Princess Ben

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Princess Ben short for Benevolence is orphaned after the assassinations of her uncle, the reining king, and her mother, her father’s body is not found. As the last remaining member of royal blood, Ben is forced to move into the castle and endure her aunt, Queen Sophia. Sophia insists that Ben act like the princess she should and insists that Ben learn to dance, sew, proper penmanship, and control her appetite. She later learns these "lessons" are to make her appealing to a suitor, so that the queen may marry her off! Once Ben learns of this notion, she is anything but cooperative. The Queen, upset by Bens actions locks her away. But in her moment of despair Ben discovers a room that may be her escape from Sophia and an unwanted marriage, perhaps even provide vengeance for the death of her parents.

After reading Murdocks’s other books, I was expecting a lot from Princess Ben. Not only did this book meet my expectations, it extended far beyond them! It is beautifully told in a way that only Murdock can. She is able to create such characters that you can’t help but admire. The growth that Ben undergoes throughout the story only increased my admiration for her. The plot was beyond captivating!! It was full of magic, adventure, and fantasy!!! I absolutely recommend this book!!! I can’t wait to read more from Murdock!

The Winner!

Yay!! What an awesome contest. A HUGE thanks goes out to Alexa Young for stopping by for a guest blog and for giving away her flawsome book, Fenemies! I didn't have an extra person around today to do a drawing, so I used the random number generator and picked three numbers! The three numbers that were chosen were 26, 33, and 11. I matched the numbers with the corresponding comments and came up with these three names!!!

Cyndi

Laci &

Breanna

Congrats to the winners!! These three lucky winners will get a signed copy of the book Frenemies!! Please email me your information at thestorysiren@hotmail.com , so that I can pass it along to Alexa!! You have 72 hours to email me, otherwise I'll draw another winner.

For everyone else, I'm sorry I don't have more to give away, but don't fret! I have another contest going on! Sign up to win a signed copy of Frostbite by Richelle Mead!!

New Reads!

There are some awesome releases for today!!

♥ The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
♥ Better Latte Than Never by Catherine Clark

♥ The Interns: Fashionistas by Chloe Walsh

♥ Temptress Four by Gaby Triana
♥ The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
♥ Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
♥Lucky by Rachel Vail

You can check out my review for The Compound here. And Gaby Triana will be stopping by on Thursday!!

Contest: Frostbite!!

Here is the contest information for the signed copy of Frostbite by Richelle Mead!!! Frostbite is the second book in the series. The first book is Vampire Academy, if you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you do, very soon!

If you want to be entered to win Frostbite you can simply leave me a comment below. It always helps if you enter your name or a nickname with your comment. Or you can email me at thestorysiren@hotmail.com with Frostbite in the subject line. I will only send out a confirmation email for those who email me. As usual if you help me spread the word you can be entered an additional three times. You don’t have to have a blog to spread the word, I’ll accept mentions on MySpace or Facebook. Just be sure to leave the link so I can verify it, either in the email, or on the comment! The deadline for the contest will be Friday, May 9th at midnight (eastern time). Good luck!

Author Signing: Richelle Mead

I went to see Richelle Mead today!! I went to see Richelle Mead today!! Yes, you heard right! I went to see Richelle Mead today! Okay, sorry but I was really excited to go see her, besides the fact that this was my first author signing, Richelle is a really awesome writer!

Anyway, the trip today went something like this. I picked up Laci around 11:15, she takes a long time to get ready, so I had to wait around until she straightened her hair. So we didn’t actually leave until around 11:35, but that is okay, I know she takes forever so that was why I picked her up early.

The drive there was pretty uneventful, which was fine with me. We drove approximately 140 miles to Ann Arbor. It was about 2 hours and 10 min. I even found the book store right away! Thank you Garmin. Speaking of my Garmin GPS, Laci and I named the it, Susan.

We made it to Nicola’s Books a little early, so we got to look around in the store. Which is pretty nice by the way! I even found a signed copy of Ironside by Holly Black for five dollars! Can you believe that and it was the hardcover! Laci hasn’t read Richelle’s books yet, so I bought her a copy of Vampire Academy and Frostbite, so she could get them signed. I also got another copy of Frostbite signed so I could give one away here, and a copy of her adult paranormal series Succubus Blues, which I’m very excited to read! We killed time looking around the store waiting for 2:30 to roll around.They had an area set aside for Richelle and some chairs for people to sit in. Well, as we were browsing we looked over and who would happen to be there, but Richelle, so we ran over! Okay we didn’t really run, over because I was a little nervous/excited! But we did make it over and took our seats and Richelle signed our books, and told us to stay and hang out if we wanted. Of course we wanted to!

We meet some other cool readers as well! Shout out to, Jenny, Hayden and Julie! It was an intimate setting which was very nice. We actually got to talk to Richelle about her books and other YA vampire books. She is very nice! And she has beautiful red hair!

We hung out with Richelle for an hour and then she had to go..... so we went off to grab a bite to eat. We asked Susan (GPS) if there were any Quiznos around, mmmm Quiznos! And she found us one about a mile away. Too bad it wasn’t opened and looked like it was possibly out of business. I remembered there was a bagel place over by the book store that looked pretty good, so we headed back over there, well that place closes at 3! So we settled for McDonald’s. While we were waiting on our order this lady came in and returned her huge bag of food, basically ripping the employees a new one! I try not to complain at the food service workers, because I know the job stinks. Anyway we should have listened to the lady, because they totally messed up our order!! Good thing I wasn’t really in the mood for McDonald’s. I will say that they did have a really nice bathroom. With a big "M". GO BLUE!

And that was it for our adventure! We made the 140 mile trek back home and I pulled into my drive at about 6:30. I can't begin to tell you how very cool Richelle is, if you ever have a chance to go see her, go!

I’ll be having a review for Frostbite up soon! You can check out my review for Vampire Academy. As I mentioned before, I did get a signed copy of Frostbite that is up for grabs! I’ll be posting the specifics of the contest tomorrow! And don’t forget I’m still giving away three signed copies of Frenemies by Alexa Young!!!

The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Eighth Grade Bites & The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Ninth Grade Slays

The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

As if eighth grade isn’t hard enough when your human, try being a vampire. As is the life story of Vladimir Todd. Vladimir Todd half human half vampire, orphaned nearly three years ago, only two humans now his is secret; his best friend Henry and his guardian, Nelly.

Vlad is disturbed by the disappearance of his teacher Mr. Craig, and something is defiantly a little strange about the new substitute teacher Mr. Otis. Vlad discovers more about he mysterious death of his parents, through his father’s journal. Vlad assumed he was the only vampire alive, but there happens to be a whole society of them. A society that his father betrayed when he married his mother. Moving to the small town of Bathory was supposed to protect Vlad and his family, but it seems that their vengeance for his father has turned into a hunt for Vlad, himself.

This was an awesome book! The plot was completely unique and the characters were likeable. Usually I read YA books that are geared toward a more mature audience, Eighth Grade Bites, obviously appealing to middle schoolers, hence the title. I was a little apprehensive about my level of enjoyment, but I was completely enthralled in the story and not once did the characters age deter me away from my continues page turning!! I mean being a vampire and all, Vlad is very mature for his age! I can’t wait to read Ninth Grade Slays, oh lucky me I have a copy right here!


The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer

If Vlad thought eighth grade sucks, he’s in for a real treat as a freshman. Vlad is still hiding his vampire side from everyone except Henry and Nelly, he is still picked on by the bullies and he is still stuck on Meredith.

Although there is a little silver lining, Vladimir finally has an opportunity and the guidance to learn more about his vampire nature. Otis and Vlad take a trip to Siberia, where Vlad is able increases his knowledge of his abilities, taught by a very old vampire, Vikas. It’s a shame he can’t use his abilities to improve his grades! He also learns to myth of the Pravus, could Vladimir possibly be the vampire from the prophecy?

But Vlad has much more to worry about than a his prophetic existence, he is being hunted. It seems like a vampire slayer is in town, but he’s not the only one out for Vlad’s blood! Vlad might have thought that eight grade bites, but ninth grade slays!

Okay, wow! I must say this book was even better than the first! The plot is more intense and I didn’t see the big twist coming, until it was right before my eyes! I also loved the Pravus myth, could our beloved Vlad be the one! If you are a fan of the first book you will not be disappointed with the second installment to the series. Brewer continues to impress me. I’m looking forward to her next book! I’m officially a minion of Auntie Heathers’!!

Don't forget Heather will be stopping by as a guest blogger on May 15th!!

*Ninth Grade Slays also reviewed for TeensReadToo

Me, the Missing, and the Dead

Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine

Lucas is still coming to terms with his father’s disappearance despite the many years that have passed. If only he knew what really happened. Was he hurt, was he abducted by aliens, was he in jail and couldn’t get to a phone? Lucas tries to make excuses for his father, but the truth of the matter is he doesn’t know what happened.

Stopping for a cab early one morning he is drawn to an urn that is residing in the cab office. Who knows exactly why Lucas was drawn to the urn, but sometimes we feel connections that can’t be ignored. Once Lucas has the urn in his possession he learns that the woman inside was named Violet. Lucas feels that Violet is communication with him, in some way. And she ultimately helps Lucas tie up the loose ends of his life that happen to be very closely intertwined to hers.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Me, the Missing, and the Dead, but I did end up enjoying the book more than I initially thought I would! Lucas’s character is humorous and real. It is easy to relate to him and how is feeling. I knew exactly what it was like not to know your father. Valentine’s writing was refreshing and satisfying. The plot wasn’t too heavy but it also wasn’t just fluff, it was a nice balance of meaning and discovery. The only complaint I have is that the beginning was a little slow, but once the story picked up, I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I enjoyed this book and I would love to read more by Valentine.

*Also reviewed for TeensReadToo

Readamania!

OMG! I’ve never had so many books to read in my LIFE! Not that I am complaining at all, because I am not in the least. But seriously I have never had so many books to read! Usually I can’t seem to find enough, well the book goddess must have heard my plea! Check out my new book shelf! But yes, the three stacks on top are some of the books I still need to read!

Here is a list of the books I have to review:

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Bloodline: Reckoning by Kate Cary
The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer
Feathered by Laura Kasischke
Frenemies by Alexa Young
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Me, The Missing and The Dead by Jenny Valentine
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Simmer Down by Jessica Conant-Park & Susan Conant
Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
Suck it Up by Brian Meehl
Turn Up the Heat by Jessica Conant-Park & Susan Conant
The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Upper Class Novel: The Upper Class by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne & Caroline Says
Upper Class Novel: Miss Educated by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne & Caroline Says
Upper Class Novel: Off Campus by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne & Caroline Says

Plus some books I got for my b-day:

Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
The Morganville Vampires: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
The Morganville Vampires: The Dead Girls’ Dance by Rachel Caine
The Morganville Vampires: Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Twisted Sister by Stephanie Hale

Plus some other books I have laying around waiting to be read:

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
Fake Boyfriend by Kate Brian
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum
Tweak by Nic Sheff

I know right! Look at that list!! So, if I’m not blogging or commenting on your blogs, you will know why. I will be reading!

And I have another very exciting happening besides all the books! Richelle Mead is going to be having a book signing on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. So, I think Laci and I are going to take the two hour drive up there to see her! This will be my first every author signing! Very excited, I’m sure getting there will be half the adventure. Don’t worry I will be bringing my camera and it will be well documented. I will also hopefully be having her sign a copy of her new book Frostbite, so I can give it away!

Okay, I really need to get off here, so I can get some reading done! I hope everyone has a great weekend, and don’t forget to comment on Alexa Young’s guest blog to win a signed copy of her book Frenemies!

The Faerie Lord

The Faerie Lord by Herbie Brennan

Henry returns to the Faerie Realm after a visit from Pyrgus, an elder Pyrgus. A disease has hit the realm, temporal fever. It causes the host to fall into a coma, living years of their life within the trance, and waking up visibly older. Henry returns to the realm at the request of Mr. Fogarty, who has contracted the fever and doesn’t have much time left.

Upon his arrival Henry is transported to the desert, by Madame Cardui, without a viable reason! In the meantime the usual villains, Chalkhill, Brimstone, and Hairstreak are up to now good. Calling up mythical creatures trying to overthrow the Queen, the usual.

Queen Blue herself, distraught with Henry’s predicament sets out to rescue him, and finds out the truth of his sudden transport. Will she be able to save Henry and the realm before the plague ravages them all!

The Faerie Lord is the fourth book in The Faerie War Chronicles. This was an excellent final installment! The multiple plots weave together to form a story full of suspense and action! I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Although the story seemed predicable at times, I never saw the ending coming! I was happy to finally see some closure between Henry and Blue, it wouldn’t be a faerie tale without a happy ending!

Author Tales: Alexa Young

Yay! Alexa Young author of Frenemies is my guest blogger for today! I'm so glad to have her! And I hope to be reviewing Frenemies very soon! You can pick up your own copy of Frenemies on May 13th!!
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What, Pray Tell, Is A Frenemy?

First, before I say anything on the topic of the dichotomous, two-headed beast of love-hate upon whom my debut novel is based…I’d like to give a big shout-out to the Story Siren for inviting me to be her first-ever guest blogger! That’s a serious vote of confidence—especially coming from someone who hasn’t read the book yet. (Hey, wait…what happens if you don’t like it, Kristi? Uhhh. Well, for now, lucky me! )

Anyway…here’s a fun fact to kick off the guest blogginess: People often assume that because I’m a writer, I know the correct spelling, pronunciation and definition of every word in the English dictionary—and that I must be a kickass Scrabble (not to mention Scramble) player. Well, truth told? Not so much. Sure, I was the runner-up in my fourth-grade spelling bee and even skipped to a fifth-grade reading level that year. I was also a B-student in Honors English (with occasional A’s, I think?). However, I’m actually way more of a math-whiz (and a cheese-whiz) than a word-whiz (at least, I have been historically). I totally did better on the math part of the SATs than the English part. And I am constantly—I mean constantly—referring to the dictionary and thesaurus.

So what does any of this have to do with the headline above? Well…the other day, I was consulting one of my favorite online resources to find out if there was an official definition for the word “frenemy.” Indeed, there was. And you can find it here. But even more interesting, I learned the word “frenemy” is a portmanteau. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who didn’t know this.) Amazingly, I’ve been pushing portmanteaus for years without even realizing there was an actual word for these words—which only goes to show you that, like I said above, I’m simply not as word-savvy as people might think. Or am I?! How about if I let you be the judge with a little portmanteau free-styling:

Ashleighanna is a tanorexic bleachaholic with seriously skankicidal tendencies. She acts all sweetocent, but I totally caught her getting fauxmantic with my boyfriend on IM like some cyberstalking textomaniac. She really is the worst friend in the friendiverse, and it’s totally time for a friendectomy.

Okay, maybe it’s not my best work. But you get the point. And now for the fun part: The Story Siren has three signed copies of Frenemies to give away. To be entered in the contest, you simply have to leave a comment on this post that includes at least one of your favorite portmanteaus (preferably one you made up yourself) in a sentence. Hey, your effort couldn’t be worse than mine.

Good luck, and may the best word(s) win!

XO
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ALEXA YOUNG spent the first several years of her professional life working in the music industry—for the legendary capitol records and the irreverently funny trade magazine HITS. She subsequently worked as an editor for the now-defunct teen magazine JUMP, as well as for the #1 women’s fitness magazine in the country, SHAPE. As a freelance writer, she’s contributed to a number of national consumer magazines, including Marie Claire, O: The Oprah Magazine and Family Circle. She holds a bachelor's degree in Literature/Writing from the University of California, San Diego, and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, son and dog. FRENEMIES is her first novel.

Nobody’s Princess

Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner

She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favorite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Unlike her prissy sister Clytemnestra, she takes no pleasure in waving and embroidery. And despite what her mother says, she’s not even close to being interested in getting married. Instead, she wants to do combat training with her older brothers, go on heroic adventures, and be free to do what she wishes and find out who she is.

Not one to count on the gods—or her looks—to take care of her, Helen sets out to get what she wants with steely determination and a sassy attitude. That same attitude makes Helen a few enemies—such as the self-proclaimed "son of Poseidon" Theseus— it’s also what intrigues, charms, and amuses those who become her friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi. (summary from book)

I enjoyed Friesner’s rendition on the story of Helen’s youth. I really liked getting to know more about the ancient Greeks and their customs. The plot flows well and is interesting throughout the entire story. I can’t wait to read more about Helen’s character and her adventures in Nobody’s Prize. If you enjoy historical fiction or mythology, I think you would enjoy this book!

Evernight

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Bianca’s parents assume new teaching positions at Evernight Academy, forcing her to leave everything familiar behind. Despite there persistence that she needs to give Evernight a chance, Bianca can’t help but feel like she doesn’t belong. Until she meets another loner, Lucas.
Bianca feels like she can tolerate Evernight with Lucas at her side. Bianca unknowingly reveals her true self to Lucas, ultimately revealing the mystery behind Evernight. Not only is Evernight an academic academy it is also a haven for vampires.

But Bianca isn’t the only one keeping secrets. Once Bianca discovers the true intentions of Lucas’s presence at Evernight, she feels more than betrayed. Will their bond be able to stand against the forces that threaten to keep them apart.

*For those of you who have read Evernight, and you are questioning who is this Lucas person? I talked to Claudia and Jared was changed to Lucas at the last minute!

I started reading Evernight, and I couldn’t put it down until I was finished! Now I find myself longing for the sequel! Evernight will be an easy favorite to fans of vampire lore. It’s a fascinating tale of a mysterious academy, forbidden romance, and dark secrets! Gray's writing is refreshing and smooth. The characters are well developed and intriguing. I’m hoping to learn more about the vampire characters and their lives, possibly in the next novel. The small glimpse into Balthazar’s life was more than interesting. The plot, despite the growing number of vampire books and vampire books that are centered around academies, was actually very original. Evernight’s official release is set for May 27, 2008. I recommend that you get a copy for yourself!

Claudia is also having a contest today over on her blog, if you want to win an awesome prize! And don’t forget that the Claudia will be stopping by on May 22!!

The Day I Killed James

The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde

James was Theresa’s neighbor. It was obvious to everyone, even to her that he was in love with her. Theresa however didn’t feel that way about James, she couldn’t help it, it just wasn’t there. He was four years older than her and besides that she already had a boyfriend, Randy. When Randy moves onto another girl, Theresa can’t help but use James’s willingness to her advantage. She knows he loves her, and she knows that using him is wrong, but he insists that he wants to be used. Theresa, however, didn’t foresee the events that would play out the night of the party, or she never would have asked James to be her date. Theresa broke his heart and he killed himself.

Overflowing with toxic guilt, Theresa flees her old life. She shaves her head, changes her name and moves to a new town where no one knows her. Determined that she won’t let herself hurt someone again.

Unexpectedly, Theresa’s salvation comes in the form of a young scraggly abused child, that lives next door to her trailer. They set out on a road trip that ultimately aids in healing them both.

I can’t say enough good things about Hyde as a writer. She gets me everytime! The moral of this story is simple, be careful with other peoples hearts. The story, however, is anything but. The plot is intense, and the sporadic journal entries by Theresa add significant depth. Once again Ryan has superbly crafted a compelling tale that I soon won’t forget. The Day I Killed James: May 13, 2008.

Ruler of the Realm

Ruler of the Realm by Herbie Brennan

Queen Holly Blue knows that the fate of the Faerie Realm is at stake, and it is up to her to declare war on the Faeries of the Night. Much to her sunrise she receives word of a non-aggression treaty proposed by their leader, her Uncle, but can she trust him.

Meanwhile Henry Atherton is still at home in the human world dealing with his mother’s new girlfriend and interrupts his father’s very young girlfriend when emerging from the shower. He is obviously under a lot of stress and assumes that he imagined a stress related fantasy of a realm of faerie. After a three day disappearance, which leaves is memory blank except for a flying saucer and little green men, Henry is suddenly transported back into the Fearie Realm. And he is reminded it isn’t a fantasy at all.

On her visit to verify the intentions of the Faerie of the Night, Blue is kidnapped by Henry. It seems that the little green men weren’t a figment of his imagination but a guise for the Demons of the Faerie Realm so that they could use Henry to get the Blue. It seems that they are plotting their own takeover!

Ruler of the Realm is the third book in The Faerie Wars Chronicles. The first book is Faerie Wars and the second is The Purple Emperor. Both are fantastic books! I don’t think my lousy summary does this book any justice, I mean little green men? But there is much more too it than that, and it totally plays nicely into the story! So, don’t let that stop you. This book and series is
a combination of magic, futuristic technologies everyday realism, plus adventure and excitement! The plot is completely enthralling and unpredictable, right down to the climax! This is an awesome fantasy series! I can't wait to read the next book, Faerie Lord!

Winner

Thanks to everyone for entering the B-day contest and wishing me a happy birthday! In case you are wondering what I got.... from J’s mom and dad I got 50 big ones! My mom and dad got me a $50 gift card for clothes! And J is going to take me out to pick my present. I think I’m going to have him get me a bookcase.Enough about me, lets talk about the winner! There were 28 entries this time! I thought that was pretty good for a one day only contest. Almost everyone liked the gift card idea. I like gift cards myself. I drew a winner this time and the lucky name drawn was.....

AMBEEN

Ambeen decided to go with the $20 amazon.com gift card. Please email me at thestorysiren@hotmail.com with your personal email address and I should be able to email you, your gift card so you'll have it right away! If I'm not contacted by Sunday, April 20th. I will pick a new winner. Thanks again to everyone that entered!

Oh. My. Gods.

(First off, I must give a shout out to Tera for my first b-day present. Thank you! And I cracked up when I saw the mention of Ben and Jerry’s White Russian, you really are upset about that!)

"If Phoebe Castro can keep her grades up and have another stellar cross-country season, her dream of attending USC with her best friends is only a track scholarship away. She’s made all her plans, so it’s a complete shock when her mom announces she’s marring a mysterious stranger and moving them halfway around the world to– Greece.

Phoebe’s stuck on a secret island in the Aegean attending the super-exclusive Academy, where her new stepfather is the headmaster and the kids are anything but your average students– they are descendants of the Greek gods, superpowers included. That’s right, Greek gods are no myth! If Phoebe thought high school was hard, she knows this is going to be mortal misery.

Securing that scholarship seems like Phoebe’s only ticket out of Greece, but training and maintaining her grades will be grueling, even without a sabotaging stepsister from Hades and a gorgeous guy– what a god!– who just might be her Achilles’ heel. One thing is for sure– summoning the will to win and finding her place among the gods could be Phoebe’s toughest course yet.

The Greek gods get a makeover in this romantic odyssey of mythic proportion."

(This is the summary from the back of the book, I thought it was to great to pass up, and I don’t think summarizing is one of my strong points!)

I don’t even know where to start! I guess first off, I should say that I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it, I’m a huge fan of Greek Mythology. So, to say that I was expecting a lot going into it, doesn’t quite cover it. I don’t know if anyone else does this, but I always look at the thickness I have left of a book to read once I start a good reading spell, and I either think two things; 1.) okay I only have this much more to go. Or 2.) oh no! This is all that’s left! This book definitely falls under the later. I loved Childs writing style, and her interruption of the Greek gods. What is so good about this book is the reality mixed with the myth. I mean, we have a honest portrayal of a girl struggling to make sense of the world, and it works even a mythical one. The characters are distinctive, and each portrayal of their god or goddess remains in tact within the distinctiveness. What else can I say, I absolutely loved it. I loved the story, Phoebe, her struggles and triumphs, and of course the catalyst to any good romance, the boys. What else could you want? I strongly suggest you pick up a copy of Oh. My. Gods. on it’s release date May 1st, 2008!

B-day Contest

It’s finally here, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Okay, it’s probably not, but still....... it’s my birthday. Yay! I’m old now. Anyway, on to the announcement.

Well first I want to mention this super cool books that happen to share this special date with me. These titles are being released today April 17!

Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer
Aurelia by Anne Osterlund
Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer
Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman

Plus, Happy Birthday to Catherine Ryan Hyde! It’s her birthday too!

Okay, the contest announcement. It is customary on your birthday to tell people what you want. Even though I never do, because I can’t ever think of something I want off the top of my head, but it will probably come to me in a week... sorry getting of track again. In the spirit of asking for what you want, I thought I would let you choose what you want to win! I do have some choices though, so please choose one (1) of them.

1. A $20 gift card to one of the following book retailers.
-borders
-amazon.com
-barnes and noble
-walmart

2. The book of your choice.
-please no books over $20.
-nothing unobtainable. I want to be able to actually get it for you.
-you can even choose two or more books as long as the total is under $20!

As with the other contests it is easy to answer. Leave me a comment below with your choice of gift, or email me at thestorysiren@hotmail.com with the subject contest and the your gift choice. I will send you a confirmation email that I have received your entry. Unlike my other contests I am limiting this one to residents of the U.S. and Canada only, sorry all you international readers! This contest is a one day event, the deadline is April 17 @ midnight (eastern time). I will also be limiting the entries per person to one (1). Everyone will have an equal chance. So you have one (1) day, today April 17, 2008 and one (1) entry. I will be choosing one (1) winner at random, and will be announcing the winner Friday morning April 18, 2008. The winner will have until Sunday to contact me or I will have to draw another winner. Good Luck!

Death by Bikini

Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber

Who wouldn’t dream of living on a tropical island, spending their days basking in the sun next the calming ocean. I know I do! Aphra lives on a tropical island but it isn’t all fun in the sun. She works at the only resort on the island that is owned by her father. It is the type of secluded resort that appeals to the rich and famous. Aphra longs for teenage normalcy and it seems she may have her wish when some unexpected guest arrive. Unexpected guests, who happened to bring their son, their very cute son, Seth.

Aphra doesn’t have time to dwell on Seth’s cuteness, when the body of one of the guests is found dead on the beach, strangled in her own bikini strings. Unwilling to accept the death as an accident, Aphra discovers clues that may be pointing the blame at Seth’s family.

Death by Bikini was an entertaining mystery suspense thriller! Just when I though I had everything figured out, there was a new twist to throw me off the trail. I enjoyed Aphra’s character and her fearlessness. I can’t wait to read more about her in Death by Latte! If you are looking for a quick, enjoyable and suspenseful read, look no further! Death by Bikini will be sure to fill your need!

I think I liked this book so much because it reminded me of my visit to Hawaii!

The Sorcerer King

The Sorcerer King by Frewin Jones

Rescuing the Queen was easy, now Tania has to save the entire faerie realm. Now they must rescue King Oberon if there is to be any hope of winning the war. He is bound in an amber prison surrounded by bars of Isenmort, which will make his release very difficult, if only they knew where to find him. Tania, Edric and Tania’s two sister Cordelia and Zara set off on a quest to Ynis Maw, the end of the faerie world. They hope to find King Oberon, release him from his prison and join his power with Queen Titania’s to over throw the Sorcerer King. The journey is far and there are many obstacles to face. Will they rescue King Oberon in time and lead them into victory?

The Sorcerer King was my favorite book of The Faerie Path series. The characters were finally well defined, maybe it helped that I had gotten to know them in the three books. Even though the book is predicable at times, I still enjoyed the adventures to Ynis Maw and the new characters that were introduced. I loved the exploration into the faerie realm, as well as the never-ending supply of action and adventure around every turn. If you are a fan of the first two books, you will not be disappointed with the third.

Evernight Contest

I found another contest you might be interested in! Claudia Gray, author of the upcoming YA release Evernight, will be holding a contest a week until the release of Everynight. This week she is giving away a $50 dollar gift card to Barnes and Noble!!!

Head over to her blog for more information on the contest! For more information about Claudia Gray and Evernight head over to her website. Also, Claudia will be stopping by The Story Siren on May 22nd, and I’ll be posting my review of Evernight soon!