Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (22)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 

(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)

Bagged:
Secrets by Liz Schulte
Amazon Freebie

Firefly: A Celebration by Joss Whedon
Birthday present from Fraser

This week on Northern Plunder:
Monday Mix Up: Lockout & Birthday Giveaway
Cover Reveal & Giveaway: His Black Wings
Wishlist Wednesday
Follow Friday

In Other News:
Gah, seriously check out the Firefly book, I was crying when I opened it cause I had no idea that Fraser had ordered it for me *o* such a beauty, I'm going to take over a year to read it because its just spectacular. I'm not far off finishing watching S7 of Supernatural either and I have a few reviews planned out for the next week hooray! Oh don't forget I have two giveaways on going (links above of course) and as always we're looking to bring on some reviewers to Northern Plunder.

Follow Friday (25)

Q. What is the BIGGEST word you've seen used in a book lately - that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition and the book too.

A. Honestly? I never look up words when I don't understand them, all I do is stop and read the words again in case I misread it and then I'll continue reading the sentence and by the end of said sentence it normally makes sense, if it doesn't then I'll just read the full sentence and BAM! It'll make sense. I'm just a little slow at times. So unfortunately I don't have a large word, definition or book to share with you *o*

Wishlist Wednesday (16)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

Whilst I've read all of the Harry Potter books before I actually only own the last one or two I believe! I know how terrible?

GR: Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy. He lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley, who make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. Then Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and his life is changed for ever. He is whisked away by a beetle-eyed giant of a man and enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard!

 
Also please if interested check out our current application for becoming a reviewer at Northern Plunder

Cover Reveal: His Black Wings & Giveaway

Astrid Yrigollen

Astrid Yrigollen is a self published author of young adult and children's books. Astrid started her writing career when she begun work for the international video game giant, Sega of America. Working her way up the ranks, she began writing companion guides for games. With a love for writing fiction since childhood, she took her short stories out of storage and had her first story ever written published. It was only after that she found out that first stories are never published! She has resumed writing full time and has succeeded in putting out the titles, The Doughnut Tree, Mysterious Pootkins, and The Mosswoods--to name a few. Her short stories have appeared in the literary journal of Threshold Press and Shock and Awe Magazine. 

GR | Facebook| Twitter | Website

His Black Wings

His Black Wings is...

Beauty and the Beast set in the future during a Victorian era revival. 

The Grand Council has brought the world peace, but will it last?

Malice, revenge and lust are not easily defeated...

Claren Maidstone has been forced to flee her childhood home, following the death of her parents and a vicious attack from a man who intends to marry her. 

She assumes a new identity and finds employment as an assistant to the handsome, Fredrick Lowood. However, Fredrick's generosity isn't without a price and Claren soon finds herself forced into a strange friendship with his disfigured son. 

Unaware of how Claren's past entwines with his own, 

Etrigan Lowood begins to yearn for her love. 

Unfortunately, the past is not far behind.

Is his love for Claren enough? 

Or will Etrigan remain alone with his black wings...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Mix Up: Birthday Giveaway & Lockout

Whilst Northern Plunder is primarily a book blog and most of the readers are indeed book lovers, every now and then something else happens in my life which I just have to talk about or need to share with others, when a time like this arises I will post about the subject on a Monday, and thus Monday Mix Up was born.

"A man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates."

I recently watched Lockout which stars Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace and needless to say it left me wanting to voice my opinion on it. For a movie that was released this year its a little odd that there is a chase scene at the start that last about 5 minutes which looks like it was done about 10 years ago and is part of a game, it was terrible... yet considering this I'd still recommend the movie to those who enjoy these type of movies regardless of how bad the initial CGI was because the rest of the storyline was really good and it deserved a lot more attention that it received - I say this cause not many of my movie buff friends chose to watch it.

Now for the main news! A week ago it was my birthday, and because I'm super lovely I decided to host a giveaway where one lucky follower can win a choice of their own book from The Book Depository/Amazon for £15 or under, of course you have to be a follower to enter and no multiple entries allowed. I held of posting this for a week knowing that I'd be the Follow Friday so I figured the more people here the merrier :D Have fun guys.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (21)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 

(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)

Bagged:
The Colour of Magic by Terry Prachett
Paperback, gifted (RAK) by Bex

End of Faith by Rena Willemin
Paperback, for review from author

Supernatural: Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting by David Reed and The Mythology of Supernatural by Nathan Robert Brown
Birthday presents from Dad

This week on Northern Plunder:

Review: Insurgent

Follow Friday

In other news:

Its been a slow week I know, but it was my birthday on Monday and I basically spent the whole week celebrating with my friends in a none-typical kind of way (no seriously I'm talking about Google hangouts and playing a bunch of multi-player games) excuse how lame my 19th was but I had a tonne of fun! If you want to see what my boyfriend got me check out the video below [EDIT: I keep adding in the correct video but for whatever reason its showing the wrong one so click HERE to see what I got - its Borderlands 2 not LoTR], such a good game! :D Oh and I was a feature for Follow Friday *o* don't forget we're looking to bring on some reviewers to Northern Plunder.

Follow Friday (24)

Q. What hyped up book do you think was all the talk?

A. The Hunger Games easily! Such a fabulous series even if the ending was weaker than the rest.


Also this week Northern Plunder is one of the features :3 How sweet is that, apologise for not scheduling the post for an earlier time to all those that have probably already stopped by... Thank you for taking the time to hop on over here though! I'll get back to you all eventually *o*

Review: Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Published: May 1st 2012

Publisher: Harper Teen

Page Count: 525

Synopsis:  One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Review: It took me awhile to get around to reading this and I'm gutted I didn't get round to it sooner. This book is just as fantastic as the last one. I thought it wasn't as fast paced as the last one but that was mainly because there wasn't as much information to take in, but the new developments in  this book got me really really excited for the next one.

I loved Tris in this I thought you got to see a girl who cared about people enough to die for them and sometimes she was almost to stubborn for words but I loved her for it.

Four was pretty interesting to and I loved the way their relationship developed in this book it felt a lot more real, and you got to see some different parts of Four too.

This book was amazingly good at holding my attention. To prove this I managed to sit down and  read this in one sitting after school. This is pretty amazing for me because I have a stupidly short attention span, but this book is one of the best I've read so far this year and if you haven't read Insurgent or even Divergent you should definitely pick up a copy.

Recommend: Yes, Yes and Yes 

GR

Amazon: UK | US

Veronica Roth: Blog | Website | Twitter

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (20)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 

(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)

Bagged:

Believe Like a Child by Paige Dearth

Paperback, for review from Author

Later with Myself by Sheryl Sorrentino

Paperback, gift/for review from Author

This week on Northern Plunder:

BBAW Blogger Appreciation

Wishlist Wednesday

Follow Friday

In other news:

This week we were featured over at B00kR3vi3ws for her new feature "New Girl on the Blog" so you should totally go and check that out.
Its also my birthday tomorrow so I'm going to host a little giveaway and don't forget we're looking to bring on some reviewers to Northern Plunder.

Follow Friday (23)

Q. What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the fuss?

Lauren's Answer: Easily The Lovely Bones, I had strong problems with the ending of this book especially after researching into the author, everything just screamed "wrong" at me. It made it difficult to think positively of the book regardless how the rest of it  was or how it made me feel.

Wishlist Wednesday (15)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

As mentioned in a vlog I did about series, I really want to reread A Series of Unfortunate Events but I'm missing over half of the series, so I would like Book 1-4 and 10-13.

GR: Dear Reader, I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune. In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast. It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing. With all due respect, Lemony Snicket.

Also please if interested check out our current application for becoming a reviewer at Northern Plunder

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (18 + 19)

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 

(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)

I'm going to assume a lot of you have either gone back to school, college or university by now or very shortly will be - I have and its why I missed out posting last weekend as I didn't actually get any books that week and was busy getting ready for college so I figured I'd hold back to this week so I can let you know how my first week back was, but first the books!

Bagged:
OMG Queer: Short Stories by Queer Youth and Crewel by  Gennifer Albin
For review from Netgalley

   

 

 

This week on Northern Plunder:

Wishlist Wednesday
Review: The Paladin Prophecy
Follow Friday
July & August Wrap Up
Wishlist Wednesday
Pledged Teasers & Giveaway Winners
Follow Friday

In Other News:

First week at college was tiring and the class is a lot larger than I was expecting but I guess it makes sense as we'll get split up into our chose art route later on, I think once I get into the swing of things a little more I'll be enjoying it more! Oh & in case you're wondering I'm doing an Arts & Design Foundation Course ready for University next September. Also to help lighten the load I'm looking to bring on a few reviewers to Northern Plunder if you're interested to join us and be part of the team please check out this link! - Lauren

Follow Friday (22)

Q. What are book(s) are you currently reading? What do you think of them?

I am currently reading Miss P's Home for Peculiar Children and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, both of which I'm really enjoying and can't wait to get my reviews up! Not to mention they both have lovely covers.

Pledged Teasers + Giveaway Winners

As part of the Pledged book tour we've been provided with a lovely excerpt and a trailer to get your mouths watering, not only that but I'd like to announce that we've selected winners of the giveaway too.
Congrats to Carol and Talk Supe for winning an eCopy of the book, I'll be passing your email onto the author to get your copy with you as soon as possible, if any of you would still fancy reading it please email me (northernplunder@gmail.com) and let me know.

EXCERPT 1:
Meet Seth & Erin

Despite the heat, Seth felt icy. Dread could do that to him. Or so he had recently discovered. Deep breathing usually calmed him, so he sucked in a lungful of desert air and told himself to relax. It didn't help. By the time he’d walked from the aircraft to the immigration hall he’d ripped off a jagged piece of thumbnail, already bitten raw. He handed his US passport to the Botswana border official, and, after a frown, and a stamp, he joined the crowd at the baggage carousel. Botswana in southern Africa was the last place on earth he’d ever have picked for a holiday destination. But he wasn't here on holiday. Not even close.
His backpack was slow in coming. Tired from his long-haul flight from New York, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Almost as if to mock him, the hated vision that had brought him to Botswana burst into his mind. In an instant he was back in ancient times, watching a man he knew only as Gideon. As usual, Gideon was huddled on a windswept hill with his band of hopeless soldiers, waiting to be slaughtered by a huge army gathered in the valley below.
Seth snapped his eyes open to stop the battle from waging in his mind. It wasn't that he was particularly squeamish; he’d watched enough movies to iron clad his stomach against gory visuals. But no movie had ever left him icy with dread the way Gideon’s battle did. And the reason for that was simple. The moment the visions had started, he had known that the war, fought so long ago in a place he’d never heard of, was far from over. And, as reluctant as he was, he too was being enlisted to fight in a cause he didn't understand or want.
He forced himself to focus on the present: Erin, who waited for him in the arrivals hall; his brother Kyle, whom he’d come to Botswana to visit; Kyle’s expedition to find the Lost City of the Kalahari . . .
He ripped off another piece of fingernail. Thinking about the search for the Lost City was almost as bad as the war-vision. I hope Kyle never finds the damned place. He slapped his hand on his thigh. Enough! Grabbing his backpack off the carousel, he set his face into a smile and strode into the arrivals hall.
The first hurdle was finding Erin. She was due to arrive an hour earlier on a flight from Cape Town in South Africa, one of Botswana’s neighbours. He’d never met her, although they had spoken over the phone once. Then she’d described herself as “a short, seventeen-year-old (a year younger than him) with a mass of ginger hair.” She’d sounded nice. Meeting her was the one ray of brightness in this otherwise dark picture.

He stopped to scan the crowd. A petite girl with shoulder length, reddish-blonde curls, dressed in skinny jeans and a purple blouse, immediately caught his eye. It had to be Erin. Nice legs. What’s it with girls that they always under-sell themselves? He studied her face with his artist’s eye. Vermeer would've killed to paint her. Suddenly wishing he didn't look so grimy after his three plane-changes, he walked over to join her. “Hi, I'm Seth. You've got to be Erin. My brother’s just married your sister Izzy.”
"And after only knowing each other for about a week.”
Her dimpled grin was infectious, making him crack his trademark crooked smile. “Madness.”

“Mysterious.” Erin cocked her head to one side, seemingly appraising him. 

He knew he had been accurate when he’d told her he was tall and dark-haired. But what he had failed to mention was what girls had often said they liked about him: his strong, angular face, softened by expressive brown eyes. He watched her eyes rove over his grey Muse: Resistance t-shirt, taking in his broad shoulders and chest. From there they darted down his black camo-pants to his boots. Amused by her blatant assessment, he cocked his head to one side, watching her. Suddenly Erin giggled – was she embarrassed? – and picked up her bag.

“We’ve yet another plane to catch. My fourth in the last twenty-four hours,”

Seth said, hoping to explain away his rumpled appearance. “To a place called Maun.”

“So we do. Let the adventure begin.”

EXCERPT 2:

Meet Jared and Sophia

Jared nodded at Sophia and Kezeah without any sign of recognition. With two of his Pledged up front and two at their rear, he marched them down the corridor to a flight of stairs. Once at the bottom, he ducked beneath an archway, opening onto to a gloomy, narrow tunnel. Erin, never keen on dark, claustrophobic spaces, took a deep breath and paused.
“C’mon,” Seth said. “The sooner we walk through it, the quicker we get to the other side.” 

“What happens if what’s on the other side is even worse?”

“Then you’ll know for sure that the dead guys are leading this expedition,”

Seth said, wanting to deny the painful burning in his heart that reconnected him with a cursed Jared. He grabbed Erin’s arm and pulled her into the passage.

They’d taken no more than two tentative steps along the uneven floor when Sophia stopped. “Commander, I am not walking through this snake-hole!”

Jared turned back to look at her. With none of the fear or diffidence Erin and Seth expected from a boy with limited to exposure to girls – especially beautiful ones – he answered, “Of course, my lady. You’re from Norin, where I understand you live in grass huts.” He gave a sardonic smile. “But don’t despair, you’ll soon get used to bricks. Even our own Outcasts have learnt not to flinch at the sight of them.” He continued down the passage.

Seth’s mouth dropped at Jared’s rudeness; this was so foreign to the Jared he had seen just moments ago in his vision. It just added to his anger at Reuel’s Curse. 

The Pledged at Sophia’s rear prodded her back; she gave him a fierce look and started walking. 

For Seth and Sophia, both taller than Erin and Kezeah, negotiating the tortuous twists and turns of the tunnel was no easy matter. Stooping, cursing each time they bumped their heads on the rough ceiling, they struggled after Jared, but he kept up the merciless pace until they reached a dark staircase.

Her temper now as short as her breath, Sophia stopped walking and locked her arms across her chest. “Having just cracked my skull open, you now expect me to scramble up those treacherous stairs too. No doubt hoping I’ll fall and break my neck. Well, forget it. I'm not moving.”

“Sophia!” Kezeah whispered, jabbing her in the ribs as she stepped gingerly onto the first narrow step. 

Sophia ignored her. “Only savages and rats live in places like this.” 

Jared’s eyes narrowed. “Savages and rats, you say, my lady?”

Sophia set her face into a cold stare, locking her hypnotic blue eyes on his.

He surprised her by holding her gaze. “I hate to disappoint you, my lady, but Lord Rustus, Lord of the Household, under the direction of the Overlord himself, has chosen your apartment. Surely you don’t question their judgment in this matter?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“In that case, I’ll gladly pass on your concerns. If that’s what you really want.”

“Enough, Sophia. This isn’t a fight you can win.” Sophia’s Guardian had joined them.

EXCERPT 3:

Meet Caleb and Sophia

Erin flicked her hair behind her ear and watched Caleb straighten his clothing.
He took a deep breath and entered the hut. They followed right after him, drifting through the closed door as if it didn't exist. Seth laughed, holding his hand up to Erin for a high-five – until he noticed that Caleb’s Gefallen had also wafted into the cabin with them. Even though he had no idea how to defend Erin from a ghost, he stepped in front of her to protect her. But the wraith ignored them and sailed over to Caleb.
A tall, blonde-haired girl with almond-shaped brown eyes was waiting for Caleb. For Erin, the recognition was instantaneous; it was Talitha. “She’s so beautiful!”
“She’s okay,” Seth replied, looking her over critically. “But I don’t think Caleb’s here for her looks.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You said yourself that Caleb’s a good-looking guy. I bet he could have any girl he wants around here.”
Erin frowned; then she smiled as understanding dawned. “So, in guy-talk, you’re saying he loves her?”
Seth chuckled as he picked up Erin’s hand and put it on his heart. “Tell me what you’re feeling?”
Erin gasped at a disconcerting pulse thrumming in Seth’s chest, over-riding his own heartbeat. “It’s . . . no . . . It’s not possible.”
“I’ll bet it is. It’s Caleb’s heart beating.”
“How do you know it’s him? It could be Talitha.”
“It started the moment I saw him. It’s like it’s there to stop me denying that he
and I were once friends. And I was watching Talitha when he walked in. She smiled, and it felt as if someone had just shot a thousand volts through him.”
“It’s amazing you’re so connected that you can feel him.”
Seth wasn't so sure he agreed; it made being here just a little too real.
Erin felt her own heart and could faintly discern Talitha’s heartbeat; it was nowhere near as strong as the thump in Seth’s chest, but then, she figured, she wasn't in denial the way he was.
They fell into silence as Caleb opened his arms to embrace Talitha. She draped her arms around his neck, twisting the dark curls tumbling onto his shoulders. He kissed the nape of her throat and ran his lips up her neck, over her chin to her mouth.
“This is awkward,” Erin murmured, looking away.
“You don’t say. All this way just to watch them making out.”

Wishlist Wednesday (14)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

I watched The Virgin Suicides a few years ago and I would definitely like to read it to compare.

GR: The haunting, humorous and tender story of the brief lives of the five entrancing Lisbon sisters, The Virgin Suicides, now a major film, is Jeffrey Eugenides' classic debut novel. The shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.