SNARKY MAMMA

Where Did It Go, What We Read

2012-02-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

I think that I lost this week, with plague and discord in the home.

Sick kids = MLP FiM and if you missed that it is the new My Little Pony series.

I accomplished making horrible coffee all week, so it is like the walking dead in the house, plus sick kids.

What We Read:

Abhorsen by Garth Nix
The Wild Ways by Tanya Huff
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Slow week, but with the upcoming releases in the rest of the month we cannot wait for the new reads of late February to arrive.

How To Infect Your Friends: Way We Fall Style

2012-02-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Way We Fall
by Megan Crewe
released 1.24.2012
REVIEW

OK Peeps sorry to say this, but I have to infect you.

Now it could have been that blanket I sent you
that passed around cars and beaches on the island.
It could have been the tissues in the trash can from school, but I regret to inform you that you can no longer leave the island, house or anywhere. Watch out, there are angry citizens from our community on the streets hungering for a chance to take action from their fears and you may be it.

What?! was that a sneeze and are you mumbling?! Doesn't sound good my friend. I am afraid there is nothing to help you, but since you know, you are on the downclimb into death... can I have all of your canned food?!

Infect Your Friends is at its last day and Megan Crewe has a whole host of goodies for some fabulous PLAGUE TRADERS. Check it out HERE at her site.

What really caught me in this book was Kaelyn's voice throughout the whole book. As her world is crumbling around her and her family is succumbing to the disease as well as she herself, Kaelyn keeps strong like a good heroine and does not lapse into hysterics but tries to keep going. Helping townspeople who could be undoing or fighting stealing school mates, Kaelyn keeps a strong head and a strong heart trying to save those she loves and keep herself part distant from all of the destruction. Megan Crewe gave a voice to an amazingly strong willed female character thrown into the midst of a closed contamination zone, and she wrote her up to fight for her life until the end. I cannot wait to see what happens in book TWO!

INFECT on my friends and pick up this book now, before it is too late.

buy it now

bn / amazon / powells

Right and Left Hand Magic Metal Inspiration

2012-02-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

I loved Nancy Collins Right and Left Hand Magics and I was totally blown away when I saw this on the net today thanks to My Owl Barn.

All of these animals were created using car parts and after reading about Tate and her car part art these totally struck a cord with me.

James Corbet is the car part artist who brings these amazing pieces to life.

Monday Reads

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

What We Read:

Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell
STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth
Second Grave by Darynda Jones
Nice Girl's Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

Hit the Bookstore For:
Daughter of Centaurs by Kate Klimo
Bargains and Betrayals by Shannon Delany

Hitting the Bookstore Tuesday 2.6 For:

City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

Friday Videos: Hillywood Presents Breaking Dawn Part One

2012-02-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Thank you Tynga for bringing this to my attention this morning.
It was just too much to pass up sharing. I love my Hillywood Productions, and their latest Breaking Dawn 1 Parody was freaking hilarious.

For your enjoyment:

Trailer Thursday: Grave Mercy

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

I found the trailer for Grave Mercy and I have to say that I absolutely loved this book.

Grave Mercy
by Robin LaFevers
releases 4.3.2012
publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

REVIEW

Fantabulous Trailer

Upcoming Reads

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Jeaniene Frost has released the cover for
Once Burned (A Night Prince Novel)
releases 6.26.2012

And yum! Here is the
Summary from the Publisher:

She’s a mortal with dark powers…After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person’sdarkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude…until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world’s most infamous vampire…He’s the Prince of Night…Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don’t call him Dracula. Vlad’s ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him – a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

Also the stepback from this book is awesomesauce, well all of the books by Jeanine Frost have absolutely breathtaking stepbacks and this one is just delicious...

HarperVoyager has 4 Chapters up for
A Perfect Blood
by Kim Harrison
releases 2.21.2012

I love this series and Rachel's adventures keep getting trickier and hotter with every release. I was dying for more after the last book so A Perfect Blood is one of my highly anticipated reads for 2012.

Read:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Summary from the Publisher:

New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimedPale Demon!Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.She’s faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet.

New On Tue: On the Bright Side

2012-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

On The Bright Side
by S.R. Johannes
released 1.31.2012
Buy now on amazon / barnesandnoble

Thoughts On The Bright Side:

I am reading through Bright Side right now and I can say that I love these characters. Gabby's voice throughout the novel is snarky and fun, while at the same time she is growing into her new wings as an angel. What the reader can find in this book is really a story of a girl trying to "right her wrongs" and find out what she is going to do with her second chance at life. When everything can seem at its darkest, Gabby pulls herself up and makes a path through her new life that leads her in the right direction. With a great cast of characters and mission that can sometimes seem impossible On the Bright Side with keep readers through the last page enjoying a great read.

Book Blurb from the Author:

Gabbyis a disgruntled tween angel who has just been assigned to protect her schoolnemesis and ex-beffie. Problem is her ex-beffie is dating Gabby’s longtimecrush. Instead of protecting Angela, Gabby pranks her (since when is stickingtoilet paper to her shoe or spinach in her teeth a sin?) Soon, Gabby gets outof control and is put on probation by her SKYAgent, who has anger managementissues of his own. Determined to righther wrongs, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to Earthfor just one day. Without knowing, she kicks off a series of events andlearns what can happen when you hate someone to death.

Author Bio:

S.R.Johannes is the author of Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and On TheBright Side ( a tween paranormal). She lives in Atlanta Georgia with herdog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little princeand princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. Afterearning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in herexpensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, andher love of writing.

Contact information:

Email:shelli@srjohannes.com

Social Media

Blog:http://faeriality.blogspot.com/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/srjohannes

AuthorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SRJohannes/249888602550

AuthorGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5235537.S_R_Johannes

UntracableGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12731861-untraceable

On The Bright Side Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13251805-on-the-bright-side

In HisEyes Anthology Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13331838-in-his-eyes-anthology

Book Trailer Here

Blog Tour: All's Fair in Vanities War + Giveaway

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

ALL'S FAIR IN VANITIES WAR Blog Tour
Interviews, reviews and a little of everything in between - including a ton of bookmark giveaways, e-book giveaways, and the opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card!
Click banner to learn more.

At this stop on the Tour we are listing the Top 10 Magical Items List

Top ten magical itemsin ALL’S FAIR IN VANITIES WAR

1. Fireball.Locke uses a fireball to kill the basilisk in the opening scene. A fireball isLocke’s weapon of choice, it’s an easy spell since he has mastered the elementof fire, he taps the Leyline for a power source, and when it surges in hishands he says a few words that ignite the energy then he simply throws the globeof fire as if it were a football.

2. Amuletnecklace. Keleigh wears a quartz necklace that her mother gave her as a toddler.This necklace is charged with enough magic to diminish Keleigh’s Neart olaigstigh, or inner light. Keleigh is a Devas, an ExtraOrdinary being oflight and without her amulet her skin would radiate particles of energy,actually making her beam. Until Keleigh can learn to control her radiance fromwithin, she would be well served to wear the necklace, because the ShiningOnesare always fascinated by any ExtraOrdinary being who stands out from the rest.

3. Straysod. There is a Celtic warning, “Don’t step on a stray sod.” To Ordinary eyes astray sod appears to be a small piece of misplaced grass, but these fly sizedcreatures have the ability to lead travelers off their path and they can alsocause someone to forget where they’re going or even what they were thinking. Ifa few sods band together they can wreak havoc on an entire village. Other magicalcreatures often capture stray sods and use them to trick people into forgettingwhatever it is they want them to forget. Clancy is particularly fond of usingstray sods.

44. OGPS.OtherWorldly Galaxy Positioning System is basically a magical GPS system,except a ShiningOne’s brain works as both the satellite and the trackingsystem. Trust me, NASA wishes they had OGPS technology.

5. Serpent’segg. The egg symbolizing new life. This cosmic egg in mythology represents theegg that rises from the primeval waters and hatches the universe. Every druid,vate and bard has their own egg which they use for divination. They usuallyhave a representation of a snake on them; some in antiquity were formed frombaby snakes molded together.

6. Celtichand mirror. The mirror and comb are powerful symbols to the Celts, manystanding stones are engraved with these two images, indicating a female ofconsiderable status. The mirror and comb is possibly equivalent to a man’ssword and shield. For ExtraOrdinary females, who often use their mirrors fordivination, the mirror is a sacred and powerful item that is handed down frommother to daughter. Keleigh inherits this mirror from her mother and she hasextraordinary abilities with it and other mirrors as well.

7. Torque.The torque is a choker, a necklace marking distinction among Celtic men,indicating any that possess it as a warrior. Cernunnos gives Keleigh one ofhis, offering it to her as a token of protection.

8. WitchesBottle. This single handed salt glazed jug is also known as a Bellarmine jar,it is fashioned after the grimacing face of Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine. It wasa common storage container for beer and wine that originated in the Rhinelandof Germany. Many of these jars have been recovered by archeologists acrossEurope and they usually contain strange items, like pieces of leather cut intothe shape of a heart and then pierced with straight pins. Pieces of hair, nailclippings, urine, nicotine and traces of sulfur have been found in others. Butnone discovered by scientists has anything as strange as what Keleigh finds inthe one she unearths.

9. FairyArrows. The arrowhead on the left most closely resembles a fairy arrow, itleaves an x-shaped entrance wound and is very difficult to dig out. Celticlegend says that fairy assassins dip these arrowheads in dragon venom which ispoisonous to humans. A single arrowhead properly placed in the body is usuallyfatal. Locke was more than just lucky to survive five of these to the chest.

10. Cantrips.The Lovers knot is a symbol of the universe drawn in a continuous line. Thiscantrip has two halves that connect together to form a heart, it was drawn inblood, and only packs and oaths are drawn in blood. It’s a sinister love spelland the person who wrote this one wished to harness the emotional state of theperson they left it for. Do you know who drew it???

Ebook Giveaway for 2 Copies of All's Fair in Vanities War

a Rafflecopter giveawaycourtesy of Elizabeth Marx

All's Fair in Vanities War Tour Stops

Below is a list of all the dates and blog stops during the five-week tour for Elizabeth's book. This list also includes links to each and every blog participating, and the links will be updated on the date of the blog tour stop to take you directly to its official tour post.

Sunday, January 15 - Tour Introduction @ Missy's Reads & Reviews
Monday, January 16 - Book Review @ Refracted Light Reviews
Tuesday, January 17 - Author Interview @ Shadow Kisses
Thursday, January 19 - Guest Post @ Full Moon Bites
Friday, January 20 - Guest Post & Book Review @ Arianne Cruz
Saturday, January 21 - Book Spotlight @ Pages of Forbidden Love
Sunday, January 22 - Guest Post @ Moonlight, Lace & Mayhem
Monday, January 23 - Guest Post @ Literary Exploration
Tuesday, January 24 - Top 12 List @ A Word's Worth
Wednesday, January 25 - Guest Post @ Book Briefs
Thursday, January 26 - Author Interview @ Turner's Antics
Friday, January 27 - Book Review @ Book Whore
Saturday, January 28 - Top 10 List @ The Magic Attic
Sunday, January 29 - Book Review @ Sweet Tidbits
Monday, January 30 - Author Interview @ Splash of Our Worlds
Tuesday, January 31 - Top 10 List @ Snarky Mamma
Wednesday, February 1 - Guest Post @ Must Read Faster
Thursday. February 2 - Author Interview @ Ramblings of an Amateur Writer
Friday, February 3 - Book Review @ The Life of Fiction
Saturday, February 4 - Guest Post @ Esther's Ever After
Sunday, February 5 - Book Review @ Turner's Antics
Monday, February 6 - Top 10 List @ The Bookish Babes
Tuesday, February 7 - Book Review @ 909 Reviews
Wednesday, February 8 - Author Interview @ Spades High Reads
Thursday, February 9 - Top 10 List @ Xpresso Reads
Friday, February 10 - Book Review @ Missy's Reads & Reviews
Saturday, February 11 - Author Interview @ Paper Cuts
Sunday, February 12 - Book Review @ Splash of Our Worlds
Monday, February 13 - Guest Post @ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
Tuesday, February 14 - Book Review @ Snarky Mamma
Wednesday, February 15 - Author Interview @ 909 Reviews
Thursday, February 16 - Guest Post @ Crazed Bookie
Friday, February 17 - Book Review @ Esther's Ever After
Saturday February 18 - Tour Wrap-Up @ Missy's Reads & Reviews

Grand Prize
Not only do you have enormous amounts of opportunities to win bookmarks and copies ofAll's Fair in Vanities War, but you also have the chance of winning a $50 Amazon gift card! All you have to do is "like" the Seer's Facebook page and post your favorite line from All's Fair in Vanities War. Easy, easy!

Book Information

Salem’s always held sinister secrets. No one understands this better than a sixteen-year-old girl who dies on Halloween night and is reborn a Seer.

The Seer can’t imagine anything worse than being an invisible teenager with enormous black wings. Until she finds out she’s been sacrificed to watch over Locke’s new flame.

Locke Cavanaugh is a Druid, and part of the Order, a clandestine organization entrusted with keeping its members cloaked in the Ordinary world. Physically scarred from the accident that took his girlfriends life, Locke is searching for the OtherWorldly magic that damaged him, because only those without blemish can rule the Order. And once at the helm of the Order he has every intention of finding those responsible for her death.

On the West Coast, Keleigh Flaherty witnesses her parents’ murder by beasts that should only exist in nightmares. She is whisked off to the safety of Salem, where she learns how potent and dangerous her concealed Vate talents are. Keleigh wants to be Ordinary, but when her mother reaches out from the OtherWorld, and implores her to find a forgotten relic she’ll have to use all her ExtraOrdinary powers to locate it.

As Locke and Keleigh join forces, they unravel the Order’s involvement in the witch hysteria and murmurs of a Celtic prophecy. While Locke’s affection for Keleigh blooms, The Seer is torn between her duty to protect Keleigh, and her desire to stop Locke from making the ultimate sacrifice in order to earn Keleigh’s love . . .

But if they don’t find the witches bottle before the
ShiningOnes do, someone stalking Keleigh from the shadows will take her instead and plunge all worlds into chaos.

Title: All's Fair in Vanities War
Author: Elizabeth Marx
Series: The Seer's Seven Deadly Fairy Tales, Book 1
Format: Kindle Edition
Release Date: October 24, 2011

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Author Information

Windy city writer, Elizabeth Marx, brings cosmopolitan life alive in her fiction—a blend of romance, fast-paced Chicago living, and a sprinkle of magical realism. Elizabeth resides with her husband, girls, and two cats who’ve spelled everyone into believing they’re really dogs. She grew up in the city, has traveled extensively, and still says there’s no town like Chi town.

Website | Facebook

Monday Reads

2012-01-30T21:08:00.000-08:00

Monday January 30, 2012

What We Read:

Right Hand Magic by Nancy Collins
Left Hand Magic by Nancy Collins - REVIEW
The Selection by Kiera Cass - REVIEW
Sabriel by Garth Nix

Netgalley Month:
Royal Street by Suzanne Collins - REVIEW

Trailer Thursday: Born Wicked

2012-01-26T08:00:00.001-08:00

Trailer Thursday:

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
releases 2.7.2012

My Thoughts on Born Wicked:

I was excited to read about this release and a twist on the witch. While the world is putting witched aside and moving onto new dangerous grounds the Cahill sisters try to hide their magic and find their inner powers as their family's past can create a great shadow of disaster for their future.

This debut release from Jessica Spotswood is just stunning. Through these sister we learn of a past and a future both at the edge of destruction while at the same time their family is falling apart and love is finding its way into a witch's heart.
Born Wicked has a great cast of characters that are in a richly described world that will catch and captivate readers in its spell. I know I was ensnared and could not put it down.

Book Blurb:

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.
Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.
If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other

Early Review: Wings of the Wicked

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Wings of the Wicked
by Courtney Allison Moulton
Releases 1.31.2012
Publisher HarperCollins

Summary:

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.
She’s been warned. Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.
She’ll be betrayed. Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

My Thoughts on Wings of the Wicked:

Angelfire brought us into the world of the fallen and the reapers. Ellie found at that she was so much more than human and while her memories are still coming in and out of her past, her future just turned a whole lot more deadly than she had ever imagined.

As Bastian's evil plots thicken Ellie will loose what she loves the most and find herself questioning everything at every turn until she gets even. With a return of a hot and heavy cast of characters fighting for love and life, evil seems to lurk in us all at the most inopportune times and rising above fear and loss can make angels out of any of us.

Courtney Allison Moulton continues Ellie and Will's story in Wings of the Wicked and just when you feel that all is lost, a light will appear far off in the distance to carry you home.

Previous Book in the Series

Book 1

My Past Review Here

Pre-Order Wings of the Wicked

barnes&noble / amazon

WoW: Double Trouble

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday day I am awaiting the end of January with a pair of books I love.

A Perfect Blood ( Hallows #10)
by Kim Harrison
releases 2.21.2012

Oh how I love this series. Harrison has created an amazing cast of characters that really grip readers and with the release of A Perfect Blood we will totally not be let down

Summary:

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth — a would-be creator is determined to make his (or her) own demons. But it can’t be done without Rachel’s blood.
As a bounty hunter, Rachel has battled vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more. But humanity itself might be her toughest challenge

Third Grave Dead Ahead
by Darynda Jones
releases 1.31.2012

Yes! There is more for this totally awesome grim reaper with a hawt fierce protector. Now that the shiit is hitting the fan the third grave may be not that far away.

Summary:

Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she’s drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the parthuman, part-supermodel son of Satan. Yes, she did imprison him for all eternity, but come on. How is she supposed to solve a missing persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hellbent on murder when the devil’s son just won’t give up.

Review: The Way We Fall

2012-01-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

The Way We Fall
by Megan Crewe
304 pgs Hardcover
Released 1.24.2012
by Disney-Hyperion

Review:
The Way We Fall will captivate readers with it's strong determined characters who face a devestating outbreak on a closed off island.

What happens when the community you grew up in is falling apart and your neighbors turn against you in fear and spread a sickness that has no cure?

TWWF is an amazing story of the human spirit in the face of trial and loss. We are introduced to a cast of characters that are loosing everyone they love, while at the same time the island is begging for help from a mainland that has abandoned them in the face of a world wide outbreak.

While some take advantage of the sick and passes some people are struggling to help those to survive. The Way We Fall will grip readers and take you through a climactic set of events that rip through a small island town and change these lives forever. The ending leaves you gasping for more.

Book Blurb:

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.
And then you're dead.When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.Because how will she go on if there isn't?Megan Crewe crafts a powerful and gripping exploration of self-preservation, first love, and hope. Poignant and dizzying, this heart-wrenching story of one girl’s bravery and unbeatable spirit will leave readers fervently awaiting the next book in this standout new series.

Top Ten Tuesday

2012-01-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday: Whatever We Want!

Top Ten UF/PNR Heroines

Check out how Top Ten Tuesday works & the future schedule of topics HERE.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a freebie...meaning YOU pick whatever topic your heart desires! Did you miss a topic you wanted to participate in or have a really specific topic that will probably never be a general Top Ten Tuesday topic? This week is for YOU!

1. Rachel Morgan from the Hallows. OMG I love this series and as the books keep coming they are just
getting better!

2. Allie Beckstrom from PDX, now here is a series that keep going like a powerhouse also. I cannot get
enough of supernatural events in Stumptown.

3. Kate Daniels from Atlanta, you know if you ever get tired of Curran Kate you can have him come
here......

4. Charlie Madigan I am so glad that I found your series. I appreciate a heroine who has to juggle
saving the world and getting her daughter home from school.

5. Charley Davidson, yup two Charlies in a row but in all seriousness I JUST found out about this
series over the weekend and it is freaking awesomesauce! Now I am waiting for my mailman...

6. Anita Blake, I loved you and your never give up attitude but maybe if you can make it past 100 pages
without pounding no more than 2 dudes/weres at the same time then I would be far happier. After
so many books into the series we get what you like, but we ALSO like more action and drama and
plot progression.

7. Faythe Sanders I have a secret.... I have your last book ALPHA sitting on my shelf, and I see and
I really want to read it ... but I don't want you to end. OMG you were such a brave strong girl and
then now there is a final end, I just cannot part with all of the characters yet.

8. Sabina Kane you rock, your last book blew me away and I have just such a great time meeting all
of your friends and family. Now go kill a few off and shack up more.

9. Mercedes Thompson your series of shifters is delightful! I love it, the last book felt a little slow for
me but I am awaiting your spin off series Alpha and Omega new release a lot. Kiss Adam for us all

10. Elana Michaels you have taken the Otherworld by storm and protected everyone you love. You
are a true kick arse heroine.

Early Review: Horizon

2012-01-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Horizon
by Sophie Littlefield
Releases 1.24.2012
Publisher LUNA

Summary:

Cass Dollar is a survivor. She's overcome the meltdown of civilization, humans turned mindless cannibals, and the many evils of man.But from beneath the devastated California landscape emerges a tendril of hope. A mysterious traveler arrives at New Eden with knowledge of a passageway North—a final escape from the increasingly cunning Beaters. Clutching this dream, Cass and many others decamp and follow him into the unknown.Journeying down valleys and over barren hills, Cass remains torn between two men. One—her beloved Smoke—is not so innocent as he once was. The other keeps a primal hold on her that feels like Fate itself. And beneath it all, Cass must confront the worst of what's inside her—dark memories from when she was a Beater herself. But she, and all of the other survivors, will fight to the death for the promise of a new horizon…

My Thoughts on Horizon:

What Sophie Littlefield has done with the post apocalyptic zombiefied world is breathtakingly amazing. Horizon takes us into the third book in the Aftertime series, and it is a powerhouse of amazing characters and fabulous writing.
Cass in in the new settlement of New Eden and she is trudging along trying to make do with her life after her fall. From secrecy to turmoil Horizon will captivate readers with this new twist on our future living around the danger of the living dead. When her new settlement has become soft and lets their guard down, they are the most at risk, and no one know risk more that Cass Dollar as she has found her world ripped apart and turned upside down again. As New Eden falls and she is left to help pull the survivors into the unknown while facing the dangers of humans, zombies and the open road will she not only be able to protect herself, her young daughter Ruthie and then the reawakened Smoke. Will her tryst with Dor take precedent over her past relationship with Smoke?

Littlefield entraps us in a dangerous love triangle filled with hope and despair and keep readers at the edge of their seats until the end.
For Cass, who believed that her new beginning was her end, there is nothing more dangerous than the road ahead.

Previous Books in the Series

Book 1 Book 2

Pre-Order

barnes&noble / amazon

WoW: Shadows Before the Sun

2012-01-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

This week:

Shadows Before the Sun
by Kelly Gay
Releases 7.31.2012
Pocket Books

Honestly I love Charlie's character in this series. She has such a fight in her and when the stuff goes down around her she picks herself up and fights with all she has to protect her family and those she loves. Kelly Gay created a strong and realistic character who knows what is worth fighting for in life, even when the strength need to get up to face it is hard to come by.
This is one of my highly anticipated releases in 2012.

Overview:

The electrifying sequel to the acclaimed urban fantasies The Better Part of Darkness,The Darkest Edge of Dawn, and The Hour of Dust and Ashes!

After filling out mountains of paperwork, Detective Charlie Madigan sets out for a death-defying trip into heavenly Elysia to rescue her partner Hank and bring the siren home. Of course, she doesn’t expect to leave behind an all out siren revolution or return home to find that jinn crime boss, Grigori Tennin, has begun a massive search for the divine being, Ahkneri. Tennin’s tactics set off a chain reaction that puts Charlie in the crosshairs of the shadowy creature known as Death and awakens Ahkneri from her long sleep. And when Vengeance rises, Atlanta will never be the same.

Previous Books in the Series

Monday Reads (on Tuesday ;)

2012-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's Monday!
ON Tuesday ;)

What We Read:

Demon Lover by Juliet Dark - REVIEW
Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra - REVIEW
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen - REVIEW
Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken - REVIEW

Haha, so while I am a day later there were some amazing books that I read, and while I am not hitting the bookstore, I am working through my TBR pile this week.

Read on Peeps!

Review: Pure

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Pure
by Julianna Baggott
Releases 2.8.2012
Grand Central Publishing

My Thoughts on Pure:

Pure is a story about fierce survival and never forgetting where you came from.

Pure is fantastic dystopian that will chill and thrill readers. What happens when all is lost to the majority and only a few survive who are "pure"? What happens to a world where some have been protected from the radioctive fallout, and yet many were left with the concequences?

When some people created a Dome, a dome meant to save, the majority of people were left outside, left to survive. Crazy disfigurements plague the population just as deadly dust and ash coats their lungs, and the madness of desolation and loss also disfigure and transform people.

With a rebellion inside and outside of the Dome happening, and as the past is being reaped to our characters in the present we find ourselves realizing that the barren planet is far less destructive than the people who caused it into its present state. With government and scientific turmoil rampant we soon find a group of characters fighting for their past and striving to save our future.

In Pure we are introduced to two amazing characters Pressia and Partridge, one born in the Wretches and one born Pure in the Dome. What these teens soon find out is that their worlds are not so far off from each other, and that our strength is in the inside of us at the hardest of times.

Pressia was close to the detonation of the bombs and has been disfigured by the blast by melting a doll into one of her hands. In a world rocked by mutations this is the least of her problems as she soon will become of an age that her society sends teens into work camps or to their armies. Trying to keep hidden while trying and also saving her family Pressia soon finds herself at the front line of revolution, and at a crossroads for her future.

Partridge was born in the Dome to one of the founders its creation. While being under the shadow of an important political and scientific figure Partridge soon finds himself questioning all of the conditioning treatments that he is undergoing as a requirement of the Dome while at the same time he finds himself at the edge of a memory that becomes a reality.

Pure will astound readers with its shocking dystopian qualities while at the same time they will be breathless with the climactic suspense and mystery that is in this future world. What secrets have been hidden through the Dome's walls that these two teens will rip apart?

Overview:

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

The New Trailer for Pure:

Pre-Order Pure Today

bn.com / amazon.com

Cover Love: Rebel Heart

2012-01-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Rebel Heart
by Moira Young
releases October 2012

I was overjoyed to see the new cover for the Dustlands Series Book 2 revealed: Rebel Heart this morning.

I loved Blood Red Road and Moira Young created a great cast of character struggling to survive in a hostile environment and a dangerous population.

Previous Blood Red Road Review Here

When I saw the new paperback cover I was thrilled since the shadowed Saba and desert hills really conveyed the feeling of the book to me. While the female character appears way older than Saba, I can forgive it since the coloring and the appearance of the whole picture I found very appealing. With Rebel Heart's cover I had to tell myself, "be still me beating heart.." because whoa Jack looks hawt and dangerous against that backdrop of the yellow sands which is a fabulous cover.

Moira Young has created an amazing series in her Dustlands series and after Moira's panel on "Mean Girls from Wordstock this year I am highly anticipating the release of Rebel Heart.

Previous Book in the Series:

Blood Red Road

Awesome Fan Made Trailer to Blood Red Road

WoW: Blood Before Sunrise

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Amanda Bonilla has just released the fabulous cover for her second Shaede Assassin novel, Blood Before Sunrise.

Releasing July 3, 2012
publisher Penguin books

The first book was just plain awesome so I am highly anticipating this release.

Top Ten Authors I Want More Of

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday:
Authors I want more of!

The Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday the The Broke and the Bookish post their top ten lists on various topics. If you want more information go to their Top Ten Tuesday page

1. Neil Gaiman! Wow there is like a place in my heart for this author because our house cannot get enough of his books. With something for everyone Neil Gaiman ices the top of our cake.

2. Sheri S. Tepper I have loved all of your books and I am ready for a new twist on your world. You have taken us to new worlds and new realities and I cannot but ask for more.

3. Jane Yolen you are like a timestrip for me. As I was young it was to the pages and pictures of Owl Moon that I would read, and as I turned older it was to your Great Alta series that I read through and through in the YA years and Briar Rose that I curled up to at night. When I saw that you are releasing Except the Queen I was estatic so please, treat us with more.

4. Ursula K LeGuin you took me to fantastic places with your books soaring far and wide through the genres. You also have a book out there for everyone and they are so amazing and epic.

5. Margaret Atwood oh yes I love your books. The Handmaid's tale was ever so my favorite dogeared read for so many years. Whatever you release is just fantastic.

6. Tanith Lee your fantasy always astounded me and kept me up late at night in it's pages.

7. Judith Tarr oh my goodness I need another White Mare to sate my hunger. That was such and epic series that nothing can compare to hold such a flame to my heart. When I was so ill your pages carried me to a better place filled with danger and horses.

8. Annette Curtis Klause Blood and Chocolate was SO amazing that I could not believe it was over, continue it please!

9. Pamela Dean I spent my college days wishing that Tam Lin would blow the bagpipes under my window but since it did not happen I wish there to be more fairy tales in our future.

10. And Last but Never Least- Douglas Adams come back from the grave and take us for one more trip around the Galaxy.

Summary of our MG Read-a-thon

2012-01-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

What We Read:

The Whole Skeleton Creek Series by Partick Carmen (nothing better than seeing two kids jump while reading and watching the videos)
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass (audio Battle of the Books 2012 in OR)

Floors by Partick Carmen
12 Finally by Wendy Mass
Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan ( OR Battle of the Books)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (OR Battle of the Books)

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle (audiobook, yes!(

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Just Ella by Gail Carson Levine (because you totally need them together)

Savvy by Ingrid Law (audiobook roadtrip gotta love the library)

Scumble by Ingrid Law (audiobook, no really we love you libraries!)

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erksine

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Charlotte's Web by EB White (OR Battle of Books)

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

This week long read fest was not possible without my four reading aged kids getting their reads on and surviving my library trips.

Fabulous times that Middle Genre has.

Rafflecopter the Awesome-Giveaway

2012-01-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

If you have noticed we use rafflecopter a lot, because, well it is JUST that Awesome. In the realms of giveaways there was all of these forms, and then email addresses to find, but with the invention of the rafflecopter widget the time is almost to a third and it is so easy to use.

In honor of their amazing widget Rafflecopter is having a Launch Party where they are giving away a Kindle Fire to one lucky entrant:

Enter to their form provided from the Rafflecopter Company (this is a giveaway through their site, and in no way sponsored by Snarkymamma)
It would be awesome if you mentioned that Teri C referred you there, but hey no prob. Enjoy!
May the odds be ever in your favor......

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Under the Never Sky

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Under The Never Sky
by Veronica RossiReleased 1.3.2012
Publisher Harper Collins

Summary:
Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction. As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions. They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

My Thoughts on Under the Never Sky:

Under The Never Sky (UTNS) was such an amazing story! With one of the first released of the new year that I read and loved I was totally swept away in this futurist tale of love and loss. Veronica Rossi has created an unbelievable powerhouse in her pair of characters that will get readers lost in the pages.

Aria just wanted to talk to her mom, and then her world ended. Aria lives in one of a series of self contained PODS that humans created to life in after they destroyed their world. While living in this sterile and controlled world Aria knew nothing of how her future would be cast, and cast she was, right out of the POD and into the open Death Shop land of the Savages.

Peregrine is a Blood Lord tribe leader's brother who wants to save his people and his nephew. As the Aether churns in the sky Perry realizes that his future is away from his brother's lands just after all he loves is taken away in the form of his brother's son by the POD hovercraft. What will the meaning of this POD people intervention be to the future of Perry and his people.

Once Perry and Aria meet up in the deadly wasteland that is the future, their lives change forever as the Aether flows under the never sky and a breath of the world never can take on a whole new meaning into the lives of two people as they struggle to survive and save each other.

Rossi paired these two characters together into a world torn apart and into a civilization on the brink of destroying itself yet again. While slow to start UTNS will grasp readers as this pair fight for what is right and true and their songs will be sung on the winds of Aether. A whole new cast in a whole new world of possibilities.

Order a Copy

barnes&noble / amazon / powells

Smart B. Sarah's Sizzling Book Club January Info

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001-08:00

January Title

Unraveled by Courtney Milan
released 12.9.2011
ebook @ bn.com

Summary:

Smite Turner is renowned for his single-minded devotion to his duty as a magistrate. But behind his relentless focus lies not only a determination to do what is right, but the haunting secrets of his past—secrets that he is determined to hide, even if it means keeping everyone else at arm’s length. Until the day an irresistible woman shows up as a witness in his courtroom…Miranda Darling isn’t in trouble…yet. But she’s close enough that when Turner threatens her with imprisonment if she puts one foot wrong, she knows she should run in the other direction. And yet no matter how forbidding the man seems on the outside, she can’t bring herself to leave. Instead, when he tries to push her away, she pushes right back—straight through his famous self-control, and into the heart of the passion that he has long hidden away…

There is nothing more than this book club that totally is the icing on my cake for the month.
I have enjoyed this few hours for the book chat over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books over the past two years and these ladies have not let me down with their snark and wit chatting up books and their authors.

So for good times, join us Monday January 30, at 6pm PST over at SBTB

Charmfall Tour: Lily & Scout’s Favorite Things

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you read Charmfall yet?! I picked it up release day and LOVED IT! Go Lily.
We are the last stop from this fabulous Charmfall Tour that ran 10 days on 10 amazing blogs.
If you missed these fabulous favorite things and more hints into this amazing series you can start off at the First Tour stop Cold Moon Violet Books. Or see this last weeks tours at Chloe's Post.

Hi, everyone! We’re Lily and Scout, the heroines of CHARMFALL, the third book in Chloe Neill’s The Dark Elite series. We have lots of opinions–especially about magic–but also about what is and is not cool. We’ve included a few of our favorite things below. Be sure to also check out CHARMFALL, which hits shelves on January 3, 2012. Thanks!

No. 10 – The Internets

The interwebs have saved us from many a long night in study hall, and between classes, and at lunch, and before bed, and . . . well, you get the picture. We love to roam the web and see what’s out there in the world. There’s just so much to see! These are a few of our favorite sites; we visit them often.

1 – Boing Boing. 2 – Lolcats! 3 – XKCD. 4- Design*Sponge.

Here’s a sneak peek of CHARMFALL!

His fur was silvery gray. His eyes shifted color between sky blue and spring green, and his ears were flat against his head.
I’d tripped and fallen, which put me at eye level with the giant werewolf in front of me. He growled deep and low, and my heart stuttered a little . . . until he padded forward and nuzzled my arm.

Read more of the first chapter of CHARMFALL, or check out the first chapters ofFIRESPELL (DE1) and HEXBOUND (DE2).

Giveaway for a Dark Elite Surprise!

Enter in the Fabulous Rafflecopter Form

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Charmfall by Chloe Neill

Released 1.3.2012

Buy It Now

BN.COM / Amazon / Powell's

Middle Grade Read-athon

2012-01-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

Just Deb's Middle Grade Read-a-thon!

Child 1 and I eat books like breakfast cereal, the fabulous kind with marshmallows, in fact that is our favorite cereal down there!

So when we heard about Just Deb hosting the MG Read-athon we were stoked in the house since Child 1 and 2 received a stack from Santa in the literary present area.

Finished:

The Whole Skeleton Creek Series by Partick Carmen (nothing better than seeing two kids jump while reading and watching the videos)

The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass (audio Battle of the Books 2012 in OR)

Up Next on the TBR Read-athon List:

Floors by Partick Carmen
12 Finally by Wendy Mass
Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan ( OR Battle of the Books)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (OR Battle of the Books)

Trailer Thursday & Review: Cinder (in case you missed it)

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
1.3.2012
published by Feiwel & Friends

Cover Description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Marissa Meyer on Cinder, writing, and leading men (from BN.com)

Which of your characters is most like you?I wish I could say that I'm clever and mechanically-minded like Cinder, but no—I can't fix anything. I'm much more like Cress, who makes a brief cameo in Cinder and then takes a more starring role in the third book. She's a romantic and a daydreamer and maybe a little on the naïve side—things that could be said about me too—although she does find courage when it's needed most. I think we'd all like to believe we'd have that same inner strength if we ever needed it.Where do you write?I have a home office that I've decorated with vintage fairy tale treasures that I've collected (my favorite is a Cinderella cookie jar from the forties) and NaNoWriMo posters, but sometimes writing there starts to feel too much like work. On those days I'll write in bed or take my laptop out for coffee or lunch.If you were stranded on a desert island, which character from Cinder would you want with you?Cinder, definitely! She has an internet connection in her brain, complete with the ability to send and receive comms (which are similar to e-mails). We'd just have enough time to enjoy some fresh coconut before we were rescued.The next book in the Lunar Chronicles is called Scarlet, and is about Little Red Riding Hood. What is appealing to you most about this character as you work on the book?Scarlet is awesome—she's very independent, a bit temperamental, and has an outspokenness that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. She was raised by her grandmother, an ex-military pilot who now owns a small farm in southern France, who not only taught Scarlet how to fly a spaceship and shoot a gun, but also to have a healthy respect and appreciation for nature. I guess that's a lot of things that appeal to me about her, but she's been a really fun character to write! (The two leading men in Scarlet, Wolf and Captain Thorne, aren't half bad either.)

Teri C's Review:

Cyborg Cinderella. I think that it was the concept of an altered twist on the Cinderella tale that really made me yearn for this release as much as I did, and Marissa Meyer fulfilled all of my fantasy dreams. Castle on Earth, yes! How about a evil empire on the Moon that is hellbent on taking over ruling Earth by offing a huge portion of the population so evil Queen can marry hot prince who is crushing on said cyborg Cinderella?! OH yeah!

Cinder is a story about a girl named Cinder who lives with the evil stepmother in New Bejing surviving by hiding out in her workshop and selling parts and repairs in the city market. We open up to Cinder revealing to readers that she is a cyborg, part human-part machine, living in a futuristic world that wants nothing to do with cyborgs (constant discrimination) and yet they are also looking to sell off a cyborg to two into research for a cure to end a crippling disease rippling through the population. Cinder is soon asked to repair a service machine to the one and only horribly attractive, conflicted and kind Prince Kai.

Is this book just about a relationship, nope, it is about the harsh reality of interplanetary conflict, death and disease, machine repair, medical practices, and personal leg repair. The character interactions between Kai and Cinder are fabulously written and intertwined in the plot throughout the story but really what caught me was Cinder. This amazing young woman lives a harsh life but also she carries within her a spark to greatness. We soon find in these pages a complicated past and a harrowing future for this young heroine in a world out to shun her. Marissa Meyer has taken an old tale and fashioned it into a new beautiful work that will captivate readers and keep them anticipating until the very last page.

The Amazing Cinder Trailer

Cinder is on sale Now

buy it today

Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Powells

ps. If you live in the PDX area Marissa Meyer will be signing at Powells Cedar Hills Store

Friday, January 27th @ 7pm Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. (800) 878-7323

WoW: Nice Girl's Don't Bite Their Neighbors

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Waiting This Wednesday

I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of:

Nice Girls Don'r Bite Their Neighbors
by Molly Harper
Releases 2.28.2012
Pocket Books

Book Blurb:

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STOP HIDING—AND START LIVING?Willow Briars only has to glance at her identical twin sister, Holly—slim, happy, married with two beautiful children—to see how her life might have turned out differently. The divorced Willow, who works at a London talent agency, has all the outward trappings of success, yet her dissatisfaction is growing along with her dress size. Add in a long-term, fruitless crush on her friend Daniel, and Willow has started to feel invisible.Then she buys a mysterious pair of vintage shoes that make her feel sexy, daring, more confident. Since she’s also babysitting a disgraced starlet and caring for the ex-stepdaughter who just landed on her doorstep, her life is suddenly full. Willow must reevaluate everything she once believed about love, heartache, and her own worth. But can she learn how to stop running from her past and embrace whatever her future may hold?This heartfelt, uplifting novel is a story of courage, second chances, and learning how a thousand small pleasures—shared laughter, beautiful shoes, an unexpected kiss—can make all the difference in the world.

I have loved this series throughout the years and I am so excited in this next installment. Molly Harper always brings a snarky tongue and a sharp whit to her characters that has always been a delight for me to read.
If you have not read the whole series yes, do! Here are the previous covers which are all fabulous.
I also have enjoyed the cohesiveness of all the coves which have kept up with their great look and appealing spine. I love a great series spine line up on my shelves.

Book 1 Book 2 Book 3

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

2012-01-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

Hallowed
by Cynthia Hand
Releases January 17, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins

My Thoughts on Hallowed
Hallowed can be a feeling or a place of ground but Cynthia Hand has taken Hallowed to a whole new level in her devastating beautiful sequel to an amazing new urban angel series.

We return into Colorado where Clara and her mother and brother live hiding a terribly beautiful secret of their angel-blood from the main population while also hiding themselves from other entities that are hunting their kind. Torn between worlds and at the cusp of danger and loss, Clara soon finds herself not only in danger but also inside visions of a grave. Hallowed mixes tragedy and loss together while also brings the reader deeper into the world of these present day angels.

Caught between two boys who only want the best for Clara, our main character soon finds herself needing to choose which purpose she will choose for her life, just as everything soon falls apart.

Cynthia Hand has creating a riveting series on divine entities just trying to live and grow up on Earth. The Unearthly series is like a coming of age tale with bonus Glory, Purpose, and Wings mixed in with boys and danger.

Book Description:

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Pre-Order

bn.com / amazon.com

Victory! and Hitting the Bookstore

2012-01-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

I am finally plague free!
Whoop Whoop!

Over the WinterBreak we read:

Under Wraps by Hannah Jayne
Under Attack by Hannah Jayne
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison
Moulton
Grave Mercy by Robin LeFevers
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Waltz This Way by Dakota Cassidy
All's Fair in Vanity's War by Elizabeth Marx

Hitting the Bookstore Today For:

To Walk the Night by E.S. Moore
Tempest by Julie Cross
Switched by Amanda Hocking
Charmfall by Chloe Neill

Maggie Stiefvater's Novembercakes

2011-12-31T15:31:00.000-08:00

Maggie Stiefvater is having an awesome giveaway on her site for this fabulous stack.
The entry involves your favorite posts from her blog and our houses all time FAVORITE blog post from Maggie S would be
THE NOVEMBERCAKES.

Now I realize that this has now become a must tradition in our hosue for November or really any time and unsuspecting person stays at our house since you really much have other people over to get you to stop eating all of these delicious treats yourself.

Here is the link to her most fabulous recipe LINK HERE and while there has been an updated version HERE I can say that I want to try it ASAP, but like I said, we need a few friends to help us out. Hint Hint friends! ...

So if you too can remember your favorite post from Maggie Stiefvater from her site come on over and join in the mayhem of letter her know our love with her
year end book cleaning. LINK HERE

Review: Under Wraps

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Under Wraps
by Hannah Jayne
released March 2011

Book Blurb:
Sick of wrongful-death lawsuits every time a full moon comes around?
Call the Underworld Detection Agency.

As a human immune to magic, Sophie Lawson can help everyone from banshee to zombie transition into normal, everyday San Francisco life. With a handsome werewolf as her UDA boss and a fashionista vampire for a roommate, Sophie knows everything there is to know about the undead, the unseen, and the uncanny. . .

Until a rash of gruesome murders has demons and mortals running for cover, and Sophie finds herself playing sidekick to detective Parker Hayes. Dodging raging bloodsuckers, bad-tempered fairies, and love-struck trolls is one thing. But when Sophie discovers Parker isn't what he seems, she's got only one chance to figure out whom to trust. Because an evil hiding in plain sight is closing in. . .and about to make one wisecracking human its means to ultimate power. . .

My Thoughts on Under Wraps:

I love my UF, and with the cover you expect something hardcore and retribution style heroine, but really it is more like a cuddly cute teddy bear. The cover is really neat but totally has nothing like the story in it. Under Wraps brings us into the hidden Underworld of San Francisco. We are introduced to our main heroine Sophie and her life working for the UDA Underworld Detective Agency while at the same time rooming with two vamps and sordid plot arising around her unbeknownst.

Under Wraps takes hints from UF while also making it a snarky and fun read that carries the reader for a loop in the life of one normal wanting woman with extra benefits. While immune to magic and having a passed on family that had some fabulous magical genetics, Sophie just wants a little love in her life, preferably not from her trolling stalker Steve.

Under Wraps was a great introduction to a series you don't want to put down.

My favorite line:

I held up a silencing hand. "It ate my car."
Nina's cheeks went hallow as she sucked the last of the blood from her pouch. "Whoa. Sounds like we're out of UDA and straight into Transformers."
I gave her a look.
"I know, " she said tossing her pouch in the trash, "more than meets the eye. Vlad, come on!" pg113

Review: Rivals

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: February 6th 2012

by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Daisy Whitney is a maverick in writing. Mockingbirds was the first book in this series and it really set the stage for it's debut. The cast if characters was so realistic and dramatic that as the story unfolded we cries and cheered on it's cast.
Now with the upcoming release of Rivals we are brought back into the sphere of influence of the Themis Academy where old enemies wait, and suspicious is rampant in the halls.
The new case up for the Mockingbirds will not only implicate friends but it will spread throughout the classes.
What is in store for Alex's love life, there is a triangle brewing.
Rivals will not only come from old enemies, classmates, but also from the heart.
Whitney's characters are returning from summer and returning to new challenges. For Alex, Juilliard is calling, but also the music of starting a real singing group when the Dean casts suspicions on the club.
Rivals weaves a fantastic story that will question charters truth and loyalty, while they rise to their challenges.

It was a fantastic read and a fabulous sequel.

Review: Dragonswood

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Dragonswood
by Janet Lee Carey
Releases January 2012
Published by DIAL, Penguin Young Readers Group

My Review:
Only Witches go to dance in the Dragonswood, the land of fey and dragons.

Dragonswood is an amazing release by author Janet Lee Carey that will Dazzle the reader with a mystical world filled with wonder, and hunters.

There is a witch hunt happening, and neighbor turn against neighbor as the times are harder and food is leaner. With the death of a king, and a prince scouring the lands for stolen royal jewels and treasure lost, a kindgom is falling apart and while the knights hunt witches, the cause of the witch hunt is known to only a few.

Wilde Island has secrets and barriers that not everyone can cross, but for many years Tess has felt the draw of the Dragonswood. Scaling the wall that is a barrier from the fey and the normal man, Tess has been breaking more than the law, she has also left herself exposed to the very community that is pointing fingers at its trouble. When the last breath of her youngest brother draws Tess from the beating hands of her Blacksmith father, Tess runs into the Dragonswood to hide among the trees and draw all manner of creatures seen by her. But this trip may be her last as the village midwife accuses Tess of witchcraft and sets in motion a hidden history and a future prophecy.

Dragonswood is a fantastical tale of romance, and adventure. With rich fantasy elements it will take readers in a world of dragons and fey mixed with princes and driven ladies.

Janet Lee Carey pulls the reader in with the main character Tess and her troubles and we follow along as she tries to do right by her faults, and yet also becomes a strong willed woman of power.

Tess is a strong female character that can remember her wrongs and take them to new heights to do right by them, while at the same time falling in love and striving to save not only her kingdom, but also that of the sacred land of magical entities.

Love action, adventure, dragons and a little love, then Dragonswood will roll in the New Year with its fabulous release.

Book Description:

Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends.
Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood.
In this epic romance, an ancient prophecy comes true in a way neither dragon, fairy, nor human would have predicted.

Find more on Janet Lee Carey

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Pre-order DragonsWood

amazon / bn.com

Waltz This Way by Dakota Cassidy Tour

2011-12-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

Coming next year is the release of the the Ex Trophy Wives Series Book 3, Waltz This Way by Dakota Cassidy.

This is one of my favorite authors with her fabulous literary creations that leave you laughing and loving the characters at the same time. With a hard exterior but with a squishy middle the heroines in Dakota Cassidy's books leave a lasting impression on their readers.

Waltz This Way blurb:

In her new novel, national bestselling author of Burning Down the Spouse, Dakota Cassidy takes on life, love, and championship ballroom dancing. Get ready to rumba.Left without a partner...When former ballroom champion Melina Cherkasov found out that her famous husband was cheating, she was devastated, especially since she was informed by a sleazy reporter on national TV. Thanks to an ironclad prenup and a scumbag ex, Melina has to pack up her dog and her dignity and take refuge in her dad's retirement community in New Jersey....it's time to take the lead.To make ends meet, Melina puts her dancing shoes to use as an instructor at Westmeyer-a private school for boy geniuses. Teaching a bunch of hormonal teenagers to waltz is trying, but the school's sexy handyman provides ample distraction. Drew McPhee is perfect, except for one thing: He doesn't like dancing. Thankfully, the finesse Drew lacks on the floor is more than made up for by his skills in the bedroom. And after one steamy night, the ballroom diva is the one getting swept off her feet...

My feelings for the book are:
What Dakota Cassidy has created with her Ex Trophy Wives series is nothing short of snarky excellence.

Waltz This Way takes us into the life of Melina, wife to a rich Dancer and showman who has been kicked to the curb from her marriage and is back in her old town living with her Dad. With rich and vindictive characters we cheer on Melina as she builds herself back up in life and faces her obstacles with those big girl panties and a tub of chocolate frosting. Because sometimes that frosting can help a girl out, right?!

Left with nothing to her but her clothes on her back Melina soon finds herself with a handful of spunky senior friends, teaching dance at a school for whiz nerd boys, and caught between and ex and new man while keeping herself afloat in a future she designs.

Dakota Cassidy weaves such a rich tale in Waltz This Way that the reader itches for dancing feet and cannot wait to read on more. With great plot twists and a great cast of characters this book will dance into your heart and the ending will leave you with a good book hangover.

Waltz This Way
by Dakota Cassidy

released March 6, 2012

Previous Books in the series include
You Dropped a Blonde on Me and Burning Down the Spouse

Midwinter's Eve Winner Announced

2011-12-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, here is the winner from the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop.
MK!
An email has been sent and an ARC of Cinder has been won.
Thank you all for participating in the hop, and Happy Reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WoW: A Lot

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

There are so many great reads coming out!
Here are a few I cannot wait to get a copy of.

Magic Without Mercy
by Devon Monk
Releases April 2012
Pre-Order now BN.COM

-I love my Allie and Portland.

blurb:
Allison Beckstrom's talent for tracking spells has put her up against some of the darkest elements in the world of magic. But now, magic itself has been poisoned, and Allie's undead father may have left the only cure in the hands of a madman.

The Selection
by Kiera Cass
Releases April 24, 2012
Pre-order BN.COM

- looks fabulous!

A Sliver of Shadow
by Allison Pang
Released Feb 28, 2012
Pre-order BN.COM

- totally loved the first book.

Bedeviled
by Sable Grace
Releases December 27, 2011
Pre-order BN.COM

-Ascension was amazing I cannot wait for this release.
Scribd has a preview HERE

It is Tuesday

2011-12-27T10:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Merry after Christmas.
Like many I am still cleaning up after the holidays and not enjoying the Christmas plague that is sweeping through our house.

What I did love about the holidays was: THE BOOKS!

I ordered several fabulous books for myself and they all arrived before the holidays so while the kids munched the cookies and watched classic Christmas movies I read on.

My favorite book read this holiday season was Fate's Edge that finally came late after a Pre-Order.
Illona Andrew's takes us to the edge again, and the characters just keep getting better and better.

I hope your Holidays were fabulous, and I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Friday Videos Love Cellos

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Honestly I cannot get enough of this happy dude rocking his cello.

Trailer Thursday: Cinder

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

In case you have missed it there is the brand new trailer out for Cinder, and I cannot wait to get my hands on Kai!
And there is more!
Cinder will be followed by three more books: Scarlet, Cress, and Winter, which are inspired byLittle Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, respectively.

See it here at EW.com

WoW: Once

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday I have my eye on once by Anna Carey.

I really enjoyed eve, the first book, so much and if you need a refresher of my eve great book hangover here is the LINK.

What once has in its description is:

Sixteen years have passed since a deadly virus wiped out most of the Earth’s population. After learning of the terrifying part she and her classmates were fated to play in the rebuilding of New America, eighteen-year-old Eve fled to the wilds and Califia, a haven for women determined to live outside the oppressive rule of the king of New America. However, her freedom came at a price: she was forced to leave Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. Eve quickly learns that Califia may not be as safe as it seems and soon finds herself in the City of Sand and the palace of the king. There she uncovers the real reason he was so intent on her capture, and the unbelievable role he intends her to fill. When she is finally reunited with Caleb, they will enact a plan as daring as it is dangerous. But will Eve once again risk everything—her freedom, her life—for love?

But as eve dropped us a cliffhanger and I yelled NOOO!! to the roof, I cannot but hope that once will be a powerhouse that will wrap up the characters more and take us to the fight for life across the bridge.

Book Info:

once

by Anna Care

Releases July 23 by Harper Collins

Midwinter's Eve Hop: CINDER!

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I’m happy to be participating in this Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader not a Writer and Oasis for YA

There are 200+ book blogs participating in the hop!! The Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop will be running from 12/21-12/27, so you will have plenty of time to visit all of the participating blogs. Good luck to you all and enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday: Under the Tree

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post.

Top Ten Books Santa Should Totally Sneak Under My Tree

1. The Entire Tortall Series by Tamora Pierce. Seriously Santa I love my heroines and how they grow up. My books are tattered and frayed and Kid 1 lost some pages from Wild Magic lately and I just want my own pristine set to read again and again.

2. Pre-Order me Insurgent by Veronica Roth

3. Pre-Order Everneath by Brodi Ashton

4. Darker Still by Leanne Renee Hieber

5. Emily Strange the whole series

6. Snake Light so I can Read more at night

7. The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting

8. Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennet

9. Partials by Dan Wells

10. Shadow Kin by M L Scott

- Santa if it becomes too hard to find these titles, you can always drop me a gift card and I promise to find many a great book, a good home.

Monday Reads

2011-12-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

It's Monday What are we Reading:

Book in Hand:

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton (yes! part of an ARC Tour)

I Know What You Read Last Week:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Liani Taylor (yes what they all said was true, Epic new author!)

Cold Creek Secret by RaeAnne Thayne (for when you just need a cowboy)

Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie (howling good time)

Hitting up the Bookstore for:

Presents! Because not only are there a great many reads my peeps have not read, but they ALSO wrap them up for me all pretty.

Loveswept Holiday Hop with Romance at Random

2011-12-12T08:00:00.002-08:00

The Loveswept Holiday Hop is being sponsored by Romance at Random.

Happy Holidays to everyone - Romance At Random is celebrating their Loveswept line with a random e-book Giveaway to 25 winners plus an opportunity to win one Grand Prize fromwww.romanceatrandom.com. Enter here to be included in the FREE random e-book drawing (25 winners will pick up their FREE book from Net Galley) and then stop on by www.romanceatrandom.com and comment to enter the drawing to be the ''ONE” Grand Prize winner, to win a selection of great books! Good Luck & Happy Holidays to all!

INCREASE your chances to win by visiting all of the participating 'Loveswept - Holiday Hop' sites! Winners will be contacted after 1/10/12.

So basically, enter on the linky here, and get another entry if you go to Romance at Random site and enter on the main page there also and through the other participating blogs enter in for more chances to win.
This is a US only contest.

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays to all.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Monday Reads

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

It is Monday and this week:

Book In Hand is: Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch (freaking fantabulous)

I Know What You Read Last Week:

Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla (it came, I read, I loved!)
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (ARC -ATWT awesomesauce!)
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand (ARC -ATWT awesome one toast!)
Fever by Lauren DeStefano (ARC -ATWT whoa!)

Hitting the Bookstore For:

Left Hand of Magic by Nancy A. Collins

Oh yeah, another great set of book hangovers and a lot of laundry to fold this week.

Read on peeps!

Review: TRUTH by Julia Karr

2011-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Truth
by Julia Karr
Releases 1.19.2012
by SPEAK

The Truth will set you free...
Nina has had great changes since her appearance in XVI where we unraveled her past and she found her future. In this second installment of this amazing new dystopian series, Julia Karr asks us, how far will we go for the truth? For not only within our owns truths that we hold, but in the truths that others hold for us and the truths that society itself is hiding from.

Nina has so much thrown at her in Truth and she wades through it and triumphs. New beginnings arise as Nina finds her inner strength and back bone more as she begins to loose so much and have it taken away. What I love so much about this character especially in this book is that not only does she question a lot about herself and her world, but she is questioning those around her and coming to some sudden truths of her own. As Nina is finding her pillar of strength in her world and becoming a stronger part of the Resistance and finding her voice, we really see Nina take a stand for herself and everyone. I love that in a female character when they really see their own value and present it.

We hide the Truth, we hide behind the Truth, and we refuse to see the Truth, but Julia Karr tells us to question the Truth, to be sure before we choose which side to stand behind.

Pre-Order a fine copy of this amazing book today. It's awesomesauce will delight you throughout your reading experience.

Friday 56: The Space Between

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Friday Reads:

The Space Between
by Brenna Yovanoff
Released 11.15.2011

page 56 (from the ARC)

Beelzebub sighs. Then, he sits down across from me, pocketing his Russian money and his gun. He;s looking into my face and his eyes are almost like a real person's-pale, but not transparent anymore, and he will pass for human on the street.

Like that? Then order it today.

bn.com / amazon.com

Friday 56:

Fredia over at Fredia's Voice is the host for The Friday 56. What are the rules? Here is some info:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

Cinder News

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

So while I am totally stoked on this release in all of its fabulous adaptation of the classic-ness Tor.com has a prequel (Squee!) and the first 5 chapters up online for us to read and beginning wanting our own time machine from Santa for Christmas.

Tor.com Prequel: Glitches

First 5 Chapters of Cinder by Marissa Meyer on Tor.com
you can get the links to get a sample ebook download.

Late night WoW: Shaedes of Gray

2011-12-07T21:17:00.001-08:00

Today I am totally waiting on Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla because I have been dying to read this book for months. I went out to the bookstore to get a copy but it never came in on their truck so it was one of those mid store arms in the air dramatic "NOOOO!!" moments where I turned and grabbed a coffee to lick my book no read wounds and sulk. I ordered it up online and am now stalking the mailman in a few days.

Shaedes of Gray blurb:
Released 12.6.2011

In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind-an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.When Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she's taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished...

MondayReads

2011-12-05T20:59:00.001-08:00

While I may suffer from a case of Groundhog Day Movie Style at my house with sick kids and what not, I have been kicking in the reading between finals and doctors appointments.

I Know What You Read Last Week...... (watched to many movies lately..)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer from NetGalley -omg it was awesome! (review upcoming)
Horizon by Sophie Littlefield from NetGalley - ohh what comes next!
Shadowlander by Theresa Meyers (bought) - freaking fantastic!
Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams - (bought) I WANT MORE! freaking fantabulous
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe - YES! from NetGalley

Hitting the Bookstore For on Tuesday:

Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch oh yeah Kitty Proliferation!
Shaedes of Grey by Amanda Bonilla been waiting on this one!
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Dreaming of the Wolf by Terry Spear

So Tuesday, I am coming and cringing from the bank statement later but I lurve you! This will keep me warm and cozy while we are below freezing at home.

Excuse Me Whilst I Grab My Soapbox: Maria V. Snyder Edition

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

SoapBox Maria V. Snyder Edition- Epic Awesomesauce

Maria V. Snyder is a master storyteller. In all of her books she creates this intimate set of characters and a world that makes me want to disappear into their pages until they are finished. I am really captivated by all of her series and the beautiful relationships and qualities her characters have.

In Touch of Power we are introduced to Avry and we hear the story through her voice. Avry lives in a world that has very few magically inclined people in it, and as one of the last healers Avry has been struggling to hide and survive in a world that is out to destroy her. Carrying this huge gift Avry cannot help but heal the sick and dying children she sees, but at her last safe house where she has just saved a small girl, the townspeople call the authorities and send her to hangman.
Rescued by a band of men who need her for heir own mission, Avry soon finds herself not only in the center of a war brewing but also a war with herself and the new relationships she is making along the way.

Touch of Power is an amazing book for any age. Mrs. Snyder brings us such a strong yet gentle caring character in Avry. We see her grow as a character and find her inner strength as she struggles and yet overcomes so much in the story.

Many times Maria V. Snyder reminds me of Tamora Pierce and her amazing story building and her fabulous characters. Both authors create theses fabulous worlds and their rich, heart-felt characters that really settle into the reader as they deal with all of their challenges and grow into these amazing young female characters.

I think that many of us wish we could be like Avry in that we could have some undiscovered strength or power we have no realized and yet as we find it in ourselves and grow, we are also a part of some huge important adventure with supporting characters helping us along the way to achieve these great things. While I could never personally scale a mountain pass and save a kingdom, I can experience it through the pages. I also get to be a part of this whole range of emotions that roll through these series and their characters that Maria V. Snyder has created in each of her books. Every one of her books creates so many developments in their characters, that they become so unique and fabulous.

There has never a better time than now to be a girl young or old to be able to read such richly detailed uplifting novels of heroine-ism than now. Maria V. Snyder has created something amazing for a vast growing generation of girls who want to achieve great things and strong female led books like hers help pave the way for girls to experience the growing potential of vibrant characters like Avry in a Touch of Power.

Thank you Maria V. Snyder for creating these strong heroines for our girls to look up to.

Touch of Power
by Maria V. Snyder
12.20.2012
MIRA Publishing

Overview:

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing and powerful book.

Pre-Order Touch of Power

bn.com / amazon.com

WoW: Silver Tongued Devil

2011-11-30T11:51:00.001-08:00

Silver Tongued Devil
by Jaye Wells
Releases 1.1.2012
Orbit Books

I cannot wait for this release. I love Sabina's snark and grit plus the supporting characters are freaking fantabulous. So January, if I had a time machine I would totally be there, but the preorder receipt will have to satisfy me for now.

Overview

Now that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team. But as much as Sabina wants to feel hopeful about the future, part of her doesn't believe that peace is possible.Her suspicions are confirmed when a string of sadistic murders threatens to stall treaty negotiations between the mages and the vampires. Sabina pitches in to find the killer, but her investigation soon leads her down dark paths that have her questioning everyone she thought she could trust. And the closer she gets to the killer, the more Sabina begins to suspect this is one foe she may not be able to kill.

Orbit Books has a chapter online now:
http://www.orbitbooks.net/silver-tongued-devil/

Blue lights flashed off the undersides of leaves. Off the tall brick buildings. Off the stoic faces of New York’s finest. The cops formed a tight circle around a tarp-covered body next to a Dumpster. Its lid gaped open like the mouth of a shell-shocked witness.

After three months on a steady diet of bagged blood, the aroma of a fresh human kill hooked me by the nose and dragged me toward the crime scene. The humans around me could smell the stink of trash and acid rain and gritty city. But they couldn’t detect the coppery scent that made my fangs throb against my tongue.

Delicious. Seductive. Forbidden.

Bright yellow police tape cordoned off the entrance to the park. Spectators gathered in a tight clutch on the sidewalk along Central Park West. Their morbid curiosity clung to their faces like Greek tragedy masks.

I shouldn’t have paid any attention. I shouldn’t have stopped. And I definitely shouldn’t have pushed my way to the front of the crowd.

But the blood called to me.

A male in a black Windbreaker with the word CORONERon the back lifted the tarp. His expression didn’t change as he surveyed the carnage. He looked up to address the detective and uniformed cops waiting to hear his verdict. “Anyone located the dick?”

A young patrolman lurched his head over the side of the steel box and vomited.

“Hey, rookie, you contaminate my crime scene and I’ll give you something to puke about.”

The white-faced recruit wiped his mouth with his arm. Raised a gloved hand. “Found it.”

“What’s that he’s got there?” The question came from a blue-hair standing next to me.

All around people started voicing guesses.

“Maybe it’s a finger.”

“A toe?”

“That has to be an ear.”

I bit my lip. Giguhl was going to be so mad he missed this. If he’d been there with me, the Mischief demon probably would have said something like, “Sabina, dicks in Dumpsters are no laughing matter.” Then he’d move closer for a better look.

But Giguhl wasn’t there. He was waiting for me to get home. I should go—

The coroner knelt next to the body and frowned. “That’s odd.”

I halted my exit, curious despite my best intentions.

“Dick-ectomies usually are,” the detective replied.

The coroner ignored the joke and frowned. “Considering the extent of the wounds, there should be a lot more blood.”

“You think he was killed somewhere else and dumped here?” the rookie asked.

“Negative.” The detective shook his head. “There are signs of struggle over there.” He pointed to the tree line, where stubs of broken branches littered the ground.

“There’s blood spatter over there, too,” the coroner said, rising. “Just not enough for an arterial wound like this.” He sighed and put his hands on his hips. He scanned the area, as if searching for the answer—or the perp—among the crowd. When that gaze landed on me, I stifled the urge to shy away. To pull my collar higher and duck my head so he wouldn’t see the guilt on my face. But then I remembered that, while I shouldn’t be there, I wasn’t responsible for the human’s death.

Not this time.

But given everything I’d just heard, I knew who was. Or rather, what was responsible.

A vampire.

And a clumsy one at that. Slade was going to be pissed. Especially if the vamp was a new arrival who hadn’t bothered to pay the blood tax. Either way, once Slade found out, there’d be a reckoning. I almost wished I could be there with a bowl of popcorn when he found the guilty party.

But he definitely wasn’t going to hear about the botched kill from me. Vampire politics weren’t my business.

Not anymore.

That reminder shook up a cocktail of emotions. Longing and jealousy mixed with something else. Something about being a spectator to someone else’s kill. Something about secondhand adrenaline leaving me hollow. Something about . . . loneliness.

A siren demanded attention. The crowd split apart, their eager eyes tracking the arrival of the medical examiner’s van. As I backed away, the phone in my pocket vibrated. Fishing it out, I glanced at the screen.

Shit.

“Hi, Adam.”

“Where are you?” he asked.

Ogling a crime scene. “Across the street.”

“You better hurry. Giguhl is already pacing.”

“Tell him to chill. The concert doesn’t start for an hour.”

In the background, I heard Giguhl’s deep voice asking if it was me on the phone. Adam affirmed the demon’s suspicion. “Tell that misbegotten daughter of Lilith to get her scrawny ass home already. I don’t want to miss Pussy Willow’s opening number!”

Guilt made me cringe. I should already have been up in that apartment, preparing to head out to Vein. Instead, I was standing in a crowd of mortals eyeing a crime scene like a voyeur. “I’ll be up in a sec.”

“Okay,” Adam said. “Love you.”

My stomach jumped. Surprising how those three little words could still pack such a punch. “You too.” I clicked the END button and shoved the phone back in my pocket.

The coroner watched his assistant load the body into a black bag. I couldn’t get past the feeling that the bag looked a lot like one used to collect trash. For some reason the sight made me feel . . . heavy. Like someone had thrown away a perfectly good life.

I shook my head to clear away the maudlin thoughts. I had a date with a hot mage, a Mischief demon, and a drag queen fae to get to. With a sigh, I turned my back on the bagged body, the eager bystanders, and the scent of blood.

A block or so ahead and across the street, the spires and turrets of Prytania Place loomed. To some, the mage fortress with its gray stone and gargoyles might seem macabre, a Gothic anachronism crouching sullenly between ambitious skyscrapers. But the warm golden lights beaming from all those arched windows and the promise of friendly mage faces waiting inside called me home.

As I walked, bright night eyes peeked from between the leaves and branches of Central Park’s tree line, beckoning me like crooked fingers toward memories of darker times. Back when using humans like fast food was standard operating procedure and my motto was “kill first, avoid questions later.”

But that was then. Now, I shook off the cold fingers of those shadow memories. That old life was over. I was happy now. Settled. Safe. I’d left the cold, blood-soaked world behind in favor of one filled with warmth and magic.

I finally reached the gates set into the base of the building. Entered my code, scanned my hand, spoke into the intercom. The gate popped open and I slipped inside. But I couldn’t resist turning for one last glimpse of the commotion.

A flash of red hair down the block caught my eye. I took a step forward for a better view. She turned her head, giving me a clear view of her face. I didn’t recognize her, but she was definitely a vampire. If the hair hadn’t been a dead giveaway, the smile on her face as she watched the scene told me everything I needed to know. Yes, she was definitely a vamp, but was she also the murderer?

I felt eyes on me, a palpable but unmistakable sensation. Figuring the chick had spotted me, I kept my eyes averted. Acknowledging her presence would be asking for trouble.

Instead, I focused my gaze across the street, where the coroner and his assistant hefted the body bag into their van. Somewhere in the city, a roommate or a partner or a mother expected that dead guy home at any minute. My stomach cramped at the thought of some gray-haired woman learning that her son had been slaughtered and left to rot like garbage. To her, only a monster could discard human life so carelessly. And she’d be right.

Funny. I never used to think of vampires as monsters. Back when I lived as one, human life was no more valuable than a Big Mac. I gripped the small cooler in my hand tighter. The bagged blood inside was more than just sustenance. It represented my new life among the mages, one where I’d learned to control my baser instincts.

So why did my fangs still throb?

Pre-order S-TD:

bn.com / amazon.com

G Hop Winner!

2011-11-30T11:47:00.001-08:00

Gratitude Hop Winner Winner over the Turkey Dinner is : TIFFANY DREW!

Congrats Tiffany, I send you an email and I will order up some fabulous reads for you of your choice from BN.COM.

Thank you all for hoping along with me, and enjoy all your reads too.

2011-11-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Book of Blood and Shadow
by Robin Wasserman

352 pages

Expected publication: January 10th 2012

by Random House Children's Books

My Review:
What if it was all about choice.
If you found a secret buried so deep and filled with destruction, would you choose to follow it? Or leave it buried.
How do you define live, how do you measure the love of the one you are with, how do you know it to he true?
At what cost do you fight to sustain that love. At what price will you sacrifice your friends.
When Nora, a high school student, looses her brother in a car accident and moves to a new town recreating herself, she falls into a whole new world.
Deciphering an ancient manuscript and translating the letters of a long deceased girl named Elizabeth, Nora finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient myth and a vey real sight of death.
The Book of Blood and Shadow will capture the reader in Nota's story as Nora is tossed into and ancient battle and begins to loose everything she once so held dear.
What choices will we make when we face a great evil and are tested beyond ourselves. Nora's story is all about choices and all about faith in one another and what happens when that all goes array.
This story is so well written that the historical letters of Elizabeth flow seamlessly through the present day plot and the rich description takes the reader across the world and also across time. I loved the flow of the story and all of the game changers inherit in it. Robin has created another sound beautiful tale that's will surprise readers as well as leave them feeling fulfilled with this story.

Book Blurb:

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.
But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

***This book was reviewed through Netgalley, thank you Netgalley and Random House!

WoW: Cinder

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Releases January 2012
Published by Feiwel and Friends
Hardcover 400 pages.

Description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

This book has got me anticipating the new year A LOT.

Cinder was on NetGalley, but I was not accepted to read it so I have been downcast and teary eyed, but I hope to find it in an ARC tour sometime before release.

Here is the first chapter to get you excited too:

It is live at USA Books

See what I mean, complete awesomesauce. 2012 I am waiting on you.

What else is author Marissa Meyer cooking up for us with the Lunar Chronicles?

Goodreads / LiveJournal blog / Twitter

Pre-order Cinder Now

amazon / bn.com /

Survive the Black Friday with a Daughter Giveaway

2011-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

While we rush off to engage in hard core Hunter Gather shopping and fight the masses for deals, I want to give you a fabulous Urban Fantasy series to help you unwind from these trying times of the Holidays. SO instead of trying to sell you, I am trying to give it to you.
Take a break.

Pocket Books has a whole set of the Black Sun's Daughter series to give to you if you win, including the newest release coming up Killing Rites.

The Black Sun's Daughter is a great Urban Fantasy with a great heroine Jayne who is coming into her abilities. When the going gets tough, Jayne gets even.

Series Blurb:

In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules.

Enter into the Rafflecopter, available to US participants only.

Trailer Thursday: Shatter Me

2011-11-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Trailer Thursday:
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Released Nov. 15, 2011
Harper Teen

I loved the book, and when I saw the trailer I was so excited and stoked! It really works well with the book, and now that the book hangover is ending, I cannot wait for more!

Shatter Me Description:

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting asThe Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

I also hear that Twentieth Century Fox bought the rights to make a film from the novel, so YES! I cannot wait for this dystopian to turn flesh and real.

Gratitude Giveaway Blog Hop

2011-11-17T06:45:00.001-08:00

As a thank you to all our wonderful followers we are participating in the Gratitude Giveaway with us here at Snarkymamma.
Welcome to the Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop hosted originally on I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and co-hosted by All-Consuming Books. This hop runs until November 27th which will give you plenty of time to enter all the giveaways.

Enter your info into the Rafflecopter Below, you must be a follower-this is a thank you for our followers event hop. Thank you!

Our Giveaway:

Up to $10 in books from Barnes and Noble, ordered online and shipped to your fabulous door.

WoW: Outpost by Ann Aguirre

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Waiting On:

Outpost by Ann Aguirre- I loved Enclave and I spread my ARC all around out teen infested house. We had an audiobook in the ARC that the tweens loved and it soon became their own little fan write up on what would happen next. Well, next comes Outpost!

Expected Release Date: September 2012 (omg that is 4ever, time machine now!)
Published by Feiwel and Friends
September I will be on you like a hawk! I cannot wait to read more.
Book Three is titled Horde

Book Description:

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Now living topside in a community called Salvation, she has a whole new set of problems. Down below, she was considered an adult, and she contributed to the whole. Now, topside, the people of Salvation think she’s a brat in need of training. She hates school, and she doesn’t fit in with the other girls. They’ve spent their lives learning to cook and sew–suitable woman’s work. Deuce only knows how to fight. To make matters worse, Fade keeps her at a distance, and the band of four has broken into fragments.
Stalker presses for a closer relationship, but Deuce sees him as a training partner, and she’s busy trying to find her place in Salvation. She refuses to accept that she’s wrong for being who she is, but tensions rise as she struggles against the status quo. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.
Once she’s free from school for the year, Deuce pursues a chance to serve in the summer patrols–those responsible for making sure the growers and planters can work the fields without danger of Freak attack. It should have been routine, little fighting, but things have been changing on surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks are smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it will take a girl like Deuce to turn the tide.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books Collecting Dust

2011-11-15T08:00:00.001-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted at The Broke and Bookish.

This week's topic:

Top Ten Books That Have Been On Our Shelf For The Longest But We've Never Read

It is horrible, but these poor books are crying for a snowstorm that sets me on a read-a-thon!

Not that I forgot about them, it is the case that I bought them, and then their friends came to visit and it distracted me!

1. Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Loecker -it looks so good!

2. Trial by Fire Jennifer Lynn Barnes - omg I pre-ordered this puppy and it is there!

3. Supernaturally by Kierstan White- Evie you are killing me with how cute you were in book 1, I need to read you.

4. Cold Magic and Cold Fire by Kate Elliott - this author is an automatic buy for me, but I have not read the series yet.

5. Kingdom of the Gods by N.K.Jemisin- it is there and I totally cannot wait to read it.

6. ALPHA by Rachel Vincent - ok this is where it is the end of the series and I am in denial and just CANNOT read the book, it is there on the shelf, I walk past it everyday, but I just don't want this amazing series to end!

7. Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent - same thing, now I am apprehensive to read it because I feel I need to finish up ALPHA first. Love Rachel's writing thought.

8. Heartless by Gail Carriger - wft?! I had been looking for this book and I found it behind the kid's toy shelf *dusting off* yes! late night read.

9. Native Star and Hidden Goddess by M K Hobson - cannot wait to read it though

10. The October Daye series by Seanan McGuire - I have the whole series on the shelf. Now I need a whole weekend.

So there you have it, a whole list of fabulous reads that are just waiting for the opportune moment to crack into them. One day, my precious.

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Every Other Day
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

336 pages

Expected publication: December 27th 2011

by EgmontUSA

My review:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes swept us away with her werewolf series, and no she has captured us with a whole host of mythical creatures in Every Other Day.
Reading this book was an adventure in itself. I was captured by these characters and the magnetic pull that Kali felt towards Zev and all of the implications and associations that would come from that.
In the beginning of the story Barnes introduces is to our main character Kali who has a "condition", every other day she is human, and every other day she is something else. The "other" part of her hungers for the hunt, setting off every night Kali hunts the mythical creatures that prey on humans. On this every other day she is invincible, and yet alone.
There is a central theme of loneliness in the story and how far to what lengths individuals will go to save others and try and fulfill their destinies. I was gripped with the storyline. I loved these characters. As the book raced along, I did not want to put it down, but find out more, solve the hidden parts of the stories and have a happy ending for everyone. A few times I was shocked with the plot twists and the new things that the characters were finding out about themselves and each other, than I was all infatuated with Zev and that angle the story took.
Kali's development as a character was really amazing really. As Kali found out more about herself, her abilities, and her drive to protect her friends as she opened up, it really moved into being an even better read. Kali coming to grips with her past, as well as what her future may hold, while also pushing herself for those she cared about created a fantastic new world for her.
I love this new series, gosh I hope it is a series, and the direction it is taking with this new host of characters is just fantastic. As a reader I loved the flow and ebb of the story and it's development. the characters are awesome! I can only hope there is more, more, more to come. Zev you can mind talk me any day.

Book Blurb:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.
And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.
Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.
When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

***I reviewed this fabulous book through Netgalley, thank you Egmont for making it available!

Oh, Snap! It is Monday

2011-11-14T08:33:00.001-08:00

Alright so I am on Pac. Time here at home, and I had the delightful morning wake up to the Hunger Games trailer, boo yah! It is Fantabulous. While I have a problem with actors and characters and that I love my mind characters better than the actors in the movies, I can appreciate great world building.

On the Hunger Games Trailer:
My impression was awesome. The characters, hmm that was not what I imaged Peeta and Gale looking like, and I always thought the dystopian future was darker and people with even more rough houses, but that city looked cool. I cannot wait for march with my host of little teens waiting for the premier with me. I got them hooked and now we all await March.

Books in Hand:

Finishing up Bewitched by Alex Flinn (love it!)
Finishing up Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck
TBR:
Hunter of Shadows by Nancy Gideon
Fury's Fire by Lisa Papademetriou (NETGALLEY)

Hitting the Bookstore For:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (saw it at walmart last night, but waiting on my preorder)

Yes, this monday rocks with that premier and a pile of good reads that need finishing.

Almost Birthday Par-tay Giveaway

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday To Me!

Since I am getting older and cleaning the house for a move, here is a giveaway for you all.

This lady is so happy to tell you that this giveaway includes:

3 packages of Swagalicious Swag

An Arc of Magic on the Line by Devon Monk

A copy of Heart of the Exiled by Pati Nagle

So enter through Rafflecopter and the Giveaway closes on 11.16.2011.

Good times reading to you all!

Monday Reads 11.7.2011

2011-11-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

It's Monday what are we Reading?!

Currently in Hand: Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck
(love it!)

On The NetGalley: Pure by Julianna Braggott
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Hitting the Bookstore For: Inheritance (can you give a whoop whoop!)

Excuse me Whilst I Grab My Soapbox: Tahereh Mafi

2011-11-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi

Hardcover, 342 pages

Expected publication: November 15th 2011

by Harper/HarperCollins

Awesomesauce: Shatter Me

In a great wave of new amazing YA releases this year, Shatter Me has been my favorite debut release of 2011.

This was a conflicting decision for me because there have been so many great reads this year! My bank statements will prove it, but Shatter Me takes the epic cake.

Tahereh Mafi takes us into a world where special abilities mean an untimely death and parents and neighbors alike will turn you into the government to get rid of you.

We meet Juliette as she is imprisoned for a year and conflicted about the danger she can pose with her touch and what her Reestablishment has a use for her. With the threat and the reality of death so close at hand for Juliette, the sudden introduction of Adam tosses her into a conflicting past and a dangerous future.

Tahereh Mafi has created a dangerous and unforgiving world filled with hate, love, and deceit while at the same time beautiful and precious.
With an amazing cast of characters and a fabulous supporting cast be prepared to be Shattered with this amazing new read from a debut author that will take your breath away.

I will totally be on the lookout for the Hardcover (it be shiny!) and the sequel!
Feed those Writers!

Pre-Order

Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Powells

Book Description:

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting asThe Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Tahereh Mafi
Find out more:

Blog / Website / Goodreads

Review: Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

2011-11-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Drink Deep
by Chloe Neill
Chicagoland Vampires #5
Released: November 1, 2011

Epic Awesomesauce

At the end of Hard Bitten we were all in tears, but Drink Deep packed a powerhouse of awesomesauce.

When the going gets tough, Merit takes it and keeps going. She fights for what is right in the world, while all the wrongs are piling up. While still grieving for the loss of Master, Partner, and love Ethan, Merit has to rise above her immediate grief as all hell breaks apart in the natural world. As the rivers turn black, the skies burn, and the earth turns the supernatural community is blamed and Cadogan House is the main target of the human, and media clash.

Merit has to save her community, her house, her life, and her friends all in Drink Deep and while it all hurts, Merit keeps kicking arse.

I loved Drink Deep. I could not put it down. DD tied all of the elements from the series and revealed new things about these so well loved characters. Through every twist and every turn we all wanted to be there for Merit, and as it wall was falling apart we can only hope that it gets better.

Will Ethan be a memory, or something more to Merit. Now that the world is in turmoil, what will happen with Jonah and the Red Guard, plus what will the repercussions be from the GP towards Merit and Cadogan house?

How will Merit rise above all that she has lost and will loose in the future?

Drink Deep will astound readers with its rich story line and the perseverance and compassion of the characters within this series.
The Chicagoland Vampire series will keep readers on the edge of their seats and awaiting the next book in hand, it is just that good!

Buy it Now

Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Powells

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Legend by Marie Lu

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: November 29th 2011

by Putnam Juvenile

My Review:

LEGEND was an amazing book.

Marie Lu brings is into a Future where we are Tried at 10 to see if you succeed (and get an education, a job) or you fail (and are sent to 'labor camps') damaging your families and possibly your lives.
Legend follows to main characters June and Day one a Government prodigy and the other a wanted criminal.

A wave of plagues is hitting the cities and the poor sectors in the Republic leaving Day's family with a door marked by the plague, as his youngest brother lies withering away Day breaks into a hospital. The events that occur thereafter are the driving force to bring Day and June together as they both fight from a past that married by Government intervention.

June, while trying to solve her family's murder finds even more about her Republic and about the criminal named Day, but what she finds will either destroy her or set her free.

Marie Lu has created an amazing new Dystopian that will grip readers and keep them reading as the events unfold in the story. These characters form into something amazing and breathtaking in the story as they find out more about themselves and what they mean to each other.

The truth will set them free.

Book Blurb:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

***Thank you ATWT for putting this book on an ARC Tour!

WoW: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2011-11-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

I cannot wait for the release of:

Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
Releases 1.2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, MacMillan
400 pages

With a cover like that and a description like this, Cinder is at the top of my highly anticipated releases of 2012.

Book Blurb:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.