Once Upon a Twilight!: 2014

January's Comment Love Contest!

What do we love more than reading books here on OUaT? Reading the comments that our readers leave us on our posts. So we decided we would start awarding the top commentator every month.

How to Enter:

Simple, just leave comments on the post we share daily per month.
No Rafflecopter to fill out.
You have no limit as to how many comments per post.
Multiple comments on the same post don't count unless its new content.
Contest ends last day of the month at midnight.
Read our Giveaway Policy (if you are not familiar)
Make sure we have a way of contacting you (Google profile, email, twitter, ext...) or new winner will be chosen.

Here is the current book list from where you can choose your prize.

January winner is:

Grace

Book Review: Owlet by Emma Michaels

Owlet
Society of Feathers #1
Author: Emma Michaels
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance | Fantasy
Released: September 17th 2014
Review Source: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing | Netgalley

Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.

Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.

"Chocolate chip pancakes are more important than grudges"

Iris’ life has just been turned upside down. Her life wasn’t as normal as she’s been made to believe; she wasn’t as normal as she believed, and neither was her father or nurse. Nothing was as it seemed anymore. Suddenly she’s meeting people she should have know years ago but didn’t. Falcon, the wonderful boy she’s always loved, and who always loved her—but doesn’t remember—is back in her life, along with the extended family she never knew she had. But it’s not lovely reunion where they have time to get to know each other, no. Her family is in danger, and if anybody finds out Iris is alive and not dead like the whole world was made to believe, she’ll have people after her too.

I loved. I’m a huge fan of paranormal novels, but here there were no vampires, no werewolves and no shifters. It was completely different to what I’ve read before, and that's saying a lot considering the amount of paranormal books I've read, and it was fantastic! The characters were just as great. Iris is normal, venerable, has a medical condition, but also very strong as a person and an Owlet. She was real. I loved her character. As for everyone else, we're just getting to know them and I'm looking forward to seeing them unravel and getting to know them better.

Owlet is what I call a build-up novel. It sets you up with just the right amount of information, drama and anticipation for things to really kick-in in book 2. And that's exactly what Owlet did. It wasn't by anyone's standards a slow paced novel or lacking in any way, but I can see thing flaring up in the second book, Eyrie.

I smiled...I cried (currently have panda eyes because my mascara ran), and I fell in love with every single character present within the novel (excluding the bad guys, of course). The book flew by; I was in shock when the end came. It seemed like one minute I was reading chapter 5 and the next it was the end. Right this second I’m going to buy book 2 and dive straight in. The story has only just begun, and I know things are about to get interesting.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall

Waiting on Wednesday

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

The Conspiracy of Us

Author: Maggie Hall

Release Date: January 13th 2015

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

To fight her destiny as the missing heir to a powerful and dangerous secret society, sixteen-year-old Avery West must solve an ancient puzzle in a deadly race across Europe. Forbidden love and code-breaking, masked balls and explosions, destiny and dark secrets collide in this romantic thriller, in the vein of a YA DaVinci Code.

Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada at the Champs-Elysees when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war.

They are part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle of Twelve, and Avery is their missing heir. If they discover who she is, some of them will want to use her as a pawn. Some will want her dead.

To thwart their plans, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the landmarks of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul and through a web of ancient legends and lies. And unless she can stay one step ahead of beautiful, volatile Stellan, who knows she’s more than she seems, and can decide whether to trust mysterious, magnetic Jack, she may be doomed after all.

Book Review: Anomaly by Tonya Kuper

Anomaly
Schrodinger's Consortium #1
Author: Tonya Kuper
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: November 25th 2014
Review Source: Entangled: Teen

Reality is only an illusion.
Except for those who can control it…
Worst. Birthday. Ever.

My first boyfriend dumped me—happy birthday, Josie!—my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…

Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.

When hottily-hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…

The cover, oh the cover.
The first time I saw the cover of Anomaly, I seriously thought it was Ashley Benson. If you know me, I love Pretty Little Liar. It is one of my must-not-missed shows. So the cover immediately drew my attention and it said “READ ME”. I didn’t even know what the book was about but hey, when a cover demands you to read - you must.

Sharing common interests.
Oh the joy of reading Anomaly. If you love Star Wars and The Big Bang Theories, then you would love Anomaly. The funny dialogues along with SW and TBBT references will have you laughing out loud. Even if you’re not a fan, I am pretty sure you will laugh with Anomaly.

Creating matter with a thought.
I guess you don’t have to be a witch to create matter. In Anomaly, there are three types of supernatural powers and if you’re cool enough, you have all three. 1. Oculi are able to create reality through observation. 2. Pushers are those that are able to create matter with a thought. Last, Retractors, they are able to vanish matter with a thought. The dangerous of all, Anomaly. Being an Anomaly means you have all the power. You know when you read all the different types of vampires in The Vampire Academy series, then this is the same. You must know, it is important. If you're like me, you are wishing to be an Anomaly. Seriously, who doesn't want any of these powers?

My thoughts.
I enjoyed Anomaly. It was fun, light and entertaining. I loved the references of many of my fandoms, including Star Wars. The main character, Josie, is a fangirl. I can relate to her. She is awkward but daring. She is shy but curious. She is a loyal friend. What attracted me the most was the fact I felt like I was in her head, even if Anomaly is a dual POV. I also loved the way the story began... Josie had the worst birthday and as the day continue, instead of feeling bad for her, you appreciate the fact that this did not bring her down. She is an unforgettable character.

Overall, I enjoyed Anomaly and I recommend every YA/Paranormal lovers. The ending was no fun, so a note to Tonya, please hurry with the sequel!

Teaser Tuesday: After We Fell by Anna Todd

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

AFTER WE FELL

The After Series #3

Pages: 848 paperback

Author: Anna Todd

Release Date: December 30th 2014 (Today!!!)

Publisher: Gallery Books

Book Three of the After series—now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!

Tessa and Hardin’s love was complicated before. Now it’s more confusing than ever. AFTER WE FELL…Life will never be the same. #HESSA

Just as Tessa makes the biggest decision of her life, everything changes. Revelations about first her family, and then Hardin’s, throw everything they knew before in doubt and makes their hard-won future together more difficult to claim.

Tessa’s life begins to come unglued. Nothing is what she thought it was. Not her friends. Not her family. The one person she should be able to rely on, Hardin, is furious when he discovers the massive secret she’s been keeping. And rather than being understanding, he turns to sabotage.

Tessa knows Hardin loves her and will do anything to protect her, but there’s a difference between loving someone and being able to have them in your life. This cycle of jealousy, unpredictable anger, and forgiveness is exhausting. She’s never felt so intensely for anyone, so exhilarated by someone’s kiss—but is the irrepressible heat between her and Hardin worth all the drama? Love used to be enough to hold them together. But if Tessa follows her heart now, will it be…the end?

Book Review: Can't Love You More by Sabrina Quinn

Can’t Love You More
Author: Sabrina Quinn
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: November 11th 2014
Review Source: Author

Braelyn Withers has been best friends with Aiden McCluen since she was just eight years old. The two of them had a special bond that only grew deeper the older they got. Their love was one of a kind, no one could deny that.

Everything changes in a blink of an eye after Aiden blindsides her by committing the ultimate betrayal on graduation night. Braelyn decides that leaving town is the only answer, especially now that she has a secret of her own. Little did she know that in doing so, she would change her own fate forever.

A year later, Braelyn decides to move back to her small Indiana hometown hoping to find that happy, free-spirited girl she left behind. The girl she no longer knew. She also just wants to forget what happened in Chicago. No one back home seems to understand why she isn't the same, which secludes her even more. Gab

e Murphy temporarily moved to Indiana in hopes to right his wrongs from his past in Georgia. Jaded from the life he knew, he no longer believed in love and had no desire to ever find it. All of that changed the moment those sad, icy blue eyes that belonged to the girl who lived above his new apartment met his. He was instantly drawn to her. After becoming friends with Braelyn, Gabe makes it his mission to help her out of the deep depression that has consumed her over the past year. He has seen firsthand what it can do to a person and it is not pretty.

Will Aiden's confession now that she is back change things or will it ruin her forever?

Okay. I deserve a slap on the wrists. I judged this book before I read it. The summary had me thinking “oh, great. It’s another one of those books.” It wasn’t one of those books. I expected Braelyn to be broken, and she was, but broken in a way which I didn’t expect. Broken in a way where she deserves a gold star for waking up each day and living life.

Braelyn hasn’t had the best few years...receiving the ultimate betrayal from her best friend turned love of her life then going through a devastating, traumatic loss. A year of living away from home she decides it’s time. Time to come home and face the world she left behind, time to finally come to terms with what happened.

I liked this one. We didn’t get a chance to get to know Aiden—the guy who broke her heart—he was more of a background character, but we still got answers from him. Why he did what he did, and some major apologies from him, after all he did lose the love of his life over a mistake he made. And we certainly got to know Gabe (AKA Gable), the hot southern guy who lives in her housing block. But Braelyn was a bit of a mystery to me. For such a broken character, the character development was lacking in Braelyn and her characteristics and her general attitude didn’t match up to her past. I read a lot so maybe I’m being picky, I tend to notice the smaller things.

But, at the same time I felt like the communication and how information was put out was the downfall of this book. The communication between characters felt stiff and forced, not like how people actually talk to one another. At first I couldn’t figure out what wasn’t right. It took me nearly to 60% until I realised that the information was being rushed out. Something’s should have been well thought out and untold within time (because of the nature of the subject). Personally I think this had really good potential, and with a helpful beta reader or critique partner this could be really great.