Countdown: October 2013 (3)

I've been excited to feature this month for countdowns for some time now. October is my birthday month, so I always look forward to seeing what books are going to be hitting the shelves throughout the thirty-one days that make up this calendar month. It's never a bad idea to have my birthday wish list ready for friends and family to draw from right? I've also always been a big fan of Halloween and getting dressed up and celebrating and marking the day with all the good fun that comes with it...and don't even get me started on pumpkin carving. The competition is pretty steep in my family and I've yet to come out on top, but it is a whole new year, and I'll have plenty of time to try and create a very impressive looking jack-o-lantern that will hopefully put my dad's to shame.

 

Countdown Pick #1:  The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney (10/08/2013)

 

A teenage girl is transformed into a reluctant superhero and must balance her old life with the dark secret of who she has become.

Prima ballerina Anthem Fleet is closely guarded by her parents in their penthouse apartment. But when she meets the handsome Gavin at a party on the wrong side of town, she is immediately drawn into his dangerous world. Then, in a tragic accident, Anthem falls to her death. She awakes in an underground lab, with a bionic heart ticking in her chest. As she navigates her new life, she uncovers the sinister truth behind those she trusted the most, and the chilling secret of her family lineage…and her duty to uphold it.

The Dark Knight meets Cinder in this gripping and cinematic story of heartbreak and revenge. From Alloy Entertainment, this inventive new superhero story is sure to captivate any reader.

This upcoming release sounds more like a movie to me than a book, but that won't stop me from picking it up on it's release day to see what it's all about.  This will be my first experience reading Kahaney's work, and I'm looking forward to hopefully adding another favorite author to my list.

 

Countdown Pick #2:  Desert Tales: A Wicked Lovely Companion Novel by Melissa Marr (10/22/2013)

 

Return to the world of Melissa Marr’s bestselling series and discover how the events of Wicked Lovely set a different faery tale in motion...

The Mojave Desert was a million miles away from the plots and schemes of the Faerie Courts—and that’s exactly why Rika chose it as her home. The once-mortal faery retreated to the desert’s isolation after decades of carrying winter’s curse inside her body. But her seclusion—and the freedom of the desert fey—are threatened by the Summer King’s newfound strength. And when the manipulations of her trickster friend, Sionnach, thrust Rika into a new romance, she finds new power within herself—and a new desire to help Sionnach protect the desert fey and mortals alike. The time for hiding is OVER.

Originally presented as a manga series, and now available for the first time as a standalone novel, Desert Tales combines tentative romance, outward strength, and inner resolve in a faery story of desert and destiny.

 

I was a huge fan of the Wicked Lovely series, but I was never really able to get into the manga style novels.  So when I found out that Marr would be spinning her manga series into a standalone novel I was thrilled and eager to pick this one up.

 

Countdown Pick #3:  Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein (10/08/2013)

 

A week ago, Dinah’s cousin Claire cut her wrists.

Five days ago, Dinah found Claire’s diary and discovered why.

Three days ago, Dinah stopped crying and came up with a plan.

Two days ago, she ditched her piercings and bleached the black dye from her hair.

Yesterday, knee socks and uniform plaid became a predator’s camouflage.

Today, she’ll find the boy who broke Claire.

By tomorrow, he’ll wish he were dead.

Yikes!  While this whole set up kind of puts me on edge and tips my scale into scary, at the same time, I'm already finding myself wanting to root for this female lead if she's going to try and make sure this "boy" doesn't hurt another girl like her cousin again.

 

Countdown Pick #4:  Tandem (Many-Worlds Trilogy, #1) by Anna Jarzab (10/08/2013)

 

Everything repeats.
You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds. Many lives--infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.

Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real--until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.

To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love--one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she's someone she's not.

The first book in the Many-Worlds Trilogy, Tandem is a riveting saga of love and betrayal set in parallel universes in which nothing--and no one--is what it seems.

 

I'm so excited for this title to hit the shelves and cannot wait to read more about Sasha and these parallel universes!

 

Countdown Pick #5:  Teardrop (Teardrop, #1) by Lauren Kate (10/22/2013)

 

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

 

Lauren Kate is back with another series and I think all of her fans agree that it couldn't have come at a better time.  I'm always on the lookout for a good romance, so when that's combined with Lauren Kate's amazing character development and story lines that flow together so effortlessly that readers easily lose track of the hour as they're trying their best to fly through the pages, it was a done deal for me.

Children's Choice Book Awards

Have you guys voted yet? Voting for the Children's Choice Book Awards in the Teen category opened on March 14th and it's a close race I'm sure. Every book is fabulous and I can't even begin to tell you how hard it was for me to narrow down my vote. Wicked hard! If you haven't put in your vote, head over there now and pick your favorite in hopes that the title comes out on top. With great books like these up for the award of Best Book of the Year, I can't even try to attempt at a guess of who will win.

Here are the nominees:

The Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2) by Cassandra Clare

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1) by Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the YA scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Passion (Fallen, #3) by Lauren Kate

Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series.

Perfect (Impulse, #2) by Ellen Hopkins

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.

Contest and Updates

Just a few updates in case you haven't come across them yourselves on the blogosphere/internet...

Cassandra Clare put up a post showing some really neat pictures of the City of Bones graphic novel and gave a few insights into City of Fallen Angels....not many but we'll take what we can get right?  Check it out here!

If you were as big a fan as I was of Fallen by Lauren Kate then you're probably just as anxious as I am for the sequel, Torment to come out.  Well Lauren posted a sneek peak on her blog and you guys have to check it out....I think this will help with the anxiousness I've got over waiting for Torment to hit the shelves.

And as a last minute add on here I thought I would tell ya a little bit about my dissapointing experience at the Richelle Mead book signing yesterday.  I was coming back from a weekend at the beach and some traffic made me a little late in getting to the signing on time.  I was only an hour late and as it turned out so was Richelle....but that doesn't mean that the 300 other fans were following in our footsteps :(  By the time I got there she was in the middle of answering questions and they had stopped passing out line tickets so I was going to have to wait at the end.

I was going to stick it out but I had a friend with me and we were still a good hour and a half from getting home and while we waited almost two hours....the end of the line was no where in sight...so I had to call it a day....no books signed, bummer right?  

I checked out Richelle's blog today and here are some pictures of the signing and hopefully you'll get a feel for what we were dealing with.  Now if you look in the back left side of this picture of the girl posing with Richelle, you will see two girls sitting on the floor waiting and trying to pass the time....yep that's me and my friend Kate trying to stop counting the clock, lol!

Well I did pick up an extra copy of Spirit Bound and while it's not signed (sorry guys I tried) I'm still going to give it away to one lucky winner!

This contest is open to all followers, so fill out the form below and good luck!  The contest will end on June 21st, so spread the word!

Review: Fallen (Fallen, #1) by Lauren Kate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Hooked again! Personally, I’m a series reader….when I fall in love with a really great book, I fall in love with all of it. The plot, the characters, and the world the author has created for them and everything in between. This is why for me, when I learn there will be a sequel to a book I’ve just fallen in love with it’s a silver lining that I grab on to.

Fallen by Lauren Kate has done just that….hooked me to yet another series that I will be dying to continue reading and counting down the days until the next installment hits the bookshelves (how many days until September 28^th?).

Kate created characters in Fallen like Luce, and Daniel and Arriane, who were so full of personality and mystery on top of it that as a reader I was reading as quickly as I could hoping to learn their secrets with each turn of the page. Some secrets came out, others have yet to be revealed. Fallen had me guessing until the very end, even when I thought I was putting the pieces of the puzzle together, new questions were thrown in, it was fabulous! Keeping with the way most series work, Fallen left readers wanting more.

Kate was able to integrate so many different elements throughout the novel and yet I wasn’t feeling overwhelmed with all the information she was giving her readers. I will admit to being disappointed that I was left slightly anxious and nervous concerning the characters fates and futures, but anyone who picks up this novel will agree that the frustration over unanswered questions was worth it!

Now we’re all just anxiously awaiting the release of the next installment in the Fallen series, Torment.

I gave Fallen (Fallen, #1) 4 shamrocks!

Teaser Tuesday (1)

 “Teaser Tuesday” is a weekly meme I heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren inspired by Mizb of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can do it, here’s how:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

·         Be careful not to include SPOILERS!  (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away, you don’t want to ruin the book for others.)

• Share the title and the author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Fallen by Lauren Kate

“She felt her lips pull up in a smile back at him, but then he raised his hand in the air.  And flipped her off.”

2010 Debut Author Challenge

This challenge is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Anyone can join, read her entire post here. I can't wait to see how many books I can get through....so far here's my list, the titles that are in bold I've finished reading, what do ya think? 

1. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
2. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
3. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
4. 13 to Life:  A Werewolf’s Tale by Shannon Delany
5. Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
6. Firespell:  A Novel of the Dark Elite by Chloe Neill
7. Other by Karen Kincy
8. Mistwood by Leah Cypress
9. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
10. Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
11. Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia
12. Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
13. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
14. Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
15. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
16. Vintage Veronica by Erica S. Perl
17. Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony
18. A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis
19. The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell
20. Everlasting by Angie Frazier
21. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
22. Paranormalacy by Kristen White
23. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
24. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce