Contests, reviews and updates

Hello peeps!

I'm back before the end of the month, which in itself is a miracle. :)

So let me hit you with some news. First, I've qualified for the top five in the Unwritten 'Love at first sight contest'. Which means I have the chance to win some yummy amazon gift certificate to buy books. So, why not hop on over and vote (for me or for whomever you like). Here's the link: contest.

In other news, I've received another contract offering for Hunters. As flattering as that is, I'll have to tell them it's taken already. And speaking of which... I can't wait to see what cover they'll be cooking up for me :D

Now let's get to the point. I've been owing people some reviews of books. So, today, I'm going to give you my short thoughts on Rae of Hope by Wanita May.

Standard disclaimer: The opinions to follow are my own and you should keep in mind that different people have different tastes.

I read this book maybe a month ago.

The basic story is that Rae Kerrigan (loved the name) is enlisted in an exclusive boarding school for people with special talents. She doesn't know she has a special talent, but discovers it when she gets there. At the age of 16, she would sprout a tattoo(tatu) which gives her super powers. Also, she finds out that her father was kinda evil and her mother set fire to their house to kill her father (I guess that's a bit of a spoiler).
Rae tries to get used to this world and adapt, and also prove that she's not like her father. Some events take place and Rae learns to use her powers and trust herself.

As a whole, I liked this story. The concept was interesting and the writing flowed well. It was easy to get yourself lost in Rae's world. Also, the whole tatu thing was an awesome idea. The school was well thought out and easy to imagine.

There were some things in there that sort of bugged me as well. For instance, there is very little detail on what happened at their training courses. Also, there was a jumble of characters I found hard to keep track of, especially because most of them seemed to be acting the same.
Also, at some times I couldn't connect with Rae. Though she was mostly a nice girl and good character, the thing with Devon sort of bugged me - especially since she hated his girlfriend without any objective reason.
I found that bit a little unbelievable as well. Devon and his girlfriend had been together for a long time - couples like that don't just break up without a real reason.

As a conclusion to this rant, Rae of Hope is an enjoyable read. It makes me want to read the next book in the series and see where the author will take the story.

My rating for it:  3.5 stars

Well, this is it for now. I have more reviews to do, but I'll have to find more time. Meanwhile, check out Mysti's contest ;)

See ya!

February

I kinda miss you guys :) Just wanted you to know that.

I'm nearing the end of exam session on my Master's course, and only have one project to go. Work is going just a tiny bit better, but eats up even more of my time - hence, I get less critting done. And I'm sorry, since I really enjoy the novels I'm reading.

I'm still editing Grace bit by bit. Also, I have some book reviews to do and I'll try to get them done soon. The two books I have in mind are Rae of Hope by Wanita May and The Calling by Ashely Lynn Willis. - They're both worth it, so if you haven't read them yet, you should if you get a chance.

In other news... hmmm, I don't really have much other news. Except that my country is going to blow up. :D It's actually pretty fun. It's hella cold here - like -25 degrees Celsius and getting to work is a bit of a bitch. Roads are snowed, people snowed in and cars stuck in parking lots. Also, the prime minister just quit and it's like mega-political crisis down here. Also, people have been protesting in the streets to bring down the president in... I think over 3 weeks. Almost a month. I lose track of things sometimes. I do watch the news, but you can't actually believe half the stuff those guys say :p

Other than that... I guess I'm okay. I've bought my wedding dress, veil and shoes and I'm pretty excited about that. Can't wait to have a party.

I also can't wait to see the cover my publisher cooked up for my book. I don't know when that will happen, but I'll let you all know as soon as possible. You can bet! :D

These are my updates for now. I really wish I had more time to visit all the blogs I usually read and leave some comments. Jay, just so you know, I read all of yours ;) Ditto Mysti.

Signing off for now - hope to get back here soon enough.