It has been used mostly for storage for quite some time but still had the original fireplace mantels and old bedframes. There were countless other little treasures all over the place.
Next time I go I want to check out the cellar and the attic. I can only imagine what kind of coolness I may find!!

How Do You Know You're Going to Do Something Until You Do It?

"An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's." - JD Salinger

JD Salinger 1919-2010

Thank you for your brilliant writing...

"I hope to hell that when I do die somebody has the sense to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetary. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody." - JD Salinger, Catcher in the Rye

I've Fallen Again...

I know, pretty cheesy, but I can't help myself. I finished Fallen by Lauren Kate this weekend. Don't have much to say other than, I loved it! I had an idea what the book was about when I picked it up. Or at least I thought I did...This book was nothing like I expected but everything I wanted! I love it when a book surprises me. The cover is gorgeous and so is the book. I definitley recommend this one!
Here's what Goodreads has as the book description:
There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Divine Reading

I finished The Dark Divine by Bree Despain, this weekend. And it was truly divine! I was a little surprised to find out exactly what the story was about. But that's a good thing. I love surprises and this one didn't disappoint!
I really had all sorts of things going through my mind as to what this story was about after having read the book jacket information. And from all those crazy dark places that my mind was going to, I came up with a new story idea of my own. Like I needed another one of those right now! Now my poor little brain doesn't know which story to concentrate on. I am bound and determined to finish my first novel this year. April will be two years - two years!! - that I've been working on it. I will be happy just to complete the full first draft and perhaps let it sit (before revising) while my mind works on all these other characters in my head.
Anywho, this is Bree's debut novel and it was a great way to start off my 2010! If you haven't already, definitely pick this one up.

Not Too Rampant over Rampant

Be warned that this post has some mild spoilers.
I wanted to wait a few days after I finished reading this book to let it stew. I thought maybe if I waited my perception would change slightly as I'd have time to think it over a bit.
Yeah...not so much. I still feel pretty much the same way as when I was 100 pages from finishing, then almost finished, then finished. And that feeling is this - I was disappointed. I hate to say that. There were definitely good points about the book; The concept is phenomenal. The writing itself is good. But it was just the delivery that was slightly lacking and extremely slow at times. On a few occasions I almost quit reading. I seriously can't stand to start a book and not finish. I always want to give it a fair shot. Who knows? Some books really redeem themselves at the end of it all. This one didn't really do that for me.
When a story has SO much background information that you feel almost overwhelmed by the amount of info, I get lost - and not in the good way. I get that there are a few different kinds of unicorns. I get that there was an old Order of chicks that hunted them. Ok. Some explanation is necessary. But not the amount of explanation in this book. It slowed the story pace way down for me and just felt like I myself was doing the research, not reading a fun and interesting book about these characters and creatures. There were also a few scenarios in the story that were a little unbelievable. Sure, this is a fantasy story about killer unicorns. That "unbelievable" aspect is acceptable and understandable. But when things go down at the Order and leadership is questioned and changes hands (more than once), do these parents really just sit back and accept all this craziness with out asking a lot of questions or raising some kind of hell? Seriously? I don't know...I guess if they were willing to let their 12 and 16 year olds train to hunt killer unicorns they must just be cool with anything.
And just when the book started to pick up and get a little exciting and interesting - it was over. So, now I am left to contemplate whether or not I care enough about these characters to read the sequel when it comes out later this year. I don't like not knowing for sure that I want to continue.
I'd be interested to hear any other opinions from folks who have read this book...
And please don't let this deter you from reading if you haven't already. Maybe I am just a bit of a book snob. Your opinion may be different - and if it is (or isn't), I'd love to hear about it.