Early Review: The Continent by Keira Drake #yalit #AroundTheWorldARCTours #BibPleaseReview

Title: The Continent (The Continent #1)
Author: Keira Drake
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (Harlequin)
Release Date: January 3, 2017
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Get swept away in the majesty and danger of Keira Drake’s sparkling debut fantasy novel The Continent.

For her sixteenth birthday, Vaela Sun receives the most coveted gift in all the Spire—a trip to the Continent. It seems an unlikely destination for a holiday: a cold, desolate land where two “uncivilized” nations remain perpetually at war. Most citizens tour the Continent to see the spectacle and violence of battle—a thing long vanished in the Spire. For Vaela—a smart and talented apprentice cartographer—it is an opportunity to improve upon the maps she’s drawn of this vast, frozen land.

But an idyllic aerial exploration is not to be had: the realities of war are made clear in a bloody battle seen from the heli-plane during the tour, leaving Vaela forever changed. And when a tragic accident leaves her stranded on the Continent, she has no illusions about the true nature of the danger she faces. Starving, alone, and lost in the middle of a war zone, Vaela must try to find a way home—but first, she must survive.

Engaging with questions of social responsibility, the nature of peace and violence, and the value (and danger) of nationalism, Drake’s debut is as thought-provoking as it is fast-paced and surprising, a heart-pounding and heartbreaking story of strength and survival.

My Review

It has been a long time since I've read a book before there was even a cover. Hell, it's been a long time since I've read a physical book. (Audiobooks have been my jam since Life has gone crazy.) But this book. This. The Continent . It reminded me of why I'm a reader. I got adventure and escape from the unpleasantness and monotony around me. I got to hang out with a tough girl named Vaela Sun who should get the Survivor of the Decade award.

There's NOTHING better than finding a book to make you fall in love with books again. The Continent rekindled that romance.

2016 Debut Author Bash (Interview): Bridget Hodder, author of THE RAT PRINCE #giveaway @YaReads @BridgetsBooks @MacKidsBooks

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my third and final date of the fun 2016 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Bridget Hodder and her debut novel, The Rat Prince.



Title: The Rat Prince
Author: Bridget Hodder
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan)
Release Date: August 23, 2016
Cinderella thinks she must work alone to save her noble family from the ruin and disgrace her stepmother has brought to Lancastyr Manor. She has an ailing father, a sweet, innocent little stepsister and dependent servants to protect from the wicked Wilhemina–and no way to call attention to their plight unless she figures out how to attend the royal ball.

But Cinderella knows nothing of the ancient pact between the House of Lancastyr and the rats who live within the walls of her ancestral home.

Nor is she aware that the sleek black rat she thinks is her pet is actually the Rat Prince...

and she is not alone.

Author Interview

Kayla: What made you choose the Prince of the Rats as the hero in The Rat Prince?

Bridget Hodder: Because sometimes, being an outsider is an advantage--it allows you the freedom to think and act the way no one else dares. And no one's more of an outsider than an actual rat!

In my story, Cinderella has a real problem, and she's tried again and again to seek justice and aid through traditional channels. But it just isn't working. So the time has come to turn it all upside down. And Prince Char--The Rat Prince--is just the one to help her do it.

In Silicon Valley tech terms, the rat in this story is a "disruptive innovation". And by that I mean, once Prince Char shows up, the game changes forever in the Kingdom of Angland. (There's more to this metaphor, but you'll have to read the book to figure it out!) The Rat Prince's vision isn't bound by the ordinary human conventions; and once the fairy goddess makes him human for the night, Cinderella doesn't know where the evening will end up, but she knows things will never be the same!

Kayla: Who would you be in this fairy tale world that you've created?

2016 Debut Author Bash (Guest Post): @JulieEshbaugh, author of IVORY AND BONE @YaReads @epicreads #giveaway

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my second date of the 2016 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Julie Eshbaugh and her exciting debut novel, Ivory and Bone.



Title: Ivory and Bone
Author: Julie Eshbaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 7, 2016
The only life seventeen-year-old Kol knows is hunting at the foot of the Great Ice with his brothers. But food is becoming scarce, and without another clan to align with, Kol, his family, and their entire group are facing an uncertain future.

Traveling from the south, Mya and her family arrive at Kol’s camp with a trail of hurt and loss behind them, and hope for a new beginning. When Kol meets Mya, her strength, independence, and beauty instantly captivate him, igniting a desire for much more than survival.

Then on a hunt, Kol makes a grave mistake that jeopardizes the relationship that he and Mya have only just started to build. Mya was guarded to begin with—and for good reason—but no apology or gesture is enough for her to forgive him. Soon after, another clan arrives on their shores. And when Mya spots Lo, a daughter of this new clan, her anger intensifies, adding to the already simmering tension between families. After befriending Lo, Kol learns of a dark history between Lo and Mya that is rooted in the tangle of their pasts.

When violence erupts, Kol is forced to choose between fighting alongside Mya or trusting Lo’s claims. And when things quickly turn deadly, it becomes clear that this was a war that one of them had been planning all along.

Praise for Ivory and Bone

“Exquisitely written, ferocious, and haunting—what a breath of fresh air. Ivory and Bone is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Don’t miss this one.” — Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series

“Julie Eshbaugh is a unique new voice with talent enough for a whole team of writers. Ivory and Bone transported me to a richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes, and I’m still under the spell of her storytelling.” — Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and These Broken Stars

Guest Post

Five Tips for Surviving in the Ice Age World of Ivory and Bone
Julie Eshbaugh
I’m so excited to be the guest of the blog today! If you’re not familiar with my debut, Ivory and Bone, it’s set in prehistory, at the end of the last Ice Age. The world the characters inhabit is beautiful but dangerous, and their survival is never guaranteed. In fact, I’m pretty certain that if I were transported to the setting of the book right now, I wouldn’t last long!

The main character of Ivory and Bone is a seventeen year old boy named Kol. He spends a lot of his time focusing on survival, and in helping his family and clan to thrive. Still, he’s not immune to danger, and he can’t always prevent bad things from happening. So with Kol in mind, I brainstormed five tips we would need to survive in his Ice Age world.

1.) Never go anywhere without a spear.
Kol would definitely tell you to carry a spear everywhere you go. You never know when you might encounter a saber-toothed cat, a dire wolf, or a short faced bear.

2016 Debut Author Bash (Guest Post): Gordon Jack, author of THE BOOMERANG EFFECT @YaReads @gordojack @epicreads #giveaway

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my stop of the 2016 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Gordon Jack and his debut novel, The Boomerang Effect.



Title: The Boomerang Effect
Author: Gordon Jack
Publisher: Harper Teen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: November 8, 2016
A hilariously subversive YA debut that explores the meaning of friendship and loyalty, and also why you should avoid being trapped in a small space with an angry chicken. Perfect for fans of Andrew Smith’s Winger and Frank Portman’s King Dork.

It all started with a harmless prank. But now high school junior Lawrence Barry is one step away from reform school unless he participates in a mentorship program. His mentee? Spencer Knudsen, a Norwegian exchange student with Spock-like intelligence but the social skills of the periodic table.

Then disaster strikes. Homecoming Week. When someone dressed as the school Viking mascot starts destroying the fairytale-inspired floats, all suspicion falls on Lawrence. Add to the mix a demon Goth girl, a Renaissance LARPing group, an overzealous yearbook editor, and three vindictive chickens, and Lawrence soon realizes that his situation may be a little out of control. But Spencer seems to have some answers. In fact, Spencer may be the one friend Lawrence never knew he needed.

Guest Post

We're sending Gordon back to work as a librarian.

If someone has walked up to you wanting books in the following genres/descriptions. Which book(s) would you recommend and why?

‒ Realistic Science Fiction

I would have to go with The Martian by Andy Weir for this one. His book hooks readers from the first line. I mean, how often do you pick up a book where the narrator begins by saying, “I’m pretty much fucked”? Usually you have to wait until page 50 for things to get that bad. And things are bad for Mark Watney. He’s stranded on Mars and has to survive for over a year on potatoes before there’s any hope of a rescue. Watney is a great character, who never loses his sense of humor, despite being trapped on an inhospitable planet.

‒ Most Readable Book with Heavy Literary Elements

Review: Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood #BibPleaseReview #scifi #yalit @RP_Kids

Title: Inherit the Stars (Inherit the Stars #1)
Author: Tessa Elwood
Publisher: Running Press (Perseus)
Release Date: December 8, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher
Three royal Houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.

Asa is the youngest daughter of the House of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She attempts to save her family’s livelihood by posing as her older sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the House of Westlet, only to threaten their already precarious balance. All the while, she must save the life of her other sister...possibly from the hands of their own father.

But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided?

My Review

Since there needs to be more young adult science fiction floating around in the world, I jumped at the chance to read Inherit the Stars and share my thoughts with you guys. The story is about a young girl, Asa, who would do anything for her sister, Wren and gets in trouble doing so.

Asa is a different heroine than what I've been reading about lately in YA. She's not some tough-as-nails, clever badass. She's just a young girl who loves her family and does almost everything in the novel for their benefit. One of her sisters is nearly killed very early in the book, and Asa does everything in her power to get Wren better. You see, Wren is a pretty integral part of the development of the new energy source, in addition to being Asa's favorite sister. Unfortunately, whenever Asa steps in to make something better or save the day, she usually makes everything worse.

Review: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp #BibPleaseReview #diversebooks

Title: This Is Where It Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (Sourcebooks)
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Acquired Via: Publisher
10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won’t open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told from four perspectives over the span of 54 harrowing minutes, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

My Review

This Is Where It Ends is not a book that I would normally consider reviewing, though it caught my eye (the author is a big advocate of diversity in books), because the subject matter is very heavy. I am an escapist reader, and since I have a school-age child, it's not my first choice to read about something that I already worry about. That being said, the lovely people at Sourcebooks were kind enough to send me an ARC at the library, so I figured I could read it as a librarian and give it some attention here, too.

I do want to say before I get into the review that I did not like This Is Where It Ends. However, with it being so short and action-packed, I think it will be great for reluctant teen readers. I will be putting it into the hands of kids at the library. Easy, action-packed reads are important. Now for my thoughts on the book itself.

2015 Debut Author Bash (Interview): @MelodyMaysonet, author of A WORK OF ART @YaReads @Merit_Press #giveaway

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my stop of the 2015 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Melody Maysonet and her debut novel, A Work of Art, and there's also a giveaway for FIVE copies of the book!



Title: A Work of Art
Author: Melody Maysonet
Publisher: Merit Press
Release Date: March 18, 2015
Shy, artistic Tera can't wait to attend a prestigious art school in France to prove to her famous artist father that she can make something of herself.

But Tera's hopes for the future explode when the police arrest her dad for an unspeakable crime. Her father's arrest must be a mistake, so Tera goes into action, sacrificing her future at art school to pay for his defense. Meanwhile, she falls head over heels for Joey, a rebel musician who makes her feel wanted and asks no questions about her past.

Joey helps Tera forget her troubles, but he brings a whole new set of problems to Tera's already complicated life. Then, to make matters worse, as her relationship with Joey deepens and as her dad's hotshot lawyer builds a defense, fractures begin to appear in Tera's childhood memories--fractures that make her wonder: could her father be guilty? And whether he's guilty or innocent, can she find a way to step out of the shadows of her father's reputation and walk free? Can she stop him, guilty or innocent, from tainting the only future she ever wanted?

A Work of Art is a deeply felt story about self-image, self-deception, and the terrible moment that comes when we have to face the whole truth about the myths of our childhoods.

Author Interview

Kayla: Hi, Melody! Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed for my stop on the Debut Author Bash! First, do you mind telling readers a little bit about yourself and your debut novel, A Work of Art?

Melody Maysonet: Sure. A Work of Art is about a 17-year-old girl named Tera who gives up her future at art school to pay for her dad’s legal defense after he’s accused of a horrible crime. Tera discovers too late that her dad might be guilty--and even worse, that she might be one of his victims. It’s a fast-paced coming-of-age story with a literary bent.

Maybe the best way to tell you about myself is to tell you why I wrote A Work of Art. It’s on the grittier side of gritty YA--meaning that it’s dark and sometimes painful to read--but that’s the kind of book I’ve always been drawn to. My teenage years were tough, but reading was one of the things that helped me get through and it was the books with dark themes and troubled characters that spoke to me. Today I have an incredible life. (I’m happily married with an 11-year-old son and two cats--and, hey, I just published my first novel!) But I know what it’s like to be unhappy, and I know what it’s like to read something and realize, “Wow, other people have felt like this too.” So those are the kinds of books I want to write--ones that touch people on a deep, emotional level.

All this makes me sound way too serious, so I’d also like to mention that I’m a self-proclaimed geek, a former Dungeons & Dragons & Magic: The Gathering junkie who was lucky enough to work for a gaming company called Wizards of the Coast. Working there back in the day was the best job I could imagine until I officially became an author with the publication of A Work of Art. I mentioned that I’m drawn to dark, troubling books, but I’m a big fantasy reader, too, and I love thrillers and literary books as well.

Kayla: I know many things can contribute to an author’s inspiration when writing a book. What had the greatest influence or provided the most inspiration for A Work of Art?

Early Review: The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig #AroundTheWorldARCTours @EpicReads

Title: The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere #1)
Author: Heidi Heilig
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Heidi Heilig's debut teen fantasy sweeps from modern-day New York City, to nineteenth-century Hawaii, to places of myth and legend. Sixteen-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father's ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility. Its witty, fast-paced dialogue, breathless adventure, multicultural cast, and enchanting romance will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman.

Nix's life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix's father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he's uncovered the one map he's always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix's mother died in childbirth. Nix's life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix's future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who's been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.

My Review

Books dealing with time travel are usually very hit or miss for me, and young adult ones in the genre are usually more of a miss. Since I am ever the optimist, I wanted to give The Girl from Everywhere a chance. I will admit that I wasn’t in love with the book by the time I finished it, it was a fun ride.

The Girl from Everywhere is about Nix Song, a mixed race Chinese girl that time travels with her father. Her father is from modern-day New York, but she was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in the 1868. The other characters aboard the boat are from other eras in history, though not quite what you would expect. Their interactions with one another are pretty fantastic, especially Nix and Kashmir. Nix’s relationship with Slate, her father and captain, is well-written and believable. Both of their angst comes across beautifully. The characters off of the boat, except for Joss, were not my favorites at all, and I didn’t really understand the point of them.

2015 Debut Author Bash (Guest Post): Tessa Elwood, author of INHERIT THE STARS @tessaelwood @YaReads @RP_Kids

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my stop of the 2015 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Tessa Elwood and her debut novel, Inherit the Stars - and it's also the release date!



Title: Inherit the Stars (Inherit the Stars #1)
Author: Tessa Elwood
Publisher: Running Press (Perseus)
Release Date: December 8, 2015
Three royal Houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.

Asa is the youngest daughter of the House of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She attempts to save her family’s livelihood by posing as her older sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the House of Westlet, only to threaten their already precarious balance. All the while, she must save the life of her other sister...possibly from the hands of their own father.

But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided?

Guest Post

City-states are fascinating.

I was a die hard Koei fan as a kid. They're a Japanese game developer, probably best known for the Dynasty Warriors series. Apart from my favorite title (New Horizons, still among my top five), I was enamored of Genghis Khan—a historical simulation of warring city-states, with mechanics much like Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Except in Khan, arranging strategic marriages and assigning governmental roles to family members was just as important as troop movements and sieges. I spent a great deal of time grooming various key relatives for high-stat unions that would help me not only win the war, but were also blissfully happy for everyone involved. I mean, obviously. I created whole backstories to prove it.

Cover Reveal: Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan #Giveaway @SourcebooksFire @kurtdinan

Title: Don't Get Caught
Author: Kurt Dinan
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: April 1, 2016
17-year-old Max Cobb is sick of being “Just Max”—the kind of guy whose resume boasts a measly 2.5 GPA and a deep love of heist films. So when an invitation appears in his locker to join the anonymous, untraceable, epic prank-pulling Chaos Club, Max jumps at the opportunity to leave “Just Max” in the dust.

Except that the invite is really a set-up, and Max—plus the 4 other kids who received similar invitations—are apprehended by school security for defacing the water tower. This time, Max has had enough. Time for Heist Rule #6:

Always Get Payback.

Let the prank war begin...

Interview

Describe your book in 140 characters or less?

A high school nobody recruits a crew of misfits for heists and pranks to get revenge on the mysterious Chaos Club. #DontGetCaught

How did you come up with the idea for Don’t Get Caught?

Review: Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein (ARC) @FierceReads @loriagoldstein #yalit

Title: Becoming Jinn (Becoming Jinn #1)
Author: Lori Goldstein
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillian)
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher
Forget everything you thought you knew about genies!

Azra has just turned sixteen, and overnight her body lengthens, her olive skin deepens, and her eyes glisten gold thanks to the brand-new silver bangle that locks around her wrist. As she always knew it would, her Jinn ancestry brings not just magical powers but the reality of a life of servitude, as her wish granting is controlled by a remote ruling class of Jinn known as the Afrit.

To the humans she lives among, she’s just the girl working at the snack bar at the beach, navigating the fryer and her first crush. But behind closed doors, she’s learning how to harness her powers and fulfill the obligations of her destiny.

Mentored by her mother and her Zar “sisters”, Azra discovers she may not be quite like the rest of her circle of female Jinn . . . and that her powers could endanger them all. As Azra uncovers the darker world of becoming Jinn, she realizes when genies and wishes are involved, there’s always a trick.

My Review

Once a Jinn becomes 16, she gets a bracelet which activates her powers and also allows her to grant one wish to each human. The wish granting and the Jinn world are ruled by the Afrit, and Azra believes that they are unfair jailers.

Azra is struggling with becoming a Jinn because she only sees the negative and feels like it equals a lifetime of slavery. She doesn't understand why the male Jinn are not allowed to travel to Earth. I really liked Azra, but I also empathized with her. I can see that she could be incredibly frustrating for other readers. I understood Azra, because I hate being told what I can and cannot do. I also would balk about having my future decided for me and my decisions limited by a ruling class.

Release Day Blitz: Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir #giveaway #yalit @sabaatahir

I am so excited that An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir releases today and that I get to share the news, along with a special introduction from Sabaa herself!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Sabaa Tahir, be sure to check out all the details below.


This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed copies of the book and some of those awesome sword letter openers we’ve seen around courtesy of Sabaa, Penguin Teen, and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Letter from Sabaa Tahir

Dear Readers,

Today, my “baby” An Ember in the Ashes is finally out in the world! From inception to pub date, this journey took eight years. And what a journey it was: writing, rewriting, revising, editing, querying, submitting; Meeting other debuts, bloggers, booksellers and librarians, and hearing their thoughts on EMBER. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the radness.

And now, the book is here! I am so excited to see it in the hands of readers. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. To celebrate release day, I’m giving away two signed, first-edition hardcovers of the book. Details below!

All my best,

Sabaa



Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Blitz Organizer: Rockstar Book Tours
Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.

LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.

ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.

When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

Book Trailer


Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks




About the Author

Blog Tour (Guest Post & #Giveaway): Desert Rising by Kelley Grant #PUYB @HarperVoyagerUS @PumpUpYourBook

Desert Rising Tour Schedule



Title: Desert Rising
Author: Kelley Grant
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse (HarperCollins)
Release Date: April 21, 2015
“It frightens me, knowing the One has called up two such strong individuals. It means that there are troubled times in our future, and you must prepare yourselves.”

The Temple at Illian is the crown jewel of life in the Northern Territory. There, pledges are paired with feli, the giant sacred cats of the One god, and are instructed to serve the One’s four capricious deities. Yet Sulis, a young woman from the Southern Desert, has a different perspective – one that just might be considered heresy...

Sulis’s twin Kadar, meanwhile, is part of a different revolution. When Kadar falls in love with a woman from a Forsaken caste, he finds he’s willing to risk anything to get her people to freedom. But with Sulis drawing a dangerous level of attention from the deities, and war about to break out on two fronts, change may not come as easily as either twin had hoped.

An astonishing debut, Kelley Grant brings to life a powerful new epic fantasy tale of determination and self-discovery.

Guest Post

Writing Advice
Kelley Grant
I think the most common advice given to new writers is “write what you know.” Common advice, and frustrating to a budding fantasy or science fiction writer. I’m writing about dragons, or spaceships that haven’t been invented yet. How can I write what I know, when what I’m writing doesn’t exist? And why does it matter? Shouldn’t a writer be free to let her imagination wander?

Early Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (ARC)

Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
I WILL TELL YOU THE SAME THING I TELL EVERY SLAVE.

THE RESISTANCE HAS TRIED TO PENETRATE THIS SCHOOL COUNTLESS TIMES. I HAVE DISCOVERED IT EVERY TIME.

IF YOU ARE WORKING WITH THE RESISTANCE, IF YOU CONTACT THEM, IF YOU THINK OF CONTACTING THEM, I WILL KNOW

AND I WILL DESTROY YOU.

Laia is a slave.
Elias is a soldier.
Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

My Review

I had high hopes for An Ember in the Ashes, and it pretty much met every one of them. One of my favorite things is finding a debut or new to me epic fantasy, and even though An Ember in the Ashes is more dystopia than high fantasy, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Blog Tour (Review): Haunted by Lynn Carthage #Giveaway

Title: Haunted (The Arnaud Legacy #1)
Author: Lynn Carthage
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher
"Remarkable. . .a twist you'll never see coming." - Michelle Gagnon, author of Don't Look Now

Moving to my stepfather's English country mansion sounded so promising. But the Arnaud Manor is neglected and unwelcoming, and I get the feeling it isn't exactly uninhabited. Something wants to hurt us--especially my little sister, Tabby.

Okay, so I might be a little sensitive lately. My parents act oblivious to me, my old life is far away in San Francisco, and the gorgeous guy I just met tells me terrible stories about the infamous Madame Arnaud who lived here long ago, and about missing children and vengeful spirits. The kind of stories that are impossible to believe--until you're living in one of them, fighting to protect everyone you love...

My Review

Haunted by Lynn Carthage is just the kind of young adult novel that I like to read. My only experience with YA as a young person was reading R.L. Stine, Lois Duncan, and Christopher Pike, and Haunted is definitely in their league. It was a very nostalgic read.

Review: A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas

Title: A Wicked Thing (A Wicked Thing #1)
Author: Rhiannon Thomas
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
A spinning wheel.
A prick of a finger.
A Terrible curse.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept. Everyone expects Aurora to marry her betrothed and restore magic and peace to the kingdom before revolution tears it apart. But after a lifetime spent locked in a tower for her own safety, Aurora longs for the freedom to make her own choices. When she meets a handsome rebel, she is tempted to abandon everything for a different kind of life.

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

A Wicked Thing is a surprising, spellbinding reimagining of what happens after happily ever after.

My Review

Rhiannon Thomas' A Wicked Thing is the biggest surprise for me so far in 2015. The story follows Aurora, the sleeping beauty, one hundred years after she fell asleep. It was handled in a way that surprised me (see, I said it again) because I was expecting a sappy romance or something with a lot of self-hatred because of the alleged wickedness. Then again, it may because I've read a really wonderful Sleeping Beauty retelling, and I was afraid that it would never compare. (It was different enough that it did.)

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): City of Liars and Thieves by Eve Karlin

Title: City of Liars and Thieves
Author: Eve Karlin
Publisher: Alibi (Random House)
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
A crime that rocked a city. A case that stunned a nation. Based on the United States’ first recorded murder trial, Eve Karlin’s spellbinding debut novel re-creates early nineteenth-century New York City, where a love affair ends in a brutal murder and a conspiracy involving Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr erupts in shattering violence.

It is high time to tell the truth. Time for justice. . . . How she was murdered and why she haunts me. It is not only Elma’s story, it’s mine.

On the bustling docks of the Hudson River, Catherine Ring waits with her husband and children for the ship carrying her cousin, Elma Sands. Their Greenwich Street boardinghouse becomes a haven for Elma, who has at last escaped the stifling confines of her small hometown and the shameful circumstances of her birth. But in the summer of 1799, Manhattan remains a teeming cesspool of stagnant swamps and polluted rivers. The city is desperate for clean water as fires wreak devastation and the death toll from yellow fever surges.

Political tensions are rising, too. It’s an election year, and Alexander Hamilton is hungry for power. So is his rival, Aaron Burr, who has announced the formation of the Manhattan Water Company. But their private struggle becomes very public when the body of Elma Sands is found at the bottom of a city well built by Burr’s company.

Resolved to see justice done, Catherine becomes both witness and avenger. She soon finds, however, that the shocking truth behind this trial has nothing to do with guilt or innocence.

My Review

By the time I began reading City of Liars and Thieves, I had completely forgotten what the book was about (and why I wanted to review it). That being said, I would like to give Past Kayla a major fist bump for choosing such a great book to review. City of Liars and Thieves is precisely my sort of mystery: full of history and great writing.

Debut Author Giveaway Hop #2 (INT)

Hello again, giveaway hoppers! Thank you to the lovely ladies, Mary at Book Hounds and Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, for hosting this hop. I mean, what could be more fun that featuring newly published authors and their books that we loved?

What You Can Win

Earlier this week (because I'm a procrastinator), I asked the other ladies of Bibliophilia, Please which books were their favorite debut reads of 2014. Amber is my reading twin the majority of the time, so her picks were the same as mine. Janelle's choice was one that I enjoyed as well. And here they are:

Amber's Picks



Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1) by Pierce Brown
January 28, 2014
Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”

“I live for you,” I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.



My Review

Trailer Reveal: Anomaly by Tonya Kuper

Title: Anomaly
Author: Tonya Kuper
Publisher: Entangled Teen (Macmillan)
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Reality is only an illusion.
Except for those who can control it...

Worst. Birthday. Ever.

My first boyfriend dumped me—happy birthday, Josie!—my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening...

Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.

When hottily-hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead...

Book Trailer

Dystopian Giveaway Hop #2 (INT)

Happy Halloween! Welcome to my stop on the Dystopian Giveaway Blog Hop. This hop is co-hosted by April & Kat at My Shelf Confessions and Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

What You Can Win

One of the best dystopian novels that I've read this year is Pierce Brown's debut novel, Red Rising. I read and reviewed this book a earlier this year, and I enjoyed it so much that I want to share it. Here's a little about the book:



Title: Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1)
Author: Pierce Brown
Publisher: Del Rey (Random House)
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”

“I live for you,” I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Buy Links
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