Cover Gush!

Boy, do I have A LOT of covers to gush about today! : )So sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures.

A Midsummer's Nightmare
Kody Keplinger
Other works by this author: Shut Out, The Duff

I haven't read anything by Kody Keplinger, though I want to. This is my favorite cover of hers so far. I love the mysterious aspect it has and the angst radiating from that girls face. This book sounds and looks absolutely fantabulous and I cannot wait to read it!

Blind Spot

Laura Ellen

I'm pretty sure this is a debut novel. I don't know why I love this cover so much. The eye is really pretty and dark and the tagline is mysterious. It's got a gritty feel to it.

City of Lost Souls
The Mortal Instruments #5
Cassandra Clare
Other works by this author: The other Mortal Instruments books and The Infernal Devices books.

OMG OMG OMG OMG. Fabulous. I cannot wait. It looks romantic and epic and OMG.

Darkest Knight

Knight's Curse #2

Karen Duvall

Other works by this author: Knight's Curse

I read the first book in this series, and though I wasn't absolutely in love with it, I am still looking forward to this sequel. I love this cover so much, it is absolutely stunning. Chalice, the girl on the cover, looks much more like a girl on this ne, though she is still really tough. I can totally sense the chaos that is going to be in this book with the dark colors and eerie tree branch in the corner. This is the type of cover I expect to be about gargoyles -- and what do you know? IT IS!

Deadly Hemlock
Hemlock #1
Kathleen Peacock

This is the UK cover to Kathleen's debut novel. I think that she was truly blessed with two gorgeous covers. Though I like the US cover better, this is still top notch. I love the wolf face in the trees and how the title just seems to jump out at you. This cover is kind of spooky and totally wonderful, and I really hope that the content inside is as great.



The Space Between Us

Jessica Martinez

Other works by this author: Virtuosity

OMG OMG OMG I absolutely adored Virtuosity, and I am so excited to see that Jessica Martinex has another book coming out. Honestly, I would have adored this cover even if it was nothing but a plain black rectangle, but it's actually really gorgeous. I can feel the tension seeping from both of them, along with regret and uncertainty, and I know that I will feel all of the same things from the characters.

Yesterday

C.K. Kelly Martin

Other works by this author: My Teenage Beating Heart, The Lighter Side of Life and Death, One Lonely Degree, I Know It's Over

I haven't read anything by this author, and I had never even heard of this book, but when I saw the cover I knew it was a book I have to read! This cover is my favorite of all of the ones I posted today. It's got a dark, eerie feeling to it, and it is just so frickin epic. It's very rare that books with all of these different details and sci-fi aspects is photoshopped really well, but this is absolutely fantastic!

So what do you think of these covers? Which one is your favorite, and which covers make you want the book NOW!?

Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall (REVIEW)

Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall

Genre: Urban Fantasy - Publisher: Luna - Publication date: August 23, 2011 - Format: eBook - Pages: 315 - Source: NetGalley

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin— her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life. (Goodreads.com)

I don't read a lot of adult books. There's not much of a reason for it except that I'm a teen and I like reading about teens. But I read (Read: Stalk) Karen Duvall's blog and I'll admit, I was ferociously excited for this book. When I saw it on NetGalley, I sort of flipped and had to get it.

Now, this book definitely has a debut feel to it. I'm not saying that debut books are bad or any worse than books written by an author who has multiple books under his or her belt. I'm just saying that this book has a lot of room for improvement and progression that will be achieved by experience.

From the very beginning, I was very intrigued by the premise and Chalice's, the protagonist, abilities. Throughout the entire story, though, I felt like something was missing. It wasn't until the very end that I realized what it was. There's sort of a lack of tension in this book. Sure, Chalice faces tons of obstacles but I feel like the solution is just two easy and there's not enough consequences. The other thing that felt wrong, to me, about this book was that the world was a little lackluster. I could tell that there were loads of awesome aspects of the world, like a living person that is in pieces and talks, but I didn't really feel their awesomeness.

I loved the plot. I loved it. Loved it. Loveeeeed it. I thought it was super original and fun. I mean, how many books do you get to read about gargoyles!? There were some parts in the book that I honestly wasn't expecting and I was absolutely stunned by the different ways that Duvall incorporated some unique supernatural aspects.

As for the characters. I feel like there was a lot of growth for Chalice, but to me it seemed like every change was sort of nonchalant. She finds out this big news and she struggles with it for a little while but then she just accepts it. That kind of fits in with the lack of tension. I liked her a lot, though. She was spunky and tough and smart. All good qualities in a heroine. Now Aydin. Hmm. I loved him. I'm not particularly fangirl for him, but he was a really good character to read. He's sweet and smart and nice. All good qualities in a love interest.

This book didn't really keep my undivided interest. It could be because I was reading it on my computer and I kept getting distracted by that shiny little thing called the internet. But I did want to find out what happens and how it ends! I'd say it's an even-paced book that was light and easy to read.

I wouldn't say this book blew me away, but I'll certainly be looking out for the sequel! I feel like many people could enjoy this, but to me it seemed just a little bland.

• Gargoyles. I cannot get over that. They weren't just random, either. The gargoyles had a major part in the plot, considering Chalice runs a huge risk of becoming one. I've never ever read a book with gargoyles in it before.
• Consistency. Chalice has unique abilities and Karen Duvall doesn't forget that. Those abilities come in handy for almost every scene and while they help her a lot, they can also be really inconvenient.

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