Review- Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Goodreads Summary:

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me,Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

REVIEW:

I didn't want to believe Taheref Mafi when she said that Destroy Me will change the way readers will look at Warner. I was inclined on being Team Adam since the time he was introduced in Shatter Me. I feel bad to admit that I was wrong and it's always best to believe what our dear authors say. 
Destroy Me is a novella or book number 1.5 of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me trilogy and it is from Warner's point of view. Those of you who have already read Shatter Me know who Warner is and for those of you who haven't, he is the Head of Sector 45 of The Reestablishment that focuses on bringing about a change in the current chaotic situation. 
I have to say here what all readers have been saying- I LOVE WARNER. He is impeccable. With Destroy Me, we get a glimpse inside the walls of The Reestablishment and into Warner. There is so much to Warner's story, he isn't what I thought he'd be. He is so suave, smooth and sexy. I loved reading from his POV and I seriously don't mind if the remaining books in the series are told from the same. 

Warner has a past and it makes you want to love him. His father is cruel and has plans that will leave Warner devastated especially when he feels a connection to Juliette and even though it seemed like he was just trying to persuade her for fame and power in the first book, there is a lot more to his intentions as well. 

Besides, we also get information on Juliette's and Adam's situation too which adds an irresistible appeal  to the book. Though to be honest, just Warner Warner and more Warner would have been absolutely completely alright with me. 
Overall, Destroy Me is a great great great read that will make you want to love Warner. It has made me so so so curious about the next book, Unravel Me in the series. MORE WARNER PLEASE! 

RATING:

X 4.5

Sarika

Blog Tour: Guest Post + Review- Blood Twist by Bonnie Erina Wheeler

Summary-

From Bonnie Erina Wheeler, the author who brought you Fate Fixed, comes the second installment in the Erris Coven Series, Blood Twist. 

Find out what happens to the Erris Coven when Lexie's BFF Liz comes to town. 

Braden Murphy knew he was going to die. There was a twist to his family secret – one that was forced upon him from the time he was a child. For years he envisioned his final days and tried to be strong enough to leave his family. Now that it was time, he was ready to make good on a deadly promise. Except for one unexpected glitch, a raven haired beauty insisted on joining him. 

Liz Sanders thought her best friend’s stepfamily was weird, but she never would have guessed they were werewolves. Now Liz must travel with a secretive half-vampire in search of a lycanthropy cure. Landing in a nest full of blood thirsty vampires wasn’t on the agenda, but neither was falling in love.

Braden is tempting, but Liz’s feelings for him are complicated. She wishes he would open up about his past and give her a reason to trust him.

Just when Liz thinks she can let her guard down, she’s forced to confront the evil that has been stalking Braden’s past for years. Death is here and ready to destroy everything they've fought to save. 

About the Author

Bonnie Erina Wheeler is a lifelong resident of New England and a University of Connecticut student.

Having grown up in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Bonnie discovered her love of writing early on, but did not begin writing novels until May 2011. As the daughter of author, Glen William Ruane, storytelling and world building is a family affair. Bonnie’s daughter, Miranda E. L. Wheeler and son, Robert D. Wheeler, share in the family’s passion and have both published in the last twelve months.

When not in class or working on her next novel, Bonnie enjoys spending time with her husband, Jerry. Together the two have been writing their own special love story since marrying in April of 1995. Their children Miranda, Justin, and Bobby give them great joy. Their family is made complete with the addition of Petey, a Spanish water dog, they adopted from their local pound.

Bonnie’s plans for the future include writing more novels in the Erris Coven Series, as well as, writing several contemporary young adult novels that have been in development for some time. 

                                             GUEST POST:

Today Bonnie will be sharing with us some of her favorite bands/songs which remind her of any scenes or characters from Blood Twist.

♪♫♬  FAVOURITE BANDS/SONGS  
THAT REMIND BONNIE OF BLOOD TWIST ♬♫♪ 

I am a huge music fan. In fact, I cannot imagine trying to write without my headphones playing my favorite playlist. In Blood Twist, my character who thinks of himself as Death, does have a song I always enjoyed listening to while writing his scenes. It is “Night of the Hunter” by my absolute favorite band 30 Seconds to Mars. Death certainly thinks of himself as a hunter and I love the feel of that song. Truth be told, I listened to that band while writing all three of my novels and the fourth novel I am writing now. Now Liz, being that she has gone through a lot in her short life, has a variety of tunes I would write to while creating her world. When she was feeling betrayed by Braden, I was playing “We are Broken” by Paramore and “Cut” by Plumb, but, when she was happy and really feeling strong feelings of new love, I played “Boom” by Anjulie. Now for the brothers, Braden was totally a “Keep Your Hands off my Girl” by Good Charlotte and Riley was “Think Twice” by Eve 6. I love music and think it is a wonderful way to get into your character’s heads. I hope this gives you a little peak into mine. :)

Links: 

My Blog: http://fatefixed.blogspot.com/ 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5095403.Bonnie_Erina_Wheeler 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/authorBonnieWheeler (Author Page)

https://www.facebook.com/#!/fatefixed (Fate Fixed's book page)

https://www.facebook.com/#!/bloodtwist (Blood Twist's book page)

Amazon for Fate Fixed: http://www.amazon.com/Fixed-Erris-Coven-Series-ebook/dp/B005DUR1ZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346008018&sr=8-1&keywords=fate+fixed 

Amazon for Blood Twist: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Twist-Erris-Series-ebook/dp/B00928OZ02/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346008040&sr=1-3&keywords=blood+twist 

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Bonnieerinawheeler 

Review-

Blood Twist is the second book in the Erris Coven series. You can find my review of Fate Fixed, the first book in the series here. Blood Twist continues right where Fate Fixed left off. It is necessary to read this series in order because the story progresses that way and you get to know more about the characters. Also, there are a lot of things happening simultaneously and the consequences which the characters have to face are of their actions in the previous book.

Braden Murphy,is the oldest of the four cousins which comprises of Braden, Torin, Cian and Teagan. In Fate Fixed Braden came off as an uptight and overprotective brother but in Blood Twist you come to know so much more about him. Braden has a past which haunts him and you can see how things have been for him which makes him the way he is.

Liz is Lexie's BFF who's come to help out Lexie and her family. Liz is outspoken, fun and kick ass. She's hilarious and isn't afraid to say what's on her mind. It comes off like she doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks about her but when you get to see who she really is inside you can feel her vulnerability. I loved Liz's character in many ways.

Braden and Liz are truly opposites. But opposites attract and they sure as hell do. I loved the romance between them. Braden and Liz have good chemistry and try as they may they can't help but drift towards each other.

There were many other characters as well whom I loved in Blood Twist. Riley is like the perfect definition for the word tortured soul. Things were left open with his story and I really hope we get to see more of him. Also, the tension between Cian and Brooke by the end of Blood Twist was searing. I think Soul Kissed which is the next book in the Erris Coven series is going to be about Cian and Brooke and I'm really looking forward to it.

Unlike so many sequels Blood Twist does not disappoint. In fact it just gets better. We get to see more depth to the characters and the story. The writing is fabulous and keeps you going through. There is lots of romance, action and mystery. If you haven't read this series yet I really hope you give it a try.

*Note: We would like to thank Supagurl Book Tours for providing a copy of this book as a part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.

 X 4

         Janhvi

Review- Blood Twist by Bonnie Erina Wheeler

Summary-
From Bonnie Erina Wheeler, the author who brought you Fate Fixed, comes the second installment in the Erris Coven Series, Blood Twist. 

Find out what happens to the Erris Coven when Lexie's BFF Liz comes to town. 

Braden Murphy knew he was going to die. There was a twist to his family secret – one that was forced upon him from the time he was a child. For years he envisioned his final days and tried to be strong enough to leave his family. Now that it was time, he was ready to make good on a deadly promise. Except for one unexpected glitch, a raven haired beauty insisted on joining him. 

Liz Sanders thought her best friend’s stepfamily was weird, but she never would have guessed they were werewolves. Now Liz must travel with a secretive half-vampire in search of a lycanthropy cure. Landing in a nest full of blood thirsty vampires wasn’t on the agenda, but neither was falling in love.

Braden is tempting, but Liz’s feelings for him are complicated. She wishes he would open up about his past and give her a reason to trust him.

Just when Liz thinks she can let her guard down, she’s forced to confront the evil that has been stalking Braden’s past for years. Death is here and ready to destroy everything they've fought to save. 

Review-

Blood Twist is the second book in the Erris Coven series. You can find my review of Fate Fixed, the first book in the series here. Blood Twist continues right where Fate Fixed left off. It is necessary to read this series in order because the story progresses that way and you get to know more about the characters. Also, there are a lot of things happening simultaneously and the consequences which the characters have to face are of their actions in the previous book.

Braden Murphy,is the oldest of the four cousins which comprises of Braden, Torin, Cian and Teagan. In Fate Fixed Braden came off as an uptight and overprotective brother but in Blood Twist you come to know so much more about him. Braden has a past which haunts him and you can see how things have been for him which makes him the way he is.

Liz is Lexie's BFF who's come to help out Lexie and her family. Liz is outspoken, fun and kick ass. She's hilarious and isn't afraid to say what's on her mind. It comes off like she doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks about her but when you get to see who she really is inside you can feel her vulnerability. I loved Liz's character in many ways.

Braden and Liz are truly opposites. But opposites attract and they sure as hell do. I loved the romance between them. Braden and Liz have good chemistry and try as they may they can't help but drift towards each other.

There were many other characters as well whom I loved in Blood Twist. Riley is like the perfect definition for the word tortured soul. Things were left open with his story and I really hope we get to see more of him. Also, the tension between Cian and Brooke by the end of Blood Twist was searing. I think Soul Kissed which is the next book in the Erris Coven series is going to be about Cian and Brooke and I'm really looking forward to it.

Unlike so many sequels Blood Twist does not disappoint. In fact it just gets better. We get to see more depth to the characters and the story. The writing is fabulous and keeps you going through. There is lots of romance, action and mystery. If you haven't read this series yet I really hope you give it a try.

*Note: We would like to thank Supagurl Book Tours for providing a copy of this book as a part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.

 X 4

        Janhvi

Review- Fate Fixed by Bonnie Erina Wheeler

Summary-
  When Lexie Anderson’s mother suddenly announces she is marrying a Romanian immigrant, Lexie willingly leaves behind her busy life in Connecticut for her penance in “The Moose Capital of the World.” Small town living is strange enough, now Lexie must cope with her overbearing stepfamily monitoring her every move. They disappear into the woods at night and keep a strange secret locked in their shed. Her once calm mother is now having violent outbursts and Lexie’s little sister is hearing sinister sounds coming from the forest behind their new home. Lexie’s biggest surprise comes when she discovers the boy she has been dreaming about since her accident is living in Maine. Despite Torin’s questionable reputation, Lexie cannot resist the physical and emotional attraction pulsating between them. Animals and people in town are turning up dead and Lexie learns the strange new world she lives in has real life monsters. Just when she decides she wants to be with Torin forever, she must fight to protect her mother and sister from being harmed by a formidable evil.

Review-

Fate Fixed is not your typical paranormal romance. Nowadays, there are so many vampire romances with the same thing in them but Fate Fixed was a fresh young adult paranormal romance with a nice mystery. The story was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it.

It starts with Lexie having dreams about a mysterious boy with blue eyes. She has to move to a small town in Maine with her new family. Her mother has remarried after her father passed away and now Lexie has three step brothers and a step father to adjust with. The death of Lexie's father is a tragic incident which Lexie blames herself for. There are lot of changes happening in her life and she has a lot to deal with.

Torin, is the mystery boy Lexie dreams of. He's quiet and intense and the mystery around him definitely leaves you wanting more. Torin, Teagan, Cian and Braden are four cousins who form the group in Fate Fixed. Each of them has a unique personality and style. I was intrigued by each of them and can't wait to see how their stories go.

Lexie and Torin's love story was spectacularly romantic and super sweet. You could see the attraction and how easily they balanced each other out. But before they can fully trust each other gruesome killings of animals start happening which are followed by murders. The plot thickens here. The whole mystery in finding out the killer while protecting their bond is what leads the story toward the climax.

Fate Fixed has a different take on vampires and the story is enjoyable. The pace is fast and the prose is easy and simple. The plot moves so you don't get bored. It is a well written book. You can feel the creepiness and violence coming out in a few scenes. If you are craving a young adult paranormal romance you should definitely read Fate Fixed and be mesmerized by Erris Coven.

*Note: We would like to thank Supagurl Book Tours for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

 X 3.5

                                                          Janhvi

                                                                                                   

Winner: Christmas Books Giveaway

Time to announce the winner of the Christmas Books Giveaway! 

This giveaway was part of the "CHRISTMAS BOOKS" GIVEAWAY HOP hosted by Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Laurie @ Laurie Here. 

Thank you to these lovely ladies for hosting the hop! 

As part of our giveaway, author Kay Springsteen has generously offered an e-copy of her book, Operation: Christmas Hearts. 

The winner has been picked. 

The winner is... Shadow Kohler!

Congratulations, Shadow! 

The winner has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond. 

All the other participants, thank you so much for taking part in our giveaway! 

We also gained many new followers because of this hop, so thank you, thank you, thank you! 

We wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS  in advance, and we hope your holiday season is going great so far! 

Have a lovely time, all of you! :*

Sarika

Feature & Follow Friday #16

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read. 

                                                    Today's question is:

Q: Activity! Who do you want to be? If you could choose any character from a book. What do you think that character looks like and what do you have in common?

Answer: I would love to be Lena Duchannes from the Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The main reason being I'd get to have Ethan all to myself ;) Also she is a sweet person with a lot of cool powers which I'd love to have. Plus her dressing sense is cool.

Who would you like to be?

Follow us and we'll follow back!

Happy Friday everybody! :)

 Janhvi

Character Interview- Ian Finnerty from Angel by Laura Lee

For the first-ever Character Interview at The Readdicts, we have with us the ever graceful, charming and absolutely stunning, Ian Finnerty, from Laura Lee's Angel. 

I wish to dedicate this entire post to Ian, which is why I'm only providing the links to all the details about the book. Make sure you check them out whilst admiring Ian! 

Angel Official Website

Angel on Goodreads

Angel on Amazon

Angel on Barnes and Noble

Read my review of Angel by Laura Lee

Now quickly, dear readers, on to the most anticipated part of the post! 

Ian Finnerty! 

Hello Ian! It's lovely to have you on our blog, The Readdicts  Oh, you truly are stunning! *gasps* *amazed at how stunning Ian really is* 

Anyways, I hope you have a great time answering our questions!

Q. Tell us something about yourself that no one else knows!

Ian: 

That's a hard one.  I mean, I've had a lot of weird sh... can you say that on your blog? A lot of weird stuff in my life, but most people know that.  If you ask me something I'll tell you. 

Me: As long as it's coming from you and we get to hear your sing-song voice, Ian, anything is fine!

Q.  Share with us a life-changing experience.

Ian:  

There were lots of them.  Some of them not so good.  The best one was Paul.  He was just this minister in a church where they had an AA meeting, and I'd get nervous walking into a church, like the this shaft of light would shine on me and the voice of the God police would say, “What are you doing in here?” 

I was a mess, trying so hard just to hold it together.  I came out of this meeting, and I don't know why I noticed him and remembered him.  My memory was like Swiss cheese.  This minister standing there arranging these fliers, and he was so intent on it.  It seemed like that was his whole world.  Like he didn't have any problems.  I was jealous of him having such a simple life.  Of course, I didn't know him then.  I just assumed he had no problems. 

You know, there's this thing.  They always say that “the first step is admitting you have a problem.”  That's bullsh... Sorry, I mean, I knew I had a problem.  I'd known I was an alcoholic for years.  Why do you think addicts work so hard to hide how much they use?  They know.  They just don't want you to know how bad it is, or you might make them stop.  I was in some kind of denial though, it was like... My denial was that there was any reason to stop.  You know what I mean?  I couldn't see myself having a life that it was worth getting sober for.  So that's where I was when I ran into this uptight, nervous minister fussing over these pamphlets. 

He said this thing, I'll never forget it.  He said, “I have faith in you.”  It doesn't sound like a lot, but no one was around saying anything like that to me.  I just thought, “Well, maybe.”  He stuck me in rehab, and I didn't want to let him down.  And here I am.

Me: Aww! Go on...

OK, I just thought of something about me most people don't know-- from your first question.  You know what it is?  It's kind of like my life is inside out.  The stuff that everyone knows about me is the kind of stuff that other people keep secret.  If you say, “Ian Finnerty” they'll say, “Oh yeah, he's a drunk,” or “He's gay.”  or “His mother threw him out and he was homeless.” That's the kind of stuff people try to hide, but everybody knows my “dark secrets.”  What people don't know about me is that I'm really a boring guy.  I want boring stuff like a home, someone to spend my life with.  Happily ever after.  That kind of thing.  If nothing remotely interesting happened in my life ever again I'd be totally cool with that.  I'm not a rebel.  I do jump into things and think later and get myself in trouble.  But that's different from being a rebel.  That's just being impulsive and stupid.

Q. After reading Angel, it is obvious that you like to experiment with food and cook different stuff.

 Where does your love of food come from?

Ian:  

I always did the cooking when I was a kid because my mom worked most of the time.  So I know how.  Being able to cook something, and having someone to cook for, it's all part of my devious plan.  If a guy starts associating you with getting fed, maybe he'll want to keep you around.  It's a primal thing.

Part of it is being sober too, probably.  When you get sober-- in AA they call it “the pink cloud,” it's when you're all sort of drunk on being sober.  You know what I mean?  You have all of these sensations you'd been shutting down.  I just wanted to try every flavor and experience everything I'd been missing.  Like, the first time I had sex sober, I was scared to death.  I'd never done that my whole life.  I was vulnerable.  He was vulnerable.  But, actually, that's what made it great.   It's good to feel everything.  With food too, it's good to taste everything and smell everything.

I said this to Paul one time.  I said, “Have you ever noticed how everything has so much more flavor when you're not drunk?”  He laughed at me.  He said something like “I don't notice being 'not drunk,' I call that  normal life.” 

Q. What is your favourite food/cuisine?

Ian: 

I like spicy stuff, Thai, Indian.  But really, my favorite is anything I haven't tried before.  The best part is when you go in the store and there is some crazy tropical fruit and you're not even sure how you eat it.  It has all this possibility.  You know what I mean?  Like a whole new flavor you never even knew existed.  Half the time when you get it home it just tastes like a pear with more prickers and seeds.  But I don't care really, because you have this moment to imagine there's going to be this whole new world of flavor you never knew about.  So that's my favorite food.  Something I haven't tried yet.

Me: Yay! He likes Indian food! Aren't guys who like to cook just adorable? Damn! I'd love to live with Ian if he were straight! 

Q. I'm sure you are well aware of your charm and grace. *stares and admires Ian's looks*

Have you ever used your looks to get something done?

Ian: 

No, not like that.  I mean, not like, “I am going to use my charm and looks now and manipulate this person into giving me what I want.”  I like people.  I'm interested in people.  That's not manipulation.  If you like people they usually like you, and they want to do stuff for you.

Q. Do you have a favourite pick-up line? If yes, then what is it?

Ian:  

Pick up line?  No way.  I mean.  OK.  When I was going to the clubs a lot and I wanted guys to buy me drinks-- you want them to come up to you, not the other way around.  So they're making the move and they're buying.  So you sit nearby, and you make a little eye contact.  It's all body language.  Nobody wants to be rejected.  So you have to invite each other before anybody starts talking.  By then it doesn't matter much what you say unless you totally blow it.

Q. What do you normally do when a woman tries to get too close to you (physically/sexually)?

Ian:  

I say, “Sorry, I'm gay.”  That works.  I mean, it is weird sometimes when you get a friend who says she wants to be “just friends,” but she wants to be “just friends” in a real intense way.  You just have to be clear about things so you don't hurt anybody's feelings.  But I don't think that's just a gay thing.  I think everybody's had someone who was more into them than the other way around and it's not a lot of fun. 

Me: There go all the fantasies! *sigh*

Q.You mostly wear band tee-shirts! What is your favourite band?

Ian:  

I like all kinds of stuff.  I'll go online and search around, I don't care if it's new or old.  Right now I'm listening to The XX and sort of vegging out.  Churchill is good for relaxing too. I just have a crazy mix of stuff on my ipod.  Audioslave, The Killers, Muse. Misfits, Black Keys.  Soundgarden. The Thermals.  Of Monsters and Men.  Feeder.  The Neighbourhood.  Seether.  Massive Attack.  Nirvana.  Beatles.  Bowie.  Psychedelic 60s stuff.  I've got some Motown on there. I found this band called The Rake's Progress I'm sort of into now.  They had an album called Cheese Food Prostitute, so you've gotta love that.  I like the song “When I Kiss Her.”  Sometimes I'll just buy a CD at a garage sale or something because I like the cover.  If it sucks you're only out like 50c. 

Q. What is your favourite pass-time?

Ian: 

I like music and old science fiction movies.  I don't like reading.  I don't like to sit still that long. But I like to talk to smart people.  I let them read the books and they can tell me what they read.

Q. Assuming you had the power to change only one thing about your life, what would you like to change?

Ian: 

I only get one?  That's no fair.  You realize I'm really fu... I mean, I'm really screwed up, right?  I absolutely need at least three wishes.  OK, If I only had one, it would have to be the alcoholism thing.  Drinking is fun.  It's social.  I'd like to be able to do it without totally falling off the wagon.  If I could wave a magic wand and make that possible, that's the thing I'd change. 

Me: Thank you so much for being here and sharing your thoughts and experiences with us, Ian!

Ian: 

Thanks for letting me ramble.

Anytime, Ian! 

Me: I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye, but I wish you have a life filled with happiness and great times ahead! God bless, and we hope to see you at The Readdicts another time! 

I hope you loved Ian and his answers as much as I did! 
Author Laura Lee has also done a Character Interview post with Paul. 

Sarika