09 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in Giveaway Tags: blogiversary, giveaway
The time has come to announce the winners of my blogiversary giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered, I wish I could give you all a prize but alas, that’s not possible.
Both winners were drawn via Rafflecopter and I’m very pleased to announce that the winners are
and
Winners have been notified by email. Congratulations!
29 Jan 2016 3 Comments
in Giveaway Tags: australia day book giveaway, giveaway, giveaway winners
With the Australia Day Blog Hop completed it’s time to announce the winner of my giveaway.
Thank you all who entered and came and visited my blog, it was great chatting with you all and I got a great list of Aussie authors I can go out and read now.
I have drawn the winner using random.org and I am very pleased to announce that the winner of Saving Francesca is
The winner has been notified. Congratulations!
24 Jan 2016 31 Comments
in Giveaway Tags: australia day, australia day book giveaway, blog hop, giveaway
Crack open a stubbie, grab a lammie, and pass around the Tim Tams, Australia Day is approaching once more. The time of year where we all become slightly more Australian than usual, celebrate this amazing country, and fill ourselves up with BBQ’d meats such as lamb, snags, or some other variety.
Along with the usual festivities, I’m also participating for the first time in the Australia Day Book Giveaway Blog Hop hosted by Shellyrae at Book’d Out. This is a wonderful event that helps to celebrate not only Aussie bloggers but Aussie authors as well. I wanted to join last year but lacked the confidence to dive in, this year I’m sticking my toes in and joining in on the fun. I’ve been a watcher for a while on other people’s blogs but one of my goals this year is to participate more on other blogs so this is a great start.
If you would like to visit other participants in the blog hop you can check out the list on Book’d Out. There are a range of giveaways running for a bunch of great prizes and you get a chance to discover or maybe even rediscover some awesome Aussie blogs and bloggers. And you never know, you may win some amazing prizes while you’re there!
On to the giveaway! Because it’s Australia Day it’s only right to give away a book by an Aussie, and an Aussie gal at that. I am offering up a paperback copy of Saving Francesca by the delightful Melina Marchetta. This is open to Australian residents only.
Francesca battles her mother, Mia, constantly over what’s best for her. All Francesca wants is her old friends and her old school, but instead Mia sends her to St. Sebastian’s, an all-boys’ school that has just opened its doors to girls. Now Francesca’s surrounded by hundreds of boys, with only a few other girls for company. All of them weirdos, or worse.
Then one day, Mia is too depressed to get out of bed. One day turns into months, and as her family begins to fall apart, Francesca realises that without her mother’s high spirits, she hardly knows who she is. But she doesn’t yet realise that she’s more like Mia than she thinks. With a little unlikely help from St. Sebastian’s, she just might be able to save her family, her friends, and – especially- herself.
ENTRIES CLOSED
To enter: Comment on this post with your favourite Aussie author or book and why you love them/it so much. It’s that simple!
Entries close at midnight AEDT on Wednesday 27th January and the winners will be announced within 7 days via email and on the blog.
Good luck!
23 Jan 2016 12 Comments
in Giveaway Tags: blogiversary, brom, david levithan, giveaway, heather mccollum, holly black, john connolly, john green, nikki rae, stephen chbosky
Where does the time go? Today marks my third anniversary of this blog. It has been an absolute joy, every year has been so different and I am still learning and working out the kinks, and in between that I get to read fantastic books from fantastic authors and share them with the world, literally the world. That’s pretty awesome if you think about it.
Because of this blog I have discovered some amazing authors, some of which have fast become favourites and I am so pleased to have a platform where I can share a few of my all time favourite books and newly discovered ones as well. I am also forever grateful to the numerous authors and publishers who ask me to review for them. It’s an absolute joy and privilege to share your work and read your amazing stories.
To celebrate and to say a big enthusiastic THANK YOU to you all I am giving TWO lucky people the chance to win a book from the selection below. The books I’ve chosen are some of my all time favourites that I’ve read in the past three years. Some I have reviewed others I haven’t, if you want to check out the books in more detail I’ve included some links below.
Because I’m in a celebratory mood I am opening it up internationally — the only condition being that bookdepository.com must ship to your country. If they do, then go ahead and enter!
Thank you again for a great three years, good luck to all the entrants, and happy reading!
The Selection
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Sunshine (#1) by Nikki Rae – Review
Are We There Yet by David Levithan
Siren’s Song (#1) by Heather McCollum – Review
Looking For Alaska by John Green – Review
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly – Review
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
To enter: For a chance to win one of the pictured books simply enter here and complete the Rafflecopter form.
Please note: This giveaway is international on the basis the Book Depository ships to your country . To see if you are eligible you can check their website.
Giveaway runs until midnight AEDT on Friday 5th February 2016
18 Jan 2016 Leave a comment
in 5 Stars, Book Bingo, Mystery, New Adult, Paranormal, Shadow and Ink Series Tags: book bingo, ebook, five stars, giveaway, mystery, new adult, nikki rae, paranormal, the shadow and ink series
Published: 15th January 2016
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 164
Format: ebook
Genre: New Adult/Paranormal/Mystery
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
The small wooden box is dirty, the size of a human fist, and sealed with wax. When Corbin takes it upon herself to clean it and break the seal, a voice she has tried to ignore gathers strength. Shadows play on the walls at night, and with a family history of mental illness, Corbin fears the worst. But the voice tells her it is real. That its name is Six and it will prove it in time.
Drawn to this mysterious entity, Corbin isn’t sure what to believe and the line between reality and her imagination blurs more every day.
Some doors should not be opened; can this one be closed?
Note: I was provided with a copy of this book from the author for review.
I think I say this for every one of Nikki Rae’s books, but she is a master at telling a story. Not only are the themes and the plots intricate and unique, but her words and descriptions and vivid and evoke images and feelings, and she places you inside the mind of her characters so well, it’s almost like you are experiencing things alongside them, even minor things like understanding the mind of an artist.
The Crow Box was nothing like I thought it would be, and I am not even disappointed by that. I was not entirely sure what I expected but Rae didn’t let me down. Corbin’s story is filled with mystery and a slow but dangerous decent and watching her struggle against it is enthralling.
When Corbin starts to hear a voice she thinks she is going mad like her mother, and seeing the way Rae introduces Six, and the way it interacts with Corbin, it’s clear why Corbin thinks she is losing her mind. But the wonder of the story is how she functions alongside it, what she does to deal with it, how she reasons with it, embraces it, fears it. Rae’s writing brings you into Corbin’s experience and makes you understand unreservedly what she is going through. Her confusion and attempt to explain what is happening is expressed and explored beautifully.
What makes Corbin so wonderful is that she is practical, she’s had years of stress and worry because of her mother’s condition but she manages to cope and enjoy her art and things around her. Her approach to the strange occurrences around her are reasoned and as Rae brings us deeper into Corbin’s mind you can see this reasoning adjust, but remain.
Rae gradually pulling you into Corbin’s mind is eerie and unsettling. The journey from being an outsider to her inner thoughts is amazing, and it unsettles you in all the right ways. Not knowing what Six is or where it comes from is also part of the experience. The unanswered questions and the non answers given by Six add to the secrets. The gradual development and the mystery is intriguing, and Rae balances the pace and story flow with the not knowing and slow burn mystery very well. There is a balance between the surreal and the real which only enhances the overall feeling because it brings in the idea that the strange and unexplained could come so easily into the every day.
Wherever you think the story is going it isn’t and where Rae takes you is incredible. Theories and assumptions get tossed aside as another thing unravels your thoughts, and tiny twists make you realise you are in much deeper than you thought. The writing is melodic and creative, but not overly poetic or dramatic, the right balance to convey meaning and portray a scene. Rae uses her words wisely and her descriptions are perfect for capturing just the right explanation for a sensation or a feeling. The writing teases you and taunts you, offering hope and answers like dangling a string for a cat.
After the experience Rae takes you on and after those final few chapters, the ending is one of the most frustrating things you’ll endure. The ‘to be continued’ makes you want to pick up the next book immediately and keep reading. From the very first line until the final full stop Rae holds your attention and once you’ve started down this rabbit hole you won’t want to stop.
You can purchase The Crow Box via the following
Or enter the Rafflecopter giveaway
