Book Blitz & Giveaway: Carnelian

Hi, everyone! Today I'm having a Book Blitz for the book Carnelian by B. Kristin McMichael.

Carnelian by B. Kristin McMichael
(Chalcedony Chronicles #1)
Publication date: January 10th 2014
Genres: Time-Travel, Young Adult

Sypnosis:

Everyone has a past, but for most it isn’t so far in the past as Seth Sangre. His past is literally from thousands of years ago. Seth’s past led him to the present seeking something that might help him save his country from destruction. He has been in the present for over three years now and just found exactly what he has been looking for.

Mari had dreams of college being a fresh start, one where she would start over and not fall for the good looking player like high school. Unfortunately for her that’s exactly what ends up falling into her lap on the first day she moves into the dorms. Now she has to hold to her promise to herself and not fall for the handsome Seth. But he doesn’t plan to make it easy for her. Seth has already marked her as his next conquest. As the semester progresses, Mari learns that Seth might just have a past of his own that’s literally in the past. Suddenly Mari finds her future along with her past put into question. She’s connected to Seth far more than she ever wanted to be and maybe the player isn’t who she thought he was. If Mari can trust her heart enough to follow him, Seth will lead Mari on an adventure of a lifetime and reveal family secrets she never knew existed.

Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | 

AUTHOR BIO
Originally from Wisconsin, B. Kristin currently resides in Ohio with her husband, two small children, and three cats. When not doing the mom thing of chasing kids, baking cookies, and playing outside, she is using her PhD in biology as a scientist. In her free time she is currently hard at work on multiple novels. Every day is a new writing adventure. She is a fan of all YA/NA fantasy and science fiction. 

Website | Goodreads |Twitter | 

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Waiting on Wednesday #60: Rebel Belle

Waiting on Wednesday is a wonderful meme created by Jill from Breaking the Spine where we highlighted an upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating.

Rebel Belle (Untitled Series #1)
by Rachel Hawkins
Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: April 8th 2014 

by Putnam Juvenile

Summary from Goodreads:

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him--and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.

Babble:
I love Rachel Hawkins quirky heroines so I'm giving this a shot. Who doesn't like a kick-ass Southern belle?

My DNF: Fate

Fates (Fates #1)
by Lanie Bross

Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Published February 11th 2014 

by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

ARC from Netgalley
Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD

What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. 

His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in? 

Fate is just one big giant mess. It has all the things that a YA fantasy cliche' has. Useless Mary Sue character, sketchy world building, instant love, unbelievable evil villains and more.

The thing is, I've always imagined the fates as those scary witches they showed in Disney's Hercules or Percy Jackson: Sea and Monsters so it is kind of unreal to think of them as anything else.

Corinthe is one of the sister fate banished to earth for being too curious. Honestly, the real reason she was banished was kind of sketchy. And since she's desperately trying to find her way back to an eternal life in Pyralis Terra, she had to fulfilled people's fates. And those fates does not just include death, there are some that I didn't really get.

Such as how can breaking up a teenage couple are so important enough that she had to do it?

Yes, as you can see things get pretty downhill from there. The male love interest falls head over heels for her instantly and decided to snoop around. Eventhough, he just found out that his girlfriend was hooking up with someone like seconds ago. And don't even get me started on their first encounter. He was helping her when she was involved in a car crash and she thought that he's cute. And after being rescued from the wrecked car, she literally ran helter skelter like some crazy person to get away. Seriously?

I'm sad to say that this book is certainly not for me and I'm just amazed how such YA books featuring so bland characters can be published yet again.

Review: Fangirl

Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell
Kindle Edition, 433 pages
Published September 10th 2013

by St. Martin's Press

Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? 

Reading Fangirl is like drinking hot tea in a cold winter's night. Well, since I lived in a tropical country, I can only imagine how comforting that was.

I love to read about underdogs and fangirl is really the adventure of an underdog, introvert, fan-fic obsessed college girl. The beauty of the story is in its simplicity and how realistic the characters are. I mean..I love Harry Potter (who doesn't?) and it's really hard for me to let the series end so I can totally relate to Cath's predicament.

Venturing into a new and totally foreign environment is hard for everyone and even more so for Cath as she struggle to her new life without her twin sister by her side. I was always rooting and waiting for her to come out of her shell and when it finally happened, it was totally gratifying to read it. I love that even after so much crap happened, she's always been true to herself. I could gush on and on about the book but since so many people have already beaten me to it, I'll just say that the book certainly leaves me feeling all warm inside.

Reading Challenges? Why am I doing this to myself...

Another reading challenges? Why am I doing this to myself? I just can't help it, you guys. Someone really need to whack my head and remind me to stop doing this challenges or else I'll just read and read and read without doing any wrap-up post (hides face shamelessly).

You guys can find out more details from the awesome Hafsah Laziaf over at Iceybooks. But it's pretty simple actually, all I need to do is read 15 YA standalone in this year. So, without further ado I'd better get cracking to it. May the force be with me.

FF Friday #16

Hi, everyone! It's time for another FF Friday. I haven't done this one for a while now. So here it is again.

Q: What books are you looking forward to reading in 2014?

So..so..many. But I decided to stick with my top 4.

1. Cress by Marissa Meyer 

2. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

3. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

4. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Books number 2 to 4 is the final installment in the series. And as you can see I really love epic fantasy. I'm willing to give an arm and leg for these books. So can't wait!

Review: Uninvited

Uninvited (Uninvited #1)
by Sophie Jordan
Published January 28th 2014
ARC from Edelweiss

Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

After reading too many disappointing dystopians last year, I decided to lower my expectations and just go with the flow. Usually a dystopian has really intriguing and promising premise but just fall flat either with its insipid characters or the cringe worthy romance. While Uninvited has both of those, I'm glad that I'd rather enjoyed the book since it's pacing always keeps me guessing and wondering what will happen next.

As a main character, Davy or Davina is simply useless. She's the poor, little, rich girl (and also music prodigy) who finds herself suddenly ostracized for having a Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS) gene. Overnight, her whole world crumbles and she was forced to attend a special class in a public school for the HTS carriers. Predictably she meets Sean O'Rourke; the handsome bad-boy who acts as her savior after a few run-ins with other carriers and the sleazy teacher assigned to watch over them. As things went from bad to worse, Davy and the other HTS carriers are taken from their homes to a training camp for selected carriers with special talents. In the training camp, the teens are pitted among each other through a series of harsh physical and mental tests while the other not so lucky carriers are sent to a detention camp where they are left to die.

It really took some time for Davy to finally stand up for herself and for the most of the book she's desperately trying to hide her fears and weakness from others without much success. It is so sad how her friends and parents could treat her so badly after she was discovered as having the  HTS gene and it really got me thinking what if something like this happened in real life. It just seemed strange however that most of the HTS carriers are mostly teens or am I missing something here? For me, it is really inevitable that the kids suspected to have these so-called genes will eventually kill someone to protect themselves but I'm still curious on how they're going to survive.

Waiting on Wednesday #59: After The End

Waiting on Wednesday is a wonderful meme created by Jill from Breaking the Spine where we highlighted an upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating.

After the End (After the End #1)

by Amy Plum
Hardcover
Expected publication: May 6th 2014 

by Harper Children's

Summary from Goodreads:

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Babble:
I really need a good dystopian since so many great series ended last year. I'm hoping Amy Plum's latest series will do the trick although I've never read her Revenants series before this.

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Hi, peeps!
So last year I only joined three reading challenges. I think I manage to complete all the challenges but I just forgot to do a wrap up posts. Initially, I decided not to joined any reading challenges this year but I got so tempted.



The sweet Evie over at Bookish has one of the biggest reading challenges this year and I'm hoping to make a dent on my piles of books so this is great for me. I'm always aiming for the lowest level in this case it's 10 books. If you're interested, check out the details over on Bookish. There's a giveaway at the end of each month and a big one at the end of the year. So..good luck for me. 

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Sworn to Secrecy

We are thrilled to be able to share with you the cover for Sworn to Secrecy, the fourth book in Terah Edun's The Courtlight Series, which releases next month on February 28th. We think the cover is absolutely beautiful and we can't wait for its release!

We also have an awesome excerpt from the book so be sure to check it out below!

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On Sale on Amazon, iTunes & Barnes & Noble February 28, 2014

Sworn To Secrecy by Terah Edun (Book 4)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Coming Of Age

Summary:

In the heart of the Imperial Courts, Ciardis Weathervane knows that death is coming for the empire. With her friends by her side and the new triad of Weathervanes, she's in a race against time to convince the courts of the same.

She must do her best to unite kith, mages, nobles and merchants under one cause - the fight to prevent a war. Soon she is forced to keep a secret that could exonerate her mother of the Empress's death, and is always one move away from stepping into diplomatic chaos. Throw in a Daemoni Prince who is showing interest in the youngest Weathervane, a jealous Prince Heir, and a irritated dragon with her own designs on Ciardis, and you have an Imperial Court in turmoil. This fourth novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Conflict.

Connect With Terah: Author Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Series Order Links:

Amazon

Barnes & 

iBookstore

Google Play

Kobo

Excerpt of Chapter One:

There were few things in the world that mystified Ciardis Weathervane more than the Imperial Courts of Sandrin. An intricate and multi-layered triad of courts with the Imperial family at the top, the landed nobles squarely in the middle and the wealthy ton comprising of the merchants, the artists and the mages at the bottom. If you could call it a bottom. Because nobles could be mages, Imperial family members had independent wealth and all of them played their games in pursuit of their own desires. Fidelity, honor and duty to the land wasn’t what drove these courtiers. Pride of place and greed for more took prominence above all. So landing back at Court on the arms of the woman that most everyone wanted dead and a man accused of aiding a serial killer wasn’t her best idea yet.

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Terah is giving away 1 ebook copy of any book in the Courtlight series to five winners. Open Internationally.

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: A Date of Godlike Proportions

Hi, everyone! Today I'm having a Book Blitz for the quirky YA book; A Date of Godlike Proportions by Tellulah Darling. Check out the book and the author's guest post about her top favourite romantic comedies. Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway to win an ebook of the first of the series.

A Date of Godlike Proportions
by Tellulah Darling
(The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #2.5)
Publication date: December 20th 2013
Genres: Comedy, Mythology, Young Adult

Sypnosis:

There’s bound to be pressure when it takes 2500 years to get to a second date. Which is exactly why Theo Rockman, a.k.a. Prometheus, would rather not go. With his best friend gravely injured and the fate of humanity still on the line, Theo has all sorts of creative excuses to avoid dating swoon-worthy god and love of his life, Hephaestus.

YA romantic comedy gets an epic mythological twist in the free (at select retailers) short story A Date of Godlike Proportions (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy Book 2.5). Being human hasn’t killed Theo, but this date just might. 

Goodreads |  Amazon | iBook | free on Kobo

Tellulah Darling's Top 5 Romantic Comedy Films

1) When Harry Met Sally - This movie is the gold standard of romcoms. It's funny, it's insightful, the characters are flawed and deluded and above all its totally fabulous and all about love. Also, I'm a sucker for "best friends becoming more" films. In fact my first novel, Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls was written precisely because I love this film so much.

2) The Princess Bride - I've met people who don't like this film with its whimsey and wit and magic and love. They are cold dead people. No judgement. I'm just saying. It also wins for best way to say "I love you."

3) Scott Pilgrim Vs the World - There have been a lot of crappy romcoms in the past decade or so but this isn't one of them. The premise of having to battle Ramona's seven evil exes is so fun and executed with such glee. The love triangle (square?) is wonderful and I love Kieran Culkan. There is no downside to this film. So over the top and yet wonderfully deadpan at the same time.

4) His Girl Friday - If, like me, you like your banter witty and your leads so very deluded in their feelings for each other, then this is your film. The dialogue is gunfire fast and whip smart. I love, loathe, and love again Cary Grant's character, while Rosalind Russell gives as good as she gets. A classic for all the best reasons.

5) Strictly Ballroom - Any film whose HEA is captured in a joyous dance number is okay by me. Plus it's an ugly duckling story and the scene with Doris Day singing "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps" makes me swoon like nothing else. Another totally over-the-top film but if you can't go big when it comes to love, then go home.

I hope I gave you some new romcom favs today. Let me know which ones you love!

AUTHOR BIO:
Tellulah Darling
noun
1. YA Novelist
2. Alter ego of former screenwriter and instructor
3. Sassy minx

Geeks out over: cool tech.
Squees for: great storytelling.
Delights in: fabulous conversation.
Writes about: where love meets comedy. Awkwardness ensues.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | 

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January 2014 New Release Giveaway Hop

Hello everyone! Welcome to my stop of the January New Release Giveaway Hop hosted by Giselle from Bo-ok Nerd.

Rules:

1. One winner will get a book which is released in January from The Book Depository. Some of my pick for this month is shown below but you're free to choose any book as long as it's released this month.

2. Open to everyone where The Book Depository ships to. 

3. Fill in the rafflecopter and that's it.

 
 

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Wasteland

Hi, everyone! Today I'm having a Book Blitz for the book Wasteland from the Flight series by Lindsay Leggett.

Wasteland by Lindsay Leggett
(Flight #2)
Published December 7th 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Sypnosis:

Wasteland, the next book in the FLIGHT trilogy, takes place a few months after the ending of book one.

Trapped in a cell and experimented on, Piper Madden’s only hope is remembering Asher. Then, Elder Corp President Rupert Elder gives her new orders: to be a leader in a war against the Harpies. Without a choice, Piper must obey Rupert’s commands or suffer from paralyzing and painful Nanomachines. But the war is just beginning, and Asher has gone missing. The resistance is slowly building, and the upcoming war will be larger and bloodier than anything seen since the Devastation that ruined the earth. Throughout all of this, Piper remembers the time before she ran to Ichton, when David was alive and her hope in Elder Corp was still strong.

Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | 

AUTHOR BIO:
Nearly every writer struggles to put together information about themselves, perhaps because we’re so used to detailing the lives and ways of others. For the most part I am a writer, editor, photographer, and all-around artist living in the wilds north of Toronto, Ontario. I thrive on the juxtaposition of beauty and grit, enjoy urban crawls, indie everything, and time well-spent in the woods. 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | 

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Review: Alienated

Alienated (Alienated #1)
by Melissa Landers 

Published February 4th 2014
by Disney Hyperion
ARC from Netgalley

Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet. 

I did not expect to love Alienated as much as I did which shows how hard not to like this book despite the predictable plot and the very juvenile characters.

We do know that the two main characters will eventually fall in love with each other but it's so refreshing to read a romance that take some time to develop and did not just happen instantly. School valedictorian and smart girl; Cara Sweeney was a bit indifferent to the alien boy's arrival and Aelyx was also a bit hostile to her. But when her boyfriend and her best friend dumped Cara to joined the anti-aliens movement, Aelyx realised the sacrifices that Cara and her family had to go through just to keep him safe.

It's so sweet when Cara decided to emulate the food in L'eihr to make sure Aelyx doesn't starve himself to death and when Aelyx tried to cheer up by preparing ice cream sundae. But what I found baffling is when they finally fall in love everything seemed so rushed. One minute they're busy making out and everything was fine and dandy until Chapter Twenty-Two when all hell breaks loose and the star crossed lovers are forced to run for their lives. What's up with that? This book could easily be 5 stars for me if not for that rather abrupt ending.