Posts By: Heather

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Review-Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

28 Jan, 2010 by in etsy, sisters red 1 comment

Published by Little Brown
Release date June 7, 2010
336 pages
4 stars

Some of the other handmade Little Red items currently on Etsy

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris– the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax– but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they’ve worked for- Goodreads

I received this book while it was on an ARC tour from KatieB of Mundie Moms. From the first scene Silas is introduced, I knew he was a keeper…the woodsy scent, hard work ethic, kindness and life long friendship that he encompassed is a sure draw. Who wouldn’t want to fall in love with a woodsman who comes to your rescue and encourages you to take community ed origami?

Rosie and Scarlett are tough axe swinging women of the modern day twist to an old fashioned fairy tale. Standing up to the Fenris and defending other girls from the attacks they suffered as children, they are two hearts that act as one. I truly enjoyed this book, but must way it was a little violent for me…should have watched Jackson Pearce’s video description to prepare me for the dismembered arm 🙂 It is an amazing read which explores sisterhood, family, independence and love.

SISTERS RED currently has at two companion books, SWEETLY(#2) and FATHOMLESS (#3)

Check out Jackson Pearce’s website at http://watchmebe.livejournal.com/516029.html

Check out our wolf book hook http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37932850 and other sisters red items in the Etsy shop.

Here Jackson Pearce tells about Sisters Red in a video filmed by Castergirls

Waiting on Wednesday "Spells"

27 Jan, 2010 by in Spells 3 comments

Summary From Aprilynne Pike’s website:
Spells, the sequel to Aprilynne Pike’s #1 New York Times best-selling debut, continues the story of a not-so-ordinary girl named Laurel.

“I can’t just storm in and proclaim my intentions. I cant ‘steal’ you away. I just have to wait and hope that, someday, you’ll ask,” Tamani said.

“And if I don’t?” Laurel said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Then I guess I’ll be waiting forever.”

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger–and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable? Available from HarperTeen on May 4, 2010.

Praise for Spells

“Spells is brilliant and lovely. Aprilynne Pike’s talent just continues to bloom and I am almost afraid to see how awesome her next book will be.”

–Carrie Jones, author of the New York Times best-selling Need and Captivate

While we are waiting check out our Wings inspired jewelry in the Etsy store and watch these fun videos on Aprilynne’s first novel, Wings…

Too Cool For Tuesday Giveaway

26 Jan, 2010 by in free stuff, giveaway, toys 54 comments

Normally I do a Freebie Friday, but the little girl inside of me just couldn’t wait! I was our looking for nesting Russian matryoshka dolls when I found these cuter than cute plastic ones! A fortune cookie that opens with a fortune inside for Cyn Balog’s “Fairy Tale”, a tiny fairy and glitter pixie dust for all of my fave fairy books, and a real nesting doll for “Dreaming Anastasia.” I am giving them all to the winner with your choice of charm necklace or bracelet to hang them on and some real fortune cookies to munch on.

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Contest ends February 4th and is open Internationally Good Luck!!!

Dreaming Anastasia

26 Jan, 2010 by in review, Sourcebook Jabberwocky, YA historicla fiction 1 comment


published September 1st 2009 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

details Paperback, 310 pages

isbn 1402218176

Summary from Goodreads “Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn’t. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn’t know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

The premise of this book is fascinating and deeply rooted in Russian history and folklore. What really happened to Anastasia Romanov the day her family was shot and killed during the Russian Revolution? Who is Baba Yaga the mystical witch who haunts Anne’s modern day dreams and why is she keeping the Princess captive?
I must say reading this book got me fascinated in the facts behind the fiction. It also had elements which I love…the talking matroyshka doll, dance, family roots and the story of brave Vasilisa plus an old woman in the forest, much like our Hansel and Gretel.

Images from Wikipedia.

Ethan was a great hero. I am not myself drawn to Marlboro smoking, vodka drinking, stand offish men…but I think he captured the essence of his pre-cold war Russian ancestors. And he does have that mystique, the beautiful blue eyes and the pull of Anne’s dreams which drew me in. I was a little disappointed by the peripheral sexual talk. In my opinion it really did not add to the plot in any way and could have just been left out.

Other than that, though, “Dreaming Anastasia” adds a very interesting twist to history that made me want to learn more. And I can’t wait to make some new stuff to go with it! I would give it three stars.

"Darklight" by Lesley Livingston

24 Jan, 2010 by in review, YA ficiton Leave a comment

published by HarperTeen
Released December 22nd 2009

Hardcover, 312 pages
4 stars

Summary from Goodreads “Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom…or part them forever.

The fans who flocked to Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange will fall hard for Darklight, the soaringly romantic second book in the trilogy. Breathless high stakes and vividly magical characters make this a can’t-miss fantasy for readers of Melissa Marr and Holly Black.”

Summary from Harper Teen “

Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .

For seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow, faeries are just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery, whose steel-gray eyes mask an equally steely determination to protect her.

Sonny guards the Samhain Gate, which connects the mortal realm with the Faerie’s enchanted, dangerous Otherworld. Usually kept shut by order of icy King Auberon, the Gate stands open but once a year.

This year, as the time approaches when the Samhain Gate will swing wide and nightmarish Fae will fight their way into an unsuspecting human world, something different is happening . . . something wondrous and strange. And Kelley’s eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her but to the heritage that awaits her.

Now Kelley must navigate deadly Faerie treachery—and her growing feelings for Sonny—in this dazzling page-turner filled with luminous romance.

Wondrous Strange is a richly layered tale of love between faerie and mortal, betrayal between kings and queens, and magic . . . between author and reader.”

I just put this book down after tearing through it in 24 hours. What amazing ride. I loved Wondrous Strange, the prequel, but I must say Darklight blew me away.

Kelley is plagued by dark dreams as she is separated from her new found warrior love, Sonny. She begins to see in night visions, his dark side and the power of destruction and loyalty which lies within his heart. Meanwhile, Sonny, a Janus warrior for the fairy King, is stuck fighting alone for his life in the fairy realm.

As Kelly is left in the mortal world, she seeks the comfort and protection of Sonny’s friends left behind. Danger lurks for them and her in Central Park as they step knee deep into a danger. The story uncovers Kelly’s deep rooted royal power., royal secrets from four fairy realms, hidden pasts and plots for murder. Darklight will have you on the edge of your seat with all of the plot twists and rich imagery. It is a tale woven with all you could ever imagine. Leprechauns, fairies, sirens, wolves and mortals become wrapped up in a battle that puts both human and fae worlds at risk.

Visit Lesley Livingston’s website here: http://www.lesleylivingston.com/home.html

Freebie Friday- Handmade Journals

22 Jan, 2010 by in etsy, free stuff, giveaway, scrapbooking, YA fiction 26 comments

YAY it is Friday…could NOT be happier! For our freebie we are giving away one handmade journal of your choice. To enter simply leave your emial address in the comments below. And watch for more new designs being added later today. Contest is open to International participants and will end February 5, 2010.

Additional entries:
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+2 for adding us as a friend on Goodreads
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Wondrous Strange By Lesley Livingston

21 Jan, 2010 by in review, Wondrous Strange 2 comments


published May 7th 2010 by HarperCollins Canada

details Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages

isbn 1554682746

17 year-old Kelley Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks… In this fun, urban fantasy, Kelley’s off-stage life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s plot twists when a nighttime trip to Central Park holds more than meets the mortal eye.

You probably have figured out by now that I really love books about fairies. What drew me into this debut novel by Lesley Livingston was the combination of Shakespeare, folklore, history, changelings,and spicy personalities. The rich artistic descriptions of the siren, “Lucky” the kelpie, the Hunt and faerie queen Titania paint a landscape of mythical magic inside New York’s Central Park. Sonny is tender with Kelley and the ending chapters speak from his point of view. Reading the saga unfolding made me wish i could visit Avalon, the Green and New York to peak for a portal myself. I am excited to read the sequel! 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Trailer Thursday Steam Punk Style

21 Jan, 2010 by in magic under glass, scott westerfield Leave a comment


Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date…Wikipedia

Trailer Thursday is a collection of my newest clock piece jewelry and some YA book trailers for “magic Under Glass” by Jaclyn Dolamore and “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfield. I wish I had a trailer for Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices, but alas…there isn’t one out yet. What is steam punk to you and what are your favorite books inspired by it?

Contest Winners

21 Jan, 2010 by in contest winners, giveaway 2 comments

Congrats @bookcrazyjen for winning our Frozen Fire giveaway! Send us your address to fireandice.heather@gmail.com and we will ship your book today.

Congrats @intlgiveaways Internaional Giveaways for winning our Sara Zarr Sweet Treats contest Graef family 2nd place and @umeplusone 3rd place. Winners have 48 hours to contact us 🙂

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