In Mary Fan's second novella, a 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 2015.
I might have mentioned once or twice that I'm a total and absolute coffee fanatic. I don't go without coffee for more than a week and even that is just because we don't own a coffee machine at home. (I'm negotiating for one for over a year. I won't be a lawyer I suppose.) Being on a budget, one, max. two coffee a week it is.
I especially love drinking coffee during the fall and winter when curling up with a book and having coffee meanwhile, it has a certain - rather pleasant - atmosphere to it. So the idea was born; Coffee & Books. (Very creative, I know.)
Let's see.
Espresso - A book that has a dark atmosphere
Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Out of the Lux series, but even out of the YA book out there in general, this book has a very frightening atmosphere to it. Perhaps, it's just that I'm a wimp, but the beginning in particular freak the heck out of me.
Coffee Mocha - A book with layered world-building
I'm admittedly not the biggest fan ever of this book, but it does showcase a rather rich variety of witchcraft and science combined.
Cappuccino - I book that made me all warm and fuzzy
I'll have to go with this one. Crossing the Ice had such an adorable romance in it! Josh is the perfect combination of shy and masculine. Plus relationships - any kind - was very relevant all along and each of them was so very real.
Americano - A book that made me cry
None. Absolutely none ever in my life. Though the one that brought me the closest to it was the end of this one to the right. ->
Chai Latte - An LGBT Book
This is the most perfect book in every aspect. Though she attempted suicide and claims she is not a good judge of character, Paige's views on life and people are exquisite, and - as harsh as they might seem sometimes - are oh-so very real and neat. Oh, and she and her girlfriend just happen to make a most cute couple.
Espresso con Panna - A book that started out well but went downhills
I couldn't put it down for about 300 pages - which I think is a pretty impressive achievement at the age of nine. However, the last 96 pages were just a mess, in my opinion.
Flat White - A quick, light read
The Selection brought me out from a dreadful reading slump at one time. I killed it in a couple of hours. It has an easy language and quite short as it is.
It isn't a TAG now, but it could be don't you think? I do. However, since I'm not one with a big blog, I'm not sure if anyone would notice or care. That's okay, but still, if you did, it would great so feel free to feel tagged and take it. And if so, you may leave your link to the post below in the comments because as always, I'm curious. :)
One morning in every city and town in the world, the human race wakes up to face the most surprising invasion yet. Everywhere, in every land, a forest has grown overnight and taken back the Earth. It doesn't take the Doctor long to discover that the final days of humanity have arrived.
BEWARE! THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS AS TO IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT (S8 E10). DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE YET TO SEE THE EPISODE!
No hate, please because I'm intending to be honest, sharing my candid opinion. I do not mean to be degrading, however, I do think the script writing's getting weaker and weaker. It started with the first episode which was, the way I see it, one of the meh-est openings of New Who. (I've never seen Classic Doctor Who therefore I can't talk about that.) Afterwards, it seemed to be clambering upwards a bit, only to head in the opposite direction again. I'm not saying I hate these episodes and into the dumpsters with all of them, but they don't get me as thrilled as the previous seasons. I don't feel this overwhelming urge to watch the episodes over and over again. It's not even the new Doctor. It's true his not my favorite - or at least not yet -, however, it's just my taste and at the same time, I do respect him and enjoy seeing him as the Doctor. He is a great actor and his quirkiness is brilliant.
On the other hand, besides the numerous deaths and a tad more "violence" in certain episodes, season 8 is shredding some controversial, yet rather relevant topics of real life. And it's doing it well! Trust - one of the main issues of the season - is important to people and Clara and the Doctor get a sample from every side of it - even betrayal. I've seen not one pretty wise views of theirs.
In this last episode, we had Maebh, a little girl whose sister had gone missing the year before and it inflicted a type of post-traumatic stress disorder on her; she had heard voices until she was given medication and the voices stopped. She appeared to be seeing things as well. I loved how the Doctor paid closer attention to her than anybody had the past year. That the tempered Doctor, who doesn't believe in fairy tales and such sillinesses is the single person who actually listens to Maebh. I also found the idea of the trees protecting us from the Sun Flares entertaining. It was a great one!
It was exciting to see Clara and Danny work together. We hadn't seen much of them over the past few weeks before In the Forest of the Night and I was curious where they stood. I'm beginning to agree with the people who say they are cute together. They really are. Moreover, Danny is not as crude or stupid and not even as weak as I used to think first. With Clara, I'm also starting to get him and his motives, but I'm still waiting for the big bum when we find out what action precisely made him quit the army and later cry. (Okay, crying is a bit of an exaggeration. Rather let a tear slip.)
Moffat also entertained the idea of Clara leaving the Doctor. I very much hope it's not an innuendo!
Overall, it was an okay episode for me. I enjoyed it, but nothing special.
And now, let's move on to Missy and the shocking next time trailer.
Missy graced the episode and to my astonishment, she seemed surprised! She always seems to be in control as if she's arranged everything ages ago. Maybe she has. And maybe this is what induces her advancement after so much time? That things have gone astray for her?
But here's an even bigger question: who the hell is Missy? Who? Who is she?
I've seen numerous theories since she first appeared on the show. Too many to type out all of them now, or even to search them back. However, fundamentally, there are people that think she's a female Master, there are people that believe she's the Valeyard (my personal opinion until Flatline), there are people that say she's a Time Lady or the Rani, and there are people that say Missy is Clara in some form. It varies whether it's a one of her "clones" when she became torn apart in the Eleventh Doctor's time vortex or Clara in the future. The only undivided opinion is that she gave Clara the Doctor's number back in the Bells of St. John. Personally, out of these hypothesis, I'm inclining towards her being a Time Lady. Who else would call the Doctor her boyfriend? Surely not the Valeyard a.k.a himself and it's unlikely that the Master thinks of him as such. Clara could do so if it one of her other selves or if it's her future self who has broken up with Danny at some point, but for some reason that doesn't seem very probable to me. In fact, I would say none of these. Or at least not entirely.
As for Clara's sudden change of heart, it's a common presumption that - again - it's one of her selves. Or that she's always been just a puppet for Missy. Here, my theory deviates completely. In the next time trailer, Clara mentions that time can be rewritten. What if Missy rewritten time and with it, she caused something in the past that affected Clara in this way? We know that Missy is quite out of ordinary, many think she has special powers hence it could be possible. The problem (with my own theory, what's that? o.O) is that it has nothing to do with the whole season's Missy-related actions.
Anyway, maybe I'm simply reading too much into nothing, but don't the flames and the color of the whole place look so similar to the ones in the Eleventh Doctor's time vortex? Even the smoke...
I would love to hear about YOUR Missy & Clara theories so let me know about them in the comments! ;)
So many exciting event this week! School break started, Stone Cold Touch and Dreamfall Chapters released, Doctor Who next time trailer shocked us to the next galaxy and I participated in my first Twitter Party! Ahhh, Beauty on second square.
I also found this awesome, inspiring YouTube channel, called Pandora Journey. (Particularly recommended to fantasy writers.)
As for reading, it was a lousy week for me. I spent a whole day with reading Kindle Samples only and get done very little of actual books.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
This post idea came to me just now as I saw the new synopsis-slash-cover-slash-book trailer reveal of The Hair by Kiera Cass. If you haven't met the series yet, it's the story of America Singer, who is chosen to be one of the thirty-five candidates to be the prince's new wife a.k.a the princess. The girls have to go through a ton of tests and beauty hassle while being filmed and put out as a reality TV show. There are three books, all of which following America through the Selection. Now, in August, we got the news there would be one more book coming on May 5, 2014. It's about the winner (I won't tell who in case you have yet to read the One) and Maxon's child holding her own Selection twenty years later.
When I first read the article, I wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. Despite the hasty end The One got, it was still a kind of closure, the end of the series. It took some time to come to terms with it, but I eventually did. And then bum! To be continued.
Apart from my emotional outburst, my real problem is that I have serious doubts regarding the plot. The Elite and The One, but mainly The Elite was a tid bit lacking of it, but the unknown - or at least not very well known - world and down-going of the Selection kept me reading. However, those two ados became ruled out during the first three books and now we'll have to rely on the plot solely. Since we already know everything else, it has to be one heck of a story and characters, otherwise it will be unlikely to hold my attention for long. And based on my experiences so far, I wouldn't hold my breath over the prior (as rude as it sounds).
But of course, I am going to pick it up. My curiosity always gets the better of me and also, I love Kiare Cass's writing style to no end. *sigh*
On the bright side, I have a positive example too. Lady Midnight, the first book of The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare. I'm a huge fan of her writing and the Shadowhunter world, it's so complex and layered, exciting, and while there are certain returning schemes, her stories are always intricate and action-packed. What's more, I adored The Infernal Devices (her second series in the same world) even more than The Mortal Instruments; her writing is improving book by book.
Overall, what I need in order to enjoy more series set in the same world are 1. great story, 2. complex world-building and it won't hurt if it has relatable characters.
So what do you need to return to the same world with a different series? Are you anticipating any of the aforementioned books?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the gals at The Broke and the Bookish where you share your top ten choices within a given topic. It's super-fun!
There are just so many books I want to read and sometimes it feels like I'm never going to get around even the ones I want to read the most. I'm not the kind of person who gives up though, so as hard as it is, I prioritize. My lists's changing constantly in unison with new books releasing, but right now, these are my top ten first-in-series.
Snow Like Ashes - The more I read about it, the more excited I get. Right now, I'm at the point where I shriek and squeal even at the mention of it.
Throne of Glass - I wasn't particularly interested in Throne of Glass at first, but after the hype it got, I became so a bit. I've had a copy since May; it would be time to delve into it.
Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea - I discovered BTDATDBS (Man, even the abbreviation is looong) at a writing contest and I'm just curious what it was all about. Okay, maybe demons have something to do with it, too.
Lark Rising - This is one of my most anticipated books of fall and since I read a rave review... I just need it, okay?
The Jewel - I didn't really notice it before all the mixed reviews, but as strange as it sounds, that made me indeed curious about The Jewel. The story seems interesting as well, so...
Cinder - Over the past few months (basically when I realized they existed), I've grown to love retellings. And, well, frankly, this is one of the most hyped - of not the most hyped - retelling.
Alice in Zombieland - Alice and zombies in one single book? Do I even have to explain?
The Darkest Minds - I'm not gonna lie; it's all about the hype. And that several bloggers said they hadn't expected it to be anything big and then bum! They adored it.
Which new(ish)series have YOU been meaning to start?
I'm thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Jennifer L. Armentrout's STONE COLD TOUCH! STONE COLD TOUCH is the second full-length novel in Jennifer's The Dark Elements Series, a young adult paranormal romance being published by Harlequin Teen!!
STONE COLD TOUCH Synopsis:Every touch has its price
Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.
But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay...
I’d remained in bed after that, trying to sort through the odd tingling in my chest. There was a slight smile on my lips, because Zayne…well, he’d made my day, but then I’d remember what Roth had said to me the night before and the smile would wash away as if it had never been there.
I probably needed to get used to the whiplash mood swings.
It wasn’t until after dinner that I decided to scrub a day’s worth of gunk off myself. Gingerly, I peeled the bandage off, happy to find that the cut in my arm was healing as expected. I didn’t need to cover it anymore. The arm was still tender, but the Warden blood in me was quickly undoing the damage from the iron.
After changing into fresh pj’s, like a total hermit, I padded over to my desk, where I’d left my cell phone. It had been on silent all day and when I tapped the screen, I wasn’t surprised to see a slew of texts from Stacey.
Where r u?R u skipping, u ho?
A minute later: Your locker misses u. Guess u sick with the herp?
Oh my God. I laughed out loud, grinning as I thumbed through her texts. Our bio sub is still hot. U r missing this. Bio is lonely.My boobs miss u. How weird is that?
That was notably weird and yet not surprising.
If I get my cell taken from me, it’s ur fault.Holy shit, Layla, where r u?!?
Air punched out of my lungs as I read the next text and the several following them. U have no idea who just walked into bio!!!Roth is here!Holy Canola oil, why aren’t u here to witness this?
Ok. He says he had mono. Srlsy? Do people still get mono? And who in the duck was he kissing? A second later—Duck? I didn’t mean duck. That’s SO not what I meant, autocorrect.
Another text had come in about fifteen minutes after the last one. He asked where u were. I told him u joined a cult. I laughed. He didn’t.
Finally, the last text was to call her if I wasn’t dead.
“What in the Hell?” I tossed my cell onto the bed, mouth hanging open.
And don't forget! The choice is yours...
Beginning today you’ll have 3 weeks to visit the series website, www.thedarkelementsseries.com, to take a poll and decide which guy Layla should ultimately choose in the final book in the trilogy, Every Last Breath.
At the end of 3 weeks, we will tally all the votes, and that’s when Jennifer L. Armentrout will start writing Every Last Breath. The guy who gets the most votes is the one Layla will pick.
To prevent early spoilers, we're not going to reveal who won the poll in advance…you’ll have to wait until Every Last Breath goes on sale on July 28th, 2015 to find out whether Zayne or Roth wins Layla in the end. We promise the book will be epic and definitely worth the wait!
Who do you want Layla to end up with? Go to www.thedarkelementsseries.com and vote for your choice
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
