The Star Shack by Lila Castle

The Star Shack by Lila Castle
"Pete and Annabelle always believed they were a perfect pair-until junior year, when Annabelle became obsessed with astrology. Now they can hardly stand each other. Pete thinks Annabelle has become a total flake; she thinks he's an uptight jerk. To prove her point, Annabelle dares Pete to open a summer business on the boardwalk giving advice based on the stars.

"You and me and an astrology booth. I dare you."

Annabelle knows Pete can never say no to a dare. Together they'll run the Star Shack and read visitors' charts for romance and see what happens. Will a simple dare lead to a summer to remember or to something even more?"- summary from Amazon

Castle's debut is a fun, humorous romance that I really enjoyed; it was a very fast read for me. I liked the whole astrology aspect of it and it's the first book I've read where it's played such a big role in it so it was really cool to learn all about it. I enjoyed reading the horoscopes that preceded each chapter; they were a nice touch. I will say though that Pete really got on my nerves in the first few chapters, which was probably the point, but I just wanted to smack him for a bit there. If anyone has read Jinx by Meg Cabot, it's how Zach acts toward witchcraft. The story alternates between the boy and the girl, so we do get to see Pete's side (that's essentially the part that made me mad, at least in the beginning) and Castle makes the voices unique and realistic.

Overall, a fun, quick, beachy read for the summer ahead!

FTC: Received book from author. Link above is Amazon Associate link; any profit received goes toward funding contests.

The Iron King Contest

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
"Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart."- summary from Amazon

The Iron King is a thrill of a ride and a fast-paced adventure with an original take on faeries. Kagawa's debut is funny and her world-building is fantastically done, pulling the reader even further into the story. The heroine Meghan has the right amount of heart, strength, and apprehension to make her believable as well as a character to root for.

I loved Kagawa's take on the new kind of faery and the explanation makes perfect sense. The love triangle was hot, though decidedly leaned in one direction. As for teams, I think I might be on Team Puck (are there Teams associated with this series yet? I never know.) which is a first for me as I'm usually on Team Both because I'm greedy. But Puck is just so cute and carefree and gets jealous and all that. I don't know, I just found him way hotter than Ash.

Of course, this review would not be complete without a mention of the wonderfully hilarious cat Grimalkin. As a crazy cat gay man (doesn't have the same ring as crazy cat lady, does it?), I love seeing cats in books and they're even more fun when they talk! Grimalkin was a great character and I enjoyed seeing him in various scenes, and look forward to reading more about him in the second book, which I'm eager for anyway.

So if you like the sound of this book and want a copy, Big Honcho Media is giving away a SIGNED COPY of The Iron King here on Book Chic! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by 11:59 PM EST June 24 and you're entered! And sorry international readers, but this is just for US readers only! If you've already read the book, go to the official website (linked just a couple lines above) to download the e-novella Winter's Passage which takes place between The Iron King and its sequel, The Iron Daughter.

Also, be sure to check out the trailer!:



FTC: Received book from third party publicist. Link above is Amazon Associate link; all profits go toward funding contests.

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
"At the age of four, Bryn watched a rabid werewolf brutally murder her parents. Alone in the world, she was rescued and taken in by Callum, the alpha of his pack. Now fifteen, Bryn's been raised as a human among werewolves, adhering to pack rule (mostly). Little fazes her.

But the pack's been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring against Callum's orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned teen Were locked in a cage. Terrifying memories of the attack on her mom and dad come flooding back. Bryn needs answers, and she needs Chase to get them. Suddenly, all allegiances to the pack no longer matter. It's Bryn and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever the consequences."- summary taken from ARC

I really enjoyed this novel. Barnes' focus on the Pack mentality and the hierarchy of everything was really interesting to read about, though at times, frustrating for the reader (or at least me) because of our different mindset. In reading about some of the decisions made supposedly "for the good of the Pack", I had to put the book down because it just made no sense to me. I'm not even sure if any of that makes sense. Essentially, what I'm saying is that I didn't agree with some of the decisions made by Callum and others because it wasn't the logical thing to do. I mean, I guess it all kind of pulled together in the end; every event throughout the book had a purpose, but making it through those decisions was tough for me. Mainly because I always think I'm right and that my way is the only way of doing things (this is the reason why I want to appoint myself as the only judge/voice of reason on shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, or as someone who can make or break legislations. I know, two completely different things but hey, I think I'm right in lots of fields.).

So that was a long aside, lol. Anyway, Bryn is a wonderful heroine full of energy, bravery, but also has her flaws and is vulnerable in more ways than one. She's a perfectly well-rounded character, as are a lot of characters in the book. Barnes does a fantastic job of characterization and setting up this whole world without making it seem like an infodump. She makes it compelling and readable. I'm very excited to see where the characters will go next, whenever the sequel comes out. This is definitely a book to check out.

FTC: Recieved ARC as part of Around the World tours. Amazon link is an Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Numbers by Rachel Ward
"Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today's number. Today's date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem's world is about to explode!"= summary from Amazon

Numbers was not quite what I expected but I still really liked it. It was an interesting look into lower class life (at least in the beginning) as well as a fun thriller (middle to end). I really enjoyed reading about their fleeing and having to live on their own as they kept themselves from being hauled in by the police for questioning and possible arrest.

With most of the book just being Jem and Spider, the characters are fully formed and realistic and have their own unique voice. It's interesting to see how they go from acquaintances to friends to being in a relationship, all through the course of the book (which only spans across a week or so). The ending was one of those where you sort of know what's coming, and yet it's still a surprise when it happens. At least, that's how it was for me.

Overall, Ward has put forth a really good debut with a lot of emotion, suspense, and originality. I'm excited to read more from her whenever it comes.

FTC: Received book through Around the World tours. Link above is Amazon Associate link; any profit received goes toward funding contests.

Picture Post- Lisa McMann Event in Pittsburgh, PA

So here is my recap of the Lisa McMann event I went to back in late April. I took two days off work and went up to Pittsburgh the day of the signing. The drive was fairly uneventful, though I did get a bit lost on my way to a McDonald's that I was going to stop at for lunch. Driving through West Virginia was fun too because the speed limit was 70 MPH, which all highways should be, I think. No, I'm not a speed demon. What makes you say that?

Anyway, I got up to Pittsburgh around 5pm and proceeded to slowly make my way into the city. Getting there around rush hour? Not the best idea. But I made it to my friend's place and we hung out there for a while. We left so he could drop me off in front of the library where the event was being held. But the library's front entrance was actually on the side of a block long building so I had to walk quite a bit to get to where I needed to be.

I had to use the bathroom before heading down, then went to where the sign said I should go for the event. Well, the sign was wrong, as a Spanish class or something seemed to be taking place there. I found the place where the event was being held (right next door to the Spanish class) and it turned out that Lisa was actually holding off on starting the event until I got there because she knew I was coming. That was so sweet of her; she said she had been constantly checking her twitter to see if I had gotten lost or something. However, I can't access Twitter from my phone so that does nothing, lol.

Lisa was introduced by the uber cool librarian hosting the event, and then she took the podium and talked about the weather, her books, and then she answered a couple FAQs that she gets at events. After all that, she answered some questions from the audience and also read excerpts from her two 2011 releases, Cryer's Cross and The Unwanteds.

Then they handed out free books! Usually only teens get the free books, but since there was so few people at the event and so many books, everyone got a copy of both Wake and Fade! I am keeping my copy of Fade as I'm in the acknowledgements, and Wake is going to Susan.

I started heading toward the end of the signing line but I was intercepted by a woman and her mom, and I ended up chatting with them for a while. I chatted mainly with Sarah, though her mom chimed in every so often. That was a lot of fun and we found that we had a common love for the book In Your Room by Jordanna Fraiberg. I loved talking books with them and they were both so funny.



After that, we got in line and I stayed behind until Lisa was completely done so that we had some time to chat. She hugged me several times, signed my books and we talked for several minutes. We had to leave through the back of the library because the actual library was closed, and I had to get back to the main street so I could meet my friend.

Lisa, the librarian (who was also her escort), and I all walked out and went to the librarian's car. Here is the conversation we had (probably paraphrased a bit as it's been over a month since the event):

Me: How do I get back to the main road?
Librarian: Just head down this way, then make a left and you'll be there.
Me (now, it's REALLY dark so I can't really see how far away I'd have to go; also, was just joking): Well, we'll see how that goes.
Librarian: I can move some stuff around in my car. You can go in the backseat.
Lisa: James, you should sit in my lap!
Librarian: That is illegal. I'm not letting that happen.
Me: No, don't worry about it. I'll be fine.
Lisa: James, just come along. If you don't and you get lost, we'll feel so bad that we didn't help you.
Me: OK fine.

Then the librarian is making room in her car and they start talking about the idea of getting food.

Librarian: Do you want to come along for food?
Me: No, that's fine.
Lisa: His friend is picking him up. We can't take him for food.
Librarian: Does your friend want to come too?
Me: No, he's making dinner for us, I think. We'll be good.

Then we get in the car.

Me: But you know, I'm actually not that hungry, even though I ate like 9 hours ago.
Lisa: Oh wow. Do you want a granola bar? I have a granola bar.
Me: No, I'm fine, but thanks. I've got snacks for the way home- a muffin and some fruit snacks. Plus, I'll stop for lunch along the way.
Lisa: Do you want airline peanuts?
Me (laughing): No.
Lisa: Well, I have to give you something. You came all this way. I'd feel bad if I didn't give you something.
Me (COMPLETELY JOKING): You could give me money.
Lisa (rummaging through her purse): I think I've got $5 in here!!
Me: Um, I didn't really mean it.
Lisa: Found it! Just take it. I'll feel better.
Me: OK, thanks!
Lisa: I bet no other author did THAT for you!
Me: Nope... although Diana Peterfreund did buy me lunch at McDonald's once.
Lisa: ... is that more than $5?
Me (laughing): I think it's about the same.
Lisa: OK. Just promise me- you need to blog about this!


And so here I am, blogging about it. I still have the $5 and I wish I could actually find our package of Double A batteries so I could get a picture of it, as it's still in the same condition she gave it to me in, which is crumpled up, lol.

So that was my Lisa McMann experience and it was an awesome one! If you want to read another (more informative) perspective on the event, here's Runa's blog post about it!