Shadowland by Alyson Noel

Shadowland by Alyson Noel

Release Date: 11/17/09
Publishers: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 339
Overall:

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world's darkest enemies—so they could be together forever. But just as their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen...one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into a bleak afterlife in the Shadowland, an eternal abyss for lost souls. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source...Jude Knight.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her soul mate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them from the darkness inhabiting his soul, Ever's connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before...

In Shadowland, Ever is in a tough spot. She can't do what she wants to do most. She can't kiss her beautiful soulmate Damen, or even touch him for that matter, in the fear of their DNA mixing. Because if that were to ever happen, he would die, despite him being immortal. And leaving Ever alone is what he wants to prevent from happening.

While I thought the book was going to be fully about Ever and Damen trying to find the cure to their problem, it wasn't, because there were so many more things occuring. Things that took too much attention away from the both of them, making it ever harder to focus on the fact that they can't touch each other without clothing or energy between them. Like the twins for instance. Due to special circumstances, they must now live with Damen for an unknown amount of time. Or Ever's new job, the one that her aunt told her she needed to have. Or her young, green-eyed boss, Jude, someone she feels connected to even though they've just met. Their biggest threat, though, is Roman, the very reason they can't be truly together.

So many twists and turns were in Shadowland, and I almost couldn't keep up! I have never been more unexpectedly surprised by an author. Noel knows exactly how to keep me enthralled in her books. I can only imagine what she has instore for Dark Flame, the next in the series.

Shadowland is purely mesmerizing. A book with a little bit of everything in it— romance, suspense, friendship, and immortality—all meshed together to create a mind-blowing combination. Only the next book in the series will satisfy my need to know what will happen next. I simply cannot wait!

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In My Mailbox (23)

Hey everybody :) I got some really good ones this week from Barnes and Noble. So, read on...

Shadowland by Alyson Noel
I really like this series, and was so surprised when I opened the book. Wonder why? Cause I'm in it! Well, my quote is! It's on the first page at the bottom. I'm sooooooo happy about it, and was so happy when I saw it :)

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world's darkest enemies—so they could be together forever. But just as their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen...one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into a bleak afterlife in the Shadowland, an eternal abyss for lost souls. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source...Jude Knight.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her soul mate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them from the darkness inhabiting his soul, Ever's connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before...

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

(I have already read this and am currently writing a review,

so maybe after I send out all of the books I need to, I'll host a contest for it)

Star-crossed lovers Lucas and Bianca are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross vampire hunters but also by the powerful vampires of Evernight, when Bianca learns that her destiny is tied to that of the wraiths.

Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz

(Review here. I bought the purty hardcover.)

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, a new boy at school who had a very mysterious gift – psychometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry and experiencing strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow been transferred to her.

Ben returns to school, but he remains aloof, and Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Camelia makes the painful decision to let him go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at Knead, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events uncovers secrets from Ben’s past – and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who – before it's too late.

What did you receive this week?

Shadowland Cover + Summary

Shadowland by Alyson Noel!
Release Date: November 24, 2009

At the start of this breathtaking novel, Damen and Ever travel to Summerland in search of an antidote to reverse a powerful poison. But instead of the cure they seek, they find something far more sinister: the truth about their existence and the fate lying in wait of an immortal’s soul.

Now, with Damen fighting to save them from the Shadowland, Ever turns to magick, hoping to break Damen’s curse. Along the way Ever encounters the mysterious Jude, finding herself drawn to him in a way that will test her love for Damen like never before . . .

Oh my goodness. This is gorgeous! Does anyone else want to jump around in circles screaming like a fangirl with me? Jump away...

In My Mailbox (12)

I love getting books in the mail or from the store. I mean who doesn't? Well, this week has been just great. I got to get books that I've been wanting for a long time! I love all these new releases! Anyone else? In my mailbox this week...


Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

(HB/Feiwel & Friends/July 7, 2009)

All her world's a stage. Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater. She's not an orphan, but she has no parents. She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own. That is, until now.

Enter Stage Right.

NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.

COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE'S sidekicks.
ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie's weakness. The symbol of impending doom.

BERTIE. Our heroine.

Welcome to the Theatre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Theatre by The Book--an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family--and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Open Curtain

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

(SB/St. Martin's Press/July 7, 2009)

Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning.

In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must choose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day...

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog (ARC has Fairy Lust on it!)
(ARC/Random House Children's Books/June 23, 2009)

A captivating and witty dark fantasy that will have girls lusting after it.

Morgan Sparks has always known that she and her boyfriend, Cam, are made for each other. But when Cam’s cousin Pip comes to stay with the family, Cam seems depressed. Finally Cam confesses to Morgan what’s going on: Cam is a fairy. The night he was born, fairies came down and switched him with a healthy human boy. Nobody expected Cam to live, and nobody expected his biological brother, heir to the fairy throne, to die. But both things happened, and now the fairies want Cam back to take his rightful place as Fairy King.

Even as Cam physically changes, becoming more miserable each day, he and Morgan pledge to fool the fairies and stay together forever. But by the time Cam has to decide once and for all what to do, Morgan’s no longer sure what’s best for everyone, or whether her and Cam’s love can weather an uncertain future.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (signed!)
(ARC/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/October 13, 2009/)

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Sleepless by Thomas Fahy
(ARC/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/August 11, 2009)

Emma Montgomery has been having trouble sleeping. Whenever she closes her eyes, all she can see are the horrible nightmares...nightmares of gruesome murder. And she's not alone. All of the students of Dr. Beecher's secret society have been having terrible dreams and sleepwalking. Now, as their classmates start turning up dead, Emma and her friends race against the clock to keep themselves awake and find out what is causing them to kill in their sleep -before the next victim dies.

I got a great bundle this week! Since I already have a copy of Sleepless, I'll be giving it away in a contest soon, so watch out for that! What did everyone else get?

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning.

In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must choose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day...

BLUE MOON is a wonderfully written sequel full of love, hate, anger, and sadness all-in-one. One of the best books I've read this year.

The hilariously entertaining characters are all back, with a new character on the loose. While Ever and Damen themselves and their friends add little sparks to each of the pages in which they are mentioned, this new character doesn't. He irks me, and his hidden agenda is not really surprising but very threatening.

Just like EVERMORE, BLUE MOON's pace is rather fast, and it just makes me love the books even more, because it keeps the suspense high and the urge to read further imminent.

The writing is probably one of the best things about book - the whole series - because it's so well done and crafted beautifully! Whenever I read this series, I always sort of just drift off into it's contents.

With immortal lovers, trustworthy friends, betraying furtune tellers, and freaky identical twins, what more could you ask for? BLUE MOON has me begging for SHADOWLAND! I can't wait for the next in the series.

Ratings:

Writing: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Waiting on Wednesday

Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning.

In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must choose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day...

Okay, seriously, who isn't waiting for this? I'm pretty much stating the obvious, but nonetheless, I am posting it, because I can't wait!

The cover is immensely gorgeous and I know that it'll be just as amazing, if not better than its prequel! Is anyone else waiting for this? If not, what are you waiting for?