Halloween Spooktacular! Guest Post: Jess @ The Tales Compendium

Hi everyone!

Today I have Jess from The Tales Compendium joining me to answer some questions about Halloween!

What do you love about Halloween: I love that it allows me to act like a kid again. I love getting dressed up and being part of something that not many people really do here (see below).

How do you celebrate Halloween: Here in Australia, Halloween isn’t very popular. But, one of my best friends is from Canada and every year she transforms her whole front yard into this amazing Halloween scene.

We all dress up and scare the trick or treaters who continue to show up every year because nowhere else really goes ‘all out’. After the last of the kids have left, we all relax by watching a collection of Halloween-esq movies. Hocus Pocus and Sleepy Hollow are always repeated but Practical Magic, The Covenant, and The Craft have been known to make an appearance (I’m not one for ‘proper’ horror movies).

                                                      (Jess and her sister when they were young)

What is your favourite Halloween treat? I love candy-corn which I’ve never seen here in Australia but my friend buys it online especially for Halloween each year. But really, anything with chocolate will do :)

What was/is your favourite thing to dress up as for Halloween? I usually dress as a witch although I have been known to dress as a devil, an angel, a black cat, and little red riding hood. This year I will play the part of a vampire, joining my motley crew of friends who will be a mummy, a werewolf and a grave digger.

5 spooky/supernatural/paranormal books you think people should read this Halloween:

There is no way to pick just 5! But I’m going to try by suggesting some of the less obvious ones. All books have been reviewed on my blog.

Released by Megan Duncan

 A kick-butt girl, a post-apocalyptic America and a hot boy who will make you swoon. Released has plenty of action, suspense, demons and death, with a little romance thrown in as well. Chaos, book 2, is also available.

Rusty Fischer Books

Fischer prolifically writes vampire and zombie novels and novellas with plenty of humour. He adapts the typical lore and still keeps the ‘bad’ in his characters.  I love curling up with one of his stories.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

The first in Fitzpatrick’s Hush Hush series, I completely devoured this book in one sitting. I think a lot of people see it as another supernatural romance but I didn’t. I saw it as more of a thriller, with a highly capable female character and some truly scary moments.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

This is a unique tale of love and magic within a Southern gothic setting. There is voodoo and mystery, secret tunnels and succubi, and a long running battle between dark and light casters (witches). The first in the Caster Chronicles, this novel took me completely by surprise.

Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant is a skeleton detective with a faithful sidekick by the name of Valkyrie Cain. They are urban fantasy detective stories and the pages are filled with adventure and intrigue, elements of magic and ghastly creatures. The witty banter and sarcasm that fills the pages is highly amusing.

 What will you be reading this Halloween?

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter and Reaping Me Softly by Kate Evangelista.

 

Thanks for letting me be part of Halloween Spooktacular, Amy!

Thanks for stopping by today Jess and being a part of Halloween Spooktacular! For anyone who hasn't already checked out Jess' blog, it really is a must! She is also a founding member of Perth YA Fans Unite, so for any other Perth bloggers out there make sure to check out that page as well to keep up to date with everything YA in the Perth community!

I recently picked up a copy of Skullduggery Pleasant and now I am even more excited to read it!

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

What are you all reading for Halloween?

Happy reading!

- Amy

Previously on Halloween Spooktacular: Claire @ Claire Reads stopped by!

Halloween Spooktacular: Popular Scary Movies!

Hi everyone!!!

Today I have Claire from Claire Reads here telling you about Halloween Movies! OoOoooooOoooO! I don't know about you but I definitely have some movies to watch! I'm thinking I need to hire some soon!

Most Popular Halloween Movies!

The time of year has come where everyone whips out the popcorn, the sweets for the trick-or-treaters and a couple of movies to give you a good scare! Whether it be an animated movie set for family, a funny movie set for laughs or a scary one set for your eyes shut tight, it's going to be a spoooky night!

Here are some of the most popular halloween movies around!

Family friendly hits:

Ones for a bit of a laugh:

Not for the faint of heart:

There are so many choices out there, the trouble is deciding which one to watch!

Happy Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by Claire! Make sure you all check out her awesome blog! 

What are some of your favourite scary movies?!! I would love to know!

Happy reading!

- Amy

Halloween Spooktacular! Review: Slide - Jill Hathaway

Hi everyone and welcome to Halloween Spooktacular! If you would like to know more about this event and to also enter our first giveaway, please click here!

Slide byJill Hathaway
Series: Slide #1
Release Date: March 1st 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased myself

My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Spooky Rating: 3.5/5 Cobwebs

From Goodreads: "Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth--her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes. She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again."

Let me start by saying that even before opening this book to start reading it, the cover had me spooked. I find that I can't look at it for too long because her face is way intense and I feel like she can somehow see deep into my soul. Creepy *shudders*. Because of this it took me a fair while to actually see the hands that are reflected in her eyes. Pretty cool little added detail there!

Now onto the actual review!

Halloween Spooktacular Kickoff and Giveaway!

Hi everyone!!

Today marks the first day of Halloween Spooktacular! With Halloween just around the corner I wanted to create an event for the last two weeks of October. Australia doesn't get much into the Halloween spirit and I just felt like being festive this year. I've always been jealous of how into it America seems to get, and please don't burst my bubble and say that it's not like it is in TV and Movies because I don't want to believe it!!

See below the bump for an International Giveaway!

Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer
Series: The Elementals #1
Published: April 1st 2012 (US), May 2012 (AU)
Publisher: Kensington (US) Allen and Unwin (AU)
Format: Paperback ARC, US edition
Source: Rebecca @ Reading Wishes
Find it: Goodreads | Collins | Dymocks | Book Depo | Amazon

My Rating: 5/5 Stars
(that's a total lie, more like 10/5 stars!!)

From Goodreads: "Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys all the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming"

I know I know!! I was incredibly late on the Storm band wagon. I KNOW. I seriously do not know why it took me so long to get my hands on it. I had only heard amazing things about it and I had been dying to read it for so long. It just so happened that I met up with Rebecca from Reading Wishes, who is so lovely she had stalked my goodreads page and saw that I hadn't read it. She had an extra copy so she gave it to me. wha?!! I think my eyes literally bulged out of their sockets. So thank you SO much Rebecca!! <3

Anyway on to the actual review, I apologise if it is all over the place, I'm still trying to organise my thoughts!

Halloween Reads Continued - Giveaway?!

Hi Hi!

So I know I posted about reading Halloween appropriate spooky YA books in October and since then I have had some great suggestions. However, I am now thinking that I would also like to do some sort of Halloween themed giveaway.

What do you think?? It's still in the works but I just wanted to throw the idea out there and to also ask what books you would like to see in the giveaway! I am new to the spooky/scary books of the YA world so I need some schooling in the area! I would mostly like to include newly released books/coming (very) soon to be released books

I NEED YOUR HELP!

I'm thinking so far:
Ten - Gretchen McNeil 
Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake
The Space Between Us - Brenna Yovanoff
The Diviners - Libba Bray
Carnival of Souls - Melissa Marr

That's all I got so far. Please let me know if you know of any creepy and scary YA books that are coming out soon!

Happy reading!
- Amy

Halloween Reads

Hey everyone!

So it has come to my attention that it's coming up to Halloween! Beware the ghosts and ghouls! To celebrate this spooky time of year I am planning to read and review some spooky and Halloween appropriate young adult books during the last 2 weeks of October. I would love any and all of your recommendations! I have not been big on the spooky YA books previously, but what better time, right?

In Australia, (at least WA) we don't celebrate Halloween as hard core as I would like. I'm always seeing American movies where they celebrate Halloween and it's always epic. My American readers, can you tell me if it is actually like that? Please tell me it is!

Anyway, these are the books that I already own that I think possibly fit the bill...

Slide - Jill Hathaway
The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan
Past Midnight - Mara Purnhagen
Saltwater Vampire - Kirsty Eagar
The Way We Fall - Megan Crewe
Sweetly - Jackson Pierce
In the Arms of Stone Angels

I'm not sure if they are all quite what I'm looking for, but please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions!!!

Happy reading!
- Amy