Showing posts with label ya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ya. Show all posts

Book Tour & Giveaway: Raven (Chronicles of Steele #1) by Pauline Creeden




Series: Chronicles of Steele #1
Release date: October 2014
Publisher: AltWit Press
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis via Goodreads:
This is the complete Steampunk Fantasy novel - all four parts of the serial in one volume! Also includes bonus features found in the episodes.

Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.

Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.


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Book Blitz (Excerpt + Giveaway): Gateway Trilogy by Christina Garner



Gateway (The Gateway Trilogy #1) by Christina Garner

Release Date: 06/2014
Ember has always known she doesn’t belong in this world. But when she tries to correct the mistake, she wakes to find herself in a mental institution.

She’s soon drawn to Taren, the mysterious boy with hazel eyes. He’s not what he seems, but what is he?

When chaos erupts, they are forced to flee the institution together, and the secret that Taren has been keeping brings Ember closer to understanding her own. And leads her to… the Gateway.

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Buy Links: Amazon (on sale for $.99)


Chasm (The Gateway Trilogy #2) by Christina Garner

Release Date: August 2014
**Description Contains Book 1 Spoilers**  
Two months have passed since Ember Lyons nearly died killing the powerful Root Demon threatening the Los Angeles Gateway. Physically healed, images of the day still haunt her and she can no longer access the power she once wielded. She can't talk about it with anyone at The Institute--not even her handsome, demon-hunting boyfriend, Taren. Besides there are bigger things to worry about: Gateways around the world are weakening, Keepers' Marks are fading, escaped lesser demons are populating Los Angeles, and it looks like the Root Demon wasn't alone.

When the Institute sends Ember and a team to Europe, she hopes to find answers and security on the journey, but another attempt on her life reminds her she's never really safe.

Then she's thrust together with the mysterious Alexander. Ember can't be sure if this charismatic man is her most formidable enemy or greatest ally. Either way, she needs him, because he's the only one who can bring her to... the Chasm.

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Buy Links: Amazon (on sale for $2.99)


Tether (The Gateway Trilogy Book 3) by Christina Garner

Release Date: 09/23/14

**Description Contains Book 2 Spoilers** 

Ember was only trying to keep a promise when she jumped into the demon world. But instead of saving Cole and his people, she found herself just as trapped as they are. She lives and learns with the Daemon survivors while the demon threat grows every day.

Meanwhile Taren struggles with his guilt for not stopping Ember. He’s desperate to know she’s alive, but there's been no sign of her except in his own vivid dreams.

As they struggle to reconnect, the Gateways around the world weaken, and the demons begin to amass for war. The end is near and Ember must face her fears if she has any hope of saving the world – or herself.

With everything falling apart, her only hope is to find...her Tether.

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Buy Links: Amazon


From Book One:


“Did she hurt you?" Taren asked. "Your head hit the tile pretty hard.” That explained the spinning, and the pain that was starting to seep through the cracks of my shock.

I reached up to touch the back of my head.

“Ow! Yeah, I guess she got me pretty good. What was that about, anyway? What's her problem with me?”

Before he could answer, one of the nurses approached. “We'll get you checked out now, dear.”

“I was just going to get her some ice,” Taren said, his hand on the small of my back, steering me away from the nurse.

“Don't be silly,” the nurse said. “She could have a concussion. We need to take her to the E.R.”

While she went to confer with an orderly, I stifled a laugh. I had been wanting to get out of there. Maybe if my mother knew I was just as likely to lose my life inside the mental hospital as out, she'd spring me that much sooner.

“Wait.” Taren leaned close, his breath in my ear. My pulse went back to racing. “Do you have any…birthmarks?”

His question was so bizarre that I was heedless of the pain and snapped my head to face him.

“What?”

His eyes were only inches away, boring into mine. He grabbed my wrist and pushed up the sleeve of my hoodie, searching. I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong.

“Do you?” he asked again, checking the other arm.

“N-no,” I stammered.

Intensity didn't usually unnerve me, but at that moment, his definitely did.

“Taren, enough!” the nurse said, hurrying back to us. “What on earth are you doing?”

She pried his hands from my arm, causing Taren to come back to himself.

“Nothing, sorry.” He dropped his gaze. “Sorry, I hope you feel better.”

He turned abruptly and strode away.





Christina Garner began writing stories at the age of six. Her first–about a young girl who busted up a nefarious ring of furniture thieves–was a huge hit with her mother. At eighteen, her aspirations as an actor had her loading up her Buick and setting off for Hollywood. Since then, she has written and directed 10 short films, including Rewind and Reminder, both of which received acclaim on the festival circuit. In 2006, she began writing screenplays. A year later, she even got paid for one. In May of 2011, her debut novel, Gateway, became an Amazon Bestseller. Chasm, Book 2 in The Gateway Trilogy, did the same.

When she’s not writing novels, Christina spends her time working in the movie business, traveling, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and playing with her dog, Griffin.

Author LinksWebsiteGoodreadsTwitterFacebook



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Book Blitz Organized by:

Review: Prophecy (Calypso #1) by Julie Anne Lindsey

22852890Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher:  Lyrical Press
Publication:  October 6th, 2014
Formats: eBook, Kindle Edition
Pages: 280

Rating: 3

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Get your copyAmazon
On the other side of death, is destiny.

Callie Ingram is spending her senior year focused on one thing: swimming. Her skill as a competitive swimmer is going to secure a scholarship and her future, or so she hopes. She has big plans, and Liam Hale, her gorgeous new neighbor, isn’t going to affect them. But when Callie sees Liam beheading someone, she learns his family has a secret that will change everything. The Hales are Vikings, demi-gods who’ve been charged by The Fates to find their new destined leader.

Callie’s caught in the middle of a budding Norse apocalypse, in love with Liam Hale and desperate to protect her best friend…who the Hales believe is marked for transformation. Putting the clues together as fast as she can, can discovers she has the power to rewrite destiny, for herself and all humankind.

Review: Tortures Souls (The Orion Circle #1) by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

22698843Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Sea Dragon Press
Publication:  June 29th, 2014
Formats: eBook, Paperback, Kindle Edition
Pages: 229 (eBook, Kindle Edition), 366 (Peperback)

Rating: 2.5

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YA Paranormal Romance by Amazon Bestselling Author Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option
Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.


When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.


But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.


Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

DNF ARC Review: The Elementalists by C. Sharp

22838892Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance
Publisher: Diversion Books
Publication:  October 28th, 2014
Formats: Paperback
Pages: 374

Rating: DNF

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Rising sea levels, droughts, earthquakes, tornadoes. Far below the earth’s crust, imprisoned in ancient slumber, the elemental powers of the land grow restless…

Meanwhile, in small town Virginia, Chloe McClellan’s first day of sophomore year was an epic fail. After she becomes the target of the fiery queen of the It-Girls in gym, she gains instant notoriety when she’s struck by lightning. That’s when things start to get weird.

There are disconcerting gaps in her memory, and freaky weather seems to follow her everywhere. She comes to believe that either she’s going insane, or her accident has awoken a terrifying creature from mythology, triggering the final countdown to the extinction of humankind.

Chloe finds unlikely help from a trio of male classmates: the grounded captain of the football team, the flighty stoner with a secret, and the enigmatic transfer student who longs for the sea. All the while, she struggles with the growing realization that dragons exist, and she, and her friends, may be the only ones who can stop them.

In the first book in the epic new Tipping Point Prophecy series, global dragon mythology is reimagined against a backdrop of ecological disaster, high school angst, and the power of the human spirit when working in accord with the elements.

Review: Dream On by M. Kircher

21524224Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Astraea Press
Publication:  April 22nd, 2014
Formats: eBook
Pages: 213

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old dreamwalker, Em, might have to choose—leave her mother forever in the dreamworld or save the life of hot, rebel Gabe.

Emily Dal Monte and her mother, Lily, are special. They’re humans with a glitch in their genetic code that allows them to explore the fantastic, and often terrifying, world of their dreams for as long as they choose to remain asleep. But when Em’s father is killed in a tragic accident and her distraught mother loses herself more and more in the dreams of her crumbling mind, Em is forced to support the two of them the only way she knows how, by writing down her mother’s amazing dreams and selling them as books. Enter Gabriel Sobel, the punk newcomer at Em’s high school who realizes Em is the daughter of his favorite, reclusive author. Gabe can’t figure out why Em keeps brushing him off and makes it his mission to find out what’s really going on at the Dal Monte household. He stumbles upon their shocking family secret just as Lily takes a turn for the worse. It’s up to Em, Gabe, and one very nosy book editor to hop from one extraordinary dream to the next, to find Lily and convince her to wake up before she loses her mind…and before Em loses her first chance at love.

Release Day Blitz: Tell Me My Name by Mary Fan and Slam by Tah McAdam



StoryTime is a tri-annual event created by Glass House Press.  All proceeds from the StoryTime events will be donated to SDDAS Spirit Fund, a
nonprofit society dedicated to giving homeless animals the medical care they need. For more information, visit their website at sddac.com/donations.asp.



In Mary Fan’s second novella from Glass House Press, a teen girl wakes up in an icy cell, alone and frightened. She has no memory of who she is or how she came to be there.

She does know that she must get out, at all costs. And that escape must start with remembering the simple things – her own name. Her place of origin. Her possible powers.

When a group of dark magicians reveal themselves to be her captors, she finds herself in the clutches of those who will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets locked within her lost memories. With her life fading under their merciless spells, the need to escape becomes dire.

But can she get out when she doesn’t even know who she is? Can she count on one unlikely ally for help? Or is it already too late for her, a girl without a name?

Tell Me My Name introduces the main characters in Mary’s new fantasy series, Fated Stars, with the first book, Windborn, due in late 2015.


Purchase on Amazonhttp://amzn.to/Zjgx5F


About Mary Fan


Mary Fan is a hopeless dreamer, whose mind insists on spinning tales of “what if.” As a music major in college, she told those stories through compositions. Now she tells them through books—a habit she began as soon as she could pick up a pencil. Flynn Nightsider and the Edge of Evil follows a well-received debut novel, a space opera titled Artificial Absolutes (2013), and is the first in the Flynn Nightsider series. Mary would like to think that there are many other novels in her bag, and hopes to prove that to the world as well.

Mary lives in New Jersey and has a B.A. from Princeton University. When she’s not scheming to create new worlds, she enjoys kickboxing, opera singing, and blogging about everything having to do with books.

Website    Facebook    Twitter  



Telepaths, torture, mindwipes ... the Institute has it all, and they use each of their brainwashed children as weapons, the way they see fit. To control society, repress its people. To make certain that they stay in power, no matter the cost. Serena’s baby brother Damon is one of those children, and these days he’s so altered that he doesn’t even recognize her.

When it comes to getting Damon away from those who kidnapped him, there's nothing Serena won't do. Even if she has to kill him to save him. First, though, she must prove to her father that she has what it takes to be a soldier against the insidious threat of the Institute. Her first mission has to be perfect.

But with inaccurate intelligence, unexpected storms, and Gav Belias, people’s hero of the Watch, on the prowl, will she even survive? If she doesn't succeed, they'll never let her go after her brother.

And that would be unthinkable, when it was her fault that he was taken in the first place.

Slam is Tash McAdam’s first work with Glass House Press, and serves as a prequel to her series The Psionics, with the first book, Maelstrom, due in 2015.


Purchase on Amazonhttp://amzn.to/1z1XHk1


About Tash McAdam


Tash McAdam’s first writing experience (a collaborative effort) came at the age of eight, and included passing floppy discs back and forth with a best friend at swimming lessons. Since then, Tash has spent time falling in streams, out of trees, learning to juggle, dreaming about zombies, dancing, painting, learning Karate, becoming a punk rock pianist, and of course, writing.

Tash is a teacher in real life, but dreams of being a full-time writer, and living a life of never-ending travel. Though born in the hilly sheepland of Wales, Tash has lived in South Korea and Chile and now calls Vancouver, Canada home.
Maelstrom, the first book in The Psionics, is Tash’s first published work. Visit the website or facebook for news, gossip, and random tidbits about Tash’s adventures.

Blog Tour: Prophecy by Julie Anne Lindsey


Who’s Hotter? Vikings or Cowboys?

My heroine has a problem. She’s been best friends with a cowboy since grade school and their relationship is getting those warm, fuzzy grown-up feels.  The only problem? They’ve been friends since grade school.

Callie’s got another problem, too. A family moved into the haunted house next door and the oldest son, Liam, is … something. She’s irrationally, stupidly drawn to him, as if she’s known him forever, but they’ve barely met.

Don’t worry, she’ll figure all that out, but the handsome men in her life started me wondering….Who’s hotter? Cowboys or Vikings?

So, I did what any girl would do. I made lists! Let’s see if I can figure it out.

Cowboys:

1.      Lean, sculpted bodies – hey, farm work isn’t easy, but it surely does pay
2.      Tans – that much time in the sun caramels up the skin real pretty
3.      Southern drawls – those slow, sexy southern drawls can give a girl the vapors.
4.      Respect – Any cowboy worth his rope treats his woman like a precious stone, easily lost and in high demand. He’s no stranger to hard work and he’ll earn your keep.
5.      Charm, bone-deep – and they know how to use it. They’ll make friends with your mama.

Vikings:

1.      Fierce – these guys are born warriors, fearless fighters and unrelenting defenders
2.      Honor – honor is everything to a Viking. They’d die (literally!) to maintain it
3.      Warriors are nice to look at. Have you seen Thor?
4.      Alpha male? Yes, please. –I think girl-swooning pheromones and testosterone seep directly from their pores.
5.      Mystery – The Vikings in Prophecy are demigods, offspring of Bia, Kratos and Zelus, gods of force, strength and zeal. Who doesn’t love a demigod?


I know I left out a ton of reasons to love both - Vikings AND Cowboys. I wrote an entire novel about them and then wrote a sequel! LOL. One book wouldn’t contain their awesome. So, what do you think? Who do you choose? The Viking or the cowboy? What did I leave out that definitely belongs on the list?


Prophecy, book 1, Calypso series, book #1

On the other side of death, is destiny.

Callie Ingram is spending her senior year focused on one thing: swimming. Her skill as a competitive swimmer is going to secure a scholarship and her future, or so she hopes. She has big plans, and Liam Hale, her gorgeous new neighbor, isn’t going to affect them. But when Callie sees Liam beheading someone, she learns his family has a secret that will change everything. The Hales are Vikings, demi-gods who’ve been charged by The Fates to find their new destined leader.

Callie’s caught in the middle of a budding Norse apocalypse, in love with Liam Hale and desperate to protect her best friend—who the Hales believe is marked for transformation. Putting the clues together as fast as she can, Callie discovers she has the power to rewrite destiny, for herself and all humankind.

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About Julie:

Julie Anne Lindsey is a multi-genre author who writes the stories that keep her up at night. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for words and proclivity for fun. Julie lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three small children. Today, she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world.






Geek Girl Witter: My Rocky Relationship with YA Paranormal

"May my heart be kind, my mind fierce and my spirit brave." - Kate Forsyth

Disclaimer: It's not in any way a generalization nor is it dishing. I don't mean to offend anybody or disparage Young Adult books. I love them and I do believe there are truly exceptional and unique reads in the Young Adult paranormal genre.


I have always considered YA paranormal my favorite genre. A teen girl in a world of beasts and monsters with supernatural powers and love and all the action...It has always appealed to me. But the more I read it, the less enthusiastic I became.

Wait what?

At least the last five YA paranormal books I read contained one or more of the followings:
  • insta-love and/or cheesy romance
  • childish/annoying/petty/whiny protagonist
  • Lot of tropes. I mean a LOT.
  • faulty, lacking world-building
  • spelling errors. Like, five per page.
Since I started reviewing books, I've become much more eclectic. My peripheral vision widened as to what a wide range of great books exist and I paid more attention to what I was reading. Also, I commenced reading professional reviews; I've learned a lot. However, I imagine it's something similar with most of the book bloggers out there or anybody who gets deeply engaged in a certain part of life. Due to becoming more eclectic, my read-enjoyed rate has decreased somewhat. It's not necessarily a negative phenomenon; developing a defined, refined taste that urges you in the direction of worthy, precious books is good. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself when I'm fussing whether I'm being picky, a snob or am in a reading slump.

Anyway, I'm a tad downhearted that I didn't like a big deal of the YA paranormals I've read recently. I've come to the point where I pick them up with caution and don't dare to get my hopes up for until I'm at least at half of the book.

Now, I know it's not present in YA paranormals exclusively, or in YA at all, however, this is where I've encountered the problems the most. And it saddens me and this kitty-kat.


But to not end this conversation depressed like this, I'll share some of my favorites that I always loved, love and will love.

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Have you ever had the same issue? What are your favorite YA paranormal books?

Review: Beneath Scarlett Valley by Kerr-Ann Dempster

22864755Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Ink City Books
Publication:  August 8th, 2014
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 300

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

Death or Immortality … Cassidy chose death. Cassidy Daniels hates being a Furor. First, there is the hellish rage that storms through her veins, urging her to kill. Then there is the gnawing guilt, the nightmares, and the pretense. Unfortunately, her sister wants to be immortal. To do so, she needs Cassidy's help to find the Source, an ancient pool hidden beneath Scarlett Valley. When they arrive in Scarlett, Cassidy intends to find the Source and get out, but then she meets Sebastian. Everything about him makes her rethink her choice. There is just one problem. The choice between death and immortality is no longer Cassidy's to make. There are pretenders everywhere, with dark pasts and even darker plans.

Geek Girl Witter: The Teen genre is written by lazy writers? Whaaaaat??




I was to have asked your opinions about whether every protagonist has to be strong, but that must be postponed in favor of something I just found and even the proposition makes my blood boil. I stumbled upon a a forum question, which is: The Teen genre is written by lazy writers?




Please, excuse me for I will be ranting, but I believe this issue needs to be evened out. Not just this particular question, but some hypotheses about Young Adult books. 


First off, if somebody - anybody - ever writes a book, that person is not lazy. Plotting out the story, doing the world building, creating the characters and actually sitting down and writing 75K words or so is anything but laziness under any circumstance. And since the person who asked the question was a writer, he's ought to know it the best.

Yes, we are different and there are people that are more gifted than others. There are people that have more unique voices than others. Are more creative, more emphatic, more experienced, give more thought into a certain book, etc., etc., etc. But they all made a huge, vast, immense effort to start and finish their books. And revise, and edit and revise and edit over and over again until it's as good as it ever will be, and in tradition publishing cases even to send out quires and to not give up after each stinging rejection. Does that sound lazy to you? Or easy at least? To me, hell it does not.

That being said, there are writers that one day just get enlightened and sit down in front of a computer, ready to write a book. Usually, that doesn't end well because nobody is born to be a writer. It requires a lot more practice than talent. You have to write short stories, practice novels, just one-shot blabbering, anything that helps you develop your own, unique writing voice. Teach you to show not tell, yet don't be overly descriptive. To be able to nail the pacing, create 3D characters. If you skip on that you'll have a fat chance of not giving out a bestseller from your hands. Not for the first time anyway. But that's not necessarily a YA phenomenon. It can happen to New Adult books, and adult book, paranormals, romances, sci-fis, fantasies, contemporaries, whatever in the world. 

And oh yeah, YA has got tropes. Tons of them. Some of them make our eyes roll like a ferris wheel. Insta-love is a prevalent instance. However, as much as I dislike it in books, it might be just accurate. We, teens, swoon over guys. Sometimes we think we are in love, which later can turn out to be fervent attraction mistaken with love, therefore insta-love. And we have teen problems, duh. First break up. As surprising it is, the first sexual intercourse. It's a freaking big deal for us, don't be pestering just because you're more...experienced. Overprotective or the opposite, abusive parents. Depression. Weight obsessing. Friendships. And even those much criticized clicks in high-school are real. In books it's a bit cornered out, but it's not one to be written down as a full cliché. Up to some degree, it's as real as you and me. Also, it's true that there are writers that are conveniently forget about the parents existence, but it's not a general feature of the Young Adult book type. If it happens to appear in a book, wee do note the problem and not approve of it.

The proposer's main statement is that "The science fiction stories dedicated towards teenagers do not seem to have much thought." I believe that in the last few years, most of the sci-fi genre morphed into something halfway to horror. They mostly have a darker atmosphere, more vicious aliens and are less about going into space and explore it. These days are just not the peak of the classic sci-fi genre, because time passes, things change. Surely, we, teens, never had the Rama or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that are all brilliant examples of witty, classic science fiction, with a lot of distinct types of aliens and a ton of spacey, exploring elements. Our sci-fi books are focusing on being a teenager as well, and that leaves less time to bring out that certain spacey part. But that's not necessarily bad. It's merely a different approach of the subject and it can be just as precious - from that different angle. At the end of the day, everybody will read what interests them.



I'm a little afraid of publishing this post; what if I overreacted? It's the person's view after all and he has the right to have it. Or what if I'm essentially wrong? I don't want to incite a riot with my harsh remark and I don't mean to offend anybody. I simply felt like I needed to voice my opinion on this, the way I see it, quite insulting proposition.

Review: Into the Fire by Ashelyn Drake (Birth of the Phoenix #1)


17452685Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication:  September 9th, 2014
Formats: Paperback
Pages: 300

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman’s life is a perfectly normal one until Logan Schmidt moves to Ashlan Falls. Cara is inexplicably drawn to him, but she’s not exactly complaining. Logan’s like no boy she’s ever met, and he brings out a side of Cara that she isn’t used to. As the two get closer, everything is nearly perfect, and Cara looks forward to the future.

But Cara isn’t a normal girl. She’s a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical phoenix bird, and her time is running out. Rebirth is nearing, which means she’ll forget her life up to this point—she’ll forget Logan and everything they mean to one another.. But that may be the least of Cara’s problems.

A phoenix hunter is on the loose, and he’s determined to put an end to the lives of people like Cara and her family, once and for all.


Review: Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway

22647813Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication:  September 9th, 2014
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 250

Rating:
  

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The truck should have turned Libbi Piper into a Libbi Pancake -- and it would have, too, if Aaron hadn't shown up and saved her life. The problem? Aaron's the local Grim Reaper... and he only saved Libbi's life because he needs someone to take over his job. Now, Libbi has two days to choose between dying like she was supposed to, or living a lonely life as Death Incarnate. Talk about a rock and a hard place. And the choice goes from hard to sucktastic when her best friend shows up marked: condemned as a future murderer. Libbi could have an extra week to stop the murder and fix the mark... but only if she accepts Aaron's job as Reaper, trapping herself in her crappy town forever, invisible and inaudible to everyone except the newly dead. But, if she refuses? Her best friend is headed straight for Hell.

ARC Review: Crown of Ice by Vicki L.Weavil

22891924Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication:  September 9th, 2014
Formats: Kindle Edition, Paperback
Pages: 300 (Paperback)
       239 (Kidle Edition)

Rating:
   

Amazon  I  TBD  I  Barnes&Noble  I  Alibris  I  Indigo

Thyra Winther's seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can't reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she's doomed to spend eternity as a wraith. Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal. A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai's childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra's willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts -- to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup's devotion and the fire of a young man's desire, the thawing of Thyra's frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing. CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.

ARC Review: The 100 Society by Carla Spradbery

18461109Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Publication:  September 4th 2014
Formats: Paperback
Pages: 317
Rating:
    

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For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.

As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust.

With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...

Sunday Suspense (25) - Suspicion by Alexandra Monir



17285326Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Expected day of publication: December 9th, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, Kindle Edition, eBook
Pages: 368

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Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.


First off, I'm in love with the cover. It's definitely one of my favorites this year. And for the rest, if "Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy." didn't convince me, I was sold at ""There's something hidden in the Maze."" (Sorry for the punctuation mark madnass, I got a little confused on the quotes. How do you quote a dialogue? o.O)


Alexandra Monir

At the age of 25, author and recording artist Alexandra Monir released her debut young adult novel, TIMELESS. The book caught on quickly, with Amazon.com naming it one of the "Best Books of the Month" and Barnes & Noble featuring the title in their "Top Teen Picks." The book went on to hit the Barnes & Noble Teen Bestsellers chart, and has been featured in a variety of media, from popular teen websites to The Huffington Post. Alexandra wrote a companion short story eBook, SECRETS OF THE TIME SOCIETY, to set up the sequel, TIMEKEEPER. The sequel publishes on January 8, 2013.

Alexandra also integrated original music into the novels' pages, writing two songs for TIMELESS, which she recorded with producer Michael Bearden (musical director of Michael Jackson's last concert, This Is It). The songs were released on iTunes as a supplement to the book. A new song for TIMEKEEPER will be released on January 8, 2013, produced by Heather Holley and Rob Hoffman.

Alexandra currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where she is writing her next young adult novel for Random House.


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