Iron Fey & Soul Screamers Winners

And the winner's of the Iron Fey and Soul Screamers giveaway are:

Iron Fey: Tammy

Soul Screamers: Sarah

Bookmark: Emma Louise

Congrats to the three of you! 

Remember my BelleBooks Charms giveaway is still happenening, this is the last day to enter!

Click Current Giveaways at the top right to find out more!

Review: Spellbound (Spellbound #1) - Cara Lynn Shultz

Name: Spellbound (Spellbound #1)

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Release Date: 21st June 2011

Date I finished it: 14th March 2012

Source: ARC from Netgalley

Rating:

 

I have had Spellbound on my Kindle for ages now but never quite got around to reading it. As part of my Review Catch Up Challenge I decided to go ahead and read this one! I could kick myself for not picking it up sooner, much sooner! I was hooked on this book from page one, I mean come on the main character is also an Emma!

Spellbound follows sixteen year old Emma as she moves in with her aunt in New York and attends a posh prep school with her cousin. While there she encounters the usual mean girls and befriends the freaky witch girl, Emma also feels a strange pull towards heart throb Brendan that she can't quite explain.

When some really strange things start happening to her, Emma confides in her new witch friend and attempts to do some research of her own, although she learns more that she bargained for about herself.

I really loved this book, It would have been a 5 star rating except I was really confused about where she was actually living until the very end of the book. Throughout the story the reader keeps getting told she was at her aunt's house, but then she would go over to her cousin's house to visit her? Maybe I missed it somewhere but right up until the end of the book I thought they should all be under the one roof. Until I realised at the end there are 2 aunts, one she is living with, and one who has a daughter, her cousin who lives nearby.

Honestly I went through the entire book so confused about this! It probably was explained somewhere but I just didn't get it. Thats the only reason this book didn't get a 5 star rating from me.

I loved the descriptive language used throughout Spellbound especially when it came to Emma's dreams. I don't want to give too much away but I loved seeing her past lives unfold in her dreams.

As for Brendan, I think we have a new book hottie to crush on!

I loved his character and personality, it fell in so well with the feel of the book! Personally I can't wait to find out how Brendan and Emma's relationship is going to unfold!

Loved this book, and really wish I read it sooner!

I'm glad I have an ARC of the second book, Spellcaster to get started on right away.

Review: Lenobia's Vow - P.C. Cast

Name: Lenobia's Vow

Author: P.C. and Kristin Cast

Release Date: 31st Jan 2012

Date I finished it: 3rd March 2012

Source: Bought from Amazon

Rating:

 

Lenobia's Vow is another short novella spin-off of the House of Night series.

I much preferred this one to Dragon's Oath, it was a lot more captivating and exciting.

Lenobia's Vow follows young Lenobia as she takes the place of her dead half sister and journeys to a new land to be married off. Wishing to start a new life instead of being known as the illegitimate child of her father, she is not expecting to find a priest that she knows well aboard the ship as well.

Having to fake sickness in order to avoid the priest who could recognise her for who she really is, Lenobia takes to wandering around the ship in the dead on night, where she stumbles across the horses and the man who cares for them.

As the days turn into months, Lenobia realises she is falling for this man and starts to make silly errors in her comings and goings meaning she is caught by the priest who reveals her true identity to the rest of the ship!

I really enjoyed this book and thought it gave a nice little glimpse into Lenobia's past.

I do like Lenobia in the House of Night series and getting to learn more about her past makes you understand why she is the way she is in the present day novels.

The book was fast paced and exciting, I really loved the writing style in this book. To me it seemed worlds apart from Dragon's Oath. Maybe thats because I like Lenobia and wanted to know more about her, rather that Dragon. I'm not sure.

A must read for fans of the House of Night series!

Introducing BelleBooks Charms

Some of you may have already noticed the BelleBooks Charms page on Facebook

For those of you who haven't you can check out the page here

I make book related bracelets, bookmarks, phone charms and earrings. With necklaces and other fun bits coming soon!

Here are some examples of what I've recently made:

 

 

 

 

 

I ship worldwide and take my postage prices via the Royal Mail website. I can also make custom designs if you are wanting something a bit different or something special just for you!

If you are interested on placing an order you can message me on facebook or email me bellebooksxATgmailDOTcom

At the moment I am hosting a 100 Facebook Follower Giveaway which is open internationally, all you have to do is like the BelleBooks Charm Page on Facebook!

So please stop by the page, say hello and have a look at my handmade items and don't forget to enter the giveaway below!

Review: Dragon's Oath - P.C. Cast

Name: Dragon's Oath

Author: P.C. and Kristin Cast

Release Date:  12th July 2011

Date I finished it: 26th Feburary 2012

Source: Bought from Amazon

Rating:

 

This is the first in the short novella spin-offs from the House of Night series.

I am a big fan of the House of Night books, but recently have been straying from the series a bit. I bought Dragon's Oath as soon as it was released, but have only now got around to reading it.

I'll admit I wasn't expecting too much from this novella, it is short and Dragon is not one of my favourite characters in the series. He is alright, but someone I could probably do without learning more about.

But since I have the whole series so far, I wanted to collect these novellas to go with them.

I gave Dragon's Oath three stars, for me it wasn't really gripping enough. Even though it is super short and something that can probably be read in a couple of hours, it took me two days to finish! Because I just couldn't get into it, it seemed very different from the House of Night series which I've grown so used to now.

It is set when Dragon is first marked as a fledgling and taken to the House of Night to begin his training. We do see a glimpse of Anastasia in this novella as well which I really liked. It was nice getting to see Dragon's past as it explains a lot about the way he acts nowadays in the House of Night series. However like I already said it just wan't gripping enough for me.

Overall a nice little story, probably a must have for fans of the original series but don't expect much from it!