Greetings + Winner Announcement

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas! How's the holidays going for you? In the Philippines, Christmas is pretty crazy mainly because it's the time of the year for everyone in the family to get together and celebrate. This year, our Christmas is a little quiet and hot but the important thing is it's peaceful and we get to spend quality time with each other.

This day also marks the end of my blogoversary giveaway and I've already contacted the winner. So who's the lucky one? It's... *drumrolls*

Congratulations! I've sent an email and I'm just waiting for the confirmation. Thank you for everyone who entered. You made my 1st ever blogoversary special. Thank you, thank you so much!

Now let's get back to the festivities, shall we? Ho, ho, ho. ;)

The Unfailing Light Blog Tour Kick Off: Review + Giveaway

Read (September 23, 2012)

Book: The Unfailing Light (The Katerina Trilogy #2) by Robin Bridges

Publishing Date: October 9, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte BFYR

Number of Pages: 320

Genre/s: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical Fiction

Lush and opulent, romantic and sinister, "The Unfailing Light, " Volume II in The Katerina Trilogy, reimagines the lives of Russia's aristocracy in a fabulously intoxicating and page-turning fantasy.

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in. - (source)

“I believe you can create the life you want, Katiya. You are strong enough to make all of your dreams come true.” - taken from an uncorrected ARC 

I've always admired Katerina. She is strong-willed and compassionate. Her dream of becoming a doctor to help and heal others is all the more inspiring because it's very uncommon in her time and for someone of nobility. Other girls her age think of nothing but balls, gowns and only ambitions to marry someone rich and powerful. But Katerina also has a dark gift and despite her efforts not to be involved with the continuously rising dispute in the St. Petersburg's royal courts, she always finds herself dragged in the middle of it all. Everybody just wants to use her. Amidst all of this, Katerina struggles to remain untouched by darkness and this just made her truly endearing. 

One of the many positive qualities of The Unfailing Light is its ability to enthrall its readers with its atmosphere. Imperial Russia is depicted as regal and majestic but it is also sinister and foreboding and boasts quite a number of paranormal creatures that would scare the living wit out of an unknowing, oblivious ordinary person. It's still hard to keep track of the lineages and who's who but the mystery that was sustain all throughout the book just made The Unfailing Light such a thrilling read.

Katerina's time back in Smolny Institute was definitely one of my favorite parts. I kept trying to guess what's really happening, who to trust, who's behind it all as Katerina attempts to appease the uncontrollable, vehement presence to protect her friends.

We also get to see more of Katerina's power. It's getting stronger and with it Katerina seems to be evolving, too. She's still the same stubborn yet kindhearted girl but she's growing to become someone formidable. Her relationship with George progresses as well. Their secret meetings and stolen kisses were surprisingly enough to make me giddy and lighthearted.

In The Gathering Storm, Bridges introduced us to Imperial Russia in all its glory but we quickly learned that behind all the glamour and curtsies, power struggles exist. In this second installment, the conspiracy and deceit was as palpable as ever. But like in the first book, the ending left me a little frustrated and somewhat disgruntled. Bridges really has a knack to end her books in a way that will left her readers wanting more. 

Overall, The Unfailing Light is a strong, compelling read. Full of intrigue and magic, The Unfailing Light is as enchanting as its predecessor.

Cupid's Verdict:

4 Cupids

A copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review.

***

I am very honored to be kicking off this blog tour and I'm offering a copy to one lucky reader courtesy of the wonderful people from Random House Kids. This giveaway is open to US only. Sorry international peeps! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By day, Robin Bridges is a mild-mannered writer of fantasy and paranormal fiction for young adults. By night, she is a pediatric nurse. Robin lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband, one soon-to-be teenager, and two slobbery mastiffs. She likes playing video games and watching Jane Austen movies. (If only there was a Jane Austen video game!) The Katerina Trilogy began with the The Gathering Storm and continues with The Unfailing Light.

You can find Robin Bridges here: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

***

Here are the rest of the stops. Don't forget to drop by! ;)

~September 25th: Casey’s Crew

~September 26th: Much Ado About Books

~September 26th: The Streetlight Reader

~September 27th: Infinite Reads

~September 28th: The Hiding Spot

~September 29th: Girls *Heart* Books

~October 1st: Mom Reads My Books

~October 2nd: Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

~October 2nd: The Book Review Club

~October 3rd: The Book Review Club

~October 4th: Kimba Caffeinated

~October 4th: My Life is a Notebook

~October 5th: My Life is a Notebook

~October 6th: Candace’s Book Blog

~October 7th: Reader Girls

~October 8th: Bookish

~October 8th: Peace, Love, Books

~October 9th: YA Bibliophile

~October 9th: Reader Girls

~October 10th: Wastepaper Prose

~October 10th: Imaginary Reads

~October 11th: Imaginary Reads

~October 12th: Well Read Wife

~October 15th: Libby Blog

~October 16th: Cracking the Cover

~October 17th: A Bookish Libraria

~October 18th: A Novel Review

~October 19th: In the Best Worlds

~October 20th: Tripping Over Books

Under the Sea Giveaway Hop: 9/14-9/20

Welcome to Under the Sea giveaway hop featuring books with mermaids, sirens, or anything water-related. This is hosted by Kathy of  I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Amber of The Musings of ALMYBNENR. This will last from September 14 to September 20th, 2012.

Here are the books you can win. All of them are linked to Goodreads to help you choose. ;)

Monstrous Beauty | Breathless | Of Poseidon | Everblue | Lies Beneath

Vicious Deep | Between the Sea and Sky | Forgive My Fins | Lullaby

This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to your country for free. There will be ONE winner. I will contact the winner via email and the winner must respond within 48 hours or another winner will be picked. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone and happy hopping! :)

Awesome Giveaways!

These are just some exciting giveaways you should know about. All of these accept international entries.

From The Midnight Garden:

1 Hardback of The Girl of Fire and Thorns and an ARC of The Crown of Embers

From Flipping Through The Pages:

8 Awesome YA releases

From Book Probe Reviews:

2 Signed Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (1 Aus/1 Int)

So what are you waiting for? Fabulous prizes awaits. Enter now! :)

Comeback giveaway!

As promise, here's the giveaway! These are some of the April/May titles I'm most anticipating.  You can choose from any of them as long as the Book Depository ships to your country.  One winner will get to choose one book from these titles:

 Sweet Evil | The Last Princess | The False Prince | Struck | Bitterblue

Unraveling | The Immortal Rules | Masque of the Red Death | I Hunt Killers | Kill Me Softly

Black Heart | Grave Mercy | Insurgent | Take A Bow | Of Poseidon

All titles are linked up to Goodreads to help you choose. So choose well and good luck! Click read more to see the rafflecopter form.

THGReadAThon Guest Post: The Reading Fever

We're now on the 3rd leg of our THGReadAThon! I do hope you guys are having fun! Can you believe we only have 12 days to go (9 days for us!) before the movie comes out! I can't hardly wait but for now let me present one of my best-admired bloggers in the blogoverse. I've been a fan of hers long before I even started blogging and I know how much she loves The Hunger Games so I was extremely excited that she accepted to be part of our event. Without further a do, may I now present, Penelope from The Reading Fever! 

Why I Love The Hunger Games

by Penelope Lolohea

I have started this post many times, only to erase everything I have typed up. How on Earth do I explain why I love The Hunger Games so much? How does one put the feelings I get when I read it, into words? 

But that’s just it--The Hunger Games makes me feel something every single time I read it. This is a series that captures the reality of things; the intense love of a sister; the brutal events of the actual games; the cold indifference of those in the capitol; the realistic look at where we could find ourselves in the future; even the sad hilarity of jokes, at times when jokes are uncalled for. This is a series that captures it all, in a way that allows me to experience it--not as a reader, but as what feels like first-hand.

No matter how you spin it, The Hunger Games is defined by three things: war, love, and survival. Everything else is open to your interpretation, but these three basic things are defined over and over again in each book. The characters and their circumstances are so easy to connect to, it allows us as readers to experience events just as they do--even if we have never experienced such things before. And with war comes tragedies, loss, humiliation, hate, and anger. With love comes peace, strength, hope, and joy. And with survival comes determination, sacrifice, and a renewed sense of self. 

So that’s why I love The Hunger Games; because of everything it allows me to experience--good and bad--and the way I feel afterward. It’s the camaraderie you feel when you’ve been through strong experiences with other people. It’s that camaraderie I feel with each character in The Hunger Games series. We’ve been through something. We are strong. 

We are the Mockingjay, and together, we took down the Capitol.

That’s why I love The Hunger Games.

***

Well said, very well said Penelope! And because she couldn't get anymore awesome, she's giving away something that makes me want to just corrupt you all and grab it for myself. But I'm not like the Capitol that's why I have the decency not to do that.

One winner will get a chance to win a $10 RUE giftcard from Fandango. It's open internationally and will run until March 22, 2012. Only one entry is mandatory but there are extra entries to increase your chances of winning. So good luck! May the odds be ever in your favor. :)

Random Ramblings (10): Just thought I'd let you know + Giveaway Winners!

Help! I'm stuck. 

I am so ashamed because I'm saying this again.

I will probably sound like a broken record right now.

And because of that I am deeply sorry...

I will be on a hiatus next week.

There, I said it. Mad? Don't worry I'll be suffering for the next 10 days as well so I think that will even things out.

The sitch

We're going to have our preliminary examinations and submission of our Chapter 2 for our thesis next week. I have to concentrate on this because our courses are extra difficult this semester and I honestly believe I hardly learned anything so I have to study more to compensate with my empty head. The thesis? Ugh. Just mentioning it give me the creeps.

After that, I think I have a clear schedule ahead. So I'm going to make up for all the days I've been gone.

On a much happier note, I am going to announce the winners in my first ever giveaway. I celebrated my 100th follower milestone as well as my 3rd month blogoversary, and I seriously can thank you guys enough for making the Giveaway Extravaganza a success. Over 1800+ entries were collected and your overwhelming support will definitely lead to another giveaway in the future. ;)

So without further ado, here are the winners!

Giveaway Alert!: By Evie-Bookish and Literary Exploration and Sparkling Reviews

I am presenting 2 3 giveaways! :)

First stop: Evie-Bookish's International Box of Books Giveaway.

I am so excited about this. This is extremely big. Like enormous! And one lucky winner will take it all. I'll keep my fingers crossed about this. I badly want to win. This will run until March 1 and is open internationally. 

What you can win? Behold... 

To enter click here.

2nd stop: Literary Exploration's 800 Follower Giveaway

Anna of Literary Exploration has reached a very big milestone and to celebrate and give thanks she is doing this fun-filled giveaway. :D
Grand Prize Winner:A mystery box of books and swag!UPDATE: Upon reaching 900 followers she announced ONE item that will be in the box - A SIGNED copy of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.UPDATE: When she reached 950 followers she announced another item that will be in the box - A SIGNED copy of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.
2nd Place Winner:UPDATE: She managed to reach 1,000 followers. Because of this, someone else will win a little something! It won't be a big mystery box like the grand prize winner, but it will be some swag and maybe a couple of books!
Great prizes, right? This is open to US residence only. To enter click here. 
UPDATE!
3rd stop: Another awesome giveaway by Sparkling Reviews! :) 
Looking for new Mac? Look no further! Enter Sparkling Reviews' 13in MacBook Air and Apple Giveaway. 
Big giveaway right? For the whole info and how to enter, go here. 

Giveaway Extravaganza (OPEN INT)

I've been blogging for three months now as of today, January 1, 2012, and Cupid(He's right there, watching you and flying around) and I are very much grateful for all of you for welcoming us. I've met a lot of fantabulous people that made blogging this year really fun and meaningful. And to celebrate my 3rd Month Blogoversary and for reaching 100 followers (I made it! Oh yeah!) I'm going to host my very first giveaway.

What's up for grabs?

Pack 1: My favorite books last year.

Finnikin of the Rock / Unearthly / Where She Went / Daughter of Smoke and Bone / Feed

Pack 2: Already published books that I'm dying to read.

Divergent / Anna Dressed In Blood / A Monster Calls / Chasing Brooklyn / Lola and the Boy Next Door / Flat-Out Love / Liesl & Po / Shatter Me

Pack 3: Upcoming January releases

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight / Under the Never Sky / Cinder / Everneath / The Fault in Our Stars / Incarnate / Hallowed / A Million Suns 

Giveaway Terms and Condition

To enter, you have to be at least 13 years old and a follower of Smitten over Books via GFC. There are also extra entries to increased your chances of winning. Two (2) winners will get to choose one (1) book from the Pack of their choice. You can enter as long as The Book Depository ships to your country for free. To see whether TBD ships to your country, you can check here.

This giveaway will start from January 1, 2012 and will end on February 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM EST. Winners will be notified via e-mail and has 48 hours to claim their prizes. If the winner has not responded within the time allotted, a new winner will be picked. 

Note: I am not responsible for any damaged or lost books in the mail. Also, please do not leave any contact information i.e., email address in the comment section. 

***Remember to verify your email subscription for your entry to be valid. And I'd like to reiterate that the prize is 1 book in your Pack of choice. Not the whole pack. As much as I love you guys, I can't start the year broke. :))

Enter below and Good Luck! :)

Click Read More to see the Rafflecopter form.