YA Romantics

Freebie Friday 44: Impostor and Gameboard of the Gods

2013-05-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Yesterday I drew the winner of the Gameboard of the Gods giveaway -- Sandra, who lives outside the US. So, I still have my ARC to give away and I'm putting it up again for today's giveaway.

This week we have two prize choices:

Impostor by Susanne Winnacker -- releases May 28 -- read my review here.

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead -- releases June 4.

Just a heads-up -- this is one of Richelle Mead's adult books.

Because I have these in hand and would like to mail them, this is open to US/Canada only, unless an international winner wants to pay for shipping. If you live outside the US/Canada, you can enter my Hot Off the Presses giveaway here!

If you are entering, please use the form below and tell me how to contact you and which book(s) you're interested in winning. Thanks!

Entries will close at midnight on Sunday May 26, I'll notify the winners on Monday and mail the book on Tuesday -- or whenever I receive the winners' addresses.

Hope you have a happy Friday and a happy Memorial Day weekend, if you live in the US.

I'm going to have some great stuff coming up in the next couple weeks:

an interview with Grisha Trilogy author Leigh Bardugo -- with an amazing Siege and Storm giveaway!

a giveaway for a copy of Proxy by Alex London, which comes out June 18

Review of Dance of the Red Death and a giveaway of both that book and Masque of the Red Death

A character interview with Kate from Daisy Whitney's When You Were Here - and a giveaway!

an interview with Monument 14: Sky On Fire author Emmy Laybourne and giveaway of both her books!

If you'd like to follow me, there are a bunch of options on the right sidebar: RSS, email and, my new favorite, Bloglovin. I'll put the button for that right here…

Have a fantastic weekend!

Just Finished Reading … When You Were Here

2013-05-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Review of When You Were Here
by Daisy Whitney
To be published by Little, Brown BFYR
on June 4, 2013

Source: invite widget for e-ARC from the publisher.

Connect with the author: blog : Twitter : Facebook.

Summary (adapted from Goodreads:) Danny's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation -- the one day that she was hanging on to see. Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn't know how to figure out what to do with his mom's estate, what to say for his graduation speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore. When he gets a letter from his mom's property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother's memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

The short version: This book is fantastic! A beautiful, moving, life-affirming must-read for fans of Where She Went and Just One Day by Gayle Forman, Golden by Jessi Kirby, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.

The longer take: If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that I've been trying -- and loving -- lots of stuff outside my comfort zone lately: aliens, zombies, werewolves, and clones. But my heart always beats a little faster when I find a fantastic contemporary/realistic YA, a book that doesn't need any paranormal bells and whistles or stakes-raising post-apocalyptic disasters to tell a gripping and heartfelt story.

I suppose you could call When You Were Here a "grief book," but I'm not overly fond of that term. It's a little flippant. Plus, it just sounds depressing. And while there is plenty of loss in this book -- tragedy and death and broken relationships -- it is not depressing at all.

Okay, so what is this book about, you ask? It's about a teenage boy coping with two enormous losses -- his mother's death and the fact that the girl he loved broke up with him without explanation. Danny's angry and confused and hurting and acting out. Since his father is also dead, Danny's mom's best friend is looking out for him, but -- awkward! -- she's also the mother of the girl who perfunctorily dumped him.

Danny spent a lot of time in Japan growing up, and when he gets a letter from the property manager of an apartment owned by his family, he decides to jet off to Tokyo. His mother had been consulting a doctor there, and he hopes that this doctor can give him some answers about his mom: why had she stopped taking her medicine? Why couldn't she have held on for his graduation? How can the world just go on when he's lost so much?

Danny has lost a lot. First his father died, then his sister seemed to turn her back on their family, then his girlfriend broke up with him, and then he lost his mother. As the book progresses, it become apparent that all of these people were keeping secrets from one another, secrets that were pushing them apart.

At one point I got a little worried that When You Were Here was cheating with that whole "characters who don't talk to each other" plot device. You know, those books in which a simple conversation would clear up all the misunderstandings? Then I realized that this book was actually about people who don't, or, more likely, just can't figure out how to talk to each other. Sometimes explaining ourselves and understanding others can be really hard. Danny's sister was adopted as a baby and is in China reconnecting with her roots. Danny's ex-girlfriend, Holland, has yet to explain why she pulled away from him. Danny's mother didn't tell him that she'd stopped taking her medication.

Danny's time in Japan -- in which he is an outsider who doesn't understand everything going on around him -- makes a nice parallel for his complete confusion about his own life. I've been to Japan several times and, though I don't speak the language or claim to be an expert on the culture, loved the way When You Were Here highlighted some of my favorite things about Japan, like the way traditional culture co-exists with pop culture and technology. The food. The bustle that is punctuated by pockets of peace and quiet.

The book also uses Danny's travels to highlight the fact that sometimes the people who can understand us the best are people who are nothing like us on the surface, that we are born into a family, but we can also make a family too. As Danny meets people in Japan who knew his mother -- including her doctor and a quirky girl named Kana-- he begins to understand -- and to feel understood. He begins to work through his grief. Slowly, the pieces of his life begin to fall back together. I loved that the ending of the book was hopeful and happy, yet not perfect either.

If you love books that really make you think and feel, you've got to read this one!

WoW: The (Almost) Final BEA Edition

2013-05-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Confession: I, too, have felt a tiny bit jealous of those headed off to amazing book festivals and conferences that I'm not attending. I want to go to ALL the fun things. I'm so excited to be attending BEA, but sad for those of you who won't be there :(
So this week, I am featuring:

Books That Should Be At BEA That You Can Request From NetGalley and Edelweiss!

Clicking on the cover should take you to the request page. It works for me. If not, let me know :)

Listings should be accurate, but if you have additions or the books aren't there, please let me know in comments! And I can't guarantee you'll get approved. I've been rejected for some of these *cough Fire With Fire cough*

Let's start with NetGalley:

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts (FSG)

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (Disney-Hyperion)

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (Disney-Hyperion)

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan (Algonquin)

Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon (Algonquin)

Ghost Time by Courtney Eldridge) -- note -- clicking on that cover will take you to ALL the Amazon YA on NetGalley. There are a half-dozen, many of which will be at BEA.

Here are some BEA books that you can request on Edelweiss:

Across A Star Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (Balzer +- Bray)

How To Love by Katie Cotugno (Balzer + Bray)

Find Me by Romily Bernard (Harper)

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (Balzer + Bray)

Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian (Simon & Schuster)

Relic by Heather Terrell (Soho)

Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem (Soho)

This Is W.A.R. by Laura and Lisa Roecker (Soho)

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider (Harper)

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston (Putnam)

Projection by Risa Green (Soho)
Once We Were (Hybrid Chronicles #2) Kat Zhang

Hot Off the Presses: New YA Releasing May 21-27

2013-05-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Hot Off the Presses!

I don't know why most new books release on Tuesdays. But every Tuesday, I tell you about all the great new YA books you can grab in the week to come. If you're a reviewer, you can also link your blog or Goodreads reviews of any YA book publishing this month so we can all check them out!

So there has been some complaints about the massive amount of new releases over the last two weeks. You'll be happy to know that this week and next are much calmer.

Here's what you can look forward to this week. If I missed something, please let me know in comments.

The winner of May's giveaway can pick any book up to $15 on either Amazon (for US winner) or The Book Depository (for international winner.) Enter by linking reviews, commenting on linked reviews, or tweeting :)

Click the covers to get to the Goodreads page!

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Absent by Katie Williams (Chronicle)

September Girls by Bennett Madison (Harper)

All I Need by Susane Colasanti (Viking)

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown (Little, Brown BFYR)

Dark Shore by Kevin Emerson (Katherine Tegen)

How To Be A Star by M. Doty (Poppy)

Transparent by Natalie Whipple (Harper Teen)
Night School by C. J Daugherty (Katherine Tegen)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just Finished Reading ... Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

2013-05-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Siege and Storm (Grisha #2)
by Leigh Bardugo
To be published by Henry Holt
on June 4, 2013

Source: ARC borrowed from Around the World ARC Tours and then Macmillan sent me my own. Thanks :)

Connect with the author on: tumblr : Twitter : Facebook

Warning: very minor spoilers ahead for book one in the series, Shadow and Bone.

Summary (from Goodreads:) Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

My take: First off, this series is a must-read. I'm serious -- these books will appeal to readers who like fantasy, fairy tales, suspense, folklore, and romance. The setting is richly imagined, the characters are fascinating and complex, the story is compelling. What else could you want in a book? It's ALL in here.

As Siege and Storm begins, Mal is perfectly happy in the new "normal" life that he and Alina are attempting, while Alina is wracked with guilt as she remembers the part she played in the events of book one. Alina and Mal try to lie low, but Alina is who she is and … yeah, that's just not going to work. Not using her power makes Alina feel weak and diminished and she's wearing a massive amplifier. Then, our couple crosses paths with a roguish privateer, a guy named Sturmhond, and things start to get really interesting….

I think sequels and later books in series should always introduce new characters who change the dynamics of the story. Sturmhond is a fantastic addition. He's gruff and mercenary, willing to sell his soul to the highest bidder. I love, love, love him. We also meet the dynamic duo of Tolya and Tamar, a pair of fraternal twins. And … excuse me? Oh, right. You're worried that I haven't mentioned the Darkling.

Our fates are intertwined, Alina, and there's nothing either of us can do about that. -- The Darkling

Never fear, everyone's favorite Hot Bad Boy does play a role in this book. A different role than he played in the first book, but he'd definitely a major part of the story. The Darkling is such a charismatic character -- sinister and world-weary and yet so utterly compelling. Alina doesn't really feel that she can trust him, and yet he's the only person who really understands the nature of her power. She realizes that she has a mysterious link to him, a fact she decides to hides from Mal.

In another interesting twist, Alina has become famous after the events in Shadow and Bone. There's a sort of Sun Summoner cult that's led by the Apparat. Thus, Alina also has to learn to deal with other people's ideas about her, ideas that will confuse her, pressure her, and confound her. As the people of Ravka and beyond begin to look to her for leadership, she'll have to overcome both her lack of self-confidence and her guilt. She'll have to decide if she can trust those who betrayed her -- and get others to trust her.

Anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea. -- Sturmhond

Alina also discovers a clue in Lives of the Saints that will lead her on a new quest, a way to possibly increase her power. To my complete delight, this also incorporates a well-known Slavic folk tale.

I can't wait for the third book, Ruin and Rising. Will we find out more about Alina's parentage? Are things going to work out with Mal and Alina? Is the Darkling redeemable? Can Sturmhond get any more awesome?

Shadow and Bone just came out in paperback -- with bonus content -- and Siege and Storm will be out on June 4. Definitely put these two on your summer reading list! Are you dying from all the waiting? I feel your pain. Here's some stuff you can do in the meantime:

Download the first five chapters of Siege and Storm for FREE!

I'm thrilled to be part of the Siege and Storm Blog Tour -- Leigh will be stopping by to answer a few questions on Sunday, May 26 -- plus, Macmillan is sponsoring an amazing giveaway!

Check out all the blog tour stops.

See where Leigh will be touring with fellow Fierce Reads authors Anna Banks, Jessica Brody and Emmy Laybourne.

Listen to Winter Prayer, a song inspired by the Grisha trilogy.

Watch the book trailer on YouTube.

Have you pre-ordered your copy of Siege and Storm? If so, send in your receipt and get Siege and Storm branded nail polish! *grabby hands*

Extra! Extra! 46

2013-05-19T08:45:00.000-04:00

Extra! Extra! is my weekly Sunday post featuring brand new additions to my TBR pile as well as a summary of what's new on the blog.

Today I'm linking to Stacking the Shelves @ Tynga's Reviews and, as always, to my favorite Sunday Post hosted by the lovely Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

I pulled a muscle in my back on Friday. All I did was get up from the couch, but something wrenched the wrong way and …. ouch. So I'm a little behind on blog stuff -- including comments -- but I'm feeling much better today and am ready to tackle it all and get caught up.

Current Giveaways:

Enter to win Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead! Open internationally :)

New Books:

I had a great week in new books. I found this early at the bookstore..

Proxy

by Alex London

to be published June ~~2012~~whoops 2013!

At first I wasn't sure if this was going to be for me, but I really liked it! Review and giveaway coming soon.

From Edelweiss -- thanks Harper Teen :) I'm VERY excited about these!

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (Balzer + Bray August 2013)

Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (Greenwillow June 2013) -- this was my WoW book -- maybe that streak of bad WoW luck has officially ended…

Exciting stuff coming for next week:

Review of Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo AND I am part of the…

You can find the whole schedule on the MacKids Blog here.

Finally, many of you probably know that BEA (Book Expo America) is coming up soon, May 30th-June 1st. I'm SO excited.

I'm part of a group of bloggers who is organizing a Book Blogger Picnic on the evening of Friday, May 31. Come hang out with us in beautiful Central Park!

We're meeting on the lawn just south of the Heckscher Playground, which is in the southwest corner of the park (see map below.) It will be easiest to find us if you enter the park at either Central Park South and Seventh Avenue and walk just a few minutes north, or enter at Columbus Circle (which is at 59th Street and Central Park West) and walk northeast. If you are coming from the Javits Center, you can hop on the closest subway or in a cab and be there pretty quickly.

We'll have big signs and you can tweet us if you're lost. When it's time to leave, taxis are a short walk away. The Columbus Circle subway station is also very close by and has a bunch of trains to get you wherever you need to go. If you have any questions, you can get in touch with any of us -- email me here. And here is a link to the full map -- the sliver below just shows the area where we're meeting.

I am also just SO excited about summer. That's my favorite reading time. So I have a bunch of great giveaways coming up. Don't want to miss any of it?

Or in the top right corner there are follow options for email, RSS, etc.

What's new with you? Let me know in comments and leave a link so I can visit you back!

Just Finished Reading … Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

2013-05-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Review of The Sea of Tranquility
by Katja Millay
To be published by Atria Books
on June 4, 2013
Previously published by the author as an e-book in 2012.

Source: e-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. Please see my full FTC disclosure on right sidebar.

Connect with the author: Facebook : Twitter.

Summary (from Goodreads:) Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay. All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you space. Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.

Note: This is a NA/YA book that includes some mature content.

My take: Sea of Tranquility is definitely one of those NA "issue books" that feature heart wrenching emotion, edgy content, and a pair of broken people who might either find love or completely self-destruct. I have mixed feelings about these kinds of books. On the positive side, they provide a deeply emotional reading experience. They often also raise awareness about important issues like rape, drug abuse, alcoholism, etc. But some of them also suffer from a serious lack of world building. All the focus is on the couple, who seem to live in a kind of timeless, placeless bubble of angst and lust. The stories often follow a familiar pattern: wide-eyed good girl meets tattooed bad boy and sparks fly. And sometimes, for me, the drama level just gets turned up too high, shifting the story from authentic to unbelievable.

Sea of Tranquility is a stand-out in the genre, though, offering enough originality of detail and authentic emotion that I really enjoyed the story. It's hard not to feel for Nastya. Without giving anything away, she's been through a lot and is just trying to hold it all together. But the character I was really moved by is Josh. He's also been through a series events less dramatic though equally heart-wrenching and - in contrast to Nastya's acting out - has a sort of resigned acceptance of his situation that I found poignant and appealingly understated. Another plus: he's not a tattooed rebel with a rap sheet. I also really liked some of the book's secondary characters, especially Drew, who could have been just an attractive jerk, but was given a great deal of backstory and depth.

But this story is mostly about Josh and Nastya. Their relationship moves slowly. Really, really, really slowly. Nastya doesn't even speak for probably the first third of the book. But given what she has gone through, that felt realistic to me and made their eventual connection that much more rewarding. Though the blurb says that Nastya "wants to make the boy who took everything from her pay," and I was kind of looking forward to reading about that, the story really didn't go in that direction. Nastya seemed to be fleeing from what happened to her -- again, completely understandable, but I'd say that plot focuses more on Nastya finally coming to terms with what she's gone through than trying to get revenge.

If you love deeply emotional, slow-burn kind of love stories, definitely try Sea of Tranquility.

Freebie Friday 43: Review and Giveaway -- Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead -- INT!

2013-05-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Today I have another great giveaway -- and it's open internationally :)

Gameboard of the Gods

by Richelle Mead

To be published by Dutton Books

on June 4, 2013

Note: this is an adult book with explicit content. Giveaway is open to those 18 and up.

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills. When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

US winner will receive an ARC copy of the book, to be mailed as soon as I receive the winner's mailing address. International winner will receive a paperback copy of Gameboard from the Book Depository after it is released on June 6. (US winner can choose this option too if they don't mind waiting.)

My take: I've read Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series and the first three books in her Bloodlines series, but I've never read any of her adult books, so I was not sure what to expect. *coughSEXcough* Okay, yes. After reading so much YA, it was a bit of a shock to find, right on page 40 or so…

But I adjusted -- ha! And I did think the new story world that Richelle Mead set up was interesting and imaginative. No info dumps here -- you have to pick up bits of information as you read. There's the post-apocalyptic element of the virus, a complicated mix of ethnic groups and government groups, and then, under the surface, some paranormal and mythological stuff. If you want more of an orientation right off the bat, Richelle Mead has been running some posts on her blog about Gameboard's story world.

I didn't connect to the two main characters nearly as much as I've come to love all those characters in the VA world and its spin-offs. Mae is a pretty cool customer -- she has all of Sydney Sage's steely self-discipline without Syd's nerdiness and self-consciousness to balance it out. Mae has Rose's toughness but not her passion.

What about Justin? Well, I know that no one compares to Adrian, but I thought Justin did have some Adrian-ish (Adrian-esque?) moments. He definitely has some of Adrian's self-deprecating sense of humor and self-destructive tendencies. He also has two imaginary birds that follow him around and talk to him, sort of the angel on one shoulder/devil on the other idea. Seriously. It might sound super-weird, but once I got used to that part of the book, I loved it. And, you know, I'll definitely give Mae and Justin a chance. Richelle Mead is an author who slowly and skillfully draws you in to her world over the course of several books. Then you're hooked!

In this first installment of the series, Mae and Justin are forced to work together to solve a string of mysteries, which take them around the world and set up the framework for an interesting story to come.

Interested in reading this? Great. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below. Winner will be drawn on May 23.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just Finished Reading ... Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

2013-05-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Sky On Fire (Monument 14 #2)
by Emmy Laybourne
To be published by Feiwel and Friends
on May 28, 2013

Source: ARC borrowed from Around The World ARC Tours

Summary (from Goodreads): In this sequel to Monument 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend. But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

First, a quick (non-spoilery) refresher: Monument 14 follows a group of schoolkids caught in the aftermath of a deadly chain of events: a volcanic eruption creates a tsunami that decimates much of the east coast of the U.S., then a resulting earthquake causes a breech in the NORAD chemical weapons storage facility in Colorado. The chemicals that escape into the air have devastating consequences to those exposed. Victims with type A people develop blistered skin, type AB suffer paranoid delusions, and type B will have reproductive failure. There's a bunch of other exciting stuff that I will not go into, but, as as Monument 14 ends, our plucky group of kid survivors divides into two groups: those who want to stay inside the Greenway superstore, and those who want to try to make a run for the Denver airport.

Sky on Fire alternates from the point of view of the group that has ventured outside the Greenway and the group that stayed inside. I thought this plot development worked very well for the second installment in the story. While the Greenway seemed like a pretty good place to me to wait out a post-apocalyptic disaster, I was also excited to see what was going on outside. But it was bad out there too. Really bad. Think starving, crazy, dangerous, murderous people. Looting, pillaging, sexual menacing, regular menacing … you get the picture.

The group that stays in the Greenway faces horrible things too, because they are barricaded in with a whole bunch of highly desirable food and supplies. And perhaps … some dead bodies. And… um…. sharp, motorized lawn and garden equipment. Just saying.

One of the things I love about this series is the kids. I mean, as a parent, just reading about bad things happening to kids on a school bus strikes terror into my heart. But Emmy Laybourne really lets her characters be kids -- their reactions to things almost always seem completely authentic and kid-like to me.

This series is definitely plot-driven, and the pace in Sky on Fire moves along briskly, with each chapter ending on a suspenseful note. By the end of the story, the two alternating plot lines begin to converge in an interesting way. Sky on Fire doesn't end with as abrupt a cliffhanger as Monument 14, but it seems like there is definitely more story to come. I'm going to have to spend the next year preparing myself for what that might be. Or, I can choose to be optimistic and hope that in the third installment of the story, things will start to get better. If you love disaster and/or survival stories and/or fast-paced, suspenseful books, you should definitely check this series out. It is intense, with some mature content, but it also makes for great summer reading!

I'm also so excited to be part of the Monument 14: Sky on Fire Blog Tour

As part of the tour, Emmy Laybourne will be stopping by to chat on May 30. And you'll have a chance to win a copy of both Monument 14 and Sky on Fire. Don't miss it!

Here's the rest of the tour schedule:

Monument 14: Sky on Fire Blog Tour Schedule

Monday 5/20

Squeaky Books

Tuesday 5/21

Reading Teen

Wednesday 5/22

Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf

Thursday 5/23

Book Haven Extraordinaire

Friday 5/24

Monday 5/27

Tuesday 5/28

Wednesday 5/29

Thursday 5/30

Friday 5/31

Adventures of a Book Junkie

Waiting on Wednesday: Dance of the Red Death

2013-05-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I am waiting on:

Dance of the Red Death

by Bethany Griffin

To be published by Greenwillow

on June 11, 2013

Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city. Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero. With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

I'm a huge Poe fan and really enjoyed Masque of the Red Death's imaginative world building and creepy vibe. It's one part alt history, one part post-apocalyptic, and one part steampunk.

The release date on this book was pushed from May to June, so I feel like I've been waiting forever! I want to read about the masked ball!

Tell me what book you're waiting for, and leave me a link so I can visit you back!

Hot Off the Presses: New YA May 14-20

2013-05-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Hot Off the Presses!

I don't know why most new books release on Tuesdays! But every Tuesday, I tell you about all the great new YA books you can grab in the week to come. If you're a reviewer, you can also link your blog or Goodreads reviews of any YA book publishing this month so we can all check them out!

Okay, not quite as insane as last week, but there are still a lot of books -- some which I'd never heard of, so I hope you find an unexpected treasure. If I missed something, please let me know in comments.

The winner of May's giveaway can pick any book up to $15 on either Amazon (for US winner) or The Book Depository (for international winner.)

Click the covers to get to the Goodreads page!

Golden by Jessi Kirby (Simon & Schuster)

Tremble (Denazen #3) by Jus Accardo (Entangled)

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins (Disney-Hyperion)

Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston (Disney-Hyperion)

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan (Delacorte)

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green (Little, Brown)

Parallel by Lauren Miller (Harper Teen)

Towering by Alex Flinn (Harper Teen)

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan (Knopf)

Endure by Carrie Jones (Bloomsbury)

Below by Meg McKinlay (Candlewick)

Kindness for Weakness by Shawn Goodman (Delacorte)

Also Releasing This Week:

Five Summers by Una LaMarche (Razorbill)

Firecracker by David Iserson (Razorbill)

Out of This Place by Emma Cameron (Candlewick)

Purgatory Reign by L. M. Preston (Phenomenal One)

Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (Tor Teen)

Winger by Andrew Smith (Simon & Schuster)

Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy (Running Kids)

Formerly Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham (Candlewick)

Cydonian Pyramid (Klaatu Diskos #2) by Pete Hautman (Candlewick)

Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison (Egmont)

Language Inside by Holly Thompson (Delacorte)

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Just Finished Reading … Dare You To by Katie McGarry

2013-05-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

Review of Dare You To
by Katie McGarry
To be published by Harlequin Teen
on May 28, 2013

Source: e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Please see my FTC disclosure on the right sidebar.

Quote is from an ARC and finished copy may change.

Connect with the author: website : Facebook : Twitter.

Summary (from Goodreads) If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does. Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

My take: If you love contemporary YA that leans toward NA -- romance that really ramps up both the emotion and the sexual tension -- you should definitely check out Katie McGarry's novels.

Dare You To is a companion book to Pushing the Limits and focuses on Beth, a character from that book. I think it's preferable to read Pushing the Limits before Dare You To, but it's not absolutely necessary.

I love odd couple romances, and Beth and Ryan are just that. She's angry and rebellious, while he's a talented baseball player and parent-pleasing kind of guy. However, it definitely took a while for me to feel any sparks or chemistry between the two of them, and I think that may have been the result of the whole "dare" motif. The dare/bet plot is a well-known one in teen movies and chick flicks like She's All That, Cruel Intentions, or How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It's a tried-and-true way to bring two seemingly mismatched characters together, to let them fall in love, and then let the reader watch the emotional fireworks as bet or dare is revealed.

In the case of Dare You To, I thought the dare concept detracted somewhat from the main story. As the book opens, Ryan and his best friend Chris are having a contest to see who can collect the most phone numbers. Fine, except that Chris has a girlfriend and claims he's madly in love, and Ryan is supposed to be his best friend. Right off, I'm not favorably disposed to either guy. Chris dares Ryan to ask Beth for her number and -- to her credit -- she shoots him down. Then Chris proceeds to dare Ryan to get Beth to go out with him.

The dare subplot did eventually fall by the wayside so the book could focus on all the other stuff going on. Just as in Pushing the Limits, there are Issues with a capital I: Beth's junkie mother, friction between Ryan's parents over his brother, Ryan's mean girl ex. All the characters have traumas and problems and resentments and loads of angst. Beth curses and rages and tries to protect her train wreck of a mother while Ryan tries to please everyone around him. Ryan tries to get closer to Beth, and she shoves him away. At times these kinds of books can get to be too much of an emo-fest for my taste, but I like the way that Katie McGarry allows the hard edge of reality to cut through all the emotional drama. She doesn't always try to tie everything up in a neat bow. For example, it's clear that Beth still isn't crazy about Echo, the main character from Pushing the Limits. Things stay unresolved with Beth's mother, and that felt realistic to me.

And … what about Isaiah?

I love that guy! For me, the most moving parts of Dare You To were the scenes between Beth and Isaiah, and I wish there had been more of them. I could feel the emotion between the two of them, and my heart broke as they tried to sort out their feelings for each other.

Isaiah is my rock. The string that holds me together when I'm ready to fall apart. He's the anchor that keeps me from floating away when I go too far. His heart has been the one constant rhythm in my life and I don't want to let it go.

I'm thinking that the next book -- Crash Into You -- has to be about Isaiah. Right? Yes?

Extra! Extra! 45

2013-05-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Since tomorrow is Mother's Day in the US, I'm posting on Saturday and taking Sunday off! Happy Mother's Day to all the great moms out there :)

New Books:

This week was a little quiet, which is fine, since I'm trying to get caught up on the review books I already have. I did get this one:

Belle Epoque

Elizabeth Ross

Delacorte June 2013

I love historical fiction so I'm excited to try it. I think the cover model looks like Ethel from Downton Abbey. Am I crazy?

Giveaways you can enter:

I'm giving away Golden by Jessi Kirby -- enter to win here. Open internationally!

What's up for next week?

Reviews of Dare You To by Katie McGarry and … some other books too.

May 14 is another BIG new release week, so be sure to stop by on Tuesday for Hot off the Presses and see how many of these you need to read..

What's new with you? Tell me in comments or leave me a link to your blog so I can visit you back!

Freebie Friday 42: Win Golden by Jessi Kirby!

2013-05-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Today I have another great giveaway -- and it is open internationally :)

Golden

by Jessi Kirby

To be published by Simon & Schuster

on May 14, 2013

My take: I've been a big fan of Jessi Kirby since Moonglass. In fact, I chose that book as one of my Best Kept YA Secrets of 2011. I hope that, since then, many more people have read both Moonglass and In Honor. In my review of In Honor, I wrote that "Jessi Kirby's books always seem sprinkled with just a touch of magic dust."

In Golden, the magic has to do with love and second chances. Main character Parker is a descendent of poet Robert Frost and also the daughter of a stalled poet. Driven and rule-following, Parker suddenly begins to question all her life choices when her high school teacher asks her to mail back a set of journals written by his senior students a decade before. Parker realizes one of the journals was written by Julianna, a girl killed with her boyfriend in a tragic accident, and steals the girl's journal to read. Soon, she's jeopardizing her future plans on a crazy wild-goose-chase meets quixotic love quest.

Golden takes some of the themes of Jessi Kirby's past books -- messages from beyond the grave, travel, and life choices -- and charmingly remixes them.

Fans of chick flicks and love-can-conquer-all stories will enjoy this story-within-a-story about one pair of ill-fated lovers from the past, and another pair who can't seem to get together in the present... until fate and a mysterious journal intervene.

The story is sweet and romantic and the cover is gorgeous. That design in the bottom right corner is all done in gold. For a chance to win a finished copy, just fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just Finished Reading … Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

2013-05-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Review of Impostor (Variants #1)
by Susanne Winnacker
To be published on May 28, 2013
by Razorbill

Source: bought

Connect with the author: website.

Summary (from Goodreads): Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself

My take: Though I'd seen Impostor compared to X-Men, after reading it, I'd call this book a paranormal mystery rather than sci-fi. Fine by me -- I've loved mysteries ever since I could get through a Nancy Drew book by myself. As a result, I'm pretty picky about them, and often find YA mysteries to be disappointingly simplistic -- more Encyclopedia Brown than Hercule Poirot.

While Impostor was not without flaws, I did end up enjoying it. I'll get my quibbles out of the way first. First, a main character named Tessa who can shape-shift? Hmmm … that gave me a big jolt of déjà vu. I'm not sure if these similarities to Tessa from Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series were deliberate or accidental, but it threw me off a little. Second, Impostors definitely took a hundred pages or so to really get going. Tessa is part of the FEA, a secret branch of the FBI made up of "variants," or teens with special paranormal abilities. I felt the book took too long setting up Tessa's relationship with fellow variants Holly and Kate, and handlers Major and Summers, all of whom have little to no bearing on the rest of the story. (There's also another variant, Alec, who had a more major role, but I'll get to him later.) Finally, I thought the mystery itself -- the motive and list of suspects -- was pleasingly creepy but a little too simplistic for my taste.

What did I like? I found the idea of Tessa being able to shape shift into another girl and solve her murder definitely intriguing. It reminded me a little of one of my favorite adult mysteries, The Likeness by Tana French. As Tessa assumes the appearance of Madison, the murdered girl, she gets to know Madison's friends and enemies, her ex-boyfriend, and the guy she was cheating with. When Tessa-as-Madison then finds herself very attracted to Madison's twin brother, Devon, I was -- okay, call me twisted -- first dubious, then very entertained. There was also an unexpected surprise at the end -- a character who isn't exactly who s/he seems to be. For those of you who are allergic to love triangles, I'll warn you that Tessa finds herself drawn to two guys, a set-up that seems likely to carry on into future books.

I recommend Impostor to fans of YA mystery, and to readers who are mourning the end of Kimberly Derting's Body Finder books, as Impostors had a similar creepy paranormal mystery vibe.

Interested? I'll be giving away Impostor on Freebie Friday in the near future, so stay tuned...

Waiting on Wednesday … Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

2013-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I loved Something Like Normal by Trish Doller, so this week I am waiting on…

Where The Stars Still Shine

by Trish Doller

To be published by Bloomsbury

on September 24, 2013

Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

What are you waiting on? Let me know in comments and leave me a link so I can visit you back!

Hot Off the Presses: New YA May 7-May 13

2013-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Hot Off the Presses!

I don't know why most new books release on Tuesdays! But every Tuesday, I tell you about all the great new YA books you can grab in the week to come. If you're a reviewer, you can also link your blog or Goodreads reviews of any YA book publishing this month so we can all check them out!

This is one of the biggest weeks in a while -- at least 30 YA books, and I might have missed some. If so, please let me know in comments.

The winner of May's giveaway can pick any book up to $15 on either Amazon (for US winner) or The Book Depository (for international winner.)

Click the covers to get to the Goodreads page!

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland (Disney Hyperion)

Mystic (Soul Seekers #3) by Alyson Noel (St. Martin's Griffin)

If I Should Die (Revenants #3) by Amy Plum (Harper)

The Originals by Cat Patrick (Little, Brown BFYR)

Icons by Margaret Stohl (Little, Brown BFYR)

The Heiresses by Allison Rushby (St. Martin's Griffin)

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Putnam Juvenile)

Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin (Simon Pulse)

The End Games by T. Michael Martin (HarperTeen)

Reboot by Amy Tintera (HarperTeen)

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr (Little, Brown BFYR)

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan (Philomel)

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktowski (Simon Pulse)

The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller (Entangled Teen)

Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield (Margaret K McElderry)

Also releasing in the coming week -- asterisked books have different international release dates.

Criminal by Terra Elan McEvoy (Simon Pulse)
**Coda by Emma Trevayne (Running Press)
**Riptide by Lindsey Sheibe (Flux)
Fifteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton (Simon Pulse)
The Academy: Game On by James La Rose and Monica Seles (Bloomsbury)
Maid of Secrets by Jennifer Mc Gowan (Simon & Schuster)
The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer (Disney Hyperion)
Fall of Night (Morganville Vampires #14) by Rachel Caine (NAL)
15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins (Flux)
I'm With Stupid by Geoff Harbach (Sourcebooks)
Wuftoom by Mary G Thompson (Clarion)
The S Word by Chelsea Pitcher (Gallery)
The Savage Blue (Vicious Deep #2) by Zoraida Cordova (Sourcebooks)
Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon (Strange Chemistry)

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Just Finished Reading … Goddess by Josephine Angelini

2013-05-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Goddess (Starcrossed #3) by Josephine Angelini
to be published by HarperTeen
on May 28, 2013

Source: borrowed an ARC from Around the World ARC Tours.

Connect with the author: website : blog : Twitter.

Summary (from Goodreads:) After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

My take: I have a great amount of affection for these books, and I'm very sad to see this trilogy come to a close. I will keep it this review as spoiler-free as humanly possible. I may reveal minor plot developments for Dreamless and Goddess but not major ones.

If you want to read my 99% spoiler-free review of Dreamless (with recap of Starcrossed) you can find that here. It includes a rundown on the four houses and the Scions and all that stuff that you might have forgotten.

Goddess takes up right where Dreamless left off, with poor Helen all bloodied and beat up -- though still brave and defiant -- after her unpleasant encounter with Ares.

There's a lot to wrap up in Goddess. As the blurb states, Helen inadvertently released the gods from Mount Olympus. Humans are dying mysteriously, and Helen and her friends -- Orion, Matt, Lucas, Hector, Cassandra, and Claire -- know that the gods are responsible and need to find a way to stop them.

Then there's the matter of The Tyrant. You might remember that in Dreamless, Lucas and Cassandra are worried about the Tyrant -- a Scion of mixed Blood who was "born to bitterness" and "capable of reducing all mortal cities to rubble." The Scions aren't sure who the Tyrant is, but all signs point to Orion.

And then, of course, there's the whole messy business of Helen and Lucas, and how they have been cruelly kept apart by a lie.

Like Starcrossed and Dreamless, Goddess has a LOT going on both plot-wise and in terms of world building. At times throughout the trilogy, I struggled to keep track of all the complicated backstory: the four different Houses, the fact that Scions are reincarnated with the faces of well-known Greeks and Trojans, the special talents and powers (Descenders and Falsefinders and the like.) In Goddess, there are even more revelations: new powers for people, new characters, new developments. My one criticism of Goddess as a reader would be that a) too much is told to the reader through dialogue and b) too much exciting stuff happens off-stage.

I think if I had to pick a favorite book in the trilogy it would be Dreamless -- I thought of all the three books, that one was the most cohesive. But there's a creative exuberance about the whole trilogy that I enjoy, and ultimately I think you just have to go along for the ride and try to follow along. Josephine Angelini has a vivid imagination and a quirky sense of humor, which are often in short supply in YA.

So, yes, Goddess introduces more new developments (still spoiler-free; don't worry!)

There's a new character introduced in Goddess, a young woman with a mysterious heritage and talent.
We learn more about Orion and his parentage. (Also, we learn that Orion is the reincarnation of my favorite character in all of Greco-Roman-dom.)

Helen learns that she has new powers. She also dreams of herself as Helen of Troy, but also dreams about Morgan La Fay, Guinevere, Lancelot and King Arthur. Interesting that Helen is dreaming about two of the most legendary love triangles in history: Helen-Paris-Meneleus and Guinevere-Lancelot-Arthur. Which brings me to the love triangle. Oh, yeah...

You could see the Helen-Lucas-Orion relationship as a love triangle. Helen and Lucas were kept apart by a lie and then in Dreamless, she met Orion in the Underworld. I was definitely not very fond of Lucas's whole broody/sulky act in Dreamless, and I grew to like Orion a lot. In Goddess, Lucas seems to have snapped out of his funk, thank goodness. But I never saw this as one of those nail-biter love triangles. It's pretty clear to me where Helen's heart is pointing her.

But then… there's a twist … isn't there always? A very cool twist that threatens to tip Helen's hand, to take away her choice in the love department. While I won't give away anything about the ending of Goddess, I will say that I found it appropriately epic, featuring sacrifice, death, ingenuity, and unconditional love.

Are you reading this series? If not, do you have a favorite mythology-themed book?

Extra! Extra! 54

2013-05-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

New books!

Gated by Amy Christine Parker (Random House August 2013)

The Eternity Cure by Julia Kagawa (Harlequin April 2013)

Hostage Three by Nick Lake (Bloomsbury October 2013)

Golden by Jessi Kirby -- I'll be giving this away next week!

Reboot by Amy Tintera -- I'm giving this one away ---open internationally -- enter here!

Plus, from Netgalley:

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Thanks so much, St. Martin's - I can't wait to read this :)

Reviews on the Blog Last Week:

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr -- a moving book from one of my favorite authors.

Reboot by Amy Tintera -- much to my shock, this zombie-phobe found herself reading a zombie book. And loved it!

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler -- a bittersweet book about food and family.

Next Up On My Reading Pile:

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

What's new with you? Leave me a note in comments, and link me up so I can visit you back!

Just Finished Reading … The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

2013-05-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Review of: The Book of Broken Hearts
by Sarah Ockler
To be published on May 21, 2013
by Simon Pulse

Source: borrowed an ARC through Around the World ARC tours.

Connect with the author: website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook.

Summary (from Goodreads:) Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: the Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one. Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas? Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong? Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

My take: I really enjoyed Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler. And I found The Book of Broken Hearts to be another sweet story about family and love. And food! Both of those books should have a recipe appendix.

Jude is the youngest child in her tight-knit family and the only one still living at home. Her father has just received a devastating medical diagnosis and the family is still reeling. Jude thinks she has the perfect solution -- she'll find someone to help restore an artifact from her father's glory days: a 1961 Harley DuoGlide motorcycle. But the only mechanic she can afford is a Vargas -- one of the family of boys she and her sisters swore off when she was twelve. So Jude hires Emilio Vargas and tries to keep it a secret from her nosy, bossy older siblings.

The blurb of this book makes it sound like a light-hearted comic contemporary romance, but I think The Book of Broken Hearts is more a story about love and family. In fact, it seemed to me that Jude's romance takes a back seat to the story of Jude's father and her family's struggle to accept and manage his illness. But that made perfect sense to me. Emilio was sweet and patient in the face of what Jude's family was going through. If he'd been indifferent to their pain and too aggressively pursuing Jude, that would have felt all wrong.

The Book of Broken Hearts deftly blends comedy with sorrow. The book's title refers not only to the funny homemade book in which the Hernandez sisters chronicle their hatred for the Vargas boys, but also the heartbreak that Jude's family is suffering. Speaking of family, I loved the way The Book of Broken Hearts wove in each family's culture -- the Hernandez family is from Argentina, while the Vargas family hails from Puerto Rico -- with Spanish phrases and stories about "Bear" Hernandez and his motorcycle. Those little details also helped elevate this story into something unique and memorable.

Freebie Friday: Win Reboot by Amy Tintera! INT :)

2013-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Congrats to last week's winners: Montana, Sarah C, Sarah S and Dorothy!

Today, I have a combo review and giveaway -- open internationally!

Reboot

by Amy Tintera

To be published on May 7, 2013

By HarperTeen

Source: e-ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss

Connect with the author: website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Summary (adapted from Goodreads:) Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. Now Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas and serves as a soldier. Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum. The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

My take: As I was reading, I was wondering why on earth I requested Reboot. Scary-violent post-apocalyptic zombie stories are SO not my thing. But, you know, it's always important to keep an open mind. And guess what? I really liked it.

Okay, first off: the Great Zombie Debate. Heather @ Flyleaf Review tried to convince me that the reboots are "robotic." Like a computer that is in sleep mode and then restarts. I say if a person is dead and then their corpse rises up and becomes the Animated Undead, that spells zombie. But we can agree to disagree about that part.

So … what did I like about Reboot? I liked Wren, who has to be the most ironically named YA character I've come across in a while. A wren is a little brown bird. Wren 178 is a petite blonde bundle of scary. She'll break your arm as easily as she says hello. The Reboots are all teenagers stricken by the KDH virus, which kills most of its victims, but causes some of them to reawaken after they die. They're stronger, faster, able to heal quickly … and emotionally dead. They serve as soldiers for humans, an undead police force. They also train the new Reboots.

Enter Callum. He was only dead for 22 minutes before he rebooted, so he's not as emotionally undead and, as a result, also a source of great exasperation to Wren. He's goofy. Uncoordinated. Wisecracking. For reasons that escape Wren, she volunteers to train him.

I love the tough girl/sweet guy dynamic. I loved it in Velveteen by Daniel Marks. I loved it in This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. And I love it here.

I thought the world building in Reboot was good -- the extremely brutal conditions that the Reboots live under are especially well-portrayed. The plot got a little draggy toward the end and I began to sense a trilogy brewing. Reboot relies for suspense on some mysterious injections that some of the lower-level Reboots are being given and the rumor of a group of Reboots living in freedom in a secret location. I'm getting a little weary of dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic books that have the protagonist join up with a group of "rebels" who are wandering around in the woods. I'll take arm breaking over woods wandering any day...

That aside, I really enjoyed Reboot. Tough girls with a soft heart get me every single time. And Callum. He was all puppy eyes and a sense of humor. He cracked me up:

"You're not going to break anything else, are you?" he asked.
"No. Not right now."
"Oh, so later, then? Great. I'll look forward to that." He winced as he looked down at his arm.

I loved Wren, loved Callum and loved the way that he brings out human-like feelings in Wren that she thought were long dead. Reminds her of her lost humanity. Brings out all her protective instincts. This book has something for everyone. Flesh eating? Arm breaking? Hand holding? It's ALL in here.

I have a finished copy of Reboot to give away to one lucky US winner.

But… if Rafflecopter picks a winner who lives outside the US, I will order them a paperback copy of Reboot from The Book Depository when the book releases on Tuesday.

See? Something for everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Choose Your Own Adventure Blog Hop!

2013-05-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I am very excited to be hosting the Broken Forest Choose Your Own Adventure Blog Hop in celebration of the publication of Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton.

Find Eliza here: Twitter : Tumblr : website : Pinterest : Facebook.

Buy Broken Forest here: Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Kobo.

Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.

Eliza and I met through blogging and I'm absolutely thrilled that, as of yesterday, she is a published author -- Broken Forest came out on May 1 from Curiosity Quills Press!

First, I'm going to tell you a little about the book, and then you can go and choose your own adventure. I hear that most people who try this do not make it out alive. Be careful, and be sure to come back and tell me how you fared :) I can't wait to try it myself.

Summary (from Goodreads:) Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables. And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

Okay, are we all ready?

The adventure starts now….

One choice can lead you down a variety of different paths. Some will lead to secret treasures while others will lead to death. Choose wisely and you may find the ultimate reward.

If you come across a link that doesn’t work, please leave a comment and we’ll get it fixed right away!

You’re standing in the small clearing outside of Raswood Forest. The suns have disappeared leaving you and your companions alone in the moonlight.

A full moon signifies one thing: the hunt.

Inside the dangerous forest are black flowers. These flowers only bloom during a full moon. Their nectar is vital in the healing tonics your village uses to fight off infections from the bogs—marshland creatures that tend to venture into your lands. Once picked, the flower takes a few moon cycles to regrow.

“You two will head in last,” Tavo says.

“I’m always last,” Ella whines.

Roole, the largest of your companions, props his mace against his shoulder. “You’d rather scout, first?”
Ella nods and you shake your head. “Ella,” you say. “You know we always take turns. Once the scouts check for the winter wolves, they’ll whistle for us.”

“Here are your pouches.” Tavo hands out small juice pouches. Each pouch contains a different colored berry. “Remember, once you’re tagged, you can no longer compete.”

Whoever tags the most companions wins the title of Jenzi—a skilled ranger. The title offers bragging rights among the other village youth, but it also means your family will get a bigger portion of the black flower nectar.

With Lena and Brev, you are a total of six.

“I don’t see why we have to wait,” Ella grumbles. She bounces back and forth, pouting at the departing companions.

“Tavo knows if you go in, you’ll tag him. He’s not as fast as you.”

She smiles. “You’re right. I’m going to get him this time and find as many flowers as I can.”
Ella is your sister. Are you her brother or sister?

A) Brother, and a dashing one at that. Go HERE.
B) Sister. Go HERE.

Okay, before you decide, enter below to win some book swag. You know, just in case you don't make it out alive...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: BEA Edition II

2013-05-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I'm very excited that I'll be attending BEA again this year. It's a huge publishing industry event that features lots of new books, author signings, panel discussions, and more...

Here's another book that I'm interested in checking out:

How To Love

by Katie Cotugno

Balzer + Bray

October 2013

Goodreads summary:

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind. After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

Sounds like a Harlequin romance novel. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

This is being marketed for fans of Sarah Dessen. *Raises hand* I'm in!

Leave me a link to your WoW post or just tell me in comments: what book you are impatiently waiting for?

Spring Fling Blog Hop!

2013-04-30T19:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my stop on the Spring Fling Blog Hop, hosted by Eve's Fan Garden and I Am a Reader, Not a Writer.

What am I giving away?

Clash, Crash AND Crush by Nicole Williams

Published 2012-2013 by HarperCollins

Note: these are YA/NA and are recommended by the publisher for readers 16 and up.

You can have any or all of them. If you've already started this series and are dying for Crush, no problem. If you want to have a little reading fling and binge read all of them, I'm fine with that.

I'm offering a lot of ways to enter, so do whatever works for you….

This is US only (since I have to pay shipping for three books) but if you live outside the US, you can enter to win a book here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now, be sure to check out all the other great blogs on this hop:

Hot Off the Presses: New YA April 30-May 6

2013-04-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Hot Off the Presses! Every Tuesday, I tell you about all the great new YA books releasing that week. If you're a reviewer, you can also link your blog or Goodreads reviews of any YA book publishing this month so we can all check them out!

The new releases are really rolling in -- maybe in anticipation of all that summer reading we'll be doing soon? Asterisked books may have a different international release date :(

Since there will be SO many new releases over the next month, I'll let the winner pick any book up to $15 on either Amazon (for US winner) or The Book Depository (for international winner.)

Congratulations to my April winner -- Redheaded Bookworm :)

Click the covers to get to the Goodreads page!

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (Harlequin)

Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce (Bloomsbury)

The Ward by Jordana Frankel (Katherine Tegen)

*Sweet Peril (Sweet Series #2) by Wendy Higgins (Harper)

Nobody's Secret by Michaela McColl (Chronicle)

How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler (Sourcebooks)

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

The Program by Suzanne Young

*Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton

Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg (Razorbill)
The Loop by Shandy Lawson (Hyperion)
The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise (Balzer + Bray)

Also Releasing:

*Rumor Central by Reshonda Tate Billingsley (Kensington)
Belonging (Temptation #2) by Karen Ann Hopkins (Harlequin)
Last Academy by Anne Applegate (Scholastic/Point)
Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick (Scholastic)
Defriended by Ruth Baron (Scholastic/Point)
Identity Theft by Anna Davies (Scholastic/Point)
Sketchy by Olivia Samms (Amazon)

Novellas:

Breathless (Elementals #2.5 ) by Brigid Kemmerer (Kensington Teen)

I try to include every YA, small pubs or big, so if you think I missed something, please let me know in comments.

The Rafflecopter is now set up so you can input up to five reviews per day. Thanks, Sarah Elizabeth for the suggestion :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway